Latest Restaurant Review – The Aston
Is there a better way to enjoy a Sunday afternoon than great company, great surroundings and a really great Sunday roast?
We were warmly welcomed at The Aston and were shown to our table in the conservatory area of the restaurant. There is a choice of three dining areas to choose from including the cosy bar at the front of the building which is perfect if you want a bar snack or just want to enjoy a drink by the log fire, there is the upper bar dining area with its relaxing decor and rustic tables and then at the rear of the building is the large conservatory which is light and airy with French doors leading to the beautiful garden that has a patio area perfect for alfresco dining (weather permitting).
We sampled a nice cold Peroni Italian beer each while we decided what to order. At most restaurants the menu can be quite limited on a Sunday but The Aston has a wide range of starters to choose from and as well as Sunday roasts there are also a wide variety of main dishes too. A special menu of fish dishes is available everyday and changes regularly. The children are not forgotten with a range of great homemade dishes to choose from.
I had ordered the Garlic Mushrooms on Toast, a generous helping of mixed and roughly chopped sautéed mushrooms served with a smooth and creamy sauce on a slice of chunky granary toast, a really hearty and rustic starter “perfect”.
Fleur chose the Goats Cheese Fritters, there were three large hand rolled balls of the creamy goats cheese rolled in bread crumbs and cooked to a beautiful golden brown, served with rocket leaves and a delicious sweet pepper marmalade, the breadcrumb shell broke open easily revealing the soft melted cheese inside, Fleur said it had a great taste combination of flavours.
As we had our two young daughters (Daisy and Poppy) with us we decided to order the “carve at the table” whole roast chicken, our daughters especially enjoyed this as the chicken arrived on a huge carving board surrounded by roast potatoes, roast parsnips, vegetables, stuffing, pigs in blankets and some huge Yorkshire puddings – they could help themselves to as much as they liked. As Fleur didn’t trust me with a large knife and a hangover she decided to carve the bird, the chicken was perfectly cooked and the girls each opted for a leg each while we shared the succulent breast meat, there was plenty for everyone and easily fed us all. The vegetables were perfectly cooked and the large homemade Yorkshire puds were a triumph, fluffy and light with a slight moistness.
As this was a review it was necessary that we sampled a dessert as well, after a little arm twisting I managed to talk the girls into choosing a dessert, we ordered a Sticky Fig and Walnut Pudding, a Pear and Blackberry Crumble and two Banoffee Pavlova’s with a peanut butter sauce and chocolate shavings. All the desserts were beautifully presented and the pavlovas looked a work of art, the tall meringue sat on top of the toffee and banana sauce and was decorated with a rope of the thick sweet peanut butter sauce and finished off with a shower of dark chocolate shavings, next was the pear and blackberry crumble this was quite a substantial dessert and Daisy did well to finish it, the delicious fruit crumble was thick and sweet and came with a little jug of warm vanilla custard. Finally I had the Sticky Fig & Walnut pudding, in my opinion Figs and Walnuts are a match made in heaven and this pudding was a perfect example of that, not only was combination of flavours good but the textures as well, the moist sweet fig sponge was dotted with the slight bite of the pieces of Walnut “fabulous”.
The Aston prides itself on the fact that all of their dishes are freshly made to order and although this may mean you sometimes wait a little longer for your meals to arrive than some restaurants you can guarantee it will have been freshly made in-house.
As well as taking bookings for parties such as birthdays which can be catered for up to 80 people, The Aston can also arrange buffets for functions such as Wakes or Christenings, please call them for further details.
During the Spring/Summer time The Aston often have a variety of family activities held in their spacious garden area which has plenty of tables and chairs and an outdoor bar, look out for details of upcoming events.
The Aston offers a variety of nice finishing touches to its restaurant – including mini quizzes on the tables, postcards of their famous cow picture to take home with you and crayons and paper to keep the children entertained – which is why you can see why it has such a great relaxing and warm atmosphere to the place – everyone is made to feel welcome.
There are plenty of reasons to try The Aston including the fantastic Sunday lunches or maybe try one of their new range of burgers on a Wednesday night. Monday Madness nights are very busy as it is 50% off all main courses – you definitely need to book!
