We always arrange several meals with our dear friends Sue & Steve when visiting the family and friends in Yorkshire, and this year was even more special as they had just been married two days prior(after 19+ years together). They suggested the Masham, a small gastropub in a residential neighborhood in nearby Hartburn, where Sue had actually grown up. It was a cosy and quiet place with a varied menu, but we had no clue how huge the portions would be so we all ordered starters and mains and regretted it when they first course arrived. You can see the ridiculously huge portions on FB and we realized that we should have shared almost every dish once they began to arrive.
The smallest starter was the Baked Breaded Brie with tomato jam and dressed leaves, but the Garlic Pizza Bread with cheese was bigger than the average full size 8 slice pizza we get in the US! The Crispy Oriental Beef Strips with Rice Noodles & Vegetable Stir Fry was super with crunchy tender beef slices on a bed of noodles and some veggies. The dish was heavy on noodles and had three large beef strips; hardly a starter, and I was quite full. Our Gruner Veltliner was crisp and refreshing and came for Talisman in Hungary. We switched to red for the second wine and chose a light one as two of us ordered heavier fish dishes. The Roxan Noi Cento Montepulciano d'Abruzzo was just right for all our courses.
The Mediterranean Chicken Burger was a huge breaded breast that was twice as big as the huge bun, with Sun Blush Tomatoes, Oregano, Feta & Basil in a huge Brioche Bun and came with Salad, Chips(fries to you Americans) and cole slaw. It could have fed two.
The Simply Grilled Seabass Fillet came with Pan Fried King Scallops and Calamari and chargrilled asparagus, crispy potato ring and a light citrus, dill & tomato dressing; it too was a very large portion. The Duo of Pork was Crisp Belly with Roasted Tenderloin, buttered seasonal roots(veggies), creamed potatoes and a roasted garlic & baby onion jus. This may have been a bit smaller, but the final two mains were of monster proportions:
Bangers and Mash was a Cumberland sausage that's had to be a foot long coiled and served with mashed potatoes, gravy and four huge onion rings on top. My King Prawn Madras Curry came with Coriander Mashed Sweet Potato, Spring Onion & Chestnut Mushroom Rice, Warm Flatbread and Riata. The dish spread out on both sides of my placemat and had to have a dozen shrimp as well as the two sides, huge bread and raita. I made it through barely half the dish and only tasted the sides. Everything was truly delicious, but this was enough food for 8 people, not 5!
As Steve did not order a starter, he chose to have one dessert which we all tasted: Masham Mess was a play on a British dessert with berries, cream, ice cream, meringue and anything else you can imagine in a giant bowl or here huge glass. It was gorgeous and I enjoyed my one bite, but truly could not eat anymore or I would have indeed had heartburn in Hartburn. I have learned a lesson and when we return to the Masham, I will keep my order to a minimum.
