On a couple of occasions recently I’ve had a very pleasant gratis lunches out,  courtesy of two different Christmas gifts.

On Friday, my wife Karen and I had a two course lunch with drinks at a Country House hotel in the Vale of York, courtesy of my sister Helen.

Yesterday (Saturday) Karen, my parents and I had afternoon tea for four at a riverside pub in York, utilising a voucher from family friends Jo and Paul.

The 29 room hotel of our culinary sojourn on Friday incorporated a renovated 12^th century Country Hall situated within 30 acres of scenic grounds

Its acclaimed cuisine has been the recipient of numerous plaudits over the years; including one from French food critic Hershal Groundhog who enthused that his meal was “the dog’s bollocks!”

As much as I respect Monsieur Groundhog’s culinary recommendations, I didn’t fancy the canine testicles so chose the duck.