Ganders, St Helens

We first wrote about Ganders in 2015 and, having been exhausted by the plethora of food folderoles back in the twenty-teens, we expressed delight at the restaurant’s “absence of trendy menu-baiting features’. Nothing smeared, or piped or granitaed here.

Spin forward almost a decade and Ganders is still going, having seen off nearby young pretenders, plus outliving that St Helen’s stalwart, the Priory.

We, like the restaurant, have plenty of years – and food – under our belts. Now that at least one of us is technically a senior <gasp> we are more likely to be looking for venues which are friendly, intimate and – for our even older dining companions – with sympathetic acoustics. Ganders ticks all those boxes but, of course, the true test of the starters, mains and pudding is in the eating.

We consider Ganders to be in the same category as Burr’s, Fox’s and the late Mojac’s; a family concern producing classic delicious food, with menus seasoned with creative inspiration and peppered with local distinctiveness.

We were a mixed bunch at lunch, but the friendly team at Ganders was happy to accommodate the gluten-intolerant among us, plus a lapsed vegetarian – or self-styled fish-and-chipocrite.

We enthused about the tandoori mackerel; enjoying the marriage of strongly-flavoured fish with warming spices. The aromatic seasoning complimented, rather than fought with, the mackerel; allowing the flavour of the fish to break through. Mango and coriander yoghurt dressing provided another well-considered flavour note.

Our other starter was filo pastry with salmon and prawns. The seafood innards of these crispy flans were enrobed in a creamy basil mayonnaise, and served on a bed on mixed leaves, studded with sweet hot red peppercorns. A smooth fishy delight.

As it was Sunday, it was necessary to have one of the roast options. Our generously-cut slices of full rib of beef were flavourful and tender. Some roast aficionados might consider the meat to be the main event – and Ganders pulled out all the stops in that regard. But perhaps the true test is roast potatoes. Our roasties had a desirable layer of crunch, yet were satisfyingly soft in the middle. With a decent selection of fresh vegetables, and a fluffy Yorkshire pudding, this was a Sunday roast that we highly recommend.

The veggie option that day was mushroom strudel; a pastry log stuffed with a tasty mix of vegetables, rounded off with that distinctive earthiness of a decent mushroom. The accompanying sage and red wine sauce was smooth and lightly-flavoured, with more of those red peppercorns. A filling alternative to the traditional Sunday lunch.

Not so filling that we couldn’t make room for dessert. Inside its regulation crust, the pavlova had fabulously-chewy meringue (none of that explosive powdery stuff here). Stuffed with fresh cream and raspberries, this was a wonderfully textured and tasting pudding that belied its rather simple appearance.

The baked lemon cheesecake had the perfect consistency. The sparky citrus flavour danced with the tartness of the blackcurrant coulis, tempered by a puddle of single cream.

Our lunch at Ganders was satisfyingly traditional, with attentive but not overbearing service. Our water jug was refilled and gluten-free rolls brought to the table without us needing to restate that requirement, and the right dish was given to the right diner in a rare display of heedfulness – unlike that time (in a different restaurant) when the waitress, holding aloft two puddings, yelled, “Who are the two tarts?”

Ganders is a fabulous little place with decent service and varied and delicious food. What more could you want?

This is the full-length version of a review that was printed in the Isle of Wight County Press.

Upper Green Road, St Helens, Ryde PO33 1UQ

01983 872014

ganders.co.uk