J’AIME JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

vibe relaxed as we were shown to our table
- a prime window seat perfect for watching
the world go by. Rather than paper, the
menu was a QR code which zapped you
straight to Land’s website - to ensure
the best seasonality, the menu changes
frequently so going paper-free is the sound
environmental choice.
If the menu is designed to take you on
a culinary journey, the wine list, too,
encourages diners to step out of their
comfort zone, offering alternative grape
selections for popular choices.
The tasting menu started with a couple of
delightful chef ’s snacks; a miniature feast
of mushrooms snuggled in the crispest
of pastry shells which packed a wonderfully earthy
punch, and a delicate celeriac remoulade atop a
seaweed cracker which was just divine.
The standard was set, and what followed was course
upon course of breathtaking deliciousness.
A rice porridge fragrant with onion and thyme
and adorned with beautifully iron-rich spinach
was the perfect winter warmer; hearty, robust and
deeply satisfying. A terrine of squash, wonderfully
sweet, balanced with a fair whack of chilli and
accompanied by sunflower seeds transformed into
an indulgent cream with a liberal sprinkling of seeds
adding a bit of crunch. Just delightful.
And then there was the potato. Oh, how the
humble potato was transformed. In a pool of dashi
buttermilk broth with salty samphire and sweet, crisp
green grapes, it was nothing short of majestic. I’d sail
through Veganuary in a breeze fuelled by this dish
alone. No word of a lie.
The main course, so to speak, was a riff on a
massaman curry, with silky aubergine ribbons,
crunchy peanuts and an almost sculptural fried
rice noodle adornment. Perfectly spiced, perfectly
balanced.
The final savoury affair arrived, and it was the turn
of that British favourite, the carrot, to receive the
five star treatment. Generous hunks of sweet roasted
carrot perched on a slather of indulgent almond
cream - nuts doing all the heavy lifting of a dairy
addition nicely. A generous dressing of zhoug, the
Middle Eastern cousin of Argentinian chimichurri
packed fragrance and heat, while delicate charcoal
crisps brought the umami goodness.
Desserts of banana and coffee creams with sweetly
tangy tamarind, and a beetroot cake with rich oat
ice-cream and cherry, were delightful, as was the
wonderful roast on the coffee for a perfect flat white.
Jay Rayner called Land’s cooking ‘thrilling’ and I
can only concur. It was a meal which surprised and
delighted with every morsel, leaving huge question
marks over what meat would actually bring to the
table when plant-based cooking can be this good. It
was, I’d go so far as to say, a strong contender for our
best meal of 2022 - what a way to
round out the year in style.
And at just £45 a head for a
seven-course tasting menu, it
represents superb value for money;
a superlative culinary experience for
not much more than your average
three courses of good pub grub.
So if you’re inspired by Veganuary
to go more plant-based in 2023,
then Land should be right at the
top of your list. And if you’re a
dedicated meat eater then get out of
your comfort zone and go anyway;
we guarantee you won’t regret it.
www.jaimemagazine.com
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