The Pudding Club.

Day 1

We enjoy our outward journey making suitable stops en-route to Stratford-upon-Avon.  This market town is synonymous with William Shakespeare with more than 800 years of history, containing many buildings that survive today and would have been familiar to Shakespeare.  This is a town small in size but large in history and interest.  The streets themselves hold a thousand delights with the chemistry of the ages mixed in with the needs of today.  No trip to Stratford would be complete without visiting one of the wonderful Tea/Coffee Shops.  There’s a huge range of places to choose from.  Alternatively, there are many snack & sandwich outlets, fine restaurants, and pubs and bars, offering a wide selection of options.  Stratford-upon-Avon is home to big name stores, as well as unique, individual shops.

Following free time here, we continue to Mickleton and on to the Three Ways House Hotel.  Your accommodation at the hotel has Evening Meals & Breakfasts included.

Day 2

After a hearty English breakfast this morning, we depart on our tour of the Cotswolds.  The Cotswolds covers a huge area – almost 800 square miles – and runs through five counties (Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire).  One of the delights of visiting The Cotswolds is exploring the different areas, each with its own identity, yet all with those defining Cotswold features: golden stone and rolling hills, the ‘wolds’.

We return to the hotel with time to get ready for the highlight of our trip – The Pudding Club.  The Pudding Club’s heartfelt mission since it started in 1985 has been to preserve the great British Pudding, and we think they’ve succeeded in this mission!  Enjoy a whole evening’s entertainment starting with a glass of Bucks Fizz and a jovial introduction by The Pudding Master followed by a light main course.  Then follows The Parade of Seven Traditional Puddings, with all its noise and ceremony, the aim is to taste them all and then to vote for your favourite pudding of the night over coffee.  Guests depart, certificate in hand! 

Day 3

Following breakfast, we leave The Three Ways House Hotel, Mickleton, and commence our journey home.  We make a stop at The National Memorial Arboretum.  Since the official opening twenty years ago, the Arboretum has grown into an inspirational living landscape, where families, friends and comrades can celebrate lives lived and remember lives lost.  Nestled in the woodland landscape, is a collection of nearly 400 memorials, each with a story waiting to be discovered.  The memorials are diverse in nature, rich in symbolism and represent a broad population of society, from military associations and charities to the emergency services, fraternity groups and individuals.  Each year new memorials are added so there’s always something new to see.  The Restaurant at the Arboretum prides itself on using only the tastiest ingredients from local suppliers to make its range of hot & cold meals, cakes and other snacks.  Browse the shop for books, jewellery, clothing and candles, tasty treats, poppy gifts and pocket money items, before we continue our journey homeward.