The Harrow

Who would have guessed that such a restaurant is to be found in the countryside… amazing! SO good! They have three menus (gourmet menu, tasting menu and lunch menu), plus a la carte and a great wine selection.

I’m never one to pass up the opportunity of dining well! So, when, my sister and I attended a joint independent Baptist churches’ Good Friday service in Andover last week, I looked for good places nearby to have lunch. A little work threw up the Michelin starred Harrow at Little Bedwyn
Being a townie, I was worried that it seemed completely in the sticks but that gave me the reassurance that the food must be amazing for people to travel here. A true destination restaurant, whose secluded location is reminiscent of L’Enclume, which is based in the small Cumbrian village of Cartmel
I was impressed with the efficiency of replies to my booking enquiries and it was with an air of expectancy that my sister and I travelled along little windy Wiltshire country roads to arrive at the tiny village of Little Bedwyn — I think the restuarant may be the town! Despite this, we discovered that it is still possible to miss the turning for the restaurant though nothing that a quick u-​turn couldn’t sort out!
It wasn’t overly busy at lunch and there was a convivial atmosphere in the one room where all the diners were seated. I must say the service throughout was excellent with general manager Ross, waitress Clare and owner Sue Jones looking after all the guests superbly with the fantastic balance of knowledgeable professionalism and down to earth friendliness
I like the fact that owner Roger Jones and head chef John Brown’s kitchen caters for all appetites and wallets, offering everything from a good value £30 set lunch up to the £75 gourmet tasting menu. Even the wine pairings come in 2 prices — cheaper matched wines and more expensive Icon wines. I was however even more impressed that the tasting menus need not be taken by the whole table, allowing maximum flexibility but creating a potential logistical headache for kitchen and servers!
We had some nice canapes to munch on while perusing the menu. Ross sorted me out a freshly squeezed blood orange juice and he recommended a couple of wines for my sister, which arrived in appropriately shaped glasses to enhance their flavour
It may not surprise you to know I went for the gourmet tasting menu!
1. Amuse bouche of gazpacho with watermelon
This came chilled and with a good kick of chilli, livened up the tastebuds
2. Sashimi
A plate of heavenly flavour combinations, allowing virgin sweet fish to be enhanced by complementary partners — cured salmon, turbot with ginger, prawn & razor clam, scallop
3. Foie gras
This is a signature dish which has been on the menu for 13 years and I can see why. A large perfectly cooked sweet scallop on sauteed foie gras on crispy black pudding, brought together with a reduced Pedro Ximenez dessert wine sauce. My favourite dish where every mouthful was heavenly
4. Pembrokeshire lobster
This carried Indian influences with the yummy lobster sitting on tarka daal and given subtle spicing from curry and carrot sauces, allowing the main ingredient to star
5. Line caught turbot
The turbot was perfectly cooked but the genius of the kitchen showed through in using another luxury ingredient, white truffle, to enhance the fish with a wonderfully judged girolle and white truffle risotto
6. Highland x shorthorn beef
Like most of the food, the provenance of the beef is listed on the menu, a classy touch. The fillet was served rare on a potato & horseradish cake with little balled vegetables and braised oxtail. Top class beef
7. Pre-​dessert of ‘Boiled egg’
This is their molecular fun moment where the ‘egg’ is served up complete with soldiers for dipping. A sweet creamy white mousse envelopes the yellow passion fruit ‘yolk’, which provides a sour fruity counterpoint to the sweet mousse
8. Mini chocolate platter
We knew something was afoot when Clare cleared some space in the middle of our table and an absolute masterpiece arrived — a piece of black slate artistically decorated with different coloured sauces and holding chocolate hazelnut brownies, chocolate delices with pistachio base and hazelnut tuile, Bailey’s shots, white chocolate mousse, chocolate truffles & raspberry sorbet
A wonderful meal was topped off with a kitchen visit to say hello to Roger Jones, John Brown and the brigade.
The Harrow is definitely a gem — a restaurant which cares about its produce. It turns top class ingredients into stunning dishes and has the confidence to pair flavour combinations without over-​complicating or putting too may ingredients on the plate. A place where the customers’ experience is paramount, reflected in the flexibility of allowing different menus to be mixed by diners on the same table
A tip for Londoners — there’s a direct train from Paddington to the nearby neighbouring village of Great Bedwyn and the restaurant is only a short walk or taxi ride away

The harrow at little bedwyn is a one michelin star restaurant located in a picturesque village of little bedwyn in marlborough and boasts a very comprehensive champagne and wine list with some of their wines dating back to the 1920s. The ingredients used for the cuisines are so tasty they are literary bursting in freshness which is not surprising as most of their produce are sourced from fresh natural organic products from around the country. This littlle restaurant is a delight and a surprise for most first time visitors as it exceeds one’s expectation wrt gourmetcuisine and wine list. If you like the fat duck, you will love this restaurant also. Advisable to book 2 weeks in advance as its very popular. A tad pricey, dinner complete with a bottle of wine and dessert starts from 75 pounds but very much worth the cost for the quality of food you are getting.