We ate at the Sessions house (The Sessions House (Peterborough))

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	The Sessions House (Peterborough)
Date:	02/01/08 (1870 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good position ,good building

Disadvantages: overcooked veg

The sessions house Peterborough Cambridgeshire. Some of my husband family live in Peterborough and we visited for our pre Christmas meal a few days before Christmas. We had booked ourselves into the session's house at lunchtime.

Location
The session's house is quite easy to find yes it is the old session's house for the court. The session's house looks like a castle with towers and turrets and castellation. It is on the right hand side as you are going out of Peterborough on the Thorpe road. About 10 minutes out of town if you are walking .The session's house is very near the hospital.
See map at http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&rlz=1T4GZH Z_enGB226GB226&um=1&ie=UTF- 8&q=sessions+house&near =Peterborough&fb=1&view=text&latlng=52 572937,-254674,12965886007268660311


History
~~~~~~ .
The Sessions house was built as a castle in 1842, it was a courthouse with a gaol behind it. The building was designed by W J Donthorpe.
In 1961 the gaol demolished the magistrates moving to a new court house in1978.
I am not sure how long it has been a restaurant; ma in law says it's been serving food for years.


Apparently these is seating for 98 people Mother in law booked our seat's there were going to be eight of us dining

Car parking
~~~~~~~
.Arriving there at just before 12 o'clock we parked in the car park in front of the restaurant there seems to be adequate parking space. It's big enough for coaches too. At 12 o'clock the restaurant opened The Sessions house opens daily from 12:00 noon - 2.00pm and 6.00pm - 9.00pm, and Sun 12 noon - 7pm.

Access and entrance
~~~~
Although it did not apply to us this restaurant was accessible by a wheelchair.
I had never been in this restaurant before and you go into the building through the double substantial jail like wooden door in the centre. There is a reception hall with a few chairs and a coat of amour there is a collection of police buttons too and other jail like artifacts setting the scene. There seems to be a bar area to the left which I think serves snacks, but we did not investigate this restaurant was on the right through a door towards the back. I think there is another room to the right which was more like a proper restaurant.

Toilets
~~~~~~

Before we ate though I was desperate for a wee so I found the toilets at the back left side. There were about 4/5 cubicles and hand washing facilities. Wish I had gone earlier as although not disgusting they were not really very clean or neat the facilities left a lot to be desired.
Joining the others we were seated at a fairly long table centre of the dining room. I had time here to look around.

Seating
~~~~~~~

This restaurant is a carvery so along the back wall was the array of meats and vegetables which you served yourself
The dining area kept to the traditional feel of the building there were a few artifacts on the walls pertinent to the previous use as a magistrate's court. Since it was Christmas there were a few chrismassy looking decorations not many just a hint. It was clean looking and light and airy
There was our large table and several other smaller tables were around the edges in the downstairs eating area. There were a few steps up to a slightly higher platform where there was another table. From this platform were some stairs which led to the upper gallery. The upper gallery went around 2 sides of the room, it was wide enough for tables and chairs so that people could sit in this upper gallery and eat too.

Food
~~~~

Downstairs to the food again Apparently these is seating for 98 people Mother in law booked our seat's there were going to be eight of us dining

While we were settling ourselves were asked if we would like some drinks we ordered a bottle and some soft drinks. .
We were offered the option of soup; no one took this offer up. The staff seemed pleasant enough.
We went to queue up to get our meals. There was pretty standard carvery fare, roast beef roast pork roast turkey a vegetable option a bake of some sort I seem to remember. A good amount of meats were carved and loaded onto plates then we had an assortment of vegetables. Peas carrots cabbage and a couple of others too and potatoes roast or mashed. There was some stuffing and some bread sauce some cranberry sauce and gravy too.

Everyone served we set down to eat our feast the meat was good well cooked not tough. The roast potatoes well they were a little over done, very brown showing a burnt edge or two. The other veg sadly to say were well over cooked watery and tasteless. The veg tasted as if they had been sitting around ages. Since we were in early this surprised me as the veg should have been fine only just finished cooking and not in the serving dishes long but sadly it seemed they were overcooked and had been hanging around keeping warm some time.
Sorry this meal was only just adequately cooked not well.

After the meal was finished and our plates taken away we were offered desert some of our party had some and reported the deserts good. I can not clearly remember the choice but it was something like chocolate tarts ice cream, cheese and biscuits. Coffee was also offered but we declined preferring to go back to ma in laws flat for a drink before we headed home

Price. The carvery was £9.99p per person and I think it was £7 for a Childs portion.

I believe the starters and the deserts were somewhere between £3.00 and £5.00.
Overall
~~~~~

Nice building Good convenient situation.
An average carvery type meal with over cooked veg not really very special not that bad either really. The deserts were fine. .
The service well it was ok not over bright and happy but friendly.

The tester
~~~~~~
Would I go here again? Well I might do if others wanted too, but I would probably try somewhere else before going back here.

Summary: A restaurant in the old sessions house Peterborough .