Never mind Brexit; there was a far more important matter for debate.
Would it be Patatas Bravas, with a spicy tomato sauce, or King Prawns in a chilli and garlic butter?
Decisions, decisions, on the eve of the EU referendum.
In the end, I’m afraid we abstained; we ordered both.
But there was one very important choice that Linda and I got right that evening.
Following a colleague’s advice we booked an evening at Peel One, the tapas, grill and wine bar that is rapidly making quite a name for itself in the heart of Marsden.
It was exactly the right decision.
Outside it wasn’t the balmy summer evening that you would expect in mid June; rather a chilly, overcast grey sort of day, but at least the rain had stopped when we parked up in Peel Street, which runs down through the village centre.
Peel One lives up to its name. It’s at No 1 Peel Street and is a striking building, with its recent side extension of glass and dark steel hanging over the River Colne.
Young owners Sophie Byram and Ryan Clifford have poured a lot of love and attention into converting a former gift shop into a warm and welcoming eatery.
There is exposed brickwork and stonework inside and the craftsmanship shines through in all the fittings, including the toilets and washroom.
We got a very warm welcome from the young an attentive staff, led by Laura, and were shown to a table in the balcony extension. It used to be an open balcony but that’s perhaps not too suited to the Marsden climate and was converted into a form of suspended conservatory and gives you a great view of all that’s happening in the village centre.
A pint of Blonde and a lager arrived and we took our time perusing the menu.
Peel One offers the usual burgers and fajitas, but also the intriguingly-named hanging kebabs as well as salads.
There is a steak night which I’m told is very popular but the advice given to us was vote for the tapas menu.
There are 14 items, all reasonably priced and our waitress suggested two or three each would be sufficient for a meal.
Hence the debate over Patatas and Prawns.
We debated the merits of calamari, of chicken wings and of BBQ ribs but eventually plumped for a total of six. It was possibly one too many, unless you have a very large appetite, although we were told anything we had left could be boxed up to take away.
So what was the referendum result? In no particular order the voting went as follows,
Garlic bread with mozzarella cheese: Very tasty, with a subtle hint rather than a huge punch of garlic.
Patatas bravas: Perhaps the one disappointment of the evening. The potatoes were nicely browned and soft in the middle but the sauce perhaps need a bit more heat, a bit more passion.
Garlic mushrooms: A great success. Thinly sliced soft mushrooms bathed in a warm and fiery garlic and cream sauce, mopped up by the garlic bread.
King Prawns: Linda is a great seafood fan and declared them superb. I perhaps wanted a little more heat from the chilli sauce but have to admit they were great, meaty offerings.
Pork and beef meatballs in tomato and herb sauce: Just as it says on the tin; well-cooked meatballs in a thick broth of a sauce that was well seasoned.
Sizzling strips of steak: The undoubted top of the polls. Beautifully tender strips of medium steak, marinated in a mixture of peppers, onions and spices. There was a tangible kick about them and the meat was superb.
The count over, we had a result. A few patatas bravas and a small piece of garlic bread were the spoiled votes; the declaration was of a very enjoyable evening.
