The kitchen table in the farm house has been well used through June and July, due to Roberts knee replacement and Sue’s broken ankle, they are both now recovering well and hope to be back on wheels in the next few weeks. It hasn’t left a lot of time for writing so apologies for the lack of a June newsletter!
Eating, walking, relaxing
Well, walking is maybe a moot point in our house….. but that shouldn’t stop anyone else, here are my top tips for places you can eat outside in this incredible sunshine and enjoy a walk in a lovely place afterwards.
Barrowden
A regular Rutland village to be featured in the 10 best places to live in England, a chocolate box village, with a duck pond full of water lilies and a superb pub. Access is ok with a ramp to the front, but there are some small steps inside. They have lovely outside tables in the garden, and both the food and ales are excellent; it is still a great community pub too.
Uppingham
For fine dining the Lake Isle never disappoints. I ate there with a friend this week. I had a chicken Kiev to start, which was stunning. I wouldn’t usually choose pigeon, but The Lake Isle is a good place to take a risk on going out of your comfort zone, I am never disappointed - crisp, light, and beautifully presented. Followed by a tempura courgette flower stuffed with Cromer crab, which was frankly sublime, an incredible combination of rich crab and fresh courgette with amazing contrast in flavour and texture. Despite having two starters, they were really filling, so for pudding I had baked caramelised egg custard with strawberries and rhubarb, which was also light, perfectly silky smooth and just set enough to be delicious. Eating in the courtyard with an old friend was absolute perfection. Treat yourself; you won’t regret it!
Lyddington
With its Bede House, village green, and gingerbread ironstone houses, Lyddington makes for a lovely afternoon out. We often plump for lunch at The Marquess of Exeter pub; its great from an accessibility perspective with a level car park and level access through the restaurant to the bar and WC. The food is a great combination of a traditional English pub menu and an authentic and beautifully cooked Indian menu, so it offers something for everyone, and on a Sunday even the salmon set lunch comes with a Yorkshire Pudding! After lunch a walk down to the Bede House and church is a lovely way to finish up. On the way back up the village its’s well worth popping in to the Old White Hart with their lovely garden; they keep their beer immaculately and have a good wine list. Holly front of house and Stuart in the kitchen give the pub a great family feel.
Availability
Tempted to book something but short of time? We have some short breaks available in The Stables, we don’t generally offer 2 day breaks, but they are “fallow” nights between bookings, so we are offering them to our previous guests at a total bargain price of £600 per stay.
Dates: Friday 15 & Saturday 16 August / Friday 29 & Saturday 30 August / Saturday 6 & Sunday 7 September.
I can’t make these bookable through the website so email bookings@castlechase.co.uk and we will send you a link.
