Michael Wignall At The Latymer

This stunning country house hotel has got just about everything going for it. Set amid 123 acres of Surrey parkland, it boasts its own golf course, spa & beautifully decorated rooms. Two restaurants provide sustenance to visitors: an informal brasserie serving comforting classics & the more formal, recently refurbished Latymer Restaurant, which now bears the name of its new chef. Michael Wignall is best known for his five-year stint as executive chef at the Devonshire Arms Hotel in Yorkshire, when it won its Michelin star, & he is clearly on top form here, based on our recent visit. Highlights for us included an exhilarating vanilla scented salmon with sugar snap jelly, pomelo & avocado with Portland crab; a dish of calf’s sweetbreads, braised cockscombs, Moroccan spiced pork belly & tonka bean velouté; & a cannon of lamb with black pudding & apple croquette, carrot & cumin purée, braised tongue & anchovy beignet – all displaying a perfect balancing act with ingredients. Similarly, at dessert stage raspberry jelly with tapioca, passion fruit & almond foam, & a tiramisu parfait with coffee tagliatelle & honey ice cream mean every last bite is utterly delicious. Happily the skill of the kitchen is matched with an equally professional front-of-house team, & a fine wine list is there to provide the perfect liquid match.