sped98

Personally speaking , i adore Scallops , foie gras and lamb on a menu , i could eat it until the cows come home. Critical couple have their likes...and dislikes and just report as they find each place.I dont know who they are , never met them but find myself drawn daily to their little blog to read their fantastic reports and look at their amazing photos. Big fans of Lenclume ? Absolutely , they were there last week and their reporting of the place was superb...as was the Elephant and also their photos.As for the war of words that followed on the Gidleigh post....well it made interesting reading and i found myself drawn back every few hours to read and laugh at the comments generated by both the lovers and the haters of the place. Good healthy discussion by both parties....Love it

Oh some of those comments made me smile , what a lot of bitches we all are. The series is well underway now ,still believe its a terrible theme this year , just not interesting at all.Seems like we are all recording it and fast forwarding through to any interesting pieces.Ive just been watching fridays programme to laugh at the pompous judges and to learn new words from Matthew fort that ive never heard before in all of my 48 years. I want to see top level chefs cooking at their best and i want to see what theyre capable of putting on a plate , if it looks good then ill be heading to their restaurants. Tom Aikens this week ,his cooking looking wonderful but is he a shy guy or had a personality bypass op ? Oh and as for the fake stuff...the `set up` stares over the worktops and the `look straight forward` walks down the corridor etc etc....its soooooo tacky. The show definitely needs a facelift

I got some lovely Isle of man scallops straight off the boat last week.Paired them up with cauliflower four ways , some local porcini which i had dried from last year and had a look around the hedgerow.I managed to get some Broom ( gorse bush ) flowers ( which dont have a lot of flavour until mid summer ) and i also got some young Hedge garlic , wood sorrel and field sorrel leaves which have just started coming through up in Cumbria.

Doesn`t look that way Harters , he loves it up here in the lakes.He always said he wouldn`t leave the flagship so fingers crossed eh ? plus he`s got the kitchen gardens and Rogans bistro to keep in order as well.I would guess Simon will be putting in lots of rail and motorway miles commuting between the two places....it`s only 300 miles, that`s `nowt` to us northern folk. Mark Birchall is well capable as head chef in Lenclume anyway so it`ll always be in tip top hands in Simons absence.

Looking like it`s all systems go for Simon Rogans new `pop up` in Marylebone , London. Word on the street`s getting through slowly but seems like "Roganics" head chef to be - `Ben Spalding` is now on a familiarity exercise with Rogans cuisine up at Lenclume in Cartmel. Seems like Ben couldn`t come from better stables , Per Se , Rhodes in the city , Fat Duck , Le Manoir , Ramsay , L`autre pied and Lipp in Gothenbourg ...and now Lenclume....WOW. Opening dates seem likely to be around early May which has created quite a buzz in the Twittering and foodie communities. I`ll post more info as i find out......The spies are on the case.

You should watch him on Cookery school then.....just plain irritating and downright rude , speaking to adults like they`re kids...thumbs down from me....He`s gone right down in my book. And same to the new series of GBM....Street party ???? Pah....Watched the first week and that`s my lot.

There are a number of choices on the various menus available in 7 Park place restaurant. Basically it`s one of those menus that`s impossible to pick from and just reads so well from start to finish.Foie gras, scallops , crab , langoustines , truffle , sea bass , turbot , foie gras , foie gras, stuffed oxtail , truffles….and more foie gras…Totally fantastic, where do i start ?. Firstly there`s the lunch menu , no scrimping on luxury here , it`s a 2/2/2 choice menu at £29.50 and starring ingredients like Fillet of veal , Monkfish , Foie gras parfait and fresh crab. Then there`s the serious food , Two courses are available for £ 49.00 off the a la carte menu, Three for a very reasonable £ 55.00. The best option for me had to be the 6 course Menu Gourmand for £ 65.00. ( Cheese course and coffee with treats were extra ). I like to choose the gourmande as i find it a good insight into the Chefs culinary journey over the years. Also its a good test of the sommelier and i chose the recommended wine flight at £118 all inc with the food. So on to the food - we were presented with the menus and wine list but we had already decided long before to go for the Gourmand and selected wines , choice was made. We chose a couple of non alcoholic cocktails ( £8 ) from the list and they were mixed at the bar in front of us.They were served with green olives and smoked nuts at the bar.The bar itself was a beautiful sight , bright colours , nothing drab , clean cut and modern.The unusual mixture of art all around us was a definite leaning towards the `gentlemans taste`, a terrific gallery of nude and saucy semi nude ladies all around us…..i wasn`t complaining , it was a wonderful start to an exciting lunch.There was no sign of an `amuse bouche` , canapes , or a small taster of any kind from the kitchen which is normally `par for the course` these days before the action starts.I would like to have seen that to start the show off.Instead we were offered a selection of sliced fresh bread , white, brown , sesame and fruit and nut. Basic , well baked, fresh , simple and very enjoyable. The set meal starter was a very generous slice of seared Foie gras sitting on a piece of brioche with sweet confit of quince and surrounded by toasted Hazelnuts.The sauce was a sticky , shiny and classic reduction that had such a `wow` factor.I loaded my fork up , took a mouthful of the food , closed my eyes and floated away.It`s quite a few years since ive experienced those wonderful flavours and it all came rushing back to me at once…..`who the hell needs drugs` ? This starter could never be improved upon. 10/10…..and a great feeling that this was going to be a wonderful lunch. The next course was the classic single Ravioli of Langoustine , encased in fresh, soft and perfectly cooked pasta.The truffle hit me immediately , the aroma dominating the air all around us , it was amazing.The ravioli sat on a little mound of buttered cabbage and was accompanied by a generous serving of truffled butter sauce.Simple , rich , very moreish , i could have eaten a dozen of these but unfortunately there was just the one…..and then it was gone…i immediately craved more. Next course was the Grillet fillet of Red Mullet with caramelised fennel and `sardine` puree.I have to admit , this was the only part of the menu i wasn`t too keen on.I had only eaten red mullet the one time and it was far too strong of a fishy flavour for my liking. Paired up this time with an even stronger `puree of sardines`, quite unusual and sounding fishy to the extreme…..I was wrong , totally wrong.The fish was cooked to perfection,the `fishy` flavour that i was expecting turned out to balance out perfectly with the sweet and salty sardine puree and the sweet anise tones of the caramelised fennel topped the course off and had me sitting like a very happy little chappie indeed. Our next offering was the Roasted Turbot fillet a meaty punch of goodness , caramelised perfectly on the outside and moist in the middle.It was presented on rich braised lentils , a greener than green parsley puree and a very hearty reduced red wine sauce.I`m sitting here writing this now and i can taste this dish in my mind, i just want to get on the train and head back for more.I think it was at this point that my dining companion commented on the food. It was a simple – ”This is better food than the Waterside”. So far this year he had done a dozen of the top flight restaurants , Ducasse, Fat duck , Dinner , Lenclume, Martin wishart ,whatley manor , le manoir , Kitching , Northcote , Sharrow bay and the waterside.He rated Waterside as his all time favourite all round dining experience ever….then he went to Drabbles place. Main courses were up next and to be totally honest i would have preferred to change the Lamb for the dish that ill never forget from Michaels Nook in Grasmere. `Pot roasted corn fed chicken with foie gras and truffle sauce`….how good does that sound ? Along with `Boudin of wood pigeon with foie gras, caramelised turnips and Madeira sauce` its one of a few Drabble signature classics that have been with him for years.I`ll never forget my day in the kitchen with Billy up in Grasmere , it was a case of “Alan…..taste this” , Billy shouted me over to the pass and spoon fed me a little taste of heaven , a rich cream sauce of truffled chicken , enriched with melted foie gras and the worlds smallest Morel mushrooms.That one taste will stay with me forever….and there`s something very similar on the a la carte menu….minus the baby morels. ( hint hint William ) Anyway , i felt a bit cheeky asking to change the main course on the tasting menu so i settled for the Lamb .It was a `best end of Lune valley lamb with confit potatoes , caramelised onion and a thyme jus`…Ahhhhhh ,more of the rich stuff again. When it comes to learning to cook lamb to perfection Billy had the best teacher in the business.., Nico Ladenis , a god of the Eighties cooking scene in Britain. During that period`sous vide` wasn`t a word that was used in the kitchen very often and it was a time where classic and traditional methods were widely used in cuisine.The lamb at Nico was legendary , melting , tender , pink to perfection all the way through and surrounded by a delicate coating of soft herb crumb. Nico passed his `special` cooking method over to Billy and it has stuck with him ever since.If anyone wants to sample lamb at world class level then simply book a table at 7 park place. It looks like a staple on the menu now so its something that has to be eaten by every serious food lover.The sauce tasted seriously of roasted bones , classic reduction methods and old school skills.The accompaniments matched up perfectly. At this point in the meal we were offered the Cheese as an optional extra (£13 ). It was a simple selection of 4 well matured British cheeses by Paxton and Whitfield of London. Blue , Goats , hard and an English brie. We got this selection as a taster between the pair of us just to try it out.It was accompanied by plain oat and charcoal crackers and fresh grapes….simple selection that hit the mark perfectly. Now then….here`s my favourite part of the meal.The part that i look forward to all the way through to feed my sweet cravings.I have to admit , i had a little look at a few other diners puddings during a couple of trip to the washroom so i kind of knew what was what by then.I wasnt too keen on the tasting menu dessert after i had spotted `chocolate` on another diners plate near to me so i decided to chance my arm and ask for something different than the pineapple dessert off the tasting menu. ” Absolutely no problem sir” , it was a simple as that and the young lady was off into the kitchen to order our two Dark chocolate Negus desserts with coffee ice cream and gold……Ohhhhhh dear , i was starting to feel funny all over. The dessert landed , it was rich, it was gooey , it was sooooo chocolatey with gold and chocolate biscuit and rich coffee ice cream, could life get any better than this ? Coffee and treats came as extras and not included on the tasting menu.I prefer to see it as part of the meal and wouldn`t mind that extra fiver added to the set meal price , looks better that way.Anyway, we chose whatever coffee we fancied , and it was accompanied by a strange wooden box.The box was opened at the table by one of the front of house staff.She certainly wasnt going to leave go of it either as it contained a wonderful selection of sweet jellies and handmade truffles….” Fantastic , i`ll have one of each”,….. it wasn`t a problem. Once these had finished we were full to the brim and starting to loosen clothing off for comfort.A small silver container arrived at the table containing pink and white marshmallows , “Ohhhh jeez” , impossible , yet it was our duty as two working men to eat them all.We both gave up after only a couple. So summing up William ( Billy ) Drabble at Seven park place , St James – Rich , classic , luxury ingredients , accurately and very well sourced and cooked by very talented chefs.Very much old school ( which i adore ) yet very modern English / European in their 2011 skin. I cannot recommend this place enough , for me it ticked every single box and i left the place vowing to return as soon as possible……and now , a week later , im craving to go back….Please try it and i sincerely hope it does for you what it did for me.

Oh and just for the Camera info - Just to be a bit discreet i bought a Panasonic Lumix LX5 for a carry around.Its lots lighter than my Canon Cannon that weighs half a ton with the lens on. The Lumix came out tops on almost every review website i looked on.Some rated it as the best compact ever made and scored it 10/10.Basically this camera is a "re badged Leica" , its got the Leica Summicron lens and apparently matches the £600 leica in photo quality.I managed to get it for £299 on amazon, it was £280 a week later....bargain of the century. A fantastic camera all around and very highly recommended for foodie snappers. My pics came out pretty well considering that the light was really not good at all in Ducasse. Look out for my "william Drabble pics" ( 7 park place , st james )that ill be posting as soon as they`re edited , the light was perfect and the results were 100% better.

Erm....Hummmmm.....what can i say ? Well ...We started off a little early so ended up with a couple ( as in 2 ) of Mojitos in the piano bar (£36)we went for the Truffle menu ( house recommended )£180 plus select wine flight at £95....The wines were wonderful . 2 champagnes ,2 whites ,2 reds and 1 dessert. Im not going to bitch too much about the menu , it was very enjoyable to eat.The truffle was 100% undetectable in aroma and taste on every course...until we came to the cheese.It was explained to us that this is because the Truffles are at their best in december and january but now in March they are finished.Can i just mention here that the Truffle was infact from the Perigord, and fresh.Needless to say the management kindly deducted the price of the truffle menu and gave us the dinner for the tasting menu price of £115. So here we go....course by course. Our first course was the Langoustine , perfectly cooked , very fresh and topped with a caviar that complimented well.The rich nage married perfectly with the shellfish and delivered lots of flavour from what tasted like roasted shells. Second course was the Ravioli , our first taste of the black truffle.I noticed here straight away that i couldnt smell any truffle aroma eminating from the warm food.I tried a piece of truffle on its own - it had no taste at all. The consome on the other hand was a beautiful duck consomme that delivered rich flavours with the melting foie gras encased in the pasta.The pasta was ever so slightly undercooked and came with quite a bite to it,it was ever so slightly off al-dente. Our next course arrived and `wow`, we seen truffle , lots and lots of it.Unfortunately our excitement soon diminished when we discovered that the large amount of truffle on and around the wonderful scallop was infact totally tasteless and had absolutely zero truffle flavour, it was simply a texture.I commented to my dining companion that if we were to eat this dish blindfolded then we wouldn`t have known that the truffle existed in the dish.The huge king scallop was perfectly cooked ,sweet , caramelised and indeed a delight to eat with the vegetable accompaniments. The Sea bass was an exceptional piece of fish , perfectly cooked , crisp outer , moist interior and had the delicate taste of a wild specimen.Once again , plenty of truffle `texture` but no flavour.The sauce was `old school classic` and well made. On to the main course and our first ever tasting of the legendary "Rossini".I cant believe that ive been into food for so long but had never got around to experiencing one of the worlds most famous dishes.The beef delivered a perfect degree of cooking and flavour.The meat well aged and cut through with no pressure on the knife.It was an amazing piece of beef.The foie gras balanced the dish perfectly well and the reduced sauce made a heavenly combination.Unfortunately once again , no truffle flavour came through in the Perigueux sauce but was compensated by a classic , well reduced and `varnish like one...beautiful. The cheese course , at last , we could both smell the tell tale smell even before it landed on the table.We both looked at each other, smiled and said the word `truffle` in unison. The cheese delivered the goods and hit the mark , perfectly matured and had an amazing `wow factor`. Simple charcoal and plain crackers were all that was needed to make this a memorable cheese that ticked the boxes all around. Now for my favourite part of any meal, the desserts.I have a very sweet tooth and always look forward to this part like a child in a sweetshop.I was ever so slightly disappointed that the worlds best dessert "Le Louis XV chocolate bar" wasn`t on the list.I have been looking forward to that one for quite a while now.In the absence of the XV i chose the Coco caramel delight , a bar of bittersweet caramel accompanied by a very tangy lemon puree and a well made ice cream.Paired with the well selected dessert wine it had me smiling and had activated my sweet cravings. My dining companion selected the Contemporary Vacherin , a very simple and classic dessert made in the traditional way. An offering of different types of Rum was presented at the table. The dinner finished with treats from the trolley and coffee.We were surprised that this was not included as part of our tasting menu but charged on the bill as an extra £10 supplement.All in all , just like the Fat duck , we`ve been and we`ve bought the t-shirt.....Enough said. As for the mystery of the Perigord truffle...I`m certainly no foraging expert here but tuber Melanosporum (The perigord black ) and tuber brumale ( The Moss truffle ) could have done an amazing `quick switch` somewhere down the market and not many people would have been much wiser.....Enough said.

Thanks Malo , they just managed to squeeze me in for dinner on friday , ill bear the discount in mind next time....would think itll make quite a difference to the bill. cheers

North West Lisa Allen - Northcote, Lancashire Jason Birkbeck - The Samling Hotel, Windermere Johnnie Mountain - Mosaica, London South East Tom Kerridge - Hand & Flowers, Marlow Tom Aikens - Restaurant Tom Aikens, London Phil Thompson - Auberge du Lac, Hertfordshire North East Tim Bilton - The Butcher's Arms, Hepworth Andrew Pern - The Star Inn, Harome Stephanie Moon - consultant chef Ireland Chris Bell - The Longridge Restaurant, Preston Contestant No2: TBC Contestant No3: TBC South West Andre Garrett - Galvin at Windows, London Paul Ainsworth - Number 6 Restaurant, Padstow John Hooker - Browns Hotel, Tavistock Judge: Michael Caines, Gidleigh Park, Devon Scotland Tony Singh, Oloroso, Edinburgh Michael Smith, The Three Chimneys, Isle of Skye Philip Carnegie, Inverlochy Castle, Fort William Midlands Richard Bainbridge - Morston Hall, Norfolk Aktar Islam, Lasan, Birmingham Sue Ellis, Belle House, Pershore, Worcestershire Judge: Glynn Purnell, Purnell's, Birmingham Wales Hywell Jones - Lucknam Park, Nr Bath Gareth Jones - Bodesgallen Hall, North Wales Aled Williams, Plas Bodegroes, Gwynedd Judge: Angela Harnett, Murano, London

Got a table booked for 25th march for dinner at Ducasse.Quite a few menu options ive noticed.Ive been asked if i would be interested in the "Menu D hiver" and to experience the subtle flavour of the Tuber Melansporum ( £180 )and the wine flight to match (£ 95 ).Theres also the "Tasting" menu to consider.( £115 ) and the a la carte ( £95 x 4 courses )...choices choices choices. Any pointers , tips or anyone had the truffle menu ? would appreciate some feedback. Thanks. Oh and William Drabble at St James next day for lunch. Camera batteries fully charged n raring to go...Pics to follow.

Ahhh , the BBQ pork cheek has somehow gone to the top of my pics ....and i dont know how to get it back into place....soz. The back to front Risotto , was really good , the squid was chopped finely and incorporated into the creamy base, which on first impression looked like the rice...but wasnt.The roasted squid consomme was then poured into the dish....Now that was an amazing flavour and finished the dish perfectly.Was a great night and the thing that really impressed me was the matching drinks...white , red and dessert wines , beers , cider and fresh veg juices.

Fantastic 15 course dinner at Lenclume , Cartmel ,Cumbria hosted by the Good food guide team.Simon Rogan and Guest chef Jason Atherton. ( Champagne Billecart salmon Brut nv ) Pickled ‘Purple Azur’ with fresh curds, Rocket and hazelnut (Carrot juice and fennel seed ) Smoked Fowey oyster and chicken royale With cabbage pesto (Semillon 2007 vasse felix ,Margaret river , Australia ) Salt and vinegar crispy rice, cod ‘yolk’, watercress, Cream of egg and garlic (Sauvignon blanc , Gewurstraminer viognier 2008) Cornish crab, various radishes, Brown bread ice cream (Reisling grand cru kitterie 2005 , Alsace , France ) Vintage potatoes in onion ashes, Whey sauce and sorrel ( Celery and English truffle juice ) English squid served in a back to front risotto, Roasted squid consommé (St Joseph 2007 Gulgal , Rhone valley France ) Hay baked sweetbreads and parsley Caramelised cauliflower and ramsons (Heskett Newmarket Brewery , Scawfell Blonde ) London-cure Salmon, horseradish, roasted cucumber, Cucumber chutney ( Chateau Moutin 2008 , Graves , Bordeaux , France ) BBQ pork cheeks and pig skin, Artichokes and spring onion ( Hawkshead Brewery , Brodies Prime ) Valley deer, slow-roasted beetroot, oats-seeds-nuts,Gin sauce ( Pesquera 2003 , bodegas fernandes , ribera del duero , Spain ) Cream crowdie with douglas fir and rhubarb ( Reisling Botrytis 2007 , heggies estate , eden valley , Australia ) Blood-orange, creamed goats curd, Sangria ( cairn o mohr , Scottish red and blackcurrant wine ) Thyme custard and iced apple, beetroot and cobnut crisp ( Cowmire hall , crosthwaite , Ancient Cumbrian cider ) ‘Tiramisu’ ( Gaillac doux rennaissance 2007 , domaine rotier , south west france ) Aerated chocolate , Kendal mintcake ice.

My manager went to Edinburgh last weekend , dined at The Witchery , Kitchin , Martin Wishart and the Plumed Horse. He said that Martin Wishart was by far the best meal he`s eaten in a long long time.I must try it next time im there.

I`ll echo Harters "bought the t shirt " comment.Nice meal but been there n done it. Just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons ,My manager turned up on the doorstep last week and got straight in for lunch , done the same at "Dinner" last sunday lunchtime. The fact that he`s 6 foot 5" , 22 stone and dressed in Kilt and full Scottish regalia either impressed them or put the S***s up them.

Pick the date you would like to eat at the Fat duck Phone them up 2 months prior to that date…Exactly 2 months prior , not even a day before because theyll just tell you “sorry sir , 2 months isnt until tomorrow” Phone them up at precisely 10am…. Not at 9.45 , Not at 9.50 or even 9.55 , you`ll just get the answering machine telling you to phone at 10am. So phone at 10….on the dot , you will then find that its engaged….Hang up and redial…..then redial again……and again……and again……Carry on doing this until you get a ringing tone ( in my case this was 45 minutes ) WOW….I`m through…..To Alice in Wonderland……………..15 minutes of it….. O dear…..and finally I get to hear the human voice after an hour.Even luckier , I GOT THE LAST TABLE FOR 2 on my chosen date,Simples ;-)

Lunch last friday at Northcote, Lisa Allen at the stove.Was very enjoyable and fantastic value at £25 for 5 courses with a good choice.Must return for the tasting menu next time. We had 1, Dips in the lounge 2, Goats cheese / Beetroot salad and Treacle salmon with morecambe bay shrimps. 3, Roasted Mackerel / Beetroot and Wild wood pigeon , wild mushrooms , fondant potato 4, Manchester tart with coconut ice cream and Pineapple roasted , macerated and Eccles cake ice cream 5, Coffee and Eccles cakes.

I got the 7D with a 50mm 1.4 but was horrified with my first batch of pics...All blurred due to the tiny depth of field. So i then got a 17-70 macro...perfect for the food pics, I`ve just got to learn how to use the bleedin camera now.Still having trouble with focus issues. Check my Northcote pics , slowly getting the hang of it....very slowly. As for the bulk...its huge and sounds like a gun going off, certainly not discreet. Gourmettraveller blog pics are good , she uses a Leica d lux2 , theyre small , decent quality and about £300.

A very attractive £75 for the 12 courses ;-)

Had a wonderful dinner at Le champignon sauvage , well worth the long journey from Cumbria to Cheltenham.We ended up being fortunate enough to be "cooked for" by David which really got us both excited.Menus were handed back to the staff and we were left in the hands of the kitchen team to do what they do best. All in all it ended up at 12 courses and we were both struggling badly as we waited for coffee....and petits fours....all 10 of them.I forced myself with all my energy to clean them all up but failed on the fifth.I ended up with the little golden box and packed my treats into it to finish off for breakfast. As for service...Absolutely spot on , well trained front of house staff and Chefs good lady wife Helen took care of us very professionally indeed.We got to meet the guys in the kitchen , all decent lads willing to offer assistance in any questions about the food.....Oh about those Scarlet Elf cups ???? ( Full set of photos on flickr - sped98 gallery ) SOME PRE DINNER NIBBLES – PARMESAN CUSTARD IN CHORIZO CRUMBS , BRIOCHE CRISPS AND GROUND ELDER DIP , BACON AND SWEETCORN MUFFINS. WALNUT AND BLUE CHEESE COOKIES , GUINNESS BREAD , SMOKED HORSERADISH AND PIGS EAR BISCUITS. CHICKEN MUSHI WITH CAULIFLOWER FOAM. DEXTER BEEF TARTARE AND CORNED BEEF, WASABI CREAM, PICKLED SHIMEJI MUSHROOMS DIVED SCALLOPS, ‘CROWN PRINCE’ PUMPKIN, CHESTNUT VELOUTÉ, CHESTNUT AND WHITE BALSAMIC CARAMEL ROASTED HAKE, PARSLEY ROOT PURÉE, REMOULADE OF PARSLEY ROOT, CHICKEN JUICES CORNISH DAB, BRAISED COCKS COMB, WILD GARLIC AND SCARLET ELF CUP FUNGI. WINCHCOMBE VENISON, HOMEMADE BLACK PUDDING SALT AND BURDOCK BAKED GOLDEN BEETROOT, ROASTED QUINCE CARROT PORRIDGE, MILK FOAM RHUBARB POACHED WITH HIBISCUS, MASCARPONE CREAM, RHUBARB AND HIBISCUS SORBET, GIN AND TONIC SYRUP VANILLA CHEESECAKE, SALTED CHICORY ROOT MOUSSE, BITTER CHOCOLATE SORBET COFFEE AND PETITS FOURS

Ill post my own review after Thursday nights trip.A five hour drive to get there isnt too appealing but the forum reports and other diners pics and blogs make it a trip that im very much looking forward to. As for the bright lights....For me thats just what the doctor ordered , perfect for quality pics....i really can`t wait.

Ill always remember up at Michaels Nook in Grasmere, I was watching Billy crumbling Foie gras in his fingers up and whisking it into a cream sauce.Then to make it even richer he threw in a handful of the worlds tiniest Morels, stirred it all up and then gave me a spoonful to taste......i died and went to heaven. St James is on my list for my next trip to London , ill be dropping a hint before i go to try and get this chicken dish on the menu when im there. Love the photos by the way.

Treated myself to an early Spring lunch at Lenclume over the weekend.As always, Simon creating new and very interesting dishes using well sourced ingredients from around the Cumbrian area. Black pudding and Roasted Leek in bread . Salt and vinegar crispy rice , cod yolk , watercress and cream of egg and garlic Potted Char , radish , fresh cream , dill and Rye toast. Artichoke flesh and skin , Crosnes , fresh goats cheese and tarragon oil. Lemon sole and chicken skin , smoked yolk , coastal herbs , pink fir and clam juices. Grilled sea kale and golden beetroot , wild flower honey and salted beetroot , Hedge garlic. Roasted cauliflower and young squid , Elderberry vinegar and squid ink cream. Gotts milk fed spring lamb with sheeps milk curds and turnips. Cream crowdie , Douglas fir and Rhubarb. Sea buckthorn , Malt , Cumbrian dark beer , Liquorice and Blackberry powder. Aerated chocolate , Kendal mintcake ice.

Pics were taken during Sunday lunch yesterday. A very enjoyable bargain 7 courses..Appetiser , Starter , fish , sorbet , Main , pudding , coffee n treats for a very respectable £45.00. Our appetiser was a mini Shepherds pie.Minced lamb topped with creamy mash. Starter of Seared scallops on Thyme and fondant potato , Roasted shallot puree and Noilly prat and Lemon sauce. Salad of Smoked Duck breast , Spiced poached pear , Cashel blue cheese , Walnut dressing. One of Chef Mark Teasdales signature dishes , Dressed crab , Tortellini of Lobster , Caramelised scallop and Scallop veloute Roasted Butternut squash soup with spiced apple compote Fillet of Plaice with smoked Haddock Kedgeree Sharrow Pink grapefruit sorbet Fillet of Brill , Shrimp risotto , Seared scallop , Buttered spinach and Scallop veloute Medallion of Veal , Seared Foie gras , Buttered savoury cabbage , Dauphinoise potatoes and wild mushroom sauce. Vanilla creme brulee , Rhubarb and ginger shortbread biscuits Cashew nut parfait with Caramelised bananas in Rum. Selection of Sharrow petits fours The hotel and restaurant. The fantastic view from the lounge over coffees.