Eat Fish and Chips at the Seaside

Well, not quite although Great Kingshill is nearer the seaside than Little Hampden. We had our delayed Christmas meal with the deputy wardens and their partners on Friday evening at The Red Lion, Great Kingshill. We originally planned this for January – we decided that December was too busy so going out in the new year would be better. However, we were snowed off – or at least the majority were. Don managed to get up to the Rising Sun in his 4WD and we walked – we were the only clients that evening. However, when I tried to book the Rising Sun for the delayed event, I got a recorded message “we’re now closed for a while...” So Red Lion it was. I picked the fish and chips (it was rather more grandly described)

The pub did a grand job: we were 17 so we ordered in advance. Instead of arriving at the table asking “who ordered sea bass” the staff had our names – so the service was very rapid and personal. The food was excellent – try it (I may get a discount next time of lots of you go – mention the blog!) I had tried it out a week or so before. We’d got it booked for one of our regular deputy warden meetings but several people couldn’t attend. I had already rebooked it once because of snow so I felt I couldn’t cancel yet again. So I did a “rent-a-guest” evening where I invited some friends to join me: it was like a dinner party but at the pub. It was great fun and I can see this being repeated.

The Christmas meal was a success – I felt it helped me to “sustain the sacred centre” that these lent activities are all about. We had an organised movement after each course so that we could speak to as many people as possible. In spite of the complexity this worked and nobody was left with nowhere to sit. We ended with the Messy Church Grace much to the amusement (or amazement) of other diners.