Duck's Farm Shop & Cafe, Portesham

Ploughman's Lunch at Ducks Cafe, Portesham

Location - 

Bramdon Ln, 

Portesham, 

Weymouth 

DT3 4HG

Website -  https://www.ducksfarmshop.co.uk/

Date of Visit - 24/07/2023

The Food

10 - Pickled Onion. A strong start here (no pun intended), and this was unlikely on initial impression. What looked like a desert spoon full of the most miniature onions I have ever seen lurked on the plate. I was expecting to lose the enamel on my teeth. However, I tried them with some trepidation, and my mind was blown! Sweet, lightly pickled, nice texture and a surprise flavour! A spice, reminiscent of curry, but light and aromatic. 

8 - Pickle. There was no ploughman's pickle or chutney. So why eight points? There were other pickles, gherkins probably, and once again - mind blown, what a flavour favour. Lightly pickled and yet sweet, tasted delightful. Nice with the pie. This should have made it a 10, but could have done with a bit more - but hey, that's my opinion, I'm sure some of you dislike pickles, and you have my deepest condolences as you are missing out on one of life's pleasures.

9 - Cheese / Ham. I'm having turmoil here...... I like a big slab of gorgeous, matured cheddar - I accept ham and occasional pies for inclusion and diversity purposes. However, I cannot get it out of my mind that the piece of cheddar was, in my judgement, too small. 

Was there a lack of value overall? Not in the slightest, there was brie and a delightful pie. I'm just obsessed with good cheddar (If in Dorset, check out Coastal, a great cheese).  Anyhow, what cheddar there was (I can't leave it alone, can I) was delicious and good. The Brie was good too. However, the Pork Pie was a triumph!  Hence, still 9 points. Pie was like a terrine in hot crust pastry. Large pieces of pork combined with just the right amount of spice. Nothing short of a triumph. Was very nice with the pickles or a bit of tomato. Should be 10 points for the pie, but....... cheddar......

8 - Bread. The bread was good, very nice indeed. Dropped a few points because it was sliced bread - I like a good crusty crunch on my ploughman's bread.....

2 - Spread (better be butter or a choice). Lakeland packets, again...... Where do these come from? Bookers or some sort of cash and carry I expect. Nice enough, good temperature. However, woefully little of it. This might have been caused because all our orders required butter, so I believe this was accidental. I probably should have asked for some more. 

Ploughman's lunch at Duck's Cafe, Portesham.

5 -Presentation. Stunning! Full marks.

5 -Salad, etc. again, top scoring. The salad was beautiful, fresh and interesting. 

5 - Originality. Full house here. The pickles, onions, salad dressing, and pie were completely new to me.

Food total: 52

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Beverages

9 - whatever drink(s) Tea. In a pot, served with a cup but a good mug full. Plenty of milk too. I think Alcoholic beverages were available too, remiss of me not to note this. 

Drinks Total: 9

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The venue

10 - Service. The service was top-notch. friendly greeting on arrival and generally very helpful. Speedy too. 

7 - Atmosphere. Had the feel of an old-style cafe, which I quite liked (the breakfast offering looked very tempting, and I hope to return to test this). Modern, clean, and nicely decorated.

5 - Location. On the main road from Weymouth to Bridport, so what it might lose in aesthetics, it gains with convenience.  There were enough easily accessible spaces on our visit located just off the main road. 

4 - Toilets. Confession. I did not inspect the toilets, so giving the benefit of the doubt here based on my experience of the Cafe & farm shop. I expect clean and functional. 

Venue total: 26

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Score: 87

Notes.  Whilst not the highest score I would recommend a visit if passing and need victuals. There is a range of other foodstuffs, including some lovely-looking cakes. 

Of particular note is that the items on the plate should be available in the shop. I meant to search out the pickled onions, however, was distracted by my family who were keen to get onto Lyme Regis......

Also of note, for a farm shop there seemed to be a range of "normal" stuff too, sensibly priced, so useful as a convenience store.