84. A Trip To Hereford - The Bookshop.

Lucy The Labrador wondering how many steaks she could eat out of this Hereford bull. Answer - None. It’s a statue.

  A few weeks ago I studied the most recently published Good Food Guide to give myself inspiration for a trip to another West Midlands town or city where I could try out the restaurants it recommends there. It is a long time since I visited Hereford and therefore made arrangements to stay in the town for a couple of nights at a charming guest house on the edge of the city centre titled No 21. The quiet and comfortable b & b which really does serve a ten out of ten breakfast was particularly appealing as it took in guests with their accompanying dogs and Lucy The Labrador was not to be left out from the excursion.

 I was planning to go to the recommended Madam and Adam right by the river at the old bridge on Bridge Street and the also recommended The Bookshop further in town. Then the rains came and properties in Hereford near the river were flooded and Madam and Adam was forced to close for extensive repairs (see Blog 82). It’s terribly sad.

  On my first evening then I had nowhere to eat arranged. I set off for Beefy Boys on a cold drizzly late February evening with the streets of the town pretty well deserted. I eventually discovered this once revered burger restaurant and found that the streets of Hereford must be deserted because everyone was at this particular eatery. I was relieved that there wasn’t a table available. Pandemonium reigned in the place with numerous young people making as much noise as one can when food consumption is also taking place. The din was pretty well unbearable. I was glad to get out but could not bring myself to spend money in any of the surrounding chain restaurants and so I ambled back to the guest house stopping off for some very edible cod and chips on the way.

  Things were looking up the following evening. When I arrived at The Bookshop it was very early in the evening but within a few minutes the place was buzzing. The waiting staff were excellent. I had a not-too-memorable cocktail - ‘rhubarb bramble’ - and started off with some grilled sourdough made by the Alex Gooch artisan bakery in  Hay on Wye. Very edible especially with the beef dripping butter that came with it.

  Then a journey to a few minutes of what Paradise should be like. I had a 7oz fillet steak absolutely perfectly cooked according to my request and as delicious and as tender as any that could be rustled up in South America or anywhere else. I’m not much of a steak eater but it seemed preposterous to be in this steak restaurant in Hereford of all places and not to have the steak. And I did and I was glad. Two magnificent steak experiences in three days (see also Blog 83). To accompany the steak I had ‘smoky potatoes’ which is an accurate description of what was served (I think I should have had the chips) and a pot of garlic butter and there was some excellent salad on the plate with the meat. The steak did not really need anything to accompany it, it was so fine it could have stood alone and unadorned and would not have suffered for doing so. To accompany the steak I had a perfectly apt Malbec.

  Dessert seemed like a reasonable idea though not terribly necessary. I had a rather runny peanut butter parfait with added popcorn. A pleasant descent to bring me back to Earth after the sublime pleasure of the steak.

  I conclude that The Bookshop’s inclusion in The Good Food Guide is wholly acceptable.

   A trip to Hereford just to visit The Bookshop seems very reasonable.