Doing It Ourselves

We’ve bought a new sausage machine (!), and the chefs are making the most of it.

Home-made sausages are a totally different proposition from a lot of those you can buy in supermarkets or wherever, and experimenting with different combinations of ingredients can yield some really tasty results. For example, our ‘Pheasant, Pork and Pear’ went down very well last week. Expect more – similarly successful – experiments to appear on the menu in future.

Below are a couple of photos showing our new DIY approach in action - from the kitchen to table.

Thinking Ahead – We’re Game

At the ‘thinking’ stage at the moment, we’re considering holding a special ‘game evening’ towards the end of January, with a menu designed around game dishes. 

Our special evenings do tend to sell-out very quickly (which is very nice), but this would be a new theme, so at this stage we’d like to just float the idea to our regular customers to gauge interest.  If you think this might tickle your taste buds, do please let us know (without any commitment): 01491 628400 or email. We’ll decide what to do based on your reaction.

Scallops Are Back

Peter and Helen have brought back fresh scallops direct from their regular suppliers - the fishermen at the Port Of Ouistreham, near Caen in Normandy.  They will be on the menu from today - 19th November.

As always, they'll be available only until they run out - and supplies are limited.  If deliciously fresh scallops are your thing, don't delay ...



Looking forward to seeing you soon.

The Maltsters Team

Warming Autumn Food

Our fabulous home-made Steak and Kidney Puddings will be back on the menu from the 6th November.  Unlike last year, this Autumn is feeling, well, quite Autumnal – so some good warming fare is going to be welcome.

With our steak offer carrying on throughout November as well, we hope we'll be keeping everyone nicely fed!

(The steak offer details:  on Thursdays we offer two succulent 8oz sirloin steaks for just £25. These are VERY nice steaks ... and we serve them at both lunch and dinner. They come with our famous thick-cut chips, tomato, mushroom and your choice of sauce included in the price.)

French Night / Christmas

Apologies for any disappointment but our November French night is now sold out ... as we said, you do have to be very quick for these.

So, with that in mind - here's a timely reminder about Christmas! Like the French nights, Christmas bookings will sell-out too – we can only fit in so many people.  Do get in touch soon if you’d like a special festive treat!  All the details about our special seasonal menus are on the web site along with the booking form.

Ooooo, Spooky!

Next Wednesday (October 31^st) we’re offering, FREE, either Pumpkin Soup or Pumpkin Pie! Just order any main course, lunch or dinner and the Pumpkin is on us.  Surely, it’s just a SPOOKY coincidence that next Wednesday is Halloween ...

French Night – Be Quick

The 23^rd November is the date for the next of our famous French evenings.  The menu is on the web site  and it’s already selling fast to people who’ve seen it advertised in the pub or who get our newsletter … Do book quickly if you’d like to come along. Just call 01491 628400.

Autumnal Steak – The Offer Continues

Our steak offer continues to be very popular so it seems a bit unfair to stop it!

To remind you of the details, on Thursdays we offer two succulent 8oz sirloin steaks for just £25. These are VERY nice steaks ... and we serve them at both lunch and dinner. They come with our famous thick-cut chips, tomato, mushroom and your choice of sauce included in the price.  And now you can keep on taking advantage of this on every Thursday in November too.

Autumnal Steak

Wet grass in the mornings and a distinct nip in the air – yes, Autumn has properly arrived now.

We launched our steak offer last month and it has been very popular since the weather's turned, so for that simple reason, we're keeping it going for October.

To recap, on Thursdays we're offering two succulent 8oz sirloin steaks for just £25. These are VERY nice steaks ... and we’re serving them at both lunch and dinner. They're served with our famous thick-cut chips, tomato, mushroom and your choice of sauce included in the price.

See you soon!

Peter and Helen

Churchillian Success

I’m delighted to say our Churchill-themed evening was a great success – a sell-out, and I think everyone who came had a good time: plenty of Churchillian anecdotes and a really special menu prepared by our chefs, including the Beef Wellington - shown in preparation below:

Thanks to everyone who attended - see you at the next event!

 Peter and Helen

Steak & Churchill - Just How British Can You Get?!

Looking out of the window as I write this, it seems we're enjoying something of an Indian Summer again. But, that said, there are hints of autumn already and it's a long way from hot and sultry! So, what's going to be appropriate for September?

Well, you can't really go wrong with a nicely succulent steak, whatever the weather, so for the next three Thursdays in September we're offering two 8oz sirloin steaks for just £25. These are VERY nice steaks ... and they're available for lunch or for dinner. They're served with our famous thick-cut chips, tomato, mushroom and your choice of sauce included in the price.

Plus, just for fun, September also sees us holding a Churchill Evening. Well, why not!?  Inspired after a visit to the War Rooms, we've been doing some research into the great man's favourite dishes and have come up with a menu we think he'd have been delighted with - and we hope you will be too. So, on the 28th of September (Friday night) we're holding an 'Evening With Churchill' - complete with a surprise guest ...

Full details of the menu are on the web site but to whet your appetites I'll mention here that there's going to be none of that modern 'health food' on offer, we're  serving a real meal!  It's going to be great fun, and at just £29.50 a head we're think it will be very popular. Book early - places are limited!

Looking forward to seeing you soon.


Peter and Helen

Make Wednesdays Special In August

It must be said that fish and seafood seem very popular with our customers, and that's led to us finding a new fish supplier who is delivering daily, from day-boats landing in either Plymouth or Looe. Frankly, we can't get a fresher fish without moving to the sea!

The results are stunning: it is amazing what a difference that 'straight out of the sea' freshness brings.

To encourage you to come and taste it yourself, for every Wednesday in August we're offering  a free dessert to enjoy after your fresh haddock with fat chips and mushy peas. The price is just £10.50 and we're very confident you won't be disappointed.

Looking forward to seeing you.



Peter and Helen

Stay At Home, Enjoy Fine Seafood!

We think fresh seafood is one of the best things about being by the sea, but with the weather so poor going to the seaside isn’t that enticing at the moment.  So, bearing that in mind, once again we’re bringing fresh seafood to The Maltsters.

From the 3^rd to the 31^st July our specials menu will include:

* Moules Mariniere or a la Creme (with skinny fries);

* Fish Smorgasbord (Poached Salmon,Hot Smoked Trout ,Herring Rollmop, Crayfish tails and Marinated Anchovies);

* Fresh  ‘Brixham’ dressed crab salad.  

You can enjoy any one of those treats for just £13.95 AND that price includes a free 175ml glass of chilled rose or dry white wine – the perfect accompaniment.

We can’t do seagulls or the smell of the briny sea but you can’t have everything!

Looking forward to seeing you.




Peter and Helen

Reward Yourself!

Throughout June we’re running a very generous 20% discount offer, in conjunction with The Silent Customer.  But we’re not just giving it away – oh no!  You have to earn it - by going along to their web site -

http://thesilentcustomer.com/Profile.aspx?cid=13

and writing an review of us.

So, reward yourself for your eloquence and writing skills, and get 20% off any food order over £30 (lunch or dinner) Monday-Thursday throughout June.

There’s more information about The Silent Customer reviews here …

http://thesilentcustomer.com/review.aspx

 … and if you write more than one review, you get more than one voucher!

Another Great French Night

I’d just like to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who came along for our French Evening - it was another packed house.  The staff (and some customers!) all joined in the fun dressing in appropriate costumes and there were lots of compliments on the food.  The next one will hopefully be in November but I don’t want to think about that yet – not with all the lovely weather we’re having.

An English Night

(Well, at least I resisted saying “English Knight”!)

As ever,  our annual St Georges dinner took place on 23rd April.  I was expected an early night seeing as the day fell on a Monday, but locked up at 2.45 am!

It was a good, fun evening of Land of Hope and Glory, Rule Britannia and a few dance moves from the Landlord that are probably best forgotten.  Thanks for all the compliments about the menu.  The roast beef, carved by yours truly, I have to say I thought was quite exceptional.  (I’d collected it from Smithfield Market personally the week before at 3am in the morning.)  As for the Oxford Blue afterwards, who says we can’t make cheese!

Gladly, golf was abandoned the next day due to saturated conditions (and I`m not talking about my liver). 

French Evening, 25th May

We're holding another of our always popular French Evenings on the 25th May. The full menu is available here:

French Evening Menu

At just £29.50 a head, if proper French food is your thing, then you'd be mad to miss it! Book soon - places are limited and these evenings are always very popular.

Scallops On The Menu Again - From 16th April

Fresh King Scallops directly from the fisherman at the Port Of Ouistreham, near Caen in Normandy, will be on the menu, lunch and dinner, from the 16th April.

Our two very popular scallop dishes are:

* King Scallops in their shells, 'Au Gratin', baked in the oven with béchamel sauce and Parmesan, or

* Scallops wrapped in streaky bacon and served with potato cake and black pudding.

Both are priced at £14.95. As always, they’ll be available only until they run out – and supplies are limited. If scallops are your thing, don’t delay ...


Looking forward to seeing you soon.


The Maltsters Team

Superb Succulent Steaks

With our March Mussels Madness now just a memory, April’s alliterative action switches to Superb Succulent Steaks.

As you know, we’re never ones to scrimp on how we source our ingredients – after all, a meal is only as good as what’s gone in to it. In that tradition, we’ve just sourced some really excellent rump steaks.

“There’s nothing particularly newsworthy about that”,  you might be thinking.  Ah, but what is special is that we’re going to be serving them as a special offer on Thursdays only – two steak dinners for just £20.

Yes, two really good steaks for just £20. You did read that correctly.

This offer will be on the menu on Thursdays only, for April and hopefully May too, if our steak supplies hold out.   Come along for lunch or dinner - it would be madness not to!

Thank You!

Just a brief note to say many thanks to everyone who supported our most recent charity quiz night. We raised over £200 for Clic Sargent. It wouldn't be possible without your support.  A particular shout-out to Team Colin for the very kind extra donation of the prize money!

Thanks

Peter, Helen and Virginie.

March Memory Loss

March is the Month of Mussels Madness

Just in case you'd forgotten!

Our magnificent Shetlands Mussels are being very well received and all three dishes, Marinière, a la crème and Thai Spiced, are popular.  All cost just £11.95, come with either skinny fries or crusty bread,  and the price includes a free glass of white wine too. 

To take advantage of the offer, just visit the web site to download the voucher.

The offer is available every day until the end of March, lunch and evening, except Sundays.

Charity Quiz

Sunday 25^th March sees our second charity quiz night.  Entry is just £5 per person or £20 for a team (of up to five people). First prize is £50 and all the proceeds go to Clic Sargent - an amazing charity which helps children with cancer and their families – and that’s a worthwhile thing to be able to support. 

Clic Sargent Online

The evening starts at 7.30, and we hope to see you then.

Easter Eggs For Children

Finally, not a reminder but a first mention – on Easter Sunday all children coming to the Maltsters for dinner with their families will receive a free chocolate Easter Bunny or Easter Egg.  It’s not far away now, so do book a table soon. As always, once we’re full we’re full!

See you soon. 

Peter and Helen

March: the Month of Mussels Madness at the Maltsters

Mussels from the Shetlands are at their very best in March.  March is here, and yes, we’ve secured a supply of magnificent Shetlands Mussels for the month.

There’s a choice of three dishes, Marinière, a la crème or Thai Spiced.  All cost just £11.95, come with either skinny fries or crusty bread,  and the price includes a free glass of white wine too.  (Well, I did say this was madness!)

To take advantage of the offer, just visit the web site to download the voucher from the web site.

Not sure which recipe to have?  Well, there’s no limit to how many vouchers you can redeem over the month, so feel free to call in more than once!  The offer is available every day for the whole of March, lunch and evening, except Sundays.

Quizzical Times

What are you doing on Sunday 25^th March? 

Following on from last year’s successful charity quiz night we’ve decided to hold another one – and on a Sunday night again too!  Entry is just £5 per person or £20 for a team (of up to five people). First prize is £50 and all the proceeds go to Clic Sargent.  They’re an amazing charity which helps children with cancer and their families – and that’s a worthwhile thing to be able to support. 

http://www.clicsargent.org.uk/Home

The evening starts at 7.30, and we hope you’ll be able to come along for a good time, for a good cause.

Two Offers For February

As I write this, there are some pretty low temperatures outside, and they’re forecast to stay for a while too.  So, to keep you toasty we're running two offers this month.

Eat, Drink And Be Merry On Us

If it’s a bit on the bleak and cold side out, then there’s no better way to keep your spirits up than a good meal with some friends.  To make that all the more appealing, throughout February we’re offering a free bottle of house wine (worth £12.95) on all orders of four main courses – be merry on us! 

The offer runs Monday-Thursday, lunchtimes and evenings, throughout February. 

The Winter Warmer ... Continued

January’s special ‘Steak Pudding and Claret’ offer was supposed to end at the end of the month. However, we really do think it’s a great meal for a cold day, so we’re carrying on with the special deal on it throughout February too.

Every Tuesday lunchtime or evening, for just £11.95 you get one of our very nice homemade Steak and Kidney Puddings, plus a glass of red (or white if you prefer) wine to accompany it.

For both offers, just visit the web site to download the vouchers by clicking this link:

Free Vouchers

There’s no limit to how many vouchers you can redeem over the month, but you can’t use both vouchers for the same meal!  

Burns Supper 2012

Just a brief update to say this year's Burns Supper was a great success, with Piper Bernie even staying on after the piping of the haggis to play a few popular hits for us all to join in with!  Many thanks to everyone who came along and made it such fun.

Phil and Karina

Sadly, after a year with us, it's now time to say goodbye to Phil and Karina.  They leave for Australia next week. They've made many friends here, and will be missed by us all.

The Good News

As readers of the Henley Standard might already be aware, recently I found myself feeling a bit fed up with all the 'doom and gloom' reports about pubs closing.  Yes, times are difficult but as we demonstrate, not all pubs are on the verge of closing down.  I did write to the Standard about this and they kindly published my letter - and took a photo too!

Of course, that we're here and doing well is all down to you - our customers - and for that we're very grateful!

See you soon.


Peter

PS: This led on to an item on Radio Berkshire, but I've spared you the radio interview!

The Return Of Fresh Scallops!

You heard it here first – they’re not here yet but on Monday they will be ... Fresh King Scallops (which Peter and Helen will have collected directly from fisherman at the Port Of Ouistreham, near Caen in Normandy) will be on the menu from the 23rd January.

Our two very popular scallop dishes are:

* King Scallops in their shells, “AuGratin”baked in the oven with béchamel sauce and Parmesan.

or

* Scallops wrapped in streaky bacon and served with potato cake and black pudding.

Both are priced at £14.95.  As always, they’ll be available only until they run out – and supplies are limited.

(Please note that this offer cannot be used with any discount vouchers.)

See you (very) soon!



The Maltsters Team

Start As You Mean To Go On!

And all of a sudden we’re well stuck in to the New Year. To make sure we start as we mean to go on, this month we’ve two major attractions.

The Burns Supper

With the haggis being piped in and a menu that includes Scottish Game Terrine, Arbroath Smokie fishcakes, 30-day-hung Scotch Sirloin and Typsy Laird Scottish Sherry Trifle, our Burns Supper on the 27^th January is sure to be an excellent evening.  As always, places are limited so do book a table soon. The full menu is on the web site. Call 01491 628 400 to book – it’s just £27.50 per person.

The Winter Warmer

There may not be any snow around these parts (yet), but it’s still feeling a bit nippy at times. To keep you all warm, we’re running  a special ‘Steak Pudding and Claret’ offer until the end of the month.

Every Tuesday, for just £11.95 you get one of our very nice homemade Steak and Kidney Puddings, plus a glass of red (or white if you prefer) wine to accompany it. Can’t be bad.  As always, just download the free voucher from the web site and hand it in when placing your order.  Simple.

Keeping Things Fresh

And just to liven up January a little bit more, we’ve just introduced a new ‘full menu’. Details are on the web site but of course the best thing to do is come in and try the dishes in person!

A blog entry to round-off 2011: thank you!

Rounding out the year at the pub, we had our regular Christmas Eve Raffle which raised £150 for the Air Ambulance thanks to your generosity, and we had our famous New Year's Eve party. The pictures below, I hope, tell their own story about that!

Here's to 2012 - see you soon.

Peter and Helen