The Deck House: Inspiration Behind Our Menu

Our lodge owners and Anglesonians adore visiting The Deck House for a relaxing evening and some scrumptious food, so we thought what better to discuss on our latest blog than the inspiration behind our tantalising menu?

Including a look at the brand new autumn/winter menu, and an interview with our head chef, Lee, you’re sure to have a grumbling stomach by the time you’ve finished reading – you’ve been warned!

We’ve only just launched our autumn/winter menu in the restaurant just last week, and just like our summer offerings, you’ll be pleased to know we’ve used a range of tasty local ingredients to create a range of magnificent dishes.

All of our meal options are concocted with love for our products, care for our guests and if we don’t mind saying so ourselves, great cookery talent. However, for the purpose of this blog we’re going to focus in on some of the most popular restaurant orders and where these dishes originate from.

Jones of Holyhead 10oz Sirloin Steak

It takes passion, knowledge and experience to serve the juiciest and most succulent steaks, and at the Deck House, we pride ourselves on serving only the best hand cuts which are seasoned and grilled to perfection.

We love to go local with our dishes, and our 10oz sirloin steak is one of those meals that we’re incredibly proud to present to guests. If you’re unfamiliar with the Anglesey area, Holyhead is a large town situated on our island, and Jones of Holyhead is a butchers that is popular with locals and tourists alike.

Jones’ butchers provide customers with only the finest of British meats, and we take pride in the fact we support local businesses with our own restaurant steak offering. Make sure you opt for the Jones of Holyhead Sirloin Steak if you’re after a scrumptious, meaty meal at The Deck House- and we also recommend you choose to have it medium rare, too!

Jones of Bodedern 12oz Gammon Steak

Gammon isn’t just for Christmas. This wonderfully succulent joint of meat makes a great alternative to a roast and is a definite crowd pleaser at the Deck House. The Jones of Bodedern Gammon dish really is a culinary highlight for fans of this hearty dish.

Overseen by the wonderful Jones of Bodedern, this multi-award winning butchers provides some of the best meat on the island. All the meat is homegrown, so you really know that you’re going to enjoy a true slice of Anglesey produce, and once more, we take great pride in supporting local businesses and using their products to bring our guests something spectacular.

Founded in 1915 by Evan Thomas Jones and his wife Ellen, the business has been in the family ever since – providing tasty meats for local Anglesey residents. We know you’ll love their gammon just as much as we do if you order this off the menu!

As well as using local ingredients to create our satisfying main meals, we also take pride in using them to develop taste-bud tingling desserts, too.

One of our standout puddings has to be our delectable collection of ice creams and sorbets. These are locally sourced from Mon Ar Lwy, which translates to Taste of Anglesey –  they really are everything that an ice cream lover could ever ask for.

There are so many beautiful flavours to choose from including some more unusual flavours such as lavender, and also apple and passion fruit. These are matched alongside more the classic flavours including vanilla, strawberry and chocolate.

The Taste of Anglesey is popular with Anglesey residents, and their lovely ice creams are all made on their farm. Truly sensational and yummy – what more could you ask for in an ice cream?

As well as focusing on local ingredients, we like to emulate a gorgeous homemade style when it comes to our cooking. As you can see, our dessert menu benefits from a homemade hot toffee sauce, as well as a soothingly sweet crumble of the day.

We also enjoy going Welsh where we can, and are always honoured to present our guests with our Welsh-themed cheeseboard.

Finally, how could we have a blog about our menus without discussing the favourite pudding of our guests – our chocolate brownie? Anyone who visits The Deck House and orders this delight of a pud is sure to want seconds! If you’ve enjoyed one yourself recently, be sure to take a photograph and share them with us on social media. We’d love to hear your feedback.

An Interview With Our Head Chef

Of course, our restaurant food would be nothing without the culinary experts behind it – so how could we discuss the inspiration behind our menu without mentioning head chef, Lee?

We recently tracked him down in the kitchen and asked him a few questions about the inspiration behind the menu. Here’s what he had to say…

Where does the inspiration for your dishes on The Deck House menu come from?

The Deck House winter menu is inspired by all of the amazing choice of local seasonal ingredients on our doorstep! There are lots of fantastic ingredients in season at the moment and I’ve used them to take traditional and hearty dishes that we all grew up with to the next level! I hope that the new menu fulfils that sense of childhood nostalgia!

It’s clear you pride yourself on working with local ingredients in your dishes, tell us why you’re so passionate about sourcing local produce?

I believe that Anglesey has fish and butchery products which are amongst the best in Great Britain, buying local is the only way to truly know that your ingredients are the freshest possible, and for me, the fresher the ingredients the more outstanding the flavour! We have made amazing relationships with our suppliers, all of which pride themselves on the quality of their produce. I like to know exactly where my ingredients are coming from!

What first sparked your interest in food?

My mother. I used to bake a lot with my mum, we started experimenting with different types of bread and cakes, I enjoyed the process so much that I then started to experiment with recipes of my own.

Have you always wanted to be a chef?

I choose to pursue professional cooking from my secondary school years, however I think I became a chef long before that. I was always watching cooking programmes and I was inspired by the fact that I knew, as a chef, I would never truly stop learning! I really enjoyed my catering classes in high school so I ultimately chose to continue my studies through to college.

If you could provide our lovely readers with one top cooking tip, what would it be?

Top tip for curry and spice lovers! Don’t store your herbs and spices above your cooker or high up where they can become humid! Humidity and heat will cause herbs and spices to lose their flavour! Store them in a cool, dry place.

Which of your creations on the menu do you love the most?

I love one pot wonders! So for me, it’s the curries! I love filling the kitchen with the smell of meaty spices! It’s that time of the year now for everyone to start getting out their slow cookers, they’re perfect for winter curries!

Are there any particular dishes that we can expect to see on The Deck House menu in the upcoming months?

I will be introducing my mother’s famous Lob Scouse recipe which is perfect to warm you up as the nights start drawing in!

Silver Bay Holiday Village and You

You don’t need to be a lodge owner to visit The Deck House, we’re open for anyone and everyone who fancies dabbling in our tasty dishes and relaxed atmosphere.

If you’re intrigued to find out more about Silver Bay Holiday Village, then why not download our free eBrochure? You can also take a look at our amazing luxury lodges and see what the Silver Bay lifestyle is all about.

We hope to see you relaxing and enjoying our wonderful food and drinks in The Deck House in the near future! Remember to share your experiences on social media using #SilverBayDays – we love to see our guests enjoying themselves!