We had the pleasure of being invited to Party At The Mill in New Alresford Hampshire to enjoy their latest seasonal menu. Having been there before, I was incredibly excited to see what the chef has been up to and how the menu has evolved. Chef Clayton is passionate about using seasonal and local produce where possible and having a big interest in local food producers it was great to find out that Hampshire companies like Laverstock Park Farm and Lusso Leaf have their gorgeous produce featured in the menu items.
Eating seasonally is something we have been working towards in our home - shopping from farm shops and enjoying seasonal home grown vegetables and fruits, as well as foraging. I have gained so much inspiration for the kitchen from our visit to Party At The Mill!
The relaxed atmosphere of the restaurant and an incredibly welcoming team make this a warm and almost homely place to visit. Cookbooks line the shelves making for lovely reading should you wish to have a quiet lunch, a pool table awaits for those in the mood for friendly competition, and art made by Chef Clayton adorns the walls.
We were greeted with fresh super soft and fluffy focaccia and babaganoush with date molasses which was the perfect start to an incredibly enjoyable evening. We ordered a couple of cocktails - mine was a Bloody Mary which is my favourite cocktail; and Max ordered an Old Fashioned which is another one of my favourites too. Chef Clayton then popped over to bring us his favourite drinking snack: roasted chickpeas.
Chickpeas are such an underrated ingredient and usually get hidden in curries or stews, but having them centre stage in this snack was delightful. This one has gone into my recipe inspiration books - it is the perfect snack when catching up with friends and enjoying a tipple or two!
It was great to have both Chefs Clayton and Marco chat to use about their food - their passion came through their enthusiasm, knowledge and of course the taste on the plates. They kindly sent us their favourite seasonal dishes - the feast was underway.
One of the showstoppers for me were the rainbow carrots with sheep's milk labneh, sour cherry harissa, and hazelnut dukkah. The spices brought out gorgeous earthy and sweet flavours of the carrots, and the dish was so colourful you couldn't wait to dig in! One thing I will say is that you really didn't miss meat enjoying the vegetable dishes at Party At The Mill. And this is coming from a big meat eater! Whilst we're on the topic of earthy flavours, let's enjoy the beetroot dish next.
This dish was simply stunning and so inviting to just look at, but tucking in to these salt roast beetroots with plums, walnuts and marjoram was just *chefs kiss*/Italian hand. Sweet, earthy, and a kick of peppery rocket all created a lovely balance and every bite was full of excitement from the flavours and textures - soft beetroot with crunchy walnut, and juicy plums.
YUM.
The next dish we tucked in to was the burrata with forced Yorkshire rhubarb, sumac honey, tarragon and hazelnuts. I tried burrata a few years ago and it's quickly become a favourite - totally worth the hype it has received over the past couple of years. Burrata is a shell of mozzarella wrapped around a lush mixture of cheese curds and cream all formed into one ball of deliciousness. It's soft and creamy taste paired wonderfully with the rhubarb and crunchy hazelnuts, and the tarragon cut through the sweetness. A definite hit and one I hope will be on the menu next time we visit!
Something to note is that the menu changes all the time depending on the ingredients the chefs can get their hands on. Keep an eye on Party At The Mill Instagram to check out what's on every week! I think that is wonderful - every visit holds new surprises and tastes.
Staying on cheese, Chef Clayton said we absolutely must try the buffalo milk halloumi with blacked honey and pistachio. oh.my.gosh. Halloumi and honey is a combination made in heaven if there is one - and this buffalo milk halloumi was full of sweet and salty flavour. I would also recommend that should you see this on the menu during your visit, you make an order - this halloumi is not one to miss! Made by local Hampshire buffalo farm in Laverstock, supporting local food producers and stuffing your face with cheese gets top marks from me.
Another hero of the menu were these winter tomatoes dressed with olive oil, lovage and thinly sliced shallots. An incredibly fresh dish which cuts through all the cheese we have been enjoying - a burst of flavour and juice from the very first bite! Seemingly simple but oh so delicious.
One of my favourite combinations of the moment is smoked trout and fennel, so when I saw Chalk stream trout with blood orange, fennel, and smoked almonds I couldn't wait to taste it. Smoked trout beats smoked salmon for me (although I am obsessed with smoked fish!) combined with super thin fennel slices - insert another *chefs kiss* right here. This dish I could eat over and over again and never get sick of the incredible salty flavours of the trout, with sharp fennel, and a crunch of almonds. Another one to add as a must to your dish choices!
One thing I would recommend when visiting Party At The Mill is to come prepared to enjoy sharing the dishes - this way you sample so much flavour and bring the table together. With family and friends, we love sharing tastes and treating dinner parties in tapas style with everyone digging in to different dishes - this is exactly how we enjoyed all these amazing tastes!
No we absolutely have to mention the pizzeta which are small pizzas made by Chef Marco who has been practicing the art of pizza dough for years. It is an art - especially for me who cannot bake a loaf of bread to save my life! And lord knows I keep trying... The pizza dough is so soft and fluffy - it needs to get a mention on its own. We enjoyed the tiger prawn pizzetta with garlic chips and fior di latte - chunky juicy prawns with a kick! My brother Max who came with me to enjoy the feast loves his pizza - and high praise came when he said this is the best pizza he has ever had. EVER. By his own admission this was the highest praise and he just had to check if this is a menu item which would be around for a while because he will be back specifically for this... You can also order a takeaway pizza from Party At The Mill and I recommend if you are planning a pizza night at home, you ditch any idea of Domino's or Pizza Hut because they are NOTHING compared to what you can enjoy (and I mean enjoy, rather than just eat) at home.
Moving on to a meaty option, we enjoyed Lamb Merguez Meatballs with tahini and pomegranate - lamb is one of my favourite meats and this dish gave me so many new ideas of how I could play with lamb in the kitchen. The juicy meatballs had a slight kick of chilli, paired with tangy and sweet pomegranate married wonderfully in every single mouthful. In every single dish we tried, we felt like nothing was missing. There was so much excitement and so many flavours to explore, you could keep eating and eating and discovering more as you went along. Which is a dangerous game as I learned - I honestly felt like I might need to be rolled out of Party At The Mill and loaded into the car by a team of people. Come hungry. And thirsty.
If you are missing potatoes then you will be covered with these incredible ratte potatoes with maple yogurt and chipotle - crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside with a generous serving of the yogurt - these potatoes make my favourite fried with mayo on the side a thing of the past. Another combination I wouldn't think of but is now a recipe idea - potatoes and yogurt! A wonderful dish on its own, as well as the perfect side for your meatballs.
We finished the night on something sweet - burnt cheesecake with rhubarb, which as a cheesecake fan I am pleased to say was one of the best I have ever eaten. The cheesecake was sweet but not sickly like many I have had before - it was well balanced, the texture was soft and fluffy but not too wet, and the rhubarb cut through the sweetness with a delightful zing.
What can I say other than have you heard anything but perfection about this experience? I would 100% recommend a visit to Party At The Mill in New Alresford, Hampshire - an ideal evening out with incredible food, friendly faces, and entertainment.
A big 10/10 will come again from me and I just want to say thank you to the wonderful team at Party At The Mill for being such incredible hosts.
You can book your table at Party At The Mill by clicking here.
*This was a gifted experience. All opinions are my own.
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