Another Food Blog

This was something quite out of the ordinary: a skewered tower of goat cheese (which was deliciously tangy), with roasted red and yellow peppers, and roasted red onion. Alongside was a massive array of different beans within a tomato-based sauce, and there was the usual array of salad things, from which I chose a hard-boiled egg and some cucucmber slices. Dessert was a cherry cheesecake, which someone had decided a mint leaf would go well with… The alternative was ‘oyster cut’ chicken. I couldn’t tell from looking at it what this meant, as it looked very similar to previous roast chicken legs, but that would have come with small jacket, buttered potatoes, which was too much for a light lunch.

Lunch today was a major variation on the usual theme. There was a selection of different types of bread, to which you could select various different fillings. I chose the bacon, lettuce and tomato, but there were options such as mayonnaise and tuna with sweetcorn, coronation chicken and salami and olives. Then you could select extra salad and a selection of sauces. Just like in Subway! For dessert, there were banana fritters (deep-fried, battered half-pieces of banana) which I didn’t east because my sandwich filled me up so well. For visitors, this meal would cost £9, so not exactly bang for your buck compared with the Subway that’s a ten minute walk down the road!

Quite a simple and quick lunch: a sandwich in essentials, with a somewhat crustier piece of baguette than usual. The chicken was in big, juicy chunks, not at all dry, and with a slightly spicy sauce around each one. There were also halved black olives, which set off the taste of the chicken and sauce very nicely. The usual set of leaves were included, as well as some alongside. The rest of the dishes were vegetarian, which I tried the other day, and which left me feeling hungry too soon.

This was a flaky-pastry dish, made exceedingly crispy on top. Within the parcel was the cream cheese and some cooked red onions. Unfortunately for me, it wasn’t goat cheese, but plain dairy. I think there may also have been chives in there, too. Alongside were green beans, sliced and boiled, and I added a small helping of pasta salad, which had some tomatoes and pesto with it. Dessert I forewent in favour of a red apple (which turned out that little bit over-ripe, where it’s gone slightly floury), but other people seemed to be enjoying the cherry cheesecake.

It was half a mackerel, complete with the skin (of which I love the texture), and, strangely, a piece of lemon to go with it. I’d never tried lemon and mackerel before, so on it went. It didn’t work. Hey, ho… Alongside, I had a delicious pickled red cabbage, apple and raisin mixture, and a beetroot and sweetcorn salad. There was also some wholegrain rice which had, unfortunately, been over-salted. I took away with me a Granny Smith apple which I consumed later whilst watching Heston Blumenthal’s Roman Feast, where he uses ‘a combination of myth, science and history’ to create fascinating dishes based on the period relevant to that week. Several celebrities enjoy the meal together, with scant little information about what they’re being served, which produces great conversation and speculation, often resulting in innuendo!

At one of my local haunts, I decided to try out the Apple and Raspberry Juice made by Chegworth Valley. It was very good, although not quite so fruity as I’d imagined it might be, tasting a little weak. I had some ice in it, so perhaps that was a contributory factor. The juice isn’t from concentrate and is made in Kent. It was 90% apples and 10% raspberries. Next time, I’ll ask for less ice and make sure I’m sitting in the sunshine whilst I sip at it, perhaps changing the way I feel about it. (I have in the past particularly found this true of different types of wine – just think of sipping that Champagne dressed in evening wear, or the rosé on the bank of your favourite river on a hot, sunny day, and you’ll see what an impact the environment can have on your enjoyment!)