Ladies who lunch...

Unfortunately, I was awake at 4.15am this morning, woken by Mike and Keith having a conversation! Mike is working this weekend and had to go in extra early to get the greens ready for the golfers. Keith went back to sleep until 5am but I lay awake until I heard them leave. When I did go back to sleep, Mike calling at 7am to say he was finished woke me up again!

Sophie and I had lunch booked at The Falcon in Castle Ashby at 12pm and I had originally thought we could go to Milton Keynes to take the recycling first! It would have meant leaving home at 10am and rushing to get ready which we didn't want this morning.

The Falcon Inn and restaurant holds special memories for me. Keith and I spent our wedding night there 29 years ago, and it was a regular place I went to for Christmas dinners with my parents. It was a lovely place to go for a celebration dinner, and we've spent some wonderful times there. It was sad to see it all closed up but it's been extensively refurbished and the changes are spectacular. The Falcon was built in 1594 and is owned by the 7th Marquess of Northampton. It's a gorgeous building, with honey-coloured stone everywhere, sweeping grounds and beautiful terraces where you can enjoy a meal or a drink.

We arrived on the dot of 12pm and were greeted by two very friendly members of staff who showed us to our table overlooking the grounds. The restaurant was beginning to fill up, and some people were seated on the other terrace which was just for drinks.

We were given the wine menu and the lunch menu and asked if we wanted a bottle of sparkling water. We had already looked at the choices on their website, and all the dishes sounded delicious! We ordered a glass each of white wine, a Torrontes-Chardonnay from Argentina (delicious) and a portion of sourdough bread and butter, and olives. We decided to share a starter of asparagus (£12) and we both went for the tagliatelle for our main course. The fact that we'd decided on exactly the same thing throughout the meal was a source of amusement for our server!

We were very lucky with the weather, and although every now and again there was a gust of wind, it was extremely pleasant sitting on the terrace in the sunshine. By now the tables were filling up and a family trooped in and sat behind us. The mum and dad looked especially glum for some reason, I have no idea why given the surroundings and the delightful prospect of lunch out, and the two children sat glued to their tablets the whole time we were there.

I had imagined that the place would be full of the beautiful people, seeing as the renovations have created such a splash locally, but most people were dressed very casually and two women, who looked like they'd been out for a ramble, turned up and were seated on the drinks terrace. I heard one of them say that they'd spent their wedding night at the hotel as well, so there's no doubt the place holds special memories for a lot of people.

Our starter accompanied by bread and olives.

The first course of food was sublime, especially the asparagus, which was cooked to perfection and accompanied by burrata, - an Italian cheese I'd never heard of before - almonds and extra virgin olive oil. The bread was still warm, crusty on the outside, soft in the middle, and the olives were plump and just salty enough. We did think that three asparagus spears were a bit mean for the £12 price tag, but we really couldn't fault the taste or presentation.

After we'd devoured the starters our main course arrived - tagliatelle with courgette, basil pesto and a wonderful parmesan sauce. It came with a foam! We'd never eaten a foam before!

The pasta was soft and delicious - it was definitely the highlight of our meal. Sophie ate hers in record time, she was so impressed. I needn't have worried about tonight's barbecue at home as the portions weren't huge, but it was certainly quality over quantity, which is sometimes just what you want.

We couldn't resist a dessert and we both opted for the panna cotta served with rhubarb and pistachio nuts. It was so pretty, it looked like a work of art!

I had a decaffeinated coffee to finish off the meal, and while our server cleared our plates, I tentatively asked if we could look around the hotel. I said I quite understood if we couldn't, given the current pandemic, but I explained I'd stayed here on my wedding night and next year is our 30th anniversary. I was thinking of spending the night here with Keith as a treat. She said she would ask and while she was gone, we both used the beautiful toilet facilities. I went after Sophie and unfortunately banged my head badly on the lintel as I came out of the bathroom! Not really what I wanted! But then I suppose it is a very old building, and people were a lot shorter in the 16th century!

Back at the table, we were given the bill and it came to what I was expecting, a shade under £100 which included service at 12.5%, something we were not going to quibble about. I praised the food and service to the rather snooty Maitre D' who brushed off my compliments without saying thank you. It's been so long since we've been somewhere this good in the UK, and I think we've become accustomed to lack-lustre service and food! There was no mention of us looking around the hotel, and our server never came back to say we couldn't, so I felt disappointed and a bit silly for asking in the first place. It would have been nice for someone to come and say they were sorry it wasn't possible, but they could have invited us back in May when inside dining is allowed again. A marketing opportunity missed as the rooms start at about £250 a night!

From Castle Ashby, we drove to Olney and managed to park on the main street. We made straight for a lovely shop selling vintage treasures where I needed some more soaps. Sophie bought one each for Laura and Daisy as she's meeting them for lunch tomorrow to catch up after birthdays and Christmas, and wanted some gifts for them.

It was then lovely to wander around the shops, some of them selling some very strange things indeed! Olney used to be known for its antique shops, but now these have all been replaced by gift shops that sell things people don't really need! 

The town was busy with shoppers enjoying the sunshine, and the pubs were doing a roaring trade with outside diners and drinkers. We ambled back to the car and before heading home, popped to Beckworth to get some more gifts for the girls. Beckworth has changed since the last time we were there with the checkouts now situated in a new part of the store. Again, there was more tat on display, including a small bottle of shower "milk" for £20!  Am I really that much out of touch with prices that I find that ludicrous?

Back home we relaxed for an hour and then it was cocktail time and Scrabble. We played two games - Sophie beat me each time - and afterwards, we helped Keith with the barbecue. Sophie said she was so hungry her stomach had begun to eat itself! After a three-course lunch!

Our evening meal was delicious - I had marinated chicken breasts in cumin, turmeric, garlic, ginger and coconut milk this morning - and we also enjoyed juicy burgers with new potatoes, corn on the cob and salad.

After we'd cleared away we decided to watch the new Sky Atlantic drama, Mare of Easttown starring our very own Kate Winslet with an awful American accent. Sophie and I were not impressed, but Keith enjoyed it, so he can watch it from now on while he's doing the ironing!