So ,  my first post of the year and my little “easing into” the flow of 2012 and hopefully some pretty good eating. As i said in an earlier post i do have a new years resolution to get 2 stone off before my annual trip to Thailand in June. A`light` lunch at Lenclume would provide a natural , healthy and a good start to my fitness regime…That sounds to me like a bloody good philosophy and positive thinking to pave the way forward…. It “will” happen.

Chef Simon Rogan was spending the new year with family down south so wasn`t at the restaurant during my visit.Mark Birchall , fresh from his Roux scholarship prize winning placement at Can Roca in Spain was cooking as head chef in Simons absence.With Mark heading up the brigade i knew that a great meal was in store. The `light` lunch was meant to be a little taster into the world of  restaurant food for my son Max .He`s a bit of a Mc Donalds fan so was willing to let me attempt to introduce him into something a little more adventurous…. “Dad , I`ll eat whatever they give me”.. Mmmnnn , i had my doubts but it was worth a try.So here`s how my first decent restaurant meal of the year performed.

The usual nibbles arrived whilst perusing the 4 menus on offer.Little savoury Duck scratchings and crackers led us on to our first Amuse of the day  – Onion cheese wafers.

    Next up was the “Oyster pebbles” looking very like the accompanying local beach stones in the little glass pot….very realistic and an enjoyable amuse to get us smiling. As always , the very popular Lenclume bread was freshly baked and straight out of the oven.

   Carrot  Pork sacks with  were next , A Carrot foam with a rich Ham concoction hidden underneath.

Grilled Salad smoked over embers , Isle of Mull cheese , Truffle custard and Cobnuts

Valley Venison , Smoked salt , Chicory and Fennel.

Roasted Snow Crown in a rich Beef broth, Crispy Parsley , and cultivated Nameko

Native Lobster and pickled Beetroot , Apple and Bittercress.

And as far as baby radishes go… Chef Rogan picks em young.You can also see here the difference in cameras ( for anyone interested in food photography ).The camera i use 99% of the time is my little Panasonic Lumix LX5 ( £299) which is amazing for food photography, close up macro shots and generally being discreet in a restaurant.The photo above of the Lobster dish was shot with the Lumix whilst the one below right was shot using a £1,500 Canon EOS 7D and 17-70mm zoom lens.Notice the depth of field that the Canon produces and that only a fraction of the photo is in focus in front of and also behind the radish which is a really popular look in food photography.Give me the Lumix anyday.I only took the Canon to get some use out of it and im a little reluctant to sell it on ebay until i give it a decent chance.

  Halibut with Trout roe sauce , Celeriac and Chestnut.

Roasted Monkfish in our spices , Roasted Kiri Squash , Yoghurt and Raspberry vinegar.

Randolph`s Lop suckling pig with Northern Mead , Vintage vegetables and Nasturtium.

Yew tree farm Herdwick Hoggett in Mulled Cider , Brussels sprouts and Red Cabbage.

Sea Buckthorn and Anise, Hyssop , Liquorice and Butternut. I loved this dessert and the unusual and unique flavour of the sea buckthorn berries.Definitely at my top of the list for best puds of the year.

Fig and Malted cream , William Pear Ice.

Fresh Cheese ice cream with Sweet Brackens , Rosehips and Hazelnuts.

Aerated Parkin Meringue.

As always , Lenclume never fails to deliver and after a long and totally chilled Xmas / new year lunch we left very satisfied and educated.My son Max loved it and surprised me by eating everything ( apart from Lambs tongues ) so i`m sure that he will be wanting more of the same throughout the year.I`ll look forward to seeing what Simon and the guys deliver during 2012.I have a good feeling that we are all going to be seeing a lot more of Mr Rogan this year…fingers crossed. Cheers guys and happy new year.

The full set of photos from the meal can be viewed by clicking HERE.