A Dog friendly day in Wells, UK
After checking out of the Bath Arms we decided to take a trip to Wells. Often described as England’s smallest city due to the presence of its stunning cathedral, there has been a settlement here since Roman times probably due to the springs that bubble up giving Wells its name.
The 3 off us had a lovely wander around the historic city, taking in the architecture before I left Maggie and her peep to have a look around the cathedral (please note that only guide dogs are allowed). The current building dates from 1175 to 1490 and if you are able to pay it a visit I highly recommend it; variously described as “unquestionably one of the most beautiful” and as “the most poetic” of English cathedrals it would be a huge shame to come to Wells and not to find someone to take care of your four-legged friend for an hour or so and take a look around.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the library upstairs which houses a superb collection of some 2,800 volumes, mainly published in the 1600s, with some early printed books from the 15th century as well as even earlier manuscript books. The chained library is not open to the general public but tours can be arranged.
If you’re in Wells mid-week then don’t miss out on its weekly farmers’ market which won a Gold Award in the Taste of the West Hospitality & Retail Awards 2014 and was also judged ‘Best South West Farmers’ Market’ where you can buy everything from free-range meat to delicious cakes & puddings via artisan cheeses, and for you real foodies like me then the Wells Food Festival on 11th October 2015 is a must!
After taking in all of that history we were all in need of a bit of rest and a treat or 2. Now, I hold my hands up, I have never really had to think about dining out avec pooch and it suddenly seemed a bit of a daunting prospect… everywhere seemed to be “guide dogs only” and the hotel-cum-pub-cum-restaurant which seemed to offer a half-interesting set lunch menu only served it in the dining room where, of course, Maggie was not allowed.
Now, for those of you who do not know me, I suffer from the terrible affliction of getting “hangry”, by this I mean that, rather like Maggie, if I’m not fed within a certain amount of time of my first hunger pang I get, to be frank, really pissed off. So as we were strolling through this beautiful city all I could think about was the delicious looking menus in the restaurant windows that we were passing, but it was seeing the one in the 2 AA rosette awarded Old Spot’s window which almost made me lose my temper and have a toddler-style tantrum in the middle of the street which would have gone along the lines of “whoever said owning a dog was easier that having a child clearly has never tried to eat out with one” with a few expletives thrown in for good measure. Thankfully Maggie’s peep knows me fairly well and could clearly see the red fog of “hanger” cross my face and quickly popped her head in to ask if Maggie was welcome. Yes!!!
Now, being a Londoner, seeing a set lunch menu priced at £12.50 for 2 courses or £15 for 3 sets alarm bells ringing but I figured that those AA guys know their stuff and boy did they get it right here. The Old Spot is a light, airy yet still cosy and quaint restaurant just off the main square with charming, personable staff; ok, I thought, we’re halfway there (for me front of house is as, if not more, important as the food so this was a very good start). I then glanced up and saw a hand written Bibendum menu hanging on the wall, “Hold on a sec…” I thought. Cue furious Google-ing of “Ian Bates chef” sadly to no avail solely due to the lack of reception not because of his lack of experience, far from it in fact. Ian’s illustrious background includes stints at, of course, Bibendum under the revered Simon Hopkinson, but also The Chiswick, The Bluebird, Chez Brue and the Oxo Tower – we were in good hands.
The set lunch menu was concise but perfectly formed. My potted mackerel with pickled cucumber and crème fraîche was a wonderful pairing of the freshest fish, creamy butter and acidic cucumber – rich yet light and summery all at the same time. Maggie and my companion opted for the ricotta & parmesan dumplings with sage, brown butter and pine nuts. Now if you think that “dumplings” here refers to those thick, stodgy, albeit yummy, ones topping stews during the deep onset of winter then you couldn’t be further from the truth. These were light, fluffy, and filled with creamy ricotta; the pairing of them with earthy sage and nutty butter was perfect.
I’m a sucker for black pudding (you’ll find out the true extent later) so a warm salad of Stornoway black pudding, crispy bacon, fried new potatoes all topped with a poached egg immediately called to me from the menu. Now for any of you who have not tried black pudding from Stornoway go and do so now – that’s an order! Please don’t get squeamish about what’s in it, in my opinion if you’re happy to eat bacon then the least you can do is show the pig the respect it deserves by enjoying as much of it as possible. Ok, lecture on nose-to-tail eating over I promise.
This black pudding was meltingly delicious; rich and deep in flavour without the heaviness of many others, as Maggie’s peep said “it’s like cake”. Paired with crisp bacon from locally reared pigs, crispy-on-the-outside-fluffy-in-the-middle fried new potatoes and a perfectly poached egg with its oozing yolk; this was the ideal lunch dish, filling me up without sending me into a food induce coma for the afternoon.
Maggie’s peep opted for the roast chicken with broad beans, bacon and tarragon and for once a chicken dish in a restaurant that did not disappoint – a true hit with both of us. Perfectly cooked juicy chicken thigh and leg (yes both!) creamy mashed potato, fresh broad beans, carrots & spinach, crisp bacon and a sweet anis-y tarragon sauce. This was a deeply flavoursome combination of classic ingredients which, as you can see, definitely set her up for the rest of the day.
For an extra £2.50 I thought that it would be rude not to find space in my expanding belly for the pannacotta and I’m very glad I did. The vanilla-scented mound of creaminess was perfectly paired with the bitter coffee sauce drizzled over it, whilst the crunch from the hazelnut praline added a lovely contrast to the decadent pannacotta.
The Old Spot was a wonderful find in this beautiful city and we never would have found it were it not for our canine companion, so thank you Maggie, and thank you to Ian and his team for a truly fabulous lunch – don’t just take my word for it Jay Rayner and Chris Pople agree with me too.
We all felt that a few calories needed to be burnt off after all of that so decided to wander around the glorious gardens at the Bishop’s Palace. If you’re in Wells please do pay them a visit; dogs are welcome, on a lead, and they are the perfect spot to sit and smell the roses in the sunshine.
Wells is a beautiful, historic city which is well worth a visit with or without your pooch, just make sure you leave room for lunch.
The post [Review] A Dog’s View Of Wells, England’s Smallest City appeared first on Wag The Dog UK.