Ian Waller and his family enjoy a faultless Sunday lunch at Bath’s newest restaurant
Our first visit to Lilliput Farm Kitchen was a nosy call by for tea and cake just to see what Bath’s latest restaurant had to offer. As it happens, the Victoria sponge was seriously good and tempting enough for us to book in for a family Sunday lunch return a couple of weekends later.
And wow, what a decision that was, because we can now reveal that the award for best Sunday roast in Bath goes to… yes, the Lilliput Farm Kitchen! It was a cracker!
There is so much to like about eating at this wonderfully modern restaurant set in a delightful rural location on the A420 just along from Tog Hill picnic area. It’s ideal if you’re just pulling off the M4 or in Bath and fancy a great place to meet up and eat out, plus there’s plans for a nature walk to be added in the near future.
We booked in for a 2.30 lunch after spending a late Sunday morning at Beckford’s Tower, one of those amazing locations that everyone in Bath has seen but many are still to visit. We love the place, made even better by the new pathways that have been introduced and the recently discovered grotto. And having Sunday lunch prepared by somebody else waiting for us, it was looking like a great family Sunday out.
With plenty of space in the car park, we were soon given a warm welcome by the disappointingly normal-sized Lilliputian staff and shown to our table on the first floor. Lilliput Farm Kitchen offers a wonderfully light and airy interior with huge windows looking out onto the rural surroundings that you immediately think you’re in for something special. Plus the absolute lack of background music was hugely appreciated!
This is clearly a child and dog friendly venue, with water bowls for the former and high chairs available for the latter. While the menu offers more of a variety for weekday breakfasts, lunches and evening fare, for Sundays it’s a choice of roasts, alongside appetisers, starters, kids meals and puddings.
While we pondered, our wonderful waitress, Charlotte, delivered our choice of drinks – a couple of funky mocktails for me and our youngest, and two English Garden Spritz (£9) – gin, apple juice mint, elderflower, cava and tonic water – for mum and eldest daughter.
Around us the restaurant was pleasantly bubbling with happy chat and conversation, while the serving team dealt with all requests with effortless professionalism.
When it came to ordering, we went for three roast day-aged beef striploins, served with Yorkshire pudding (£25) and one slow-roast pork belly, served with applesauce (£22), all accompanied by roast potatoes, kale, carrot and swede mash, cheesy leeks and gravy. I also added in a glass of red – chosen by Charlotte to suit my lunch.
I can happily report that it was amazing! As our 13 year old put it, “That was the best drink and the best pork I’ve ever tasted!” And you know, he was spot-on. The beef was just as good, complete with huge Yorkshire puds, loads of superb gravy and perfectly prepared veggies.
While the beef was available pink or well-done, clearly the latter is a travesty of culinary choice and we all chose the rare option. Just to prove how right we were, the beef here was mouth wateringly delicious and so easy to cut. At the same time, the pork was, as our youngest was keen to share, stunningly good, and served complete with a decent portion of crackling.
Plus, thank you Charlotte, the wine was an excellent accompaniment.
Could we find a fault, a weakness, even a slight upset? Very simply, no. OK, it certainly isn’t the cheapest roast available, but when the meal is this good, hey, it’s worth it.
If you’re wondering about the puds, yes, they hit a high mark too – clearly freshly prepared with excellent ingredients and presented with a touch of panache. While my wife went for the dark chocolate & miso crémeaux, cocoa nib tuile and vanilla ice cream (£10), it was two English strawberry pavlovas with French meringue, strawberry compote and vanilla cream (£9) for our daughter and me, and two scoops of mint chocolate ice cream (£3 per scoop) for the youngest.
So, you probably get the idea from here – this was a 10 out of 10 meal at a great venue with excellent service too.
Whether you’re stopping by for tea and cake, lunch with a view or a Sunday roast, we can very thoroughly recommend Lilliput Farm Kitchen.