Barbecued butterflied salmon

The Boy has always said "Never trust a thin chef" and he seems to follow a similar logic for bushmen. Since I got to know him, I know that I've been wrestling with a rather hefty draw for his affections. He totally loves Ray Mears. His logic is that Ray, with his generous waist line, is not simply surviving in the wilderness but properly living.

His high regard for the portly master of the wilderness extends to his cooking skills. Our feeding-of-the-many-people gave him the ideal opportunity to try out some Mear-esque catering. Our lovely friends at Cronkshaw Fold provided us with a mammoth (whale-like) salmon which inspired The Boy to try out a butterfly technique that he’d seen Ray demonstrate.

After removing the fins and scoring around the head, he gently plied the bones away from the flesh and – voila! – a perfectly butterflied salmon. He then laid it out on the barbecue grill until the skin was satisfyingly crispy and the flesh was meltingly soft and juicy. It had taken on a deep smokey flavour which was incredibly moreish. We served it as it was with no accompaniment as a sort of starter before a vat of risotto was dished out.

It was pretty simple so I think this will become a regular dish at summer barbecues when the weather makes up its mind. I don’t know about you but I don’t think of fish when I think of goodies to slap on the grill. Sausages, for sure. Burgers, defo. Halloumi, my goodness yes. I might do a few prawn kebabs but nothing more adventurous than that. There must be good recipes out there! What are your fish recipes for the barbecue?

Butterflied barbecued salmon

You will need:
one whole salmon (ideally gutted and scaled by your fishmonger unless you're hardcore like Ray)
one sharp knfe

- If the fish is fresh from the water, scale it and remove the guts and innards.
- Remove the fins from the belly of the fish.
- Slice just behind the gills; this will help you when you remove the head later.
- Remove the dorsal fin by running the knife along the top of the fish.
- With the fish belly up, run your thumbs along the length of the spine between the skin and the ribs to ease the bones away from the flesh. Do this on both sides and pull out the head, spine and bones in one piece.
- Lay the fish skin side down on a hot barbecue and cook until the skin is charred. If the fish is particularly fleshy and thick, cover it with foil to help cook the otherside.
- Briefly turn the fish over to add some colour to the flesh before serving.

Review: Tombo, Kensington, London

The clean and contemporary interior of Tombo is a refreshing contrast to the smoggy, grimy London streets outside. Everything about the decor and the food is traquil and ordered from the emaculate maki to the wooden hour glasses to tell you when your tea is brewed to perfection. It's a great place to grab a cup of tea or a bite to eat.

We arrived a little before 6pm when they were relatively quiet and started with some delicate Flowering Osmanthus tea (£3.10) which, when steeped, turned a pretty rose petal pink and tasted mildly of Ribena. Delish! Food came in the form of a fantastically savoury black seaweed salad (£3.30) with chickpeas, french and edamame beans dressed in soy. A feast for the eyes and taste buds though a frustration for the chopsticks. The Tombo Combo No 1 (£7.50) provided an elegant centrepiece for our table for approximately two minutes - time enough for it to be duly admired before it was devoured. Each roll was embellished with fresh soft herbs pressed into the rice. We finished with a fragrant pot of blossoming jasmine tea (£3.10) which had a fantastically floral flavour that (plesantly) surprised us all.

The service was prompt and friendly and the café itself was perfectly turned out. It's mere minutes from the crossroad of Exhibition Road and Cromwell Road so it's ideally placed for a lunch when you're visiting the London museums.
Tombo can be found at 29 Thurloe Place, South Kensington, London SW7 2HQ. Tel: 0207 589 0018 Food can be enjoyed in or taken away.

Review: Ichi-Riki Sushi House, London

Situated only a stone’s throw from my new place of work, it’s easy to miss the inconspicuous door tucked down a narrow staircase that is the entrance to Ichi-Riki, the fantastic-yet-tiny Japanese eatery. The Boy loves sushi and, with his first visit to the Big Smoke imminent, I was keen to indulge my beau. I’d walked past the restaurant several times to check out the stalls on Strutton Ground and had mentally marked it as pending on my list of places to try.

Once down the stairs (not too steep or numerous if you struggle with steps or have had a few pre-sushi sakes), the door is opened for you by a smiling waitress who ushers you to your table. This is a truly miniscule establishment (seating around eighteen at a real push - be ready to get friendly!) but it’s all the cosier for it. Due to its capacity, it’s recommended that you book a table by telephone to avoid disappointment with the upside being that, wherever you sit, you’re likely to have a view of the sushi chef at work and slabs of high grade fish behind the bar. It’s unpretentious; modestly decorated with simple pine furniture and an open view of the chefs at work. This is a world away from the colourfully sparse Yo! Sushi’s and contemporary slick independent’s out there.

The service was attentive and friendly without disrupting our intimate catch up session. We based our order on their set menu with The Boy going for a Jo Nigiri and me opting for the Udon Set. Of course, we had to start with Eda Mame and couldn’t resist Pumpkin Goroke when we saw it on the menu. Both of which were good though I must admit that I missed a scattering of chunky sea salt, rather than a liberal sprinking of table salt as we had here, that I've become accustomed to when having Eda Mame elsewhere. After a long train journey, The Boy was understandably in need of a cold beer (we were recommended Asahi as the house's favourite) while I chose to sample the house tea which was an intriguing mix of green tea and toasted rice. It was lovely and warming – a welcome relief from the chill outside – with the added bonus that I had a few free refills (great value for a mere £1) from our ever smiling waitress.

First up, we feasted on sushi. The Boy’s Jo Nigiri was effectively a fish of the day sushi platter comprised of eight pieces of nigiri while my Udon Set started with five pieces of nigiri, all of which were beautifully presented. Each neat rectangle of rice was topped with a different fish; eel, salmon and tuna to name a few. I tried squid nigiri for the first time which was tasty though it had a strange smooth texture on the tongue while The Boy had an unusual flying fish nigiri which he enjoyed.

Next came a cup of umami-tastic miso, part of The Boy’s Jo Nigiri, and a crisp hand roll, included in my Udon Set. Both were fantastic. The miso was deliciously sweet and salty with strands of silky seaweed and cubes of tofu – unlike anything that I’ve tried elsewhere! The hand roll was expertly folded in thicker nori and stuffed with salmon and avocado. It stayed together well, despite being passed across the table between bites while we umm-ed, ahh-ed and enthused over the gorgeous contrast between the crunchy seaweed and soft rice, salmon and avo combo.

Finally, we shared the final dish in my set menu – a tasty vat of tender udon noodles floating in a savoury broth with (I think) shredded spring onions and pickled dakon on the side. We slurped to our hearts content, happy as clams, though the troublesome noodles did challenge our chopstick skills. Greed got the better of us and, with the noodles not long gone, we ordered Ebi Tempura, which were good though a little greasy. I'd be curious to try their vegetable tempura on another visit (mental note: their fried dishes are only available in the evenings).

Our meal was just what we needed – the atmosphere was perfect for a quiet meal and was made all the better by the fantastic food. It was pretty good value too as, with drinks, we paid £45 for two of us and we chose some of the pricier items on the menu. We lingered over our food but I will be returning to try their lunch service as the food was quickly prepared and delivered so I doubt I'll have any trouble in returning to my desk within the hour.Truly a hidden gem!

Ichi-Riki can be found at 17B Strutton Ground, London, SW1P 2HY next to Crusssh juice bar. Open for lunch and dinner Monday to Friday. Closed on Sundays. Telephone 020 7233 1701 for reservations.

Succulent Baked Plaice with Olives

Plaice isn’t necessarily the prettiest of fish. As a flat fish, it can look (as the name suggests…) a little squished and it’s dull grey skin with violent orange spots wouldn’t be a great advert for the latest face cream. Despite the fact that it won’t be winning any beauty pageants any time soon, it is totally delicious and a great base for flavours.

It’s a pretty fiddly fish so unless your fishmonger is willing to fillet it for you, I would recommend baking it whole. I like to pop it in the oven with some herbs to infuse the flesh while it cooks. Go for woody herbs as a base which will withstand the fierce heat of the oven without wilting into nothing. Their flavour will survive but their structure is hardy too so they’ll stay bushy and hold the fish away from the baking tray – this will encourage heat to circulate around the fish and allow it to cook evenly. Keep any softer herbs – like parsley and dill – for sprinkling on top just before serving.

I paired our plaice with fresh tomatoes and black olives but you could add a few anchovies or capers if you've got them knocking about. If you're not feeling the lemony hint, try a combination of sliced orange and fennel.

Succulent Baked Plaice with olives
Serves 2

1 whole plaice
1 bunch/handful of oregano, thyme or rosemary (or a mixture)
1 handful of parsley or dill (or a mixture)
½ lemon, sliced
12 or so black olives
1 handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
Drizzle of olive oil
25g butter

- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Rub both the sides of the fish and a baking tray with a little olive oil.
- Place the herbs in an oval in the middle of the baking tray and scatter with lemon slices.
- Put the plaice on top and surround with the olives and tomatoes.
- Bake for 15 - 20 minutes depending on the size of the fish – it should be white and opaque all the way through.
- To serve, cut along the centre line of the fish and gently peel the skin back. Add a knob or two of butter, the chopped parsley/dill and a little seasoning. The flesh can be pushed off the bones by placing the flat side of a fork against the spine and brushing outwards.
- Plate up with sauté potatoes and fresh summery salad.

Salmon & Samphire Maki

This time last year, I was trawling the food markets of Bristol and whipping up mayonnaise in search of a suitable birthday tea for The Boy. You may (or may not) know that The Boy has a passion for sushi - we're regular Yo Sushi dwellers (despite his best intentions) and he has been a domestic sushi master since a course earlier in the year. He loves the process of making maki and California rolls as wells as quick-and-speedy hand rolls.

This year, I ordered some fresh sushi-grade fish from the amazing Source in Bristol who have a fantastic selection of fresh meat & fish as well as lots other delicious and tempting things on offer. You can get everything from nori and local chili sauce to freshly baked cakes and marinated olives. It's amazing and, to top it off, the staff are friendly and pretty knowledgeable too. It's well worth a visit. They also have a café restaurant that I'm dying to try. One day! Anyway, I went to pick up my order of filleted mackerel, salmon and scallops but a handful of samphire and a piece of salted caramel and cherry brownie somehow found their way into my basket. I really couldn't resist!

Samphire is a fantastic post-season alternative to asparagus. It's actually a kind of seaweed which is in season from June until September. It's a natural partner to fish but it's also great with meat too. It's versatile and really refreshing if you cook it right - thankfully, this isn't difficult. I would recommend picking through the samphire when you're ready to cook and removing any brown or squishy bits. I thought that it'd be a lovely texture in the sushi so I blanched it for minute and then refreshed it in cold water to keep it succulent.

The Boy and I then spent a very companionable half hour making sushi. It's therapeutic and difficult in equal amounts - if you're a perfectionist, it may drive you mad but you do get to eat your attempts whether they're millimetre perfect or not. We made maki with raw salmon and samphire which was absolutely delish as well as mackerel california rolls and scallop nigiri.

Seared Tuna with Roasted Pepper Salsa and Asparagus

The Boy and I popped into the shops to grab a few essentials post pilates and, predictably, this turned into a hunger-fulled grab. We came away with about £20 worth of food when we'd only gone in for two or three things. Moral of the story is: do not shop when you're hungry. Saying that, we did pick up about 1 kg of asparagus for the fantastic sum of £1.56 (four 250g bunches for 39p each) which is only 6p more than one bunch usually costs. Asparagus all round!

One of the items that called out to our sore core muscles were jewel-red tuna fillets which sat nestled in the ice on the fishmongers counter. We didn't need to um and ah for long - soon they were in our basket and I was dreaming up a nice recipe to go with.

Seared Tuna with Roasted Pepper Salsa and Asparagus

Serves 2

2 tuna steaks
2 (red) peppers
3 spring onions, finely sliced
1 tbsp pepperdew peppers, finely chopped
½ chilli or to taste, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
2 tbsp white wine or cider vinegar
1 tsp of brine from the peppadews or ½ tsp of sugar in 1 tsp of water
8 stems of asparagus
Olive oil

- Preheat the oven to 180c.
- Deseed and slice the pepper. Coat them in a little sunflower oil, season and then put them onto baking tray to roast for 20 minutes.
- Mix the spring onion, coriander, peppadew, chilli and cider vinegar and put to one side.
- Put a griddle pan or frying pan on the hob over a high heat.
- Boil the asparagus for 2 minutes, cover in a little oil and then add them to the baking tray in the oven. Roast for 10 minutes.
- Rub a little sunflower oil onto the tuna steaks and sear them on both sides. I like mine to still be a little red in the middle which means griddling them for a few minutes on either side but do this to your taste.
- Remove the peppers and asparagus from the oven. Add the peppers to the other ingredients and mix well.
- Serve the tuna topped with the salsa on a bed of the roasted asparagus and steamed jersey royal potatoes.

Deconstructed Fish Pie

The Boy and I are currently digging ourselves out of a hole. We have a problem but we’re working our way through it. The truth is... we have a glut of potatoes. This is partly thanks to my dear father who is a talented and enthusiastic home-grower. He doesn’t just grow vegetables; he grows crops. Where a typical gardener might grow three tomato plants, he grows twenty and deals with the consequences of his massive stockpile later (when they ripen). Being the generous man that he is, I will often come away from a visit to see my parents with my tummy full of tea and my arms full of the latest harvest. This week, it was potatoes which were added to our already bulging potato larder.

Funnily enough, the boy and I don’t eat that much potato. I suppose I see it as a winter staple – comfort food which fills and warms you in one hearty mouthful. Truth be told, I lean towards rice and pasta when I think of carbohydrates as they tend to suit my style of cooking more. Plus, the hot weather that we’ve been afforded of late hasn’t exactly had me reaching for my masher. Belated April showers are now returning to the UK so I have no excuse not to tackle our potato mountain. My mind is full of recipes and ideas for soups, bakes and other potato-based creations like gnocchi. You can expect a bit of a theme from my blog for the next week or so!

Last night, I fancied fish for dinner and with my latest obsession, I immediately thought of fish pie. Hunks of delicious fish and seafood in a thick, creamy sauce nestled below fluffy but crispy topped mash. Glorious food but rather time consuming when you take the whole process into account. So instead, I went for a quicker option which includes many of the traditional classic features but can be thrown together in a fraction of the time.

‘Deconstructed’ Quick Fish Pie
or Poached Smoked Haddock with prawns and mustard mash
Serves two

1 large fillet of smoked haddock, skin on
100g shell-on cooked prawns
3 floury potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
5 peppercorns
100ml semi-skimmed milk
50ml dry white vermouth
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp whole-grain mustard

- Boil the potatoes for 20 – 25 minutes or until tender.
- Meanwhile, shell the prawns. Put the prawns on one side and place the shells in a large saucepan with the bay leaf and peppercorns. Cover with the milk and vermouth. Add the haddock fillet skin-side down and top up with a little cold water until it is covered by the liquor.
- When the potatoes are almost tender, put the haddock onto a medium heat and gently simmer for around 5 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes through a colander then place back in the pan and mash until they become a little dry. Add the butter and mash again.
- Check the haddock by removing with a slotted spoon. If it is nicely flakey and hot all the way through, remove from the poaching liquor and put on one side.
- Drain the poaching liquor through a sieve and add 1 tbsp of it to loosen the mash. Stir the mash vigorously and add more liquor if necessary. Add the mustard and stir in with a spoon.
- Carefully peel the skin from the haddock.
- To serve, place a dollop of mash onto the plate and top with the haddock then a few prawns. Pour a little of the poaching liquor over if you wish. Serve with seasonal vegetables.

The portion might look a little small but we had a few scallops each to start. Again, I kept it simple by frying finely chopped chorizo until it oozed spicy oils and then added the scallops to fry for a few minutes on each side. Once they were done, I took them out and added a splash of balsamic vinegar and a squeeze of lemon juice to make a sauce to serve.

I then used the same plan to flash fry some blanched asparagus that we had with the haddock which infused it with a lovely flavour.

There’s no rest for the wicked - I’m off to make gnocchi and a leek and potato soup with the last of the poaching liquor!

Creamy smoked salmon and prawn pasta

Fancy a luxurious meal without breaking the bank? If you know where to look, there are bargains to be had which are cheaper, tastier and healthier than ready meals. Sainsbury’s (my supermarket of personal choice) ‘Basics’ value range have some great products. Their smoked salmon trimmings are a snip at 87p and are great for sandwiches or in pasta. Their frozen prawns are a bit on a weeny size but are a bargain at 300g for £2.00. We always have some in the fridge for throwing into stir-fries.

I whipped up a dish of creamy spaghetti with prawns and smoked salmon for only £1.38 per portion. Lovely with a green salad (they had British grown round lettuces for 40p when I was last in) or a broad bean salad (made with frozen beans and a little mint). Oh and a glass of white wine too if you’re pushing the boat out!

Creamy smoked salmon and prawn pasta

Serves 2

1 onion, finely chopped

100g frozen prawns, defrosted

120g smoked salmon trimmings

4tbsp half fat crème fraiche

½ pack of dill or basil

1 lemon

150g dried spaghetti

 - Put the spaghetti on to boil.

 - Meanwhile, sweat the onion in a saucepan (large enough to fit the cooked pasta in) for a few minutes until soft. Add the juice and a tsp of finely grated zest from the lemon, cover and turn to a very low heat until the pasta is al dente or just tender.

 - Add the crème fraiche to the pan and stir it into the onion as it melts. Add the prawns and allow to warm through for about a minute (longer if you are using large prawns). Loosen the mixture with a splash of the cooking water from the spaghetti or white wine (if you’ve cracked it open already!) if necessary.

 - Turn off the heat and add ⅔ of the smoked salmon to the mixture along with most of the dill or basil (reserve a few sprigs for decoration if you like).

 - Drain the spaghetti and mix well so that it is coated in the creamy mixture.

 - Serve topped with the remaining salmon and herbs.

The Stolford Mud-Horse Fisherman

Views across Bridgwater Bay from Stolford

The Boy was on a mission. We set off into the Somerset levels in search of a fabled fisherman that he had first heard of on the Beeb's Coast programme. Armed only with the name of the hamlet where he was based, we drove for only thirty minutes from where we live to Stolford on the coast of Bridgwater Bay in Somerset.
Here resides the last remaining mud-horse fisherman in Britain who works the mud flat on his wooden sled. Adrian Sellick comes from a long line of mud-horse fisherman and you will see him out all year round. There's something incredibly romantic about the thought of him casting himself out in all weathers and venturing out into the bay on his home-made drift-wood contraption. He tends to his nets, strung between posts driven into the mud, which trap fish as the tides turn. On the day that we went, the chiller in their tiny garage-cum-fishmonger was still packed with fish. Brendan, his Father and a former mud-horse fisherman, now runs the shop and shows me a handsome bass as long as my arm which could be mine for a mere £12. It could easily feed eight or ten people! We choose a lovely looking mullet instead which is a more reasonable size (though still a feast!) for two at a bargain £3. As he expertly guts, scales and washes the fish, Brendan tells us how the fish aren't even 24 hours out of the water - and you can tell how fresh they are, simply by looking at them.

I feel surprisingly proud that this tiny family business is still running, mainly I think down to the support of the local community. Though labour intensive, the practise is extremely environmentally friendly and much kinder to the seas that the common methods of fishing used today. We hurried home to make the most of our fresh fish and cook up a real treat.

Adrian and Brendan Sellick of the Stolford Mud-Horse Fisherman can be contacted on 01278 652297.

Mullet - primed and ready to go into the oven

Mullet en papillote with fennel, chilli and lemon

You will need:
1 mullet, gutted, scaled and washed
1 head of fennel
1 lemon
3 springs of rosemary
1/2 chilli
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 glass of white wine

- Preheat the oven at 190C
- Slice the fennel, lemon, chilli and garlic
- Unroll and cut enough baking foil and parchment to go around the fish (if you have a long fish, like we do here, roll out two lengths and fold to join together). Lay the baking parchment on a kitchen counter and then lay the foil on top.
- Lay slices of fennel in the middle of the foil in a mound and place the fish on top
- Stuff the cavity of the fish with the rosemary sprigs, lemon, chilli and garlic
- Bring the foil and paper up and around the fish to seal leaving a small gap at the top of the parcel (about the size of a small fist). Into this, pour the wine and seal firmly.
- Place on a baking tray and bake for 25 minutes. Resist the urge to open the foil and check how it is doing. The fish will cook in its own steam and juices so opening it won't help! Eat when the flesh is opaque and falling off the bone.

Roasted Skate with cherry tomatoes

I return home on Friday the 13th to find the boy has conjured up a beautiful meal for the two of us. A feast of steamed artichoke with garlic butter to start followed by skate and scallops for main. Yum! Underestimating the size of skate wings, we had some left over so I decided to try my hand this time. I haven't tried to cook skate before and I must confess - I don't think I've eaten it before. It's a strange, slippery piece of fish with a fine lacy edge. Be sure to cook yours when it fresh from the fishmonger otherwise it adopts a nasty taste. It also has some slightly strange cartiledge in the middle of the wing to look out for. Not a major hazard but could get stuck between your teeth!

Roasted Skate with Cherry Tomatoes and Parsnip Mash

Makes: a delicious and fresh fish-based main in less than half an hour

Ingredients: (for two)
2 Skate wings (has cartiledge in the middle - watch out!)
Generous handful of cherry tomatoes (or normal ones if you have none)
One red pepper
3 Parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
Small piece of Parmesan cheese
Milk
Butter
Basil

For the dressing:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp (red wine) vinegar
2 tsp Dill & Mustard Sauce (or dijon mustard
5 capers, chopped
seasoning

Method:
- Heat oven to 180C, boil half a kettle of water.
- Deseed and chop pepper. (If using normal tomatoes, quarter.) Mix in a bowl with tomatoes and drizzle with oil.
- Place on a baking tray, spread out nicely and roast for 10 minutes, stiring gently and occasionally.
- Heat a frying pan on a high heat with some oil. When smoking, add each skate wing and brown for a minute on both sides. It may stick slightly, don't worry if this happens.
- Move the vegetables to one side on the baking tray and place the skate wings on the tray. Roast for a further 10 - 12 minutes.
- While this is cooking, boil parsnips in just enough water to cover on a medium heat for around 10 minutes or until soft.
- While you wait, mix together all of the dressing ingredients and set to one side.
- Remove the baking tray from the oven and put to one side, covered. Bung plates in the still warm oven now, if you wish.
- Drain and mash the parsnips. They will not become as smooth as potato but keep mashing until you've minimised lumps. Add a knob of butter and stir in with a spoon. Add a dash of milk to bring together and grate a little Parmesan into the mash. Season and stir well.
- Plate the skate with a dollop of mash next to it. Drizzle the roasted veg with dressing and ripped basil. Stir well and pile on top of the fish.

Variations:
This could be done with any firm while fish. Haddock would also work well. If you don't have Parmesan, a little mature cheddar cheese might be nice or simply add a grating of nutmeg. Can be a starter by simply using one skate wing cut in two and two parsnips for the mash.

..and a lovely evening

One of the things I have been at pains to organise for the Boy's visit was a lovely meal. He's travelled all this way on a train so he definitely deserves it. Another star of the city that I had been told about was The Tower restaurant. On our way into Edinburgh, my colleague (who is an Edin alumna) pointed out a hotel called the Prestonfield, which is apparently renown for it's amazing food and astronomical prices. The owner, Jason Thomson, also runs The Tower which conveniently is about a three minute casual stroll from my attic flat in the old city. With the same fantastic food and price-tag, they also have a very reasonable pre-theatre supper for £13.95 per person for two courses. With the bill sorted in my financial brain, I must emphasize the beauty of its location a little more. Yes, it's close to where I'm living which is useful but more so, it's situated on top of the National Museum of Scotland, a strange and disjointed modern building. Now, I don't know if I'm completely sold on the architecture but being perched on top of such a building gives visitors lovely views of the city.

Without further ado, I booked a 6:30 table. I was a bit canny on this one - it was the latest table we could get to make the most of the reduced price menu but late enough so that we could watch the sun go down as we ate. You enter the museum and are greeted by a security guard to checks your reservation and takes you up to the restaurant. You're then greeted by name (a nice touch) and taken to your table. I knew immediately that this had been a good choice - the atmosphere was lovely with dimmed lights and soft music. The view was rather spectacular too. We started with some drinks and complimentary olives which were very good. Beer men out there will be happy to hear that they serve Budvar though they did so in a glass which made me feel really rather grown-up!! I had a Hendricks and tonic with a lovely slice of cucumber. Very nice indeed! We mulled over the menu, which was limited for the pre-theatre supper but looked very good. I had a glance at the wine list, which also looked very comprehensive indeed but decided against it to save my pennies. We were offered a selection of yummy breads first - a choice of white, tomato or walnut. I went for a lyonnaise salad to start, while he had the parsnip and cauliflower soup, which were both fantastic. The salad was surprisingly summery while the soup was a real winner; warming and sweet and delicious. The service was very prompt and no sooner had we finished our starter, our mains were placed in front of us. He had deep fried 'fish' - slightly ominously named but nether the less, delicious served with mushy peas and some pretty salad. I enjoyed a meatball and barley stew which again was surprisingly summery despite being warm and filling. We also went for a side order of chips which we took as a bit of a flop. Don't get me wrong, I like chunky chips but these were peeled quartered potatoes which didn't really ring my bell. We also didn't really need them as his main seemed to have the mushy peas supplimented with mash and my stew was quite carb-filled with the barley. Our waitress was lovely and a very sweet character who kept us comfortable. It was nice, also, that having asked for a glass of tap water, they continued to fill our glasses whenever they started to look empty from a large jug. Our plates were cleared and we were offered desert but we'd had a very elegant sufficiency already so I decided to try, surprise surprise, their hot chocolate (picture above). All in the name of research, of course. It was fab!!

We then went on to enjoy an evenings company with The Improverts at the Bedlam Theatre, care of a member of the team I have working for me here in the city. The players provide improvised comedy from suggestions from the audience. My favourite was probably "Should've Said" but they were all great fun. A real laugh and well worth the teensy entrance fee.

Mackerel Fishcakes

I decided to treat myself while on my weekly trip to the supermarket. In order to keep my running costs down and force myself to buy from local producers, I've been limiting the meat and fish that I allow myself to buy during my regular trip to a certain out-of-town retailer. Meat is expensive so, although I'd never describe myself as a vegetarian, I tend to live off vegetables and pulses which the odd big of bacon thrown in for good measure. When my budget allows and my cravings get too much, I'll try to buy from the most local butcher to me. However, this week some smoked mackerel caught my eye during my usual trolley race so in it went! More often than not, smoked mackerel, for me, is a summer purchase that is eaten with salads so I was a bit lost for ideas after my first meal. Then it occurred to me: fishcakes! Here's my concoction for you to try:

Mackerel Fishcakes

Ingredients (to make eight fishcakes):
250g smoked mackerel
250g potatoes
1 beaten egg
1 tbsp plain flour
breadcrumbs

- Peel, quarter and boil potatoes until cooked through and mash.

- While this is cooking, flake the mackerel taking care to remove any bones.

- Mix the mackerel, mashed potato and about 1tbsp of beaten egg (to bind) in a bowl and form into small patties. You can do this by dividing the mixture, rolling it into balls and then flattening them slightly.

- It is probably best, at this stage, to refrigerate your fishcakes for at least half an hour to firm them up which makes the next step easier. However, if you're in a hurry, you can always skip this.

- Prepare three large plates or bowls with: a sprinkling of plain flour, the remaining beaten egg and another with breadcrumbs.

- Sparsely coat each cake with a little flour on each side, then with egg wash and then with breadcrumbs.

- Fry the fishcakes in a little oil over a medium heat for three to four minutes, turning every so often to cook evenly. The outer breadcrumbs with brown slightly. If they start to burn, lower the temperature.

Variations:

This, of course, would work with tinned tuna or salmon if you don't have mackerel. I chopped up some peppadew peppers and added them to the mixture to add some spice. You could also try a touch of dried or fresh chilli. A teaspoon of ready-made thai green or red curry paste and/or some finely chopped lemon grass or corriander would give a pleasing thai flavour. Red or green pesto could also work well.

Review: Fishworks, Bristol

Bristol's Fishworks was the venue for a small birthday gathering for my boyfriend, who rather loves his fresh seafood. I wasn't in charge of organising the booking but was suitably impressed (kudos to his family) and thought it was worth a mention. We all shared starter platers and some large bowls of houmous with bread to start. The platers were a fantastic way to start our meal and whet our appetites with a little sample of everything - a glug of fish soup (served in an espresso cup, very cute), smoked salmon, a baked oyster and potted shrimp. They were fine between two but would be better for one if you're ravenous! Our orders were hindered by the fact that, it being a Monday, there was little fish about (as fishing boats don't go out on a Sunday). Saying that, the quality was very good and the flavours superb so we shouldn't complain. They also have a fish counter which means you can choose some nice fresh fish to take home to enjoy.

In short, Fishworks is a great choice if you enjoy seafood. There are a few things to keep in mind though: Don't book for Monday if you want their full selection (it was a bit of a case of "Okay, so can you tell us what we can have, please?") and it's a little pricey.