WORD is spreading fast about The Warwick at Mallory Court Country House Hotel & Spa – and with very good reason.
The newly-launched restaurant at the long-established Leamington hotel launched just over a month ago under the stewardship of award-winning chef Stu Deeley, and tables are already in high demand.
Mallory Court has always had an enviable culinary reputation, but that reputation is only going to be enhanced by the arrival of the executive head chef who gained national recognition after winning MasterChef: The Professionals in 2019.
His appointment has generated much excitement, although it is in many ways something of a homecoming. Originally from Birmingham, Stu worked at Mallory Court early in his career. He then spent years perfecting his cuisine in other respected midlands kitchens such as Simpsons and The Wilderness. He later became chef director at Hampton Manor Estate, where he founded the Michelin-recommended Smoke, earning praise for its ingredient-led and open-fire cooking.
And now he is back at Mallory Court with a clear vision, one which combines classic British cooking with a contemporary edge, and a menu built around bold flavours and seasonal produce.
Diners are finding that vision demonstrated straight away with the arrival at their table of fresh flavour packed trout and goat cheese canapes, followed by a vibrant and equally impressive wild garlic veloute amuse bouche, To say they merely whet the appetite would be an understatement.
The Warwick’s summer menu can be savoured via a Taste of The Season (£105 per person) or a three course A La Carte option (£90).
Starters such as a beautifully balanced St Agnes Crab, Isle of Wight Tomato and Pecorino Tart with Bloody Mary, and a big meaty hand-dived Orkney scallop with Stornoway Black Pudding and subtle Thai spicing, deliver the very best of British with real flair and imagination.
The lamb main of Oxfordshire Hogget with Potato Terrine and Green Beans in a rich lamb jus, and a stunning Cornish Monkfish paired with a Borlotti Bean Cassoulet and a perfectly spiced Espelette and Nduja sauce, are further evidence of a chef, and his kitchen, who know how to make every ingredient on the plate sing.
Those looking to pair a wine with the summer menu – if they don’t opt for the individual wine pairings with the Taste of the Season menu – may enjoy the bright and refreshing Othello Pinot Noir,
full of cherry, strawberry and cranberry flavours, from the nearby Welcome Hills Vineyard.
Desserts such as the rich Manjari Fondant Tart with Garden Mint ice cream, using mint from the hotel’s own kitchen garden, a pretty as a picture Somerset Strawberry Mille-Feuille, and a Rhubarb and Custard Baked Alaska, developed over the years from Stu’s childhood memories, cannot help but delight.
For all the amazing dishes, precision and attention to every detail, there remains a refreshing and welcome simplicity to The Warwick’s first menu.
Stu explained: “My focus is on classical flavour combinations, ingredients that speak for themselves, and food people genuinely want to eat — not just admire. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel, I just want to make it turn really, really well.”
An exciting new culinary journey is underway at Mallory Court, and it’s certainly got off to a very tasty start.
Visit www.mallory.co.uk/the-warwick-restaurant for further details.
