HOLIDAYS are great fun ... planning for them isn’t.
But if you are going to spend a night poring over itineraries and double checking hotel bookings, you might as well do it in comfort.
Cue a trip for me and Mrs B to the classy pub that is the Dutch Mill.
As we worked through a mountain of paperwork we also worked through the mountain of nachos with chilli and cheese (£4.95) we were sharing as a starter.
Slathered with a rich, fiery, meaty mix this earned the title of finest plate of nachos we’ve had for a while. We could even forgive the charcoaled edges of a few on a few of the chips.
While we discussed journey times to Dover (nightmare) our mains arrived; scampi (£10.25) for me and chicken goujons for her – and lots of both.
“How many bits of chicken have you got there,” I asked my other half, having stopped counting at 10 huge bits of scampi on my plate.
“Half a ton”, she replied, before tucking in with relish ... in the shape of a zingy sweet chilli sauce.
“Mmm ... homemade,” said Mrs B, as she shoved aside the guide to driving in France.
Meanwhile, I was chuffed to find my scampi was plump, sweet and tasty – even if the breadcrumb coating surrounding it veered to the tough side.
But with crisp chips and a plenty of peas and coleslaw for both of us, the meal was summed up by Mrs B’s judgment on her last morsel of tender chicken ... “Fine.”
Let’s hope we can find as good on our hols. How is French cuisine these days?