I was in two minds about which route to take, but we eventually decided to head along the A14 and make our first stop at a pub in Wadenhoe (The King's Head) which overlooks the river. Sophie had allowed me to drive her new car so I was being uber cautious! The only problem we found was that the air-conditioning still didn't seem to be working properly and it was warm inside the car, especially for Sophie who had elected to sit in the back. She was in a bit of a tetchy mood today, and wouldn't let me try and adjust the controls to make the air a bit cooler!
We arrived in Wadenhoe and found the pub. It was closed and looked permanently closed, with the gates in the car park firmly shut. This was disappointing because the pub was always lovely and welcoming, with a garden overlooking the River Nene. We stopped and consulted the map, and I said we should just go straight to the village of Bulwick, near the A43, and then head slowly through the stunning countryside towards Woodnewton.
We passed the villages of Lowick (The Snooty Fox - very expensive) and Sudborough (The Vane Arms - an old favourite but now permanently closed, too) and headed towards Corby. It took us about twenty minutes to reach Bulwick and guess what? The Queen's Head was also closed, and not just for today. We couldn't believe it! Keith and I had stopped there for a drink last year and it seemed quite popular. What is going on with our pubs?
By now, Sophie was very tetchy as she was hot and thirsty. Before we drove on, we consulted Google Maps and made sure that the pub in Kings Cliffe, The Cross Keys, was open! We didn't need any more disappointment!
We had a great welcome at The Cross Keys, where the landlord was feeling a bit fragile after an Ibiza night the previous evening! We sat at the bar and chatted with him and at long last, enjoyed a drink! Sophie had a half-pint of Neck Oil IPA, Keith had a pint of IPA (forget which one!) and I had a half of Guinness.
There was a lovely atmosphere in the pub as people arrived to eat or have a drink. We decided to have another and then drive to Fotheringhay and have a drink there before our lunchtime booking at The White Swan.
The countryside around this part of Northamptonshire was beautiful but pubs were few and far between! We passed the villages of Apethorpe and Woodnewton and continued to Fotheringhay, famous for its castle where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned. Unfortunately, the castle no longer exists and was dismantled in the 1630s.
People were sitting outside The Falcon and enjoying the sunshine, but we went into the cool interior and ordered our drinks. Keith had a pint of Falcon's ale, Sophie had another half of Neck Oil (this seems to be very popular!) and I had another Guinness. We sat by the window and watched people come and go, and chatted. It was very relaxing.
As the time for our booking grew near, we finished our drinks and headed back to Woodnewton. The village is very pretty, with beautiful stone houses lining the main road. After parking the car, we made our way through the busy garden into the pub. There were a lot of people eating and drinking, and first impressions weren't great when we noticed a mass of dirty glasses lined up along the bar.
We were shown to our table and given three menus - the Sunday roast offering, a specials card and the huge, and I mean huge normal menu. I then remembered looking at it last year when we visited for just a drink, but I hadn't realised how extensive it was, with every kind of food choice, ranging from pub classics, to niche curries (Himalayan Goat curry, anyone?), burgers, steaks, flatbreads and kebabs, sizzler dishes and pizzas. Phew! The two owners, Will and Jason, maintained that every dish was freshly cooked to order... really?
We sat and perused the menu and chose three starters to share - chicken tenders, halloumi fingers (you can get a cream for that...) and mozzarella and garlic focaccia. Keith must have been starving as he ordered the humongous mixed grill, Sophie chose the Caesar salad and chunky fries and I decided to try the roast beef with the usual accompaniments. I was really in the mood for a good Sunday roast!
We noticed that the three young staff looked slightly stressed, and we kept overhearing them apologise for the slow service, another red flag. I also saw drinks being delivered to the wrong tables, so we resigned ourselves to a long wait...
Our drinks and food orders were taken and we sat back and relaxed. I had a bad feeling, though, as the staff rushed around and I heard more apologies. More and more people were arriving, mostly sitting in the garden and I could tell that the pub was popular with the "fashionable" crowd. Hmmm!
Our starters arrived and were tasty, but the huge slab of focaccia hadn't been cut and Sophie had to literally saw away at it to cut the bread into manageable portions!
When our main courses arrived, Keith's meal covered his large plate and he gamely tucked in! Sophie's Caesar salad looked fine and her chunky chips arrived in a little wire basket. She asked for garlic mayonnaise (they didn't have any) so she settled for normal mayonnaise and this never arrived.
My meal looked good but on further inspection, it consisted of several slices of beef piled on top of minuscule roast potatoes, barely cooked parsnips (I love them extra crispy), hard carrots, three small sprigs of broccoli and a Yorkshire pudding. I started eating and found that the roast potatoes had been reheated and were probably frozen. I can tell when potatoes have been frozen and reheated and they were horrible, with a soft interior and burnt exterior. The Yorkshire pudding was the kind you get in a bag and had about as much taste as cardboard! The more I ate, the more disappointed I was, and I'm glad that we'd eaten a substantial starter! The beef was tender and juicy one minute, tough and gristly the next. I was not pleased.
Halfway through, I gave up, and Keith tried to foist his sausages on me, but I was in such a bad mood I refused. I hate having a bad meal, and I'd been looking forward to a Sunday roast ever since I'd booked the table. When our plates were taken away by the youngest member of staff, a teenage boy, he never asked how the meal was. I didn't want to make a scene and add to the woes of the poor staff, but when we paid the bill (£104) I did say to the waitress that I was disappointed. She said she would tell the kitchen staff.
I ask again, how can such a large menu be freshly prepared and cooked? I have worked in catering, so I do know a little about the industry, and we have always found that the smaller the menu, the better the food. You only have to dine at L'Entrecote (where they offer steak, and steak only) to see this in action!
We left and returned home, driving with the windows open as the interior of the car was so warm. Sophie will have to speak to someone at VW about this, as it was stifling.
Back home we relaxed and Keith and I watched the last hour of No Time To Die before bed. I retired feeling hungry... maybe I should have had those sausages after all!
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