Now that the weather is becoming more mild and, by extension, more amenable to being outside whilst also sitting still, we took advantage of a mild Sunday morning by heading to Cosby in Leicestershire for brunch at The Tithe Barn.
With covered, fully COVID-19 compliant, outdoor seating, you would struggle to find a fault with the setting in which you find yourself for dining. The canopy is completely transparent allowing all the sunshine (when it decided to join us) through but only limited wind so all that was left was to dress for the season to enjoy your meal.
The outdoor is arranged into "zones" segregated by well-pruned box hedges, which means that, even though the signs request you don't rearrange the furniture, there's no possibility for those who want to bend the rules and do just that.
Upon arrival we were required to give our names and contact numbers, presumably so that they could contact us should there be an outbreak of COVID, and reminded we were required to vacate the table by 11.30 (we had a 10am booking). We were then shown to our table by the masked staff and offered either a paper copy of the menu or, alternatively, we could view the menu online, encouraging a contact-free experience where possible. The menu is available by scanning a QR code with your phone camera, something we'd come across in Greece last year and wondered why more places didn't adopt this approach.
A bug-bear of ours can be the attentiveness of waiting staff. Either they can be too attentive and feel like you're dragging your feet on placing your order or not attentive enough as, as soon as you require service for more drinks or the bill, they're nowhere to be seen!
Enter: the service button - a small pad on the table with a button to call the staff when you're ready to order or need more service or the bill. It's so simple and brilliant and yet I'd never seen this elsewhere! What's more, it stops them hovering around customers unnecessarily and allows the staff to focus on more pressing service tasks. The service isn't immediate but they will come as soon as they can (they're doing their best!).
On first glance I thought the food was a little pricey - we paid £14 for the Church Farm breakfast (a.k.a. the full English) but the quality of the food was such that we didn't feel short-changed by needing to go home and have something to eat as a top-up. I chose fried eggs for my breakfast but my companions opted for poached eggs which came out so perfectly round I can only assume witchcraft was involved. A lot (possibly all?) of the menu is locally sourced, supporting local farms and producers, a real plus in our book as we try to support local businesses coming out of lockdown.
All in all, the whole experience was a delight and although this was my first visit, it shan't be my last. From arrival to departure, we were made to feel welcome but most of all safe. At a time when social anxiety is at an all time high, and heading out to meet friends and family in more social settings can be seen as a risk, The Tithe Barn has gone to a great effort to ensure both they and its customers have an enjoyable and safe experience.
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