The Boat

Say it loud. Say it proud. Sustainability is the word at this admirable restaurant and micro-farm a few miles from Lichfield. The whitewashed Boat sits on a busy main road close to the Staffordshire Canal but some architectural whizz has cast a Tardis-like spell over the well-insulated open-plan interior. The central focus is a calm, airy kitchen under a high atrium flanked by an array of esoteric country preserves – elderflower vinegar and pickled rose petals, for example.

From menu covers printed on seaweed paper to compost heaps, aquaponics and minimum-waste cooking, Liam Dillon clearly takes his environmental philosophy seriously. Seasonality is a given: Cannock Chase venison, celeriac and damsons were much evident on the two tasting menus at a recent autumnal meal. Typical offerings might range from a beer-soaked spelt loaf with chicken butter, liver parfait and garden pickles or goat's cheese with Isle of Wight tomatoes and smoked eel sushi to venison loin with chervil root and smoked beetroot. These imaginative and highly stylised ideas are served on contemporary ceramic plates, although the results can sometimes seem overworked and over-tweaked. One standout dish, nonetheless, was a portion of line-caught, superbly fresh Cornish sea bass with St Austell mussels, celeriac and apple, in which clarity of flavour was matched by simplicity of presentation. 

Raw honey, from the farm’s bees, spooned from a handsome silver beehive pot over Amalfi lemon parfait and damson might close proceedings with a fine flourish, or you might prefer a refreshing apple and lemon verbena jelly. The creative drinks list emphasises biodynamic, organic and locally crafted selections.