A feast at River Cottage

Today is the post lots of you have been waiting for, the food, or our feast at River Cottage, and it was pretty special. And true to form I didn't manage to photograph all of the food I tried because I was too busy thinking about eating it - no surprise there. But I did do way better than I normally do, as I knew you'd want to know.

But before the food there was a cookery demonstration from Andy on brining. It's the sort of thing you hear a lot of at this time of year as often recipes say to brine the turkey. Well it's something I've never done, and if I'm honest I probably won't ever do, but it is a way of making meat juicier. And it kind of makes sense. Meat loses liquid during cooking, so if it has more liquid to start with then it's going to be juicier after cooking.  The chicken we tried tasted good, but I think any chicken I ate at River Cottage HQ would taste good, or I'd expect it to anyway.

The thing that I am tempted to try at home is making my own bresaola. Yes, I know that's quite a leap isn't it? Not interested in brining turkey, but very interested in soaking a piece of red meat in red wine for a few days. Maybe it's because I can see the point of this and the bresaola is done after the soaking and drying, and maybe it's because I'm a lazy foodie. You know, happy to eat all the fancy food, but less happy to do all the fancy-ness at home and preferring simple, straightforward cookery. 

I've yet to hunt down the River Cottage bresaola recipe, but I'm sure it must be in *one* of the HFW cookbooks I have.  And I thoroughly enjoyed the brining demonstration, and of course tasting the results. Ahem, sorry for the lack of pictures, but look at how rustically pretty the dining table was set. 

So with the dining table set and once the hungry-for-more-good-food bloggers had worked out the table plan, the main event could start. Well when I say the main event, I mean the appetisers, and the one I remembered to photograph, which was crispy rabbit served on a puree of romanesco and utterly gorgeous. It's not the sort of thing I'd usually order, not that I'm squeamish about eating rabbit, but it's more MOH's natural choice and it's an unwritten rule to choose different dishes isn't it?

THE ONLY APPETISER THAT I MANAGED TO PHOTOGRAPH, PROBABLY BECAUSE IT WAS SERVED ON A PLATE

Then one of the young chefs from the cookery school appeared to introduce us to the menu, seriously that must have been a scary task, but he left us slightly redder faced than he'd arrived and with full knowledge of what the menu was, and where it was sourced from. And an invite into the kitchen, so not backward in coming forward off I went. Well, I mean, how often will I get to look around a kitchen while it's serving fifty covers. 

I was amused to see some very well used River Cottage cookbooks on the shelf. I have most of these and had my eye on Gill Meller's gather book, but rather than read it in the kitchen I made a mental note to check it out in the shop before I left.  And above the books were a large array of spices, and as you'd imagine in far larger quantities than a domestic kitchen.

WELL WHAT OTHER COOKBOOK WOULD YOU EXPECT TO FIND IN THE RIVER COTTAGE KITCHEN?

AND THAT'S DEFINITELY HOW YOU DO SPICES

It was good to see the team at work - and they were a team - just look at this production line, and as with any good team there was plenty of healthy banter. At this point I decided to let them get on with it and headed back to my seat as I was keen not to miss the starter of celeriac ravioli with wild mushrooms and leaves. 

CELERIAC RAVIOLI WITH WILD MUSHROOMS AND LEAVES

Again it was delicious, the celeriac in the ravioli was super smooth and the stand out of the dish. But again though it's not the usual starter I'd order, I tend to avoid pasta as a starter, so there's room for the courses to come and as for pasta filled with vegetables, well, that's often the reason I'd give it a wide berth. But no more, this was so delicious I'd be tempted to try more of this kind of food, but a warning to restaurants where I might be eating, you've a lot to live up to!

So onto our main. Cider brined ham, carrot puree and fried savoy cabbage. Sounds simple doesn't it. I didn't expect it to look quite this elegant when it arrived in front of me.

RIVER COTTAGE CIDER BRINED HAM, CARROT PUREE, FRIED SAVOY CABBAGE

I was all for tucking in, as for me mains are all about the meat. But I quickly spotted the other food bloggers around me snapping away and I remembered you'd want to know, so I joined in, for a couple of photos at least. The meat was good, soft, sweet, sticky, unctuous, delicious and more filling than it looked. There was a side of braised beans, which were tasty but not so photogenic. For me the cabbage looked pretty, but I was less keen on the charred flavour, although I understand it brought texture to the plate.

As ever when I saw the menu my first thoughts were pudding. I spied creme brulee on the menu, approved and then went back to read the menu in the right order - I don't think I'm the only one that does that, am I?  The creme brulee was honeycomb and the accompaniments had an apple theme, not surprising really given that this is prime time for our home grown apples.  And doesn't it look great? 

HONEYCOMB CREME BRULEE WITH APPLE PUREE AND APPLE CRISPS

And take a closer look, can you smell its sweetness yet? 

A CLOSER LOOK AT THAT PUDDING, IT REALLY WAS AS DELICIOUS AS IT LOOKS

It really was as delicious as it looks. And aren't you proud of me for taking two photos of dessert? I'm proud of myself!

River Cottage run a wide range of cookery courses and I'm sure you'll find one suitable whether you're an amateur cook, food enthusiast or a full-blown smallholder. If you want to learn more about and have hands-on experience of brining meat then the meat curing and smoking course could be the one for you.

* This is a collaborative post, but all views and opinions are my own. 

Back on the bike in Norfolk

We spent a relaxing weekend in Norfolk, a weekend that was much needed after the hubbub of life lately. As usual we strapped the bikes onto the car in the hope that the wintery weather wouldn't be, well that wintery. And we were in luck. On Saturday we woke to sunshine and forecasts of very little wind, so our tentative plan to cycle to The Fish Shed in Brancaster Staithe, a firm favourite of ours, was on.  

It'd been a while since I'd actually pushed my bike over the threshold, but it was only when we got home later that I realised my last bike ride was actually on 28 August. I'm not quite sure how that happened, or how it's been so long. But I'm hoping it won't be as long until my next bike ride, it's definitely worth making time for a cycle or two. 

So off on our favourite Route 1 we went.  As we were cycling along admiring the berry filled hedgerows I was fully expecting MOH to repeat his prediction of a cold winter, but he didn't. Instead he shared something revolutionary about saddle heights - bear with me. He'd raised his saddle significantly, so that on the down stroke his leg was almost straight, and this he told me, optimised the power he gets from each pedal. 

THE COLOURFUL HEDGEROWS IN THE BIG SKIED COUNTY OF NORFOLK

Well that got me thinking. I know I'm not exactly an elite athlete, and MOH is always amused by the love I have for my wicker basket, but I reckoned that I could do with all the help I could get pedal-wise. So I started to check out the straightness of my leg on the down stroke. And the result was it wasn't very straight at all. I can tell you're impressed I could do this and still stay on the bike, me too. When I paid attention I noticed I did seem quite hunched and so decided I'd try it out.

At the next suitable stopping point I pulled over and had MOH raise my saddle as a test. Well it went up by an inch and immediately it was more comfortable to cycle, let alone any of that extra power malarkey. I was instantly sold on this and decided to celebrate by taking some pictures of the countryside. 

SHOOTING INTO THE SUN AND ADMIRING THE TREES AGAINST THE SKYLINE

We headed further along the narrow country lane, slowing occasionally so cars from behind could overtake us. There were ups and downs, or rather downs followed by ups, which are my favourite although it's guesswork to gauge when to start pedalling again on the up, but I'm getting the hang of it. The colour of the bracken was particularly spectacular and there was a whole length of yellow leaved bushes. I'd loved to have stopped and taken a photo, but they were on the downhill before an up and I didn't want to lose momentum.

Our next challenge was to find the right road to take us down into Brancaster Staithe to minimise how far we'd cycle along the A149. We got to the point below and realised we'd missed our turning. So while MOH double checked his route, I took some more photos of the countryside and one of my lovely neon top - it's certainly bright!

While cycling with my saddle in a higher position was good, and I think to get my leg straight it could go higher, the only thing I realised when we stopped is that it makes getting on and off slightly more tricky than before. And that's something that I quickly got the hang of, but it might explain the slightly strange look on my face!

So we turned back to find our road. And when we did I was sure we'd cycled this way once before, but the other way, MOH was less sure. But sure enough we soon found ourselves at Barrow Common, a place we'd discovered for the first time earlier in the year. It's a place that to me, seems unlike the typical North Norfolk landscape and more like the New Forest with its shrubland of gorse.

The views down to the coast were spectacular. There were also many paths, and dog walkers, heading into the common. One day we'll explore this area on foot and now that we know how to get here I think it'd be a great place in summer.  I suspect it's a place that not many tourists would know about too. I'll let you know what it's like in the spring/summer when we visit again. So far we've only managed visits in February and November.

The gorse was in flower and it was another chance to park the bike, hop off and take some more shots. The one below is a particular favourite.

WAITING PATIENTLY...

The good news was that it was all downhill into Brancaster Staithe - yay! At the bottom we found ourselves next to the Jolly Sailor wondering if it was left or right. We opted for right, correctly and were soon buying fish for tea. We left the shop with two fillets of plaice - which I later turned into a lovely Plaice Florentine with the help of a pasta cheese sauce and a bag of spinach, a dressed crab and a few pickled herrings, all of which went into my lovely shopping basket. It was chilly enough that the fish didn't need packing in ice, even though our next stop was the cafe at Burnham Deepdale where we stopped for a rewarding hot chocolate, with all the trimmings, and bit of carrot cake. Yum.

Out on the bike for the first time in a while, and it's chilly out there so warming up with a hot chocolate with all the trimmings

A photo posted by Stephanie Robinson (@lifeat139a) on Nov 26, 2016 at 5:51am PST

Remembering we still had to cycle back we didn't linger as we were keen to get back before it was dark. This time we headed up Dalegate Lane - a road we hadn't been up (or down) before, and one I hoped would bring us to the turning into Barrow Common. The only thing was my legs were cold, and I knew there were hills ahead. So for the first time in a very long time I found myself doing those quick, little steps on the spot to warm myself up. The ones I used to avoid doing at netball training, but it was definitely the move to warm me up here.

The hills were cycled up without unscheduled stops, which if I'm honest is a first and we arrived back home in the daylight too.  And somehow  I'd clocked up a twenty-five miler, after no rides since the end of August. Thankfully nothing ached (and still hasn't) but I really shouldn't leave it so long next time!

Christmas gifts that aren't just for Christmas

I expect you're being bombarded with ideas for Christmas gifts right now, and if you're anything like me then you've probably still have more Christmas gifts to buy. I've made a start, but a slow one. I have crossed a couple of gifts off the list and more importantly have bought some marzipan and mint matchmakers, my Christmas essentials.

I've bought some mince pies too, but there's very little chance of those lasting if I'm honest. I have been thinking about gifts, and well, that's a start isn't it... As well as thinking of what I can buy family, I've been thinking about the types of gift that appeal more generally to me. More and more that's a gift that brings enjoyment throughout the year and despite my slide down The Orbit I'm not exactly a thrill-seeking kinda gal, so those kind of experience days aren't for me.

But membership, now that's a different matter

I'm already a member of the National Trust and it's a great way to see houses and gardens in all parts of the country in a cost effective way. They do a gift membership and say it's the membership "that opens doors (and gates too)" and I think it's a great gift to give. You'll know by the number of National Trust properties we visit, that we get good value for money from ours.

But if it's the buildings that are the attraction then perhaps a RIBA Friends of Architecture membership might work? As well as access to a programme of events which give the opportunity to learn something completely new and get out and about with RIBA's expert guides, there's also discounts at the RIBA shop and in the cafe and more.

ERIC DE MARÉ OF 'SKYSCRAPER' FISHERMEN'S SHEDS IN HASTINGS
Picture Credit: RIBA

Or if it's the gardens that appeal most, then maybe a gift membership to the RHS could be the thing to inspire someone's love of gardening. I hadn't realised until I looked into it for this post, as well as the four RHS gardens, of which I've visited two - Wisley and Hyde Hall, there are also many partner gardens that the member also receives free entry to. 

Now that's given you something to think about hasn't it?  

But do you know what, after all that exploring, there's often only one thing for it. And that's a cup of tea.

And tea with a difference makes the list too

These little, but great, boxes of tea from T2 Tea sum up what a Christmas gift should be for me. That's something you're familiar with, but is just that little bit special than our everyday brew and because it's a little bit special it's the thing you keep meaning to buy for yourself but often don't. Well at least not the first time anyway. 

The gift boxes group together similar flavours of tea, so there's a Breakfast Club box and a London Calling box, plus many more. 

And cake, you'll need cake

Yes, when I said there's only one thing on my mind after exploring, I was wrong. Because along with my cup of tea I'd happily have some cake. And you can have a selection box of Christmas Cupcakes delivered too - oh the wonders of the internet, and with thanks to Hummingbird Bakery.

What would you add to my list?

* This is a collaborative post, but all views and opinions are my own