• 400g Cherries
• 200g Caster Sugar
• 150ml Water
• 750ml Vodka.

In the absence of caster sugar, I substituted Golden Granulated Sugar and couldn’t resist adding extra cherries.  The recipe said to slit the cherries, but not cut in half.  It didn’t say anything about removing the stone.  I opted to use a £3 cherry pitting gadget from a local shop, which as well as removing the stones, leaves a couple of small slits behind in the fruit.  Dissolve the sugar in the water in a hot pan, add the de-stoned cherries.  When the sugar dissolves and juice starts to run, transfer the whole lot to your preserving jar and add the vodka.  I did sterilise the jars in a hot over, as if making jam, although I’m not sure you actually need to do this.  I used jars not bottles, as I didn’t have a bottle with a large enough neck to get the cherries in!

The recipe says to seal and leave for 4 weeks.  Many of the webpage comments suggest leaving it longer.  I’m hoping to keep at least one bottle until late September when hopefully, I’ll be able to drink a toast to the end of summer.

The remaining cherries went into the freezer, with the air sucked out of the bags using a straw.  Am not quite sure why the Internet suggested the pseudo-vacuum packed method, but it was good fun!

There are still so many cherries on the tree, it’s great to see so many birds, including many fledglings enjoying the fruit.  Although the tree blocks a large proportion of the sunlight from our garden, I think having a source of wonderful fruit on your doorstep is worth it.  My neighbours are talking about cutting the tree down.  I hope to dissuade them.

Put ‘Chestnut Stuffing’ into Google and the first result is from Delia Online resurrecting an 18th Century recipe and advocating those traditional 18th century vacuum packed chestnuts.  Having already invested in 2 for 1 fresh chestnuts, this was an instant turn off.  Hit number two on Google was a ‘Classic Chestnut stuffing recipe’ from Waitrose.

With the Waitrose recipe as a starting point, it felt appropriate to throw in a few extra ‘Christmassy’ ingredients to add a little more excitement to the recipe.  The basic recipe is available on the Waitrose Website or the What I Ate Today variation is below:

• 3 large shallots,
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large clove garlic
• 110g (4oz) streaky bacon
• 55g (2oz) butter
• 400g (14oz) chestnuts, peeled whole and roughly crumbled
• 170g (6oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
• Juice and zest of 2 lemons
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 100g dried cranberries
• 100-150ml of traditional dry Cider (more if the mix is dry)

To prepare the chestnuts, I used a small, sharp paring knife and made a cross on the pointed end of each chestnut.  I then dropped them into a pan of cold water on the hob and turned up the heat.  bring to boil and then simmer for 10-15 mins.  The chestnuts will swell and start to split.  While the chestnuts are simmering, it’s a good opportunity to prepare the remaining ingredients:

• peel and dice the shallots,
• crush the garlic
• chop the bacon into 1cm squares
• make the breadcrumbs (blitz bread in food processor)
• chop the herbs

Its a good idea to let the chestnuts cool a bit before you start peeling.  This method makes the chestnuts go soft (not a problem for the stuffing) and it is possible to actually squeeze the flesh out or to peel the outside off with your fingers.  Roughly chop any larger pieces, leaving them a bit larger for texture.  It does take a little time, but patience is a virtue and since you only need some of the cider for the recipe, you can open up the cider and enjoy some (not all) while you peel!

The remaining steps are simple and quick.

• Fry the bacon and onion in the oil until golden, then add the garlic butter and peeled chestnuts and fry for 2 more minutes.
• Add everything else except the cider.  The Waitrose recipe called for juice of one lemon; I added the second to counteract the sweetness of the cranberries which I added.
• Finally, add cider little by little until the mix stops being a dry, friable mix and begins to clump together a little.

Don’t saturate the mixture as you want the mix to be dry enough to absorb some of the juices from the meat when you cook it.   I usually about 100-150ml of dry cider – I avoid sweet cider as the dried cranberries are already sweet.

The stuffing works really well stuffed inside a roasted pheasant (pheasants seem to love chestnuts) and takes on a really moist, meaty flavour.  Stuffing rolled into small balls and baked around the meat tends to be lighter, drier and crisper, but still delicious.  If you plan to use the meat juices for gravy/sauce, don’t add too much stuffing around the meat or it may all be absorbed.

Having seen how simple and relatively quick it is to make stuffing like this, I’m a convert – the chestnuts add a sweetness and smoothness which made the effort worthwhile.  Reflecting upon this recipe,  I realised that I really enjoyed the time spent together in the kitchen peeling chestnuts, drinking cider and chatting with the people helping me.  I am assured that you can’t tell the difference between fresh and vacuum packed chestnuts.  If you really cant spare time to prep the chestnuts, use ready prepared chestnuts and enjoy all the other lovely fresh flavours in this recipe!  When its not Christmas time, other variations may be fun to try, such as the Easter variation below.  If you fancy making a vegetarian version, drop out the bacon and add a little more butter to replace the lost fat.  When fresh chestnuts aren’t available, why not give it a go with ready prepared ones.

Easter Variation

My family traditionally eat roast lamb on Easter Sunday, so I  will adapt this recipe to be more suited to lamb.  To do this, I will drop out 1 lemon, the sage, parsley, cranberries and cider.  In will come more garlic, more rosemary and some port or red wine.  The ingredients being:

• 3 large shallots,
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 large clove garlic
• 110g (4oz) streaky bacon
• 55g (2oz) butter
• 400g (14oz) chestnuts, peeled whole and roughly crumbled
• 170g (6oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 100-150ml red wine or port (more if the mix is very dry)

Make the stuffing in exactly the same way as before, just using the Easter version ingredients.  At Easter time, you may have to use vacuum packed or tinned chestnuts.

Waitrose.

Naturally, being a Routemaster, the restaurant is entered through the traditional open entrance at the back of the bus.  The downstairs deck has been transformed into the kitchen; you feel the heat and smell the food as you pass by.  The bus gently sways as customers and staff go up and down the stairs, reminding you every now and then that you’re in an unusual venue.

Looking into the kitchen, it doesn’t really feel like your looking inside a bus.  However when you climb upstairs, and see the tables, you remember immediately that you are!  The upstairs has only a few tables.  At night, the limited number of tables together with candle light creates a very intimate atmosphere.  Being above the kitchen, it is a little warm but you can wind down the original bus windows to let in some air.

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If you’re a regular at vegan restaurants, you may not be surprised by the selection on offer.  If you’re not, then it may be of interest try some dishes which you may just assume would normally be non-vegetarian or non-vegan, but which in fact are not.  The menu comprises a mixture of dishes, mainly comprising European and Asian influence dishes.  Starters include a delicious mezze platters, and the very tasty Gyoza (wontons filled with peppers, mushrooms & seasonal veg).   It was interesting to learn that all the Rootmaster’s vegetables are sourced from a LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) Marque assured supplier.  This means the veg is produced in an environmentally responsible way.

The menu seems to change frequently, but often includes the Tofu Tower (Flame grilled and marinated local tofu with crispy fried wontons & coconut vegetable curry sauce).  If (like many veggies and non-veggies alike) you’ve been put off by bad tofu experiences, this stuff is worth giving a second chance.  The fresh organic tofu is made by a local company (Clean Bean) based near the Rootmaster, on Brick Lane and is delivered by bicycle to the bus.

The idea of Vegan desserts may seem difficult to produce at first though – starved of chocolate, cream and butter.  However, the Rootmaster’s choice includes some pretty good fondant, cheesecake and ice creams.  The dark chocolate option is always good and the vegan ice cream is very good.

Drinks wise, there is a choice of soft drinks drinks, beers and wines.  Many of the drinks are widely available elsewhere and are inherently vegan friendly.  The choice is not limited by the vegan requirement.  The wine prices are range from £4.50/glass or £13.50/bottle upwards.  Soft drinks, beer and cider are reasonably priced too.

Ely’s Yard is suprising busy at night, with several bars.  This gives the square a vibrant atmosphere, even on a rainy evening.   The bus itself has no toilets, but there is an arrangement with the Big Chill bar opposite for Rootmaster diners to use their facilities.

With starters ranging from £4-£6 per person, mains from £9-£15 and desserts £5-£6, the Rootmaster is comparable in price to many London restaurants.  If you’re vegan or veggie then is a great place to go as you’ll have not only a fun venue but the choice of the whole menu.  If you’re a meat eater, you may enjoy the setting but find yourself wishing for a meat option.  If you’re willing to sacrifice the meat and go vegan once in a while, you’ll almost certainly have a great time at the Rootmaster.

The vegan menu may not be foor everyone, but in truth, is no where near as restrictive as non-vegans may fear.  Many diners were returning customers, and a mixture of vegans, veggies and meat eaters.   It’s a fun place to eat, with a great novel setting, enthusiastic staff and an intersting menu.

Belgian beer, chocolate, waffles and frites are marketed in Britain as traditional, high quality Belgian products.  For tourists, these products are also strongly pushed as souvenirs around the centre of Brussels.  It was disappointing to see so many of the same products on sale in Belgium as in Britain.  Notably, many of the same chocolates and beer brands crowd the shelves in expensive shops.  However, by looking a little deeper,  it is possible to find more exciting produce, at a nicer price too.

Beer

Many of the shops and bars have recognisable brands such as Chimay, Leffe, Hoegarden and Duval on sale – the same as in the UK.  There are however, a staggering array of other types of beer, including Amber ales (pale), the lighter Blonde beers, slightly sour or fruity Lambic beers, white wheat beer or one of many more.

Trappist Beers are manufactured by Monks and have some of the oldest and most traditional brewing methods.   Abbey beers are produced by breweries where the original Trappist monastery no longer exists, no longer brews or are just sometimes commercial attempts to imitate Trappist beers.  Although numbers have fallen, Belgium still boasts hundreds of small, independent breweries.
La Morte Subite (Sudden Death) is both a bar and a brewery, where the fourth generation of the family serve up a wonderful array of beers (nearly 30 to choose from) in the fabulous 1920′s style bar which has been home to the bar since 1928.

Alternatively, if in Bruges, why not try the Brugse Zot (Bruges Fool) brewed at De Halve Maan (The Half Moon) – Bruges last remaining family brewery.  Enjoy a tour of the brewery, grab some lunch or just sample the beer.  Periodically steaming piles of mashed hops/barley/wheat are ejected down a wooden chute and into a barrow.  The aroma reminds you that the place is a working brewery, if somewhat touristy.  The beer is a wonderful, light, crisp refreshing beer, ideal in the sunshine after pounding the inexhaustibly picturesque streets of Bruges.

Frites

It was surprising to learn that the Belgians take frites very very seriously.  None of this French Fries nonsense.  As with the waffles, mobile serveries and street hatches serve up low cost frites left right and centre.  Popular with locals and tourists alike, there always seems to be a queue.  Frites are cooked once then, re-fried before being served to you.  This adds extra crispness and a deep golden colour.  A theatrical process of tossing the frites high in the air is observed, portion by portion, to adequately mix in the salt.  Hence the queues as each portion is cooked up to order and served with ketchup and mayonnaise in a truly continental fashion.

Waffles & Chocolate

Waffles do seem to be present everywhere in Belgium.  The smell of hot waffles off the irons from street side serving hatches fills the air of many a street.  Dangerously delicious, the light, crispy waffles are uniformly good; most probably because of the huge volume produced meaning yours is almost always as fresh as can be.

There are an alarming array of chocolate shops dotted around the centre of Brussels and Bruges, making chocolate fresh on-site, all very expensive and seemingly reluctant to give out samples.  A box of 10-12 sophisticated little chocs could cost anything from €12-15 upwards in these shops, although the choice and more importantly, aroma is wonderful.  There didn’t seem to be anything particularly Belgian about the type (truffles, mousses, praline etc) or flavours (coffee, fruit, nuts etc) but they all boasted high cocoa content Belgian chocolate.  Perhaps the growth in ‘high end’ chocolates in the UK over the last few years means the novelty of the fine Belgian chocs is not what it once was.

Restaurants

Having somewhat patronisingly heard Belgian food described as Peasant food, there appeared be precious little of it around in Central Brussels at least.  Unsuprisingly, most restaurants around La Grande Place and the Lower City are very touristy, selling Mussel & Frites at very high prices (~€20 and somewhat disappointing).

For something a little more sedate, Place Saint Cathering, in the old docks area, offers a more relaxed environment.  Again the restaurants are on the pricey side of reasonable and generally not particarly inspring.
A good choice would be  L’Achepot in the Place Saint Catherine.  It offers reasonable value, aparrently more traditional food, including a good variety of fish and offal.  They have several Belgian beers to choose from and a nice terrace, slightly away from the busier main square.  Very informal and full of locals, the Rabbit fricasse was served up with all the offal and some good crusty bread.  The black pudding, servied with apple and mashed potato is a tempting dish for the less adventourous who want to have a traditional dish.

 Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 175g Self Raising Flour
• 175g Butter
• 175g Caster Sugar
• 3 Large Eggs
• 1/2 tspn Vanilla Extract
• 1 tspn Baking Powder

For the Filling:

• 250g Raspberries
• 250g Mascarpone
• 250g Fromage Frais
• 1 dessert spoon Caster Sugar
• 1 tspn Vanilla Extract
• 4 tbspn Raspberry Jam
• Icing Sugar

Method

1. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl.  Add the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract and mix until smooth
2. Split between two sandwich tins and bake for 30mins at 170°C.  I used baking paper to line the tins.
3. Mix mascarpone, fromage frais, caster sugar and vanilla extract.
4. Spread the half the jam and half the mascarpone mixture onto each sponge
5. Place Raspberries  (as artistically as you like)
6. Dust with icing sugar
   

This cake was really very quick indeed and I thought it was a good variation on a classic.  I used quantities for the sponge mix as recommended by my friend Kate with whom I’ve made many sponge cakes over the years at university and beyond.  The mascarpone/fromage frais mix was an idea from Delia – the quantities I used were actually those which the ingredients came in – just one tub of each.  We had some lovely little sparklers  instead of candles; thankfully the smoke alarm didn’t mind!  In total, it took less than an hour from start to finish.

The very reasonably price Mackerel fishing trips on Lyme (£8) were too good an opportunity to turn down!  In Lyme, different numbers of boats operate each day, depending on season, day and weather.  Blackboards and signs at the entrance to the Cobb (harbour wall) give information about various fishing trips, including Bassing trips, all day fishing trips and the ever popular Mackerel/sight seeing trips.  We wandered down to the end of the Cobb one sunny day to await the next boat trip.  The Frances Jane is a delightful little boat, operated by Doug and Amanda (both of whom are also diving instructors).  The boat is a converted Crabber from Cornwall, built in 1952 with a mahogany hull and was easily the prettiest boat in the harbour.

We chugged out into the bay, with beautiful views on show in the calm sunshine.  Using slithers of Mackerel as bait Amanda handed out the lines (long lines on a hand spool, with a large weight to take the line down and a bright coloured bead marking the leader line with the baited hook on the end).  Once the spool is tied onto the railings (to avoid mishaps) its a case of waiting till you feel the tug on the line before winding in the line and checking if there’s a shiny silver green/blue/black mackerel on the end.  Our haul wasn’t huge, apparently due to the hot weather and increasingly choppy seas.  The views were fantastic and the time was up before we knew it.  We’d both caught “one for the pot” and headed back to shore.

We popped into The Old Watch House fish monger at the start of the Cobb and bought a couple of Herring to supplement the Mackerel and pick up some ice packs to keep the fish cool while we walked back to the campsite.  I love the marbled silver green/blue/black pattern Mackerel have and the non slymey, not scaley feel of the fish (like you have with Trout for instance).  We gutted/cleaned the fish and opened the vino! 

I got the BBQ going and we polished off a dressed crab which we bought in The Old Watch House.  In the evening sunshine, the fish looked great.  The Old Watch House didn’t have any Sardines, but instead I bought Herring (essentially just large sardines).  Herring is more sustainable than Sardines, although I’m not sure if this is purely because Sardines are so much more popular.

We were a little low on provisions, so it was just the fish, with some black pepper corns crushed between 2 bricks.  We gave them about 3 minutes on either side, before serving up with crusty bread and salad.   We cooked the Herring in exactly the same way.  The fish skin went beautifully crisp on the barbecue and the smells during cooking were great.

Although the bones came out of the fresh fish very easily, lots of people are put of Mackerel because of the many small bones.  My tip is to always eat fresh crusty bread with small fish – so you don’t notice any little bones remaining.  All in all, the fish made a great dinner.  It left us wondering why we don’t eat fish more often?

The only downside of eating Mackerel and living in London is that inevitably you will be reminded of the tube game “Mackerel” which goes along the line of “there’s only one underground station on the whole of the network which doesn’t contain any of the letters of the word Mackerel – which one?” and then every time you see a tube map while waiting for a train, you’ll be staring and staring and cursing Dr Kate for ever telling you about the game in the first place.  Even worse, you’ll spend hours studying the map, feel let down when you realise the answer and then 2 years later, go fishing for Mackerel in Dorset and remember that you’ve forgotten which underground station it was and have to do it all again!  For the answer and many other random London Underground facts, click here.

The Good Food Store

Located on Broad Street (the main street) this shop had a delicious selection of free range meat, including sausages and bacon for our campsite breakfast, duck eggs (30p each), cheeses, fruit/veg and bread, cakes and savouries baked in store daily.

The Old Watch House

There were some lovely shops to pick up provisions whilst in Lyme Regis.  The Old Watch House fish monger is a beautiful little wet fish shop, selling local fish, the majority of which comes from Dorset, Devon and Cornwall.  A really nice touch, in addition to free ice packs to keep you purchase cold, was indicating which fish were “sustainable” on the price  blackboard.    

There was no smell of fish as you approached and went into the shop, indicating the produce was very fresh.  The fish monger said the only way to more fresh is to catch it yourself.  There were plenty of crabs crawling around on the sand at the bottom of The Cobb (the old harbour wall) but we opted for a dressed Lyme Regis crab at £4.95. 

The Lyme Bay Sandwich Company

This little shop, at the end of the seafront served a delightful array of fresh sandwiches, old fashioned lemonade, gingerbeer, posh crisps and best of all, pies and pasties.  The pies and pasties are all made by Chunk of Devon.  They looked delicious and I was please to find the meat was all free range. 

A small newspaper cutting on the wall showed that the pasties were in fact award winning having recently won the best pasty award at the Melton Mobray pie competition!  The lady behind the counter in the shop said they were very pleased that a pasty made in Devon had beaten off all of its Cornish competitors!  Reading further, it was great to see that the pasty comapny is to be features in a Channel 4 television series starring Sir Gerry Robinson named Gerry’s Big Descision which will air on Channel 4 on Thursday 9nd July 2009 at 2100. 

In the series, Gerry (one of Britain’s most sucessful business men) intervenes in failing businesses before deciding whether to invest and revive them.  I don’t want to spoil the show, but the recent success of these pasties suggests he’s worked his magic well on this occasion!  The steak pasty was undoubtedly a great pasty and indeed, five minutes later I was back in the shop buying my second pasty.  It seems that the Lyme Regis Seagulls are partial to these award winning pasties too, as one swooped down over my shoulder and carried my first pasty off just two or three bites into it!  Be warned!

Town Mill Cheese Monger

Housed in an old water mill in the centre of Lyme, lies the Town Mill Cheese Monger.  The cheese monger and his wife told us that 2 months ago, this building was disused and falling into disrepair.  The water mill has been converted to generate electricity, but it also still drives the mill stones to mill flour in the adjacent building. 

The selection of cheeses was great, with the majority being local.  We were able to sample which ever ones we wanted and opted for a Cornish Yarg (Cow’s milk,  infused and wrapped with wild garlic leaves), delicious Montgommery Cheddar and some Quickes Smoked Cheddar.  All three cheeses were local british cheeses. 

We also bought delicious biscuits – Miller’s Stones.  These were a lovely buttery digestive style biscuit, but less coarse.  To go with the cheese, we bought a fig fruit puree “English fruits for cheese” by the Fine Cheese Co.  The owners were wonderfully friendly and we wish them success with their new cheese shop.  We think it will fit in well to the food culture present in Lyme.

River Cottage local produce store and canteen (Axminster)

I’m not sure whether Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage started a trend towards independent, ethical, local food in Dorset, or whether Hugh chose Dorset because if had just such a tradition.  However, no trip to Dorset is complete without at least thinking about River Cottage.  We got the number 31 bus from Lyme to Axminster and popped in for a cup of tea.  The front of the shop has local produce, fresh fruit/veg and a lovely array of savouries.  We opted for trout quiche and a chunky pork pie to take away.  A rather delicious Eccles cake was simply crying out to be purchased as well – which although along way from it’s ancestral home in Salford, was probably the richest, crumbliest most delicious Eccles cake I’ve ever had.

The canteen at the back served drinks, light snacks and also main meals in the evening.  You can see into the kitchens and I recognised the chef off the TV shows.  There’s a lovely garden at the back.  We could see small deliveries of fresh ingredients arriving all the time, including some great looking fruit, veg and herbs. 

Beer

Those who know me or have read some of my blogs are aware that I’ve got a few breweries of which I am a big fan.  These are Cains of Liverpool (try the Dr Duncan’s or Thomas Rigby’s pubs in Liverpool), Bath Ales (try the Hare on the Hill in Bristol), Okell’s (Isle of Man) and La Morte Subite (Family brewery in Brussels, bar of the same name). 

Now in Dorset, I’ve discovered pretenders to challenge my choice of favourite beer.  The Otter Brewery (Based in Devon) do a great selection of beers and ales.  Widely available in the southwest, they are varied and popular.  However, never have I seen such enthusiasm from bar staff as I did for Palmers of Bridport, officially my new favourite brewery.  Each time I ordered, a favourable comment about the beer was passed by the waitor, bar tender or another patron!  Evidently very popular, I first opted for a delicious Indian Pale Ale.  Extremely quaffable in the sunshine.  I also tried the Copper Ale and the Palmer’s 200.  My favourite was easily the 200.  This special brew was created to mark the 200th anniversary of Palmers brewing in Bridport.  For every pint sold, 5p is donated to the Dorset Air Ambulance (with over £10,000 donated last year).  Evidently I am not alone in my preference for the 200, as the 200th anniversary of Palmers Brewery was in 1994!  This popular brew has been in production for over 15 years ever since!  Palmers is available in many of the local pubs and by the bottle in Threshers on Broad Street in Lyme.  They also make Ginger Beer and Whisky. 

Restaurants

Fish and Chips – Now we ate out on three of the four nights we stayed.  On the first night we had some great fish and chips at By They Bay which overlooks the beach.  The fish and chips were the best we’ve had in a long time.  The batter was very light and crips, with a hint of nutmeg to make it a bit different.  Served with proper cut chips, crushed minted peas and tartar sauce.

Italian – The second time we went out, we were caught out.  It was Monday and we found to our cost that nearly everything closes on a Sunday in Lyme Regis.  The one place we found was Antonio’s Trattoria, an intimate, lively, traditional Italian.  The menu was limited to classic italian fayre, including various pasta, pizzas and steaks etc.  Antonio was obviously very popular with his Patrons and knew his regulars by name.  We were watching the pennies as we only had a little cash with us and he doesn’t take cards.  When he realised this, Antonio told us not to worry, to order what we want and if we were short, to drop the money through the letter box in the next few days.  We both opted for a very tasty tagliatelli made with local Lime Regis crab.  The food is all cooked by Anotio’s wife and his daughter was waiting on tables.  We also shared a garlic bread and tirimasu, with a glass of house red and a beer.  The bill came to £34.  We thought this was a little on the pricey side, but as the place was packed with regulars, we we obviously in the minority.  Would recommend this place for the friendy traditional feel and especially if you want to eat out on a Monday.  Located just opposite the Tourist Information centre.

Bar Food – We left it late to eat on our final night and were turned away from a couple of places at 2030 on the grounds it was too late.  Many places stopped serving food at 2100, but wouldn’t seat people from earlier.  There are several bars serving food along the front, including one offereing a delicious (if not retro) ploughmans with local cheese and chutnel.  We had a great free-range steak from Wiltshire in another.  It was cooked brilliantly and served with a fresh wild mushroom sauce, onion rings, chips and salad.  We hadn’t been expecting much and were consequently really pleased.  Service was a bit lacking however.  I felt this was down to the comination of young staff and the manager serving drinks behind the bar and being unaware of the restaurant goings on. 

However, what made our night at this place was the rather Fawlty Tower-esque escapade where as we tried to pay, the distracted staff started chasing a rather fat hamster around the bar and restaurant.  After catching the reluctant rodent in a pint glass, it was returned to the owner who apparently lived in the flat upstairs.  We can confirm that it was a hamster but that there were no hotel inspectors, spanish waitors or sickly cats in the building(!)

There were several stalls selling fruit and veg, butchers stalls, local craft and cheese. 

We particularly liked the cheeses from the Blaenafon Cheddar Company.  Pwll Ddu (Black pool) cheddar is flavoured with mustard, leeks and The Reverend James Welsh ale which gives a mouth watering savoury bite.  The traditional mature Pwll Mawr farmhouse cheddar is also available in an oak smoked variety.

We tried some beautifully smooth and creamy goats cheese from Cothi Valley Goats.

A really exciting stall was the Welsh Special Treats company stall.  Selling chutneys and preserves made on the Gower.  We opted for the Pear and Nut chutney, to go with our Blaenafon cheeses.  The spicy chutney was also great.

This was a truly local produce market, with friendly local producers and very friendly prices.  We were really glad we went.  In our opinion, this was much better than the more famous Swansea indoor market.  We did manage to buy beautiful pale blue duck eggs and fresh cockles in Swansea, but it lacked the charm and intimacy of the Pennard Market.

If you do fancy a spot of sea fishing, the best place to get information and book a trip is the Swansea Angling Centre, at Swansea Marina.  In there, you can get cards/leaflets for all the local fishing boat/charter trips.  Sightseeing & mackerel trips for about £25, 8hr Sea Bass fishing on a charter boat for £35 or mackerel trips for £15. 

Weather and other commitments meant that rather than go sea fishing, we opted to search for shell fish close to the cottage where we were staying.  The beach we were staying near was littered with razor clam shells.  We had read in the River Cottage Fish book that razor clams were tasty and delicious (and of course, free).   To “hunt” a razor clam, you search out their little burrow hole and sprinkle salt down it at low tide.  The clam tastes the salt, thinks the tide is coming in and pops their siphon up out of the sand, where upon you grab hold.  Pull too hard and it breaks off (but the clam grows a new one).  Then as the clam tries to dig, it will release its grip in the sand and you can slowly draw it out of the sand.  You can’t out dig razor clams as you can with other shell fish, because they dig downwards faster than you can.  That’s the theory, but lets just say I didn’t master the art of razor clamming.  

Having miserably failed at razor clammng, we switched our attention to a somewhat less mobile shellfish, Mussels.  At the Worms Head, at the south end of Rhosilli Bay, there were several million mussels to choose from.  The Worms Head is cut off from the mainland at high tide, so you must be careful to time your visit and not get cut off.  We okay-ed it with the coastguard station on the headland and ventured down onto the rocks.

The River Cottage Fish book is a tremendously useful book.  It has become my fish bible, with information about preparing, filleting, and cooking the fish, together with descriptions of the fish’s lifestyle and habitat.  My favourite part is that it discusses sustainable sources for the fish and indicates how sustainable different varieties are.  The book said Mussels spend their whole life living where they first land as tiny baby mussels.  That’s why some live on rocks which get exposed by the tide while others remain permanently submerged.  They spawn between May and August, so collecting is discouraged during this period.  That said, they are quite sustainable by comparison to other fish such as Haddock and Cod.  Make sure to collect more mature mussels, greater than 50mm in length.

As the photo shows, the ground was covered entirely with the shells of shellfish which had been eaten by birds.We filled a pot with enough mussels for a starter and headed back to the cottage. 

When driving around the Gower, we were taken aback by an intense smell of garlic in the air.  It came from wild garlic leaves growing by the side of the road.  Too good an opportunity to miss.  We stopped and collected some to go with our Mussels.

Mussels with Wild Garlic Leaves and Home Brewed Bitter

Soak the mussels overnight in sea water to allow them to purge out any sand or grit.  I didn’t have sea water, so just added a kilo of salt to the basin.  A tip is to add porridge oats as they irritate the mussels and make them filter out grit/sand faster.  You then wash the mussels, gently scraping off any barnacles or material stuck to the outside.  You slide a knife along the joint to remove the “beard” – fine silk like hairs with which the mussel anchored to the rock.

In butter, I softened some sliced onion and wild garlic leaves, collected from a hedgerow nearby.  Keep the heat low to avoid colouring the onion. 

Then I added a good slug of Matt’s Home Brew London Beer and a splash of vinegar (we only had rice vinegar, which we used).  When the mix started to steam, threw in the mussels.

You need to steam for 6-8 minutes, before serving up the mussels, shaking occasionally.  Because the mussels release any grit remaining inside them, you need to strain the liquor before serving it. 

I served up the mussels, discarding any which hadn’t opened, and garnished with the white wild garlic flowers.

I’ve never tasted such tender, sweet mussels.  The beer liquor was light and intense.  The wild garlic surprisingly pungent.  All in all it was a great success.  It was very satisfying to collect wild food.  You can’t get more fresh Mussels any other way.  There was almost no sand/grit in the Mussels, I think down to the lack of sediment at the Worm’s Head.

 Delicious.

Sundried Tomato, Spinach & Feta Filo Pastry Pie

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Vegetable Mousakka with Greek Salad, accompanied with Black Olive & Rosemary Flatbread.

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Orange Passover Cake with Orange Cheesecake Topping

The night went really well and when the guests arrived, we were able to sit and drink the vino while the oven did all the work!

Sundried Tomato, Spinach & Feta Filo Pastry Pie

I picked up this recipe from BBC Good Food online.  It was very easy – just mixing feta, sundried tomatoes and spinach with whisked egg.  You then line a tin with pastry, add the filling and fold over the top.  Those of you who have read my previous blogs about pies will realise that my version (see photo) does not qualify as a pie as it does not have a complete lid.  I made the mistake of overlapping the filo pastry too much so it would not close completely.  However the guests commented about how pretty it looked, so all was not lost.  This pie is served cold, so can be baked in advance and chilled.

Vegetable Mousakka with Greek Salad, accompanied with Black Olive & Rosemary Flatbread.

The vegetable Moussaka recipe came from a Greek cook book – the Olive and the Caper which to be honest, is not a very good book.  I find the recipes a little bland and the text a little wordy.  The book is by an American not a Greek and all the ingredients are listed in cups and farenheit.  A translation is below.

• 2 medium aubergines
• Olive Oil
• 1kg white potato, peeled and cut into 1/2cm thick slices
• 150g fresh breadcrumbs
• 2 large tomatoes
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 600g grated kefalotyri cheese (we used Pecorino as we couldn’t get this cheese)
• 100g butter
• 100g plain flour
• Generous pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

If you’re cooking this straight away, preheat the oven to 180°C.  Cut the aubergine lengthways into 1/2cm slices.  Fry the aubergine in a pan until golden – take care not to overload the pan; do this in several batches.  Continue adding oil with each batch, as the aubergine soaks up so much of it!  Repeat the frying process with potato slices.   To free up that all important vino time, you could prepare the white sauce (see below) whilst frying the aubergine and potato.

Prepare the “besamel sauce” by melting the butter until foaming.  Add the flour, whisking briskly as you do so, until you get a smooth paste, or as the French would say, a rue.  Continue whisking for 2 mins until the mix turns golden.  Whisk in the milk and season with salt (if you add pepper, the black flecks can spoil the look of the sauce).  Cook over a medium heat for 12-15 mins.  Whisk in the nutmeg.

Grease an oven dish and sprinkle the breadcrumbs into the bottom.  Arrange half the potato in a layer and place a few tomato slices ontop.  Add a layer of aubergines.  Repeat the sequence. Nearly there.  Whisk the egg yolks and cumin into the sauce and pour over the vegetables.  Sprinkle grated cheese over the top.  Bake in the oven for 1 hour.  Allow 15 to 20mins to rest before serving.

We prepared this early on, to allow us to bake just before we needed it.  To be honest, I was a little disappointed.  I felt that although it looked quite authentic, it was a little plain and could have benefitted from some other flavours.  It would perhaps been  better with one really thick layer of aubergine s and tomato, and one of potato.  I might try mashing the potatoes next time.

We served this up with a greek salad (Kos lettuce, white salad onion, feta, olives, cucumber, red pepper, dressed with olive oil and oregano).  Yum.

 Black Olive & Rosemary Flatbread

This was a flatbread by nature, but with no yeast was a little dense.  The idea was that the bicarbonate of soda and “acidic” olives would react to lighten the bread.  I don’t really feel this worked.  However, it was golden, fragrant and delicious -everyone enjoyed it.  The smell of fresh baked bread was great.

I wanted something a good deal lighter than this bread turned out.  I would welcome any suggestions/alternative recipes to achieve this. 

Orange Passover Cake with Orange Cheesecake Topping

The astute amongst you will have spotted that my Greek Feast includes a rather Jewish sounding dessert.  Apparently Orthodox Greeks always celebrate Easter after passover has occurred, because Jesus is supposed to have celebrated Passover before the events of Easter.  Given that we cooked and ate this cake before Easter, I suppose we can get away with it!

We opted to bake this cake, which we had made before, as it is straight forward and it would seem, reliable.   It is one of Rick Stein’s Food Heroes Recipes and uses ground almonds not flour.

• 2 oranges
• 6 eggs (medium)
• 225g caster sugar
• 225g ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Icing Sugar for dusting

For the Citrus Cheesecake Cream topping

• 200g cream cheese (e.g. Philadelphia)
• 50g caster sugar
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 small orange
• juice of 1 lemon
• 300ml double cream

To make the cake is quite straight forward.  Boil the oranges for 3 hours. Make sure they are covered with water and use a lid.  After 3 hours drain the oranges and allow to cool.  Remove the flesh and blitz in a food processor to make a smooth puree.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together until thick and moussey beore folding in the ground almonds, the orange puree and baking powder.  Pour into a lined and greased tin and bake at 180°C for 55 to 60 minutes until cooked. Leave to cool.

To make the topping, beat the cream cheese with the sugar, lemon zest, orange zest and lemon juice.  Whisk the cream into soft peaks and gently fold in.

This recipe makes a lovely light and moist cake.  It’s straightforward and quick.  although I didn’t get a pic of the finished cake, you can see one here.

The meal was a great success – the plan of preparing in advance so we could have time with the guests worked brilliantly.  A good time was had by all.