Not so long ago, Roy Keane took a swipe at the well-heeled folk who go along to Old Trafford and watch Manchester United from the comfort of the ground’s hospitality areas.

A bunch of prawn sandwich eaters, he called them – and most ‘ordinary fans’ in the cheap seats will probably have had a wry laugh at his words. I know I certainly did!

Saying that though, it can sometimes be interesting to see ‘how the other half live’ – and when I was offered the chance to sample Forest’s corporate hospitality at the recent home game against Stoke, curiosity simply got the better of me.

This was the deal – we had to arrive at the City Ground for 12.30pm, where we’d be sitting down for a three-course meal in the plush Robin Hood lounge.

Then, along with the few-hundred other guests present, we’d be treated to an after-dinner speech from none other than former Forest and England goalkeeper Peter Shilton… before being ushered to seats in the Main Stand to watch the game.

All well and good then – although right from the off, it felt a bit strange having to forgo my usual matchday attire.

Yes, the smart dress code meant that scruffy jeans and a replica Forest shirt were out… and a sharp suit was in!

Still, a glass of red wine from the bar soon put me at ease – hell, it was sure better than the pint of froth in a plastic cup that’s usually the best thirst-quenching option available upon arrival at the ground!

And while naturally we were bitterly disappointed by the lack of prawn sandwiches on the menu, the grub was also in a different league to the pies and pasties you come to expect at football stadiums.

The starter was a selection of roast Mediterranean vegetables in a parmesan basket, while the main course was a carvery – although being ‘Children of the Quorn’, my girlfriend Jules and I both went for the ‘veggie option’, a kind of vegetable tart.

Dessert meanwhile was a rich chocolate mousse – although this was somewhat overshadowed by the arrival of Peter Shilton, who wandered in unassumingly while it was being served to take his place at the ‘top table’.

Disappointingly, Shilton no longer has the afro hairstyle he sported in his playing days. Nevertheless, it was amusing to see him join the queue for the carvery like everyone else – and after wolfing down his lunch, he promptly took to the microphone to give his after-dinner speech.

With his playing career having spanned four decades, it was no surprise to find Shilton was full of amusing stories.

After talking for about 15 minutes, he wrapped up and began taking questions from the floor – and was generally good-humoured in his responses.

I say ‘generally’ though, because he didn’t look greatly amused when someone asked him about the time during his Forest days when he became embroiled in a tabloid sex scandal, after getting caught with his trousers down in Colwick Park..!

Still, the question caused great mirth among the guests – something an overly-fussy referee never quite managed in the ensuing 90 minutes.

Man-in-black Mark Cowburn’s insistence on blowing his whistle seemingly every 30 seconds meant that Forest’s game against Stoke never really got going – and so it was little surprise when it ended up as a disappointing 0-0 draw.

Still, there was one more bit of luxury to be had as part of the hospitality experience – namely, cheese and biscuits in the Robin Hood lounge at half-time!

Now I’m quite happy to be ditching the suit and going back to ‘slumming it’ on future trips to the City Ground – but a bit of vintage gorgonzola during the interval is something I could definitely get used to at every game..!