Little Chef, Popham

Popham Services, Micheldever
Winchester
SO21 3SP

After watching Heston Blumenthal wrestle with how to make a Little Chef actually palatable on a TV programme a while back, I made a mental note to try the Little Chef at Popham whenever it was conveniently placed during a road trip. Fastforward at least a year and a half, and I finally noticed that Popham was on our way to Lyme Regis. Hip hip hooray - we hopped in the car and raced straight there. A chose the Early Starter and I went with one of their lunch specials, the lamb shank with mash. After an appropriate wait (long enough to convince me they were actually cooking our food to order), big gleaming white plates appeared with what looked like restaurant-quality food on them. A was very happy, announcing that his breakfast didn't taste greasy at all, which is quite a feat when bacon and sausage are involved. My lamb shank was incredibly tender and pulled away from the bone with barely a prod from my fork. We both ate in silence for a few seconds, appreciating the wonder of having a nice lunch at a Little Chef, of all places - I'm not in the habit of blessing people, but dammit, GOD BLESS HESTON BLUMENTHAL.