REVIEW Oundle Mill

Jodie and I visited Oundle Mill the other evening. It used to be Barnwell mill, and after a massive refurbishment project it has risen up as a cleverly designed, urban chic restaurant and hotel in the country.
We dined in the Upstairs restaurant with black tables and napkins, purple crushed velvet chairs, low beams and down lights on the rough stone walls. A glass sided kitchen let us watch the chefs at work when we could tear our eyes away from the food.
The staff are very friendly and from the welcoming receptionist to the waitresses in the restaurant we were looked after exceptionally well. I think the only thing that let it down was their lack of knowledge of the dishes they were serving. The amuse bouche- a superb spiced tomato juice was explained, but for the rest of the meal we were not told all that we were eating, which would have helped.
To start J had ham hock terrine with cabbage and beetroot. This was served so beautifully and artfully it was a shame to mess it up. I had hotsmoked salmon with cured herring. Again very well arranged; a parcel of salmon, a plouche of leaves and herring fillets laid at angles on top of one another.
The main courses took art to another level. J ate roasted cod with winter vegetables and braised oxtail. I had haunch of venison with chocolate parfait and red cabbage. All the componenants in both these dishes tasted really good. The parfait was smooth and rich, the venison cooked to a beautiful pink, the oxtail fell apart and the cod was as opaque as the thinnest of china. However, there were other items on the plates. J had a homemade canneloni, I am presuming stuffed with oxtail. The red cabbage, although perfectly piquant had a rissotto croquette nestling within it, and the venison was supporting a quinelle of pureed vegetable- I'm guessing sweet potato/carrot?. The dishes described on the menu did not need the extras, in my opinion, and although it was all really well cooked and presented, I felt the more subtle flavours were lost in the explosion of everything else.
I thought it felt like 6 chefs had all put their best dishes on one plate, with only a vague chat about what anyone else was doing.
The pre pudding was a an eggshell filled with meringue and a fruit mousse-made to look like a boiled egg. It was really lovely, but not knowing exactly what was in it was a shame. For pudding J had passion fruit souffle with a berry sorbet, and I had a banana parfait with banana fritters. The souffle left J speechless for a while, and when she did speak she just said "that's the best souffle I've ever eaten" High praise indeed. My parfait was spectacular- I was expecting a smooth ice, but the pieces of banana added a really good flavour and feel. The fritters were lovely, and a pleasant warmth against the parfait.
Petit fours were also homemade- rich and genorous portions. I would say the pastry chef excelled on that evening.
The meal came to £99 including two glasses of wine. We will be trying the downstairs restaurant, and possibly looking for more simple food. Take a look at the website www.oundlemill.co.uk they are very proud of the refurb, as they should be, and I hope they go from strength to strength.

Familiarity Breeds Nicknames

We had a discussion front of house this morning. It was started by Cappuccino man. His name is Bob. I have known his name is Bob for some time, and he visits us at least once a day, with his wife- Jacquie- and their two huge Irish Wolfhounds -Kerry and Marnie. They have been stopping for drinks and toast every morning for the last five years. I however cannot think of him as Bob. He is Cappuccino man. They used to be "The Cappucino People", but Jacquie now drinks filter coffee. We have always made up names for people, some not as obvious as simply what they drink. We have Rockmancake. Don't ask. We have Nice hand man, Apricot jam man, Crazy Lady, Birthday Lady, Crazy Cake Lady, Takeaway man- who now signs his christmas cards to us with this alias rather than Roy- and The Cat in the Hat.
We are also more likley to know the dogs names, than the owners names. We still refer to "Storms owner" even though we know it is their sons dog and we know they are called Jacquie and Ivor. "Stitch man" is actually Gordon, another father taking his sons dog out, but if I refer to him as Gordon to my staff, they would give me a blank look.
It is a strange phenomonon, but it must happen everywhere. It is the distinguishing feature, although we sell hundreds of Cappucinos throughout the day we know who we mean.
I asked Cappuccino man if he had names for us, the new members of staff that they haven't got to know yet, but he commented with a wry smile "you wouldn't serve me again if I told you".
I know some customers do have names for us- the smiley one, the bright one, the one with the dreadlocks, the other one with the dreadlocks, the little one and the one with The Hair. The one with the hair was a waitress who had a different style and colour for every week, indeed some customers came in and their first question was "what colour is it today?"
Within the staff we have changed peoples names around. It started by reversing first names. Jodie Became Eidoj, but is now Dojie, and Gemma became Ammeg. In her case this then became Ammeg and Chips, and sometimes shortened to Andchips. Bizarrely she answers even to that!Jamie became Majie, and we have had Shakey, Browney,Greeny and Jimbob Squarepants.
We are a simple people, but we are a happy people.

Cold Weather Food

I know it's January, and therefore should be cold but the lake has not frozen totally in the 5 years we have been in Ferry meadows. It does look amazing, even if the black headed gulls look somewhat confused!
For the last to years I have been teaching Gary the ranger how to cook. ( He's the one that is doing the guided dog walk on Jan14) We started off doing simple wholesome things for him to eat after a hard days work, but now we are getting a little more extravagant and it is more of a social thing for us, rather than a teaching thing.
Jodie joined us the other evening, and we all cooked vastly different things.
Gary and I cooked a Thai red chicken curry- lovely creamy coconut with the warmth of fresh chillies, lemon grass and lime leaves. We then made a North African lamb and vegetable Pillau. This was a new one to me. Marinate cubes of lamb in thyme, paprika, garam masala and garlic for a couple of hours, then boil it in plenty of water. Saute onions, carrots etc in some butter, add some rice, yoghurt and the lamb in it's stock, cover and cook for 20 minutes. It was a lovely melting, warming and fragrant supper- perfect for these chilly evenings.
Jodie made Aubergine parcels. This was strips of aubergine, boiled for 2 minutes. Lay two to form a cross on a board and on the overlap bit put a slice of tomato, some mozzarella and either a basil leaf or some pesto. Cross the aubergine over the top to form a parcel and then grill the whole thing. A beautiful starter, or have a couple with some green salad and you have a healthy, tasty meal.
Jodie also did a chicken and mango salad, smothered in a mayonnaise mixed with red curry paste, with fresh mango and served with an orange scented rice. More of a summer dish, I know, but after heavy Christmas stuff it was a really good powerful taste whilst being light.

I would just like to take this moment to wish Suzie all the best. She is one of our best customers, and a very helpful taster of new products, a job she does with heroic fortitude! She is recovering in hospital at the moment and trying to get our cakes on the NHS as a medicinal part of her recovery. Good luck with that!

No guilt.

I am incensed. A regular customer leaves his paper with us everyday. I picked this up yesterday, and had a flick through to see what was happening in this freezing world of ours. Now, I expected a diet article. I expected the condescending tone, the guilt and the patronising twaddle that seem to be the main feature of these things. The "Didn't we all eat so much", and the "carb is so evil" things that are spouted by journalists that either have a diet of fags and coke- not the drink- or so many fad diets in 12 months that internally their systems are a nightmare that don't know how to hold on to fat, vitamins or protein. What I didn't expect was the terrible "diet plan" claiming to be healthy eating that was published.
Those that know me, are aware I'm not a sylph, I am probably about 6 sylphs put together. This is not pleasing to me, but I am aware of it, thanks and don't need telling. I am also a great believer in using proper food- grown locally, used fresh, bred with care and understanding, and not having been processed to within an inch of recognition.
In the currant climate could the diet makers or journalists not create eating plans, diets or whatever they choose to call them, ones that are based around proper food? Actual meat, from butchers, supermarkets if you insist, but over the counter rather than in polystyrene? Real vegetables, not frozen, not coloured, not sprayed? Could they not look at seasons, so our farmers get a look in, and seasonal food is cheaper. It's nice to have colourful things, some people like to have strawberries in December, but they are expensive, and as they don't taste as good as they could then that makes it worse. They may taste sweet, but they don't taste of strawberries. Fruit should smell. Tomatoes should smell. Apples should have such a complex scent that it leaves you thinking for hours exactly how to describe it.
Why would you write a diet thing that involves making fruit smoothies from expensive out of season fruit? Why would you write one that involves "cheese strings"? Why does the world need strings of cheese? Does that sound appetizing to anyone??
I think after a lovely Christmas meal- the best Turkey from Anderson's and all the trimmings one should not feel guilt. Feel thankful for the food, for living in a country where we can enjoy it but don't feel guilty. As for resolutions, how about supporting the local guys, eat fresh veg, and cook one thing a week that you've never cooked before. Look for seasonal, local and be a bit different. It's easy and cheaper, honestly.
Here's to a brave New Year. I hope that 2009 will be a happy and interesting year of change, of good will and of good health.

Ingrediants you don't like!

Hope all had a good Christmas, and celebrated in what ever way you wanted.

It is always strange for us to close for a day, but it is lovely to be back, and we are planning a few detox type soups, and specials after the over indulgences of the last week. To start this off we are putting a North African spiced soup on the board. It is vegan, made with chickpeas, tomatoes and lemon amongst other things. Beautifully warming on these cold days, and very good for you, while tasting scrummy. Jodie has voted it one of her favorites.



After having dinner cooked for me by my cousins husband- does that make him a cousin-in-law?- and having a chat with him I thought I may put in a word about ingredients that you don't like.

Now, he made a Thai green curry, and lovely it was too. He doesn't eat fish- a childhood hatred- so he didn't put any Nam Pla (fish sauce) in his curry. A lot of Thai dishes call for this, and it does add a really good base flavour. If used in small amounts it will add a lot to a dish, and will turn it from "that's nice" to "wow". It is a seasoning more than anything, and enhances flavours, rather than overpowering them.

Another really good base is anchovies. Particularly in risottos. Add a couple- just a couple chopped up in to the onions of a risotto as you sweat them off. This is a genius idea, taught to me in Italy by a blacksmiths wife who didn't speak a word of English. It was an interesting day.
You won't taste the anchovies in the risotto, but if they are not there you will notice the dish is not finished. This happens with lots of things, and unless you are allergic to an ingredient, and the recipe calls for a small amount of something, be brave and give it a go, it may turn out to be the ingredient that has alluded you for ages.
Happy new year to all, here's wishing for a peaceful, cheerful and prosperous 2009.

Hangover cures

Thank you for your kind, and sometimes irreverent, comments. I did have a lovely time at Ely Cathedral carol service. Very Christmassy, and such an amazing building. If you have never been there, go.
The service was in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. Very good organisation, they are trying to raise money to get a ward in Addenbrookes, as at the moment if you are a teenager with cancer below 16 you are put in a ward with very young children, or if you are 16+ you are put with adults, who often are a lot older. Teenagers at the best of times feel isolated, and want to be in their own groups, because nobody understands them, and for those with cancer it must be terrifying and even more isolating. Look out for the TCT.

So....... have we been to lots of Christmas parties? Don't give me that migraine nonsense, Mr Cracknell. I know.
Nigel Slater (Lovely man) says a cold cooked sausage and a raw carrot are both good. He's right, but then I think he's right about a lot of things. Raw carrots are good- the crunch gets your jaw working, the sweetness helps your blood sugar and it does give a little energy boost.
Cold sausages, especially from Andersons in St Neots are great whatever time and reason you have them.
Scrambled eggs are a small miracle. Simple ingredients, a beautiful texture and rich taste that is palatable however you feel.
A few things that I insist upon with scrambled eggs. You need butter. Not margarine. You need proper bread. You need a cooker, not a microwave- we are looking for creamy not fluffy. Proper eggs. From proper chickens, the sort with feathers, that know what the sun and the sky look like.
Make some decent coffee, or tea, or if you're feeling that rough a tomato juice, virgin or otherwise, and then you can begin. Swig your drink.
Break 3 eggs in a bowl. Add a little black pepper- freshly ground. Add a small glug of milk, or double cream if you're feeling extravagant. (Swig). Break the eggs and stir gently. It shouldn't be all one colour, leave it with gloopy bits and bits of deep yellow.
Place a small pan on the stove and add about an ounce of butter. Just cut a centimetre off the end of a block. Put two slices of bread, your choice of colour, in the toaster.(swig)
When your butter is melted, pour in the eggs, turn the heat down to medium. Stir gently. keep stirring until the mixture is just amalgamated. It should look too wet. Add another splash, carefully, of milk/cream to the pan. The residual heat will finish cooking the eggs. Butter your toast, and then tip the eggs on top. Make more coffee and enjoy your breakfast.
The easy way of doing this, is to take a gentle walk to the cafe, and buy coffee, eat breakfast, watch other people hurl themselves across the lake on windsurfs and the like, and then you don't have to wash up!
You can add smoked salmon, fresh coriander or even cumin seeds to this scrambled egg. All good. The strangest way I've ever seen it eaten is in a sandwich- it was ...interesting, thank you Little Charlotte.
Smoothy type things are good for hangovers too. The most "zingy" I have found is Carrot, ginger and apple. It's amazing. Virgin Marys are good too. As is gazpacho soup, but I'm guessing not everyone has that in their fridge!
Fruit is good, hungover or not. Mangoes are one of those things that you can kind of feel working as soon as you eat it! In Guyana, amongst other places, they eat green mango with chilli and pepper. It's really refreshing, and can get really hot, but good. Pineapple with salt is also a good wake-up boost food.
Well, I've made myself hungry now, so I am off to make scrambled egg on toast.
Enjoy your parties, and I hope your hangovers aren't too bad.

Beetroot Soup

Having spent a day taking 90 year old Grandmother Christmas shopping, I am more than happy to tell about Beetroot Soup, without the jingly bells and the children, not laughing all the way, but screaming in a quite unnecessary manner!
OK, firstly you need to know that soup is easy- no measurements we really need to worry about, you can taste it all the way through and it is actually healthy and tastes good.
Apart from a pan and a knife you will need a food processor or blender. We use a stick blender- they would be available from John Lewis, Lakeland Plastics etc. You may also need a sieve.
Ingredients. Approx
2 Carrots
2 Onions
3 sticks celery
1 leek
10 raw small beetroot 5 big beetroot
2 pints vegetable stock
2 potatoes
third of a block of butter or a couple of tablespoons of oil
big handful of flour.

Peel carrots, onions, and chop. Chop celery and leek- making sure dirt is all washed off. You're blending the soup, so as long as all the bits are roughly similar sizes it doesn't matter if they are a bit bulky.
In a large pan, melt the butter, or heat the oil, and when it is hot, add the chopped veg. While that is cooking- keep an eye, stir occasionally, the veg should start to turn brownish- top and tail the beetroot, and peel it. This may turn your hands a weird brown colour, but it will only last an evening. Add the beetroot to the veg in the pan. Stir. The veg should be starting to soften. The onions will be translucent. Everything will be pink. Throw in a handful of flour. This will help thicken and sop up any spare butter/oil. Stir so everything is coated and it all likes like a nuclear accident. Dulux will be proud.
Add your stock and stir. Do not panic if it has caught on the bottom. Just stir it. Any catches will add to the depth of colour and taste.
Peel the potatoes, chop them and throw them in to the pot after the soup has boiled. It should have deepened in colour.
Taste it. It will be stocky, and quite light. Don't change it yet. This is no where near the finished thing.Turn the heat to a good rolling boil. Cook for a good half hour- longer if you want.If it starts to reduce too quickly add more water- no more stock- and turn the heat down a little. Taste it.

If the beetroot is cooked, test with a fork, then blitz it with the blender. Taste it again.
This is where you need to think. Add a bit of salt. Taste it again. Just a touch of salt will make an amazing difference, add black pepper, then sieve a little bit and taste that. Sieving will lighten, sometimes intensify and sometimes loose the flavours. Try it. If it's too thick add cream, or milk to thin it- back to nuclear soup, if it is too thin, put it back on the boil, mix 2oz flour with 2oz butter and whisk it into the soup. Whisk until your wrist hurts and all the lumps have gone. Boil and it will be shiny and thick.

That's soup. Easy isn't it? With the veg you can add garlic, caraway seeds, cumin seeds or even orange peel, add the juice with the stock. Play with the tastes. You'll learn the different tastes, before and after salt, before and after sieving.
Most of our soups start the same as this, and then we just play with the main ingredients.
Hope you have a lovely time making this- any problems give me a shout.