Welcome to the House of Feasts – a restaurant in the village of Eye Green on the outskirts of Peterborough.
Chef Consultant Damian Wawrzyniak has transformed the village pub into a beautifully stylish establishment with an emphasis on Polish cuisine using locally sourced ingredients. With a level 5 Bachelor of Management and Gastronomy degree, Damian has an impressive pedigree. He worked at Noma, Copenhagen, which was awarded the title of World’s Best Restaurant for four years and he had overall responsibility for the Champagne & Seafood restaurant for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics – the largest food operation in British history. Damian also met the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge recently to discuss Polish-British cooperation and earlier this year appeared on TV showing Mary Berry how to cook a traditional babka cake.
House of Feasts opened in June this year and as it’s less than half an hour’s drive from where we live, I was keen to try it out. I booked a table for Dougie, Rory and me for a Saturday night a few weeks ago. We parked in the restaurant’s own car park, at the back of the building, and were surprised to see a fabulous outdoor eating area and gardens. No wonder summer barbecues have been so popular at House of Feasts since it opened.
The esteemed chef is a great host, greeting all his customers, describing the dishes and making everyone feel welcome. It’s not hard to relax in such a pretty dining room. There’s a Scandi air about it (the Noma influence, maybe?) with stripped wooden tables, sheepskin rugs, linen cushions and huge, funky light fittings shaped as traditional light bulbs. There’s a wonderful mural on the ceiling and as you look up to admire the verdant scenery, you have to wonder whether there was some kind of scaffolding involved as in the Sistine Chapel for Michelangelo.
The menu, considering the high standard of the food, is good value, with starters priced from £5 to £8 and main courses from £11 to £16. The food is hearty and filling so we were glad we were hungry. I chose a salmon and melon ceviche to start,which was far more substantial than it sounds. The boys tucked into delicious parcels of traditional Polish pierogi, stuffed with slow-cooked pork.
We each picked a different main course. Rory’s hake was very colourful with a lemon thyme sauce, leek puree and polenta. Dougie’s short rib of beef had been brined for 24 hours and cooked for 72 so it fell off the bone effortlessly. I plumped for a Polish Schabowy, similar to a pork schnitzel, in sourdough breadcrumbs with savoy cabbage and Fenland mash potatoes.
I left room for a pud as I’d spied a rich chocolate fondant on the menu. It was sublime, with a salted caramel sauce, walnut crunch and served with wild berries. The warm sauce oozed out of the middle once I’d dived in. I also dipped a spoon into Dougie’s crème brûlée which was flavoured with espresso coffee and orange. Delicious.
Damian’s passion for providing good food for everyone has led to him to introduce a concept called Homeless Wednesdays. Every week he opens up the restaurant to homeless people from Peterborough and the surrounding areas, arranging for them to be picked up then taken back to their shelter after their meal. He’s hoping other restaurants in Peterborough will get involved in the scheme. I hope they do.
It’s worth keeping an eye on the House of Feasts website to see the changing menus including the popular Sunday roasts. I’ve heard that handcrafted vodkas from Polish brand Debowa are on the drinks menu for September too. At this rate, I’ll soon be taking up permanent residence.
The tagline on the House of Feasts website says ‘eat & drink sumptuously’. That pretty much says it all.
House of Feasts, 41 Crowland Road, Peterborough, PE6 7TP. 01733 221279
This is an extended version of an article which recently appeared in my Trish Takes Five column in the Lincolnshire Free Press.
The House of Feasts really is the best name ever for a restaurant and sounds like you would be hard pressed not to give in and indulge. Not that I would try very hard… #farawayfiles
Best not to try too hard – just give in to the pleasure, I think!
I have to admit, I haven’t tried a great deal of Polish food, and this wasn’t what I expected. It sounds as though the flavours were light and tantalising – yum! Great ethos, too, with the invitation to homeless people to dine there on Wednesdays. As you say, it would be great if other places followed suit. #FarawayFiles
I wasn’t sure what to expect either but we were all really excited about the dishes. So interesting. I do hope other restaurants follow suit as it’s proving to be a great way to give these people a sense of worth too.
The prices sound very reasonable for such good quality food! And I’m not sure I could make a decision between all of those desserts…. #farawayfiles
We’re going again soon so I’m going to try another pud – just to compare, of course 😉
House of Feasts? That is a wonderful name. I think you ordered really nice dishes. I really like the look of them. I am finishing watching the season of MasterChef Australia and some of the dishes in here remind me of the food in the show. I like hearty! #FarawayFiles
It’s such a grand name, isn’t it! And yes, definitely hearty food – but really good quality, hearty food!
This sounds delicious, and not too far from here either! *adds it to the list*…. 😀
If you’re like, me, your blogger ‘list’ must be extremely long!
It all looks so delicious – and those prices seem very reasonable. I absolutely love and applaud the idea of feeding the homeless at this restaurant too. It’s a wonderful initiative. Thanks for sharing on #FarawayFiles
I’ve paid far more for food which is far inferior – it really is excellent value. I think the Homeless Wednesdays is such a good initiative. From what I’ve heard, some of the homeless people are doing really well now: getting jobs, finding their feet etc.
You had me at NOMA but I especially appreciate the clean and fresh looking food and Damian’s ethos. What a unique and admirable approach. Thanks for sharing on #FarawayFiles
The Noma association caught my eye before I booked. What an experience!
Happy to share on Faraway Files – it wasn’t far away for me but it will be for some readers!
Oooh – a little Copenhagen influence! Love it! Looks amazingly delicious and I’m glad that I’d eaten before reading. Thanks for sharing with #FarawayFiles, Erin
Ah yes, he’s been well-trained! 🙂