Review: The Butcher’s Arms, Eldersfield

Well, that was jolly good.

The Butcher’s Arms is a proper country pub, honest and comfy. I’m getting heartily sick of walking into gastropubs that turn out to belong to a boutique chain of identikit establishments, walls hung with photos of pheasants and foxhounds, deja vu menus of hand-dived scallops and sticky toffee pudding. So I’m always happy to stumble into the real deal. The kegs of guest ale behind the bar were a clue, as was the lack of STP on the menu.

In fact the Butcher’s is such a perfect little country boozer that the fine dining aspirations of the food came as a bit of a surprise. The prices on the menu were certainly an eyeful, but I can happily report: totally worth it.

I started with a salad of hot smoked eel, beetroot and potato drop-scone. You can’t put hot smoked eel on a menu and expect me to pass it up. There was a really generous amount of magical eel, and a very satisfying spiced beetroot chutney with it; lots of smoky paprika and roasted cumin. Maureen’s was pig cheek and squid. The pig cheek rissole was heading beyond delicious and into mmm-gorgeous territory. Oddly enough, the squid seemed irrelevant, adding neither a useful texture or taste to the plate. Didn’t care, the pig cheek was pigging excellent.

My main course of turbot roasted on the bone was also excellent, with chorizo, lentils and bacon. Fish cooked to perfection and a really solid balance of flavours. The accompanying potatoes anna were brilliant, crisp on top and buttery/waxy inside. The star of the show, however, was Maureen’s squab. This was a beautiful roast bird, served up very rare and with a bold, livery flavour. The confit legs added another dimension. There was gravy with a sticky shine and flavour to put a big smile on your lips. On the side, a cube of deeply wonderful home-made haggis rolled in oat nibs. Essentially the best main course either of us have tasted in quite a while.

Puddings were original and a bit off-beat. I had donuts with caramel ice cream and strawberries. That’s exactly what it was: two nice little sugary donuts, some very good strawberries and a delicious scoop of caramel ice cream with just enough bitter to balance the sweet. Maureen enjoyed pistachio and peach macarons, both excellent, some very nicely poached peach and a lovely mango sorbet. I thought these puds good, and fitting for a pub that is walking it’s own path. They weren’t quite as magic as the courses that came before.

I would round off this review by saying that this was the best pub meal I’ve had in ages. However, at around £36 for three courses without drinks the Butchers is almost no longer in the pub price bracket. Doesn’t matter. These were all faultlessly executed dishes using superb produce in delicious ways, and outshone a whole bunch of fine dining experiences I can think of. Seek out the Butcher’s Arms next time you are lost in rural Worcestershire!