slacker

I adore gooseberry jam. It seems to go pink sometimes.... Fondest memory is of freshly baked scones (ace recipe ;-)) with GJ and clotted cream. The zip of the fruit v. the sweetness of the sugar v. the pastry-crunch of the scone v. the cream.... wow.

Brilliant lunch here a couple of weeks back - crab with carrot and curry mayo; rump; eton mess. A wine lunch organised for my Wine Club - There's a fab foh there too, so things out front are matching the tight kitchen. And in next week's episode of Food in Padstow:- Margot's - to celebrate a chum's 50th. :-)

Had a lovely lunch last week at 'Paul Ainsworth @ No6' with a chum. A right bargain at £13.50 for three. They're not especially grown-up choices at main (and I don't blame them) but the starter and pud were top-whack dishes - outstanding mackerel with sauce vierge bruschetta-type-thing and berry'd panna cotta. Main of caramelised onions, goat's cheese and beetroot was really delicious too, with slivers of shortcrust woven in somehow; the costing note above is no criticism. Paul was most amiable (and generous with the Prosecco ;-)) and with an iced bottle of Rioja Crianza (staff most obliging here), an extra starter (the scotch egg thing: v.v.g.) and bottle of fizzy water, we walked away really well fed for £60 inc service. A must, I think! (Thanks all of you for your jolly praise of binTwo: weather seems to be favouring us this year - we've had more sunshine already than 2007/8 put together.)

I've always wanted to try The Masons Arms Inn at Knowstone. It's a bit of a way off the M5 up the A361 to Barnstaple, but you could always then head down the A39 to PW along the North Coast of Devon and Cornwall. The pub was lovely when I last saw it: I knew the former owners. Do drop in here when you're around.

so it will be The New New Angel in Dartmouth now ← The Fallen Angel?

Seems crazy to sign up for a scheme and then resent people using it. Isn't the whole point of filling tables a quiet times that you fill tables at um... quiet times? I missed the shenanigans here yesterday, so I hope I'm not covering old, fetid ground. Although I can see your point Thom in your role, I can't see why such a deal should polarise any chef/proprietor.

We had the library, so am not sure how busy they were. There was a good bit of coming and going. A good thing to air this criticism I think - but not a problem for us.

Had a brilliant Tasting Menu at Number 6, Padstow on Saturday night, celebrating two friends' birthdays. The cooking was so neat and precise. I didn't keep a menu, alas, or see the bill, though we paid about £90 each. We were 8, so I chose a wine with each course. Amuses Pumpkin Soup Prawn Risotto Duck & Foie terrine (many stars, though am still struggling with foie gras) Scallops and Black Pudding Venison (excellent) Cheese (outstanding - esp with truffle honey) Pudding 1 - battenburg something (erm...) Pudding 2 - something else Tart vg truffles Can't wait to eat here again. Unfussy, well flavoured, accomplished. I don't know what the Michelin guys are up to, but it gets a slacker star. PS Do any of you Number 6 guys have a menu from Sat you could post please?

A wee bit dry-mouthed this morning. Really enjoyed a brief pre-dinner stop here last night. Tio Pepe tasting really good. Padron peppers, Tio Pepe, Pata Negra (really really ace and not TOO pricey for LOTS), Tio Pepe, good tortilla (a bit too fresh in a funny sort of way), and some really Spanish almonds. Great staff, really cheery (mind you local Lord-of-the-Manor Bapi always raises a laugh). And loads of people eating on a January Thursday evening. Would def return frequently if I lived nearby and explore oxtail, anchovies, croquettas etc. etc. and try their dry sherry perhaps.

I am SO cross! Mouthfeel - fine. Texture - fine. Caramelised - fine. Flavour Profile - fine. I use them all. And why not? How else our we to market and describe sensations? Panfried sounds appetising. It implies crispy buttery edges. I dislike inaccurate descriptions, yes. Cooked onions that are browned and sticky are caramelised. So are black ones. But I would say 'burnt onions' if they were black, to differentiate between the two. I gave some chocolate pecan tart to my neighbour this morning, having sat it in the microwave for a moment. 'Can I tempt you with some warm chocolate tart?' Why use 'microwave-fiddled' when 'warm' is so much better? Sell, sell, sell! (She has lovely.....eyes.) And to use the sex analogy, Tim, is wrong, unless your sex really IS one-dimensional. Actch am not cross. Have calmed. Nice to be wound up, I suppose. x

Had a great meal here on Wed night. Others have lamented the lack of alternative in Padstow to Stein's noble work (there have always been alternatives, by the way), and Custard's offering some really good nosh at an utterly sensible price. Both S and I had Smoked Eel with Belly Pork to start (great combo of flavours and nice remoulade type salady thing with it), then Plaice with Samphire and Brown Shrimp (skinned and cooked really very well) - sides of new potatoes and summer veg (these too were esp good). Custard, naturally to finish (can't live without perfect custard: dariole set type thing - creamy and rich) with summer berries which I wasn't in the mood for. Wine list good and cheap - all European - (I will declare my interest NOW). We drank Pinot Noir by the glass with ice cubes in it, then nice wiry Verdicchio, finishing with Italian Moscato. Total bill £87, of which £40 was wine (oops) - so clearly a right bargain. I also ate smoked trout and scrambled eggs for breakfast earlier this month - with a glass of Champagne for a friend's birthday. They're clearly doing things well - at least in the way *I* like them! Be good to hear the views of others, but feedback here has been really good, with the occasional gripe being sorted out well by the able f-o-h. They've been open all of one month! Website CLICK

Well now! 12kg Pork Scratchings have just arrived! Thanks to le petit boucher and his family firm at Ockham Farm in East Sussex. They are perfect. Really piggy, and nicely not too salty. We will now watch our staff grow and grow. Thanks, eG!

Very pleased you had such a good time Pasty. Nathan is such a good chef! Will be there soon I hope.

Nice idea thanks. Still not found the ideal supply, as I'm not geared up to cook here at all.

Thanks for the pointer, p. I wonder whether Rick's Pork Scratchings would go down well here in Padstow, but I'd better order some anyway. The hunt continues..... edited to remove pesky ebay link type thing.

Just to add.....if anyone wants me to send bags of the best scratchings, they're from a shop down here somewhere - no mail order, but am happyto jiffy bag them. PM me.

But where? I have a wee wine bar in Padstow. In addition to Basildog's bread and nuts and the best crisps, I'd like to offer pork scratchings. I love them. But the best I have found are poorly presented. Does anyone sell smart pork scratchings - perhaps from funky or organic pigs? I think we should be told. In fact I'd like to sell Jamon, but space and practicality forbid. Shame. Ta everyone. x

Sadly with year end I won't make it. Interesting that in the South West, where many many folk are self-employed that a key food festival should be held on these dates. It's also of course our 4th Birthday on April 1st! So I wouldn't be able to drive anyway.

We're right in the middle of town, just off the harbour. Padstow centre is pretty tiny, so that puts us about 300 yards from Basildog's. I'd certainly go to Nathan Outlaw if I were you. His cooking is great, and I'd like to experience the new setting. I ate there a little while back and the dining room is good. Fowey is also a lovely town on the South Coast of Cornwall - with fab walking, boats, ferries etc. Due to a late arrival one Sunday recently, when no amount of persuasion could secure us a late table at Nathan Outlaw, we happened upon the King of Prussia, a first floor pub with granite steps off the town quay. Good ordinary wine by the glass, and a delicious 'Fowey Rarebit' - crab, smooked cheese, onion etc. Absolutely ACE, so I ordered one for pudding too. The Fowey River also has one of the most idyllically sited Rowing Clubs in the country. click See you soon!

Not guilty (on this occasion )

Come and say hello! I have a wee wine shop-cum-wine bar just off the harbour. Lots of good food locally, and Padstow Farm Shop well worth a mention too.

Simon says send me round half a dozen scallops.

I go with this. Did a Label Anglais chicken with a slice of lemon and four cloves garlic inside. The juices were FAB. Also spread loads of butter around, and s&p. Best £10 I have spent recently. Except for the oysters scallops and roast cauliflower, that is.

Translation please? ← HOW FAR ARE IS WESTOW FROM NORTH MANCHESTER. Sorry if I didn't make that clear. I will be in North Manchester and need possibly to get to Westow for some beef. So I think to myself: 'Who will know how long it takes?' Perhaps my hairdresser? No. A bloke who lives in North Manchester, I reckon is my best bet. ffs.

Gary, Bapi etc.... how far are you from N Manchester? 1 hour plus? Talk of beef...