American Cheese

I admit to being a little bit shocked that America does produce some good cheese. Not quite the goats cheese of France or the washed rind of Ireland but quite decent cheese. I have tried some goats cheese (young fresh), some acceptable cheddar style, a good washed rind for Vermont (my lovely American friend, Rose, will be pleased) and a sheep’s that was nothing to complain about. So if you'd ever thought America can't make cheese, which on the whole we would all admit to, they do do a few good ones. However, the 'brick' cheese made in "the cheese state" of Wisconsin (my sister’s old home of 5years) is really not worth a sniff. They do call it 'brick' too, because they mature it (if you can call a month maturing for cheddar, which we can't in the uk) in brick shaped moulds, about the same size as concrete blocks, which would be just as tasty. Oooo sorry Wisconsin. You do other things really very well, tail gating for one.....and that's a story for another time.

Go-Large for Breakfast

I ordered egg and sausage....I don't understand why I got two eggs, two sausages plus two slices of toast with butter and jelly (jam) and bubble and squeak (or something similar). I think it's just because in America (I'm in NYC at the mo) they always want meals 'larger'. But when I wanted egg and sausage that's all I really wanted, honestly it really is. So I had all this extra food, and I was brought up not to leave anything on my plate or I couldn't get down from the table, so I ate it (except the 'grape' jelly). I was really full all day and only had a tiny bit of sushi at 3pm to get me through to dinner.

It made me think that eating a full English breakfast wouldn't be such a bad idea. I didn't loose concentration at all through the day. I didn't need a snack at all (and I was stood looking at chocolate and brownies all day). These miners had it made eating a full English before heading down the pit. I knew northerners had it right.

PSB

I love Easter because hot cross buns with a slice of montys inside like a sandwich is the best breakfast/snack/midnight feast ever. And I never otherwise buy them. Like buying in season really, but sadly those awful supermarkets have them all year round which kind of ruins the excitement of March. (Queen LizzyI would have been appalled having banned bakers from making the popular 'Catholic' buns apart from at Easter and ??? Christmas). And you need something to look forward to in March because the only real 'seasonal' food in March worth talking about is psb (purple sprouting broccoli).

For a lunchtime snack have half a plateful with scrambled egg (from your friend with chickens or organic free range ones from a local farm, try a good local deli rather than Waitrose though). And do eat the leaves, they are full of flavour. You might not see leaves, however, if you buy your psb from M& S or similar as they cut them off because they look a little bit ugly. Sometimes ugly can be very tasty......

Sussex Food Awards

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.

Chocolate Shopping

 We've just been to select chocolate for Easter. What a terrible day - Not!
A certain grocer to the Royals once advertised for a chocolate buyer by posting an ad in The Times saying "the best job in the world".
You can imagine the people who thought they could do this job! I had teacher, lawyer, and waitress friends sending in their CV's. It went to someone who did have some knowledge in chocolate but I think many other people would have had enjoyed the (heavenly) job a lot more. I have always had an interest in food production and chocolate comes high up the scale. I am becoming more and more discerning and would rather go without than eat just anything. When P puts his chosen bar under my nose I often refuse, and if I don't refuse I quite often regret (think of the wasted calories!!) I have a fair few friends who have enjoyed my previous (and this) job roles for the simple reason that I provide them with lots of goodies....chocolate, cheese, artisan bread, cake....the list goes on. But chocolate is always a favourite and is where you can really tell the difference. Coffee is quite hard, unless the beans are burnt.....or in fact they're not beans but that other strange drink - instant coffee.
Chocolate is so mass market and familiar to us that people don’t bother to look at cocoa content and fat. Next time you go to a decent chocolate shop or deli buy a small bar with high cocoa content (60%ish for plain and 35%ish for milk) from a good maker Audrey's of Hove, La Masion du Chocolat, Fortnum's, Charbonnel et Walker or Valrhona....the difference is less calories and more taste.

Don't just book it.....plan it

I'd love to book my years worth of holidays and weekend breaks right now. I am an avid planner and love to plan every detail, I enjoy the research and drooling over the guide books nearly as much as the holiday itself. I like to book restaurants (or at least know where I must not miss), plan days events, museums to check out and those to avoid, day trips (usually involving castles - P's hobby), find areas to shop for food and wine, areas to shop for clothes, book more than one hotel (variation is key), check out the weather, find the best bars....dreaming already. But where to go. I pulled out some holiday books this morning and looked at where I'd been recently. Sooooo many food photos. Here's a few of my favourites.
Of course food/wine/restaurants are the most important parts of the holiday planning. Hence I've not been to Eastern Europe....I'll have to give it a go, if only for the beer!

January Snow

The snow we've had has made the British a little mental. They have closed the schools, taken time off work, shut roads, found bin lids make great sledges, worn all their wardrobe at once, made some quite rude (but very impressive) snowmen but most crazy of all they've emptied the supermarkets of milk and bread. Did people think that the cows would freeze and not be able to produce milk?
If you shop locally (as my friend quite rightly told the BBC) you would not have had the worry of no milk, your local shop would have got from their local dairy which would have delivered by whatever means (or they'd go bust!) as they are reliable and want the business. Stuff the bloody supermarket shop and get down to your local deli/butcher/grocer and support them. They'll close down if you don't and then you'll wonder why your high street looks a mess. Please, please will people start shopping local.......not just watch Hugh or Nigel and agree.....but DO IT.

Motorway Food Tourture - The NEW and Improved Food Stop

We had a whole day free on Christmas Eve to get from the South Coast to the Yorkshire Coast. So after loading the car with suitcases, pressies and cheese board for Boxing Day. And a breakfast of porridge with honey we set out on our way. The roads were not too bad at all. I was very pleased about this as had booked into a gastropub for lunch at 1.30pm.

After some research I found The Cock in Hemingford Grey, near Huntingdon which is just off the A1. Perfect. And it was. P was going to have steak until the waitress told him the specials, beef stroganoff, his favourite. I had the venison which was so tender I didn't need to chew. It was more than worth the 15min detour off the motorway. The snow was much worse there and the traffic was a little slow when we rejoined but we were so content that the next 3.5hours drifted by with only a brief loo break and no need for entering the dreaded food (ahem!!) service station. I'm usually happy to drive an hour to get to good food anyway, so this made our journey food mile heaven.

The Same Journey - but by train

I have wittered on about the motorway food stops I have had to endure but this time because of time constraints I have had to do a journey up-north by train. I love taking the train. I used to go back and forth from London to Yorkshire (3hours) each Christmas and 1 or 2 times throughout the year, but Christmas was the best time. I got totally prepared with a cheese, salami, crusty bread, olives....and a little bottle of wine. I had my book and mini disc player (remember those, they never quite made it did they) and I always booked a seat by the window with a table.
This train journey I was just as prepared (table seat, window, no music though, just a good book). The guy opposite with his Toshiba plugged in working hard on the way to Newcastle told me my train picnic smelt amazing and that he was quite jealous (he purchased a sandwich from the trolly- oh dear!). I introduced him to Stinking Bishop, he liked, a lot, and he's now going to seek out his nearest deli.
Think I'll have to splash out and go by train again. I could do cheese and wine tasting sessions to pass the time.

My Motorway-Food-Torture Update

Leaving Yorkshire in the pouring rain for a long drive back to Sussex we listened to Jay Rayner, The Man who Ate the World. What a big mistake, by Doncaster we were licking our lips, by Grantham we were dreaming of marbled steaks (even though we'd left directly after a roast lamb 'dad-made' dinner), by Kettering we'd resorted to Haribo sours, by Stevenage we were eating each others arms. The audio cd is one of the travellers greatest friends, but make it a comedy, a romance, a play, an autobiography....anything but a book about food or you'll be joining the M25 hoping you hit traffic, just so you can hang out the window and indicate to a fellow driver that you'll pay a premium for that last bite of Twix.

A (Yorkshire)Lancashire Hotpot

Coming from a Yorkshire girl a Lancashire hotpot may seem wrong, but I wanted to be part of the pre-dinner conversation therefore needed a leave-in-the-oven meal.

We had friends over who love food and will try anything (I love entertaining for people like that). They were fans of my oxtail last winter and have even tried out something they ate at my table for their friends, which I think is the greatest compliment.

Lancashire Hotpot is so simply delicious that adding little extras is NOT the way to go. It doesn't have a lot of ingredients, P was a little worried and said "it'd better be good" when I refused his idea of adding rosemary or "at least some other veg...or something".

I would usually use neck but we were late to the butcher so I had to go for a lovely fatty shoulder. Four hours later, and after our starter of seared scallops with minted pea puree, we were in for a treat. I think this is one of those dishes you should serve at the table. My pub book tells me to split into 4 smaller dishes before cooking the last part, I think it's a sharing dish and should be presented this way.

Accompanied by (too much) good aussie shiraz which cut through the fattiness of the meat, it was superb. We were all full and ready for a light cheese board (but I don't do them light, so we had to find room in our tummies.....shame!)

Sun(all)day Lunch

Having eaten Sunday roast at home for the last few months I thought it was about time I indulged in a gastropub visit. I have heard only good things about the Griffin Inn, Fletching, East Sussex for a long time. And not quite got there. It's about an hours drive along small roads so you have to really want to get there, we did.
Cute village, looked a little quiet, opened the door and realised it was because the whole of Fletching and probably most of the surrounding villages were in the Griffin enjoying wine, beer (Harvey's Bonfire Boy, one of my faves), open fires and some of the most stunning food.
We had the 3 course for £30. Squid and sausage for me, scallops for P, calf's liver for me (P hates), Sussex lamb for P, chocolate torte with white choc sorbet to share, then a cheeseboard to share (the Olde Sussex turned out to be Montgomery's, they can't fool me, much of an improvement though if you want my opinion). Little bit stuffed, but then it's Sunday and you're supposed to feel a bit lethargic and over full. It's great going out for Sunday roast now and again, but there's nothing like the discussion over gravy when at home, "so-and-so on tv did it like this", "last week didn't you add something else", "it's better than that time you forgot the XXX", "are you sure there's enough?", "if Fay's coming to dinner, no".
Griffin Inn have really, really bad website by the way, would put you off visiting totally, so just ignore their lack of internet knowledge/design and take my word for it.

Motorway Food Torture

A solid 5 hours drive to Cambridge, which should only really be 2 and a half if you go by the AA route planner. I did expect 3 and a bit (what with the M25 carpark to join) but 5, wow!
But worth every hour to see a beautiful friend and her more beautiful daughter! And upon arrival a walk directly to food...and a bit of wine.
Today's drive was supposed to be 4 and a half hours so I didn't mind that it actually was. However, I unfortunately had to have my lunch on the way. And being unprepared, as not having left from home I had to join the sales execs, the lorry drivers, the bewildered tourists and the families on the way to visit granny at the dreaded motorway service station.

I had a choice of Burger King (a no, no), Costa coffee (overpriced dodgy toasties) and WHSmiths (a chocolate and crisps overdose?). They're sad, miserable places, all I wanted to do was get back in the car. But I was starving so had to eat a cheese toastie from costa with a fizzy water and a blank look so I'd fit in with everyone else.
I have stopped at a service station with an M&S once, I was so delighted you'd have thought I'd pulled into Fortnum & Mason drive through.
I think this country could try a little harder to make those long journeys (usually because of road works) less agonising by giving us a good reason to stop, and not just because your knee has ceased up, tummy making noises that travel sweets can't fix or bladder calling. Mind you, don't get me started on what food nightmares the Australian servos (as they'd call them) are. Anyone who's been on the Stuart Highway from Darwin to Alice will tell all.

The Slindon Pumpkin

Having not been in Sussex that long I was a new to the Slindon-Pumpkin-visit one must participate in before Halloween.
On this bright Monday, what great weather we’re getting this Autumn, I set off to find Slindon and the pumpkins. I gathered I was on the right track when I couldn’t park in this little village, lots of dirty 4x4’s (yes, people actually can claim to need them out here, unlike in Chelsea) and children everywhere. It’s half term so they were out in force. I parked, followed the crowds and arrived at the farm.
Fantastic! The roof is covered in pumpkins, a picture of butterflies and flowers. At Christmas we always drive out to see a particular house, one of those slightly mental OTT houses with snowmen, santa’s, sleighs, stars etc. Electricity bill-wow! I’ll be back to see the pumpkins, very clever and a must on the Sussex calendar.

Not Drinking Coffee

I've been opting for tea rather than coffee for a few months now. I was deluded into thinking I'd loose a few centimeters round my waist (so could fit into new Boden skirt) from cutting out half a pint of semi-skimmed milk 4/5 times a week. It doesn't work so don't bother if you enjoy your coffee.

Coffee is a sad drink in the UK, we just don't really get it right. Having spent a year and a half enjoying the amazing coffee in Australia I now know why they snort at our sad efforts. Toby's, one of the most famous and well regarded coffee shops is where I spent my hard earned dollars. Smooth, rich, dark (and that was just the barista), this is where I learned how to make coffee and how to appreciate it.

When I pop up to Borough market (my old home) I always go to Monmouth Coffee, yes that queue is worth every drop. They don't burn the milk, they don't scald your mouth and it's not too cold, they don't make it too milky, they know what a flat white is, they are simply professional. It takes me back to morning coffee before a days work at the Wine Society, in a slightly edgy part of town, Wooloomooloo. Like drinking velvet, with the sun on your face......Mmm the memories.