A new 'tougher' thread... and so it continues

Byatt

Mrs_Chip wrote: »

Hi Byatt - we used to go to Cornwall on the A303 so would have passed you! We will be going M4/M5 from now on. We have been to Exmouth and Sidmouth/Seaton but don't know the area that well, and not food-wise at all! Also know the Dorset coast, it is all very lovely, what a great place to live!

I was going to say I'll stand on the motorway bridge and wave to you as you go by. :rotfl:

I lived in Seaton before I came here; it has a huge new Mr T's now, sad but true. They knocked down the holiday chalets.

Well, if you ever come again, we must meet up for tea and a chat!

katieowl_2

Mrs_Chip wrote: »

Kate - that's pretty much my benchmark - could I have made this myself better? And yes, I am perfectly happy with nice ingredients cooked simply but well too. But it does seem hard to find places that can do that for some reason. We went to the Ferry Inn a couple of weeks ago, and I was quite disappointed, a lovely place (what a great location) but the food just did not cut it.

And I am with you on the fruit thing 100% - particularly strawberries :eek:

Iv'e never had Longhorn that I know of, they are certainly lovely to look at - and just up the Gwaun from us, we have been to Penlan Uchaf Gardens, must go up for a lookie at them.,

OMG I could have warned you off the Ferry!!! Yeah FAB location but our only meal there was dreadful and VERY overpriced. I say only meal as there will not be a second chance :eek: Be warned same guy owns the 25 mile in Cardi - reputed to be VERY pricey too - one lot of the B&Bers went there and liked it, but you don't know what they are used to LOL!

We have such fantastic local food here - I don't understand what's so hard to get right? I've had awful 'local' cheese boards (with Branston) when there are some truly outstanding local cheese available here, and plenty of choice for local pickles???

Kate

smileyt_2

PP so glad you got the car business sorted. I hope you have many happy miles of motoring in the new car you are going to get .

I've had my share of CBA-ness too. Went back to bed after walking the dogs this morning and slept for two hours :eek:. It's that time of the month where no matter how much sleep a girl gets, it still isn't enough . I have wasted so much of my life dragging a lumpen body and a dizzy head around thanks to hormones :mad:.

Ginnyknit I hope you are OK.

Well, I need to go and do some tidying up. A member of staff from my Housing Association is coming round later this afternoon to pick up the stuff I have been making for the craft workshop this weekend, and I will die of shame if she sees the house in the state it's in at the moment. I currently have a plastic greenhouse in the living room .... two bikes .... seed potatoes growing legs on the windowledge ..... a box of carp which may be OK for the charity shop ..... aaarrgghhh! The back room is even worse but she won't see that - I'll just shut the door on it ...... :rotfl:

Hey ho!

Byatt

katieowl wrote: »

OMG I could have warned you off the Ferry!!! Yeah FAB location but our only meal there was dreadful and VERY overpriced. I say only meal as there will not be a second chance :eek: Be warned same guy owns the 25 mile in Cardi - reputed to be VERY pricey too - one lot of the B&Bers went there and liked it, but you don't know what they are used to LOL!

We have such fantastic local food here - I don't understand what's so hard to get right? I've had awful 'local' cheese boards (with Branston) when there are some truly outstanding local cheese available here, and plenty of choice for local pickles???

Kate

Totally agree with this! :T

Mrs_Chip

Kate - Yes will be our last too, but might drop in for a pint Makes me so cross, as I want to march into the kitchen and tell them what's what :rotfl: If you are ever this way Nant-y-Coy is now very good, a friend of ours is the part owner/chef and she is a fabulous cook, used to be the chef at three main st in Fishguard which was our favourite restaurant for years.

I am told I am fussy, but tbh I think a lot of people are happy if they get a plate of rubbish as long as they get a LOT :rotfl:

Byatt - that would be fun - which bridge will you be on? We will be doing our UK tour in a few years, and will spend a lot more time in all these great places, who need to go abroad (Except Mar who needs some sun to thaw her out :rotfl:)

elizabunny

Hi everyone! Been away for a few days, so just popping on to play catch-up! Hope everyone is doing ok -hugs ((())) to all those that need them.

I'm just about to embark on a large grocery shop (aaaaarrghhh) I dread to think how much I'll spend. Everything is going through the roof.

I have enough salad leaves now growing to pick some everyday:j Just wish the weather would warm up so that the other things will come up. My beetroot seems to have disappeared, along with the swiss chard:( However things in the greenhouse are coming on nicely. I seem to have around 50 Chilli:eek: plants and we don't even like Chilli that much -it upsets poor DH. So I think much of that will be donated to family. The Broad Beans are coming along nicely and the Onions and Garlic (We have loads of Garlic) and we're still using up last year's. Oh well, roll on summer:).

GreyQueen

:j I have a new mattress! It's HUGE, I shall feel like the Princess and the Pea when I go to bed on that tonight. It's arrival has just doubled the value of my household goods.:p

I also have the outgoing mattress in my sitting-room and have realised that it is 2/3rd of the length of the room. So, smileyt, I have to hope no one from the Housing Dept decides to make an unannounced visit or they'll think I'm turning this place into a HMO.:rotfl:Just hope nothing goes wrong with the Freecycle pick-up this evening............stress-stress-stress until it's gone.

It's been a grey and miserable day here with constant very fine drizzle so I've been lounging around (day off) whilst waiting on deliverymen and Freecyclers. I've done beggar-all except have a bath, washed my hair, caught up on my reading and drank tea. Such a shame I have to go back to the salt mine tomorrow.

meme30 great news about your Dsil's job. It's hard to make a judgement-call when the employer looks like they can't make payroll because of being late-paid themselves. Excellent that your DD has you to coach her on advanced OS-ing. I think these skills become more and more relevent by the day.

I went out briefly this morning to the Magic Greengrocer and came away with 2 punnets of grapes, 4 small peppers and a bag of apples for my £1 and had a chat with the lad (it's a 3-generation family firm although the old Dad recently retired from the shop). We were having a bit of a whinge about rising prices....when even lads of about 18 talk about such things, you know it's bad.

Today, for your delectation, I am wearing a checked linen shirt in muted tones of blue and beige which was a cast-off from my brother. To make it a bit less mannish, I have removed the collar and cuffs and edged the cuffs and the sleeve plackets with contrasting bias binding. I have also had to re-purpose one of the pockets to patch the underside of one elbow which had nearly worn thru. Brother has notoriously-sharp elbows; I've often threatened to hold him down and file them smooth to save wear and tear on the garments. Haven't gotten away with it yet; he's substantially bigger than me.........

All in all, a scruff-around/ gardening shirt for nowt but a bit of sewing. I do like remodelling things with a restyle and/ or a dyejob.

Enjoying all this talk about visiting in the furthermost reaches of the south-west. Some of my ancestors came from Dorset- they were blacksmiths. Well, I expect that was the fellers, but judging by my sturdy build, perhaps the wimmin were strapping wenches, too.

Hokay, need to catch up on the rest of the world via t'internet. Glad I sold my Euros and bought Fray Bentos pies last autumn....:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

VJsmum

I like to eat out - but I am fussy as well. Not fussy as in pernickity, but I like good food worth the money. Agree about the cheese boards. My OH invariably orders it, it's usually more expensive than dessert and is a bit of tasteless cheddar, some stone cold brie and maybe red leicester or stilton with a couple of crackers and a bit of celery. There are so many more cheeses to have and better ways to present it. I don't know why he does it - I have better cheeses in my/our fridge than he orders.

But tonight I am out with the girls at our local pub where they do a choice of curries, naan, popadums, rice and chutney and a glass of wine for £5.25. Not luxury food sure but very acceptable and at a bargain price. But if i'm paying a lot then I want to see the quality / uniqueness of it.

So where was your best ever meal? Sadly mine was in Zimbabwe (Les Quatre Saisons in Bulawayo) many years ago. But we have a place near us called "The Old School House" at Weeford, near Lichfield which is always lovely.

kidcat

Katie I am the same, if I paying for food I expect excellence and taste, not a micro meal I could pick up at the supermarket!

Mardy - a flaky S&K pie is relatively easy, I cook the S&K in the SC, then into individual pie dishes and top with shop bought flaky pastry.

katieowl_2

VJsmum wrote: »

So where was your best ever meal? Sadly mine was in Zimbabwe (Les Quatre Saisons in Bulawayo) many years ago. But we have a place near us called "The Old School House" at Weeford, near Lichfield which is always lovely.

Oh tough...not so much a single meal, but I can think of two restaurants I've eaten food from back in the late 70's that simply remain the benchmarks one was 13and a half in Beauchamp Place in Knightbridge (Italian) and the other was an Indian in Brook Street. The place I worked for at the time was in the habit of ordering takeaway for the staff on occassions (in lieu of decent wages LOL) I mainly worked in BP and everything I ever ate from the 13 1/2 kitchen was fantastic. Occasionally due to staff being off sick, we'd get shipped over to Brook St in a taxi and fed while we were there. I found out some years later that the Indian was considered to be one of the best in the country...it took some years for my culinary sophistication to catch up with the food there. The Rogan Josh they served was in a dark dark sauce that had flecks of something I couldn't identify at the time on top. It was silver leaf....

Also remember an AWESOME Thai place in the Fulham Road that served dim sum in dark soy sauce garnished with strips off crispy garlic, like tiny chips.

Kate