Food and drink

Stovies

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My brother has a plan he mentions occasionally, to open a late night food cart selling stovies to drunk people. He thinks he’d make a fortune. Around here he probably would as well.

Stovies are another one of those dishes, like mince and tatties, which seems to define Scottish food for some people. They originated as a way of using up leftovers and making the most of what you had. The classic version that you find most often consists of tatties, onions and beef (usually boiled or leftover roast). There are of course regional and generational variations and you can swap the beef for lamb, mince, pork, even duck on one Aberdeen restaurant menu. Never corned beef though. That’s just wrong. Continue reading “Stovies” →

Food and drink

Pigeon breast with sprouts, bacon and chestnuts

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Chestnuts are one of those things you see in the supermarket at this time of year but never get round to actually buying. Well, this week I put those conkers in my trolley. I had some sprouts left over and wanted to try them with the chestnuts and some bacon. It sounded like a great companion for some pigeon breasts I had in the freezer. Continue reading “Pigeon breast with sprouts, bacon and chestnuts” →

Thoughts

Restaurant Pet Hate – Crap Veg

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Imagine you’ve just ordered dinner at your favourite restaurant, or perhaps somewhere you’ve been saving for a special occasion. The dishes sound amazing on the menu and it looks superb when it arrives, golden-brown, succulent meat. Thick, rich sauce and plenty of it! Then you notice the veg. Continue reading “Restaurant Pet Hate – Crap Veg” →

Health and fitness

One month of sloth and counting

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A month ago I went for a run. It was nothing spectacular, just a short 3k jog round Banchory. Not long after starting I felt some pain in my knee, this is when I made a mistake. Instead of stopping, turning round and going home I continued my run for the full route. Then I spent the next week having to push my self up and down stairs using the banisters as I couldn’t put any weight on my leg when it bent. Oops. Continue reading “One month of sloth and counting” →

Food and drink

Mushroom Risotto

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I was watching Jamie’s 30 minute meals a few weeks ago and he made a mushroom risotto. Every time I’ve tried risotto in the past I’ve not enjoyed it. I don’t know if it was undercooked or they added too much cheese (I’m not a big fan of cheese that tastes like cheese) but the texture wasn’t right and the taste just didn’t do anything for me. However the mushroom risotto Jamie was cooking looked like the kind of risotto I could get into, so I looked up a few recipes and decided to give it a go. Continue reading “Mushroom Risotto” →