Out & About January 2017

a white wine and cream sauce, butter beans and rainbow chard and on top was a barbecued fennel piece which was “just the best texture” said its diner. The dessert list is just as varied as the rest of the menu but we could only manage to share one – the vanilla pannacotta with lemon curd, freeze-dried raspberries and meringue. The dessert came in a pretty globe dish on a stand and was a picture with the old-fashioned sandwiched meringue sitting on top of the pannacotta and surrounded by little pyramids of curd and the raspberries. We were amazed at the quality of the entire meal and at good prices, too – mains are between £14 and £20 and starters around £7, desserts are similar price to the starters. The wine list is varied and we had a lovely sauvignon blanc for £18. There are lots of nice touches – the china is stoneware in different colours and shapes, the coffee is a Hampshire blend called Moonroast and the pub opens specifically for breakfast on Sundays. The Crown Inn was a true surprise – from the glorious food to the lovely décor, the great drinks and snacks to the rolling Hampshire countryside it sits in about 12 miles from Newbury. And while it gets an unofficial Bloody Mary award from me, it deserves more formal recognition. Although it has only been open for a few months under Amanda and Lewis, I would bet you several (good) Bloody Marys it gets it soon.

Above: Smoked trout with a trout mousse, caper and potato salad, quails’ eggs and crispy skin; above right: Venison suet pudding

Left: Crab cake with a crab bisque and squid ink aioli and above: sea bream Below: Vanilla pannacotta with lemon curd, freeze-dried raspberries and meringue

The dessert came in a pretty globe dish on a stand

Food pictures: Dijana Capan

The Crown Inn, Upton, Nr Andover, Hampshire, SP11 0JS (01264) 736044 www.thecrowninnupton.co.uk

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