Out & About Autumn 2021

RESTAURANT REVIEW

The Five Bells, Wickham The former 17th-century coach house gets 5 stars from ANGIE KNIGHT I t’s many years since I visited the Five Bells at Wickham and I found

it has been impressively redesigned inside and out, catering for parties of 200 outdoors and 40 inside. There are plenty of parking spaces in front of the pretty brick and thatched building covered in wisteria and roses. This 17th- century coach house is open Tuesday to Saturday and can be found on the B4000 west of Newbury. Inside, the interior has been updated with a sweeping, modern bar, black wooden beams and low, white ceiling. The effect is a welcoming light and bright ambience. A roaring fire in the huge open fireplace on an autumnal or wintery evening must be a huge attraction. Josh Midwinter is front of house and seats us at a window table along with copies of the Summer Menu. It’s midweek in August and there are around 20 people dispersed in the garden, where there is a permanent marquee, and with three couples inside. It’s a varied menu with lemon and pink pepper whitebait and organic chargrilled artisan breads as snacks and starters. My husband John is very partial to mushrooms and orders a portobello mushroom rarebit with red onion marmalade on toast (the photo doesn’t do it justice), which is hot and hearty and I order tempura prawns with an Asian mango salad. The prawns are crispy and the salad is tangy – we taste each dish and both are delicious. The main courses all look appealing – Moroccan lamb

Address: The 5 Bells, Baydon Rd, Wickham, Newbury RG20 8HH Five Bells is on Facebook https://fivebellswickham. co.uk/about/

abass with fennel, of asparagus, green

Pan-fried, buttery, fillets of se peppers and a crunchy salad beans, avocado and radish

Tempura prawns with an asian mango salad

Five Bells chef Mark Hamilton

and local venison pies, Cornish haddock, burgers, trout, beef chilli and ham, egg and chips. There are three veggie options, including linguini and banana blossom with chips and pea puree. The wine list is expansive: whites, reds, sparkling wines, champagne, roses, dessert wines and ports. We order a white Muscadet de Sevre

Portobello mushroom rarebit with red onion marmalade on toast

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O&A AUTUMN 2021