Midsummer House
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
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The verdant expanses of Midsummer Common are within sight of this idyllically situated Victorian villa, while university rowers go through their strokes on the nearby river Cam. Inside, much of the serious gastronomic business takes place in a glass-roofed conservatory dining room, done out shades of grey with pastoral paintings on the walls, pretty posies on the tables and views of the walled garden from its windows – lovely when the sun is streaming through. Despite the unashamed Englishness of the setting, it feels very French, with a theatrical Champagne trolley doing the rounds and a brigade of ultra-formal staff taking care of the niceties. Meanwhile, a framed window gives diners tantalising glimpses of the kitchen in action. Chef-patron Daniel Clifford’s cooking resides in the loftier regions of modern haute cuisine, and his repertoire of dishes is delivered with such painstaking skill, artistry and precision – every tiny detail given full consideration. Meals now revolve around an expensive tasting menu (around half price at lunchtime) that reads like a roll call of Europe’s finest: a sorbet of Provence tomato with aged Parmesan, olive, pepper and speck ham; sautéed duck liver with Comté cheese and verjus; roasted Anjou pigeon alongside mushroom and chocolate purée, endive and sour cherry. There’s Alpine Tête de Moine cheese, too, with celeriac custard, grapefruit sorbet and truffle honey. Native British ingredients have their say, although the results generally come with luxurious embellishments – white chocolate and caviar sauce adding richness to a dish of slow-cooked Loch Duart salmon, for example. Clifford is also attuned to the seasons, which means strawberries in midsummer, naturally – perhaps in the ‘plant pot’ amuse-bouche offered with a complimentary glass of Krug Champagne or in a dessert with yet more fizz and creamy, summery elderflowers. France is also the main player on the 300-bin wine list; sommeliers will help you navigate its pages, although suggested wine flights are a failsafe option. Either way, expect to pay handsomely – even at the lower end.
