I am not a big fan of being down in the dumps so when I do feel like this I am unsure what to eat as my comfort food. Many would have chocolate, lots of it. Some need soup (or is that when you're ill?). Take away is high on the list and my friend always resorts to pizza for that lift. I am stuck. American's have big bags of crisps (chips) and eat the lot. Or ice-cream still in the carton with a spoon. I might try this one; it means the ice-cream will get softer as you eat. My late Granddad used to put ice-cream in the microwave because it was too cold......he was Irish if that's any excuse. But I don't have a nutrient zapper machine in my kitchen (much to the annoyance of P when his dinner has to be heated up in the oven) so I will just have to put it on the radiator or eat it in the bath.....Waitrose ice-cream freezer here we come.
I was lucky enough to be at the Sussex Food Awards with a bunch of great friends. It was to be our Christmas party (as all good retailers know Christmas parties are always in Jan). We had an ok sparkling (not quite the fantastic "Champagne quality" Nyetimber from West Sussex) reception then on to dinner. 5 courses so thankfully I was very hungry. The most memorable part of the food for me was the main, we had beef steak (fell apart - very good) and then in its own suet pudding was the kidney. I thought this was done very sympathetically for the non-kidney-eaters amongst us. The suet was a little thick but boy did I enjoy that kidney....even ate my neighbours!
Our parents and grandparents ate far more offal than we do today. It was cheap then, like the great cuts of meat that used to be cheap but then Fergus Henderson and (more high profile but less interesting) Jamie Oliver came along and promoted these cuts, now they're a little pricier. I really enjoy a devilled kidney (especially St.John's devilled rabbit kidney) starter or ox-heart main. P loves bone marrow (another Henderson delight) and thought my haggis pie was a goer. So this year I'm going to invite more and more interesting meats/offal (or dodgy meat as an old friend would have said) onto my table.
cheese (artisan not supermarket stuff), excellent bread, a rare, rare 28 days hung fillet, nose to tail eating, bone marrow from St Johns, calfs liver and mash, beef stew on a very cold day, ocean prawns from Sydney Fish Markets, oysters (in the R months), anything shared with friends, picnics that don't have a sandwich in sight, pate from a French town deli, foie gras either way, Dad's apple pie and custard, sauces on the side thank you, moules frites, fresh fish bought from the boat at the end of my road, pasta fungi at my fave local Italian