A Family Affair

Katherine MacAlister finds a visit to an Italian restaurant spoiled by some of her fellow diners.

DID you know that Queen Victoria is alive and well and lurking in Woodstock? If you want to hear her views on family dining, I’m sure you can track her down.

Just look for a terrified looking family pushing their children out onto the street and fleeing.

God love us, but the English are a dreadfully un-child friendly race.

Aren’t they meant to be seen and not heard? And even seen is pushing it a bit. Couldn’t you just leave them behind in a cupboard?

But as a food critic I have to persevere on the ‘eating out with the kids’ front, even if the results are terrifying.

So where were we? Actually we were at a lovely Italian restaurant in Woodstock called Brothertons. It’s the real deal here. Real Italians from Tuscany cooking real Italian food.

And as with all Italians, they differ from their North Atlantic cousins, in that they applaud family dining.

What could be better than the whole family sitting down together for Sunday lunch amid the hustle and bustle that ensues?

Sure, it can be messy and noisy, but isn’t that better than the two of you staring into space and eating in silence?

And isn’t that what all the food experts are telling us until they’re blue in the face – that sitting down to eat as a family is the answer to all our problems from obesity to tagging?

But the point is that we happily blended into the convivial atmosphere at Brothertons with two toddlers, us – the harassed looking parents – and two doting grand-parents.

Seated at a big round table, the place was heaving with beaming families shovelling in large plates of spaghetti or carving up delicious-looking pizzas.

WHAT DID YOU HAVE?

Thinking we had finally discovered our dining Mecca, we ordered – just the one dish of course, as speed is of the essence when dining with small children.

And while waiting for our mains, we nibbled at the freshly-made focaccia bread served with a gorgeous olive oil and some olives.

And the food was fantastic.

I had the pasta arrabiata and haven’t had such a good plate of spaghetti for ages. It ticked all the boxes – rich, oily, hot, garlicky and fresh. Divine.

The house lasagne was applauded, as was the soup of the day, the fresh fish special and the pizza. All fresh, authentic and delicious. This is a fun place.

And when the toddlers started wriggling a bit, we asked for the bill and began preparing to depart.

The two couples sitting near us smiled sympathetically as we began getting dressed for the cold.

But when I smiled at an old couple behind us and gestured that we were off, Queen Victoria stood up and shouted, “Good ... disgusting behaviour,” before launching into a tirade about my children’s misdemeanours, how they should be seen and not heard, etc etc.

OH, THAT’S NOT GOOD.

I was shocked. Speechless actually, and could only stare at her in horror.

My children may be lively, but they are not viscious.

My father-in-law, an ex-GP, just smiled when he saw her apoplectic rage and said gently: “It’s funny how people forget they were young once too.”

But we will be returning to Brothertons as it was fabulous. You should try it, whether you have kids or not.