The White Oak

Yesterday Polly and I decided to visit the Stanley Spencer Gallery and lunch at one of my favourites the White Oak. Grace left before breakfast. She  is the world’s unluckiest traveller and it was no surprise when she texted that all trains to Paddimgton were delayed.

I will need to speak to Alice Mansfield about Stanley Spencer. As an atheist I could not empathise with his spiritualism and preferred the portraits  and Cookham figurative works.

Over lunch Polly admitted she was not overly impressed by Luke’s restaurant at the Sanctum. This seemed fair comment and reflects the ill effects of the celebrity chef. He puts his name to the restaurant, designs the menu, promotes the place but I doubt if day in, day out, he is there in the kitchen. The chef Clive Dixon of the White Oak is. The cuisine is reliable and inventive. I had a rich and hearty pea soup and a tasty wing of skate. The macaroni with crab and pickle did not really work. We had no alcohol and the bill came to £60.

We all had a rejuvenating recharging couple of days in Cookham and I would recommend it for a short break. Daffers has kicked her heels with some debonair gentlemen that made me swoon but as life goes on you can’t beat a good time with the girls .