Today’s lunch was taken in Wymondham at the Green Dragon, a wonderful 15th century timbered building once belonging to - and situated close by -  Wymondham Abbey. It reminded me of the buildings in the Shambles in York. There is some street parking nearby, but only for an hour. We used a pay-and-display car park some distance away, but looked in all shops on the way back to the car later.

There was an immediate warm welcome as we entered the heavily beamed bar; the place is compact but not crowded. We chose our drinks at the bar, and ordered our lunch from the specials board; the lady serving lent me her spectacles so that I could read the menu.

I needed something that wouldn’t weigh me down as I had managed to import an ounce or two of extra weight lately, so I chose Hunters’ Chicken without chips, without bread, without spuds, but with ‘loads of veg’: my friend chose vegetarian lasagne and (being of a faster metabolic rate than I am, and therefore much slimmer) allowed herself some garlic bread. At the very bottom of the menu it states that the Green Dragon is not a fast food outlet and there may be a short wait for the food; we took our seats and waited. I did my usual trick of lining my stomach with a glass of lovely buttery Chardonnay and my skinny friend drank her ginger beer. The food arrived reasonably quickly and we set to work. The chicken was wrapped in bacon and smothered in cheese, and a wine sauce: it was utterly delicious, and really quite a large serving. The ‘loads of veg’ that I had requested consisted of an informal mixture of cooked mange-tout, sweetcorn and green beans together with salad ingredients, all fresh and crunchy and very tasty. My friend reported that her lasagne had a good crunchy top to it and was an excellent mix of flavours; she also had no trouble whatsoever eating the garlic bread and salad that accompanied it.

The puddings menu consisted of ice creams and half-a-dozen other puds. I chose a warm waffle with ice cream and maple syrup; my friend had an ice cream cornet. The lovely perky waitress came back to tell me that all the maple syrup had gone, and asked if golden syrup would be acceptable instead. With a little sadness I said it would and she smiled sweetly and went to fetch it. Excellent! Even with the substituted syrup I enjoyed every bit, including the unexpected strawberry garnish that accompanied it. I had ordered coffee and this came with the usual biscuit-on-the-side. I like my coffee strong, and was a little disappointed that the cafetière contained a slightly weak brew. Just before I left I asked about wheelchair access as some of the doorways looked difficult, but I was reassured that all assistance would be given, and a table reserved in the more level section. Toilets neat and clean.

Bottom line, £28.45 for two courses, drinks and coffee for two people.
Half a demerit point for the coffee – but I will ask next time for a stronger brew.

I will be interested to see how this Pub fares in the Community Pub of the Year competition currently running. See more on their website at http://www.wymondhamgreendragon.com/