By Chef Annie Wayte
As a chef, I love being here in Litchfield County. We are so close to where the farmers are, where the food is grown, with the distinct growing seasons. As neighbors to the folks working the land, we can spend a great deal of time learning about what they are growing or raising and are able to experiment in ways that are just not possible in the city, where I was cooking previously. There is a bounty of ingredients to forage in the area. In the spring, our chef de cuisine picked local ramps, which we featured on our dining room menu, violets which he infused into vodka, and garlic mustard which we served with house-smoked arctic-char.
“I love good English-inspired food. Beautifully executed and paired with cozy ambience, this is a great place to eat while in Connecticut.”
The White Hart Inn
Photograph courtesy of the White Hart Inn
We are just two hours from New York City and Boston and yet it feels like you’ve crossed half a country. There has been quite the food movement up here in the past half-decade. The area is buzzing with locally produced foods, artisans, and not to mention an explosion in craft beers and spirits.
We have two separate dining areas at the Inn: the Tap Room and the Dining Room. The Tap Room has a timeless appeal and is in the oldest part of the building, which is over 200-years old. We serve British Pub / American Tavern-style food that is made fresh. Just about everything we serve, we make from scratch. In the Dining Room, we are doing much more elevated food with a menu that changes weekly and is rooted in seasonal, local ingredients. I really want to take the food a step further here. We are lucky to have a beautiful building in a beautiful village and I believe we have a chance to elevate the cuisine and make the Dining Room something really special.
Our Menu
Chef Annie Wayte | Photo Credit: Lee Clower
In the Tap Room, I’d recommend you try the chicken liver terrine, scotch eggs, and any of the savory pies we have on the menu. They are all great examples of simple dishes with a nod to my English roots. Also try the fish and chips, which are a British pub favorite. We use daily changing, fresh fish and serve large cut fries with classic English mushy peas and homemade tartare sauce -– it doesn’t get better.
In the Dining Room, which is led by my extremely talented chef de cuisine, Paul Pearson, who is also a Brit, I recommend our large format roast meat or fish especially our prosciutto and meyer lemon wrapped whole roasted monkfish tail for two. Paul makes fantastic raw fish dishes, such as scallop crudo with yuzu, green strawberries and finger limes.
THE WHITE HART INN
15 Undermountain Road, Salisbury, CT 06068
T: 860.435.0030 | www.whitehartinn.com
MY SALISBURY FAVORITES
Cookies from Sweet William's | Photograph Courtesy of Sweet William's
Flapjacks at Salisbury Bread | Photo Graph Courtesy of Salisbury Bread
Sweet William's
In the morning, I like to go to our local bakery Sweet Williams for a cornbread muffin.
9 Main Street, Salisbury, CT 06068
T: 860.435.8889 | www.sweet-williams.com
Salisbury Bread
I just love the flapjacks at Salisbury Bread. They remind me of my childhood and I haven’t seen them in US before.
17 Main Street, Salisbury, CT 06068
T: 860.435.8835 | salisburybreads.com
Photograph courtesy of Berkshire Mountain Distillers
TAKE HOME SOUVENIR | Berkshire Mountain Distillers
Try the Berkshires-made Greylock gin.
356 South Main Street, Sheffield, MA 01257 | T: 413.229.0219 | berkshiremountaindistillers.com
Area Features
