You can find wonderful little restaurants in the most obscure places. I was in Leamington Spa for a weekend in April celebrating a friend’s wedding. I always like exploring new parts of England, especially when it is somewhere I wouldn’t necessary think to visit. The morning after the wedding, feet aching and head hazy, we got up early and hopped on the local bus to Kenilworth. This little town in Warwickshire is sleepy and quaint, proud of its historic castle and Elizabethan gardens.
The Cross at Kenilworth is a darling little pub serving modern British food. The restaurant only opened 18 months ago and yet has already won a Michelin star. The dining room is a cleverly transformed pub room, with foodie relics on the walls and a warm maroon and brown colour scheme. It is the ideal spot for a hearty lunch after a long walk in the park.
Head chef Adam Bennett has previously wowed at the prestigious Bocuse D’Or, and now leads a young but talented team in the kitchen at The Cross. The a la carte menu features vibrant British recipes using seasonal ingredients, but it is the daily lunch menu that gives extraordinary value for money. Two courses from the set lunch are priced at £20 and three will cost you £25.
All the items on the menu are nicely balanced with a variety of meat, fish and vegetables. Highlights of our meal included a beautifully presented and intensely flavoured Wild Garlic Risotto with grilled chicken oysters and mushrooms. This light Italian dish was a show-stopping bright green colour and was cooked to perfection, a lovely marriage of texture and taste. From the a la carte, the Guinea Fowl was a favourite of ours, cooked with a crispy salty outer edge and accompanied by leeks, jersey potatoes and truffle. For a more exotic dish try the Duck with endive, lentils and orange sauce.
For dessert we shared the luxurious Chocolate fondant with pistachio ice-cream. Chocolate and nut is a combination that never fails – a gooey sweet cocoa cake topped with crunchy nuts and paired with a creamy light ice-cream… it was polished off in under a minute!
It’s rare to find a pub restaurant of this quality in such a quiet little town so I was delighted to discover The Cross. Reasonably priced, exciting and tasty food… if I lived nearby I’d be in here every weekend.
More information and book a table here.