The Wheatsheaf in Titchmarsh food review – We visited the Northamptonshire village gastropub and this is what we thought

We, a party of six ranging in ages from 27 to 85* arrived at The Wheatsheaf with enough time to order a drink from the bar before heading into the restaurant area. We were greeted with a smile and a menu which, on first inspection, far exceeds what would be expected of a village pub.

The menu is small but not lacking in diversity, and doesn’t overwhelm with a medley of options and slight variations on the same thing. Each dish looked, at a glance, like it was purposeful, and not simply there to fill a slot.

I’m very much a person who will find the most enjoyment in simple, but well-executed comfort food, be it a Sunday roast, or a hastily-wrapped pie in the stands on a cold and frosty 3pm kick-off. Every so often I’m partial to being educated on the finer things, however, and The Wheatsheaf felt like it did this, albeit not in a way that belittled me for not knowing what ‘red wine jus’ even is.

The starters were brought out after a short wait. I opted for the scallops, which were neatly served on a bed of samphire and butternut squash puree with a chorizo & shallot dressing and started the meal off on the right foot. Scallops are delicious alone so it can be the devil’s own job to find a way to implement them into a dish that improves on its simplest form, but this achieved such a feat. Cooked to perfection and a large enough portion to lead into the main course without feeling like it was the main event.

I am reliably informed that the confit chicken and leek terrine, and autumn tartlet were great, too.

The main menu is divided into ‘pub favourites’ such as fish and chips, a classic burger, and an 8oz sirloin steak, though the starter prompted us all to opt for the more adventurous side of the menu, which included local wild venison loin, raspberry and honey-glazed duck breast, and Cornish hake fillet, celeriac and vanilla puree. The latter of which was my choice and, not surprisingly, it went down a treat. The champagne butter sauce it laid on was a dream, and the crab croquette served alongside the healthy-sized fish was packed with flavour and substantial, without feeling too dense. The two of us who ordered the hake shared a knowing nod as we headed into the dessert.

While first impressions matter, dessert is the course that serves as a parting gift, so it’s critical to get right. I went for the peanut butter delice with salted caramel, sesame tuile, and milk chocolate ice cream, and others went for a variety of the vanilla panna cotta, spiced pumpkin tart, and Disaronno poached pear. The peanut butter delice was sublime. Peanut butter can often be polarising, and overwhelming as part of a wider dish, so much so that the other elements go unnoticed. Slathered on a slice of toast it feels like the bread is simply a means to an end, but here, it was entirely complimentary to the rest of the dish.

The single thing that went down the best, however, was the champagne sorbet served with the Disaronno poached pear, which was described by its orderer as ‘one of the most delicious refreshing desserts I’ve ever tasted’, despite an insistence that the dish was largely picked because of the chocolate ganache.

The service was excellent. Attentive enough to ensure you’re not wanting for anything, but never too persistent.

One of our party asked for dishes to be modified to not include any pork products which was respected, though from what I can decipher it didn’t detract from the meal.

Pleasantly, when it comes to the cost of the experience The Wheatsheaf isn’t anything out of the ordinary, with fish and chips coming in at £16.50, sirloin steak at £28, and starters floating around the £7-£8 mark. Desserts are around the same.

Drawbacks are few and far between and border on trivial. One of our party mentioned there was no ‘safe’ option on the dessert menu, and the Tottenham Hotspur angel that tops the Christmas tree stings somewhat after they’ve eliminated your favourite team from the EFL Cup just a few days before.

If there’s anything that can help soften the blow of a crushing cup defeat it’s a good meal, so it’s testament to the food’s quality that I left forgetting that I even like football.

*All food and drinks were paid for by ourselves.