First and foremost I must start by telling you that all the food in Gothenburg is really rather good. My top tip is to make sure you eat out with as many people as possible so you can nick food off their plate to try everything. Luckily we were travelling in a pack of four (the OH, his sister and her husband, and me of course). We ate out for almost every meal and whether you are in a coffee shop with some excellent kanelbullar, an Italian deli (Fratelli Gridelli) which makes just three pasta dishes (all of which were incredible) or a restaurant with a view (Gothia Towers I’m thinking of you) they know what they’re doing. The meal which stood out the most for me was the one we had on the first night at Bar Centro. Coffee shop by day, bar and tapas by night.
The Junction Windsor
This was a gifted meal.
I do like a day out in Windsor. It’s such a compact city with Windsor Castle sitting right in the middle, beautiful parks and meadows for walking in and Eton perched on the end. We timed it just right on our last visit to see the changing of the guards; it was about as British as it gets and it was lovely to see. Lunch was planned at The Junction which opened earlier this year; I’d checked out the menu before we arrived and was looking forward to eating a bit of autumn.
The Guardhouse Cafe Brixham
Maybe it’s just me but whenever I go somewhere for a day, perhaps a wander round an estate, to the beach or for a tree climbing, rope swinging experience I always expect much more from the on-site café than it delivers. I never learn and take my own food though, I just wash the cardboard sandwich down with terrible coffee and have done with it. However, don’t despair and think all is lost because I have good news. There is a café which could rival any of the best and it’s located at a popular walking spot in Brixham, Devon.
The Red Lion at Stoke Poges
This was a gifted meal.
If I go into a pub in the winter and there is a fire, I am a happy customer. I walked into the Red Lion at Stoke Poges to find four fires going and a great range of drinks at the bar. On a drizzly, grey day that’s always a welcome sight. I was there to try out their lunch offerings and after sitting down in the restaurant, which was lovely, bright and airy but still with brick fireplaces and exposed beams, I tried to make some menu choices.
One side of the menu is a la carte style; starters, sharing plates and mains and on the back are the pub classics. You may have seen before that I always check out what the vegetarian option is to see if a place puts as much effort into their veggie offerings as the rest of their plates. I think you can tell a lot about a place by what they offer their vegetarian diners; if it’s mushroom risotto, walk out of the door. I was so impressed with the veggie options, at least five to choose from in the mains and one of the specials was veggie too.
The Maytime Inn at Asthall
This was a gifted meal.
A few Fridays ago I headed off for a one night stay at The Maytime Inn at Asthall (near Burford, Oxfordshire). Sometimes I think a weekend away is better than a week away. Taking a Friday afternoon off to escape somewhere, far enough away that you’re somewhere different but not so far away that you’re forever travelling, to spend a short time relaxing or doing something new is always good idea as far as I’m concerned. Asthall is a very picturesque Cotswold village at the heart of which is The Maytime Inn.