First thing you notice about Windsor? The friendly people. Wherever we went we were treated like royalty – even in the Castle, long a home of kings and queens and the oldest inhabited castle in the world.
Clambering The Tower
Windsor is perfect for a day out – less than an hour from London and just over a tenner return on a weekend train.
It’s a mix of history, pomp, pageantry and fish and chip shops. We counted seven. Then there’s the river, boats, a bridge to Eton, theatre and shopping. But we’ve come for the food and history.
messing about in boats at Eton Bridge
Processing through the castle at the end of the day (last admission 3 or 4 pm) is a majestic experience. Gently ushered through room by magnificent room with the chandeliers being turned off and doors closed behind you. You can ask any of the guides – and there are plenty of them – the most obscure question and get a satisfactory answer. We found out that during the 1992 fire a two tonne carpet sodden with hose pipe water was dragged by 50 soldiers from the Waterloo room out onto the lawns; and that instead of peppercorns, some aristocrats pay for their lands with a rent banner – the 2014 banners hanging just as you go into the Great Hall. The state banquet table seats 165 people and allows for 18 inches elbow space for each guest but you’d better mind your language as the Queen has her menus written up in French.
Watch the kitchen tour here:
An add-on to the ticket prices is a tour of the royal kitchens lined with copper pots from the ages and other palaces. Stamped “BP” for Buckingham Palace, “RY” is Royal Yacht and “WC”, yes you guessed it, Windsor Castle. There’s even A Royal Cookbook written by Mark Flanagan, Royal Chef to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with lots in it including napkin folding.
Changing of the Windsor Castle Guard – never on a Sunday
Pottering around the shops outside the castle and avoiding some of the usual high street suspects we found a couple of interesting sweet shops.
Hardys with over 2,000 different types of sweets
you don’t have to be crazy to work here…
The Fudge Kitchen serves up samples of some mouth scorching fudge – reputedly the hottest chilli in the world.
So to end the day, a scuttle up the hill to the Mercure Windsor Castle Hotel opposite the Royal Guildhall and the Castle for a cooling glass of fizz with and added stiffener of Chase mandarin vodka. It’s one of the first inns in Windsor with hundreds of years of history itself.
for a grown up Paddington
Just the trick before being ushered into the deeply purple and velvet dining room of the hotel’s award-winning 2AA Rosettes “18” restaurant.
Head Chef Gregory Watts focuses on delivering a contemporary menu with an emphasis placed on locally sourced fresh and sustainable ingredients. Just like the Queen’s kitchens nearby.
We started with fantastically dense ham hock pitted with capers, dabs of home-made piccalilli and pickled shimeji mushrooms with exquisite tomato and garlic freshly baked breads.
old school ham hock & piccalilli
Another starter choice of seafood nage – broth thickened with cream, swimming with poached sea bream and mussels.
dive into this seafood nage at 18 Restaurant Windsor
Main course was a peppery steak and thick cut chips or this incredibly tasty and rich duck cassoulet with chorizo.
delicious duck
We were royally looked after by Andy Macsporran who found us a special 2008 Colombo Cornas red wine to wash the duck down.
Andy Macsporran at Mercure Windsor Castle Hotel – yes, he showed us ID!
Proof of a great meal at 18, Windsor Castle
So ending on a sweet note that would not have tasted out-of-place at the old-fashioned sweet shop earlier, we dipped into rhubarb crumble and custard. “Deconstructed” – that normally puts the fear of God into me, but this was heaven. Flashback to those childhood sweets and more happy memories made.
Thank you Windsor. King for a day.
shaky photo as this was so good! Rhubarb crumble & custard.
To make a restaurant reservation www.mercure.com/gb/hotel-6618-mercure-windsor-castle-hotel/restaurant.shtml
Mercure Windsor Castle Hotel
18 High Streeet
Windsor
SL4 1LJ
Tel: (+44) 1753 252800
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