Revelatory flavours at this wine-pairing dinner in the hills
THE food scene's love affair with all things Spanish continues with this intriguing event at The White Hart at Lydgate on Thursday 2 February. It's a sherry-matching dinner designed to show how this versatile fortified wine deserves a place alongside your meal, as well as before it.
Expect eye-opening combinations that will make you wonder why you haven't tried sherry with food before.
Sherry has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years thanks to the soaring popularity of tapas. While it was once associated with grannies sipping a glass of Bristol Cream, it's now more likely to be found next to a plate of morcilla or jamon Iberico.
However over in the Jerez region of Spain where it's produced (the name 'sherry' is an Anglicisation of Jerez), it's not just served with tapas but with any food deserving of a quality wine. At the event on 2 February, the chefs at The White Hart will show how different varieties of sherry work with a range of different flavours and courses. Expect eye-opening combinations that will make you wonder why you haven't tried sherry with food before.
The event will be introduced by The White Hart's general manager Ian Howard – a self-confessed sherry addict who will give you the background and tasting notes on each of the wines.
And the food comes from the White Hart's classically-trained head chef Michael Shaw. His cooking is well worth travelling for – he worked at Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, Gordon Ramsey's Aubergine, and Gilpin Lodge in the Lakes before taking the lead role at The White Hart. He's since secured The White Hart a place in the Good Food Guide and the Michelin Guide.
The dinner is £55 per head for five courses and a paired wine with each course, ending on a brandy de Jerez. The organisers promise a warm atmosphere, excellent food and drink, and a new appreciation of this sometimes misunderstood wine.
The 'Wines of Jerez' dinner takes place on Thursday 2 February from 7.30pm for 8pm.
There are a limited number of tickets available so you're advised to secure a place as soon as you can.
To book tickets, contact The White Hart on 01457 872 566 or email bookings@thewhitehart.co.uk.
