Posh dinner out: the Terrace, le Meridien, London

Spring is finally here!

Making Pastitsio in London

Toad in the hole!

All time British classic!

Guest Blogger: an Irishman in Scotland

This is a recipe of a close friend of ours. He literally did it out of the hat I think and it looks really good!

So here it is, two versions of mackerel (σκουμπρί):

Asian Mackerel:

2no. sides of mackerel fillet

1no. dessert sp Ground nut oil (or vegetable oil)

2no. Scallions, chopped

½ inch ginger, finely sliced

2no. garlic large cloves, crushed

1no. chilli, sliced

1no. dessert spoon fish sauce

2no. teaspoon chilli bean sauce

Sprinkle of dried chilli flakes to taste

Splash of light soy sauce

2no. teaspoons lime juice

(most of this can be purchased at your local Chinese supermarket!)

Method:

1.       Form ‘nest’ of tinfoil, add oil.

2.       Add mackerel and roll in oil, then leave skin side down.

3.       Smear chilli paste over mackerel.

4.       Add all other ingredients then close tinfoil.

5.       Bake in preheated oven at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes.

6.       Eat with glass of milk on the side as it’s likely to burn your mouth (reduce chilli and chilli sauce to taste for next time).

Greek mackerel:

2no. dessert spoons olive oil

Some dried oregano

1no. garlic clove crushed

2no. dessert spoons lemon juice

4no. cherry tomatoes, chopped in two

Some sliced black olives

Salt to taste

As above, coat fish in oil, leave skin down.

Sprinkle all ingredients on top, close tinfoil.

Bake for 10 mins or so.

A & R’s wedding

I was going through my photos trying to organize them, I do snap a lot so the task is not a a simple one, when I came across this! In December we went to the wedding of a very dear couple too us! We had a lovely time for a good few days, as the wedding was in Edinburgh. This is the food we had for mains and I have to say, it was the finest lamb I ever had!

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Again a huge thank you for an amazing time!

a chocolate pudding

Here in Britain, there is a big difference between a chocolate cake and a chocolate pudding! For a Greek, like me, this was always confusing, especially as I was always keen on the pudding and less on the cake, but could never remember which one is which! A pudding seems to be any of the deserts that have been boiled for a long time in a low temperature. That make all the flavours really blend together and, in the case of a chocolate pudding, the chocolate really tastes amazing!

It is usually served with cream and it really goes nicely!

Here’s a delicious example we had recently (for Blog’s sake and all!)

Bangers n’ mash!

My husbands favorite!!! This is an old time classic for the average Brit!

I have been doing very little cooking recently. This year we have been blessed with a lovely, hot, summer and so this family has been exploring the nearby’s of London, either picnicking or enjoying simple traditional British food! On one of our trips to Suffolk, “a giant Yorkshire pudding filled with bangers and mash” was on the menu. We had to have it! It was delicious as ever but the presentation was what made it real special!

Lunch at a British cafe

I love British cafes!They are truly underestimated I feel! Recently, I had my mother over from Greece and I took her out to one of those cafes for lunch. First of all they are pronounced “caf” so the “e” at the end is a silent one. But the differences don’t stop there.Normally, the least nice thing you can have in a British cafe is the coffee! Usually it’s instant coffee or tea. We were pretty lucky because this one does a good cappuccino and latte. But lunchtime in a place like this!! Oh, the food, in a good cafe! There is usually a display area with all the food of the day. British pies, Quiche, Scotts eggs, pork pies, salads…a beautiful selection! Of course the best thing they do is a good old fashion British breakfast! I mean, the frying pan is the ocean there! No wonder why they are cold «greasy spoons»! But breakfast in a «greasy spoon» cafe, is a different post!

So, what we did was that we went to a British cafe and had a variety of food the Greek way! Here’s what we chose from the display: a lamp samosa (that was spicy!), a Scottish egg, a spinach and sun-dried tomatoes Quiche, a chicken and leak pie and a courgette ball (that was really spicy too!)

a weekend in Prague

Goulash

Sweet and Sour Beef

Apple Strudel

Chocolate cake in layers