Hipping Hall

"Hipping Hall 2nd Oct 2021 Hipping Hall - Luxury Hotel & Restaurant in the Yorkshire Dales Got a lunch booking in Chef Oli Martins' last month before he moves on to new ventures. A bottle of local Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery "Stanley's" ale (£6) and water on the table, tap) To start, a delicious warm glass of sweetcorn sauce, laced with charred sweetcorn kernels, small cubes of smoked eel, and a lovage oil, topped with a pork crackling crumb. I could have done twice as much of it. Then onto the bread, you could definitely taste the malty flavour of the spent grain (I think also from the local brewery) and an excellent light, chewy crust with soft crumb centre, nicely warm. Ideally I would have liked a little more of the whipped butter. Next was I think my favourite dish of this menu, a paper thin tartlet, with ricotta in the base, then the skinned mini tomatoes, red & yellow, and two "parisienne" balls of cucumber, with the small leaves garnishing along with some crispy pancetta. Even though I am not a fan of cucumber (maybe no baby green tomatoes available?) this was a truly excellent combination. Gigha halibut followed. perfectly cooked and softly flaking, topped with the Morecambe shrimp and diced kholrabi, covered with some shards of charred kale, and surrounded with a tasty butter sauce.Another very good dish. The meat course of hogget saw a nicely blushing piece of loin, and a square of breast, slightly fatty but tasty, topped with shitake mushroom. On the side pan charred hispi cabbage with some hazelnuts,a hazelnut sauce, black garlic puree and a meat jus. Knocked it out of the park again, although personally a touch more salt on the meat would have made it even better. Dessert cam in the form of a blackberry fruit base, a light sponge disc, then a herb flavoured quenelle of ice cream (mint, coriander perhaps & lemon thyme or verbena?), topped with a buttery feulletine disc and caramel sauce. Rounded off with a salted fudge cube petit four, very nice to finish. Overall excellent dishes and flavours. A bargain at £40 I declined cheese at £15 extra, opting to drive 10 miles down the road to the Courtyard Dairy Cheesemonger and spent £20 on a larger selection of cheese to take home!"