The Clive, Bromfield

The Clive is a posh bar and restaurant just outside Ludlow. We were in Ludlow for a gig by the magnificent Lau and The Clive was recommended so we gave it a go. Unfortunately, some poor bus research meant we had to get a taxi at a handsome £11.50.

I went for lightly battered cod fillet, home cut chips, mushy peas and home-made tartare sauce, which, just like the taxi, cost £11.50. Many things in and around Ludlow seem unreassuringly expensive.

The cod didn’t have much taste and was a surprisingly thin piece of fish. The batter was light, had a very good flavour and wasn’t in the slightest oily. It formed a great crispy accompaniment to the fish.

The chips were outstanding. They weren’t trying to be anything but proper chips. Not too big, not too small with a beautifully crisp golden exterior and a big potato flavour on the inside.

The mushy peas were stunning and had an incredibly clean, deep, intense pea flavour.

Now, the tartare. It did say ‘home-made’ tartare but I wasn’t expecting it to actually mean that you had to take it home and make it yourself. On the plate were three gherkins and two caper berries which were sitting on a dollop of mayonnaise. So, along with the traditional lemon, for squeezing on the fish, I was pretty much all the way there with the ingredients. A sharp knife and a small mixing bowl were the only things they forgot to bring out. It was a classic case of unadulterated, deconstructed nonsense.

The aforementioned lemon was a good size and had perfected squeezability and naturally, as it was a posh place, I had to ask for the vinegar.

Overall, a perfectly OK fish and chips, with the chips and peas being the standout elements, with Hobson’s Best Bitter being a good beer to go with the food.

Getting back to Ludlow proved a bit of a pain: there were no taxis for two hours so a three-mile hike by the side of a busy road was the only solution.

The madness of the deconstructed tartare still makes me wonder how a good restaurant can get it so wrong.