First lunch date of the summer.

If there’s one thing James and I enjoy, it’s eating out. Last weekend, the weather could not decide what it wanted to do so we played it safe and had lunch at a nearby pub called The Pheasant in Brill, Buckinghamshire. James had been before for drinks with friends but this was my first time and I was not disappointed.

We had water brought to the table, James ordered a coke and for once I didn’t take forever to choose my food. I knew I wanted a dessert so I chose the bruschetta which was a starter and James picked the Oxford Blue Burger (with blue cheese).

Although my bruschetta was delicious, it definitely wasn’t the traditional Italian starter I was expecting. It was more of a fancy grilled cheese toast with green pesto and red onion. But nonetheless it was so tasty, I didn’t really mind.

James’ opinion on his burger: “It was nice.”

Which means it was good. If he says “It’s alright” you know it’s nothing special…

In the end, we shared a dessert. I chose it and I was torn between the chocolate brownie or Eton mess which I hadn’t had in a while, plus I was feeling fruity so I went for that one. James quite often likes to end his meal with a coffee so he ordered a cappuccino too. The Eton mess was so good! The whipped cream was really creamy and the meringue was broken up into small pieces which meant you didn’t get an overpowering mouthful of sugar in every bite. It also had little pieces of strawberry and strawberry sauce.

The portion sizes were perfect. One of my pet hates when I eat out is being given a ridiculous portion size to the point where you either waste food or feel like a whale. I didn’t come away from my lunch feeling too stuffed and the dessert was big enough to share but not too small to have one to yourself if you wanted.

The inside decor was very cute. Lots of books and cushions and pictures of the local village. A recurring image was the windmill which was situated just outside the pub, a gorgeous view from the beer garden. Unfortunately, the on-off rain deterred us from sitting outside but the weather cleared up long enough for us to appreciate the view as we walked back to the car.

I thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon in Brill. It’s nice to know there’s a local pub, serving up delicious food, just a short drive or long walk from James’ house.