GILL HARRIS has a different experience at a favourite haunt, with some very special guests

WE are, most of us, creatures of habit. Little routines and traditions creep into all areas of our lives without us even noticing.

For instance, I’ve been to the Plough at Chiseldon numerous times before.

It is always on the way back from a walk with the dog and his human in tow. We always have drinks and sometimes have food and the food is always shared by more than the two of us who have actually paid for it. The weather is always beautiful and we always sit in the beer garden, looking out over the glorious view of Liddington Hill.

So it was unusual for me to find myself at the Plough on a wet and dreary Monday evening with a different, dogless human and no wet nose and whiskers peering at me, hoping (never in vain) for morsels to fall from the table. Still, they say a change is as good as a rest.

We had booked a table because my last visit a few weeks before on a Thursday evening had seen the place rammed to the gills with hungry guests, but this being a Monday night, the pub was altogether quieter, with only a small clutch of diners.

Settled with drinks, red wine for me, a Coke for him, we perused the menu — and the gluten-free menu, just for larks. It was hard to spot the difference and our waitress told us that most of the dishes on the menu were gluten-free anyway. It’s good to know if you are intolerant that there’s somewhere you can go with plenty of choice.

After a fair bit of dithering, we settled on wild mushroom, spinach and Brie in a creamy white wine sauce on a toasted brioche (£6) and baked Camembert with zesty lemon, thyme and honey with warm breads (£6) to share as starters.

While we waited, my companion explained he was off to a fancy dress hospital visit at the weekend to help raise money — and smiles — for poorly children. And he needed costume ideas.

“We did Patsy and Edina last year, but I can’t think of anything this year — apart from Donald Trump and Melania,” he confided.

As our first course arrived, I tried to picture him first as Donald and then as Melania...

So Donald and I polished off our plates with gusto.

The mushrooms were perky and earthy, not drowned out by the creamy sauce, and the gentle sweetness of the brioche set the whole dish off beautifully.

There’s not a lot you can say about baked Camembert except perhaps “oozing yumminess” or, as Donald put it, “incredible, beautiful, God bless Camembert”.

The pace of service at The Plough is professional, relaxed and friendly — and we had ample time to chew the fat more while awaiting our mains.

There was a short intake of breath from both us when the main courses were presented.

“They’re so pretty!” I said.

“And huge!” said Melania, who, presumably, is watching her figure.

I’d gone for trio of lamb — slow cooked shoulder, liver and rack of lamb served with dauphinoise potatoes and chargrilled vegetable stacks (£17).

The liver was flavoursome and just pink, the shoulder fell apart the moment I looked at it and the rack was spot-on delicious. The little stack of vegetables and serving of creamy potatoes were a delight. It was an awful lot of food, though.

Across the table, Melania had clearly thrown the diet out the window and was tucking in enthusiastically to her free range chicken breast, stuffed with wild mushroom and Stilton and wrapped in pancetta (£15). It came with potato rosti, seasonal vegetables and a creamy white wine and chorizo sauce.

Again, it was a hearty plateful, but like mine, it was daintily presented with pretty criss-crosses of sauce and attention to detail.

Melania turns out to be a bit of a guzzler when it comes dining out and her plate was duly cleared and declared “absolutely amazing”.

Meanwhile, I was missing the dog as the mountain of food proved to much for me and there was no one to help me out. I was kindly provided with a doggy bag, which, with the dog currently out of town, provided with me with a fabulous dinner two nights in a row.

Not to be a quitter, Melania ploughed on with a cheese course (£6.95), which I helped with here and there, and a couple more drinks for each of us.

Stuffed to the gills, my friend and I settled the bill of £74 and declared the whole event delicious and fun, all in a beautiful setting.

If you haven’t been to The Plough, make sure you give it a whirl — whoever you’re dining with.

The Plough on the Hill

Marlborough Road, Swindon SN4 0EP

Tel: 01793 740342

theploughonthehill.com

Parking: Yes

Disabled access: Yes, from the rear car park

Our ratings:

Food: 9/10

Choice: 9/10

Decor: 10/10

Customer service: 8/10

Main course prices: £11-£25

TripAdvisor rating: 4/5