To celebrate the 35th wedding anniversary of Alison and Paul – Claire’s parents and my in-laws – we were treated to Sunday lunch at The Bath Priory.

After hearing about this place from work colleagues, as well as reading about it in the local newspaper, I have been keen to attend for some time.

I was expecting good things from the food, especially as, until recently, The Priory was Bath’s only Michelin Star restaurant – only losing the award because the chef left and apparently not due to a decrease in quality of the food.

Alison put a lot of work into organising the meal – where we were seated in our own private room – not least liaising with The Priory staff, to ensure that each of the eight party members had meals to meet all their (sometimes complicated) palates.

As well as Claire, her parents and myself, the other party members included John and Jess – Claire’s brother and his wife; along with Jennifer and Alasdair – Claire’s aunt and uncle.

I am personally grateful for all the menu negotiations made, considering that I probably caused the biggest issues of all. Not only am I a veggie, but the list of cheeses I eat is restricted to mild cheddar, edam, Dairylea, Philadelphia and Babybel.

Clearly, the chef of a five-star establishment was not going to serve me a Dairylea Dunker, telling me to shut up and enjoy it – although I would have probably deserved it.

Before the three course meal could be served, we were all presented with canapes. I have only ever had these once and they were bloody awful.

I was first given them while with Claire, on our honeymoon, crusing on Ventura – the same ship we sailed on last week. We left them in our fridge, until they developed mould and our cabin steward took them away.

Today’s canapes couldn’t have been more different to those four years ago. Apple, avocado, melon and garlic were just some of the ingredients that were used in the creation of the four different very tasty appetisers.

My starter was soup. Nothing special, you may think. Wrong. This was no cream of tomato or minestrone – today’s offering was pea and mint.

There was originally feta in the dish, but as I have restricted myself to only eating cheeses designed for five-year-olds, the chef left my soup cheeseless. I originally held high hopes for the starter and I was not left disappointed.

The main course was where I caused all the trouble. The vegetarian option was a pasta dish filled with cheese. As this cheese wasn’t a Babybel wrapped in red wax, an alternative had to be created especially for me.

Compliments to the chef, who cooked me a butternut squash risotto, sprinkled with truffles – not the chocolate variety, but the thing like a mushroom, that pigs sniff out. Therefore, I feel that I should thank Babe and his snout, for contributing to my dish.

Dessert was my favourite course of all. A raspberry souffle, with sorbet on the side. Not only was it my favourite part of the entire meal, but the only dish which I ate every last mouthful.

You can tell that the meal is finished – nearly everyone has run off!

All in all, a very enjoyable meal and afternoon; plus an experience I’ll probably not have again for a long time – it’s not every day I get to visit such a prestigious restaurant.

Thank you very much to Alison and Paul for organising the afternoon and many congratulations on your 35th wedding anniversary.

When Claire and I reach that milestone, I’ll be 68! If I’m still blogging then, I’ll post a report on our return visit to The Bath Priory.