We received a meal and a bottle of wine in at The Mutton at Hazeley Heath in exchange for this review. Find more details here.
The kids went back to school after the Christmas holidays and, as sod’s law predicts, I immediately came down with a horrible cold which meant all my plans were off. No trips to the gym, no catching up with friends, nothing. After a full week of feeling poorly and sorry for myself I woke up at the weekend feeling so much better. I was very relieved, not least because James and I had a meal booked at a lovely cosy country pub, The Mutton at Hazeley Heath, to review.
About 25 minutes drive away from us in West Reading, The Mutton at Hazeley Heath is a traditional 19th-century British pub with, we’d been promised, a very special food offering.
Set on the edge of Hazeley Heath nature reserve, many people enjoy the 6.8km walk around it before tucking into a well deserved Sunday lunch. You can also bring your dog as the bar area at The Mutton is dog friendly (but make sure you let them know when you book a table!). We did neither, but certainly will next time!
The menu at The Mutton at Hazeley Heath: Nibbles and starters
There are several nibbles on offer, in case you just want a drink and something other than crisps to snack on.
We got some sourdough bread and whipped butter to keep us busy while we perused the menu. It was delicious, albeit a smallish portion for £6 (read: I wanted to eat more bread. I probably should not).
I’d love to try the cheese and onion shortbread; this is definitely on the list for next time.
The starters we chose (a charcuterie platter for him and scallops for me) were excellent choices. The scallops were melt in your mouth stuff, and the charcuterie was a huge portion, but somehow we managed like the heroes we are.
Traditional Sunday roasts at The Mutton at Hazeley Heath
Although they had a selection of normal pub food on offer including classics like Fish & Chips and steak, as it was a Sunday we both decided to go for a roast. They came highly recommend and, by the second week in January, sufficient time had elapsed since Christmas that I was starting to have a hankering for a roast dinner again.
I had roast leg of lamb and James went for beef rump; if you’re not a fan of red meat or want a veggie option, there was turkey and butternut squash on offer too.
All roasts come with the same accompaniments; duck fat roast potatoes, carrots, cabbage and greens, gravy and, thankfully, a Yorkshire pudding. All roasts should be served with Yorkshire puddings, and I’ll die on that hill.
Th meat itself was absolutely perfectly cooked. To overuse the phrase, it was melt in your mouth stuff, not fatty or chewy at all, and there was nothing to be seen at the end. Not a bit of gristle or leftovers to take home to the dog.
OK, so if I was being very picky, I’d suggest that maybe one more duck fat roast potato would have made it perfect (the portion supplied with the roast dinner is three roasties per person, and an extra bowls is £5), but I’m not going to quibble. I probably should learn some kind of self control around potatoes and carbs in general.
Utterly beautiful and a damn site better than roasts we’ve had in the past. I concede that at £25 a dish they’re not a cheap option but you can tell that the meat is top quality, you’re only served the best pieces and a very decent portion of it to boot, and the whole experience is definitely a step above what you’d expect in your local pub. We should know, we’ve tried loads – and this was certainly the best either of us can remember.
Desserts
I neglected to get a picture of the dessert menu but you can find it, along with all The Mutton’s other menus, here.
Thanks to the recommendation of the waitress, we chose a Brioche and Rhubarb ‘Doughnut’, Spiced Crumble, Rhubarb and Yogurt Sorbet and Cardamon Spiced Layered Cake, Brandy Dates, Chai Tea Ice Cream Sandwich, both priced at £9.50.
The doughnut was not in fact really a doughnut in most senses of the word, being square rather than round, but it had a familiar crunch to it. It was spectacular. I love rhubarb but even if you don’t, the taste was very subtle and sweet, not at all sour as you might expect.
We, regretfully, didn’t make it to the cheese course on account of being slightly concerned we’d have to be rolled out of the front door. I find this to be a bit of a failing on our part and vow to do better next time.
Drinks at The Mutton in Hazeley Heath
There are several real ales, lagers (including 0% lager), ciders etc on tap, as well as the usual spirits and soft drinks.
The wine menu is good with a big selection by the bottle and quite a few by the glass too – and there are classic cocktails too.
To start our meal, we had an ‘El Diablo’ – a tequila based cocktail, and an alcohol free Appletini, both specials offered on the Sunday menu. I obviously went for the one with all the booze in it; you won’t catch me doing Dry January. Not on a Sunday.
We then went for a very decent bottle of South African Pinot Noir. It’s not often I have red wine when out but roast lamb just needs it and I must say it was an excellent choice; spicy, smokey and very drinkable indeed would be my uneducated option.
The staff and ambience at The Mutton at Hazeley Heath
The pub and restaurant is nicely laid out with the dog friendly pub area towards one end and the restaurant towards the other. We had booked an early lunch at 12pm and were one of a few tables already seated. We were surprised to note that the car park was already almost full; presumably with walkers making the most of the January sun before their Sunday roast.
The Mutton soon filled up and by the time we left there I couldn’t see any tables unoccupied in the restaurant section. Despite this, it wasn’t too noisy; the acoustics were good and it had a buzzy kind of ambience to it. The Mutton at Hazeley Heath is exactly the right kind of place to spend an unhurried Sunday afternoon.
The staff were friendly and happy to help with recommendations.
When I joked to or waitress that the dog would be sad I haven’t saved her any leftovers, they even bought out a bag of kitchen scraps – which incidentally looked better than anything I’ve cooked in ages.
It was the perfect way to spend a cold January weekend and we will definitely be returning, with the dog this time!