Category: ARTICLE

Sunday Roast at The Crown, Blackheath by Shepherd Neame

alcoholic drinks, ARTICLE, Days Out, Family Life, Food & Drink, Restaurant

Disclaimer – We have received this item for free or on a loan basis for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Shepherd Neame, the Kent based brewers owned by a local family, have launched some new dining experiences throughout their establishments in Kent and London. We visited The Crown, in Blackheath to sample their Sunday Roast as part of their new dining experiences.

The Crown is situated on the heath of Blackheath’s triangle, sitting at the top of the hill and overlooking the church. Parking is in the side roads of the triangle or there is parking on the hill itself, with the train station a short walk away and the buses stop nearby. There is frequently a circus or entertainment of some sort on Blackheath too.

The pub is recognisable from the large seating area at the front which is frequently full! Food is served every day, and on this particular sunny Sunday, there was seating outside, downstairs in the large bar area and a very picturesque dining area upstairs. The Sunday menu is presented at the tables but the dessert menu is inscribed on chalk boards above your head, so pudding is never very far from your mind as you eat! We opted for the Stuffed Pork Belly Roast, and the Sirloin Steak Roast. The Crown also does the Shepherd Neame Sunday Roast Sharing Experience, which has enough on a sharing platter for two to be able to enjoy, complete with a table side carving.

You can see from the photos that the Shepherd Neame Sunday Roasts provide ample traditions; generous portions of meat, plenty of roasted vegetables and of course, some smashing roast potatoes! These potatoes were cooked in dripping, with a salt coating to give that extra kick. There is also, of course, lashings of gravy too.  We washed down our roasts with a Shepherd Neame Spitfire lager too – they’re most popular lager and one that was being enjoyed throughout the pub.

As for the desserts… there was a selection of locally inspired desserts including Apple, Pear and Pecan Crumble, Morello Cherry Frangipane and there’s a new one on me – Folkestone Pudding. Also known as Kent Tart, it’s a layered tart with a chocolate crust, cream base and chocolate layer on top. It’s similar to a cheesecake but with a rich cream filling that’s similar to custard. It’s the first time I had tried it and it was DELICIOUS! We also had the Warm Chocolate Fondant, which is seen here served with ice cream and crumbles.

I can’t recommend the Shepherd Neame Roasts enough, especially for a lovely Sunday afternoon during the summer. The pork belly was cooked perfectly with a soft, buttery layer of fat and a beautiful stuffing. There was ample beef as well, cooked as requested and tender to the cut. We loved the roast potatoes cooked with a nice thick crust.  We did manage to eat all of it, including the desserts but it was all we could manage for the rest of the day!

The Crown Blackheath: https://www.crownblackheath.co.uk/ 

Shepherd Neame Dining Experiences: https://www.shepherdneame.co.uk/pubs/food/shepherd-neame-dining-experience

The Toll House Chelsea Delicatessen, London

ARTICLE, Children, chocolate, coffee, Days Out, Family Life, Food & Drink, snacks, Summer

Disclaimer – We have received this item for free or on a loan basis for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Nestled on a corner of Cremorne Road in Chelsea, London, is The Toll House Chelsea Delicatessen. Previous incarnation of the original building include a dry cleaners, a garage and before it’s present incarnation, it was empty for many years. The present owners have taken the charge to create The Toll House Delicatessen under the moniker of the building’s original intention; an office which collected the toll for the properties on the private land of Chelsea.

The Toll House Delicatessen is based on a premise of serving the community everything from coffee and pastries in the mornings, home working using their free Wi-Fi and providing treats on the way home from work. The Toll House speciality is their Basque cheesecake. Although she is a doctor by day, Alimah makes the cheesecakes in her spare time. Alimah’s Basque cheesecake recipes include flavours such as Pistachio Luxe, Chocolate Decadence, Lotus Biscoff Crunch and Berry Compote. Of course, there’s also an original Basque cheesecake too! We visited on a very hot Saturday afternoon to find the air-conditioned building very welcoming and Tariq, Allah’s husband, was on hand to talk us through how they had transformed the building and show us the cakes.

It may be a tiny place to visit but it has a big heart! The very Instagramable building has a mural along the outside wall which features three frogs – one to represent each of the families’s young children. Following in the Chelsea tradition, there are flowers everywhere and the branding has a twist on the Chelsea blue colour. The original Toll House Clock still stands on the roof too. Inside the blue theme continues with marble worktops and a high  bench for working. The shop is so petite, it needed bespoke marble worktops, chiller cabinets and cabinetry, which give it a certain Chelsea charm. There’s a very grand coffee machine too, which makes fresh specialty coffee.

As for the cakes and pastries,  you’ll find not just Basque cheesecakes but other locally sourced pastries  and sandwiches and salads which are made on site daily. Anyone visiting for lunch will be able to also purchase drinks, crisps and other snacks.

We were lucky to be able to try some of the cheesecakes. Sitting outside in the sunshine, we shared the ‘Chocolate Decadence’ cheesecake. If you’re not familiar with Basque cheesecakes, they don’t have a biscuit base, they’re just cheesecake filling and then baked. Each Toll House Basque cheesecake is 4 inches wide which is more than enough for two people to share. Eating even half a Basque cheesecake was quite some task! 

At first bite, you realise it is incredibly light and not like the heavy cheesecakes you buy in High Street shops. It’s not so sweet either. I am used to Basque cheesecakes being both heavy and sweet with a richness of cream, but I didn’t feel this with the Toll House Basque cheesecake. It’s light and fluffy and has a texture like whipped cream but without the dairy taste. The flavour is more like a light custard with a slight vanilla taste. You can tell that they are not only home made, but they are made that day because the body of the cheesecake is so fresh. We also took home some of the other flavours; Pistachio Luxe, Lotus Biscoffi Crunch and Berry Compote. I think my favourite was the Berry Compote –  the sweet berry flavour works really well with the creamy filling.

The Toll House make cakes and Basque cheesecakes to order and for special occasions. We think they’d be great at weddings or even a tiered Basque as a fabulous wedding cake!  The property is so cute and so accessible for great photos that I’m surprised it’s not more well known on the London scene. The picturesque corner of Chelsea, with the Georgian houses and enormous London plane trees is an oasis for afternoon treats as well as working from home. Tariq and his staff are so welcoming too, that you could try a different cheesecake every day of the week and never feel like leaving!

https://www.tollhousedeli.co.uk
https://www.instagram.com/tollhousedeliuk/

@tollHouseDeliUK