Ladies who breakfast

Sophie and I ventured out for breakfast this morning and went to Wythmails Café in Orlingbury. Our first visit was in November 2019, and we hadn't been that impressed, so we didn't go back. To be honest, I was surprised it was still in business as the prices six years ago were high and they were competing with Beckworth and Manvell Farm in Walgrave. 

We drove over and parked in the car park of The Queen's Arms, a pub Keith and I used to frequent years ago. Both of us thought we would be turned away as there were several tables taken in the seating area outside, but there were seats free inside. It looked like a popular place!

We sat as far away as we could from a very young child in a highchair (who had let out a high-pitched scream as we waited to be seated) and had a good look at the breakfast and brunch menu. Inside, it was cheerful and bright with lovely decorations on the walls. It reminded me a little of an American diner. We chose our breakfasts: a full English for me (this is becoming a habit!) and a breakfast burger for Sophie. I decided to test their flat white coffee, and Sophie chose a pot of tea.

Sophie ordered at the counter and was told there would be a half-hour wait for the food, but that was fine. We were in no hurry, and it was lovely to sit and chat. Outside, it was sunny, but we were wary of sharing our meals with flies!

My flat white was very good and almost on a par with Costa Coffee. Our breakfasts arrived, and Sophie gasped when she saw hers!

All photos courtesy of Sophie

The photograph doesn't really do the burger justice, but let's just say it was stuffed full of delicious foods! My breakfast was delicious, and there was not a hint of grease anywhere on the plate.

We steadily worked our way through our meals, confident that we wouldn't be eating again until the evening! I sometimes think this is the best way to eat: a good, filling (and healthy) breakfast, followed by a light supper in the evening.

After we'd eaten, I had a mug of tea and Sophie enjoyed a cappuccino. The inside of the café had emptied out and I suggested we come back again, maybe in the Autumn for a cosy cup of tea and cake.

From Orlingbury, we drove to Kettering and visited the Food Bank to take a large quantity of meal replacement drinks that a colleague had donated to Sophie. The colleague knew of someone who had throat cancer and had been given the drinks as an alternative to solid food. Sophie had called the Food Bank to check if they would accept them, and they said they'd be delighted to offer them to people in need. We were able to park right outside, and when Sophie opened her boot, I gasped in surprise at how many she had. The man had sadly died, but hopefully, the drinks will benefit people who need quick and filling nutrition. We left them on a bench outside the Food Bank so people could help themselves.

Once that was done, we drove to Waitrose in Kingsthorpe to buy some nibbles for tonight and to get the ingredients for the Khao Soi dish Sophie wanted to cook. We weren't going to prepare it today, but I said we'd get the ingredients and maybe make it later in the week.

We bought nibbles for tonight, and I chose an Italian red for our tagliatelle Bolognese tomorrow. Sophie said she didn't want to hunt for the ingredients, so we made our way to the checkouts. Ahead of us was a woman who had a face like a slapped bum. Sophie reckoned she was on her way to a barbecue, had been asked to take a pasta salad and had forgotten, as she had several large pasta salad tubs on the conveyor belt, and strawberries. It looked like it was a last-minute shop, because she was dressed beautifully in a long, flowing summer dress, and her make-up and hair were perfect. Behind us was a woman with two items: bananas and a carton of milk, so Sophie said she could go in front of us. The woman looked at us as if we'd suggested a kinky threesome in the middle of the supermarket, and went ahead without a word of thanks. Is it us? Are we weird? Even the checkout man was zombie-like, not even telling us how much the bill came to and staring at us with a vacant expression on his face!

We left Waitrose and drove to Kingsley Beauty salon, where Sophie had a wax. When she came out, she told me a tale that left me traumatised for the rest of the day. I won't recount it here, but let's just say it involved a man and what is known as a Manzilian...

We drove home, deposited the nibbles in the fridge and tried to persuade Keith to come to the pub with us, rather than go and see Sileby play. He refused, but gave us his credit card to treat ourselves to a drink, so off we went. The pub was quiet and we ordered two 200ml bottles of Prosecco and sat in the window, watching cars and several tractors rumble past.

The two bottles of Prosecco came to £19, which I thought was quite expensive, so we had just the one drink and left to relax at home. After tidying the kitchen and sweeping the floor, I settled down in the living room to watch a DVD I'd bought in a charity shop a while ago, Nights in Rodanthe starring the delectable Richard Gere. I'd seen the second half of it ages ago and had been hunting for it ever since, so I was delighted to spot the DVD in the shop. However, after watching it, I knew why it had been given away... it was heartily depressing! That's an hour and a half of my life I'll never get back!

Sophie had had a much more enjoyable time in the conservatory with Moon Bums:

Keith arrived home from the football and said he was delighted they'd won 4-0 in a cup match. Sophie and I played two games of Scrabble and opened one of our Cap de Creus whites from Emporda. We each won a game, with some different words used this time!

The rest of the evening was spent relaxing, watching the end of Anoushka Shankar at the Proms and then a new crime series on Netflix set in Poland, which was very dark. Sophie and I eventually felt hungry and feasted on arancini balls and garlic bread. Delicious!