MICHELLE TOMPKINS samples some fine dining at a revamped restaurant...

The Glasshouse, Marsh Farm Hotel, Royal Wootton Bassett, SN4 8ER 

THERE’S something of a foodie revolution taking place out in Wootton Bassett, but it’s been so quiet it’s possible you might have missed it.

Slowly but surely, the owners and staff at Marsh Farm have been working to turn around the fortunes of this secluded little hotel – and now they are ready to shout about what they have been doing.

Probably best known locally as a wedding venue, the hotel’s Glasshouse Restaurant – under the steerage of head chef Russell Hunt – is now hoping to fill a gap for fine dining. But instead of putting all their eggs into one basket (quails’ or otherwise), there’s also a simpler menu running alongside for those with more basic tastes. So in theory, Mrs Foodie can sit down to halibut with braised octopus and champagne sauce (£16.95), while across the table Mr Not-So-Foodie can tuck into a classic burger (£10).

It’s a novel concept and one I’ve not seen done anywhere else, certainly not in these parts. And a couple of weeks ago, I was invited along to a VIP relaunch of the restaurant to try the food for myself.

Our party of four were determined to sample most of what the fine dining ‘Something Special’ menu had to offer, so opted for completely different starters around the table – saffron tortellini with tomato consomme (£4.95), smoked salmon with seaweed and salmon pearls (£6.25), belly of pork with ham hock, nettle puree and pork popcorn (£6.25), and my own choice, ruby red beef carpaccio with a quail’s egg, beetroot puree and horseradish snow (£5.95).

As we waited for the food to arrive, we were treated to an amuse bouche of chilled watermelon soup, which got a mixed reaction in our group. I loved it; a refreshing start to a meal on such a hot and humid evening, but others weren’t quite so keen. Later, we were also served a delicious pre-dessert of mango sorbet – quite possibly my favourite flavour in the world. I’m not sure if these little touches are going to be standard practice for fine diners at The Glasshouse or whether they were VIP flourishes on the night, but they served to make us feel extra special and it certainly wouldn’t hurt to keep them in.

I can’t vouch for the other starters – except to say they were exquisitely presented – but my carpaccio was everything I’d hoped it would be. Vibrantly pink (the colour deepened by the bed of beetroot puree), it fell to pieces under my knife. A side salad of dandelion and watercress added a crunchy bite, the textures working brilliantly in every mouthful.

There are just five main courses to choose from on the Something Special menu (another eight under Something Simple), but I would have been happy to try any one of them. Two of our party went for the chicken supreme in Madeira jus (£14.50), another for salt marsh lamb with glazed sweetbreads, fondant potato and anchovy tempura (£16.95), while I settled on sea trout with pearl barley risotto, cockles and a caper and raisin puree (£14.95).

The fish was perfectly cooked and the risotto just the right side of sticky, but – rightly or wrongly – the best part of the whole dish for me was the crispy fried skin of the trout, which was heavy on salty herbs and packed a real punch of flavour.

After a decent pause – and that mango sorbet – our attention turned to the desserts menu(s). This time, two of the group went ‘Simple’, with sticky toffee pudding (£4.50) and chocolate marquise (£4.25), while two of us went ‘Special’, ordering caramelised white chocolate parfait with raspberry ripple sorbet (£5.25) and my own intriguingly titled ‘textures of strawberry’ with lime panacotta, meringue shards and a strawberry and balsamic sorbet (£5.25).

Whether it was some design fault with the dish or the heat of the evening I don’t know, but the presentation of mine was slightly disappointing, with the elements melting and sliding into one another on the plate.

Far more successful looking were the neat little pot of chocolate marquise and the delicious bowl of sticky toffee pudding, oozing with toffee sauce. Perhaps the poshest puds aren’t always the best.

There is still a little way to go at The Glasshouse before they achieve total perfection, but they are already getting pretty close.

Minor niggles include the chairs, which are definitely more shabby than chic, and the fact that the waiting staff seemed a little nervous on the night. No doubt their confidence will increase as their knowledge of the new dishes develops.

But there’s no doubt chef Russell is pouring blood, sweat and tears into the new venture – certainly plenty of sweat, judging by his brow when he stopped by our table to say hello.

If enthusiasm is the measure of success, he’s onto a winner.