After reading Lunch by the Lake posted by Daisy Clarke (TT England page) I decided to visit Clavering Lakes on a hot Friday afternoon in July.  As I arrived, the Chef was making a proper mess of things, Eton Mess that is, one of my favourite summer desserts:  a mixture of fresh strawberries, pieces of meringue and a big dollop of cream, delicious!

I found it to be an idyllic spot for alfresco dining on a warm, sunny day.  Plenty of outside seating where you can soak up the warm rays on your face, surrounded by lovely, unspoilt Essex countryside.  I don’t know what it is about being beside the water (be it sea, river or lake) but I always feel the urge to eat fish.  Strangely, I don’t feel the same, like suddenly eating beef, if I happen across a field of cattle but anyway, I did have fish and chips:  it was very tasty and served with a smile.  The added charm of the place was being able to take a nice gentle stroll around the lakes after lunch, passing the time of day with the amicable anglers along the way.

I have been back a second time, happy to have discovered a place to get away from it all not far from my doorstep, yet which I had no knowledge of before I read about it on Top Tourist.  So, thank you Daisy for sharing with the wider community, what is probably a very popular, hidden oasis more usually frequented by the locals.