Since beginning my blog, I’ve often
been at pains to point out that, “I do not write reviews” (no rating system /
stars / marks out of ten and no rare recommendations to “go” or to
“avoid”).
On the other hand I am aware that many
(most? all?) readers do in fact use my ‘blog’ as a review site.
So, what’s the diff?
Let’s start by defining some terms (I
am a Primary School Teacher after all):
Blog (noun) –
a truncation of ‘web log’; defined by Oxford Dictioaries.com as
‘a personal website or web page on which an individual records opinions,
links to other sites, etc. on a regular basis’ or ‘a journal or
diary that is on the Internet’.
Blogger
(noun) – a person who keeps a blog (in the world of food blogs, often confused
with ‘blagger’ – the ones that like nothing better than a free lunch, but do
remember that they are “no obligation to say anything nice”).
Blog (verb)
– to write a blog – i.e. “I am going to blog the new steak place.”
Blogging
(verb) – the action of writing a blog (what I’m doing now… or did when I wrote
this?)
These days, whilst some blogs grow
beyond what the writer may have originally intended and become ‘commercial
enterprises’ (the offers of advertising, sponsored posts and paid writing jobs can
be tempting, I’m sure), I still feel that, at their core, all blogs should have
some element of the blogger writing about their mundane day-to-day life… aka
sharing their passions.
Of course, with any luck their ‘passions’
will be supported by some modicum of knowledge, writing ability and hopefully a
little humour – but it is also important to remember that most bloggers are far
from experts, professional writers or stand up comedians.
Anyways… back to the review
blog post.
I first visited The Yew Tree Inn,
Bunbury in October last year (see
here). In the blog post I wrote I mentioned all the things you’d expect from
a ‘review’ – the décor, the atmosphere and the service. Having skipped dessert
on that visit, I promised I would return for them, and take my wife.
It was a cold evening, the fireplace
was ablaze and my wife was in the mood for a warming bowl of soup. The ‘Soup of
the Day’ (served with fresh bread) was Apple
& Cider – a new flavour combination on me (but Google reveals quite a
few recipes) it was clearly well made but I wasn’t convinced by the
combination… my wife loved it!
I couldn’t decide whether to have
the Spiced Beef & Cumin Filo Parcel
or the Slow Braised Pigs Cheeks, so
I did the only reasonable thing and ordered both.
The Spiced Beef & Cumin Filo Parcel were nicely done – served with chick pea puree and a
tomato & chipotle chutney, the spicing was bob on / Bob on (apparently ‘Bob
on’ is a Lancashire phrase meaning ‘spot on’ – not sure if it should be
capitalised or not, let me know!)
The Slow Braised Pigs Cheeks were another good dish – not the prettiest
but the taste was good. A negative gripe: I found the ‘crispy pancetta’ too
crispy – it was brittle, had lost its flavour and was unappetising. Positively:
the accompanying apple and sage compote was not too sweet.
My main of Slow Braised Shin of Beef was everything a good winter warmer should
be – hearty and full of flavour. Boulangere potatoes, thyme roasted carrots,
winter greens & Bourguignon sauce completed the dish.
My wife’s Homemade Fish Pie could have had a little more colour on the creamy
mash & Cheshire cheese topping, if only for the photo. Inside though, the fresh
and smoked fish were generously portioned with prawns and spinach.
For dessert we shared Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce
& Vanilla Ice Cream and Bread & Butter Pudding with Crème
Anglaise – you couldn't argue with either; two British pub classics done
well.
To finish I ordered a Pu-erh Tea – the first time I have seen
it in a pub! As a lover of fine teas it’s great to see places starting to offer
wider ranges and improved qualities. The ATTIC
Teas range in this case with their bespoke tea ware.
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Great place for a romantic meal, it is a very homely and welcoming place.Food was also really Nice.
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