The Windmill

The Windmill at Badby
Main St
Badby, Daventry, NN11



Before we review the Windmill, just a quick aside about the De Veres in Daventry: After a hard won game of chess in the day (don't ask), we retire to the hotel bar for an aperitif before dinner. Upon asking for a martini, we were asked whether we wanted ice. "Well," I began, "I would like it stirred over ice, but not served with it... if that's what you mean?" Confusion ensues as the waitress asks if I want rosso, bianco or extra dry. "Dry", I stammer, upon which I was served a short of Martini Extra Dry vermouth.

Explaining that we would like some gin with that, we were told firstly that they do not posses a shaker, then no appropriate glass (despite martini glasses being in sight behind the bar, probably gathering dust) and finally that they had no vermouth, despite trying to sell me a shot of the stuff. The manager then took the glass of vermouth out the back, returning five minutes later having not been able to locate a suitable shaking vessel. A high ball glass was finally filled with ice, Gordon's (they didn't try to upsell the Bombay Sapphire, which we would have preferred), and then given to us with an olive bobbing merrily. All this took the best part of a half hour, and we were charged around £8 for the confusing drink. Next time, stick to the pints of Stella.



But I digress. Dinner with the team(s) was at a quaint little pub, in the middle of nowhere, called the Windmill. Having ordered as a group weeks in advance, nobody remembered what they had ordered, so I include a selection of what people had on the night.



The smoked salmon was, I am reliably told, very nice; the portion was certainly extremely generous.



Served with a corn not-quite-relish, all of the entrees were served with buttered sliced bread (of the standard issue supermarket kind). Slightly odd.



My jalapenos stuffed with cheese were very nice - but lacked the fiery kick I had hoped to have. The salsa-ish relish thing was jarred at best, but most likely came out of a 10 gallon caterer's bottle. Again, served with buttered bread.



Goopy cheesiness, yum.



A's prawn cocktail was highly disappointing, with bland, wormy defrosted prawns of the Young's variety, served with a half avocado, some mixed leaves and the ubiquitous bread.



The farmhouse pate was a luscious slab, and decidedly rich. Probably home made, we agreed.



A's steak came smothered with a mushroom sauce. The sauce was gloopy and obviously thickened with starch. The steak was fine, but would have fared much better without the artificial sauce. Whatever happened to some fond, deglaced with brandy and finished with cream? Simple, and tasty.



My brill was somewhat overcooked - which I suppose is to be expected - not served as one piece, it came flaked and looked slightly chewed. Not great presentation, but otherwise ok.



The shared servings of fried potatoes were amazingly crispy with a fluffy centre. Delicious, and we couldn't get enough.



Veges were of the boiled variety.



Desserts were a highlight, with a deliciously tart blackcurrant sorbet in a brandysnap basket.



I believe the puree was mango, adding some sweetness to the sorbet (which was really an ice cream).



A's cheesecake was impeccable, and easily rivaled the one at Portabello's.



Smooth, rich and light, with a sweet ginger biscuit base - this cheesecake was near perfection.



The third option was sticky toffee pudding, which we were assured was sticky and great.



Plenty of custard, and oozing toffee.

The damage: with drinks and three courses, it came to around £35 per head. Not cheap, not great, but certainly a cut above your usual pub meals. Throw in some real English countryside ambiance, and it's well worth a visit if you happen to be passing by.