For many people, autumn is definitely the season during which Lincolnshire reveals the best it has to offer in terms of local produce.

As Pride goes to press, many shoots will already be underway and a wealth of game will emerge from the season with this issue’s feature on game dishes giving just a few examples. With Lincolnshire also producing exceptional root vegetables in rich, silty soils, and providing myriad venues for cosy dining at country pub tables with open fires and real ale, it’s time to welcome back autumn dining.

Providing an almanac of autumnal dining potential is the Tally Ho, at Aswarby near Sleaford. The venue celebrates its second anniversary later this month, having opened in Autumn of 2008, and is the perfect example of a great place to dine that’s faithful to Lincolnshire’s food culture at this time of year.

John Blenkiron is chef patron of the establishment, which dates back from 1750 and is still part of the Aswarby estate — which today consists of six farms — upon which the Tally Ho was a pub and, later, a venue at which the Belvoir Hunt meet.

The venue, under its new ownership, re-opened two years ago with John and his team determined to reinvent it as a shining advertisement for Lincolnshire food, particularly at this time of year.

All vegetables are grown and sourced locally, some are grown specifically for the venue by nearby Abbey Parks. Likewise, meat is sourced by arguably the area’s best butcher, Gary Simpson of Heckington and The Four Seasons Farm Shop in Sleaford.

Bread is freshly baked on the premises, all food is cooked freshly to order and all desserts are home made, demonstrating how serious John is about providing quality dining. Already 24 shoot suppers are booked in this season, and the dining room has been given a makeover with refurbished dining chairs &?tables, exposed beams and two large open fires enhancing the restaurant’s look and feel for the season.

“I feel really passionate not just about using local produce, but about seasonal dishes.” says John. “When I?arrived here I really wanted to elevate the food to match the building and the surroundings. It’s a beautiful part of Lincolnshire, the scenery is spectacular and this season really does make the most of the food available in the fields around the restaurant.”

The restaurant features a main à la carte menu, available from 6pm-9.30pm, consisting of eight starters, and eight main courses, as well as a selection of desserts. Also available is the lunchtime menu from 12-2pm, and Sunday lunch menus from 12-2.30pm. A specials board is available too, highlighting supplier-led feature dishes and providing the venue with the opportunity to trial new dishes.

First impressions are more than favourable, with the venue’s stonework, mullion windows and heavy oak door giving way to a cosy bar area. The dining room features thick oak furnishings, candles & oil paintings produced by, among others, John’s father, creating a warm, personal and considered dining room.

By way of starters, Pan Roasted Sea Scallops with Crispy Bacon and Crispy Duck Salad make the most of autumn flavours, whilst two fish based dishes, two meat dishes and two salads are always provided.

Main courses, meanwhile, include Roasted Gressingham Duck with Truffled Celeriac & Funnel Purée and a Classic Orange Sauce, and Three Little Pigs — an assiette of pork served three ways — as well as a perennial Lincoln Red steak option.

A?steak menu is also available on Tuesday and Wednesday, whilst Sunday Lunch options include a choice of four starters and four main courses for a considered £19.25 for three courses and £14.75 for two courses. Lunchtime dining menus include five starter dishes, ten Salad/Sandwich options, and four ‘favourite’ dishes.

“We want to provide satisfying and hearty ‘comfort’ food.” says John. “Complicated or pretentious food is unnecessary, we want our customers to go home satisfied and fulfilled, feeling they have enjoyed value for money as well as great food.”

The same rule applies to the venue’s wine selection too. With a choice of four house wines — two red and two white — and a selection of seven white/rosé and five reds, plus five sparkling wines/champagne, there’s plenty of choice. With a fruity, broad Burgundy Fleurie for under £19, and a crisp, nutty Chablis at just £21 though, wines are also well-priced with slim mark-ups.

Having first seen the venue in early 2008 and visited, John says he could immediately see the potential of the venue, and relocated from London to run the business and create a restaurant that focused on customer satisfaction and high quality food with provenance and good customer service.

Just two years on, the restaurant is doing very well indeed, and has just hosted its first wedding in a marquee erected in the large paddock to the rear of the venue. With ample parking and six en-suite letting rooms in the former coachhouse, it’s a venue with great potential and developing the Tally Ho Inn for special occasions with catering and complete wedding packages — for around 400 guests and average budgets of around £6,000 — is John’s next project.

With plenty of great ideas, excellent service and high quality dining, the Tally Ho really does embody everything the Lincolnshire diners hold dear. With local ingredients, accessible menus and uncomplicated, hearty food, this is definitely the season for the uninitiated to try the Tally Ho.