love love LOVE a locavore

Ever been to a dinner party with people you have never met? No, me neither. Until a few weeks ago, that is, when I went to a dinner party in Fulham hosted by the lovely Alice Bamford (left in picture).

My only communication with her beforehand had been one rather frantic telephone call to her answerphone the night before, as I realised I didn't have a clue as to where it was to be held (it turned out to be at her house). Alice is the creator of Love a Locavore catering, a company which aims to use only locally sourced, fresh, organic produce that is in season. A foodie's idea of heaven! Alice has made her name through cooking first-class breakfasts, lunches and dinners, mainly for private clients, and holding pop-up restaurant events once a month. This is where I come in. I was invited to her Black and White themed 2nd Birthday Party. The deal is for around 30 quid you are fed three-courses and canapes, with bring your own wine.

I arrived rather apprehensively - as someone who often feels a jolt of nerves before turning up to an event, this held the trump card - knocking on the door of a complete stranger, with, I knew, an evening of mingling with a host of strangers inside. But, despite my fleeting nerves, I was welcomed by a waiter brandishing champagne (always, always, always a good start / sign of a good evening!) We had been asked to dress for the theme, so, unsurprisingly, when I met my fellow diners, everyone was dressed smartly in black and white. I liked the dress code, as it provided a cohesion to the group, and a talking point. There were a mix of men and women, all in their late twenties, early thirties. Lovely. Canapes came in the shape of squid ink bread, topped with horseradish creme fresh and smoked swordfish. The bread was beautifully soft and the swordfish, which I had not eaten before, wonderfully tender and subtly smoked (see picture).

There was also black arincini - fried black rice balls hailing from 10th century Sicily, stuffed with, I think, mince. Again, wonderful flavour combinations. I decided then and there that this Alice was a complete cooking genius. Another thing that a fellow, greedy gourmand would appreciate was the generous portions, with each canape catered for at least two per person.

Then we sat down for dinner. There were two tables and it was up to us where we sat. I would have liked a seating plan, as, although it makes the evening a little more formal, it gives everyone the chance to mix up, as I noticed that the couples who knew each other sat together, which meant I didn't really get to meet any of them (violins out please ...)

We started with seared scallops on parsnip puree, garnished with tiny cubes of black pudding and wafer thin apple slices. I love scallops at the best of times, and these did not disappoint - translucent inside and perfectly plump (see picture).

Main was fillet of pollack with jersey potatoes, fried black potatoes and micro leaves. Pollack is a white, meaty fish, a little like cod, which, again, went well with the accompaniments.

Pudding was a vanilla panna cotta with home-grown blackberry compote. The panna cotta had a fabulous sheen and wobble to it, with flecks of vanilla evenly dotted through it. I had never tried panna cotta before, and I have since then been striving to eat it again, although, I hasten to add, I have not had one as good since.

We then had a cheese course with suitably black and white cheeses, black (well, purple) and white grapes, and black and white biscuits.

I would highly recommend attending one of Alice's pop-up restaurants because, mainly, it is just a lovely treat: a chance to eat yummy food, meet like-minded foodies and be a little bit pampered for the evening. See you at the next one!

Have a gander round http://lovealocavore.com/about/ to find out more.

Roller D.i.s.c.o

On Saturday I went and did something I never thought I would do: I went to the Roller Disco at the Vauxhall Renaissance Rooms.   Why the extreme aversion?  well, when I was younger I went roller blading and fell over and hurt my (ample) posterior.  That began my life-long hatred for all things roller.   Twelve years later I decided to give it another go.   The Renaissance Rooms are down the end of a back-alley located near a main road, not too impressive so far.   But when you enter the unimposing doors you are hit with the neon and bright lights of the bars and tons of brightly coloured, 80's outfitted, liqueured-up girls and guys.   Fabulous.   We queued up, handed in our shoes and got our massive, clunking roller skates.   Somehow I got my skates on and stood up (hard with absolutely no recognition of the break bit at the front!)  I could not move.   My hand was grabbed and I was dragged to the bar, where I held on for dear life (drama drama).   To cut a long story short, I sprained my thumb after trying to get up a second time, so, being a wimp, with absolutely no pain threshold whatsoever, I decided enough was enough, after an epic ten minutes.  For the next five hours I managed pretty unhurt, although I did sprain my ankle, falling off my five inchers ... but that is an easy price to pay for fabulous shoes ...

London Fashion Week: the celebs!

For those of you who are interested (and indeed for those of you who are not ...), the celebrities I spotted at LFW 2011 were (in alphabetical order, not in order of appearance):


Boy George, thinner than he looks in photos, and seemed rather self-concious, even though he was one of the more conservatively dressed people in the throng, and that is saying something, as he was wearing full make-up and a top hat with a bandanna underneath ...

Ellie Goulding looking a lovely 'normal' size, i.e. not ten-foot tall and not rake-thin

Erin O'Connor, Mortitia Adams-Gothic and exquisitely striking.   My new favourite model

Nicola Roberts, teeny tiny, ashen white with, I'm afraid to say, my friends her gnashers on show (I was glad to see them in real life!)   She had a big buzz around her, and had loads of minders and entourage.   She is one cool chick

Paloma Faith at the Ashish show, wearing a sequined, union jack dress and graffiti jacket, made by Ashish himself.   Although it was an outfit heavily panned by 'what not to wear' types, she looked amazing

Pandemonia, the new 'it' girl (guy?) in the fashion world, should also be mentioned.   You may have read about her (him) because she (he) comes to events dressed entirely in latex, with only eye and breathing holes.   I saw her (him) walking around in the baking heat, and really, really felt sorry for her (him), this will not be pretty to take off, no siree

The last month or so ...

Deary me! It has been a while since my last post.   This is because I have been caught up working.   Yes, working.

Firstly, I had an incredible time interning for four weeks at delicious. magazine where the small-knit team made me feel welcome instantly.   I was given quite a bit of writing copy and subbing to do, which was not only a great honour ('really? you want me to do this?! yippeeee!'), but also thoroughly enjoyable (check out 'What's in Season' in the current issue, out now in all supermarkets and newsagents).   I also wrote the November e-newsletter, and got to grips with CMS, which, is actually quite similar to the format of writing a blog, so, although infuriating and seemingly complicated at times, I did get the hang of it quite quickly.   I was sad to leave, and, armed with some chicken and salad (there is lots of food to sample at delicious.) I said my goodbyes and thanks.    

I then jumped into the fashion world, and became an 'op girl' at London Fashion Week where I guarded the Buyers Lounge (and its accompanying coffee machine and plate of pastries) with my life.   One of my responsibilities was to make coffee for the buyers, so I made roughly 500 espressos a day for the top bananas in the fashion world.   About half way through I was asked if I was fed up of doing this, but I really wasn't: I liked having my own little area to organise and I took pride in ensuring the buyers' comfort.   The compliments they left me with at the end of the week were truly heartening - I must have been doing something right!  

Two superb experiences, where I met wonderful people, who had the time, energy and patience to share some of their wisdom and work with me, whilst working at the top of their game.   Inspirational.

Becky's chicken, chorizo and rosemary risotto

Last night I went for dinner at George and Becky's and now feel compelled to write about the delicious risotto Becky rustled up!   It was chicken, chorizo and rosemary, sprinkled with Parmesan and topped with roasted mini balsamic tomatoes and courgettes.   Adapted from Jamie Oliver's recipe, it proved to be hearty, filling and an amazing combination of flavours that I will certainly be attempting to re-create at home.   Chorizo is a wonderful ingredient to cook with because it has a smokey, chilli flavour that envelopes the other ingredients it is cooked with.   As it has a highish fat content you can fry it first and then use the beautiful, orange oil to fry the rest of the ingredients in, as demonstrated in this recipe.   For those who are interested, pudding was a peach and raspberry cheesecake with fresh raspberries on the side. 

Photo taken from t'internet - unfortunately I did not manage to take photos of the real thing - but this shows the ingredients nicely.

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.

!t's The Agency* 1st birthday bash!

Last night, Tuesday 28th June, my friend Nikki invited me to the first birthday party of an events agency, !t's The Agency* (www.itstheagency.co.uk).   It was held at Haberdasher's Hall near Holborn, which is a venue with a garden furnished with giant toadstools, huge sweet chairs and a fountain. 

As we walked through the great, black gates, we were greeted by a bubble machine and clowns on stilts.   As with all these events, we needed to go to get our name badges.   Normally Nikki tells whoever is asking that her friend from work couldn't come, so she has brought another one (me) and everyone says that this is fine and I get a make-shift badge.   This time, when I was asked my name I felt incredibly put on the spot (was it Michelle? Amanda? Naomi? ...) but luckily Nikki was on hand to save me with her usual spiel.   The door man was very nice, but he asked me to come with him so that he could make me a new badge.   So, we went to the badge making machine and he asked if I had my business card (no ...) and then proceeded to ask me to sign the register and tell him which company I worked for.   Again, my mind went completely blank as I had forgotten Nikki's company, so I quickly scanned the list and chose ... London Business School.   It worked, and he merrily typed me out a name badge: phew!   It would have been mightily embarrassing if I had been caught out.   I wonder, in this situation - is it best to tell the truth? (my inclination is that when there is free food and booze available ... no.)  

Anyway, once I had got through that ordeal, Nikki and I circulated the room and picked at the canapes.   There were mini burgers with tomato and onion relish; champagne, truffle and mushroom risotto in square, glass jars; mini pizza slices served in boxes; mini hash browns served in fryer baskets; and raw tuna sashimi, along with other delights.   It was all delicious, and an interesting difference from the Claridge's event, which was more typically glamorous.   There was a band in the garden belting out hits and clowns and magicians milling around, entertaining the crowd.   At 8.15pm we were ushered upstairs for speeches and the 'desert stations'.   What are they? I hear you cry.   They were tables with mounds of chocolates, sweets, lolly pops and cupcakes.   On the other side if the room there was a large table, where the caterers made 'food art' - artistically smearing and throwing about glacier cherries, honey comb and various sauces.

At 8.30pm Lady Gaga took to the stage.   Not the real one, no, but an impersonator with long, peroxide blonde hair, and not very many clothes on.   She belted out the hits very tunefully, and, although I generally hate impersonators, she was pretty realistic.  

The dance floor filled up quickly and Nikki and I danced crazily with our fellow eventers.   Once the shapes were well and truly being thrown, I decided to subtly take my London Business School badge off as I didn't want to tarnish their reputation ... (although, personally, I think I could have only boosted it!)

Wyndstock, the Country House Party

On Saturday afternoon (26.06.11) my two friends, Heather and Emily, and I went on a car trip to the New Forest. Why? For an event called Wyndstock http://www.wyndstock.com/, hosted by the eponymous Mr Viktor Wynd (probably not his real name).

Driving through the beautiful countryside, through flat moorland housing horses with their foals, the weather was easy, breezy and wonderfully warm.   As we drove through the gates of Pylewell Park (an enormous country house, think Pride and Prejudice) I was struck by how wonderfully small-scale the actual party/festival was.   Having been to a few festivals in my time, I much prefer smaller ones, the ones that don't require a life-jacket and four days worth of pants just to get from your tent to the music.   This festival took over one field, with 500 party people, two small music stages and a food area and an amazing view over the sea towards the Isle of Wight:

We first of all chose our camping spot (away from thistles, trees, mounds and cow pats), a surprisingly tricky task.   The girls and I started unpacking our tents with gusto, but within five minutes we were all flumixed, so were rescued by some heroic country gents who proceeded to take the task into their own hands.   Once the tents were up we went for a stroll around the venue.   It seemed a lot like a private garden party, I lost count of the amount of people who asked me 'who do you know here?' 'how do you know the family?' etc. to which we mumbled rubbish about the Internet, which felt a little lame in the grand scheme of things.  

Incidentally we found out about this through The Last Tuesday Society http://www.thelasttuesdaysociety.org/ (Viktor's events company), so, although we had paid £60 for our tickets, we felt a little like gatecrashers.   As the sun sunk, so did the social conventions of a polite garden party.   People became more friendly, and we met lots of lovely guys and gals all up for a jolly good shindig in the country.  

Included in the ticket price was afternoon tea, dinner and breakfast.

Afternoon tea was cakes, scones and cucumber sanwiches all beautifully presented on a mish-mash of cake stands and floral plates:

Dinner consisted of local venison (shot on site) spit roasted:

Licking our lips at 8pm, we joined the queue for our dinner, but, alas, it took two hours to get to the front, as the organisers had miscalculated the amount of time it would cook the food (they were doing it all themselves, which is admirable, but also perhaps slightly over-ambitious!) When we finally got to the front of the queue all the venison had run out, as had the (cooked) baked potatoes, so we ended up eating tough-as-old-boots lamb, freezing cold, raw potatoes and lentils (which were tasty, thank goodness).   By this point I was hungry and rather grumpy, so I did eat it, as, under those circumstances it would take a lot for me not to!  The evening then became brilliant, with bands playing and everyone getting down on the dance floor.   I would love to tell you about the rest of the party, but if I did, I would have to kill you ...

Lorraine Pascale

In Sainsbury's today I saw Lorraine Pascale, the model-turned-TV chef (you might have seen her programme, Baking Made Easy, BBC, 2011).   Let me describe how I recognised her: a very tall black lady walked past me with a short, white, bald man.   The man is entirely irrelevant in this story, but I instantly thought (terribly of me, perhaps) 'how on EARTH did he get her?!'   I caught up with the dynamic duo around the butter and cream section, and, as soon as I saw Lorraine's face, I recognised her.   As said in one of my previous entries, I can spot a celebrity from a mile away, and I particularly recognised Lorraine from her teeth, and the fact that she has that very definite 'model look' (tall).   I to'd and fro'd between going up and saying hello, but she seemed a little stressed, and, as the self-service machine broke down in front of her, I thought it would be probably best to...um...not.

Lorraine particularly interests me because, as far as I can see (from my extensive google research), she is the only British black female TV chef.   We have Ainsley Harriet, who despite the name, is quite clearly a man, whereas the women chef contingent is represented primarily by homely Delia and sexy Nigella.   I wonder why this is?   I say Britain needs more ethnically diverse female TV chefs please!

If you are interested, here are some of Lorraine's recipes:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/chefs/lorraine_pascale 

Is the only way Essex?

When The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE as it is now so fondly referred to) screeched onto our television screens on 10th October 2010 it was an instant success.   What was on offer was a group of utterly pampered princes and princesses with a penchant for all things fake (boobs, nails, tans ...) and the party lifestyle.

From the first time I heard the theme tune, to my first view of Mark, Lauren, Amy and co. I was hooked: each episode was jam-packed with the escapades of a group of people who, in terms of their stereotype, were just as you would imagine.   Thankfully the 'characters' don't take themselves too seriously, which makes it all the more compelling to watch - the episode where Sam, Amy and Joey go 'glamping' was hilarious, with Joey strutting around in tighter than tight jeans and bright orange Uggs, trying to make a toilet in the ground using a stick.

Moreover, Amy is clearly a clever girl (head girl at her school, and runs her own, successful beauty salon), yet she is happy to appear as a ditz for the entertainment of the world at large, and yes, I do believe it is an act!

I like how the episodes are filmed only a few weeks in advance of airing, so the subjects are relevant to us, e.g. their Royal Wedding party, where Nanny Pat produced a very special royal sausage plat, was shown the day after we too, had celebrated the union of Kate 'n' Wills. 

Another thing that has been great to watch played out on screen are the complicated love lives of these people: Lauren taking Mark back (in spite of his painfully obvious lack of respect for her); Lydia and Arg and their never-ending 'should we, shouldn't we get back together' and the sweet-as-pie relationship between Joey Essex (his real name) and Sam Friars.   

So, my initial question was, 'is the only way Essex'?   No, clearly it isn't, but it certainly is a way, and an eye opening one at that, which I am grateful for.   The new series starts in September, and I cannot wait!

Claridge's, darling!

My very good friend Nikki invited me to an event at Claridge's in Mayfair this evening, Thursday 16th June.

It was organised by the Maybourn Hotel Group, entitled Claridge's Speakeasy, a 1920s themed night held in the newly refurbished ballroom.   As we swept through the circular doors into the marble hallway we were ushered to the reception table which was filled with name badges.   We swiftly got ours and were directed towards a bookcase and told to knock.   We oblidged and it opened!   It felt incredibly grand, and a little 007, I almost felt we would be greeted by Ms Moneypenny (wouldn't that be amazing?!)   Instead (thankfully) a bevvy of waiters welcomed us offering us glasses of champagne and pink cocktails in martini glasses.

The room was huge and dimly lit by gigantic chandeliers and tea lights, and was filled with beautiful business types dressed in black and adorned in glitzy necklaces and sky-high heels.   We circulated the room briefly before deciding to station ourselves on a dark sofa in the corner with a mirrored table in front of us.   As we sipped our champagne the waiters hovered and filled our glasses whenever they threatened to be any less than seven-eighths full.

Then the waiters started bringing the food out: teeny-tiny portions of beautifully presented, delicious food.   Nikki and I soon realised that we were in the prime spot of the room, as it was at the beginning of the waiters' route, so they came to us with the choicest canapes.


We had:


Hors d'oeuvres:

• Mini fish and chips with tartar sauce served in newspaper cones

• Gazpacho served in square shot glasses

• Devils on horseback (prunes wrapped in bacon, which proved to be an amazing combination of sweet and salty)

• Wild mushroom vol-au-vents

• Fillet steak (chunks of prime beef, which were melt in the mouth) on wooden skewers

• Goat's cheese mousse on an almond biscuit, topped with quince jelly
• Fois gras topped with a fruity jelly (this was the second time I had tried it; it was ok, but still not my 'thing')
• Thin pastry boats filled with pea puree, topped with a miniscule asparages spear

Mains:

• Pasta bolognese (I couldn't believe they were attempting to serve al dente pasta to a crowd of hundreds, but they managed it, hot, not over cooked, and tasty)

• Fish pie, served in mini china turines, filled with chunks of fish and topped with mashed potato 

• Moules frites

• Risotto flavoured with anise

• Caesar salad (a very welcome break from meat and carbs)

• Waldorf salad

• Prawn cocktail

Sweets:

• Chocolate and vanilla macaroons (black with a white filling; it left my mouth and tongue a dark purple, not attractive by any means, but still delicious!)
• Chocolate sponge with a white chocolate shard

• Mini ice creams, including chocolate, strawberry, mango and raspberry

At the end of the evening we were given a goodie bag each - containing four Pret-A-Portea chocolates, a mini bottle of Jack Daniels and a Claridge's apron.   It was a superb evening!