Having first visited The Wife of Bath some 18 months ago, it was a real pleasure to return and find that new owners, Victoria Reeves and her husband, have totally transformed Wye’s delightful restaurant with rooms
The former doctor’s surgery, which dates back to the 1760s, has been serving meals for nearly half a century and acquired its name when the first owner decided to name it after the city where he met his wife.
My memory was of excellent food, but surroundings that were, well, a little old-fashioned and left you feeling you were eating in someone’s rather gloomy front parlour. That impression has completely gone and Victoria, who also owns two gastro-pubs in the West Country, has brought in interior designers to create a light, fresh look in creams and browns that’s both modern and inviting.
Tale of two halves
The dining room is in two halves, linked by an arch (one half boasts a very fine solid wood floor) and offering some 40 covers. We sat at the bay-window table looking out at the people of Wye going about their business, and, over good bread and olives, got down to the serious business of studying the small but perfectly formed menu.
The lunch menu is sensibly short, just nine mains and five puddings plus cheese, but it still isn’t easy to choose. In the end I went for pan-fried, crispy skinned wild sea bass layered artistically on a bed of fresh tagliatelle, with a deliciously piquant apple and lime purée. A glass of Pinot Blanc Vieilles Vignes was just the right accompaniment to this light, flavoursome dish.
The sticky toffee pudding is a sell-out every time
My dining chum decided he’d tackle his first ever partridge, which he found “very tender and very orange-y.” Served with caramelised butternut squash and shallot purée, the recommendation of Italina red, Agricola Vallone Salice Salentino, was apparently spot on.
Other choices included grilled herb polenta cake with goat’s cheese and chilli jam, creamy fish pie and pork belly confit with braised pig’s cheek – this is not a kitchen that shies away from a challenge.
The new owners have retained the existing team, including extremely well-informed restaurant manager, Helen Fowker, and acting head chef, Peter Baldwin (Robert Hymers, was nursing an Achilles tendon injury on our visit).
Local suppliers
Peter tells me that he uses local suppliers as much as possible for his seasonally changing selction. These include Godmersham Game, Perrycourt Farm and Turner’s of Sevenoaks for fruit and vegetables, with fish coming from a Hythe-based supplier.
“We are trying to stretch the imagination, but we always have some classics on the menu as well,” he says. ‘Always’ includes fillet of Kentish beef, sea bass, and a steamed fish such as brill or halibut in season.
But what of pudding, I hear you cry? Despite being a girl who’d always go for a starter and a main rather than a main and a dessert, I seemed to make short shrift of a refreshing iced nougat parfait with mango and mint salsa, while my ever-hungry companion declared “I love this a lot” when confronted with his choice of sticky toffee pudding with banana ice cream – which sells out every time it’s on the menu. Apparently if you add a glass of Tamar Ridge Riesling from Tasmania (I was driving), the whole experience is even better.
After coffee, we took a quick tour of the five bedrooms, which have all been ‘tweaked’ by Victoria’s designers and are absolutely delightful, very popular with small wedding groups and family parties, too.
I can’t think of a better place to see in the New Year – or, as my companion said, gazing longingly at the adorable bedrooms: “I could live here for ever.”
The Wife of Bath
4 Upper Bridge Street
Wye TN25 5AF
Tel: 01233 812232
Closed Mon, now open Sun lunch 12 noon to 4pm, when you can share a whole roast joint and carve it at your table.
Christmas and New Year: open Christmas Eve and re-opens 27 Dec. Closed New Year’s Eve but open 1 Jan for a very special brunch.
Typical prices: starters £6.50 to £9.50, mains £6.50 (lunch)/£12.50 (dinner) mains £15 (lunch)/£21 (dinner), puddings all at £6.50.