Le Champignon Sauvage is a very special place indeed run by very special people, husband and wife team David & Helen Everitt-Matthias. It's hard to know exactly where to start describing why it's so special as there are many elements at work that contribute, so let's start with one amazing fact: when Gordon Ramsay wrote the forward to the Le Champignon Sauvage cookbook back in 2006 he reported that in the 19 years that David had been cooking at the restaurant, he had not missed a single service. We're pretty sure that's still true, so, for the best part of 25 years, David has been in the kitchen every single lunch and dinner service ensuring that he's happy with every single plate that leaves the pass. The reality though is more like that David actually cooked most of the dishes himself for in the early days, he had just one second chef, and even now, the team is no bigger than five or so people.
The restaurant style is also very different to what you might expect. Think two Michelin Star outside of London's Mayfair and it conjures up expansive country homes now operating as luxury hotels like Le Manoir and Whatley Manor. The set up here couldn't be more different, located on the busy A40 running through Cheltenham, it's easy to walk past Le Champignon Sauvage without giving it a second glance.
We were amazed too at how innovative the food was while still grounded in tradition. Think about this, David has not missed a service in the past 25 years which is a major barrier surely to him keeping abreast of developments in top end dining yet the food at Le Champignon Sauvage as we'll see below is very forward thinking and offers even jaded palates something new, even when revisiting old dishes. In this sense David is very much a chefs-chef and in 1996 he won the National Chef of the Year competition as well as being named Dessert Chef of the Year by the Egon Ronay Guide in the same year despite having no formal pastry training.
The second Michelin Star came for Le Champignon Sauvage in 2000 but instead of using this to launch a television career, a second restaurant or a consultancy business, David stayed in the kitchen continuing to cook every meal for every service and it's where you'll still find him today. Despite this, 24 years on, his passion is as strong as ever and he told us that he intends to continue to cook at Le Champignon Sauvage for another 15 years which we're delighted about given that we feel we're late to the party in discovering David's food and we want to make up for lost time.
There's lots more to be said about Le Champignon Sauvage including that fact that that David trained under Pierre Koffman, that he also does his own butchery and foraging, and that Jay Rayner said in his book 'The Man Who Ate the World' that his meal there was the best of his life, but the best way to learn about this undervalued jewel of British cooking is to go there and enjoy it yourself. From London, it's a couple of hours by train or car and it's easily accessible from Wales, the Midlands and the South West.
The restaurant style is also very different to what you might expect. Think two Michelin Star outside of London's Mayfair and it conjures up expansive country homes now operating as luxury hotels like Le Manoir and Whatley Manor. The set up here couldn't be more different, located on the busy A40 running through Cheltenham, it's easy to walk past Le Champignon Sauvage without giving it a second glance.
We were amazed too at how innovative the food was while still grounded in tradition. Think about this, David has not missed a service in the past 25 years which is a major barrier surely to him keeping abreast of developments in top end dining yet the food at Le Champignon Sauvage as we'll see below is very forward thinking and offers even jaded palates something new, even when revisiting old dishes. In this sense David is very much a chefs-chef and in 1996 he won the National Chef of the Year competition as well as being named Dessert Chef of the Year by the Egon Ronay Guide in the same year despite having no formal pastry training.
The second Michelin Star came for Le Champignon Sauvage in 2000 but instead of using this to launch a television career, a second restaurant or a consultancy business, David stayed in the kitchen continuing to cook every meal for every service and it's where you'll still find him today. Despite this, 24 years on, his passion is as strong as ever and he told us that he intends to continue to cook at Le Champignon Sauvage for another 15 years which we're delighted about given that we feel we're late to the party in discovering David's food and we want to make up for lost time.
There's lots more to be said about Le Champignon Sauvage including that fact that that David trained under Pierre Koffman, that he also does his own butchery and foraging, and that Jay Rayner said in his book 'The Man Who Ate the World' that his meal there was the best of his life, but the best way to learn about this undervalued jewel of British cooking is to go there and enjoy it yourself. From London, it's a couple of hours by train or car and it's easily accessible from Wales, the Midlands and the South West.
Turning to the food, the first thing you'll notice is what good value eating here represents. Three courses will set you back just £59 and the wine list is exceptional value with many bottles priced in the twenties, or, if you prefer something more celebrated, grand crus selling at only the smallest mark up on cost. While there wasn't a tasting menu option that day, with David in the kitchen, everything is possible and they offered us a chef's choice special menu which we enthusiastically welcomed. Before the menu plates arrived though we started with some gougeres and blue cheese filled crackers. Both were delicious, infused with deep flavours and perfect textures exciting us for the meal ahead. Our amuse bouche meanwhile was a white bean and cabbage veloute with a truffle foam. Raising the glass up to your mouth, strong truffle aromas from the foam precedes the taste and a wonderfully light veloute follows. From these dishes alone, the talents of the kitchen are clear and we know we're about to receive a truly great meal.
The first of the starter courses is Dexter beef tartare and corned beef, wasabi cream and pickled shimeji mushrooms. You're first struck by the beauty of this dish and the intricate plating, it's stunning and has won us over even before we taste. Beef tartare is a plate that's on many a restaurant menu but where differentiation or a memorable reworking is somewhat hard to achieve. El Celler de Can Roca delivered one such variation and here we find another. The addition of mustard seeds and breadcrumbs add a little crunch and coarseness to the texture of the tartare while the seasoning is bold and brilliant. The corned beef meanwhile, home made of course, is layered with shallots, capers, shimeji mushrooms and sea greens. The delicacy of presentation of the dish reminds us in part of the care that goes into dishes at The Fat Duck but we also remember that in Bray, the chefs outnumber the diners, here, something so carefully crafted has been prepared by only a handful of chefs who are cooking for a whole dining room.
The first of the starter courses is Dexter beef tartare and corned beef, wasabi cream and pickled shimeji mushrooms. You're first struck by the beauty of this dish and the intricate plating, it's stunning and has won us over even before we taste. Beef tartare is a plate that's on many a restaurant menu but where differentiation or a memorable reworking is somewhat hard to achieve. El Celler de Can Roca delivered one such variation and here we find another. The addition of mustard seeds and breadcrumbs add a little crunch and coarseness to the texture of the tartare while the seasoning is bold and brilliant. The corned beef meanwhile, home made of course, is layered with shallots, capers, shimeji mushrooms and sea greens. The delicacy of presentation of the dish reminds us in part of the care that goes into dishes at The Fat Duck but we also remember that in Bray, the chefs outnumber the diners, here, something so carefully crafted has been prepared by only a handful of chefs who are cooking for a whole dining room.
Dexter beef tartare and corned beef, wasabi cream and pickled shimeji mushrooms
To follow it's Dived scallops, 'crown prince' pumpkin, chestnut veloute, and chestnuts and white balsamic caramel. The dish is again stunning to look at with the vivid orange of the pumpkin, the green of the pennywort and the rich notes of caramelised scallops adhered by a perfect foam. The earthy chestnut flavours when combined with the scallop worked incredibly well, better to our taste than the black pudding used at both Le Manoir and Adam Simmonds. The white balsamic caramel providing a unique sweetness and crunch was also genius giving something entirely new to a scallop dish. Again, scallops are on every menu these days it seems and seldom differentiated; here, David Everitt-Matthias has made scallops exciting once again.
Dived scallops, 'crown prince' pumpkin, chestnut veloute and chestnuts and white balsamic caramel
To follow, we're served Roasted hake, parsley root puree, remoulade of parsley root and chicken juices. It's another dish we loved, a little earthy note on the parsley, a good spice to the remoulade and a fabulous crispy chicken skin strip delivering a sweet and salty crisp. Again, the dish came together brilliantly well as a whole derived from well thought out construction.
Roasted hake, parsley root puree, remoulade of parsley root and chicken juices
Winchcombe venison, salt and burdock baked golden beetroot and roasted quince was next up but the menu description omits something that was essential to lifting the dish above all other venison dishes this winter - pressed tripe, sweatbreads and tongue. Rich, warm, roughly textured, the terrine adds another layer to what is an already exceptional piece of locally sourced venison. Add to that the sprinkling of oats on top and you realise David's ability to layer texture is stand out.
There is again so much going on here from colours to textures to tastes that you have to be impressed. And while there's a lot on the plate, that diversity means every mouthful is an adventure and discovery. The pressed offal though is the real surprise because tripe is not something I at least would normally choose to eat but here, it's gorgeous.
There is again so much going on here from colours to textures to tastes that you have to be impressed. And while there's a lot on the plate, that diversity means every mouthful is an adventure and discovery. The pressed offal though is the real surprise because tripe is not something I at least would normally choose to eat but here, it's gorgeous.
Winchcombe venison, salt and burdock baked golden beetroot and roasted quince
We're seriously filling up now as Red legged partridge, boletus mushroom puree and stuffed Primrose Vale cavelo nero arrives. Primrose Vale's a local farm and it's good to see that local ingredients are used where ever possible. Again, so much going on in the plate: the partridge sits on a bed of choucroute and bacon, baby artichokes sit on top of the partridge while the cavelo nero is stuffed with the partridge offal. It's another rich seasonal dish, brilliantly done and highlights a continuation of the themes of textures, tastes and variety that has been a feature through the meal.
Red legged partridge, boletus mushroom puree and stuffed Primrose Vale cavelo nero
The first dessert is Bergamot parfait, orange jelly and liquorice cream. Delightfully refreshing and ideal after the rich winter dishes of venison and partridge, it slips down easily with the liquorice cream balancing the plate between the two citrus components. The next dessert is vanilla cheesecake, salted chicory mousse and chocolate sorbet. It's really good with what would have been a brilliant cheesecake had it been only that again taken to a new level by the salted chicory mousse and the salted caramel on top adding the final layer of taste. David is a big fan of using all sorts of plants, leaves and roots in desserts including chicory as above, artichoke and sorrel, we're put in mind of Hibiscus where the cep tart was a revelation and delight.
Bergamot parfait, orange jelly and liquorice cream
vanilla cheesecake, salted chicory mousse and chocolate sorbet
Le Champignon Sauvage delivered a first class meal and we wonder if the location was Mayfair or a grand manor house whether three stars would be forthcoming for the food is as good as anything we've eaten in the UK that we can remember. What really distinguishes them is their willingness to take risks and not just 'get away with it' but deliver something more than the classic dish or ingredient that's at the core. Plate construction too is impressive with everything pitching in to complete the dish, never leaving us wondering why X had been plated with Y. And we loved the fact that there was no foie gras on the menu at all, rather, one starter which we sadly didn't get to try was braised pig cheeks and crispy ear, oat groat risotto with nettles and Hereford snails. Too often, something like foie gras seems like a lazy option in every way. You leave knowing that David and his team never take the easy option to make a quick buck or merely pamper, this is about real cooking at its very best.
David Everitt-Matthias (far right) and team
For over two decades then, David has run the kitchen and Helen the front of house and yet they show no fatigue, no complacency and thankfully, no signs of stopping. It's actually humbling that they are so down to earth and still so fired up to serve great food day after day, still by their own hands. Eating at Le Champignon Sauvage also instils pride in British food and cooking and every foodie this side of the Channel should celebrate what David & Helen are doing for they are true food heroes. We can think of no restaurant in the country we'd rather return to and can't wait to do so. If you love food you simply have to make the journey to Cheltenham to eat at Le Champignon Sauvage, it is, possibly, Britain's best food.
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