Colder, darker months demand lots of warming, slow-cooked dishes… you’ll find plenty of these on our winter menu! What does the Winter Menu have in store?

Here at Arbor, Bournemouth’s newest two-AA rosette restaurant, we love the change of seasons. There’s a real sense of anticipation, a buzz, as Head Chef Andy Hilton comes up with new and exciting ways to use all the high-quality ingredients that are coming into their own. As he puts the finishing touches we thought we’d share with you some of the delights in store.

Obviously colder, darker months demand lots of warming, slow-cooked dishes that really bring the taste buds to life – and you’ll find plenty of these on our winter menu. But comfort food doesn’t have to be stodgy: Andy uses the wonderful colours and textures of seasonal winter veg – beets, red cabbage, fennel, pumpkin, butternut squash – to full effect to produce dishes that are perfectly balanced.

Winter Salad

Here at Arbor we love a winter salad – with all the refreshing yet earthy produce in season and the vivid tastes and hues, there are so many opportunities for producing hearty yet wholesome dishes full of colour and crunch.

Pumpkin & Beetroot Salad with Crispy Hens Egg
The beautiful ruby colour of winter beets comes from betanin, a phytochemical that’s thought to bolster immunity. Combined with soft, sweet orange pumpkin flesh, and the super-healthy, tender green pumpkin shoots and seeds, all dressed with a mustardy vinaigrette, this is a wholesome salad that’s full of flavour. It’s topped off with a perfectly cooked egg courtesy of Fluffets Farm in the New Forest.

Game

Here at Arbor we strongly believe that no winter menu worth its salt would be complete without some good game. We’ve gone for beautiful venison this time from the wonderful Walter Rose & Sons master butcher in Devizes, Wiltshire. It’s robust in flavour without being aggressively gamey and, with a higher protein content than just about any other red meat (but less fat), it’s perfect for bigger appetites.

Duo of Venison with Sticky Red Cabbage
This dish combines venison shoulder, braised in red wine with flowery, peppery juniper berries, flaked and crumbed, with a lean, tender piece of loin, simply pan-fried for a slightly roasted flavour and served pink. The red cabbage, cooked in sugar, vinegar and red wine, adds colour as well as a tangy sweetness that really cuts through the richness.

Chicken

Of course, there’s got to be a bird. And for the colder months, light, delicate poultry just won’t cut it. That’s why we’ve gone for Cotswold White Chicken (a cross between a Rhode Island Red and a White Cornish Game cross for those who are interested), a naturally slow-growing bird that produces a really intense flavour and juicy texture – frankly not to be mentioned in the same breath as your average chook.

Cotswold White Chicken with Parsnip Puree and Potato Croquet
This dish combines the tender breast with a confit leg, slow-cooked in its own fat, and winglet. The rich, buttery root-vegetable puree and crumbed potato, flavoured with sage, complete the whole comfort food vibe.

Duck

Our duck comes from Merrifield farm in the beautiful Devonshire countryside, home of Creedy Carver, where free-range ducks are reared in small flocks and fed on a low density GM-free diet completely free of antibiotics or growth promoters. Again, this makes for leisurely growth and hence a better flavour.

Smoked Duck Breast & Confit Duck Leg with Fennel & Orange Salad
Slivers of oak-smoked duck breast and soft, melting confit leg meat contrast beautifully with a refreshing salad of crisp, anise-flavoured fennel, at its tender best during the winter months, along with a hit of sweet, zingy citrus fruit to really sharpen up the palate.

To book a table at Bournemouth’s finest restaurant, please call us on 01202 498900 or email us enquiries@arbor-restaurant.com. We look forward to welcoming you soon!