Arched windows and artful seating in the Granary Grill
Star anise, Vanilla. Pistachio…These spoonfuls of exotic flavours and tastes were not ones I had expected to be writing about when reviewing the new Granary Grill at Weston Park, the stately home and country estate on the Shropshire/ Staffordshire border.
But these flavours, alongside those of the more earthier ribeye steaks and Buccleuch Estate Scottish Beef, are being blended in a thoroughly Modern British way by executive chef Guy Day.
As Weston Park straddles the county border, one can only imagine the competing requests from local producers to get their produce stocked in such a ‘local’ outlet. The ingredients will also be competing with national brands keen to be associated with one of the country’s best-known country houses, not least through its association with the annual V music festival.
Opened on May Day this year, Granary Grill is housed in a huge red brick building, a (buttered) scone’s throw from the thriving farm shop, art gallery and exhibition space. The farm shop and Grill work well together, for example sourcing ingredients including beer from Staffordshire for battered cod, and salads and cheeses.
Housed in a long, single room-width space, the restaurant is split over two levels with one length running over the wine cellar and offering views over the Church Pool and the estate cottages. The ground floor level is bathed in light from three huge arched windows overlooking a large courtyard. This space is framed by warm, red brick buildings oozing history, memories of manual labour and a hard life in the field proving produce for the ‘Big House’.
View into the courtyard with outsdie seating
The Grill itself is cleverly moulded in into an old corn store and drying room for malt. If this architectural detail suggests the menu would be steeped in traditional fare, then that suggestion would only be half right. There are burgers served with chips – burgers made with prime Shropshire and Staffordshire beef; or a vegetarian burger of granary bean and vegetables but also refreshing sounding bistro–like light bites including Freedom beer battered cod and an open steak sandwich.
The menu reflects the stability of the estate, grounded in centuries of patrician guardianship and while offering modern flavours demanded by contemporary taste buds. The menu is not overburdened with choice (so, no microwave pings from the kitchen), evoking a confidence in both the chef’s decision making and diner’s choice. The Grill can comfortably cater for 70.
The list shows off the best of old and new world. French and Italian wines are mixed with Argentine and Chilean wines described by detailed tasting notes. Wines and spirits are stored, visible to diners, under the old malt house, mezzanine floor.
Our table water comes from Wenlock Spring in south Shropshire, with farm pressed apple juice coming from Herefordshire. Meat is sourced by the Granary Farm shop butcher. Lichfield’s Packington Pork is a key supplier alongside beef from Bridgnorth Castle Market, and own-estate reared lamb. Another well-known local farmer, Shropshire’s Wenlock Edge farm, supplies the prosciutto and other charcuterie.
The state-of-the-art open plan kitchen is a new build between the end of the west-wing of the building and a former slaughter house – which itself has been transformed into a prep area. Framed by chequer-board black and white tiles, the open-plan grill offers a view into the theatre of life in the heat and steam, along with the careful plating up of your dish. While many have seen on celebrity TV chef shows, this might be a little too much information, athough the atmosphere seemed more Gary Rhodes than Gordon Ramsay.
The menu features freshly prepared dishes, with an even balance of locally sourced food and meats from Scotland, and a multi-national mixture in the ‘Surf & Turf Mixed Grill: lamb cutlet, rump steak tuna and prawns’ and ‘Yellowfin Tuna Steak’.
The Granary Grill's bar area
My sirloin steak was cooked to medium rare, important if the meat is not to be served overcooked. Topped with a light peppercorn sauce, the beef held plenty of natural flavour, with sealed juices released by the peppery foil. Badly cooked steak is difficult to disguise, even with a full-on sauce, but this was perfect and just the right side of chunkiness.
An interesting take on cheese and biscuits is the Grill’s final dish on the menu: ‘Traditional rarebit with Staffordshire Organic Cheese on Walnut Bread’. Having a warm dish on the cheese board is different and aroused our interest, but lost out to a lemon meringue with pistachio sorbet. Light, refreshing and tantalisingly bitter, it was the right choice to follow the steak. My companion opted for a baked vanilla cheesecake with blueberry syrup, and was delighted of the lightness in the full –flavoured cheese cake was matched by the refreshing tangyiness of the colourful superfruit sauce.
So what exactly was flavoured with star anise and vanilla – well, it was my drink – homemade lemonade. As a lifelong devotee of homemade lemonade, this one came as a shock – a good one, mind. Still and refreshing, the perfumed flavoured, sharp tasting drink acted as a pre-course mouth cleanser that supported the three courses.
The mezzanie sits above the wine and spirit cellar
Post-meal, we wandered and bought from the shop. Inspired by our lunch we bought Brockhall Goat’s Cheese, a bottle of cloudy Herefordshire apple juice and sticky toffee pudding before heading into the fresh air and home.
MENU TASTER
STARTERS & NIBBLES
Brockhall Farm goat’s cheese & char grilled vegetables (£7.25); Chicken and ham hock terrine with homemade piccallili (£5.25)
MAIN COURSES
Shropshire and Staffordshire beef rib eye 8oz steak (£18.25); Packington Park pork loin steak ((£9.50)
DESSERTS
Bitter chocolate torte, raspberry sour (£5.75); Marshmallow, strawberry and white chocolate transparance (£5.75)
ATMOSPHERE
Relaxed, welcoming - a fusion of modern dining in traditional building
SERVICE
Friendly, efficient and attentive.
DISABLED FACILITIES
Toilets for the disabled and access to the restaurant
Granary Grill
Weston Park, Shropshire
Tel (01952) 852107
enquiries@weston-park.com
www.granarygrill.com
