Spent a wonderful few days in Scotland, I was working I know, but still. It’s such a beautiful country, such incredible scenery; I went from a berry farm in Aberdeenshire to a carrot grower in Inverness. The drive between the 2 was stunning. Also, I got to eat stovies 2 days in a row, a fine dish.
Had a fine lunch at The Ivy, I do like what they’ve done with that restaurant, putting a bar in the middle has changed its feel incredibly, without losing the essence of what The Ivy was. It’s got a clubby feel, it serves good food, it has a great menu and the front of house are good at what they do. I don’t know what else you would go for in a restaurant.
I managed to be at home Friday, Saturday and Sunday, fabulous. Did a fair bit of cooking, all Italian, risotto Milanese, some incredible gnocchi made without potato, a combination of spinach, ricotta, flour, egg yolk and parmesan, they were delightful. I also made a proper ragu, took nearly 4 hours, that will go in and on crespelle tonight.
Next week sees me filming for a new series of Harvest. I have been making little pre-recorded films for it already, but now filming begins in earnest.
I am hosting a lunch at The Pheasant Restaurant in Essex and I am finishing the week with a trip back up to Scotland to cook at The Dundee Food Festival. You can expect watercress soup with salmon and my attempt at making a cranachan pretty.
