Wonderful Winteringham

As one of the best “home-grown” restaurants in the county, Colin McGurran’s renowned Michelin-starred Winteringham Fields champions making the most of local produce, much of which comes from this fine dining eatery’s lovingly tended vegetable garden, nursery and farm.

It is this concept which adds to the overall enjoyment of seasonal produce at its best, translated into edible art and cooked to perfection.

The seasonal six-course ‘surprise’ lunchtime tasting menu was a delight of flavours and textures, with innovative concepts and unexpected fusions of flavours which continually kept you guessing what would come next.

Tucked away in a tranquil setting near the shores of the Humber, the restaurant features a warren of cosy, beautifully designed rooms to relax in, with crackling log fires and plush cosy seating where upon arrival guests are invited to sample a delicate range of hors d’oeuvres.

Our miniature canapés included clever combinations such as light filo tartlets with Lincolnshire Poacher cheese mousse; smoked eel and Granny Smith apple; Marmite and smoked bacon crumpets; and Scottish salmon and caviar with sour cream, chives and lemon juice served with buckwheat blinis.

Having been shown into the welcoming dining room by the professional team of friendly staff, each of our six courses was presented with a flourish and a detailed explanation of ingredients and cooking processes.

Lunch began with a sublime smoked cod roe whipped with cream cheese, served with cooked beetroot and sesame dressing topped with celery leaves.

Next up was a piece of slow cooked lamb belly with aubergine puree, goat’s curd, mint oil and curried lentils velouté, which was unusual and delicious.

The chalk stream trout with pickled celery, dashi vinegar gel, chopped anchovies and dill oil was as pretty as a watercolour and so delicate – it seemed a shame to disturb our plates, but it proved so refreshing and light.

Then the pan roasted duck breast with fig compote, celeriac puree and salt baked celeriac – a mouth-watering combination cooked to perfection.

A break in our eating marathon saw us invited into the kitchen to watch the talented team in action and meet head chef Gareth Bartram.

Gareth studied at Grimsby College before working for notable chefs such as Gordon Ramsay and at a number of fine dining establishments.

His passion for producing plates of pure joy for his appreciative diners is evident as he takes time to chat and explain how his natural pairings are created. As a student, Gareth visited Winteringham Fields and vowed to one day work here himself – now he has achieved that dream and with a Michelin star to boot!

Our pre-dessert dish of blood orange sheep’s yoghurt sorbet was refreshing and set us up well for the finale of egg custard tart with poached rhubarb, ginger puree and rhubarb salsa with delicate shards as edible decoration.

I wish we’d had space in our expanding waistlines to sample some of the sublime cheese trolley, which was wheeled out with 20-25 cheeses to choose from, but instead could only manage to take up the offer of delicious coffee served with a selection of home-made chocolates with wonderful flavours.

Overall, this is a truly memorable seasonal menu with inspired twists, made extra special by the close attention to detail throughout and attentive but never intrusive service with a team who go out of their way to make all feel especially welcome.

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