Can this Madingley restaurant live up to its reputation? Nicola Foley finds out
The Friday we took the short schlep out to Madingley was the day that winter, without much warning, really took hold – bringing an icy chill which made the warm glow of The Three Horseshoes all the more appealing. It had been a while since I last ate at this much-championed local eatery and I was keen to discover whether a couple of years on from my last meal there – new management at the helm – the restaurant still had its wow factor. The omens were good: not only do the current owners John and Julia Hoskins also run the celebrated Old Bridge in Huntingdon, but in fact, they ran The Three Horseshoes too for many years up until 1997 – so are more than a little responsible for the stellar reputation the restaurant has boasted for decades.
There’s no question the setting is lovely. A picturesque thatched inn with an elegant conservatory dining room, reassuringly bustling with diners, it feels sophisticated but relaxed, and from the moment the door opens and we’re ushered through to our table, the service is exceptional – the staff friendly, knowledgeable and supremely attentive without being overbearing.
The regularly updated menu offers a small selection of seasonal dishes with a broadly Mediterranean feel, though nods to hearty British flavours are there too. We began with a small, elegant dish of pork cheek, slow braised in port and honey for a rich, tender result, and served with buttery polenta and a smattering of sweet, crispy onion. All told a pretty faultless opening gambit.
I was especially delighted with the second starter, a well-loaded bowl of croquettes. Filled with salt cod and velvety mashed potato and accompanied by nothing but a good squeeze of lemon, they transported me back to my summer holiday spent gorging on pintxos in Basque country with each fluffy-on-the-inside, golden-crisp-on-the-outside morsel. Key to any good pintxos experience is the wine and The Three Horseshoes deserve more plaudits on this front too for the zesty, dangerously quaffable Grüner Veltliner that was recommended.
I was already beginning to see why the restaurant had beaten off stiff competition to scoop The Good Pub Guide’s Cambridgeshire Dining Pub of the Year this year, but it was the mains that really sealed the deal.
“Visually impressive, it more than delivered on taste too”
An earthy, slow-cooked shoulder of venison, paired with magically creamy potato puree and sticky-sweet caramelised shallots provided a hearty main for me, while my dining partner opted for a more delicate sea bass dish. Visually impressive, it more than delivered on taste too; the fish dazzlingly fresh and served on a pillow of lightly-spiced couscous with chickpeas.
Gamely soldiering onto desserts despite our already well-sated bellies, we were pleased to see that sweets are by no means an afterthought at The Three Horseshoes. You’ll need to have saved some room for the brownie, a huge slab of dense, chocolatey indulgence spliced with cherries and served with a dollop of crème fraiche. The homemade pear and almond tart, with gorgeous flaky pastry, a drizzle of caramel and a quenelle of mascarpone cream, was similarly delightful.
Dinner was rounded off with a White Hopper. A take on the Grasshopper cocktail with white chocolate cream, white cacao and creme de menthe, it was reminiscent of a very boozy After Eight mint (and trust me: that’s a really good thing), though the flat white martinis looked well worth a try too, especially if you need a little caffeine pick-me-up after your meal.
Bracing ourselves against the crisp November night as we exited the restaurant, we gushed about the service and food. With ever-more new and shiny eateries vying for our custom around Cambridge it takes something rather special to draw diners in – especially for an out of towner like The Three Horseshoes. But it’s unquestionably worth the trip, with its classy menu, attention to detail and gorgeous setting – and it’s great to see this treasured local favourite is still on top form. n
The Three Horseshoes, High Street, Madingley, Cambridge CB23 8AB
threehorseshoesmadingley.co.uk
