Trying Out The Tasting Menu At Maize Garden In Bolsover
Published On Sunday 16 Mar 2025 by Sticky Beak
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Friday night was looking a bit ‘meh’, not gonna lie, with the only thing planned being a takeaway and a glass of vino. Then, bam! Out of nowhere came an email asking if we’d like to sample the Tasting Menu (£65 per person) at Maize Garden in Bolsover that night – you bet your bum we would. We’d stepped into the shoes (or should that be table?) of a couple that had had to cancel last minute, and rather than food go to waste, owner, Lewis, had invited us along.
Maize garden is set in a beautiful location, within a little tucked away courtyard [near to Morrison’s supermarket] and there is a large car park nearby, so parking wasn’t an issue. We were visiting in the evening, so we got the full effect of the light-festooned outside terrace. Inside, Maize Garden is light, airy and welcoming; even more so given that it is fairly intimate – I estimated 18 seats. The ceiling is bedecked with hanging faux foliage and there is a rather snazzy neon ‘Welcome’ sign above a hand-painted image of an ear of Maize and the lettering of the venue’s name.
Metal pendant lights above the counter/bar area cast a cosy amber glow, partnered by discreet, recessed spotlights in the main seating area. Free-standing, marble-effect tables were paired with dark olive toned chairs that had tonal pale green pads on them.
A lovely chap named Leon was the musician for the evening, delivering live, acoustic music to us. I was an instant fan as he strummed Metallica’s ‘Nothing Else Matters’, one of my favourite tunes; I have to say that he has a really good repertoire, matched with a great voice. Other diners were drifting in and, whilst Sally was seating them, Grace came to take our drinks order: pint of draught Cruz Campo lager for His Nibs, and a large glass of Shiraz for me.
With everyone seated, it was time for the first course of the evening to be brought out; Shiitake ‘Nduja’ and Roquito Peppers on a charred, mini-Tortilla that was perfect to snaffle Taco style - nom nom. Although it was a vegetable-based dish, the Nduja still had a fab chilli kick to it, matched by the dinky Peppers, and the Roquitos also provided a nice element of crunch to this starter. The Salsa garnish looked lovely, as well as being vibrant in the mouth. Served with this morsel was the second ‘Pork’ course, in the guise of a dumpling that was, quite simply, a marvellous, edible cloud! The minced Pork was tasty itself, but had been zhuzhed up with Ginger, Sesame and Soy so that it was warming, salty and nutty all in one go – superb. This had been a brilliant introduction to the Tasing Menu, and we were all eager to see what would follow.
Freshly baked, miniature loves of Focaccia were served next, complete with pistachio-toned butter that had been carefully piped into ripples. The multi-seed bread was delicious and Chef gave us a double-whammy of fruity Olive Oil, both as an intrinsic component of the bread and as a drizzle on the cooked loaves’ surface for an attractive gloss. The Herb butter was surprisingly delicate, but its ‘bounce’ was clear on the palate; sometimes it’s the simple things that are the best.
The Man Bird has been getting a lot better with Prawns lately, so he was game to try the ‘Prawn, Sesame, Ponzu, Coriander, Shiso’ course that was coming up next. Turns out, Chef served this as a Black- and White- Sesame seed coated Prawn Spring Roll – albeit a jumbo one! These tiny seeds imparted a good wallop of nutty flavour, which paired really well with the [plentiful] minced Prawn filling that was encased in crisp, golden Spring Roll pastry. Coriander oil had been swirled artfully around the roll and was used judiciously so that its strong flavour didn’t overwhelm the other elements. You just got a whisper of citrussy Ponzu coming through and the distinctive dark purple leaves of Shiso decorated the Spring Roll, and its complex Curry/Mint/Cinnamon flavour danced over our tongues.
Maitake (Hen-of-the-Wood) mushroom with Jerusalem Artichoke, Mushroom Ketchup, Nori, Rice, and Kale was up next, and this very much carried on the Oriental theme of the previous course. One of the best things about this particular mushroom is its firm, meaty texture, and we both enjoyed its deep, earthy taste. The contrast of the creamy Artichoke puree and the richer Mushroom Ketchup was excellent, and their softness was wildly different to the crispy Kale (very much like crispy Seaweed you get from your local Chinese takeaway) and puffed rice cake. I liked how Chef had kept the Kale entire, rather than finely shredding it, and how he’d used Nori as tiny, decorative flakes around the plate.
If there was going to be one tricky course for His Nibs it was going to be the next one: Mackerel with Tomato Dashi, Leek, Buttermilk and Dill. You all know how he doesn’t like ‘fishy fish’, so I did have my reservations as to whether he would pass this one over to me; in the end, he didn’t. Chef had opted to serve unsmoked, fresh Mackerel, resulting in something far more delicate than The Man was expecting. With its distinctive, striped skin still on, the fillet was gorgeously moist and soft in the mouth and, although it definitely is a stronger flavour than white fish (having a ‘Tuna, but milder’ taste), His Nibs was chowing it down like a good ‘un. The Tomato Dashi was a masterclass in subtlety and its delicate stockish character gently kissed the palate with the added hint of sweetness from the Tomato. In contrast, the charred Leek rounds were deep and smoky, balanced by the Buttermilk sauce, and Dill imparted a flavour that enhanced the Mackerel, being used very skilfully so as not to dominate, as some herbs are wont to do.
Lamb formed the base of course 7, accompanied by Gochujang, Wild Garlic, Mint, Red Cabbage and Charcoal Potato. Chef served the Lamb rose-pink in the centre, resting it before sending it out so that no blood oozed over the plate. Resting also allows the muscle fibres to relax, which means you get that irresistible tenderness when you bite into it. The Gochujang may have been in small dots around the plate, but it certainly made its punchy presence known on the palate! Joining forces with it was an impossibly verdant Wild Garlic oil, and together they had our taste buds jumping for joy. Finely shredded, pickled Red Cabbage sat regally upon a dinky round of charred flatbread, and its sharp acidity cut through the Lambs’ richness superbly. If super-silky foods are your bag, then you will fall in love with the Charcoal Potato and its glutinous texture. Although it looks dramatically dark and moody, the Potato’s inherent flavour isn’t affected by the Charcoal at all. We all know that Mint is a classic partner to lamb, and here it was combined with cooling, creamy yoghurt in an almost Raita-esque incarnation, delighting the senses with the difference in temperature.
Course 8 was simply described as ‘Blue Cheese, Ranch, Buffalo, Chicken’ and both of us instantly flew back to Derby Wing Fest and the Chicken Wings we’d had there. The one thing you can count on with a tasting menu, though, is that you ain’t gonna get the ordinary, and there was no Chicken Wing in sight! I have no idea of the process behind the result, but the Chicken was a disc that was ridiculously thin and crisp, with a depth of flavour that defied [taste] gravity. The lowest layer was a piped swirl of punchy Blue Cheese, then there was a slightly smaller round of piped, tangy Ranch dressing, and finally a smaller circle of colourful, fiery Buffalo - all of which was crowned with the disc of Chicken. I have to say that I love, love, loved the flavours and presentation of this dish, but the proportion was a bit off-kilter, and Blue Cheese took over here. I did mention this to Chef when he came down at the end of the evening and he said that he’d grappled with adding a Chicken thigh, so totally got what I meant. The idea of Chicken two-ways would work fantastically, I think, with this dish, and part of the fun is seeing dishes evolve.
The penultimate course, and the last ‘real’ one (the actual last one was Petit Fours), was Banana, Carrot, Yorkshire Parkin, Toffee, and Chocolate. So, let me ask you this: when is a Carrot not a Carrot? When It’s Banana, that’s been coloured and fashioned into a Carrot shape. Now, I don’t like Banana; as in, I really, REALLY don’t like it (and it makes me gip), so, for once, Lady Luck was on His Nibs’ side and he got the Carrot-cum-Banana passed over to him, which apparently was really nice; a bit of a mind-warp, granted, but a tasty one. I was more smitten by the toffee: this was divine in its sweetness and stickiness and, combined with the crumbled Parkin and Milk Chocolate chips, made for a marvellous dessert. An amazingly creamy, indulgent Ice Cream completed the outfit as well as a temperature contrast. I’d love to say that I got double Toffee or double Parkin but, no, His Maj was keeping all his goodies to himself!
Rounding off the evening, we were treated to absolutely stunning ‘Rolo’s’; Milk Chocolate filled with Dulce De Leche. Oh, my days, these minxes were totally addictive and, dare I say it, even better than actual Rolo’s. I’d had my eyes on a Mint Hot Chocolate all evening, so what better time to indulge than with a better-than-Rolo Rolo? Nothing had been too much trouble for the serving team, Grace and Sally, and it was matched with imaginative, tasty dishes from ‘Patch’ and ‘Baggy’. As a further note, the kitchen is on the snug side, shall we say, even more testament to the skill of this Chef team; credit where it’s very much due!
Maize Garden are doing these Tasting Menu evenings twice a month, on Friday and Saturdays – the next ones are on 11th and 12th April 2025. On Saturday 5th April, they are doing a ‘taste of Greece’ evening, so if you want to book a place get on the blower: 01246 589579. To check out all the latest, head over to their Facebook page: Maize Garden.
Current opening times are: closed on Wednesdays and Sundays, open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday between 10am-2.30pm. Full brekkies and breakfast cobs are served up until Noon, and Jacket Spuds, Toasties and Sandwiches are available from Noon-2.30pm.
Hot Wings happily given to this marvellous Bolsover eatery.
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