The ground work started Tuesday with a visit to the butchers counter at Booths of Settle, to rack of eye and chose a piece of National trust topside aged beef, it might be a 40 mile round trip but “you are what you eat” and we find not only do Booths stock local produce they know the when and the where of it, the Butcher will tell you the name of the farmer and how long the meat has been aged. We also visit Settle coal Co. for solid fuel for the house {hot water central heating) front room stove. Tuesday evening saw Brenda phone her best friend Mary to order another home baked Lime Cheese cake.
Wednesday saw us going to Booths at Clitheroe as may be it’s the same veg. but it just has the edge on how it’s displayed, here we chose romanesco cauliflower, leaks, new carrots, parsnips, onions, green beans, and potatoes all local and fresh, and a bottle of wine as a thank you to Mary.
it's like a Fractal
Back home the casserole is started the meat is washed and sliced and browned/sealed in the cast iron Le Creuset, in olive oil along with herbs of Provence, fresh Garlic, and fresh red meat spice mix, all brought back from Brenda’s July Nice (S-France) trip, and fresh shredded Bay leaves from our garden. When browned a can of Guinness stout was added along with onions, leaks, celery, courgettes, bell pepper, carrots, black olives, and a tin of flageolet beans and simmered for a couple of hours.
Mary turned up to deliver the cheese cake which went in the fridge.
Thursday saw the casserole back on along with the romanesco cauliflower, green beans and Maris piper potatoes.
Out of the blue Mary turned up with a Mayo. garlic dip and some Bruschetta bread
Music was Lisa Gerrard's back catalogue on an EL84 valve amplifier
the table laid
and the candles lit the wine was Californian Petite Sirah
the stove was going
the casserole was served
the cheese cake as always was orgasmic
served with coffee brewed in a 1950’s Cona Vacuum coffee maker
It was then time to see how the 2011 Damson Gin was coming along !
It's a hard life but someone's got to do it ! just thought we'd share,
cheers all Danny and Brenda
Wonderful, Danny, wonderful! Have to add my vote for Booths too. Pity the nearest branch to Huddersfield is Ilkley, and me carless atm.
ReplyDelete"It's hard to believe in this day and age that a charming old couple in the twilight of their years are forced to suffer such hardship and deprivation in a so called caring society. You can help by making a donation to Help the Aged on ......"
ReplyDeleteHi standing orders,have you thought about the West Yorkshire Train Day Rover ticket ? it's about £5:75 but you'd save that in petrol and parking charges and you could have a drink !
ReplyDeletecheers Danny
Hi Oldmortality, sad isn't it ? the donations are to the :- Keep Teddy in the Style He's Accustomed To Charity ! Many Thanks Danny
ReplyDeleteIt’s 2.14am, I’ve just finished making a pan of beetroot chutney, the house smells like a pickle factory, I’m as hungry as hell, and I click onto this for some light relief. All I can say is . . . well I can’t say anything because I am gobsmacked.
ReplyDeleteAlen McF
Enjoying good food and drink, and enjoying the seeking out and preparation of such food as it serves our appetite, is a tradition we must always foster – hospitality to ourselves lends to hospitality to others – a true gift
ReplyDeleteJohn
Just about to sit down en famille for my first attempt at beef wellington (made with mince, mind - sort of meat pie on the make) with greens, gravy and jackets. Can't say I lavished the same care and attention to detail on it as you obviously did on this meal, however!
ReplyDeleteIt's great to live in the land of Booths (although we have an excellent local butcher too). At the Christmas markets in Lincoln I once listened to a talk by a cheese-maker (I'm resisting the temptation to devolve into 'Life of Brian' quotations here) who was very damning of super-markets in general, but then corrected himself and said that E.H.Booths was a notable exception who cared about local suppliers and treated those suppliers fairly.
Mark
Wholly endorse positive comments about Booths - none where I live unfortunately but made/make a bee-line for them when in Ulverston, Windermere and Keswick.
ReplyDeleteBrian
Mistur Brown thinks your home is magnificent. well done.
ReplyDelete