House
The verandah heaters are back
The cooler months have arrived, and with them the heaters on the verandah and a second pot of soup on the stove. Here's what changes at the house, and what stays exactly as it was.
Season notes
What changes when it gets cold
Rachel switched on the verandah heaters on Wednesday, and by the time the lamp was lit the first guests had already claimed the chairs by the window. The long room has its winter lamps, which are a little warmer in colour, and the cloakroom smells of wet umbrellas again, which is how we know the season has begun.
In the kitchen, Lucy has moved the pumpkin soup to the top of the board and is serving the beef and onion pie with a little extra gravy. The oysters stay, because the river doesn't take a holiday, and the Sunday roast gains a tray of baked parsnips and a second jug of gravy.
The hours don't change. We're open Wednesday to Sunday, from half past five until eleven, and the last deal is still called at half past ten.
A few small things you'll notice
The verandah fills first
On a cold night the verandah is the busiest spot in the house just before we open at half past five. Guests wait there for the dining room to open, wrapped in scarves, with a pot of tea on the small table by the door. If you would like a verandah table for dinner, say so when you book, because there are only a few of them.
Warmer food, warmer room
The kitchen runs hotter in winter, and the dining room benefits. Lucy says soup is the best thing a cook can offer on a cold evening, because it asks nothing of the guest except an appetite. The long room is warm without the heaters, thanks to the carpet and the felt.
The long room in cooler weather
The lamps in the long room are changed for the cooler months to a warmer bulb, and the croupiers swap their light shirts for darker ones. Neither change is dramatic, but guests say the room feels smaller and snugger, as if somebody had turned the volume down a notch. The felt looks greener under the new light, which Claire considers a bonus.
What we ask of you
Come a little early, bring a scarf if you plan to sit outside, and leave the umbrella in the stand by the door. The rest, as always, is on us.