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

27/12/2025

Passionate about Hardie Park ℂ𝕒𝕗𝕖́ 🌴- 𝔸 𝕊𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕕 👊 𝕎𝕒𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝔼𝕟𝕕 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟝 𝕚𝕟 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕟𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕕 𝕃𝕖 ℍ𝕠𝕡𝕖… 𝕛𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕠𝕗𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔸𝟙𝟛 𝕚𝕟 𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕩…🚙

🏵️ The final review ✍️ of this year 🗓️ for one of the Galloping Gourmates, ended right where it should: at the Passionate about Hardie Park Hardie 🌴 Café🍽️ , with a proper 🫵Traditional English breakfast brunch. 😋

🍽️ The plate delivered exactly what you wanted — sausage 🌭, two rashers of bacon 🥓 , black pudding ⚫️, egg 🍳 , hash 🫔 brown , mushrooms 🍄‍🟫 and sliced tomato 🍅 — all cooked 👩‍🍳 just right on the good old fashioned griddle 🔥 and served piping hot 🥵, along with a builders strength mug’o’Rosie Lee(Tea!) 🫖…❗️

🧐 There’s absolutely no over complication here, just great 👍 quality ingredients, well-prepared🔪 , classic breakfast 🍳nosh, done just right 👌. Add in the warm snug area with its 🔥Log 🪵 Fire 🔥 , such a relaxed atmosphere 🥱 and the food served by lovely 💚 volunteers, who just happen to be good 🤝 friends too, and it felt like a welcome return to old school basics after a year that took many, sometimes very fancy foody twists and turn's, each and everyone different in their own individual ways, culminating most recently with a truly classic Good Pub Food luncheon at The Bell Inn…🔔

These two polar opposite’s food wise really, and less than a mile apart as the crow 🐦‍⬛ flies, classy, classic pub grub 🔔 v basic, wholesome no nonsense cafe grub🌴…❗️

🌴 Hardie Park 🌳 is always worth a swift visit 🚴🏻🚕 🚴‍♂️ — good 👍 food, good 👍 people, and a café that serves precisely what’s on the menu and serves it consistently well…✅

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 🍽️🍷😋😋😋

14/12/2025

“ 𝔹𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔽𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝔽𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕣 Galloping Gourmates ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕞𝕒𝕤 𝔽𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘…😋

☕️ The Continental Café in Maldon, Essex, has some banging festive specials on their menu throughout December, and I’ve already worked my way through three of them:

🍔 THE FESTIVE BURGER, A half pound homemade beef burger in a toasted brioche bun with smoked bacon, Cranberry sauce, blue cheese sauce and chicory. Served with chunky skin on chips.😋😋😋

🥖 THE SEASONAL CIABATTA .
A warm toasted Ciabatta filled with home roasted Turkey, sausagemeat sage and Cranberry stuffing, Cranberry sauce and Turkey gravy. Served with a salad garnish and homemade Coleslaw.😋😋😋
and the

🧀 CHUNKY CHEESY SAUSAGE ROLL, A homemade sage sausage meat, Cranberry sauce and Brie filled hot puff pastry sausage roll sprinkled with Nigella and Sesame seeds. Served with hot Turkey gravy.😋😋😋

All 3️⃣ were absolutely excellent – hearty sized, packed full of flavoursome ingredients, served and clearly made with great care.
🛍️ If you’re shopping in Maldon before Christmas, it’s well worth dropping in.
🫵 I can thoroughly recommend all 3️⃣ Festive treats I’ve tried so far…and their selection of naughty but nice Cakes are to “diet” for, not to mention their Festive range of fine Coffees and teas…!
🤨 With still 4️⃣ more Festive Specials left to try, (see menu photo!) I’ll try and pop in again soon…🚙

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…❗️

06/12/2025

👌Wonderful Burfday Luncheon with Family for half of the Galloping Gourmates… with sister Mary Hanmore, John, cousin Ros Hone & Don…
🍺 Incredibly busy at The Black Horse, Pembury…
🦀CRAB, 🦐PRAWN AND 🥬SPINACH THERMIDOR
Fresh crab, Tiger Prawns and spinach in a light cheese sauce, with a hint of mustard. Baked with a puff pastry lid ...mixed veg and dauphinois potatoes
🥔 for moi…
🐟 Fisherman’s pie for Ros( I don’t think the Fisherman minded!) Cod, Salmon & King Scallops. With a cheesy potato top with garden peas🫛
We all followed with various ice cream based desserts, in honour of my DaD’s birthday, he so loved ❤️ his knickerbocker Glory…😋
All in all a superb Friday Family Luncheon, all dishes served and presented most attractively and beautifully seasoned and piping hot…! Despite the restaurant being rammed to the max…
Nice work Black Horse👌

01/12/2025

𝕄𝔼ℝℝ𝕐

ℂℍℝ𝕀𝕊🥃

𝕋𝕄𝔸𝕊…
To all our Galloping Gourmates Friends, Fans & Followers …🙏

(10th December our Last Lunch of 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ …😋)

27/11/2025

📅 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕞𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 Galloping Gourmates (𝔾𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔾𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤) 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖𝕕 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕠 𝕕𝕖𝕖𝕡𝕖𝕤𝕥, 𝕕𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝔹𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕪…

🇮🇹 The Dolce Vita was visited by us in the past and now under new management, we are returning for a second time around…😋
🇮🇹The restaurant has a very welcoming atmosphere and a very Italian 🇮🇹 feel to it, The walls decked with Italian themed prints.

🍺🍺 A Peroni and a Moretti of the nil alcohol varieties started the meal.
📖 I was also delighted to see that there were almost as many dishes on the special list as were on the main menu.
🐟 I started with whitebait and a delicious tartar sauce. Always a winner and this was no exception.
🧀🥓 Chris went for a Burrata, which is mozzarella wrapped in ham, baked in a spicy 🍅 sauce.
🍽️ For the main meal I had the lamb shank with mash potato 🥔 and broccoli. 🥦
All the elements of the meal were absolutely delicious with a special hats off for the mash.

🥸 Chris had waxed lyrical about the time he had tried the Pollo Alla Milanese in Australia overlooking the ocean 🌊 , that's Chicken 🍗 Milanese to non Italian speakers😄 and yes it was delicious as evidenced by the fact he polished off the meal without speaking, despite the restaurant overlooking Billericay high street rather than the ocean 🌊 the Chicken Milanese itself did not disappoint.

🥧 We both finished with a latticed apple 🍏 pie which by the abundance of fruit it contained I suspect was very much home made.
That was topped off with coffees ☕️☕️and a complimentary Lemoncello.🥃
✅ All in all a delightful meal with friendly and knowledgeable staff and a relaxed atmosphere.
✅ Strongly recommended👍🏼👍🏼

26/11/2025

🚙 Heading over to
🇮🇹 La Dolce Vita
43 High St, Billericay for our November
Galloping Gourmates Luncheon 😋

🤔 Lunch menu or À la carte…
📷 Photos and Franks review to follow…✍️

03/11/2025

🥪 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕛𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕒 𝕗𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕊𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕖, 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕤 𝕄&𝕊’𝕤 ℕ𝔼𝕎 𝕗𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕤𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕖…
🎅”ℍ𝕆 ℍ𝕆 ℍ𝕆-ℕ𝔼𝕐 𝕄𝕌𝕊𝕋𝔸ℝ𝔻 ℍ𝔸𝕄
ℍ𝕆ℂ𝕂”🎄
𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕖𝕤𝕪 ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕤𝕙 ℂ𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕞𝕒𝕪𝕠𝕟𝕟𝕒𝕚𝕤𝕖…
(honey and mustard pulled ham hock with Cornish Cove Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise and spinach on malted bread)
🥪 Gourmates feedback:-
“A truly taste tingling combo of flavours to tickle your festive taste buds… this year’s favourite for me, for sure…”😋
❄️ NOTE:
⏰ GET IT OUT THE FRIDGE FOR AT LEAST 45mins…
“🌡️ BEST DEVOURED AT ROOM TEMPERATURE 🌡️
🚨 5% OF SALES FROM THIS ITEM GO TO Shelter …

09/10/2025

🚙 Galloping Gourmates 𝔾𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕧𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 – 🇫🇷 𝕃𝕖 𝔹𝕠𝕦𝕔𝕙𝕠𝕟 𝔹𝕣𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖, ℍ𝕖𝕪𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕕𝕘𝕖, 𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕩…

🤔 My choice this month took us to our first lunch out in Heybridge… — a charming old French-style hotel and brasserie with a warm, welcoming atmosphere from the moment we arrived.

🍺 We started, as ever, with our Estrella 0% beers before settling into the menus.

👌 We chose the À la carte menu on this occasion, and the French Classics Set menu was excellent, great value and popular with many diners, as we discovered later…!🍽️

🧅 Frank chose the French onion soup 🥣 and cheddar croute, a comforting classic, while I fancied the Honey glazed duck breast, chicory 🥬 , orange o, & pine nut 🥗, beetroot purée, presented so artistically and cooked to perfection.😋

🍽️ For our mains, we both enjoyed the Baked Skate 🐟 off the bone, warm tartare potatoes, Lobster 🦞 cream , beautifully prepared and full of subtle flavours (first time we’ve ever had skate off the bone, an intriguing skill in itself…❗️)

💃 Service from Emma and the team was excellent throughout — attentive without being intrusive — and the restaurant was pleasantly busy for a Wednesday lunchtime.

Chef 👨🏻‍🍳 Ben even took the time to pop out and share the secret behind their baked skate wing speciality: fish carefully sliced from both sides off the bone, rolled together , and baked — a skill that, as Ben explained, relies on patience, practice and a very,very sharp knife!🔪

🎃 Frank finished with Pumpkin pie, while I enjoyed an affogato (espresso over homemade vanilla ice cream) and to round off a thoroughly enjoyable dining experience a couple of rich Americano’s, ☕️☕️ to set us up for the return journeys…!

All in all, Le Bouchon Brasserie proved to be a delightful spot — traditional, welcoming, and clearly popular. Excellent food, friendly service, and a classic French charm made it another fine outing for the Galloping Gourmets.

Galloping Gourmates

27/12/2025

23/12/2025

22/12/2025

17/12/2025

14/12/2025

10/12/2025

06/12/2025

01/12/2025

27/11/2025

26/11/2025

03/11/2025

09/10/2025

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