Beginning the tour - Hotel du Vin

This is the year that I am 60 years old. My work is leading choirs and running singing workshops and arranging songs for choirs to sing. I have lived in Bristol most of my adult life. I am overweight and before Christmas I joined Slimming World without thinking too much about it. After 15 weeks I am 15lb lighter, with a certificate saying I have lost a whole stone and a round of applause to prove it. In this same year that I seem to have decided to lose a few stone, I have apparently also decided to celebrate my 60 years of living, healthy, and hungry, and am going to treat myself to a year of fabulous eating. This might seem to be a strange clash of occupations, but I believe that fine dining does not put on weight, and I am going to prove that I can become lighter as I enjoy my gastronomic delights!

I have alread dined at several restaurants this year and will just mention them without going into detail. The Robin Hood's retreat is one of my favourite places to go for a midweek meal. An informal atmosphere, friendly staff and carefully cooked and presented food with surprising little extras on the plate. Not cheap for a gastropub, but good food.

The Hotel du Vin was a disappointment. It looks great when you go in with a roaring fire in reception, old panelled walls and gleaming glass. The £35 voucher for a meal for two is laughable. With extras of water, bread, veg, a dessert, service and then VAT of £10 on top of all that, it came to £60. I could not believe that the voucher did not include VAT, or that they would put a service charge on the end and then VAT on that too! The food was unremarkable and forgettable. A chain with no heart in the kitchen.