Monday Munches: The Chesil Rectory

Since my husband no longer works on a Monday, in his gradual whittling down of office days until he retires altogether, my demand has been that we celebrate his 'leisure' by him taking me out to lunch. I can't in any case concentrate on my own work while he is in the house, no matter how unobtrusively he tiptoes about.  This lunching routine has been in play since Christmas, but only now has it occurred to me to blog about all the different eateries we have tried/are trying around  our wonderful city of Winchester and its environs, which are absolutely bursting with great places to eat. Since one of my favourite things to read is a restaurant column, why not write one of my own and see how far I can spread the word?

We start with today's treat, which was The Chesil Rectory. This place is something very special, an upscale but homely restaurant set in a 600 year old Grade II listed medieval house once given to Mary Tudor by her father, King Henry VIII. It is all low ceilings, dark timber beams, open fireplaces and a rickety wooden staircase, and it is run with glamorous expertise by a dynamic team headed by Mark and Eleanor Dodd.  Stepping off the busy street (for some reason it is always raining when I come here) into the cosy dining rooms is like being embraced by a cashmere cardigan. The welcome is always genuinely friendly, the atmosphere calm, and decor tasteful and pleasing, the chairs and leather banquettes so comfortable you never want to leave.

We decided on the special lunch menu, which at £17.95 for two courses is barely more than a standard fish and chips, but the difference in presentation, cooking and flavours - especially the delicate sauces - is stratospheric.  After a lovely chat with Eleanor (she and Mark happened to be working today and are friends of ours to boot) who very generously offered us a complimentary glass of grassy dry Riesling, I had the watercress soup with basil oil, bright green, silky, filling, and not over-salted. I could virtually feel the vitamins soaking into my system as I slurped my way to the bottom of the boat-shaped bowl. Richard had heritage tomatoes of various hues in what looked like a bacon crumb which he said made his mouth water even after he had finished. We both had a cute little mushroom pie with puree potatoes, a crisp roundel of green cabbage, and a truffle sauce in a wee jug on the side which was so delicious we ate most of it in delirious silence. There was no room for pudding, and indeed I am lying down as I type this back home, but it is very difficult to heave oneself out of the leather embrace and out into the wet afternoon.
As always service was swift and efficient, but it would have been most unprofessional to kiss the waiter, a handsome young student so tall that he has to duck under all those medieval ceilings who also happens to be my son! Here is a picture of him clearing the decks as we prepared to leave and he prepared to serve a large incoming party of hungry Poles.
Whatever time of year and whatever time of day, this place always gets 5 stars from me. Next time we will make sure it is warm enough to sit in the little courtyard garden newly opened for yet more long, leisurely, gourmet meals...