Village pub is even better the second time around
He appeared not to notice at first that I was standing at our kitchen door then with a bit of a start, he hopped out his trench and, before I could even ask, announced that he was changing the position of the laundry drying device on instructions from Mrs FM.
When I offered a post labours snifter in The Potting Shed, I was equally surprised to be informed that he would soon be returning home.
As I entered back into the abode, I was greeted by a smartly dressed Mrs FM who announced that she would be absent for the rest of the evening and that I should not wait up.
She explained that she had terminated her association with the local am-dram society and was meeting that very evening with a committee from her new muse, an historical buildings preservation group. Fortunately I received a phone call from my Nigerian friend, Mr Ndabadingi, who wanted to run some entrepreneurial ideas past me.
He informed me that he had heard that the Horse & Jockey, a local hostelry at Waddington village, was under new management and would I like to join him there. I agreed and realised that a change of pattern was as good as a rest.
I managed to secure a parking spot immediately in front of the building and recalled that the last time I visited here was around two years ago, at which time I gave it a good rating.
As I entered the premises, I saw Mr Ndabadingi propping up the bar. We took a menu apiece and headed for a vacant table where Clary explained that the new owner, a young chap called Luke Shillings, was definitely a name to reckon with.
I noted that the menu had changed quite dramatically. Instead of a plethora of saddle-related menu choices, there were just four starters, four mains, steaks and pasta dishes which made the choice somewhat easier. However, I also noted both lunchtime and 'early doors' cut-price menus on the table.
Picking our starters, Clary ordered the tiger prawns to be followed by the H&J mixed grill while I elected to try the soup and the lamb stew.
Naturally, some of Clary's wilder recent ideas have come to nought but he has made a fortune from his various business interests although I think that kick-starting a classic car movement in his home country may be wreck-full, rather than reckless. Still, he seems to have the luck of the gods, so as our starters arrived, I had to concur that he might have an interesting proposition.
Served on immaculate white crockery, Clary's five butterflied tiger prawns looked both attractive and quite colourful, drizzled in olive oil and soya sauce, accompanied by a small serving of steamed long grain rice.
He said the shellfish were succulent and very tasty and that the perfect, separating rice was a pleasantly unexpected addition to his entrée.
My bowl of steaming hot broccoli and Stilton broth was a splendid light green in colour, possessing a grainy texture, a dense creamy flavour and the metallic after-taste of a very ripe Stilton, finished with a circle of fresh cream and a sprig of broad-leaf parsley.
It tasted well-rounded and superb and was accompanied by six chunks of freshly warmed French stick and two large patties of fresh salted butter.
A young lady delivered the vegetables and chips to our table as a prelude to the mains arriving. They came in short order.
Mr Ndabadingi's mixed grill looked resplendent on its large oval dish, a medium sirloin beef steak alongside a great looking gammon steak, an equally attractive lamb chop and a large sausage. It was finished off with a fried egg with a lovely crisped edge, fried tomatoes and mixed leaf salad.
My lamb stew was served in a separate china skillet placed on top of my oval plate, accompanied by three quennelles of mashed potato and a stack of honeyed roast parsnips.
Clary's meats were not only satisfying but had been cooked to perfection, the meat being of excellent quality, cut and trimmed to enhance the presentation.
The chips, into which we both dipped, were gorgeously golden-crisp outside, with a delicious white waxiness to their flesh, while the accompanying bowl of mixed vegetables (slightly over-done cauliflower florets, perfect broccoli and carrots) had been buttered lightly and were also of first-rate quality.
My stew was a culinary delight. Slow-cooked lamb chunks with whitecap mushrooms in a rich and slightly autumnal tomato, potato, onion and celeriac base resulted in a deliciously herbed and flavoursome concoction.
The buttery and light mashed potato was excellent while the honeyed oven-roasted parsnips had a crisped, sweet exterior coating and a rich fleshy flavour inside.
The textures worked very well together and the apparent simplicity of the dish masked its well-balanced creation, which I could tell had been produced by a chef that knows and understands how to combine flavours to create palate pleasing meals. The portions were generous and, as we considered the pudding menu, we continued to chat and pick at the remaining chips.
Luke took our orders for dessert, a chunk of apple pie with vanilla ice cream for Clarence and a slice of apple and caramel pie for me from a list of around half a dozen home-made choices.
The hot apple pie consisted of lightly sugared, golden shortcrust pastry, within which sat a dense layer of cinnamon spiced and slightly tart cooking apple filler. The vanilla ice cream was real and had also been produced on the premises. It was very tasty, judging by the spoonful I was invited to try by Clary.
My patisserie-style, cold apple and caramel cake was stunning. A large chunk of the 'cake' was packed with white apple segments to produce a beguiling flavour sensation, with a light drizzle of caramel sauce on the plate.
If this is the quality of produce that the H&J plans to build from then I have no doubt that it will generate a strong local following for its menus.
After settling the bill for an averagely acceptable £48.75, we headed back to our cars and departed for our homes. Arriving at Chez FM, I was greeted in the kitchen by the son and heir, who asked me if it was okay for him to have brought his girlfriend into the house. Of course, it was. However, he went further to explain to me that she was a new one, because, "Let's face it, a change is as good as a rest!". Yes, indeed.
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