I'm back and bursting with ideas!

So, it's been a wee while since my last Goremet update and loads has happened which has inevitably stood in the way of me updating my beloved blog....

But rather than lay on the apologies, I thought I'd update with some fantastic foodie news and tasty tit bits of information.

Firstly, I'm re-thinking my relationship with food... It's what I love and am passionate about it, but it ain't doing my figure much good. I recently went on the look out for a bikini and found myself just about squeezing into my 'usual' size, but I'll admit it wasn't a flattering fit. I bought the bikini regardless and have given myself an achievable goal which must be reached before I go to Mauritius (at the end of August).... so it's bye bye carbs for a while....

Secondly, it's my birthday next week and I'm trying to decide what kind of cake I should make myself (sad, I know!)- I thought I might make a healthy hoeny and rose cake or something.... You may scoff, or even feel sorry for me, but I'd sooner slave away and make my own little labour of love than have a shop bought cake. Plus, it gives me the opportunity to show off my creative flair to all those lucky people I'm going to share it with!

Also, I'm trying to decide where I want to eat on my birthday... Matou? Etsu? San Carlo? Red Perilla? Piccolinos? I just don't know! Somewhere new and exciting that doesn't break the bank, but is just that bit extra special...

Oh yeah and I've got to start planning and financing my trip around Europe next year as well as sourcing ideas for my wedding... It's all getting a bit much! I want things to start arranging themselves, but I know that ain't gonna happen...

And finally, the time has come... in exactly one week, I'll be travelling down to the South-West to partake in the Arvon Foundation Food Writing Course and I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!

And that's just my social life..... work's been very busy with canape events and a fully-booked restaurant and with Delifonseca Dockside on the horizon, it's sure to get even more hectic... but do you know what? I don't think I'd like my life as much if there wasn't a million things happening at once, I just need to take a step back, along with a deep breath and FOCUS!!!!!!!!!!

With that in mind and Book it or Cook it's first birthday just a month away, I have plenty in store to whet the hungriest of appetites!

Let the feast begin!

Book it, cook it, or f#@k it up for everyone!

You know when you have one of those brilliant, albeit, last minute ideas? One of the ones where you think, this could be brilliant, if I pull this off, then this will be the best birthday surprise- ever!
Well, the night before last, these thoughts flitted through my mind, racing and raging, until, inevitably, I baked the mother of all birthday cakes- a four layer chocolate fudge, mocha gateau covered in rich, chocolate butter icing.

The reasoning behind this was, after missing my friend's birthday last weekend, I suggested we do something this week to celebrate. And seeing as it was another friends birthday this week, I thought; why not make an occasion of it? So we booked a table at a restaurant that HAD been one of favourites for some time (Esteban on Lark Lane in case you were wondering).

I confirmed the final numbers on my way home from work yesterday, and I also informed them that I would be dropping in a birthday cake to be brought out at after the meal. This all seemed fine, and after putting the finishing touches to the masterpiece, my dutiful fiance dropped it off for me.

Things were all going to plan as all eight of us congregated in the restaurant. We couldn't help but notice a particularly loud party of women seated nearby, who made it their business to make me shudder with their various screeches and howls of laughter. We ordered our wine and our tapas and were all set for a good night...

The conversation flowed as we caught up with one another, the restaurant quickly filling up with various other large parties. Our food arrived promptly, and the waitress shouted out the various dishes, and we passed them down the table. Then came along THE waiter, a blundering buffoon, that seemed to be cursed not only with bad manners and impatience, but other unsavoury characteristics which came to light about ten minutes later.

He approached our table with the remaining dishes on the tray, and seemingly flung the food at us, without even naming the various cuisines- we were all left a bit stunned, but we passed the food around, guessing and swapping the items which had been dumped willy nilly across the table.

After tucking in, the lights in the restaurant dimmed as THE waiter approached the cackling women opposite with a birthday cake. They all burst into song, and I looked up in horror to see MY cake being served to the other party. You can imagine the look of disbelief on my face as I sprung up from my seat to try and salvage my little labour of love.

As I screamed 'That's my cake, that's my cake!' THE waiter replied smugly 'Are you serious?', at that point I felt the bile rise in the back of my throat... He blew the candles out and removed the cake from the table as the odious women on the table fell into fits of hilarity at my expense.

I'd never been so embarrassed in my whole life. My intricate plans had been foiled by one incompetent member of staff's idiotic blunders, and all I could do was cry.


Diners looked on in disbelief as the tears rolled down my face, and the manager apologised in a most sterile manner, not even addressing me (the person who had booked the table, baked the cake etc) saying that he would waive the service charge and give us some free drinks- not much of a consolation for ruining my BIG surprise....

The anger began to subside after my friends reassured me that it was a lovely gesture, and the attentive waitresses checked I was ok, THE waiter offered an unconvincing sympathetic look which I ignored, and we continued to eat in a most uncomfortable atmosphere.

I thought that was the worst point of the night over, but then another waiter began to clear away our plates when half the table were still eating, he even tried to take some of our wine glasses too! We quickly stopped him, advising him to look down the table at all the uneaten food...

My friend Elaine, bravely ventured to the bar and asked about some free drinks which the manager had promised us, and came back with some good news, three bottles, on the house- it was the least they could do!

After the table was cleared, I asked for the cake, not a problem I thought... Then not one, but two waitresses came over, one after the other, the first asking if I wanted candles (well yes, it was a birthday cake, and I'd given them eight candles to put in it!) the second, to tell me it would be a few minutes.... at that point I'd gone beyond caring, and felt like asking 'Is it still in the oven?! Or has someone else eaten it?'

Then the cake came out of the kitchen with THE waiter clumsily trying to hide it behind a menu, and as we broke out in song, the whole restaurant joined in and cheered at the end. It certainly livened us up, and as we tucked into the cake, we all agreed, it was worth the wait! We asked for the bill, and were ready to scrutinise it and saw that out of the six bottles of wine, we'd only had the three for free, the service charge had been knocked off too- but with the terrible service, I'd have walked out without paying, had there been a dispute.

One of the waitresses grabbed the cake and disappeared with it as we threw our money into the kitty. My heart was thumping, what was she doing with my cake? Would I ever see it, or my lovely glass plate again? I waited with baited breath, only to be told she was wrapping it up for me to take home, thank goodness.

All my friends assured me that they'd had a great night, but I still feel like I was robbed. My two friends Joe and Sasa, had never had anyone surprise them like that before, and Esteban took that away from them. No amount of compensation can get that back, and I never want to return to that amateurish place again- I was so, so angry last night, I couldn't even taste the food properly!

So my re-issued advice, don't book it! Steer clear! Leave your cake at home and eat it there, so if anything goes wrong, you'll only have yourself to blame.

A Cornish Culinary Adventure- Days 6 & 7

Well my 'ansome's, I'm afraid these are the two final pieces of my Cornish Culinary Adventure- but fear not.... I'm so loved up with the place at the moment, that I've just baked some pasties. So if you're all good little Piskies, I'll share it with you!

Day 6-

This always happens to me when I go home, I think that i'll eat a Pasty as soon as I return, but the facts are, I still hadn’t had a Pasty until today! After a short shopping trip out, I begged my pops to visit a bakery. Not one to settle for second best on the Pasty stakes, I went to Hampston’s of Hayle- a local butcher and pie/pasty maker famous for their wares.

It was past two o’clock, so my hopes of getting my desired lunch were slightly hindered due to the sheer demand of the wonderful hand held lunch. I didn’t let it get me down though- ‘I’m in Cornwall for Christ sake- the whole county can’t be out of Pasties by now....can they?’ I thought to myself.

I wasn’t expecting the answer to the above question to be ‘nearly’! The butcher only had three pasties left in the whole shop! That just goes to show how popular this traditional mining fodder still is to this day!

Anyway, despite asking for a steak Pasty, I received one with steak mince. It was still lovely, although it didn’t have that wonderful gravy that saturates the crust that you get with the beef skirting. So be warned people- I’ve lived in Cornwall for most of my life and I slipped up my order- make sure you ask if the Pasty is made with mince!

After my mammoth lunch, I made sure to leave plenty of room for this evening’s offerings. As with most other ‘family occasions’ we celebrate at local Carbis Bay restaurant- La Casita, tonight it was my brother’s turn to celebrate his birthday.

I ordered garlic mushrooms in a creamy sauce with a Mozzarella crust. They were rich, buttery, not soggy- the only thing that could have improved them would have been a bit of bread on the side. That sauce was too good to waste (so I frantically slurped it up like a rich soup)!

Always a stickler for local produce, especially fish, I opted for the special Hake fillet with a herb crust and a tomato and basil sauce with Boulangere potatoes. When the dish arrived, it looked wonderfully colourful. The plump white flesh of the fish contrasting with the scarlet sauce peppered with flecks of basil.

However, no matter pleasing a dish is to one’s eye, it has to please the palate as well. And unfortunately, no amount of salt and pepper could remedy this flavourless dish. This really saddened me, as it was such a beautifully cooked piece of fish, but I had to be sent back.

I felt like I'd ruined the evening, embarrasing myself, and my co diners. But the night wasn't over yet! The propietor came over to our table, and quietly discussed the problem. I explained to him that I wasn't satisfied, and he offered me another meal- which I gladly excepted.

Although at first I felt like the evening had somehow been stunted, I'm glad I stood my ground. After having worked in the catering industry for the past 10 years, I've always liked honest customers, who actually give you the chance to compensate and correct your mistakes, rather than leave dissappointed, and never return...

I'd been eyeing up my father's dish of Beef fillet stroganoff. So I made the quick decision to have that as a replacement. And my God, was I glad! It was tender, beautifully cooked with a side of fluffy white rice, I have to say, it was an informed choice (as i'd already shovelled some of my dad's meal down my gob already!)

After quaffing the last of the Rioja, we returned home to eat some birthday cake (which I had made earlier on in the day, along with the Christmas Pudding). And I have to say- Delia, you've come up trumps again!

It was a simple recipe- 6oz Self-Raising Flour, 6oz Sugar, 3 Eggs and 6oz Butter. I added some vanilla essence, and when it was cool, I split the hefty sponge in half and spread with some good quality Raspberry Jam, and whipped cream (of course).

We settled down to watch a fillm, our stomachs full, our appetites supressed (for now!)

Day 7

Since arriving home, I quite fancied doing something a bit different. Maybe leaving the county for a day trip, perhaps?

My father suggested this idea to me again, and we were going to visit Greenway House in Devon, former home to my favourite author, Agatha Christie. But this proved problematic, as neither of us knew how to get there, or wanted to wait up to two hours to be shown around... perhaps next time, eh?

Instead, we opted for the more easily locatable, Exeter. A city full of history, with its Gothic Cathedral nestled between cafes, bistros and gift shops.

As a teenager, I had visited the city quite frequently and often admired a place that used to have a piano permanantly parked out on the pavement. I can only assume that the memory of this place relates to The Pitcher and Piano on Queen Street.

This being a casual father-daugther day out, we decided to have a laid back meal in this sophisticated Georgian style eatery.

Despite having had steak at the meal last night, neither of us could resist the charms of the Rump Steak baguette with caramelised onions...just thinking about it's making me salivate!

The substantially sized sandwiches arrived brimming with pink, plump slices of beef, dotted with wholegrain mustard and slithers of onion. I have to say, for £7.50, these were pretty good value too!

All in all a great time was had by all. I'm sure i've gained a little weight, but who's counting? I'm storing it up for the winter to keep me warm anyway! I look forward to returning home for Christmas, where I'll be making Christmas dinner for 6 people (for the second time!)

It ain't over till the slighty fatter lady sings!

Alas, tonight is my last night in Cornwall with my family. I have traveled the length of the county, feasted on many different dishes, baked a birthday cake and made Christmas pudding- and all in the space of seven days.

This was supposed to be a holiday, but I've felt myself learning loads, with the urge to work, but simply not having the time to! So alas, my 7 hour train journey tomorrow will be committed to the writing up of this culinary adventure! Ahoy hoy!