Wood takes command
Settings don't come grander than the panelled dining-room of Middlethorpe Hall, York. This William III countryhouse near York is a model of turn-of-18thcentury chic.
Such sumptuous surroundings might overwhelm some chefs. Not Andrew Wood, who arrived at the end of last year for his first kitchen command having already worked at the Ritz, London, and Bath's Royal Crescent hotel.
Two years ago Wood was already sufficiently confident of his future to turn down the chef's job at Hartwell House, Aylesbury, (which then had a Michelin star) because he wanted more time to train with Stephen Blake in Bath.
He also admits to feeling more comfortable with the challenge of winning his own star, rather than defending an award won by another chef.
On starting at Middlethorpe Hall, Wood immediately recruited two former colleagues from Bath - Eddie Grappy, his chef de partie, and Mark Bradbury, his junior sous.
The Royal Crescent influence even extends to shared suppliers. Wood wasn't happy with the quality of fish he was getting in York so he turned to Heritage Foods in Bristol, which delivers orders via the Post Office's next day delivery system.
Other supplies are a little more parochial.Vegetables from Middlethorpe's own gardenare fertilised by manure from nearby York racecourse. And Wood says local meat and game are excellent.
New menus introduced by Wood range from a £12.50 set lunch to the £36.95 four-course gourmet dinner menu (coffee and petits fours £3 extra). All prices include 10% service and VAT.
First courses on the current gourmet menu (it changes four times a year) total five and include quail salad with bacon lardons and raspberry sauce; terrine of duck confit and foie gras on a French lentil dressing; and a brochette of langoustines on leeks with a light oyster cream.
Wood identifies his signature dish among the selection of five main courses, as lamb cutlets with cumin on a potato galette with roast winter vegetables, "because it is a traditional combination with a modern twist".
"I admire Gary Rhodes's cooking because it is distinctively English. It's all about adding finesse to traditional combinations," he adds.
Vegetarians have their own menu, which features seven options, each of which can be served as a first or second course and slotted into all the other menus as required. If a customer doesn't eat meat but does eat fish they can mix and match as required, or they can stick exclusively to vegetarian dishes.
A selection of the vegetarian dishes available include a goat's cheese salad with avocado, grapes and garlic croutons; a gruyère cheese omelette with chives and woodland mushrooms; lasagne of leeks, courgettes and pimentos, glazed with a mustard sauce; tagliatelle with basil and tomato in a light cream sauce; stir-fry vegetables with garlic and soy sauce; and potato broth with chives and cream.
Puddings range from classics such as Tart Tatin to coconut soufflé with a pineapple and black pepper sorbet and a chocolate sauce.
Target markets for Middlethorpe include business people and foreign visitors, particularly Japanese.
The restaurant aims to fill 30-35 of its 54 covers most of the time, with an average spend per customer in the £25-£26 range.
Wood says: "We would particularly like to attract more business people here because we feel the clubby atmosphere makes it a great place to do business."
If big business were done at Middlethorpe the deal makers could celebrate with Château Petrus 1964 at £350 a bottle. Other guests can settle for the house red (Château Berlioz 1992) or white (Vin de Pays de Côtes de Gascogne 1993), both at £11.50.
