Lancastrian envoy
Greig Barnes, head chef at the Rose & Crown Hotel, Tring, Hertfordshire, makes no secret of the fact his food is influenced by fellow Lancastrian Paul Heathcote. "Heathcote's was my first job. I learnt the basics at college, and Paul developed my skills," explains Barnes.
Like Heathcote, Barnes enjoys working with a variety of produce. "I'll try anything," he enthuses. "My food isn't anything out of the ordinary, but our new menu is different to what is served in the area."
Barnes joined the turn-of-the-century, privately owned 27-bedroom hotel in August 1992 as chef de partie. But when the head and sous chefs left soon after, he quickly climbed the ranks to his current position.
Although only 22 at the time, he said he was not daunted by new responsibilities of the promotion. "I had been left to run the kitchen a few times both here and in my previous job at Broughton Park Country Club. My main obstacle was getting to grips with gross profit."
Barnes's recently introduced à la carte menu runs until September, and offers a selection of dishes with a traditional English/rustic theme.
Starters include hearty broth of ham hock with vegetables and barley (£2.45), and mussel and vegetable won tons served with a thickened mussel stock and coriander (£4). Main courses range from whole boned pig's trotter filled with a pea and ham mousseline, sliced and glazed in caramelised juices (£10.95), to lightly sautéd vegetables enveloped by crisp egg-noodle rostis and served with a black bean sauce (£8.95).
The most popular starter at this 60-seat restaurant is the cebice of salmon, marinated with orange, lemon and lime, garnished with a stew of tomato, shallot and chive (£3.75). "The sharpness of the citrus fruits combines well with the sweetness of the tomato," says Barnes.
Roast breast of local Aylesbury duckling on a buttered fondant potato with a cranberry and apple-spiked sauce, flavoured with cider (£14.75) "sells like hot cakes". Barnes boils the duck in a cloth to remove most of the fat before roasting it on the bone to crisp it up. Cider is then added to the duck jus before throwing in braised trotter bones to make the gelatine that thickens up the mixture. "My butcher delivers an endless supply of bones," says Barnes.
The Rose & Crown also offers a four-course, daily-changing table d'hôte menu at £17.95, which includes a starter, sorbet, main and dessert. Recent highlights have included pan-fried loin of venison accompanied by a latticed pear, soft, buttered onions and a rich juniper-scented sauce, and grilled gigot of lamb served with shredded ratatouille, mousse of smoked garlic and an olive tapénade.
Barnes then bears in mind the most popular table d'hôte dishes when he is planning his à la carte menu.
Wine guide
The Rose & Crown attempts to take the strain out of choosing wine by offering a customer-friendly taste guide on the wine list.
White wines are graded from one to nine (dry to sweet), and reds range from A to E (light to full). Wines are listed by grape variety and include a Dietrich Gewürztraminer d'Alsace 1992 (£13.45) and Jacques d'Orville Chablis 1993/94 (£20.45).
Customers are mainly locals or business people staying overnight, but the restaurant's reputation is growing and Barnes says people are increasingly coming from further afield.
