Such sad news of the passing of Her Majesty, an iconic lady whose moral compass was set so consistently right. Her dedication to duty but always with compassion and a sense of fun earned her the rightful position of world leader, whatever your faith or persuasion.

Whilst currently on holiday aboard her namesake cruise ship, Queen Elizabeth, upon us learning Thursday night of the news at dinner, the band immediately stopped playing and without hesitation the entire room stood for a minute’s silence before a spontaneous round of applause. What a remarkable woman she was.

We will be closed for lunch and dinner on Monday 19^th September even though back at The Firm, as The Queen referred to Royal Family duties, business would be expected to continue. Eating out in a safe and social environment is a fundamental of that, though when Her Majesty had finished her course so would everyone else have to as the convention was that all the plates needed to be cleared!

So our Christmas party lunch and dinner menus are on the website with Christmas Day pretty much fully booked, but we’re open every day as usual throughout the festive period. New Year’s Eve shaping up nicely too - same format as last time, welcoming in the New Year every hour as we cross the globe from Melbourne to Meopham with a gastronomic menu to reflect the time zones, plus fun quizzes and prizes too.

Yes, like all hospitality businesses we’re having to face up to a massive cocktail of limited stocks from overstretched suppliers, along with their dramatic and sometimes opportunistic price hikes. But that scenario merely encourages us to overcome all obstacles, engaging new suppliers where necessary, re-engineering the menus but essentially not just putting up with the Mail Online claptrap and conjecture. How sweet that feeling is when you stalwarts continue to frequent us in such wonderful numbers, intent on supporting us through yet another testing period, none of which has been of our making.

So to broaden that smile and further encourage that supportive spirit, Club members may enjoy a complimentary bottle of any wine to the value of £50 until 30th September - usual restriction please of one bottle per member per duration of the offer.

Thank you as always for your fabulous encouragement - hope to welcome you back very soon.

As ever,

Ian

Ian@bartellas.com