Discovering Dining Delight at Forage Kitchen
One of the benefits of lockdown is that I’ve discovered some absolute gems on my doorstep – the stand out being Forage Kitchen. I’m still not quite sure how I discovered this hidden haven of delicious dining in Suffolk but, without Covid-19, I’m not sure I would have found it at all. With travel off the agenda, I’ve been forced to pay more attention to my local area and, as a result, I was treated to one of the best meals I’ve ever had at this tiny restaurant located next to Blackthorpe Barn, near Bury St Edmunds.
Forage Kitchen offer a limited calendar of events, including the “Wine Dinner” that we enjoyed for £69 per person; 8-10 courses of seasonal produce, paired with 5 glasses of wine. We had no idea what dishes to expect, but despite this, Forage Kitchen still catered for a shellfish and nut allergy with total ease. I’ve not always been met with such a response, particularly in fine dining restaurants, so it was a breath of fresh air to be greeted by not only by such positive customer service but genuine excitement from the chefs. They clearly relished the challenge to present a dish which replicated the original texture and taste, without key ingredients – and they definitely succeeded. Scallop was replaced with a gently poached and sliced celeriac, perfectly mimicking the soft buttery texture of the scallop; hazelnuts were swapped for grains to ensure the dish still had the right crunch; and a unique sea buckthorn truffle was designed as an alternative to the nut dessert. Rather than an afterthought, dietary requirements were made to feel like an opportunity and it was truly refreshing.
For the rest of us, we also received a wonderfully thought out meal. The dishes reflected the season and were packed full of fresh Autumnal produce. Every element of the dishes had been sourced as locally or supported an independent supplier in the UK. The venison course, shot that morning on the neighbouring estate, stood out as an example of a meat dish at its finest; rich, tender and unashamed about its roots (I eat meat, so I should acknowledge how it ended up on my plate!) The fish dish was carefully designed to complement the catch of the day, for us sea bass, with a chickpea dahl, plantain sauce and fig leaf oil. The fig leaf oil was a revelation; it tastes of coconut and added a fascinating addition to the dish. The final stand out dish for me was the only one I didn’t enjoy; apple cake with goat’s cheese ice-cream. Although I personally didn’t like it, I loved that the chefs had chosen to challenge our taste buds with a goat’s cheese ice-cream. It’s something that I’ve only ever seen on programmes like Masterchef and therefore, I loved the opportunity to try it for myself.
The mix of wines was thoughtful, unusual and well-balanced with the dishes. There were plenty of reds to enjoy (something which seems to rarely happen during paired tasting menus), including a delicious full-bodied Bordeaux. It was particularly interesting to try a Grüner Veltliner, an Austrian wine, for the first time and it’s a grape that I’ve added to my favourites list on Vivino. Our host, the owner, was passionate and knowledgeable about his wines and clearly extremely proud of his chefs. It was easy to see why – it was a pleasure to watch the dishes be assembled in front of us in the open kitchen, and the chefs presented each course to the table personally with a clear love for their creations.
I can’t wait to return to Forage Kitchen. In fact, we’ve already booked a table at their “Best Of” event in January, which will feature the highest rated dishes by guests in 2019 and 2020. There are still a few spots left – perhaps I’ll see you there!
