Miles

Miles

Anne, great line: “News today and fish & chip paper tomorrow.”

Dave

I forgot to mention the Japanese pancakes with Teriyaki which should have been slotted in between the bread and the foot oil

Cid

Miles

Part of me hates to say this, but stop dwelling on the misfortune part and start thinking of it as a new challenge. Some doors close . . . other doors open.

I’m hoping that the hotel owners are adequately insured and can afford to rebuild and re-equip. Is there anything about your original redesign that you wish you had done differently? Now’s the time to enact it.

I am genuinely sorry that this happened - especially so soon after your new kitchen had opened. However, focusing on the good things that will come out of that kitchen after it is rebuilt is better for your well-being. . .

I’m betting you’ve come through worse . . .

Laura

What can any of us add to what has already been said. I’d like to think that in a disaster I’d be a fighter and focus on a silver lining….. the reality is I’m hopeless at it usually but encourage a valiant spirit in others. So I will look forward to photographs of the latest ‘new’ kitchens and hope that the UK’s flood defenses have been strengthened.

Keep us informed of progress.

On the domestic front, here is my culinary weather report…..

Pickled pears going down a treat… made so many lots of people were given a sample. Verdict is that it’s definitely worth making if you like pears and pickles The second first of late, if that makes sense is my effort at making clotted cream/chestnut fudge. I didn’t plan to but a combination of rapidly going out of date chestnut puree caught my eye and a pot of clotted cream, bought for no good reason, laying idle in the fridge. I’ve never tackled fudge making before and now I can see why…. it’s all about precise temperatures, chemistry and correct textures. Pickling pears is far easier! I’ve also cooked up a batch of lentil/dried bean soup which you covered some time ago on the blog…. good and very filling, in fact I made enough for about ten people by accident. (whispered) i’ve got a new bread making machine … yes, I know, more gadgets but I love it and have produced excellent loaves and pizza bases etc from my choice of ingredients. Garden wise not much (well nothing really) has been accomplished lately but I’ve made a note that February is a good time to plant garlic so that’s what I intend to do….. by the summer I’ll require instruction on how to plait it and cold smoke it even if I only get a single bulb Cosmetically speaking, I’ve produced an almost identical foot oil to a very expensive Clarins article (are there no ends to this woman’s talents I hear you cry ) made with hemp oil, rosemary, peppermint and geranium. Now I’m off to bed, exhausted with my laboratory efforts, but not before reading up on my latest craze about the global and political importance of Indigo through the ages…. bliss.

Cid

I cannot imagine what people who’ve lost their homes must feel like - I’d be devastated !
Rod