Sunday Lunch on the Thames // Bateaux London Cruises

A couple of weekends ago I was treated to a lunch time cruise along the Thames. I received this as a Christmas gift and  headed off to London on January 11th.

After making our way to Embankment Pier we checked in around half an hour before the boat would board, getting to the reception at around 11.15.

At 11.45 we all boarded the boat, briefly braving the cold air and were welcomed onto the boat by lots of smiling, attentive staff.

Seated at table 200 we were right by the window, allowing for some classic touristy shots of what I could see from my seat. 

We started up by Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament, slowly moving off and passing The London Eye, Cleopatra's Needle and The Millennium Bridge (watching out for Voldemort). 

As we cruised past these landmarks we sipped on our drinks and watched for tiny people in the pods on the Eye, but it seemed to not be moving on that day. 

After browsing the menu we placed our order for lunch and pottered up to the roof. It was a crisp day but the sun was shining which aided all the photos and moods that day! 

We then came back down and were served our meal - Goat's cheese mousse for me and ham terrine for him, then shoulder of lamb for me and salmon for him and finally, we both indulged in sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel sauce. Y U M. I could have eaten it all again (twice probably).

Throughout the cruise we were also treated to live jazz with a singer, a double bass, a piano and of course a saxophonist. It was lovely to hear the live band, however from where we were seated we couldn't see them as we were in a separate section. For some this might not have been ideal, but for us this was perfect as we could appreciate the music without feeling obliged to pause and clap etc.

This atmosphere was ideal for a relaxing Sunday cruise, we didn't have to do anything other than take in our surroundings and enjoy our time.

The food was lovely, all cooked wonderfully and served with plenty of time in between to enjoy the cruise itself. If I had one criticism (which for the purposes of honesty I must...) it was that the menu was slightly limited. There were only two choices of starters, three for mains and one dessert which although was fine for me, I can imagine could be tough for some people. I'm a very fussy eater but as I knew I was on that boat for lunch I just ordered what I thought I'd enjoy and luckily, I did. 

Once we reached the O2 arena and the boat was turning around we ordered cups of tea and enjoyed the remaining hour of the cruise. 

Overall, I really liked this experience, for a number of reasons: the cruise itself was the perfect amount of time - just about 2 1/2 hours. I really appreciated that unlike any other kind of lunch date we didn't feel like we had to get up and leave when we were finished. We could sit and talk, wander round the boat and go out to get some fresh air. There wasn't any pressure to leave our table in order to free it up, and that was what I really enjoyed. I could take the time to appreciate where I was and what I was doing

I'd recommend this idea to anyone who was looking to spend some quality time with someone, or to have a date that's a little out of the ordinary.

Click here to go to the Bateaux London website and look at the other cruises they have to offer.

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