Inn On The Park in St. Albans Verulamium Park

Serving a variety of lunch food, ice cream and drinks, the Inn on The Park in Verulamium Park is a welcome find for thirsty and hungry park goers. To find it, walk past the smaller of the two lakes in the park, then head up the hill past the splash pool or, from the other direction, walk towards St. Michaels from the playground, past the tennis courts, and you’ll see it.

There’s more on the White Hart Tap website…

The last St. Albans bloggers meet-up, which took place last winter (much to our surprise there was several inches of snow on the ground by the time we left!), was a great success. We talked, of course, about our blogs and our motivations for doing them but also shared jokes, learned about each others day jobs, and annoyed one and other with random camera flashes.

It’s totally non-scary – no one else, unless they came to the last meet-up or bring a friend, is going to know anyone so it’s not awkward at all to turn up. Of course, you’ve got to be old enough to get into the pub which, thankfully, we all were.

A participant in the first meet-up, and an all round great guy as far as we can tell, Alex at Shedworking made the timely suggestion that we do it again. Maz on St. Albans People, a new local site where I’ve been posting articles and photos since December, took the initiative and has booked the bar at the Hare and Hound, on Sopwell Lane, from 18.30 on 11 March.

Part blog meet, the evening will also be St. Albans’ first ever “tweet up”, and we’re looking forward to meeting local bloggers, twitter users and members of the St. Albans People community. We’ll be in the bar on the left hand side – come along if you fancy an evening of meeting new and interesting people.

More details on St. Albans People…

You’ll find my full review of the Courtyard Cafe on St. Albans People – but I’ve posted a few photos below to wet your appetite:

Here’s the review…

Residents’ First Weekend gives people the opportunity to try out many of their local attractions free of the usual entry charge, or with a special offer, or to gain entry to places which are not normally open to the public. According to figures released by the Council, on average five / six thousand people participate in this two-day event, with leisure centres, the cathedral and the museums amongst the favourite venues.

To take advantage of some of the more popular special offers available you’ll need to obtain a voucher, available at the Tourist Information Centre, located at the back of the old Town Hall. I’ve posted further information on the special offers available during St. Albans Residents First Weekend over on St. Albans People.

Have a look at this hand made burger, for example – not only was it pretty, but also succulent and tasty according to our friend how ordered it:

As always, I went for a vegetarian option – in this instance, the vegetable casserole recommended by the waiter – which was also delightful:

The fish, too, was excellent according to the two members of our party who chose the Pollock:

For a party of eight, which included four adults and four children, the bill came to just shy of £100, which we felt was appropriate for the meal we’d ordered and enjoyed. If you’re going with kids, we’d recommend going outside peak hours as the restaurant gets very busy at lunch and dinner. We also reserved a table in advance, which proved essential on the Saturday we visited.

Somewhat unexpectedly, as I was telling the friends who accompanied us about this blog and some of the other stuff I do, I was overheard by someone at another table who is a regular reader. He popped over and said hello, which was nice of him!

You’ll find Lussmanns at Waxhouse Gate (off the High Street, just across from the Clock Tower), St. Albans, AL3 4EW.

I’ve written up a full review of Lussmanns, which we’d happily recommend, particularly for having dinner with friends or a business lunch, on the St. Albans People website.

Their recipes, and presentation, are great, and the location convenient for the station, but we waited rather a long time for our breakfasts and, to be honest with you, it’s a bit pricey for the amount of food you get.

I’ve posted a full review, as well as some more photos, on St. Albans People.

The White Hart Tap, always a cozy sort of place with nice bay windows that provide a good view of whatever is happening outside, had the fire going all afternoon. Groups of office workers who hadn’t made it in, or had been sent home early, sat watching as delivery vans, cars, and Chelsea tractors failed to get up the small incline of Keyfield Terrace.

I suspect I’ll spend Thursday in pretty much the same way if it snows again tonight. Here’s the last batch of snow photos from me for today:

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