2014 Informal Dinner

It’s always a bit of a difficult one – do we really want to spend ££££ on clothes, hotel, train fare and a black–tie dinner, or is our more modest ‘Informal Dinner’ the more acceptable choice? Of course, you cannot really make direct comparisons and, fortunately, our programme dictates the order of things, with the ‘big’ dinner falling every third year and the London–based dinner providing less glamorous entertainment in the intervening years. This year was informal and our wallets breathed a sigh of relief!

London, as ever, proves to be full of restaurants and choice but none of them seem to tick all the boxes. Chief trouble spot is the price of wine/beer and the minimum bar spend – everything else seems plain sailing in comparison, although there is a strong preference for a decent ambience! There were several tense moments in the planning stages and at one point it was looking quite bleak, but I personally had every confidence that Penny would find the right place – and she did!

On Saturday 13th September we descended (literally) on Carey Lane, a Balls Brothers establishment just near to St Vedast Church. Although it lacked the fabulous views of previous years, it made up for it in a cosy, comfortable atmosphere and splendid service from the Manager and his team. The food was good; the wine even better if purchased in ‘Happy Hour’ and the assorted mix of company made it a very special occasion. We were honoured to be joined by Simon and Sue Meyer and Sam Wells, the vicar of St Martin in the Fields.

Next year is the Big One in Norwich. Please note the change of Saturday – it is the third Saturday of the month, September 19th 2015. It would be good to see you in that lovely City.

Shirley McGill

Peals