It was a very pleasant journey, and the scenery as we got past Oxford was beautiful. The weather was, too! What a difference to the rain and wind of yesterday! We arrived at about 11.30am and met their two new kittens, Trixie and Hugo, who were little bundles of fluff!
We'd booked a pub for 2pm but Mike suggested a drink at one of their haunts before we ate. Their flat is conveniently situated near a high street where there are lots of shops, restaurants and pubs. A bit different to us!
We had a drink at The Pig and Whistle on the high street, which was empty, and chatted about Mike and Abbie's move to Southampton. They had stayed with friends at first, which hadn't worked out well! From there we went to the Brewhouse and Kitchen about two miles away. The sign at the entrance wasn't promising - they could only cater for people who had booked - so I was glad I'd reserved a table!
We had been to a Brewhouse and Kitchen in Islington two years ago when Sophie and Mike went to a gig at the O2, and although we hadn't eaten there, Keith and Mike loved the range of beers on offer. This was the same, and they were both soon sitting with pints of beer, while Sophie had a Pilsner, Abbie enjoyed a Shandy and I sipped a delicious Stout.
We were given menus, but told a lot of the choices weren't available. Hmmm! Three of us went for the roast while Sophie and Keith had the beer can chicken. We also ordered starters - nachos and burnt bits of pork, which sounded horrible, but looked delicious!
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| Ahhh! Father and son! |
Sophie and I weren't impressed with our nachos as they were dry and tasted a little stale. Unfortunately, my main course wasn't that much better. I had some thick slices of beef, but the roast potatoes tasted strange and sweet, and the rest of the vegetables and gravy were tasteless. My meal was also barely hot, so very disappointing.
We left at 3pm and the pub had emptied out completely. I really do fear for the future of our pubs at the moment - they don't seem to have recovered from the lockdowns we've suffered at all.
Before going back to the flat we went to another of Mike and Abbie's favourite haunts, the aptly named Witch's Brew. This was a funny little place on the high street and looked like an old shop, rather than a pub. The bar was right at the back, and the range of beers and ciders was astonishing! Mike bought the round and treated me to a 9% stout to take home! There was no way I could have drank it and then driven back!
I really liked the quirky pub which was full of witchy stuff and books about spells.
The resident dog appeared and we made a fuss of her, which was lovely. She seemed to like Mike especially!
Back at Mike and Abbie's flat we loaded the car up with some things they didn't need (including our suitcases!) and said goodbye. It had been great to visit and we promised to go down again soon and help them with some DIY. Mike had been particularly lovely today, so I think the separation has been good for all of us.
The journey home was smooth and trouble-free, and we arrived back at about 7pm. Supper was cheese and biscuits, and Sophie had the leftover pie from last night. It had been a long day so we had an early night. I am back to work at 8am tomorrow... arrgghh!
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