The Stapleton Arms

I was traveling down to Cornwall (GOC - God's Own County) with the mother and we decided to stop for dinner on the way. She had done a bit of research on suitable places, and armed with that list we headed out on the highway. Weather is beautiful, it is the end of august after all, and we are on the way down for the brother's wedding so much calloo and callay!

We start to feel a bit peckish and so the mother checks her list of places and says there is a suitable one not too far away so we head off the main road and into the rolling Dorset hills - and tiny lanes!

We are heading for the small village of Buckhorn Weston (fabulous no?) and The Stapleton Arms. Rolling down a steep hill, through a very picturesque village we come upon the rather lovely Georgian? frontage and think, with candles lit in the windows and lots of people about, that we have made a good choice. We head into the bar and it is a very good country pub bar, lovely squishy sofas and a big fireplace and there were home made scotch eggs as bar snacks - that just quietly murmured that this would be a good place.

We asked for dinner and were informed that there were no tables in the restaurant (a big local party) but that we could eat in the bar, perfect! so lime & soda ordered, there are still a fair few miles to go to GOC!, we head over to a table and start to peruse the menu. This is where I got a pleasant surprise, not country pub fayre but delicious sounding treats. They also bought us some home made bread and home made butter to be getting on with. It was a lovely loaf, with a nice crumb, good and tasty, but the butter was incredible, sweet and creamy with lumps of soft salt running through it, it bode well.

We eventually decided on our options. To start, I had lambs sweetbreads with girolles and garden peas, I can never resist girolles on a menu so it had to be done. They were perfectly cooked sweetbreads and delicious with some of the sweetest and freshest peas and some shining gems of mushroom goodness to wallow in the smooth jus. Just wonderful cooking.
Mother had figs and goats curd with fresh salad, and it did just that. Soft goats curd and rich figs on a bed of very mixed and varied leaved and a drizzle of lovely balsamic to give an edge. Starters all good. Now for the mains.

I ordered beetroot and fig tarte tatin with pickled baby beets, there were a lot of things on the menu that caught my eye but I was intrigues with this. It came and it was nice but a little disappointing after my amazing first course. The baby beets were the stellar point of the dish and the rest was nice but a little one note and unexciting.
Mother went for pan fried plaice with brown prawn bearnaise, chard and marsh samphire. It was the dish of the day! Beautifully cooked fish, with a lovely crunch in places, the chard and samphire were salty and a great foil and why has no one shouted from the rooftops about how good brown prawn bearnaise is? Just let me do so - it is incredible stuff, I'm definitely going to be doing some experimenting.

The Stapleton Arms is a beautifully placed inn and the team in the kitchen is doing an amazing job, so if you are in need of a good dinner, get yourself over there. Oh, and they do rooms too, in case you want to make a trip.