Crown Rivers Heathrow Terminal 5 by Michael R. Goss

I´ve always been a fan of the  J.D. Wetherspoons model of fine ales, simple food and excellent service and discovered this  place while waiting to fly out to south America in the harsh winter of 2010. On that occasion I was on the last flight out before snow closed the airport for almost a week, although I wouldn´t recommend taking off in a snow storm to nervous flyers. This time, however, there were no such problems as I rolled into the Crown Rivers at 5.30am in search of breakfast, bleary eyed and hungry.

A quick perusal of the menu revealed the standard “English breakfast” fare with the new addition of Eggs Benedict. Regular readers of Minding Bellies Well will be aware of our love affair with this marvellous creation at many different establishments. I chose my table and ordered at the bar for a mere £6.99 along with a pint of fresh squeezed orange juice for £2.99.

When it arrived I was mightily impressed. Perfectly poached runny eggs sitting on a bed of cured Wiltshire Ham atop a crunchy toasted muffin, generously coated with hollandaise sauce. Between these two mighty muffins sat a generous helping of fresh, crunchy and peppery rocket. The sauce was delicate and certainly tasted homemade. Every mouthful was savoured with sheer delight and was perfectly complemented by the rocket.

Wetherspoon´s boss, Tim Martin may have some eccentric views on Europe, but he always runs a tight ship with high standards as far as his pubs are concerned; the Crown Rivers is no exception. There are plenty of bland food outlets in all the terminals at Heathrow but personally I´ll always make my way here, whatever time of the day of night for the perfect pre-flight meal.

Skipping off with a full belly and sated taste buds to catch my flight I passed the duty free where I was even more delighted to find litre bottles of my favourite Irish whiskey, Tullamore Dew at an absolutely bargain price. What better start could there be to a holiday?

Crown Rivers