Toby Carvery - a novel experience

Last Friday I fetched my mother to see the house while it was all tidy for viewings, and took her to see the area we will be moving to.  We set off on the return journey, only to discover the M5 was closed.  We had a slow but interesting two hour detour through the middle of Birmingham, seeing places she hadn't been to for several decades.  As the road was still not clear when we got to her house I decided to take her out for supper to the carvery my brother always takes her to.  It is one of those places where they have three types of meat that you get served as wanted, and then you help yourself to a variety of vegetables.

It was seven o'clock on a Friday evening, and the place was full.  We had to wait twenty minutes for a table.  The menu came.  You could have the carvery or there were other items on the menu.  A statement on the menu said that they couldn't be sure about anything being free from contamination.  I figured the carvery wouldn't be safe, as there were Yorkshire Puddings, gravy, and other sources of gluten.  I asked about the salad.  Sorry, I was told, it has gluten in it.

I sent my mother to get her meal from the carvery. In the meantime the very helpful waitress brought me a plate of steamed peas, broccoli and something else which escapes my memory.  It had been fetched from the kitchen to make sure no contamination from tongs in the carvery area had occurred.  My mother took ages getting her meal ( I was surprised and a bit worried) as the person who normally served the meat was the one getting my plate of greenery.

I ate my food.  My mother ate hers.  I didn't get sick.   They didn't charge for the plate of vegetables.  At least they didn't turn me away or refuse to give me anything, which has happened at other places.

They gave me a card asking me to participate in a Internet survey.  I did.  None of the text boxes were long enough for me to explain what had happened.  I filled in lots of useless and uninformative questions, but could not tell them what happened, thank them for trying, or ask them to improve their menu.  A wasted opportunity.   AND I didn't win the free IPOD.  I hope I don't win the £1,000 prize draw to eat there.