Cookham in Bucks is the birthplace of Sir Stanley Spencer and the home of the Spencer Gallery located in the chapel that he used to be taken to as a child. It's a charming little village on the banks of the Thames, a couple of miles away from Bourne End where our head office is based.
Last night I stayed at Spencers Hotel (shown here in 1897 when it was the White Hart during a flood), at the far end of Cookham High Street, and rather nice it was too. It's a a very friendly pub that serves some of the best food in the locality and the menus can be seen chalked up round the bar and along the various beams. There's a good variety, although not a huge selection for vegetarians it has to be said. I had a Peppered Goat's Cheese and Spinach Timbale which was a very reasonable £9.50 and left me too full to be tempted by any of the traditional puddings on offer. They also do a huge number of sizzling steaks if that is what floats your culinary boat, and other more exotic dishes and some interesting oddities like Cumberland Bangers with Garlic Mash and Russian Roulette Jalapeno peppers in breadcrumbs and cream cheese (you get six, and one of them is *hot*). There wasn't a huge selection of beer, but the Greene King IPA was well kept and very drinkable.
The accommodation is clean and comfortable, but for £55 for bed and breakfast you can't really complain. They'd had a problem with the loo in my room, and Les behind the bar was despatched to B&Q where he failed to find the necessary attachment for the ballcock. I had enough water for one flush in the morning, but even given that minor hassle I'd much rather stay there than at some anonymous Holiday Inn or Travelodge somewhere.
4000 words down on the NaNoWriMo, and the plot is starting to come together. I'm not entirely sure where the story is heading, and it might run out of steam. I'll put the links to it in a couple of days if I keep the momentum going on it.
1 comment:
Hello, Neil and partner! Happy New Year to you - hope you're doing okay.
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