We decided to take a trip to Southwell racecourse on Sunday as there was an antiques fair on. If we had followed the brown signs to the racecourse on the main road we would never have stumbled across The Vinery at Rolleston, an absolute jewel in the village’s crown! Well done to the satnav for taking us that way.
From the road The Vinery looks like any country pub which on a Sunday lunchtime you might think did the standard beef and turkey roast dinners but don’t be fooled. We were greeted by one of the young waiting staff and I, stupidly, immediately asked if they were doing their standard lunch menu (thinking of sandwiches, baguettes and the like rather than a heavy roast). I hadn’t realised until we were given the menus that this is in fact a lovely tapas and mezze restaurant. What a bonus!
The menu gave us a kaleidoscopic host of dishes to choose from, all of which sounded delicious. There is a small plates menu together with larger plates such as Lamb Kleftiko and Confit Duck.
Mrs Wanderer decided on the grilled halloumi with courgettes, pomegranate mollasses dressing and mint together with patatas bravas plus a third dish of chorizo prawns from the small plates menu. I opted for the chilli mushrooms and the deep fried salt and pepper calamari with a chilli dipping sauce. Lots of chilli but then we like our heat. The dishes ranged in price from £6 to £9 with the larger plates coming in at between £18 and £24.
The menu makes it clear that “These will be delivered individually as ready, as everything is cooked to order”. Fair enough, and the first out of the traps was the halloumi. We love grilled halloumi but have never paired it with mint let alone pomegranates but it was a revelation. Thoroughly delicious and it prepared our appetites for what was to follow.
As it happened the remaining dishes all came out of the kitchen at the same time. The deep fried calamari was moist and succulent and the chilli mushrooms with white wine, ginger & garlic finished with lemon & parsley butter was so packed full of flavour that I wish I could replicate them at home.
The prawns were served up with slices of chorizo, a pairing that will forever work well, “pan fried and finished with garlic butter” and came with a couple of small slices of crusty bread, as did the mushrooms, to mop up the remaining sauce. The patatas bravas were lightly crispy and the sauce was flavoursome. For an extra quid you can have them served up with aioli but given the quantity of garlic in the other plates we declined.
The meal was exceptional and a boost for what had so far been a good day. The chef certainly knows how to cook this style of food (the full panoply of compliments to them) and The Vinery is definitely on the list of return visits if only to try something different!
Thoroughly recommend a stop by if you’re in the area! Enjoy!
The Willoughton Wanderer 
Leave a comment