The Hinds Head, Bray

I have already discovered that I enjoy day trips. For me it starts with the half hour journey on the bakerloo line. While it would normally be a chore, my daily commute to work packed like a sardine on the waterloo and city line, doesn't allow me anything more than trying to avoid the armpit of the tall fellow commuter standing next to me. So 11.30 on a Saturday morning, the bakerloo line is an almost welcome trip. Cut off from the outside world, without even entertainment from text messages on the phone, give me a welcome half hour to read the papers together with a sense of gratification for having managed to read a whole article with no interference.

So paddington station for a proper train journey. We left London's hustle and bustle and a mere half hour later arrived in Maidenhead, for our short taxi ride to Bray, a relaxed place with a liking for Michelin star pubs- this is also where the Fat Duck is- on my wish list of course.

1pm lunch at The Hinds Head, a one Michelin star pub owned by Heston Blumenthal. Very much the pub menu, I found it somewhat lacked excitement. Although my starter of mackerel was every bit as light as it should be and perfectly done. The roast cod was equally perfect, although the I was disappointed the the mussel broth had only two mussels. I simply loved the triple cooked chips (then again I love chips) and the scotch egg is worth trying. 

Roast cod with mussel broth

My favourite part about this though was the bar area of the pub. I mean this is a real pub where you can have real drinks- if I remember rightly we did very well with the bubbly.

I'll put it this way, I wouldn't complain if this was my local!

But still, take yourself outside London and time really does not matter. This was just a lovely day, made even nicer by our destination. In fact this is one place I would like to go back to. 

Rating 3/5

Expect to pay £50pp for 3 courses, no wine incl service

The Hinds Head, High Street, Bray SL6 2AB Tel: 01628 626151 www.hindsheadbray.com/

The Hand & Flowers, Marlow

I have concluded that, like a spoilt child, I am a spoilt friend. My friend not only booked lunch, 4 months ago, thought to include me seeing as I like food, and even booked all the tickets with clear instructions as to where to meet and where we were headed. A Saturday day trip which took us to Marlow. Lunch was booked at The Hand & Flowers.

This is a small yet extremely popular establishment. It's no surprise. This delightful little pub has two michelin stars, in fact, it is the only pub with two michelin stars.

Lamb

I am trying to find suitable adjectives to describe the food. The thing is I find this difficult. Other than saying that the menu is a good combination of British and French dishes. The food is good, the service is excellent, and the dishes come out looking beautiful. What more can I say?


What was refreshing was the space we had. There is no compromising on the space to get more tables in. You see these may not be pub prices but you do get what you pay for and there is something to be said about comfort.

That's it for a review.

The novelty here and what made this so special was that it was a day trip. How much fun. It's almost the same excitement I had as an 8 year old, when my parents would take me on a day trip on a Sunday. From making sure I left home on time, finding the right platform at the station and finding my friends, all of us organised with coffees in hand and prepared with the weeks anectodes to entertain us on the hour long train journey there.

We didn't need anectodes on the way back, the alcohol we consumed ensured that we laughed at everything from the the train doors closing to the the train pull into a station (I know!).
So yes, day trips are fun, so much fun in fact that we've arranged some more. And The Hand and Flowers, would I go back? Before we left we made another reservation. In 8 months. Needless to say, my only responsibility is to turn up.

Rating 4/5                                                                          

Expect to pay £80pp for 3 courses, sides and wine - there is a set lunch, £15 for 2 courses £19.50 for 3 courses

The Hand and Flowers, 126 West Street, Marlow SL7 2BP 

Tel: +44 (0)1628 482 277 

Note: You may need to book up to 10 months in advance, check their website for more details

The Harwood Arms, Fulham, London SW6

Saturday night and I was on my way to the pub for dinner. I was concerned that I had taken the wrong turning somewhere having found myself just off the bus at Fulham Broadway.

The GPS on my mobile insisted that I was on the correct route and soon I saw the corner pub on amongst the rows of attractive houses in the affluent neighbourhood of Fulham. An unassuming even old fashioned pub exterior. I walked in to the Harwood Arms. It wasn’t exactly gastropub which made it even more lovely and welcoming with just a hint of a traditional pub. Country pub meets up-market gastropub. Same for the food.

The food. If you think gastropub then this is the Rolls Royce of the pub world. The menu features British food and you can expect to find dishes like slow cooked shoulder of lamb or beef with celeriac, pickled walnuts and bone marrow.

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My starter

The food in all it’s glory is just to die for. With a daily lunch and dinner menu which is adapted to the season there is no lack of excitement. The perfectly presented dishes are simply perfected leaving you planning your next visit before you’ve even finished, that is if you haven’t been tempted by too much wine from the great wine list.

My main- Beef with celeriac, pickled walnuts and bone marrow

I say all this. Did I mention? This is the only pub in London to have been awarded a Michelin star. And well deserved I assure you. If you haven't been then make sure you do.

Expect to pay around £40pp for 3 courses, no wine

The Harwood Arms, 27 Walham Grove, Fulham London SW6 1QP http://www.harwoodarms.com/ 

The Prince Albert, Battersea

There's something about London and the north south divide. As soon as you cross a bridge something changes, the atmosphere is just completely different. For starters there is more open space south of the river. You get more commons in south London than in north London. Clapham common being one of the most well-known. Of course there are the bridges, bridging that gap I suppose! My favourite is Albert bridge. At night it is illuminated, I have read, by some 4,000 light bulbs. It is a beautiful landmark. I frequently opt to walk across. Currently there is work done on the bridge so it's only open to pedestrians.

Last night I made my way over the bridge, stopping to marvel at the wonderful views. At night from the east side you can see all the way to Chelsea bridge and the Battersea power station. Battersea park on one side and Chelsea embankment on the other. Continue over the bridge and you will find the entrance of battersea park to your left and The Prince Albert on your right. That was my destination.

I walked in to a buzzing yet not overcrowded pub to find our table. My friend's name and time of reservation was written on a tile. There was another group sitting at the table and as soon as I appeared they very politely left, despite of my assurances that they were welcome to stay till my friends arrived. Everyone seemed to be there enjoying their drinks and engaged in conversation. This never strikes me as a place of see and be seen. It's a genuine meeting place for people to have some good food and a drink.

The waiter, thoughtfully asked me if I would like some water or a drink while I was waiting- I was holding a table for 6! I didn't mind waiting. The surroundings are so charming- a brightly decorated pub with a big bar in the middle.

The menu was small and varied, just they way it should be if you ask me! Starters include a soup of the day (£4.50) and chicken liver parfait (£6.50). The menu does change and there are always special. I had the burger (£11). It came with cheese and it was simply excellent. I would recommend it. It came with thick hand cut chips. My friend had the flat iron steak, which is a cut from the shoulder, (£11.50) from the specials board. It was well cooked and tender- also recommended. Other dishes included the battered cod and chips and rib-eye steak.

Although we opted for no dessert, from what I could see from the neighbouring tables, these too looked excellent.

If you live north of the river, the trip is most certainly worth it. If you live locally- lucky you!

The Prince Albert, 85 Albert Bridge Rd, Battersea, SW11 4PF Tel: 020 7228 0923 www.theprincealbertbattersea.co.uk

The Ship, Wandsworth

For those of you who remember my blog on staying local, this is on the same theme. I went to the Ship. One of the most well known local pubs in the area. Set on the river, when the sun is out all the outdoor tables, and I assure you there are plenty, are always packed. Get there after 12.30 and you will be standing with your pint on the pavement- absolutely no chance of a river view table. This all comes with an outdoor bar and a barbeque. I know, I've spent enough sunny Sundays there.

Although we have now officially entered spring in London it is still winter weather. So we are inside with the staff adding wood to the fire. I walked in to familiar surroundings to find my two friends sitting there with a drink. Red walls, fire in the middle, specials on boards above the bar. The people, like me, locals. Obviously went home quickly, got changed and decided on a quick drink at the pub-yes quick-it is a Tuesday after all. I went to the bar for another round. The house wine is in the region of £16 per bottle and the average bottle is around £27.

At the bar, the bartender was serving another customer and in spite of my wait when he finished serving, he turned around to me and promised to return in a minute. In that minute, probably more so I, counted at least four of us at the bar waiting to order and no-one in sight to serve us. We were all looking around restlessly hoping to be put out of our misery soon. I mean it's half  six in the afternoon, all we want is a beer or a glass of wine.

After a few minutes someone did come to serve us. I asked for a drink and also if I could order some food. Prices for starters ranged from £5.10 to £10.20 for the charcuterie plate. Mains ranged from £11.20 for the beef and lamb burger to £18.35 for the rib-eye steak. I ordered the battered cod and chips times 2 for my friends. For me the shepherds pie which came with mash. As if it could come with anything else! A couple of drinks later, I get up for another round and ask as to the whereabouts of our food. The waitress immediately run to the kitchen, and by the time I got back to the table was she was following me with the food. Obviously, a glitch in the service. Obvious by the fact that the food not only was warm, or even hot. It was extremely hot! I had to pierce holes in my pie and wait for at least 10 minutes before having a bite in fear of burning my tongue (yes I know, it always happens to me). But it was tasteful, the chef added some peas to the mince and it was very well seasoned. Artistically presented on a chopping board with the curly wale on the side. My friends assured me that although initially hot, the battered cod was very good. And it did look good. Crushed peas and fries also.

I have a sweet tooth so inevitably I went to the bar to ask for the dessert menu. This was brought over to us. Not what you would expect from a pub. It included dessert wine, liqueurs and so on. Lovely I know- but I opted for the pub because I want something simple! I don't go to the pub if I'm looking for liqueurs, I will go to one of the Mayfair hotels.

Desserts ranged from a selection of ice creams for £4.05 to desserts priced at £6.10. These varied from the pear and apple crumble with ice cream to sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream. I opted for the less traditional Mille feuille of banana, peanut butter pastry cream and chocolate pecan nuts. My friends shared the ice cream selection, which included 3 scoops. Perfect. Mine arrived and was a grand design which looked more like a deux feuille. The taste, I thought tried to imitate a more traditional banoffee pie. I asked the waiter if the chef was aiming for a modern version. He promised to ask and never came back to me. I still can't understand what the aim of my ''deux'' feuille was..

Don't get me wrong, the ship remains a favourite local. It's just that the food isn't up to par. It's pub food trying a bit too hard. I think all we want to say that you don't need to. We just want our authentic local pub which serves good pub food, we are not looking for anything more. And the more you try and add to it, the more goes wrong. Keep it simple and we will move from besotted to in love once again.

The Ship, 41 Jew's Row, Wandsworth, London. SW18 1TB http://www.theship.co.uk/

Have you been to the Ship recently? Please leave your comments to let us know what you think.