Food, Lacock and Harry Potter

This is for all you lovers of food and good things.

Around about this time last year I went to visit my family in the UK.  And what a treat, for the first time in about 30 years, we went out for a family day – me, Dad, Mum and my 2 sisters.  The only person missing was my brother, which retrospectively was just as well.  I say retrospectively purely because if he had joined us,  he would have made the trip lassoed into place perched on the roof of the car.  Four young children in the back of the car is one thing, four grown-up children is quite another.

Anyway, we went off to visit the quaint village of Lacock in Wiltshire.  It’s one of the most beautiful and inviting places I’ve ever visited, although I’m sure you would have experienced it too, while watching umpteen movie and TV productions – including all the Harry Potters, Cranford, Pride and Prejudice, Moll Flanders, Warhorse to name a few of the near 26.

Actually with all that movieness going on there, I’m surprised Lacock hasn’t a display cabinet of Oscars for outstanding location as you enter.  Or at least a couple of forgotten cameras or Sorcerers hats laying around.

But be that as it may.  Let’s return to the intention of this blog, the food!

Well on the way there, we stopped for tea and cake.  I don’t think it’s possible to have a day trip in Britain without stopping at a motorway café for a break, a mere hour into the journey.  It was not good, and we moved along.

On arrival the family did a quick eye-roam and sniffed out our next eatery.  The pub.  Yes, let’s not worry about enjoying the village first, no, let’s eat.  After all, we’d only had tea an hour ago, and breakfast 2 hours before.

The first thing you notice in the pub is the bar and the vast amount of draughts available.  Take a look at this.  There must be at least 10 varieties.  I was mighty tempted to ask if I could pour a few, but was quickly whisked away.

 

 

We settled in to a warm corner and ordered some delicious good comfort food.  The bread was the softest and most enjoyable I’ve had in years. It was warm and squidgy, huge chunks, and I ate the lot.

Here is my lunch, a warm camembert, onion marmalade and warm bread, and a divine glass of Rose.

 

 

My Dad had a chunky sandwich with a glass of Guinness – here it is, and as you can see he has tucked in quite nicely.

 

 

After lunch we had a wonderful hour or so walking around, pointing out all the places we recognized i.e. none.  It was only after ear-wigging on a tour that we discovered Harry Potters house and Miss Matty’s house.  Oh yes, Lacock Abbey too, this special place was used as Hogwarts, both inside and out.

 

 

As you can imagine, all that walking had us hungry and we headed off for afternoon tea.  By this time I couldn’t eat another thing, I was well and truly stuffed and could barely keep the cup of tea down. But the rest of the family settled into tea and freshly baked scones, which they tell me were amazing

 

 

After all that eating we had to head home, but not before we found ourselves in the local bus shelter, which kind of looked as if we were on our way to prison and had just experienced our last supper…lunch…breakfast…afternoon tea….

 

 

But I can’t end without putting in my brother.  Here he is about ready to put instrument of some sort to use.