This isn’t so much a review as a few thoughts and impressions of my experiences at the Seasons Restaurant at the Eastbury Hotel. As I wasn’t there for work purposes, I wasn’t taking loads of photos and I didn’t make notes or anything like that. There’s less detail than for a usual review because of that.
We were booked in on a Saturday night and as you’d expect for a 2 AA Rosette restaurant in a popular hotel, it was reasonably busy. The tables are well spaced though and you have enough room to enjoy your meal in comfort. Whilst we were eating there was a pianist playing live music which was very enjoyable and certainly added to the atmosphere.
One way of getting a good idea of what a restaurant has to offer is to try the Tasting Menu as you get to see how they use a wide variety of ingredients. To get the most from the experience, it’s great if you can try the accompanying wine flight too. The tasting menu has seven courses (plus an amuse bouche) and there were five wines served with it. I think it’s fine not to have a new wine with every course – that can be a bit much to be honest, but I’d have liked the first wine to arrive a little earlier. I know we could have had another drink first, but with five wines to come we didn’t want to do that. The wines were well chosen. I liked the first of the red wines best as it was a very smooth drink (Honest Valley, Shiraz, Australia) and a good accompaniment to the black pudding course that it came with. For me the other highlight was the rose that came with the next course: La Serenite Cuvee, L’ame Rose, France. It was a lovely, light, refreshing wine that matched the goats cheese dish perfectly.
It was good to taste such a range of different dishes which showcased the chef and his kitchen’s talents well. I really enjoyed the Laverstock Park Black Pudding and the Venison Tartare with Quail Yolk, Juniper and Blackberry. Both plates were served early on in the menu and they include some of my favourite ingredients. I liked the fact that the ingredients were handled careful and didn’t overpower their dishes (which is easily done when you are working with such strong flavours). The flavouring and accompaniments really enhanced the food, especially the perfectly cooked quail yolk.
My stand out dish of the evening though was the crab. It sounded intriguing on the menu: Devon Crab, Cucumber and Wasabi, Brown Crab Tuile, with Green Apple, Grapefruit and Dill. I was a touch concerned that the wasabi would overpower the crab because wasabi is such a strong flavour, but it was a well balanced dish and the wasabi didn’t dominate. Instead it enhanced the delicate flavours of the crab and the cucumber, apple, grapefruit and dill added a complementing freshness.
For my companion the Roasted Lamb with Tandoori Spice, Served with Cauliflower, Cucumber and Yoghurt was very flavoursome and just nudged the crab off the top spot. For me it was probably my second favourite of the dishes from the tasting menu. It had all the spice of a curry, but the lamb was traditionally roasted and cooked to perfection. The yoghurt added a lovely cooling contrast.
The service throughout the meal was very good, attentive without being intrusive. I liked that the waiter seemed genuinely interested in which courses we liked best and which wines.
At this time of year I have a soup as my lunch when I’m working from home. I like soup for lunch because it’s tasty and warming, which is perfect when you need to keep going till tea time and you are trying to avoid putting the heating on for just one person. I find soup is easy to take into the office too as you can put it in a thermos or easily heat it up if you have a microwave to use.
We’ve all had that stiff, painful feeling after we have exercised hard or done something our bodies aren’t used to doing. Others suffer with aches and pains on a more regular, long term basis. If either apply to you, you’ve probably tried everything from hot baths to heat packs to get some relief. Pernaton Gel is a product made from green lipped mussel extract. Green-lipped mussel is a shellfish and it’s possible to extract a substance called perna from the shellfish. This is often used by those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis or other connective tissue and joint issues. It is also used to help prevent sore muscles after exercise. It’s simple to use as you just apply the non-greasy gel direct to the problem area. It’s very quickly absorbed and has an instant cooling effect, which is followed by a warming sensation. Pernaton is manufactured in Switzerland using a special formula which also includes menthol, pine and other essential oils. The gel is non-greasy, absorbs immediately and has a fresh and pleasant aroma.
Forever Living
The masks are eco-friendly and biodegradable; a welcome alternative to masks made with fibre produced through commercial manufacturing processes. The bio-cellulose mask is available in packs of five and is priced at £51.00.
Veganuary continues to grow and more and more places are creating special menus now or at least including a few more options on their main menus this month. Where possible Bill’s always aim to make vegetables the star of the show when creating theirr dishes, so Veganuary seems a natural step for the restaurant chain. Whether you’re following a plant-based diet or are just looking to try something new, it’s worth taking a look at Bill’s Veganuary menu which is available until 31st January.
New to the Bill’s menu and only available during January are the very appetizing Miso Aubergine Fritters, served with a smoked chilli and soy dip and topped with sesame seeds. Jackfruit seems to be the salad ingredient of the moment and I fancy trying the Jackfruit Salad Bowl made with smoked chilli jackfruit with mixed grains and rice, edamame beans, red cabbage, toasted cashew nuts, lettuce, mint & lime soy yoghurt finished with a crispy rice cracker.
For a truly decadent choice, Bill’s have a vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding on offer, drizzled with syrup, icing sugar and hazelnut crumb, and served with a scoop of coconut ice cream. Or you could try their Amaretto Parfait which sounds like the perfect vegan treat.
It’s not spring yet, but after Christmas I do feel the urge to do some cleaning and not just the usual daily or weekly stuff, I’m talking about getting the house deep down clean. I think it’s partly because the home gets a lot of use over Christmas with plenty of visitors, but also because with the tree up, it’s not so easy to get into all the corners so they are in need of some attention. Maybe it’s something about New Year’s resolutions and the wish to do things better, like keeping your home clean and tidy. So I was glad to team up with ACE to offer my readers the chance to get a head start on their post Christmas cleaning this year or an early start to some spring cleaning. I can offer an ACE product bundle worth £20 each for two lucky readers.
The Vitamin C Skin Hydrating ProInfusion Serum is designed to hydrate, soothe and protect the skin from harmful free-radicals caused by chronic sun exposure. With a powerhouse of antioxidants the Vitamin C Skin Hydrating ProInfusion Serum provides a secondary line of protection against photodamage leaving the patients hydrated, glowing and protected. 
This is a facial you can have done in your lunch hour because it doesn’t take very long at all: less than half an hour. My skin looked healthy and glowing afterwards, so it would have been easy to go back to work afterwards. During the facial you’ll feel some pressure, but it’s far from uncomfortable. The exfoliation part of the process uses a real diamond tip to give an even exfoliation across your skin and to clear away the dry, damaged top layer. The patented closed-looped vacuum pressure is used to extract dirt, debris and bacteria from the skin’s surface.
Whilst I was slightly horrified by the amount of dead skin, dirt and grime collected by the end of my treatment, I was assured my skin was actually quite clear. The serum going in is clear in colour, so all the colour relates to impurities taken out of your skin. I had thought I was mostly over blackheads, but there were a few lurking in the clear jar at the end. A lot of the serum had been absorbed by my skin which was good news. I think my skin clearly needed a good drink.