A Night at The Checkers, Montgomery
Our anniversary has become a good excuse to try somewhere a little special, and this year we’d booked a night at The Checkers in Montgomery. It was somewhere I’d had my eye on for a while and, with a ten-course tasting menu waiting for us on Friday evening, it wasn’t exactly a difficult date to look forward to. It was shaping up to be a busy weekend all round with a romantic night away, some fine dining, and a last-minute trip up Cadair Idris pencilled in for the Sunday… No, Anna wasn’t partaking in that final bit.
Anna had a hair appointment on Friday morning, and I did a few chores and checked the bees. The bees were all looking good, and the second split had requeened, which was good to see. Unfortunately, I managed to tweak my back lifting the honey-laden supers, and it didn’t take long to realise that the Cadair Idris plan might need revisiting.
We left home just after lunch and stopped off in Machynlleth to get the car washed – it was very much needed. We then had a pleasant drive through the Welsh countryside to a very busy Montgomery.
We’d been told there was a street fair happening on Saturday, so we couldn’t park in the square outside The Checkers. Instead, we pulled up into a car park just down the road and parked under an oak tree for some shade. As we got out of the car, we noticed a scratch along the entire side of the car. Not something we’d seen before, as no doubt it had been obscured by the dirt, but it looked quite fresh and was now impossible to ignore. Not exactly what we’d been hoping for. Nothing we could do about it now though, so we headed off to settle into our room.
It wasn’t far to The Checkers, but my back was already starting to complain a bit, limiting movement more than I’d have liked. Normally we’d have gone out for a walk or explored the town, but instead we just stayed local. Anna managed a proper weekend snooze, which is one of her strengths, and I may have joined her for part of it.
Soon, it was time to put on some slightly smarter clothes and head down for dinner.
The Checkers is one of those places that immediately feels relaxed rather than formal. Although there were two other tables dining that evening, we discovered that we were the only guests staying overnight. Dinner consisted of a ten-course tasting menu, each course arriving at an unhurried pace over the course of the evening.
Rather than opting for the matching wine flight, we decided to choose our own wines, mixing and matching from all three wine lists. It was a decision that worked really well, allowing us to pick wines that appealed to us rather than following a prescribed pairing, and adding another layer of enjoyment to the evening. We didn’t stick with wine either, starting with cocktails each and having a gin alternative with one of the courses.
As you’d expect from a restaurant of this calibre, every dish arrived looking like a piece of art. Some courses were delicate, others more robust, but each brought something different, and there was always a little anticipation as the next plate appeared. It’s difficult to pick favourites when the standard was consistently so high, but that’s never a bad problem to have. Anna was mildly “challenged” by the eel and scallop — she doesn’t really do seafood — but she made it through everything. The bara brith with cheese was probably our least favourite, but only in a context where everything else was excellent.
One of the real luxuries of staying overnight is that there’s no thought of driving home afterwards. We were able to linger over a coffee along with a collection of ‘sweets’ that came with it. Having started dinner at 7pm, it took quite a while to get through all of the courses, and we didn’t start heading upstairs to bed until close to midnight. It’s nice when dinner is an event rather than just a meal.
We didn’t feel as though we’d need to eat for a week. That wasn’t to be the case, though, as we had breakfast booked for 8:30am and were once again treated to a gourmet meal of several courses!
Outside, Montgomery was already busy again. The street fair was being set up properly now. Stalls were going up, chairs were being arranged, stages were taking shape. The owners of The Checkers also had a stall selling street food, so they were in full swing preparing for a busy day as we left.
My back was still a little sore, so we didn’t linger long at the fair; we just had a quick walk around. Back at the car, parking under the tree for shade hadn’t been such a good idea, as the freshly washed paintwork and windows were now covered in sticky sap. Oh well, it had been clean for a night!!
We didn’t stop off anywhere on the way back through Wales, but the heated seat did seem to help ease my back pain a little. Back at home, it was an afternoon of sports viewing rather than participation thanks to Wimbledon, the British Grand Prix and the Tour de France.
Sometimes an anniversary is about doing something memorable. Other times it’s simply about taking time out together. Good food, good wine, good company and a quiet market town in the Welsh borders made for a pretty good combination. If the opportunity arises, we’ll be back for more!
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Glad you enjoyed it. Could the car wash have caused the scrstch? Hope it buffs out