Out with my girl

My daughter doesn’t work a standard nine to five by five, she works six days on shifts then four days as a sort of extended weekend – her week has ten days not seven. Today she wasn’t working so we decided to go to Street. Street is a small Somerset town right next to Glastonbury and it’s most famous for its shoes, being where Clark’s factory once was. Quaker cousins, Cyrus and James Clark began a partnership initially as fellmongers – isn’t that a wonderful old word meaning a dealer in hides and skins, and also as wool-staplers who bought, graded and sold wool and fleeces. Eventually the Clark family became one of the best known and best loved shoe manufacturers, and shod schoolchildren through the ages, and the equally well-loved Desert Boots. Although Clarks still has offices in Street, shoes are manufactured elsewhere and now the town is famous for its retail outlet.

It was to the retail outlet, Clark’s Village that we headed this morning although the wind was very windy and there was a continuous smatter of rain. The first part of the journey – out of our village, along the A39 until we can join the M5 and then along the motorway and off at junction 24. From there we followed the old Roman road, the A39, a most wonderful route along the Polden Hills. We parked up and wandered into the town and went straight to Pizza Express which is a favourite of ours. Daughter had doughballs followed by pizza, I had polenta sticks followed by my favourite, Caesar salad.

I’ve mentioned this before, several times, but Caesar salad should be the simplest thing to make but even really fancy restaurants don’t always get it right. However, Pizza Express always does, and after so many months when going out was just not an option, I was really looking forward to it, and it did not disappoint! Lunch consumed we went for a little wander through the retail outlet, known as Clarks’ Village, and we managed to find some bargains, for ourselves, and those at home. It might not have seemed a very exciting day, but it was a lovely day, sometimes simple things in good company are the best!