As guests of Pumpkin, the club’s in-house caterers, Daily Echo colleague Ian Wadley and I were treated to a feast in the Top Floor restaurant at Dean Court.

There was no sign of a gristly meat and potato pie, a lukewarm cuppa or a queue as we were elevated to join the prawn sandwich brigade for the day!

The menu for our three-course meal plus coffee comprised a choice from two starters, three mains and three sweets.

We both plumped for the home-made cream of tomato and basil soup (with rustic bread), although the home-made chicken, bacon and sun-blushed tomato terrine (with orange and sweet chilli chutney), also seemed to be going down well on adjacent tables.

Even though Ian spilled some on his tie, the soup was perfect for kick off.

The mains were served buffet-style, while the vegetables were self-service. Ian had a field day!

He went for the lamb and apricot |casserole, topped with rosemary dumplings, and said it was just like the one his mum used to make, every mouthful bursting with succulent lamb.

I opted for the crusted cod loin in sun-blushed tomato and herb crust. It was a toss up between that and the Thai green vegetable curry.

The fish was moist and mouthwatering, although my piece did have a couple of bones.

Having fortunately beaten Ian to the vegetables, I had my fair share of Lyonnaise potato, broad beans and Vichy carrots. Ian sends his apologies to those diners who came up after us!

Conscious it would do little for our weight, we both skipped the fresh fruit salad for afters.

My trio of cheese was plentiful, the Brie, Stilton and Cheddar all very palatable. Ian said his home-made lime and chocolate cheesecake was “scrummy”.

Priced at £55 for adults and £30 for children (plus VAT), the matchday hospitality package includes lunch, programme and team-sheet, pre-match player interviews, car parking, |executive seat, half-time tea, coffee and cakes and an opportunity to view the post-match presentations.

For more details, contact the commercial department on 01202 726322 or event sales on 01202 726395.