Pub Deux

It's not quite right to call The Wellington just a pub since it served up what is probably the best (arguably the 2nd best -- next to the Stewing Pot) local food we've had. It's in the quaint little village of Wellington, just north of Hereford. For starters, we had king scallops with blood pudding and mushed peas. In America, we mostly eat just the 'abducter muscle' -- the round white disc of the scallop. Over here, they leave the 'roe' attached -- looks like a goofy orange and pink tongue hanging onto the side of the scallop (see pic). It has a different texture (more grainy, less chewy) than the scallop with a richer, stronger flavor. Good, nonetheless. Blood pudding, for those unfamiliar, is simply a sausage that contains blood from some animal as a filler. It's typically very dark (almost black) in color, and slightly mushy compared to other sausage. It's rich and savory and probably also has a nice percentage of lard and cream in it. The combination of the scallop, pudding, and peas was new to me but it worked. For our entrees, Rachel had a steak with chips (we call 'em fries) -- I would say with confidence that these were the best chips we've had in England so far. I had halibut, grilled with crispy pancetta and smushed broad beans. The fish was a good change from what we'd been eating all week (meat, meat, meat) and I've always loved the combo of white fish with savory beans -- great. And two pints of Wye Valley HPA (I think even my folks would drink this one -- nice and light!) to wash it down. I'm sure we'll back be here more than once -- hopefully some of you will be along to taste for yourselves...