Merry Christmas! I was not ready at all for Christmas this year, and I'm not getting (and did not get) any time off of work to sort things out. (Actually, more on the work situation is coming soon.) So, a lot of it has actually been delayed until Monday. Regardless, I ended up booked into Christmas lunch at The Apple Tree at Gerrad's Cross on a whim. Readers may remember that I went here in 2019 for Christmas, and you can see that post here: Christmas Lunch at The Apple Tree, Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire. It was a novelty then. The second phase of renovation was in its final weeks, so we wanted to get away from it all. Overall, the meal was not nearly as good as 2019. The service was not attentive and unfriendly, and I had to get up to tell the staff twice that they left off some items on my plate and then again when I found a hair in my food. For the cost of it, I expected more.
The deal we got was the same as last time with the five course meal. This came with a small selection of olives and bread to start. Last year, we got larger portions each. I purchased a soda separately, which was not included in the cost. The five-course meal came with a glass of champagne, which wasn't even topped up (glasses above in photograph have not been sipped), and a cocktail. The second course was the appetizer. It was thrown in front of us without any explanation of what the food was or any polite courtesy. The bloke and I both had the carrot and parsnip soup to start.
For the main, I had the turkey. It was missing the stuffing and sausage/bacon (pigs in blanket). The cranberry parcel, which was delicious last year, came with a hair in it. It was only two thin slices of turkey, contrasted with last year. We had a selection of vegetables to share. By contrast, the bloke had the venison, which came topped up and with a lot more meat.
The bloke had the dark chocolate and raspberry delice, and I had the chocolate and orange bomb. This was served with a pot of caramel, which I had to pour myself. Again, there was no explanation of what you had to do here, but I knew the sauce was to be poured over the chocolate bomb because I've had a similar dessert a couple of times. However, others may not know.
Overall, it was a disappointment at the Apple Tree in Gerrard's Cross this Christmas, and I won't be visiting again.
After the meal, the bloke and I went home to tidy up as we are having visitors tomorrow. This evening, a group of us on the road headed a few doors down to have drinks and a toast to Christmas day. They set up a bar in their garden this year and have an outside area. We had drinks and had a good laugh. So, in the end it was a decent day. It just has not felt like Christmas this year at all.
Anyway, I hope all of my readers had a lovely Christmas day.
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