The Crown of Fine English Pub Food
Michelin Praise for England's Gastropubs Like the Crown at Broughton
They used to joke about English cuisine, but now pub food in England competes with the best and village gastropubs win accolades from the French food gurus at Michelin
The Michelin Eating Out in Pubs Guide 2007 (read the review here) lists over 550 of the best pubs serving good food in Britain and Ireland. There were over 70 new entries for the 2007 edition, and between them the pubs were offering over 1500 typical regional dishes and specialities. The best real ales and extensive ranges of good wines by the glass were also a feature of the pubs which Michelin rated.
One of pub's recommended by Michelin is the Crown at Broughton, a small village near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire. The pub has an interesting history, as a few years ago it was up for sale as a private residence. The Broughton villagers were so dismayed at the thought of losing their precious pub that they got together and bought it between them.
The Broughton villagers then lured chef Simon Cadge from his job at the highly-rated Old Bridge Hotel in Huntingdon, to come and run the Crown as its chef-patron. Simon Cadge had taken his job at the Old Bridge partly because the chef there had worked with the genius Raymond Blanc at his Manoir aux Quat'Saisons near Oxford.
Some of the Raymond Blanc magic must have passed on to Simon Cadge, as soon after taking over in the kitchen at the Crown, the pub was included in the first Michelin Eating Out in Pubs Guide, as well as the Good Pub Guide, the AA Good Pub Guide and the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
The Crown at Broughton manages to combine the atmosphere of an old village inn with the smartness and superb food of the finest English gastropub. Only 240 people live in Broughton (pronounced Browton, not Brawton), and aside from a few farms it is notable only for the wall paintings in its 15th century church of All Saints, directly opposite the Crown. Simon Cadge's food has managed to put the Crown and its village on the culinary map.
A typical lunchtime menu offers two courses for £11, three courses for £14.50, if choosing from the blackboard specials, and you can have anything from bar snacks like ciabattas filled with smoked salmon, cream cheese, chive and lemon oil to a la carte main courses such as char-grilled Cornish lamb with potato gnocchi, roast courgettes, green beans, rosemary and Tuscan olive oil. Those with good appetites can round off with a delicious dessert, including a mouth-watering white and dark chocolate cheesecake with Grand Marnier and white chocolate ice-cream.
English food is in safe hands with chefs like Simon Cadge (who is neither famous nor on TV) producing superb dishes using fine local ingredients. 'The Crown is my first venture as Chef Patron,' Says Cadge. 'Our aim here is to provide quality, freshly cooked food at sensible prices. I try to create a menu with something for all tastes, using the best produce I can find. My meat, for example, comes from Aubrey Allen, the National Catering Butcher of the Year, and my fish from Channel Fisheries of Brixham. I buy smoked fish, game and meats from Local Flavour of Bottisham, and, of course, my vegetable suppliers are local.'
Full marks to Cadge for supporting suppliers of good English produce, and turning these ingredients into dishes that can impress a Michelin inspector... and all in a village of 240 people in the quiet rural backwaters of Cambridgeshire.
For sample menus and opening times visit the Crown at Broughton website.
