Roes To The Occasion

I know, I know. No posts in a week and then two in a day. However, with the poorly other half battling a cold and a serious West Wing addiction, I can't get in to the other room to channel surf and besides, I'm still reeling from a glorious roam through the starters and bar menu at the lovely Coach & Horses.

The C&H is probably my favourite pub in London. The love affair started one night a couple of years ago with a bowl of egg, sausage and chips - which turned out to be lovely chunky crispy handcut chips, tossed with potent chorizo and all topped with a fried duck egg - and a pint of Timothy Taylor's. Since then, I've been lucky enough to get to know owners Giles and Col and lovelier hosts you'd be pushed to find. Young Henry in the kitchen also knows his stuff and I'm a sucker for his simple, traditional, brilliantly executed flare. Hell, I'm so much of a fan, young William even got them to make me a Scotch Egg cake for my birthday drinks.

No Scotch Eggs tonight, just a long-overdue and fantastic brainstorming chat, a lot of laughs, several pints of Timmy's and a few plates of straightforward, excellent grub. We munched our way through: Herring Roes on Toast (subtle and delicate, with a great caper hit to add sharpness, all on Henry's brilliant bread); Grilled Sardines; Asparagus with poached egg; Trotters on toast (incredible and worth a trip to Farringdon on their own); and the best charcuterie plate I've had for a very long time. Rich rilette, home-made picalilli, ale-cured ham (they cure it themselves, in fact) and, best of all, a delicious home-cured bresaola. Just brilliant.