House of Lords restaurant opens to the public

The Peers’ Dining Room will be open to the general public for three days in early April, giving you the chance to eat like a lord.

Though getting a seat in the House of Lords is a pipe dream for many, getting a seat in the upper chamber’s restaurant is somewhat more feasible.

The Peers’ Dining will be open for lunch (12pm-4pm) on Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 April, and for lunch and dinner (5.30pm-8pm) on Thursday 6 April. The tradition of opening it up for public bookings during Parliament’s Easter recess first began in 2015.

The precise contents of the three-course menu, which comes in at £54 per head and includes petits fours and coffee to finish (but nothing stronger within that price), have not yet been disclosed. Previous dishes have included the staunchly traditional likes of potted crab, beef tongue, ox cheek, boiled vegetables and, that pillar of the British culinary establishment, rhubarb crumble.

The quality of the food itself has been questioned, with restaurant critic Joss Bassett deeming it in 2015 (when it cost £35 per person) “perfectly good, but nothing special”, while Josh Barrie recently wrote in The Spectator: “…the food is generally poor even if it looks decent.”

The wine offering is, reportedly, slightly more impressive, with reasonably-priced vintage Port available (at the time Bassett was writing, a glass of 1955 Cockburn’s was £15). However, despite this, members of the House of Lords have written letters of complaint concerning the “poor quality” of the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc available.

While the contents of the meal might not be up to muster for many, the restaurant’s Victorian gothic setting, complete with stained glass windows and dark-timbered ceiling, certainly make it a dining experience like no other.

Those interested in booking for next week can do so by clicking here.

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