Christmas lunch at the Carew Arms aka the Crocombe Inn.

It worked well last year so we decided to have an early Christmas dinner without any of the hassle and chose one of our favourite inns. It was the first day of their festive menu which was as follows. BTW as usual I was quite hungry and forgot to take a photo of the starter.

First Courses

Consomme of porcini mushrooms with hazelnut and mushroom dumplings

Parma ham, melon and warm goat’s cheese salad served with a redcurrant and mint dressing. ( I loved the flavour of this)

Chargrilled vegetables and ricotta terrine with a tomato and lime chutney served with granary toast.

Smoked salmon mousse served with crushed black pepper, dill and mustard dressing and wholemeal toast. (This was MTL’s choice)

Main Courses

Traditional roast turkey with chestnut, prune and Armagnac stuffing and festive trimmings (we both had this).

Fillet of Scotch beef with wild mushroom and Madeira sauce.

Brochette of salmon, scallops and monkfish served with a hollandaise sauce.

Wild mushroom, couscous and nut roast served on a bed of cabbage, oranges and juniper berries with an

apricot and port sauce.

All served with Fresh Seasonal Winter Vegetables.

Desserts and Cheese

Luxury Black Forest trifle-(moi - having a seventies moment)

White and dark chocolate profiteroles with Cointreau cream.

Christmas pudding with brandy cream. (MTL’s choice)

A selection of British and continental cheeses served with a homemade apple, apricot and date chutney and walnut bread.

To Finish

Coffee, tea or infusions with homemade chocolate truffles.

We were warmly greeted and told we could have lunch in the bar with a fire or a table in the sun – we chose the latter so we could look out at the garden in between chomps. It was delightful and I promise you neither of us ate anything for the rest of the day.