There were these 2 plums…how I love plums, they are so pretty as well as juicy and delicious. I picked one of them out of the fruit basket and I saw there a couple of apples, we wouldn’t eat them as we constantly forget to take food items to work with us… Continue reading Nothing but the fruit…
“We are eating too much bread” I said, and then contemplated my new regime for January in which few treats would surface…
A lengthy discussion about the rights and wrongs of our current regime ensued. We resolved, to eat less bread – much less bread. When we do have it, it should be ‘good’ bread – by which I mean it should be really tasty and have a good measure of nutritional value.
So it came to pass that yesterday afternoon having been foiled in my attempts to secure rye flour in our wretched local supermarket, that I did find my heart’s desire in a local health food store and was able to get cracking with a rye and walnut loaf by Nigel Slater that I have been keen to try. The great thing is it works with a rye and spelt mix with just a little white flour, meaning a reduced level of gluten. Continue reading Yuk it’s raining – let’s have brunch?
It’s fair to say that November and December 2015 were a bit of a struggle following Rocket’s recent accident in India, but a new year beckons and we are not down hearted, it could have been an awful lot worse and he is at least on the mend now.
The food season has changed, the tide has already turned from richly abundant to the austerity of January but just before that happens…we have been reliving some of the best bits via the medium of left overs. Continue reading For Auld Lang Syne
The thing I like, in particular, about shopping at markets is that you are confronted by seasonality. I don’t mean just British produce, but rather the time of year in the UK when the offer changes and the Man
goes arrive from far away or at Christmas time when it used to be traditional for the citrus fruits and pineapples to be ‘shipped’ in.
In supermarkets, it seems to me, very little respect is paid and the proposition remains more or less the same throughout the year. Continue reading Moody Fruits
Kippers are a great tradition in the UK, as far as I am concerned there is no tastier breakfast!
I think that many people are put off by the smell created by cooking or by the fact that being Herrings, there are bones. Continue reading Kippers from the Isle of Man
I realise that my seafood blog has taken a meaty turn of late and I shall return to fishy things soon but for some reason the onset of autumn has brought out our inner carnivore! I think it’s the realisation that we are about to embark on a health regime that will prohibit such things from our diet… Continue reading Grilled lamb chops and a tale of Turin
Chinese Inspired Fragrant Beef Stew.
Lying in bed last Saturday morning, I was contemplating the facts of my day. I had a few chores to do, but today was not meant to be entirely a day of duty. Rocket had gone off to the England v Ireland Rugby at Twickenham with my brother and so dinner duty would fall to me. I had no intention of a day spent entirely in the kitchen but I was thinking curry – and when I think that, I usually do end up in the kitchen for quite a while…. Continue reading Pocket Rockets
Chilli Crab Cakes with Thai style salad.
“Why do you want that one?” a baffled DJ Ozz asks? Mata and I smother our smirks….the detritus of breakfast remains scattered before us and the Gascon sun beats down. Continue reading A Right Pear
It’s been a bit of strange week, returning from an extended trip in France. On our return, my Uncle Little D suffered stroke although thanks to swift action by my aunt, Little P, a miracle stroke drug administered at an early stage and some stonking NHS care he is doing well and is already back home with few ill effects…..amazing.
The working week ended on a high note as Rocket’s boss, had kindly arranged for us to have a meal out in town as his birthday gift for this year so last night was elected as a fine time to dine out at Cafe Murano. http://www.cafemurano.co.uk/ Continue reading Friday date night
I use to work near a pub where they did a comfort dish of penne in an Italian sausage tomato sauce. It was rich and very moreish – the sausage sort of melts into the sauce and enriches it in a delicious way. Continue reading Bang On!
There is something about Shakespeare that does it for me…
We had some left over roast chicken and always keep a tub of Thai red curry paste in the fridge for a tasty quick supper, so a week or two ago after long days at work, Rocket popped the paste into the pan and added some coconut milk and the cooked chicken, brought the temperature to just off the boil then simmered for a few minutes and – “taa daa”, the curry was ready. Continue reading Salad days…
Aitch, as well as standing for our family name, is also for ‘hundred’ and this will be my hundredth post so a few weeks ago when Number One called to ask if we thought a family barbecue would be a good celebration for her birthday and also for Rocket’s, I resolved that this would be a fitting subject for my next and ‘special’ post.
Further plotting and planning took place as Number One wanted a lazy, long afternoon and evening with some good food. The second requirement of many that were to develop was breakfast ‘out’ somewhere the next day. So the plan was hatched and we embellished it as we went along, as we tend to do… Continue reading The Aitch Team
What a ridicuous few months, my work has been crazy and not in a pleasurable way. It has been gritty and exhausting, life is too short for much more of this. My thoughts turn to my imaginary deli, I resolve to move things forward… Continue reading Girl from the South Country
Pan Roast Pollack with Crab Crushed potatoes, Lemon and Lime Chive Butter sauce.
This will be one of my favourite posts, purely on the grounds that it ticks a lot of my boxes: sustainable British fish that is bang in season, a subtle flavour of crab running through the potatoes and the delicious zing of the butter sauce. More than that though, it’s not extravagantly expensive due to a cunning cheat and it’s ridiculously quick to make. There is, unquestionably, a lot of butter in the sauce but the clue is in the name! Continue reading Never mind the Pollacks
I struggled upright, blinking in the brilliant Thai sunlight “does anyone want a beer?” and “yes” came the replies, almost in unison. Continue reading Searching for something…
Rocket here – guesting with my humble offering. Well, I’m nothing if not game! Talking of which, thought I’d go for something simple – Hare three ways! Continue reading Hare today………. gone tomorrow!
Whole baked Brill with Clam Broth
I’m not a fan of Valentine’s day, on the grounds that it is almost entirely a commercial exercise, a recipe for rip offs, and most importantly kind of smug. When single you may feel like everyone else is in this loved up club and there are times in life when that may be a bit depressing…and I don’t like to think that someone might feel lonely or low.
However I don’t have anything against people enjoying themselves…loved up, single or otherwise.Neither do I think everyone who is single is sad and lonely, having spent many happy single years – and I am definitely not against romance. That’s my position, just thought I’d clarify it! Just to prove I am romantic, the soundtrack for our lives and the backdrop to our lovely Saturday was courtesy of Van Morrison – here you go…listen along while you read… Continue reading A Simply Brill day
So this morning I was up early, read my favourite foodie blogs, cleaned the house from top to bottom, shopped, walked the doggy, emailed my cousin Cheesecake, did some washing, painted a table, spoke to Rocket (who is somewhere on route driving down from Aberdeen)… all before mid-day.
Whilst I hate housework, there is a certain satisfaction when the house is at it’s best – so I bought it some flowers…
Back to the tale…
Before anything else, let me just say “Je Suis Charlie”.
For supper tonight, I’m looking for speed, spice and comfort. Maybe it’s the depressing week, or the wild and windy weather – a need to escape to the heat and excitement of India. Continue reading Warming Coconut Dal with Chilli Prawn Cakes
So January demands that budget is observed, and that the excesses of Christmas are put to one side. However…
I know what works for me and broadly speaking it’s higher protein and lower carbs with veg being colourful and appetizing. Of course all this will be coupled with moving around a lot more!
What I needed today was something wholesome and comforting, what I do from Monday when work and healthy living loom will be a little different but when I weigh up what went into this recipe, it’s a lot of goodness and very little else. Continue reading Wholesome Seafood Chowder with simple soda bread
In Search of the Catfish Café... 