Yes folks, this is where the name comes from...
Angelica, Kiwi and Chickpea are some of the plants on show at Kew gardens in their IncrEdibles exhibition, until November this year. The plant of the week this week is bread wheat more widely cultivated than any other crop, and with a greater world trade monetary value than all other cereals combined. First domesticated at least 9,000 years ago it can be seen growing in Kew's Global Kitchen Garden, on the Great Lawn opposite Kew Palace. You can taste it too in the Orangery in their Heritage tomato, torn basil and aged pecorino salad, with croutons (made using the wheat)
Cronuts are going to be the new cupcake. Dominique Ansel bakery in New York has created the Cronut. Half croissant, half doughnut. Customers are queuing for two hours to get their hands on one. My money is on Pump Street Bakery in Orford to be the first in Suffolk to have some on the shelf.
Finally got round to trying to smoke some fish because here it's all we eat, nearly every day. And because I'm not in the cold miserable UK at the moment it had to be a Barracuda fillet. I didn't catch it myself but I did brine it and smoke it over a Logwood fire (you know, like the one in the Bob Marley song) and it was a bit like the most delicious smoked haddock.
From my next door neighbour...every Sunday, in return for a lift to church. Salt fish, chop-up, plantain, salad - I just have to make the toast.
Last night this was just one of the highlights of a delicious supper enjoyed with our foodie friends Justin and Jurga from Pea Porridge Restaurant. Mont d'Or AOC is a cheese from the Franche-Comté region made from cows milk produced from 15th August to 31st March. There are strict rules for the production of this AOC cheese. The raw milk can only be from the cows of the Montbéliard and Simmentaler breeds. To shape the Vacherin, it is rounded using a ring of Spruce bark. It is ripened on a Spruce wood board, taking at least three weeks, and is rotated several times before it is placed in its characteristic wooden box. We ate it directly from the box with a spoon. It is also delicious melted in the box in the oven. Get some now for your Christmas cheeseboard.
Off we go again to sample the delights of the Restaurant Show trade fair at Earls Court. Our first mission - to get the best coffee we can find, as fast as possible, and free. Inspector X won. Then to lunch at the the disappointing street food area (this years theme) where I had the worst 'street food' I have had all year, I should have realised - there was no queue! Then off to taste Orange wines. Here are some of the pics - starting with Tuddenham Mill chef Paul Foster doing a demo.
Mais oui...here we are in Marseilles admiring the vast spread of produce at the market - including donkey salami - this one's not for me - but only because of the vast choice. And of course we tried a whole selection of new aperitifs - merci Monsieur Bonfils - bright yellow Mimosa, sweet Chestnut and fragrant Roses. The latter is a bit Turkish Delight perhaps, but still worth featuring as our Dish of The Day because we know you would like to stock this next to the Pamplemousse and Rhubarbe, in case we come for a drink. There are many things that the French simply do better and one of them is drinking.
On Saturday night Cambridge was hit by flash flooding which forced most restaurants in the centre of the city to close, including Jamies Italian and The Cambridge Chop House. Forced to search elsewhere for supper we spotted Fitzbillies, famed for Chelsea Buns and for having Stephen Fry as a fan. The 1922 vintage facade gave us no clue that anything other than afternoon teas were served. On closer inspection we saw diners inside so went in.
A hesitant Maitre D' thought carefully before allowing us a table (we thought they must all be reserved, but in fact weren't) The main courses were simply presented and included a pork chop with roast fennel, cherry toms and new potatoes, and grilled mackerel with courgettes, saffron and organo which I chose. Portion sizes varied wildly from a Ploughmans size starter of Potted Venison, pickled redcurrants and sourdough, to a three mouthful plate of Goose Ham and melon (yes, we asked, it's cured and dried goose breast) No culinary masterpieces but well cooked and fresh ingredients.
The service is laid back here and the staff appeared to be having a good time on their own table. One of our puddings is pictured - Filo, layered with chocolate cream and raspberry, but the best part of the meal was undoubtedly the discovery of a delicious Boekenhoutskloof ( Franschhoek. Cape Wine.) The Wolftrap. delicious...buy yourself a case. I will.
Wow! Suffolkfoodie has found the perfect burger - in Great Yarmouth. YES! Great Yarmouth... We followed our noses tthrough the wood smoke to the The Barking Smack, next door to The Hippodrome. We also followed our ears, as we loved the sound of the Roots Reggae that gave the terrace bbq shack a relaxed and laid back feel. The burgers were proper, juicy patties, cooked to your liking and there were real ales too, including Blonde Ash. Here is the Carnivore Burger. Well done to Mark, not only an excellent burger, but happy and helpful service too!
More...
Here is the pizza-in-a-horsebox stall at Shoreditch Festival, although the biggest queue was outside the Caribbean food trailer. Was that because theirs is the most tasty? Was it because they had a sizzling jerk chicken barbecue on a very hot day, or was it because the girl who was supposed to be serving customers was texting all her friends? Anyway, we had the very nice beef stew and rice from Ghana. But while we're on the subject of street food - take a look at the Evening Standard list of 20 'guerilla grillers and breakaway bakers' here in the Capital.
Not a day goes by without a story about what you can't do at the Olympics. No t shirts with slogans, no food, no drinks, no picnics, the biggest Macdonalds in Europe and do not on any account call anything OLYMPIC or LONDON 2012. So nerr to the OLYMPICS - we want to say and do and eat what we like.
A pre- theatre snack is always better with a cocktail or two, and we had ours at La Bodegra Negra with a side order of tortillas and ceviche which by all accounts is the 'next big thing'. But only if you live in the Caribbean and can get the best quality and freshest raw fish, which here most of us can't. If you are by the seaside here it's worth trying with just a squeeze of lime, oil, salt, pepper and chili. One American website I looked at said the name came from English-speaking people, who watched fishermen on the coast of Peru eating their fish directly from the sea with just lemons and salt, and said 'See the beach.' and since this was a phrase that the locals couldn't repeat, they pronounced it 'Ceviche' instead. Well Americans - just because you don't have as much folklore as us there's no need to make it up.
