My Life as a Courgette

It was the surreal name which first attracted me to French /Swiss animation My Life as a Courgette, when it previewed at the Derby Film Festival in May 2017.  It seemed fitting to write about a food monikered film for my first foray into movie reviews. Courgette is Swiss director Claude Barras’s feature length debut and it has been on general release since 2 June 2017.

The narrative is pretty grim; based on a novel by Gilles Paris, this is not a children’s film but a film about being a forgotten child.  We first meet nine year old Icare, nick-named Courgette by his alcoholic mother, whilst he is building a tower from empty beer cans in his bedroom.  From his window he flies a colourful paper kite, illustrated with a picture of his absent superhero father on one side, and a fluffy yellow chick on the other.  His dad, Courgette tells a policeman later, really liked chicks.  This gentle humour in the face of disturbing reality sets the tone of the film.  Despite his circumstances Courgette appears childishly innocent, delighting in his solitary games and decorating his garret with colourful graffiti.

Later, Courgette meets more children like him, with, as bully Simon puts it, ‘no-one left to love us’.   Small details cleverly highlight the sadness in the children’s lives, for example Courgette keeps an empty beer can as a sad memento of his mother whilst it is tragically clear that Simon’s bullying bravado is a desperate defence mechanism.

The claymation is cartoonish, yet painstaking attention to detail in the mis en scène adds grit and realism, for example the graffiti on the walls outside the children’s home.  The huge heads and large eyes of the characters allow nuanced emotions to show on their faces, so that they appear almost excruciatingly human.

Music is used to great effect, in one of my favourite scenes the children dance jerkily under a mirror ball to Swiss 80’s band Grauzone’s track Eisbaer, which I’ve been listening to on repeat since seeing the film.

Despite the dark subject matter, Courgette is remarkably uplifting, celebrating the children’s’ resilience and ability to retain their innocence.  It reminded me of the 2009 Australian claymation Mary and Max, with similarly quirky animation, and gallons of humour and pathos.  For the neglected, abused and marginalised characters, kindness and friendship offer hope and salvation and if the film has a message, it is that no matter what you have been through it is still possible to laugh and to enjoy the small pleasures in life.

The Coopers Arms

Checked out the Coopers Arms last night,since a good friend of mine has recently moved to Weston.  It has been years since I last ate there and in that time the pub has been taken over by the next generation of Coopers, son James and daughter Amy.

It has always had a good reputation for it's carvery but a carvery didn't seem right on Saturday night (although plenty of folks were going for it) so we decided to eat à la carte.  The menu is very reasonably priced and varied, pub classics alongside a few more unusual dishes, with good fish and veggie options.

I had a smoked chicken salad with celeriac remoulade, chicory and paprkia croutons to start, whilst my dining partners shared bread and olives (greedy, moi?)

 For my main I had red pepper gnocchi with asparagus and halloumi, a delicious combination of unctuous gnocchi, fresh asparagus and salty,chargriled cheese in a rich coconut and coriander sauce.

The others had the herb crusted rack of lamb and mussels, both deemed excellent.

The pub was very busy, but staff managed well and were friendly and welcoming. With a log fire going and groups of people drinking in all the little nooks and crannies the atmosphere was most convivial.

The downstairs dining room lacked a little atmosphere with a slight cafeteria vibe but that could easily be rectified with some better lighting.

Heading back for a Sunday carvery in a few weeks.

http://www.thecoopers-arms.co.uk/

Annie's Burger Shack

  I took the boy to Annie's for his birthday today and sadly, there were issues. I know it was the day after, what was possibly, a very busy bank holiday Monday, but the staff were seriously under motivated.  I asked which bottled beers were available and got the answer 'Estrella'.  When  I asked again I was told to go and look over the bar as there were too many to mention.  It was generally pretty hard to get their attention and we aren't a demanding pair.

The 'student pub with a hangover' atmosphere was not helped by the tinny, rubbish music blaring out (Brimful of Asha anyone?  No, thought not) and I hate to say it but the burger (I had a vegetarian, mushroom and Swiss cheese burger) was the kind of fare you'd get at a Scream pub,except it cost more.  The boy enjoyed his Lemmy burger, one of the less elaborate creations on the menu, although his Cajun wedges arrived incinerated.

Speaking of elaborate creations, a little constructive criticism; the burger list is toooo long, and there are a lot of rather unappetising selections which can only be there as filler?  If  I was Annie (and I'm not) I'd cut to the chase and halve the options available. There are some horrors on there, (The Elvis burger, with peanut butter and raspberry jam?) which sound like something you would only eat as a dare.

Maybe the whole 'gourmet burger' thing is just over, but I think I preferred Annie's when it was at the Navigation, having it's own place seems to have gone to it's head and it is sadly lacking the authenticity and the anarchic streak it used to pride itself on.

Dubliners

Dublin! I've never been to Ireland before and I felt very excited about exploring this brand new (to me) city, which felt both familiar and strange.

We arrived late into Dublin airport and enjoyed a short and stress free transfer into the city, on the Aircoach http://www.aircoach.ie/

Our accommodation was a smart, comfortable apartment on Townsend Street which we booked through Air B&B, more privacy and space than a hotel room and bags more character. If you've not heard of Air B&B yet, where ya been?  https://www.airbnb.co.uk/

Here's some of what we got up to:

Day 1 

We took the DART train out of Dublin to the tiny harbour of Howth, rich pickings for fantastic seafood. We opted for somewhere pretty informal for lunch, Octopussy's seafood tapas bar http://octopussys.ie/ boasts fresh as feck seafood, great service and fantastic views of the harbour.

 We gorged on a selection of warm tapas, including small but succulent scallops with chorizo, Dublin bay prawns and crab sliders,whilst guzzling a ridiculously good bottle of Prosecco and watching seals cavort in the harbour.

After a big lunch we didn't want to sit down for dinner and decided to pursue a mainly liquid repast back in Dublin proper.  We started with some fine pints of the black stuff in Mulligans on Poolbeg Street, http://www.mulligans.ie/ a brilliant little pub with a great atmosphere which is on the edge of the Temple Bar area, but isn't too touristy. 

After warming our cockles here we sought out some more serious alcohol at the Vintage Cocktail Club, http://vintagecocktailclub.com/ It isn't easy to find; you enter via an unmarked black door in a side street.  We were really lucky to get a table without booking.  The cocktails are amazing and the atmosphere is truly louche.   The cocktails are described as 'magical creations' and the menu is a hefty tome spanning centuries of heavy drinking history. My favourite was a simple but very effective Bittered Sling.

The food looked really good too but we didn't partake, having decided to round off our night with a kebab at Zaytoon's http://www.zaytoon.ie/.  Something of a Dublin institution, the large premises was seething with Dubliners and tourists in varying stages of inebriation, all good humoured and waiting their turn at the end of the scarily efficient kebab conveyor belt.  Zaytoon's donor was on a par with Berlin kebabs, nuff said.

Day 2

Having escaped without too bad a hangover, we braved the rainy streets and an uninspiring buffet breakfast, before whiling away a few enjoyable hours in the writer's museum and the cinema.

Dinner tonight was on my folks who purchased us a generous gift voucher for the Winding Stair Restaurant just across the Liffey over the Ha'Penny bridge http://winding-stair.com/

This is an atmospheric, efficiently run little place, historically somewhere Dublin writers, artists and creative types met.  There is a cracking bookshop downstairs.  Food came quickly and portions were generous, we really enjoyed our meal here, thanks folks.

Day 3

We took a walk through Temple Bar and along the Liffey (past the imposing Guiness factory) to check out the Irish Museum of Modern Art.  http://www.imma.ie/en/index.htm  It is worth visiting for the building and grounds alone; housed in a former hospital for convalescing soldiers, an atmosphere of calm pervades the place.  We made the trek to see a specific exhibition, 'What we call love, from surrealism to now'.  I've seen some excellent exhibitions this year (Bacon and the Masters in the Norwich Sainsbury Centre was a highlight) but this was outstanding. Including works from masters of surrealism such as  Dali, Picasso, Man Ray, photography by Nan Goldin, a Damien Hurst sculpture, and a mind blowing installation from Rebecca Horn this is truly worth seeing if you get the chance (on until 7 February 2016).

Day two and three it goes without saying we ended up in Mulligans!  We were sad to leave this gem of a pub.  The aircoach shuttled us back to the airport at an ungodly time on Monday morning leaving us feeling we'd only scratched the surface of what Dublin has to offer. We'll definitely be back.

Edin's Kitchen

Edin's has long been a Nottingham institution, with Edin's kitchen, a relatively new addition to the Edin's empire, opening in 2013.

The vibe is shabby but elegantly chic, with higgledy piggledy tables and chairs, slightly dog-eared menus and exceedingy laid back staff, all mingling to create a warm, welcoming and informal atmosphere. The open plan kitchen is situated downstairs with an additional dining room upstairs, we opted for a perch downstairs  as upstairs was nearly full, where we could see what was going on in the kitchen and who was coming through the door.

We kicked off  proceedings (annual Christmas get together) with a glass of prosecco and nibbled homemade hummus, bread and some splendid olives as we checked out the menu and specials board.  I was happy not to be forced into ordering from a festive menu, always a pain at this time of year.

Prices are quite breathtakingly budget, and I couldn't resist a steak (rump) which set me back less than £12.  The steak was top quality and cooked medium rare as requested.  It came with chips done just right, the unusual but tasty addition of celeriac puree and a pat of decadent garlic butter, of which I intended to just sample a scraping, but managed to scoff the lot.   My friend sampled a beef ragu which she declared equally delicious.

We moved on to drinks here there and everywhere but would certainly recommend starting the evening at Edin's, great food in a relaxed, convivial atmosphere and it certainly won't break the bank,what's not to like?

For more info check out:

http://www.edinsnottingham.co.uk/

Smoke BBQ Sheffield

Okay, so we're a little late to the whole 'American BBQ' party, but the places closer to us (Red's True BBQ and Rub Smokehouse in Nottingham) seemed a little inauthentic so we hadn't rushed to try them. Smoke BBQ was recommended, natch, raved about to us by friends of friends, so as we were in Sheffield we decided to  give it a try.

I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't an aircraft hanger.  The restaurant is huge and filled with the aroma of smoked meat, and appeared to be doing a roaring trade despite recent revelations from the World Health Organisation.

Sheffield was the original Smoke BBQ but they have now branched out to Leeds and I'm sure there are further franchises in the offing.  With the paper menus and industrial vibe it did feel a tad formulaic.  We were seated and given a glass full of salty popcorn to nibble. The drinks list is heavy on the bourbon, but happily I located Freedom Organic lager, albeit only available by the half pint or in two pint jugs? Presumably because a single pint would last you no time after that salty popcorn...and jam jars instead of glasses, really?

Sadly the organic, free (range) ethos did not seem to extend to the meat on offer.  Although the website claims they use 'the best meat Yorkshire has to offer', the menu is resolutely muddy about it's point of origin. I eat less and less meat these days (what the hell am I doing in an American BBQ joint, I hear you ask?) and am keen for the meat I do eat to be good quality, locally sourced and ethically produced.

Ethics aside, the smoke sharer plate we ordered was a beast to behold.

It consisted of smoked sausage, ribs, chicken thighs, pulled pork and an almighty turkey leg,plus 'twice cooked' chips and another side of your choice (all a bit cheeky Nandos) we opted for slaw.  The smoked flavour was good, but the meat all started to taste the same after a while.

Still, we did alright:

I'm glad I have now experienced the American BBQ shtick myself, but I don't think I'll be going back, it wasn't that there was anything particularly bad about Smoke BBQ, in fact there were plenty of little touches I did like (the chalkboard walls in the bathroom are pretty cool) and it is obviously popular, it just seemed a bit gimmicky to me.  I'd be interested to hear if anyone has been anywhere they considered really special, BBQ wise?  Or am I going to have to keep planning my 'pig'rimage to and through the good old US of A?

The Kedleston Country House

The much anticipated re-opening of the Kedleston Country House occurred last week, so with a birthday to celebrate this weekend (the boy's mother) we gave it a whirl for Sunday lunch.

It is fantastic to see this characterful building restored to its former glory by the Derby Brewing Company.  Their website humbly declares them to be a 'family run microbrewery' but in recent years they've successfully revamped several neglected Derby venues, including The Greyhound on Friargate.  I noted a gratifying level of attention to detail in the decor, with plenty of plants and vases of flowers, artfully mismatched crockery and a set of statuesque stone dogs to greet you at the entrance.  There is an appealing snug and a study, as well as a bar and a separate restaurant area and ample outside seating.

We ate in the light and airy Orangery, (complete with real orange trees) which I thought was the nicest area of the restaurant.  Very 'country cottage' but not too twee. We were brought a jug of water and a basket of fresh bread. The drinks menu is an extensive volume, but only one copy per table meant we had to take turns choosing a beverage (a very drinkable prosecco, local Freedom lager and a formidable Belgian beer).

The choice for Sunday lunch was between roast 'striploin'of beef, stuffed lamb, a vegetarian option, fish and chicken.  We all chose beef, bar one black sheep who went for the lamb.  Meals arrived promptly but not before we'd had chance to graze on the bread and butter.  Portions of meat and Yorkshire pudding were generous and the beef was very tasty.

Sides of green vegetables, a slightly watery cauliflower cheese and very moreish honey roasted root vegetables came separately for some reason and we had to request serving spoons.  Some more information on the menu, regarding the provenance of the meat, would have been welcome.  We finished with coffee rather than  dessert.

Price wise I would say it was perhaps slightly above average, although certainly not extortionate. Staff were all friendly and polite and seemed to be doing a very efficient job, as they were evidently busy.  Overall the Derby Brewing Company have done a commendable job and it is sure to be a resounding success, can't wait to get a look at the rooms sometime.

http://thekedleston.co.uk/

http://derbybrewing.co.uk/

Reuben Rebel

I finally made Reuben sandwiches.  I looked at a million different recipes and did a little tweaking.

I owe the most to this recipe:

zingermans-reuben-sandwich-recipe.

Zingerman's sounds like the most amazing deli but it is in Michigan, so a bit far to go for a sandwich.

http://www.zingermansdeli.com/

Here is my version...

Ingredients for four sandwiches:

1 loaf of rye bread
12 slices of corned beef or pastrami
Russian dressing, recipe follows
sauerkraut
12 slices Swiss cheese
Melted butter or olive oil

Russian Dressing:
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
Hot sauce to taste
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons chopped parsley 
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 tablespoon minced dill pickle
Fresh lemon juice,good quality creamed horseradish and Worcestershire sauce to taste.

First make the Russian dressing.  Some recipes I've seen use thousand island dressing which is both gross and wrong.  Basically just mix all the ingredients together and leave to meld, I made mine in the morning and left it all day in the fridge.  It was sublime.

The Zingerman's recipe had you bake your whole rye loaf for fifteen minutes to crisp the crust.  I wouldn't recommend doing this.  I don't know if the rye bread I used wasn't quite right.  It was really tasty (it was from Birds, the only place I could find it in Derby on the day I made these sarnies, Jack Rabbit's had sold out and Baked only do rye on a Saturday,) but it was a total bitch to slice after crisping up in this way. The bread went all kind of holey inside and I was lucky to salvage four slices.  I don't see the point when you are frying the sandwich in its entirety, which crisps everything up nicely anyway.

Sooo, warm up your oven to around gas mark 4. Pop your pastrami in some foil, sprinkle with water, wrap it tightly and place it in the oven, leave for about 15 minutes.

Slice your rye loaf (I sliced mine lengthways, which is quite greedy).

Plaster a slice of bread with Russian dressing.  Top with a layer of hot meat, sauerkraut and a couple of slices of cheese. Top with another slice of bread, also spread with Russian dressing.

Brush the outside of your sandwich with melted butter or olive oil.  Place in a hot frying pan, cover with a lid and weigh down with something heavy (i used the mortar part of my pestle and mortar, turned upside down, perfect.)  When it smells done, turn it over and do the other side.

Scoff half a sandwich with fries (and leftover Russian dressing to dip them in).

Go to a gig, drink four pints of cider.  Come home and eat the rest of the sandwich whilst watching and slagging off Florence and the Machine at Glastonbury.  Go to bed.

Darleys

Here is a review of Darleys that I wrote a couple of months ago and did not publish at the time...

Perched right on the river Derwent in the village of Darley Abbey, Darleys is clearly the place to come for a special occasion meal.  There were all kinds of celebrations taking place during the lively Saturday afternoon we visited, from a 60^th birthday to a demure hen do.

Upon arrival, friendly staff ushered us to the bar for an aperitif.  We sipped a sparkling Chilean white and first impressions of the dated maroon décor were immediately forgotten as we guzzled the complimentary home-made crisps (baked fresh each morning) and unctuous olives we were presented with.

Having chosen from the reasonably priced set lunch menu, we were settled at a table and our starters arrived quickly.  Ham hock, locally sourced and perfectly seasoned, came with satisfyingly stodgy yellow corn bread and an abundant Dijon mustard foam.  Nori wrapped salmon with a ginger and soy dip was enlivened by a decadent strip of crispy salmon skin.

Mains were a classic free range chicken dinner and a richly flavoured daube of slow cooked Derbyshire beef, served with thyme dumplings and a bacon sauce.  The intriguing Romanian Pinot Noir we drank complemented both dishes perfectly.

The faultlessly executed food is sadly let down by the restaurant’s interior design, from which no amount of ostentatious crumb sweeping and wine pouring could fully distract us.  Mosaic mirrors, floral curtains with monstrous pelmets and jewelled light fittings vie for attention.  It’s lucky for Darleys that the food and atmosphere more than make up for the disastrous décor.

The Pelican Brief

I've wanted to go to the Pelican Club since it opened, I am a huge fan of cool and friendly Nottingham cocktail bar Tilt and this is a venture by the same people.  The Club is all about dinner and jazz - Italian food and cocktails.  Obviously this is proving popular with Nottingham's movers and shakers as sadly we could only get a table early doors, 18:30 to be precise, with a polite request that we vacate our table by 20:30.  Our table was in the bar area, which is decked out with loads of old jazz record sleeves.  Said sleeves also serve as cocktail menus.  The atmosphere on Saturday was lively, with a good crowd seated around the bar.

We started with a Spritz, Aperol and Prosecco, the perfect aperitif in my book.  I'd made the mistake of reading a few Tripadvisor reviews and was concerned about the accusations of stingy portions being levelled.  However we need not have worried.  We shared antipasti; a board of good quality charcuterie and cheese meant for two, between three.  We also shared another starter of Tomino cheese wrapped in more charcuterie and baked, delizioso!  I skipped the primi and went straight for a secondi of pork belly served with chicory salad leaves.  Crisp, unctuous and terrifyingly salty, but in a good way, this pork meant business.  My amici had primi pasta and a burger from the specials board which I tried and coveted. So a meal consisting of mainly meat and cheese, washed down with a good Orvieto.  Heavenly,  Just a crying shame we missed the jazz, as the music was not scheduled to start until ten.  We were sitting right in front of the stage, so as we were finishing off our meal the musicians were setting up and tuning up, what a tease.  Well at least I'm briefed for next time and will be booking a late table well in advance.  

http://www.thepelicanclub.co.uk/

Anchorage - Sheffield

After all these years Sheffield still feels a little like home and I'm always glad to be back.  This time to see Kate Tempest at The Plug, not with the boy, but with the blonde!  (Thanks AA Gill.)

When I was a student the height of sophistication was probably Champs on Ecclesall Road, or the Pizza Express on Devonshire Green where one of my male house mates always took his potential conquests if he wanted to impress :-)

Sheffield has changed a lot since those days and one new addition is the glitzy West One Plaza, located at the corner of Fitzwilliam Street and Devonshire Street.  The 'Plaza' felt a little soulless but we went there specifically to check out Anchorage, a bar and 'East Coast Kitchen' which had caught my beady little eye.

http://www.anchoragebar.co.uk/

The menu is extensive and varied with a good selection of American cut steaks and even a meat and cheese Deli counter.  I'm a sucker for a Reuben and so it was a given what I'd have as soon as I clocked one on the menu.  The Anchorage Reuben was the best I've had (although I've not yet fulfilled my dream of a visit to NYC which could change things).  The salt beef especially was darn good.  I wasn't quite so sure about the Blonde's Mac 'N' Cheese burger,which started off very tasty but morphed into a ball of stodge which she was ultimately unable to conquer.

The restaurant, situated upstairs, was quiet when we arrived early on a Saturday evening but quickly filled up.  Service was perhaps a little on the rapid side but friendly and efficient, if a little impersonal.

After eating we retired downstairs to the bar and sampled some of the great beers (I especially liked the Tiny Rebel beer they had on tap and could not resist a bottle of Berliner Kindl).

The cocktail menu looks impressive too.  The atmosphere in the bar was laid back and welcoming, with an exceptionally friendly bouncer, as is the Sheffield way.

Anchorage is so well run and well thought out it almost has the feel of a chain, not in a bad way, just the slick 'thought of everything' ness.  The bar is run by the  Rootstock Trading Company, a Sheffield based events and marketing company who also run a couple of other Sheffield bars and the city's Tramlines festival.  They also manage Monster Energy's presence in Ibiza, which gives you some idea of the level of slickness.  So,while not entirely convincing and authentic, if you suspend your disbelief and go along with the vibe, there is plenty here to make you want to drop anchor for a while.

http://www.tinyrebel.co.uk/

Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant June 2014

 The boy and I have set up a little gourmet fund, supposedly not to be touched until our 40th birthdays (which are a long way off, obviously!)  However we couldn't resist dipping into the fund during a trip to Devon, as we were staying a short drive (okay four hour round trip but it was worth it) from Rick Stein's famous Seafood Restaurant in Padstow.

http://www.rickstein.com/The-Seafood-Restaurant.html

We went for lunch on a warm sunny Sunday in June.  Padstow was heaving with tourists and
Rick's restaurant was a little oasis on the harbour front.  The restaurant has all the trappings of a high class dining establishment, as well as some pretty out there art on the walls.

We had already decided to go for the sharing 'Fruits de mer' platter; what better way to judge the merits of a seafood restaurant!  Although we didn't order starters we were presented with olives and homemade walnut bread with seaweed butter which was most unusual and delicious.  We sipped a glass of chilled white wine and waited for the main event.  The equipment soon started to arrive...

I have eaten such a platter once before when living and working on the west coast of France.  I was a little anxious about not knowing which implement to use for which crustacean but I needn't have worried, it was all very intuitive...

The platter was piled high with lobster, oysters, mussels, winkles, langoustines and several types of crab - a celebration of seafood, with only shallot vinegar and mayonnaise needed to accompany it.  Other diners turned to look and smile at us as we cracked and picked our way through the pile.  Cheering us on or smirking at our novice shellfish eating skills?  Nah, doubt it,  I think it is one of those things where you just need to go for it....and go for it we did.

It took a while but was one of the most satisfying and celebratory dining experiences i have had, and I must admit to a little decadent thrill at leaving such carnage behind!

We later heard that Rick was around at the restaurant that evening so we were really sorry to have missed meeting him and would like to apologise for the state in which we left his tablecloth.  Definitely a meal worth the pilgrimage - we'll be back if we are ever in the area.

Whilst I'm on Padstow just a quick mention to the Chough bakery (yes you do pronounce it Chuff, which is what caught my eye) http://www.cornishpasty.com/

Where we purchased fabulously fresh pasties to have for supper that night.  Thanks Padstow.

Sensational Sète!

In July we were lucky enough to go to Sète in France for the final weekend of this year's Worldwide festival.  Worldwide is a week long festival curated by Giles Peterson with loads of great music happening day and night in various venues around the town. Sète is a charming Mediterranean port town and a great place to hang out anyway, so add a festival and you've got a winning combination of great music, mega sound systems, cheap wine, friendly people from all over Europe, glorious sunshine and unspoilt beaches.  Not to mention good food!

http://www.worldwidefestival.com/ 

Sure, any boutique festival worth its cider in the UK has an all singing / and dancing / pop up / dress up / gourmet restaurant these days but you will probably pay massively inflated prices for a meal.  Stick with the masses and you will be eating out of cardboard cartons surrounded by overflowing bins.  No matter how much choice is offered by the vans around you (and it can be good) after the third day I always struggle to find something really appealing and may well end up eating mushy peas cold from a can (true fact).  Here you have a great many restaurants to choose from and don't have to suffer the slight indignity of festival food.  

Our day in Sète generally started off with a hangover.  We had brought along a suitcase full of alka seltzer which helped to neutralise this, (alka seltzer makes you bullet proof, I overheard someone exclaim on the beach - so true) as did breakfast in bed at our fabulous little hotel, les Sables d'Or.  Rolled in at 5am and want breakfast at midday?  No problem just call the reception and within two minutes a lovely smiley French lady appears with a tray laden down with good filter coffee, orange juice, bread, croissants, jam, and butter.  RECOMMEND!

http://www.hotel-sablesdor.com/

Thus fortified we'd head to the beach, a short walk away, for a day of music and chilling, stopping en route for gallons of alarmingly cheap rosé wine served from a massive refrigerated tank by a very sarcastic man.  Bliss.

At the beach bar they served big platters of huitres, (oysters) which were amazing, and mussels (not so amazing, still beardy).  We also sampled a delicious octopus pie (like a minced octopus pasty type thing) recommended by a man named Dan who has come to Sète for Worldwide the last four years in a row and is very much in the know. 

On the beach there is music all day and as long as you have your rosé in a plastic glass there is no problem taking it into the festival "bit".  It is a bit stricter at night and at one point we did use a baby to smuggle in a bottle of rum but that is another story...all in all an absolutely blissful time was had by all, I really hope we can return next year and thanks to the friends who suggested we come along :-)

More please Westmorland!

Yep, I've had a rather long break from blogging, I was getting bored and it was feeling like a chore.  I wasn't inspired anymore.  Plus, with a plethora of instagrammers and Facebook foodies to contend with I no longer felt special, my voice was being drowned out in the clamour.  Recently though, with the days growing mercifully longer and lighter, I have once more felt the urge to write about food.  My appetites have been stimulated writing a number of reviews for the Nottingham and Derbyshire Food & Drink Guides.  In the last few months I've eaten at venues as diverse as the Derby Casino, the Ostrich in Longford, A Thai restaurant in Burton and a pub in Nuthall where I sampled a fabulous venison carpaccio and got insulted by the bar staff. (Reviews to follow once the guides have been published!)

I'm glad to be back and will continue in the vein in which I left off, by telling you about anything that inspires or excites me in the world of food and drink.  This week it isn't a recipe or a restaurant but a motorway services on the M6. 

Services suck.  You know what to expect; overpriced Costa Coffee, Krispy Kreme donuts and the horror that is Scotch egg bars (one of these once fuelled me for an entire weekend in Scotland, but that is another story.)

Between Junction 38 and 39 of the M6, near the Cumbrian village of Tebay, you will find a services with a difference.  Westmorland services is the only independently owned and run services in the country and boy, does it show.  We stopped on the way up to Scotland last week for a very impressive breakfast.

We Marvelled at the pleasant, airy canteen space, and ate looking out onto a duck pond.  We used the clean, pleasant toilets, which have showers, a make up area in the ladies and vases full of fresh lilies.  Best of all is the shop.  Not a Scotch egg bar or Rustlers burger in sight, this is one of the best farm shops I've had the pleasure of setting foot in.  Mining a rich vein of local Cumbrian produce, as well as niche groceries from further afield, it has a butcher's counter to die for and rows and rows of homemade pies.  We left laden with organic duck eggs, pheasant sausages and rosemary jelly.

I am almost looking forward to my next slog up the M6 if it means we get to stop here, and I'd thoroughly recommend you make it a pit stop.  We even saw a duck getting on a coach.  Word.

http://www.westmorland.com/tebay-services

Ebi Sushi

Ebi Sushi occupies  unassuming premises on Abbey Street, in a part of Derby that feels strange to me.  In the decade or so that I've lived here the area has been completely reconfigured, houses that friends once lived in have been knocked down and new roads added.  It felt like a slightly odd place to have a restaurant but the good things I'd heard about Ebi Sushi overrode my misgivings about the location.

Once inside you might as well be in Japan, it really is that authentic.  There were four of us and we were seated towards the back of the restaurant, which really is quite small, with the sushi bar running down the right wall as you walk in.  When I phoned to book a table I'd tried to book for six, then five, before managing to secure a table for four.  In the front of the restaurant a party of sixteen Japanese were seated, so on a more usual night they might be able to accommodate a larger booking.

The staff were really friendly and very helpful when it came to ordering, they were happy to make recommendations.  They didn't bat an eyelid at our terrible manners or at the amount of sake we drank.

 

We had a selection of sashimi to start with, then a selection of sushi, before moving on to a cooked course of chicken teriyaki, for which I really felt too full.  Highlights were the tuna belly, scallop sashimi and flying fish roe.  This is food as an art form, so beautifully presented I (almost) didn't want to eat it.  All the fish was exquisitely fresh and apparently the owner goes himself to Billingsgate fish market to select it every day.

 

I'd been reading up on etiquette before our visit and had read that you should use the blunt end of your chop sticks if passing sushi to someone else.  I tried to do this when passing a bit to the boy and dropped sushi in his sake which is probably the biggest faux pas ever.  You're not supposed to cut the sushi up, you should eat the whole piece in one go, fish side down, but we all wanted to taste the different kinds of fish so that rule went out of the window.  Apparently you shouldn't really drink sake with sushi as it is rice and rice, but the hot sake is sooo tasty, we got some to begin the meal and then just kept ordering more!

My experience of sushi encompasses a few trips to the conveyor belt gaudiness of Yo Sushi and the odd M & S lunchtime snack so this was really next level.  The one disappointment was that the big party had consumed all the available edamame beans.  Ebi Susi is the place to take someone special for a meal which has an implicit sense of occasion.  This truly goes down as one of my most memorable meals ever :-)

London on the end of my fork...

Today I am sitting up in bed with a stinker of a cold, and bored of watching episodes of Revenge (my media player keeps buffering, how annoying?) I decided to blog my trip to London last weekend whilst it is still fresh in my mind, because it was certainly a gourmet weekend if ever there was one!

On Friday afternoon I arrived in Peckham when I should have arrived in Camberwell, but no bother, this allowed for a trip to a very nice pub in little brother's former hood; The Montpelier:

http://www.themontpelier.net/index.html

This is a nicely renovated back street boozer just round the corner from Peckham Rye tube station and away from the hustle and bustle of the high street, they even have an in-house cinema.

We then had a long walk home to contend with (in the rain, which may have contributed to the current cold situation) before drying off and heading out into Brixton

We had a drink at the new Craft Beer Co. pub:

http://thecraftbeerco.com/location/brixton-london/

right in the centre of new, trendy Brixton, where the farmer's market is held.  If you like real ale and locally brewed stuff this pub is for you, with a mind boggling selection of beers, lagers and ciders on tap, which change daily.  I tried the Bristolian Pheasant Plucker cider which went down a treat.  They also had very tasty looking bar snacks on display but we were saving our bellies for a feast at Negril in Brixton Hill.

Negril is a no frills bring your own booze Caribbean eatery.  The chicken is all free range and for £25 we got a massive platter for two to share with chicken, coleslaw, chips, plantain, salad, saltfish fritters, chili sauce, rice and peas and delicious gravy.  This isn't an upmarket place (there is one toilet which you reach by going  through the kitchen ) but it was friendly, everyone was having a good time and the staff had a smile and a joke with you, we finished our meal with a bottle of Ting and felt positively festive.

The following morning the rain had gone and it was a beautiful sunny autumnal day as I ventured further afield into London to Caravan Kings Cross for brunch and a catch up with my uni girls.

http://www.caravankingscross.co.uk/

We had great coffee, a couple of glasses of the on tap prosecco and brunch.  I went for a cheesey, spinachy french toast concoction which was lovely and gooey.  Served with crisp, streaky bacon, this was everything brunch should be.  The place had a nice New York village vibe, we were there for hours.  I was sad not to have tried the jalapeno cornbread though, next time.

A few hours and a couple of pints later I had worked up enough of an appetite to be ready for a meal at Sagar, a South Indian Vegetarian restaurant in the heart of Covent Garden.

http://www.sagarveg.co.uk/

This was properly authentic South Indian food, I tried some things I'd never had before including a weird and wonderful curry that contained gherkins!

Finally, I couldn't leave Brixton without having at least one meal in the amazing, vibrant market.  In order to regenerate the market the council let some of the pitches for free for a short period of time and it has attracted scores of restauranters, you can get every cuisine imaginable in here!  We decided to give Okan, a Japanese place, a try, as I'd read about it recently, Time Out having named it as one of their top five cheap eats in the capital.

http://www.okanbrixtonvillage.com/

They specialise in  Okonomiyaki ( a sort of cabbagey pancake - sounds weird but trust me) I had pork and kimchi in mine, it was the best comfort food ever and totally filling, I did read later that they are usually for sharing but we all managed to scoff one each!

I did enjoy my weekend, it was lovely to catch up with good friends and relatives over some fantastic food, I'll be back down again soon, once my waistline and wallet have recovered!

The Droste Effect.

Yes, I've been given more chocolate, this time a selection from Droste's range.  Droste are a Dutch company of long standing, they've been around since 1863 to be precise.  They make quite a range of chocolate products but the thing they are possibly best know for in this country are Newberry Fruits, a large, soft, jelly fruit sweet beloved of grandads the world over (well, mine!)

Droste are quite big in Holland and even have a weird visual effect named after them; "The Droste effect" refers to the recursive picture on their cocoa powder tins, which show a picture of a nurse holding a box of Droste cocoa powder illustrated with a picture of a nurse holding a box of Droste cocoa powder illustrated with a... you get it....mind bending.

Droste pastilles made up the bulk of my selection, a pastille being marginally larger, glossier and more satisfyingly "snappier" than a giant Cadbury's button.  The pastilles come in milk and dark chocolate, and also in a range of 'half and half' mixtures.  The dark chocolate pastilles are very smooth and being high in cocoa and low in dairy are good for those who are lactose intolerant.  The dark and milk mixed pastilles went down well, with the addition of milk chocolate softening the edge of the dark chocolate but retaining the richness.
I really liked the milk chocolate but I think it may be too sweet for some, I think my chocolate palate is used to the extra sugar having lived in Germany for many years where they also like a slightly sweeter milk chocolate.  It isn't anything like as sweet as, say, Galaxy though.

My favourite Droste product by far has to be the XXL pastille with milk chocolate and hazelnut.  This is a chocolate and hazelnut button the size of a digestive biscuit, with snappable grooves to divide it into quarters, a joy to absorb with a cup of tea.

Droste's tagline is "Where tradition meets quality" and I'd certainly agree with that, but alongside the tradition and quality there as a pleasing dose of European quirkiness.  You can buy Droste chocolate online, or I'm reliably informed you can pick it up at T J Morris (Home  Bargains) and B & M stores.  I've still got a fair few pastilles to scoff, but I'll certainly be seeking out some more of the XXL pastilles.  With all this free chocolate and the transition from walking to driving everywhere I fear that I'll be an XXL pastille myself soon, see you down at Slimming World in January...

Cocoa Boutique offer

If anyone is hankering after a box of Cocoa Boutique chocolates after my last blog, you can order the box at the reduced price of £9.95 instead of nearly thirty five quid.

Just follow this link for the offer:

http://www.cocoaboutique.com/blog

Cocoa Boutique

It isn't every day that I receive unsolicited emails offering to send me large boxes of luxurious chocolates in exchange for a few words, so naturally I said yes when Cocoa Boutique asked if I would be interested in receiving a free chocolate tasting box to review.

Cocoa Boutique are a Nottingham based "Luxury Artisan Chocolate Club" who are "truly passionate" about chocolate.  They have sourced chocolates from chocolatiers all over the world to include in their tasting box.

Said box dropped through my letterbox on Saturday morning:

Pretty classy.  As I was off camping for the weekend I decided to take it with me, hey presto, glamping.  The boy wasn't complaining.

It didn't take us long to pop our chocolate cherries.  Tent pegged and al freso lunch devoured, we decided to see what the box of delights had to offer...

We decided to go for this fruity little number first:

So perfect, we (almost) couldn't bear to eat it, but we did.  This was a white strawberry cream, resplendent with a soft pink sugar dusting, its crispy shell filled with a creamy, subtle and delicately strawberry flavoured centre.  

Next we opted for the antithesis of the strawberry cream, dark chocolate buttons made from fine Ecuadorian chocolate.  We really liked the nibble-ish size of these rich, glossy little buttons.

We tried the milk choc coated honeycomb pieces next, and enjoyed the thick chocolate coating but felt the honeycomb itself was a bit insipid and chewy, lacking the required powdery crunch.  The combination of thick milk chocolate and honeycomb was also overly sweet for my taste.

Over the next couple of days we gorged on chocolatey morsels.  A highlight was the "Pamela".  Why Pamela?  Not sure, but we'll let the random naming slide because it looks so pretty.  Pamela is a cassis and pear ganache, capturing the floral pear note well, with a nice hit of booze and dark chocolate.

We went a little bit mad on the chocolate coffee beans, which had a lovely roasted flavour, not too strong or bitter, these were just right and maybe my favourite thing in the box....until I tried the salted caramels that is!  (Watch out when you bite into these as the caramel is very runny, but oh so delicious).

This is a very comprehensive box containing fifteen different types of chocolate, and at least two of each, sometimes four, and sometimes five, allowing me to sneakily scoff the odd ones, with the boy being none the wiser.  I liked the fact that the rich and extravagant affairs are off set by some plain yet very well executed favourites.

Each box comes with a scoring card, feedback is welcomed.  To be in with a chance of receiving a free tasting box yourself, just follow this link...http://www.cocoaboutique.com/free-chocolates

Tapas del Paradise

About time we cooked some blogworthy food.  We've been getting spoilt throughout June and have had some great food cooked for us by friends, but we've not entertained for a while.  Last night the boy's parental units came for dinner which gave us the impetus to plan and execute a most enjoyable menu.  This consisted entirely of recipes from a book I've mentioned previously, Carlos Horrillo and Patrick Morcas's tapas book, a bible of beautifully simple recipes and tapas in its broadest scope.

Knowing that our fishmonger in the Guildhall Market has a steady supply of the largest, most succulent prawns imaginable, we opted for a Gambas starter.  Gambas al Romero to be precise:
I've never thought to put rosemary with seafood before but it works beautifully:

Gambas al Romero:
12 uncooked tiger prawns - heads off, shells on
olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Maldon sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
30g butter
lemon wedges to serve

With a sharp knife, carefully make an incision down the back of each prawn and remove the dark line that runs along the spine.
Place them in a large bowl with 150ml olive oil, the garlic, rosemary and pepper.  Combine well, cover and leave to marinate for up to 12 hours (we left them for about 5 hours).
When you are ready to cook, turn your grill on to high or preheat your oven to gas mark 7.
Place a large, non-stick frying pan on a high heat (you are going to be putting it under the grill or in the oven so make sure it doesn't have a plastic handle) pour in two dashes of olive oil and tip the pan to coat the base.
When it is smoking hot drop in the prawns, garlic and rosemary, add a generous pinch of salt and cook for 60 seconds turning the prawns so they all cook evenly.
When the shells start to turn pink drop the butter in and stir it around so that it melts, then place the pan under the grill or in the oven for 30 seconds (we used the grill).
Serve straight away with lemon wedges on the side.

Strictly speaking, the boy cooked these and they were absolutely delightful and infused with rosemary.

 A hard act to follow, but follow it we did, with Panceta Asada, or slow roast belly pork with fennel seeds and garlic.  We got pork belly from the butchers, again in the Guildhall market (on the corner by the poultry man, if you're interested, he does the best pork).  The butcher scored the fat for us and we pierced the flesh with a skewer.  We then marinated it overnight in the fridge, wrapped in clingfilm with olive oil, garlic and crushed fennel seeds rubbed into the meat, and a shit load of salt rubbed into the fat.  Not an artery pleaser but makes for the best crackling ever.

When you are ready to cook, it needs half an hour in the oven at gas mark 8, followed by two hours at gas mark 5.  The recipe said you could put the pork under the grill for a few mintues at the end of cooking time to get the crackling even crisper, but we didn't need to, it was done perfectly in the oven.  Leave to rest for a few minutes before slicing.

We served this with Brecol del Parador, or broccoli pan-fried with baby carrots, roasted cherry tomatoes pumpkin seeds, harissa and cumin oil, the trace of fennel in the harissa perfectly complementing the sweet and salty aniseed of the pork.

Finally, room for some Manchego cheese from the fabulous G Morgan and sons cheese counter in the Eagle Centre Market, pricier than the supermarket but tastes of really good cheese, not plastic.

Tapas is so much more than the lumps of chorizo swimming in oil or morsels of overchilled tortilla that give it a bad name in certain establishments, if anyone would like more recipes from this book let me know, I'd be happy to have the excuse to try them out :-)