Three Castles Walking Holiday, Monmouthshire

Last weekend was spent walking the Three Castles Walk, between Monmouth and Abergavenny. The attraction is three castle ruins in three picturesque villages - plus village pubs. The first leg of the walk was from Whitecastle to Grosmont. This took 6 hours at an extremely slow pace, and involved one hill rising to 400 metres. This would not be suitable for children under the age of 12, although great for dogs as very few fields contained animals, so my springer was off the lead most of the time. We stayed overnight at an excellent guest house in Grosmont, and ate at the Angel Inn. This is a pub owned by a consortium of villagers, and had a buzzy atmosphere. It was shabby (in a good way) and holds live music on some nights, although not the night we were there.
The next day we walked from Grosmont to Skenrith. We avoided heights this day and walked on roads for a lot of the time. A leisurely 4 hours later we pitched up at Skenrith, and were welcomed at the Bell Inn. This serves seriously good food, with the provenance of meat and fish listed in the restaurant. It has won numerous awards, and deservedly so based on the lunch I had. They serve light lunches every day except Sunday.
Verdict: A great weekend holiday for those wanting a strenuous walk, and who don't mind walking through herds of cows!

Chichester Cathedral Cloisters Cafe

Chichester Cathedral has a reputation for being very welcoming, and one example of this welcome is the cafe that has been created in the beautiful cloisters. Even in bad weather you can sit and enjoy the truly wonderful building around you while you have a coffee or a meal.
The food is self-service and all freshly produced. The soup of the day was very tasty and the bread rolls very good. The menu changes frequently so would be a good place to eat if you visited Chichester regularly.
Dogs are allowed in the Cloister, and as it is a cafe it is very child friendly.
.. and don't forget to visit the Cathedral while you're there!!
Verdict - A popular cafe with well made food, so be prepared to queue at busy periods
Details: Cloister Cafe, Chichester Cathedral, 01243 782595, PO19 1PX

Field and Fork, Chichester

Field and Fork has moved to become the restaurant for Pallant House Gallery, and this Sunday held a gastronomic menu as part of the Chichester Food Festival. My goodness, how glad I was to have gone! You could visit the various food stations and choose as many options as you wanted. The only difficulty was making the choice! Luckily I had my husband with me so we could try each others options. I started with the seafood quenelles in lobster sauce, which were very fishy, and reminded me of the quenelles that are so popular in Lyons when I ate there. I then tried the risotto with summer truffle. The truffle was shaved onto the risotto, and had a pungent earthy smell. Next to the beef cheek. I cannot remember when I last ate such a rich portion of beef - it reminded me of oxtail. A real melt in the mouth treat.
I was again stuck for choice with the puddings, but settled on the almond tartlet, and panacotta with lime and basil - both yummy! Finally, the cheese board, and I was pleased to find that all the cheeses were British. The Isle of Wight Blue was pungent (in a good way!) but my favourite was the Sharrock Bomb, a type of cheddar that you spooned out of a black 'bomb'. The texture was like a soft stilton, but with a strong cheddar flavour. I will be looking for a supplier for it, as it was the star of the show!
Children are welcome, although as there are foodies around it might not be the most relaxing atmosphere for them.
Verdict: Even on a normal day, the restaurant will outshine the gallery.
Details: Field & Fork, Pallant House Gallery, 01243 774557, PO19 1TJ

Olive Leaf

The Olive Leaf is found right on the sea front on Hayling Island. You might drive past as it is on the road, but that would be a mistake. Once inside you can sit by the window and watch the windsurfers fall into the sea on the far side of that same road. Hayling Island is the home of windsurfing, and the beach facing the Olive Leaf is the one that is still used.
There is a beer garden, but it's located behind the pub, so I prefer sitting inside with the view.
Like so many of the local pubs, the fish is locally caught, the beer is good, and dogs are welcome.
There are regular music evenings, and on Thursdays a nice mix of singers turn up to have a turn.
The night we ate there one of the specials was locally caught mackerel, lightly pan fried - delicious! The other seafood was just as good.
Verdict - A well-run pub with good local food on the menu.

Dell Quay, Chichester Harbour, Hants

Looking for lunch out where there is no traffic and where you can just sit and watch other people do the work? The Crown and Anchor at Dell Quay, Appledram is situated between Chichester and Bosham, on the very edge of Chichester Harbour. The popular pub is well managed, and is used to large numbers of people turning up in good weather. In high season they not only serve food indoors, but also have a fish kitchen and BBQ in the garden.
Your view is the harbour and Dell Quay Sailing Club, and at high tide the hard work is all done by the sailors in their dingies. At low tide the area takes on the look of a creek, but still very easy on the eye. A very child friendly garden, although you would want to keep them from climbing over the fence onto the water. Dogs are welcome in and out of the bar.
On the day we were there the local fresh fish and chips looked 'historic' (to quote Michael Winner!) and the beer is always good. The only down side is that due to it's popularity parking can be a problem, so be prepared to park on the side of the road and walk down. Well worth the walk!
Verdict - A pub that you will wish was your local!
Details: Crown & Anchor, PO20 7EE, 01243 781712