A Folly of a meal

We always look forward to dinner. Especially after a longish day of fresh air and energetic work. After the exertions of our cruise form Cropredy to Napton we really looked forward to this one and we were moored only 200 yards from The Folly Inn. This used to be called the Folly Pie Pub. We had eaten here before and the extensive menu of home made pies filled us with anticipation.

We took our seats at a table in the dining room next to the huge fireplace. No need for a fire today though. It was a beautiful warm evening. We looked over the menu and noticed that Cow Pie had been deleted from the list of pies. There were still quite a few and our conventional teenage eater soon had decided on the Chicken and Mushroom. Piglet, who is more selective about his food looked for something to enjoy that wasn't steak and settled on poached salmon. Owl looked at the specials board and spied a good looking Folly Fish Platter boasting crab, mussels, calamari, smoked salmon and mackerel and prawns. Also from the board, the Venison Pie was too tempting for me to miss.

We ordered at the bar and also bough a round of drinks. I noticed an interestingly looking Folly Ale brewed by the Warwickshire Brewery. I am a local beer taster. I can't resist a pint of whatever os the local brew as we travel around so I had to do it just so that I could say I'd tried it. It looked clear and bright but from the first taste I didn't like it. I am quite used to beers that change their character as they go through the cask, Flowers from Kent tends to sour slightly, Hook Norton has a woody edge but this was pain awful and tasted 'off'. The first half pint usually disappears in a single draght, but not this one. I couldn't take it. I returned to the bar and the bamaid didn't even comment or bat an eyelid of surprise but just took the rejected glass and poured it down the sink. I ordered a pint of HB bitter as a replacement to wash the sour taste away with some bitter fines.

The meals came and the pies looked great. Hot and steaming meat in gravy with a light puff pastry crust. No complaints here. The salmon looked good too but Owl was definitely not happy with the re-constituted gelatinous fish sticks that were on her plate with mussel, squid rings salmon and mackerel etc. on a bed of shredded iceberg lettuce. Her mathematical mind quickly totted up the cost of the ingredients in the supermarket and compared this to the 13.50GBP we were being charged. And NO CRAB. The fish sticks were not an acceptable substitute. We told the waitress of our unhappiness and she went to the kitchen, returning with a side plate "to put the bits you don't like on". Owl said she preferred to re-order and asked for another salmon which, to be honest was OK.

The pies were good, but ... .... ..... "It is obviously folly to order anything with Folly in it's name" said Owl.