Daylesford Organic Cafe, Daylesford, near Kingham

Mine was a weekend of more than usual self-indulgence which, were it repeated, might have an effect as deleterious to my wallet as to my waistline. A friend’s birthday dinner on Friday at London’s Wolseley restaurant was followed by a sensational Saturday supper at Daylesford Organic and a Mother’s Day lunch at the Fishes in North Hinksey.

A feature common to all three of these admirable establishments is the owners’ fierce pride concerning the sound sourcing of everything placed on customers’ plates. This is especially the case at Daylesford, which famously relies considerably on meat, dairy products, fruit and vegetables from the surrounding farmland, where organic methods have been scrupulously adopted for a quarter of a century, and the 20-acre market garden.

Principally, of course, these are destined for sale in the large and immensely well-stocked Daylesford Organic shop, opened in 2002 by Carole Bamford, wife of JCB boss Sir Anthony Bamford. They own 1,500-acre Daylesford and, for good measure, a second estate in Staffordshire which also supplies assorted foodstuffs. Their produce (including cheeses and home-baked bread) can also be found in two specialist food shops in London’s Pimlico Road and Notting Hill (where else?) and in a concession in the food hall at Selfridges.

Since ladies who shop — a major source of Daylseford’s custom — tend also to be ladies who lunch, the cafe has always been a vital part of the facilities there. It is in action throughout the day. For breakfast you may fancy portobello mushrooms on sourdough toast with a fried duck egg, for instance, or a bacon roll with house-made brown sauce. Lunch features half a dozen ‘small plates’ such as Welsh rarebit with chutney and ‘detox turkey and vegetable broth’, salads (say, pear, quinoa and chick pea, with toasted hazelnuts and Daylesford Blue) and some eight ‘satisfying classics’ (lamb and butterbean casserole, for instance, venison and cranberry pie, or pumpkin risotto with lemon and sage). Orange and mulled wine trifle and apple oat crumble with vanilla ice cream (hand-made, naturally) figure among current puds. There are also wonderful teas built around scones, superb cakes, savouries and salads.

When the weather is warm all these delights can be enjoyed outdoors. Some of them were when last I reviewed here five or six years ago in the company of my own team of ladies who lunch, one of whom sadly lunches no more, unless it be on heavenly ambrosia.

At that time, the cafe was open in the evening only for special events. But since last summer, it has been welcoming visitors Friday and Saturday, 7pm ‘till late’ for supper of the trademark range of strictly seasonal delights. Though the shop is not staffed, it remains open and illuminated, so anyone who wishes to purchase can do so.

Booked to eat at 8pm, Rosemarie and I arrived slightly after time thanks to an unplanned meander through the byways of Gloucestershire (looked so easy on the map — I really should get satnav). Still, our tardiness prolonged the delights of Don Carlo, Live from the Met, on the car radio, and in no degree lessened the welcome we were given by cafe manager Amelia Newton.

She had reserved a table for us at the side of the room, not far from the work station at the rear where head chef Gaven Fuller and his team were about their tasks bathed in the warmth from their oven and grill, both wood-fired. “They look happy,” I said to our waiter Rob Barnsley. “That’s because they’re on sherry,” he replied, — or at least I thought he did. He’d actually said: “They’re on show.”

By then, we had begun our meal with some of Daylesford’s splendid breads, one packed with dried apricots, raisins, prunes, walnuts and hazelnuts, another favourite in focaccia style with a light topping of Daylesford cheddar. Additionally, I nibbled at green and black olives, some pitted and some not — a dangerous combination for the teeth if you are not warned, as we had been by Rob. They came with cloves of garlic, cornichons and strips of sun-dried tomato. We had also had the first sips of wine. This was Château Léoube white, a crisp blend of semillon and rolle grapes, hailing from the Bamfords’ home in France (estate number three!) and bursting with the taste of the warm south.

This proved ideal with my starter of linguine, with Cornish crab, enlivened by chilli and ginger in judicious quantity, garnished with rocket. The beautifully fresh crab had been caught by a Cornish day boat and supplied by sustainable food specialists Flying Fish Seafoods, which also deals with Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons.

The same was true of a chunk of roast cod served on a bed of red wine lentils in which, as I at once spotted, there was also meat stock, an addition that might not have gone down too well with some customers. There was also cream celeriac and wilted cavello nero.

Rosemarie began with chicken liver parfait. This featured muscat, both mixed in with the livers and butter, and in the raisin jelly topping. Her main course was slow-roasted lamb shoulder, which proved so delicious that I crossed to ask chef Gaven how it was done. The boned shoulder, he said, was rolled in puréed garlic and rosemary leaves, wrapped in foil, then cooked in a low oven for three hours. Having cooled it was wrapped in clingfilm, and cut into thick slices to be crisped in the wood oven. Wonderful — so, too, was the side ‘stew’ of pot barley and vegetables (carrot, swede and celery).

To finish I permitted myself a rare sweet treat in the shape of blood-orange mousse with quince sorbet, while Rosemarie met her match (only half was finished) with a hefty slice of a superb dark chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream.

Opening times: Mon-Wed 9am-5pm, Thurs-Sat-9am-6pm,
Sun 10am-4pm. Plus supper Friday and Saturday, 7 till late.
 

Parking: Large car park on the site, close to shop and cafe.
 

Key personnel: Owner Carole Bamford. Cafe manager Amelia Newton. Head chef Gaven Fuller.
 

Make sure you try the... ‘Daylesford favourites’, including fish pie with buttered greens (£13), vegetable tart with seasonal salads (£12.50), venison and cranberry pie with braised red cabbage (£14). Special supper dishes include charcoal-grilled Aberdeen Angus rib of beef for two to share, with rosemary and garlic potatoes and seasonal greens (£49)
 

In ten words:
Famed favourite for foodies where everything is sourced
with care.