This past weekend, I visited one of the most-reputed restaurants in Llanduno at The Queen’s Head in Glanwydden as part of a staff Christmas dinner which was hotly-anticipated. After hearing much praise from colleagues as well as family members who had been dining there for years, I went in with high expectations and was certainly not disappointed.

As soon as I entered through the door, the whole place exhuded class yet it still appeared approachable to a casual diner such as myself. After being greeted by the image of some premium quality cigars available from the bar, it oozed excellence from the word go and this was before I’d even sat down.

If you’re in a large plenty of eleven which I was, you’d expect service to suffer but this was simply not the case as the staff were warm, welcoming and genuinely pleased to have us. After we had all selected from the brilliantly varied special menu, our starter was on our table not long after the waitress had taken our orders.

Opting for the crispy confit duck leg for the first time, I was unsure of what to expect but the range of flavours after every bite were gorgeous. Cooked to a T, it was an absolute joy to tuck in to and it has to be said that it wasn’t long before I put my cutlery down and used my hands!

On to the main (again, a very short but perfectly timed wait) and as lamb is my favourite meat, I greeted the braised shoulder presented to me with some trepidation. It was completely unnecessary though because as soon as I placed my fork on the meat, it crumbled effortlessly into the delectable red current & rosemary jus. Lamb is a mainstay in my weekly menu at home but this was beyond anything I could ever even attempt to cook. It was just irresistible with the vegetables and buttery mash seasoned to perfection; really just putting the icing on what has to be the best meal I’ve ever had.

Needless to say, I will be making a return journey to this beloved establishment in the near future and with so many other choices to pick, I could even be spoilt for choice.