Follow the Master plan
THE Master Builder's House hotel in Buckler's Hard, Hampshire, has not always been renowned for its food, a situation which owners Jeremy Willcock and John Illsley, with head chef Denis Rhoden, have quietly gone about rectifying during Rhoden's three-year tenure at the 25-bedroom hotel's Riverside restaurant.
French-born Rhoden, who previously worked as sous chef at Willcock and Illsley's acclaimed Isle of Wight hotel, the George, has so far gained two AA rosettes for his cooking. But he is more concerned with serving food that will make his customers "feel happy" than with accumulating accolades.
The launch of a new à la carte evening menu on 1 March, following a refurbishment of the 55-seat restaurant, should help with that intention. Drawn up by Rhoden and the hotel's executive chef, Kevin Mangeolles, it offers seven choices at each level, accompanied by a five-choice selection of side orders, including organic vegetables (£2.50).
Most dishes are rooted in classical technique, but completed with a contemporary edge. Rhoden anticipates that dishes sporting favoured ingredients of modern Anglo-French cuisine will be popular. He pinpoints two starters, a tagliatelle of wild mushrooms with deep-fried artichoke crisps (£4.95) and goats' cheese and rocket risotto served with a tapenade dressing (£5.25), as likely candidates.
"Fish always sells well," he says, and tips a best-selling survivor from his old menu - roast scallops with a white bean purée and tomato confit (£7.95) - to continue in popularity. Main-course fish dishes include a roast fillet of cod with green beans served with lardons, lentils and a balsamic dressing (£10.75).
Being situated on the South Coast (the hotel was once the home of the master shipbuilder who oversaw the construction of Nelson's navy) and on the edge of the New Forest means that Rhoden has plentiful supplies of fresh fish and mushrooms.
It also means that the customers who buy the average of 20 midweek covers tend to be of retirement age, so his twists of modernity have to be allied to traditionally favoured meats.
A typical example is a main course of braised lamb shank with a risotto Milanese, black olives and garlic (£11.25). "The risotto is made with ham stock, contains diced ham and is garnished with cherry tomatoes," explains Rhoden.
Luckily for Rhoden and his four-strong brigade, customers for the Master Builder's average of 60 weekend covers are drawn from a younger age group, many on weekend jaunts from London, whose palates are more sophisticated.
However, there's no escaping the British penchant for comfort desserts, and he believes that a white chocolate bavarois and hazelnut tart, and a banana parfait with a praline sauce (both £5) will sell well once the restaurant is up and running again.
Based on previous levels, Rhoden thinks that the average spend per head will be about £28 excluding wine. He intends to change the menu seasonally, offering diners bread made in-house, and to abide by a simple food philosophy: "Use the best-quality fresh ingredients and take care of the product." n
Master Builder's House Hotel, Buckler's Hard, Beaulieu, Hants SO42 7XH. Tel: 01590 616253
