The first rule about Pudding Club is…damn, well we’ve buggered that one haven’t we.
A few weeks back Joe and I visited Zest Derby for an evening of fantastic food and drink and were really impressed at this independent eatery hidden in a midlands city centre. So when Zest got in touch and asked if i’d like to come down to one of their Pudding Clubs* i was instantly intrigued and roped in my lovely friend Beth to investigate the secrets of this curious club!
I’d describe Zest Pudding Club as a reverse Weight Watchers where friends come together to sample a plethora of puds over a glass of wine or soothing cup of tea before scoring them Strictly style for a spot on the Zest dessert hall of fame! I don’t know about you but pudding tasting in a cosy restaurant with friends sounds like the perfect night out and it certainly didn’t dissapoint. Pudding club begins with a selection of sharing boards for those who’ve skipped tea or fancy a bit of proper food before hitting the puds. The boards were lovely – just what i’d order on a night out – although the bread was a little dangerous when you knew you had five puddings ahead! Maybe a few breadsticks, olives and hummous might have been enough however the prosciutto and roasted garlic were simply delicious.
On to the main event – the puddings! December’s Pudding club came with a Christmas theme and we were present with five desserts to get us in the mood starting with Mince Pie Zest Mess, a festive take on the classic Eaton Mess! With spiced sauce, oodles of cream. juicy sultanas and crumble pieces i really enjoyed this and although i couldn’t quite finish the whole glass it got a stinking 4/5 from me! After pudding number one we ordered some tea (Earl Grey for me and an interesting concoction of Lavender, Chocolate and Cinnamon Rooibos for my foodie P.I.C) and thought about tactics for tackling the rest!
I’d had my eye on the Plum & Apple Crumble right form the start so we headed straight for that. Both being big crumble fans it was a real winner with the tartness of the plums and sweet cinnamon-y crumble topping! It came with Brandy Sauce which was nice but i couldn’t help but feel it was missing a dollop of thick warm custard instead which would have gone down a real treat! This one earnt a 5/5 for me and was my absolute favourite of the night!
Since our last visit Zest had been transformed with tasteful and homely decorations making it a real festive haven on a surprisingly chilly December evening. By this point everyone on our table was chatting away and really getting stuck into the pudding club vibe! It’s a help yourself affair which makes for a very laid back evening and although you’re on a long table together it’s easy to chat between yourselves or make new friends, whatever you feel like doing.
Next up was Beth’s favourite – Mulled Wine Soaked Pears. They were delicious and for me served as a yummy palette cleanser in between the heavier puds! With a big spoon of brandy butter they would have been a real winner but the crumble still had a special place in my heart.
We finished on a delicious round of Christmas Pudding – December pudding club wouldn’t be complete without one really would it! I’m not a massive Christmas Pud fan but this was delicious with the brandy sauce and although by this point Beth and I were sharing i think i ate the majority! Scoring a strong 4/5 from me it nearly took the top spot and it scored pretty high with Beth too. There was also a Chocolate Yule Log on offer which looked fab, but sadly we were too full to squeeze down a piece: Pudding Club 1, Amelia & Beth 0!
Zest Pudding Club is an absolutely fantastic idea and we had a lovely evening catching up over tea and themed dessert. At just £20 per person (which includes all the sharing platters and desserts) it’s a great idea for a monthly catch-up with the girls and an interesting answer to the usual debate of ‘where shall we go for dinner this time?’. We’ll certainly be back next year for another pudding club night, i can imagine in the summer it would be a glorious affair too with fresh desserts, light drawn out evenings and a glass of ice cold wine – we can’t wait!
You can take a look at Zest’s full menu and book in for next month’s pudding club on their website here.
Have you been to Zest Pudding Club before? Does this sound like your kind of evening?
xax
*although our dessert was complimentary all opinions are honest and belong to myself and my chief pudding tester Beth!
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