St Benedict’s Abbey Church in Ealing, west London, was begun in the late Victorian era and completed in 1934. The monastery that it serves began life as a Downside parish in 1897, which became an independent Benedictine priory in 1947. Pius XII made it an abbey in 1955; the building serves both as the monks’ conventual church and as a parish church serving a diverse community.
It is an unexpectedly impressive building, with Gothic Revival architecture, soaring high towards the heavens. As the abbey website points out, because the abbey is in the heart of the parish, resident monks are able to live out a full monastic routine while helping out with parish activities when needed. Mass was calm and the congregation were welcoming and friendly.
When researching the area, it was not immediately clear where to go for lunch after Mass, but the first thing I did was to have a coffee in Sir John Soane’s magnificent country house, Pitzhanger, which he designed in 1800, and around whose gardens he used to stroll with Turner. In 1835, Soane wrote:
“With these delightful prospects in view, I wished to make Pitzhanger manor-house as complete as possible for the future residence of the young Architect, whose classical education and the facilities and advantages he possessed would enable him to distinguish himself above his fellows in the practice of a profession calculated to increase domestic comfort and the refinements of civilised society.”
Across Ealing Green from Soane’s house is a restaurant called Meadow, which after a considerable amount of research appeared to be the most worthy place to eat after Mass at the lovely abbey.
There are two dining areas, front and back. Go for the front, as it is cosier. It is also closer to the bar, which, unusually, is where the real bargains lie. I had a glass of 2015 vintage Nicolas Feuillatte for a surprisingly low £8.50 – bargain!
I also enjoyed the Primitivo, imagining the Puglian sun on a brisk morning. I went for the set lunch, which is available seven days a week: £17 for two courses and £22 for three.
Remember to ask for that menu, as it was not presented right away. Apart f rom that, the ser vice throughout was delightful. A courgette tempura first course was excellent – really thin batter and warm – even, dare I say it, reminiscent of an astounding tempura shop I once visited in Kyoto.
I also tried the mussels in white wine sauce, which is always a better option than tomato. They were good, but far too small. (I recently had the set lunch at Faber, where they source the plumpest mussels from St Austell in Cornwall).
A sea bream main course was good and attractively presented with roasted potatoes and mushroom sauce – and there was enough of it, which is key. A leg of chicken, meanwhile, served with celeriac puree and cabbage, was a satisfactory vehicle for the Primitivo.
The tiramisu got very high marks. It was so good, in fact, that it reminded me of a dinner in the late 1980s in New York, where my host took me to Anatolia for a Turkish main course, then to a restaurant called Tiramisu next door for an eponymous pudding.
<strong><strong>This article originally appeared in the April 2024 issue of the <em>Catholic Herald</em>. To subscribe to our award-winning, thought-provoking magazine and have independent and high-calibre counter-cultural Catholic journalism delivered to your door anywhere in the world click</strong> <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/subscribe/?swcfpc=1"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">here</mark></a>.</strong>
