Manor House has a snazzy new pub and it goes by the name of The Naturalist. Sticking true to it’s name, this trendy new pub offers wholesome and hearty dishes full of delicious, natural ingredients that are sure to see you through the winter.
Having first visited for the official launch, we were treated to a night of cocktails and canapés in a warm and welcoming environment. We enjoyed our visit so much so the first time that we decided to pop back in for a little (more like significantly large) dinner.
We particularly love how roomy The Naturalist is, yet it still manages to maintain that cosy, relaxed pub vibe which can often become lost in larger venue. A sleek and modern fitout combines with aesthetic decor that is notably homely, offering all sorts of neat touches. Abstract art lines the brick walls and polished, wooden tables are accompanied by ultra plush couches that swallow you up whole. Top it off with candlelit tables and you’ve got yourself a total vibe.
Cosy yet modern interior design at The Naturalist.
Taking to one of the tables in the corner, we cosied up to our starter share plate called The Woodberry Down. This came in the form of a healthy veggie plate consisting of heritage vegetable crudité, squash and white bean dip, black olive pesto, aubergine dip, rapeseed oil, seeded crackers and bread. Both refreshing and original, this dish was unlike anything we’d had before. It was presented immaculately and was a serious winner for the lovers of vegetables. Every component was prepared fresh and full of flavour, with sliced radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes and celery sticks all serving up a nutritious treat.
For mains, we both eyed off the 28-day-aged sirloin steak, complete with crispy onions, seaweed butter and rosemary fries. We ordered it medium-rare and the meat came out exactly as we’d expect a medium-rare to be served: soft, tender and a deep pink colour (and garnished with crispy onion rings – delish!). We’d replaced one of the sides of rosemary fries with a side of crispy broccolini in attempt to keep the veggie theme going. This turned out to be the best decision ever as we ended up crowning this broccolini the winner of the night. With a melt-in-your-mouth yet crunchy consistency and more-ish salty flavour, this side came as a most pleasant surprise.
Our tender steaks ft. a half eaten veggie platter.
Special mention goes to the mouthwatering dessert: warm plum and apple crumble with white chocolate custard. Served very hot (so be careful), this winter warmer is sure to soothe the stomach and the soul at the end of a night of indulgence. The crumble was quite sizeable as well, perfectly suited to share between two.
Apple Crumble and Custard.
We’re totally into the fresh, seasonal produce being served up by The Naturalist and can’t wait to come back to try their attractive brunch menu sometime. It’s also worth a mention that the prices are remarkably affordable for the size you get. There’s nothing over £9 for brunch and dinner mains average somewhere around £16. This is British pub food at it’s absolute finest! I don’t think we have a bad word to say about our experience at The Naturalist, apart from the fact we were unable to finish our plates and left a significant portion of veggies and chips behind.
If you’d like to know more or view the menus online, follow the link to their website here. To uncover more groovy places like this done by the guys over at Young’s Pubs, click here.
