We excitedly got dressed up for dinner. I wore my favourite Asos jumpsuit, which fits like a dream and is just the perfect length. I couldn’t resist getting glammed up for this special dinner, and although it was by no means necessary, I felt that the occasion required it. We headed to the lounge and waited by the toasty fire as we perused the menu with a glass of prosecco.We were then led to the dining room for an amuse bouche of some red pepper and tomato soup. It was very tasty and the cheese and chive bread which accompanied it was honestly fantastic. It definitely fulfilled its purpose and got me excited for the meal ahead.

For my starter, I opted for the duck. It arrived looking like a plate from a Masterchef final and included duck pate, an open duck spring roll, duck salad and some cherry sorbet with freeze dried cherry. I had never tried sorbet for a starter before, but because the rest of the plate was room temperature, it didn’t shock my taste buds. In fact, the fruity flavours paired perfectly with the duck and this, accompanied by the duck pate, was my favourite element of the dish.

For my main course, I chose the pork, which comprised of pork belly, pork roulades and black pudding, with potatoes, red onions and Savoy cabbage. The pork belly was tender and melted in the mouth, and the apricot stuffing in the pork roulades added some sweetness to the dish. The black pudding was fantastic and the best I’ve ever tried. I was therefore very pleased to see it again at breakfast in my full English breakfast! In this evening meal, it tasted great with the pork and there was also enough vegetables on the plate to balance the meaty dish.

Finally, we chose a pudding and cheese board to split between the two of us. The dessert was a Caribbean cocktail, comprising of a coconut panacotta, mango rice pudding and passion fruit sorbet alongside a shot glass of frozen piña colada. The mango rice pudding was particularly tasty, which I wasn’t expecting to work but it was vibrant and bursting with flavour. The cheese board featured some tasty local cheeses, along with chutney, crackers and apple. The apple was a fresh and palate cleansing way to end the meal and I always love a good cheeseboard!