Jan & John Maggs

Antiques and Art

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And This Is What They Ate

Some of our best meals from our recent travels

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Although many of our favorite restaurants in England, Bruges, and Amsterdam have either vanished or have reduced their offerings, preparing and consuming food of high quality is still a high priority. English chefs have done much to raise the quality of restaurant cuisine, and the landscape is dotted with pubs serving delicious meals, prepared with local ingredients and seasoned with a mixture of tradition and innovation. And of Bruges and Amsterdam, what's to say?

During our four-week stay, our evening meal was the focus of our culinary life. We'd like to share a few images of some of the highest spots, beginning in the southeast of England.

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Half confit chicken with chorizo and butterbean stew

 Half rack of lamb with butternut squash puree, confit leeks, Dauphinoise potato, and diablo Hollandaise

The Royal Oak, Wineham, Sussex

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Duck liver pate with Guiness bread and blood orange

 

Lamb shoulder & feta croquettes, Harissa mayo, whipped feta, black treacle, rosemary pickled onions

Crispy pork belly & braised pig cheek. Potato and black pudding terrine, caramelized cauliflower, Romanesco

Dark chocolate and salted caramel tart, honeycomb, salted caramel ice cream

The Carpenter’s Arms, Burford, Oxfordshire

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Black pudding fritters, served with a red onion confit

Slow-roasted lamb shank, served with creamy mashed potatoes, and a rosemary and mint jus 

Sunday lunch style vegetables, family style 

Cheesecake with the slightest hint of chocolate

The Three Horseshoes, Clay Cross, Derbyshire

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Marrow bones with toasted white bread 

Sweetbreads and potatoes 

Rack of lamb

Roasted vegetables

Brasserie Raymond, Bruges

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An amuse bouche of thinly sliced rare beef, served with a thick slice of exceptional brown, seeded bread

A selection of charcuterie, consisting of thinly sliced coppa and mortadella, and thicker slices of Salsiccia

Scallops from Dieppe, with chicory, kohlrabi, and orange 

Two large asparagus spears, with Lebanese muhamarra sauce, fresh cheese, and green herbs 

Veal ribeye, Morels, broad beans, and mashed potatoes

Locàle, Bruges

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An open-faced sandwich made of steak tartare, truffled mayonnaise, and thinly sliced foie gras

Metzo, Haarlem

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Duck with blackberry beets compote and roasted shallot 

Fried sea bass with chervil garlic oil and potato

Candied chicken leg with red cabbage salad and apricot sauce 

 

A delicious dessert that defies description

D’Vijff Vlieghen, Amsterdam

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