One of our Christmas presents, was a book, Beyond the end of the line, which had walks from stations at the ends of the various underground lines. Our first trip took us to “Trent Country Park”:https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/review/attraction/209396-review-trent-country-park – a short walk from Cockfosters, at the northern end of the Piccadilly Line. The book suggested stopping for lunch in either the cafe in the park or the nearby “Cock Inn”:https://www.thecockinncockfosters.co.uk/. The café, on a sunny August lunchtime, was swarming with children, so we swerved past and headed for the Cock Inn.
At 1pm the car park at the front was relatively busy and we feared the worst. There was a ‘wait to be seated’ station and we were asked if we’d like to sit in the garden. Bearing in mind it was a hot day, we asked if it was shaded and were invited to check it out, and we walked through what looked like more of a restaurant than a pub, with beautifully, formally laid tables.
The garden had various tables and chairs some with natural shade as there were few umbrellas. Normally at lunchtime, we might have a pint of cider and packet of crisps, but we decided that this was a special occasion: we were using the book for the first time; we’d have a lovely walk; and the weather was sunny after several rainy days. The “menu”:https://www.thecockinncockfosters.co.uk/dinnermenu is relatively pricey with mains between £15 and £20, and as we didn’t want to spoil our dinner, we opted for starters from an enticing range. It then seemed wrong to have them with cider, so chose a well-priced bottle of Sauvignon Blanc at £21.50.
Although a girl was taking orders at tables, three very demanding ladies were holding her up and I went into the bar to order. There was a little confusion as the girl originally thought that we wanted three glasses with the wine. To save me carrying a tray, she offered to bring out a bottle of water and glasses whilst I carried the wine. Having seen only two of us sat at the table, she immediately realised she’d put three main dishes through the till, so I had to go back in with her to change this.
The food was delicious but not too filling. I opted for a prawn and smoked salmon ramekin with creme fresh which came with three small pieces of sourdough, whilst Roy chose lamb kofte which sat on a Greek style salad, with yogurt dressing and pomegranate seeds. We added a portion of triple fried chips which were excellent and came with a small dish of ketchup rather than horrible sachet. The place became even busier, and it was obviously a very popular place with ladies who lunch.
On the way out, we spotted a sign regarding their casual/smart dress code – casual during the day, with certain items of clothing being banned after 7pm including hats and caps, vests, football shirts etc.
On return I checked my bank account to check that the reverse payment had gone through and found it hadn’t, but a phone call to the manager, who carefully checked the receipts, confirmed it had been processed. I was impressed with the way my query was handled and found the payment in my account the following day.
I’m not sure I’ll ever venture as far as Cockfosters again (unless I fall asleep), but it’s certainly somewhere I would recommend for an evening out.
