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Area 4 - Pudding Club 2 (The Revenge)

Andrew Fawkes (Area 4 Rep) | Published on 4/18/2022
Area 4

Five years and one pandemic ago, Area 4 arranged a trip to the famous Pudding Club in Mickleton near Chipping Camden in the Cotswolds - see here. We vowed to go back, not least to give everyone a chance to beat the target of 9 puddings consumed by Yours Truly (albeit I was one of three people who downed 7 portions on the night). More of that later.

The event started with an en-route meeting at the AV8 Cafe at the Cotswold Airport. Someone had parked their Jumbo Jet in our space but we managed to find more spaces nearby!

Area 4

The Fawkes's DB9GT 'Bond Edition', Gerring's GT8 (Supercharged) and Jones's DB7 Vantage GT.

A further 40 minutes drive to the Cotswold Barn Cafe & Farm Shop saw Tony & Janie Ellerbeck join the party. This is one of the most petrolhead-friendly cafe locations in the country, as evidence by their dedicated (gravel dust-free) supercar & classic parking:

Area 4

Area 4

Tony & Janie Ellerbeck's DB7 Vantage Volante joins the tour.

Next stop, the Pudding Club!

Founded in 1985 and dedicated to proper old-school puddings of the 'with custard' variety, the Pudding Club serves up 7 dishes after a not-insubstantial main course. The challenge is to eat all 7 (and more). We were joined in the challenge by members from Areas 5, 18 and 22.

Area 4

L-R: Sue Wood, Beverley Jones, Jan Gerring, Sue Cahalin, Heather Webber, Paul Gerring, Andy Webber, Mike Jones, Andrew Fawkes, Tony Ellerbeck, Gillian Fawkes, Tom Wood, Graeme Ford, Pamela Lunn, Paul & Caroline, Janie Ellerbeck and Geoff Cahalin.

After a fearsome introduction by the 'Pudding Master' we filed into the dining room to be challenged not only in pudding consumption, but also in noise (atmosphere) making!

Area 4

Graeme enjoys the attention of the Custard Mistress. Mind that tie, Graeme!

The result of the evening was a first ever win for a chocolate sponge pudding winning the majority vote from all attendees. Can you believe that Jam Roly Poly received only 1 vote?

Our group's undisputed champion and wearer of the Area 4 crown for the next 5 years (and hopefully no pandemic) is Tony Ellerbeck. Yours truly wimped out after only 4 portions. Oh how times have changed. Well done Tony on a well deserved triumph to add to your many other accomplishments!

And now back to the cars:

Area 4

Graeme, Pamela, Paul and Caroline arrived and parked in style. Graeme has owned his 1971 DBS since 1972.

Area 4


Just out of shot is Geoff and Sue's V8 Vantage AMR. The Webber's Rapide and Wood's Vantage '59 Edition in the foreground.

After checking out of the Three Ways House Hotel (home of the Pudding Club), we and the Cahalins convoyed to the Classic Motor Hub in Bibury. We had also arranged this aspect 2 years ago (pre-pandemic), and found the revised date coincided with an event there. Consequently, there was much more to see in the car park in addition to the 'usual' (regularly changing) collection there.

Area 4

Regardless, our parking spaces were outside the main buildings and produced a suitably impressive last photograph for this report. 

Thank you to all who attended this event and who waited patiently for it to actually happen!


Andrew Fawkes
Area 4 Rep.