erica graham
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Posts posted by erica graham
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No matter erica, i'm not gutted.Life goes on with or without the GFG.Must get back to the kitchen, we're fully booked tonight
Wish I was there
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Very surprised to get hold of my copy today!!
No real surprises I don't think, but I've only had a quick flick through. Everyone here seemed to get good write ups!!
I'll take a wild stab in the dark and guess we are not in it? Forgot to post my form back 2 years ago, so i'm out
PS do tell about Nathan!
OK big fat 8!!!! But i should say here that buying it is the best way to find out (in case anyonefrom GFG is reading !!)
And yes, couldn't believe it when I looked for you and you weren't there.
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Very surprised to get hold of my copy today!!
No real surprises I don't think, but I've only had a quick flick through. Everyone here seemed to get good write ups!!
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Actually, to be fair, they weren't allowed to stay past about 2am (health and safety regs.). That said, after the first night they had managed to use every glass in the bar and not wash a single one. I went in in the morning to close the blinds because the place looked like a s***t hole, and ended up washing all the glasses and sorting out FOH because I couldn't face leaving it like that. James did the same in the kitchen.
After they left, we insisted that thekitchen was steam cleaned !!!
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Actually, I have it on pretty good authority that he did use stock cubes in the restaurant at times - not as a replacement for stock mind you, but as a seasoning aid
I can second that one - "Rooster Booster" regularly used in addition to stock.
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It wasn't clear from the programme last night when Sam sacked his sous chef - given that Sam defnitely didn't look like he could cook, I wonder if the quality dropped ever further down after he was sacked?
No-one paid on the first Saturday- we had them crying on our shoulders on the Sunday when they came back to the restaurant to clear up.
As far as I know, Sam sacked his chef on Friday! They telephoned us at the hospital asking if our Sous Chef Nick would work.....we gave them his number and said he'd call them................(That was the second call to us at the hospital)
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Was that a very bored and hungry looking Duncan and Judy I just saw on my television?
And what star potential..........Great to see you Duncan and Judy!! Knew it was bad, but... damn......I was in labour whilst you were waiting....I think my ordeal was way better than yours!!!!!
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that looks like the original, a great book, we had it on the bar at the pub.
we used to read it on sunday before service as andy used to say 'it's sunday so let's read the bible'
I know that this is turning into the alter at which to worship MPW, BUT there is a quote from White Heat which we photocopied and for a while had stuck up (in our family kitchen)
"If I came to your house for dinner an hour late, then criticized all your furniture and your wife's haircut and said all your opinions were stupid, how would you feel? People still come here and expect a three course meal in an hour. What do they think I do- pull rabbits out of a f****ing hat? I'm not a magician"
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Us too! Our favourite quote of the night was "Well you've got two choices, apologise or leave" The cheer in our front room could be heard up the high st!!!!!
He is much more mellow than before, but aparantly the sous chef Mathew doesn't seem to of!
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So- for some mad reason, I have managed to talk myself into taking the family for a day out, to get away from the builders, and Cardff has been nominated as our destination for the day.(That day being tomorrow!!)
When I went last year to Cardiff, I ate at Woods Brasserie, and unlike the lovely couple on the table next to me who seemed to be having the meal of the century, I wasn't exactly blown away- could have been in a Cafe Rouge or similar flavour.
So can anyone recommend somewhere else to eat? We are driving from the Cotswolds, so can make a diversion on the way for a good meal. (Lets face it hubbie and I are mainly going to keep daughter happy, so would like to get a decent meal out of it!!!
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She's what you'd call "grate TV"... so we'll probably be seeing plenty more of her and her partner (who is probably just practising for his real role in a .Jools-Holland-does-serious-music-Apprentice).
No, I can honestly say she wont bother you for weeks and weeks!!
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Do keep us posted on the return to normality/
We have the final confrontation, oops I mean meeting with our loss adjuster today, and if we manage to sort out the final settlement we will be buying our new kitchen on Monday, with a plan to open the restaurant week begining 1st October!
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That american lady made me wanna drop my pizza slice, jump out of my skin, into the tv and shut her up. o my god how annoying was she. No i feel dirty after wasting my time watching that crap.
and you wont see me again in this thread.
/Magnus
Jackie really was like that too- no editing required. She was sweet, but only in small doses and wide spaces- in an enclosed room it was like being faced with betty boop crossed with minnie mouse!
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Bless them, it was like lambs to the slaughter- and believe me it WAS a slaughter in The Ostrich, the programme made it look a million times better than it was!!
Still, I never realised that Fairford looked so pretty!!
I was 9 months pregnant whilst it was all going on hence the reason for us allowing a couple of muppets loose on the general population- and yes the town has forgiven us as it caused such hilarity all round.
They even telephoned us at the hospital when I was in labour to ask us how to fix the broken dishwasher!!
I might appear on tonights episode as I was present at the challenge- but hopefully I managed to hide from the cameras- however if you see a HUGE HUGE pregnant woman in a black sack- well that was me!! (I gave birth 2 days later!!!!)
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entirely agree, i thought of a fixed mark up, but it does only work in your favour if you buy better wines, but unfortunately as i'm sure baker estates/basildog would confirm my experience that at the end of the day you sell more 'house' wine than anything else so the average punter is actually getting 'ripped off ' in daily mail parlance under such a scheme.
At the end of the day it's a very imprecise science, and i suspect there's little more to it than what your particular market will stand, so if you find an altruistic/enthusiastic owner out there who fairly marks up his wine then support him, because there'll be plenty of pressure on him to raise his prices!
cheers
gary
We try to do a mix of the two- straight GP mark up on the "lower" end and a cash mark up on the top end, and in between a "suck it and see" admittedly this means that the top end is much better value for money- but we're trying!! WE can't do it any other way as restaurant set costs have to be covered by the GP, otherwise you're shut!!
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Sourcing the basket itself always presents a challange, as it has to be strong, large enough, able to travel (delivery), and have a worthwhile use. Many people have a couple of wicker and seagrass storage trunks so this year i'm looking at an antique chest.
We sell "hampers" full of our produce every christmas, and the favourite "basket" has always been a wooden wine case- although its not good for posting as they are heavy!
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I'm a bit west and facing up to two weeks without running water. One-pot cooking is becoming my new speciality
We do at least have running water!! and we still have a couple of cases left of bottled sparkling water.!!!!
And if all else fails, theres a damp cellar of wine to get through!
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Thanks! Yes we do live on site, so its been a fairly miserable weekend all round (especially with a 9 week old baby)
Our buildings insurance guy came today and its going to be at least a month if not longer- all the floors, walls, tiling (new bathrooms 10 months ago!) have to go. On the good side, James gets a new kitchen as its all a right off.
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[Ouch! That certainly doesn't look or sound good. Does this mean that you get another enforced "holiday" while they are sorting this out?
the insurance loss adjuster has told us to start ripping out. We've lost the whole of the kitchen and the bar, and we are waiting to hear about the walls and building itself (different insurer) we're hoping that they haven't been too badly affected, but its all a bit depressing at the moment.
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Oh dear, that doesn't look good. Has there been any damage to the restaurant?
3ft in the kitchen and bar- loss adjuster just told us to start ripping out
basically the river coln burst its banks and flowed through us until it was redirected.
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We have just found out that we are finalist in UKTV Food's Local food hero competition, so will have yet another camera crew getting in the way over the next few weeks. For more info on the show http://uktv.co.uk/food/localfoodhero
(sorry still can't figure out how to put in a link!!)
Will keep you posted!
Every silver lining has a cloud.... or alot of them- thought you might like to see what Allium is looking like
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6909754.stm look at picture number four
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We have just found out that we are finalist in UKTV Food's Local food hero competition, so will have yet another camera crew getting in the way over the next few weeks. For more info on the show http://uktv.co.uk/food/localfoodhero
(sorry still can't figure out how to put in a link!!)
Will keep you posted!
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Daylesford Organic - Over £12 for a 1.8kg bird. Expensive but totally worth it. Exquisite flavour and luscious , pleasantly chewy texture. The undisputed star so far.
Anyone have any other recommendations to try from UK based fellow egulleters? They don't have to be Organic just well raised and tasty. We are in London but will travel for food!
PS I know Poulet des Landes are amazing but they are a little expensive at about £28 a bird. Having said that all price points will be considered.
If you are in or near the Cotswolds, then I can't recommend enough our supplier Great Farm- she raises chicken, guineafowl and duck. The chickens are quite big to look at, and have a good firm consistancy and great flavour- the reatail at around £10 from the local butchers.
www.greatfarm.co.uk
We bought every chicken Leonnie from Great Farm produced for 6 months until the ultimate chicken was raised!!!
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Am off to Devon in two days, does anyone have anymore to add?
22 Mill Street Chagford
www.22millstreetrestaurant.co.uk
Agaric, Ashburton
www.agaricrestaurant.co.uk
Both good local restaurants, been to both and can thoroughly recommend them.
Tetbury - where should we eat
in United Kingdom & Ireland: Dining
Posted · Edited by erica graham (log)
Visited Trouble the week after Michael left (our timing immaculate as always!!), and there were only three tables there. Don't know if the new chef had started, but IMHO it wasn't of the same quality as Michael, although the welcome was just as warm. Interestingly the prices hadn't changed at all. Looking forward to trying the Bedfords new Deli and Bistro in Tetbury, that we understand is about to open on Monday- can't wait!!