Linda Miller's new Meadowsweet Supper Club, in a riverside setting just out of town, is a wonderful new addition to Shrewsbury's exclusive private dining scene.
My Shrewsbury editor Katy Rink reviews The Meadowsweet Supper Club - a wonderful new dining experience in a beautiful riverside setting in Hanwood, just outside Shrewsbury.
" haven’t enjoyed an evening this much in a long time. Caterer Linda Miller and her husband Rich have brought something new to Shrewsbury that will excite experience-hunters and smart foodies alike."
Having accidentally stumbled upon our town on a tour of the UK a few years ago, they immediately fell in love and spent a year renovating a riverside property in Hanwood, creating a simply paradisiacal entertaining space with a superb wooden deck overlooking the most beautiful bend in the Rea Brook.
And now, Linda is offering intimate private dining experiences—a refined Supper Club at her beautiful home for up to 10 guests—and it’s difficult to imagine a more convivial or pleasure-inducing setting.
Sitting on the deck with a glass of fizz, we took in the evening sun, enjoying the wildlife—herons are often seen here, or sheep coming to graze at the meadow’s edge.
Linda and Rich have put great thought and care into this and are warm and generous hosts. The pair met dancing Ceroc and obviously enjoy the good things in life. The sharp, modern décor is impeccable, peppered with interesting canvases by Brazilian artists. Rich creates awesome BBQ stations (with built-in bars and fridges), while Linda, a former New Yorker, actress, and singer, is a great conversationalist and happy to engage, all while introducing us to her beautiful food. With almost 30 years of running her own catering business—delivering top-class food for private and corporate events—cooking for eight is no problem.
“Having built my dream kitchen, I’m finally able to enjoy cooking in it,” Linda says.
She’s entirely self-taught, having relied on catering jobs to support her acting career before launching her own business—and prides herself on making everything from scratch. The only ‘bought-in’ ingredient on our menu was rye bread, which she made into a buttery crostini, and which underpinned a delicate Skagenröra (Swedish shrimp salad), nestled in a ring of pickled cucumber.
It was gutsy, flavorful food—whilst also managing to convey a Masterchef degree of sophistication—with decent-sized portions, rather than tasting-menu ‘dabs and smears’—and delicious from beginning to end. There were amusing little touches too, like the Suppli al telefono—a popular street food in Rome—little croquette balls filled with risotto rice and stringy mozzarella cheese (which recall telephone wires, as the cheese stretches with every bite).
A pea guacamole complemented the sumac-roast salmon, which was rounded out with a silky lemon brown butter sauce. We finished with a generous chocolate forest-fruit bavarois tart and wickedly intense chocolate ice cream.
Much of the produce is sourced from the Meadowsweet meadow; our menu included apple juice from fruit harvested from the couple’s own trees and pressed and pasteurized by Linda and Rich themselves. Linda is hopeful for a good crop of plums this year too and is planning to build her own vegetable beds. Wild garlic grows in abundance on the Rea Brook riverbank—handy for making oils and pestos—and there’s mint and rosemary in the meadow.
“My intention is also to use locally sourced produce wherever possible—having such an amazing market hall and so many farms in the area makes it a joy to find and use Shropshire produce,” Linda says.
Her dishes might be described as ‘elevated rustic,’ rooted in three decades of solid catering experience and finessed for fine dining.
“I think you have to really enjoy food and develop a palate,” she says. “Skills are just practice and learning. I look up things and adapt them and, over the years, have watched endless cookery programmes. Everything I do, I make myself. I want it to be from me. I never buy in sauces—it’s got to be from the heart.”
Linda and Rich aim to run two Meadowsweet Supper Clubs a month, which will be first come, first served, and bookable through their website. Supper Clubs will be £70 per head, to include a welcome drink and a four-course meal with coffee to finish.
They are also offering ‘At Home with the Great Catering Company,’ which will allow individuals or businesses to book the Meadowsweet Supper Club space (and outdoor deck area) for their own private events. Alternatively, you can book The Great Catering Co for your own events.
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