A posh lunch out

Last Saturday MOH and I got our glad rags on and headed out for a posh lunch, we even put proper shoes on. Mine weren’t quite the heels I once would have worn out, but small steps and all that. As it turned out, it was a good test for the wedding we’re off to later this month, so that’s all good.

Lunch was at Gravetye Manor in West Sussex, and yes, we were back - it’s been a while, but it remains one of our favourite places. It’s not somewhere we go often and is definitely in the treat category, which makes it all the more enjoyable. The attention to detail is phenomenal, and nothing is overlooked. This small table decoration in the lounge is a great example of that - a yellow tulip, and leaves and flowers from a strawberry plant shows how simple can also be effective.

The menu cover picks up the detail of the image panels on the walls around the restaurant, and the view over the garden is absolutely stunning.

And the food. Well, I even managed to remember to take pictures before I started to eat. This was my starter of asparagus, it looks a picture and the taste was sublime. I followed this with hogget and wild garlic and finished with the intriguing fennel, honey and lime - which was nothing like you’d expect, or I’d be able to recreate. All of it was absolutely delicious, and it was great to see more dishes around the table as between our table we managed a good selection from the menu for each course.

The yellow tulips, along with gorse and the purple-blue irises formed another stylish but not dominating table centre.

As it was such a glorious day we opted to have coffee in the garden, which was full of spring flowers - and clearly is well looked after.

There’s plenty of grounds to explore, but after a good lunch and in our finery, a walk to the walled kitchen garden was all we were up for. But even so, the route there was calming and enticing. It was slightly further than I remembered, and previously I’d done this in heels, but we got to the iron gate and let ourselves in.

It’s another huge space, and needs to be as the produce from the garden is used in the kitchen - but what a space.

We headed back towards the restaurant taking a different route, one stepped and easier to navigate, but definitely no less colourful only to be greeted back at the stone porch by the cheeriest pots of fully in bloom tulips. They definitely make your heart sing, don’t they?

Throughout the public spaces there were large arrangements of flowers, all of which we’d seen growing in the gardens. We stopped for a picture making use of one of the large mirrors, and we just about snuck in alongside one of the large displays - so here’s us wearing flowers, in amongst the flowers.

We might not be back for a while, but I’m pretty certain we’ll be back at some point.

Lyon, lunch and loos

We were fortunate to have a final trip abroad before the madness of 2020 kicked in, you’ll remember that we went for a few days in Lyon where I think we ate at least twice our body weight while we were there. I’m not kidding, the food was gorgeous and it was definitely a gastro trip, so much so that looking back it’s a surprise we could actually run through the airport. The incentive of potentially missing our flight must have helped.

When we’re away MOH always scours the area for good restaurants, and his searches rarely disappoint. One day we decided to head out for lunch instead of an evening meal, and the plan was to head for an authentic ‘bouchon lyonnais’. He settled on the Café Comptoir Abel and we set off on foot - well it was the least we could do, but in truth barely scratched the surface of any calories we were about to consume.

The red and white table cloths and traditional wooden furniture are typical of an authentic ‘bouchon lyonnais’ along with the typical dishes of Lyon. Once we arrived at our destination we knew exactly what the website meant. Even the walls in the corridors we were led through were red and white checked.

And it was a glorious setting. Just look at the top of that bar.

Unusually I even managed to remember to snap pictures of our food, or our starters at least. MOH opted for the salad lyonnaise, while I went for the saucisson chaud aux lentilles, which was lovely but huge - we could have shared it. I’m pretty sure chicken supreme followed, but usual service resumed and no photos exist.

But still, that bar - I got a closer look. Every time I look at these photos I see something new.

It’s only now that I’ve realised that an old cigarette machine has been repurposed as a miniatures cabinet. It’s a great use of a vintage piece, especially if everything else is lost.

On our way to our table I’d spotted these stairs, but it was only later that I learnt the loos were up them. And you know I wouldn’t miss a look at those.

They didn’t disappoint, though I’m not sure what face I’m pulling in the photo below.

And as you’d expect, it was so very French. It’s been a bit of a bathroom filled week. Our rearranged bathroom refresh took place this week, and it didn’t go quite to plan, but that’s for another post, another day.

Blixen and gold trainers

Back on a miserably wet evening in March, when going out to restaurants was still very much the norm, we did just that. Because back then, we were crazy fools. I mean, it was even a Monday.

It was relatively quiet on the DLR up to Spitalfields, and while I’m used to seeing face masks walking around Greenwich, I was surprised to see quite so many in evidence as I walked through the City. It was a grim evening and by the time I arrived at Spitalfields Market I was quite wet. The plan was to meet up with MOH at some point, somewhere and have dinner in Blixen.

He was off collecting a record he’d ordered. Record shops aren’t my thing, and when I’m hanging around they’re not his thing either. I’m sure he spent way too much on whatever record he was collecting, so it worked for both of us. it’d been a while since I was up in town, let alone in this part of town where I spent a week back in 2012 as one of London’s Ambassadors, and so it was good to see how it’d changed.

And well, who can resist taking a snap of a phone box filled with flowers?

Especially on a grim wet evening, this brought a smile to my face. It wasn’t long though until MOH appeared and we headed off to find Blixen and dry off a little. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it’s interiors were fantastic. Set in an old bank, they’d done wonders with the old banking hall. Initially we were shown to what I can only describe as half a table. Now had we been a courting couple, or even less drenched from the weather it might have worked, but it didn’t though part of me wants to believe they mistook us for that kind of couple, I think they really were having a chuckle at us. Instead we moved and sat in the raised area which gave us plenty of room to sensibly dry our damp clothes, air umbrellas and generally be quite sensible (well, sort of).

Our new spot gave the perfect vantage point for interior spotting as well as everything else going on inside and out. Of course, there’s no pictures of the food, food is for eating not photographing.

And yes, gold trainers. Super comfortable, a little damp and from Marks & Spencer!

In places with such good interior decor it’s always a bit of a treat to head to the loo, and check out potential content for my ‘loo series’ and that was my plan. And while the loos were equally worthy, somehow and unusually most of the pictures are of me in the mirror, so instead I’m treating you to those, with the final one being my favourite, though including just that one would have been odd…

Unusually, there were very few loo photos.

But heading back upstairs, it was easy to forgive as the lush green decor more than made up for it. The food was pretty good too. I think we’ll be back here one day, but probably not on a wet and miserable Monday evening, maybe we’ll even be offered that half table again, who knows?