Lake Road Kitchen, Ambleside

Great cooking is, in my opinion, an art form – possibly unique in the fact that to be truly great it has to work across nearly all of our senses at any one time. Thus it is that when you are trying to assess an excellent meal, you have a certain amount of responsibility to try and separate the subjective from the objective. Except that when it comes to Lake Road Kitchen, I’m having real trouble because I loved it so much. It was one of those occasions where I felt that the chef and I obviously shared a sensibility with regards to food which meant that, with the exception of one dish which happened to be based around an ingredient that I don’t much like (sweetcorn), I adored everything – and even the exception I appreciated and admired.

The owner and head chef James Cross, as appears to be de rigueur these days, did a stint at Noma and the influence is exceedingly apparent: the ingredients are as local as possible with many coming from the restaurant’s own kitchen garden, others foraged from the local countryside (which, given that the place is in the heart of the Lake District is both beautiful and bountiful). The restaurant’s interior has a stripped back, Scandi feel – clean lines, pale colours, plenty of wood. But although the dishes often appeared to be similarly simple and even ascetic in their presentation, this was entirely deceptive and most ate as well as any food you will find in this country at the moment.

Hard to pick highlights, but I would walk back to Ambleside to eat the slow cooked octopus again. I have never had octopus like it – the slow cooking had enhanced the firm, meaty quality of the flesh before it was brought to life by a robust searing on the outside to give it texture and smoke. The fermented wild garlic puree accompaniment had us both swiping our finger around the plates to catch every drop.

I need to mention the lamb as well because I have genuinely never, ever had lamb like it. It was stunning. Herdwick, a local breed had been dry aged for 50 days (a technique more commonly applied to beef) to give a depth of flavour that I have simply never encountered before, not to mention a texture as silky as butter. The couple at the table next to us sent it back for being undercooked and, yes, the rack turned up at the table far rarer than is, perhaps, commonly seen but one mouthful would have confirmed to anyone that not a further second of cooking was required. It was utterly magical.

I’m often a bit anti modern puddings, being firmly of the opinion that the sticky toffee has yet to be bettered. But even here I was to be confounded – the buttermilk pannacotta with blackberries and foraged herbs was a perfect marriage of dreamily soft, barely set cream and the deep, darkly sour punch of fruit with sorrel, lemon verbena and chervil adding a completely new note that spoke of the autumn and the damp, delicate scent of the hedgerows. This almost has me convinced that pannacotta is a dessert worth ordering.

Lake Road Kitchen are only open Wednesday – Sunday and they only offer a tasting menu (five or eight courses with cheese supplement available). The menus change to make the best of the ingredients on offer, although we were told that they keep a note of what customers have eaten to ensure that when they return they get an entirely different set of dishes. This strikes me as above and beyond the call of duty, but is in keeping with the charming and extremely attentive service that we received throughout out time there. I honestly can’t recommend this place enough – the Lake District has always been somewhere to go to seek out culinary gems (L’Enclume, anyone?) and this is one of the shiniest that I have encountered so far.

Lake Road Kitchen
Lake Road
Ambleside
LA22 0AD
015394 22012

Home and Away

Hurrah for the weekend!  Especially hurrah for this coming weekend which will see D and I head for the beautiful Lake District to celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary.

Six years!  Yes, I know, I'm surprised too.  Of course, a year of that we spent apart so perhaps it doesn't really count (although given that we were the least separated separated couple ever I think there's probably an argument to be had either way).  But still, it's a good run and very deserving of a bit of a bash.

We're actually going to be having dinner on the day at the Lake Road Kitchen and I can't wait to report back to you on that.  The reviews have been glowing, everything I've read or seen about the food there has got me salivating - I think that we are in for a real treat.

Not only that, but we are staying at The Drunken Duck which I'm sure that I have written about before.  It's a fabulous place and also happens to serve fabulous food so I'm going to be ensuring that I save room for an excellent breakfast.  We might need to get out and do some brisk walking to work up a bit of an appetite, but given the part of the world in which we will find ourselves, that will be no particular hardship.

Closer to home, we went for a meal at one of our local gems the other week.  Zucco serves kind of Italian tapas stuff - very much in the vein of Russell Norman's Polpo chain, and we are so lucky to have it on our doorstep.  The pictures are of two of our favourite dishes - a salt cod ravioli which came strewn with sage and glistening with buttery, winey juices and a whole baby Dover sole, cooked to perfection and drenched in a gorgeous caper butter.  It's not pushing any culinary boundaries but it is the kind of food that makes you grin broadly and use your finger to wipe the plate.

Have a gorgeous weekend, folks, and I look forward to providing a full account of our adventures next week.

Recipe corner: Spiced blue cheese biscuits

Well, posting every day didn't work out so well but at least I've managed more posts in September than in August.  I will mutter something vague about progress and leave it at that.

I would have put up a meal planning post on Monday, but that fell by the wayside slightly because poor old D was under the weather.  He spent most of Sunday on his sickbed, looking impressively pale, occasionally rousing himself to make...um, emphatic deposits in the bathroom bin.

It should be added that, when not (insert appropriate euphemism here), he was far more stoic than I was about the whole thing.  Bad enough that I am a hopeless, needy invalid but it turns out that I'm also not much cop as a nurse!  Sigh.  Anyway, he seems fine now but we have been playing food by ear while his system (ridden with bugs) and my system (ridden with vomit-related anxiety) settle down.

Anyway, enough of bodily functions - let's talk canapes.  Because, you know, we are coming in to that season when the more sociable among us might be having parties - of the cocktail or dinner variety - and every good party thrower needs a couple of good canape recipes up their glittery sleeves.  My absolute go-to are gougeres, which recipe I shared here (and commend to your attention again).  But these, which I only baked up in an attempt to make some use of a rather decrepit piece of blue cheese, are really rather good indeed.  The dough, once made and formed into a cling filmed sausage, can be kept in the fridge for a day or too or even frozen.  I imagine that baking from frozen would work perfectly well, just add a couple of minutes onto the cooking time and apply common sense and vigilance.

The number of biscuits derived from this mix will obviously vary depending on how thinly you slice them - I got sixteen in total.

Ingredients

90g butter
150g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 - 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
pinch of salt
1 egg
50 ml milk (I used skimmed to no obvious detriment)
100g blue cheese, grated

Have a large square of cling film ready to hand for when the mixture is made.

Lightly beat together the egg and the milk.

Now, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles (you've heard it before) breadcrumbs.  Or damp sand.  Mix through he baking powder, the cayenne and the salt until well combined.  Then add the cheese and again, mix well.

Now you want to add just enough of the egg and milk mix to bring the dough together.  Add a bit at  time and use your hands to mix it through.  As soon as the mixture begins to form a ball, cease and desist.  You will likely use about half - two thirds of the liquid.

Transfer the dough onto the sheet of cling film and, as if it were play dough or damp sand, roughly form it into a log shape.  Bring the cling film up and around and twist the ends, so that you have a sausage of dough.  Place in the fridge to firm up for at least half an hour.

If you're intending to make straightaway, preheat the oven to 170 and line a couple of baking sheets with baking paper.

Remove the dough-sausage and, using a sharp knife, cut into thin slices, placing each slice on the lined tray.  If you have the inclination, brush the top of the biscuits with the remainder of the egg and milk mix.

Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden.  Allow to briefly cool on a rack before serving (they are at their best a few minutes after they come out of the oven when they are warm and almost melting but not likely to take the roof off your mouth).

Sipsmith Gin at Shears Yard

Just seven days in and I've already failed in the entirely arbitrary challenge to blog every day in September.  The truth is, I'm absolutely exhausted this week!  I had entirely underestimated how difficult I would find going back to work after a month of lying around recuperation.  I am feeling fine in pretty much all other respects so am assuming it is simply a case of getting back into routine but oh, the weekend can't come fast enough. 

Before I had the operation, I think I briefly mentioned on here a gin tasting evening that we attended at Shears Yard, which I never got around to telling you about.  There is no point providing a detailed review since it was a one off menu developed for a one off event, which seems to be something that Shears Yard goes in for fairly often.  The quality and value was top notch though - if you are local to Leeds, I would highly recommend signing up for their mailing list to stay apprised of all such happenings.

The one we attended, way back at the beginning of August, was in collaboration with Sipsmith Gin and consisted of a five course menu, with each dish accompanied by a specially developed gin cocktail.  Annoyingly, because I had to pay upfront on booking and that was quite a long time and a few drinks ago now, I can't now remember how much it cost - I think maybe £50, £60 per head? Whatever the exact details, we both commented on the value - the food was of a very high standard and the drinks were not only tasty but also potent enough to demonstrate that they weren't skimping on the key product.

As I said, the menu was specifically developed for the event so I won't bore you too much with details of dishes that will never appear on the standard menu.  But the juniper cured venison lion with duck liver parfait and fig bread deserves a special mention not least because I am very much into mini loaves at the moment...

I also really enjoyed the pink grapefruit posset, despite not being the biggest grapefruit fan in the world.  The addition of white chocolate, whose rich sweetness took some of the bitter sting from the citrus, and the genius textural element of puffed rice granola, made for a really well balanced, exciting and moreish pudding.  The accompanying cocktail, which combined Sipsmith London Dry with, among other things, lychee and blue curacao, went down pretty smoothly as well.

We have eaten at Shears Yard once before - a distressingly long time ago (February 2015 according to this review) and it is a crying shame that time, money and a desire to try new things mean that it will probably be another two and a half years before we go back.  But if you're looking for somewhere in Leeds which turns out bright, interesting, accomplished food at a reasonable price then it is definitely somewhere to bear in mind.  And look out for forthcoming events as well!  There's a Taste of New Zealand evening coming up at the end of September which sounds pretty interesting...

Shears Yard
11 - 15 Wharf Street, Leeds
LS2 7EH
0113 244 1444

Recipe corner: Mackerel with giant couscous and roasted red pepper dressing

Blogging every day is going to be tough if I have many more days like today which consisted of hours of travelling on rattling tin can trains to get to a...challenging (to be diplomatic) meeting which I could have done without. I have nothing interesting to say and am exhausted and grumpy and fit for nothing but tea slurping. Fortunately, I found this recipe post lurking in my drafts folder. It's been a while since I made the dish but, having now been reminded of it, I'm very keen to get it into the meal plan as soon as possible.

I try and always carry a notebook with me when I'm out and about. Usually, it gets filled up with shopping lists and top 5s, the latter done in the pub when D and I are a couple of pints down so that the handwriting tends towards the illegible. Sometimes, though, I'll make a note of a thoroughly good combination of flavours, nicked from a menu or packet, and years later I'll get round to bringing them together in a dish.

Aside from anything else, making this reminded me of the grooviness that is giant couscous. So much more toothsome and satisfying than the regular stuff.

You could probably do away with the fish here if you wanted a light but flavour packed lunch; as part of a main meal, the sturdy mackerel more than stands up to all the robust flavours.

Ingredients

2 mackerel, filleted
Vegetable oil, for cooking (I favour rapeseed)
2 handfuls of rocket

1/2 red onion thinly sliced
50g golden sultanas
50g capers, lightly chopped
25g pine nuts
100g giant couscous
1L chicken stock

2 red peppers
Olive oil (extra virgin)
Balsamic vinegar
Runny honey
Clove of garlic, crushed

Serves 2

Heat the oven to 180. Quarter and deseed the peppers, season and roast in the oven until the flesh is soft and the skin black (20-30 mins). Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and set aside.

Meanwhile, sweat off the onion in a little oil until soft and beginning to colour. Transfer to a bowl and return the pan to the heat; lightly toast the pine nuts in any residual oil until lightly golden. Add to the onion, along with the capers, combine well, and set aside.

When the pepper is cool to the touch, peel off the blackened skin and transfer the flesh to a mini processor along the garlic, a slug of balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of honey. Blitz, and then trickle in olive oil until it forms a smooth dressing.

Bring the chicken stock to the boil in a large saucepan and then tip in the giant couscous and sultanas and boil for around 6 mins until the grains of couscous are tender. Combine with the onion and caper mix then cover to keep warm.

Heat a little oil in a large frying pan. Lay the mackerel fillets in skin size down, season the flesh and cook for 2 mins. Flip the fillets and remove from the heat, the fish will cook in the residual warmth.

Divide the couscous between two plates. Top with the mackerel fillets then a small handful of rocket and drizzle over the red pepper dressing.

MPM: 4th September 2017

During my drive to blog every day in September, Mondays should be the easiest because I can just stick in a quick meal planning post and be done.  Hurrah. 

That being said, the plan for this week is a little bit vague and back-of-a-fag-packety.  Partly because it is my first week back at work after a month of post operative rest and recuperation and I am expecting my evening energy levels to be extremely low and up to little more than making tea and toast - hence the midweek freezer dive.  I am, hopefully, back to two full fast days this week so that means soup (on Tuesday and Thursday).  And we are going out for supper on Friday to, er, celebrate the fact that it is Friday.

Monday: We were originally intending to be out tonight and now we are not.  So tea will likely consist of leftovers from yesterday's roast.  We have cold roast chicken, we have some carrot and ginger mash, we have four roast potatoes - I am feeling some sort of bubble and squeak-esque patties coming on.

Tuesday: Fast day - soup

Wednesday:  Braised beef cheeks from the freezer, jazzed up with some blue cheese that's been lurking round the fridge for a while and needs using up.  Possibly mash on the side, possibly some crusty bread.

Thursday:  Fast day - soup

Friday:  Out

Saturday:  We are going Stateside and having Buffalo style chicken wings.  I am in charge of the side dish and am currently researching wedge salads - have you heard of these?  They sound odd to me but am prepared to try anything once.

Sunday:  Nduja lamb with a couscous salad - how this will work exactly remains to be seen.

Happy cooking (and eating) folks and have a wonderful week.

Dan Lepard's sour cream sandwich bread

I'm a bit late to the party on this one, since I believe most tinternetters with an interest in bread baking discovered (and raved about) this recipe ages ago. But I've never been ahead of the zeitgeist; I work on the basis that if I'm slow enough, by the time I discover things they might be just coming back into fashion.

I'm not going to reproduce the recipe here because, y'know, copyright. If you own Mr Lepard's much lauded baking book, "Short and Sweet", it's in there and, luckily enough if you don't, it is also available on The Guardian website: here. It's featured in a list of his top ten bread recipes, all of which I want to make.

It's well worth having a go at this recipe just out of curiosity - I find it fascinating that the technique of very short, sharp kneads can produce such a beautiful texture when it is so different to the traditional method. The result is a loaf with a soft crust, and a light, fluffy crumb.

I decided to opt for mini loaves to make use of the gorgeous little tins that I was gifted earlier this year. Aren't they sweet? A half batch of the mixture made eight perfectly little dinky ones which required just 12-15 minutes baking. Here are six of them, fresh from the oven:

One of their fellows having already been ripped open and slathered with butter. Behold that gorgeous, pillowy interior:

Highly recommended!

Notes on gallbladder surgery

A slight departure from the usual Foodie Fare and probably not of interest to many.  But, you are more likely to have a dicky gallbladder if you are overweight, and if you starting reading this blog because it was supposed to be about dieting (hollow laugh) then this is something that may one day apply to you.  If not, no sweat, I'll be back with a cute cat picture shortly.

I really wanted to write this because I was so scared before having my gallbladder removed that I can't even begin to tell you.  I have issues with anxiety generally, particularly when it comes to matters of health, and the prospect of surgery terrified me.  So if this helps anyone else out there who is even half as frightened, then it will have done its job.

I first went to see the doctor in December over persistent, nagging abdominal pain - some generalised but some concentrated in the upper right quadrant.  It was never agonising, which is how gallstones can and often do present, but it was annoying. An abdominal CT scan showed some stones and that the organ itself was inflamed.  At this point, when surgery was mentioned, I must admit I didn't particularly feel that the severity of the symptoms warranted it; the advice of the experts, though, was that once you start having gallbladder problems they are likely to get worse and can end up very nasty indeed so, really, you're best off getting rid.

The process, in retrospect, all happened very quickly.  I saw the consultant within about a month of referral and then another month or so later was given an appointment for a pre-op assessment and then was put on the waiting list.  In my area, the average wait time from going on the list to procedure is 20 weeks, but I was given a date after around three months.  I should add, though, that I was offered a cancellation spot that I was able to take up which brought the operation forward.  It certainly seems to help if you can be flexible in these circumstances.

Unless they have a particular reason not to, gallbladders are removed using keyhole surgery which means that you can be in and out of hospital in a single day.  Apparently, the average procedure takes 45 minutes, although they can take anything from 20 minutes to 3 hours.  I had four little incisions, one of which was inside my belly button.  They inflate your abdomen to make it easier to manoeuvre, which means that you might (I did!) feel a bit bloated and gassy afterwards.  However, it is not an invasive procedure - I can't believe how small the marks are.

The thing that scared the bejeesus out of me was the anaesthetic.  Up until this point, I had never had a general anaesthetic.  I hope that I never have to have another one (the stress!) but it was fine.  And if you are reading this and are worried because, like me, you have a too high BMI and know that this makes you higher risk all I can say is I had no problems whatsoever.  There were two doctors taking care of the anaesthetic side of things and, I am told, they are present the entire time to make sure that you are OK.  If you are slightly overweight, they will raise your head slightly to make it easier for you to breathe.  If you are so overweight that it is going to cause a serious problem then you are unlikely to get through the pre-op assessment - i.e. if you're there and they're happy to go ahead then someone more qualified than you has decided it's not too much of a risk.

It sounds a cliche, but one moment I was in the operating theatre feeling a bit tingly, wondering if it was actually going to work, and the next minute I was coming round in the recovery room and the nurses were reading out horoscopes.  I expected nausea and disorientation but, for me, it wasn't much worse than waking up from a really heavy sleep.  I was slightly woozy and slightly dizzy, but within minutes was able to sit up and sip water and, as soon as they got me to the ward I was ready for a cup of tea.

In terms of general recovery: I was told differing things about the amount of time required off work.  At my first appointment, the consultant said 2-3 weeks.  The doctor that I spoke to on the morning of the operation said 3, the nurse in the recovery ward said 4.  My GP gave me a Fit Note for 4 weeks in the end but, to be honest, I probably could have gone back a bit sooner.  I am still ever so slightly sore, but not so much that it distracts from day to day life.  Immediately afterwards, other than the slight wind issue, the best way to describe the sensation is that it felt as though all my innards were bruised.  I was uncomfortable and a bit battered, but it was nothing that normal, over the counter, painkillers couldn't deal with and certainly nothing to be concerned about.  I had very little appetite for the first week or so.  I have also noticed that my digestive system seems slightly more...delicate subsequently.  I don't know if this is a long-term thing or just a question of things settling down over a period of time.  I am trying to listen to what my body is telling me in terms of quantity of food (I generally seem to want less) and not going overboard on anything with a particularly high fat content.

One thing that might well be TMI but no one mentioned to me beforehand.  One morning, I woke up to find that the largest incision site, in my belly button, had...well, ejected a rather large amount of blood-tinged, clear fluid.  I, of course, panicked, ringing NHS Direct at 5am and turning up at my GP's surgery first thing for an emergency appointment.  But apparently it is quite common to get a build up that all comes out at once, and it is nothing to get too concerned about, especially if the wound is not showing any other signs of infection.

The main thing that I have really taken away from this is how wonderful is our poor, beleaguered NHS.  I know you hear some horror stories but I can't praise the staff with whom I came into contact highly enough, from my GP right through to the nurse who gave me a hug before I got taken down to the theatre, to the lovely anaesthetist's assistant who chatted to me about his Mum as he was wheeling me in.  They do a bloody hard job day in and day out and I am very grateful to all of them.  They all said that it is natural and normal to feel nervous.  I mean, they probably could have done without me weeping on them at every opportunity but they were very patient and kind.

If anyone is about to go through this and has happened across this blog post and wants to get in touch then please do in the comments or to the blog's email address.  As I said above, I am more than happy to answer any questions about my own experience especially if it could help to alleviate someone's fears.

Normal service - i.e. food related witterings - will resume tomorrow.


Edited 25/02/2019 - following this surgery, I ended up with something called Bile Acid Malabsorption which is not uncommon and easily treatable but if you HAVE had your gallbladder removed and you are experiencing persistant stomach issues several weeks or months down the line, then I would strongly urge you get this checked out with a medical professional.

Back to skool

I think that I have said on here before that the beginning of September is almost as exciting a fresh start for me as that of January.  The new school year - a time of shiny new pencil cases and virgin exercise books, a time to cast off old habits and commit to a life of scholarly endeavour.  Ooooh, it gives me tingles.

So it seems appropriate to come back to blogging on the 1 September, after a good few weeks lounging on my sickbed.  Everything seemed to go well and, to be honest, it has not particularly been pain or discomfort which has kept me from blogging but indolence combined with a general lack of interest in food.

However.  I am back to work on Monday and keen to make the most of the last third of the year.  In this vein, in the vein of new beginnings, D has challenged me to blog every day in September and I have agreed to give it a go, although I can't promise that some of the posts won't end up as Dear Diary...Here Is The Food Wot I Ate type entries.  Lucky readers.

He has also challenged me to start the couch to 5k programme AND to be booze free. These are, all three, lofty goals but I am assured that there are presents to be had if I succeed in any or all of them and if there is one thing to which I am susceptible it is bribery.  Hopefully, by combining them with continued adherence to 5:2 I will shift a decent chunk of lard - it certainly seemed to work well in January.

So, I hope that all out that in the blogosphere are well and thriving (Peridot - I am SO sorry for not answering the comment that you left on my last post.  No excuses other than the aforementioned indolence and struggling to drag myself away from my Kindle some days) and I look forward to sharing my September adventures with you.  I'll bet that you can't wait.