a beautiful setting
The Pear Tree Inn it would be fair to say has not had the smoothest of pasts. A local inn transformed into gastro-pub at the hands of local entrepreneur Martin Still, the idyllic setting gathered a number of great reviews and a strong following before being sold onto a pub chain. As to be expected, the standard dropped dramatically and in 2011 renowned Michelin star chef Marco Pierre White announced he was buying the property. Expectations were high, but reviews were mixed and with a number press pieces citing local boycotts and staff walk outs the pub was sold after just three years under the formidable chef.
I’ve read a number of reviews; of dinners, lunches and evening stays in the four months since the reopening and rebranding of the “Farmhouse Kitchen” but I needed to see and taste for myself, so after a quick visit to the nearby Neston Farm shop I made my way across for an impromptu breakfast. Nestled away in the tiny village of Whitley, I was treated to a tour of the British countryside, all winding lanes, farms and hobbit bridges before arriving at the picturesque pub – so far so good.
where I would have liked to sit
They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day – and bearing in mind the 40million plus images on Instagram attributed with #breakfast, I think ‘they’ may be right. I made my way in and was promptly greeted and shown a seat in the darkened corner of the restaurant, bearing in mind this was a bright Sunday morning I was unsure as to why no-one was being offered the sun-soaked conservatory with its views onto the “kitchen garden”. I didn’t let it bother me however and settled myself into a large armchair as I waited for a menu and my coffee.
But it wasn’t worth the wait. Being from Bristol, I admit that I am spoilt when it comes to breakfast venues and options; be it waffles topped with fruit, yoghurt and honey from No12 Easton, cheese and rosemary scones with poached eggs from Katie&Kim or custard toast with cobnuts, bacon and maple syrup from Bakers&Co, as I sat sipping my coffee from a cup the thickness and shape reminiscent of a Costa I pondered on whether to order Eggs Benedict or eggy bread before opting for the former.
If my disappointment didn’t show upon the arrival of the menu, it must have done with the arrival of my dish – a sad looking plate, a small tower of beige sat in a puddle of insipid looking hollandaise sauce, without even a hint of seasoning or garnish. I attempted to improve the situation with a little black pepper only to find the grinder produced what looked like dust – or perhaps the ashes of what was once this institute’s shining reputation. The poached egg, was at least cooked correctly with a bright orange yolk that satisfyingly poured out as I cut into it. The toasted muffin however was doughy and to top it all off the dish as a whole was cold. The parma ham was the saving grace – but let’s be honest I don’t know how you can spoil parma ham.
unfortunately not even Instagram filters made this any more interesting
The service was reasonable, I was greeted warmly by a member of the team on my arrival and was even offered a newspaper, which was brought promptly. Upon paying, the whole experience cost me exactly ten pounds, which you would be hard-pushed to find in Bristol, however I wouldn’t say it was good value for money given the quality of the dining experience.
Obviously I cannot comment on other meals at this establishment, and if you have been for dinner or similar feel free to correct me, but if breakfast is anything to go by I’d give it a miss. Alternatively I’d happily recommend some places for them to visit to get a good grasp on what breakfast now means in the age of Instagram and world travel.
tocharm 