Still in search of the delicious liver and bacon special…
Written by ClaireOn the way back from Suffolk-meets-Islington Satis House in Yoxford I see free marrows on the side of the road and lots of pumpkins as we near Halloween. Have already made pumpkin soup at home so don't buy one, and fed up with marrows/courgettes. Stop at Yoxford pub on the way home and visualise the home made casserole or delicious sandwich I would like to find on their menu, unlikely on a Monday I know. Choose liver and onions. Yet again served vile dry chunky liver, glutinous gravy, frozen veg and huge pile of instant mash that you could plaster a house with. At least it didn't have redcurrants on it like the one I had once on the way to Newmarket once.
Little herring-shaped signs on the side of the A12 look interesting and eventually find a leaflet for this event 24th-25th October at Middleton Farm shop. Their blog is at at www.suffolkherringfestival.wordpress.com Unfortunately I don't like herrings or kippers - too boney for me - but I love the smell, and soft roes and might try and find time to go and have a look.
There is an abundance of huge dusky purple sloes in the hedge at my sisters house - bigger than these - they are so big I am not sure if they are sloes or damsons? They have the sloe mouth-puckering taste but am I supposed to wait until there has been a frost to pick them? I dug up some of the artichokes last week because the leaves were yellow and dying - although I know its a bit early - I couldn't wait to look at them as it's the first time I've grown them, they were big and bright white, but had no flavour at all. Apparently they need frost too, I could put them in the freezer...? I have a nearly empty bottle of gin so gather enough sloes to fill it, prick them all over, add sugar and a cheap bottle of gin from Elmswell Co-op and we'll wait and see.
Lunch with Sarah at West Suffolk College's Zest restaurant, one of the best value meals in Bury and a chance to contribute to the experience of young people training to be in the restaurant business. I had nice lamb hot pot with some far too vinegary red cabbage (I told them) and then Key Lime Pie. Sarah had veg option which escapes me now. Abundance of service from students and both meals lovely - under £12 for two .
Lunch with two American student backpackers who are staying with me for two days, after showing them round the Abbey Gardens. Went to the Cathedral Crypt restaurant as it had to cheap and more or less English. Sure enough - Liver and Bacon - but not hungry enough today. Had really nice Root Vegetable soup that came with bread (£2.95) and they had Bacon Rolls (£2.75) as well, although the Americans didn't seem to know what a bacon roll was. We shared a lovely Gooseberry Crumble Tart (£2.95) with custard, but I can't understand why it has to be a crumble on top of a tart. One or the other would be fine wouldn't it?
Nothing much left in here now...a few carrots for later, coriander, rainbow chard that refused to grow, spinach and three lots of broccoli. The artichokes are at the back and to the left my bay tree that got too big for its pot...and a chicken that shouldn't be there. There are three and they are not allowed near the veg. and no, I won't be eating them but I do like a fresh egg. The football grew by itself. I have made a new plot ready for next year, small - but it was all I could force the children to do.
Emmetts of Peasenhall (www.emmettsham.co.uk) Pinneys of Orford (www.butleyorfordoysterage.co.uk) and Suffolk Food Hall (www.suffolkfoodhall.co.uk) were all in the Independent's 50 best food shops on Saturday.
Growing on the grass outside my house - there seem to be lots of fungi around at the moment, is it a good year with this mild damp weather? PS I didn't eat them - I'll be back.
Well it's December and I haven't been anywhere nice for the last week, in fact I haven't been anywhere - nice or not. I was thinking about making mince pies and looked up Delia's recipe but decided not to buy all the ingredients just for a few, as I know it will be me that eats them all. I haven't bought any because first of all I won't like them as much as home made and secondly, if you want Christmas to start the week before and end the week after, there is something really exciting about waiting to eat that first mince pie and my mum makes the best. So, fed up with cooking and no children around this evening to make it too expensive I secretly bought Woolpit fish (plaice) and chips and they were really really nice.
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Went to Savannah Jerk in London because Lenny Henry mentioned it on F Word but although it was nice can cook this as well at home. So yesterday invited a friend round for Caribbean Christmas dinner and we had ackee and salt fish, deer meat, rice and peas, banana fritters, johnny cakes and jerk chicken.
Come back from a sunny and freezing Sunday morning walk around the village (according to the village sign it was first settled by Goths although we didn't see any today) and although the pub looks dead from the outside, it's busy inside with a warm fire and serving food until 4pm...hooray! There's a warm welcome for us in our wellies and several families with children eating lunch. They can't do me a mulled wine (red wine + spices + sugar + microwave?) so have cider instead. Their seasonally-limited menu of food tastes better than described on the board which is always a bonus - but don't fancy curry or chili so chose a burger from depressing childrens menu of burger and chips or sausage and beans (and chips). After filling it with salad from my sisters curry plate it was ok but hoping next time for oxtail stews, shepherds pies, casseroles... and in the summer a barbecue under that huge oak tree.
Tasted my sloe gin over Christmas - very nice.
Some people have asked why I don't put bad reviews on here? Because there are too many restaurants serving ordinary or worse food - that's why. I could write something about mediocre food every day - the tiny overcooked overpriced portion of sea bass I had at a Bury hotel, or disgusting local Chinese takeaway or cheese on toast made with sliced white bread topped with a plastic wrapped cheese slice and melted in the microwave - I've had all of these. But I want to celebrate good food and hope that sooner or later you will tell me where it is. If you're not on here it's because I haven't been there or I have, and it isn't any good.