sunday October 25 09

Beetroot soup


Here is Ross. He is very serious about food and cooking. Tonight he has brought me a plate of steamed fillet of lemon sole with lobster sauce and a tiny 'lasagna' of shrimps and crab. No photograph because the camera battery is flat and the charger lost. That is the story of my life. BUT here comes Lila and Pascal to help me through the maze of understanding this 'cool' new apple mac book pro. Impressed?

We have returned to our good value Sunday night menu. Two courses £20 plus any dessert for £5.00. Everyone relaxed and happy, not too busy with around 25 in the restaurant. And you may stay the night in any room at single rate including breakfasts. This is to tempt customers away from Saturday night when we are full to bursting.

I know all the menus on our web are out of date and I will get on and change them. Six months ago I promised a news letter. Its also on the way..in the post? Trouble is that the special events we planned are all b

ooked up, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve. Pascal and I are busy dreaming up some good things for 2010. Here is a picture of the last of the beetroot soup

Now Ross is making pumpkin and lentil soup with creme fraiche and pine nuts. Its a treat!

FENNEL & PARSNIP BREAD

A few temptations! With my lovely new computer I am just wondering how this blog will come out. I spent all Sunday evening doing it only to find that nothing appeared. Now I am filling in the time on reception. Its Monday night, 30 in for dinner, everyone happy, shooting party tucking into Ross's butter poached lobster, the lovers in a corner of the candle lit dining room are sharing the last of the hot damson soufflees. Just looking at the picture of that Stilton cheese and fennel bread makes me hungry.


STILTON CHEESE




News? All those comforting puddings are back on the lunch menu. Sticky toffee, crumbles, bread and butter. Then the steak and ale pie, the dumplings and suet puddings are here to get us through autumn and winter. We have enjoyed some perfect sunny autumn days this October which promises to be a record month for visitors. With thanks to all our customers for keeping wolves from the door.





HAND CUT CHIPS

PETIT FOURS served with coffee

Welcome to October. Sunshine all day. Thank goodness Pascal and head chef Garry are back from their holidays. The last couple of weeks without them caused the first well deserved complaints for 2009 and I am glad to report that they have solved the problems.

Santosh arrived from The Oberoi in Jaipur and Charlton house Somerset (where he played cricket for the county on his days off) He is helping Pascal with the running of the restaurant adding a bit of that Oberoi polish to the service. I get told off if I interfere.

The Times lunch voucher promotion was a great success. I grumbled about it for the first week until got the hang of what was expected. Now I am working on an autumn lunch voucher, friendly menu, for all our guests...that means I will have to remember to change the menus on the web. Check it!

We got a good report in the 2010 Good Food Guide and Good Hotel Guide and Hardens. Those are genuine guides. The customers write the reports and we are not able to buy a place there or say how wonderful we are..

The sheep in the photograph will not appear on the menu. Well perhaps as boiled mutton with caper sauce in a few years time when it is not so sweet. Meanwhile it comes to work every day eating fallen leaves on the lawn.