The Tudor Pass

Don’t be fooled by the name of this restaurant within Great Fosters hotel – you don’t see a ‘pass’, nor are you in the heart of the kitchen; instead, the chefs deliver and explain each dish and so aim to “bring some of the excitement and theatre of the pass into the restaurant”. The tasting menu offers a natural progression of tastes and tones, and is made up of detailed and elegant compositions that are both sophisticated and satisfying. Sauces are a particular skill of the kitchen, like a superb, subtly juniper-infused venison jus.

What makes it distinctive

• Small room, high focus: an intimate dining room inside the Great Fosters estate hotel, built for tasting menu service.
• Two menu lengths: the format is a surprise tasting menu offered in two lengths, with a longer Signature option.
• Formal gardens setting: the restaurant sits within the Great Fosters grounds, worth arriving early for a walk through the gardens.

Signature Ingredients

• Fallow deer: a recurring kind of headline game main, often matched with an intense red wine sauce.
• Girolles: fried, then used for deep, nutty woodland notes against richer meats.
• Blackberry: a sharp fruit purée used to cut richness and brighten game dishes.
• Seasonal British produce: the menus change, but the cooking leans on excellent ingredients and tight accompaniments rather than showy plating tricks.

Tasting menus (Great Fosters, Egham)

• Wednesday to Friday lunch: 4 course tasting menu £95, Signature tasting menu £125.
• Saturday lunch: 4 course tasting menu £125, Signature tasting menu £155.
• Wednesday and Thursday dinner: 4 course tasting menu £125, Signature tasting menu £155.
• Friday and Saturday dinner: Signature tasting menu £165.

Cooking

• Modern seasonal cooking served as a surprise tasting menu, with example pairings including fallow deer with red wine sauce, fried girolles, and blackberry purée.