Cafe Soho

John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, frequently asked his valet to bring him meat tucked between some bread so that he might eat without leaving the gaming table. In the 17th century the area that had formerly been the parks of the Palace of Whitehall came to be known as SoHo after the hunting cry used by the Duke of Monmouth.

In 2003 Cafe Soho was awarded "Innovative Sandwich of the Year" by the British Sandwich Association. We had received enquiries from some of our readers as to where they might locate a ploughman's lunch that their valet might take out so that they need not leave the gaming table.

We sent our valet to Cafe Soho having heard of the innovative things that they had done with dishes served in the manner of the Earl of Sandwich. We were very pleased with the light yet wholesome repast which he returned with. The bread was French but the blame here may lie with our valet. The cheese in one half was mild enough not to detract from the tangy feel of the gherkin. The other half had gently sliced ham the taste of which transported one directly to Wiltshire. This was closely allied with wonderfully flavoursome tomatoes.

Is this really a ploughman's lunch? Perhaps not. We have had our valet soundly beaten for this but the quest for a true ploughman's lunch within a hunting cry of Somerset House and yet without leaving the gaming table continues...

The Rose and Crown, St Albans

Following complaints that our previous review was too brief we'll make sure we go into full detail this time.

The medieval town of St Albans grew up around the Benedictine abbey established at the site of the beheading of Saint Alban in AD 324. Unfortunately the town is little blessed with parking so what first attracted us to this picturesque public house was not its gently aged timber framing, the willow tree gracefully billowing in the gardens or even its close proximity to the river but in fact the space left in the car park.

The ploughman's lunch formed part of an extensive and well thought out menu of bread and cheese based offerings that included sandwiches to suit every taste and every purse. The ploughman's was avaiable with cheddar, stilton, turkey or ham. We felt enboldened enough to choose the robust blue cheese.

What first struck us about this lunch was the perfect bread-to-butter ratio. The foliage was light but extremely varied. Pickles well represented with both dainty onions and a substantial gherkin. A gesture of potato salad provided useful ballast. Pickle was shop-brought but thoughtfully presented.

A small but well-kept selection of real ales was available as accopaniment, though we were obviously obligied to shandify our choice. The meal was completed by some cheerful banter from the chef.

The Crown, Brewer Street, Soho

The Pulteney Bridge in the City of Bath is one of only four bridges in the world to have shops on both sides along the full length of the span. It was designed by Robert Adam for Sir William Pulteney. Sir William Pulteney was reputed to be the wealthiest man in Britain; and it was he that was responsible for the development of Brewer Street in Soho.

Brewer Street runs from Glasshouse Street past past Great Pulteney Street to Wardour Street; though intriguingly the Glasshouse Stores public house is half way along Brewer Street, but more on that another day. 

To celebrate our birthday we attended The Crown public house with some colleagues and of course were seeking the very apex of that wholesome and flavoursome repast that is the ploughman's lunch.

Our initial reaction was one of pleasure at the intriguing little pork pie. We did find though that there was remarkably little bread. The foliage was firm and the pickle very well made. The simplicity of the apple presentation was most effective. One hesitates to suggest that perhaps there might have been a little too much cheese but then as two type of cheese were presented perhaps that is a little harsh on our part.

Poppy's Cafe, Epping

We were very intrigued to see a cottage-cheese themed Ploughman's. There seems to have been a refinement of bread to butter ratio across the industry. Lettuce: iceberg; both in the sense of the variety and that which is on the surface being a tiny fraction of the whole.

The Queen's Tea Room, Buckhurst Hill.

Marvellous to see a ploughman's in the Golden Triangle. Perfect bread to butter ratio; useful pickle. Ham good but limited. Surplus coleslaw; extensive onion. Overall straightforward but effective.

L'Atelier, Covent Garden

Not in fact a ploughman's lunch but a guest appearance from a poached egg with caviar. The diner next to me asked if he could take a photograph of my starter and so it would have seemed rude not to have also taken a photograph myself.

Down House Tea Room, Downe

Effective though slight deployment of apple. Pate consistency entirely apt. Surplus butter. Artistic alternation of cucumber and tomato. Medium sized pickled onion. Would perhaps have been better to have had two. Thought-provoking use of sweetcorn. It is fascinating to see how the Ploughman's has evolved over the centuries.

The Black Horse, Pluckley

The picturesque village of Pluckley is said to be haunted by at least a dozen ghosts. Perhaps the most noted of these is The Red Lady of Dering who was buried in seven lead coffins within in an oak coffin. She wanders the graveyard of the church of Saint Nicholas searching for the unmarked grave of her child. My psychic tells me that the photograph above gives a good sense of what her apparition looks like. My spiritual advisor also greatly recommended an inspection of the spirits and indeed ales of The Black Horse.

After an exhausting morning's strolling round the Kent countryside spiritual sustinance did not surfice and bread was also needed, accompanied of couse by cheese and condiments. We were heartily impressed by the novel use of strawberries and olives. The pickle was well presented and the bread to butter ratio was most effective. There was significant foliage and at one point my valet feared he might need to send out a rescue party but we fought on valiantly.