The Pony & Trap * | Chew Magna (UK)

A true gastro destination, which stays that cosy country pub serving those from all walks of life.
A definite pin on the food map and a no brainer for a return visit!

Located in the small hamlet of Newtown on the outskirts of Chew Magna (UK), just south of Bristol, this old snug country pub stands alone on a hillside overlooking Chew Valley Lake. Entering the 200-year-old pub, we were led through a reassuring interior of lowish ceilings, nooks, crannies and snug banquettes before arriving at an open oak-beamed back room looking out over a pretty view of a rural English scene: patchworked, quilted and newly ploughed.

In 2006, the Eggleton family arrived and over the years have kept the idyll of the pub and built it into restaurant with a glowing reputation. The Pony & Trap is run by brother and sister Josh (Chef Patron) and Holly (General Manager) Eggleton.
Josh Eggleton is a former Gordon Ramsay Scholar and recently appeared on BBC’s The Great British Menu alongside Emily Watkins of the Kingham Plough (Oxfordshire) and Dominic Chapman of the Beehive (White Waltham). Besides The Pony & Trap, Josh also opened Yurt Lush in Temple Key in 2012, Salt and Malt (Fish & Chips) in Chew Magna in 2014, the Kensington Arms in Redland in 2016, Chicken Shed (now Root) in 2017 and in the same year the second Salt and Malt in Bristol.

Gary Johnstone is Head Chef at The Pony & Trap since January 2017. Gary was a Sous Chef at The Swan in Wedmore and the Onslow Arms in Guildford. Before that he worked at the Michelin starred The Elephant Restaurant in Torquay. The Pony & Trap coveted a Michelin Star in 2011 and held it ever since.

The Pony & Trap is open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Saturday, for lunch only on Sunday and closed on Monday. The à la carte menu offers 4 Snacks (at £2,50-£10), 4 Starters (at £9-£10), 5 Mains (at £18-£31), Surf & Turf for Two (at £75), 4 Sides (at £4), 6 Desserts (at £4.50-£8) and a Cheeseboard (at £8.50). The Lunch à la carte also offers 2 Pub Classics (at £13), a Ploughman’s and a Cider Glazed Ham with egg and chips.
Besides the à la carte, you can also go for one of the three 6-course Chef’s Menu’s: Classic (at £60), Fish & ShellFish (at £65) and Vegetable (at £50).

We had lunch 3 weeks ago and had the Classic Chefs Menu.

What can be homemade, is: White sourdough bread with sunflower seeds and spelt and another one with seaweed. The seaweed one was just like a focaccia. Delicious! Salted butter and lovely beef drippings to go with the bread.

The first course consisted of three appetisers served separately. First to arrive was cured pigeon, which was lightly smoked, with cumin, nuts and cornichons. Delicate slices of pigeon had a deep, meaty aftertaste. The pickled carnichons livened them up nicely. Not sure about the presentation, but very tasty.

Brawn fritters with a sweet mustard gel. Brawn is meat from a pig’s (or calf’s) head that is cooked and pressed. This was the pork variety. Scrumptious!

Forgot to take a picture of the third appetiser…. A carrot and coriander soup with coriander oil, which was really tasty. Almost tasted like pumpkin.
I liked all three appetisers. Nice display, flavours and taste, of the old and the new.

Hasselback potato with smoked herring roe on top. Ewe’s curd underneath with baby beet and baby carrot, baby leek, parsnip crisps, rocket and flowers from the garden. Loved the crisp leek in there and the fluffy potato. Spring vegetables stealing the show. Cheese and onion with a twist!

Nice seared Queen scallops and a beautiful fresh scallop tartare with a bit of chives. An almost sweet, burnt lemon puree, leek oil and a hearty prawn sauce. Lovely combination.

Pencil loin of venison, beautifully cooked, deep flavoured fagot, honey glazed carrot with sourdough crumbs and a wonderful eel and apple buttery sauce. Very different from your typical gravy sauce. Nice twist on the fagot with the pickled onion. Really like that it’s different from the “normal” venison dish. And it really works!

Pre-dessert was a lemongrass custard with coriander oil, rapeseed merengue, lime granite and borage flowers. Looks pretty and it was just delicious with a great balance of sweet and sour.

Forgot to take a picture of the dessert as well…. This picture was posted online by the pastry chef. Mine looked better! 😉 Buttermilk and orange panna cotta with orange jelly, burnt orange and orange sponge and a campari soup with some gin (Chef’s own Negroni).
A very pretty dish to look at and the panna cotta was quite nice, but the whole dish was far too bitter. The sponge was very bitter and undercooked as well. Too much orange bitterness on the plate, enhanced by the gin and bitter campari. Unfortunately we couldn’t finish it and left more than half of the dish.
We explained to the waiter and he came back saying that sometimes it turns out too bitter. Maybe they used a bit too much gin or the oranges were not as sweet as normal. Strange explanation as I do expect a chef to taste what he makes before serving it. Nothing else was offered and full price was charged. Not quite correct in my opinion.

To finish, some homemade sweets. Pistachio macaron, carrot cake with butter icing and walnut and Turkish delight.

The homely service was unhurried and on point. Only 5 tables for lunch, but they put us all together, thus filling the first part of the dining room. So we ended up at a very small table, although more comfortable places available in the other part of the restaurant. On the other hand, it gave a pleasant hubbub throughout, with diners ranging from a few locals supping their pints sharing a ploughman’s to a retired couple who grew more Bristolian as the lunch progressed.

Besides the disappointing dessert, I enjoyed all dishes. The Jersey Royal was the star of the lunch, closely followed by the Scallop. The Pony & Trap ranked 6th place on Estrella Damm UK’s Top 50 Gastropubs 2019 list, and I can see why. This is a true gastro destination, which stays that cosy country pub serving those from all walks of life.

Taking inspiration from the local area, the Eggletons grow a lot of their ingredients in their garden and pride themselves on continuously learning and evolving with their daily changing menu. And at these prices, this is a great find and underpins what I enjoy discovering and sharing. To know what is actually out there in terms of this kind of return. A definite pin on the food map and a no brainer for a return visit.