CYCLE AND EAT YOUR WAY AROUND THE CHILTERNS
This ride is approx. 50 miles round trip, starting and finishing in Amersham and how long it takes is subject to how distracted you get with food, drinks, history, walks, boats, gardens and everything else you will see on your way round.
While London is renowned for its restaurants and bars, an area on its outskirts could rival the UK capital in terms of Michelin stars per capita. This jaunt around the Chilterns takes in the region’s most salivation-inducing stops en route to world renown restaurants and hotels.
AMERSHAM
What better starting point, a lunch tasting menu at The Artichoke, 9 Market Square, Amersham. Proudly boasting Restaurant of the Year 2013-14 and Michelin Star 2020 restaurant, this 16th Century building is located in the heart of beautiful old town Amersham and Chef and owner Laurie Gear oversees a refined modern European menu filled with charming additions including seasonal ingredients and foraged herbs, berries and flowers. The team can be spotted hard at work in the open kitchen from the Kitchen Dining Room. Other spaces include the glorious Garden Dining Room, opening out on to the bespoke herb wall and the Wine Room up on the first floor. The perfect neighbourhood restaurant, Artichoke has certainly helped to put Amersham on the map.
MARLOW – approx 13 miles from Amersham
Marlow and Tom Kerridge’s collection of restaurants offer a raft of choices. Enjoy a pork pie or sausages rolls with a half of locally brewed Rebellion beer at deli/pub The Butcher’s Tap or make a night of it and ease into one of the big copper baths found in The Hand and Flowers. Great choice of food and drinks between both venues and another overnight stop in unique and very tasteful accommodation.
HENLEY ON THAMES – approx 7.5 miles from Marlow
You could give your bum a break and get walking on one of the walking tours of Henley. Or if you want to add something a bit more fun to the walk you could do the ale trail (or gin trail if that’s your choice of refreshment) of Henley – or at least make a start on it. Or the Midsomer (murders) trail.
The choice of restaurants made it difficult to choose but we plumped for The Crooked Billet in Newlands Lane, Stoke Row. The Crooked Billet opened 30 years ago by Paul Clerehugh (the second pub chef ever to win the highly coveted Craft Guild of Chefs Award) retains the unspoilt rustic country charm that made it famous. A large and varied menu, specialising in local and British produce – there’s a Buffalo farm next door and Paul keeps bees, beef, lamb, hogget and mutton from Paul’s farm – including great seasonal British seafood. And if Kate Winslet can hold her wedding reception there it’s good enough for us!
BRAY – approx 11 miles from Henley OT
The sleepy countryside village of Bray was not known for much before it landed on the gastronomic world map with the arrival of The Fat Duck in 1995. (well my friend’s gran lived there if that counts) Blumenthal himself was similarly unknown: the self-taught chef learned classical French cooking while working other jobs. His flagship is hailed as a global gamechanger and was duly voted The World’s Best Restaurant in 2005 and has 3 Michelin Stars. The Fat Duck’s long-standing reputation speaks for itself, always wanted to go there, want to invoke some memories? Just do it! High St, Bray.
TAPLOW – approx 5.5 miles to Cliveden House from Bray
Cliveden House on Cliveden Road, Taplow is a 5* award winning hotel (on 376 acres) built in 1666 by the Duke of Buckingham for his mistress. There are stories and scandals abound but the most famous one has to be the chance meeting of Christine Keeler and John Profumo and the start of their illicit affair nearly 60 years ago that changed the course of British Politics and made its way into our history. Whether you are just popping in for a decadent afternoon tea or sampling their seasonal delights in the Astor Grill this visit is surely going to impress.
BEACONSFIELD – approx 5 miles from Cliveden House
AMERSHAM – approx 7 miles from Beaconsfield – last leg to get you back to where you started!
On conclusion, if despite being ‘on your bike’ and getting all that exercise, you called into all these eateries, sampled their fine wares and didn’t put on any weight you probably didn’t do it properly and should go back to ‘start’ and do it again! Hope you enjoyed your foodie tour and look out for the next one.
Please Note – it is an offence to ride your bike under the influence of alcohol. Telling an officer that Autocarbookers told you to partake will not let you off the potential £1,000 fine. If you decide to participate in ale trails or wine tasting etc please stay the night in that town … after all there is a great choice of accommodations to try out. Happy peddling.