Heston Blumenthal

Here is Caroline and I with the man himself. Like utter groupies, we went armed with our Big Fat Duck Cookbooks and asked him to sign them. He did and was very gracious and very down to earth. Not at all pretentious and I am finding that with the more chefs I meet , my pre-conceptions of them are being blown out of the water. I think that some of the best I have met have the most patience and understanding so there is no need to be arrogant w*nkers! In fact, the ones with the least talent usually have the biggest chip on their shoulder.

So my year has been made and the only thing to top it off would be to eat at the Fat Duck itself. For now, I am steadily reading my book with awe and enjoying the beautiful pictures and artwork; even if it doesn't fit on the bedside table it is the best present and book I have ever received, so thanks Heston and thanks to my husband for buying it for me x

If you take a look to your right...

You will see my store cupboard essentials and slap bang at the top of the list are anchovies. And last night I made a store cupboard, credit crunching pasta dish, that was delicious and anchovy-tastic.

First off, I'm not really a pasta kind of girl, but it is cheap and quick (like an ex-boyfriend of mine) and when treated in the correct manner it is everything you can ask for in a meal: filling, soothing, flavoursome, versatile, fresh and messy, in a sexy way. I think pasta is worth spending a little extra money on and where possible, it's nice to make at home. I don't go for the basic stuff because when it's cooked it's too flimsy and flabby. Instead, I tend to go for the real Italian brands and there is nothing wrong with dried as long as it's quality. In fact, a lasagne holds better using dried rather than fresh pasta. Fresh pasta is fantastic though, simply because it so darn quick to cook. 2 minutes and Bob's your uncle (incidentally, I do actually have an Uncle Robert.)

So back to last night.

I ALWAYS tend to have a tin of anchovies knocking around my cupboard. I love them and can't see what all the whinging fuss is about. Actually, that is one of my biggest bugbears. People hating or being squeamish about fish-are they kidding ???!!! We live on a bloody island, we have so much great produce all around us! Shheessh. So before I go off on one, back to the sauce.

As I was saying, anchovies are great because they add a real punchy depth to a dish when cooked. I personally could eat the marinated ones by the bucket but for a dish like this, anchovies in olive oil are perfect. I took three fillets and chopped them finely. I also rinsed a tablespoon of capers and chopped those too. Next, I took some garlic(how much is up to you, i used half a clove) and thinly sliced it (ever seen Goodfellas? Think of the scene in prison when they're making a tomato sauce. The guy cuts it wafer thing with a razor blade, that's what I'm after.) I heated some olive oil in a pan and added my anchovies and garlic. The anchovies melt and as the garlic is so thin it practically disintegrates as well. I forgot to say that you need to put the water for the pasta on to boil. I would suggest using linguine for this but I already had fresh parpadelle in the fridge. Cook to instructions. If using dried rather than fresh, I would recommend cooking the sauce after you'd put the pasta in to cook. Once the pasta is cooked, al dente is best, drain and transfer to your saucepan with your anchovies and garlic. Add the capers and some chopped, fresh parsley. Toss the pasta in the sauce and there is your supper.

Enjoy whilst watching an old episode of Frasier or whilst laughing at Tyra Banks as she explains to a group of desperate, carb-deprived girls how to make their eyes 'pop'. Serves 1 couch potato.

Eggs, Ooo Laa Laa style

Eggs. Oeufs. Heuvos.



Eggs are my all time favourite thing to eat for breakfast. Boiled, poached, scrambled, fried, baked but never, ever made into an omelette. Eggs Benedict- the all time luxury brunch dish. Eggs over easy with skillet hash browns or 'eggs in baskets' are my breakfasts of choice when I'm in the USA. A fried egg sandwich with HP sauce is neccessary when I'm hungover. The sophisticated scrambled eggs with creme fraiche and smoked salmon are reserved for special occasions and last but by no means least, soft-boiled with Maldon salt and sourdough soldiers for dipping are a grown version of the nursery original. Just give me eggs, no bacon necessary.



One particular egg dish I love is one I found in Elizabeth David's book, French Provincial Cooking. Oeufs en Cocette Pascal.



Take a ramekin, crack your egg and in a bain marie (i use my frying pan filled with a couple of inches of simmering water and then cover with foil), cook the eggs until the whites are set, but not rubbery and overdone. In the meantime, heat a few tablespoons of double cream, a dollop of french mustard and some chopped parsley, tarragon and chives. Season with salt and pepper, no need to be shy with either. When it is bubbling, pour onto the eggs (this will finish cooking the egg, which is why you don't cook them all the way). The yolk should still be oozy. Have with sourdough or whatever bread takes your fancy. This dish is very rich so I'd suggest a glass of juice to cut through the creaminess.



I know this is quite a vague translation of the recipe but breakfast or brunch cooking shouldn't be structured or rigorous. I am not a morning person; I have to be eased into the day quietly and gently so the less thinking power needed the better.

What to expect when you're in love

About 6lbs.

My husband and I had an albeit brief, but very sweet reunion and the lbs I was stripped of previously, due to being busy without time to eat properly, slowly crept back on as we made up for the last few months.We hibernated away against the cold winds eating comfort food, or going out for meals or even better ordering pizza and Chinese (separate occasions!)

I suddenly had someone to cook for and take care of so Good-bye tin opener-Hello apron and saucepans, and scales and whisks and..oh the joy and satisfaction of feeding someone.

We also decided to throw a party and initially it was going to be a buffet thing but then I had the ingenious idea of buying a murder mystery pack. It wasn't until the man from Amazon delivered it that I realised it had to be a 3-course dinner format. Fine. Except it was 12 people *gulp*.

OK, so the theme was 1940's, set in Casablanca which was under Vichy rule so the menu was going to be French. I played the part of Edith LeGrandbutte, wife of the Mayor, used to be a dancer in Paris and slept with anything that had a pulse! I was feeling the French theme and decided to go with a simple menu of Pate, Beouf Bourginon and Tarte au Citron. With a cheeseboard thrown in for good measure (all french of course) and chocs from Hotel Choclat (where else?)

Shall I let you into a secret? I cheated. I bought EVERYTHING in except the Bourginon. But to my credit, it was a Gordon Ramsey recipe and plus, I had a vegetarian course to deal with and made that from scratch (it was a cream cheese, pea and tarragon pie if you're interested). I even bought in the Dauphanois Potatoes, hee hee. But come on, I wanted to enjoy the party and not be a slave to the stove, and surely that is the essence of being a true domestic goddess- knowing when it's right to make from scratch and knowing when to cheat instead of being smug!

The day after the party, my husband and I took a journey down to Cornwall. We stayed in the most amazing cottage and I can't say where because I want it to remain 'ours'-selfish I know but it's already fully-booked for this year and I want to go again next winter! We took a trip to Padstow and made my husband fork out 22 quid for fish and chips at Rick Steins fish and chip shop. Two cod and chips, two drinks, curry sauce (for him) mushy peas (for me). Pricey. BUT the fish was the best I ever had, the chips on the other hand were not. Cooked in beef dripping they should have been delicious but they weren't fresh due to a quiet lunch time. I did get to see Rick though, unfortunately I was too involved in working out what was in the home-made tartare sauce to notice and he was out of the door as I looked up, a mouth full of mushy peas and chips making it impossible for me to gush words of admiration at him. Oh well, maybe I'll write and tell him his chips were bad.

Cornwall also means pasties and clotted cream, fudge and shortbread-so all in all I am need of a gym. It's OK though, Absence makes the heart grow fonder and in my case, the appetite disappear. I am feeling fragile and emotional so I am going to remedy that by making a yellow split pea soup. I think that yellow is good for the soul, it being connected to the sun and we all know sun means good times, so I am making a golden soup to warm, nurture and nourish:

Yellow Split Pea and Frankfurter Soup

by Nigella Lawson

I onion

I carrot

I clove of garlic

I stick of celery

2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon of mace

500g yellow split peas

1.25-1.5 litres of chicken or veg stock

2 bay leaves

8 frankfurters

1. Peel all the veg and garlic, cut into chunks and whizz in a food processor until finely chopped.

2. On a medium heat, warm the oil and then tip in the blitzed veg. Soften but do not colour (about 5-10 minutes)

3. Add the ground mace and stir, add the split peas and stir again so they are all glossily coated. Pour over the stock and the bay leaves, bring to the boil.

4. Once it is boiling, cover and turn down to a simmer and cook for about an hour-until it is sludgy and tender. Add more stock if you need to.

5.Taste for seasoning.

6.When ready to serve, chop the frankfurters, add to the soup and warm through for 5 minutes.

As Nigella puts it, not an elegant soup but a near-perfect one. And very cheap, especially as it serves 6-8 people. I would also like to plug Knorr stock jelly. Unfortunately it is Marco Pierre White who gets paid a pretty penny, not me, to say what I'm about to: They are fantastic and any self-respecting DG should have them in her stock cupboard.

Post-Christmas

I was so busy over the Christmas holidays that I didn't even write on my blog, bizarre as Christmas is centred around food for many people, myself included.

I was relinquished of all cooking duties on Christmas Day as I went to my Mum's. I made the Prawn Cocktail starter and helped with the sprouts but all in all I was allowed to take it easy. Fine by me as I had had enough after doing the Christmas service at college. It was a very relaxed day starting off with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon at mine and then to my Mum's for the traditional turkey dinner. Her roast potatoes were the best yet, done in the fat from the duck she roasted for my brother.

Presents-wise, I was truly spoilt:

iPod Touch

The Big Fat Duck Cookbook -I can't lift it, its too heavy!

*** Chef-Gordon Ramsey Cookbook

Joseph Joseph chopping boards-colour co-ordinated for the proper chef

An Entertaining book where I can log the menu's and guest lists, appeals to the Stepford Wife aspect of me

The first series of Twin Peaks on DVD

All series of Yes, Minster and Yes, Prime Minster on DVD

Nigella Christmas Cookbook

Topshop vouchers

Satsuma Bodyshop smellies

and lots of little bits and pieces that I really appreciate.

On Boxing Day I went down to Kent where I saw my family and had the best lunch over the Christmas Period-The leftovers! Cold cuts, pickles and salads. Leftover Christmas pud and brandy butter. Champagne. Cheese. Very indulgent.

I also got to see my friends, Phil and Jem. I really had a good night with Jem, we went to see Twilight (awful acting but the sexy Vampires made up for it!) and then Cosmo's afterwards, feeling a little Sex and the City and watching the weird eating habits of the diners (an entire bottle of ketchup mashed up into his chips so it was a pink mound of baby food!). It was so good to see a friendly face and have a gossip and a giggle; all my friends where I live are pretty new, so it was comforting to see a friend that knows me well. I love her.

Now it's the New Year I can get back to eating healthy and losing the extra pounds I gained over the xmas period. Not many-but enough to make me reach for the baggy jumpers! I think it'll be a lot of stir-fry's and fresh vegetables, poached chicken, baked fish and broth soups. I'll keep you posted on my detox recipes.

Found my Zen

I love Folkestone.



The people that know Folkestone are probably thinking WTF?! but I really do love Folkestone. I have an emotional attachment to the place: my Grandparents lived there when they were alive and so it holds many happy childhood memories for me and it was also the first place I lived when I left home, so new memories were made during my formative years.



It is a bit of a dive-I know this. But if you look past all of the architectural monstrosities that rose post-war and into the 70's, you can still see relics from the past, and Folkestone's golden era was very much in the late 1800's into the early 1900's. There are many grand old buildings on the seafront and whenever I walk along the Leas Cliff, I really can picture the ladies of that time, in full get up during the heat of the summer, with their parasols, probably sweating buckets!



Folkestone is getting a massive cash injection and the seafront is going to have a makeover. There is already a creative quarter and a few boutiques and art galleries have opened up, I think it will become quite trendy and I am going to keep trying to convince my husband it would be wise to buy property there. Food-wise, Folkestone isn't exactly a culinary hot spot. There is plenty of fresh fish and the seafood stalls are amazing, I give it that but in terms of going out to eat, it is pretty thin on the ground.



So imagine my surprise when I find some of the best food I've eaten in Guildhall Street. Zen Kafe is a Chinese/Japanese fusion noodle bar found at number 4, next to Waterstones. The decor is minimalist, literally no-frills, think Wagamamas. But the food is AMAZING and I have it on good authority that it is authentic Chinese food. I wasn't hungry when I went so I ordered a side dish, the Pork Gyoza, a grilled dumpling served with a ginger and vinegar dip. OMG. It was so tasty and succulent, a million miles away from the greasy, fried ones I have eaten in Wagamamas. My mum went for the sweet and sour chicken noodles and my brother had the roast duck noodles with a side of sesame prawn toasts. I tasted both and they too tasted fresh and delicious, not at all greasy.



The rest of the menu has plenty of choice. Noodle wise there is everything you'd expect: noodles in soup, fried noodles, rice noodles, sauce-based noodles, Ho Fun and Udon noodles. But if you're not after oodles of noodles (ahem, sorry about the bad punnage) then there are also rice dishes and specials such as Thai Green Curry and Teriyaki Beef to name a few. If you want to try some thing different they also have Bento Boxes. They are a traditional Japanese set meal served in a box with compartments, they come with mixed salad, fried rice and a soft drink. They cost just £8.95 for the meat Bentos, £7.95 for the vegetarian Malaysian Curry Bento.



Another plus is that the food is cheap.



My side was only £3.50 and it was very filling, and the chicken noodles were just£4.60, the duck £5.45. We had drinks and ordered two more dishes to take-away and the bill came under £30 for 3 people. I just can't recommend Zen Kafe enough so if you're in the area, GO.

Good-bye 2008, Hello 2009!

Upon the approach of a New Year, I usually become reflective but this year I decided to think about the future. Globally, 2008 was a pretty appalling year for most so I am sure there are many glad to see the back of it. Personally it was quite a good year, which would surprise those that know me probably, seeing as my husband is currently located in a very undesirable place and has been for the last quarter of the year. I think that very reason has made 2008 the year where I had a lot of personal growth. I feel independent, confident and strong. This is the best I have felt in a LONG time. My college course has also given me a new lease of life and I feel unstoppable, so I am entering 2009 with bags of energy and vitality.

So what do I wish for 2009?

Firstly, I hope that my husband returns home safe, that is number one.
Secondly, I hope we get a good posting OR we get to stay where we are.
Thirdly, I hope to see much more of my friends and family that I didn't get to see much of in 2008
Fourthly, I hope to enrol on NVQ3 at South Downs College but that depends on my second wish!
Lastly, I hope my new-found confidence keeps growing and my marriage flourishes, and that my friends and family have a positive year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!