Category: Food & Drink

Local Insp. – Food & Drink

Posted on

Godalming Delights

Godalming Delights

January 3, 2023

Godalming Delights

Godalming Delights lives up to its name as one of our favourite neighbours on Church Street and always a total delight to visit. With its mix of retro sweeties and confectionery, ice cream, milkshakes, Barista coffee and all kinds of other indulgent sweet treats, it’s a world of pure imagination. We had a chat to Company Director Ewen Macnair to find out more about this sweetest of local shops...

How and when did Godalming Delights come about?

Godalming Delights is a family run business. My sister, Gillian Akroyd, opened our original shop, Shere Delights, 10 years ago. Gillian had worked in banking before and this was a way to find a more work/life balance. The shop turned out to be more successful than she’d ever anticipated. I’d been working overseas and, looking to return, she invited me to step into the business with a view to seeing if it had ‘legs and arms’ to grow. It did! We started looking at locations to complement Shere and we settled on Godalming. Five years later, our family business is thriving!

What is it you loved about Godalming?

There’s a sense of community in Godalming and running a business here during the pandemic really showed it. As well as the local small and independent business community pulling together, we were able to provide a bit of a lifeline by putting our Truly Scrumptious Delights online with delivery both locally and throughout the UK. Especially helpful for lockdown gifting when people were unable to see loved ones in person. Our gift boxes and other gift options were a sweet hug, well received.

Of course, Godalming is a beautiful town too with a historic feel. Our 2 Church Street premises pretty much perfectly fits our idea of customer experience. It’s a Georgian listed building that sits on the curve of the road in what used to be a tiny pub called The Skinners Arms. People tell us they come to Godalming just visit to our shop, which is lovely!

Godalming Delights - Smoothies

Who is your typical customer?

We have a total mix of customers. Some come as an occasional treat, some pop in daily, others even more than that! We offer something for everyone – young and old alike – and it’s the ideal place for a family outing with retro sweeties for kids and an extra special coffee or ice cream for grown-ups.

Godalming Delights

What are you particularly known for?

We have four main product offers: An amazing chocolate selection; hot drinks; retro sweeties and ice cream. Everything we sell is top quality with natural provenance and nothing but the best ingredients. We focus on ethical sourcing and brand heritage. Although we’re not a coffee shop, I still say we serve the best coffee in Godalming – Illy – with the best barista equipment and skills training to ensure a perfect cup. And our Hot Chocolate is not to be missed – It’s made with French 33% cacao.

Our Ice cream is made for us by a pair of Argentinian / Italian brothers who have their own Ice cream Parlour, and, we’re in good company because they also supply to one of the most prestigious stores in London. Our flavours feature the finest ingredients – our best-selling chocolate Ice cream is made from single source cacao from the Congo with proceeds going to help protect the last remaining Mountain Gorillas in the Virunga Park. Our Honeycomb Ice cream is made using honey from the City bee hives of the London Honey Company located on London rooftops.

And tell us more about the sweets…

We sell over 100 varieties of retro sweeties, all presented in glass jars. Everything we sell is handpicked to be the very best tasting you can buy – but even if someone pops in with just £1 or even less to spend, we’ll make sure they find something to suit their budget. We’ve a fantastic choice from classics like Jelly Babies to ever populars like Giant Strawberries and, my personal favourite? Anything covered in chocolate!

You’re known for your visual displays at Halloween and Christmas. How do you come up with the ideas for those?

We have our very own Brand Manager – Estelle of est. Creative who designed our brand concept and guides our overall look. Each shop comes up with its own displays and we use a wonderful local window artist @agaskiba.art twice a year to paint our windows freehand.

Godalming Delights - Sweets

What are your favourite things about being in Godalming?

Music in the Park is a summer season of live music at the bandstand in the Phillips Memorial Park. With all kinds of amateur and professional bands and performers to choose from, the free concerts run at the weekends all the way from the end of May until September. There are also some fantastic community events run by Godalming Town Council, culminating in the annual Town Christmas Lights switch on. Apparently, the original lights were bought with the proceeds from Godalming’s use as a location in the filming of the movie 'The Holiday'.

Can you share some of your other favourite businesses in Godalming town centre

We’ve teamed up with West Stanton for some great joint ventures, including this year for Halloween. It’s a destination lifestyle store, big on style and conscience, selling independent toys, books, clothes, gifts, blankets… Lots of nice to have and essentials for life with kids. To be honest, all the Church Street businesses work hard at what they do – Wattle & Daub, The Salon, which champions sustainable, biodynamic haircare, and then there’s The Star, which is a proper traditional pub – my favourite in Godalming!

Find out more:

Godalming Delights, 2 Church Street, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1EH

Visit their website: godalmingdelights.co.uk
Follow them on Instagram @godalmingdelights and Facebook @Godalming Delights.

 

Posted on

Kings Head, Holmbury St Mary

Kings Head, Holmbury St Mary

January 3, 2023

Kings Head, Holmbury St Mary

Nestled at the foot of Holmbury Hill in the beautiful Surrey Hills, The Kings Head in Holmbury St Mary is a popular spot in this picturesque village. Its local owners have turned this newly refurbished freehold country pub into a hidden gem.

You can relax and explore the menu inspired by seasonal, local and fresh ingredients in one of its cosy sofa nooks or sample a selection of real ales from local breweries at the traditional standing bar. We spoke to manager Katy Bowker to find out more…

Tell us about The Kings Head

The historic building dates from the 17th century, and rumour has it that smugglers travelled through the area on their way from the coast to London with their contraband. We don't know a great deal more about it – but if only the walls could talk!

The current owners took it on around three years ago and set about refurbishing it, which took around two years. They're local and wanted to put something back into the community and create a place where people could gather and enjoy good food, a sociable atmosphere and a warm welcome..

What can anyone expect when they visit The Kings Head?

We pride ourselves on offering an exceptional fine dining experience as well as a beautiful, landscaped country garden, a private function room and accommodation so you can stay overnight. Everything has a luxury feel - the refurbishment was completed to a high standard, but at its heart, there's a friendly feel and our bar has a traditional rustic English country pub feel with many original features.

Who is your typical customer?

For the most part, it's still locals. We're a bit of a community hub and a place where people are enjoying coming back together. Word of mouth is spreading though, as well as walkers and cyclists stopping on their journeys, it's becoming a destination and people are travelling to find us.

Sofa Nook

Tell us a bit about your background Katy and how you came to The Kings Head.

I started out as a chef and began my career at another King's Head – in nearby Cuckfield. That gave me the passion for a great career in the industry, which has enabled me to travel extensively, cooking in Switzerland, France and Canada.

I worked at South Lodge when Tony Tobin was Head Chef, then I got a taste for the pub industry and discovered a love for front-of-house. After that, I had various other adventures before finding myself here with an opportunity I couldn't refuse. I didn't think I'd find myself back in the pub trade, but here I am again – privileged to be heading up such an exciting project with a great team of people.

Tell us about the menu.

Seasonal, local and fresh ingredients inspire all our food. The owners have a kitchen garden and so much of our produce, such as leaves and vegetables, comes from there. Our Head Chef, Ryan Cain, is really enthusiastic about the local area and what he can create from what's on the doorstep. So the menu is forever changing depending on new discoveries, what's in season and what the gardeners bring down to the kitchen.

Local food and drink are clearly an important objective. How did you go about sourcing the various suppliers?

Yes, making sure everything is as local as possible was an important objective for us. We went to local artisan markets, food fairs and farm shops to see exactly what was available. It's so important to look after local producers, and we're lucky to have so much quality and variety surrounding us.

What are some of your favourites?

Surrey Hills Coffee Roastery simply allows us to make the best cup of coffee, and it couldn't be more local – there's even a Holmbury Hill espresso blend. They're so knowledgeable and they seek perfection in every cup. They'll only send us new coffee when our stocks run out as they're so scrupulous about making sure it's all freshly ground.

Firebird Brewing Company over in Rudgwick is another fantastic local business that provide us with some of our local ales. The beer's great, it's a friendly service, and the company has a real community feel about it. There are so many others, but Taurus Wines also allow us to serve up a fantastic wine list. Again, they have amazing knowledge and provide an excellent service.

Tell us about the shop at The Kings Head.

Its run by Anastasia, who comes from Ukraine and is 100 per cent passionate about coffee. Anastasia trained as a Barista and knows everything about how to choose the right bean and grind to make the perfect cup. So as well as serving up consistently good coffee, we also stock a hand-picked selection of local produce and essential groceries from our artisan producers, such as bakery items, beer, cheese or just a pint of milk.

Find out more:

The Kings Head, Pitland Street, Holmbury St Mary, RH5 6NP.
To book a table online, go to https://thekingsheadhsm.com

 

Posted on

Hilltop Kitchen

Hilltop Kitchen

January 3, 2023

Hilltop Kitchen

Enjoying stunning views overlooking the Wintershall Estate and Hascombe Hill, Hilltop Kitchen serves up exceptional freshly made food and a menu boasting the best locally sourced produce. A joint venture between founders Alex Winch and Sam Fiddian-Green, it’s become the most talked about foodie destination in the area. We love it and we know you will too. We chatted to co-founder Alex to find out more…

Tell us about Hilltop Kitchen

Sam I are old family friends and our work in hospitality has taken us around the world. When we found ourselves back in the local area due to Covid, we decided to plan some pop-up events and the concept snowballed quite quickly. We opened Hilltop Kitchen in July 2021 and today as well as the pop-up events, we offer a daily changing menu that runs all summer long.

It’s a fantastic setting. How did you find it?

The site is located on Sam’s family’s farm and looks out over nothing but rolling hills. The space itself had been an office so we installed a kitchen and created a covered, heated area that makes the most of the amazing view. It’s a rustic, laidback feel - the tables are handmade and Sam’s mum is a potter so she made all the tableware.

Hilltop Kitchen

What is the philosophy of the dishes you create for Hilltop Kitchen?

Most of what we serve up is sourced from the local area, including meat, such as the Herdwick lamb that comes from the family farm or the wild garlic we pick from the woodlands down the road. Provenance is key and we’re very proud of the heritage of everything we serve. When we first came back to the area, we struggled to find food at a level we enjoy and so nothing makes it onto the menu unless it’s the absolute best.

Hilltop Kitchen

Talk us through some of the things we can expect on your menu and what are some of your most popular dishes?

We bake our Sausage rolls fresh every morning. They are made with the best ingredients money can buy including sausage mix using mince from John Murray butchers in Loxwood and wrapped in French puff pastry. Served warm with homemade brown sauce, they are pretty hard to beat!

Our Focaccia is baked in-house and you’ll find fresh cinnamon buns on the counter every morning. We’re influenced by what’s fresh and at its best, so for instance our Burrata (which comes from La Latteria in North London) may be served one week with shaved fennel, European citrus and olives and then the next with fresh peas and broad beans. We make our own tagliatelle – sometimes as little as 10 minutes before we open, so you know you’re eating it as fresh as can be.

Sam, who creates the menus has worked at a phenomenal level throughout his career and he spent six months in Rome, which definitely gives some of the dishes an Italian backbone, but always featuring the best of British.

You’re also known for serving up a cracking cup of coffee

At Hilltop, we take our coffee very seriously and a lot of research went into finding our favourite beans, which are supplied by Horsham Coffee Roaster. Horsham Roasters are obsessed not only with flavour but also about ethical coffee. They source directly from producers in long term commitments to the same farmer meaning they pay well above the fairtrade price. Back home the beans are roasted using a state-of-the-art low emission roaster and carefully blended to create its Workhorse coffee. To us, the ethics had to match up and be as scrupulously good as the taste.

Who is Hilltop kitchen popular with?

Hilltop Kitchen was set up with locals at its heart and we love the fact that our reputation has spread through word of mouth and we’ve become part of the Godalming community. We’ve become a regular haunt for walkers and cyclists who will stop off on their routes for a coffee or a cold beer.

Tell us about some of your own favourite local foodie hangouts and suppliers?

There are some great farm shops in the area. Sam is a fan of Secretts, close to where he lives, while I’ll tend to go to Kingfisher Farm Shop near my home in Abinger. We love what they’re doing at Greyfriars Vineyard and for beer, the Arctic Fox Pilsner from The Crafty Brewing Co. in Dunsfold is the best you could ever drink on a hot day.

Hilltop Kitchen

What’s next for Hilltop Kitchen?

We love doing our evening pop-up events, which run on a first-come, first-served basis every month. Although we close our daily menu at the end of the summer, as autumn and winter draw in, we’ll be offering banquet-style menus where you come along, eat seasonally and enjoy a hot toddy or a mulled cider. And apart from that, we’re talking about plenty of other plans too. It’s very exciting.

 

Hilltop Kitchen, Combe Farm Buildings, Alldens Lane, Godalming, Surrey, GU8 4AP is open Thursday – Sunday from 9am serving coffee and fresh pastries, lunch from 12am, snacks, drinks and good times from 3pm to 6pm⁠

Find out more:

Follow Hilltop Kitchen on @hilltop.kitchen. To book a table online, go to hilltop-kitchen.co.uk.

Posted on

Steve and Laura Drake of Sorrel restaurant in Dorking

sorrel-restaurant

January 3, 2023

Interview with Steve and Laura Drake of Sorrel restaurant in Dorking

It’s been an agonising year for the hospitality industry but the resilient team behind Dorking’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Sorrel, continues to win accolades and is fighting back with a new range of at home suppers and local business partnerships. We spoke to owners Steve and Laura Drake about how they’ve weathered the storm. 

How did the idea for Sorrel Suppers come about?

Steve: Last year when we closed, we didn’t think it would go on as long as it did. I certainly thought we’d continue to be open after the summer and everything would be okay. So initially I was resistant to the take away idea – I didn’t want to turn out something that wasn’t ‘Sorrel’ and we weren’t sure if it would be possible to recreate that experience at home. 

Laura: We also have children, who we were homeschooling, and we felt it was important to prioritise that and make the most of having Steve at home for a while. 

Steve: So, the suppers came about at New Year. The restaurant was fully booked but then we were told to close again and we had something like 200 portions of venison in the fridge, sauces, stocks etc. So, we adapted the menu and did it as a takeaway, if anything so we could work and give the team and our customers a bit of a boost because everyone was really down. We thought we might get 50 orders but ended up doing 140! 

Laura: And the feedback was just incredible – the photos people sent and comments… everyone was urging us to do more. 

What can people expect from a Sorrel Supper? 

Steve: What I hope we can bring to people’s tables at home is the skill we utilise in the kitchen at Sorrel. We work just as hard on the creative menu creation as we would in the restaurant. Some of the dishes take days to prepare, one of the sauces we provided in a recent Sorrel Supper had 25 ingredients for example, and that’s a lot for the average home cook! I didn’t want to set people up to fail at this. It’s really important that the dishes are all Sorrel dishes but something that people can do at home relatively easily. We pre-poach the meat for example so all you have to do is colour it in the pan, the sauces just need to be heated through and then, of course, you can add the final finishing touches. 

Laura: After the first couple we decided to do an Instagram Live video to accompany the meal so Steve can demonstrate how to prepare the dishes and people can ask questions – it’s been really good fun and there’s been an amazing feeling of camaraderie. 

How have they been received thus far? 

Laura: The response has been amazing – each supper has sold out within 48 hours of us launching! People have been sharing pictures of their meals on Instagram and we’ve been so impressed with how they look. People are now doing zoom parties so there’s groups of 10 or so who watch Steve’s videos with a cocktail and then ‘cook together’ but individually from their own households. 

How have you been able to involve other local businesses? 

Laura: We started thinking about how else we could help recreate the ‘Sorrel experience’ at home so we ended up producing these Sorrel candles for Valentine’s, we’ve now got Sorrel aprons and bags,  we’ve also teamed up with Nest in Ripley and Cherfold Flowers in Hambledon as additional pick up points – the idea being that we hope people might then grab a coffee when they pick up their Sorrel Supper or order some flowers as a gift or to add a special addition to their tablescape. 

Steve: Everyone is struggling at the moment, so it’s nice that we’ve been able to try and involve other local businesses, particularly ones on our doorstep, and we’d love to explore ways of working with others in the future too.

What have you learnt over the past year? 

Laura: How amazing our team is. It’s been such a difficult time for them but they have all really stepped up. And our customers, who have been so supportive – when we have been open, it’s been so busy and we’ve really appreciated their loyalty. 

Steve: As a small, independent business we’re able to react quickly and make changes. I’m one of those people who’s not scared of making a mistake. Hopefully I’ve made more good decisions than bad but if I do make a mistake I try not to beat myself up, I move on and try something different. This is something I’ve learnt with experience but has been particularly useful over the past year.    

How will Sorrel look as a business once restaurants can re-open again?

Steve: It’s been an interesting year and it’s made us look really long and hard at our business model – at opening hours, staffing levels etc. I actually think that when we are able to re-open, we’re going to have a better business than when we closed last year.  

Find out more

Sorrel Suppers are available fortnightly and cost £60pp. Visit sorrelrestaurant.co.uk to sign up to the Sorrel newsletter and find out what’s on the latest menu and you can follow Sorrel on Instagram @sorrel_restaurant_dorking and on Facebook @SorrelRestaurantDorking 

More news ›