Ladies lunch at l'Ortolan

It was great to be invited to save up for a splendid annual meal, and to have chosen l'Ortolan, a restaurant just outside Reading with a long history of French chefs and Michelin stars. We set off early from Oxford, driven in limousine comfort. On arrival, we enjoyed champagne on the Chesterfield in the large bar. It was complemented by wasabi popcorn, blue cheese shortbreads and deep fried haggis balls. I am so glad we opted for the 7 course gourmand menu with fine wines. The food range is too great to be described here; except to say we enjoyed fresh passionfruit, crab, scallops, venison and over 20 different cheeses. They were all delicately presented and the flavours and textures were complimentary. As was the impressive glass of wine with each course, brilliantly introduced by our French sommelier. It was such a shame to stop eating, so we extended our meal with a digestif and coffee; always a good end to a great experience. And then the walk past a giant fish tank which bordered the impressive aluminium open kitchen, to the toilet was a pleasant parting surprise!