New menus devised by the new head chef, an award-winning Devon Cream Tea and a new kids-eat-free Sunday lunch offer make for a delicious excuse to dine at the Moorland Garden Hotel in Devon this March.
With mouthwatering mains including slow cooked beef cheek and delicious desserts such as spiced rum cheesecake on the refreshed dinner menu, diners can banish the February blues in style at the two AA-Rosette Wildflower Restaurant.
The delights don’t end there. The new lunchtime menu – available in both the restaurant and Dartmoor Bar – is a great excuse to meet friends or indulge after a bracing walk on Dartmoor (canine companions are welcome in the bar). The popular Sunday Lunch menu is back in full flow, and kids under seven can now eat free of charge (two courses, a main and dessert) when dining with an adult. Not to mention the award-winning Devon Cream Teas, named the best in the South West in 2016 by the Cream Tea Club, and the hotel’s very special Afternoon Tea selection.
Launching the menus, head chef Jake Westlake says: “The lamb rump is certainly proving a firm favourite among guests. But for me personally, the braised beef cheek has to top the list of what to eat this March. Slowly cooked for 12 hours, and then based in rich jus to finish. The sweet jus coupled with the red cabbage and celeriac mash is just the best.”
Jake re-joins the team at the Moorland Garden Hotel having left in 2014 to work as a sous chef for the National Trust. During his two year absence he split his time between the kitchens of Cotehele House and evening shifts at the Three Crowns in Chagford, working long hours. When the head chef position became available at the Moorland Garden Hotel, Jake took it as a sign that his hard work had been preparing him for the role.
“I felt that the months of hard work in some way, had been warming me up for this opportunity, made me hungry for a challenge, and set my passion absolutely ablaze,” he says.
“I think for many people, especially myself, influences come from all around, you’re shaped by them through the people you meet and work with. Very quickly other chefs you work with become like a second family. My admiration firmly falls to the team here. We are trying to do something great, create amazing food, and show it to the world. The best feeling for us, is hearing that our guests are having an enjoyable night. If that happens I can go home at the end of the night happy, feeling like I’ve done my job.”
Local producers appearing on the menu include MC Kelly, Crediton for all meats, all South West; Kingfisher, Brixham for locally caught seafood; Forest Produce, Honiton for cheeses, specialist foods, olives, flour and herbs. Drinks suppliers include St Austell Brewery, Luscombe Drinks, Sandford Orchards, Plymouth Gin and Bays Brewery, all based in Devon or Cornwall. New for 2017, the hotel is proud to serve delicious Owens coffee.
Special occasion menus – including Mother’s Day and Easter are now available to book and browse online at moorlandgardenhotel.co.uk.
Address: Yeoland Down, Yelverton PL20
Phone: 01822 852245
