I have mentioned a very good friend of mine in the past, Jane.

We met as part of the plus size community around 8 years ago and as we live relatively close to each other, we try and meet up for coffee or dinner at least once a month.

Recent meals out have been closer to home, however our last restaurant visit was a bit further afield but was worth every single mile.

Jane had suggested a bistro in a town around 35 minutes drive away which was no issue at all for me. I jumped in my car after work and headed over to Market Harborough.

The bistro, Ascoughs is a highly rated restaurant and I was eager to give it a try.

Arriving a few minutes late due to traffic, Jane was already sitting at a table with an espresso martini when I was shown to over to her.

I had taken the time to look at the menu on their website earlier in the day and I was excited to give several things a try. In fact, I hadn’t been able to choose what I wanted as it all sounded wonderful.

The waitress came over and I ordered one of their mocktails which looked like a tequila sunrise. Orange, pink and yellow in graduated layers, it tasted divine and I was looking forward to the food even more.

Marvellous Mocktail

A lovely waitress came over with a square platter and told us it was the complimentary bread of the day; cheese bread and garlic and onion bread. This was served with rock salt and two separate different whipped butters which unfortunately I didn’t get the flavours of, but was exceedingly good.

The bread was soft and warm and very moreish. There was a little left over and I decided to keep it for my starter as it was too good to send back

Beautiful Bread

It had been tricky deciding what to have for my starter as there were two options that really spoke to me. Jane went for one of them, so I decided to go with the second.

She had gone for the cream of cauliflower soup with bacon nibs which came with fresh bread.

I had opted for the ham terrine, served with a quails egg, spiced plums and sticky beetroot.

The menu actually described the food far better than I am doing here. I went onto the website to get the exact listings, however the restaurant changes the menu every month and we had gone at the end of January.

That meant the courses were completely different (and also made me want to go back again this month). This means you will have to live with my poor description of what was served up.

Anyway, even without the posh description, I can report that the starter was exceptionally good.

Superb Starter

Served with a treacle bread, the terrine was chunky yet refined. The flavours were beautiful and the plums added a really unusual offering, which I absolutely adored.

The bread was quite dense which was the perfect foil to the meaty terrine. It went down an absolute treat and I was supremely glad at my choice.

For my second course, I had opted for more pork; roast fillet of pork served with a pork scratching, spiced apple and shredded beetroot.

This was accompanied by a bowl containing a selection of fresh vegetables; carrots, brocolli, beans and a huge square of Dauphinois potatoes.

Magnificent Main

There was also an individual jug with a jus to pour as much or little as you desired.

I am so pleased to say that the pork fillet was served a little pink which is exactly how I like it. It was exceedingly moist and flavoursome. The addition of the sweet yet sour apple was sublime.

There is no shame in admitting I devoured every single morsel. It was all so deliciously tasty.

Very rarely have I been to a restaurant where everything served to me is exceptional.

There will always be one thing that didn’t quite hit the spot, or the service was poor or the staff lacklustre.

In the case of Ascoughs, everything was absolutely perfect.

The décor, the food, the mocktails, the staff and even the gentle piano playing in the background was wonderful. I genuinely couldn’t fault anything at all.

Ascoughs may well be a fine dining restaurant however its prices aren’t extortionate.

They offer a two course, three course or a six course tasting menu which can be paired with wines.

Initially I was going to opt for the 2 course meal at £28, but after such a wonderful two, I felt I really needed to try the desserts as they sounded as wonderful as the previous two courses.

I opted for the condensed milk and pistachio parfait with a white chocolate macaron, coconut meringue shards and roasted pineapple. It was absolutely out of this world and I could have eaten it several times over.

Delightful Dessert

Both light yet fulfilling, the parfait was very moreish and you could really taste the condensed milk.  I literally couldn’t get enough of it and scraped my plate clean.

The three course option is £35 which is extremely good value for the amount and quality of the food we were served, and I am sure in bigger Cities, I would have paid double that.

There are other options, of course. Some small nibbles to start with, cheeseboards, truffles and petit fours are all extras that you can have, but I genuinely didn’t think I could have managed another mouthful.

As I have said, I loved every single morsel of the meal and was already discussing a return visit. I didn’t realise at this point that the menu changes every month.

As I now do, I want to go back to try their creations every four weeks!

In fact, I have a table reserved for this week with another friend, Helen.

Given that the menu is completely different, I cannot wait to try some new delicious offerings.

Till next time,

SPSG xxx

PS I promise to get more photographs next time. I was so engrossed in the meal that it just didn’t happen!