Mike, poor thing, was working today and Keith took him in at about 6am. I picked him up at 10am just after we'd finished breakfast so at least he had a few hours overtime!
I had arranged to go out for lunch with Fiona, Andrea and Lynda today and we'd booked a table at The Aviator Hotel in Sywell. It was a gorgeous day and when I arrived people were milling about watching the planes and sitting in the sun.
Andrea and Fiona had already bought their drinks and were sitting in the lounge area so I joined Lynda at the bar and she bought me a sparkling mineral water as we couldn't start a tab. We then joined the other two ladies and sunk into deep armchairs that were very difficult to get out of! It sort of set the tone for the rest of our visit!
When our table was ready we were handed scruffy menus but they looked a lot different to what was advertised on the website. Lynda had obviously taken a look as she had already chosen what she wanted but all they were doing were sandwiches, salad platters and a handful of hot meals, accompanied by sides. There weren't any starters. I have to say we were all a bit disappointed! Fiona even mentioned going somewhere else and I wish now that we had!
We asked if there were any specials and the waitress disappeared and then came back with a hand written list. She mentioned smoked salmon and lobster tails and we asked if this was a salad, to be told it was. The girls ordered that as their main course while I opted for the lambs' liver served with a spring onion mash, bacon and seasonal veggies. As a sort of starter we ordered two portions of bread, olives and balsamic vinegar dip.
There was no wine list on the table so when the waitress re-appeared again I asked her to bring it to us so we could choose. She said it was "out of date" and went on to recite a list of white wines, so we had no idea what we were ordering or how much the wine cost! It was comical! I settled for a Pinot Grigio and this rapidly arrived accompanied by tiny 125ml glasses! It was like something out of the Ark!
Our bread and olives arrived and we were warned that the olives still had the stone inside. The bread was cold and clearly not fresh and the butter pats (one for each of us) were rock hard and impossible to spread on the chilled bread. Had it been previously frozen? We weren't given side plates and when the waitress brought them out after we'd asked for them, she just plonked them down on the table!
But even better was to come! When our starters were cleared away our main courses appeared, but instead of the lovely colourful salad the girls had been expecting, they were presented with pots of fish pie, accompanied by more hunks of bread! Fiona looked horrified as it was clear she does not like fish pie so she asked for the salad that was already listed on the menu. The girls agreed with her and asked for theirs to be sent back and they re-ordered the same salad! It was atrocious!
My liver arrived and although the mash and gravy were tasty, the liver was overcooked and one piece even crumbled into a mush. It became obvious that nobody was in charge and that the two girls serving hadn't got a clue what they were doing. The restaurant was empty - there was just us and another large table sitting down to eat and I'm sure we saw another couple of meals go back.
We didn't have the heart to order dessert so we settled for a coffee each and they were lukewarm. Mine was served with the milk already added but I needed more so the woes carried on! When it came time to pay, the staff disappeared and I think we could have got away with just walking out. I was sorely tempted to! The bill was £91 and we left a small tip as I really think the waitresses should have had better training and some direction from a manager in charge. It was a total shambles! We all arranged to meet up before Christmas and thankfully there was no mention of the Come Dine With Me evenings!
Back home I learned from Sophie that Georgia had been to see Mike with her Dad! I'm not sure whether he was checking us out but they had gone by the time I had arrived home. Sophie and I went for a walk to see the horses and we fed them some apples, which they loved! Their big rubbery lips scooped up the fruit and they crunched it with gusto! I stood and stroked one of them and he/she (think it's a she) just stood there and let me scratch her all over!
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