tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73189428125518048312024-03-06T00:22:13.545+00:00I get enthusiastic about stuff...Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-59442232769637537922011-10-11T19:46:00.000+01:002011-10-11T20:07:41.543+01:00The Naked Grocer, Walton-on-Thames<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjri0y3BJXvOnsEeIas7nO9nsbEvML1rGEsDZH1kzuzHb-gTnXyWo0bvXx5VnRG-yjm1uN_wBKd9BEfnn523Z2d1vgwouDufU8x1K0vQhnTtNaNFEbsfGAMzJeBPVcdG8ZEY7tJy7-5Zw/s1600/IMG_0201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjri0y3BJXvOnsEeIas7nO9nsbEvML1rGEsDZH1kzuzHb-gTnXyWo0bvXx5VnRG-yjm1uN_wBKd9BEfnn523Z2d1vgwouDufU8x1K0vQhnTtNaNFEbsfGAMzJeBPVcdG8ZEY7tJy7-5Zw/s640/IMG_0201.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Naked Grocer, Walton-on-Thames</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The 'squeezed middle' have got food wrong in my opinion. Some of the more socially or ethnically diverse areas ('vibrant' in estate-agent-speak) have fantastic food markets, great street food and really cost-effective cafes and restaurants. I'm thinking of places like Tooting or Camberwell or Peckham (or even Brixton 'village')</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Conversely there are the affluent areas with artisan bakeries or the delis where "Mummy goes to get the good chorizo". Here is where you'll find a market for tapas bars, sushi bars or food marketed to local-vores where your steak comes with a grid reference and a family tree.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Your average, middling town has a Sainsbury's and a Greggs.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Walton-on-Thames finds itself just on the right side of average-to-affluent in my opinion - which means that although we have to suffer through Giraffe and Carluccio's there are some real diamonds in the rough like <a href="http://www.thenakedgrocer.com/">The Naked Grocer</a>. Opened 2 years ago and hidden away in Bridge Street (a hop, skip and a jump from The Thames) I had seen it many times but never actually gone in. It's second birthday and special events tempted me to make the trip in to see what the fuss was about.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
'Officially' the best green grocer in the country according to the RE:FRESH awards I could tell immediately that if this was within walking distance of my house I'd be here at least once a week.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sdOk3DRjD8E/TpSFlNQT8II/AAAAAAAAAT8/4b34MWYO5C8/s1600/IMG_0202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sdOk3DRjD8E/TpSFlNQT8II/AAAAAAAAAT8/4b34MWYO5C8/s640/IMG_0202.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N2P5VGRaNR4/TpSFoYcnb_I/AAAAAAAAAUM/kHKh-7i5O5o/s1600/IMG_0200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N2P5VGRaNR4/TpSFoYcnb_I/AAAAAAAAAUM/kHKh-7i5O5o/s640/IMG_0200.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRK-arHi4dWzUomwRPyb0PmfY4cMGSh3lEYXb7SH3ylLaEE2rKBLudBh3r8VOFHgVQlo8p5bgOwqt9AJNUCyGSfP9d1Jwi6Lw5FOa3bfWBxC6fWRTsTPhWoj2FM-V8wqQEiaDsJQpnhQ/s1600/IMG_0203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRK-arHi4dWzUomwRPyb0PmfY4cMGSh3lEYXb7SH3ylLaEE2rKBLudBh3r8VOFHgVQlo8p5bgOwqt9AJNUCyGSfP9d1Jwi6Lw5FOa3bfWBxC6fWRTsTPhWoj2FM-V8wqQEiaDsJQpnhQ/s640/IMG_0203.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ha-alY0JTS0/TpSF59HhC0I/AAAAAAAAAUc/7l8ZsRs1m5M/s1600/IMG_0204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ha-alY0JTS0/TpSF59HhC0I/AAAAAAAAAUc/7l8ZsRs1m5M/s640/IMG_0204.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Decent piles of local (or least British) and seasonal produce abound in suitably rustic surrounds. I was reassured at the somewhat rugged appearance of the fruit and veg which shows that it has thankfully bypassed the supermarket procurement teams and their search for the visually inoffensive. This is food that you would describe as having a 'good personality' - beautiful on the inside.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Their suppliers were out in force for the birthday celebrations and I sampled some of the <a href="http://www.cottagedelight.co.uk/">Cottage Delight</a> preserves and bought some of their Chilli-lilli. That this is a familiar brand if you shop around some of the less obvious places should not distract from the quality of the product. I also was offered a sample and subsequently bought a slice of Surrey's only remaining locally-produced cheese - <a href="http://www.norburyblue.co.uk/">Norbury Blue</a>. This is a mild, creamy-tasting blue cheese that is currently stinking my fridge out (but in a good way)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The find of the day though had to be the <a href="http://www.thetomatostall.co.uk/">Isle of Wight Tomatoes.</a> I came away with a big bag of heirloom (or heritage?) tomatoes of all shapes, sizes and colours. This was in addition to the new love of my life: Oak-smoked Tomatoes. Imagine crossing sun-dried tomatoes with smoky bacon and you're almost there.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknGMM4yG0H732QgaFnztH1KyB5Vg_kIySybmA5kscdtX6s1io4ev0ZAARK5rCM4C68gQU9Qrq_HZ9ltihNs1lJWoqEexC-ZpuDrdAeNNtBeaVlD6Esm4DCFL0F-5hmSaPLq2w_bOcFg/s1600/IMG_0205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknGMM4yG0H732QgaFnztH1KyB5Vg_kIySybmA5kscdtX6s1io4ev0ZAARK5rCM4C68gQU9Qrq_HZ9ltihNs1lJWoqEexC-ZpuDrdAeNNtBeaVlD6Esm4DCFL0F-5hmSaPLq2w_bOcFg/s640/IMG_0205.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well what were we to do with all this lovely produce? We were tasked with producing a starter for a dinner party and I knew these tomatoes would have to form the centrepiece so with the contents of my fridge in hand an assembly job of a modified Caprese Salad was in order</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u>ISLE OF WIGHT CAPRESE SALAD</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><u>INGREDIENTS</u></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<ul>
<li>A big bag of heirloom tomatoes - as many different sizes and colours as you can get.</li>
<li>A couple of avocados.</li>
<li>A couple of Buffalo Mozzarella Balls.</li>
<li>A handful of Basil.</li>
<li>A few spoonfuls of Oak-Smoked Tomatoes</li>
<li>A dressing of 50% Extra-virgin Olive Oil and decent Balsamic Vinegar</li>
<li>A handful of pine-nuts browned in a dry frying-pan.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<i><u>METHOD</u></i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm sure you can work it out! Its all about the presentation!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-On2ZbKSlv64/TpSFFN-OKSI/AAAAAAAAATw/4asELqAbxl0/s1600/IMG_3045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-On2ZbKSlv64/TpSFFN-OKSI/AAAAAAAAATw/4asELqAbxl0/s640/IMG_3045.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isle of Wight Caprese Salad</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-54608203394922636152011-09-12T15:22:00.000+01:002011-09-13T17:41:05.727+01:00Review: The Palace (Korean), New Malden.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RzDqOZBGjmo/Tmx5bXdsu6I/AAAAAAAAATI/mx1PjmLQTkE/s1600/IMG_3997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RzDqOZBGjmo/Tmx5bXdsu6I/AAAAAAAAATI/mx1PjmLQTkE/s640/IMG_3997.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Korean Beef-rib Soup</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've only eaten Korean food once before - and that was BBQ Beef cooked by a middle-aged Korean couple on a makeshift grill in a random campsite in Moab, Utah. They were part of our <a href="http://www.trekamerica.co.uk/">Trek America</a> group and it was obvious that they were struggling with the food being cooked by the group - there are only so many times you can eat chicken pasta and I don't think their palate was trained for the dairy-heavy American pasta sauces. They made a huge effort when their turn to cook came around but unfortunately I think the local Walmart was lacking one or two key ingredients to make the meal truly authentic.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since then this cuisine has always been on my hit list but somehow has always been superseded by the latest street food sensation or hot restaurant opening. I know there are a few Korean places dotted around the West-End - including the well-regarded <a href="http://www.asadal.co.uk/">Asadal</a> in Holborn, the recently well-reviewed <a href="http://www.tehbus.com/2011/07/arang.html">Arang</a> in Soho as well as the row of Korean places behind Centrepoint but I was determined to try out a place in London's Korea-town of New Malden. Although everyone knows where Chinatown is it seems very few people I have come across have clocked that approximately 20,000 Koreans live in this Zone 4 enclave - with the community centered on the Town Centre with its Korean restaurants and supermarkets.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I travel past New Malden every day on my commute - its about 6 minutes by train from Wimbledon or 22 minutes direct from Waterloo. New Malden high-street definitely has a 'flavour' in the same way that one inhales the smell of a thousand curries cooking upon stepping out of the tube at Tooting Broadway, or the distinctive smell of Chinatown when wandering along Gerrard Street.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After a bit of research on Chowhound I finally settled on a visit to The Palace (which has no website that I can find). The interior was quite pleasant but it was very quiet when we arrived at 6:30pm - it also has the dubious award of being the first restaurant I've ever been in to schedule in a full-volume screening of East-Enders during the meal. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1P4MQQhBizY/Tmx4pOukrOI/AAAAAAAAASs/sPC2j8amJg4/s1600/IMG_3983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1P4MQQhBizY/Tmx4pOukrOI/AAAAAAAAASs/sPC2j8amJg4/s640/IMG_3983.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Palace, New Malden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Each table has a grill built-in but ingredients for this seemed to start at around £25 and to be honest we had no idea what to order or even what we were doing - most other people in the restaurant did seem to have some kind of sizzling platter cooking or bubbling away in the middle though - something to revisit another time I think.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SohmWkldJZc/Tmx4lu5b5MI/AAAAAAAAASo/qV2vNsv39IM/s1600/IMG_3981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SohmWkldJZc/Tmx4lu5b5MI/AAAAAAAAASo/qV2vNsv39IM/s640/IMG_3981.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
First up for the evening was a selection of starters delivered gratis. I'm not completely sure what they were but we think we identified Kimchee, beansprouts, spicy beansprouts and what was identified by the waitress purely as 'potato' but was actually a rather delicious glazed, cold boiled potato in a sweet sauce. All was very interesting thus far and our night was being sufficiently lubricated by the rather bland Hite Korean beer.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KA836pc2VoE/Tmx41hNJV4I/AAAAAAAAASw/Fp-xwtfO090/s1600/IMG_3984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KA836pc2VoE/Tmx41hNJV4I/AAAAAAAAASw/Fp-xwtfO090/s640/IMG_3984.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Free Korean starters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t3bVOcMGheU/Tmx48CCwtGI/AAAAAAAAAS4/f_LiNPAotzs/s1600/IMG_3988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t3bVOcMGheU/Tmx48CCwtGI/AAAAAAAAAS4/f_LiNPAotzs/s640/IMG_3988.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hite Beer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We had no real idea of how much to order for two people so plumped for 2 pancakes next - one with Kimchee and one a tranditional Seafood pancake. Both were fantastic with the seafood pancake particularly good with a decent amount of fishy filling in what was quite a dense pancake. In fact it was so dense that I gave up trying to use the chopsticks and burned my fingers dipping it in the spicy sauce it was provided with.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BJRuchtvv0k/Tmx5KUbz4pI/AAAAAAAAAS8/4lSzA3_hXd4/s1600/IMG_3994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BJRuchtvv0k/Tmx5KUbz4pI/AAAAAAAAAS8/4lSzA3_hXd4/s640/IMG_3994.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seafood Pancake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DopYY6K6Vv9kQ1nKEf9wTUrfp9HSXliI_MrqrkbiEMk-wbJs4Y37ErgcS38iprhlPvDVUO1FFy6IkCLDHqE3zWO4hTlHNTj30mIZjMTO_hYpS0eGWr4VZD7-dOpXZE2hVRmV2HmDvQ/s1600/IMG_3995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DopYY6K6Vv9kQ1nKEf9wTUrfp9HSXliI_MrqrkbiEMk-wbJs4Y37ErgcS38iprhlPvDVUO1FFy6IkCLDHqE3zWO4hTlHNTj30mIZjMTO_hYpS0eGWr4VZD7-dOpXZE2hVRmV2HmDvQ/s640/IMG_3995.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kimchee Pancake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As good as the pancakes were they were my epic fail #1 - I think you'd want 1 pancake between 3 or 4 people and unfortunately I was already quite stuffed before we moved on. My epic fail #2 was ordering something I really don't like because someone else has recommended it. One of my least favorite things in the world to eat are soup noodles - mainly because I have the chop-stick skills of a 2 year-old. I detest Wagamama and have only ever ordered Pho once (and never again) in a Vietnamese restaurant. With this in mind I don't know why I ordered Beef-rib soup - or why I was surprised that it was a bucket of beefy broth with glass noodles and half a dozen ribs floating around. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The dish itself was served bubbling-hot and the ribs, which due to my limited digital dexterity I had to fish out, were succulent but an exercise in texture rather than spice. The broth was nice but it was definitely a broth - and by this time I was getting too full on the rice and frustrated by the mass of glass noodles at the bottom. I get the feeling this is proper home-style Korean food and the soup is a full meal in itself - forgetting any starters or desserts or indeed other dishes. I'm sure there are people out there who would love this.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BwPDKsHi4SU/Tmx5dus1pmI/AAAAAAAAATM/WogRKr8aTgQ/s1600/IMG_3998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BwPDKsHi4SU/Tmx5dus1pmI/AAAAAAAAATM/WogRKr8aTgQ/s640/IMG_3998.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I had serious food envy for the Spicy Beef soup my dining companion ordered - by all accounts this was a nice spicy dish, with meat off the bone and kissed by a slick of spicy red sauce. I was too stuffed to even try it.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGfH6G-ZZO8MNGaPziYRhIq3VfpEm5clcXM1Agmf0h6gqKoUzu94B8oIC_J2MClN_T-JtWThGpjca19RXiMGkSFQDhDvGFZZPz-_Z2WMRAEeKXEUyueYfWkvujjitVEctmrArFezCQXQ/s1600/IMG_3996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGfH6G-ZZO8MNGaPziYRhIq3VfpEm5clcXM1Agmf0h6gqKoUzu94B8oIC_J2MClN_T-JtWThGpjca19RXiMGkSFQDhDvGFZZPz-_Z2WMRAEeKXEUyueYfWkvujjitVEctmrArFezCQXQ/s640/IMG_3996.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Korean Spicy Beef Broth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So I'm afraid I left (read: waddled out of) The Palace rather full but unsatisfied. I'm not convinced I ordered well or indeed went with enough people to sample the best of the menu. Do any readers have any recommendations on what to try or indeed any other restaurant to visit?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Our meal for 2 came to approximately £40 including drinks and service.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-57095777405315921972011-08-29T13:39:00.000+01:002011-08-29T13:39:13.601+01:00Review: The Anglers, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Piuai4uebok/TlttI7-tzgI/AAAAAAAAARk/hlajpXQrZA0/s1600/IMG_7344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Piuai4uebok/TlttI7-tzgI/AAAAAAAAARk/hlajpXQrZA0/s640/IMG_7344.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">One issue I have found with Walton is that there is no restaurant in the town centre that has really grabbed my attention. It has the usual chains in any new development; Giraffe, Pizza Express, Carluccio's but a limited selection of independents. In addition I'm afraid that the town centre pubs are also typical of their kind up and down the country.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Luckily, less than half a mile from the town centre there are two great pubs literally next door to each other on the river towpath. <a href="http://www.swanwalton.com/">The Swan</a> is a Young's pub with a fantastic beer garden and what looks like a good BBQ menu. For this reason it is generally packed on a nice day. <a href="http://anglerswalton.com/">The Anglers</a> is a slightly different proposition being much more food-oriented and a definite destination for a nice meal.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Its a real shame but I don't think we've made it up to the riverfront this summer until earlier this week. Its a good two mile walk away but that shouldn't have dissuaded us. I think we have just been distracted by all the possibilities of finally owning a car!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">With this in mind and remembering a couple of nice meals enjoyed in the past we waited for a brief lapse in the bank holiday showers and sauntered along the Thames from Cowey Sale to the The Anglers - along a section of the river that <a href="http://enthuasticaboutstuff.blogspot.com/2011/06/thames-path.html">we have enjoyed walking along before.</a> For the history fans out there this is where Julius Caesar is said to have crossed the Thames during the initial Roman invasion of these isles.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Anglers itself definitely looks like a riverside building, or perhaps something one would expect to find nestling beside a sleepy lake somewhere in the Deep South. The interior downstairs is from the school of gastropub 101 but the upstairs room must be one of <i>the</i> <i>great places</i> to view the Thames - with rowers from the local clubs constantly zipping back and forth and the lucky owners of small boats enjoying the river. Outside is what must be an exclusive terrace - exclusive in the respect that it is always full by the time I get there.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHMv5ezYD7g72C0skU30t9oS0kS4kdfgylQcDPyuccnS_FYWfAJtUPct5-eX9IM1aw4F6NboRLjQUNygotxMTAR1ZhXd7-3jbfTG3DiRAKWXGitKcwJjZmmsy1h4KPB7CHlUICOKAEA/s1600/IMG_7343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHMv5ezYD7g72C0skU30t9oS0kS4kdfgylQcDPyuccnS_FYWfAJtUPct5-eX9IM1aw4F6NboRLjQUNygotxMTAR1ZhXd7-3jbfTG3DiRAKWXGitKcwJjZmmsy1h4KPB7CHlUICOKAEA/s640/IMG_7343.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Anglers - Walton-on-Thames</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I believe The Anglers may have new menu - its certainly changed and upped its game since the last time we were here. There were also 3 real ales on tap including an excellent Sharp's Own of which I sampled a couple as well as a selection of Lock Fyne Oysters that went down well with the provided shallot vinegar (£2 an oyster)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qUFDty6q_R8/TltuClyywxI/AAAAAAAAAR4/U3trbhG4AHI/s1600/IMG_7356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qUFDty6q_R8/TltuClyywxI/AAAAAAAAAR4/U3trbhG4AHI/s640/IMG_7356.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Anglers menu</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7bgNB194EE/TlttnsC8AvI/AAAAAAAAARs/_fntT5n3vRo/s1600/IMG_7351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7bgNB194EE/TlttnsC8AvI/AAAAAAAAARs/_fntT5n3vRo/s640/IMG_7351.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharp's Original</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRZVsk55RLn_d35_9s8lANFR-EvCDK-JSoD_gLdDfbl3YHVh8TJL_Jn3CVLfHkwadG-tfZnADNc4zip4MXSS0EIxP7kgHT88hes-ZGwFzkIJb4cEeiMzBJSuhAdt45kU3BH7-w8ZLqQ/s1600/IMG_7352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRZVsk55RLn_d35_9s8lANFR-EvCDK-JSoD_gLdDfbl3YHVh8TJL_Jn3CVLfHkwadG-tfZnADNc4zip4MXSS0EIxP7kgHT88hes-ZGwFzkIJb4cEeiMzBJSuhAdt45kU3BH7-w8ZLqQ/s640/IMG_7352.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bread selection at the Anglers</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EeVAufHU1-s/Tltt_vQq3bI/AAAAAAAAAR0/4oVYKmPyEC0/s1600/IMG_7355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EeVAufHU1-s/Tltt_vQq3bI/AAAAAAAAAR0/4oVYKmPyEC0/s640/IMG_7355.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loch Fyne oysters</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">My main course was the day's market special; a well-presented Bacon-wrapped Sea-Trout with Parsley Pesto, new potatoes and Samphire. The Sea-trout was moist and flaked nicely and was set-off well by the piquant pesto. I have to admit to loving Samphire when its paired with a nicely cooked piece of fish and this didn't disappoint. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uxg2dYYv9ME/TltuQ0YDbJI/AAAAAAAAAR8/dJftp4Z29u0/s1600/IMG_7357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uxg2dYYv9ME/TltuQ0YDbJI/AAAAAAAAAR8/dJftp4Z29u0/s640/IMG_7357.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea-Trout from The Anglers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also tried by me was the pan-roasted chicken with potatoes, broad beans, chorizo crisps and tarragon cream. Normally chorizo will dominate any dish but here it was tempered well by the tarragon cream laced with peppercorns to give a well-balanced flavour. A good dish.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7QCXNlSOIFk/TltvApOFWeI/AAAAAAAAASM/7InjsroRrFg/s1600/IMG_7362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7QCXNlSOIFk/TltvApOFWeI/AAAAAAAAASM/7InjsroRrFg/s640/IMG_7362.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pan-roasted chicken from The Anglers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Spiced-pork chipolatas, fried potatoes, corn-on-the-cob and tomato and apple chutney did exactly what it said on the tin. These may not be exciting flavours but it was a well-executed plate - just one that I would not order myself given the other options.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k3sP1-Bl0N0/Tltuw9natLI/AAAAAAAAASI/FC4POCTL7Ks/s1600/IMG_7361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k3sP1-Bl0N0/Tltuw9natLI/AAAAAAAAASI/FC4POCTL7Ks/s640/IMG_7361.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spicy Pork Chipolatas at The Anglers</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I do like the portion sizing for most of the dishes here which should allow most people to comfortably try 3 courses. Given it was lunch we did skip starters but these look equally good. There are more substantial options though including that tried by one member of our party. Scotch eggs were substantial with a rich orangey yolk but the Deep Fried Potatoes would have fed an army.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UvdFAgfMTR4/TltufQ-68vI/AAAAAAAAASA/N42et9l82Yw/s1600/IMG_7358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UvdFAgfMTR4/TltufQ-68vI/AAAAAAAAASA/N42et9l82Yw/s640/IMG_7358.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scoth Egg at The Anglers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H2M5uWu6Lmo/TltujB3EbDI/AAAAAAAAASE/geF2MXzlnuo/s1600/IMG_7359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H2M5uWu6Lmo/TltujB3EbDI/AAAAAAAAASE/geF2MXzlnuo/s640/IMG_7359.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deep-Fried potatoes at The Anglers</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Desserts were very good. First up was a deconstructed <a href="http://www.sipsmith.com/">Sipsmith</a> Gin-and-Tonic trifle; the custard was homemade and the gin-and-tonic jelly tasted potent. The only thing we thought was odd is that of course the sponge wasn't soaked in booze like it normally is - all in all though it was a thought-provoking dessert well worth the purchase. Well done to The Anglers on this one.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bun1YKQo7Go/TltvC9wRFmI/AAAAAAAAASQ/TKqu38h7vl0/s1600/IMG_7366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bun1YKQo7Go/TltvC9wRFmI/AAAAAAAAASQ/TKqu38h7vl0/s640/IMG_7366.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sipsmith Gin-and-Tonic trifle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The other dessert sampled by the table was an Eton Mess with Chocolate syrup. I'm loathe to write too much about this as I know just how easy these are to make - however that does not take away from the interesting presentation and the quality of the dish. Recommended.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SzCNlU7K8iQ/TltvHy0aZII/AAAAAAAAASU/LaBOFbU6ELY/s1600/IMG_7367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SzCNlU7K8iQ/TltvHy0aZII/AAAAAAAAASU/LaBOFbU6ELY/s640/IMG_7367.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eton Mess at The Anglers</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On balance I'd say that The Anglers is the best meal out I've had in the immediate area. Putting this in context I mean that this is a very good example of a gastropub which is a definite local destination - however would I recommend someone travel for an hour across London to go to it? Not quite - there are other good examples of the kind in most affluent neighbourhoods and villages both in and outside the Capital. This should in no way take-away from my view that The Anglers offers a quality meal out in a fantastic location - there should be only one choice if you find yourself in Walton-on-Thames or are enjoying the Thames Path walk from Hampton Court. If you live locally it is an absolute no-brainer. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A 2-course lunch for 2 people with drinks and service would be around the £50 mark.</div>Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-61496478090414527362011-08-24T13:57:00.000+01:002011-08-25T09:20:54.208+01:00Review: Brazil Flavour at Whitecross Street Market EC1<div style="text-align: justify;">In many ways I wish I worked in our City office more despite the nightmare commute. Shoreditch is right around the corner with its eclectic collection of bars and nightlife and the great Vietnamese places on Kingsland Road are not much further.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the main rewards of schlepping through the hordes of people is the opportunity to peruse the delights of <a href="http://www.whitecrossstreet.co.uk/about.php">Whitecross Street Market</a>. This is the kind of food market that anyone would want 100 yards from your office and given its location between Moorgate, Old Street and Barbican it can get rammed by 1pm with queues of around 20 minutes for the popular Burrito stall <a href="http://luardos.co.uk/">Luardos</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">With that in mind you can imagine my horror at having a 30 minute lunch window imposed by inconsiderate organisers of conference calls. I was compelled to seek out a stall that had little to no queue - not normally a good sign but in this case I will put it down to the inability of most people to pronounce what was being sold.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Brazil Flavour do sell sandwiches but I was there for the Feijoada - the national dish of Brazil. Feijoada is a stew of black beans, and smoked meat - often served with rice and toasted cassava flour (farofa). This is a culinary cousin of a cassoulet - cooked low and slow over several hours so the meat falls apart and the flavours intermingle into rich, smoky and porky comfort food. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I can understand why the Portuguese-speaking world roll this out for weekend family lunches. This example included Chorizo as its primary meat component however I think there may have been some pork hiding in there as well.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've never eaten this in Brazil or Portugal but have sampled what I think is a good one at <a href="http://www.canelacafe.com/">Canela</a> in Covent Garden. This compares very well and for £4.50 is an absolute bargain - albeit one I shouldn't have eaten on a steaming-hot day before a 2 hour meeting!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DEWer3ofVwQ/TlTzptAtmcI/AAAAAAAAARU/suwFPrlCx0k/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DEWer3ofVwQ/TlTzptAtmcI/AAAAAAAAARU/suwFPrlCx0k/s640/photo.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feijoada from Brazil Flavour</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JDcT9tJvDSE/TlTzp5Iag-I/AAAAAAAAARY/vlZSvgaE5ws/s1600/feijoada.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JDcT9tJvDSE/TlTzp5Iag-I/AAAAAAAAARY/vlZSvgaE5ws/s640/feijoada.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-16250916976813451092011-08-13T13:28:00.000+01:002011-08-13T19:23:16.768+01:00Review: Cyprus Mangal, Pimlico<div style="text-align: justify;">I've worked in Pimlico for nearly 6 years and have seen a big change in the area - most likely driven by the two successful theatre shows in the area: Wicked and Bill Elliot. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Over time there have been a number of new restaurants and cafes open to cater towards the pre-theatre crowd. <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/pimlicofresh">Pimlico Fresh</a> replaced an old greasy spoon, <a href="http://www.thequeensarmspimlico.co.uk/">The Queens Arms </a>provides the local gastropub fare and the fantastic <a href="http://www.caskpubandkitchen.com/">Cask Pub and Kitchen</a> replacing the old Pimlico Tram with one of the best beer selections in London.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">For at least the first 3 years I worked in the area I consistently walked past Cyprus Mangal due to the fact that from the outside it looks like a bog-standard kebab shop with nothing to distinguish it from any other example on the average high-street. One day I decided to step through the front door to see the fantastic grill and smell the glorious scent of the lamb kofte. Its such a shame I didn't discover this place earlier.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPB3-yYaZdwU1D99CmFT6g0ylhC1CD7KM_zjpRupnBKfaH8fm7poRISSwHybIYQp0EEBbshTPMoyeJf5AMqy8dmYqmkVNHhRmhoW6gzSdwtw874jFMbsEJnVddnvVTYs5oiHMV87HWfQ/s1600/IMG_0175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPB3-yYaZdwU1D99CmFT6g0ylhC1CD7KM_zjpRupnBKfaH8fm7poRISSwHybIYQp0EEBbshTPMoyeJf5AMqy8dmYqmkVNHhRmhoW6gzSdwtw874jFMbsEJnVddnvVTYs5oiHMV87HWfQ/s640/IMG_0175.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cyprus Mangal grill</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Putting my cards on the table - this is the only Mangal restaurant i've ever frequented. I'd love to go to the much loved <a href="http://cheesenbiscuits.blogspot.com/2011/07/fm-mangal-camberwell.html">FM Mangal</a> in Camberwell but never really find myself in that part of town. Anyway - here is the Karasic kebab in all its glory.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Lamb Kofte here is particularly good - very highly spiced and flavoursome to the point where my regular dining companion is convinced there must be some pork in there somewhere. In all honesty the lamb and chicken shish can vary depending on each visit but most of the time it is grilled to near perfection. This is the spicy, meaty hit that I really crave especially if I've been subsisting on vegetables for a few days - mopped up with the delicious side dishes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n3FBcGhNJCs/Tj_iahhkOcI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/iYBqyvPkKtc/s1600/IMG_0172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n3FBcGhNJCs/Tj_iahhkOcI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/iYBqyvPkKtc/s640/IMG_0172.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karasic Kebab</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Accompaniments are a nice bowl of Turkish bread, rice, some garlic and chilli sauces and a salad of red cabbage, spiced-cucumber and tomato and carrot. They all hit the spot - especially the chilli that I normally scoff in one bite to set the tone for the meat-fest to follow.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PnbkpDbD2C0/Tj_iY86-_YI/AAAAAAAAAQM/rp94yWhZ9O0/s1600/IMG_0173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PnbkpDbD2C0/Tj_iY86-_YI/AAAAAAAAAQM/rp94yWhZ9O0/s640/IMG_0173.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8rOUQcAcHtf_N8GbMAr_u8W3e-z7ZvZMMI6VRh2SgYVNbdMOoVwqm_SLJYnYJfoqwllNq16tiVS8MiWcIoaNADpEi46hIuelvWHNwQcq_GLl0A5gNeS2cocmzE4Got3dMD_L9kDCZQ/s1600/IMG_0174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8rOUQcAcHtf_N8GbMAr_u8W3e-z7ZvZMMI6VRh2SgYVNbdMOoVwqm_SLJYnYJfoqwllNq16tiVS8MiWcIoaNADpEi46hIuelvWHNwQcq_GLl0A5gNeS2cocmzE4Got3dMD_L9kDCZQ/s640/IMG_0174.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've subsequently learned that this Mangal (which i understand means 'Grill' in Turkish), is well-known to London's hordes of Black Cab drivers. Experience has told me that cabbies know their way around London's best cheap eats and I have to concur that this offers the best £10 meal in the area. I've had most things on the menu but please, please order the Karasic kebab or mixed grill from the menu which includes lamb kofte, lamb shish and chicken shish. I also really like their lamb chops. If you're really hungry order the Cyprus Mangal speciality selection which is an even bigger mixed grill however this is almost certainly excessive for lunch!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-73571569308654374082011-08-11T13:42:00.000+01:002011-08-13T13:38:58.413+01:00Review: Chula, Tachbrook Street Market, Pimlico<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.westminsterartisans.co.uk/shop/page/4?shop_param=">Tachbrook Street Marke</a>t used to be a relatively poor lunch destination in a relatively poor area of town for food. Something miraculous has happened in 2011 though as Pimlico has seemingly embraced the street food revolution. Initially the lineup was very changeable - I saw <a href="http://helengraves.co.uk/2011/03/the-dogfather-east-dulwich/">The Dogfather</a> there once who is a darling of the food blogging scene but alas seems to have written Pimlico off for some reason (come back!). There are a couple of Jerk Chicken places who never have any Jerk Chicken ready.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the other hand there is a great Thai stall, a Falafel stall that does a roaring trade, an outpost of Gastronomica the local deli and a number of other stalls that seem to rotate around but provide a great meal for around a fiver. No wonder that the local Subway is perpetually handing out vouchers at the entrance to the market.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Unfortunately I've just paid £5 for a rubbish lamb shish kebab from Tachbrook Street Market. I really should have gone to <a href="http://enthuasticaboutstuff.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-cyprus-mangal-pimlico.html">Cyprus Mangal</a> round the corner for a proper one. Alternatively I should have done what I did yesterday and pay almost the same amount of money for an Indian Burrito from <a href="http://twitter.com/Chulafusedfoods">Chula</a> (excuse the virtual dissection below but I had a tie on and didn't want to destroy it!)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2eSiFqbjTdY/TkPGX6GOfoI/AAAAAAAAARM/btfjxmgrMsY/s1600/IMG_0179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2eSiFqbjTdY/TkPGX6GOfoI/AAAAAAAAARM/btfjxmgrMsY/s640/IMG_0179.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chula Lamb Burrito</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Chula got a shout-out in <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/aug/08/treats-from-the-streets">The Guardian</a> this week and I can already see that Vinod might be on to something with his Indian Burritos. In many ways this is the culinary cousin to what is on offer at <a href="http://www.moolis.com/default.aspx">Moolis</a> in Soho - however this definitely ticks all the Burrito boxes; saucy meat, beans, rice, salad in a tortilla wrap but with a twist from the sub-continent.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On arrival you have a choice between meat or vegetarian options. When I went there was Chicken, Lamb or Paneer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9HCboUg5WHo/TkPGWq8miVI/AAAAAAAAARA/woY2p9qEXOQ/s1600/IMG_0176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9HCboUg5WHo/TkPGWq8miVI/AAAAAAAAARA/woY2p9qEXOQ/s640/IMG_0176.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrHgYK1vR6B-TKfycbCCgKdgw3bsKBJuyepjVvr03B0jvHriE8SE2hVhsNsONf1a5NPXTL-Jarp3yfPTj_0yFC4r5aggG_mTJpb6zE0YQGQKoPL9kSbobQxtSCZWmU59fbxk5dbivQQ/s1600/IMG_0177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrHgYK1vR6B-TKfycbCCgKdgw3bsKBJuyepjVvr03B0jvHriE8SE2hVhsNsONf1a5NPXTL-Jarp3yfPTj_0yFC4r5aggG_mTJpb6zE0YQGQKoPL9kSbobQxtSCZWmU59fbxk5dbivQQ/s640/IMG_0177.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As a quick bite it hits all the right notes - we already know that curry and rice is a hit combo so the addition of beans, carrot and coriander provide a great lift. The Indian Burrito is an unqualified success as Street Food. These are the flavours that make me miss living in Tooting so if you're in the Pimlico or Victoria area be sure to check it out. Here's Vinod striking a pose!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikvjBMf7DdVOLnDr1jA9XItmrf4kFOxcCgFqkrG4nAsAmz9xUdFZTDh0_u3-JVL77SYpSvCCRQT7YKYkLqZkcynmn_6JVqBKeOwPN-VFfllVkl3a4zPp0c8unwSZ74EUi47IifTiIJw/s1600/IMG_0178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikvjBMf7DdVOLnDr1jA9XItmrf4kFOxcCgFqkrG4nAsAmz9xUdFZTDh0_u3-JVL77SYpSvCCRQT7YKYkLqZkcynmn_6JVqBKeOwPN-VFfllVkl3a4zPp0c8unwSZ74EUi47IifTiIJw/s640/IMG_0178.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-16921829142619111912011-08-07T10:46:00.000+01:002011-08-07T10:46:16.392+01:00Recipe: Corn Bread<div style="text-align: justify;">I love Corn Bread - its that almost sweet, almost savoury delicious accompaniment that complements other comfort food so well. Its definitely Soul Food!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Corn Bread isn't part of of the British gastronomic portfolio - its routes lie in the Americas where the Native Americans used Maize as their staple crop before introducing it to European colonists when their unsuitable crops failed. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Unlike most bread its basically a semi-savoury cake - and can be put together very quickly to provide some hearty stodge for guests - usually involved in mopping up gravy or sauces or spread thickly with butter. Here it is accompanying Helen Graves fantastic <a href="http://helengraves.co.uk/2011/01/pork-cheek-tacos-with-blood-orange-and-chipotle/">Pork Cheek Tacos</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wY6oK85N0Dg/Tj5dNF7fDeI/AAAAAAAAAPo/x4L9IXLVlpw/s1600/IMG_7186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wY6oK85N0Dg/Tj5dNF7fDeI/AAAAAAAAAPo/x4L9IXLVlpw/s640/IMG_7186.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> I use a recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cajun-Culinary-Louisiana-Judith-Bluyser/dp/B000KHXC5I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312708302&sr=8-1">Cajun: A Culinary Tour of Louisiana by Judith Bluysen</a> which I think might be out of print. If you can get hold of a copy of this book there are some fantastic recipes in it - the author has a Cajun/Creole restaurant in Paris. I don't think this recipe is that authentic (note the addition of plain flour) but it certainly hits the spot. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Recipe for Corn Bread:</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Dry Stuff</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">235ml of Polenta</div><div style="text-align: justify;">235ml of Plain Flour</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4 tablespoons of Caster Sugar</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1.5 tbsp of Baking Power</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 tsp Salt</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 tbsp Herbes de Provence</div><div style="text-align: justify;">half tsp ground sage</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Wet Stuff</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">235ml milk</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 eggs beaten</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Other stuff</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">3.5 tbsp melted butter.</div><br />
<ol><li style="text-align: justify;">Preheat oven to 220</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Mix dry stuff in one bowl.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Mix wet stuff in another</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Pour the melted butter in a Loaf Tin ensuring its fully coated (excess butter goes in with the milk and eggs)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Mix the the dry stuff with the wet stuff. Don't be too anal - it can still be quite a little lumpy.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Pour the combined mixture into the loaf tin and bake in the oven for 11 minutes.</li>
</ol><div style="text-align: justify;">This doesn't last very long in my house. It tends to get eaten on consecutive nights as a side-dish - although next time i'm going to try spreading it with Jam or Honey for breakfast. Nom.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AkiDbVNfh64/Tj5cQvCWoWI/AAAAAAAAAPY/k2bhG8BZ51w/s1600/IMG_7179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AkiDbVNfh64/Tj5cQvCWoWI/AAAAAAAAAPY/k2bhG8BZ51w/s640/IMG_7179.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3bBjirv1UkI/Tj5dCtEvHgI/AAAAAAAAAPk/2AUEMqDxox4/s1600/IMG_7185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3bBjirv1UkI/Tj5dCtEvHgI/AAAAAAAAAPk/2AUEMqDxox4/s640/IMG_7185.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yF7o7Cycjfw/Tj5dQplrBsI/AAAAAAAAAPs/Sva5zusLlAQ/s1600/IMG_7193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yF7o7Cycjfw/Tj5dQplrBsI/AAAAAAAAAPs/Sva5zusLlAQ/s640/IMG_7193.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-35386855106421585832011-08-01T13:27:00.000+01:002011-08-03T12:15:17.867+01:00Review: The Black Swan at Ockham, Surrey and Painshill Park<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qgEZr7w6LeA/TjVxcSG4W9I/AAAAAAAAAOM/KaZlZvBiKPg/s1600/IMG_7234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qgEZr7w6LeA/TjVxcSG4W9I/AAAAAAAAAOM/KaZlZvBiKPg/s640/IMG_7234.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Black Swan at Ockham</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">After a boozy evening of what I can only describe as a bar/restaurant crawl along Maiden Lane in Covent Garden it was clear that my saturday-morning hangover was potent yet manageable. I couldn't really face an outing taking me back into the hordes of summer tourists in London but luckily the A3 is only a mile away and the Surrey Countryside outside the M25 only a 20 minute drive.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">At around 12:30pm we pulled off the A3 and down a little country lane to Ockham Common (philosophy fans - this is the birthplace of William of Ockham, the proponent of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam%27s_razor">Occam's Razor</a>).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ockham common itself used to be the site of a WW2 airfield and despite the noise of the nearby A3 it feels very quaint and rural. It would appear that the new Spielberg film War Horse filmed its battle scenes here but that isn't the only link to the cinema.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The interior of the <a href="http://www.blackswanockham.com/">Black Swan</a> was the pub in An American Werewolf in London. Don't go there now expecting them to have kept the interior faithful as it has had a full-on gastropub makeover. Even the bikers that periodically turned up looked confused so I can only assume this is a recent thing!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A really good sign was the amount of cars continually pouring into the carpark as we drove up. Most of them were serious Chelsea Tractors which in my humble experience is normally a sign of good food. After squeezing my Peugeot 206 between two behemoths we chose to sit inside to get out of the midday sun. Many people were enjoying the fantastic garden and decking area and I began to get serious food envy from the BBQ pork sandwiches that were being delivered outside. A good sign of quality inside as well - 4 real ales including the wonderful locally brewed <a href="http://www.surreyhills.co.uk/9089.html">Shere Drop</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iUlF6cpOXkM/TjV08vI60NI/AAAAAAAAAOo/Jgnwjsm68HI/s640/IMG_7235.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Meadow</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Food blogger fail #1. Never order fish and chips in a pub you intend to review and expect to write anything interesting about it - oops. On the other hand the fish was fresh, and the batter nice and crispy (with a touch of ale added I think). Tartare sauce was coarse and chunky and both this and the terrific mushy peas had a homemade vibe. The menu here was actually pretty extensive with what looked like good example of various terrines (Rabbit, Smoked Trout and Prawn etc..)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nQArY5MtKL4/TjVw_Fff8TI/AAAAAAAAAOE/6Hlft8TNGSg/s1600/IMG_7232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nQArY5MtKL4/TjVw_Fff8TI/AAAAAAAAAOE/6Hlft8TNGSg/s640/IMG_7232.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Better still was an absolutely fantastic example of Pear Tarte-Tatin with Rhubarb Ice-cream, advertised with a 15 minute wait it was well worth delaying arriving at our next destination. Fantastic caramelised pears were topped with what I think was pear-peel fried in butter which was an almost savoury counterpoint to the rest of the dish. It tasted of the countryside and I could eat it once a week for the rest of my life - it was that good.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BfLT3EFOkr0/TjVxGdDBjVI/AAAAAAAAAOI/g52L_OVBrzg/s1600/IMG_7233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BfLT3EFOkr0/TjVxGdDBjVI/AAAAAAAAAOI/g52L_OVBrzg/s640/IMG_7233.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pear Tarte-Tatin with Rhubarb Ice-cream</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Just down the road in Cobham is <a href="http://www.painshill.co.uk/">Painshill Park</a> - apparently one of the finest 18th Century Landscape Parks in the country. In a decrepit state in 1980 it was purchased by the Borough Council and a charity setup to see to its renovation and return to grandeur. For £6 or so per adult it was lovely way to walk off a heavy lunch!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pRJnTIS7SOY/TjVx_KFkWzI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/IPCogDwbHPU/s1600/IMG_7238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pRJnTIS7SOY/TjVx_KFkWzI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/IPCogDwbHPU/s640/IMG_7238.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance Bridge over the River Mole to Painshill Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DE8x-kfyR8s/TjVyJ08DePI/AAAAAAAAAOU/eLIB-4U1ajQ/s1600/IMG_7252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DE8x-kfyR8s/TjVyJ08DePI/AAAAAAAAAOU/eLIB-4U1ajQ/s640/IMG_7252.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Crystal Grotto</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcTdkTRKupHXsofTxC04uRRCO6kf82UcHYW2d6DQsTYTRxsrknUj_nNkGxEMaX_yr2JDgA5IJUHdaRsltESoFCaDbqxOPMvimADT0qIQDG1Ps34MnuHxIrNAJ58MyZdbA1-AqgOQArg/s1600/IMG_7250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcTdkTRKupHXsofTxC04uRRCO6kf82UcHYW2d6DQsTYTRxsrknUj_nNkGxEMaX_yr2JDgA5IJUHdaRsltESoFCaDbqxOPMvimADT0qIQDG1Ps34MnuHxIrNAJ58MyZdbA1-AqgOQArg/s640/IMG_7250.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The outside of the Grotto</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o6tUoITEicc/TjVy6OAHWjI/AAAAAAAAAOc/5XFLUZmiU7E/s1600/IMG_7261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o6tUoITEicc/TjVy6OAHWjI/AAAAAAAAAOc/5XFLUZmiU7E/s640/IMG_7261.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Grey Heron</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xiOSuAdW74r8fLr02Zjo-k1fxsQPxuPwPqtJ86sHWkbXAXBUljtGanHdS3VcUl4y_MAP3h87Wm0Z3cQgB_1Ul2Bvn01VrRhzqvLZYz_Dzo2aDC18NQS7Lj1PN7z_xfT1WBPtsrj3KQ/s1600/IMG_7262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xiOSuAdW74r8fLr02Zjo-k1fxsQPxuPwPqtJ86sHWkbXAXBUljtGanHdS3VcUl4y_MAP3h87Wm0Z3cQgB_1Ul2Bvn01VrRhzqvLZYz_Dzo2aDC18NQS7Lj1PN7z_xfT1WBPtsrj3KQ/s640/IMG_7262.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictures of Lillies</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9c-yQFZv63aLhZMboCC7roCBnvv4go2FRDbm8-fIYxDbEDzAri2DxPufZKADLcv8GikJDqiIsplqpKEC_NNhWhbsYM5RyGvKdpAmcrnFqD6zDbO4N8_M8n5-0dZWYIKvZgsyqzPRHQ/s1600/IMG_7290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9c-yQFZv63aLhZMboCC7roCBnvv4go2FRDbm8-fIYxDbEDzAri2DxPufZKADLcv8GikJDqiIsplqpKEC_NNhWhbsYM5RyGvKdpAmcrnFqD6zDbO4N8_M8n5-0dZWYIKvZgsyqzPRHQ/s640/IMG_7290.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-38066119563545433892011-07-31T15:50:00.000+01:002011-08-01T13:28:35.443+01:00Review: Beas of Bloomsbury<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xo7uOiddfOA/TjVkVwS3bdI/AAAAAAAAANw/GYuuKaKAlEw/s1600/IMG_7215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xo7uOiddfOA/TjVkVwS3bdI/AAAAAAAAANw/GYuuKaKAlEw/s640/IMG_7215.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beas of Bloomsbury Afternoon Tea</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">My wife has been hassling me to take her to afternoon tea for months. Its not something I generally spend my week lusting over - my tastes tend to lean towards the savoury and a whole meal of desserts always seems unbalanced to me somehow.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I admit to having had a great time at <a href="http://www.the-berkeley.co.uk/fashionista_tea.aspx">Pret a Portea at the Berkeley</a> a couple of years ago - but you're talking about £50 a head and even though its a great experience it is far too expensive to repeat on a regular interval.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As it turns out I have been following <a href="http://www.beasofbloomsbury.com/">Beas of Bloomsbury</a> for some time on Twitter and on occasion have teased my wife with the resultant food porn. Given we were going to subsequently walk down to Borough Market, it seemed a great opportunity to check out their venue near St. Pauls and chill out over some nice cakes and a pot of tea before walking along the South Bank. Quite surprisingly this area was actually buzzing and all the shops were open which is unusual for The City on a Saturday afternoon.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Beas of Bloomsbury is located in the new development at Cheapside called One New Change. Many voices called it a carbunkle of an ugly building facing the classic architecture of St. Pauls cathedral but I actually thought it fitted in quite nicely with the surrounding area. A neighbour of Jamie Oliver's much-maligned Barbecoa restaurant, Beas of Bloomsbury itself is a marvel of design, skillfully wrapped around a corner of the building to make the best use of the available space.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Swiftly seated we were passed the extensive Tea menu from which I chose my favourite - an Assam and my wife chose a pot of Rooibos tea. Before the tea and cakes arrived we were delivered a set of sandwiches; ham and briee, and goats cheese and carrot which were perfectly acceptable preparation for what was to come without overshadowing the main event.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e8vfkY1piPw/TjVkb_kRekI/AAAAAAAAAN0/v2rb4qS4DKI/s1600/IMG_7216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e8vfkY1piPw/TjVkb_kRekI/AAAAAAAAAN0/v2rb4qS4DKI/s640/IMG_7216.JPG" width="640" /></a>The rest of the platter includes two scones with jam and cream, a selection of brownies, cakes and meringues and finally two cupcakes which from memory were Raspberry and Chocolate, and Red Velvet.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z2Qyh2ytY1Y/TjVkckJf6AI/AAAAAAAAAN4/yqLoMp34itE/s1600/IMG_7219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z2Qyh2ytY1Y/TjVkckJf6AI/AAAAAAAAAN4/yqLoMp34itE/s640/IMG_7219.JPG" width="640" /></a>The brownies were particularly good but the stars of the show were the cupcakes which my dining companion insisted were split absolutely equally. I always feel the desire to practically inhale cupcakes but these were particularly good examples and I did force myself to take it slowly!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">All of this came to only £15/head which is great value for something different of a weekend. With a great, central location and with great food and good value I think we will be back soon - and it may become the regular outing that the cost of other Afternoon Teas precludes.</div>Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-88144494140443403952011-07-23T12:05:00.000+01:002011-08-01T14:26:03.551+01:00Recipe: Sourdough Bread<div style="text-align: justify;">Meet Sidney! Sidney is a new family pet that needs nurturing and feeding but provides us with a yummy reward once a week or so. Sidney is technically not singular though - in reality he (or they) is a symbiotic ecosystem consisting of yeast and lactobacillus bacteria.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hwR8_S9CVgc/TiqZGxG3_AI/AAAAAAAAAMg/BJka-N2ZLAE/s1600/IMG_7158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hwR8_S9CVgc/TiqZGxG3_AI/AAAAAAAAAMg/BJka-N2ZLAE/s640/IMG_7158.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sourdough Starter</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Sidney is a sourdough starter - a combination of flour and water left to ferment. Its how we all used to eat leavened bread before a byproduct of the brewing industry called Barm and subsequently industrially produced yeast allowed us to take shortcuts. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have to say - it is a massive faff. The end-result is particularly satisfying but you really need to start thinking about making this bread 2 days before you need it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Recipe for Sourdough</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Make a starter.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">First Mix 100g of Strong Bread Flour with enough warm water in a bowl to make a thick batter (like pancake batter). I used Wholemeal Bread Flour. Give it a good whisk with a whisk or fork then cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Keep checking it every few hours - you should see the magic begin to happen. The yeast that lives in the flour will start to create some bubbles. For me this took about 12 hours but it could be quicker - or even longer for some starters. It all depends on the environment of your kitchen.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Next whisk in another 100g of Strong Bread Flour and enough cold water to maintain the consistency. Every day for at least 1 week you need to throw away half the starter and add 100g of Bread Flour and enough water to keep the consistency consistent. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">After a week it should smell quite sour (but not unpleasant). I even used to find a layer of brown liquid on top - this is called Hooch and can be stirred back in. At this point you COULD put the starter in the fridge - once a week it needs to be taken out and 'fed' - including spending 24 hours at room temperature.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>2. Making the dough</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The morning of the day before you want a loaf combine 100ml of your starter with 250g Strong White Bread Flour (organic if possible) and 275-300ml of warm water. This is called a 'sponge'</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H4sQzliuAT0/TiqZBBX9LLI/AAAAAAAAAMc/CHJYo78f29U/s1600/IMG_7159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H4sQzliuAT0/TiqZBBX9LLI/AAAAAAAAAMc/CHJYo78f29U/s640/IMG_7159.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Cover with clingfilm and leave all-day. It should be seriously bubbling by the evening.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L2ZaVbDhC_Y/TiqZHncOqnI/AAAAAAAAAMk/6hz2ezZuOmE/s1600/IMG_7160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L2ZaVbDhC_Y/TiqZHncOqnI/AAAAAAAAAMk/6hz2ezZuOmE/s640/IMG_7160.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The morning</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_O5Eqrt_X-bQHNdbmD0n7khkG0J_RhRDggWYZf6lycCv-GqZDbmteAEM5xIL4aKoqcRgCfqe8B7M6mJ-zaxyidfm9Uok9ED8djbwDA79keQQQPzqsigOvpHqZzSGU0wyw7lmGqCySZA/s1600/IMG_7187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_O5Eqrt_X-bQHNdbmD0n7khkG0J_RhRDggWYZf6lycCv-GqZDbmteAEM5xIL4aKoqcRgCfqe8B7M6mJ-zaxyidfm9Uok9ED8djbwDA79keQQQPzqsigOvpHqZzSGU0wyw7lmGqCySZA/s640/IMG_7187.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The evening - definitely fermenting</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<ul><li><br />
</li>
<li><br />
</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
<br />
<ul><li><br />
</li>
<li><br />
</li>
<li><br />
</li>
</ul>Now you need to add 300g of Strong White Bread Flour to the sponge and mash everything together with your hands - you're looking for the dough to be slimy to the touch so more water may be required.<br />
<br />
Flour a surface and knead the dough for a good 10 minutes. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SlAUyMQ3YHI/TiqZt4BqEzI/AAAAAAAAAMs/CIyZojXVE60/s1600/IMG_7188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SlAUyMQ3YHI/TiqZt4BqEzI/AAAAAAAAAMs/CIyZojXVE60/s640/IMG_7188.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fx59ImV2TB4/TiqaIYRf84I/AAAAAAAAAM0/skUIJmmiWEw/s1600/IMG_7191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fx59ImV2TB4/TiqaIYRf84I/AAAAAAAAAM0/skUIJmmiWEw/s640/IMG_7191.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">When you've kneaded out any lumps and dough feels quite smooth and silky then place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm. Leave overnight.</div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90Z7KGbEAZNzDQVQd0XYLurkQfZzHmVK8dUSEgt_zbipjAuAGg7lnjKlzbwGu3B-oPuTcI0fWDCu061x4A9NeLoND5wL5e4tInOh2BBE62vY86ENx0bB60y5Wkt4ATbO-1eFe5g2Xsg/s1600/IMG_7192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90Z7KGbEAZNzDQVQd0XYLurkQfZzHmVK8dUSEgt_zbipjAuAGg7lnjKlzbwGu3B-oPuTcI0fWDCu061x4A9NeLoND5wL5e4tInOh2BBE62vY86ENx0bB60y5Wkt4ATbO-1eFe5g2Xsg/s640/IMG_7192.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dough pre-rise.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-thHtf_W_xg8/TiqaUzmGYQI/AAAAAAAAAM8/qduESJpoXM4/s1600/IMG_7198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-thHtf_W_xg8/TiqaUzmGYQI/AAAAAAAAAM8/qduESJpoXM4/s640/IMG_7198.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Risen dough</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The following morning that dough should have risen/expanded considerably. Now you want to knock the dough back by vigorously punching it to get rid of the air.<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Shape the dough into a round ball and place it into a bowl lined with a floured tea-towel.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-soMFbB1FJSw/TiqapysqIdI/AAAAAAAAANA/XpYAX4vTHkU/s1600/IMG_7203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-soMFbB1FJSw/TiqapysqIdI/AAAAAAAAANA/XpYAX4vTHkU/s640/IMG_7203.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pre-heat your oven to 80c then open the door for 30 seconds. Place the bowl into the oven for 3 hours and close the door.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GCsvzZdaX1E/Tiqa5QWBscI/AAAAAAAAANE/XvYaQkuSUgI/s1600/IMG_7207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GCsvzZdaX1E/Tiqa5QWBscI/AAAAAAAAANE/XvYaQkuSUgI/s640/IMG_7207.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dough after secondary rise</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Baking the loaf.</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br />
</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Preheat a backing tray in an oven to 250c or as high as it will go. When it hits temperature place a roasting dish of boiling water on the bottom of the oven to create the humid atmosphere you need. At the same time remove the backing sheet, apply a liberal sprinkling of flour and dump your dough upside-down onto it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I didn't do this but its worth scoring the top fo the dough with a bread knife so it cracks gracefully!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Let it bake for 15 mins at 250c followed by 25 minutes at 200c, allow to cool then slice and enjoy. Sourdough last considerably longer than most bread before going mouldy or stale. In fact I have just enjoyed the last two slices for breakfast 6 days later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtTk8-5OCA-5e1SIu4a-dHbPQVM1j9yrmeBMZxARmoo0NbsSqvwzwSoXrvMleAlJ2zyEVY9BD_WxlsdBSRD8lVJYgcpTgk9w5ZnhP2sJWOVtevBPZu-IGi6Pz7y6OzOV1ISMw0Uh7iJg/s1600/IMG_7211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtTk8-5OCA-5e1SIu4a-dHbPQVM1j9yrmeBMZxARmoo0NbsSqvwzwSoXrvMleAlJ2zyEVY9BD_WxlsdBSRD8lVJYgcpTgk9w5ZnhP2sJWOVtevBPZu-IGi6Pz7y6OzOV1ISMw0Uh7iJg/s640/IMG_7211.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HNLi-I03DsM/TiqbXVpXgbI/AAAAAAAAANM/iXpQxts7mfc/s1600/IMG_7212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HNLi-I03DsM/TiqbXVpXgbI/AAAAAAAAANM/iXpQxts7mfc/s640/IMG_7212.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G9jmPMqL2Vk/TiqbZR14wsI/AAAAAAAAANQ/Uf8wkATfcOA/s1600/IMG_7214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G9jmPMqL2Vk/TiqbZR14wsI/AAAAAAAAANQ/Uf8wkATfcOA/s640/IMG_7214.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-40572366090549823342011-07-17T10:19:00.000+01:002011-07-17T13:52:04.674+01:00My Cocktail Hobby and Cocktails for Men #1: The Martini<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l1BsyGf5rMw/TiHVjtUc3iI/AAAAAAAAALQ/sua8rrEFHXY/s1600/IMG_7162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l1BsyGf5rMw/TiHVjtUc3iI/AAAAAAAAALQ/sua8rrEFHXY/s400/IMG_7162.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tools of the Trade</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">I was bought a cocktail mixer for christmas which was a bit of a surprise. I like the odd cocktail but as a card-carrying member of <a href="http://www.camra.org.uk/">CAMRA</a> it was beer that was my tipple of choice.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the cold, depressing months of January I discovered an old Cocktail book my wife bought nearly ten years ago and began to devour the history and culture that surrounded the invention of the cocktail in America in the 19th Century. It didn't hurt that suddenly prohibition-era speak-easies became all the rage in London at places like <a href="http://experimentalcocktailclublondon.com/">The Experimental Cocktail Club</a> and <a href="http://www.purl-london.com/">Purl</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I quickly began trying all sorts of recipes - helped by the fact that my wife doesn't really like anything that really tastes of spirits hence the requirement to make 2 at a time. Every trip to Waitrose became just that little bit more expensive when that extra bottle of Vermouth or Cointreau snuck into the shopping basket. Six months later I now have a pretty well stocked cocktail cabinet which is a significant investment in both time and money! Luckily there are some items that you go through quickly and some that last for months - its mainly the base spirits like Vodka, Gin, Bourbon, Brandy and White and Dark Rum that go quickly (or even more quickly if my father gets to them - and he drinks them neat...)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I recommend a good read of the <a href="http://12bottlebar.com/">12 Bottle Bar website</a> if you're looking to build up a cabinet - although you may have to adapt your bottles based on what you can find in your local supermarket. If you want to go on a quest then I do recommend <a href="http://www.gerrys.uk.com/quotes.aspx">Gerry's on Old Compton Street</a> which is a veritable treasure trove. I had to go here to find Orange Bitters for instance.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Over time though I began to realise that I was gravitating towards the real classics; the Martini, the Manhattan, the Sazerac. It was these pre-1930's flavours that really rocked my boat - especially anything with the addition of Bitters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So onto the Martini - my aperitif of choice these days. There are two main ingredients; Gin and Vermouth although the <a href="http://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktail-results.jsp?id=2054&sortBy=name&">Vodka Martini </a>is also popular. Something you can live your life by though is that Gin is almost always better than Vodka :-)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I take my Martini dry - which means Dry Vermouth. This seems to make the Gin sing more than a Perfect Martini (mix of dry and sweet vermouth). I also take my Martini stirred not shaken (the distinction seems to be both aesthetic and to do with the level of dilution from the icecubes). The key thing is to ensure that the glass and the liquid are both ice-cold.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Some people take their Martini so dry that only the ice get seasoned (otherwise known as an In-and-Out Martini). On a whim I had a go.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Recipe for an In-and-Out Martini.</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul><li>Fill Martini Glass with Ice and pour over a good dash of Dry Vermouth. This 'seasons' the ice.</li>
</ul><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AKyRGzwWPMY/TiHU-m4JfLI/AAAAAAAAALE/JAeFd_e-b2g/s1600/IMG_7166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AKyRGzwWPMY/TiHU-m4JfLI/AAAAAAAAALE/JAeFd_e-b2g/s640/IMG_7166.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vermouth-seasoned ice.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul><li>Fill an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_fashioned_glass">Old-Fashioned Glass</a> with 4 or 5 icecubes and pour in 2 shots or 50ml of gin.</li>
<li>Stir the gin glass for a quick count of 100</li>
<li>Throw out(!) the 'vermouth-y' ice and strain the contents of the Old-Fashioned Glass into the the Martini Glass</li>
<li>Garnish with either a Cocktail Olive or peel a small amount of skin from a Lemon and drop into the glass. Make sure to squeeze the lemon peel so you get to the oil locked inside.</li>
</ul><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kFnJ6b7ewNFfp9owxyMKNf5hJr-lbeUjVQqF3cKT8Id0Q25AyT4LxCd_tcFxBzxIFslwEKyjWBXbY-5VhzFTzis2qGgNJ80MOdQq_UjyHXtknvqGwydUZySnQWhW36e2gJm3jcz9ww/s1600/IMG_7170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kFnJ6b7ewNFfp9owxyMKNf5hJr-lbeUjVQqF3cKT8Id0Q25AyT4LxCd_tcFxBzxIFslwEKyjWBXbY-5VhzFTzis2qGgNJ80MOdQq_UjyHXtknvqGwydUZySnQWhW36e2gJm3jcz9ww/s640/IMG_7170.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An In-and-Out Martini</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div>Verdict: Not my cup-of-tea. Gin-heavy with not much added by the Vermouth although I suppose if all you want to taste is the Gin then this might rock your world.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I'm going to stick with my favourite method - I'm afraid I do like to taste the Vermouth.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b><u>Recipe for a Dry Martini, stirred-not-shaken.</u></b></div><div><br />
</div><div><ul><li>Fill a Martini glass with Ice and Water and leave to chill</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-32xHMu5zW6U/TiHT733uNgI/AAAAAAAAAKs/xT9aAen_Ac0/s1600/IMG_7182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-32xHMu5zW6U/TiHT733uNgI/AAAAAAAAAKs/xT9aAen_Ac0/s640/IMG_7182.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div><br />
</div></div><div><ul><li>Pour 50ml or 2 shots of Gin, 3/4 of a shot of Dry Vermouth and a dash of Orange Bitters into an Old-Fashioned Glass. You can omit the bitters if you don't have them but I like the herby edge it gives the drink.</li>
<li>Add 4 or 5 icecubes to the glass and stir for a quick count of 100.</li>
<li>Throw the ice and water in the martini glass away and strain the contents of the Old-Fashioned glass into the Martini glass.</li>
<li>Garnish with squeezed lemon peel.</li>
</ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pcNKksX-SR4/TiHUAN_f_1I/AAAAAAAAAK0/PxTCQWJPI50/s1600/IMG_7183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pcNKksX-SR4/TiHUAN_f_1I/AAAAAAAAAK0/PxTCQWJPI50/s640/IMG_7183.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dry Martini</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>It's also worth mentioning the gin I've started using. <a href="http://www.sipsmith.com/">Sipsmiths</a> is a microdistillery launched in the last few years in London - the first new distillery in 189 years in the capital. Given that London dry Gin is part of our heritage and this is a great example of the type I strongly encourage you to hunt it down and give it a go (I found it in Waitrose)</div></div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gqCEm8PykUo/TiHVI_MBOiI/AAAAAAAAALI/RntfDx7gJ0I/s1600/IMG_7163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gqCEm8PykUo/TiHVI_MBOiI/AAAAAAAAALI/RntfDx7gJ0I/s640/IMG_7163.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sipsmith London Dry Gin</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
</div>Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-73213235654059187952011-07-16T10:48:00.000+01:002011-07-16T15:46:11.793+01:00RHS Garden, Wisley<div style="text-align: justify;">Severe cabin fever in January and unfamiliarly with our new surroundings in Surrey led to a bought of googling to find somewhere to get some fresh air. <a href="http://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley">The Royal Horticultural Society gardens at Wisley</a> seemed to pop up as good suggestion and given that its just a quick 20 minute blast down the A3 I thought a visit would be in order. Subsequently I was told that it was one of my late Grandmother's favourite places in the world which added a degree of magic for me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">For those of you based in London I'd suggest Wisley is well worth a visit - its not quite on the scale of Kew Gardens but its not far off (its the second-most visited garden in the UK). Within the last few years they've also put up a new Glasshouse with temperate, desert and tropical zones. In early January the gardens were looking barren - however the RHS runs an annual Butterfly show in the Glasshouse which gave my wife the perfect chance to test out the new zoom lens on her DSLR.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFB5yDRWhufeafXHO6_SQKhNmZvzHVubNLkJ3q4Q_BnW_durI3l_4a1kPDVUPhLnh7Y2u8_vy8VmJRTNS7ZSwslIzq0TzNcP-soyt4-SQzHgCoR8Q4JL0MGkI34b5VmZWoGFV4_JkAUA/s1600/RHSGlasshouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFB5yDRWhufeafXHO6_SQKhNmZvzHVubNLkJ3q4Q_BnW_durI3l_4a1kPDVUPhLnh7Y2u8_vy8VmJRTNS7ZSwslIzq0TzNcP-soyt4-SQzHgCoR8Q4JL0MGkI34b5VmZWoGFV4_JkAUA/s640/RHSGlasshouse.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wisley Glasshouse</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oVsx4Mdsehw/TiFZ85viqnI/AAAAAAAAAKE/5mNLViKM9H4/s1600/IMG_5307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oVsx4Mdsehw/TiFZ85viqnI/AAAAAAAAAKE/5mNLViKM9H4/s640/IMG_5307.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdqLk_nxeYCa2KgqTZIiK7d7xL2vd59ZivFzLx69SLPO4Z0gPxX9gjbbX__wUmycbrlbev9pk6HuuHY9aeqfGMnu-HBr9sVH1r_5y6SkMCDgkjgV8h8rLMnXKM716HlUwsFFlkpqeDg/s1600/IMG_5351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdqLk_nxeYCa2KgqTZIiK7d7xL2vd59ZivFzLx69SLPO4Z0gPxX9gjbbX__wUmycbrlbev9pk6HuuHY9aeqfGMnu-HBr9sVH1r_5y6SkMCDgkjgV8h8rLMnXKM716HlUwsFFlkpqeDg/s640/IMG_5351.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S0d_bPL6BgM/TiFa_bqkn4I/AAAAAAAAAKY/p6vj4wSqHq4/s1600/IMG_5348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S0d_bPL6BgM/TiFa_bqkn4I/AAAAAAAAAKY/p6vj4wSqHq4/s640/IMG_5348.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A further visit on an absolutely scorching day in April showed the gardens and the flowers in their spring glory. I think many plants were out particularly early because of the fantastic weather we had in Spring - its a shame it hasn't continued into Summer (yet).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWO84jh3hNGJg0qmQTyQ4pTByijpo-udMKTxRYEVh0cMsTeKi7OKcVluCLPOX-5RY_mh_kLmTduc5LL4KRci1ZvSYVJRM4r23ITLaSU8w0IZmtBoYOBtaMPszgOsuOcgsKksiAW1sdw/s1600/IMG_5359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWO84jh3hNGJg0qmQTyQ4pTByijpo-udMKTxRYEVh0cMsTeKi7OKcVluCLPOX-5RY_mh_kLmTduc5LL4KRci1ZvSYVJRM4r23ITLaSU8w0IZmtBoYOBtaMPszgOsuOcgsKksiAW1sdw/s640/IMG_5359.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5FgXFWLm0gM/TiFaIfCHw3I/AAAAAAAAAKI/QMkSMXos30E/s1600/IMG_5895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5FgXFWLm0gM/TiFaIfCHw3I/AAAAAAAAAKI/QMkSMXos30E/s640/IMG_5895.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wgu0cpbZ0j4/TiFZODRz8uI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/zvyWZ0xqK7Y/s1600/IMG_5914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wgu0cpbZ0j4/TiFZODRz8uI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/zvyWZ0xqK7Y/s640/IMG_5914.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3a6m8eAGaoI/TiFZN2A5dJI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/QWwoMfDg_UU/s1600/IMG_5919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3a6m8eAGaoI/TiFZN2A5dJI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/QWwoMfDg_UU/s640/IMG_5919.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5O7FTnyYfDw/TiFZLp4OZGI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/c7zebL2iKWQ/s1600/IMG_5907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5O7FTnyYfDw/TiFZLp4OZGI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/c7zebL2iKWQ/s640/IMG_5907.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOtpjy271cPEYCBs-raZULnsgA7QZJRVuexR3_nFWWsMkWzrrH7UGauthb-Mwp8Bkn-sbhWAycMGfFPH2jLS5snLXDiWNdcnIe9E6SRG3wlu9WK5JHNSKHp3txZrgaSfFnLqVVXqmqA/s1600/IMG_5924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOtpjy271cPEYCBs-raZULnsgA7QZJRVuexR3_nFWWsMkWzrrH7UGauthb-Mwp8Bkn-sbhWAycMGfFPH2jLS5snLXDiWNdcnIe9E6SRG3wlu9WK5JHNSKHp3txZrgaSfFnLqVVXqmqA/s640/IMG_5924.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrbSEIL4MhEHWDZ0VeKeR3dV9ZmYvB7F5hiiQweaS-LFgzYBZlAr8aUkVMxm7fMBRMkKl4CKCFQUmkj0XK5avTl5bQbSzK_pOGFuay1DZklpAcI2qcHQLS57ymWWyBTd4DpKltwrBzzg/s1600/IMG_5930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrbSEIL4MhEHWDZ0VeKeR3dV9ZmYvB7F5hiiQweaS-LFgzYBZlAr8aUkVMxm7fMBRMkKl4CKCFQUmkj0XK5avTl5bQbSzK_pOGFuay1DZklpAcI2qcHQLS57ymWWyBTd4DpKltwrBzzg/s640/IMG_5930.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nu10chOsPf8/TiFX78oLBXI/AAAAAAAAAJo/YrEyjIo6_DI/s1600/IMG_5943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nu10chOsPf8/TiFX78oLBXI/AAAAAAAAAJo/YrEyjIo6_DI/s640/IMG_5943.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jQxS_Q1JQ70/TiFX9kCzBoI/AAAAAAAAAJs/4N7icbcqpfk/s1600/IMG_5939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jQxS_Q1JQ70/TiFX9kCzBoI/AAAAAAAAAJs/4N7icbcqpfk/s640/IMG_5939.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-44785862013784914712011-07-14T12:25:00.000+01:002011-08-01T14:03:53.946+01:00Review: Pitt Cue BBQ Company and Other stuff<div style="text-align: justify;">Oops - no new posts for a while but I do have a couple of ideas I'm working on :-)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Its worth mentioning my Tumblr Account for those of you that use that service - I'm dumping a few microposts in there that might evolve into full posts in the future.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://enthusiasticaboutstuff.tumblr.com/">http://enthusiasticaboutstuff.tumblr.com/</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A good example is the below. Pitt Cue BBQ company is based under Hungerford Bridge near Waterloo for the summer and would be worth a full review if only the entire food blogging world had not got there first and taken a decent camera instead of relying on an old Iphone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I heard of it via posts from <a href="http://helengraves.co.uk/2011/05/pitt-cue-co-southbank/">Food Stories</a> , <a href="http://cheesenbiscuits.blogspot.com/2011/06/pitt-cue-co-southbank.html">Cheese and Biscuits</a> and <a href="http://lizzieeatslondon.blogspot.com/2011/05/pitt-cue-co-southbank.html">Hollow Legs </a>which you should definitely read for more detail.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">My thoughts? I tried a Pabst Blue Ribbon (£4) due to all the hipster references in US Media (its popularity is based on its '<a href="http://www.nbclosangeles.com/the-scene/food-drink/Pabst-Blue-Ribbon-Now-More-Popular-Than-Ever-Sorry-Hipsters-59575967.html">authenticity' and blue-collar connotation</a>s). It tastes like Bud Light.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Much, much better was the Kernel Pale Ale (£4) that I could enjoy for its hoppy-taste and lack of counter-cultural pretension.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br />
</span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Pickleback shots and beer at Pitt Cue" src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lobcqtTvqt1qggtleo1_500.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Pickleback, hipster beer and complementary pork scratchings</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">A Pickleback is a shot of whisky followed by a shot of pickle juice. The sweetness of the pickle juice does actually take the edge of the whisky and complement the flavours better than I expected. Its just a bit of fun really though like a Tequila Slammer. See my Pickleback face below!</span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="My pickleback face" src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lobcw40YCz1qggtleo1_500.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pickleback face!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small; line-height: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I grabbed myself a box of Pulled Pork, pickles and BBQ beans with a nice hunk of Sourdough (£7). Excellent stuff, nice and simple, well-executed and worth the trip if you're commuting into/out of Waterloo or wandering along the South Bank.</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pulled Pork at Pitt Cue" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lobcskTqju1qggtleo1_500.png" /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"></span></span>Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-80519569285768853852011-07-07T12:54:00.000+01:002011-07-08T12:36:02.085+01:00Outdoor Spaces in Elmbridge<div style="text-align: justify;">I like little more in life than setting off for a nice long hike - but sometimes I just want a quick blast of fresh air in my lungs. This is what my parents refer to as a 'blow-through' and typically as children this involved a trip to the coast or some kind of National Trust Garden.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When I lived in Tooting my go-to place was Battersea Park. It had landscaped areas, lawns and the Peace Mile along the river to enjoy as well a number of nice little lunch options nearby.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since moving to Walton-on-Thames we've been trying to explore the local area a bit (in between building flat-pack furniture) but seeing as we are around 2 miles from the Thames we're actually spent a bit of time at West End and the Esher Commons as well as Hersham Riverside Park.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">West End is actually the 'west end' of Esher although since it has its own Wikipedia entry I'm happy to refer to it as it is. Its a small village surrounding a cricket square and pond with a half decent pub called The Prince of Wales and a cracking Garden Centre, Pick-you-own farm and farm-shop at <a href="http://www.garsons.co.uk/">Garsons</a>. This area can be damp as the water table is quite high due to West End being criss-crossed with little streams and ponds (and backing onto the River Mole)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Esher Commons</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">After my bout of Swine Flu between Christmas and New Year it was to West-End and the Esher Commons that I was dragged after a week of not leaving the house. There is a great map and leaflet for this area that be <a href="http://www.elmbridge.gov.uk/leisure/countryside/discover.htm">downloaded directly from the Council website</a> but actually in truth you would benefit from an Ordinance Survey map of the area if possible (although we went in January hence the unseasonal pictures - the lack of people contributed to us feeling a little lost)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There is an interesting route which takes you alongside the River Mole called The Ledges. From here you have an unusual elevated view of the river for quite some distance before you cut back down from West End Common to Esher Common.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m_p6mJ2lPp4/ThWZtqIM1aI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/4UNkKB4dO94/s1600/IMG_5190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m_p6mJ2lPp4/ThWZtqIM1aI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/4UNkKB4dO94/s640/IMG_5190.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fungus at West End Common</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjB7dIawihrjb_pI0d87An6RU_i6rodB1eqXhWywCmsp92rRpdA6UvJq2_824kQAsNB8cvwhKJKV3LsLbrlZiTGBTxe708wDqJlFtT3Ao3JgRX18Fo212jf2cAj8-34ImUO9JUJn0sQ/s1600/IMG_5193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjB7dIawihrjb_pI0d87An6RU_i6rodB1eqXhWywCmsp92rRpdA6UvJq2_824kQAsNB8cvwhKJKV3LsLbrlZiTGBTxe708wDqJlFtT3Ao3JgRX18Fo212jf2cAj8-34ImUO9JUJn0sQ/s640/IMG_5193.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preserved by snow?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--y0hxl-4OfE/ThWVYMW_53I/AAAAAAAAAGI/QjdxKDConcM/s1600/IMG_5192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--y0hxl-4OfE/ThWVYMW_53I/AAAAAAAAAGI/QjdxKDConcM/s640/IMG_5192.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ledges, West End Common</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JOKY2uHW07Q/ThWY6HWKBqI/AAAAAAAAAG8/p-c1OR4BqZI/s1600/IMG_5194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JOKY2uHW07Q/ThWY6HWKBqI/AAAAAAAAAG8/p-c1OR4BqZI/s640/IMG_5194.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tenuous grip on the land</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Esher Common itself is dominated by Black Pond - a surprisingly remote-looking body of water if you can manage to filter out the noise of the nearby A3. There is an easy access trail from the road near Claremont Landscape Gardens with a number of explanatory signs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IGybS1Fl_hA/ThWVuJ87GlI/AAAAAAAAAGM/lhFgoJBk-dg/s1600/IMG_5238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IGybS1Fl_hA/ThWVuJ87GlI/AAAAAAAAAGM/lhFgoJBk-dg/s640/IMG_5238.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Pond, Esher Common</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ekUvw53ntik/ThWU7ThXgqI/AAAAAAAAAGA/UbgKAzuOauw/s1600/IMG_5223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ekUvw53ntik/ThWU7ThXgqI/AAAAAAAAAGA/UbgKAzuOauw/s640/IMG_5223.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A festive tree on Esher Common</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2uzU1FbM5r-uiC_2YLtGFQM9p_VOjN5PvXxdbZjBBgzXa1hvKGGFAJ7RSfwaE2h-rIWb-BejrpeDb4IAB_e3MIH7efdMIw6Si-5QFgJvQLUMZfjX4CYgHD2HnZolBJJcNKdczfKE8tg/s1600/IMG_5281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2uzU1FbM5r-uiC_2YLtGFQM9p_VOjN5PvXxdbZjBBgzXa1hvKGGFAJ7RSfwaE2h-rIWb-BejrpeDb4IAB_e3MIH7efdMIw6Si-5QFgJvQLUMZfjX4CYgHD2HnZolBJJcNKdczfKE8tg/s640/IMG_5281.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More fungus - Esher Common</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b><u><a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-claremontlandscapegarden">Claremont Landscape Garden.</a></u></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b><u><br />
</u></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">This is a very well maintained and landscaped space and particularly good value if you are already a National Trust Member. If you are not it will set you back about £6 each for an hours stroll.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">This seemed a particular favourite for families with young children picnic-ing by the lake.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMlvmR9njpW7JS3a3Pvs7TEuUl3nrxCaolfp8hZrX2YGrnXciXkCWt1_fHnPKHt0wTR1orsCWNbRLdVWeQWg5mYBOXwATTf0UgrGgCzSL-YV-1A5Ilqe17ZJsV6hxHhYoVIyiGVG7-w/s1600/IMG_6459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMlvmR9njpW7JS3a3Pvs7TEuUl3nrxCaolfp8hZrX2YGrnXciXkCWt1_fHnPKHt0wTR1orsCWNbRLdVWeQWg5mYBOXwATTf0UgrGgCzSL-YV-1A5Ilqe17ZJsV6hxHhYoVIyiGVG7-w/s640/IMG_6459.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from above the Amphitheatre</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_kHE9_f5ajQ/ThWSX5gdqmI/AAAAAAAAAFo/C6mqAnZUjks/s1600/IMG_6471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_kHE9_f5ajQ/ThWSX5gdqmI/AAAAAAAAAFo/C6mqAnZUjks/s640/IMG_6471.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belvedere Tower</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g4KWiU-V3LY/ThWSIiNwyDI/AAAAAAAAAFk/Q5tG3D9E3W0/s1600/IMG_6463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g4KWiU-V3LY/ThWSIiNwyDI/AAAAAAAAAFk/Q5tG3D9E3W0/s640/IMG_6463.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q1SSGDKcPh8/ThWRXZ0ybtI/AAAAAAAAAFc/vbzTMHOZcZU/s1600/IMG_6473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q1SSGDKcPh8/ThWRXZ0ybtI/AAAAAAAAAFc/vbzTMHOZcZU/s640/IMG_6473.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8XmijRZDnjA/ThWRIyhhRII/AAAAAAAAAFY/HYpEbVL7yLY/s1600/IMG_6481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8XmijRZDnjA/ThWRIyhhRII/AAAAAAAAAFY/HYpEbVL7yLY/s640/IMG_6481.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_MkYVF8YBKM/ThWRGgKcpcI/AAAAAAAAAFU/h3Sf-CpvEmc/s1600/IMG_6475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_MkYVF8YBKM/ThWRGgKcpcI/AAAAAAAAAFU/h3Sf-CpvEmc/s640/IMG_6475.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IdRo5OrhROM/ThWQbi1JVJI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/QQp6snm9TYY/s1600/IMG_6486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IdRo5OrhROM/ThWQbi1JVJI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/QQp6snm9TYY/s640/IMG_6486.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OJDEpka28FA/ThWP148gKzI/AAAAAAAAAFI/8eey2EHBD_I/s1600/IMG_6492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OJDEpka28FA/ThWP148gKzI/AAAAAAAAAFI/8eey2EHBD_I/s640/IMG_6492.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Hersham Riverside Park.</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The easiest access here is behind the Waitrose carpark in the village centre. While this is a very short walk (its not a 'destination'), it is very convenient and surprisingly peaceful.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UawF8Web8jI/ThWZewA3-YI/AAAAAAAAAHI/RY55EnUUwUQ/s1600/IMG_3945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UawF8Web8jI/ThWZewA3-YI/AAAAAAAAAHI/RY55EnUUwUQ/s640/IMG_3945.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4neSvjockj8/ThWZ6mb5LiI/AAAAAAAAAHU/Wffhs7Y92OI/s1600/IMG_3950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4neSvjockj8/ThWZ6mb5LiI/AAAAAAAAAHU/Wffhs7Y92OI/s640/IMG_3950.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRWr9wsWagSgotekTSPvO4uEyuLCUBreoVPo2obc-G7bDc5NM5XLgzNd8yAV7Q7XTxTunYFoe94vXPZ6vtW3C0ulnBOxHBJ2yutKzNZWCr0lyChMab4U9gapg307dpXQwjoelIQdvww/s1600/IMG_3948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRWr9wsWagSgotekTSPvO4uEyuLCUBreoVPo2obc-G7bDc5NM5XLgzNd8yAV7Q7XTxTunYFoe94vXPZ6vtW3C0ulnBOxHBJ2yutKzNZWCr0lyChMab4U9gapg307dpXQwjoelIQdvww/s640/IMG_3948.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-CyDFFgTI348nZc9Zu_CJ8kP0D5HPGctxf1bC92g25ExZ5pap4V2184ZRWmiikAqz677qsqDwXEYQL5mL5aR7dXuKsMLv1gGUMuCX7g0-yY_Baz96EO7iOYDMBRysgfFAsRtAc_3IA/s1600/IMG_3944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-CyDFFgTI348nZc9Zu_CJ8kP0D5HPGctxf1bC92g25ExZ5pap4V2184ZRWmiikAqz677qsqDwXEYQL5mL5aR7dXuKsMLv1gGUMuCX7g0-yY_Baz96EO7iOYDMBRysgfFAsRtAc_3IA/s640/IMG_3944.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrTI4_Q2etmCeP_Ah_ItPfkmKtNplv7OJvirzKeeoTOPkxe3nDdZbAkWlwoLHLPaAgHaT08zbHse1c42Fv4xSVCAA7uT4kdQXFN6P5xZDf2dHmo4Dzo1U7XtY6G_HsKb-a86vu0nJbg/s1600/IMG_3946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrTI4_Q2etmCeP_Ah_ItPfkmKtNplv7OJvirzKeeoTOPkxe3nDdZbAkWlwoLHLPaAgHaT08zbHse1c42Fv4xSVCAA7uT4kdQXFN6P5xZDf2dHmo4Dzo1U7XtY6G_HsKb-a86vu0nJbg/s640/IMG_3946.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibukZvQ-946L4ZrOD0DculJwc8ha0UF3oUpFyD-58FYbFNixtgOcWrcm4xSfwv7C4a_DNeNMeIOj4IWPnZ2lRZL7TVNEE75gNO-4hf2mUTpoRbrbbWuoIPt6jPG0mmccQ_K0YeP7o0g/s1600/IMG_3942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibukZvQ-946L4ZrOD0DculJwc8ha0UF3oUpFyD-58FYbFNixtgOcWrcm4xSfwv7C4a_DNeNMeIOj4IWPnZ2lRZL7TVNEE75gNO-4hf2mUTpoRbrbbWuoIPt6jPG0mmccQ_K0YeP7o0g/s640/IMG_3942.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-28684198791626464732011-07-06T18:03:00.000+01:002011-08-01T14:26:30.623+01:00Recipe: Ruby Four Cocktail<div style="text-align: justify;">In honour of my new niece Ruby (born on monday not a tuesday alas) I thought I'd have a look for an appropriately named cocktail. As it turns out there are several cocktails containing the word Ruby but unfortunately absolutely all of them had at least one ingredient I don't own.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the end I adapted the recipe for a <a href="http://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktail-results.jsp?id=1708&sortBy=name&">Ruby Martini #2 from Diffords Guide</a>. While I had Cointreau and Courvoisier I had to find substitutes for both Creme de Framboise and Martini Rosso.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cinzano Bianco was a reasonable alternative to the Martini but I thought the Cherry Heering was a good alternative to Creme de Framboise in flavour if not in texture and would complement the brandy base. I have been unable to find <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_Heering">Cherry Heering</a> in the supermarkets and had to make a special pilgrimage to <a href="http://www.gerrys.uk.com/">Gerry's on Old Compton Street</a> who basically sell any liquor you can think of (worthy of a blog post on its own!). Its good stuff anyway and necessary to make a Singapore Sling or a Blood and Sand</div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezkEqIEGCL4Dhnvtv1rZN-JGxRd3819sTVgUDW20iWOXqfHwTqj91pvXlgPCNE8OElIaZbFnM5-z-Ax83t0bjDjO2iZd2ijJwNUFbxtq2mLsGMPAywK46OY9k1zKVHae7dbI_0bdUog/s1600/IMG_7100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezkEqIEGCL4Dhnvtv1rZN-JGxRd3819sTVgUDW20iWOXqfHwTqj91pvXlgPCNE8OElIaZbFnM5-z-Ax83t0bjDjO2iZd2ijJwNUFbxtq2mLsGMPAywK46OY9k1zKVHae7dbI_0bdUog/s640/IMG_7100.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courvoisier VS Cognac, Cointreau, Cheery Heering and Cinzano Bianco Sweet Vermouth</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<b><u>Recipe:</u></b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><ol><li style="text-align: justify;">Chill a martini glass by filling with ice and topping up with water. Set to one side.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Prepare your <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_shaker">shaker of choice</a></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">To this add 1.5 shots of Brandy, 0.5 shots of Cherry Heering, 0.5 shots of Cointreau and 0.5 shots of Sweet Vermouth</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Optional - add a dash of Angostura Bitters.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Shake with ice and strain into glass (discarding water and ice first)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Garnish with a cocktail cherry</li>
</ol><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Xd_pVwgWVA/ThSTIOEpv5I/AAAAAAAAAEg/8OLwycEMGLk/s1600/IMG_7103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Xd_pVwgWVA/ThSTIOEpv5I/AAAAAAAAAEg/8OLwycEMGLk/s640/IMG_7103.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to be Shaken</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuQlSYQjZUEJE0wQ-kdlRnnXVtmc8Gg6CFNMK2amB9XFqdSFKvOmP6VBTqgS2R-at9pEdDJsaNP15zGLOkp5tDVyet3PMm3MSKb5qJOXw4544EPrgdKHtnhJAaPxqH8E-A7a0Nyu3Zw/s1600/IMG_7105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuQlSYQjZUEJE0wQ-kdlRnnXVtmc8Gg6CFNMK2amB9XFqdSFKvOmP6VBTqgS2R-at9pEdDJsaNP15zGLOkp5tDVyet3PMm3MSKb5qJOXw4544EPrgdKHtnhJAaPxqH8E-A7a0Nyu3Zw/s640/IMG_7105.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ruby Four cocktail</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">As for the name of the drink - it comes from the infamous Kaiser Chiefs song (the first 4 words of the chorus!). I cannot get this out of my head now..</div></div>Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-12932074981325820912011-07-03T20:27:00.000+01:002011-08-01T14:26:47.039+01:00Recipe: Beer-Butt Chicken<div style="text-align: justify;">So I bought a BBQ on Ebay. I really wanted a Weber Kettle but £200 was a bit rich so a few days scouting Ebay led me to a nice Antipodean family in Carshalton who were emigrating and leaving an orphaned grill behind. £50 - not bad.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_OvojOABKXa2KP9R0HDeOyHDba-Vz4LD8kdSL1aHIXr73UN2mE6T_I5ZCBzEm3zXm-NrCEJKFo9gJX3m2jXp3Y9temCClfVU9yW7hf7MVe9jVWGxfhJvHAMU-HGr630Lz2ka-wlVTQ/s1600/IMG_7053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_OvojOABKXa2KP9R0HDeOyHDba-Vz4LD8kdSL1aHIXr73UN2mE6T_I5ZCBzEm3zXm-NrCEJKFo9gJX3m2jXp3Y9temCClfVU9yW7hf7MVe9jVWGxfhJvHAMU-HGr630Lz2ka-wlVTQ/s640/IMG_7053.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weber Kettle BBQ</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Several days spent reading every article on <a href="http://www.amazingribs.com/">Amazing Ribs</a> taught me many things I never knew about BBQ. You should cook with the lid on, there is such a thing as a BBQ that is too hot, flames are bad and you should not cook whole animals directly above the coals but above and to the side of the direct heat.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I do wonder about the mindset of the first person to jam a beer can up a chicken's backside. Luckily this approach to cooking a bird has become so widespread that I don't feel playing along impinges my character to any degree. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I can confirm though that whatever flavour it imparts to the chicken it is a pretty rubbish idea in practical terms as my chicken fell over twice and almost extinguished the coals. I totally wigged out at this point and needed my wife to calm me down. Next time I will be using one of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Weber-BBQ-Grills-6408-Poultry/dp/B0012XXE3E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309718181&sr=8-1">these.</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The good news is despite all the setbacks it did turn out pretty well with a nice pink smoke-ring under the skin. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The first thing you want to do is rub the chicken all over with a handful of salt (sea salt if you can). This draws a little bit of moisture out of the meat which should help the skin crisp up. Wrap it in cling-film and give it a good couple of hours in the fridge. In the meantime drink 3 cans of the cooking lager you bought so your non beer-geek mates don't drink the good stuff when they come round. Save one can.</div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0daFOVticHyEDYxOyoifCSCZrCWFWgqGRR87IZ6r12aL_Xt3ngodol1fPg-nOdXozJ2UecgccRv36b6IbH0EO_Bq9evZxG9VwsCZCS_ewFYRRviF3tKz62WoY7yP8B6eEx5jxaJvOlw/s1600/IMG_7041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0daFOVticHyEDYxOyoifCSCZrCWFWgqGRR87IZ6r12aL_Xt3ngodol1fPg-nOdXozJ2UecgccRv36b6IbH0EO_Bq9evZxG9VwsCZCS_ewFYRRviF3tKz62WoY7yP8B6eEx5jxaJvOlw/s640/IMG_7041.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Generic Cooking Lager</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Take the chicken out of the fridge and rinse all the salt off. Dry it with some kitchen roll and put it onto a baking tray. At this point you want to rub it with a spice mixture. You need a combination of what I call background notes (half a teaspoon of onion power and/or garlic powder) with some high notes (a couple of teaspoons or so of either Cumin, or Smoked-Paprika or dry Mustard) and another teaspoon of salt. You could use dry thyme or herbes de provence for a more low-key flavour instead. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pour away (or drink) half the can of beer. Now jam that can as far as it will go into the chicken's cavity. Leave the chicken like this for about 30 minutes at room temperature.</div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnKTrMyz38aWFY2wxsAqBGUmqv6Rnz1JgBHvDHrOmCv5uShcx4Xqcyv_T8Ie4bL_PDfUxFG2itX52IYiZecHp2cVZnAgfoC7A9qY_hM3N-RjPW8eu6OsRa4FmikUxDQJXBvA3MCoOqA/s1600/IMG_7049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnKTrMyz38aWFY2wxsAqBGUmqv6Rnz1JgBHvDHrOmCv5uShcx4Xqcyv_T8Ie4bL_PDfUxFG2itX52IYiZecHp2cVZnAgfoC7A9qY_hM3N-RjPW8eu6OsRa4FmikUxDQJXBvA3MCoOqA/s640/IMG_7049.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raw Chicken Balanced on a Beer Can</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Set the BBQ up for indirect cooking. Halve your coals so one half is against each side of the BBQ with room for a roasting tin in the middle. If you fill this tin with water if will keep the cooking environment humid which will be useful to prevent the chicken burning (as well as catching drips from the chicken). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you have a BBQ thermometer you are aiming at a temperature of about 180-190c on the grill. Place the chicken very carefully on the cooking grate above the water pan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">At this point you have a choice; smoke or no-smoke. On this occasion I chucked two handfuls of apple-wood on each pile of coals and immediately closed the lid. There is no need to soak the wood despite what the instructions may say.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I had an organic chicken of around 2.1kg which took around 1.5 hours to cook (a supermarket chicken may take less time). As it always the case with BBQ you really need to take the temperature of the chicken to see if its done - this should be at least 77c but you will find some conservative sources claiming 83c. Many sources will go slightly below 77c but I didn't want to take any chances with a whole chicken.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Take the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh (between the thigh and the body). If you want to be totally ninja then you need a wireless thermometer so you can watch telly and still know the temperature of the grill and the meat (note I had the meat probe in the wrong place - hence the temp plus its in farenheit)</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6c_qu4JbG9I/ThCvi1tSZ6I/AAAAAAAAADo/hmlSmTdJwls/s1600/IMG_7055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6c_qu4JbG9I/ThCvi1tSZ6I/AAAAAAAAADo/hmlSmTdJwls/s640/IMG_7055.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maverick ET-732 Wireless Thermometer and a bottle of very nice American Craft Beer</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
And the result...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EqQMc7RKh1c/ThCvmunyWNI/AAAAAAAAADs/I_EDhAZPBD0/s1600/IMG_7057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EqQMc7RKh1c/ThCvmunyWNI/AAAAAAAAADs/I_EDhAZPBD0/s640/IMG_7057.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoked Chicken straight off the BBQ</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rem2G75dAgc/ThCxCjMvmtI/AAAAAAAAAEI/0jY7XqPrg0s/s1600/IMG_7059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rem2G75dAgc/ThCxCjMvmtI/AAAAAAAAAEI/0jY7XqPrg0s/s640/IMG_7059.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to be carved!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Lunch tomorrow!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3A6iUO7eWFPO-uvH8Yt46mLqL1ToYOgA-9tWPafc5g_DYjBT_oNSdNn8_Kqf4rblgrQTruTSmWG_DsF3poBwzaLWRi04IadxYOOOslRbXiVPbubGdX38koWLmjS62JtjZq1kpFrH7pg/s1600/IMG_7061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3A6iUO7eWFPO-uvH8Yt46mLqL1ToYOgA-9tWPafc5g_DYjBT_oNSdNn8_Kqf4rblgrQTruTSmWG_DsF3poBwzaLWRi04IadxYOOOslRbXiVPbubGdX38koWLmjS62JtjZq1kpFrH7pg/s640/IMG_7061.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-16866028763758944652011-06-29T18:17:00.000+01:002011-08-28T23:23:45.450+01:00The Thames Path<div style="text-align: justify;">After 6 years of living in Tooting I thought I knew the Thames quite well. I'd walked along the South Bank, the Peace Mile at Battersea Park and even along the river at Richmond (hint - London's best day-walk is <a href="http://www.walklondon.org.uk/section.asp?R=1&section=30&x=3&y=11">Wimbledon Park to Richmond</a>).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I always knew that the Thames 'came from somewhere' but was somewhat vague as to where that was. It was only in the latter years of my time in London that I started exploring the more suburban stretches of the Thames. I won't say the rural stretches of the Thames just in case a resident of Oxfordshire pipes up to to remind me that this blog post still describes a stretch well within the M25!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So on a sunny day in April we packed our day-packs and took an early train down to Hampton Court. The plan was to walk at least as far as as Walton-on-Thames with a view that a late lunch would give us an opportunity to decide whether or not to push onto Staines. A quick 30 minute journey from Clapham Junction and we were at the start - staring across the river at the impressive site of Hampton Court Palace.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIL20Xh7GVHWyzYHXJr2NKL13w3JW6ETIoFbvpDvHoV8gcvn_rDfREa424eFhhGR1fayMpIiJUU_-6l4kYDGaHQ5Rd82wob-JtV4igqriARulRfJ5dYScN_R40lkYmTaif3_EIHVGIOg/s1600/IMG_2488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIL20Xh7GVHWyzYHXJr2NKL13w3JW6ETIoFbvpDvHoV8gcvn_rDfREa424eFhhGR1fayMpIiJUU_-6l4kYDGaHQ5Rd82wob-JtV4igqriARulRfJ5dYScN_R40lkYmTaif3_EIHVGIOg/s640/IMG_2488.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Thames at East Molesey</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirTfol4hlrveDjCaAzffywA9bgSHbGtl5K-hGDl00Trlf7bs51xGLLdWhmPjpjUyzieLEhea4YRBDvlTmUOkbNeG7K8KEqIr-thl0pzJTgvtZBbW4aLMVvRxtMfhH6KmClWfXQiT8JBA/s1600/5884357765_79cdb4ca5e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirTfol4hlrveDjCaAzffywA9bgSHbGtl5K-hGDl00Trlf7bs51xGLLdWhmPjpjUyzieLEhea4YRBDvlTmUOkbNeG7K8KEqIr-thl0pzJTgvtZBbW4aLMVvRxtMfhH6KmClWfXQiT8JBA/s640/5884357765_79cdb4ca5e.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Thames at Hampton Ferry</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Walking down this section of the Thames it is easy to forget that you only a short hop from Zone 6. It would be possible to forget you are near Heathrow if it wasn't for the planes flying overhead - still its surprisingly peaceful to walk along this stretch of the river.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">A lovely lunch stop was the <a href="http://www.walton-on-thames.org/?page_id=153">Anglers</a> at Walton-on-Thames which is right on the towpath. I would go into what I had to eat but I cannot remember and have no photos. Suffice it to say that food is of the gastro-persuasion and clientele of the Yummy-Mummy/little Freddie and Francesca brigade - nice food and beer choice though with a fantastic view of the Thames in both directions from the top floor.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4ELmADoJgKAipSBMBNgGOCBLzWlDeHoM7BiqSlhrBqW4lAtC_6kes4h83Az8M9BOkes1NpHmr93E7PDWJPdoWeYdU1CBS2CyMAsTCIRT_fONfcNLocP31bKXNS7os6LgwNqBqtrUhw/s1600/5884926220_0333af8253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4ELmADoJgKAipSBMBNgGOCBLzWlDeHoM7BiqSlhrBqW4lAtC_6kes4h83Az8M9BOkes1NpHmr93E7PDWJPdoWeYdU1CBS2CyMAsTCIRT_fONfcNLocP31bKXNS7os6LgwNqBqtrUhw/s640/5884926220_0333af8253.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swans at Walton-on-Thames</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CrTqGeGGlHo/TgtVHvMEdrI/AAAAAAAAACs/Fx_WIMxsJwY/s1600/5884360557_e3946acdb2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CrTqGeGGlHo/TgtVHvMEdrI/AAAAAAAAACs/Fx_WIMxsJwY/s640/5884360557_e3946acdb2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D'Oyly Carte Island</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">A nice lunch and walk along the rest of the towpath to Weybridge left us waiting for the Shepperton ferry to continue the rest of the walk</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D6wD_v02XJQ/TgtVoo7kZvI/AAAAAAAAADM/lNdmjSjcwCQ/s1600/5884360981_8280343cd6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D6wD_v02XJQ/TgtVoo7kZvI/AAAAAAAAADM/lNdmjSjcwCQ/s640/5884360981_8280343cd6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shepperton Ferry Landing</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At this point interested readers should pickup the descriptions from the excellent <a href="http://www.thames-path.org.uk/thames_hampton_court_staines.html">The Thames Path website</a>. I remember the section after Shepperton being even more interesting (lots of very imposing houses with private moorings, the water meadows at Chertsey) however my photos do not reflect this!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As for Staines...well what can I say? The riverside is actually quite nice but to be honest we were pretty tired by this point and caught the first train back to Clapham Junction. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">UPDATE: subwarrier on <a href="http://www.walton-on-thames.org/">http://www.walton-on-thames.org/</a> made me aware of a free CD/mp3 audio guide offered by Elmbridge council about the history of some of this stretch of the river. <a href="http://www.elmbridge.gov.uk/leisure/arts/liquidhist.htm">http://www.elmbridge.gov.uk/leisure/arts/liquidhist.htm</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-41190293052640455092011-06-28T17:42:00.000+01:002011-08-01T14:27:08.755+01:00Recipe: Buffalo Wings<div style="text-align: justify;">Americans can do simple food so well - so many times across that country I have stepped foot into a random bar and had a great burger, or a fantastic breakfast or my favourite; a whole bucket of chicken wings washed down with a whole bucket of beer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So Buffalo Wings - cheap, cheerful and so I thought completely undoable this side of the pond. Firstly - where can you find chicken wings? Normally when I order these anywhere I receive pathetic excuses for wings with a quantity of meat that makes me feel sorry for the scrawny beast that probably never really used them. I've seen organic and free range chicken wings for sale in Waitrose at £5 for 4. Given I eat about a dozen in a sitting it wasn't going to work.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the benefits of moving out to the suburbs has meant access to a car and a quick look on the internets found me a couple of decent butchers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">My first attempt used chicken wings sourced from the greats Bevan's butchers at <a href="http://www.garsons.co.uk/Esher/FarmShop/index.asp">Garsons Garden Centre in Esher</a>. I asked for a dozen chicken wings at something like £5/kilo and received about 1.2kg. Fantastic free-range chicken meant these wings were mahoosive examples of their kind and fed two adults (sparingly) for 2 days. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Attempt number two took me to <a href="http://gamelarderclaygate.co.uk/">the Game Larder in Claygate</a> where the butcher had no fresh chicken wings but kindly sold me about 25 frozen wings for £2. Yes - thats £2. Although this is a bargain the wings were much smaller than the examples at Garsons and I always feel a bit icky eating battery chicken.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Next on the shopping list is the sauce. There can be only one authentic sauce and that's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank%27s_Red_Hot">Frank's Hot Sauce</a> .</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyn8BfhZbEBVQiechk6FHyQD07-PUtT0Q7_YcHl3JrXUZH4QjyTQfGo-VoPrvT8XC61Lw74ERAgj4WFNrtj6i_AQk-lNBE4PTWb1e1TeFAHclNhtUnDgYuDhM90gBVmeyXajW9IHCfA/s1600/232px-FranksBottleShot1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyn8BfhZbEBVQiechk6FHyQD07-PUtT0Q7_YcHl3JrXUZH4QjyTQfGo-VoPrvT8XC61Lw74ERAgj4WFNrtj6i_AQk-lNBE4PTWb1e1TeFAHclNhtUnDgYuDhM90gBVmeyXajW9IHCfA/s1600/232px-FranksBottleShot1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank's Hot Sauce</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've seen this in Waitrose before - you need to add melted butter to it for Buffalo Wings. Alternatively you can buy Frank's Buffalo Wing sauce which from what I can tell is Frank's and butter - I've only seen this in Garsons Farm Shop.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I adapted this <a href="http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/baked-buffalo-wings/Detail.aspx">recipe</a> as I wanted to bake, not fry the wings. I've tried cooking them on a raised rack but this just results in the sauce falling off! At this point there are 2 choices.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><ol><li style="text-align: justify;">Dip the refrigerated wings in the sauce before cooking per the recipe above - aka the wife-friendly option. This delivers non-messy wings that are spicy but truthfully are not buffalo wings. They are better the next day than option 2 though.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Cook without sauce. This delivers exceptionally crispy chicken wings that you then dip into the hot, buttery sauce that you've heated on the hob (the flour coating gives the sauce something to stick to). These are the wings I'd been craving!</li>
</ol><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">Result. Chicken wings with home-made coleslaw and potato salad. 3 days worth!</div></div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlx9BIvuNcN2aJLYx-q7ZM2JeAFacqZvY5Pwx80fDolGY3vKa9W84gvEMkJMz3G1VtnINDEsZ3eFZiz1p9Mf3X9OFbGzIWvBiJYZ-kGiZ1S7PZsKdF89Kdqjg_7XZ8z8CdP2KIxsgY8g/s1600/271529_10150216948947531_609617530_7768996_5276341_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlx9BIvuNcN2aJLYx-q7ZM2JeAFacqZvY5Pwx80fDolGY3vKa9W84gvEMkJMz3G1VtnINDEsZ3eFZiz1p9Mf3X9OFbGzIWvBiJYZ-kGiZ1S7PZsKdF89Kdqjg_7XZ8z8CdP2KIxsgY8g/s640/271529_10150216948947531_609617530_7768996_5276341_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buffalo Wings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318942812551804831.post-5452018138628290772011-06-28T16:51:00.000+01:002011-07-07T11:22:15.255+01:00Are you ready? Good...then I shall begin.<div style="text-align: justify;">I've tried to write a blog before. It was a short-lived affair reviewing restaurants in South-West London. Although I absolutely love eating out I don't think I went out enough to give it the content it deserved - nor did I make the effort to spread the word and increase my audience. Rubbish really.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This time...oh but this time it will be different (I tell myself)! This time I'm going to write about all the things I've researched to death that make friends and colleagues ask me for advice on the weirdest of topics. Contrary to popular blog wisdom I'm not picking my niche and sticking with it which may be a mistake - I'm just going to follow my nose for now, but my nose can smell the following topics...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Booze</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Good cheap food</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Cooking</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Living in the 'burbs and working in London.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Useful software and websites.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">New tech </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Travel</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The Outdoors</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Politics and Economics.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Other blogs I read</li>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">Stuff I'm not enthusiastic about and why.</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></li>
</ul>Ryan Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01597580092045079101noreply@blogger.com0