Weight-Watchers is the next stop, I'm afraid

Samantha Fryer continues her quest to find the perfect Christmas meal.

IAM seriously starting to worry that I may be forced to join Weight--Watchers after this series of food reviews.

Most people put on a bit of extra bulk over the Christmas period, but my once a week binge may put me in the running for a new job as Father Christmas in a shop grotto.

The Polecat Inn in Prestwood offers a Christmas set menu for £18 a head, which contains a choice of five starters, seven main courses and about seven or eight puddings.

The inn is a beautiful, beamed, old pub and the decorations, mostly made up of natural green foliage trimmed with red and gold with no hint of tinsel, gave the pub a nostalgic Christmas feeling. I half expected Tiny Tim to wonder at some point in the evening.

I opted for the wild mushroom and cashew nut pat to start with. It was very good. The mushrooms and the nuts had not been mushed into a pulp. It was a chunky pate with the shape of the mushrooms and bits of nut still visible. It had a rich, earthy flavour, which complemented the crusty, wholemeal roll perfectly.

My dining partner chose the fresh sardine and pepper crostini, rocket leaves and anchovy mayonnaise. She had been a little concerned that the mayonnaise might be a little overwhelming with the sardines, but it wasn't. She said it was wonderful.

There is a wide range of main dishes, and each one is served with side dishes of traditional roast potatoes, cauliflower cheeses, carrots, sprouts, peas and sweetcorn.

I was dying for someone to order the daube of wild boar while I was in there, but unfortunately, nobody did. I had visions of a whole pig with a large apple in its mouth being placed in front of them on a large silver tray.

I chose the baked monkfish in filo with herbs, garlic and pine kernels. The monkfish was fantastic and flavoursome. It was very fresh and succulent and just fell on to my fork. The filo really kept its crispness throughout the meal.

It was surrounded in a tomato sauce, which I felt was too strongly flavoured. It was lovely, but I wanted the wonderful flavour of the fish to be complemented and brought out and I felt the sauce drowned it a little.

My friend is a huge lamb fan, so opted for the braised lamb shank, olives, sun-dried tomato and rosemary gremolata. She said it was wonderful. The lamb was perfect, still a bit pink and not at all fatty and the sun-dried tomato and olive sauce was fantastic.

After all this indulgence, we had to wait for half an hour before we could even say the word pudding.

There was the option for a Christmas pudding with brandy sauce, but we decided to be a bit adventurous. I had a yuletide terrine -- a duo of chocolate enriched with crystalized fruits and biscuit.

It was extremely rich and was served with cream and chocolate sauce. I could only manage half before I had to loosen my belt a few inches. My friend proably went for the better option after a filling meal, and had a sorbet glazed Grand Marnier. It was light refreshing and fruity.

The staff were friendly and helpful and allowed us to take our time with the meal. We were actually in the pub for more than three hours eating our food. They asked us if we wanted to wait between each course or whether we we ready for the next one promptly, which was very impressive considering the number of other diners and Christmas parties taking place that evening.

To top off the meal, we were served steaming hot coffee to wake us up, and a mince pie each, before the staff finally managed to roll us out of the pub (quite literally).

Now where did I put the telephone number for those slimming classes.

MENU

Three course Christmas meal: £18 each

Two glasses of white wine: £2.10 each

Total: £40.20

Quality of food: Superb

Quantity of food: I have gone up two dress sizes

Staff: Friendly and pleasant

Would you recommend it?: Definitely.

Cracker joke: Why did the chicken cross the road, roll around in the mud and then cross back again?

Because he was a dirty double crosser

The Polecat Inn, Wycombe Road, Prestwood, HP16 0HJ.

Telephone: (01494) 862253

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.