| Eating out is something more and more people | | | | at a very reasonable price. With the meal I had a |
| seem to be doing. Years ago eating out usually | | | | pint of bitter and my wife had vodka with draft |
| involved going to a restaurant and was a rare | | | | diet coke (not bottled diet coke which is dearer). |
| treat. Nowadays, more and more pubs sell food | | | | She asked for the small glass to be filled to the |
| and the increase in restaurants that offer | | | | top with diet coke. As we went to pay the bill we |
| international cuisine, such as Indian, Chinese, Thai, | | | | had been charged £1.40p for a "tot" of diet |
| Italian etc., as well as "fast food" restaurants that | | | | coke, BUT because the glass had been filled we |
| sell the likes of pizzas, burgers and kebabs have | | | | had to pay for two tots at a total of £2.80p! |
| increased dramatically. In Crewe in the 1960's for | | | | Then the pint of bitter at £2.90p (£2.40p in my |
| years there was only one Chinese restaurant | | | | local) and a vodka for £2.00p (£1.90p at my |
| which sadly closed down not so long ago. In | | | | local and INCLUDES diet coke). So, for drinks that |
| addition there was one Indian restaurant called | | | | would cost £4.30p in my local - the Flying Lady |
| The Bombay which is now being run by the | | | | – we paid instead £7.70p. |
| second and third generation. From memory the | | | | Finally – portion size! Charging you £5 for a |
| only takeaway food was Fish and Chips. | | | | meal that normally costs £10 sounds like a good |
| Nowadays my local chippy also sells donner and | | | | offer, until the meal arrives and the amount would |
| chicken kebabs. How things have changed! But | | | | not be enough to satisfy a 5 year old child. Having |
| things have changed not only in the amount of | | | | a recent similar experience I was asked "how did |
| variety and choice but also in what we pay for it. | | | | you find your pork?" to which I replied "I just |
| Now we have "Buy one, get one free", "Buy two, | | | | moved the chip and there it was!" Okay, so I |
| get the cheapest one free", "Kids eat for free" | | | | didn't really, I am not that quick witted. Like most |
| and a variety of other offers. One of my | | | | people I ‘put up and shut' with the intention of |
| favourite places to eat, The Boars Head at | | | | never going back – that would teach them! |
| Walgherton has a meal deal from Monday to | | | | There are of course numerous places to eat in |
| Thursday evening. If two adults have a main meal | | | | our local areas of Crewe, Nantwich, Sandbach, |
| each, a pretty decent bottle of wine is available | | | | Middlewich, Winsford and Alsager and it depends |
| for £1 and both people can have a desert for | | | | on what your expectations are. One of our |
| £1 each. (My personnel favourite is the lemon | | | | favourite places to eat changed hands some time |
| meringue pie!) The main meals in my opinion are a | | | | ago and is no longer the same. It was what is |
| little expensive but when you look at the whole | | | | now very hard to find and termed "Silver |
| package it is a good deal and the food is very | | | | Service" where you had professional, courteous |
| good. | | | | waiting on staff, wonderful food, fabulous wines, |
| But what about these other deals on offer, are | | | | table clothes and napkins made out of cloth not |
| they as good as they seem? Well generally, if you | | | | paper, melba toast and dips to nibble on, the |
| are not after top quality food and you don't mind | | | | desert trolley brought to your table and leather |
| going to the bar to order, these establishments fill | | | | chesterfields to relax on after your meal. It was |
| a need. Many tend to employ young staff. I | | | | FABULOUS and we miss it. Yes, you paid a slightly |
| assume this is because they cost less to employ | | | | higher price but for the experience and quality it |
| and may be studying so a bit of extra money is | | | | was worth it. The only place similar is to my |
| a big help. As with any rule there are of course | | | | knowledge, the restaurant area at the Legs of |
| exceptions where the food really is quite good | | | | Man, just outside Sandbach. Very, very, nice. |
| and the staff are older but in my experience | | | | Perhaps one of the best places in terms of value |
| these places have a similar feel to them and a | | | | is Ye Old Manor on Crewe Road. It is a carvery |
| certain lack of sophistication where staff | | | | restaurant so when you order your drinks at the |
| members will shout to each other and the general | | | | bar you also order your carvery and get a ticket |
| attitude is that the old saying of "the customer is | | | | which you hand to the server when you go to |
| king" does not necessarily apply. The other | | | | get your meal as it is self service. That is the only |
| question of "are they good value" can also be | | | | down side as you can queue for quite a while |
| challenged. The idea of paying for one meal and | | | | sometimes, but the food is very good, you can |
| getting one free or some other similar offer that | | | | help yourself to plenty, it is excellent value at just |
| involves more than one person eating gives the | | | | under £4 and drink prices are also very |
| impression that a bargain is to be had when | | | | reasonable. Everything is freshly cooked due to |
| perhaps in reality it is not quite the bargain you | | | | the fast turnover and amount of people who go |
| hoped it would be. Again, I am only talking of my | | | | and there is a lot to choose from. You have a |
| own experiences but my wife and I stopped at a | | | | choice of three different meats, usually beef, |
| country pub a couple of years ago for a "buy | | | | turkey and roast ham or you can opt to have a |
| one, get one free" Sunday lunch. It was only | | | | slice of each one. There is everything you need |
| when we were sat down to order that we | | | | for a good roast dinner - from new potatoes or |
| realised the price of one Sunday lunch was | | | | mash to roast potatoes, peas, carrots, cauliflower |
| £12.50, so effectively two Sunday lunches were | | | | and cheese, gravy, yorkshire puddings and |
| costing £12.50p or £6.25p each, not really | | | | stuffing. Apart from the meat you can eat as |
| much of a deal after all. The "pay for one, get | | | | much as you want and the amount some people |
| the cheapest free" deal is not always such good | | | | manage to get on their plate is incredible! |
| value either. At another pub just outside Crewe, a | | | | All in all there is a varied range of places to eat in |
| meal for two that consisted of a Hunters Chicken, | | | | and around Crewe with a wide choice of cuisine |
| chips and peas – the dearest of the two at | | | | so you can find something to suit every budget |
| £9.25p - and a Fish, chips and peas that would | | | | and occasion. The most important thing to |
| have cost £7.50p was free as the lowest price | | | | remember is that other peoples recommendations |
| meal. Obviously the total cost was £9.25p which | | | | will invariably fail to please. The amount of times |
| doesn't sound too bad. However, in my opinion | | | | we have tried somewhere because somebody |
| the Hunters Chicken should have cost something | | | | else raved about it, only to be disappointed, has |
| like £6.00p and the Fish and chips £5.00, a total | | | | caused us not to do so anymore. On the flip side, |
| of £11.00p. Yes, still a saving of £1.75p but not | | | | we have given recommendations to others and |
| quite the deal you think you are getting. What | | | | subsequently felt guilty when we found out they |
| other tricks are there to get your money? Well, | | | | were not really impressed with the place. The |
| not many people eat out without having at least | | | | bottom line is that despite what I have said you |
| one drink. We ate out some time ago near a | | | | simply have to find out yourself. |
| place called Woore. We had two very nice meals | | | | |