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Galloping Gourmates, WhereOnEarth. ., Stanford le Hope (2026)

11/02/2026

🍽️ 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔾𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤 🚙 ℝ𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝔸𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕟 – 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕋𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕠 White Hart Inn Mersea 𝕀𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 🏝️

👌 What a treat! Joined by our lovely guest Jacky ( a Mersea Local) we enjoyed a truly delicious dining experience at The White Hart Inn, proudly featured in the Michelin Guide 2026 and it’s easy to see why…❗️

🚨 BE WARNED🚨…this has to be a long review to do justice to the complexity of each dish…🍽️

🧆 To begin…
🍺🍺🍺 Ghost 👻 Ship 🛳️ 0% Beers…
😋 Jacky began with the hash brown and mushroom 🍄‍🟫 parfait, beautifully balanced, rich yet refined.
😋 Frank chose the mussels 💪 on focaccia crumpet 🧇 with smoked garlic🧄butter 🧈 and 🍋 , perfectly cooked mussels, lifted with citrus and that indulgent smoked garlic butter.
😋 I opted for the game meat Scotch 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 egg🥚 with curried parsnip ketchup and frisée, a wonderful twist on a classic, the gentle spice of the parsnip ketchup adding just the right warmth.

🥘 Mains…
😋 Jacky’s coley 🐟fillet with Jerusalem artichoke , salsify, purple sprouting broccoli 🥦 and green sauce was elegant and delicately flavoured — a beautifully composed plate.
😋 Frank thoroughly enjoyed his poached halibut 🐠with leek butter 🧈 sauce, wild mushrooms 🍄‍🟫 and gnocchi — light, expertly cooked fish paired with comforting, earthy notes.
😋 I went for the highly recommended slow-cooked beef 🥩 short rib with Duchess potato 🥔 , silver skin onion 🧅 and pancetta 🥓, carrot 🥕 — and it did not disappoint. Tender, rich, and deeply satisfying, with each element thoughtfully prepared.
😋 We shared a Cauliflower Cheese Gratin, Blue 🧀 & Old Winchester…❗️
🥧 Desserts…
🥧 Despite the exceptionally generous portions throughout (rare for such a prestigious venue!), Jacky and Frank couldn’t resist the rhubarb and custard 🍮 roulade, fresh, vibrant and beautifully nostalgic…
🫵 I kept things simple with an affogato, espresso ☕️ poured over vanilla ice cream 🍨 , a perfect, understated finish...
🤔 All in all, this is refined dining without being OTT. The White Hart strikes a great balance between unusual seasoning and delicate touches, each dish beyond your typical cordon bleu dining , while still feeling warm & welcoming…❗️

🥇 Simply smashing…& we can see why it’s earned its Michelin Guide recognition…❗️ 🧡

07/02/2026

𝔾𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔾𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖➕ 2️⃣0️⃣’ish mates from Spacious Place Community Engagement Café 3rd Anniversary Volunteers ‘Do’… Jobbers Rest in Upminster..
🍺 Great start…😜
🍖SMOKED PORK RIBEYE SKEWER
🦴PORK TOMAHAWK
🥦TENDERSTEM BROCCOLI (VE)
🥧FORCED YORKSHIRE RHUBARB CRUMBLE (V)
All in all superb feed back from one and all, covering a huge selection of varied starters, mains and desserts…
(…Can only directly comment about mine tbf…❗️)
👌 Pork Skewers, glazed with a wonderful kick… 🌶️ ❗️
👌 Pork Tomahawk, simply succulent❗️
👌 Rhubarb Crumble, tarty, crunchy crumble top…delicious 😋
🫵 Marvellous service, warm and cosy ambiance and great cocktails too… 🍸 ☕️🫘
✍️ No doubt , as Arnie might say…❗️ “We’ll be back…”

03/02/2026

𝔾𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔾𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖➕, ℚ𝕦𝕖𝕦𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕚𝕟 𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕕𝕠𝕟 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕤𝕠 𝕘𝕠𝕠𝕕𝕝𝕪…😋😋😋Galloping Gourmatess

🥸 VisitedThe Tin Roof Cafeteria & Bakeryy last Saturday and wow, such stylish décor, comfy seating and a great atmosphere. Yes, there’s usually a 20–30 minute wait at weekends, just add your name to the list and trust me… it’s so well worth the wait…❗️
🪑 Once seated, you jot your order on a pad, take it to the till and pay — easy and relaxed.
🍽️ I had grilled wing of skate 🐟 with fat chips 🍟 and buttered mixed veg (peas 🫛, broccoli 🥦 , green beans 🫘 & cabbage 🥬 ). Cooked perfectly, and those chips had serious extra crunch.
🍽️ My friend, went for the “Uncle Reg” veggie breakfast with poached St. Ewe eggs 🥚, field mushroom 🍄‍🟫 , slow-roasted tomatoes 🍅 , house beans 🫘 , bubble ’n’ squeak and sourdough toast 🥪 — and absolutely cleared the plate.
🚌 Despite being rammed, service was friendly and the food arrived in good time 🕰️ . Great staff, buzzing vibe, and quality ingredients throughout.

😉 Very much a ‘get what you pay for’ brunch, the local ingredients (many grown on site!), portions, presentation and flavours make it really great VFM for what you devour. The quality of the Coffee alone is superb, I often rate a new place by its choice of “House Coffee”, fabulous choice and supplied by a local Chelmsford company Mac&MeCoffeeRoasters Mac&Me Coffee Roasters
🫘🫘🫘
I’ve not even mentioned their cake 🍰 counter offerings, guess you’ll have to review that yourself another time…❓

😮 No surprise there always queues. I’ll definitely be back with more friends , will try a Monday 📆 and see what the queues are like…!
✍️(Also very recently glowingly praised by Grace Dent in The Guardian Feast app — and I’m not arguing with Grace…❗️ 😉)
🤫 See y’all there 🔜…🤞

28/01/2026

👨🏻‍🍳 𝔾𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔾𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖 & 𝔾𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥… ❗️
🚙 𝕎𝕖𝕝𝕝 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕕𝕣𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕤𝕙’𝕟’𝔽𝕚𝕡𝕤 𝕠𝕗 ‘𝟚𝟞…

😎 A fairly recent trip across the Strood, from the Essex mainland over to Mersea Island🏝️.

🛞 A right fork after the causeway and an easy poodle down to The Coast Inn , on the front🛟 , with handy parking 🅿️ just opposite…👌(enter your car registration on screen 🖥️ , upon arrival!)

🔥 Inside, the bar was warm and buzzing, with a log 🪵 fire crackling — the perfect escape from outsides wet ☔️ and windy 💨 lunchtime weather. From the varied specials board, beer 🍺 -battered haddock🐟 with chunky chips 🍟 , peas 🫛 , and homemade tartare sauce sounded just about perfik!
😋 Crisp’n’flaky, a very generous portion and exactly the sort of comforting coastal pub meal to warm the cockles…!
⚓️ The Coast Inn is all about friendly atmosphere, hearty portions, and honest pub grub — no fuss, just really good food. So good ✅ , in fact, there was no room 🥴 left for pudding 🍮 .

🫵 Already looking forward to the next excuse to head back over the water 💦 soon for another Galloping Gourmates island 🏝️ pub experience later in February 📆…
😉 who can guess where this time…❓
🤫 (answers ✍️ in comments please❗️)

21/01/2026

👨🏻‍🍳𝔾𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔾𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝕆𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕤…❗️
🍓𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕞𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕙’𝕤 𝕘𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕔 𝕕𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕒 𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕡 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕞𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕪 𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕖…for the Galloping Gourmates❗️ in so far as we had visited the The Blue Strawberry Bistrot (🔵🍓)before albeit many, many moons 🌓 ago.

🍓 Situated in Hatfield Peveral it is a cosy restaurant of the old style with wood beams and an open fire… 🔥 .
🍓 We started as always with the obligatory zero alcohol beers 🍻 , Ghost 👻 Ship🛳️on this occasion and even on a Wednesday lunchtime the restaurant was quickly filling up with patrons. Obviously a very popular place to eat. 👌
🍓 I started with a prawn 🦐 and crayfish cocktail. A generous sized dish and very tasty. Chris went for the sardines 🐟 which looked delicious. (I like sardines but with all those tiny and not so tiny bones 🦴 I make a fine mess while eating. Not a pretty sight, so best not to upset the other diners).
Chris, however was decorously clinical in the way he dealt with the fish 🐟 and gave it a thumbs up 👍 for taste and presentation.
🍓 For the mains Chris had the calves liver with crispy bacon 🥓 and bubble and squeak. Ever adventurous he had asked for Dijon mustard which turned out to be an excellent accompaniment to the liver. 👌
🍓 I had skate 🐠wing with boiled potatoes 🥔 and we shared a dish of cauliflower cheese 🧀 . The skate wing was delicious and certainly filling.
🍓 We completed the meal with a treacle tart 🥧 for Chris, which he polished off in record time. Always a good sign.
🍓 I had a mixed berry 🫐crumble with custard 🍯. I took longer as the crumble was lava 🌋 hot 🔥as well as being delicious. 😋
🍓 Finishing with coffees ☕️we agreed that the return visit had been well worthwhile. The restaurant has been here for many years and with the support we saw, is likely to continue for many years to come.
🍓 To sum up, food delicious ✅, service excellent✅, ambience welcoming✅, cost not unreasonable✅.
🍓 Well worth a visit.🚙

07/01/2026

👨🏻‍🍳 𝕁𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝔾𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔾𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖…❗️
👋 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕨𝕖𝕝𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 Galloping Gourmates 𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕔𝕣𝕒𝕗𝕥𝕪 𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕗 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟞, 𝕠𝕟 𝕒 𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕡 𝕥𝕠 “𝕄𝕒𝕪𝕗𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 ℝ𝕖𝕥𝕒𝕚𝕝 ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕜” 𝕠𝕗𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔸𝟙𝟚𝟟 𝕚𝕟
𝔹❄️𝕟𝕟𝕪 𝔽𝕣❄️𝕫𝕖𝕟 𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕩…(𝕓𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕨𝕖 𝕜𝕚𝕔𝕜 𝕠𝕗𝕗 𝕚𝕟 𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝔽𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕜𝕤 ℂ𝕙𝕠𝕚𝕔𝕖 𝕟𝕖𝕩𝕥 𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕜!)

Read on for a belly warming recap of half the Gourmate's recent dining experience…😋 in a rush whilst shopping after the Christmas mayhem…!
A ‘Peri’ busy Nando's , sitting in the glow of the winter ☃️ sunshine ☀️ , and ordering via the App📱 (as you do, these days)”!)

A Peri-Peri chicken 🐔 breast and leg 🍗, served on the bone with crispy skin, flame 🔥 -grilled and smothered in the new’ish Peri-Tamer sauce (Deliciously sweet with a hint of BBQ.) with sides of Spicy 🌶️ Rice 🍚 with, Macho Peas🫛 with mint and a hint of chilli 🌶️ and a Peri-Chicken 🐔 Gravy pot…followed by a short Americano coffee☕️

As always, one of the most reliable ‘chain🔗 ’ fast 🚀food restaurants, fast service, 👌excellent quality food, delivered 🥘 exactly as ‘app’ 📱 ordered, friendly, 🤝chatty staff and absolutely ideal for a mid shopping “Winner, Winner Chicken 🐔 Dinner” 🥘…
😋😋😋

31/12/2025

🚀🚀🚀 ℍ𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕪 ℕ𝕖𝕨 𝕐𝕖𝕒𝕣 𝕐’𝕒𝕝𝕝 Galloping Gourmates 𝕗𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕟𝕖𝕒𝕣 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕗𝕒𝕣 🌎❗️
😬 𝕊𝕖𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕦𝕥 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕒 Wendy's 𝕃𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕙𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥…🍔
🍔 Wendy's Double 🍔
A half-pound of fresh beef, 🥩 American 🧀 , crisp 🥬 , 🍅 , pickle, Heinz ketchup, Heinz mayo, and onion 🧅 on a toasted bun . More meat means more to love.(No onions for moi!)
Accompanied by…
Baconator Fries🥓🍟
Our natural-cut, skin-on, sea-salted fries 🍟 topped with warm, creamy cheese 🧀 sauce, shredded cheddar 🧀, and crispy Applewood smoked bacon 🥓 .
The only fries worthy of the Baconator name.
All washed down with an…
Americano ☕️
Wendy's signature blend of espresso - a double shot ☕️☕️with added water. The perfect tasting Americano!
😋 ℍ𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕒 𝕕𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕝𝕪 𝕕𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕗𝕦𝕝 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝔾𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤, 𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕪’𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖…𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖’𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕒 𝕞𝕠𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕝𝕪 𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕪 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣…!

23/12/2025

🔔𝔻𝕚𝕟𝕘-𝔻𝕠𝕟𝕘- ℍ𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕨𝕖 𝕘𝕠 𝕒𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕟, 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕒𝕥 𝕋𝕙𝕖 🔔 -The Bell Inn and this time with two GuestGalloping Gourmates - my old colleague's from ‘Hobson & Sons Ltd’💂, meeting up at The Bell🔔 (Horndon on the hill) and it did not disappoint.

The 3️⃣ of us visited last Monday and were welcomed 🤝, as always, by that wonderfully warm open fire 🔥 , old-world ambience that makes this 15th Century coaching Inn/Pub such a pleasure to return to annually, every year for the past 14 years since we all retired…!

🍺 We began with three pints of a local’ish Beer 🍻 “Brewer’s Gold”, the perfect start and an excellent showcase of local brewing at its finest. 👌

🍤🍤 For starters, Kevin and I chose the Butter Poached Tiger 🐅 prawns, with chorizo , which were fresh and nicely seasoned, while Chris opted for the Confit beef 🥩 and blue 🧀 cheese spring roll🫔 , crisp and full of flavour. Each dish artfully presented( see 📸)’s)

🍽️ The main courses were a celebration of classic, hearty cooking. Chris enjoyed a traditional turkey 🦃 lunch, comfort food done properly. Kevin selected the assiette of pork 🐖 fillet, ballottine & tempura tiger 🐯 prawn 🍤 , offering a generous and well-balanced somewhat ‘unusual’ selection, while I had the seared calves’ liver and back bacon 🥓 with chorizo —(see menu 📸 for accompaniment’s) beautifully cooked, rich jus/gravy/jus, and deeply satisfying.

☕️ We rounded off the meal with coffee: two Americanos (Kevin adding milk🥛 😱❗️) and a double espresso☕️☕️ for Chris (to keep him focused around the M25🚙) , all served promptly and exact as ordered.👌

🤔 Overall, it was a truly warming🔥, hearty 🫶 meal, delivered in a wonderfully historic setting with great service 🍽️ as always. The Bell 🔔 continues to do what it does best 💪 — honest, traditional food 🍱 , a welcoming 👍 atmosphere, and consistently excellent hospitality 🍷. A place we’re always happy to return to… year after year 📆 …👊

🫵 C'y'all in 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣🙏🙏🙏

22/12/2025

😉 ℂ𝕙𝕖𝕖𝕜𝕪 ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕞𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖 🎄 ℂ𝕦𝕣𝕣𝕪 🍛 𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕋𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕙, 𝕄𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕒 𝕀𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 🏝️…

We recently enjoyed a really banging festive 🎄meal at the Titash Indian Restaurant (Bengali/Bangladeshi ) on Mersea Island 🏝️, accompanied by yet another guest Galloping Gourmates Jacky, a fan of good wholesome tasty food. 😋

🍺 We started with Kingfisher Beer 🍻(one zero % and a full 4.12 % for moi! ), followed by plain crispy, poppadoms 🫓 and a selection of bright, flavourful chutneys, spicy 🌶️ , hot 🥵 , jammy mango 🥭 and green coconutty 🥥 — a fine way to begin.

For mains, from a hugely variable menu, including many choices of Starters, TITASH Specials, Tandoori, Balti, Biriani, Hot, Medium or mild dishes, we both chose the Sheraji-style curry 🍛 , cooked with coconut 🥥 and almonds in a mild, creamy Tia Maria 🥃 sauce. I had the Chicken 🍗 Tikka Sheraji , with tender, smoky pieces of real chicken 🍗 bathing 🛁 in that luxurious sauce…👌
While Jacky went for the fish 🐠 Sheraji, delicately cooked and wonderfully balanced, allowing the fish 🐠 to shine while soaking up the coconut-almond sweetness, both beautifully cooked and full of flavour without being overpowering.

We shared sides of creamy sag 🧀 paneer 🥬, plain rice 🍚 , coconut 🥥 rice 🍚 , and a generous cheese 🧀 naan, which complemented the meal perfectly.
Service was warm 🔥 and attentive throughout, with a special mention for ‘Shah’, who looked after us very well indeedy .
🤔 All in all, it was a relaxed, enjoyable way to savour a cheeky pre Christmas 🤶 curry 🍛 , and somewhere we’d happily recommend.(all year around tbh.!)

🤔 Conclusion: zero washing up 🧤 , maximum foody 😋 pleasure…

👊 Officially declaring “Titash Pre Christmas Curry 🍛 Night” a 🆕 festive 🎄tradition
💪 Am pretty sure Santa would approve. 🎅

17/12/2025

🚙 I headed up the 🅰️1️⃣2️⃣ & 🅰️1️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ to Harwich 🚢 today for my monthly MOT deep tissue 👐 massage 💆 with the amazing Victoria Palmer (worth every knot & ache!), and of course no visit is complete without following it up with lunch. This time it was off to the Castle Inn Harwich – and what a treat it was.

😎 I was joined by my guest Galloping Gourmates and dear friend Gemma 💃 , and we settled straight into the cosy, welcoming atmosphere of this proper old English, family-run pub .

😎 I kicked things off with my usual zero- Birra Moretti🍺, while Gemma enjoyed a crisp, light Sauvignon Blanc🍸.

🤔 Skipping starters (tho great choice, no regrets, see desserts to follow!!!), we went straight for mains.

💃 Gemma chose the Asian King Prawn Salad – King Prawns in a Sweet Chilli Sauce. On a bed of Oriental Salad with Toasted Cashew Nuts & Sesame Seeds, fresh, flavourful and beautifully presented 👌

😎 I couldn’t resist the succulent 9 oz Sirloin Steak 🥩 , cooked medium/rare perfectly, served with cauliflower cheese 🧀 and sweet potato 🍠 fries. Absolute pub-grub perfection, generous portions and cooked just perfectomundo…👌

🚨 And then… 🚨
🍨 dessert happened. We each devoured the TOFFEE & WALNUT PAVLOVA, Meringue, Vanilla Ice Cream 🍦 & our Homemade Toffee Sauce, topped with Chopped Walnuts …

😉 very naughty but oh so very nice, and the perfect way to round things off.

🏰 All in all, the Castle Inn is a lovely spot: warm, friendly, great food and a real community feel, we even grabbed some Christmas Raffle tickets, in aid of a local Hospice- fingers crossed eh…🤞❓

🎄 Ideal for this time of year and perfect for pre-Christmas lunches with friends. 👍 Highly recommended if you’re in Harwich 🚢 and fancy some fabulous, no-nonsense comfort food in a great setting 🍽️🍷😋😋😋

10/12/2025

𝔸 𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕪 𝔾𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔾𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝔽𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕃𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕠𝕟 𝕠𝕗 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟝…
🌳 Tucked away within the sunny Essex countryside, Downham Hall delivered a festive flourish for the
Galloping Gourmates end of year “bit of a lunchtime “Do”…❗️

🚙 Approaching half way down Castledon Road, off the A129, with the village church perched proudly on the nearby hill, we already felt the charm of the setting, long before reaching the historic hall itself.

🔥 Stepping inside, we were greeted by the heartwarming aroma of the log 🪵 burner fire crackling in the reception area—a perfect welcome for a December lunchtime. “The North Wing Restaurant” , though intimate in size, radiated unassuming class and easy comfort.

🎄 A long table of 10 or so ladies, enjoying their Christmas 🤶 Lunch, complete with Crackers and party hats, set the festive mood…!

📋 We were swiftly seated and handed the Downham Hall Festive Menu, which set the tone for a memorable dining experience-just 4 of each starters, mains and desserts (plus cheeseboard!) ) see photo 📋

🍄‍🟫 For starters, Frank opted for scallops whilst I chose wild mushrooms on sourdough toast—accompanied, as ever, by our trusted Zero beers, this time 🍻 Birra Moretti. Both dishes arrived promptly and were plated with real artistry. The scallops were enormous, yet delicate and beautifully balanced alongside pickled pear, and roasted shallots, while my wild mushrooms on toast were nothing short of spectacular— quite possibly the most impressive presentation of this oh so simple dish I’ve ever seen, served with a slow-poached egg yolk, shaved Pecorino on sourdough toast…👌
Our main course of Roe Deer Loin,
was a seasonal 🎄 triumph. Tender, pink, flavorful, and perfectly complemented with rustic black pudding, caramelised sprouts, and a gin and blackberry sauce , each bite oozed thoughtful preparation and festive flair.
🍧 We even found room for dessert each—sticky toffee pudding for Frank and an apple 🍏 crumble tart for moi. Both were with ice 🍨 cream, comforting, indulgent, and ideal for a winter ❄️ celebration.

☕️ Smooth Americano coffees brought our dining experience to a warm and satisfying close.🔥

🙏 All through the visit, the warmth 🔥 of Downham Hall proved most captivating. Service by Elizabeth and her team was ‘just right’ —attentive without being intrusive—and the entire experience gave the feel of “a touch of class”- predominantly a wedding 💍 venue for much of the year, the “North Wing Restaurant” promises an exciting future, with varied à la carte and locally sourced menus 📋alongside this seasonal offering.

🏠 If you have the chance to visit before Christmas, this enchanting spot is well worth the journey. Downham Hall’s festive menu left us more than a little impressed…🙌
🫵 We will- no doubt be back next year…❗️

Galloping Gourmates

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