Review of The Olive Branch, Clipsham

This is my third time eating at the Olive Branch, but the first time in the last two or so years. The pub was renovated and refurbished after lying dormant for a few years and re opened in November 1999.

The Olive Branch is located in the heart of Rutland in the picturesque village of Clipsham. The interior of the pun is very rustic and comfortable. Very well used and worn, with chipped paint work and worn tables. This provides a relaxed dining atmosphere, perfectly comfortable surroundings to have a chat and some dinner.

The menu looks like a shopping list. Little definition between starters mains and desserts, it takes quite a while to work out. It is mostly made up of british dishes that are locally sourced. Meat from a local butchers and farms and bread and baking products from the various local bakers, such as Hambleton bakery in stamford. The bread came as half a baked loaf, with a bread knife so that we had to cut the bread ourselves. It came with olive bread, nice touch. From the menu I picked a variety. For starter scallops with black pudding and apple sauce. I have to say this really was a really great starter, even though it wasn't what it said on the menu. What arrived was in fact scallops with apple sauce, pork belly and pancetta. but what a great combination of textures! It's very easy to get carried away and rave on about scallops just for being scallops but these were really fat fucking juicy scallops on small dashes of apple sauce with slices of pork belly in between and slices of crispy pancetta on top, finished off with a couple of tiny crab apples confit in a sweet juice of vanilla. The soft scallop against the crispy pancetta and the firm meaty pork belly worked really well.

For main I had roast beef (well it was sunday) and when asked how I liked it I said rare. The beef did not come rare but medium I expected at least a bit of blood. The dish was presented differently to a traditional roast with all the components piled up in a gigantic yorkshire pudding. This I believe was a mistake, as some of the veg had become slightly soggy, from having other food piled on top of it. The beef was good, thickly sliced and tender, and the roasties were nice and crispy cooked in goose fat, although the 'horseradish hollandaise' didn't taste of horseradish but just a little soapy. All in all I think parts of the main meal was good but they went about it the wrong way, as there is little point in making a roast beef sophisticated or elegant. The effort was there but it just didn't quite click together.

For dessert I had Summer fruits treacle tart with vanilla ice cream. The treacle tart was light and sticky and hot so that the ice cream melted through it.

Prices were very reasonable, for 3 courses, a drink, and coffee for four people it cost only £150

The service was good, waiters seemed a little nervous, inevitable in such a demanding restaurant but otherwise we were left to enjoy our meals and not often asked if everything was ok, which is how I like it.

Service: 7.5

Food: 7.5

Venue: 8

Local produce? lots of it