Winter 2017 edition new

The Beach at Bude
18
When I was a skinny, wee nipper at junior
school, we were asked to write an essay
on what we thought the future would look
like. Predictably enough, in the 1970s, that
future consisted mostly of flying cars,
silver outfits with big shoulders and teeny,
tiny tellys we could wear on our wrists.
I also imagined that proper, sit-down
meals would be a thing of the laborious
past. No more queuing for your sausages,
no more peeling and chopping endless
potatoes, no more boiled cabbage and,
especially hopefully for me, no more
lumps of meat that would have tested the
metallic gnashers of a Bond villain's
henchman. Just a simple little pill to save
all that time, effort and unpleasantness.
All your nutritional requirements ticked
off in one sugar-coated tablet.
It was a deeply attractive and eminently sensible idea to my eight-year old self. Aside from the entire range
of sweets on offer at our local sweetshop and Butterscotch Angel Delight, I could not imagine then what
pleasure could be had from refuelling.
If I had been able to go and eat at The Beach in Bude, I might have thought differently - our meal not only
tasted good, it looked good too. My fishcake was surrounded by pretty, little fresh flowers in a delicate
herb salad which was just delightful and a welcome
reminder of warm spring days on a cold, grey
December afternoon. Cheerful, glossy blobs of
chervil sauce and blackberries dressed Simon's
venison croquette.
Sat by the floor-to-ceiling windows, we had a good
view over the terrace to the town and
Summerleaze beach below. On sunny days, I
imagine the terrace is buzzing with bronzed,
cocktail-toting surfers, but that particular day the
rain lashed down and we were very happy to be
inside. The bright, modern interior is pretty cool, while the staff are warm, attentive, and friendly.
As it was approaching Christmas, we both chose the “Traditional Roast Turkey”. This came with a not-sotraditional
soft herb crust, and was served with small pools and piles of roasted and mashed parsnips and
crispy kale, all faultless.
The menu at lunchtime is limited to a choice of
three dishes for each of the three courses, but this
adequately covers meat, fish and vegetarian
options for starters and mains. Then there's
something fruity, chocolatey, or cheesey to follow.
At £12.50 for two courses or three for £15, it seems
pretty good value to me, even with cheese eaters
being charged a £3 supplement.
Evening diners can expect a lot more choice of
course. At £6-8, starters can include seared king