Yes, finally...
All the action's over at http://www.aforkfulofspaghetti.blogspot.com/ now. See you there!
Sunday, 13 January 2008
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
all good things must come to an end... and a new beginning
Well, it's been fun. A short-lived blog this may have been, but it's served it's purpose for me over the past few months.
In fact, it's helped me realise that many of my 'small pleasures' are to do with food, and for that reason, I've come to realise that I should really 'go with it' and start a food blog soon. Part memories, part inspiration, part recipes, part reviews - it'll be a mixed bag of all the aspects of food that most make me smile.
So, I'll be along here just once more to post up the details, but then all my energies will be transferred to the new blog. It'd be great to see you there...
In fact, it's helped me realise that many of my 'small pleasures' are to do with food, and for that reason, I've come to realise that I should really 'go with it' and start a food blog soon. Part memories, part inspiration, part recipes, part reviews - it'll be a mixed bag of all the aspects of food that most make me smile.
So, I'll be along here just once more to post up the details, but then all my energies will be transferred to the new blog. It'd be great to see you there...
Friday, 4 January 2008
the magic of Christmas
Ah, Christmas... There really is nothing quite like it, is there?
As much as I'm no fan of the commercialisation of the festivities, I can't deny that I still find it a special time. I love planning the Christmas dinner, I revel in wrapping others' presents and imagining their delight on opening them, and receiving cards from family and friends old and new is always a particular pleasure.
But for so long as I can remember, the most magical moment for me is when the Christmas tree is dressed, the lights are switched on for the first time, and a subtle hint of pine fills the house.
As much as I'm no fan of the commercialisation of the festivities, I can't deny that I still find it a special time. I love planning the Christmas dinner, I revel in wrapping others' presents and imagining their delight on opening them, and receiving cards from family and friends old and new is always a particular pleasure.
But for so long as I can remember, the most magical moment for me is when the Christmas tree is dressed, the lights are switched on for the first time, and a subtle hint of pine fills the house.
That's when my Christmas starts - and it doesn't end until twelfth night, when the tree is the last thing to be taken down.
This year, I was unwell for the entire Christmas period, right through to New Year. Did it diminish my enjoyment? Well, possibly a little. It would have been nice to have some Christmas dinner, to play some silly games, and to be rather more jolly and festive than I actually managed to be.
But the tree was perhaps the best, most pretty, sparkling tree I've ever had. It was magnificent. It made me smile every time I entered the living room. And that, quite simply, meant that everything was just fine.
Friday, 21 December 2007
Friday is fish night
Not only are we creeping ever closer to Christmas, but it's Friday. And Friday means it's fish night.
I doubt I could ever tire of fish or seafood. To me, they're a beautiful, natural harvest from the sea, and I think it's a huge shame that we've become too greedy and are now endangering the very survival of some fish varieties.
From good old cod through dazzling red mullet to glimmering, silvery oysters, I love them all.
Tonight, though, is particularly special because we're going out to our favourite chippie, and we've pre-ordered lobster. A wonderful treat therefore awaits us - just the right sort of thing to welcome in the Christmas holidays. So - lobster, plus a glass or two of a chilled white, and I'll be ready!
I doubt I could ever tire of fish or seafood. To me, they're a beautiful, natural harvest from the sea, and I think it's a huge shame that we've become too greedy and are now endangering the very survival of some fish varieties.
From good old cod through dazzling red mullet to glimmering, silvery oysters, I love them all.
Tonight, though, is particularly special because we're going out to our favourite chippie, and we've pre-ordered lobster. A wonderful treat therefore awaits us - just the right sort of thing to welcome in the Christmas holidays. So - lobster, plus a glass or two of a chilled white, and I'll be ready!Saturday, 8 December 2007
my work colleague
Let me tell you about my work colleague - the one I share my home office with.
She's friendly, generally pretty quiet, and often makes me laugh. She's comforting to have around, and great to talk to. She'll listen to me for any length of time, and never butts in. Oh, and she doesn't seem to object to my taste in music, so I get to choose what CDs we have on during the day.
All in all, it's a wonderfully harmonious relationship. The only thing she ever asks from me is that when I prepare my lunch, I sort something out for her, too.
She's friendly, generally pretty quiet, and often makes me laugh. She's comforting to have around, and great to talk to. She'll listen to me for any length of time, and never butts in. Oh, and she doesn't seem to object to my taste in music, so I get to choose what CDs we have on during the day.
All in all, it's a wonderfully harmonious relationship. The only thing she ever asks from me is that when I prepare my lunch, I sort something out for her, too.
Not too much to ask, really, is it?
Saturday, 1 December 2007
lunchtime luxury
Anybody who knows me will know that I love food. I'm always on the lookout for recipes, and I love trying new restaurants.
And so it was that yesterday I went to one of the Gordon Ramsay stable, The Boxwood Cafe. It's always a treat going out for a good meal, but I always have a special buzz of excitement when going to a restaurant run by a chef whose food I admire hugely. Now, I realise that Gordon isn't in the kitchen much these days, even at his flagship restaurant, but nevertheless, you just know that you can expect a certain standard from one of his places, not least because he seems to install some fantastic executive chefs - in this case, Stuart Gillies.
Well, the Boxwood certainly didn't disappoint. Although we opted simply for the set lunch (a steal at £25 a head), there was nothing remotely 'second best' about it. First, we had a generous serving, for an amuse-bouche, of jerusalem artichoke soup. It was difficult to think how it could be improved.
And then, onto the main action. We started with a seasonal warmer - braised lentils with salsify and chestnuts. This was a dreamily, creamily unctuous dish, topped with delicate, crisp ribbons of parsnip. Lentils never tasted this good before....
Next, we opted for duck leg confit, with braised red cabbage and garlic potato crisps. Confit duck appears on a lot of menus these days, but rarely does it fall of the bone with the ease it did here. And the red cabbage? Well, I'm not usually a big fan, but this was delicious - fruity, without being overbearing, and with just the right amount of tartness, without being acidic or vinegary.
So far, so good - as was the wine, a youngish but ready Rhone, at a reasonable £26 for the bottle.
But now for arguably the sternest test - in my book, at least - dessert. Mmm, what to have? I am always tempted by anything chocolate - but, at a restaurant with a reputation, I like to see if they can surprise me by making something I wouldn't normally drool over into something I would happily eat for the rest of my days.
So, in this case, I opted for the vanilla and ginger cheesecake with a raspberry sorbet. I can't honestly remember the last time I had cheesecake prior to this meal. And as for raspberries and sorbet - well, my foodie dreams aren't usually made of this.
Until now. I'm not a religious type, but dear Lord, this was something else. The cheesecake - a tall disc of a dessert, about two inches high - was as perfect as one might dare to imagine a cheesecake could be. Vanilla and ginger in perfect harmony - vanilla certainly the dominant taste, but with a whiff of ginger running through it to give it a welcome spiciness. And the sorbet? Raspberries haven't tasted like this for, well, many a long year. In fact, I'd all but given up eating raspberries because they always seemed to be a big let-down. But here, the sorbet was positively bursting with that old-fashioned luscious, ever-so-slightly tart, berry-ness. Lovely, lovely, lovely. And a surprisingly successful match with the cheesecake - I thought it would overpower the latter, but no. They complemented each other absolutely perfectly. In fact, this was a dessert so good that I'd rank it amongst the very best I've ever eaten.
To finish, the coffee (a double espresso) was spot on, and the petits fours (a macaroon and chocolate fudge) were delicious, and a faultess finale to a cracking meal.
OK, so this might not have been a 'small thing', or a little wonder, but it was simply delicious, and it gave me a very great deal of pleasure and truly wonderful memory.
Mr Ramsay, Mr Gillies - thank you very much indeed.
And so it was that yesterday I went to one of the Gordon Ramsay stable, The Boxwood Cafe. It's always a treat going out for a good meal, but I always have a special buzz of excitement when going to a restaurant run by a chef whose food I admire hugely. Now, I realise that Gordon isn't in the kitchen much these days, even at his flagship restaurant, but nevertheless, you just know that you can expect a certain standard from one of his places, not least because he seems to install some fantastic executive chefs - in this case, Stuart Gillies.
Well, the Boxwood certainly didn't disappoint. Although we opted simply for the set lunch (a steal at £25 a head), there was nothing remotely 'second best' about it. First, we had a generous serving, for an amuse-bouche, of jerusalem artichoke soup. It was difficult to think how it could be improved.
And then, onto the main action. We started with a seasonal warmer - braised lentils with salsify and chestnuts. This was a dreamily, creamily unctuous dish, topped with delicate, crisp ribbons of parsnip. Lentils never tasted this good before....
Next, we opted for duck leg confit, with braised red cabbage and garlic potato crisps. Confit duck appears on a lot of menus these days, but rarely does it fall of the bone with the ease it did here. And the red cabbage? Well, I'm not usually a big fan, but this was delicious - fruity, without being overbearing, and with just the right amount of tartness, without being acidic or vinegary.
So far, so good - as was the wine, a youngish but ready Rhone, at a reasonable £26 for the bottle.
But now for arguably the sternest test - in my book, at least - dessert. Mmm, what to have? I am always tempted by anything chocolate - but, at a restaurant with a reputation, I like to see if they can surprise me by making something I wouldn't normally drool over into something I would happily eat for the rest of my days.
So, in this case, I opted for the vanilla and ginger cheesecake with a raspberry sorbet. I can't honestly remember the last time I had cheesecake prior to this meal. And as for raspberries and sorbet - well, my foodie dreams aren't usually made of this.
Until now. I'm not a religious type, but dear Lord, this was something else. The cheesecake - a tall disc of a dessert, about two inches high - was as perfect as one might dare to imagine a cheesecake could be. Vanilla and ginger in perfect harmony - vanilla certainly the dominant taste, but with a whiff of ginger running through it to give it a welcome spiciness. And the sorbet? Raspberries haven't tasted like this for, well, many a long year. In fact, I'd all but given up eating raspberries because they always seemed to be a big let-down. But here, the sorbet was positively bursting with that old-fashioned luscious, ever-so-slightly tart, berry-ness. Lovely, lovely, lovely. And a surprisingly successful match with the cheesecake - I thought it would overpower the latter, but no. They complemented each other absolutely perfectly. In fact, this was a dessert so good that I'd rank it amongst the very best I've ever eaten.
To finish, the coffee (a double espresso) was spot on, and the petits fours (a macaroon and chocolate fudge) were delicious, and a faultess finale to a cracking meal.
OK, so this might not have been a 'small thing', or a little wonder, but it was simply delicious, and it gave me a very great deal of pleasure and truly wonderful memory.
Mr Ramsay, Mr Gillies - thank you very much indeed.
Thursday, 22 November 2007
beautiful days, beautiful nights
Beautiful, clear, crisp, sunny days are always very welcome during the winter months. There's nothing like that feeling of the sun on your face, or on your back, even in the coldest weather.
Yes, the evenings may be drawing in. But can we really complain when they're marked by fabulous sunsets, bringing as they do the promise of another golden dawn?
Yes, the evenings may be drawing in. But can we really complain when they're marked by fabulous sunsets, bringing as they do the promise of another golden dawn?
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