The Highfield is slap bang in the heart of our stomping ground – past and present – and we like to see it thrive. It’s part of the Peach Pubs stable which seems to be generally a feel-good organisation that gets the best out of its staff. We met the owners way back in the day at a party hosted by Peach at the Rose and Crown in Warwick and came away feeling it was a bit special.
Essentially, we want good food and drink, stylish comfortable buildings and outdoor spaces and reasonable prices. Peach ticks all the boxes. Reasonable prices is a tough one to achieve and getting harder in the current climate, but The Highfield is as close as it gets at gastro pub level.
We went to check out the new menu. First up, tempura prawns from the specials board. Crisp batter, juicy substantial prawns and a punchy dip, they were a great start. Jimmy Butler’s honey mustard chipolatas were sticky, sweet and tasty served with crunchy shallots and spring onions.
One of us will always go for a breaded chicken after first toying with everything else on the menu before accepting the pull of the chicken schnitzel is too strong. This one was a belter. Succulent, crisp with a generous mound of garlicky butter and, to top it off, a crisp shard of chicken skin. Rocket, parmesan and fries played second fiddle, but were perfectly lovely. A winner.
Next up, 14-hour braised beef and ale pie. Jam packed with juicy, tender, flavour packed beef encased in thin, crisp pastry this was superb and our stand-out dish. A rich gravy, smooth creamy mash and fresh greens topped it off beautifully.
We’d munched our through some hearty dishes and probably didn’t need three courses. While we swerved pud, we shared a superb selection of five cheeses. Our only gripe was that the soft cheeses were a bit cold and not as oozing as we’d have liked, but we’re nit-picking – it was a heck of a lunch.