HAVING a meal at Colleys Supper Rooms in Lechlade is more of an experience than just eating out.

It's a bit like being treated to a pampering at a health spa or a day out in London - something rather special to be savoured.

However I don't know why visits to Colleys should be kept as a special treat because it really is not expensive.

It costs £27.50 a head plus drinks so it is easy to pay a lot more elsewhere.

I can think of a couple of places in and around Marlborough where you would pay more than that for any two courses let alone for six.

Thankfully we were all paying our own tabs when 15 of us arrived at the Lechlade restaurant on a Saturday night.

You have to pre-book and pay a £10 deposit per person. If not then one of us would have had to debit our cards for £412.50.

Our total drinks bill came to £135 but mine and Joy's share was a reasonable £6. I won't say who paid £30 for a bottle of red wine.

Diners have to choose their hors d'oeuvres from an ante-room but other than that you stay in your seats and the food is paraded in front of you.

Our second course was cream of celery soup with beetroot crisps floating on it, tangy and delicious.

For entrees we had the parade of choices that included quail scotch eggs, Joy's choice, although I opted for the English sweetcorn (a whole one) with a sweet chilli dressing.

The fourth course was a fresh-tasting lemon sorbet to clean the palate in preparation for the choice of six main courses.

The choice included English lamb with bubble and squeak, chicken tandoori with mango mash; cod in a sauce and a vegetarian option of a vegetable tortilla topped with roasted tomatoes and mushrooms.

Waiters served the delightful new potatoes while huge side dishes of broccoli and carrots were placed along the table for all of us to help ourselves.

The desserts were just amazing. Once again they were all paraded for the diners to see and make their choices, although the waiters made it clear that people could have more than one.

There was tiramisu, syrup sponge, squidgy chocolate cake, apple crumble with blackcurrant sorbet or the house speciality of bread and butter pudding that included marzipan and a crunchy almond topping.

I tasted the bread and butter pudding and the syrup sponge and both were as good as the best home made ones I have ever enjoyed.

It was a great night out; not just the food but the ambience and the whole experience.

Great food, great company and a night to remember.

It was just 35 minutes from Marlborough and would taken less than 20 minutes from Swindon. Even if it is a little bit of a trek it is well worth the journey to spend an evening being made to feel special.

Colleys Supper Rooms

High Street, Lechlade

(01367) 252218

  • Debit and credit cards accepted
  • Wheelchairs by arrangment
  • No car park but plenty of on-street parking nearby
  • Bookings only