Eating a meal at The Hinds Head, a Michelin-starred pub in the pretty village of Bray just outside Maidenhead in Berkshire, is being treated to a taste of traditional British pub food elevated to the ranks of true gourmet fare—along with the experience of being surrounded by 500 years of history. Chef/owner Heston Blumenthal’s deft use of top quality locally-sourced ingredients is writing a new page in the history of a pub built in the sixteenth century and in which Queen Elizabeth II luncheoned on Scottish lobster cutlets and lamb with redcurrant jelly surrounded by friends and colleagues in 1963.
Today the menu is loyal to the pub’s fascinating and colorful history, with Blumenthal collaborating with the Tudor kitchen at Hampton Court Palace to bring classic British fare like hash of snails and oxtail and kidney pudding back onto the table. Fresh seafood lovers will appreciate the pan fried scallops with langoustine oil and the crab and cod lasagna with fresh greens and citrus, while classic British favorites like Scotch eggs and extra crispy triple-fried chips are comfort on a plate.
Despite the staunch ties to tradition, The Hinds Head’s cocktail list is anything but dull, and a creative and expansive wine list gathers some lovely varietals encompassing the best of the Old and New World. In a living, breathing, bustling museum of British cuisine and society, a new and delicious history is being written one plate and glass at a time.
