Out & About July 2017

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Food pictures: Dijana Capan
a white wine and cream sauce, butter beans
and rainbow chard and on top was a
barbecued fennel piece which was “just the
best texture” said its diner.
The dessert list is just as varied as the rest of
the menu but we could only manage to share
one – the vanilla pannacotta with lemon curd,
freeze-dried raspberries and meringue.
The dessert came in a pretty globe dish on a
stand and was a picture with the old-fashioned
sandwiched meringue sitting on top of the
pannacotta and surrounded by little pyramids
of curd and the raspberries.
We were amazed at the quality of the entire
meal and at good prices, too – mains are
between £14 and £20 and starters around £7,
desserts are similar price to the starters.
The wine list is varied and we had a lovely
sauvignon blanc for £18.
There are lots of nice touches – the china is
stoneware in different colours and shapes, the
coffee is a Hampshire blend called Moonroast
and the pub opens specifically for breakfast on
Sundays.
The Crown Inn was a true surprise – from the
glorious food to the lovely décor, the great
drinks and snacks to the rolling Hampshire
countryside it sits in about 12 miles from
Newbury.
And while it gets an unofficial Bloody Mary
award from me, it deserves more formal
recognition. Although it has only been
open for a few months under Amanda and
Lewis, I would bet you several (good) Bloody
Marys it gets it soon.
Above: Smoked trout with a trout mousse,
caper and potato salad, quails’ eggs and
crispy skin; above right: Venison suet
pudding
Left: Crab cake with a crab bisque and
squid ink aioli and above: sea bream
The Crown Inn, Upton,
Nr Andover, Hampshire,
SP11 0JS
(01264) 736044
The dessert
came in a
pretty globe
dish on a stand
Below: Vanilla pannacotta with lemon curd,
freeze-dried raspberries and meringue
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