Special Offer – Discount Rooms at the Thatched Cottage Inn

Over the course of the wine dinner, each guest will consume approximately the equivalent of a full bottle of wine - driving home might be unwise. Won’t you stay the night?
 In support of the national Responsible Drinking campaign, the Thatched Cottage is offering a special discount on overnight accommodation for our wine dinner guests.
After such an exceptional dining experience, with such an assortment of superb wines, why not conclude with a restful evening at our award-winning Thatched Cottage inn?
£70 per room (a 30% discount from our usual room rates)
To reserve a room today book securely online.

enquiries@thatchedcottage.info or call: 01749 342058.

Australasian Food & Wine Tasting Menu

27th August 2009
£19.95

On 27th August, we will be experiencing the taste sensations of our Australasian Taster Menu, when we will partake of typical modern Aussie tucker accompanied by some premium red and white stuff from Oz and New Zealand. Australia and New Zealand are home to a diverse array of culinary influences, with fresh seafood, unique seasonings, desserts worth fighting over and, of course, an impressive offering of fine wines.

We have arranged with Vic Cherikoff, one of the foremost producers of Australian herbs and spices, to fly in those that we need for this menu. Authentic or what?

Tonight’s dinner will include a presentation by wine experts from Matthew Clark, a leading UK distributor of fine wines: Peter Hardcastle and Grant Armstrong, an Australian wine specialist.

To Start

Hot Lamb Salad from New Zealand
Lamb fillets marinated in minced garlic, oregano, olive oil and black pepper then cooked, medium rare, sliced and tossed with the salad. Salad of fingers of cooked aubergine, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, sun dried tomatoes, basil and vinaigrette. The whole accompanied by roasted garlic aioli. A little cheat here - the lamb is not actually "from" New Zealand; instead we will use West Country lamb.

Wine pairing: Chenin blanc

Chenin blanc is arguably the world's most versatile variety of wine grape. Native to the Loire Valley in France, Chenin Blanc has found a home throughout the wine-producing world, including Australia, where over 1,500 acres of Chenin Blanc grapes are planted.

Fish Dish

Creped Crustaceans from Sydney (The recipe is from Sydney, but the fish are freshly caught in Cornwall.) This lively dish features prawns on a Cajun crepe, yabbies (crayfish) on a wattle crepe and bugs (lobster) on the native thyme crepe.

Wine pairing: Drylands Sauvignon Blanc
This white wine is produced in Marlborough, New Zealand, and brings a compelling combination of herbal and tropical fruit flavours, with a presence of gooseberry and passion fruit.

Meat Dish

Pork Cutlet with Lemon Myrtle Hollandaise
This Outback recipe features a unique seasoning in the sauce – Lemon Myrtle, from a tree native to Australia.

Wine pairing: Barossa E Minor Shiraz
Music for the palate! This is a full bodied, spicy Shiraz with flavours of plum and cherries, hailing from the Barossa Valley of Southern Australia – a region with a reputation for producing some of Australia’s best wines.

Dessert

Pavlova

	Pavlova is a popular dessert on special occasions and Christmas dinners in New Zealand and Australia – sweet, delicate meringue cake topped with kiwi, orange and peach fruit and cream. It’s a point of contention as to who truly “invented” this dessert – Australia or New Zealand. But we won’t take sides in the argument – why argue, when we could be eating Pavlova?
	Wine pairing: Hardys Botrytis Semillon This dessert wine (a “stickie,” as they say in Australia) from Southeastern Australia features an appealing swirl of fruit flavours:  green apple, dried apricots and pineapple, with a complex and satisfying finish.

 
 Inspiring food, elegant wines, pleasant company and a wine expert to share some of the inner secrets of each bottle. What a superb way to spend a midweek evening!

Reserve Your Place at The Table

Book online (Secure):

We are limiting the numbers to 20 for each event so Reserve Your Place now. We can take bookings and payment securely over the phone: both your transaction and place at the table are secure.

Book by phone: 01749 342058