The Ship, Bishops Sutton

We were invited to The Ship by owner Kelly and head chef Ollie Moore while filming some content for The Staff Canteen, so in the interests of transparency it’s only fair to mention that. That said, I’d happily pay to go back, and I fully intend to. What impressed me most was that there wasn’t a weak dish all afternoon. Ollie first cooked a couple of dishes to show us what he’s been working on, including his hay salt baked celeriac, poached pear, nettle purée and walnuts, and a dessert of carrot cake with frosting, toasted walnuts and nettle ice cream. I’d never come across nettle ice cream before, despite seeing plenty of nettle soup over the years, and it was genuinely one of the most interesting and enjoyable things I ate all day. For lunch, we left the ordering entirely in Ollie’s hands. The sticky beef cheek, pickles, crispy samphire and green sauce was outstanding – rich, sticky and packed with flavour, while the crispy samphire added something I’d never experienced before. The poached duck egg, potato foam, globe artichoke and pickled mushrooms was much lighter but equally impressive, with fresh, earthy flavours throughout. The mains continued at the same standard. The stone bass, set polenta, hazelnut and strawberry relish with spring vegetables and elderflower butter sauce was beautifully cooked, while the braised pig cheeks, saffron rouille, radicchio and pickled anchovies somehow managed to feel both comforting and light enough for a summer lunch. Dessert was the perfect finish. Warm madeleines straight from the oven with caramel sauce. Simple, perfectly executed and absolutely delicious. It took a fair bit of willpower not to drink the caramel sauce from the espresso cup once the madeleines had disappeared. Great food is one thing, but The Ship also gets the basics right. The service was warm and genuinely welcoming, the pub has a relaxed, homely feel, and it’s exactly the sort of independent business that’s worth supporting. If you’re anywhere nearby, I’d thoroughly recommend booking a table. We’ll definitely be back, this time as paying customers.