Thursday 16 June 2022

More Yorkshire puds

It wasn’t just fry-ups and pies in Folkestone. I’m classier than that. Much classier.

The breakfast Yorkshire puddings were a bit of a let-down. My hopes had been so high. Would the next lot be better? You’ll find out later. As that was our last meal. I’m trying to keep some sort of chronology going here.

I’m a very undemanding travelling companion. As long as I’m getting regularly served with beer, I’m happy. I’d only made one request of Mikey: "I'd like a curry." OK, was his reply.

Not remembering having seen a curry house while wandering around that I could recall, I resorted to the internet. A Nepalese place called Annapurna caught my eye. Fairly cheap and interesting looking food. Plus it was just off the main drag, on the way to the East Kent Arms.

We rolled on down there around 6 PM. Pretty early. Early enough for there to be plenty of free tables. Obviously, we kicked off with some beer. Some Nepalese brand, I think. Probably brewed in Bedford or Bury St. Edmonds.


Oddly, the starters and main courses are around the same price. Making my decision to go with two starters an expensive one. They were very nice. One was ribs. The other some meat dish. I really can’t remember. Except that it was pretty good. Followed up by a meat curry with rice. Also pretty good, despite me not being to recall which type of meat it was.

Sunday’s meal was the first one entered in our itinerary. A roast dinner at the Royal Cheriton, a pub close to where we ate breakfast. As Mikey had already been drinking, we took a taxi.

It’s a pretty decent pub, with a couple of cask beers. Nothing out of the ordinary, just straightforward Bitters. As long as it’s in decent condition, I don’t really care what it  is. (Unless it’s Doom Bar.)

Unsurprisingly, it was pretty busy. Which is why Mikey had booked us a table. Their Sunday roasts are very popular. No wonder: they’re very good value for money. For a few pence shy of nine quid, you a full plate of food. Lots of veg and a decent amount of meat. Which was lamb. Hence the mint sauce.


Since I’ve roast cooked once most Sundays for the last 10 years or so, I’m quite critical when I buy one in a pun. Especially when it comes to Yorkshire puddings. These were how I like them: thick and meaty, while crisp on the outside. Much better the breakfast version at the Toby Inn. Well worth the money.

And that’s the end of our culinary adventures in Kent. All of the most English types of food: fried breakfast, pies, curry and roast dinner. I don’t think I missed anything. Not bad in just four nights.




Annapurna Nepalese Restaurant
15 Cheriton Place,
Folkestone,
Kent,
CT20 2AY
https://www.annapurnafolkestone.co.uk


The Royal Cheriton
339 Cheriton Rd,
Folkestone
CT19 4BP.
https://the-royal-cheriton.edan.io/

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

How much has English pub food changed from the 1970 stereotype of offering a few pies and the like?

I know some are still in that model, and some offer fancy mediterranean food, but I don't have a good idea as an American what the balance has become these days between old standards and new trends.

Matt Boothman said...

Standard pub fare now usually consists of:

- full English breakfast
- gammon with eggs/pineapple
- burger
- usually one or two pies (with chips and veg)
- curry (quite often doubles up as the vegetarian option)
- lasagne or other pasta dish
- steak
- fish and chips
- full Sunday roast

If you walk into an average pub at random that does food, you can pretty much guarantee those things will be on the menu.

There are pubs that obviously have a theme or a certain cuisine they specialise in (more likely in city centres), but I'd suggest this is the 'standard' fare.

Helge B. said...

You forgot Bangers & Mash, Matt.