News

Happy Cookbook

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A quick post today (I’m still on holiday) just to tell you about a project which a friend of mine is involved with. Called the Happy Cookbook, it’s a collection of recipes submitted by chefs including Atul Kochhar, Prue Leith and Tom Kitchin, celebrities like Carol Smilie, Chris Cusiter, and Fred MacAuley, as well as a selection of local restaurants (The Marcliffe, Tolbooth, Oryza Sushi, La Stella and more).

All proceeds go to two local charities:
* CLAN – Cancer Link Aberdeen & North (covers Grampian, Orkney and Shetland)
* ARCHIE – Aberdeen Childrens Hospital (covers Grampian, Orkney and Shetland)
No expenses will be taken from the sale of the book, every penny of every book sold will go to the charities involved, with the costs being provided by generous sponsorship.

The book’s due to launch early next year. I’ll post a bit more about it then, in the meantime have a look at http://www.happycookbook.org for more information.

Thoughts

I’ve got a wee cough

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I turn 30 next week. While this isn’t the disaster some people would think it is, it’s a great excuse to take the week off. There will be no big updates or recipe posts for a week but all being well I should have lots to go up when I return to the blog.

The first of those updates should be the result of the first stage in The Inspiration Chain, the closing date is technically Friday but I won’t be checking it until Tuesday and I’ll post up the recipient of the book then. There’s still time to enter!

We’re off to Kinloch Rannoch for a few days and I’ll have my camera with me so expect a post all about that. Then when I return I’m going for a special birthday dinner before hitting the Stonehaven Real Ale Festival at the end of the week. Once the hangover clears from that I’ll post up reports from both.

Food and drink

Lamb Chops in Rosemary Gravy

minceandskirlie

Ah lamb. I love lamb. Tragically, I don’t get to eat nearly enough of it but a recent knee injury has resulted in a couple of my evenings being freed from the iron grip of training. So instead of beans on toast twice a week, I’ve got more time to do something a bit more substantial.

As on those nights when I’m away we do our own thing for tea anyway I don’t feel like I’m being especially unsociable by using last night’s opportunity to cook a couple of lamb chops. Continue reading “Lamb Chops in Rosemary Gravy” →

Thoughts

Trying to find low fat recipes

minceandskirlie

My girlfriend has got gallstones; until she’s able to get rid of them this severely restricts what she can eat, which also means it severely restricts what I can cook. Obviously this isn’t ideal, especially as I love the fat. At the moment I’m totally craving some roast pork with crackling but you make sacrifices for those that are close to you. Continue reading “Trying to find low fat recipes” →

News, Thoughts

The Inspiration Chain

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Photo by mab2413 on flickr
Taking a cue from an excellent idea for a competition over at A Wee Bit Of Cooking I’m proposing something similar but with a small twist. I liked the idea of passing on a copy of your favourite, most inspiring cookery book so much that I thought it would be great if everyone did it.

So with this blog post I’m starting The Inspiration Chain!

Basically it will work like this – I’ll kick it off by offering up a book that inspires my cooking. Anyone interested in receiving a copy of the book will post a comment with a story, joke, poem, or just a good reason why they should get it and after a few days I’ll pick a recipient. The book will be ordered through Amazon and delivered to the recipient who then posts a similar offer on their blog, offering a copy of their favourite book to a chosen recipient. After a few days they pick someone, send them the book and that person then follows suit and offers a copy of their favourite book. Simple. Continue reading “The Inspiration Chain” →