I thought long and hard about whether to post this.  All that judgement. And then thought. Sod it. – we’ve all done it. Woken up Sunday morning more hungover than entirely necessary and a family gathering to get to. Needed food and fast.  And when you need food and fast you go to McDonalds.

McDonalds was actually the first place we had dinner in Winchester when we moved here.  Surrounded by boxes that needed to be unpacked and very little time, I remember strolling through the cathedral grounds on the way to the high street.  We’d just moved from Brixton and were pretty freaked out by just how quiet the whole place was.  The McDonalds in Winchester was also slightly different from the craziness of the one in the centre of Brixton too.  Filled with boy scouts.

Anyway – so I’m off beef for a year so sad not to be able to sneak in a dirty quarter pounder with cheese on the sly.  Luckily for breakfast there’s no beef options to feel sad about.

In Winchester most people seem to order from the machines rather than the till.  While I like this when I want to be greedy and don’t want judgement, I don’t like this becuase it allows me to be greedy and I need judgement.  They even do table service now.  Things have changed.

First of all, was hugely disappointed that pancakes were off.  Haven’t had them since I was a kiddo.  So instead I have a sausage and egg bagel with has browns and a diet coke (hungover’s finest cure) while the other half had the sausage and egg mcmuffin and diet coke (also hungover).

Wait was quick.  But I kind of miss the interaction with the people who work there.  It’s all so regimented and I know thats the point but still…  There was an older chap there who paid at the counter counting out his cash while striking up a conversation.  Hang on I’d better not get philisophical about McDonalds.

So I walked home and there was a slight downpour which I hadn’t been expecting.   McDonalds – you really really need to make your takeaway bags waterproof for at least ten minutes.  Got dangerously close to dropping a hash brown.

So how was the food.  I’m not going to lie.  I like their has browns.  Good size, good texture, clearly deep fired.

Bagel – sausage patty good.  Egg…I don’t know it doesn’t do it for me.  I’d probably other it without the egg next time.  Cheese.  What is this stuff?  I love me some high quality cheese (I once bought a piece of goat cheese which cost me £12 from Neal’s Yard and I have no regrets), but there is just something so highly wrong yet right about the plastic cheese in McDonalds.  Never change.

Other half said the sausage and egg mcmuffin ‘tasted like every sausage and egg mcmuffin I have ever had before, but that’s why you go to McDonalds.’  He estimates he has had circa 32.  I think that’s quite high…he points out that was less than two a year since he became an adult.

But for me the real winner is the McDonalds ice.  I’ve spoken about this before with people (don’t invite me to a party), but the shape of the ice at McDonalds is amazing.  Keeps it shape for longer yet isn’t that big.  I’m a fan.  Keep it up McDonalds.  I’ll be back, but probably not for another year when I can get that quarter pounder fix once more.