Thank You For The Days

Just back from a wonderful weekend away; a birthday treat from my excellent wife Solveig (in conjunction with the as-per-usual top-notch babysitting services provided by mum & dad, for which much thanks are due).

Having nipped off early on Friday afternoon and taken the appropriate exit off the M4 (indeed, we had to Turn After Reading*), we headed for the picturesque Goring-on-Thames in which nestles The Miller Of Mansfield, as recommended on Mr & Mrs Smith. Really nice little 'boutique' pub hotel with a fantastic restaurant (do try the shin of beef, it was as melty as it gets) as well as a snug bar with a log fire and a decent selection of gins. We realised when we arrived that we had somehow forgotten how to relax; indeed, it took a while for us to stop wondering where on earth the kids were. But unwind we did and with some walks along the (thin end of the) Thames and a trip up to Bicester on the Saturday, it was a properly brilliant break from the Smoke.

Due to good planning, we also squeezed in an extra treat on the way back, in the form of a visit to Heston Blumenthal's pub in Bray, the Hind's Head (in fact, as we were a bit early, we went looking for the Fat Duck, but somehow never found it!) and what a treat it was. We were tempted by the Sunday roast, but both decided on pies, having been advised by a few people that they were worth the journey. We did start with a Scotch (quail's) egg each, though, and these were splendid - by turns crispy, meaty and perfectly soft:

For our mains we had Shepherds Pie (with lamb leg, breast and sweetbreads topped with mustard mash) and Spinach & Mushroom Pie (served with a Jerusalem artichoke sauce). They were both outstanding and tasted as good as they look:

After a full weekend of indulgence, we simply couldn't face dessert, so we'll just have to go back and try the rest of the menu at some point. Right, dear?

Anyway, what a brilliant weekend - almost enough to make me forget that next year is THAT ONE :)

* I'm truly sorry, I really am

All That Jazz

Our team Christmas lunch this year was at Ronnie Scott's jazz club, where you can enjoy an afternoon of food and wine accompanied by sets from three different performers (credit to Dei, our editor, for this inspired idea!) We heard a piano trio, then a great tenor saxophonist and finally a female vocalist, who really whipped the audience up into a festive frenzy, especially with her versions of classic Christmas numbers done in the musical style of the audience's choosing (the dub reggae 'Silent Night' was hilarious). It was a pretty tremendous way to spend an afternoon.

However, part of the deal is that everyone joins in for a big number at the end on kazoos (nicely laid out with the cutlery at each place setting). This was great fun, but even better was when they asked for volunteers to come up for a jam on the famous Ronnie Scott's stage, which has been graced by innumerable all-star names from the music world, past and present.

I didn't need asking twice, but I did let Jeremy go first for a microphone level test; old habits die hard. What's that? Is there a recording of this spectacular event? I thought you'd never ask:

And massive thanks to Alex for his off-the-cuff iPhone camerawork :)

Overheard #93

A meeting room in the City, mid-morning:

"Yeah, there isn't enough room on the table for a projector, due to all the croissants."

Overheard #90

Another food-based one from earlier today:

"So how would you make a breakfast bagel , Mike?"
"Well, I'd soak them in water for three hours then throw them away."

Just Billing Time

Interesting idea, recording all interaction with particular companies/brands and then invoicing them (at your full hourly client charge-out rate) for your time, ostensibly to ascertain how much they value you as a customer but also to highlight the consumer/brand power question:

#sixweeks

The letter from Julian at Pret is excellent :)

PubStop

Brilliant idea; no more KFC rip-offs or oily £8.49 3-item Granada breakfasts:

PubStop

Or you could not bother actually going anywhere for your summer holiday and spend two weeks in your local :) Still, we shall be using this next time we venture North...

What I Done On My Holidays #2

The house in France is lovely, but the cooker is over twenty years old and takes about eleven days to heat up to a temperature only vaguely near the one you selected. As such, we tend to BBQ a lot: confit de canard, saucisses de Toulouse, épaule de sanglier and that traditional rural French dish, chicken tikka :)

The latter was on the menu for tonight, so fire was required:

Oh, and there's none of that charcoal malarky - this is purely a wood burning affair. And bloody delicious it was too.

Overheard #84

Yes, it was as weird as it sounds:

"No, it's too reflective; I'm going to have to move your grapes."

Breaking The Seal

There are some things in life to which you want to be first.

I'm not talking about the North Pole, the finish line of the New York marathon or the handbag department of Selfridges on Boxing Day.

No, what I find the most satisfying of all is being the first person to plunge a knife into a brand new pot of Marmite. Penetrating the slight oily sheen and carving down into the murky depths of its rich, black goodness, leaving an almost perfectly hemispherical scar in the otherwise pristine surface.

Clearly, this is not limited to Marmite; many other spreads lend themselves to this phenomena. Peanut butter (smooth more than crunchy) is good, as is Nutella.

However, although you'd think they might, pots of jam & marmalade really don't give that same exhilarating feeling of being the one to break virgin territory. And honey is rubbish as it 'self-heals'.

So what do you like to be first to?

First person to say '...point out that you have ended your sentence with a preposition' owes me a bag of Twiglets.

Overheard #83

The epitomy of restraint:

"I don't really like Krispy Kreme donuts. Apart from the plain ones. With the icing"

Overheard #74

Straight out of a sit-com? No, this was literally just now here at Arbuthnot Towers, in a discussion about who was going to go out for breakfast:

Go on, I'll have a fried egg baguette with two eggs, but no ketchup - I've got the gym.

Change 31

Today's change was dificult to choose, as there were two.

We went over to a bar in deepest, darkest West London this afternoon to say adios to Dan and Mishka, who are moving to Seville next week. It was worth the schlep through the traffic as there were quite a few people we hadn't seen for ages, good food, the footie was on and Freyja was in a terriffic mood, generally being hilarious, entertaining all the adults, charming all the bar staff and scoffing all the chips. But that's really a massive change for them so I am more inclined to go for the discovery that our local pub, The Honor Oak, has just started doing Saturday brunch. On the spur of the moment this morning, we decided to brave the cold and walk over the hill to sample it. I am so glad we did; I had literally the best sausages* I have ever eaten, alongside wonderful thick cut bacon and some crispy black pudding.

I think we may go every week.

* apparently from a local butcher called Peter James, which we will be checking out forthwith!

Change 28

Today's change was yoghurt, instead of granola, for breakfast. Our local Pret has said it is stopping its granola offering shortly (the fools) and it has been in increasingly short supply all week. Still, yoghurt clearly still counts as 'gloop' so my January resolution* is still intact. Two more days and counting...

* my trademarked and patented Soup 'n' Gloop diet, in case you were wondering.

Change 27

Today's change was actually an additional change from yesterday (I know, I know, so sue me...)

Anyway, at the aforementioned vendor lunch, I ordered Cha Han as a bit of a change from my usual. Obviously I'd spotted that it came with prawns but assumed that, given my well-documented-since-childhood disdain for things-of-the-sea, I would just push them to one side and think no more about it. However, when my dish arrived, not only was it steaming hot (and accompanied by those great little multicoloured pickles) but the advertised prawns were most definitely not the pathetic nonentities you might stumble across in a badly-thought-out late night chow mein; no, these were monsters, seemingly grilled to perfection and laid on top of a mound of golden, steaming fried rice, glistening in the lunchtime sunlight ('steady on' - Food Porn Ed). I simply had to try them. And do you know what? They were great.

So I think I may have just had a seafood epiphany. And for anyone who knows me, that's change.

Change 26

Today's change was a last-minute invitation to lunch with one of our vendors, which was rather nice. There's a lot of it about at the moment; anyone would think they were the teensiest bit worried about the threat of major cost-saving contract negotiations amongst City brokerage institutions...

Change 23

Today's change was a visit to a new (to us) restaurant, Sapporo Ichiban in Catford Broadway. What can I say - fantastic Japanese food including fresh gyoza, ramen, teriyaki & katsu, all made to order in front of you and at credit-crunch prices. Whilst nothing to look at from the outside, the 'sunken' tables at the rear are an fun & interesting feature and it would be worth coming with a big group and taking advantage of the unlimited buffet, with a shed-load of Sapporo (what else!) Did I mention they do takeaway as well? We have a new favourite place...

Change 12

Today's change was a breakfast-based one. My usual Granola (with hot milk) was accidentally swapped for Oat & Granola. Which was basically like porridge. And I really hate porridge :(

Change 09

Today's change was in our selection of oriental takeout. Normally, we opt for Thai but tonight we both agreed that Chinese* was what we wanted this evening. Delicious.

* For the record: Crispy Aromatic Duck with Pancakes, Lemon Chicken and Char Siu Noodles.

Some People Have Too Much Time On Their Hands

(and many more)

Morning Has Bacon

Saw this and thought of winjer:

Wake 'n' Bacon
When's yer birfday again?

Saturday's Alright For Breakfast

Last Saturday, we suddenly had a free weekend so Solveig decided to get her hair done in East Dulwich. We piled into the dark-green-medium-sized-middle-aged-French-family-car and thought we might take in some breakfast on the way. Due to some serious faffing (me) in Ed, it turned out that we didn't have very much time in the end and in a bit of a panic we stumbled through the doors of what I initially thought was just a wine shop but which turned out to be attached to a really fantastic little café called Green & Blue on Lordship Lane.

Solveig shot off to her appointment and I settled in with a really great coffee and some warm ham & cheese croissants (although I want to go back and try the home-made baked beans on rye bread which I jealously watched being taken to another table). Freyja was very happy with her cloudy apple juice and scoffed all the 'hom' in sight...

...and Theo was impeccably behaved as usual:

Up to the park at Goose Green next for some running and sliding and climbing and rocking and swinging...
...where I noticed the Carhartt-clad Dulwich dads were out in force (eight of them - I rather got the feeling they're turfed out on a Saturday morning and told not to come back until Football Focus is on). Quality time indeed - added to which, Solveig came back with a great new haircut and we bought fantastic food (lamb rolls, sweet potato pies, harissa & bean salad) from the Northcross Road street market for an al fresco lunch back home in the garden:

Lovely.

I realise I don't often post about family things (Solveig does it so much better!) but this was just so very nice indeed :)

BiTE Me

Ever feel peckish at a railway station but feel they bump the prices up because of a 'captive audience'? Well you can get 20% off with the BiTE card...

BiTE, the free discount card for rail travellers
Millies Cookies, Ixxy's Bagels, Ritazza, Upper Crust, Delice de France, The Pasty Shop, Burger King, etc

Late-night post-pub munchies just got cheaper! Not that I would ever ... I mean, only if ... I'll stop now.

The Bacon Cup

I have posted this mainly to make Antonia snigger, but also because you simply cannot have too much bacon:

Neatorama: The Bacon Cup
Obviously it should really have been bacon bowls (and then it's only a short step to pastrami plates, chorizo cups, salami saucers and mortadella mugs). You can stop sniggering now. No, you can.

UPDATE: It has just dawned on me that, over the pond, a 'cup' is the name they give to an 'abdominal protector' which, over here, we who play cricket call a 'box'. So it is in fact a Bacon Box. That's just awesome. And soon to be an officially-endorsed G.R.A.C.C. product, if I have my way...

Sozzled & Mash(ed)

Is it Fathers' Day soon?
And the double awesome thing is that the whole book is also available online, for free gratis, nilch:

"Cooking With Booze, the book, was published in the UK in October 2007, in a very traditional form. But it’s a book that couldn’t have happened without the web, so I thought I should give something back. Here it is: the complete text of CWB, online for all. If you like the book, cook one of the recipes and enjoy it, I’d be very grateful if you’d buy a copy, but if not, no worries."

But you know you really, really want the print edition, don't you. I do. Oh, yeah.

Chip Chip Hooray

Who knew?

2008: United Nations International Year of the Potato

"The International Year of the Potato was officially launched at United Nations headquarters in New York on 18 October 2007. The day's celebrations included the official launching ceremony, held in the ECOSOC Chamber, a special supporting event for IYP partners, and an exhibit on potato and IYP for the general public."

I'm a-fried I missed the launch; mashed try harder...

Snot What You Think

Excuse me, you two. Remember this? Well, I saw this and also thought of you. No, I insist. You're welcome.

Pardon?

I am officially old.

Yesterday I went for a 'business lunch' with a colleague and, once seated at our table, felt the need to ask the staff to turn the music down. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Time was when a mere high-street hostelry could not have dreamed of matching my decibel capacity but here I am, the wrong side of 35 and heading towards the Ovaltine and comfy slippers. It's a sad, sad day indeed.

Those of you who saw Probemeister rocking the (sadly-missed) Arts Centre in York with an aural onslaught of thundering beats and analogue synths will remember remarking, "There goes a chap who'll never be defeated by a slightly intrusive blast of KT Tunstall of a lunchtime and no mistake" but I fear I have let you all down. I can only beg for forgiveness (quietly).

Waitress: "Can I get you gentlemen something to drink?"
Me: "Look, I can't hear a single word you're saying; can you possibly turn this dreadful racket down a bit?"
Waitress: "A Malibu & dry ginger, a pint of snakebite and a pair of Campari shooters?"
Me: "Yes, but can we have one with mash?"
Waitress: "No, it's the last door on the left, can't miss it."

Flake 'n' Bacon

Now I have to admit that I really like bacon. And Solveig would readily confirm that she really likes chocolate. So, how do we resolve this marital issue? OK, I'll tell you how:

"Deep milk chocolate coats your mouth and leads to the crunch of smoked bacon pieces. Surprise your mouth with the smoked salt and sweet milk chocolate combination."

Er, right. 'Surprise your mouth' indeed.....

Woolly Yumper

No, really - how to 'knit' marzipan:
And here's the tutorial - Antonia, over to you...

Meet And Two Pints

I went to my first ever Lewisham Bloggers Meetup last Friday night, handily enough held at our excellent local, The Honor Oak.

I had no idea what to expect; the internet all-too-easily removes any kind of geographical points of reference, What could we possibly all have in common other than sticking our random and seemingly unrelated thoughts up online once a day/week/roughly-whenever-the-hell-they-feel-like-it? It stemmed from the London Bloggers idea which I joined a while back, soon after which a couple of people made contact via the comments on fork handles...

...fast forward to Friday night at The Honor Oak, everyone was very welcoming, absolutely engrossing and a great pity I couldn't stay for longer than a couple of beers. Still, if they'll have me back, I'd very much like to continue some of the conversations I had with Andrew, Henry, Neil and Robert (who was responsible for organising the evening -> *applause*) and also meet those who I missed when they arrived later on!

Yep, count me in for the next one. Now, what on earth was that thing about underground waterways??

Fuzzy Felt Fries: Slight Return

Amazing what you can find to go with your cheeseburger, isn't it:

French Fries Puppet

"French fries puppet features 4 wiggly fries with friendly faces perfect for story telling..."

Fuzzy Felt Fries?

After the plush meat, this is the obvious next level:

Interactive Cheeseburger

"This Interactive Cheeseburger plush plaything is 100% fat-free but full of fun! Activity cheeseburger teaches building skills and stimulates baby with textures, crinkle, squeaker, rattle, button, and Velcro. 5" tall."

Yes, even in his/her earliest months, your child can start practising for that McJob :)

Quorn, My Son

Interesting article in theGuardian about the meat/veg dichotomy amongst couples:

How to have meat with your veg

I'm thinking of Chris & Helena primarily - anyone else want to own up?

Steak On Me

Now you can recreate that Ibizan villa holiday* in the comfort of your own ham, sorry, home:

Sweet Meats

"Sweet Meats are handmade plush objects that look like various cuts of meat. They are made out of super cuddly polar fleece, cotton quilting thread and polyester fiberfill stuffing. All of the meats come in individual (toy) size and some also come in family (pillow) size."

And remember - this offal is not available in the chops (sorry).

* you had to be there...

Pint O' Marmite

(Have I died and gone to heaven?)

Marmite Guinness

Apparently, many people absolutely hate Marmite and/or Guinness.

They are of course, utterly wrong in so many ways. Personally, I really love them both: Marmite with its full-on, balls-out, try-me-on-toast meatiness; Guinness and its yes-still-a-beer-but-almost-a-meal, fulfillingly-satisfying pint-y-ness. No doubt about it. All good. Mmmm...

merry christmas(h)

I do love sprouts. Try sprout mash, with cream and parmesan. Mmmmm.

Sprout Mash

Oh, and a Happy Chrimbletide to you all (surely "both" - Stats Ed.) as well.