AS I sat contemplating that the apple fritter on the top of my peppered calves
liver and black pudding Lancashire hash brown was one frill too many, a
helicopter touched down in the grounds of the Devonshire Arms.
The passengers stayed only for coffee - something I understood after I'd
finished my meal, which had started with crabcakes and ended with crumble.
The brasserie of this country house hotel in Yorkshire wasn't particularly
special; you could get that kind of meal in any pub in the area.
But the helicopter should have brought back its cargo of people in the
evening, when the difference in food was amazing. I certainly wasn't
expecting to find the kind of meal I had in the middle of the Dales.
We opted for the nine-course tasting menu at £60 a head, which was pretty
spectacular at times. My favourite was the main - loin of Lakeland venison
on creamed quinoa, braised oxtail and glazed chestnuts with juniper jus. It
was a brilliant and well-executed dish that perfectly captured the
imagination, season and our location.
The red wine we sipped - we'd opted for an additional wine package at £50 each
- was the Napanook, Dominus Estate from the Napa Valley, which was a
sensational choice, its depth matching the dish's complexity, its aroma
reminding me of black winter truffles.
To get to the main course, I'd munched my way through an appetiser of mosaic
of game with ham and butternut squash sorbet, then two fish dishes separated
by a subtle plate of pork belly with Moroccan spices and poached
langoustines.
The fish was both disappointing and delicious: the gravlax of organic salmon
with avocado purée and cucumber jelly used out-of-season avocados and lacked
cucumber, and I didn't rate it. But the other course, the lightly salted cod
with scallops and a warm cèpe jelly, was cooked to perfection.
Nine courses sounds a lot but they really were very slight portions, almost a
miniature version of a tasting menu. Some dishes, such as the starter, were
little more than a mouthful, though a delicious one at that.
So it was that I could move on to a cheese board (with a fantastic array of
French wares but a disappointing lack of English cheese) followed by not
one, but three deserts.
Of these, the best by far was a warm raspberry clafoutis with Yorkshire lemon
curd and a subtle cardamom ice-cream setting off the sharper flavours
beautifully. It married very well with the Kir Imperial that appeared in a
glass before me.
By the time the petits fours arrived, even I was beginning to admit defeat - I
could manage only four. Luckily, we didn't have far to go to our room, which
was just upstairs, though a little chintzy for my liking.
Considering that this old coaching inn has been part of the Bolton Abbey
estate since 1753, I'd have expected a bit more game on the menu.
But it was an impressive meal nonetheless and one that merited the four AA
rosettes and a Michelin star the Burlington Restaurant's long-serving head
chef Michael Wignell possessed. He has since left to be replaced by Steve
Smith, who has had a Michelin star for ten years.
I'd still advise anyone staying to think about going for a lovely, long walk
in the Dales at lunchtime and stop at a local pub. That means you can save
yourself for a real gourmet extravaganza in the evening.
The Devonshire Arms Country House Hotel and Spa in Skipton, North Yorkshire
(01756 718111, www.thedevonshirearms.co.uk).
Michael Caines is food and beverage director of ABode Hotels and executive
head chef at Gidleigh Park (www.michaelcaines.com)
