Karen Wright: A taste of Wakefield: Dining out with the Civic Society

This year we have been to Greek, Spanish and Italian restaurants to name just a few. We always dine on the first Tuesday of the month, usually a quiet night for restauranters, so it is also a way of giving support to them.

We have one extra meal out each year and that is our Autumn dinner, a slightly more formal meal which comprises three courses. The venue is the Create cafe in Wakefield, and the team at the cafe transforms the space into a fine dining experience. For the last two years we have been treated to a very festive pre-meal show by students from Wakefield's own Cappa College.

Civic society president Kevin Trickett is Master of Ceremonies for the evening; he opened the evening by welcoming everyone and the introduced our Mayor and her consort, which is none other than Featherstone's local legend Maureen Tennant King and her husband Terry. I went to the same school as Maureen and my late brother John was in her class right through juniors and senior years, I am very proud of her accomplishments.

The meal was very good, I had a starter of pear, grape and stilton salad, followed by bacon wrapped chicken and a selection of vegetables. My pudding was sticky toffee which hit the right spot, and we finished with coffee and mints. Kevin closed the evening with a carefully choreographed stand-up routine which was great.

I recommend the Civic Society, not just for the dining club aspect but as a member I receive invitations to events both online and in person. The is a summer programe of excursions and visits plus I receive regular emails detailing what the society is up to and what is happening around and about in Wakefield. The society is a charity, and it relies on membership so why not join? It costs fifteen pounds a year for an individual and that is reduced to twelve pounds for people that are retired or unwaged.

Next week it's all about the Christmas Tree, have you put yours up yet?