After work, apart from have a bath, slip into something comfy and drink copious amounts of wine (to de-stress of course)  I don’t really want to do anything else.

That is unless you want to take me somewhere rather lovely and feed me, which is what myself and Liz did last night after we finished work.

Our choice of ‘eatery’ was The Woodlands House Hotel, Leeds, which one of our lovely followers on Twitter had recommended.

The weather was wet and wild. I was driving and was dry and wild ! It took us just over half an hour  with some good navigation from Liz to reach our destination.

A charming driveway leads to a regal looking house. Think manor house, not semi detached, it is after-all also a hotel.

We made our way through the reception to the small dimly lit bar, ordered our drinks and sunk into a couple of big arm chairs, near the piano. Which reminds me of a time I laid across the top of one (a piano, not Liz)  and sang Happy Birthday Mr President in a raspy Marilyn Monroe voice. No such behaviour tonight thankfully and a story for another time maybe?

We plumped for a bar meal rather than to sit in the restaurant – it suited us fine, cosy, dimly lit with candles and a roaring, spitting log fire. The best bit…we had the bar to ourselves for a while which gave us the opportunity to snap away taking photos with no odd looks from other diners (although the bar man looked slightly bemused).

We browsed the menus and decided on Chicken Caesar salad (for Tracey) and the Classic Woodlands burger (for Liz).

 

Now I don’t claim to be an expert on burgers (although I should be with the amount I’ve had over the years…I’ll never be skinny), But I have to say that the Woodlands burger was one of the best ever. Juicy but firm meat…that actually tasted of meat with just the right amount of relish and cheese all served in a ciabatta bun (that didn’t fall apart when I started to eat it). The salad was served at the side rather than in the bun, so no soggy bread!! I was absolutely stuffed but it was too nice to leave any – and my eyes are bigger than my belly.

When I go out it’s all about the pudding with me. Look at my face –  the cat who got the cream (above) a slightly demented looking one at that!

Don’t get me wrong I love a nice main meal and would be most upset if it wasn’t up-to scratch. I just don’t have puddings as a rule apart from when I go out. I tell a lie , I do.  It’s usually a tasteless low fat boring old yoghurt; hardly the stuff of dreams…

I scanned the dessert menu and spotted ‘Mr Spiced Berry Mess’ more or less straight away. He whispered ‘eat me’ My taste buds started to tingle, I probably dribbled a little. I replied ‘of course you don’t have to ask twice’ and ordered him. Think Eton mess but replace the strawberries with spiced berries.

He arrived several minutes later, all glorious ‘nickabocka looking’ glass full of him and was devoured in even less time… after we had taken the obliquity piccies of course! What a poser.

The perfect end to a hard day at the office.

A bar meal, complete with pudding and a drink (we had 1/2 lager each) will set you back just short of £20.

Until next time, Tracey & Liz x