I was away in Aberdeen when it was Rosemary’s birthday.  Quick call on the Monday to tell her where her birthday present was hidden.

Back from Aberdeen, we went out for lunch at a restaurant in Stadhampton.  It is a hotel, pub, and restaurant.  Two restaurants, one English and the other Thai.  They also do Thai massage there.  Yes it was a pub, there were people drinking there, and it is called the Crazy Bear Hotel.

Rosemary and I opted for the English meal, and the express lunch from the menu.  The price of the fixed menu was very reasonable.

The decor of the place was eccentric. The bar had a huge stuffed bear, odd tables and stools, chandeliers.  The restaurant was all padded leather and looked a bit like a cross between a padded cell and a tart’s boudoir.  I should have asked if the Thai massage came with happy endings. There were pictures of the bedrooms in the advertising pack, again eccentrically furnished and decorated, but lovely touches such as being able to slide from the bed into a large tub like bath.  Definitely a place to go for an illicit or romantic liaison.

The food was good, I started with salmon pickled with beetroot and Rosemary had a goat’s cheese tart.  Main course was pork belly, yes a proper Gloucestershire Old Spots rare breed animal grown slowly unlike the Large White factory breeds.  The farm is part of the Crazy Bear group.

I  get the feeling this is how the previous landlord of our local pub, the Plough and Anchor, had wanted it to become.  The place decorated how he wanted it, in his case with pictures, and lots of nice nick nacks. Good food, good beer, good wine, a destination pub, and small hotel for guests to stay in.  Sad it never quite happened.

Since visiting the restaurant, I have heard of rumours of two show girls,, hired by the owner, writhing around in baked beans.   I can’t though see any reference to this on the internet.