Thursday 26 May - Rain!

Yes, we had proper rain today which I hope has done the garden some good. It was a mixture of sunshine and heavy showers, so perfect growing weather!

I was at work until fairly late as Sophie was in and helping out with a party so when I got home it was straight into the bath as I was going out to dinner with three friends to The Four Pears pub in Little Houghton. My friend Lynda had heard good things and when we arrived the street around the pub was crowded with cars, so it looked very popular. The pub used to be called The Red Lion and like a lot of village pubs had suffered during the recession and had been put up for sale in 2010. Four local couples (or pairs) decided to take it on, refurbish it and it's now a very swish pub indeed, more restaurant really than anything else, but the surroundings are beautiful and the lounge very comfortable. We perused the menu over a drink and soaked up the busy atmosphere. I did like the opportunity to look at the menu and have our order taken before we were shown through to the restaurant.

The menu wasn't extensive which to me means that the food is freshly prepared and not frozen or microwaved. All four of us had mussels in a white wine sauce to start, served with crusty bread, and they were delicious. Not a huge portion but then sometimes with mussels, you can have too many! Our mains were pork belly on a bed of wilted spinach with herb mash (the three girls chose this) and sirloin steak and chunky chips for me, served with a delicious salad of rocket and roasted tomatoes. Side portions of vegetables, my only gripe, were £2.50 each. My steak was tender, but there were some chewy bits and I have to admit to Keith preparing a better one on our griddle at home.

We all had room for pud although the three girls chose cheese and biscuits and I went for Lemon Posset served with raspberries and shortbread which was sublime. With two bottles of Argentinian red, the bill was £140, not cheap but for the ambience and the excellent service, I didn't mind paying my share.

I'm not sure Keith would like it (he's more of a real country pub afficionado) but it will certainly be a place I'll recommend!