The dish: Pheasant skewer with braised lentils.
Description: Five generous pieces of pan-fried, skin-less pheasant were threaded on a wooden skewer and placed on top of a neat pile of braised Puy lentils in the middle of a large white plate. At the side, an espresso cup was filled with an intensely-flavoured chestnut cream soup, to be poured over the pheasant or sipped like an amuse bouche-sized soup.
Where you will find it: Felin Fach Griffin, Felin Fach, Brecon, Wales, Charles Inkin's award-winning gastro pub with rooms that also featured in Diana Henry's Gastro Pub Cookbook.
Inventor: Head chef Ricardo Van Ede, a former Michelin-starred chef from the Netherlands who worked in three-star Michelin restaurants in France with the likes of Michel Guerard.
PRICE: £6.50 as a starter.
Why was it so good? Pheasant is a tricky customer for chefs and can often dry out, but these pieces were tender and succulent and had a good gamey flavour. The lentils had been well seasoned and had a depth of flavour, as did the chestnut cream. A well-balanced, classy starter on a menu littered with great gastro pub dishes.
