The Ginger Fox, Albourne
Ben McKellar, chef-owner of the Gingerman group of restaurants and pubs, doesn’t know it, but he’s responsible for one of my greatest obsessions. Nothing weird, I promise you, but nearly two years ago, I sat down to lunch at The Ginger Pig in Hove and tasted a dish which was so delicious that it sparked a two-year quest to try to recreate it in my own home.
What was it? Well, embarrassingly I can’t remember exactly what was in it, because I ate it in some kind of flavour-induced dream state, but gnocchi was certainly involved and butternut squash and a some kind of velvety sauce, fresh pea shoots (genius!) and possibly there was some kind of blue cheese (in the gnocchi? on the gnocchi?). I have spent many frustrating hours since making gnocchi out of squash – too wet, too lumpy – trying to conjure up glossy sauces and I once drove all the way over to Chichester just to buy some fresh pea shoots.
And now here I am with the great man himself and his equally lovely, wife Pamela. A product of Brighton’s City College, Ben and Pamela McKellar have build up a much-loved and much-emulated group of fine dining restaurants and cosy but smart gastropubs across the city, plus the more local Ginger Fox at Albourne. Formerly Shave’s Thatch, the site was somewhat of a poisoned chalice, with the pub changing hands several times in recent years, before they took over. Wasn’t that a concern?
“Almost every single site we’ve ever taken on has been a previously bankrupt or closed business,” say Pamela, “so it was nothing new. Mind you, after spending a lot of money on the refurbishment (the thatch alone cost £25,000), we suddenly realised that we’d bought a village pub, with no village attached!” Albourne village is certainly a more than a stroll away and nearly all customers end up coming by car.
“In the end it didn’t matter”, Pamela explains, “because actually people who live in country towns and villages are used to driving and a few miles either way doesn’t seem to put people off.” She’s too modest to say that The Ginger Fox is always worth the drive.
Over the years, I’ve eaten a lot of Ben’s food and whilst I love the experience of the original Gingerman in Hove, Ben’s gastropub cooking seems even more assured than his fine dining offer.
And according to Ben, it’s the future. “Not only is the financial climate about more affordable dining, this style of cooking allows the ingredients to shine. I like the freedom it gives you too. You can put liver on toast right up there next to foie gras parfait and it doesn’t look out of place.”
Still, moving from fine dining to food pub wasn’t without its teething problems. At first, The Ginger Pig didn’t take bookings but after a little fist-shaking from local fans desperate to get a table, the pub now takes bookings as does The Ginger Fox. At least being too popular is a nice problem to have.
And the food? Agonisingly, myself and my lunch companion had colds, so we opted for a selection of starters rather than the full-blown slap-up lunch we’d been planning. As with all the Ginger restaurants, it’s my kind of eating. Seasonal daily specials on the board, a ridiculously well-priced £10-for-2-courses menu and an a la carte menu, with main course prices ranging from £10.50 to £17.50 for a Char Grilled Sirloin Steak with Braised Oxtail, Dripping Chips & Red Wine Sauce. I could eat from this menu every day and never get bored.
For a poorly pair, we did well, managing a Balsamic Roast Beetroot and Goat’s Cheese Tart and a stunning Asian Spiced Crab Cake to start, then a perfectly cooked portion of Rare Roast Beef with Dripping Toast and the aforementioned Foie Gras Parfait with Toasted Brioche. Happily, we were also well enough to sneak in a portion of hand-cut dripping chips. You just would, wouldn’t you?
Defeated by puds, we made a final heroic ‘just one more wafer-thin-mint-style’ effort and managed to scoff a couple of handmade chocolate truffles with coffee. As ever, it was utterly gorgeous, and boy, was it busy for a Monday lunchtime in October, with a full restaurant and plenty of diners in the garden taking advantage of a bit of autumn sunshine. Do book but do go as soon as you can. We need more Ginger in the world!
The Ginger Fox, Muddleswood Road, Henfield Road, Albourne, West Sussex, BN6 9EA. Tel 01273 857888. Find out more about Gingerman restaurants at www.gingermanrestaurants.com and follow Ben’s blog at thegingerchef.blogspot.com.