Do you remember when the Scotch egg was deeply unfashionable? When it was used in programmes like ‘The Office’ as a symbol of naffness? Those days are gone, and it’s thanks to great chefs like Sham Hanifa that the Scotch egg is now one of the grooviest things chefs work with. Sham’s riff, where he makes a confit duck Scotch egg to serve with Thornhill duck breast and green beans, is one of the hippest of the modern dishes, and it’s also typical of his unorthodox and imaginative approach to cooking.
The Cottage has become a cult address since it first featured in the Bridgestone Guides just a few years back, and the last time we tried to book a table for dinner we failed: sold out! We weren’t surprised (though we were disappointed) because this chef produces lovely food – twice-baked cheese soufflé with walnut crumble; grilled rump of lamb; lamb cassoulet with aubergine purée; a superb tasting plate of desserts. Mr Hanifa has an uncommonly sure touch with the ethnic ingredients that are scattered throughout his dishes, like yakitori chicken with Asian slaw, which make the Cottage cooking splendidly exotic.
