Restaurants

“Is that it there? Ooh it looks lovely!”

“Wow, it’s big.”

“But how do we get to it? From the roundabout?”

“No, I think we missed the turning.”

“Oh God how to we get there I’m starving!”

…Is what you would have heard from our car as we approached a pub; yet another pub in the seemingly endless collection of pubs in our part of the world. But no, I am not tired of pubs, I could never be. Pubs are glorious, homely boxes of heart warming joy. I feel hugely lucky to still be discovering new ones in my hometown.

When you’re known to not only like your food, but to write about it, there comes an expectation from everyone you know that you must have eaten absolutely everywhere. I always feel a pang of guilt as someone looks at me with disbelief that I’ve never eaten those fish and chips in Newcastle, or that donut from Devon.

Two bloggers walk into a pub…

I could start this post with a romanticised description of what a wonderful hot and balmy evening it was as I headed to The Anchor for dinner, but the novelty has run it’s course now hasn’t it? Every evening it hot and balmy.

Balancing a day job with a blogger double life sometimes means rushing to change in the work toilets at lightning speed and scurrying out to the car all dolled up in the hope that no one will see. Some events are too exciting to miss and this was a big one: an evening with Raymond Blanc at Brasserie Blanc in Beaconsfield!

In Milton Keynes I think there’s something symbolic about a chain being replaced by an independent.

And not just anywhere: right in the heart of one of MK’s busiest spots for eating and drinking. Now sitting proudly on the square, sandwiched by chain restaurants either side and more opposite, Craft & Cleaver have landed.

“Why haven’t we been here before?”
“I don’t know, why haven’t we been here before? It’s so nice!”

This was the conversation Q and I had as we walked down the sunny high street of Towcester towards 185 Watling Street where we were off to spend the evening. Towcester is West of where we live and I guess because we have no friends or family in this direction, or adventures have taken is elsewhere, we’ve never visited before.

In my eight years of food blogging I couldn’t tell you how many times my friends have asked me to make them my plus one on a review. But I could tell you how many times I have met their requests:

None. (Whoops)

Milton Keynes, being the oh so weird (we can dress it up as much as we want fellow residents, but the weirdness is undeniable) and wonderful place that it is, doesn’t have a high street as such. Instead we have hubs and centres and districts where we gather to socialise, shop and eat.

Most infamously of all in my opinion, is the Theatre District.

“But what if you don’t like the food? What do you do?!”

It’s a question I’m often asked by friends, family and strangers. And it’s a valid one. I’m being invited to experience a menu and to share the experience with anyone who finds their way to my corner of the internet. So if the food is awful it’s a bit of a predicament, right?