Writing and thoughts from NE Scotland
Before I went on holiday I bought a new recipe book. I think I’ve built up a decent repertoire of skills and can execute a recipe pretty well now; especially after starting the blog almost a year ago. However there are a few things I really could improve. Like sauces. So when I saw someone recommend Michel Roux’s Sauces as being just about the perfect book on the subject I immediately added it to my shopping listk. Continue reading “Lamb with aubergine sauce”
Ah France. How I love thee. I’ve been to France a couple of times before (a stag weekend in Paris for the 6 nations and a bus ride through the country on a school trip to Switzerland) but this was different. This was a whole week in that most foodie of countries and I had something important planned while I was there.
I was going to do a detailed report of the whole week but I’d already gone onto four A4 pages by the start of day two which a) took far too long to write and b) no-one really wants to read. So instead here are the highlights part one: Continue reading “Holiday highlights part 1 – Nice and Monaco”
We finally climbed our first munro on Saturday – the majestic Lochnagar on the Balmoral estate near Ballatar. Continue reading “Lochnagar”
Until recently I thought I could make a pretty decent cup of coffee using a cafetière. I was wrong. I’ve eyed up various espresso machines and added them to internet wish list vainly hoping they’d appear some birthday or Christmas. Recently I decided to treat myself and finally bought one. Continue reading “I’m loving my espresso machine”
While I’ve managed to reach something of an understanding with my trusty little Canon Ixus I have been getting more and more frustrated with its limitations. It’s time to dive into the world of manual controls; f-stops, shutter speeds and ISO settings.
A DSLR is a step too far just now so I’m testing the waters with a bridge camera – the Canon SX30. It’s not going to solve all my photography issues but hopefully with a bit of practice I can get faster and more effective results. Or at least I can take a usable photo before the food goes cold!
I haven’t done a lot of cooking this week for the blog but I have managed to take lots of pictures of our new kitten – Mitsy, and the steak and beer I enjoyed tonight.
Mince and Skirlie 