Wednesday 6 May 2015

Out To Lunch

It’s spring, time to reacquaint ourselves with the natural beauties of the 
Shropshire and Herefordshire countryside.
It’s always pleasant to sample the delights of hostelries sprinkled across our nearby counties 
in the company of friends; our small group of ‘luncheon club' foodies 
gives us the ideal opportunity to do so.


The Riverside Inn is situated deep in the heart of the Herefordshire countryside just on the southern edge of the Mortimer Forest, yet still close to Ludlow and Hereford, ideal for walking, hiking, fishing and all kinds of country pursuits. Authentic and atmospheric, the 16th century black and white building is surrounded by the natural beauty of the River Lugg valley. The Inn sits on the river bank in the small village of Aymestrey. The river and its banks are full of wildlife – dragonflies, dippers, otters, kingfishers, brown trout and grayling all live here.

The bar and restaurant are deliberately kept in a traditional style – log fires, candles, hops and oak beams, bricks and stone. There is plenty of space by the river or in the terrace garden to eat when the weather allows. Our table was ancient, Beloved thought it might have been made of elm because it was covered in thousands of black scratches and marks, much like the wood of elm looks like under the bark. You had to keep an eye on your cutlery, a careless shove could have sent it down the open cracks between the thick planks.

 

The place is totally unpretentious, no fine napery or fancy drapery; everything is plain but in excellent good taste. We sat at the table under the big picture in the back, there was ample room for the six of us before our dishes arrived; after that it was a bit cramped, there was rather a lot of food. Every course was generously proportioned.


This is exactly what the Lugg (funny how all our local rivers have these one syllable names, as if the ancients had barked them out in disgust) looked like today. Millie came too but I wouldn’t let her go for a swim, it was just too cold in a rather bitter wind. Instead she got a massive doggie bag. We could of course stop with two courses, or maybe have just a starter and a pudding, but when you are in a first class eating establishment you want to sample as much of the delicious fare as possible.  We were three couples and each couple ordered different dishes, so we could have a taste of each other’s food. Bad manners, I know, but we’re not really bothered. Rules and regulations are ignored when you’re indulging yourself.


Here are just a couple of examples of a starter and a pudding. The Inn is perfect for me because guests with special dietary requirements presents no problem to the chefs. Normally, I have to dissect menus very carefully and ask for changes to be made in the preparation. The Riverside Inn happily caters for even the fussiest eater and still manages to provide excellent dishes.



I think we’ll probably go back very soon, with or without our luncheon companions. There’s only one thing wrong with a meal like this at lunchtime: I have absolutely no need of anything else to eat for the rest of the day.





33 comments:

  1. Friko, your countryside always enthralls me. I'd love to visit there, and think I'd feel right at home in that Inn. I wish you'd labeled the dishes - they look delicious.

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  2. The food looks very good. We've always found English pub food to be great value and we have never been disappointed.

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  3. Friko, I don't think it's bad manners to share several dishes in order to try the different fare. Maybe at one time it was... but no longer... or perhaps it may still be in formal settings. But we too do this all the time here. The Riverside Inn as well as the countryside looks wonderful.

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  4. Those are the best sort of friends - the ones who don't mind sharing. It sounds like a really good time - all the right ingredients. You have such choice in your part of the world - here it's all burgers and fries, steaks and vegetarian or very precious, pretentious and very pricey 'locally sourced' fare.

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  5. Perfectly lovely day and post


    ALOHA from Honolulu,
    ComfortSpiral
    =^..^=

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  6. Yum! I wish that place were nearby, I'd be there in a flash. :-)

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  7. What a wonderful place. I'd be going back too - soon and often.

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  8. Looks like foodie heaven! I guess I would have wanted to go for a hike in the woods and/or along the river after such a sumptuous meal, but maybe not if it was cold and windy.
    Always nice to be out for a great meal with friends. My girlfriends and I will be having our regular once-a-month evening out this Friday, trying a restaurant most of us have not been before. They offer Eastern Mediterranean food, Lebanese mostly, and just looking at their menue online made my mouth water.
    River names are strange, aren't they. Unlike a town of village which is just one place named for (mostly) good reason, a river is never just one place and so I wonder who named it, how and when did people agree on the one name for it when it goes through so many places where they all could give it a different name.

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  9. Dear Friko - You made me want to dine at The Riverside Inn with your words and photos. I wish I had much more easier access to there from Japan, like a magical door to anywhere in the world. Both inside and outside of he architecture is my taste, and so would be the dishes, seeing from your contentment. When my husband and I become full with wonderful lunch, our supper is often simple “chazuke”. Enjoy yourself in this wonderful May.

    Yoko

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  10. Greetings from across the pond :) ... Lovely luncheon, Friko ... I'll be right over :) ... Love, cat.

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  11. It all looks and sounds fabulous and a bonus is not wanting to eat for the rest of the day, it means your stomach can rest overnight and you get more peaceful sleep. That's what the health books say anyway.

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  12. Now that's the kind of food that deserves to be photographed! I'm filled with envy.

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  13. Absolutely, totally, completely, and blissfully delighted to read this. The photos themselves are good enough to eat.

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  14. What a pretty spot and the food looks so tempting! Thanks for bringing us along. :)

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  15. Looks like a delightful place to have lunch, for sure. The building is lovely.

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  16. dat ziet er heel goed uit.

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  17. Certainly makes me want to be there!! I love places like this and we do not have much here in the U.S. in the countryside.

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  18. We're like that too. One meal middle of the day does it. Beautiful photos.

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  19. Maybe it's a good thing you are filled for the day -- no late dinners to interrupt your flow (or your sleep!) It's a beautiful place, just charming and one I know I would feel so delightfully comfortable visiting. So pretty in your territory! Thanks for taking us to lunch -- speaking of which, it's about time for that here!

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  20. Oh my, you made me so hungry that after I pin this comment, off I go to prepare a starter as the one I see here. Such pretty country!

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  21. People are telling me I'm out to lunch all the time. I don't know quite what they mean by that, as I try to make a place for breakfast and dinner, too -- but I'd love to lunch with you, in such a fine place. It's hard to find that kind of atmosphere and good food around here. You can have one or the other, but they rarely go together. On the other hand, we have wonderful seafood, so there's that.

    The river looks like a perfect place for a stroll, too. And you mentioned Millie. Did she get to go in with you? Or did she wait outdoors? There are dog-friendly restaurants here, but this place doesn't look as though it would want Millie lounging about inside.

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  22. The food not only looks delicious, but also beautiful. Would love to know what is on that second plate particularly. Perhaps you'll add a postscript and let us know!

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  23. What a lovely lunch. You said that the inn is plain, but the food looks far from being plain, it looks very “gourmet” to me and looks it – so well decorated on the plate. The river looks lovely too and I saw a daffodil on the side.

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  24. Dunno what's on those plates, but it sure looks good!

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  25. I love this style of restaurants ! They are so pretty !

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  26. very artistic presentation of the food.

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  27. It is springtime and you're quite right. Time to get re-acquainted with the luxurious beauty you're surrounded by. I loved Shropshire when I was there, although I visited it in the summer. Not quite the same, though (the bugs, the damned bugs!). Still, I loved it.

    Greetings from London.

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  28. Hi Friko - wonderful setting for a public house, restaurant and general relaxing place by the Lugg River ... the food does look delicious. I know a decent lunch or better than a decent one - this looked to be in that category - does put an end to doing much else for the day ...

    It is wonderful scenery up there .. rushing full spring rivers, cutting their way through the soils of Herefordshire, with masses of Spring flowers around to colour up the greening banks, hedges, saplings and trees ..

    Looks fabulous and a lovely place to have shown us .. glad Millie came with you .. cheers Hilary

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  29. Good friends, good food ... that's a menu for a happy day! And the setting is idyllic.

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  30. Let me pull up a chair!!!

    XO
    WWW

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  31. Oh, my! That looks like a perfect day!

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