Is it just me or are half the inhabitants of Devon residents on this board? 😀

North Devon for a week (and no, not Tiverton…I shall be skirting round Tiverton :p)

The comments re the John Barleycorn pub in Duxford are interesting…on the number of occasions I have eaten there, the food has been mediocre at best…either undercooked, overcooked, cold, tasteless, or seemingly out of a bag/microwave box…I tend to avoid all three pubs in Duxford, and depending on the company (e.g. family, non-aviation friends, aviation friends, work colleagues) head to either the Green Man at Thriplow (good smoked salmon baguettes, curried parsnip soup and chilli con carne…can’t comment on the beer as I don’t drink the stuff), the White Horse at Foxton (some excellent Chinese dishes made from fresh ingredients…sometimes have to wait a while for the Chinese stuff but it is cooked to order by the Chinese chef…plus they do a brie and bacon baguette to die for), the Red Lion at Ickleton (wonderful steak and red onion baguette, but shunted down the list of Ashley’s favourite pubs due to crappy service or lack of at last forum get-together), and the Red Lion at Whittlesford (famed for it’s provision of Moggy’s giant plate of roadkill and huge portions)…in terms of decor the RL at Hinxton does it for me – hardly a bare section of wall due to plethora of aircraft pictures and memorabilia 🙂

Ashley

Dez…until very recently I would have agreed with you on the quality of Duxford’s catering, but in the last couple of months it has definitely improved. As I said previously, I admit to not taking much notice of Duxford’s prices, but do appreciate it is not one of the cheapest places to get a sandwich. I have to say though, it is amazing what prices museums and stately homes etc charge for food (one of the biggest culprits is the National Trust who always charge a small fortune for food which very rarely justifies it’s hefty price)

A

I agree with both the comments made re Hendon’s “canteen” (well that’s what it looks like!) and Janie’s remark about comment forms…I know that the forms we receive at Duxford are given careful consideration and comments taken on board. I have to say, the Runway Cafe has improved immensely during the 3 (?) years it has been open…the sandwiches are now first class, and there is always a large selection of substantially sized sweet goodies (the chocolate refridgerator cake is to die for) Admittedly I don’t pay much attention to Duxford’s prices due to the staff discount, but I still think it offers better value for money than Hendon.

One aviation museum that must be talked up on the food front is the Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial at Manston…the food there is first class (not haute cuisine) but for a Museum of it’s size, the food is always freshly cooked and hot.

Of course, as Janie says, you go to museums to admire the aircraft, not the food, but a nice lunch always helps the day along 🙂

Ashley

Hmmmm…I seem to remember a thread like this when the forum was first created nearly two years ago, and it turned out to be a hoax…

Hello Handly-Page…welcome to the insanity, sorry I mean forum 🙂

Tiverton huh? North Devon is one of my very favourite parts of the country 🙂 I believe there is a plaque situated someplace along the Tarka Trail dedicated to the crew of a WWII bomber that crashed near there during the War….when I was on holiday down your way last year I had a gander along some of the trail but didn’t find it. Will be returning in April so will have another looksee then. Does such a plaque ring any bells? I’m not sure of the aircraft type but think it could have been a Wellington…

Anyway, welcome aboard!

Ashley