Now a fan of gastropubs in this country and upon strong recommendation from our host, it was the Brown Horse Inn today for lunch and once again I found myself unnecessarily tense at the prospect.

It was already 1:30 p.m. when Teko decided he wanted to go out and knowing that most good places closed around 2:30 or so, it was a race to not only find a place, it had to be nearby and relatively decent. Once I found the Brown Horse it was then a question of whether they had a table free, and since they were only a five-minute drive away, it was still decent to try. Once we parked our battered little Fiesta next to a flaming red Jaguar in the Inn’s private parking lot and walked in, luckily they did.

The food, simply put, was substantial. I’m noticing the meal servings in the Lake District are on the large side it’s a wonder I haven’t seen healthier locals. Safe to say I barely finished the huge, delicious mushroom soup before tackling the brie-infused sausage special of the day only to leave it half-finished. All of it was tasty in any case, and we were out of there in less than an hour, an efficient and effective lunch if there was one.

Here’s to more amazing, last minute, stressful, and affordable Brown Horses in our future. With any luck, the near future.