The Harcourt Arms, Stanton Harcourt

You know you’ve become a regular when the manager greets you with “good to see you again”.

It’s hard to stay away from The Harcourt Arms and it’s now overtaken one of our long-time favourites. On this occasion, we were back for their roast, which is incredible value at three courses for £30.

To start, we ordered the buttermilk fried chicken aioli, mainly because I’d had it before at one of their brunches and remembered it being some of the best fried chicken I’ve tasted, we also ordered the crispy halloumi with chilli jam and the chicken liver parfait with red onion compote, brioche and cornichons. The chicken was just as moist and flavourful as I remembered, although not quite as crispy this time, but still delicious.

The halloumi came in generous chunks with a light coating, but the standout dish all round was the parfait. It’s not something we’d normally order, but it was rich, smooth and beautifully seasoned with rock salt, paired perfectly with crisp brioche toast. Absolutely delightful.

For mains, we went for the quarter roast chicken with bread sauce and the pork belly with apple sauce, alongside sides of cauliflower cheese and pigs in blankets. Everything came served with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, spring greens, carrots, parsnips and gravy. Our eyes were definitely bigger than our bellies.

They don’t have as many non-roast options as I remembered, but we also ordered the roasted cauliflower and halloumi salad with tahini, lettuce and pomegranate, which was a lovely fresh alternative to the heavier roasts.

Everything tasted incredibly high-quality and cooked really well. The roast potatoes were crisp, the Yorkshire pudding was giant and fresh, the cauliflower cheese was deeply cheesy with lovely colouring, and the vegetables were perfectly cooked. The parsnips, in particular, were some of the most flavoursome I’ve had, sweet and sticky in all the right ways. The pork crackling was excellent too. Portion sizes are definitely on the generous side, so come hungry. The chicken itself was really moist, though it could perhaps have had a little more flavour, and we wouldn’t have said no to some extra gravy, something more places seem to be offering now. Overall though, it was a really strong and thoroughly enjoyable roast. The only thing I personally wouldn’t order again would be the pigs in blankets, which had quite a strong flavour that felt a little overpowering.

By this point we were all very full, but desserts live in a different stomach, don’t they? We’d already spotted the sticky toffee pudding being delivered to another table and couldn’t resist ordering it to share, served with clotted cream ice cream.

It was perfectly portioned and honestly one of the best sticky toffee puddings I’ve had: not overly sweet, with a rich caramel sauce that paired beautifully with the creamy ice cream. Sensational.

We were also intrigued by the blood orange crème brûlée with homemade shortbread. It turned out to be surprisingly light, with a distinct blood orange flavour running through it. The brûlée topping had that perfect crack to it too. It was great to see some more interesting dessert options on the menu. Every time I visit I eye up the cheeseboard, but I never quite leave enough room, though it also looks fantastic.

We enjoyed the meal with a glass of rosé de Provence, but there’s also a great selection of signature cocktails, mocktails and English sparkling wine on offer.

The ambience is relaxed and informal while still feeling special. You feel genuinely looked after and never rushed through your meal. This is the sort of leisurely lunch where you’re encouraged to settle in and really enjoy your time there.