December: Our recommendations on the menu this month

What we’ve been eating: Beetroot and horseradish cured salmon, soda bread

On our recently launched festive menu is a beautifully cured Loch Duart salmon. The beetroot and horseradish cure gives the fish not only a lovely flavour, but a wonderful vibrant colour. This is paired with lemon segments and a horseradish cream, classic flavours to pair with salmon, particularly around this time of year.

For head chef James, the flavours evoke memories of family Christmas dinners. He finishes the dish with freshly baked homemade soda bread, a nod to his former mentor chef Bryn Williams, under whom he trained at Odette’s in London’s Primrose Hill, where soda bread was a staple on the menu.

What we’ve been drinking: 2021 Valdespino ‘Viña Macharnudo Alto’ barrel-fermented palomino, Spain

Valdespino is one of the oldest bodegas in Jerez, with a history of sherry production going back six centuries.

The vineyard’s soil is rich in calcium carbonate as it was once covered by sea and its clay composition is very absorbent. When it dries, it forms a hard layer, preventing evaporation, which encourages the vine roots to develop with access to water reserves.

This cask fermented 'Macharnudo' has delicate lime on the nose, with white fruit and mineral touches in the background, while the palate has a round oiliness with a dry and crisp finish.