Lifestyle – Restaurant Review – Anderson’s at The Bulls Head, Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire

I USED to be unsure about the trend of traditional country pubs becoming gastro pubs but my fears about drinkers being squeezed out have been allayed by the likes of Anderson’s at the Bulls Head which combines a great food offering with excellent beers and wines and doesn’t exclude people who have just come out for a pint.

On a lovely summer’s evening recently my partner and I ventured out to this lovely old pub – on the Stratford Road near Henley-in-Arden – which has been taken over by the people who run Anderson’s restaurant in Birmingham’s St Paul’s Square.

Like its parent restaurant, Anderson’s at The Bulls Head is quickly gaining a reputation for the quality of its steaks and other meat dishes and having perused the menu online before my visit my mouth was watering at the prospect of carnivorous satisfaction.

I had also perused the starters online and was convinced that I was going to have the moules with wholegrain mustard, cream and tarragon but when our extremely helpful and knowledgeable host dragged over the daily specials board I was immediately converted to a dish that contained a wealth of my favourite things: pan seared scallops with a parsnip puree, black pudding crumb and crispy pancetta (£8.95).

My partner also went down the fish route choosing whiskey wood hot smoked salmon bourgignon, pea shoots and pancetta (£6.95).

Both dishes were superb. The bourgignon/salmon mix sounded a bit strange but it worked brilliantly, turning the fish into a sweet smoky delight, while my fat flavoursome scallops combined beautifully with its meaty companions and a puree that was sweet and moreish and was never overwhelming on the parsnip front.

My partner sipped at a large glass of Lote 44 Malbec (£8), which has notes of black cherry and vanilla, whilst I – the designated driver for the evening – sipped a mellow and subtle small glass of Cote du Rhone that isn’t yet on the wine list.

I’m always happy to be a guinea pig in such experiments.

Time for the main course and it was the meat we were here for. Anderson’s benefits from the services of a dedicated butcher and has persuaded him to provide it with beef dry aged for a minimum of 31 days, rather than the usual 28.
He is currently providing beef from Aberdeen Angus, Shorthorn, Hereford and rare breed Dexter cattle.

Working with the butcher also allows Andersons to provide more unusual cuts such as Shorthorn fillet on the bone or rump on the bone.

Spoilt for choice, my partner went for the 10oz Aberdeen Angus ribeye (£17.50) with a brandy, Dijon and shallot sauce (£1.95) while, fancying something a bit fattier, I chose the Boston rib (£15.95).

The main courses are, relatively-speaking, decent value because they come with seasonal mixed vegetables and chips or potatoes. Being someone who gets annoyed with restaurants that bump up their prices by getting you to order veg and spuds separately, I found this a nice touch.

I chose chips and my partner went for the potato dish of the day which was crushed new potatoes with spring onion, chives and crème fraiche.

Foolishly we also agreed to have a portion of onion rings on the side (£2.95).

My Boston rib was falling off the bone and was doing so very quickly as I devoured it in no time. All that gorgeous, fatty meat went wonderfully well with the chips and the new potato ‘mash’, which was a revelation.

My partner loved her ribeye which was, as expected, full of flavour and cooked to perfection at medium rare.

She also raved about the accompanying sauce and, having tasted it, I could understand why.

This is a restaurant that lives up to the hype. I’m sure a lot of people will go there because of the reputation it has for excellent steak and other meat dishes but there’s loads of fish on the menu too.

Just make sure that you’re hungry. My partner and I have big appetites and still left loads of chips and – sadly – plenty of the quite delicious onion rings.

Desserts were out of the question.

All in all, highly recommended.

Reservations can be made on 01564 795803 or booked online .