The FastDay Forum

Firstly, thank you to all of you for wishing me a Happy birthday yesterday; I feel very honoured to have you all as forum friends.
So, I think it was @Sue.Q who, at the end of that thread, mentioned hub's birthday present and the night to come... here it is; read on - if you dare!
Bless, hub is giving me some funds towards a new camera - one of these new digital mirrorless jobbies (I don't like mirrors anyway!!) which will be lighter for me than the big DSLR with battery pack I currently lug around.
Anyway, onto the bit you're all dying to read (the meal, that is!). This village local has been recently refurbished and is gathering some very positive Tripadvisor reviews, so we thought we'd give it a go. It's within comfortable walking/rolling home distance.
We both ordered their home made pate to start and it came nicely presented on a platter with red onion chutney and toasted ciabatta. I should have read the danger signals, as I was actually quite full at the end of it. But did I?
No.
Instead, I had a second glass of very nice red wine and settled down to enjoy the second course of tender belly pork with crackling, mash and spiced apple compote, with a cider sauce. Perhaps you can see where this is going now? Lucky if you can, 'cos I didn't.
Half way through, I knew I just couldn't eat another mouthful. Even a third glass of wine was proving too much. Now, hub, is a very kind soul and usually likes to 'help me out' when I have difficulty finishing a meal, but I could see by the look on his face that his Gammon was proving a challenge even to him. Much to the waitress's distress, I sent my plate back unfinished, but with reassurances to chef it wasn't his cooking...
We strolled home, romantically, through the village and even more romantically, settled on the sofa to watch David Tennant in his new drama, 'The Escape artist'. Hub mentioned a glass of bubbly, but I told him the only bubbly thing about the evening was shaping up to be my stomach. I then promptly fell asleep, waking only when they found poor David's wife murdered. Oh it was gripping alright (but not just the TV programme!!).
Hub sent me to bed during Ten o'clock news and I fell asleep again. Now, please remember I had only had 2 glasses of the falling down red stuff, so no casting aspersions, you lot!
However, I woke in the middle of the night to find Mount Vesuvius had taken residence inside me! Oh did I feel poorly! Even the very memory of crackling sent it into paroxysms! So there I lay, with poor hub snoring gently beside me, bemoaning what I'd done to myself - after all, I do only have myself to blame.

So, there you have it in a nutshell. If you're still reading, you must be made of stern stuff! Pleased to report that I feel much better this morning, but I think my days of generous, rich food have been consigned to the dust bin, along with all the weight I've lost.
I'm off out for lunch - but I am only having soup!!!

So, in a nod to this forum, 'Benefits and Side effects' the moral to this tale is - you will not be able to eat as much as you once did!!

That's birthdays for you! We don't get older and wiser do we!

Oh poor you Penny it's so uncomfortable when your stomach aches. My OH & I were just saying last evening how much smaller our food portions have become but a very good reminder to me that when I go out to dinner to not have a first course. I have definitely become a cheap date

Hilarious! Thanks for posting this. I bet you were determined to 'enjoy' yourself, but in a weird way you must feel very pleased with yourself that you can't eat like you used to be able to. The food sounded great

glad you enjoyed your birthday meal Penny
When you said Vesuvious was inside you well I thought well done you !!!!
So today you're ok that's all that matters, enjoy your lunch, I'm sure you'll go carefully today

I had similar experience on my holds when I couldn't even finish a lunch time salad, it is a very strange feeling when it happens for the first time so I can't believe that I'm now listening to my body for the first time in my life
Take-care Sue.

As soon as I read, and for starter we had... I thought, oh dear, I know where this is going !

Thought you might struggle with starter & main course Pork belly, yummy

I confess to skim reading your post a tiny bit as I have recorded the program you watched so didn't want to read too much into it

The main thing was, you had a lovely evening Next year, kiddy portions for the birthday meal

Both myself & partner sometimes have a cooked breakfast if we are out all day, but recently, we have gone for the childs portion which was perfect size Long gone are the, eat for england breakfasts!

Oh poor Penny,

What an awful night for you but a great read for us so that's alright. Thanks for the.....er.......informative post and I am sorry if I laughed at your predicament but you painted the scene so well Glad you feel better

Ballerina x

As soon as I read, and for starter we had... I thought, oh dear, I know where this is going !

Thought you might struggle with starter & main course Pork belly, yummy

I confess to skim reading your post a tiny bit as I have recorded the program you watched so didn't want to read too much into it

The main thing was, you had a lovely evening Next year, kiddy portions for the birthday meal

Both myself & partner sometimes have a cooked breakfast if we are out all day, but recently, we have gone for the childs portion which was perfect size Long gone are the, eat for england breakfasts!

Sorry to hijack your post Penny to talk about telly programmes, but that programme @minigill has recorded. v scary, not sure I want to watch another. Minigill, have your cushion handy.....

Never mind Penny..the main thing is, you got down to eleven stone in time for yr bday..and now you know you have a smaller tum outside AND inside!
you enjoyed what you ate and drank,it sounded delicious..
So sorry you had to pay for it later by feeling so unwell tho
Hope youre still celebrating today and keeping the bday vibe going!
I' m in london now for two weeks..with 3 birthdays coming up, plus Halloween and Bonfire Night,a sunday lunch planned with all the trimmings AND a night at a hotel dinner ,bed and breakfast..i am determined not to go too mad,and to fit some 5:2s and 16:8s into the equation..Hope my tum has shrunk a bit too and is willing to settle for smaller portions!

[carieoates]

Thanks for the post Pennyforthem. It was a great read. Did the same thing once, got all excited about a meal out, had two glasses of plonk, main and pud and went home and fell asleep on the sofa. But at least you've now been to the refurbed place!
Escape artist was brilliant, one of three. I would highly recommend. Thank god we sent our 12 yr old daughter upstairs, she was not amused. I said I wouldn't be doing my job as a parent properly if I didn't protect her.

Oh dear Penny, sorry to hear that and hope your tum has recovered today!
Do you think we need to rethink the venue for our Chester meet in the light of hopefully smaller appetites all round? I would hate to see good food being wasted, unless they do doggie bags! I find I'm eating smaller portions too, what do the others think?

I'm thinking that Abode's portions will not be very generous and I'm sure I can fit in an exquisite morsel or two, especially as I won't be drinking. The other alternative might be somewhere like Café Rouge at the top of Bridge Street

http://www.caferouge.co.uk/french-restaurant/chester

I am the wrong person to ask about eating places so I will let you decide-as long as it is not a curry house my system doesn't like spicy food!
Cafe Rouge may be easier for people traveling by train.

I'd be quite happy at Cafe Rouge as ive enjoyed eating in the CR Lpool and London branches.
How is it for parking? If peeps can park easily, i wd say maybe go for it but if anyone has set their heart on Abode thats fine too x

That's a good recommendation then CM. I'll be driving but it's easier and cheaper to use the park n ride at Upton and get a bus in which is what we usually do when we go to Chester as parking can be quite pricey in the city centre.