North Creake Farmers market

This morning I got up early and went with a friend Mary Kemp to North Creake Farmers market. Mary was helping to launch the North Norfolk Food and Drink Festival.It was cold but sunny (well part of the morning was sunny) and I was amazed at the talent & enthusiasm I found there. I met my hero Tim Kinnaird the maker of macarons to die for. The loveliest bloke you could ever wish to meet. I bought some of his rhubarb & creme brulee .... well actually I can't remember what they're called but look at them!!! There were actually 4 of them for lunch tomorrow but hey there will only be three of us eating and I HAD to see what they tasted like. I was so inspired by the fresh produce that I decided my Easter Sunday lunch menu there and then. So... it's celeriac & roasted garlic soup followed by 8 hour lamb on a bed of fennel and onion (now with Mary's recommendation of a little bit of Marsala in the bottom of the dish), purple sprouting broccoli and roasted jerusalem artichokes.Thanks mary for a wonderful day in a very special part of the world.

Verfeil sur Seye

Well hello loyal blog readers. I bring you the latest post from France where it is VERY sunny indeed. A scorching 39 degrees. I'm staying with my very good friends Sally & John in their house in Verfeil sur Seye near Toulouse & Albi in south west France.

You can tell I'm in France as the photography turns to food... although I'm not sure these cakes would make it to the artisanal bakery!

I discovered you can buy macarons in the freezer section of the supermarket here and that small fact has lead me to thoughts of making them again; all I need is a freezer; anyone, anyone.......... I can pay you in Macarons.

These following I hasten to ad were NOT frozen and also very, very good. This larger raspberry variety of macaron are traditionally known as an Isfahan because of their rose scent. Isfahan is the name of a province in Iran famous for its damask roses. I'm afraid they didn't last long enough to sniff all that much.

And my one weakness.... Ile Flottante
After lunch we slunk from shady spot to shadow along the hot pavements of Albi to view one of the most impressive buildings I've ever seen and indeed the largest brick building in the world. Albi cathedral is an absolute monster, its tallest point, the bell tower stands 78 metres or 256 feet tall.

From the heights of Albi, just so you don't feel too insignificant I must let you know that they too have the ever present dead conifer amidst their architecture.
Which brings us to a nice segue into this fascinating bit of ivy covered architecture in one of the back streets near Sally & John's. A storm was brewing and the sky really was this colour!

Van Gogh eat your heart out.
Sally & John have been fabulous hosts

with aperitifs amongst many, many other delicious meals ...

A walk in the woods nearby.

I've never experienced a landscape like this one. If you narrowed your eyes, you could imagine yourself in the Australian bush but just a little bit greener. It was so hot, the cicadas were the only thing stirring. As we silently walked our way along the rocky paths we came upon these ancient burial mounds called Dolmens or stone tables. Strange and awe inspiring, they brought more questions than answers about how on earth prehistoric man managed to shift these enormously heavy stones.

We also managed to have breakfast in one of Frances most charming medieval market towns, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val.

Ricardo and I came here in 2009 and it has not changed at all, which was good and bad as you can imagine.

Sorry to leave you on a sad note. Hopefully these baby swallows will cheer you as they did me although swallows always remind me of loss too as they are here for so short a stay.

Macaron not macaroon

I think I'm getting better at them!

(Wo) Man overboard

Phew, it's been a weekend and a half. A tidal wave of effort that paid off hugely in the end. I spent all day Friday making tray after tray of macarons.
This time they all worked after a dismal effort of three batches on Thursday that flopped without rhyme or reason just when I was getting cocky. I've been a major pain in the arse to live with lately too as it got closer and closer to Saturday and my cushion sale at Brondie's house in Norwich.
I always make it a policy to wear the same colour as the things I'm baking.. (It can be a nightmare rushing upstairs to change between batches though!)
Whose idea was it anyway to make 5 different flavours of macarons? Caramel fleur de sel, blackcurrant, pistachio with chestnut filling, tangerine and saffron. Making them was fine but filling them all and packaging them all took me about 9 hours in the end. Cute boxes though eh?
At 6 am on Saturday morning I decided that we needed more cake for people to eat as they sipped tea on the couches so what else but eclairs?
Then we finally made it to Brondie's where the gorgeous Clarissa titivated it all to look really posh. Warm and welcoming on a rainy day in Norwich.

Billy, the perfect doorman in suit and tie.
His Mumma Brondie looking like a complete bombshell.
The star team Clarry & Zebedee

And my darling Ricardo who had remained resolutely optimistic and an absolute darling that I will never be able to live without. Here he is making Lobster Thermidor for our dinner when I was at my lowest ebb on Friday night.