The Riverside at Aymestrey
Aymestrey, Herefordshire
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The river in question is the Lugg, which meanders past this vastly extended 16th-century hostelry by a stone bridge on the fringes of Mortimer Forest. It’s quite a package these days: additional accommodation is now available in a cluster of wooden barns, there are nature walks around the grounds and the food side of things is partly driven by pickings from the ever-developing kitchen garden, orchard and smallholding. Inside, several informal beamed dining areas extend from the bar, or you can eat in the swanky barn-like extension. The kitchen backs up its own produce with seasonal supplies from a trusty network of local growers and producers. On the plate, that might mean ‘excellent’ Herefordshire snails in Wye Valley beer batter with fennel and truffle mayo, a ‘risotto’ of barley with freshly picked field mushrooms or a duo of kid goat with romanesco, malt and garden greens. The kitchen also has access to decent supplies of fresh fish – witness a ‘generous’ tranche of halibut on a bed of spinach, delicately sauced with fennel and capers, ‘sustainably caught’ Cornish dab with pea, lovage and buttermilk, or even trout from the river (perhaps cured and served with pickled cucumber and elderflower gel). Seasonal desserts such as a cobnut and apple panna cotta or damson and Chase gin savarin with foraged meadowsweet maintain the kitchen’s high standards. Fifteen by-the-glass selections kick off the well-spread wine list.
