Half A Day In Canterbury

We slept-in somewhat this morning; partly I think because the curtains in our room are so heavy they totally blocked out the sunrise which, according to Ping, was spectacular. Ping and David went out for a walk along the cliffs first thing while Brett & I prepared breakfast. Brett actually did most of the cooking while I opened curtains, laid the table and unloaded the dishwasher and such like. (It’s all very well living in authentic early-Victorian splendour, so long as you have just enough mod-cons that it’s not too unpleasantly authentic to live without the accompanying domestic staff!)

After a leisurely breakfast we drove down to Canterbury to visit the cathedral and have lunch at one of the places that Ping had picked out of The Good Food Guide. It was everyone else’s first time in Canterbury and they all seemed to enjoy it. I spent plenty of time here when I was living in Folkestone and nothing much seems to have changed, apart from possibly the encroachment of another few international chains into the lovely old High Street.

Canterbury Cathedral I am always rather underwhelmed by; for the seat of the Anglican Primate it doesn’t seem to really excel in any of its attributes, which I suppose could be claimed as a metaphor for the Church itself…

The restaurant chosen for lunch was attached to a Farmers’ Market just outside the centre of town and the food was just as delicious as one would have expected. I had a gouda omelette followed by pot-roast chicken with a selection of exotic vegetables. For dessert I chose an almond and orange tart accompanied by real chocolate ice cream, however upon tasting Ping’s lemon soufflé and David’s roast pear with chocolate mousse I really wished I could order again; the flavours, particularly of David’s pear and chocolate were such a subtle delight it left your mouth watering for more!

By the time we had finished lunch and picked up a few cheeses for after dinner tonight, it was four o’clock and time to head back to Ramsgate. Miles was already there when we arrived and was just as delighted with the house as the rest of us are. It’s his turn to cook dinner tonight, so we get to sit and read by the fire…