4 year wedding anniversary

This year was our 4 year wedding anniversary on the 21st of July.

For 4 years, traditional gifts are fruit/flowers or modern gifts are appliances. Leigh got me (us) a new laptop, as mine is very old and slow. So, no more excuses not to blog regularly ;-) We got flowers from the parents-in-law and a Honeywell tower fan from my parents. The fan was perfect for helping me to deal with the heat whilst making my first wedding cake.

MSI laptop and Honeywell tower fan

MSI laptop

Honeywell tower fan

We celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary the day after breaking up for our school holiday on Thursday 21st July 2016. We decided to go to Jesmond Dene House, which is situated in the beautiful Jesmond Dene. We have enjoyed the food at weddings here but not actually been ourselves. 

The weekday early evening menu (5 - 7 pm) is two courses for £20.50 and three courses for £24.50. Very reasonably priced. So much so, we both plumped for the full three courses.

Table with a vew

We went on a Thursday evening and it was pretty quiet in the restaurant. The service was a bit on the slow side to start off with. I was left waiting for my drink for some time and had to ask after it. However, once the breads came, it was smooth and efficient service for the rest of the evening. And a thoroughly enjoyable evening of food ensued.

Breads with seaweed butter

There were a couple of things I especially liked about the breads course. Firstly, there was the option of seaweed butter, which I had to try. I like trying new things and this was something of a revelation for me. Really really tasty. How have I not come across this before? Secondly, after we had our bread, we were offered another one. The bread was delicious, there was a selection, and it would be rude to say no. Rare to come across a restaurant offering you more than one bread. The restaurant were being the opposite of stingy and we felt well looked after. A great start and we hadn't had our starter yet.

Chicken and pistachio terrine, poached prunes and garden salad

My starter of the chicken and pistachio terrine was a decent size, well made, good texture and fresh tasting.

Middle May lamb, oregano, tomato and fennel

We didn't know what to expect for Leigh's starter. Middle May lamb, oregano, tomato and fennel. We were surprised to see it was a wrapped meatball. A tasty meatball at that. Another enjoyable plate of food packed with summer flavours.

Roast fillet of stone bass, cauliflower, blonde raisins, macadamia nuts, crispy kale and truffle emulsion

My main of roast fillet of stone bass was expertly cooked and the skin was crispy. There were no bones or scales left on the skin, as I've experienced at some restaurants. One of the best fish dishes I've ever had at a restaurant. The accompaniments of cauliflower, raisins, macadamia nuts, kale and truffle were all tasty morsels. All together made each mouthful a delight to eat.

Roast chicken, pancetta, peas, baby gem and girolles

Leigh got the roast chicken with pancetta, peas, baby gem and girolles. When the plate hit the table, there were oohs and ahs around. It all looked very pretty and inviting. Chicken can run the risk of being on the dry and bland side. But not this chicken dish. It was, like the fish, cooked perfectly. All the accompaniments tasted fresh and flavourful. Leigh loved it. It was a hearty yet refined and top-notch plate of food.

Praline sponge, white chocolate and Dulcey cream and chocolate icecream

We generally find restaurants do better at savoury courses than their desserts. However, we were both pleasantly surprised here. More oohs and ahs at the table when our desserts arrived. I really enjoyed my Praline sponge and chocolate components and Leigh enjoyed his lemon meringue pie. We did find elements tricky to eat though. The pretty chocolate panels on mine and the meringue on Leigh's dessert. But a very minor criticism, as the desserts on a whole were very pleasant.

Lemon meringue pie and raspberry sorbet

I said at the start of the review that we felt well taken care of. The same can be said at the end of the meal, where we received a complimentary platter of petits fours. We especially liked the banana mint macarons. They don't actually taste of banana; it's a type of mint, so tasted subtly of mint. A nice surprise and lovely way to end the meal.

Complimentary petits fours

We felt all the food was excellent. It matched and exceeded our expectations. Eating at Jesmond Dene House is definitely a good way to treat yourself. You can't really go wrong here. The surroundings are picturesque and historic; the food is good quality and great value for money. Thank you Jesmond Dene House for helping us celebrate our 4 year anniversary in style. We will definitely be returning and hope to bring our family and friends here also.