The William Cecil: Fine food lives up to the price tag
The William Cecil Hotel, Stamford, formerly Lady Anne's Hotel. Photo: Stamford Mercury
Restaurant review: Ann Molyneux-Jackson pays a visit to The William Cecil in Stamford:
I HAD Great Expectations of the restaurant at The William Cecil at Stamford when we booked a table there on the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth. With main courses setting you back £17 or £18 and puddings costing £7 each, it’s the sort of place I am only ever likely to go to on a special occasion.
When my husband and I booked a table there on Tuesday we weren’t celebrating anything in particular apart from the rare chance to escape together for the evening.
So we raised a glass (me – Merlot, from the wine menu, him – a pint of Cecil Ale) to one of the greatest writers to ever put pen to paper.
Most people will remember The William Cecil as the Lady Anne’s Hotel.
It’s one of the first places you come to as you drive into Stamford from the A1, and there is a good sized car park beside it and an attractive outside dining area for when the weather eventually warms up.
The name change in 2010 also coincided with a major refurbishment of the hotel and restaurant, which manages to look modern while retaining many original features.
The hotel is made up of three separate listed buildings, the oldest dating back to almost 50 years before Charles Dickens was born.
It was a particularly cold night when we visited, with the mercury falling rapidly as we tucked into our food.
I couldn’t resist the bowl of seasonal vegetable soup, served with croutons (£6).
It was delicious, creamy and hot, but was calling out for some freshly baked bread.
The starters gave my husband a chance to finally sample a duck egg. He’d been keen to try one since watching a TV programme on eggs, so he jumped at the chance to try the fried duck egg with girolle mushrooms, sour dough crumbs, garlic and parsley.
And he wasn’t disappointed, saying that the yolk was much creamier than a hen’s egg’s. He also thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the dish, despite not being a huge garlic fan, and was especially impressed with the mushrooms.
For my main course, I chose smoked duck with buttered kale, pear chutney and pine nuts (£17.50).
Whenever I try to cook kale it always ends up as a watery, unpalatable green mess, but in the hands of a professional chef, it was delicious.
I also loved the pear chutney which went with the tender chunks of smoked duck like Miss Haversham and a grudge.
Mr Jackson decided to go for something a bit more traditional and opted for the 10 oz rump steak, served with skinny chips and salad (£17). He also tried the horseradish ketchup sauce.
Instead of a plate, the steak was served on a wooden chopping board, and my husband reported it was cooked to perfection (medium rare). It was a fantastic cut of meat and was accompanied by a superb horseradish ketchup, which wasn’t as overpowering as he feared it might be after ordering. He said that he would have prefered chunky chips, but that was just a matter of personal preference.
For pudding, I was tempted by the crème brulée of the day, which was passion fruit.
But I decided to try the Yorkshire parkin with a treacle sauce and vanilla ice cream.
There was nothing wrong with the flavour of this, but I found it rather stodgy.
Duncan decided to go for the rhubarb “cheesecake”, poached rhubarb and sorbet. This dish even surprised the waiter when he brought it out, as it had the elements of a cheesecake, but ther were served separately on the plate.
This was a novel approach, but it certainly worked, with my husband wolfing down every last morsel of the biscuit crumbs that were scattered across the plate.
We were also offered a dessert wine, which was a nice touch.
The service was excellent throughout the meal and the food beautifully presented.
And yes please, I would like some more.
In fact I’m already checking out the afternoon tea and Sunday lunch menus. For a special occasion of course.
8 out of 10
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More more local restaurant and pub reviews
Information: The William Cecil Hotel, (formerly Lady Anne’s Hotel) Stamford, St Martins, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 2LJ, telephone 01780 750070, website: www.williamcecil.co.uk
Menu examples:
Starters
Frozen foie gras, pineapple, hazlenuts, brioche and sherry vinegar £9
Cod cheek “scampi”, mushy peas and sea purslane £8
Smoked haddock, warm egg yolk, cauliflower and curry oil £7.95
Fillet of beef carpaccio, capers, parmesan and 12-year-old balsamic £8.50
Mains
Roast sustainable cod, buttered leeks, potato and mussel broth £17
Rump of lamb, white beans, wild mushrooms, creamed potato and tarragon £17.50
Pan fried seabeam, linguine with garlic, chilli and lemon, rocket salad £16
Risotto of chestnuts and parmesan, winter vegetables and parsley pesto £13.75
Puddings
Today’s creme brulee £7
Egg custard tart, lemon curd and vanilla ice cream £7
Bowl of ice cream or seasonal sorbet £2 per scoop
Cheese, served with grapes, Godminster chutney and water biscuits £2.50 for one, £7.50 for three £12 for five
Details correct at 09/02/12
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