On the second floor of the revamped furnishings and home department you will find the perfect place to stop for a reviving cuppa, lunch or afternoon tea, all freshly prepared to order.
Canterbury is an ideal centre to do your Christmas shopping but when it all gets too much, here’s my top tip.
Head for the second floor of Fenwick Canterbury and once you’ve torn yourself away from the fabulous furnishings and tempting items for the home, seek out the revamped restaurant.
Gone are the hot plates and forgettable decor, The Eatery is now an enticing new place to enjoy a coffee and pastry, afternoon tea or, as My Work Colleague and I discovered, a delicious lunch.
Seating more than 100, it’s airy and spacious with a raftered ceiling, one wall of windows, wooden floors and great lighting - check out the suspended giant jam-jar style shades and the chic down lighters.
Some of the wooden chairs sport paint-dipped backs in cheery blues and pinky reds, or there are comfy banquettes if you prefer a more relaxed approach - and most importantly, everyone on this sunny Friday afternoon looked happy and at home, from mums with babies to elderly couples and of course, Ladies Who Lunch.
Like us. We were hungry, too, after a busy morning (working, not shopping, honest) so we ordered the sharing platter of home-made houmus, goat’s cheese, sun-blushed tomatoes and olives with strips of warm pitta for dipping. Simple but satisfying and beautifully presented.
Other starters (‘Hot Bites’ on the menu) included soup of the day (home-made leek and potato), rarebit and chicken schnitzel.
To follow we both went for salads from the ‘Crisp and Fresh’ selection and I was delighted to find on the menu my favourite combination of pan-fried salmon and crispy new potatoes on a bed of mixed leaves with a choice of dressings to pour over the tasty fish (I opted for the dill).
MWC went for the King Prawns tossed in chilli jam and also served on a bed of rocket. Both dishes were cooked to order (they all are), packed with flavour and looked exceptionally pretty on the plate.
We both enjoyed refreshing chilled elderflower to drink (we could have opted for a glass of Kissing Tree wine (choice of five including Pinot Grigio and Merlot) and ordered coffees to have with the pièce de résistance, a to-die-for banoffee pie, full of all things naughty, but oh so good. And we did share, so that negates all calories.
A perfect pit stop in between shopping at this flagship Canterbury store (see also our fab front cover and pages 56-58 and 116-117)
I’ll be back (to eat and shop). Often. n
