The Hare at Lambourn

I am surprised that this exquisite restaurant does not have a Michelin star. The restaurant itself is so tasteful – albeit in a rather remote location that’s neither here nor there. The staff were so attentive and extremely helpful and polite. I cannot say that it is the best Sunday lunch in the world as I have not eaten every Sunday lunch on offer but other than a few onions in my Yorkshire pudding, I cannot think of any way it could be better.

To start with I simply couldn’t choose. You know when you look and go through the menu excluding the things you don’t want. I wanted it all. I ended up having asparagus and brioche with a soft boiled duck egg and hollandaise sauce. I thought a bit of Parma ham would have greatly improved things but nonetheless it was divine.

What can I say about the roast beef? Amazing. Most important thing first; they did not skimp on the ‘jus’ portions. Gravy to those who aren’t pretending to be posher than they actually are but either way just enough, and not too thin, not too thick. Yum. Beef was perfect. They did leave a big lump of fat on but it wasn’t exactly hard to remove being as it was all so tender. I think it’s a bit of a sign if you order beef and they swap your knife for a Samurai sword, however, at The Hare the beef is more like butter.

Roast potatoes just how you want them. So crispy and so soft. Yorkshire pudding was so satisfying to break in to – but a little dry. The parsnip was a work of art it was so beautifully draped over the meal and I don’t know what they did to it but I could eat that and that alone forever more. The vegetables that came to share were nothing special but if they had been ostentatious I think it would have been too overdone.

Pudding was a bit of an issue in that again, it was so hard to choose. I settled for a Trio of Tropical fruit. It was so beautiful. Chargrilled pineapple with a vanillary syrup, mango souffle and blood orange sorbet (I swapped the banana ice cream for the sorbet as I’m picky about the form my banana takes). The tuille around the sorbet was so impressive and really delicious.

I’ll be honest, I am running out of adjectives. It was a great lunch, we ended up being there for two and a half hours. One problem though, don’t advertise petit fours and give me one measly bit of honeycomb please. I know four is a bonus but I expect at least two. I would go again just for the level of service I experienced.

Yum. Yum. Yum. Oh…did I mention it was three courses for £26? Bargain of the century.

All That I’m Eating