What with the pandemic and the restrictions that came with it easing slightly, its good to be back to seeing loved ones and hugging them once more. This 90 year old super nan was very happy to catch up with her grandson who came to visit one sunny day in September to take her out for a bit of lunch. As usual, nan had made some jam tarts which seem to get tastier and tastier with each visit. After a catch-up and cuppa tea it was off out into the countryside in the car.
The destination for said lunch was The Marquis luxury hotel, which is just a few minutes down the road. Upon arrival the Queen was greeted by staff and asked where she would like sit. The hotel wasn’t very busy and there was plenty of seating available. A nice little spot in the shade with a panoramic view of the countryside was selected. The waiter promptly set about raising the brolly for shade and the Queen majestically quaffed into her seat.
It was a beautiful day with the temperature up in the mid 20’s so they ordered some water for the table. The Queen perused the drinks menu and quipped that she could not have the ‘Virgin Passion Fruit Martini’ because she wasn’t a virgin and settled with the ‘Mockberry’, a cocktail with Caleno, lime juice, raspberry and simple syrup. The mocktails arrived promptly and the Queen took a sip which turned her face inside out (almost), followed by a rise smile as the raspberry syrup was very fruity indeed.
After chatting for a while it was time to order lunch. We asked for a couple of menus and the first thing that was mentioned was the price of everything, it was way too high with the Queen saying that she wouldn’t pay it. After much deliberation she went with ‘Catch of the Day’ which was hake and came with mushy peas and chips. Her grandson went with the Alaskan Crab, which sounded very nice. The whole menu looked delicious and it was hard to pick just one, but they got there in the end.
Lunch was delivered with a smile, in a timely fashion and they both tucked in. Its quite difficult to please the Queen these days but the dish was well received and was finished off. Afterwards the Queen sat back in her seat and puffed out her cheeks saying that she was “absolutely stuffed and couldn’t eat another thing”.
After a while the plates were cleared and the waiter asked if the pair would like to see the dessert menu. The Queen declared herself out but, mostly out of curiosity, the pair asked to see the menu nonetheless. As they were both already well fed it was decided that they would share one dessert with two spoons. The melt in the middle chocolate pudding with homemade mint ice cream and chocolate soil won the day and they ordered the ‘petit fours’ as a side, just to see what it was like. The melted chocolate pudding was heaven on a plate and the petit fours consisted of bitesize chocolate brownie, homemade fudge, some coconut thing and a jelly fruit twirl which were all devoured elegantly. It came as no surprise that the Queen had space for all this, even though she was “absolutely stuffed and couldn’t eat another thing”.
With the sun now setting and with full bellies it was time to head back to the car. The Queen thanked the staff and said her farewells which brought this lovely afternoon lunch to a conclusion.
