Twenty-one years of marriage deserves a slap-up lunch, and so it was that Eddie and I cycled down to Damson. Previously The Winterbourne Arms, this was where we had our first date, but since those dim and distant times the pub-that-was has changed exponentially.

After the pub closed, years of wrangling followed, as plans to turn it into accommdation were fiercely contested. And then Henry Kremer-Ireson (Henry from Henry & Joe’s), came in and saved pub and day.

Rumours of Damson’s astronomically expensive prices and miniscule portions abounded and we’ve steered clear until now. There are other less pricey options with larger servings to be found in this neck of the woods. But Damson seems to be finding its feet and a balance between the sublime and ridiculous.

A £40 three course lunch sounded reasonable to us and so we finally broke the seal. The £40 doesn’t include wine, so by the time you’ve factored that in, it’s still steep, but definitely worth it. The food was exquisite, service attentive – but not too attentive – a bit of banter but not too much, and a splendid negroni to kick things off (a decent negroni always gets my seal of approval).

As seems to be the case with so many of these types of restaurant, it’s a shame there’s no bar. With so many walkers in the area, it would probably be a bigger draw. However on the plus side, there were no bloody dogs anywhere to be seen. A boon.

All in all, I’d definitely recommend Damson if you’re looking for something a little bit more special than usual, but not ostentatious. It was a lovely way for us to celebrate our own special day.