No one home, but I've left the cat on charge...

It's been a stressful few days - boyfriend has been sent to stay with friends 5 miles past Wherethefuckarewe and we've been missing each other like crazy. It sounds stupid but this is the longest we've been apart in almost ten months. I caved and am now sitting on a bus to Ohhellthisisalongbusjourney, where I can either get a connecting bus to Wherethefuckarewe or a taxi if it's too late at night for bussing it.

I will be passing through small towns in Fife I would never have known existed if the Number 58 bus hadn't decided to grace them with it's presence. And I used to live in Fife, so these towns
must be pretty obscure.

That's not to say they're not pretty and picturesque, but unfortunately it also doesn't mean I am any more likely to remember their names.

I spent my first Saturday on my own in a long time, woke up, went shopping, had sushi...everything was a bit blah today, though there were a couple things that brightened up my day.

First, there was "the cupcake". At five minutes to seven in the Harvey Nicks food hall, the girl at the Chocolate Lounge - the new conveyer belt pudding bar on the fourth floor - directed me to the deli when I asked for a cupcake to go. I went for the strawberry cheesecake option, with pink frosting and glitter, and topped with a single slice of caramellised strawberry. I wish I'd taken a photo, but I ate it so fast before I even remembered my phone has a camera!

The second thing was this - also pink. I'm not usually a pink person; my favourite colours are yellow and orange. But I was throwing a few things into a bag to take with me and this tote made me smile. It zips up into a square pouch!





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Roast lamb for two with sweet potato and chilli jam

Boyfriend cleaned the kitchen whilst I was at work yesterday, which was a joy. I got a text sometime mid afternoon to let me know he’d rescue some select vegetables from the plastic veggie rack under the counter, but unfortunately some of their friends were not so lucky, and not everyone made it. The most notorious casualty was a melon that died in his hands.

We had a mini lamb roast I’d bought from the Puddledub stall at the farmers market weekend before last. I’d actually forgotten about it completely, but it’s a novel idea – a tiny lamb roast of about 350g total weight, perfect for two people as a mid-week roast, with pretty much no waste. I bought one for my friend Chris last time we went to visit him, because he only has a toaster oven so wouldn’t be able to roast a whole leg of lamb. These mini roasters are terribly cute and would be perfect for a dinner party idea I’ve been brewing since Christmas. I managed to find a handful of shallots that didn’t look too suspicious and some organic sweet potatoes from Waitrose that my boyfriend nudged me towards – probably as they didn’t have much time left, and also because he loves sweet potato.

Roast lamb for two with sweet potato and chilli jam

350g mini roast lamb (I used a Jacob mini roast from Puddledub, which is cute as hell and ready rolled)
A handful of shallots, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, chopped
Rapeseed oil (Summer Harvest – farmers market)
Chilli salt
1 tbsp sweet chilli jam (made by the lovely Mel)Preheat oven to 190 º.

In a heavy bottomed pot – I used a large Le Creuset – pour about a tbsp of oil. Add the sweet potatoes and shallots, taking care to spread them out so they lie in a relatively even layer covering the whole dish. Place the piece of lamb on top, season with chilli salt (don’t forget to season the veg as well) and brush with a little sweet chilli jam.

Roast 45-50 minutes for medium, 35-40 minutes for medium rare. Let rest covered.

Serve with sweet onion chutney.

Alice in Wonderland dinner party - a work in progress

I have been obsessed with Alice in Wonderland since I first read the books as a child. I read the original when I was about six, and “Through the Looking Glass” not long after. I have yet to read “Exeunt Alice”, though it’s on my TR list at the moment. Unfortunately my TR list, along with my cycling gloves, 10 pairs of Bridgedale bamboo socks and all my nice underwear (plus two Valentino dresses that don’t fit me at the moment), is lost somewhere in my landfill of a sitting room.

Anyhow, the obsession only grew after I saw Heston Blumenthal’s Alice in Wonderland themed feast – though I wouldn’t agree with some of the things he put on the menu, and I have my doubts about the edible garden with insects; the mock turtle soup with pocket-watch “consommé” looked amazing, and the “drink me” potion was fascinating. I have the most beautifully illustrated Alice in Wonderland book – it’s more a coffee table book rather than a bedside table one, as it’s quite large – which is quite dark, and I always fancied having an Alice themed dinner party.

I’ve been to the Alice in Wonderland Café in Tokyo, which was fun but the food was pretty bog-standard. Yes it’s a gimmick, but it inspired me to go for a slightly Alice-tinged theme throughout my flat – mostly with unexpected pocket-watches hanging from the walls at the moment, but soon to feature murals and art, as soon as the walls and ceilings get sorted!

I’ve toyed with the idea of oversized vs. undersized with relation to my menu, and having thought about it have come to realise there are so many options without even having to fiddle too much with nature. I have read a few interesting blogs about Alice in Wonderland tea parties, especially this one, which totally inspired me.

I think I would serve a “drink me” potion before my starter. I wanted something less ordinary than wine glasses, so thought a cocktail of some description served in vintage apothecary bottles, labelled with “DRINK ME” in old fashioned lettering. I like the idea of mismatched bottles, plates, crockery. Food served in vintage tea cups and saucers maybe. So after my guests have finished their “DRINK ME” potions, I’ll be ready to serve the starters – which could maybe be quails eggs, baby carrot lightly steamed with their tops still attached, some roasted baby onions and a hollandaise sauce or a mousseline on the side, served in little bitty tiny jugs.

Next we would have an itty bitty mozzarella and tomato salad, made with tiny bocconcini mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes, with a bit of balsamic glaze and a sprig of basil.

For the soup course I would go for two different kinds – a mock-turtle soup served in dainty teacups with a cheap pocket-watch placed on the saucer (not as elaborate as Heston Blumenthal’s edible pocket-watch, but then again I don’t have minions), and a cullen skink also served in teacups, with small toast fingers cut in the shape of hearts or diamonds.

This would be followed by a small piece of cake – maybe carrot cake iced with cream cheese frosting and a tiny sugar carrot (I just found a box the other day). The piece of cake would be served in a vintage tea cup, and at a jaunty angle. My other possible idea was to bake a savoury cake somehow – I’ve not looked into it enough, but to have a savoury cake iced with…cheese maybe – with the words “EAT ME” in balsamic glaze or even brown sauce. I might even stretch as far as a small meatloaf or a wedge of focaccia. Thinking about it now, a savoury “cake” might be better.

This will be followed by a sorbet – not made by me, but I would love to be able to serve a scoop of Belhaven’s gooseberry ice with a sprig of mint in a tea cup and saucer – I just wish they sold the tubs of gooseberry! Maybe garnish with the odd poached gooseberry or two.

Then would come the next course, or my usual “second starter”. Following the “EAT ME” cake, the second starter would have to be oversized. One thing that comes to mind is possibly a huge pie – I thought it might be un to make two pies, one steak and ale and one chicken and mushroom with marmalade - my two usual suspects- but to make each one half of the pie. I haven’t thought this one through as much as I have the “mini” food.

The oversized course would be followed by a glass of wine or another cocktail, again in some interesting receptacle with the “DRINK ME” label. That would segue quite nicely into our first main course…

…the mini lamb roasts from Puddledub – one for every two people, so probably a total of 3-4 roasts, glazed with the amazing sweet chilli jam I got off a friend at work. These would be served with tiny potatoes, maybe cut to look like hasselback tatties with the smallest bay leaves I can gather up snuck into the tiny crevices. I’d serve alongside some baby carrots again, lightly glazed in orange juice, butter and honey. The entire lot would be served between a vintage cake plate and a glass cake plate, with a playing card placed between the two. I’ll garnish with a few redcurrants and a sprig of mint. Redcurrant gravy will be served alongside, and in teacups – I think one teacup for every two people would do. I’ll have one of those teacup and pot sets where the pot sits on the cup, with a horseradish cream from Stichill in the cup half, and some fresh mint sauce in the pot. A selection of chutneys will be laid out on the table in mismatched teacups.

The roast lamb would then be followed by a poultry course – a couple roast poussins, decorated to look like Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and a couple roast quail per person, surrounding the poussin. I think I’d roast the quail very simply with plenty of garlic, rosemary and salt. The poussin I will do with lemon, garlic, rosemary and sage. I don’t want to do anything too fussy, but I’ll have a few sauces to go with both – a creamy sauce, one with cider, gravy…

For pudding I’ve fallen in love with this idea. Red velvet cupcakes with red frosting and white chocolate buttons, made to look like mushrooms.

Throughout the meal we will have wine and cocktails, poured from teapots of varying sizes. There will be tea and biscuits to finish, maybe shortbread in the shape of hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs.

Restaurant review - Chop Chop - Commercial Street (Leith)

Today has been one of those days…I am bone tired, had an argument with the boyfriend last night over something totally stupid AND one of my friends was ratty with me first thing in the morn, and to top that off it’s dreeck outside – not quite raining though it’s thinking about it. I got in to work late, should have gotten more done today but have been experiencing technificulties. I decided to take myself out for a long(ish) lunch to cheer myself up.

I have wanted to try out the new Chop Chop in Leith for a few weeks, ever since I noticed the sign go up about 7 weeks ago. When I first walked past it was still pretty much a building site, with the Chop Chop logo but not much else. I’ve been to the Morrison Street/Haymarket branch a couple times – once with an old friend of mine I used to go out for dinner with at least once a month – until she moved down to London, the traitor – and once with my mum and dad. I am familiar with the Chop Chop idea, and I like it. Informal food, informal settings, authentic Chinese and some cracking dumplings. The staff sometimes look rushed off their feet, but that’s understandable as the restaurant is often packed elbow to elbow. Today was my first time in the Leith location though, so thankfully it was quiet.

The new Chop Chop is slightly snazzier than the original – all pale wood floors throughout, comfy leather-upholstered chairs and sparkly red tabletops. The air is distinctly more chilled out, and not just because Monday is their quiet day and there were maybe two other tables. I was greeted by a waitress who asked if I wanted a window table, but as it was grey and uninspired outside I decided not to depress myself and opted for a seat close to the bar.

Totally out-of-the-blue I heard a voice greet me very enthusiastically. More enthusiastically than could be expected from a random weekday lunch visit to a new restaurant. I turned around to see my friend G, who last I’d heard had moved to Perth to pursue a career in…something…working for…some guy. This was a few months ago, and it was probably just after the New Year I last saw him – no idea he’d moved back to Edinburgh and most definitely no idea he was working in my neck of the woods. Anyways, turns out G is the new assistant manager, the restaurant opened its doors six weeks ago, he’d moved back to town with his girlfriend and had bought a canoe (which he was trying to sell now he no longer lives near water).

G managed to sit down and have lunch with me briefly, and he recommended the beef noodle soup – there are no long and flowery menu descriptors here, so beef with noodles in soup is called beef noodle soup, and dumplings are listed by ingredient, not what season or emotion they evoke. I’d had a craving for a noodle soup all morning so this sounded perfect. I opted for the business lunch, which came to £7.50 for a man, a dumpling dish and 2 starters. You get a choice of 3 deep fried gyoza-style dumplings or 6 boiled dumplings. I went for the deep fried option today as it was blatantly a comfort food day.

I had the crispy potato and the bean sprout salad for my starters – you get a slip of paper with the lunch menu options on it, and you check the ones you want before presenting to your waiter – very dim sum style, and reminded me of dim sum places my mum and dad used to take me and my cousins to when I was wee. I was torn between the bean sprout salad and the seasoned chicken wings, but thought maybe one healthy option may not go amiss. I wasn’t expecting to be bowled over by the salad – I never am, salad is just a means to an end for me – but this was so tasty. It was much more than just raw bean sprouts and carrots, which is what I was expecting. The sprouts were marinated in something sweet, maybe with a hint of light rice vinegar, but not overly tangy. They weren’t soggy, but slightly softer with a bit of crunch still. I hate raw carrots, but the marinade softened them enough to take away the overly raw taste, but not so much to be soggy.

The crispy potatoes – well, I had no idea what to expect here, but maybe somewhere in the region of patatas bravas, only maybe a bit more deep fried. These were thin strands of potato, almost the consistency of feelings, but quick-fried in deep fat, crispy, and with all the best elements of a crisp, a chip and a hash brown. I could sit and eat a whole bowl of these in one sitting, but thankfully for my waistline they didn’t.

My gyoza came next – Chop Chop is one of those restaurants where your food arrives at your table as it comes out of the pan, and not in any order – and they were fabulous – not too greasy although they were deep fried, filled with a tasty pork and chive meaty mouthful. With your order you get either 3 deep fried or 6 boiled dumplings, and I’m not sure if this is a nod to promoting healthier eating – perhaps if you are indulging in deep fried dumplings you should eat less of them! These were accompanied with soy sauce and vinegar at the table, and G brought over a small dish of crushed chillies and freshly minced garlic to add to the traditional dipping sauce. You add vinegar to soy sauce in a dish to your taste – I like it 3:1 soy to vinegar usually – and then add the chillies and garlic depending on how spicy you like you sauce. It’s a great idea, and the garlic and chilli really do add something t the sauce you don’t usually get with the usual soy and vinegar usually presented at Chinese restaurants.

My noodle soup arrived at around the same time as the gyoza, so I tucked in to the noodles first to let the gyoza cool slightly. I have burnt my mouth many a time on a hot gyoza. The beef was soft and melted in the mouth, the soup was warming, the broth tasty (I cheated and added some chilli and garlic to the bowl), and the noodles were deliciously slurpabale. There is no ladylike way to enjoy Chinese noodles, and I believe if you can eat noodles without making a mess of yourself, you are blatantly not enjoying them like you should!

I had a fabulous meal, a nice chance to catch up with an old friend, and a new restaurant to go to within walking distance of work. Not bad for a Monday.

WANTED: environmentally-friendly shampoo to keep my new red hair red

I was at the hairdressers for a “spruce” yesterday, as my hair has grown super-fast this summer and my roots were getting out of hand. I’d also decided to go red this summer, and my lovely colour had all but faded in the three weeks since I was last in. Indecent I know, but I seem to repel red colour. I have Gore-tex hair, it’s a curse. Unfortunately, I love my hair red, it suits me (I think), and I am not willing to give up colouring. So something will have to be done or I will be making once-a-fortnight trips to the salon to get my hair touched up, and I really can’t afford that on my salary.

I have resisted buying a colour shampoo/conditioner for awhile now, because all the products tailored for reds have an awful perfumey smell (I prefer my scents to come from essential oils rather than chemicals born in a lab) and also because I don’t fancy washing my hair with products that contain parabens and other nasty chemicals. I’d heard about the various different nasties cosmetics companies sneak into almost every product on the market, but it wasn’t until I read Kate Lock’s “Confessions of an Eco Shopper” last year that I started scouring ingredient labels on everything I put in my shopping basket. The salesgirls at Harvey Nicks sometimes look at me with puzzled expressions as I squint for half an hour at a pot of cleanser.

Let me just say I was a little heartbroken (not distraught, as it’s only shampoo) to discover Kiehl’s products contain parabens. Kiehl’s for fuckssake! I’d been using their Olive Oil shampoo and conditioner almost exclusively for a year, not to mention their face washes, sunscreen, moisturiser. It made me a little sad as Kiehl’s is a brand I always associated with pure ingredients, and one I have recommended to friends. I bought their centella asiatica cleanser and moisturiser for my boyfriend’s best friend when he was having a weird skin reaction to pretty much every face product he tried – however I have not looked at the list of ingredients for their centella range, and aside from that he was every so impressed with them he’s requested the pair for future b-day and Christmas pressies as they’ve worked so well for him. Tbh I have not been to the Kiehl’s counter in quite a few months, so much was my disappointment, so I may be completely out of order here and they may have removed parabens from their ingredients. I am crossing my fingers as wel speak. I have noticed over the past few months that quite a few companies now advertise they are “paraben-free” on their labels, especially some which I know in the past have used parabens as a preservative…so, a step in the right direction, I think. Hopefully Kiehl’s have jumped on this particular bandwagon, and I can go back to using their lovely potions.

However, credit where credit’s due – I’ve read Kiehl’s have come out with a new body “cleanser” - shower gel – with green credentials. The minimum of ingredients (all biodegradeable), minimal environmental impact and maximum reuse, and cradle-to-cradle certified (C2C certification is a multi-atribute label - meaning it has passed an assessment of the product’s safety not only to us and the environment, but also for future life cycles, focussing on using materials that are safe and can be disassembled and recycled as technical nutrients of composted as biological nutrients). Kiehl’s currently sell two products/ranges that carry a C2C certification – their new Aloe Vera Biodegradeable Liguid body cleanser (which I have not tried yet) and their Acai Damage Repair range. I am currently using the acai cleanser, which is quite nice and easy to rinse off, as it comes in mousse form. It is however not as moisturising and softening as I know some of their other products are.

Back to my original issue – keeping this darned red hair of mine red. I have asian hair, which is hardy and strong but not so great with holding colour. Back in my hair-bleachine/perming/straightening heyday, around year three into my student days, after I had my dark brown hair bleached ash blonde, dyed blue, then “plum”, highlighted, permed, bleached again – I’d gone to a hairdressers in my hometown wanting more highlights added to my SO unnatural honey blonde tresses (unnatural mainly because I am asian) to which she point-blank refused, warning me my hair would break off and die, pretty much. This was just from looking at my already-blonde hair with the permanent wave. She said hair that is bleached should never be bleached again, and was horrified when she heard what processes that poor head of hair had been through just in the past six months. Then she took a closer look and was amazed – nothing broken, not too many split ends – I mean, my hair was dry and not in great condition, but by all accounts there should not have even been much hair left on my head after the abuse I subjected it to. Point taken, hair strong as an ox but still looks a mess most of the time.

I have had a wee scout about for a good colour shampoo and conditioner with green credentials, paraben-free, SLS-free, and without the horrible lingering perfume smell I hate. Now I’ve had a few recommendations, and I have to admit I did a search online for reviews as well, and I think I may have come up trumps with one range – Aveda’s madder root shampoo and conditioner, which contains henna I think, and from what I remember from Civello, the Aveda salon in Toronto, smelling lovely, natural and earthy. I will be stopping by Jenners on my way home this evening to have a gander at the ingredients. If there are any nasties in there I may cry – or dye my hair back to brown.

Here is my list of nasties I try to avoid in my cosmetics – and the ingredients I squint to find on those labels.

1. Parabens - Methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben and ethylparaben
When Kate Lock wrote “Confessions of an eco-shopper”, she bemoaned the fact almost every product on the market contained parabens, and it was daned near-impossible to find a moisturiser or a cleanser that didn’t contain this nasty. However since the book was published in 2008, I’ve noticed quite a few products (especially in high-end department stores like Harvey Nicks and Jenners in Edinburgh) have had a “paraben-free” label. Parabens are preservatives used to extend the shelf life of a product and inhibit microbial growth. They are also hormone disruptors and may cause allergic skin reactions in many people. Oh, and they’re known to be toxic – always a bonus.

2. Diazolidinyl urea, Imidazolidinyl urea
Preservatives again. They have been shown to be a primary cause of contact dermatitis and can release formaldehyde, which is toxic. Formaldehyde you will probably know is what is used to preserve dead bodies - I have had the pleasure of visiting the dissection room at a well-known Paris institution back in my days as an art student, where pickled body parts were stored to be studied by medical students and to be sketched by art students.

3. Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone
More preservatives that I have noticed appearing on product ingredient labels. I have hard talk some companies are using these to replace parabens and some other common preservatives so they can slap a bag fat “parabenfree” sticker on their product. They may be cause neurotoxicity and allergic reactions.

4. Sodium lauryl sulfate, Sodium laureth sulphate (SLS)
SLS is VERY commonly used in cosmetic products, particularly shampoos. SLS is a cheap, harsh detergent used in shampoos and cleansers mainly for its cleansing and foam-building properties, but can cause skin irritation and allergic reactions. If your shampoo lathers up to a nice foamy lather, which in the 80s I believe people though was the mark of a good cleanser and not a foaming agent, it’s probably SLS. Just for the record, a thick foamy lather is not an indication your hair will be cleaner than with a less foamy product. Quite interestingly, I read an article about common misconceptions about natural shampoos that don’t contain SLS, which was very interesting and which you can find here. Apparently sodium laureth sulphate is slightly less harsh than sodium lauryl suphate, but both an cause scalp irritation and flakiness.

5. Diethanolamine (DEA), Triethanolamine (TEA)
These are emulsifiers and/or foaming agents. Again as with the foam-building properties of SLS, the addition of a foaming agent may create a thick lather but this will not clean your face or hair more effectively. DEAs and TEAs can cause allergic reactions, eye irritation and dryness, and they can also be toxic.

6. Petrolatum
Otherwise known as petroleum jelly, this is a cheap mineral oil that claims to be moisturizing but can actually interfere with the body's natural moisturizing mechanism, which can lead to more of the problem than it can sove. Petrolatum is often used in lip balms (although there are some good beeswax and cocoa butter ones available now), and is probably a large factor in why overuse of these balms can cause more dryness of the lips than not using anything at all.

7. Polyethylene glycol (PEG), Polypropylene glycol (PPG)
These are synthetic petrochemicals used as humectants which have been known to cause skin irritations. PEGs and PPGs are similar to propylene glycol, which isn’t that bad if formed from a veg-based glycerine mixed with grain alcohol. If the product is largely made up of natural ingredients and without other nasty chemicals, if propylene glycol is on the ingredients list the product may be ok. However if propylene glycol is not formed in this manner, it is probably best to avoid.

8. PVP/PVA Copolymer
This is an chemical derived from oil, most commonly used in hair sprays or styling products. It is toxic when inhaled, which may explain why you might have heard about idiots buzzing bottles of hairspray.

9. Stearalkonium Chloride
This was originally developed as a cheap fabric softener, but no appears in some hair conditioners. It can cause allergic reactions and is toxic.

Heehee...

Am I alone in finding this funny? Check out the first row...

Sports bras to harness the big of boob

The situation is growing desperate, I can’t hold out any longer. I need to buy a new sports bra.

It is the one thing I don’t like shopping for – and that includes power tools and toilet accessories, stationary, “feminine hygiene” products, toilet roll and that gel I had to get when I had the random mouth ulcer a few weeks ago. I absolutely hate shopping for sports bras, because they never work.

So I am left jumping up and down in a fitting room, feeling stupid, bosoms not sufficiently anchored and frustrated. Add to that sweaty and pissed off, and there you have it, a typical shopping trip in search of a sports bra.

At the moment I go to the gym three times a week to do kettlebell training, and yoga once a week. The kettlebell sessions are on a Power Plate, so I have an uneasy feeling wearing just my regular bra may not be cutting it. I actually don’t care how hideous the bra is, as long as it holds me in and holds me tight! I am a 34FF which does not help matters, so there will not be a cute “supportive” tank top in my future, oh no.

This morning I did a search for sports bras for the big of boob, and there was one that has been mentioned on a few forums. I don’t know if it available in the UK, but it is called the Last Resort. So far only good reviews, so I think I will be ordering one of these and putting it to my thrice weekly Power Plate test…

And on a random note, this.

Oh, for the love of a Scotch egg

I’ve been so busy at work the past week, not had time to post at all in between everything. Plus me and the boyfriend have had a few fallings out, probably down to stress (mine) and hunger (mine as well – I’ve been too busy to get in a proper lunch, and I am not someone to mess with whilst hungry!). We were living on “convenience foods” for awhile – not fast food necessarily, but we had a few takeaways from the Thai restaurant across the street and pasta and sauce a couple nights in a row. Totally unimaginative but hey, needs must. And if I’m not cooking, I think he just pulls shit out of the cupboards at random and hopes for the best. We had Chinese noodles with tomato and seaweed Italian pasta sauce last Thursday, and spelt tortellini with Thai red curry sauce, bamboo shoots and chorizo the day before. Fusion food, or just plain weird? I feel like I’m eating like a student already, and I don’t go back to higher ed until October.

My boyfriend just got back late last night. He’s had a stressful few days trying to sort out some money – he’s on Jobseekers just now, but there was a problem with his application and he’s not had his first lot of money just yet. He’s not signed on in a long time, but it’s such a hassle to get back into the system and he’s quite frustrated about it right now. To top that off he was at his mum’s and a whole load of fast-flying shit has been hitting the fan from all sides recently. He’s worried about his mum, his gran, his big sis, his brother-in-law…and to top it off we’ve just had to shell out an insane amount of money to get the animals sorted (dog’s been sick, cat needs some pretty expensive dental work).

This week we are back on track though. We had a lovely weekend, went to visit a friend out in rural Fife and spent Saturday evening spending some quality time with some good mates in his cottage. Well, I say “quality time”. What actually happened was I was so overtired from my week of doing my best headless chicken impression that I passed out on the couch about half an hour after we got there. We had to put on “Man on the Moon” three times so we could all watch it as pretty much everyone passed out at some point, so we’d all see about ¼ of the film each. I had the first ten minutes covered!

The boys woke me up at regular intervals to feed me – we had lamb leg steaks from Hugh Grierson Organics grilled very simply, with some sautéed mushrooms and steamed carrot batons. Mmm…healthy! I went back to sleep. About an hour later it was followed by “John’s pie”, named because our friend John decided to stare at the pie in the oven until it was ready. The pie was apple, and it had come from North Country Lass Saturday morning at the farmers market. We had it with some jersey double cream, and I polished the lot off in about two minutes then passed out again with the bowl inches from my head. Ah, food coma, how I have missed you!

I woke up quite early the next morning and put the film back on. I have to mention Jim Carrey really does a very good Andy Kaufman, and you can definitely notice how much Carrey was influenced by Kaufman. As my boyfriend says, if there had been no Andy Kaufman, there would have been no Jim Carrey! I managed to stay awake for the whole movie this time, and by the time it was finished everyone was pretty much up and about. I had a homemade Scotch egg from Piperfield Pork while I was waiting for the boys to wake, and it was absolutely amazing, and a perfectly buttery fruit scone from North Country lass. Oh my god, I have to talk about this Scotch egg now. Imagine all the Scotch eggs you have had in your life, remember their taste, texture, colour. Now forget it all – these were nothing like the bog standard eggs you might find in the supermarket filed under “picnic snacks”. I first sliced mine in half as there were five of us and only four eggs, but twenty seconds later went back for my second half before anyone got their grubby little mitts on it. The egg was cooked just right, hard boiled but without that slightly dry texture you get from the yolk if it’s been in the pot too long – not to mention the slightly repulsive greenish tinge eggs so often get. I like mine soft boiled for the most part, and this yolk was bright golden yellow, almost orange, light and fluffy. I don’t think I have ever seen a hard boiled egg so perfect in my life. I never knew I could have so much to say about a boiled egg! The meat the egg was wrapped in was melt-in-your-mouth, not over-seasoned. Nothing like the usual dried out coating Scotch eggs sometimes have. All in all, a quality egg. I’d spied them before at the market, but never bought one before – thought this would be a nice treat to take for the boys and I will definitely grab some next time Piperfield are at the market.

For lunch we had some chicken broth with veg from the Good Soup Company with some house seeded sourdough bread from Falko Konditoreimeister. Followed by a slice of North Country Lass’s pork and apple pie. Pork and apple have always been one of my favourite food combinations, ever since my mum let me make my own after school snacks and I laid out a plate of cold cut ham with Motts apple sauce as a dip. Mmm…

Speaking of food combos, a book arrived in the post for me the other day. I ordered it from Amazon a week ago but had completely forgotten about it – gotta love mail order shopping, feels like Christmas every other day. “The Flavour Thesaurus” (Niki Segnit) is a compendium of every possible food and flavour combination you can think of - some are quite bizarre. You have the basic list of foods, separated into categories like Meat and Fish, and then these are matched up with a variety of complementary flavours. There are some more obvious ones, like chilli and chocolate, and some particularly bizarre ones like blueberry and mushroom. I think it will be an interesting read, and my poor boyfriend will just have to put up with random trials over the next few weeks…