The Elms, Suffolk

 Today was probably our last chance of a summer lunch in the garden.  The weather has now turned a lot wetter and cooler, and is forecast like this for the coming days. Apologies for posting this a little after the event, especially to our guests Andrew & Alison, Steve & Marion.   Appetiser: Seared Scallops and Squid, Chilli & Garlic Salt, Citrus Salt, Squid Ink Salt, Baby Leaves and Watermelon Radish We repeated the dish served the previous week previously as it seemed to go down so well. See here for the details of the salt . We found the watermelon radish in Waitrose, an interesting peppery taste and an addition of colour Amuse Bouche: Horseradish Beetroot, Porcini Duxelle and Fried 'Caviar' Maggie took me to Norwich for my birthday and we had dinner at Benedict's . The chef abd owner here is Richard Bainbridge and this dish is an attempted copy of his serving.  He served his with Exmoor Caviar, so we tried to achieve the saltiness that added with Deep...

The weather was perfect, 24c and a gentle breeze.  We can often have good weather in September, maybe because it is my birthday, and you know what they say about the righteous!  We were lucky to have Carol, Lynn, Sue & Paul for lunch today.  Whilst we always comply, as infection rates are increasing, we now have to live under the Rule of Six and any thoughts of larger gatherings are shelved, for now Nibbles: BBQ'd Squid with 3 salts (Steve & Marion Page 93!!) (see below for the full recipe) Appetiser: Seared Scallops, Lemon Mayo To make these salts (or variations of each) Citrus: Grated zest of half lemon, half grapefruit or lime or both mixed with 2 tablespoons of Maldon Sea Salt Chilli & Garlic: Finely chopped chilli pepper (seeds discarded and 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped Salt with squid ink : Shop bought! Other ideas are szechuan pepper, coriander seed, mustard seed etc etc Add each version to a pestle and mortar, or grind until fine, spread thinly on...

Tonight was a little different, and perhaps a new way we can socialise during these times. The story is that I heard on the radio, in July, an interview with Jack Savoretti when he announced a 'drive-in' concert in Newmarket.  He is one of Maggie's favourite singers and so I immediately booked tickets, thinking that this was a perfect solution for us.  Two days later the concert was cancelled as the organisers could not guarantee not to be locked down. Late last week I heard Jack Savoretti being interviewed again and heard an announcement that he was performing in Portofino for one night only, and live streaming the concert. I checked to see if our friends Andrew & Alison, Steve & Marion, and at the last minute our granddaughter Grace with Jordan could attend, weather permitting for a bring your own picnic concert in the garden.  The idea was to give a surprise to Maggie after the disappointment of the cancelled drive-in The arrangements were made, invitations sen...

We have been busy and not entertained so much, but also accepting a few invites to lunch and supper. Thank you. We have also taken advantage of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme.  Visiting Milsoms in Kesgrave.   Eating outside on the veranda with lovely views over the lawn.  Not being able to book a table I think helped and it was certainly busy each time we visited. But comfortable social distancing We did entertain this Bank Holiday, but not as planned and had to cancel our Fruits de mer because of the weather, but hoping to arrange again in the near future Jules, Nick, Clive & Aileen still visited over the Bank Holiday, although I forgot to take photos of the motley crew.  Mainly because I was enjoying the conversation and catch up after far too long.A Appetiser: Burrata with our own tomatoes Lunch: Slow Roasted Beef Short Ribs, Moroccan Potatoes, Caponata, Braised and Grilled Fennel Dessert: Cherry Pavlova   Jules gave us a wonderful gift (along with the fl...