MARCH saw Bill’s Restaurant and Bar at Rushden Lakes launch an incredible new seasonal and delicious food and drinks menu and the first Mindful Drinking Section of a restaurant brand.
After another stellar Veganuary at Bill’s, the new menu reflects the strong popularity of vegan food in the dining market, with over half of the new dishes being vegan and vegetarian.
New vegan dish highlights include Avocado and Spinach Dip served with blue corn tortilla, vegan feta and chilli flakes; Crispy Truffalos Vegan truffled buffalo ‘wings’ with a vegan cheese dip; Beetroot Wellington, a butternut squash, beetroot and chestnut filled Wellington with carrot puree, seasonal greens and a rich vegetable gravy; while for breakfast there is an incredible new addition of the Raspberry and Blueberry Smoothie Bowl topped with coconut, cacao nibs and pistachio.
There have also be some updates of Bill’s favourites to supercharge them with flavour and decadence, for instance, the ever-popular Supergreen Chicken Curry has been given a makeover and now zings even more with flavour.
Several new dishes that are set to become firm favourites among guests are the Slow Cooked Beef Rib – boneless beef braised in cabernet sauvignon wine, served with seasonal greens and chive mashed potato and the Mixed Fish Plate – fillet of sea bass, lemon and fennel salmon skewer, crispy calamari, served with fries and prosecco hollandaise.
Among the desserts will be Rhubarb, Rose and Pistachio Eton Mess Meringue folded with whipped cream and raspberry sauce, Warm Gooseberry, Apple and Elderflower Crumble dusted with icing sugar, served with custard and vanilla ice cream, and the vegan Salted Caramel and Chocolate Tart Served with coconut ice cream.
The star of the show on the desserts menus is Bill’s Flower Pot that is completely edible and a lovely nod to founder Bill Collinson’s green fingered roots. The dessert is a delicious combination of passion fruit cheesecake in a chocolate flower pot with chocolate soil, strawberries and an edible flower. An Instagrammable moment for sure and one that is guaranteed to bring a smile to diners’ faces.
The new Spring menu will see the addition of the Mindful Drinking section featuring CBD drinks, kombuchas and non- alcoholic cocktails created by Dan Whiteside, the Bar Development Manager. Bill’s are working with Naturally Pure Lab who have created the UK’s first dissolvable CBD capsules which have been utilised in the two new CBD lattes. The capsules mix perfectly with the milk when making the lattes and give a reliable consistency with each drink.
CBD in coffee is becoming a trend as it can potentially help with the ‘jitters of caffeine’. Bill’s will be serving the CBD Golden Latte with turmeric, agave, ginger root, cinnamon, black pepper and coconut milk, infused with 15mg of whole plant CBD oil and CBD Latte Espresso – oat milk and agave, infused with 15mg of whole plant CBD oil.
Bill’s are also working with the CBD canned drinks company TRIP with two flavours in the new Mindful Drinking Section of the menu – Elderflower and Mint TRIP Lightly sparkling elderflower and mint drink with 15mg full spectrum CBD, l-theanine, ginseng, lemon balm, chamomile and rooibos, and Peach and Ginger TRIP Lightly sparkling peach and ginger drink with 15mg full spectrum CBD, l-theanine, chamomile, lemon balm, ginseng and turmeric.
From the Low & No menu there are some wonderfully inventive combinations including About Thyme Elderflower bergamot lemon thyme & fennel cordial, finished with dry dragon Real kombucha and the Bitter Orange and Rhubarb Spritz Rhubarb, bitter orange, grapefruit and botanicals finished with sparkling water.