We exchanged anniversary cards before going to the breakfast room. There were interesting choices on the menu and after a bit of deliberation I settled on scrambled egg with smoked salmon. The croissant was lightly toasted, the eggs creamy and the salmon was thick rather than thinly sliced. It was delicious. Mr C, as usual, opted for the full English which was presented in a pleasing way.

We drove the short distance to Haddon Hall, arriving a few minutes before the Hall opened its sturdy door to the public. The weather was glorious despite the predicted rain. We enjoyed a couple of talks ; the history of Haddon Hall and the Manners family and an explanation of the chapel wall paintings and other features of the chapel. I found the later talk especially interesting.

After the talks, we enjoyed the hall at our leisure before entering the gardens. The gardens are always a delight but, for us on this occasion, they were enhanced by the roses being in full bloom. The sunshine made our garden walk even more enjoyable.

We had lunch in the Café at Haddon Hall where after my substantial breakfast I chose the light option of Cherry Bakewell Tart, a perfect choice for our next destination, Bakewell, where we enjoyed browsing the quaint shops. We would have liked to sample the wares of The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop but it was too soon after lunch. Maybe next time…

On our way back to The Peacock we stopped off at the nearby shopping village. I was able to purchase a lovely waterproof jacket that I had seen a few days before in a garden centre local to me but where it was not available in my size. I also succumbed to another cookbook at a bargain price, Easy Meals Every Day by Pip Payne.

It was now time to return to our hotel to chill out in our room before our anniversary treat; The Tasting Menu accompanied by the Wine Flight. The experience was wonderful with tasty dishes and perfect wine pairing. This was enhanced by the waiter serving the wine ‘blind’ and challenging us to identify the grape variety we had just been served. We were able to identify some but not all of them. On my part, I was surprised that I could; I have no sense of smell and rely on my tastebuds only.

Photo taken by Mr C

The waiter also told us that we were dining on an original Mouseman table by the English craftsman Robert Thompson whose trademark signature was a mouse carved onto his furniture pieces.

To complete the evening we took a nightcap up to our room. Happy Anniversary Mr C.