The Isle of Wight

Ah, the seaside. There are times when I want to throw it all in, pack my bags and live the humble life of a fisher-women on a house boat. This is a genuine, naive dream I've had for many years. Fresh air for breakfast and fresh fish for dinner. Wouldn't it be nice? This weekend, I was in the Isle of Wight with my family who have a house in Bembridge. We went for lunch at The Beach Hut a fabulous little spot which overlooks Forelands beach and Culver Downs. Started by Emma and Jon Guy in 2012, it has built itself a great reputation amongst locals and foodies alike serving delicious seafood with a Mediterranean twist. What's great about it is that stumbling down the steps and coming across a cafe in such an idyllic location you think even if you get a paper plate with  a cheese toastie you know you've lucked out, location alone. However, Emma Guy, winner of the 2011 Isle of Wight, Masterchef dishes out culinary delights, all simple and relying heavily on good quality, fresh fish. I had a classic crab sandwich and it was delicious. Juicy crab  meat squished between two slices of soft, seedy granary bread. A squeeze of lemon and simple green salad with balsamic glaze and that was it. The beach Hut classic. It was delicious but it was also £8.95.  

Paris

The waft of crepes, check. The hum of a saxophonist, check. Flimsy metro tickets that you've lost within minutes, check. Je suis arrivé à paris. So here I am, three days of feasting in the cheese and wine capital ahead of me, life is good now lets tuck in. 

Fancy Picnic Strawberries

Picnic Strawberries. Today we had lunch in the garden for Abi’s birthday. I was going to bake a sponge or maybe some brownies and then I looked outside over Costa del Beaconsfield and decided against spending the morning in the kitchen. Instead, I made some chocolate coated strawberries which wouldn’t have looked out of place in a box of Thornton’s chocolate. Not rocket science but it’s good to get the technique right or eveyrhting gets a little bit messy. All it took was 3 packs of milk chocolate,  3 packets of white and 2 punnets of strawberries. I used Sainsbury’s value chocolate as it melts really well and at 30p for 100g, no-one’s complaining! Make sure you melt the chocolate s-l-o-w-l-y to avoid burnt lumps. Once you have two separate bowls of smooth, glossy chocolate, dunk a strawberry in till its got an even coat. Holding it by the stalk, let a little excess drip of then place on a chopping board. Once both punnets have their coats, pop in the fridge for 10 minutes. The chocolate should stay runny but might require a 15 second blast in the microwave. Then, using a teaspoon, dribble opposing chocolate over the strawberries and return to the fridge for a further 10 minutes. Then use a straight spatula or a sharp knife to ease the chocolate strawberries off the chopping board and into your mouth!