Arancini has got to be one of my go-to starters at an Italian restaurant.
Normally filled with mozzarella and coated in tomato sauce, I simply can’t get enough of these delicious and crispy balls of rice. I’ve even tried to cook them at home with disastrous consequences - Nigella I am not.
So imagine my surprise - when perusing the menu ahead of a visit to The Wheatsheaf in Bingham for a Sunday roast - to find arancini listed in the dessert section. I’d decided I was having that before the email had gone into request a table booking.
I had visited The Wheatsheaf before and was impressed by the food so, when a friend and I wanted to treat another friend to lunch to mark her birthday, we decided to try out their Sunday roast.
The restaurant itself is modern yet small and cosy and we were shown to our booth. The birthday girl, Sam, sampled the house white while Emma and I chose a mocktail - fruity and refreshing, almost as good as the real deal. Almost.
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The starters looked tempting. I had one eye on the smoked cheese soufflé but I knew I was “saving space” for the dessert I was desperate for.
If you’re not a fan of Sunday roast (who isn’t?) then there was a good selection of other delicious sounding options on the menu but we were all there for a ‘proper dinner’. I opted for beef, Sam for chicken - tempted by the lemon and herb jus - and Emma chose gammon.
The restaurant was filling up so the service could have been a little quicker. My tummy was rumbling loudly by the time the plates came but they were all hot to the touch and piled high.
A good sized portion of meat was hiding buttery mash, roast potatoes and stuffing and, of course, there was my must have Sunday roast item, a beautiful Yorkshire pudding on the side.
A board came with cauliflower cheese and veg arrived for us to share, along with a dish of mushrooms in some sort of creamy sauce. When trying those I half wished I was dining with my husband instead of my oldest friends. He doesn’t like mushrooms and the girls agreed with me – these were delicious and they wanted their fair share!
At first glance I wondered if there’d be enough gravy to go around – no-one wants a dry Yorky – but it proved to be the perfect amount.
I would heartily recommend the beef and Sam and Emma were equally delighted with their chicken and gammon choices.
But as happy as I was - and pretty full - beef was not what I had my heart set on. So when the plates were cleared and the waiter came to ask if we’d like a dessert, I placed my order with baited breath, half dreading a reply of: “sorry it’s all sold out.” Thankfully it wasn’t.
Emma ordered the same as me while Sam, who probably would have preferred a starter, opted for the mini pud option where you can get a coffee and a smaller version of dessert. She chose bread and butter pudding which came with a scoop of cherry sorbet.
My arancini looked every bit as you’d expect if it were a starter, although the blueberries were a give away.
White chocolate had been melted over the top and could be mistaken for cheese – and greenery added to the overall effect.
Once you took a bite though, there was no mistaking this was a dessert – with the sharpness of the blueberries taking away from the sweetness of the white chocolate. My latte was the perfect accompaniment. Had I had any dregs of my mocktail left I think it would have been a little too much sweetness. But writing this Eat my Words review has made me recall how delicious the whole meal was and now my tummy is rumbling again.
By the time we’d finished we were all stuffed to the brim and could just about manage a potter around a nearby garden centre to finish a perfect Sunday afternoon.
Out of five
Food: I’m still thinking about my dessert and those mushrooms now (perhaps not together). Need I say more? *****
Drink: Passionfruit notini was nearly as good as the real thing and Sam enjoyed her wine so much so she ordered a second ****
Decor: It seems like a traditional local from the outside but the interior is modern and clean ****
Staff: Staff were helpful and attentive with a waiter helping to identify an ingredient and apologies made when a drink was delayed but service could have been slightly quicker ***
Price: My main was £19.95 and dessert £8.50. I thought it represented good value for the quality of food but perhaps a deal might encourage people to stretch to a third course. I’d definitely return ****
