I’ve finally experienced a ‘date night’, though it turns out there are three of us in this relationship

The food was pretty good, but when it got to 9.15, my partner started to look anxious: he was worried about Badger, his border terrier

Some couples do ‘date night’ every Friday, but my partner and I realised we’d gone 20 years without one (Getty)

I always wondered what a “date night” was – and now I have finally been on one.

The other day, my partner pointed out that we had been together (with a few hiccups) for 20 years, and suggested we should go “on a date night” to celebrate. He walked around the village where he lives, reading the menus, and then booked a table in his local pub.

At 7pm he took off the tracksuit bottoms covered in dog hairs that he was wearing and put on a proper suit, then took his best overcoat out of the cupboard. I rose to the challenge and put on a warm black and gold sweater.

When we arrived (early) at the chosen venue, we were the only couple in the bar, and certainly better dressed than the three blokes talking to our host. In the dining room, I faced the wall, otherwise I would have been lipreading the conversations around us instead of concentrating on our conversation.

The food was pretty good, but when it got to 9.15, my partner started to look anxious – he was worried about Badger, his border terrier, and whether the dog might be fretting without him. So we drove back, and he and Badger went for a bonding walk in the dark.

I think date night was a success, but next time we will have to choose a dog-friendly establishment, as Badger is now a very important part of this relationship.