O perfil de arnolp04

This used to be a ye olde boozer with a small restaurant but it’s now essentially a restaurant that has a bar.
It sits in a beautiful old building by Southgate Village Green, and has been in existence for more than 400 years.

The food won’t blow you away, but it is good, and reasonably priced. The sirloin steak, onion rings, chips and peas, gets a big thumbs up from me. And because I’m a growing lad I always go for the chocolate puddings. The chocolate brownie is gorgeous! In the winter the log fires are blazing, which makes it a nice, cosy environment.

If you don’t like chain pubs, then this probably isn’t the place for you. But if you’re so taken by its charms and can’t bear to leave, it also houses a 19 bedroom Innkeeper’s Lodge. Included in the price is a complimentary continental breakfast.

I half expected to be shown family albums with embarrassing pictures of the waiters when they were children. Such is the unbelievably friendly service at this restaurant that you immediately feel as if you’re one of the family. There’s a bright greeting at the door, and throughout the evening the staff were warm and courteous without being too intrusive.

On offer is French and Mediterranean cuisine and there’s an extensive a la carte or fixed price menu. My tiger prawn starter was heavenly, they were large and succulent and came with spicy noodles. My filet steak main course was incredible, cooked just the way I liked it, and with a generous selection of vegetables. But it’s the delicious strawberry pavlova that lingers on in my memory. The meringue was soft and not too sweet, and the strawberries were to die for. This restaurant certainly knows how to create a winning pudding.

Meals here can be quite pricey but I reckon they’re well worth it.

Two things I love. Travelling back in time and old stately homes. Until my DIY TARDIS is ready I have to make do with Forty Hall Museum - and it’s not a bad compromise.

Forty Hall is a manor house that was built in 1620’s for Sir Nicholas Rainton, one time Lord Mayor of London. It’s an imposing pile set in acres of public parkland.

The collections concentrate on the history of Enfield, with a particular focus on everyday objects. So there’s an incredible amount of pottery and ceramics from the 17th and 18th centuries. Of particular interest to me are the Roman pottery and glass from excavations in the borough.

Now to some people Enfield is the back end of nowhere, but this fantastic borough has some seriously enthralling history and it’s well reflected in the museum. Romans once probably stomped their way through places where I now get stuck in traffic, and Queen Elizabeth 1 was partial to the occasional visit. It’s believed she stayed at Elsyng Palace; its site is located within Forty Hill. Excavations from that site can also be seen in the museum.

As much as I love poking my nose round museums they can become a little tiring after a while. There’s only so much information that my tiny brain can absorb. But at Forty Hall I’ve toured the collections in two halves - with a healthy interval spent strolling round the beautiful grounds.

It really is a superb place to visit.

This is one of my favourite places to go for a walk in all London Town. I’ve spent many a happy lunch hour there.

The small inner courtyard has been transformed by the Tardis effect of a spectacular glass roof that makes this public space appear bigger than it actually is. It has also turned what was rather drab part of the museum into an area of magic and dreamlike qualities, that’s so airy and bright.

The temptation will be to look up all the time so be careful of bumping into the hundreds of other people who are doing exactly the same thing.

The Piranha took one look, bared its teeth and headed in my direction. Fortunately there were several centimetres of glass between it and me, and skin and limbs were spared.

I was standing in Wildwoods Water Garden Centre, staring at one of the many aquariums which house an almost unbelievable range of exotic and colourful fish, from all the oceans of the world.

There’s something incredibly soothing about a visit to Wildwoods. As well as the fish there are hundreds of aquariums, ponds, water features and associated accessories. I’m probably their worst customer as I’ve never actually bought anything there. I just love staring at the fish and the ornate ponds.

Friends of mine who do keep fish tell me that this is the only place for them - the staff being incredibly knowledgeable and helpful.

They even have a mail order service, so if you can’t make it into the store, they’ll send the fish in the post! I cod you not. (sorry it just came out).