Food For Thought by Michael Turnbull (from MidSomerset Newspapers)

GREAT FOOD TO BE FOUND WELL OFF BEATEN TRACK

It comes as something of a surprise to come across the Rookery Manor complex at Edingworth, a mile or so off the A38 south of Weston-super-Mare.

This quite flash operation, which seems to specialise in weddings and conferences, is so tucked away down leafy Somerset lanes you don’t expect to encounter what is obviously quite a big business so off the beaten track.

There was a wedding in progress when we dropped in for dinner last Thursday night. It was quite handy really because for a while it provided a bit of a mannequin parade of smartly-dressed guests as they floated past to and from their hotel rooms.

Our destination was the newly revamped Truffles heart of the complex and was recommended by a senior colleague in the office. I’ve already thanked him for the tip, because it was a good one.

We duly found the lounge bar next to the conservatory restaurant and were given a sweet, warm welcome from a young lady who was obviously keen to please.

She rapidly rustled up a couple of pre-dinner drinks, a spritzer for me and a G&T for my wife, while we read over the menu.

This leans to towards Continental, or rather more accurately, Mediterranean cuisine with a smattering of tagliatelle and linguini choices if you fancy a lighter bite.

In the event I went for the shish sesame skewers of char-grilled lamb followed up with an eight-ounce rump steak to make it a distinctly red meat feast.

My wife was rather more adventurous, choosing the crostini trio for her starter with a chicken Caesar salad for the main course.

As we settled in and absorbed our surroundings at our smartly laid window table a big hunk of olive bread and butter arrived. Thus quite fabulous bread could easily have passed for a starter in itself.

Our first course arrived pretty soon afterwards and we rapidly realised we had come to a place where the chef knows more than his onions.

My two lamb skewers came with lemon and pickled whole chillies, flat bread and a little pot of excellent tzataiki, a Greek dip made with yoghurt, cucumber and spring onions. The plate was prettily presented and the range of fresh tastes and textures alluring.

Over the table the three pieces of lightly toasted ciabatta were topped with white anchovies, mozzarella and red chilli, and pesto and goats cheese. This too scored high points for its zinginess and clean, distinct flavours.

As Truffles was rather quiet it was no surprise that service was smooth and efficient, so the main courses appeared in no time.

The Caesar salad was pretty big by any standards and beautifully presented. The course was made all the larger by the side order of Jersey Royal potatoes.

The salad package had olives, cucumber, tomatoes, radicchio, a smattering of fresh croutons and healthy chunks of char-grilled chicken. Delicious was the verdict.

I was easily pleased with my rump steak – and the glass of house red wine that came with it. It was both tender and flavoursome, not always a guaranteed combination with rump. Clearly though, this meat had come from an excellent source and had been hung long enough to relax and offer full flavour.

The steak came with a traditional arrangement of fries, roasted vine tomatoes and a large open-cup mushroom, but I also added a selection of seasonal vegetables to top up my five-a-day regime.

It was a grand meal and we were replete after the two-course, quite unable to explore the dessert options.

Truffles, I noted from some publicity material, has the declared aim of serving fresh, home-made, simply presented, wholesome, flavoursome food which represents good value for money while using local ingredients whenever available.

These are commendable aims and I think the chef and his staff achieved their goal.

Our bill came to a shade over £46.00, which was great value for food and cooking of this quality. Just think, you can easily run up a similar bill for any old two-course pub meal.

Truffles Restaurant
Rookery Manor
Edingworth
Nr Weston-super-Mare
Tel: 0845 409 09 09

The above customer review was written by Michael Turnbull for the MidSomerset Newspapers.
The article appeared in the Mendip messenger - June 25, 2008