[Disclosure: We were invited to dine for free at The Hatton Arms for the purposes of the blog]
If you’re looking for a decent place for food and drink near Warwick, the Hatton Arms is always a good shout. The menu is broad, varied and changes regularly. The setting is picturesque, sitting right by the canal with easy walks through the Hatton Estate. Service is usually good, the drinks menu a nice bridge between pub and restaurant, and it’s easily accessible from all sorts of places in Warwickshire.
On top of that, they’ve recently added various events to their schedule, from a weekly fondue night to wine tasting evenings. Of course, you can just pop in for lunch and dinner too – something Mummy Ellen does on a regular basis and rarely walks away disappointed, and exactly what we did to check out the latest menu.
Since its refurbishment in 2020, the pub has held on to a fresh, clean feel. The decor is good, the space well used, with both the bar and restaurant area cosy without being too casual. Which presumably would explain why on a Monday night it was fairly busy with people not just drinking, but clearly ‘out for dinner’.
The menu is fairly classic, which there is absolutely nothing wrong with in my book, and there’s the welcome addition of elements sourced from the Hatton Estate itself. There are specials, too, which allow the added opportunity to showcase seasonal and local ingredients. The downside of going on a Monday is that a few things aren’t available, but it would be churlish to hold this against somewhere after a busy weekend. Everyone needs a delivery, day, right?
Never one to be deterred from a baked camembert, Jamie orders it to start. It’s nice enough but has been more than warmed, so isn’t quite the oozy, gooey joy it should be and the rosemary and garlic that’s apparently come from the Hatton Estate has sunk out of view.
I rarely order dishes that I would usually get from a Chinese restaurant or takeaway – or indeed my brothers’ own kitchens – when I’m in a traditional English pub, safe in the knowledge they’re unlikely to be as good. But on this occasion, the riff on crispy duck pancakes using local shredded pheasant instead was too tempting to pass up.
The pheasant itself was a good idea. Slightly crispy but still tender, with the trademark fragrance of what I’m 99% sure was five spice. There was no departing from the standard accompaniments of spring onion and cucumber to join it inside the pancakes. A good thing, in my view, unlike the departure from the standard hoisin or plum sauce you’d expect with such a dish.
I’m not quite sure what was going on here, but what was meant to be plum sauce lacked the sweetness that is exactly what makes this go so well with crispy duck or whatever meat is service up ready to be swaddled in pancakes in this style. It’s the contrast that works, but that rich, sticky loveliness was somehow lacking, making me yearn for a little pot of hoisin that is always virtually licked clean after a takeaway choice of duck and pancakes. I did ask what had happened to the plum sauce, and what the difference was but we didn’t quite get to the bottom of it. Onwards and upwards.
If starters weren’t quite the knock-outs we’ve had on previous trips to the Hatton Arms, I’m happy to say that main courses more than redeemed the meal. My Packington pork belly was the kind of dish that brings a smile to your face even before you’ve tucked in, the rolled belly calling to me from the plate the minute it was set down.
It was moist and full of flavour, with any layers of fat melting in the mouth and balanced out by a slighty tart, silky smooth Calvados jus. A sticking of crackling was predictably great, and the crispy sage leaves were a nice touch, while a dauphinoise that added sweet potato layers to the standard potatoes was a nice adaptation of a classic. A great dish, and one I’d order again in a heartbeat.
Jamie’s sirloin steak was served as classic as they come, with mushroom, tomato, chips and watercress because why would you mess with steak and chips when there’s no need. The meat was cooked just right, the chips fabulous, and the peppercorn sauce just the right level of tangy and creamy. He cleared the plate, and quite rightly so.
An orange delice dessert was up there with the main. Bright in colour and flavour, with the zing of citrus and just the right amount of sweet and the addition of crumb for some crunch. Well put together, and just right to share as the final act in a not-insubstantial three-course feast.
The starters might have been slightly off the mark, but the Hatton Arms remains a good place for a meal. My mum swears by it for a nice lunch after a walk up and down the canal with her friend, and she is no pushover when it comes to wanting good food at reasonable value.
I’m inclined to agree. Portions are generous, food tasty and well put together, service good, and they clearly aren’t afraid to come up with ideas to keep the punters coming.
[Disclosure: We were invited to dine for free at The Hatton Arms for the purposes of the blog]
