Celebrating Mark's birthday - a little late

We finally got to celebrate Mark's birthday today. We'd decided to spend the day en famille and drive up to Ludlow, to have lunch at one of the many recommended restaurants there - Hibiscus where Claude Bosi fulfilled every expectation we had of his two-Michelin starred cooking.

Edward chose to start with his signature dish of "savoury foie gras ice cream, served with a warm emulsion of brioche with balsamic vinegar caramel" which was pretty remarkable and possibly the star dish of the day. For a main course, he had smoked veal and a peach melba for pudding. Mark started with a pigs trotter, the smoked veal and finally a confit of apricots. Gillie chose a crab and lobster salad, pork with hummous and finally a roast peach with malted milk ice cream. The petits fours were smoked fudge and elderflower marshmallows. Yum and double yum.

(Sorry, omitted to mention the little cheese gougeres with our aperitif, the pre-lunch glass of watermelon and tomato foam, and the in-between-courses glass of marinated strawberries, sorrel jelly and black pepper cream - how could I have forgotten those?!)

Ludlow itself was an interesting place and we happily pottered around for a while before setting off home via Clee Hill, enjoying wonderful views along the way.

We will return!

(Originally posted by Gill)