Bloaters

I have mentioned our local fish-stall before, Blue Walpole's marvellous shop in a shed at Oare. Smelts are in, and we've been buying pigeon, pheasant and partridge (how marvellous, this quirky remnant of feudal law which puts the sale of game birds into the hands of fishmongers).

Last Saturday, we bought bloaters from Blue. These delicacies are little herrings which have been smoked. Unlike kippers which are split open and cleaned, and then spread-eagled out onto tenterhooks in a flat shape before smoking, bloaters are left whole and plump and cleaned only after the chimney-treatment. This encourages them to swell up, hence the name. Modern techniques are more dainty than they were even just a few decades ago, so the flavour is nothing like as gamey as I remember for any of these items, but easier to manage as a result and more acceptable to cautious guests. Here are our bloaters....

These are to be lightly turned under the grill, and served with bread and butter.

Coffee and Tea

On a working trip to Calais recently, we were taken to lunch at a local resto called Cafe de Paris, not far from the Place d'Armes. The decor is typically modern French bling. A remarkable old lady takes her lunch there very regularly, maybe every day - she has a Légion d'Honneur, because she ran the local resistance from her hair salon during the war. Our group was eating the lunch of the day - the Formule - which was 14€, with a choice of cod in a fennel sauce, or a beef stew. Both were served with a basket of bread, and some delicious vegetables, and were judged excellent. The meal also included 'coffee'. This is is what 'coffee' looks like:

No fewer than five items, with a little coffee, a rice pudding, a mousse, an ice-cream and a chocolate pot, all in tiny portions and set out on a slim plate in a row. Elegant and really memorable. I have been experimenting with making different kinds of coffee. This is Greek coffee, which I overfilled and had to pour into a saucepan a few moments later.

And finally, in homage to our national obsession with tea, I leave you with this delightful scene from Faversham market last week - the sale of someone's collection of teapots.

Blow out

Someone on Facebook put this photo online - sorry I can't remember who it was - but they were recounting the experience of a breakfast available in Great Yarmouth. This breakfast costs £15 or something and if you can eat it all in 60 minutes, it's free. Just have a look at it.... to be honest it makes me feel nauseated just thinking about it.

Don't get me wrong. The Great British Breakfast is a remarkable feast, but this presentation sums up everything I dislike about food. The best that can be said is that it's clearly cooked in a quirky kitchen by an entrepreneur with an idea!