Puddings

Today we took a train from Marylebone to Stratford-upon-Avon and, later, a bus to the Three Ways House Hoel in Chipping Camden. It’s one of those places that has a very limited bus service - and nothing on Sundays - so we had some time to kill before we caught the bus.

We spent the afternoon with a glass of wine outside at The Barge and Quarterdeck and managed to grab an outdoor table at Carluccio’s restaurant where a light lunch was in order because we, eventually, caught the bus to the The Three Ways House Hotel where we were in for an evening at the pudding club.  I really did feel like not many people do this route by public transport but we made it after waiting for a bus that we were about to give up on. It turned out it was the bus parked right at the stop with no driver for the twenty minutes were were waiting. 

Our room at the hotel was chocolate themed. The inside of the door looked like a partially unwrapped bar of chocolate with a gold strip to represent the foil. It was very well done. There was a teapot shaped like a box of chocolates: an (almost real) chocolate teapot and cushions straight out of another box of chocolates.

There was a light meal but the fun really started when a parade of seven puddings came out of the kitchen. The whole thing overseen by the Jason, the evening’s Pudding Master, and his ‘lashings of custard’ catchphrase. The puddings could be tackled in any any order and there was much debate at the communal table about the ‘correct’ order to attempt to eat all seven.  Should you start with the really heavy ones? When would the chocolate mousse be a suitable break? How much of each pudding should be consumed?

I opened with the Jam and Coconut sponge that I thought would be my least favourite. Unfortunately, it set quite a high bar as it was much better than I thought. The Spotted Dick was next which was OK but I thought a little dry. The Sticky Toffee and Date pudding followed and then I went for the Chocolate Mousse to provide a little break from the more heavy pudding dishes.  Next was Bread and Butter pudding, Apple Crumble (which, by the time I was asking for my share at the counter had morphed into a wild berry crumble) and I finished with the syrup sponge. I wonder if it was because it was the last pudding - and I could hardly face any more food - but the syrup sponge was my least favourite. I voted the Crumble the winner as the mix of crumb mix and fruit was just right and it really did work with ‘lashings of custard’. 

By the time we retired back to the chocolate themed room I could hardly imagine eating again.