An hour earlier, I arrived at the visitor’s entrance, opposite Westminster Abbey, and, after clearing airport-style security, was told to “walk through Westminster Hall, turn left and go straight to the end”.

The reality, though, is rather awesome – you won’t want to rush it.

For a start, the history of the vast Westminster Hall – at 900 years old, the oldest site on the Parliamentary Estate – is palpable. The coronation banquets of King Henry VIII (1509) and Queen Elizabeth I (1559) were held here, as were the trials of King Charles I (1649) and Gunpowder Plot conspirator Guy Fawkes (1606).

Charles III was welcomed to a pre-coronation reception here on May 2 and Westminster Hall became familiar through media images of Queen Elizabeth’s lying in state. Brass plaques in the flagstone floor now mark the spot where the late queen’s coffin lay in September 2022, as mourners filed past to pay their respects.

I “turn left” into St Stephen’s Hall, which is lighter and more elaborate, with large stained glass windows and brightly coloured murals. The room is lined with imposing marble statues of notable parliamentarians.

Through the hall is the octagonal Central Lobby, the heart of the Palace of Westminster, where the House of Commons (the other parliamentary chamber) meets the House of Lords.

After taking in the soaring arches and intricate tiles and mosaics, I spot the sign for the Peers’ Dining Room, the entrance to which is manned by two ushers in white tie.

My passport is checked and I’m escorted beyond the velvet rope by one of the ushers, further into the Palace of Westminster. At every turn there are paintings and sculptures depicting the politicians and monarchs who have ruled Britain over hundreds of years.

As we make our way along a long corridor, the carpet suddenly changes from green to red, signifying that we’re leaving the Commons and entering the House of Lords.

“Now for the real thing,” the usher announces. “Everything here is red, gold and old.”

I wonder whether he’s including the peers themselves in that description.

There’s time for an aperitif in the Peers’ Guest Room Bar before the meal. The bar overlooks the River Thames but there’s plenty to divert the gaze inside the high-ceilinged room, with its rich red walls hung with oil paintings of bigwigs and huge naval battles, as I drink a French 75 cocktail.

Then it’s across the corridor (escorted, of course – you are not free to wander in the Lords) to the Dining Room, where about 80 people are sat at individual tables.

On my visit, the three-course set menu, which costs £54 (US$67) per person, including tea or coffee with petit fours, centres around British produce: Herefordshire beef, Loch Duart salmon, Cotswold chicken and Cambridgeshire celeriac. All fancily presented and well executed.

I’m told that the peers are not served food as elaborate as this, although I’m not sure whether that’s just so we won’t feel envious of them having access to such fare every day.

Mobile phones and photography are not permitted, which makes a refreshing change as the room is buzzing with people chatting. Strikingly, the service throughout the whole experience is not as snooty as it can be in some top restaurants and hotels.

After lunch, an usher guides me to the exit through a maze of corridors and courtyards. En route I stop at the gift shop, where all manner of objects, from accessories and homewares to food and drink, are emblazoned with the House of Lords insignia.

I leave clutching a teddy called Lord Bearsby, dressed in a ceremonial red robe. I hope he doesn’t find his new home a letdown.

The next Public Dining Experience at the Peers’ Dining Room will be in the autumn.