NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 22:59:12 GMT Lines: 47 Xref: usenet.INS.cwru.edu uk.food+drink.restaurants:4448 You were warned - I have been busy. On the Wednesday before last a trip to Winchester was enhanced by a lunch time excursion to "Peppers" for lunch. Peppers is in the main street in Bishops Waltham, a small town about 10 miles from Winchester. The chef and owner has had various establishments in the area and appears to have a loyal staff - the waitress having followed him from a previous establishment. We thought for a while (we had arrived at midday) that we might be the only diners and indeed we were the only ones upstairs for much of the lunchtime although a number of other tables were in use at ground level. Lunch has a simple fixed price menu available - which I selected - whilst my wife headed off in the direction of the full menu which was only a little more expensive. Hildon water - well it is relatively local and although considered objectionable by Michael Winner I had no problem with it. Simple wooden tables and floors together with a relatively simple decor - mainly pink - is attractive and the split levels provide a little variation from the norm, breaking up the areas. My starter was a huge bowl of roast tomato soup which was excellent, a sort of liquid sun dried tomato taste if that conveys anything at all! Meanwhile my wife was consuming duck and bacon salad - excellent taste to the duck. Moving onto the main course I enjoyed some simple chicken from the fixed price menu - although later diners were told that the chicken had been replaced by duck. We had a side order of vegetables between us. We shared a plate of cheese to end the meal. Sadly, as is so often the case, the cheese was below room temperature - an offshoot of the local interpretation of the catering rules. Somehow French restaurants which are subject to the same rules usually manage cheese which has not just emerged from the refrigerator. A bottle of wine, some coffees and a tia maria and the bill. £56.80 excluding service. Well recommended - even if you have to deviate a little.
United Kingdom