The Hand and Flowers Marlow

Maytrees max ma mi and min having given mrs maytrees a joint 70th birthday present of dinner and  breakfast at The Hand and Flowers pub Marlow, with overnight stay at the adjacent old house, we duly set off for Marlow on Monday. 

I am no culinary expert but the owner of The Hand and Flowers is Mr Tom Kerridge who mrs maytrees informs me is a culinary wizard. We were shown to our rooms on the ground floor of Sunset Cottage. Very cosy with its own small private back garden, within which there was a hot spa tub. Never previously having used an outdoor hot spa tub, I found luxuriating in the 40C water at 6am really invigorating before taking a pre-breakfast walk to Marlow bridge on which see more below.

Dinner was excellent especially as maytrees min had given the pub an extra £100 for birthday drinks together. 

For starters, I had smoked haddock omelette, with the main course also enjoyed by mrs maytrees, of aged fillet of beef with potato buttermilk waffle some delicious light green Hispi  cabbage and mashed potato. We enjoyed a glass of red wine each. Mine was a Cornish red though that of mrs maytrees was tastier and I think from France. For pudding mrs maytrees enjoyed her delicious vanilla creme brulee; mine was a chocolate and ale cake with beer ice cream.

Breakfast at the pub was out of this world. Served at one's table rather than the normal hotel-type help yourself breakfast. After the huge dinner the previous night I could not manage the full cooked breakfast or their smoked haddock, Freshly squeezed orange juice, warm fresh croissant, toast marmalade and delicious coffee gave an excellent start to the day. The staff who were all  excellent, provided a bag for me to take to mrs maytrees for her to enjoy in bed. 

The pub even provided a bag of goodies for us to take with us as we checked out - full marks.

As mentioned above, having bought a copy of  The Times, I went down to Marlow Bridge and sat down on the one bench there just on the river bank almost opposite Marlow Rowing club boathouse. 

The bridge across the  River Thames at Marlow, is in my view very attractive:

Coxed fours, pairs and sculls were already on the river which was attractively misty in places that early in the morning. The sight reminded me years ago of Beaumont College  when we took out our eight sometimes before breakfast; indeed when in the  Beaumont 2nd eight,   I recall rowing against a Marlow school team.

After leaving The Hand and Flowers, we drove to Cliveden which is a nearby huge National Trust mansion and estate close to The Thames. There we enjoyed  some  long walks together  before the drive home.