THE PIG'S EAR, CHELSEA

My life has changed dramatically since having a baby....going out to eat is no longer a regular occurrence. However my husband and I decided to hire a babysitter and go on a date on Saturday night, although I was so exhausted a box of chocolates on the sofa was a much more appealing option. Anyway once I had dressed up and thrown some jewellery and make up on (another novelty nowadays) I was ready to go.

I had booked the Pig's Ear, a gastro pub in Chelsea apparently owned by Frank Lampard and his dad and an old haunt of Prince William. This pub has been around for years and is a popular local.

When we arrived I was expecting to be sitting in the upstairs dining room but instead we were shown to the dining area in the corner of the pub - it was already pretty busy and was noisy from the pub but it had a cosy atmosphere. We ordered some delicious olives whilst we perused the menu and Pascal was immediately impressed by the wine served by the glass.

Obviously I had checked out the menu beforehand and had already decided we were going to have the Pig's Ear sharing platter with potted ham hock, duck rillette, Palma ham, sausage roll, pork pie, chicken liver parfait, mini scotch egg, pickle and apple sauce. This sounded amazing and it tasted amazing - it was a good size portion and every mouthful was memorable. We polished the whole lot off without a morsel to spare. We both agreed the duck was our favourite. Other starters included halloumi with cauliflower couscous, pomegranate and pine nuts or scallop ceviche with a salad of moulie and avocado but we could not be swayed!

For mains I was torn between the burger or the mussels and in the end went for the mussels which were cooked in cider and bacon cream and served with fries. Pascal could not decide between the venison cooked with roasted marrow, black cabbage and red currant jus or the slow roast pork belly with crackling, butternut squash, Savoy cabbage and a red wine sauce - in the end he chose the pork.

Both of us were incredibly impressed by our mains - they were phenomenal - I reckon the mussels were the best I have ever eaten which is saying something as I have eaten a lot in my lifetime! Pascal adored his pork with crispy crackling, a perfect meal for a cold, blustery evening. 

I was tempted by the sticky toffee pudding for dessert but my jeans were already feeling tight so I thought best save that for another day (next time I might come in elasticated trousers)!

I can't believe I had not been to the Pig's Ear for around 15 years - the food was so good I want to go back already. The menu is small and it was not the quiet dining room I was expecting but the pub exceeded my expectations in many other ways. I would go back for the sharing platter alone. A perfect gastro pub, I can see why it has the royal approval!!