LET’S DO LUNCH
Lunch at the Gibbon Bridge Hotel near Chipping turned out to be a memorable affair with stunning views and a menu to match. Photography: Phil Garlington
The Gibbon Bridge Hotel sits on the outskirts of the picturesque village of Chipping amidst 23 acres of incredible gardens. With 30 beautifully appointed bedrooms, it is a perfect place for a family celebration or even just for a delightful lunch.
Our warm spring afternoon promised to be a perfect opportunity to sit outside enjoying a delightful glass of sparkling wine overlooking the gardens in awe of the effort that must go into making it such a lovely place. Lunch is served Monday to Saturday with a special fixed price Sunday lunch menu.
Feeling very relaxed, we perused a lovely menu with much evidence of local specialist produce and delicacies from the Gibbon Bridge’s own kitchen gardens.
The menu is very good value, and is priced by the number of courses.
I started with the wonderful homemade potted brown shrimps – they were fresh and tasty. Judith was tempted by the homemade black pudding and leek quiche, tasty with delicious, light pastry crust and tomato chutney – it was super! Tedd could not resist the hot pork belly from locally reared pigs, served with poached pears and caramelised apple puree – it was crispy and truly unctuous.
For Liz chicken and vegetable spring rolls added a slight oriental edge to lunch. With sweet chilli jam and a lovely salad, they were tremendously tasty.
So we were underway with a great set of starters and to accompany them a delicious crisp South African Sauvignon Blanc was a perfect foil.
On to main courses and Tedd, had fillet of hake wrapped in a delicate herb mousse with a chive and parsley sauce, plus a generous portion of homemade chips!
Judith chose a local favourite, crispy roast Goosnargh duckling. Famous locally and nationwide, this classic dish is served at its absolute best here at Gibbon Bridge!
Unusually, I decided to go for a mushroom and shallot tarte tatin, topped with warm goat’s cheese and maple syrup.
It was only when I was halfway through eating that I realised I had chosen a vegetarian dish! But this was no hardship as the entire dish was sweet and succulent, with the slight bite of beautiful local goat’s cheese it was fantastic!
Liz was enticed by the special cold platter, a cornucopia of smoked salmon, prawns, honey roast ham, roast peppers, olives, chutneys and relishes. Accompanied by freshly baked bread and crispy salad leaves, I think we could all have shared it but we didn’t get a look in!
We were up for a full three-course event and the desserts, all homemade, included coffee Renoirs, with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream, fresh apple pie with ice cream and an exceptional sponge pudding with custard, kept three of us very happy. The Banoffee and Irish cream creation off the specials list, enthralled Liz, it was amazingly good! This was a lunch to remember, lovely staff, great food and wine, all in what must be one of the most fantastic settings in the country.
Give them a call to book to avoid disappointment
Gibbon Bridge Hotel
Green Lane
Chipping PR3 2TQ
01995 61456
www.gibbon-bridge.co.uk
