Dinner Date

I'm interested in the more and more outlandish ways television is helping people find love, and Dinner Date (ITV, 5pm, daily) is one programme I am loving.   Let me explain the concept:  a girl or guy (the dater) looks through five menus and chooses three dates (the datees) based on their proposed three course meal.   Simple.  

The dater then goes to the three datees' houses and they enjoy the meal together.   At the end of each date the datee rates the dater out of three stars.   Once the dater has had all three meals, they choose their favourite datee and they go for a romantic meal in a restaurant of their choice whilst the other two answer their doors to a tray with a ready-meal (think spaghetti carbonara) and a mini bottle of wine.   

In terms of whether I could compete in such a programme, I just don't know.   You have to be pretty brave (or mad ...in which real life situation would you ever do this?!) to cook for a complete stranger in the first place, let alone one you are trying to woo.   The stress of meeting someone for the first time, mixed with cooking trauma could well cause a person to keel over.   Not that I'm a stress head.   I'm just pointing out the danger.  

Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to know what some of my friends would cook if they were on the programme, so I posed this question: what three course meal would you cook to entice the man / lady of your dreams on a blind date?  Here are some of their answers: 

       Becky

Starter: Little pieces of bread with smoked salmon and mackerel pate
Main: Beef wellington and chips
Pudding: Crowd pleasing chocolate brownie

       Anna

Starter: Fried calamari with hot and spicy sauce     

Main: Thai green chicken curry

Pudding: Elderflower & lychee cheesecake   

       Ellie

Starter: Scallops

Main: Steak and chips

Pudding: Blueberry cheesecake

       Mimi

Starter: Spanish cold cuts of meat

Main: Steak pie with 'man-veg'

Pudding: Jam roly-poly with custard

       Dan R

Starter: Either sushi or oysters

Main: Slow roasted lamb cutlets served with honeyed parsnips and a warm lentil and feta salad

Dessert: Home made Toblerone cheesecake

       Giles

Starter: Salmon, prawn and avacado sushi

Main: Moroccan lamb tagine with apricots, served with couscous mixed with pomegranate

Pudding: lemon posset with dipping shortbread biscuits

       Smithy

Starter: Stuffed mushrooms

Main: Lasagne - a recipe given to me by an Italian family (which I can verify is the best tasting dish in the world)

Pudding: Chocolate fudge cake   

       Dan L

Starter: Bruschetta

Main: Paella

Pudding: Stick toffee pudding

So, there we have it, a snap shot of the culinary delights some of my friends would serve up.   I think they all sound delicious, and I must say, I am very impressed with the calibre of food they are able  to produce - I had no idea I had such talented, foodie friends (where are my dinner invites, eh?!)

Oh, and if you were wondering - my menu would be:

Starter: Scallops wrapped in Parma ham

Main: Duck with sweet potato mash and purple sprouting broccoli

Pudding: Chocolate melt-in-the middle fondant with vanilla ice cream

Thank you to the lovely contributors - happy dating! x

(Post a comment stating what your three course menu would be ... my favourite will be put into the main blog!)

Drifting Away at the Dove Spa

Today I went and had a Drift Away treatment package at the Dove Spa in Virgin Active, just off High Street Kensington.   I arrived on the third floor a little apprehensive, as this was only the second massage I had had.   Moreover, as a girl who will not freely whip off her clothes for just anyone, I felt slightly odd shaking hands with a girl who was, in ten minutes time, going to see my with very few clothes on.   I made a joke about it (a little Chandler Bing-esque, I'm afraid) and then I relaxed into it as Brooke, the masseur, made me feel at ease with her quiet professionalism.   Once I had filled out my questionnaire (insurance that I probably wouldn't die on the massage table), I was led up to a dimly lit room with relaxing whale sounds and sea music tinkling from the sound system.   Brooke asked me to take off my clothes and lie down on my front on the table, which I did.   She then proceeded to give me a back exfoliate treatment, a back massage, a facial and a head massage that all lasted for an hour.   All the treatments were amazing, enhanced by the fact that she didn't feel the need to chat to me and ask me about my day (I had an irritating experience of this at a different spa: it was totally unrelaxing answering inane questions about my holidays plans)!   Once the massage had finished I floated out of the gym and wandered, oozing calm and serenity, down High Street Kensington.   Bliss! 

Interview with M.O.T's Phil McGuirk

On Sunday 10th July I went to a M.O.T gig at Barfly in Camden.   M.O.T?   Who?   I will tell you.   They are the newest and coolest Brit-Pop/Indie band you probably haven't heard yet.   Have a look and listen here and here.   This particular gig drummed up, as one spectator commented, 'an amazing turn out for a Sunday night.'   Their upbeat rhythms mixed with fun lyrics provide catchy tunes that, with only a few hearings, are memorable enough to sing along to.   I particularly like 'I Must Be Paranoid' - whose chorus had me, and the whole Sunday night crowd, singing and jumping along to.   

The thing I particularly like about M.O.T is that their sound is entirely uncontrived: I hate listening to bands who, perhaps without trying, and perhaps without realising it (which I think is terrifying), try to be someone else (Arctic Monkeys tribute band anyone? Yuck!):   M.O.T's sound is fresh and unique, and they should certainly go far.  

The band is made up of five guys:  Ryan O'Donovan (vocals), Phil McGuirk (lead guitar), Sam O'Donovan (rhythm guitar), Lan Gaglione (bass) and Nick Cooper (drums).   All lovely lads and talented musicians who, by day, work in all areas of the mundane, but by night turn into rock stars.   Phil, the guitarist, very kindly agreed to an interview, to tell me how he came to M.O.T and his hopes for the future:

How long have you been playing guitar?

I started playing guitar when I was about 14.   I was one of those kids at school who got free school dinners because my mum and dad were divorced, so my music teacher told me that I was entitled to free guitar lessons because of my "circumstances"!    It also meant that I got out of French class which was probably what swung it for me...

How did you meet the other guys in the band?

Well, Ryan and I are best mates and went to school together.   We weren't really friends at school until our final year when we started hanging out in the same circles, and by the time we left school we had really hit it off (that sounds pretty gay right? it wasn't like that.... honest!)   We shared a similar taste in music.    This was around the time that Brit-Pop exploded onto the scene.    We both had a passion for British guitar bands like The Jam, The Kinks, The Beatles and then Oasis and Blur came along and made us realise that we could give it a go too.   Ryan was constantly writing lyrics in his spare time and I was probably the best guitarist (out of a bad bunch) at school so we thought we'd have a crack at starting a band.   Sam is Ryan's younger brother and Lan was in the same year as Sam, so it all came together nicely.   We've had quite a few drummers over the years.   Nick, our current drummer, is someone we met through a friend.   He digs our tunes and we dig his drumming, so it was an easy decision to get him on board.

Have you been in any other bands other than M.O.T?

M.O.T is the only 'proper' band I've been in.   I messed around with a few other bands in school but it was never serious.   While most of the 'cool' kids were playing football during lunch break I was in the music department playing drums and guitar with some mates, mainly doing very bad covers of Metallica and Pearl Jam songs. 

What do you enjoy most about performing and do you get nervous before going on stage?

I don't really get nervous before a gig.   I used to, but these days, as soon as I play a few chords from the first song, the nerves go away.   I could never get on stage on my own.   I would completely crumble.   Solo musicians and stand up comics must have different ingredients in their blood.   I can get on stage, hide behind my guitar and my four mates and have a blast, but if you were to put me on stage on my own, I would freeze up. 

You seem to have a fair few die-hard M.O.T groupies. Tell me, what three qualities do I need in order to join those dizzy heights?

Well, you need to come to more than 2 gigs!! (this is in reference to my 'slight' crappiness at coming to the gigs - I am busy, OK?!)

You need to be telling your friends about M.O.T and spreading the love.

You need to buy me a drink. 

If you could meet one musician who has influenced you, living or dead, who would it be, and why?

A very difficult question to answer, this one!   The obvious choice would be John Lennon because I've been a big Beatles fan since I was a kid.   A less obvious choice would be Neil Finn of Crowded House and Split Enz.   He's arguably my favourite songwriter and has an amazing voice.   I'd like to know his songwriting methods, but mainly I'd like to just have a jam and a beer with him.

What are your hopes for the future of M.O.T?

Just to keep releasing songs, making videos and playing great gigs.   I guess the next step for us would be to secure a support slot for an established band and go on tour with them.   Failing that I hope we can get our own little European tour going.   I'd love to do a gig in Amsterdam.   I hear they have amazing museums ...

When you are living the dream as a massive star - what five things will be on your rider?

XL Cheese crisps (they're only available in Cumbria - they're the best crisps in the world)

A selection of pies. I love pies.

A bottle of Lagavulin - a lovely Islay whisky.

Tunnocks tea cakes - at least 5 boxes

Iced Tea - peach flavour.

And with that, Phil dashed off to re-string his guitar.   Or something.   I urge you, go and see M.O.T - they are great.    

Chocolate-orange and vanilla muffins

This afternoon I got out my apron and got baking: my original recipe was chocolate and vanilla, but, due to rather too little cocoa powder for the recipe and a lone orange in my fruit bowl, I thought I would adapt!

Ingredients:

Makes 12 muffins

5 oz (150g) unsalted butter, softened
5 oz (150g) sugar
6 oz (175g) plain flour
1 tsp baking power
4 eggs
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 orange, juiced

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients together until smooth, although do not over mix, as you want the bubbles to remain to make the cakes light. 
2. Put mixture into muffin tin and bake for 18 minutes in the oven, pre-heated at 180 degrees Celsius.
3. Turn out of tin, and leave to cool on a wire rack.

~The proof is in the eating~

These muffins have a subtle taste, beautifully balanced, with a light, spongy texture.   If I were to do this again, I would add dark chocolate chips and grated orange peel to make the flavours a little more intense.

Spotted: Binky from 'Made in Chelsea' on the King's Road

This morning, as I was strolling down the King's Road after an excellent night at 151, I met the lovely Binky from 'Made in Chelsea' (Channel 4).  

I recognised her almost immediately (she is the brunette in the photo), and although I don't normally go and speak to well-known personalities, I was in a sociable mood so I went and said hello.   She was in the throes of a fight with her boyfriend (Charlie, they have been together for 10 months) as he was acting like an idiot (I can confirm, he was ...), but was incredibly gracious and chatted to me for a good fifteen minutes.   We talked about her job (she works for a hedge fund four days a week) and the problems she is having with her boyfriend ("I just don't think he respects me enough ...").   Once our small talk dried up somewhat I angled for an invite to an exclusive, glamorous, fab-u-lous party, to rub shoulders with the King's Road elite but unfortunately she was up for getting food and finishing the fight with her boyfriend, so I took that as my cue to leave her alone! 

Madam Butterfly in Trafalgar Square

On the evening of Monday 4th July I went to Trafalgar Square to watch the BP open air screening of the Royal Opera House's performance of Madam Butterfly.  Arriving at 6 o'clock, the square was packed, with groups of people staking their claim on the best floor space.   My friend and I weaved our way through the groups before we came to a place where we could stop.   At 7pm there was a National Hum-Along where a group of singers taught us a part from the opera, which we were then encouraged to hum along to.  As we watched the workshop, we learnt that it was also being broadcast to a whole host of locations in the United Kingdom.   At 7.30pm the opera burst onto the screen, with the incredibly handsome James Valenti playing the part of B.F. Pinkerton, with his dark, brooding good looks and his stunning voice: he made the perfect character we love-to-hate.   Following closely behind him was Kristine Opolais as the madly in love Cio-Cio-San, or Madam Butterfly, swathed in a Japanese Geisha costume complete with white face and black painted-on eyebrows.   She played the heroine to perfection: with her voice on top form.   There were helpful sub-titles, so that us non-Italian speakers could understand the words, but I felt myself zoning out of reading them, as I was enjoying the enchanting music, and action on screen, which more than made up for the fact that the words didn't mean much to me.   Amazingly there were seven and a half thousand people in the square, and at the end, when Butterfly killed herself next to her blindfolded son, you could have heard a pin drop.   When it came to the curtain call, the whole crowd gave a standing ovation.  It felt just as if we were in the Opera House, except slightly better due to the high definition screen that really zoomed close into the action.   I found it immensly encouraging to see that amount of people come out to watch two and a half hours of opera on a Monday evening in a square in London: it certainly is not a lost art form, which I am very pleased about.