Food and Drink – Smtfhw's Travels

Staycation 2021 – Day 7 (Stanwick Lakes, Deene Park)

Wednesday, 23rd September 2021 – Stanwick Lakes, Deene Park Wednesday we were in pretty much the same territory as on Tuesday. There are a number of castles, stately homes and such over towards Corby, along the Nene Valley. We were planning on visiting another one we’d never been to (and in fact until I started…

Staycation 2021 – Day 6 (Rockingham Castle)

Tuesday, 22nd September 2021 – Rockingham Castle Tuesday morning we made a late, slowish start (A had stayed overnight so we had breakfast together before heading off in our respective directions, she to visit a friend further north, us eastward towards Corby). Today’s destination was Rockingham Castle, another on the “we really should go there…

Staycation 2021 – Day 5 (Dojima Sake Brewery, Fordham Abbey)

Monday, 21st September 2021 – Dojima Sake Brewery Did you know that sake is now brewed in the UK? No? Nor did we until a couple of weeks ago, when I was hunting around for interesting places to visit on our staycation. It looked intriguing, and was over the same direction as Ely. We were…

Staycation 2021 – Day 1 (Tinwood Estate)

Thursday, 16th September 2021 In the face of Covid, and the resulting price hikes for any form of accommodation in the UK (because the owners/landlords know they have a mostly captive audience), we decided we would have a genuine staycation and would spend a week or so at home, going out for the day to…

Food 2021 – Banquist, Jitin Joshi

Saturday, 6th February 2021 – Banquist, Jitin Joshi Banquist have been consistently good through the entirety of the lockdowns/pandemic stay at home sessions, with a number of excellent meals curated by some very well known, well-regarded chefs. The latest one was the work of Jitin Joshi, former executive chef of Gymkhana, a Michelin starred Indian…

Food 2021 – The Great British Chefs Cookbook Club (The Pie Room by Calum Franklin; Moorish by Ben Tish)

Sunday, 31st January 2021 – Recipes (The Ultimate Fish Pie; Slow-Cooked Fish and Shellfish Stew with Saffron and Star Anise) At the start of the month it was announced that we could cook from any of the books that have been the previous books of the month. As a result I just kept right on…

Food 2020 – The Great British Chefs Cookbook Club (The Pie Room by Calum Franklin Part 1)

Friday 31st December, 2020 – Recipes (Keema-Spiced Cottage Pie; Moroccan-Spiced Beetroot and Squash Wellington; Beef, Stilton and Onion Pie) December’s book for the Great British Chefs Cookbook Club could not have been more perfect for the time of year and the general state of things. Sometimes you want comfort food, and what is more comforting…

Food 2020 – The Great British Chefs Cookbook Club (Masala by Mallika Basu – Part 2)

Monday 16th November, 2020 – Recipes (Chilli Cheese Toast, Gosht Dopiaza, Mango Kulfi, Mughlai Murgh Mussallam, Sabzi Pulao) After the first weekend of November I knew I needed to return to this book and test out some more recipes. I’ve been looking for things that are very quick and easy to do, or that can…

Food 2020 – The Ambassador General Store, Trishna

Saturday 14th November, 2020 – Ambassador General Store, Trishna Seafood Experience I got wind of the Ambassador General Store restaurant box delivery scheme through one of Jay Rayner’s restaurant review columns in The Observer and promptly noted the details for future use. Having eaten at Trishna back in February, and having loved the experience, the…

Food 2020 – Sauce Supper Club Dine at Home, Tom Shepherd

Tuesday 13th October, 2020 – Sauce Supper Club Dine at Home, Tom Shepherd In pursuit of interesting food, and always open to a chance to experience some different restaurants even if we can’t go out, I ordered a box from the Sauce Supper Club with whom we’ve had dealings now and then in the past….