IT IS not often that I have a free Saturday afternoon.
So when I suddenly found myself with time on my hands, what better than to spend it on lunch at a local hostelry?
It was to the Running Hare, in Ewloe, I went on a crisp autumn day to sample the carvery I’d heard so much about.
It is a large establishment but its layout means there are many cosy niches to enjoy a meal in private. Traditional Christmas decorations already up added to the homely feel and the lovely thought that Christmas is just around the corner.
It was half-full when we arrived, which generated enough chatter to make for pleasant background noise, but was not too lively that it felt overcrowded.
We ordered our drinks at the bar and purchased our carvery tickets – a method I prefer so you don’t have to worry about the bill afterwards.
We queued at the carvery for less than a minute before we were served and asked if we would prefer slices of beef, turkey or ham.
Never one to miss out on anything, I asked for a slice of all three and the server happily obliged. With this he gave me a Yorkshire pudding and a tasty looking portion of stuffing.
Then there were vegetables aplenty to help yourself to – garden peas, sliced carrots, roast potatoes, new potatoes, mashed potatoes, parsnips and my all-time favourite, cauliflour cheese.
I took a generous helping of each of these guilt-free because everyone knows vegetables are good for you. You also help yourself to a delicious hot gravy and your choice of mint, cranberry or apple sauce.
My partner and I were uncharacteristically quiet while we ate our lunch, not out of disapproval for the meal before us but out of sheer enjoyment.
The turkey just melted in your mouth and the thick cut ham was salty and flavoursome.
Compliments to the chef for his perfect roast potatoes, which were crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
My only criticism was that the gravy was slightly watery, but this is coming from the girl who likes her gravy so thick you can stand a fork in it.
Afterwards we had no intention of having a pudding but the menu was too much to resist.
I went for the tear and share chocolate brioche pudding, and I have to confess there was plenty of tearing but absolutely no sharing on my part.
This was a golden brioche set on a layer of baked egg custard ready to be pulled apart and dunked into pots of chocolate and toffee sauces.
I ate every last bite of this gooey dessert and took great pleasure in getting my hands dirty in the process.
My partner – whose favourite sweet treat is a Rocky Road biscuit – got very excited when he spotted it on the menu in ice cream form.
In his sundae glass were vanilla, chocolate and caramel ice creams, topped with chunks of Rocky Road brownie, whipped cream, chopped nuts, sugar curl wafers drizzled with chocolate sauce.
You HAVE to try these to know just how fabulously tasty they are.
The last of the late afternoon sun was dropping to the horizon as we ambled around the nearby fishing lake, relishing, and already reminiscing, about our meal at The Running Hare.