This week saw us going to a market! Yes another market, this time in the old Savoie town of Annecy.

It was Sunday and the Sunday market in Annecy is the best. In summer it is heaving, with tourists, with gawkers, with families just wanting to get the kids out, with kids being trampled on, left right and centre, babies in strollers, so low to the ground, that you trip over them, fashionistas with their designer dogs, either getting under your feet or being carried in arms like babies, people with walking sticks, ready to bash your ankles if you jump the queues, and the locals who come every week to buy their fruit, vegetables, cheese, cold meats, fish, oysters ( when in season) and don’t forget the inevitable roast chicken man, or even men, and of course the Vietnamese with their nams, and the Alsacienes with their plates of choucroute, or the Spanish with their Paella’s, the list is endless.

In winter it is calmer and by nature not so big, still the fruit and veg, the cheese in abundance, the sausages, the honey, the fish, the oysters and of course the Chicken men! Don’t forget them, they are to be found on every market, winter or summer, and there is always a queue! Added to these markets, of course is the usual array of junk, socks, hats, mattresses and the person demonstrating some useless piece of kitchen equipment, that someone, somewhere can not live without!

I often accuse Himself of taking me to Annecy on a Sunday, because everything else is closed ( apart from restaurants that is). His father used to take his mother shopping on a Sunday exactly for that reason ( wouldn’t work today would it)? However France is very much regulated, no opening on Sundays, except small grocery shops and then only in the morning, Bakers, Patisseries, maybe a butcher or two, it otherwise FORBIDDEN! Except if you are Ikea, just outside Paris, they open every Sunday, packed to the doors, fined every Monday and open the following Sunday !

This time round was also the dog end of the Christmas Market, once upon a time, I went every year to the Market in Aachen ( on the German Belgian border) with my kids. We always bought things, handmade knickknacks, fun ornaments for the Christmas Tree and some alternative gifts for school friends. Nowadays, they seem to be just a continuation of a regular market and not much of interest.

We did explore a couple of shops, that we had not come across previously. One a smart cake shop, but at €5 a pop, I guess it should be, but nonetheless, beautiful looking cakes !

The other a Traiteur, no not a Traitor but a smart, I suppose Take Away, not sure that they really exist in the UK. Usually very smart and expensive, salad of Gambia’s €49 a kilo, but always doing a roaring trade, so that which is not readily available on the market, will be found here. Not sure I have shopped in a Traiteur, but I always like to look.

Once the market is closed or close to closing the Brasseries, cafes and restaurants burst into full swing, so if you haven’t had your cup of coffee by then you are too late! Non! Non ! Non! Simplement pour manger! Only for eating and Sunday in France equals La Grande Bouffe, Bouffe actually translates as Grub and as such one can te goinfrer! On the otherhand if one were to stuff oneself at Macdonalds, or the like, then the French have another word for that, Malbouffe, as one can not Bouffe at Macdonalds!

One last note from Annecy, we found this old street sign, worth noting that this now pedestrianised street was once a Route National!

Mistletoe and wine and all of the rest, but one thing I do not do, is cook on Christmas Day! This started many years ago, when we lived in Brussels ( and for all of the Brexiteers, an amazing place to live, and we lived there for 13 years).

But back to my non-cooking on Christmas Day. I actually don’t think I have ever cooked a ” Traditional” Christmas dinner, I did once cook a turkey, but it was Cajun Style. Cajun Turkey is delicious, it is deep fried, and do not throw your hands up in horror, the boiling vat of oil, seals the turkey inside and out and then it cooks very quickly. Another time I had a suckling pig, poor little thing, my oven was not big enough so it meant cutting it in half, stuffed it’s mouth with an apple, nose pressed against the glass door, with tears running down its face !

But, why do I not cook on Christmas Day? Well whilst living in Brussels, we always had a Christmas Eve party, inviting , other waifs and strays and their houseguests, hence, I cooked and cooked for this event and so the last thing I wanted to do, was to cook again!

For Christmas Eve, I cooked my version of the Chilean speciality, Nuesto Chupe de Centolla. ( see Are you a Risk Taker November 23 for the recipe) and I have to say it was a success. I didn’t have crab meat, but substituted it with scallops, and salmon. I think that is allowed to use what seafood you can find.

And so Christmas Day started out as being Left Overs, but that was a bit boring, hence we thought outside of the Christmas Dinner box, and our dinner morphed into a seafood feast. Lobster, giant shrimp, small brown shrimp, cold poached salmon, smoked salmon, , salmon pâté, salmon mousse, , shrimp in Panko breadcrumbs , crispy calamari and Oysters! It still took effort to assemble, but not at all time consuming and all could help out. And so the tradition has continued, though this year was slightly different as we were home alone ( well not quite alone) but we decided to go out.

After stockings and presents along with the obligatory Bucks Fizz, Himself did Oysters Rockefeller and to save time we used frozen oysters, and they worked very well, just think how long it would have taken to shuck 30 oysters!

Such a wonderful adventure. Himself and willowy brunette decided to walk, a mere 4 miles and me I took a cab, and they beat me there! We went to The Ned, in the city, not far from St. Paul’s Cathedral.

I had been warned that The Ned, did the most amazing buffet on a Sunday and Wow, they repeated it for Christmas Day. Normally I abhor buffets, but somehow this was different because they gave each diner a three hour window and so no one arrived at the same time although we must have all had a reservation. I booked a good couple of months ahead of time and our time was 6.15 , it suited us just fine.

The buffet was in fact amazing, ranging from cold meats and salads, to lobsters, shrimp, smoked salmon, grav lax, to hams, turkey roast beef and of course turkey. Then there was the dessert table, which had an assortment of cheeses including a huge Stilton and Mont d’Or ( one of my favourites ) and of course sweet stuff, strudels, mince pies and the most wonderful little cakes on sticks. I ended up eating one of these just convince a gentleman that they were safe to eat, he was dubious but as he said, he didn’t like to try things that were different! ( Not sure why he had come here)!

The three of us had Lobster, Shrimp, more Shrimp, Lobster, more Lobster, more Shrimp. Not for us the fillers of salads, not for us the roast potatoes and roast meats, just the Lobsters and Shrimps, and oh yes forgot the Oysters! So Lobsters, Shrimp and Oysters!

Apart from the food, there was a very good band, playing Glen Miller type of music ( and with a good singer to boot) and it was the most wonderful place to people watch, bling every which way, enough sparkle to decorate many Christmas trees, the scimpiest of dresses worn with vertiginous heels, trip traping across the floor ( a bit Billy goat gruffish) boys and girls getting engaged, mums and dads busy taking their photos, oh what fun it was !

A fun evening and look forward to going again !

This week, whilst in Buenos Aires, en route back from the most Southern point of land, before the Antartic, Cape Horn, ( we landed and have the stamp in our passports), we needed to find a real Argentinian steak restaurant, and we did.

On Posada in the Recoleta ( burial area of Eva Peron) District is Fervor. Fronted by security personnel, next to a neighbourhood bistro, which could have been a very good steak place, and cheaper, but this was our only chance and so we ventured forth.

The place was full, families with adult children, couples and groups, and even a young family with their one year old ( at 10 pm ?).

We were seated on the side next to a group of three, older, one of whom was English, the others local. The Englishman was eating, Steak and Kidney pie! Himself just had to have it. Be warned said, said our English neighbour, the taste is wonderful but is a bit dry, in fact very dry, there is no gravy! One then has to ask the question, how can you make Steak and kidney pie without the gravy ?

The waiter appeared and our neighbour asked for some sauce to go with his pie, gravy translates as Salsa, and Salsa is definitely Not a gravy. Salsa duly arrived, and both tables went No, No No, not salsa! Our waiter then asked ( through our neighbours) what we wanted. Himself then ordered the Steak and Kidney pie, on the proviso it came with extra sauce/ gravy, which indeed it did, and it was gravy of sorts, the cooking juices. Better than nothing, and so Himself proceeded to cut a hole in the top and pour in his gravy!

Me? I just chose the most delicious steak ever and am sure himself had food envy.

In hindsight he said ” perhaps it was a mistake ” I think it was, maybe a case of eyes being bigger than ones belly, I don’t know, but I have already decided that this he will have this weekend, once back installed in our Tower of London.

Here we are back in our ivory tower and Steak and Kidney pie has been made ! I made individual ones ( simply because I didn’t have a classic pie dish, but had some very nice small Le Creuset… thanks to son). Himself declared that it was wonderful, so much so that he had to eat two of them ! Willowy brunette and I had sole! Not for us Steak and Kidney !

with the following ingredients I made 5 smallish pies.

1. 300 grams ready made puff pastry
2. 300 grams steak
3. 200 grams kidney
4. 6 mushrooms ( optional)
5. 2 onions chopped
6. 2 cloves garlic chopped
7. A knob of butter

For the Sauce

1. Cup red wine
2. Cup ruby port
3. Tablespoon Dijon mustard
4. 2 tablespoons red currant jelly
5. Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
6. Salt and pepper to taste.

Trim the kidneys, removing fat and sinews, cut into smallish bits. Trim the steak, also removing fat and sinews and likewise cut into smallish bits.

Melt the butter, and sauté the onions and garlic. When soft remove from pan and add the steak and sauté to seal the edges. Add the kidneys and the onions,garlic and mushrooms.

Poor in the red wine and port and leave to simmer covered for about an hour, remove the lid, add the port and other sauce ingredients and boil rapidly to reduce the sauce to a thicker consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Leave to cool .

Rollout the pastry ( some makes come pre rolled) to fit your dish plus about 1/2″ extra to allow for shrinkage.

When the meat has cooled, pour into pie tin (s) cover with the pastry, beat an egg and wash the top of the pastry with it, so that it browns nicely. Make a small hole in the top, to allow steam to escape.

Bake at 200 C for about 30 mins until golden brown.

Now he wants Steak and Kidney Pudding ! Suet Pastry here we come ( along with a Jam Rocky Poly ? Maybe )

Starting at the driest place on earth and more or less ending up at the wettest place on earth ( up to 340 days of rain pa), we sailed  around the bottom of the world, where there was food, food and more food everywhere!

Breakfast, on a blustery deck, very lucky if you get a spot under a heater, if not, then more layers are called for.

 

Three course lunch, again on deck, providing it is not teeming it down with a force 9 blowing, down below for afternoon tea, scones with jam and cream, banana fosters with ice cream and or cream, sandwiches and cakes. Then onto drinks and nibbles, before heading up or down for dinner, copious wine, 24 hours a day tea and coffee and homemade cookies!

And that is not to mention that during our sorties onto dry land, via a Zodiac , more food is forthcoming wherever we go!

Needless to say, I do not partake in all of this indulgence, and others do not as well, the adult Non Risk Taker.

She, has grown into mature adulthood on what seems to be a diet of either Chips ( large plateful, especially cooked for her) complete with ketchup and Fingers, ( not the fishy kind but her own), or again a large plate, cooked especially for her, of mashed potatoes and gravy ! She pulled a face when she tried her husbands chocolate dessert, but did spy her eating a scone and cream for tea and beans on toast for breakfast, therefore, some protein at least!

One does wonder how she reached this ripe relatively old age, eating only this!

Actually, despite what one might believe, fish and chips is a fairly balanced meal, Protein , Fat and Carbohydrates in almost equal amounts!

I once read of someone starving to death ( well almost) as all he ate was Frey Bentos frozen or tinned meat pies! And then the Italian parents jailed as they were imposing their Vegan diet on their 6 year old child, who was so under nourished, not just physically, but mentally as well and weighed the same as a normal 2 year old! All things in moderation I guess is the answer!

During this part of our travels, have not come across anything, food wise that jumps out and say “Cook Me” but rather safe food, that all but really fussy eater would eat but have to say that the Rib Eye is excellent. Nothing outrageous for himself to try, perhaps the most outrageous to date is the steak and kidney pie. Last night it was slow cooked Peruvian beef, and as delicious as it was, it was not slow cooked, but I suspect minute steak, with a Peruvian type sauce.

One excellent market with lots of local seafood, some washed up crawfish, and lots of mussels, though we have only had them thrice once at lunch , once at dinner and once as nibbles.

I was interested to hear how the left overs were dealt with. Extreme perishables, salads, raw fish and the like, are basically put into an industrial type of “Insinkerator,” bacteria added and left for 18-24 hours, before being washed out as fish food. Cold cuts and cheese would be served to crew and hot food likewise, providing it has maintained a certain temperature. This has to be recycling at its best.

AN finally, as much as I dislike Deconstructed things, it is usually done with desserts. This time around it said on the Menu, for a dessert, Deconstructed Snickers Bar. Himself had to choose it, and why not? could be very interesting! Guess,  what it was, a Snickers Bar cut into two and arranged on a plate !! Very Funny !!!I think it was a homemade snickers bar But!!

My four year old grandson has become a risk taker! At school, when they are challenged to do something which is out of their comfort zone, eating something new at lunch for example, they become a Risk Taker!

In the summer whilst staying with us in our mountain home he really became a Risk Taker, I did take into account his likes and dislikes, but that did not mean he could avoid eating or doing things out of his comfort zone. He informs me that he does not like melted cheese ( but ate toasted cheese sandwiches), but guess what was for dinner that night? Cheese fondue! Dubious at first, and I would add that it is not on the top of his list of favourite foods, but swishing the bread around in the pot of melted cheese, became a game, who would lose their bit of bread first! The biggest hit of the summer was Shabu Shabu, it is number two favourite, (after fish fingers) the Japanese dish of swishing wafer thin pieces of meat around in simmering water/ broth, adding you own vegetables, was also a game and fun.

Risk Taking, horse riding

The other Risk Taker in my life is Himself, he looks at a menu and tries to find the weirdest thing on it, sometimes just to be different, sometimes to be outrageous. It could be Prairie Oysters, ( Bulls Testicles), Sheep Testicles, Rattlesnake, Smelly Tofu, Chinese 1000 year old pickled eggs and most recently Guanacos ( Wild Llamas type of animal) tartar and Conger eel. In fact there is nothing he will not try. I am mildly more conservative but if it is put in front of me, then I will eat it. Growing up, I was allowed to be fussy, no meat, no fish, no eggs, raw vegetables not cooked, and Chips, oh I was allowed to have them when ever I wanted. It was only when I went off to college that this became a problem ( after all I was going to be a Home Economist, how could I be faddy)? So I too became a Risk Taker, I had no choice.

We arrived in Santiago and ventured forth for dinner in this riot fuelled city. And we were not disappointed, Himself being the real Risk Taker , with Guanacos Steak Tartare followed by conger eel. I took the safer option. Ceviche which had salmon, scallops, octopus, lobster and shrimp. Followed by a Chilean speciality, Nuesto Chupe de Centolla, described as King Crab gratin. It looked more like macaroni cheese, but WOW, it was wonderful and yet another dish to recreate when back in the UK.

The translation tells me that it is an exquisite dish and can be made with chicken. But why have chicken when you can have seafood?

So the recipe for this wonderful dish is as follows, though I hasten to add, that I have yet to make it! But I will !

Ingredients

500 g of crab meat, lobster, shrimp or scallops, or indeed a mixture of all of the above.

240 cc of fish or seafood broth

120 cc of fresh cream

2 cups white bread crumbs soaked in milk

1 thinly chopped onion

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons oil

2 soup spoons of butter

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon colored chili pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Sea salt

Pepper

Method

I would recommend buying cooked lobster or crab, if you have never cooked it before..

3. Detach the meat from the shell, crumble and set aside.

4. In a pan add the oil and heat medium heat, add the colored pepper, chopped garlic, onion and saute until soft, without browning.

5. Add oregano, fish stock and bring to a boil.

6. Add crumbled crab meat, and any other seafood that you choose to use, , bread soaked in milk, grated cheese and butter to the pot, cooking over medium heat, stirring carefully until the mixture thickens. Salt and pepper to taste and incorporate the fresh cream stirring until well mixed.

7. Pre-heat the oven at medium-high temperature, about 190 ° C (374 ° F).

8. Empty the mixture in a baking dish, distribute the rest of the grated cheese on the surface and bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown.

9. Remove from oven and serve hot , maybe with toasted Sourdough!

After 24 hours travelling we arrived in the driest place on earth. San Pedro de Atacama. San Pedro, itself is a bit of an oasis, surrounded by mountainous Desert and volcanos. And some of the volcanoes were puffing up little wisps of smoke!

If Bumpy roads are not your thing, then it is best to avoid the trek here, most of the roads are extremely bumpy and high , we went up to 4,500 meters, so shortness of breath could also be a problem.

Those facts aside, it is the place to come to see Andean Flamingos, in all their glory, Geysers, spewing and gurgling, Llamas roaming free along with Alpacas, Vicunas and Guanacos, which believe it or not are the parent species of the Llamas. One has to look hard to see other species, including Andean ducks, wild ponies and many endangered animals. A visit to the salt flats, a must as is the Moon Valley, the Rainbow Valley and star gazing. For those more intrepid of you, bike riding ( at high altitude) horseback riding, hiking and even sand surfing.

For our few days here, we have eaten well, out and about our guides have conjured up a veritable feast, whilst waiting for the sun to go down, or a breakfast after travelling up to see the geysers, before the noonday sun drives them away.

The menu in the restaurant was limited, a meat option, a fish option and a vegetarian option, so who could complain? I saw some people not choosing one of these options but eating a salad instead, so something for everyone.

On one night we both chose the King Crab strudel, a bit of a misnomer, but nonetheless very nice and would be oh so simple to replicate in the home kitchen ( note to myself to do this when I am back home). It was in fact a flour tortilla which was stuffed with King Crab and vegetables, rolled and cut into thick slices, served on a shrimp bisque with avocado.

I then chose the Mahi-mahi, a fish which whilst living in Texas I never chose, it was usually dry and just not very exciting, this was different, it was grilled and served with caramelised small onions, sundried tomatoes and courgette slices. This changed my mind to eating Mahi-mahi, and will be tempted to eat it again.

What is Mahi-mahi? Mahi-mahi  can be found in the Caribbean Sea, on the west coast of North and South America, the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic coast of Florida and West Africa, South China Sea and Southeast Asia, Hawaii, Tahiti, and many other places worldwide.So in fact a very important food fish, but it has several other names, such as dorado or dolphinfish ( but it is NOT Dolphin).

Himself chose the the deer stew, which had been cooked in Chilean wine.

Another day, rather bizarrely, we both chose the Lobster Tail, served with sriracha butter and asparagus. For the main Himself again chose the meat option which was Ostrich, and apparently it is farmed in Chile, served with sweet potato and walnut ravioli ( another must try at home). Meanwhile I took the Peruvian Fish Stew, it really was like any other fish stew, I would have thought it might have been a bit more spicy, but it was really very enjoyable.

On other revelation, was at breakfast , Raspberry Juice, Umm I could easily have that on a daily basis, but with the cost of raspberries, maybe not.

They also served a variation on Bircher Muesli. It contained grated apples, and was served warm, so this another breakfast option at home.

And the Television? Didn’t have time to miss it, as we were just too busy!

Who doesn’t Love Reece’s Pieces? Well I guess firstly you have to be American and secondly you have to love dark chocolate and peanut butter.

I do not have a sweet tooth, but If I am going to eat chocolate, then it has to be dark chocolate, and as for Peanut butter? Once upon a time I resorted to making my own, as the only product available was a sticky goo, laden with sugar, but nowadays pure peanut butter is available and I can eat that straight out of the jar. So for me to the answer to above question is an unreservedly Yes.

I devour recipes as if they were actual food. Over the years I can not count how many I’ve read and yet it never ceases to amaze me, how extremely odd many of them can be.

Take for example one I scanned the other day, 285 grams of chocolate, bars of chocolate tend to be in 100 grams, maybe 125 or even 200 but 285! Where did that come from? Not 250 but 285! 285 is 10.08 ounces in old money, 10.08! Bonkers is all I can say. Or how about 180 grams, becomes 6.34 oz, it is also fine I guess, if you have a digital scale but seriously?

I have a good friend who is new to cooking and if the recipe calls for a 7″ tin and she has an 8″ and a 6″ , she would go out and buy a 7″ ( actually not sure that it exists) but it really doesn’t matter that much.

Yes, measurements do matter, especially in baking cakes and bread etc but in somethings it really is a bit of this and a bit of this, and a lot of trial and error.

I also find that many recipes in magazines are too long winded, and as such put off lesser cooks as being just too complicate to even attempt. And so I try hard to condense my recipes into easy steps, and am very much for, shortcuts wherever and whenever possible.

And so it was that this week, I made an indulgent Chocolate Peanut Butter tart. The younger version of Himself, Helen and baby Melia were coming for dinner, and so felt inspired. ( I also made ginger ice cream to go with the tart, but that is for another day).

For the tart, use your favourite pastry recipe , or buy some. Roll out the pastry line a tart pan, which has been greased with the pastry, either roll it our before hand( this is what I would do) but some people just place it in the pan and flatten it out with the palm of their hand to fit the tin. Prick the bottom, to stop from rising up and bake blind for about 15 mins at 200C, it should be firm and not soggy, if a bit soggy bake for a further few minutes.

For the filling take 250 grams dark chocolate ( 70% plus) place it in a pan along with 500mls double or thick cream. Add a tablespoon of honey and and a good dollop of peanut butter, either crunchy or smooth, and heat them all together, stir until well blended, but do not let them boil. Stir well to make sure it is a homogenous mix. Leave to cool ( at room temperature) and when cool pour into the pastry case. Do not refrigerate.

Just before serving , sprinkle on the top, either chopped peanuts, or as I did, ( as I had it in the pantry) some toasted coconut bits.

I then served it with fresh ginger ice cream. Even Baby Melia liked it, ( actually she is now 2 1/2 and calls herself Mimi)

And now we are two ( Volumes that is) and more to come !

This week saw another memorable date in the London Folly household, a wedding Anniversary, not really a significant one, but as in birthdays, everyone is significant.

Presents are taboo, but treats are allowed, so I got the treat in first and there was nothing Himself he could do, but accept it.

Willowy brunette had been recommended a restaurant called Wild Honey, which rang a bell to me. The now defunct ( a pity methinks) Ladies Who Lunch lunch group, had eaten there a few years ago, but then it seemed to disappear. Yes indeed it had, but now it is back, in a new location. Wild Honey had been in Marylebone, London for about 12 years and now it is in the Sofitel, St. James, and is beautiful .

It is run by Anthony Demetre who held a Michelin star for his Putney Bridge restaurant. He then realised his dream of running his own restaurant, and launched Arbutus in Soho in 2006, followed by Wild Honey in Mayfair in 2007 which closed in early 2019. In October 2018, Anthony launched Vermuteria, a café and bar in the new Coal Drops Yard development in King’s Cross.

Coal Drops Yard has been on my list of places to go, it is literally down the road from me, but have yet to visit. Coal Drops Yard. Once the marshalling yards of the industrial revolution, these Victorian brick viaducts have served as film sets, been home to counter-culture artists, and for a decade, hosted some of London’s biggest rave parties. But now, and with inspiration by Thomas Heatherwick ( creator of the London Olympic Flame and the new London Bus) two of these Victorian  buildings have been joined together, with an amazing roof and now the whole are is either for shopping or eating. So now obviously I need to try out Vermuteria.

But back to Wild Honey, I receive dining offers frequently and this one popped up in my IN box and I thought “Why Not? Consequently I booked and paid for, in advance for 4 people ( we went with friends) and we were not at all disappointed. At the time I was unaware of the Remy Martin connection, but I don’t think we complained. ( some wine pairings were also served)

 

We started out with a Remy Martin cocktail followed by

Himself has created a Book for me, volume 1, the first of a series, currently it will be four or five! Watch this space !

Last month, Himself had yet another birthday! Well better than the alternative is what I say! #2 daughter the willowy brunette asked, if it were a significant birthday, my reply was you are only ?  ( thats a secret, but you may guess!) So yes! But of course you only have a first birthday once, or twenty first, or even a hundredth birthday just once!

Having had the first of his birthday dinners , in Northern France, this time it was with kids and spouses in London. Having been completely underwhelmed by our Michelin star experience, I decided to try a different track, but booked equally a long time ahead.

Back in the Spring, well Valentines day to be precise, himself discovered a small restaurant in Marylebone, London called Roganic. And although this restaurant is fairly new, it started out life as a Pop up, and four years it was re-incarnated into a full blown proper restaurant. It is the brain child of Simon Rogan and his first restaurants are in the village of Carmel in the Lake District, L’Enclume, plus a farm, plus a shop, plus Aulis, his development kitchen. Now in London there is Roganic, and another Aulis, and likewise in Hong Kong. As of this October there is another restaurant , again in the Lake District, Lake windermere, called  Henrock. ( my only fear is that he will run out of steam and some will close ( as in the case of Jean Christophe Novelli or of a lesser chef, Jamie Oliver).

So back to Roganic, Marylebone, on the back of our February visit, I researched Aulis and found that it was in Soho and held just 8 people. it is possible to book just for one, or as I did I booked the whole 8, and I booked it in March just to be sure.

It is very much an experience, two chefs create in front of you and they are very creative, and such nice young men to boot. I had informed them ahead of time that my daughter in law, the lovely Helen was pregnant and as such was not drinking alcohol, nor eating un- pasteurised milk or cheese and no shell fish.

Upon arriving, down a tiny street , in Soho, we actually wondered if we had come to the correct place. In fact it reminded me of an old song  Green Door. Whats that secret you are hiding behind the green Door?, Well it wasn’t a green door, I think it was black, could be wrong, but the street, or more of an alleyway is very non-descript and the kitchen has white out windows, next door to a tanning salon. Willowy Blond and husband arrived first and did begin to wonder. But all was well.

The chefs were a delight, and had taken on board my requirements, and so when we had bubbles, Helen also had bubbles but the non alcoholic kind, likewise with white wine, and likewise with red wine. To be honest with you, the menu gives Nothing away, so be prepared to sit back, watch, eat and enjoy.See if you can follow the menu and match them up with the dishes served.