The owners of the Golden Ball in Lower Assendon, Henley-born Head Chef Ben Watson and his wife Priya, who oversees front of house, learned their respective crafts working at prestigious Michelin-starred restaurants. Clearly, they both were paying careful attention and have used their complementary experience and expertise to create a destination-worthy dining experience.
Flagstone floors in the main bar lead into cosily carpeted dining areas. The nature-inspired colour palette consists of soft greens, pale wood and rich creams, and a squashy oversized mink velvet sofa suggests that their aim is your relaxation. Little touches, like Malin & Goetz toiletries in the loos and the plethora of cookbooks on the shelves, indicate that this 17th century country pub knows how to please a 21st century punter and is going to be offering something rather special.
Although the a la carte menu has plenty of tempting options, we went along on a Saturday evening to experience Ben’s tasting menu (served on Friday and Saturday evenings only). Before I go any further, let me tell you we arrived at 6pm and it was nearly 10pm when we left, which is true testament both to how welcome we were made to feel by Priya and her team’s exemplary hosting, and the unquestionable quality of Ben’s food.
The prettily illustrated menu promised a seasonal feast, reflecting the couple’s passion for showcasing the breadth of flavour to be found in local, seasonal produce. We were promptly seated and supplied with water for the table before dish after dish of unforgettable food and glass after glass of expertly paired wine started to arrive. First up – and always the acid test for any decent restaurant – the bread, and just the warm yeasty scent was enough to tell me we were in for a treat.
Before I go any further, I want to warn you that I don’t think I can write up this meal without getting a little fanciful, so please forgive any hyperbole. The next dish was Stuffed Squash Flower with Autumn ratatouille. I’ve never been a huge fan of this Provencal stew, mainly because soggy courgettes and chunks of acidic bell pepper are not my idea of an epicurean delight. However, this was so unutterably delicious that I have had to do a 360 on my previously strong-held opinions. To the extent that four days later I was trying to recreate Ben’s finessed flavours and velvety textures in my own kitchen. Needless to say I didn’t succeed exactly. For one thing, my version had no plumply stuffed squash flowers sitting on top, with their creamy goat cheese filling offsetting the sweetness of the slowly cooked, meltingly soft vegetables. Nor did I pair mine with a mineral-crisp glass of vhino verde (Anjos de Portugal, Quinta da Lixa, Portugal 2022).
A high bar had been set and was raised with each subsequent course. The ratatouille was followed roasted ceps, with confit egg yolk, toasted yeast sauce and lavish shavings of fresh English truffle: a walk in the deep dark woods with an unexpected shaft of golden sunlight in egg form. This was earthy and magnificent and sounds as if it could have been overwhelmingly rich but slender shavings of fresh mushroom ensured balance was maintained. Toasted brioche on the side added a sweet note which was further enhanced by a Chardonnay (Salt + Stone, USA, 2020) which had the requisite fullness and depth to hold its own against the food.
Next up was the fish course, but the menu was giving nothing away, other than it was to be John Dory. Let me take a polite pause here to caution you about the portion sizes. They are huge, so please, I urge you to skip lunch and go light on breakfast; this food is so good you’ll want to be licking the plates clean, not struggling to manage one more mouthful. The fish was (of course) perfectly cooked, flaking flesh, crisped skin. Served on a mini mound of buttery mash and swimming in a decadently rich crab bisque, prettily dotted with green herb oil. Peeping out from below the potato were perfectly al dente lemony green leaves (think it was kale, can’t be sure. At this point my notes read: “so good, can’t write”. Apologies.) The lemon was echoed in Priya’s wine choice, a citrussy, no-nonsense Muscadet (Muscadet Cuvée l'Origine, Domaine de la Foliette, France 2022).
Thoughtful pacing of the dishes meant that when our next course arrived we were ready to enjoy the roasted crown of duck with roasted cep and more of those bitter greens, A move to red wine (Passo Doble Malbec & Corvina blend Organic, Masi Tupungato, Argentina 2021) was a welcome partner to the autumnal flavours as the peppery plummy notes enhanced the fruitiness of the mandolin-thin slithers of blood plum garnishing the game.
So far, we’d notched up four glasses of wine, and the fifth was brought along with the first of two sweet courses. A French Grenache Noir arrived our subtly scented fig leaf ice cream, complete with blackberry compote and a crisp cone of puff pastry. The delicate flavours helped cleanse the palate before the arguable showstopper arrived; a cocoa-rich chewy macaron generously filled with piped cherry compote and a thoroughly wicked chocolate ganache, presented alongside a scoop of black cherry ice cream.
We finished with coffee and petit fours – and the princely sum this menu commands? Just £78 per person (not including wine). As I write this one week on, I’m still struggling to comprehend the fantastic value for money this represents. I’ve had tasting menus which cost more than double this and been less impressed with what has been served up. The only way I can make sense of it is to acknowledge that Ben and Priya have created something with real love and when you really love something, you want to share it. I tasted this love in every bite, in exactly the same way I might taste it in my husband’s roast dinner or my daughter’s pasta sauces. And, in the spirit of this love, I want to grasp the hands of my friends, my family, and all you wonderful readers and tell – beg – both you and them to try The Golden Ball yourselves. You will not be disappointed.
The Golden Ball, Lower Assendon, Henley on Thames, RG9 6AH,
