Christmas lunch at Washingborough Hall

Washingborough Hall

dining room

Christmas crackers

roast pork and vegetables

Christmas decorations

tea and fudge

Trying to make head or tail of the brochure on-line for Washingborough Hall a nightmare.

Christmas dinner on Christmas Day ludicrously expensive. Eventually decided on Christmas lunch, a couple of days before Christmas Day.

We could have walked there, but it was raining, windy, and a storm was about to hit.

Washingborough Hall was deserted, where was everyone, it was like entering the Mary Celeste.

Eventually a receptionist appeared. But where were the guests, where were the diners? We had the Hall to ourselves.

A lovely log fire burning in the reception area.

We were booked for 1pm, we arrived a little before. A long wait, 30-45 minutes before we were escorted to a table. Quite what the long wait was for, no explanation or apology. Maybe they were hoping, praying, more diners would appear.

The delay did not matter, we were in no hurry, we were happy to sit and relax in the main foyer, have a wander around. But having booked for 1pm, we should have been extended the common courtesy of an apology and an explanation.

We did not like the allocated table. Asking to be relocated to another table, did not go down too well. We were the only ones there.

For starters, delicious celery soup, also a choice of different bread.

Main course braised and roasted belly of pork. I assume slow roasted, but it did not say. Not very festive, but I did not fancy slices of turkey, which were probably hotted up, not carved off a roast turkey.

The pork was balancing on top off mashed potato and cooked apple. Why not at the side? The crackling on the pork was not crispy. No gravy bowl, nor were we asked did we require gravy.

The mashed potato was not plain mash, it was mixed with something. What I do not know, as it did not say, but it was delicious. A side bowl of various vegetables, as with the roast pork, delicious.

For sweet, Christmas pudding with rum sauce. The Christmas pudding was not very good, tasted like a cheap supermarket pudding.

Finished off with tea and fudge.

Apart from being met and taken to our table, throughout, served by a lovely waitress called Annie.

Synchronicity: In the bar cum lounge, books, whether for display or reading I do not know. Only yesterday or the day before, I was wanting Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I found a special 25th anniversary edition with introduction by the author Robert M Pirsig. I must admit, I prefer the original cover. This I liberated, but will drop off a couple of books.

Many hotels, coffee bars, now operate BookCrossing, drop off, pick up books, basically book swapping.

Washingborough Hall, is a Grade II listed early Georgian Manor House , set in its own grounds, in the village of Washingborough, a few miles outside of Lincoln. Their use of twitter, a classic example of how not to use social media.