First season pumpkin pie

I lined a pie dish with my usual shortcrust pastry. The filling used about 400 gm of the pumpkin purée I made, plus a cup of milk, a spoon of brown sugar and one of golden syrup. I used two large eggs and whisked it all up. Then I...

Mango with tamarind

Mango is one of my favourite fruits, and I love tamarind with its somewhat sour taste. So when I dined at Thaikhun in Cambridge and my companion ordered sea bass and mango salad with tamarind, I was intrigued. I sampled some and was most impressed…...

Pumpkin time

I cut a pumpkin into segments after scooping out the seeds. After peeling them with a potato peeler and chopping them into roughly 1″ pieces, I simmered them for about 15 minutes until tender. Then I zapped them in a blender with just enough liquid to for a purée....

Salmon at the National Liberal Club

I ordered the salmon as my main course for lunch. It was adequate, nice and moist, not over-cooked. I would call it competent rather than special. The potatoes were good, but the salad garnish as bland. Fortunately the club white wine did not disappoint. My verdict is that this...

Lamb at Browns

Browns is a standby, a place you go to when no other choice appeals. It is reliable and not very expensive, and the range of dishes means almost everyone can be satisfied. This time I chose roasted lamb rump with potato gratin, crushed minted peas, and red wine jus....

Bramble and apple pie

Still on my pie theme, this time I made bramble and apple pie. The bulges in the pastry are the brambles (aka blackberries). I added only a sprinkle of brown sugar, but it needed a liquid to allow the apples to cook, so I added a mix of creme...

Cherry and apple pie

Punnets of cherries were going quite cheaply, so I bought one and stoned all the cherries with my handy little device that pits both cherries and olives. I used two Pink Lady apples, cored but not peeled and chopped up into roughly half-inch pieces. The pastry was white flour...

Captain Cat’s seasoning

Among my birthday presents was a tin of Captain Cat’s seafood rub from Pembrokeshire in South Wales.  It’s a light brown/orange colour, and is intended to be rubbed into fish before you bake it or fry it. I tried putting it into a prawn quiche, and it worked very...

Elderberry Port

I was given some. It’s from the Lyme Bay winery, which seems to be a National Trust property, with revenues from its sale accruing to the Trust itself. I’m not sure. It’s 17 percent, fortified wine level, rather than the ‘liqueur’ it is sometimes described as. I like port,...

Bramble and apple pie

In Southern England the fruit is called blackberries and the bush brambles. In Scotland, however, and some parts of England ‘bramble’ means both the fruit and the bush. Either way, it goes well with apples in a pie. I made the pastry as usual with 4oz flour plus bran...