Ploughman’s lunch at Bird and Carter, Farm shop and Cafe, reviewed
Location –
Chilhampton Farm,
Warminster Rd,
A36,
Salisbury.
SP2 0AB
Tel: 01722 744177
info@birdandcarter.co.uk
Website – https://birdandcarter.co.uk/
Date of Visit – 01/09/2025
Notes on the visit:
This time it is that Wilton, the ancient and former County Town of Wiltshire near Salisbury – famed for carpets and Wilton House. Having said that, it’s not really in Wilton at all, rather a couple of miles north of Wilton towards Warminster and the A303.
The Food
7 – Pickled Onion. Good. At first glance, I was ohh -pickled shallots. However, on sampling, not quite so enthusiastic.
Odd, as I think they might have been Drivers pickled onions, and Drivers are some of the best. Nothing wrong with them, in reality it’s a reasonable score, when you think I have scored some of them at 1 or 2 – perhaps I have been spoilt of late. They were described as baby onions……
7 – Pickle. This was not the usual Ploughman’s pickle (think Branston). It was an onion pickle or relish. It was nice, really pleasant, would be great in a sandwich. I think I prefer a little more bite, a bit more aroma, spice, warmth (any of these qualities, but not necessarily all of them at once). So, it was nice, you may have a different opinion – I would love to hear it.
9 – Cheese & Ham:
Cheese -My initial impression was that there was not much cheese. In some respects that might be true, however, we have a situation here of quality versus quantity.
A mighty powerful cheddar, this was a professional cheese!
I have definitely had this cheese previously, and wondered if it was Barbers Haystack. Creamy, strong but not overpowering with a slight crumble. It had some age about it. There was also a distinctive hint of mushroom about it, so it had been nicely matured, maybe even cave matured: this lead me to consider it was something else, maybe Pitchfork – maybe even The Nameless one.
Ham – Lots of ham. Lovely ham. Interesting ham.
They outer of the ham had been treated nicely to a marinade of some description. I should have paid more attention to the counter with the processed meats and prepared salads, I would then be more likely to give you accurate data. Anyway, overall, a great amount of protein components.
10 – Bread: A piece of delicious, warm, fresh sourdough baguette. Amazing.
4 – Spread Butter, Not packet, but a slither of real butter. I use the word slither advisedly, as I think a little more might have been appropriate. It was also as malleable as a brick which made spreading impossible. It was entirely lovely, though. Top marks for no packaging – this is hoe it should be, just some butter, on the plate. Dropped a bit because of size and temperature.
5 – Presentation: Nicely presented. It does feel a bit off giving top marks for presentation for this, but I think that is because I might have been spoilt recently with some outstanding works. I need to remember that this is a ploughman’s lunch, not an entry for the Great British Menu.
5 – Salad, etc
Salad:
Nice. Fresh, tasty, just the rights amount. Coleslaw was delicious. I know that some people say it shouldn’t be there – well that’s your opinion, and you can submit a review to freely express this opinion if you so care. I believe that if it’s fresh-made (not supermarket gunge), tastes nice, and is made from seasonal British foods it is welcome.
3 – Originality.
Egg. The egg looked at me. I knew it was fresh. It looked good, I tried it, and is was good.
Perfectly cooked. I like a runny egg when freshly cooked – I do not like it runny when cold (unless its Advocaat). I’m not keen on the egg boiled until the centre is dust either. This was perfection. The egg had a lovely flavour too. I didn’t catch where the eggs were from, but this is the sort of place where you just know the eggs are going to be amazing. The chickens well looked after, roaming about the Wiltshire downs or on the plain, well fed, watered, cared for – the taste was supreme.
Coleslaw. Now, I like freshly made coleslaw, and this did not disappoint. It was fresh and creamy, but with enough tart to carry it through. No unusual flavourings, the fresh veg shone through. Delicious.
Food Total: 50
Beverages
8 – Drinks: This is always tricky. I somewhat regret having this as part of the scoring system, as the beverages vary enormously depending if its a Tea room or a Boozer.
It was luncheon, so I had tea. Not a pot of tea, rather a glass of tea. (Hence the drop of a point). However, the tea was rather good, and the glass “tea cup” entertaining. It contained a bag of tea, and it was leaf tea – not sweeping or dust, proper tea.
I poked it about quite a bit. It got a reasonable colour upon it, and I added Milk. I liked it, but I suspect my parents and other people (old, or from the north, or Yorkshire) would expect a but more Oooomph from the tea. Like a good builders breakfast tea.
I found it flavoursome and delightful. If you don’t mind poking a bad in a gold fishbowl of hot water for 8 minutes, you will have a delightful cuppa – in fact, if you are willing to do that, you will probably appreciate how good the tea actually is, unlike some people…… .
There were other drinks. For children Cawston press is good (Like it too).
I believe that there were alcoholic drinks, but I was driving, and a lunchtime tipple is not congruent with driving a vehicle.
Dropped a couple of points as I do like a pot of tea.
Drinks Total: 8
The Venue
10 – Service: The service was excellent. I say this with meaning. The staff were helpful and knowledgeable. Food prepared quickly, and the other items had by our group were lovely.
7 – Atmosphere: It is a tea room and farm shop. We are in deepest Wiltshire here, and the countryside oozes chalk stream river surrounded by rolling chalk downs topped with Beech hanger. Very nice, but rather functional (not a criticism, the setting is very appropriate).
5 – Location: Right on the A36 just north of Wilton. Although a trunk road, it doesn’t really affect the setting, and the countryside around is the stunning Wyle Valley.
Not far from Stonehenge or Salisbury, and close to the historic town of Wilton. A great little place to stop off if travelling between Bath and Southampton.
Although well signed, the entrance is a bit – “what, there?” and there it is. So be assured with this Google Street-map View, that you are in the correct place – drive in, and all will be revealed.
Wilton is a lovely old town that postcard manufacturers dream about. Wilton House is a monumental pile in that town, and worth a visit, often featuring in assorted period TV productions.
4 – Toilets: Practical, Clean. All the things you need. Lovely.
Venue total: 26
Total Score: 84
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