Tollard Royal - King John Inn
Winter 2010
Frank's view 
Worth a visit
Tollard Royal.
It sounds like a grand, monarchy endorsed brand of clotted Devon cream, or a fine whiskey extravangantly priced for the Japanese market - the sort of bottle you stumble across in a distant airport duty free whilst looking for a bargain priced Islay Malt, or a box of 'luxury' chocolates - the ones which are always on offer at half price on the posh shelf of the local shop and end up doing the rounds of endless dinner parties as a thoughtful gift until someone notices the November 2004 sell by date.
A couple of years ago the King John Inn was just another skanky village pub and Tollard Royal was a frustrating obstacle for motorists as they drove from Six Penny Handley to Compton Abbass. The road narrows to one lane with passing places so it's highly unlikely that anyone noticed the King John as they stopped and started and reversed through the village.
Nearby Ashcombe had hit the headlines a few years earlier when Madonna and Guy Ritchie bought the former home of Cecil Beaton, then Eric Clapton became as addicted to swinging a gun as plucking his guitar whilst shooting birds at neighbouring Rushmore and suddenly Tollard Royal found itself in the epicentre of global music superstardom - except that no one realised and the King John continued to be haunted by the odd farmer and toothless yokel.
Gretchen Boon and her husband Alex did spot the opportunity and pounced. Gretchen's design skills and Alex's knowledge of wine combined to create an establishment which would appeal to the local London exiles, weekend ramblers and wealthy shooting parties. Reopening just over a year ago the King John Inn has attracted rave reviews from the nation's restaurant rotweillers including The Times' Giles Coren, The Observer and most recently, the Sunday Times.
Guy Ritchie is certainly more than a little responsible for the disproportionate interest in this understated hostelry. The favoured approach is via the footpath 'her outdoors' tried so hard to block. Park above the Ashcombe Estate at Win Green and stroll down for 45 minutes or so through Mr Ritchie's back yard to the King John for some fine reviving sustenance. Although some of the dishes sound like good ole fashioned pub grub the presentation and portions are fussy gastropub and not for the 'all you can eat' appetite.
I started with Goats Cheese Mousse, kalamata olives & baby leaves (£5.95) - a simple presentation of diced olives with tiny leaves and a scoop of cheese which had more the texture of cream cheese than fluffy mousse. The Traditional Bouillabaisse, gruyere, rouille and croutons (£8.50) was actually a thick fish soup. Bouillabaisse is a fish stew originating from Marseille in Provence which is flavoured by orange peel amongst a number of herbs and spices. The orange was certainly prevalent in the King John's version.
To follow, Real ale battered fish & chips, pea puree and tartar sauce (£10.95) and Lamb hotpot with roasted carrots (£10.50). If I'm being picky, the string chips were limp and the lamb hotpot was more of a ladies' portion, but that's probably being over pernickety, The cheese with apple, date and ale chutney & charcoal biscuits (£7) presented on the end of a St Julien wine case was exceptional.
The dinner menu ups the ante slightly with dishes such as Whole grilled flounder, spinach, new potatoes, steamed clams (£14.95) and Broadchalke rose veal chop, buttered brocolli, mustard mash (£16.95). The house speciality of Twice baked mature cheddar soufflé (£11.50) is available for both lunch and dinner.
Alex Boon clearly knows his wine and the list is both impressive and reasonably priced, even at the top end. A selection of wines are available by the glass ranging from £4 to £8 but you can spend up to £150 for a bottle of Chateau Talbot 1984. Do many people splash out on Lynch Bages with their Moule mariniere and chips? Yes is the answer, during the shooting season.
The décor is a clever amalgam of rustic and refined, where slick wall lighting (made locally for the rich and famous by Francis Russell) flickers on battered light wooden tables and chairs, where arty black & white photographs garnish the walls interspersed with vast Victorian windows.
On the annonymous February weekday lunch time we visited the car park was packed and there was little room at the Inn. The King John has 8 rooms so if you are thinking of making a weekend of it book early, pack your hiking boots and your Parker's wine guide.
King John Inn
Tollard Royal
Wiltshire
01725 516207
http://www.kingjohninn.co.uk
It sounds like a grand, monarchy endorsed brand of clotted Devon cream, or a fine whiskey extravangantly priced for the Japanese market - the sort of bottle you stumble across in a distant airport duty free whilst looking for a bargain priced Islay Malt, or a box of 'luxury' chocolates - the ones which are always on offer at half price on the posh shelf of the local shop and end up doing the rounds of endless dinner parties as a thoughtful gift until someone notices the November 2004 sell by date.
A couple of years ago the King John Inn was just another skanky village pub and Tollard Royal was a frustrating obstacle for motorists as they drove from Six Penny Handley to Compton Abbass. The road narrows to one lane with passing places so it's highly unlikely that anyone noticed the King John as they stopped and started and reversed through the village.
Nearby Ashcombe had hit the headlines a few years earlier when Madonna and Guy Ritchie bought the former home of Cecil Beaton, then Eric Clapton became as addicted to swinging a gun as plucking his guitar whilst shooting birds at neighbouring Rushmore and suddenly Tollard Royal found itself in the epicentre of global music superstardom - except that no one realised and the King John continued to be haunted by the odd farmer and toothless yokel.
Gretchen Boon and her husband Alex did spot the opportunity and pounced. Gretchen's design skills and Alex's knowledge of wine combined to create an establishment which would appeal to the local London exiles, weekend ramblers and wealthy shooting parties. Reopening just over a year ago the King John Inn has attracted rave reviews from the nation's restaurant rotweillers including The Times' Giles Coren, The Observer and most recently, the Sunday Times.
Guy Ritchie is certainly more than a little responsible for the disproportionate interest in this understated hostelry. The favoured approach is via the footpath 'her outdoors' tried so hard to block. Park above the Ashcombe Estate at Win Green and stroll down for 45 minutes or so through Mr Ritchie's back yard to the King John for some fine reviving sustenance. Although some of the dishes sound like good ole fashioned pub grub the presentation and portions are fussy gastropub and not for the 'all you can eat' appetite.
I started with Goats Cheese Mousse, kalamata olives & baby leaves (£5.95) - a simple presentation of diced olives with tiny leaves and a scoop of cheese which had more the texture of cream cheese than fluffy mousse. The Traditional Bouillabaisse, gruyere, rouille and croutons (£8.50) was actually a thick fish soup. Bouillabaisse is a fish stew originating from Marseille in Provence which is flavoured by orange peel amongst a number of herbs and spices. The orange was certainly prevalent in the King John's version.
To follow, Real ale battered fish & chips, pea puree and tartar sauce (£10.95) and Lamb hotpot with roasted carrots (£10.50). If I'm being picky, the string chips were limp and the lamb hotpot was more of a ladies' portion, but that's probably being over pernickety, The cheese with apple, date and ale chutney & charcoal biscuits (£7) presented on the end of a St Julien wine case was exceptional.
The dinner menu ups the ante slightly with dishes such as Whole grilled flounder, spinach, new potatoes, steamed clams (£14.95) and Broadchalke rose veal chop, buttered brocolli, mustard mash (£16.95). The house speciality of Twice baked mature cheddar soufflé (£11.50) is available for both lunch and dinner.
Alex Boon clearly knows his wine and the list is both impressive and reasonably priced, even at the top end. A selection of wines are available by the glass ranging from £4 to £8 but you can spend up to £150 for a bottle of Chateau Talbot 1984. Do many people splash out on Lynch Bages with their Moule mariniere and chips? Yes is the answer, during the shooting season.
The décor is a clever amalgam of rustic and refined, where slick wall lighting (made locally for the rich and famous by Francis Russell) flickers on battered light wooden tables and chairs, where arty black & white photographs garnish the walls interspersed with vast Victorian windows.
On the annonymous February weekday lunch time we visited the car park was packed and there was little room at the Inn. The King John has 8 rooms so if you are thinking of making a weekend of it book early, pack your hiking boots and your Parker's wine guide.
King John Inn
Tollard Royal
Wiltshire
01725 516207
http://www.kingjohninn.co.uk
Be Frank: agree or disagree? What do you think?
