Autumn Menu Launch at The Great Bustard, Salisbury

PRESS INVITE 

Nestled in Great Durnford, on the outskirts of Salisbury, you'll find The Great Bustard. A cosy pub and beautiful restaurant with 10 en suite rooms, a small farm shop, and a treatment room. The Great Bustard opened a year ago, following years of renovation work, and I was invited down this week to try their new autumn menu. 

The day started with a short foraging walk in the surrounding area with head chef Jordan, who has a true nose-to-tail approach to cooking. The team uses seasonal produce from the estate, and surrounding areas, to craft their dishes, minimising the waste along the way. Despite being between key foraging seasons, Jordan pointed out fennel, wild mint, and watercress on our short walk, all things I would have totally walked past without spotting!

Satisfied with our new-found foraging knowledge, we settled into the cosy pub area of The Great Bustard, where the team brought out an extensive range of bar snacks for us to try. The table was full of delicious food, and this was just the pre-lunch snack! The standout bar snacks for me were the KFP, the Kentucky Fried Partridge, the Shepherd's Pie Croquettes, and the Pizzas. I'd never had pistachio on a pizza before, and I'll admit I was a little skeptical, but it was truly delicious! 

We were then taken through to the main restaurant area and shown to our table. The aesthetics in here are GORGEOUS, and was an ideal setting to enjoy a long lunch. The attention to detail is incredible, and the contemporary minimal design allows the food and the beautiful surroundings to truly shine. 

L-R Clockwise

Braised Beef Shin, Slow Cooked Egg, Beef Fat Soldiers 

Roasted Pumpkin Filled Pasta, Pumpkin Seed Romesco, Sage 

Red Mullet, Ajo Blanco, Grapes & Celery

Estate Game Terrine, Port and Onion Chutney, Treacle Loaf 

Head chef Jordan selected a number of the new autumn menu dishes for us to try, and chatted us through them just before we tried them. We tried these starters, and I'm truly still thinking about that beef shin... It was so tender, and the beef fat soldiers were just as decadent as they sound. 

L-R Clockwise

Durnford Estate Lamb, BBQ'd Sweetcorn, Morteau Sausage, Girolles 

Cornish Brill, Braised Fennel, Broccoli, Caper Jam 

Creedy Carver Duck, Beetroot, Duck Ragout, Kale 

Lyons Hill Farm Steak Special served with Fries & Peppercorn Sauce 

Next up, Jordan brought out four mains, and yes, they were as incredible as they look! I loved all three of the meat options, but if I could only have one of them again, I think it'd have to be the lamb. BBQ'd sweetcorn with lamb? Again, not something I've had before, but it was SO good. The presentation of all of the dishes was incredible. This certainly isn't your typical village pub... 

L-R 

Caramelised Apple, Muscovado Sugar, Cinnamon Ice Cream 

Salted Caramel & Pecan Delice, Malted Milk Chocolate Cremeux, Pecan Ice Cream 

And, as if we hadn't already eaten enough incredible food, Jordan and Simon then brought out dessert as well as petit fours. At this point, you probably think I've been paid to say only good things, but there truly wasn't a bad dish on this menu. The attention to detail with the desserts was incredible, just look at them! 

Not pictured

Fig Sorbet, Gooseberry & Vanilla Gel, Fennel Granola 

Wiltshire foodies, this is a spot you need to check out, whether it's for a pizza and a pint or their tasting menu. The staff are all super attentive, the setting is stunning, and the food is on a whole other level. Thank you to the team for such a wonderful day, I've never had so much good food in one sitting!