The Chiltern Epicurean

26th January – Happy New Year…. And let’s hope it turns out that way.

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 15:42:07 GMT

Well, Christmas has come and gone and, as usual I bought far too much food and, just like I did last Christmas Day, cocked up the quiz answers (who knew that Jill Scot and Alex Scot were not the same person!??). I also extended my all-round entertainment skills by getting out my guitar out and playing Felice Navidad to my assembled diners. Anyway, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves apart from Troy, who at the first sniff of the invited dogs hid under the spare room bed for the duration of the day. Much alcohol was consumed (by us not Troy) but the only collateral damage was a few flecks of Zinfandel on the carpet. An acceptable result.

On Boxing day - and against my better judgement - I decided to brave the cold weather and go into Watford to watch the now not-so-mighty Hornets take on the equally not so mighty Millwall. I took my prospective father-in-law, but if he was expecting a feast of football he must have been sorely disappointed. It looked as if the Watford players had been feasting late into the previous evening, while Millwall, on the other hand, appeared to have stayed off the port and had an early night. It was an early/12.30 kick off and we still looked half asleep. The result: 2-0 to Millwall.

Sarah’s parents left on 28 ^th December and by then I think we’d slogged our way through leftovers of all shapes and sizes, ending up with bubble and squeak on the 27 ^th . On 29 ^th we met up with James, his girlfriend Rosie, and her parents for a slap-up lunch at the Black Horse in Chorleywood. This was the pub where I did much of my early underage drinking, chatting up my first girlfriend as we both leaned over the juke box listening to I’m Not in Love by 10CC. But that was 47 years ago and today the pub has a huge outdoor dining section replete with heated huts and tents for private dining. I believe we were sat in the Moroccan Hut eating burgers and drinking gallons of red. Suffice to say I had a well-deserved hangover on 30 ^th December.

New Year’s eve passed in a similar fashion to the previous year, i.e. at home, with plenty of food, a James Bond Movie and bed by 10.45. At least it meant we were up early for a long walk round Wendover and the Lee on New Year’s Day.

So, here we are in 2023. The opening weeks were dominated by the publication of Harry’s book, Spare; the accusations espoused in which, appear to have not only reduced the popularity of Harry and Megan, but also William, Kate and the rest of the Firm, according to a poll published this week. Only Will’s kids appear to have avoided public displeasure.

On the domestic front, my sister Julie and I have been clearing out our parents’ home before it is re-decorated and then put on the market. It feels a bit strange to be doing this while they’re still alive but unfortunately we need the cash injection so that we can keep them at their eye wateringly expensive care home. Emptying their two-bedroom flat should have been a relatively quick exercise and we vowed to be ruthless. However, that mawkish old devil, ‘nostalgia’ put paid to that plan. For two days we rummaged through cupboards and drawers while our efforts to clear the place were constantly interrupted by the appearance of old photos; including numerous images from my previous wedding days! Seventy years of accumulated memories and objects from our collective pasts. Items of little intrinsic value but priceless to my sister and I. Considered too important to throw away, these items inevitably ended up in the back of the car. I’m not sure what we’ll do with them. Perhaps our children will one day pour over them - along with whatever we leave behind.

In an attempt to lose some of the excess Xmas blubber I’ve been getting out walking more regularly and Sarah and I have promised ourselves that we will do a long walk every Sunday. This weekend we will be walking in the Mendips, an area I know not at all. It is Sarah’s birthday weekend and I’ve chosen a cosy pub with rooms where we can eat, drink and generally celebrate her final year of being a forty-something.

13th December – Lord Lucan at your service! it’s been a while (again) but rumours of my disappearance have been greatly exaggerated!

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 13:49:44 GMT

When I last wrote, we’d just ‘gained’ a new monarch, a new prime minister and a new manager of Watford. Amazingly in these days of micro tenures, impatience and instant gratification, those three people are still in situ ten weeks later.

Recent night-time temperatures have touched minus 10, cold enough to cause major problems on our railways, which are now usually on strike anyway. The postal service also appears to have collapsed and the only thing that seems to be working efficiently is the smart meter in our house which clocked up an eye watering £140 last week!

Hence, I’m now in Waitrose coffee shop where I’ve calculated that purchasing a small white coffee (no flat white or skinny late for me) and using their heating to keep warm has cost me only 30% of what my home energy bill would be for the 4 hours I’ve been sitting here. At least the heating comes on at 4.30, so I can go home soon.

Anyway, enough misery. Richi Sunak keeps telling us we’re all in it together. All, that is, apart from Richi and his super rich buddies who count their money in billions rather than hundreds.

They’ve got the Christmas music on in Waitrose and I am suddenly filled with admiration for the writer of Jungle Bells, who instead of simply telling us how much fun it is to ride in a sleigh, decided that it’s even more fun to ride in a sleigh that is not only one-horse but also open. Highly descriptive!

Christmas will soon be here and so will most of my family. The meat is ordered and I’m prepared to cook the turkey and the (much) less than energy efficient 12 hour overnight black treacle ham recipe (thank you Nigella). I hope the whirring of the energy meter while the ham cooks doesn’t keep us all awake!

Incidentally, the reason for my absence has been a couple of extended stays over in Turkey. In addition my new pastime of playing the guitar has started to take over my life and having bought a guitar and ukulele in Turkey and a Gibson Les Paul in the UK, I fear that I am in danger of becoming one of those crazy collector people!

26th September 2022 – to coin an understatement; this has been a highly eventful three months!

martin.pearson@chilterncommunications.co.uk (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 16:11:12 GMT

Since I last wrote, we have a new monarch, a new Prime Minister, a cost-of-living crisis but amazingly still the same manager at Watford FC!

The queen’s funeral took place last week and was an incredibly impressive event. If nothing else it showed that, even during a time of political turmoil and raging inflation, the UK is still amongst the leading nations when it comes to putting on a show – and particularly any show that involves ‘pageantry’.

As I write, Putin is attempting to validate escalation in Ukraine by rigging referendums in the areas he wants to annex, and is, at the same time attempting to mobilise another 300,000 troops. His rather drastic actions are no surprise when you consider that for the past month his forces have taken a hell of a kicking from the admirable Ukrainian army. During a speech last week, Vlad the Invader even slipped in the dreaded phrase; ‘nuclear option’. The words of a desperate man? We shall see. But it is now up to Ukraine and the west to hold their nerve. An amazing victory is, if not imminent, at least now very possible.

On a happier note I enjoyed one of the best summers I can remember. It started with Elton at Watford (what a show!), and then at the end of July we flew to Cyprus to attend my Godson’s wedding. It was a lavish event featuring quite a few large people attempting to stay cool despite wearing in suits in 33-degree heat. A highly enjoyable day – we were even transported to the wedding venue on a double decker bus! We stayed in Paphos for thirteen days at the impressive Hotel Ivi Mare, where from the balcony of our room we enjoyed a stunning sea view. The hotel wasn’t cheap but every aspect of our stay was very good, including the high quality on-site Japanese restaurant. We even met up with old mate Dave Savva, who now lives on the island and shared a great meal at the Lodge, a South African restaurant close to the hotel. Paphos itself had a nice harbour where most of the best restaurants were situated, but the beaches were disappointing; small rocky outcrops leading into a far from clean sea. To be fair, the boat trip we took from the north of the island took us to The Blue Lagoon, where the sea was sparklingly clear and clean.

After Cyprus we came home to spend a few days with Troy the cat – who was indifferent to our return - and then it was off to our home from home in Fethiye Turkey. The weather turned out to be even warmer than in Cyprus and we spent most days cooling off in the pool or the sea. our only significant road trip was through the mountains to visit the paradisical Olive Garden in Kabak, with its famous infinity pool. After a terrific evening meal of freshly caught sea bass and huge prawns we stayed the night in one of their wooden bungalows, before returning to Fethiye the next day.

We also went on a few boat trips, enjoyed some great nights out with English and Turkish friends, and enjoyed many, many, delicious meals in our favourite restaurants. We were joined by my daughter and her friend during the first week of our stay and then by my son and his partner in early September. With a heavy heart I finally flew back to Blighty on 5 ^th September, intending to watch the first two days of the final test match ad the Watford home game against Reading. On 7 ^th September my plans – along with most of the UK’s subjects – were put on hold as we heard the sad news that the Queen had died and that we would be starting ten days of national mourning.

NEXT TIME…..my new guitar is a stunner

STOP PRESS - I spoke too soon. Watford have sacked Rob Edwards and appointed Slavan Bilic as new manager. Plus ca change eh?

5th July 2022 – Can the greased piglet wriggle out of this one??

martin.pearson@chilterncommunications.co.uk (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 11:19:27 GMT

No - not me (above) attempting to exit my bunk!.....

No, the oily animal I'm alluding to is Boris Johnson, once referred to by David Cameron as being as ‘slippery as a greased piglet' He is in big trouble again – and this time it will take more grease than you’ll find behind the donner stand at our local kebab house to get him out of trouble.

Last night as I fell asleep during our second attempt to get through episode three of McDonald and Dodds, Richi Sunak and Sajid Javid were both exiting Boris’s government.

This morning more members of the team resigned and, as I write this, Boris is about to take Prime Minister questions. Surely Kier Starmer’s first question to him should be:

“What are you still doing here!!”

On a rather tangential link from MacDonald & Dodds (which is set in Bath) we too were close to Bath last weekend, enjoying our first experience of glamping. We stayed in a Horse Lorry in wildest Wiltshire. We absolutely loved it – even if climbing up to the bed (in the lorry cab) was a bit of a challenge with my arthritic knees. It even had a hot shower, hob and oven! You can see some pics here of the accommodation and me searing a nice piece of ribeye on the fire pit.

Having renewed our National Trust membership, we spent much of June frequenting their numerous properties; some local to us, some in Wiltshire. I think our favourite visit was to Stourhead, with Lacock a close second. However, Stowe, The Vyne and Old Warden were well worth visiting too.

In other news, we went to see Elton John at The Theatre of (regularly broken) Dreams (Watford FC) last Sunday and he was fantastic. I can’t believe what a good voice he still has at the age of 74 – and his love of Watford FC rallying call to the crowd of predominantly Watford fans was inspirational and motivational. Much more so than any of the garbage we heard from our two 70 something managers last year.

I’m currently writing an article on butchery for the Chiltern Magazine, having recently discovering a fantastic new butchers’ shop in Wendover High Street, run by Scott and Ricky; who apply principles of sustainability, traceability and quality to their products and source their meat from local farms.

I’m looking forward to barbequing their wonderful cote de bouef (for 4 minutes each side, followed by at least a ten-minute rest) this weekend.

Have a good July. Look like it could be a scorcher ��

2nd July 2022 – La Belle France and challenges at home

martin.pearson@chilterncommunications.co.uk (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 03 Jul 2022 11:01:37 GMT

Hospitals, care homes, social services, discharge units, emergency services, social workers, medication, para medics, more social workers, doctors, nurses, falls, heart ‘events’, dementia, memory clinics. This month I’ve become immersed in all things medical as my parents face the challenges of old age and failing health. Luckily, I have a sister who shares the responsibility of trying to keep our parents as safe and happy as possible, as they move towards the final period of their long lives. The next few months is likely to involve decisions about their futures, most of which will be taken out of their hands, and most of which they will almost certainly not like at all.

During this period, my sister and I have taken it in turns to enjoy some down time and Sarah and I have managed to cram in a brilliant holiday in France and some great days and weekends away.

In France we managed to cram trips to Monet’s Garden, Amboise on the Loire and then an extended stay in The Dordogne into a thirteen-day Eurotunnel jaunt. The weather was kind, the food was great, and the driving was much easier than we expected. As well as savouring all that the wonderful medieval town of Sarlat, with its many restaurants and its fantastic market, had to offer, we also enjoyed trips down the Dordogne and the amazing gardens art Eyrignac and Merquyssac.

At home my attempts to play my new Yamaha trans acoustic guitar are coming along slowly, but I’ve almost mastered the River by Bruce Springsteen, so that’s a start.

Renewal time for our National Trust membership has just arrived and we’ve continued to get good value from our approx. £140 per year, having recently visited The Vyne, Stowe and The Shuttleworth collection at Old Warden.

Anyway more about that in my next post. I’m off to watch Elton at Watford now ��

18th May 2022 – War, economic collapse and relegation. Welcome to Spring 2022.

martin.pearson@chilterncommunications.co.uk (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 18 May 2022 13:05:57 GMT

It’s been a couple of months since my last post and although I’ve now begun to wind up my business and join the ranks of the full-time retired, I seem to be busier than ever.

Cheltenham came and went. It was another brilliant week of laughs and camaraderie. Happily, we all returned with our shirts securely on our backs and our trousers un-lowered – although two of the six punters in our house brought Covid home along with wheelbarrows stuffed full of bookmakers’ cash.

A week after Cheltenham I was off again. This time to our house in Turkey, for a week on my own before Sarah joined me. The end of March in Fethiye was unseasonably cold this year but by the end of our trip on 10 ^th April, the temperature had risen to a perfectly sunny 23 degrees. Another lovely stay which reminded me how much I love it over there.

Back in the real world, the war in Ukraine drags on with no end in sight, as the Ukrainians continue to attract worldwide respect and admiration for the way they’ve repelled the Russian invaders. The war, the rise in energy prices and rampant inflation has produced a perfect economic storm. Many households are struggling to make ends meet and are face d with a choice between heating and eating. Those of us fortunate to have retirement investments can only sit back and watch while inflation inexorably destroys our savings.

Closer to home, my parents physical and mental health continues to decline, although the introduction of regular care visits seems to have sparked a slight improvement in my Mum’s health.

A rather downbeat Spring post should also include a quick report on the on my beloved Watford FC. This season we set a new record for consecutive premiership defeats and are already confirmed as relegated elect. We are set to end up with the lowest points total in our Premiership history. Next year, our shell-shocked fans can look forward to trips to glamorous trips to Preston, Wigan, Peterborough and maybe even Sunderland. But who knows we might even achieve some success – or at least a home win!

Despite much doom and gloom, morale today is high. The sun is shining as I sit in our garden strumming the chords to the River by Bruce Springsteen. We have a 12-day holiday in the Dordogne starting on 26 ^th May, and I’m looking forward to great weather (reasonably likely), great food (almost certainly) and a drastic fall in the price of fuel (highly unlikely). I filled my car up this morning and though the pump had malfunctioned as the dial rose to £133. Apart from the cost I could have written a short story in the time it took to fill the tank.

Finally, we ate some great meals while in Turkey and at home I’ve continued to cook almost very evening. Some of the best dishes appear on this page.

Take Care

P.S. On a positive musical note, the UK came second (yes, second, NOT second from last) in the Eurovision Song Contest with a song by a really very nice bloke called Sam Ryder (sp??). In the meantime (but not as a consequence of our European success) I’ve rediscovered my love of guitar playing and have even purchased a new acoustic. Next it will be a home recording studio.

4th March 2022 – what a difference a month makes

martin.pearson@chilterncommunications.co.uk (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 15:33:59 GMT

In my previous post, I got on my soap box about the UK news media’s obsession with Boris’s appearances or otherwise at Number 10 parties that were (or weren’t) held unlawfully (or even lawfully) during the 2020 lockdown. Surely, I ranted, there were more serious things to preoccupy us, such as the collapse of US tech shares and their impact on UK pensions, raging inflation and the accumulation of Soviet forces on the Ukraine border!!

Well…..since 24 ^th February, we’ve heard nothing more about lockdown parties, and Putin’s shocking invasion of Ukraine is now the only story in town. Despite (or because of) the incredibly courageous resistance of the Ukrainian people, Putin has now significantly upped the ante; shelling schools, hospitals and even a nuclear power plant. The prognosis for Ukraine is extremely bleak and we can only wonder how long it will be before the western world concludes that stronger action than economic sanctions are required to end this conflict. Consequently, we could soon be walking a tightrope where one slip could end in the type of global conflict we all thought we had left behind in 1945.

Back at home, it’s difficult not to be affected by the constant news barrage from correspondents, decked in flak jackets and blue helmets, raising their voices to be heard against the sound of air raid sirens. But here in Berkhamsted, we get on with our lives; thankful that we don’t like in Kiev, Kharkiv or Mariupol. I wonder if we in the UK would be as brave and willing to fight for our homeland as the people of Ukraine - or would it be a case of ‘I can’t join the fighting today as I have to do the weekly shop at M&S’. I wonder.

Anyway, at the start of February, we celebrated Sarah’s birthday at The Copper House in Berko, and despite the hype and prices we found the whole experience distinctly average. However, we did enjoy our pre dinner glasses of white just along the High Street in place called Haniko which, would you believe, is a florist by day that becomes a wine and bubbly bar in the evenings – and it even offers a happy hour to attract early imbibers.

Amongst all the gloom we managed to get away for a week in Nerja, 30 miles east of Malaga, which was lovely. It was warm with bright sunshine for most of the week and we were lucky enough to get a top floor apartment in the Hotel Toboso, which had a roof terrace about as large as our garden ns overlooking the sea. The food in Nerja was brilliant too – as you can see from the pics on this page.

On the football front, we had boozy trip to Man United last Saturday and Watford somehow managed to get a point, despite rarely leaving our own half. Arsenal on Sunday. Yet another ‘must-win’ game (which we invariably lose).

Cheltenham starts in 10 days, and we have booked the house for the week. With everything else going on in the world I think we all intend to make the most of it.

Keep smiling.

28th January 2022 – It could be a very long cold winter….

martin.pearson@chilterncommunications.co.uk (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 15:17:42 GMT

It’s been a highly eventful January so far – and not in a good way! Boris’s ‘was it a meeting or was it a party?’ indiscretions appear to have become an obsession for most in the UK Media, even though world events – i.e. things that happen beyond 10 Downing Street - are giving many of us grave reasons for concern.

Those of us with pensions will have seen our nest eggs eroded by anything up to 12% during the past month, as high US Inflation and raised interest rates impact on Tech shares. ‘Boo Hoo!’, I hear you shout back ‘so you’ve lost a few quid from your pension!’ Fair enough I suppose, but the high inflation that’s hit the US has now reached our shores and is seriously eroding the spending power of UK citizens. Just this week my body-wash of choice, Nivea, which has been £1.49 in Tesco for as long as I can remember had been marked up to £1.65 – and the nice man on the bread stall at Berko market was highly apologetic as he explained that the price of two veggie Samosas was no longer £2.50 but now an eye watering £3.00. There’s also a real fear of a European conflict, as Russian troops continue to arrive at the Ukraine border. None of this is good news for the price of Indian snacks or any other consumer product.

At home, we look forward to a night out at the Copper House this evening, to celebrate Sarah’s 48 ^th birthday. It feels like she’s been 47 for about 4 years. It feels like I’ve aged from about 50 to 62 in that time.

‘Age’ is certainly figuring in my thoughts and challenges this month. My parents (90 and 91 years old) are struggling to cope at Denham Garden Village. Loss of memory, confusion and falls are a regular part of their lives and, consequently, we are now looking to arrange what I believe is known as ‘Domestic and Companionship’ care for them both, although I fear the hunt for a decent care home may not be far away.

On the food front we enjoyed a very nice lunch at a lovely pub called the Brocket Arms at Ayot St Lawrence last week, following a long country walk with my old mate Burnzie. Quaffed a couple of excellent pints of Tring Brocket Ale too (not to be confused with Brock Bitter, which is less to my taste). The landlady described Brocket Ale as like ‘Side Pocket with a twist’, a very accurate description I thought.

Sarah is no longer eating my high calorie meals during the week, so I haven’t been doing as much cooking as usual. However, last weekend I slow cooked a shoulder of pork (shown on this page), or Boston Butt as the Americans rather eccentrically call it. We scoffed it with leek mash and veg and the next day I made the remainder into a VERY rich pork ragu, with garlic, leeks, onions, carrot, mushrooms, lamb stock, tomato, chipotle, and some leftover stilton.

I’m off to Cheltenham tomorrow for Trials Day. Our last race day was two weeks ago at Kempton, where we were served surprisingly good food in their panoramic restaurant and I was fortunate enough to choose a £4 Lucky Dip Placepot ticket, which paid out a princely £553. Suffice to say I spent a good lump of this at the Rose & Crown Chorleywood during a pit stop on the way home.

As for footy, things are getting steadily worse. Ranieri has been sacked and this week we have a replacement septuagenarian named Roy Lewington in charge. Fat Sam will no doubt be in charge by March. I despair!

PS - Amongst all this gloom, we’ve been on a couple of very nice Monday (Sarah’s non-workday) excursions this month. One was to Kew Gardens on a lovely cold sunny morning and this week we headed into London, where I reacquainted myself with two old drinking haunts: The Queens Larder in Cosmo Passage and the historic Lamb in Lambs Conduit Street (shown here). Can’t be all bad. Can it?

5th January 2022 – Another year begins

martin.pearson@chilterncommunications.co.uk (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 15:50:47 GMT

Happy New Year dear reader. Another Christmas is behind us and we now wait to see what the viral world has in store for us this year. Fortunately, I emerged from my Covid isolation on Christmas Eve; just in time to peel sprouts, chop veg, make canapes, and begin the 24-hour cooking of my (well, Nigella’s actually) black treacle ham.

Early Christmas morning we exchanged presents. The gifts I bought Sarah reflected her love of gardening and her love of our cat, Troy; the gifts she gave me acknowledged my love of Watford FC and my love for Troy the cat. In total, Troy featured on six pressies, including photo displays, a mug, and tee shirts. There can now be no doubt whatsoever: we are officially ‘Crazy Cat People!’

Sarah’s parents arrived at 10.00 on Christmas morning. Just in time for a light breakfast, a few glasses of bubbly and a walk to the George for my mandatory post-quarantine/pre-Xmas lunch pints.

Dinner was scheduled for four p.m. and with all the prep done and the rest of our guests (my daughter, sister, and brother-in-law) not due to arrive until after 15.00, it turned into a relatively stress-free day. By the time I’d returned from the pub, filled to the brim with Tring ale, the turkey crown and the leg parcel were ready to leave the oven and take refuge beneath the aluminium foil. While the meat rested, I had plenty of time to scorch the duck fat roasties in a hot oven and glaze and finish the gammon.

We finally served lunch at 16.30, and the food was very well received. As you may have noticed I don’t really ‘do’ desserts, so I was grateful for the cheesecake and trifle that family members contributed.

The only hiccup in the whole event didn’t become apparent until the evening of the 27 ^th . Having had the oven cleaned just a couple for weeks ago, I was dismayed to see so much cooking smoke coming from the main oven on Xmas Day. It was only when, two days later, I peered into the dark recesses of the bottom shelf that I discovered an additional tray of pigs in blankets blackening at the back of the oven.

Despite this annoying mishap, I was delighted to find that we had enough leftovers to nourish us until New Year’s Eve, when I took the last of the ham, turkey, star anise gravy, sprouts and roasted veg from the fridge and made a delicious ‘chuck it all in’ puff pastry pie.

When I was a young, roustabout youth, many years ago, I loved New Year’s evening and the obligatory hardcore drinking and partying. Maybe I’m just getting old (no ‘perhaps’ about it you might say) but nowadays NYE seems to have become a night when people you’ve never seen in a pub before and who would normally never frequent such places, go out for their once-a-year binge and end up acting like complete buffoons. Eager not to be involved in any of this nonsense we met up with friends for a sociably boozy afternoon in the pub before stumbling up the hill to cuddle Troy, scoff the pie and enjoy an early night – after-all, Watford had a big game the next day!

As it turned out, the New Year’s Day match against Tottenham was even more distressing than our awful performance a few days earlier against West Ham. At least West Ham played well and beat us easily; Spurs had the temerity to look decidedly ordinary and wait until the 96 ^th minutes before putting us out of our misery. That’s five defeats in a row for Watford FC. The fat lady is starting to gargle.

That’s about it for now folks. Over the past 48 hours the weather has turned from a balmy fifteen degrees to about zero degrees. Even the extra cardy and Xmas socks are failing to keep Jack Frost at Bay. I may have to do something radical and turn on the heating an hour early.

Have a good January and good luck to any poor souls who are abstaining from alcohol during this most miserable of months.

PS Having not seen the mice for at least two weeks we are sort of hoping that the poor little mites expired after experiencing life behind two blazing Xmas Day ovens. However, I have just come across a rather worrying article on Google as follows:

“In a theoretical situation, two mice that sneak into your home could give birth to 60 in a year. Of these new mice, about 21 to 30 are female mice capable of having their babies within a month, which can theoretically lead to 5,082 mice in just one year”

We’re going to need a bigger trap!!!!

22nd December – Triple jabbed but Covid still got me

martin.pearson@chilterncommunications.co.uk (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 12:57:34 GMT

I guess it was inevitable. On Friday 10 ^th December we visited a couple of Central London watering holes before making our way west to the One over the Ait pub on Kew Bridge. From there it was a short walk to The Community Stadium Brentford, where I watched my beloved Watford lose in the last minute and then undertook a miserable three-stop tube journey back to Euston to catch a late train back to Berkhamsted.

Three days later I felt like I’d caught a cold. I ached, I coughed, and my throat was sore. Sarah insisted I took a lateral flow test and although it looked negative to me, she explained that a faint line next to the ‘T’, is still a line, and is a line that indicates that I probably have Covid.

The next morning we both drove to a car park in Leighton Buzzard where we took PCR tests. The next morning, Sarah received an email telling us she was negative; I received the unhappy news that I had tested positive.

As I write this I have around 30 hours remaining on my quarantine. To be honest my ‘illness’ has constituted little more than a cold – and has certainly not felt as debilitating as real flu. Sarah and I have slept in separate rooms and kept out of each other’s way, but I’m still surprised that Sarah hasn’t tested positive.....yet. Fingers crossed she continues to test negative, for a few more days at least.

I now feel fine and as I have a mammoth amount of food ordered I am hoping we can still share it with our Christmas Day guests; Julie, Steve, Ken, Jen, James, and Amanda on Christmas Day.

In other news, quarantine has given me plenty of time to write my blog, a new recipe for The Chiltern magazine and to spend time in the kitchen, where I knocked up my first game pie (delicious) and cooked a super soft slow cooked leg of lamb.

As for Troy, he is now regularly bringing mice into the house. Being a kind-hearted chap, he doesn’t kill them but instead lets them run around the kitchen. Consequently, we now have two living behind our range, where neither we or nor Troy can get at them - although Troy now spends hours just staring at the cooker. To rid ourselves of these little critters I have today ordered two humane ‘traps’ (they don’t kill the mice; they just trap them so you can release them in the garden – that’s the theory anyway!).

We shall see….at least the mouse challenge keeps me busy during my quarantine…

2nd December – Santa Claus is coming to town – possibly…..

martin.pearson@chilterncommunications.co.uk (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 15:13:37 GMT

Lots of uncertainty around at the moment. Will the discovery of the Omnicom strain of Covid mean that Christmas festivities will be, once again, cancelled? The government says not, but my partner’s school have just been issued with additional computers, so that kids without family-owned PCs, can work from home IF we are locked down again. I think it’s a case of wait and see. Further announcements are expected in two weeks’ time. Let’s hope it’s good news. I have ordered my meat and am expecting a table of eight on Xmas Day.

In the meantime, it’s been an eventful couple of months. A trip to sunny Turkey was followed by a trip to an unseasonably wet and windy Malta, a country situated in close proximity to the island of Sicily, which was hit by a severe storm in mid-October.

Despite the inclement weather (apart from on day 1), we managed to see a fair chunk of the island, sitting (downstairs of course!) on the Hop On/Hop Off open top bus, where we had an outstanding view of the torrents of rainwater cascading down the stairs from the deserted top deck.

Happily, our hotel, The Excelsior was top class, and we had a lovely room with an outstanding view of the bay. I enjoyed Malta, and Valletta in particular; lots of interesting history (Mdina is a must-visit site) and some very good food (pics on this page). I hope to return when the sun is shining.

However, visiting two countries in seventeen days was a significant administrative challenge - despite Turkey and Malta being on the Government’s ‘Green List’. Vaccine passports, Immigration forms and post-holiday Covid tests were all required. And there was no shirking the responsibility, as we heard several tales of holiday makers being sent home from departure airports for not producing the required forms.

Sadly, my holiday commitments meant I missed my first Watford away game of the season – and what an unfortunate one to miss! A 5-2 victory at Everton, which was followed up a couple of weeks later by an amazing 4-1 win (which I did see!), against Man United. However, these spectacular victories have papered over substantial defensive cracks and despite playing much more attractive football we have now lost 5 out of 7 under our new manager Claudio Ranieri. Never mind, only Man City tomorrow!

Two weeks ago our tri-annual OAPs lunch took place at The Sussex in Soho. In attendance were the three old git friends from primary school: me, Stu and Chris. We had a damned good drink before and after, and a decent lunch – although the restaurant was strangely empty. Apparently, no one goes out for lunch (or even works in) London on Fridays nowadays.

On the cooking front, I haven’t cooked a sausage for two months. We’re now eating much more fish and chicken and even the occasional veggie meal.

My daughter is on the Ketto (sp??) diet, which involves eating as few carbs as possible. This involves no spuds, pasta or rice. On this page you’ll see a ‘half and half’ fish pie that I made with sliced potatoes (on one half) and mashed cauliflower (on the other).

In between all this we had a brilliant weekend in Worcester, which was our base for the Cheltenham Paddy Power meeting. Worcester turned out to be a brilliant night out and the racing wasn’t bad either.

Outdoors, we’ve been on some outstanding Autumn walks and a couple of National Trust visits, including my first day out at wonderful Cliveden (followed by a cracking Bouillabaisse lunch in the pub across the road).

That’s it for now. If I don’t post before, have a great Xmas!

PS – almost forgot. I saw a guy taking a ferret for a walk in Berkhamsted High Street last week. Pic below.

9th October 2021 – the World goes green once more

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 09:27:26 GMT

As I sit writing this, the sun is streaming through my office window and the temperature outside is close to 20 degrees. OK, so it’ll be dark just after 6 p.m. but at least the end of September and the start of October has given a dreadfully wet Summer a decent send off.

Morale at 32 Upper Ashlyns Road is high. I’m off to Turkey (now on the Green list again – hurrah!), next week for 9 days and straight after I return, Sarah and I will be heading to Malta for the week. I’m particularly looking forward to strutting my stuff on the Med with my new sculpted beach body. The diet has worked like a dream. Imagine; you can lose four whole pounds in four weeks – just by not eating cheese and biscuits half an hour before bedtime. Who knew?? When I return from hols, I might even try to take a few more pounds off by doing something radical….like cutting down on the booze.

We’ve been on some excellent walks recently, including a five-miler starting at Hughenden Manor, where we again used our well-worn National Trust membership cards, secondly a six miler round Cholesbury, Hastoe and Wigginton, ending at the Full Moon pub where I thoroughly enjoyed my fish finger sandwich (replete with low-cal tartare sauce of course). Finally, this very morning Sarah and I headed to Marsworth and took in the delights of Cheddington and Long Marston, before returning along the canal to our car, parked in the reservoir car park.

After eighteen months of not doing so, we’ve even started to eat out again. Last night we were at the superb Tabure in Berkhamsted, where I have never had a less than very enjoyable meal and tonight (this is like London buses….), we are out again; at the Thai Cottage. Earlier this week when I went in to book the manager asked me where I’d been! “Mr Martin, you like our red wine, don’t you?”. Well it’s their food I really like but they did for several years have a Brown Brothers Shiraz on the wine list for £18! You’d almost pay that in an Offy. Sadly Sarah reports that when she ate there with her friend Pam, two weeks ago, this bargain beauty had been removed from the list.

At home we’ve been harvesting our runner beans (masses of them), courgettes, blueberries, and tomatoes – and they’ve all been featuring in my cooking. On this page you’ll see a fish pie, which features beans, Paella with some of our cherry toms and a frittata featuring eggs and kale from our friends at Sunnyside Rural Trust, which I am featuring in my current article for the Chiltern Magazine

On the footy front. we endured a dismal trip to Leeds last week and in true Watford fashion sacked our manager the next day. I’ll be in Turkey when the Liverpool home game is on but will be watching (probably with my hands over my eyes) at Lukka bar in calis Beach.

See you soon.

14th September 2021 – A busy foodie Summer comes to an abrupt end

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 12:03:12 GMT

Do you remember the Summer of 2021? You know, that week in July and those two warm days a week or so ago? No? Ok, so it hasn’t been a great Summer – particularly compared with last year, but there are a few days left and who knows, perhaps late September will surprise us.

As we haven’t been able (or had the inclination) to board a flight for warmer climes, the extent of our travels in July and August were to Devon and Norfolk. Devon was the first time we’d left Troy behind for an extended period and although my daughter and our brilliant neighbours had promised to feed him, we were both pretty nervous as we set out on our first journey with our little prince left ‘home alone’.

On day one of our western adventure we stayed in Cheddar and walked the famous gorge, which was spectacular and quite exhausting on a day when the sun shone and the views at the top extended to Glastonbury Tor and all the way to the English Channel. We stayed in an excellent B&B named Gordons and ate outside at a lovely old pub named the Gardeners Arms - tucked away behind the crowds that flock to the centre of this historic village.

Our brief sojourn in Cheddar was followed by a seven night stay at the Seawood hotel in Lynton. En-route we visited Dunster Castle and found ourselves joining the National Trust; a membership that we put to very good use over the remainder of the Summer.

Lynton was lovely, the hotel had fab sea views, and we enjoyed a couple of outstanding walks; east to Watersmeet and west to The Valley of Rocks. We also discovered a terrific bistro named The Vanilla Pod, which I can highly recommend if you’re ever down Lynton way.

After our trip to Lynton we headed south and spent a further week in South Devon at The Sloop Inn, which is close to the lovely beach at Bantham. Here I fulfilled my ambition to walk through the water over to Burgh Island and get the sea tractor back (after a pint in The Pilchard Inn). The weather at Bantham was variable but at least we got to spend one full day on the wonderful beach.

For the second year running we ate at Jamie’s restaurant at number 27 in Kingsbridge. Jamie and his staff are highly skilled chefs, and we ordered the £60 tasting menu. The food was very high quality, but my lobster course was probably too rich for my taste. I’ve come to the conclusion that I prefer my seafood as nature intended it – out of its shell with some salt and lemon.

We also enjoyed good meals in the pubs at Thurlestone and in Churchstow. All in all we were very happy with what we consumed in North and South Devon.

A few days after returning home to Troy’s highly indifferent (but well fed) welcome we set out for a few days in North Norfolk to visit Sarah’s parents. We ate in the Orange Tree, which is good but perhaps not as god as it was a few years ago and in the Chequers which I particularly like.

Finally a couple of weeks ago we made further use of our National Trust membership by visiting Hidecote gardens in Gloucestershire. We stayed in the Eight Bells in Chipping Campden, which must be a one of the nicest towns in the UK.

Now it is back to reality. Watford have lost three matches in a row and it the rain is hamming down on my study roof. A long cold winter may be on its way!

2nd July 2021 – It’s been a while…..

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 04 Jul 2021 13:27:16 GMT

I expect you were beginning to wonder what had happened to me! No? Really? Not worried? Not even bothered!!? OK, ok, not even I’m narcissistic enough to believe that my lack of blog postings has left an unfilled gap in your lives, but by my reckoning it’s been about six weeks since I wrote and a lot has happened during that time.

Firstly I had my 62nd birthday, which I enjoyed with my neighbours in our garden on a rare dry evening at the end of May. I should have taken a pic of the party itself but instead I’ve shared the aftermath, which gives you some idea of the amount of alcohol consumed.

A few days later I made my first trip into London for over a year. I’d been invited to a Football Legends lunch at the M Restaurant Victoria, arranged by old friend Steve Surridge and hosted by ex-footballers Alvin Martin and Tony Cascarino. An extremely entertaining day, packed with old footballers’ yarns, it was all going so well until the final couple of large Hendrix and tonics. Suffice to say I was late to rise the following morning.

A few days later we headed up to Norfolk for a few days in Sarah’s parents caravan in Hunstanton. It was half term and the sun had started to shine, so we shouldn’t have been surprised to find that the full length of the North coasty was absolutely mobbed. On our first evening we managed to get a table at one of the local restaurants, Calley Hall, where I enjoyed a well-cooked lamb rump. The following evening – with all local eateries fully booked - we decided to collect fish and chips from the excellent Vegas fish bar. We started queueing at 19.00 and finally ate at 20.15. The longest queue for food I have ever been in! Nice piece of cod though.

The next day, despite the scrum of humanity and acres of pink flesh spread across Hunstanton Beach we set off for a lovely walk along the coast to the bird sanctuary at Holme. In the evening, Sarah and I managed to get a table at the White Horse in Holme, where the food is consistently good and the prices reasonable. The following afternoon we decided to beat the masses and eat early. We bagged a 17.45 table on the terrace of at the Chequers in Thornham. We were very impressed. The Chequers appears to have usurped The Orange Tree as the best food pub in the area. The oysters and welks starter were superb, as was the tray-baked sole – and the thrice cooked chips!! A top-class meal.

On the home cooking front, I’ve been as busy as ever, using my recently purchased bottle of Marsala liberally to enhance sauces. I’ve also been busy barbecuing, and the photo here shows a couple of delicious Barnsley chops on the grill. The chops were from Launde, where the quality of meat continues to be outstanding – look at the crackling on the pork below!

On the Covid front, Freedom Day has again been pushed back – this time until 19th July. I think we can all forget Summer holidays abroad this Summer - and perhaps even this year.

My report on the rest of June continues soon.

25th May 2021 – The weather outside is frightful!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 25 May 2021 13:39:06 GMT

Having enjoyed a bright and dry April, May has been awful, with rain on almost every day. Morale has been raised slightly by a further easing of lockdown measures and boosted significantly by Watford’s promotion, which we were able to celebrate in full drunken style in the garden of the Crown in Berkhamsted. I was also able to celebrate my birthday with a meal and a few Tring ales in the Bull on Sunday – sitting inside no less! Unfortunately our garden based get together with neighbours on Friday had to be cancelled due to …. yes you guessed it……high winds and driving rain!

The emergence of the ‘Indian variant’, as the most recent strain of Covid is now labelled, has thrown some doubt over whether the UK will fully open again in June, as we had all hoped. In the meantime, most of the world is on the government’s amber and red list and apart from Portugal and one or two others, there are few countries that are fully open for an overseas holiday. I think we will stick with our plans for a few weeks in the UK this Summer, so Devon it is again. There are worse places to visit – even if the travel is likely to be as slow and difficult as it was last year.

On Saturday night I was able to indulge one of my very guilty pleasures by watching all four hours of Eurovision. In an attempt to monetise the event I had several wagers - on Lithuania, Cyprus, Finland, Azerbaijan and Malta ( to name at least two more than a few), but unfortunately once the mind-boggling voting systems had transposed the public vote onto the Eurovision scoreboard, none of my choices made me any pounds – or even euros. Despite this, and the UK receiving it’s usual ‘nul point’ from our European ‘friends’, the evening was great fun but, as the competition ended at midnight, it constituted my latest night for at least a year!

On the epicurean front I have been picking masses of wild garlic to make into a fabulous oil. The leaves I haven’t already used have been frozen so I should be able to enjoy this fabulous, delicate flavour throughout the year. I’ve also made several aquatic purchases from the new fishmongers in Dunsley Farm shop. The pan-fried bream and oysters shown on this page were particularly delicious, even if the kitchen did smell of fried fish skin for days after.

My new flavour of the month is Baharat, a Middle Eastern, orange-peel flavoured spice, which I used on the chicken shown here, served with Batata Harra, a Lebanese spiced potato dish.

Finally, we ate some sensational lamb, cut from a rack provided by Launde Farm foods. Served with roast spuds, veg and wild garlic, the meat was sweet and tender. This and other recent meals are shown below.

23rd April 2021 – Happy St George’s Day!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 10:25:22 GMT

St Georges Day marks the end of an excellent fortnight. The weather has been great - cold at night but sunny during the day; the cat is still with us despite some late night wanderings; Watford FC needs just one more win to secure promotion; the bonkers attempt at a coup by big name football clubs has been crushed by fan power (for now anyway) and I’ve cooked and eaten some very nice food.

The good weather has also made trip to a pub garden even more inviting. On Tuesday, I joined two of my neighbours, Gordon and Ben, on a 4 p.m. trip to The Wetherspoons pub (The Crown) in Berko High Street, where I was pleasantly surprised (more like shocked) to pay just £4.95 for three pints of Tring Moongazing. Three pints turned out to be a perfect level of refreshment prior to Watford’s key match at Norwich. Being a bit out of practice in the art of downing 3 pints in just over an hour I spent most of the first half shouting profanities at opposition players and match officials.

However, a happy ending arrived with the final whistle: we had won, Swansea had lost and Brentford had drawn. We just need to beat Millwall on Saturday to be mathematically sure of promotion. Many a slip ‘tween cup and lip, as my Grandam used to say but I am quietly confident.

On the food front I used the barbecue to sear a shoulder of lamb, before off-setting the burners to low and effectively oven cooking the meat for another 3 hours. The results were good but will be even better next time. Then on Wednesday I took a trip to Dunsley Farm to pick up my Tring ale and some veg from the farm shop next door. I was delighted to find that the shop now has an on-site butchers and fishmongers, so I bought 6 scallops – plus some new season asparagus and a bury black pudding - for the evening meal.

Cleaning the scallops is quite a fiddly and messy business, as it involves opening the shells and removing the gut without damaging the scallop flesh. Eventually I presented the white jewels with a pea puree (lemon juice and a pinch of salt), fried rounds of black pudding and pancetta lardons. I oven cooked the asparagus and then used some of the pancetta and black pudding fat to make a scallop roe velouté with lemon juice, parsley, and crème fraiche. Apart from (IMO) looking great it tasted delicious.

I also added a dash of a recently purchased ingredient to the velouté. For weeks I’ve listened to the excellent Matt Tebbutt on Saturday kitchen extol the virtues of Marsala wine. I’ve now used it three times, most recently in a king prawn and chorizo pasta shown below. My conclusion is that Marsala wine adds a richness and sweetness to any sauce.

Tonight is Curry Night; a chicken jalfrezi, provided by my friends at Launde Farm Foods in association with a top Leicester Curry House. They provide all the ingredients and you do the cooking. I would usually cook my own curry from scratch but theirs is soooooo good we just keep ordering!

Have a great weekend – and Come on You Hornets!!

12th April 2021 – The cat, the barbecue, and the horse racing

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 08:28:12 GMT

Hello! I’m back. Apologies for the five weeks of silence but Cheltenham, then Aintree then Watford FC’s promotion push have proved to be rather a distraction. However, I’ve managed to squeeze in lots of walking and cooking - between races and matches of course.

Troy is now allowed outside, and regularly needs to be pulled out of trees and rescued after he’s come under attack from the older, street wise, cats in out street. At least we have learnt that he can run fast!

We have also purchased a new barbecue, which, despite my impaired practical skills, I put together and connected to a gas bottle. The fact that it works is nothing short of a miracle. Apparently, it is a hybrid (gas and coal) but thus far we have only been cooking with gas (so to speak). It’s very easy. You turn the knob, it fires up, and 15 minutes later you can cook your food. We used it during those two warm March days (which we may look back on as being the Summer of 2021) but also cooked on it last Saturday when the weather was arctic. Lots of people tell me that you must use coal to get the authentic BBQ flavour but so far, the meat and veg that has come off my gas grill has tasted great.

In other news I now have two parents aged over 90, as my mother passed that milestone on Tuesday and, on the same day, my daughter celebrated, if that’s possible during these times, her 26th birthday. At least she made herself a splendid cake (shown above). Tomorrow, as the world starts to come back to life, I have booked a table at the George tomorrow evening for myself and six fellow jolly boys. It’ll be the first time since December that I’ve seen most of the guys.

On the cooking front I’ve been busy cooking indoors and out. The marinated and barbecued chicken, halloumi, aubergines and peppers was particularly good, as was the oven cooked pork belly and wrapped cod.

In the garden, Sarah has turned a butler sink into a water feature and created a dedicated herb patch, which despite the unseasonably cold weather, is doing well.

4th March 2021 two meals for the price of one and Cheltenham is just around the corner

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 15:27:35 GMT

Since last April, we have been receiving ‘Lockdown’ deliveries of meat from one of my neighbour’s brothers; Gwilym, who runs Launde Farm foods, where they breed their own lamb and source their pork and beef from neighbouring farms. The quality of the meat has always been excellent, and we usually order enough for a roast meal on Saturday and a second meal on Sunday or Monday.

On this page you’ll see a pork shoulder joint that we cooked for seven hours - until it fell apart -and then served with roast spuds and veg. The following day I took the leftovers and made a delicious shepherds’ pie with a crushed potato topping.

Last week we took delivery of a joint of topside which we actually got three meals from; a roast on Saturday, a beef in red wine with carrot and onions on the Sunday (also using up Saturday’s roast spuds and parsnips), and finally on Monday another shepherds’ pie, which was very nice but not as good as the pulled pork version (according to my resident food critic; Sarah!).

On a different subject, we are now less than two weeks away from the year’s greatest week of horse racing; Cheltenham. Sadly, we will not be attending this year’s event, but like every other National Hunt racing enthusiast we will be watching the ITV coverage.

Much of my next two weeks will be taken up with studying the form and placing my ante-post bets, with a view to getting the best prices on my chosen nags.

Hence if you don’t hear very much from me until 20th March, you will know the reason why!

3rd March 2020 – I’ve had my first jab

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 14:52:01 GMT

On Monday I drove down to the Chess Medical Centre in Chesham and had the first of my two Covid vaccinations. It was very quick; it didn’t hurt, and I didn’t feel any after-effects whatsoever. My second jab is on 18th May. We’ve just got to hope Sarah gets her jab soon so we can; a) feel safe, and b) start planning the rest of the year.

In the meantime our lives at home continue as (new) normal. Troy is in top form and gets bigger every day. I’m in reasonable form and am attempting to get smaller every day – particularly round the waist. To that end, my son has brought over a running machine and my old static bike. I ran for seven minutes on Saturday and felt slightly unwell after! I was expecting more from my fitness – particularly as for the past year I’ve been walking about five miles a day. ……Was it really only a year ago that I was regularly running from Buckland Wharf to Halton and back along the old Wendover Arm of the canal? I think it may be a while before I’m regularly running three or four miles at a time.

Sarah says that if I want to lose weight I should also eat and drink less. I’m sure she’s right but I think I used up all my will power when I stopped smoking twenty years ago. Hence the wine continues to be quaffed, and the food continues to be made and served in generous portions (like the Fish Pie shown above).

25th February 2021 – My new favourite spice marinade…Chermoula!!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 10:42:23 GMT

Chermoula is a marinade and relish used in Algerian, Libyan, Moroccan and Tunisian cooking. It is traditionally used to flavour fish or seafood, but recently I’ve used it on chicken and pork. It is delicious – and simple to make.

Chermoula chicken on a bed of sweet potato, onions, aubergines yellow pepper and plumb tomatoes

Ingredients – 2 people with left-overs

• 5 free range boneless chicken thigh fillets (I would have used 4 but there were 5 in the packet). Potash Farm produces lovely chicken is available in lots of local farm shops.

• 1 aubergine cut into rounds

• 1 large sweet potato cut into bite sized cubes

• 1 yellow pepper sliced width wise

• 1 crushed garlic clove

• 1 red onion roughly sliced

• 6 mini plum or cherry tomatoes

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper

• Tsp of garlic salt

Ingredients – for the Chermoula spice mix

• 250ml fresh coriander

• 4 garlic cloves

• 2 tbsp white vinegar

• juice of 1 lemon

• 1 tbsp ground paprika

• 1 tbsp ground cumin

• 1 red chilli, seeded

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• salt, to taste

• cayenne pepper, to taste

Method

Combine all the spice mix ingredients in a blender or a large bowl. Add the chicken to the bowl (or you can use a sealable sandwich bag), massage in all the spices and leave covered in clingfilm (or in the sealed bag) in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Heat the oven to 180, layer the baking dish with aubergines, drizzle with olive and bake for 10 minutes until soft.

Add the rest of the veg except the tomatoes, add the garlic, and bake for another 25 minutes until the sweet potato start to soften

Then add the chicken on top and dot the tomatoes around the dish. Pour over all the remaining marinade a little more oil and cook for a further 25/30 minutes.

Remove from oven and rest for at least ten minutes. Serve with rice or couscous.

17th February 2021 - The return of an old favourite - Home-made Hummus with North African Spiced Lamb

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 16:22:50 GMT

North African in origin. A lovely sharing plate, served with pitta bread

FOR THE SPICED LAMB

• 500g lamb mince

• 1 onion finely chopped

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp cumin powder

• 1 tsp coriander powder

• 1 tsp paprika powder

• 1 tsp cinnamon powder

• Salt and ground pepper to taste

• Squeeze of lemon

FOR THE HUMMUS

• 15 oz / 400 g tin chickpeas, drained

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 garlic clove

• Juice of ½ a small lemon

• 2 tbsp tahini

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• Salt and pepper

• Pita bread

PLUS

• 1 tbsp pine nuts

• 1 tbsp chopped parsley

• Extra Virgin Olive oil to drizzle over hummus

MAKING THE LAMB

1. Toast the pine nuts quickly in a hot dry pan and put to one side

1. Return pan to stove on medium heat and add olive oil.

2. Add onion and cook until soft. Then turn up the heat to high, add mince, spices and salt. Cook, breaking up the mince into small pieces with the back of a wooden spatula, until browned and cooked through.

3. Set aside and cover so it doesn't dry out. A squeeze of lemon will keep it moist.

AND the HUMMUS

1. Place all ingredients except salt in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

2. Taste before adding salt and pepper. Also adjust acidity with lemon juice, if required.

3. Use water to adjust the consistency to a tomato sauce like consistency. Thinner than shop bought hummus in the UK.

ASSEMBLE

1. Spread hummus on a plate, using the back of a spoon to create a circle

2. Add the lamb mince in the middle, scatter over the pine nuts and sprinkle with parsley. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

3. Serve with pita bread.

15th February 2021 – Troy’s traumatic day

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 10:12:36 GMT

It is Troy’s date with destiny. This morning he reluctantly plodded into his carry-case and was taken by car to The Village Vets where he will, this morning, be neutered. He moaned throughout the journey and I have a feeling that he knows what he is in for. We sincerely hope that the removal of his testicles does not also lead to a removal of his sparky personality. We shall see….

Well, Valentines weekend came and went and we ate some great food; cod loin in spiced lentils, leg of lamb in pomegranate glaze, apple, walnut and prune crumble and an oriental lamb stir fry. Sadly the best of the racing was abandoned on Saturday but Watford’s unexpected 6-0 win more than made up for the lack of equine sport. In the evening Sarah wrestled me away from Sky Sports and we watched The Dig, a gentle Netflix film with a brilliant cast.

Last week’s frozen ground turned out to be much easier to negotiate than the previous week’s mud and despite the sub-zero temperatures I walked every day. This week looks less promising. As I write the rain is battering our skylight and the temperatures are forecast to reach 14 degrees by mid-week. Crazy weather to match these crazy times.

10th February 2021 - Keralan Chicken Ishtu Curry

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 14:38:38 GMT

This is the dish I cooked for Sarah's birthday on 1st February. It's a kind of hybrid Southern Indian curry, which was really delicious. There are a lot of ingredients involved but it's really quite simple to prepare. Give it a go tonight!

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp vegetable oil

• 2inch cinnamon stick

• 6 green cardamom pods

• 4 cloves

• 5 or 6 grinds of black pepper

• 1 Star Anise

• 15 curry leaves

• 1 red onion, finely sliced

• thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

• 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 red chili, deseeded and finely choppped

• 2 tsp fennel seeds

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 1 tbsp ground coriander leaf

• 600g chicken thigh fillets

• handful green trimmed and halved green beans

• 400ml can of coconut milk

• 2 tbsp coconut cream shaved off a block (available in most supermarkets)

• 1 tsp vinegar

• 200g washed spinach

• small handful fresh coriander, to garnish

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, then add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, star anise and pepper. Once the seeds have stopped popping, add the curry leaves and the onion and cook over a medium heat until coloured and softened. Add ginger, garlic and chilli, and sauté gently for 1-2 mins.

2. Grind the fennel seeds to a fine powder using a pestle and mortar, then add to the pan with the turmeric, ground coriander and a pinch of salt. Add approx. 50 ml of water and cook for 2 mins. Put the chicken in the pan and cook in the spice paste for 2 mins. Add water to come a third of the way up the chicken, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for an hour, stirring occasionally.

After an hour, add the green beans and coconut milk, cover and cook for another 10 mins. Uncover and cook off most of the excess liquid, stirring occasionally. Stir in the coconut cream, vinegar and spinach, and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve topped with the coriander.

The Epicurean's Paella

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 15:08:14 GMT

Unfortunately, the recipes section of this site only seems to publish recipes of a certain (short!) length, so here is the full Paella recipe below.

Ingredients – serves 4

• large pinch saffron strands

• 600ml of vegetable stock

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 100g chorizo, chopped into rounds 1 cm thick

• 160g cleaned squid cut into rounds

• 250g king prawns

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 red onion finely chopped

• 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped lengthways

• 2 tsp paprika

• 300g arborio or bomba rice

• 4 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped

• 75g frozen peas

• small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to serve

• chopped lemon wedges, to serve

Method

1. Stir the saffron strands into the stock and set aside to infuse while you prepare the rest of the paella.

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a paella pan or a large frying pan. Tip in the chorizo and fry for 3 mins until crisp and the oil has been released. Remove the chorizo and drain on kitchen paper, leaving the oil in the pan.

3. Add the prawns and squid to the pan and fry over a high heat for 2-3 minutes. Then put to one side.

4. Add a little more oil and fry the onion and garlic for 4-5 mins, until softened and starting to colour. Stir in the pepper and paprika with the remaining tablespoon of oil and stir-fry for a further 1-2 mins. The pan should have crispy, brown bits on the bottom, which will all add flavour and should be deglazed when you add the stock.

5. With the heat still high, use a wooden spoon to amalgamate the rice so it is well-coated, then pour in the saffron-infused stock plus an extra 200 ml of hot water, sir well.

6. When the rice has absorbed most of the liquid, add the chopped tomatoes, peas, and chorizo. Then add the prawns and squid and cook for around 5-10 more minutes until the liquid has all been absorbed,

7. Remove the pan from the heat, stir, and then scatter over the fresh parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and an extra drizzle of oil.

9th February 2021 – Snow and Paella!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 13:31:01 GMT

On Sunday everyone was braced for the Beast from the East and one of my friends in Norfolk reported that his wife had bought 200 toilet rolls, 10 kilos of pasta and 20 cases of Kroonenberg in anticipation of a long snow-in. I understand that he was joking (at least about the toilet rolls and the pasta) but in any case, the snow that arrived turned out to be little more than a few flakes, not enough for a full garden covering here in Berkhamsted.

The Beast however has delivered some bitingly cold weather and during the last three days we have experienced sub-zero temperatures. Consequently, on my walk this morning there was little sign of mud on the frozen ground.

Since I last posted I bought a batch of fresh Scottish mussels and cooked Moules Mariniere and a seafood Paella. Paella originated in Valencia and Valencians will tell you that the recipe should include vegetables and fish or chicken but never chorizo. However, a Spanish friend assures me that during times of starvation, such as during the Spanish Civil War, Valencians would have added their household pets to the pan if it was the only protein available. So with this in mind I made mine with squid, mussels, and chorizo – so there! I hope this culinary misdemeanour doesn’t preclude me visiting the wonderful city of Valencia again in the future.

Ps also made some pasta yesterday. Mixed the dough in our food processor. Mini ravioli stuffed with squash and sage. Very tasty but a lot of washing up afterwards!

4th February 2021 – another week slips by (pun intended)…..

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 10:49:06 GMT

Even more rain over the past week has made walking on slick country footpaths more difficult than I can ever remember. My walking shoes are Gortex and waterproof but that doesn’t stop the quagmire slopping over the top of the boots and into my socks. I’m seriously thinking about investing in green wellies.

On Sarah’s birthday (1st February) we waded round a five-mile walk with my daughter and her spaniels, taking us from Chorleywood, through Carpenter’s Wood and on to Chenies, passing the beautiful Tudor manor house on route. On a dry surface the walk would have been a pleasure but, in the prevailing underfoot conditions, it’s a triumph just to stay on your feet! But at least we got a nice hit of fresh air on Monday morning.

No such problems in the kitchen. Over the past week I’ve been extremely busy, cooking a Keralan Ishtu Curry (for Sarah’s birthday), a roast leg of lamb, lamb leftover stew with pearl barley and moules mariniere. Tonight, I will be making a paella.

I’ll post the recipes shortly.

In the meantime, stay cheerful!

Another veggie classic - Stuffed Aubergines

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 09:44:12 GMT

Aubergines stuffed with mushrooms and spinach – serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main course

• 2 aubergines, halved lengthways

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 small onion , finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves , crushed

• 225g chopped portobello mushrooms , sliced

• 150g fresh spinach , washed

• 50g vegetarian hard cheese (such as Twineham Grange), grated

• 3 tbsp crème fraiche

• 2 tbsp fresh white breadcrumb

• grated zest of half a lemon

• squeeze of lemon juice 1

• 25g pine nuts, toasted

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Method

Pour the nuts into a hot dry pan and fry for a couple of minutes until light brown. Put to one side.

Heat oven to 200C and place the aubergines on a baking tray, brush with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and cook for 20-25 mins until tender and golden. Scoop out most of the flesh and roughly chop.

Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a large frying pan, then cook the onion and garlic for 5 minutes until the onion has softened. Add the aubergine flesh and the mushrooms to the pan and fry for a few mins until browned. Stir in the spinach and crème fraiche and cook until the spinach is wilted. Taste and season.

In a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, lemon zest, pine nuts, parsley, and seasoning.

Spoon the spinach mixture into the aubergine halves and sprinkle the top of each with the breadcrumb mixture. Return to the oven and cook for 20/25 minutes until the topping is golden.

A veggie risotto - as long as you don't use Parmesan!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 08:46:44 GMT

This is a delicious risotto and good for vegetarians - as long as you use a cheese such as Twineham, which is made from vegetable rather than animal rennet. Enjoy!

Butternut squash, shiitake mushroom, leek, and spinach risotto

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 25g butter

• 4 spring onions chopped

• 400g butternut squash cut into small pieces

• 1 leek sliced into short rounds

• 150g sliced shiitake mushrooms

• 1 large garlic clove, crushed

• 2 tablespoons of chopped tomatoes

• 250g arborio rice

• 150ml dry white wine

• 600ml warm vegetable stock

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

• 30g grated Twineham Grange Italian hard cheese or another veggie Parmesan substitute

• 100g spinach

• Rustic bread and green salad, to serve

Method

Oil a baking tray and cook the squash in the oven at 200c for 20 minutes

In the meantime, heat the oil and butter in a large, deep, frying pan. Add the onion and cook gently for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the mushrooms, leek and garlic and cook gently for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the rice to coat with the onion, leek, and mushroom mixture. Add the squash, then pour in the wine and cook over a moderate heat for about 3 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the wine is absorbed.

Reduce to a gentle heat. Add the tomatoes and 200ml oz of the stock and cook for about 5 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Pour in a further 200ml of stock and continue cooking until that’s absorbed. Repeat with the remaining stock, until it is all absorbed, and the rice is creamy and tender.

Stir in the parsley and the cheese. Season to taste. Scatter the spinach over the risotto. Add a few spoons of water, cover and cook gently for 4-5 minutes until the spinach has wilted. Serve immediately.

27th January 2021 - the days are cold; the footpaths are muddy, and the food is hearty!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 09:52:33 GMT

Walking has been challenging recently. All the recent rain - and one good coating of snow - has left most local footpaths muddy and dangerously slippery.

This week I’ve avoided the country paths and taken to walking long pavement loops, starting in Upper Ashlyns Road, and taking in the length of Shooters Way before walking through town and back home via Kings Road. Not the most fascinating route I’ve ever traversed but at least I’m getting my 10,000 steps a day in.

The news is particularly gloomy this morning. 100,000 covid deaths have now been recorded and some harrowing personal stories have been featured on the news this morning.

As usual I keep busy through walking, writing, and cooking. The last few days I’ve been particularly busy in our kitchen, experimenting with ingredients and cooking everything from fully vegan to ultimate carnivore dishes.

The picture here shows the Toad in the Hole I made on Monday. It is very easy to make, as follows:

Ingredients – serves 2 generous portions

• 9/12 chipolatas. I used 9.

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil

• For the batter

• 160g plain flower

• 2 eggs

• 180 ml semi-skimmed milk

Method

Heat the oven to 220C/200C. Pour oil into the base of the of an approx. 25 x 25 cm roasting tray and when hot add chipolatas. Bake for 15 minutes until browned

Meanwhile, make the batter. Tip the flour into a bowl with ½ tsp salt, make a well in the middle and crack the eggs into it. Use a balloon whisk to mix. Slowly add the milk, whisking all the time until you have a batter. Leave to stand until the sausages are cooked.

Remove the sausages from the oven – be careful because the fat should be sizzling hot.

Pour in the batter mix, transfer to the top shelf of the oven, then cook for 25-30 mins, until risen and golden.

Serve with plenty of gravy, mashed potatoes, and your favourite veg.

Lime spiced cauliflower with sweet potatoes

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 11:30:44 GMT

This dish is one of my new favourites, based on a recipe by Dr Rupy Aujla from his terrific book, The Doctor’s Kitchen. Here we make it with prawns, but it can be made with white fish, chicken - or just with the baked vegetables for a delicious vegan alternative.

All you need is a large baking tray, and if you’re adding prawns, a frying pan

Ingredients – for two substantial helpings

1 tsp of turmeric

1 tsp of chilli flakes

3 cm piece of ginger peeled and grated

8 tbsp of Chiltern cold pressed rapeseed oil

1 lime, halved.

3 large shallots, peeled and quartered lengthways

350g of cauliflower broken into florets

350g sweet potatoes peeled and cut into wedges

250g of shelled jumbo prawns

150g of roughly chopped spinach

Salt and pepper.

Pinch of garlic salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C

Mix the spices and ginger with 5 tbsp of the oil and season with salt and paper

Using a juicer, extract the juice from the two lime halves and add to the spice mix

Finely chop up the lime halves and put to one side

Arrange the sweet potatoes in the oven dish, drizzle over half the remaining oil and cook for 20 minutes until they start to soften

Add the cauliflower and shallots, spread out all the vegetables and cook for a further 20 minutes

Heat the rest of the oil until very hot, add the prawns and garlic salt and cook the prawns for about a minute each side

Add the prawns, spinach, and lime pieces to the oven dish, add additional seasoning if required, stir, and cook for a final 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and enjoy with a mixed salad or green beans and broccoli

Enjoy!

A vegan starter or main. Miso Aubergines.

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 11:26:24 GMT

This dish is great as a starter and is very simple to make. Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and kōji and, occasionally, rice, barley, or seaweed. In UK supermarkets it comes in a jar and even a small amount gives meat or vegetables a big umami kick.

The full recipe is now available in the Veggy recipes section of this site.

If it's no-meat midweek it must be Fish Pie time!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 10:25:12 GMT

We're trying to eat less meat during the week and fish has become an important part of our diet. This is my tried and tested Fish Pie recipe. If for any reason you don't like eggs, just leave them out.

Ingredients – serves 4

• 1kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and halved

• 400ml milk, plus a splash

• 25g butter, plus a knob

• 25g plain flour

• 4 spring onions, finely sliced

• 1 x 340g pack fish pie mix (cod, salmon, smoked haddock) plus 100g of cooked and peeled Coldwater prawns

• 1 tsp Dijon or English mustard & 1 tbsp of creme fraiche

• Approx., 10g of finely snipped chives (about half a small pack) or a tablespoon of dried dill

• I small carrot finely sliced

• 1 leek finely sliced

• 150g of washed spinach

• 4 boiled eggs roughly chopped into quarters

• handful grated cheddar

• salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas mark 6.

Hard boil 4 eggs. Peel, chop into quarters and put to one side.

Place the potatoes, peeled and halved, in a steamer with the carrots and steam until tender

When cooked, let the potatoes stand for five minutes and mash with a splash of milk and a knob of butter. Season with ground black pepper.

Put 25g butter and sliced spring onions in another pan and heat gently until the butter has melted, add the flour and make a roux.

Gradually whisk in 350ml of warm milk using a balloon whisk if you have one. Bring to the boil, stirring to avoid any lumps and sticking at the bottom of the pan. Cook for 3-4 mins until thickened.

Take off the heat and stir in the fish, mustard, creme, leek, carrots, herbs, and spinach. Cook for 5 minutes and then spoon the mixture into an ovenproof dish.

Spread the eggs over the fish mixture.

Top the mixture with the mashed potatoes the best way to do this is by doing it a little at a time with the back of a spoon

Sprinkle over the cheese

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until golden and bubbling at the edges.

Remove from the oven and let the pie stand for ten minutes before serving with green veg and/or marrowfat peas.

An old favourite - Katsu curry

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 14:15:59 GMT

Made this again last week. Still one of our absolute favourites. This is how you make this dinner party favourite

Ingredients serves 4

• 4 x 150g free-range skinless boneless chicken breasts cut into strips

• 200 ml crème fraiche and 50ml milk

• 2 heaped teaspoons medium curry powder

• 120 g panko breadcrumbs

• 400g basmati rice

• 25 g creamed coconut

• Approx. 400ml of oil for frying the chicken

• SAUCE

• 1 onion finely sliced

• 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger finely chopped

• 1 medium carrot cut into thin rounds

• Approx. 30g of fresh coriander chopped

• olive oil

• 1 teaspoon each garam masala, medium curry powder, turmeric

• 2 heaped tablespoons plain flour

• 1 heaped teaspoon mango chutney

• ½ large cucumber cut into ribbons with a peeler

Method

1. Cut each breast into strips about 2/3 inches long. Place them in a bowl, pour over the milk and crème fraiche, add the curry powder and a pinch of sea salt, stir well and then toss to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

2. When they’ve marinated, pour out the breadcrumbs on to a tray. Remove the chicken from its marinade, shake off the excess, then turn in the breadcrumbs, pressing down to make them stick and flatten them a little more. Keep in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.

3. For the sauce, peel the onion, garlic, ginger, and carrot, then finely chop with the coriander

4. Fry in a large pan on a medium low heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the spices for 15 minutes, or until starting to caramelize, stirring regularly.

5. Stir in the flour, then the mango chutney. Pour in 800ml of boiling water and leave to simmer for 15 minutes, until reduced to a nice sauce consistency, stirring occasionally. Taste, season and add more mango chutney, if needed.

6. Meanwhile, cook the rice for ten minutes in salted boiling water until it starts to become tender. Break in the creamed coconut and mix together. Bring to the boil, stir, then simmer for 10 minutes until the water is absorbed.

7. Pour a couple of centimetres of oil into a pan and place on a medium-high heat for at least two minutes.

8. Carefully lower the chicken into the oil, fry for 2/3 minutes on each side until golden (not black!) and cooked through, then drain on kitchen paper. Try the first piece of chicken to make sure it’s cooked through and your timings are accurate

9. Serve as shown in the photo above.

18th January 2021 – Lockdown Three – the one after the sequel........

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 14:12:10 GMT

We are now two weeks (although it seems a lot longer) into another Lockdown. I’ve been walking most mornings, cooking every evening, and in between trying to plough on with my novel and write an article for the Chiltern Society, which will be published in early March.

My partner, a deputy head teacher at a large local primary school, has had her plans turned upside down by the very late decision to close the schools, and only keep them open for vulnerable children and the children of key workers. The problem is that so many people now consider themselves key workers or vulnerable that the school is still over one third full. Her and her colleagues now must provide in-school learning for these kids, online learning for those at home, while also attempting to ensure the pastoral care of all children and parents in their catchment. Who would want to be a teacher?

On a happier note, our new kitchen is brilliant. I can now chop veg and sweep any waste directly into a recycling bin right under my chopping board. The only downside is that Troy (our kitten), who has now reached the ripe old age of twelve weeks seems to like sitting behind and/or inside the bins. It takes exactly a nano-second between the bin being open and him jumping in it! At least it makes a change from him destroying our house plants.

On the cooking front, we decided that during January we would make most ‘school nights’ (pun intended) meat-free. Consequently, we have been eating much more fish and vegetarian meals. I’ve even experimented with Quorn mince. I made a Quorn ragu with tomato sauce, onions and garlic and added some miso paste, mushrooms, oregano, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce in a desperate attempt to give it some flavour. Then, to fully maximise the veggie experience I also stirred in about 150g of spinach. The result was woeful. I really don’t like the texture of Quorn but as it’s (allegedly) full of protein I’m sure my home-gym addicted son will consume it when I can next safely offer it to him.

Other meat-free meals have been more successful. Spiced Lime Cauliflower and sweet potatoes was delicious. We added prawns but you can also add white fish or chicken thighs if you’re not going down the vegan route.

Next up was a genuine vegan-pleaser, Miso Aubergines. These were really tasty. My first foray into cooking with miso, a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and kōji. I served it with a spiced couscous with chilli and coriander.

Finally, the dish at the top of the page was really easy. Just loaded in plenty of butternut squash, onions, peppers, dill and garlic and roasted some cod on top.

It hasn’t been all meat free though. We still like to enjoy meat at the weekend and recently we’ve slow cooked a shoulder of pork and a mouth-watering, boned and rolled leg of lamb (cooked slowly with harissa paste). Both joints were provided by Gwilym at Launde Farm Foods, our neighbour’s brother.

Walking has been a challenge as most of the local footpaths are now like swamps. I’ve started and ended most walks from our home, heading out towards Potten End, Berkhamsted Golf Club, Hockeridge Woods, Ashley Green, Haresfoot and Whelpley Hill. Most walks have been four to six miles, with plenty of hills involved, so I feel like I’m keeping fit even if my waistline isn’t yet agreeing with me!

In other news, Watford have changed their manager yet again, but the performances continue to frustrate. The racing on TV has been high quality but it now looks highly unlikely that we’ll be down at Cheltenham or visiting Aintree for the big jumps festivals this year.

My parents (with a combined age of 180) continue to survive the pandemic and my father had his first vaccine last week. I will be doing my usual weekly food run to them later this week.

Stay well.

30th December 2020 – we reach the end of an historic and unforgettable year

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 31 Dec 2020 13:08:32 GMT

It’s been six weeks since I last posted and what an eventful six weeks it’s been! I’ve been quarantined, locked down, locked out, allowed out, been out, out (to coin a popular comedian’s catch phrase) and then locked down again. In between times, Watford FC has sacked yet another manager, our kitchen (apart from a floor tile that needs grouting and a missing door recess, which has caused one or two toe injuries - and accompanying expletives) has been finished – and most life-changingly we’ve had a new addition to our family; a black kitten, which we have christened Troy in homage to Watford FC’s great on-field leader.

The 99.99% completion of the new kitchen means that I now have an amazing space to cook in and a huge television to watch while I’m chopping my veg. We kept the old range, which now, after a service, has two fully working ovens.

We ordered a 5-kilo turkey crown, a thigh meat parcel a huge gammon and all the necessary trimmings, in anticipation of feeding four guests on Christmas Day - and leaving plenty of leftovers for Boxing Day. Sadly, like everyone else, our Xmas plans were scuppered after an eleventh-hour volte face from our glorious leader, Boris. However, absolutely no scrap of food went to waste; some went in the freezer, some we delivered to my parents on Boxing Day but the majority was consumed by Sarah and I – and jolly tasty it was too, particularly the Gammon which I cooked in black treacle for 12 hours (shown above - thanks for the recipe Nigella!).

Apart from cooking, I’ve kept very busy, walking, watching footy and racing, keeping Troy on the straight and narrow – and churning out more content for my novel (now up to 19,000 words – almost half a book!). I even got to go and watch a football match live, as one of the ‘lucky’ 2000 drawn from the Watford ballot for the Cardiff home match. The day started so well. We enjoyed five refreshing pints of Guinness with our ‘substantial’ snack in Walkabout pre-match and walked up to Vicarage Road with a spring in our steps. However, the game was only memorable for there being no refreshments whatsoever (including water) available in the ground, no hand driers or paper towels in the loos and a steward snoring loudly on the back row of a depleted rookery. Oh, yes ….it was also freezing, we were hopeless, and we lost one nil. But at least it gave me some real football to moan about.

It’s all kept me entertained, which is more than I can say for the terrestrial TV offerings this Xmas. I realise that Covid places constraints on our entertainment industry but this year’s Christmas and Boxing Day schedule (unless you’re a Queen’s speech or Call the Midwife fan) could only be described as abysmal. The only saving grace being the atmospheric Black Narcissus, which ended last night. Thankfully Netflix and Prime have come to the rescue. Apart from the highly engaging and original, Queen’s Gambit, I can recommend Deadwind and The Valhalla Murders, two Scandi Noir crime thrillers brought to us courtesy of Netflix.

And so ….this is it. We’ve reached the end of (and here comes that ubiquitous word again) an UNPRESCEDENTED year. It seems a long time ago that I was enjoying the incredible highs of four days horse racing at Cheltenham and Watford defeating Liverpool in the Premier League.

In the wake of this new fast spreading strain of the virus, it is now looking probable that we will soon see a suspension of all football and horse racing, taking us back to the darkest days of April.

Thank goodness we have little Troy to keep us entertained.

Happy New Year to you all

12th November – back from Turkey to a world of quarantine and Lockdown

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 12:25:38 GMT

Eleven days ago I boarded a half empty EasyJet flight from Dalaman to Luton and brought my 47-day Turkish escape to an end. Although, I hadn’t previously met any of my fellow flyers, I knew we had at least one thing in common: we would all be spending the next 14 days quarantining at our respective homes.

So far, the first ten days I have spent under ‘house arrest’ haven’t been quite as maddening as I expected. Yes, it’s difficult to get in your 10,000 steps in each day – even after repeatedly walking round our (almost completed) kitchen – and after participating in some of Joe Wicks’s less strenuous exercise programmes. I’ve also had to be careful to avoid the builders who are currently out the back of our house replicating on the patio the tiling laid inside in the kitchen. By early next week we should have a kitchen floor that continues seamlessly out into the garden.

Hence, I’ve spent much of my time in our bedroom on the 2nd floor, staring out of our huge window at the world below me. I have my kettle and tea bags, table and chair, laptop and television- and each morning I get up early and prowl the empty spaces of the ground floor before the workmen arrive, making my packed lunch and then squirreling myself away at the top of the house.

On the plus side, I’ve now watched series one of both Darkwind and Borgen; two excellent Netflix shows. I’ve also completed what may be my final tax return, made a difficult hour-long call of complaint to my friends at Vodaphone and caught up with my mails, which accumulated during September and October. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my (almost) seven weeks in Turkey, it’s good to be back – even if it does involve quarantine and then further lockdown restrictions until 4th December.

The temperature In Turkey ranged from 37 degrees when I arrived on 16th September to around 25 degrees when I left on 1st November. Over the course of my stay we experienced just three rainy or dull days. The rest of the time was sunbed weather, and while reclining on that sunbed I managed to read eleven novels and even write a few thousand more words to my own future classic. And, when it got too hot – or I had writer’s block - I had a refreshing dip in the adjacent pool.

Apart from reading and writing, I watched Watford make a decent start to the season, I entertained a number of house guests who came over to stay, enjoyed a couple of boat trips, and got used to wearing a mask almost all the time, except when sunbathing or eating, both of which I did a lot of. The food in Turkey is great and we have some fine restaurants close to where we live. Some pics are shown on this page. With the exchange rate currently at almost 11 Turkish lira to the pound it’s also great value, e.g. at Mangal, across the road from our Villa, Turkish ‘puffy’ bread and dips, an excellent fillet steak and a bottle of decent Turkish vino set me back about £18. A great price for one of the best steaks I’ve ever had – and there was free baklava and ice cream after!

Anyway, back in the UK, the very good news is that it sounds like we may have a Covid vaccine available before the new year, which hopefully means the world can return to something like normality in 2021.

14th September – I’m off on Wednesday!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 12:58:42 GMT

Another two weeks has gone by and our kitchen work may have almost reached the halfway stage. After a noisy start the volume had reduced significantly during the past fortnight and the neighbours were even talking to us again (only joking, we have brilliant neighbours)! However, today the chorus of angle grinder, Kango and sledgehammer is again in full voice as the final demolition work takes place in readiness for the huge steel supports (or ‘steels’ as we now call them) that will be delivered Wednesday.

Wednesday is also the day I escape to Turkey, where I hope to crack on with my long-awaited (by me) novel and sort out a long list of issues at our house. I’m crossing every part of me that Turkey doesn’t suddenly get added to the Quarantine List while I’m out there.

As you can see from my pics, our temporary kitchen has now moved into the small utility room which the builders have kindly constructed for us. Despite there being little room for a large clumsy oaf, such as myself, to swing even the shortest tailed mouse, I managed to cook a joint of pork in my mini oven yesterday. This achievement was in start contrast to last weeks chili, during the cooking of which I managed to back into the draining board, propelling shards of broken wine glass across the room – one even finding its way into the sauce. Could have been very nasty!

Yesterday was much more successful - despite my hangover (a consequence of a very long Saturday afternoon ‘drink’ in the George). My often-unpredictable mini oven managed to excel itself and crank out enough heat for five hours of slow cooking.

In order to keep out of the way of our builders I have been going on long walks each day. My favourite routes have included, The Lee and Ballinger Common, Chalfont St Giles and Jordans and Hedgerley/Burnham Beeches, where I discovered a lovely pub called the White Horse, which offered a choice of seven cask ales poured from barrels behind the bar.

The building work is producing an awful lot of dust and as the weather is so wonderful today, I’m hoping the chaps will knock off early today so we can open the windows, get out in the fresh air and fire up the barbeque.

31st August – back from our Staycation Summer

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 31 Aug 2020 10:46:02 GMT

On Friday our UK Summer Staycation 2020 ended as we reluctantly headed home after a few days in Norfolk. Our three day stay at Sarah’s parents followed an enjoyable seven days in Rye, which, although in East Sussex, provided a base from which to explore Kent and for me to revisit old haunts from my University days at University of Kent, Canterbury. Sadly, when I say ‘rediscover’, what I really mean is that, almost 40 years on, I hardly recognised anything from my undergraduate days. Favourite pubs had shut, Canterbury town centre seemed crowded and swamped by traffic and even the University Campus had changed significantly (although the brutalist architecture of my old college building remained almost completely unchanged). As a result I was regularly heard muttering ‘I don’t remember that’, ‘I was once barred from the pub that I think used to be there’, or ‘I believe this is the building where I might have lived for a term’, as stalked through the streets of Canterbury and Whitstable. So many unreliable memories. Nowadays our whole lives are saved for posterity on Facebook and Instagram.

As you will all have witnessed, the UK weather, which was blisteringly hot during our stay in Devon, reverted to type, and the prospect of sitting on Holkham Beach or Camber Sands, let alone taking a dip in the sea was never really a realistic option during the final half of August. The speedos remained in my suitcase and I even wore long trousers one night - on our visit to Webbe’s Fish Café in Rye.

I had booked Webbe’s about a month in advance and as it was a Tuesday (an Eat Out to Help out night), I was pleased I did. The whole of Rye appeared to be fully booked for the first three nights of the week and on the Monday we were lucky to be squeezed in at the Mermaid hotel, where we had a pulled pork burger and super crispy fries which turned out to be very good.

Webbe’s was even better. I had three oysters and a glass of Prosecco to start, then a panache of fish which was lovely. The wine list is super reasonable (it even has bottles for under £20), and we ended up (with our twenty quid off) spending £90 including tip. I think this ranks as one of the best meals I’ve ever had for under £100. Superb.

We ate out every evening in Rye and I can’t recall having a bad meal. Sunday lunch at the Standard Inn stood out as being very good value as did the Turkish meal we had in Layla’s and pasta in Simply Italian. I’d never visited Rye before, but it is a beautiful town with plenty of history and decent foodie options. During our days out we also enjoyed some wonderful walks, including close to Chiddingstone, Sissinghurst and Bodiam Castle. There are also some excellent walks from Rye harbour down to the coast.

After a night back in our building site (TBF - it's only the back of the house that looks like it's been bombed!), we moved on to Norfolk, where we had a lovely pub lunch in the Dabbling Duck, situated in the picture postcard village of Great Massingham and a very good evening meal at the Duck Inn at Stanhoe, which Giles Coren recently raved about in his Sunday Times column. While in Norfolk we also visited the Anish Kapoor exhibition at Houghton Hall, which featured a fabulous sky mirror, amongst other outdoor exhibits. Happily we saw most of them before the heavens opened!

Back at our house progress has been made. We now have a utility room which we have converted into a small galley kitchen – just about large enough for me to prepare all the barbeque food yesterday (sweatshirts were required for the al Fresco cooking and dining). All is quiet in the house today, on account of it being a bank holiday Monday. In readiness for next week’s hammering and drilling, we have converted one of the rooms on the first floor into a lounge area and taken a kettle and teabags upstairs. Sarah says that now I have a sitting room to escape to and a small kitchen I should stop moaning. As usual, she is probably right.

23rd August 2020 – Norfolk and Devon (but not on the same day!)

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 14:46:56 GMT

On Monday 3rd August we rather gingerly walked up the road to load up our car and head off to Norfolk. We left behind a driveway covered with bags of ballast and featuring a large skip, parked where my car would normally sit. In addition, an impressive tower of scaffolding spanned the front and rear of the house, in anticipation of our flat roof being repaired.

Before we decamped, we dropped an ‘apology in advance for any inconvenience’ note through each of the thirteen letterboxes in our road. Despite this, as we crept up to where our car was parked, we felt slightly guilty about heading off on our hols and leaving the neighbours to enjoy the daily orchestra of hammer, drill and digger.

Two and a half hours later we were in Hunstanton at the Elsey family caravan ready for a three-night stay. The weather was kind and we even managed one day on Hunstanton beach. We ate out twice; once at Broadfields, which is a very nice family friendly venue in Thornham and then at the White Horse in Holme, where I had the pie – and very nice it was too. The rest of the time we walked, walked some more and visited some of our favourite pubs on the way.

After Norfolk, we spent a night back home to witness for ourselves the kitchen carnage and then drove two hours down to a pub called the Compasses near Mere, where we spent a very agreeable evening, enjoying Fay Maschler’s son Ben’s excellent cooking (Sarah said it was the best fish pie she’d ever had).

Next morning, we left early to avoid the hordes heading for Devon. We just about beat the Saturday rush and arrived at Kevin and Jude’s’ house just before noon. The rest of the day involved a mammoth drinking session - only punctuated by an excellent lunch at the Oyster Shack in Bigbury. So inebriated was I by the time we returned to Modbury that I almost bought a wine bar (long story…..maybe next time… ��)

The next day we sampled the delights of Newton Ferrers, including some delicious scampi, overlooking the estuary, before bidding farewell to our hosts and travelling on to The Globe in Frogmore (close to Kingsbridge), where we were booked in for the next 5 nights. Sadly, the view that came with our room was not of the estuary but of the A379, but the accommodation was large, the cooked breakfast superb and the food in the evening very good and very reasonably priced.

Our special night out was at Jamie’s at Number 27 in Kingsbridge (voted the best restaurant in the South West), where we enjoyed a superb meal (lobster main shown above), with lashings of white wine for just £140 (being a Tuesday, it was an Eat Out to Help Out evening which saved us £20 – which was nice).

Days at Ayrmer, Bantham and Challaborough beaches followed and I can proudly say that despite the temperature of the water I swam in all the above bays. We also enjoyed excellent days out in Salcombe and Dartmouth, where we cruised up the river and walked the coats path. To be honest I was a bit sad to leave this wonderful part of Devon and head home for a re-group before our next destination.

22nd August 2020 – we’ve escaped from the kitchen!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 23 Aug 2020 16:02:26 GMT

Work on our kitchen started on 3rd August and the first few days involved smashing the living hell out of the old structure and leaving the back of our house a hollow but extremely dusty shell.

Monday 3rd August was also the day we left the house for a temporarily peripatetic existence as refugees in Norfolk, then Devon and now Sussex (with a lot of Kent thrown in).

We’ve been back to the house for a couple of days in between destinations and been to be told by our builders that their demolition work uncovered a plethora of structural oddities and challenges, too numerous to list here. Suffice to say, the existing extension didn’t appear to have any foundations and there are now two deep holes in what was our kitchen floor. If I also mention additional steel work and talk of surgically inserting a lintel under the floor to support the existing structure (which is our house!), then you’ll probably get the picture.

The work is scheduled to finish in late October, which means that we have another 9 weeks of using a temporary kitchen, which Sarah set up in my office. She will be back at work in early September, so will miss out on the daily Kango hammer and electric drill choir. I however, being a semi-retired gent, will be there most days – that is unless I can find somewhere else to go.

I believed that I’d come up with an elegant solution; I would decamp to our house in Turkey for a month and sit it out while supping an Efes next to the pool. But recent events have made me think twice. Yesterday Portugal was put on the ‘all clear’ list of countries that can be visited without the being required to spend 14 days in quarantine upon returning to the UK. However, on the same day, Austria was added - joining a long list of other countries in mainland Europe. The quarantine list is now a highly moveable feast and there is talk of Turkey and Greece being added to it, although no decision has been made so far.

So, I now need to weigh up a whether I take a chance on a month away which may be followed by 14 days of isolation – or put my headphones on and brave the construction din. IN normal circumstances I would go for it but to self-isolate in a house with building work going on every day? It’s a tough call.

PS – on a happier note my home-grown green beans are absolutely delicious!

31st July – the calm before the storm

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sat, 01 Aug 2020 10:28:00 GMT

Work on our new kitchen begins on Monday and even though I understand how great it will be when it’s finished I can’t help but be anxious about how we will survive the next three months with parts of our house demolished/out of bounds and/or covered in building dust. I’m also concerned about how the work – and the appearance of vans and lorries in our road - will impact on our relationship with our neighbours. I also feel slightly guilty that, while all this is going on, we are off on hols; to Norfolk on Monday, then on to Devon and finally off to Rye on 18th August.

On a happier note, on Wednesday we made the seventy-five-minute trip down to Holmbury St Mary to follow the Greensand Way up to the summit of Leith Hill, the highest point in the south east of England. The weather was superb, and the views were spectacular. The woodland footpaths were easy to follow and there was even a pub that brewed its own beer at the end of our seven-mile hike.

On the cooking front I’ve been making the most of the kitchen (while it’s still in one piece!) by cooking lamb shanks and today Chicken with zaatar, butternut squash and aubergine. The pictures are on this page along with some stunners from our walk on Wednesday.

At some stage (when it rains) I will sit down and add some of these recipes to the site.

27th July – Blue Monday

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 15:04:26 GMT

Yesterday our worst fears were confirmed as Watford lost to Arsenal and were relegated to the Championship after five years in the Premiership. There’s been enough of misery and second guessing on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, so I’m just going to say; we are down but not out. We must get on with it and look forward to a season that should bring many London derbies – which I hope us fans will be allowed to attend.

In other news we went on two wonderful 5-mile walks at the weekend. The first involved parking outside the Full Moon and heading out to St Leonards, the second proceeded south from Buckland Common, towards the Blue Ball at Asheridge and back via the path behind Hawridge Hall. The weather hadn’t looked promising on either day, but we only suffered a few minutes heavy rain so I’m glad we made the effort.

Last Thursday I made something I’ve never made before; Paprika Chicken thighs with migas, roasted peppers and a balsamic saffron cream dressing (recipe to follow soon – pic at top of page). It was gorgeous, including the lettuce which we grew ourselves.

Friday evening, we treated ourselves to a Giggling Squid Thai takeaway, which was as good as ever and on Saturday I dropped Sarah at the George while I stayed home cooking a good old-fashioned Chilli.

Sunday was roast pork day, with roasted parsnips and carrots (shown below with plenty of Thyme). Cooked in cider for 6 hours at 125 degrees - and then for thirty minutes at 220 degrees to set the crackling. The meat and the cider cream sauce were lovely but unfortunately my appetite was somewhat limited by my reaction to the outcome of a football match I had watched thirty minutes previously.

Oh well, onwards and upwards, as they say.

20th July – life without an oven looms….

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 12:14:53 GMT

The last few days have highlighted just how crazy football is. Watford lost to West Ham to place us in an extremely precarious position, but then Villa only drew with an Everton side who looked like they’d packed their beach towels and were already in the airport lounge awaiting their Summer hols.

Sunday at 2 p.m. was Bournemouth against Southampton. An amazing and exciting games where VAR played its part not once but twice; once to award Saints a penalty (which they missed) and a second time to rule out Bournemouth’s 95th minute equaliser. After this level of stress, I decamped to the George, where I met Darren, Lisa and their yappy but well-groomed Basset hound, Charlie.

The weather’s improving and this morning I walked 5.20 miles around Cholesbury, Hastoe and Buckland common. Also ambled about seven miles on Saturday, playing a very enjoyable golf match with Claudio, VJ and Ian, followed by a few lagers in the 19th hole.

Plenty happening in the kitchen. After, leaving the George on Sunday we enjoyed gremolata covered pulled lamb in brioche buns. The lamb went in the oven at 1 p.m. and came out at 6.30, cooked with 100 cl of white wine in a covered dish at 125 degrees.

I also cooked something new this week; chicken and cashew nuts, with all the usual oriental ingredients, including pak choi - plus some flour to thicken the sauce (pic shown on this page).

Tonight there’s no football on that effects our relegation struggle so to mark Sarah’s final day at school before the holidays, I spend a couple of hours prepping and cooking a lamb tagine with spiced couscous.

There will be even more happening in our kitchen next month as we are having a complete redesign, including knocking out internal wall and adding bifold doors. It will be interesting to see how I cope without an oven for three months.

What’s this blog all about then??

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 23:00:00 GMT

What's this blog all about then? A very good question dear reader. The original objective of this website was to provide a useful source of information on local food, drink and our wonderful Chiltern countryside. In short anything that could be described as 'epicurean' and/or 'fun' in our locality.

The site’s first incarnation appeared in AD 2012 but pressure of ‘work’ (which I apparently did then) caused many distractions, and I failed to keep it up to date. Finally, in 2016, the posts had started to so few and far between that I gave up on it completely.

However, last year I retired from my business and decided it was time to resurrect the site. The IT Department (my daughter) overhauled it, moved it to a snazzy new platform and in early 2020, like a phoenix from the flames, the Chiltern Epicurean was re-born.

Although I continue to add recipes, you (my reader) may have noticed that the blog has recently morphed into a sort of ‘What the Epicurean did during the Lockdown’ diary. ‘Why has this happened? ‘I can almost hear you ask.

Well, firstly, it keeps me busy. In the early days of Lockdown, when many people were ‘climbing the walls with boredom’ (I quote a close friend), writing my diary entry each day became part of a new life routine that has over the past seventy five days or so included a long walk and a couple of hours of cooking. Once I added in some reading, Netflix and an early night the days started to fly by!

Secondly, as someone who has aspirations to turn his writing skills into a part-time business (via my chilterncommunications.co.uk site) it keeps my quill hand ‘in’ and means that post pandemic I may, at least, still be able to write sentences that are grammatically correct and avoid the pitfalls of obsolete apostrophes, split infinitives and misused colons.

Thirdly, this blog, and the accompanying recipes, has given me a platform to demonstrate that cooking food at my level is not an exact science, that you don’t need to stick rigidly to recipes and, at a time when some ingredients are in short supply, substituting, for example; pasta for rice, oregano for basil, or even chicken for beef does not a ruined final dish make.

Spending an hour or so over my keyboard each day, had convinced me that even if I don’t always have the inspiration, I’m willing to shed the perspiration required to make regular writing an important part of my life. At the time of refreshing this post (on 9th June), I have written more than 70,000 words - .some published here, some not. All I need now is a plot!

When 'this is all over' (a popular phrase of our times), there will be a veritable plethora of Lockdown stories appearing in the press and on our screens. I'm sure we will soon get thoroughly bored with them. The story of how my partner, Sarah and I, coped with the restrictions will be just one more, hidden away on a website, written by a man that likes his food…..

But, one day, when my grandchildren ask: ‘What brave things did you do during the pandemic Grandpa ‘ I can offer them a Werther’s Original, look them straight in the eye and proudly say ‘I wrote a Blog’…..’and I still have the evidence to prove it!’

Stay Safe.

Martin Pearson

The Chiltern Epicurean

16th July – the lockdown routine and football nerves

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 17 Jul 2020 07:44:45 GMT

Various levels of lockdown have now been in place for four months but life for some of us seems to have settled into a comfortable routine. Having sold my business back in December 2018 it was always my intention to enjoy an easier life with less stress and fewer business obligations. Last year, I set up my own limited company to enable me to do some PR and copywriting when the opportunities came along, but lockdown has put that intention on hold. The consultancy work dried up at the end of February and since March I have been a man of leisure.

I’m fortunate that I don’t have to work to be able to eat and pay the mortgage, but I was concerned that without a daily routine I would lose my sense of purpose. How wrong I was. My primary hobby of cooking and blogging about food has kept me busy and has often caused me to fret about how little time I have spent on my photography and re-learning the guitar. I’ve also spent more time walking, which has not only been good for my mental health but has, according to my rather dodgy scales, helped me shed a few ounces in weight! I’ve also started to take more interest in the financial markets and have had a lot of fun - and one or two successes - managing my own small portfolio. At a time when savings interest rates are shrinking by the day, I’ve needed to keep a close eye on my cash investments too.

Then there is all the household things that somehow I fitted in around work; primarily managing my two rental properties but also the mundane things like paying bills, getting the flat roof fixed, moving the telephone point, cleaning the drains, cutting off branches and most importantly acting as personal secretary to my partner (a deputy head teacher, who leaves me a To Do list on the kitchen table every morning)!

My daughter is currently working part-time, and we have started meeting for a walk every Monday morning. This morning I drive over to Chorleywood and meet Amanda (and Dulcie the dog) and head out from the farm where my daughter lives with her mother, towards Chalfont St Giles. The weather is warm and I’m in a good mood as I’ve already carried out a couple of the chores set out for me on the ‘To Do’ pad.

It turns out to be a lovely stroll, along a route I’ve never taken before. Close to home we start to be followed by a slow, ugly looking dark brown mutt, who we think may be lost or abandoned. Being an animal lover Amanda notes the telephone number on the dog’s chip and does everything she can (including posting on the Chorleywood Facebook site) to inform the owner that the dog is with us. Eventually the owner calls us back, tells us not to worry because the dog often does this but always finds its way home. Eventually it stops following us and we make our way back to the farm. We discuss how irresponsible the dog’s owner is and I think Amanda is relived that she doesn’t need to take it home with her.

Golf is something I’ve rediscovered during lockdown and Tuesday around 4.30 has been a regular time slot to play 9 or even 12 holes at Stocks. After completing our round, we meet Robbo, Greenie, Burnsie and JR in the bar, which has reopened this week.

Wednesday is a regular shopping day and this week it’s my turn to deliver to my elderly parents in Denham, it’s also my turn to ‘do the beer run’, to pick up draft ale from Tring Brewery for me and my neighbours. Sarah is working at home today and we pop up to Wigginton Shop so she can get some locally made gifts for a teacher who is retiring. On the way back we pop into Batchelor’s, an old school nursery; i.e. no gift shop or top end barbeques for sale - just plants. Garden Centres used to be like this before they stopped being Nurseries and became …well….Garden Centres!

Suddenly the week is half over and I’ve only written a further 778 words of my novel! I promise myself that I’ll get up early tomorrow to plough on. At least now I have a plot.

However, it’s very hard to concentrate on anything else but thoughts of football this week. Watford are still in a precarious position and I watch nervously as our relegation rivals, Bournemouth almost come back to draw at Man City and Villa draw at Everton.

Tomorrow night at 8.00 we play West Ham, who have the same number of points as us. If we win, we stay up. If we lose there is every chance we will go down. In my opinion it is the biggest game in our club’s history. Fingers – and everything else – crossed.

In the meantime, I’m delighted to report that my lettuces are flourishing – as you can see above ��

12th July – we’re staying up!.......OR are we???

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 14:06:38 GMT

9th July – I have just left the dentist. I feel a bit groggy on account of the gallons of anaesthetic Richie the dentist injected in my mouth, but the good news is that all the prodding, drilling and extracting was relatively painless. The bad news is that I now have very few teeth in the bottom right hand side of my jaw and the filling to a molar on the top left of my mouth doesn’t seem to have had the desired effect. The tooth is still painful when anything very hot or very cold touches it. It may have to be the dreaded root canal treatment but for now I’ll make do and leave it for six months.

By the evening my numbness had disappeared, and I cook a ragu with beef mince from Launde Farm, using onions, garlic, white wine, tin of tomatoes, a splash of Worcestershire sauce and a beef stock cube. I serve it with tagliatelle.

10th July – golf day at the exhaustingly undulating West Essex golf club with Claudio, VJ and Ian, three old friends. The course is tricky, but we enjoy some wonderful views over London (see below). Get home by 6.30 for the Friday drink and realise that I haven’t eaten since this morning. Consequently, while Sarah watches TV in the lounge, I scoff left over lamb and aubergine bake, the last knockings of the Thai curry and some of the remaining ragu. Go to bed tired and absolutely stuffed.

11th July. Everything builds up to 12.30 and the Watford match v Newcastle. It’s another tense affair which we eventually win 2-1. I can hardly watch the last five minutes, but the win takes us up to 34 points, which all us Watford fans agree will be enough for us to stay up. After all, Bournemouth and Villa aren’t going to win their matches tomorrow – are they. A great relief.

I celebrate by cooking a fabulous roast dinner. Slow (5 hour) cooked pork with fabulous crackling and all the trimmings, including homemade red cabbage. It is gorgeous.

12th July. The weather has improved to the point where it is actually quite sunny. I decide to get the barbeque out and make the usual; a homemade burger, a nice pork chop and lots of roasted veg. I’ve also bought some brioche buns which are delicious with the burgers.

The rest of the day doesn’t go so well. England lose the cricket and unbelievably, Villa and then Bournemouth both win to keep the pressure on us. We are still 3 points ahead, but the goal difference advantage could disappear in one match against the brutal Man City next week. It is still all to play for. Nervous times.

5th – 8th July – First Orders please!! Plus, a rare victory and lots of lamb leftovers

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 07:50:01 GMT

Sunday is a grey day – again. While Sarah finds even more areas of the garden that need painting, I work on my article. Later we take a walk down to the town, where I enjoy my first post-lockdown pint at The George. Very civilised it is too. We are taken to a table and order our drinks from one of the waiting staff. A couple of pints of Fanny Ebbs later we walk home, and I watch Villa almost getting a point at Liverpool. Thankfully, with twenty minutes left, Liverpool bring their big names on and squeeze out a 2-0 win. A big relief for us Watford fans.

Dinner is a shepherd’s pie. This morning I cut up some of the leftovers from the lamb joint and add chopped onions, carrots, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, some white wine, beef stock, thyme, rosemary and seasoning and cook it the oven for an hour.

When we return, I chop up four spuds and make some mash, with butter and milk. I then pour the lamb mixture into an oven proof dish and add the potato on top. Finally, I sprinkle over breadcrumbs and cheese and bake for a further forty minutes. A lovely Sunday meal.

6th July

Amanda is coming over to walk the dog and we head for the woods near Cholesbury Common, waking up to Hastoe before heading back through the woods to the car. It is very humid but the rain just about holds off.

This evening I make my tried and tested Thai curry with chicken thighs – always a winner!

7th July

Today is dominated by a nervous wait for 6 p.m. when Watford take on Norwich. To take my mind off football I make the trip to Tesco to pick up household essentials and then pop over to Dunsley Farm shop to pick up some veg and meat. Tring Brewery is right next door, so I also pick up a couple of litres of Moongazing to get me through the match.

As expected, it is a very tight match which we eventually edge 2-1. I’m so nervous I can’t even eat before the match, even though I’ve made a wonderful aubergine, potato and lamb bake (the lamb leftovers have gone a long way!). Once the match is over, I run around the garden, shouting with joy. Happily, my appetite has returned, and I tuck into the dinner. A good evening ends.

8th July

Sarah is working at home, so I’m told to keep quiet. There’s drizzle in the air but I decide to walk the four miles over to Hall Park and back to the Hugh Street, where I manage to get the cleaning products I failed to get yesterday.

Back home I complete and send off my article, and even have time to watch the first episode of Deadly Union, a French murder mystery from All4, which looks quite promising.

The evening meal is my tried and tested baked cod loins with Turkish seasoning. Fifteen minutes in the oven, while I make noodles with spring onions, ginger, chilli, Pak Choi and red peppers. Soy, lime, hoisin and sesame oil is added - plus some water. Finally, my par steamed cauliflower goes in and we have a lovely meal.

4th July – UK Independence Day

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 05 Jul 2020 11:11:00 GMT

It is Friday, and Sarah is at home working. The weather is cloudy but dry, so I decide to drive to Hawridge, park opposite the Full Moon pub and walk towards Wigginton.

It’s a lovely walk which takes you to the edge of Wiginton. You then walk back through fields and gorgeous Roundhill Wood to the common. Well that’s the theory anyway. At Tring Grange Farm I should have turned right and walked straight up to the car but, instead, I walked about half a mile too far; all the way to Hawridge Church.

Eventually I covered 6.5 miles, rather than the intended five. My right heel is blistering but I must persevere with these walking shoes. I reassure myself that I’ve never had an uncomfortable pair of Ecco shoes before, so I’m sure they’ll stretch.

Back at the car I can see preparations are being made at the Full Moon, in anticipation of the rush of customers tomorrow.

During the rhe rest of the day I watch a couple of episodes of Succession and then, at 6 pm, we huddle under my neighbour’s patio to enjoy our Friday evening drink. Having decided on a Giggling Squid takeaway I find it isn’t delivering this evening. Luckily Joseph at number 30 is going to collect Fish and Chips and is kind enough to get us some. We eat too much cod and far too many chips and stumble into bed.

On Saturday, we drive down to Berkhamsted to purchase bread and the papers. We then journey on to Kiln Lane to take on a similar walk to yesterday’s. Having avoided yesterday’s navigation errors, we take the correct path at Tring Farm and cover the 5.25 miles without any unintended detours. The weather isn’t great and perhaps that’s the reason that there are no queues outside the Full Moon. I wonder how other pubs are faring today.

Back home I make an omelette using up the roasted veg that I cooked with the chops on Thursday. It is delicious but very filling.

In the afternoon I win a few quid on the racing and start to think about the evening meal. We have a 1.4 kg piece of bone-in lamb shoulder. Distracted by The Derby and Man U’s 5-2 win I don’t really do the meat justice. It’s fine but not lovely – or maybe we’re still full from lunchtime.

In the evening I watch Watford lose yet again and the only crumb of consolation is I stuck a fiver on Chelsea to beat us 3-0. It’s a £50 profit but it’s no real compensation.

2nd July – More dental horror stories

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 14:37:44 GMT

It’s Wednesday which means a trip to Tring for the weekly shop. I’m now getting used to there being no queue at Tesco Tring, but I’m waiting at the entrance just long enough for me to mention the words ‘I went to the dentist yesterday’ to the Hand sanitiser Man. Despite a queue forming behind me he spends five minutes regaling me with tales of dentistry disasters, including the one about the snapped teeth and another ditty about the wrong teeth being extracted. It seems that everyone I speak to about my forthcoming dental work has a horror story to tell. Let’s hope I have nothing to add to this depressing anthology after my appointment in the chair next Thursday.

A trip over to Tring beer shop follows and I drop off our shopping before heading round the M25 to Denham Garden Village retirement home. The old folks appear to be in good health and decent spirits and once it starts to rain, I head home, popping into say hello to my sister and brother in law en-route.

The evening’s footy is West Ham v Chelsea, and the Hammers late winner puts Watford in even greater trouble. Despite the excitement of a game that ended 3-2 this is a day of few steps. In fact, my heart rate barely touches 100 BPM. My Fitbit must be very disappointed in me.

On Tuesday, I intend to play golf, but the weather looks distinctly dodgy later, so I make the most of the early morning dry spell and go for an extended walk around the block, picking up a few provisions from M&S on the way.

Suddenly the sun comes out and I spend an hour sitting in the garden with the cat on my lap readying The Husbands Secret, before having a Zoom call with my Financial Advisor at 3 p.m.

The weather looks set fair, so I confirm golf and head up to Stocks. By the time I arrive it is absolutely pouring. Stuart and I get as far as the patio, crack open a 2 litre of Moongazing and consume half of it. Eventually, despite the clouds looking very black, we pluck up the courage to play four holes and get back to the patio and consume the rest of the ale just as the heavens open again.

Earlier today I have prepared a one pan meal of pork chops on a rack above a selection of veg, including onions, peppers, squash, fennel, cauliflower, baby tomatoes, garlic and sliced new potatoes. Plenty of herbs, some lemon juice and oil are added, and I cook it for 50 minutes.

When I return at 7.15 Sarah is still at her friend’s, so I heat up the food for an additional 15 minutes, let the pork rest for ten minutes, add a blob of crème fraiche and mustard to the veg and scoff my share. Very nice it is too.

1st July – another favourite ingredient

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 12:24:37 GMT

Chiltern Cold Pressed rapeseed oil is an award-winning oil produced right here in the Chilterns – at PE Mead Farm at Wilstone to be precise. It is my oil of choice in almost all the recipes on this site.

29-30th June – the month draws to a close

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 12:20:14 GMT

As the 100th day of Lockdown comes and goes, June draws to a close with some hope and expectation in the air.

‘Hope’ because the Covid infection rate - and consequently the death toll - has now decreased significantly; and ‘expectation’, as so much of what we used to take for granted will soon be available to us again – albeit in a ‘New Normal’ way.

On Monday, I attempted to make up for a rather sedentary weekend by taking a rapid four mile walk over to Hall Park, back through Berkhamsted and home. In the evening I made a ragu out of the last knockings of the weekend’s lamb and served it with Orzo, now one of my favourite pasta varieties.

Tuesday was The Day of the Dentist and turned out to be quite an eye opener. Before I could even enter the practice, I had to stand outside until invited in. I had to keep my mask on at all times except for when I was laid in the chair (obviously!) with my mouth open. Both the dentist and his assistant were, unsurprisingly, in full PPE.

X rays were taken, and treatments discussed. It looks like 2 teeth are to be extracted (including a wisdom tooth) and one that may require root canal but which they will (reluctantly) fill first. The treatment will take over an hour and costs almost £500. Next Thursday will be a painful day for my face and my wallet.

Later in the afternoon, my friend Dick the builder and his roofer, Adam, came over to have a look at our leaking flat roof. After plenty of grimacing, teeth sucking and several uplifting (not!) dental disaster stories they left promising a quote by the end of the week. As the roof is not easy to get to and is a long way up, I’m not expecting this to be a cheap outcome either.

Tuesday dinner was pork steaks with some roasted baby spuds. Very nice, considering it was a quickly improvised meal.

In the evening we sat down together on the sofa and watched Will Ferrell’s Eurovision movie on Netflix. I laughed a lot, but there again I like Eurovision.

27th – 28th June – it’s another stressful football weekend.

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 13:40:03 GMT

As usual the weather has collapsed just in time for the weekend to begin. On Saturday morning I get up early and take my usual walk down to Berkhamsted to collect the newspapers. The street market is up and running but at 08.30 there aren’t many customers around. I make a mental note to get out early every Saturday, by 9.30 the town will be heaving. I walk straight into Tesco, which doesn’t even have anyone standing on the door. I pick up a few extra veg to go with tonight’s meal and head home.

The walk back takes fifteen minutes and is split between approximately five minutes of getting very wet; five minutes of drying off and finally, during the steepest final part of the walk, five minutes of getting very warm.

I spend the rest of the day attempting to ward off cabin fever by watching racing, football, more racing and finally more football. Villa lose to Wolves which, being a good result for Watford, should improve my mood but until I get in the kitchen and unwrap the leg of lamb it feels like a wasted day.

I’m going to cook the 1.4 kg lamb, conventionally, at quite a high heat, but first I glaze it. Firstly, I take a sharp knife (or Stanley knife) and make incisions all over the lamb. I then take a couple of cloves of grated garlic, the juice of half a lemon, plenty of olive oil, some rosemary and thyme and salt and pepper and combine in a bowl. I then spread it with my fingers all over the top of the lamb, pushing as much of it as possible into the incisions.

I cook it for thirty minutes at 200 degrees, uncovered on a rack above an oven proof dish. I then wrap it in foil, drop the temperature down to 185 and after an hour, load the base of the dish with par boiled and roughed up potatoes, chopped carrots, parsnips and onions.

I remove the lamb to rest under foil while the veg remains warm in the oven. Finally, I remove the veg and make a quick gravy with red wine, a stock cube and the juices left in the pan.

The result is tender, flavourful lamb, crunchy spuds and tasty veg. It’s rich, but some steamed colly and broccoli helps to offset the richness.

It’s the highlight of the day and we eat far too much of it. Consequently, our attempt to watch the movie (about the kidnapping of JP Getty Junior) ends in snoring and then a daxed stumble up two flights of stairs to bed.

On Sunday I choose to ignore the forecast shown on Sarah’s phone and defiantly point to what the iPhone weather app is predicting; i.e. it may be dull but there will be no rain. Sarah’s forecast indicates that there will be rain at 10.00 but there is no evidence of precipitation when we leave at 9.00 to drive down to Water End and start our walk.

The walk starts by taking us up hill to a ridge high above Hemel Hempstead. The weather is fine and happily we soon lose sight of the old Kodak building as we head north. After three miles we are in sight of Piccotts End and less than a mile and a half from the car.

Suddenly the sky darkens, and the wind gets up. It starts to rain. Gently at first but then torrentially. I check my watch; it is three minutes past ten. Sarah gives me a ‘I told you so, but you never listen and always think you’re right’ look as I help her locate the right arm of her raincoat in which is dancing in the now gale-force winds. At least we are only thirty minutes form the car. Within ten minutes the rain has stopped but it catches us again when we’re almost in sight of the car.

Never mind. We’ve had our exercise and we can now relax for the remainder of the day. Watford are on at 4.30 so I spend much of the afternoon preparing the left-over lamb, which is to be cooked with prunes and cardamom. By 6.30 we have lost 3-1 to Southampton and I am beginning to seriously consider the fact that we may go down. Even worse, it looks like our deadly rivals Luton may stay up, which means we will have to play them next year.

I counsel myself and try to believe in the old adage that ‘it’s just a game’.

23-25th June – get the factor 50th on!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sat, 27 Jun 2020 11:28:56 GMT

The past three days have been hot, hot, hot. In late June the sun is at its strongest and, as there has been less pollution produced over the past few Lockdown months, the UV rays are spearing their way through the atmosphere unfiltered. High factor sun cream and floppy hats are the order of the order of the day and my comfy garden chair has been moved into the shade of our apple tree.

Suffice to say it’s been barbeque weather, featuring marinated (in curry paste and harissa) chicken, some quality burgers and the usual grilled aubergines, peppers and courgettes.

On Thursday, James, drives over to watch Watford take on Burnley. As he’s recently become a veggie, I cook my famous roasted veg, featuring cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes, onions and butternut squash – with thyme, rosemary and plenty of smoked paprika. Served with a grating of cheddar and pasta – very nice. Sadly, the match didn’t live up to the food and despite a very good 23 minutes spell, once the drinks Break (!!??) ended all momentum was lost and we went down 1-0. We are now back in the deep do do.

On Friday I played golf with Burnsie. Thankfully there was a breeze, so we got around 12 quite successful holes without melting. After golf I raced back to join our neighbours for the 6 pm Friday drink.

I managed to sleep on my right side tonight, which meant that I didn’t wake up with the left-hand side of my face locked and my head throbbing. Instead the loose tooth on the right-hand side of my jaw has dislodged. This constitutes a reasonable result overall. I am actually looking forward to seeing a dentist next week.

In other news, the pubs are opening again next Saturday. God knows what chaos that will bring. I think I’ll wait until Sunday afternoon before having my comeback pint.

Recipe revisit - Tartiflette using Nettlebed Creamery’s Witheridge cheese

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 08:32:44 GMT

Tartiflette is a classic dish from the Rhône-Alpes region of France, close to the Italian border. It is a real winter-warmer that takes less than an hour to make and is guaranteed to satisfy a hungry family on a cold evening.

Traditionally it is made with Reblochon cheese but here I am walking in the footsteps of former MasterChef winner, Thomasina Miers, who, in The Guardian food magazine, suggested using Nettlebed’s Witheridge or Highmoor as an alternative to Reblochon.

My version uses Witheridge and I’ve added a few extra lardons and a handful of white breadcrumbs to provide a little extra ‘clout’.

If you want a ‘No Meat’ recipe just leave out the lardon and replace with mushrooms or even roasted cauliflower. Still delicious.

Serve with a green salad. A balsamic dressing on the salad will help cut through the richness of the tartiflette.

Full details are in the Recipes section at https://www.chilternepicurean.co.uk/meaty-meals-recipe/6

How to make my Slow cooked Orchard View Farm pork chops with Jim and Jules’ Scrummy Apple chutney glaze.

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 13:55:42 GMT

This is one of my favourite evening meals. It uses plenty of local ingredients, including apple chutney made by Jim and Jules, Chiltern rapeseed oil - and even rosemary from my very own herb garden! The chops came from Orchard View Farm in Meadle, but there are many other excellent local pork producers including Stockings Farm in Amersham and Hazeldene Farm in Chesham.

Serve with mashed spuds. The combination of local pork, local apple chutney, sweet vegetables and very local rosemary is sensational!

The key is to let the pork rest for at least 20 minutes after you've removed it from the oven.

See the full recipe at https://www.chilternepicurean.co.uk/meaty-meals-recipe/IvR5

Monday/Tuesday 22nd and 23rd June – manual labour and shopping

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 10:59:03 GMT

You may have noticed that I’m no longer offering you a daily account of the enthralling comings and goings in the Epicurean’s existence. I figure that if I spend less time writing my Corona diary, I could dedicate more time updating my recipes, but so far that hasn’t happened either. For a semi-retired gentleman, I’ve suddenly found that I am busy!

Monday morning and Amanda is coming over with Dulcie. We need to find some wide expanses where her energetic spaniel can run free, so we make our way towards Ashridge Management College, park up in a lay by and work our way up the path towards the hill overlooking the Golden Valley.

We continue towards the college and then cross the road and head towards the long straight avenue that connects the college with the monument. Apparently, the Duke of Bridgewater built the monument as a tribute to his late wife, and the position of it is such that he could view it from his window when he was the master of Ashridge House in the nineteenth century.

The walk from the college to the monument looks quite short but is deceptively long and the warm weather forecast for the week has arrived. We spot an ice cream van pulling off the main road, towards the monument and this is incentive enough for us to continue walking. However, before we reach the monument the ice cream van is driving away. I flag him down and he stops but informs me that he only takes cash. We have none, so we make do with the dregs of our water and walk on. After 5.72 miles we are back at the car and Amanda takes Dulcie home. A lovely walk.

At home I consider what I’m going to do with Saturday’s Lamb Chennai to take the heat out of it and make it something a human can eat without crying. I add a can of coconut milk, some yoghurt and some additional vegetables. It takes away some of the heat but in the process ‘blands it’ considerably. Never mind. I don’t like wasting food and it’s quite an enjoyable – if slightly creamy - supper.

Tuesday morning and the heat has arrived. I’m up early as I have a lot to do before I vacate the house at 9.00 when the cleaner arrives to give our house a fortnightly going over.

My first job is to load up the back of my car and take all the wood from the old dismantled bin store to the dump. I’ve heard tales of long queues at Berkhamsted Waste Site so I’m going to get there as early as possible. I only incur a couple of minor injuries while loading the timber, and I take a few minutes out to make another cuppa and tape up my bleeding thumb.

I head to the tip, but even from the other end of the road I can see that the queue extends well back from the site. I therefore go with Plan B which is to do my shopping first and come back later. Tesco Tring is quiet and I’m second in the line. We have plenty of meat at home but need to replenish our stocks of fruit and veg. It should be quite a modest bill at the checkout today. However, despite my best efforts, I fail to pass the wine section without making a purchase or two. After all, Gavi for under £8? It would be madness not to pick up a couple of a bottles. They also have a decent Malbec on offer and by the time I reach the tills my top-up shop has cost me £73.

At 10.30 I arrive back at the tip and find the queue is down to five or six cars. Because of the distancing rules each car must occupy a double space. This means that half the usual cars can use the facility, which is quite handy as it means I have more room to remove the wood from the car and into the container, without sustaining any further injuries. It only takes about fifteen minutes to despatch the timber and by 11.30 I am back home unpacking the shopping.

I spend the afternoon, reading, writing and scouring the internet for ideas on what to do with the lump of left-over pulled pork I have in the fridge. Finally, I decide to make a pork ragu. It will be our first meal for several days that hasn’t contained copious amounts of chilli and I think my digestive system need the break! I chop up the remainder of the meat and combine it with finely chopped onions, carrots, garlic, peppers and mushrooms. I then add a splash of white wine, a tin of chopped tomatoes, plenty of fresh parsley and basil and some salt and pepper. I finish it off with a glug of white wine vinegar and a spoonful of apple chutney. In the meantime, I make some pasta and steam some broccoli. It is still 28 degrees here, so we place our table in the shade of our apple tree and eat the ragu with a nice bottle of Tesco Gavi – what else?

Saturday & Sunday 21/22nd June – Long days of footy

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 07:39:52 GMT

The weekend brings the Summer Solstice and long days of live TV football – including my beloved Watford FC playing high-flying Leicester City on BT Sport at 12.30.

I started Saturday with a sick feeling in my stomach. Was it a dodgy sausage last night? No, this is a feeling I remember very well from the dark days of late 2019, when Watford were rock bottom of the Premiership table. It is the certainty that win lose or draw, I will be put through a ninety-minute emotional mincer that has regularly churned me up and spat me out since 1968, when my father took me to my first match.

Despite my knotted insides I manage to consume a couple of pre-match bacon rolls and, with Sarah taking yet another trip to a local DIY store, I have the sofa and the large TV to myself.

Despite the odd lack of atmosphere created by piped crowd noise my engagement with the match is full-on. In typical Watford fashion we start badly, grow into the match, miss some very good chances and then let the other side back into the match. With time running out it looks like being a 0-0 draw, which is not the end of the world. Then, suddenly the ball is switched to Leicester full back, Chillwell, and he hits an absolute screamer past Ben Foster to win the game. I wander out into the garden with my hands on my head and wonder how I’ll get though the rest of the weekend,…..But, wait, as I re-enter the lounge, the screen shows that the ref has added five minutes of injury time. There is still a faint glimmer of hope - and we have a corner. The ball comes loose in the penalty box and Dawson hooks it in. Being a football pessimist, I wait for VAR to overrule it - but NO! We have grabbed a draw from the jaws of victory. YEEEEEESSSSSS!!!.

The manner of the draw feels like a win and I have that same sense of elation I remember from December 2019, when our new manager Nigel Pearson (no relation) took us on a run of results that included home wins against Man United and Wolves. Happy Days are here again – so long as the other teams near the bottom of the table don’t win of course.

Bournemouth and West Ham lose and, despite Brighton getting a late winner, the results have generally gone our way and we are a point clear of the drop zone.

The rest of the day is spent watching the racing and losing money gambling on it. Even financial penury can’t dampen my mood. We got a late draw!

in the evening I celebrate by ordering far too much curry from the excellent Fat Buddha. It is lovely, despite the Lamb Chennai being the hottest thing I’ve eaten since my university days when I consumed a whole Meat Fal in order to win a bet.

On Sunday,

James comes over to wish me Happy Father’s Day (although he’s forgotten my present) and to reapply the shower sealant in the en-suite shower of my flat in Chesham Road. I have a new tenant moving in tomorrow and everything needs to be spot on.

Later I put a shoulder of Launde pork in the oven. I prop the joint on two onion halves and cook on a very high heat for 30 minutes. Then I cover it with foil, drop the heat to about 125 degrees and cook for three hours. In the meantime, I chop up some sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips and apple. I take the pork out of the oven, scatter the veg over the base of the dish, pour in half a can of cider and a star anise and cook uncovered for a further hour so the crackling firms up. While cooking the pork, I spot a recipe for Hassleback potatoes in the Saturday Telegraph. Apparently, this dish is very popular in Sweden, but is quite fiddly, involving finely slicing peeled spuds, stacking them in a baking tray and covering with garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, thyme and oregano and baking them for an hour. Very nice I will cook these again.

We eat in our sunny but slightly cold garden and when I serve the pork and it falls apart nicely. Sarah even eats a second helping, so it must have been good! However, the star anise makes the whole dish a little too rich for me. Next time I may leave it out.

Happily, Chelsea have just beaten Aston Villa and that’s a great result for Watford. At 19.00 I watch the Merseyside derby; it is such a poor game that I doze off and it is all I can do to drag myself up to bed. I am asleep by 21.30!

Friday 19th June – a birthday drink

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sat, 20 Jun 2020 09:13:03 GMT

As I may have mentioned before, we are fortunate to have a lovely group of neighbours, who we regularly meet for a socially distanced drink every Friday at 18.00 – come rain or shine (so long as there not too much ‘come rain’).

This evening it turns out to be the 21st birthday of Gordon and Alison’s son, Thomas, so we and five other neighbours congregate in Gordon’s drive enjoying a few beers and a glass of bubbly.

By the time we come in it’s almost 20.30. I’ve cooked, in advance, some Launde Farm sausages and have some spuds baking in the oven. A simple meal tonight, which I eat while watching another tepid, crowd-less Premiership match; Tottenham v Man United. It’s Watford tomorrow and the nerves are already starting.

Earlier in the day, I watch 6 of the Ascot races, including two in the Zoom facilitated company of three of my friends and fellow racing enthusiasts; Kevin (the Hood), Chugs and Daz. We all don our Ascot top hats and I get the opportunity to throw mine in the air as Golden Horde wins the 15.35 race. A decent race day but cut short by Sarah’s insistence that we get over to Tops tiles before it closes at 17.00. It’s actually quite a useful visit as I think we’ve made some progress on what we want on the floor of our new kitchen.

No photographs taken today but here’s one I took of our neighbour’s cat, earlier this week when the sun was out.

Thursday 18th June – the roof is leaking!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sat, 20 Jun 2020 08:50:57 GMT

Last night the rain was so torrential that in our bedroom we were forced to turn the volume on the TV up from its normal 40 to 55 - just so we could hear as well as see the conclusion to Cardinal. The flat roof above our bedroom was taking an absolute hiding and I nervously joked that we might get wet during the night.

Sadly, I was correct. We wake up to a cracked ceiling dripping very close to Sarah’s side of the bed. There are several leaks including one that appears to be dribbling through one of the spotlights (note to self – don’t turn the lights on!).

After a panicky half an hour of trying to find insurance documents I call my pal Richard, a builder -and a reassuring voice in these types of crises. He promises to come over later and take a look.

Out the front of the house, our carpenter, Ash, is building a wooden structure to house our waste bins. It is still raining heavily but having been locked down for months, tradesmen need to work, and work they do; constructing a gazebo on the drive so they can keep themselves and the timber as dry as possible.

I spend most of the day attempting to maintain their morale high by ferrying regular cups of tea out to Ash and his assistant, in between Ascot races. I also begin to prepare the evening meal. Taking four chicken thigh fillets and marinating them in honey, soy, chopped spring onions and garlic and leave in the fridge for four hours. Later I cook them in the oven with sliced peppers and some par-steamed shredded cabbage and green beans. Served with fine noodles it is, yes you guessed it, delicious!

After our meal we flop in front of the television. It has been a challenging day but probably not as challenging as its been for Ash and his assistant. They don’t stop working until almost 20.00! The least I can do is offer them some further refreshment and beers seem to be the order of the day. Happily, the weather has now changed again, and the sun continues shining until almost 21.30.

Wednesday 17th June – just need a plague of locusts now!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 12:40:22 GMT

Biblical weather today. Torrents of rain worthy of the Old Testament. Our guttering is leaking, and the water has now got under the door and onto the carpet in my study. It’s another job for someone to do but not today, not in this weather.

We have a carpenter here building us a wooden bin store, but he has to call it a day at 15.00 after spending an hour sitting in his cab looking hopefully at the sky.

The change in the weather is dramatic. This morning it was warm and humid when I made the trip to Tring to pick up Tesco goodies for my parents and litres of Tring ale for me and my neighbours. My parents seemed to be in good spirits as we sat chatting outside in the warm sunshine.

As the rain started so did the coverage from Royal Ascot, which seemed to dodge the worst of the afternoon downpour. Again, I just about got out of the day financially intact and at 17.00 warmed up the dinner I cooked yesterday, with the intention of being in front of the Villa v Sheffield United match by 18.00. Everything went to plan and the Mexican Lamb, served with oven roasted Jersey royals, cauliflower and green pepper – with steamed broccoli on the side, was delicious.

However, the match was an absolute stinker; reminding me that football, when it’s good is very, very good but when it’s bad it is horrid! Not only was it 0-0 but the goal line technology failed and there was no VAR overrule.

You wait 100 days for a match - only for the whole event to let you down. Oh well, at least Villa only got a point so are still below us.

Tuesday 16th June – Golf, beer and yellow mustard

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 13:49:10 GMT

A long humid day. Up early to get my selections in for our WhatsApp group Royal Ascot competition, then spent most of the afternoon glued to the racing on Sky 415.

Had a decent betting day with a couple of big winners early on but missed the last two races to drive up to the golf club. Stocks are now allowing members to use the patio and its furniture - which is much more comfortable than drinking a post-golf beer in the car park. The golf was OK, but I fear that my enthusiasm for a game that was once almost an obsession is beginning to wane.

It’s non-stop TV sport for the next couple of days – Racing and Footy - so I used the time between races to get ahead in the cooking stakes by using the rest of the lamb in a Mexican stew, consisting of an onion, 2 cloves of garlic, plenty of chilli, 3 ground cloves, a teaspoon of cinnamon, a teaspoon of oregano, a tsp of chipolite paste, a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes, a spoon of creme fraiche, the remainder of my lamb stock, a tablespoon of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of cyder vinegar and a chopped portabello mushroom. Seasoned and cooked for a couple of hours at 180 degrees. This will be tomorrow’s pre-footy food.

Tonight, I arrive back from golf at 19.30. I’m hungry and have a root around our recently reloaded fridge. I find some nice ham, which I eat in a sandwich with tomatoes, mixed leaves and one of my guiltiest of guilty pleasures; yellow mustard. Even the colour makes it look like a hazardous chemical and the flavour is definitely an acquired taste - somewhere between mayo and mustard, with a vinegar kick. I absolutely love it!

Monday 15th June – making the most of the sun

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 09:07:47 GMT

Wake up to blue skies and sunshine but the weather lady says it will be raining this afternoon. Must make the most of this lovely morning, so I grab some brekkie, put on my trusty boots and leave the house at 10.00. I follow one of my favourite local routes down to Harratt’s Farm, through the woods towards Hockeridge Bottom before turning sharply right up hill, through the Christmas Tree Farm and home again. Almost four miles at a decent pace and I’m glowing nicely at the end of it.

After a quick shower I get in the car and drive down to the town to see what the first day of ‘the big opening’ looks like. As I park outside Waitrose, I spot a lot of people (mainly women) with branded bags walking back to their cars. Yes, the shops are all open and it looks like the good people of Berko have been making the most of it.

Considering so many people are on the high street, the queue for Waitrose is surprisingly short. I gain entrance quickly and spend a very pleasant forty minutes racking up a food bill (plus some fire lighters, Sensodyne toothpaste and shower gel) of £126. Oh yes, there were seven bottles of wine in my trolley too. As I leave, the rain arrives.

Get home and contemplate the leftover lamb, which has been wrapped in foil since Saturday. There is a lot of it. Definitely enough for two more meals. I decide that tonight it will be a curry, utilising half of the leftover lamb, onions, ginger and garlic, followed by a couple of teaspoons of cumin, turmeric, some pak choi, an aubergine (sliced and fried before adding). Finally, I add a teaspoon of tamarind, some stock I made on Saturday, a tablespoon of tomato paste, a can of coconut milk, plenty of chilli and leave it all to simmer for thirty minutes. After twenty minutes I add a spoonful of my old favourite, Geeta’s Mango Chutney, which balances the sourness of the tamarind nicely. All very delicious!

Sunday 14th June – It’s barbeque weather!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 08:05:25 GMT

After yesterday’s long walk we decide to take it easy – or at least I do. Sarah spends almost all day in the garden, doing amazing things to our vegetable beds and receiving some nasty looking insect bites in the process! My major contribution is watering our hanging baskets and marinating chicken thighs in harissa, cinnamon and garlic salt.

The bread was delivered early and breakfast consists of a cinnamon knot and some lovely fresh walnut bread. That’s it until I fire up the barbeque mid-afternoon.

Despite my general impatience I leave the coals for almost two hours before cooking the chicken, peppers, portobello mushrooms, onions (in a foil tray) and finally the Launde Farm burgers. I also make a green salad and cut some of the wonderful bread.

It’s a lovely evening and we sit outside eating and quaffing a bottle of Malbec. I’ve concluded that you can’t beat the flavour of barbequed food and the mushrooms in particular are delicious.

Saturday 13th June – The sun is back and the lamb is delicious!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 07:38:21 GMT

We’ve arranged to go walking with my daughter Amanda and her dog Dulcie at this morning, so we get up early and I make us an energy enhancing breakfast of porridge with strawberries, blueberries, grapes, banana, yoghurt and Potten End honey.

We then make our way to Sarratt Green and set out on our walk which takes us round Sarratt, Commonwood, Chipperfield and Flaunden, before returning to the car via the beautiful open countryside to the in the west of Belsize. It’s a pity the pubs aren’t open as after almost six miles we are all hungry and I could murder a pint!

Back home we have a quick lunch and then Sarah spends the afternoon gardening, while I lounge in the garden reading the papers and occasionally move back to the kitchen when the racing is on.

At 13.30 I start the evening meal; Persian Lamb. We have a lovely 2kg boned shoulder of lamb, which I coat in a mixture of 4 tbsp of Pomegranate Molasses, 2 tbsp of olive oil, one teaspoon of cumin powder, one tsp of paprika, 2 minced garlic cloves and the juice of a lemon. I then wash out the mixing dish with 200 ml of water and carefully pour the liquid round the side of the lamb (not over the glaze). I then sit the lamb on a quartered onion, pop the lid on the dish and cook the lamb in the oven for almost five hours. After four hours I remove the lid and remove a large amount of the liquid in the pot. Most of this is rendered fat, so I pour it into a container and leave it to cool. Once it has cooled, I will be able to scrape off the fat layer and be left with a delicious stock, which I can use at a later date.

In the meantime, I make mashed potato, a disastrous Yorkshire Pudding which tastes more like a desert base (I used wholemeal flour and it didn’t work) and steam some veg. After five hours, I remove the lamb and add lamb stock, red wine and hot water to the pot and amalgamate with the onion and the juice that’s left. I’ll rest the lamb for thirty minutes under foil.

The lamb is amazing and falls apart as I cut it. Gorgeous. The mash isn’t bad either but the least said about the crunchy Yorkie the better! Oh well we all have our culinary cock-ups ☹

Friday 12th June – pork chops and a lost year

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 13:07:29 GMT

As you know I am now a writer and this morning I suffered a ‘writer’s setback’. I found some old diaries, which are very helpful in setting the mood of 1976, but after a while noticed that the diary in question was actually for 1977, which may mean I need to change a few things, for example; how can a woman look like Jackie Smith from Charlie’s Angels when the TV show didn’t air in the UK until 1977. Doh! I spent about twenty minutes trying to recall what happened in 1976, but with little success (I have a 1975 and a 1977 diary but no 1976). I guess what the old hippies said is true; if you can remember the seventies (or in my case 1976), you were never really there.

In the same diary I also found some slightly embarrassing pics of my Main Function days of playing Jazz Funk (whatever that was!). Our band’s look was timeless apart from my big round plastic glasses, which were definitely stuck in 1984!

Spoke to both James, Amanda and my parents today and they all seemed reasonably well. Then spent the rest of the day writing and looking forward to our 6 p.m. rendezvous with the three sets of neighbours who we meet for a socially distanced drink each Friday evening. As always, we had a jolly good laugh, drank a few beers and then returned to our respective homes for dinner.

Pre-drinking I glazed a couple of Launde Pork Chops with Geeta’s Mango Chutney and slow cooked them on a rack at 150 degrees for about 75 minutes. Once rested, they were soft and delicious but with a good crackling - thanks to the amount of salt rubbed on the rinds. One of the nicest things I’ve eaten recently.

Thursday 11th June – 1976 and Sausages

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 13:28:10 GMT

A huge breakthrough today. While walking in the fields near Briden’s Camp I decided once and for all what the plot of my novel will be. It means that all the prose I wrote about the talking suitcase will have to wait for the sequel, while I concentrate on the here and now. The book is set in the long hot Summer of 1976 and that’s all I’m willing to divulge right now.

Feeling pleased with myself, I manage to complete my four mile walk just before the heavy rain arrives. On my drive back home, Richard, the editor of The Chiltern magazine calls. It’s that time of the year again, which means they need me to write another article. “Perhaps something on businesses you’ve written about before. Reporting on how they’ve found the Lockdown”, Richard suggests. It’s a decent suggestion and I promise myself that I’ll start work on this once I’ve written the first 10,000 words of the new novel; provisionally titled “The Summer of 76”.

In my office I warm to my task; the words are flowing and so immersed do I become in my world of loon pants and afghan coats that I totally forget about tonight’s dinner.

At 16.00 I look in the fridge and find half a dozen Launde Farm sausages. I will do a one tray bake; consisting of onions, baby plum tomatoes, garlic, cauliflower and whatever I need to use up in the fridge. This amounts to some yellow pepper, half a courgette and a fennel bulb. I drizzle over some olive oil and sprinkle some chopped basil and parsley on the veg; then place the six sausages on top and add some paprika, salt and pepper.

While it cooks at 200 degrees, I steam some broccoli spears and make a pot of pasta. After about forty minutes I remove the dish from the oven and put the sausages to one side. I then stir in 75cl of white wine, a tablespoon of crème fraiche and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and warm the dish on the hob. I spoon the vegetable mix over the pasta, with the sausages on the top and the broccoli on the side. We wash it down with a £6 bottle of Yellow Tail Shiraz, which is an outstanding bottle of wine for the price.

Wednesday 10th June – A Cromer Crab and a Thai curry

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 08:23:33 GMT

Ten days ago we were basking in what we stated to believe might be an everlasting Summer. But, as it usually does, the capricious nature of the British weather has come back to bite us. it’s rained for the past three days and there isn’t a lot of sun forecast for the weekend. All very nice for the garden but how will we organise our Friday evening outdoor drink with the neighbours? Answers on a postcard please.

Sarah’s at home today and I leave her in her office while I take the car down for its MOT at the excellent Water End Garage. I’m braced for major expense as the recent BMW service concluded that three of my tyres are either illegal or will need changing very soon.

I sit in the waiting room reading Saturday’s Telegraph Review but before I complete the section on ‘How to be a Writer ‘by Anne Francis, I’m told my car is ready. It’s only taken forty minutes and the good news is that it’s passed without any problems. It seems the BMW service team may have spoken with forked tongue as the Water End technicians detect wear but no immediate problems with the tyres. I sat ‘thank you’ many times, pay the £39.95 and drive away with a huge smile on my face.

Driving through Berkhamsted I notice a parking space right opposite the market. It’s too tempting to turndown, particularly as I can see a very short queue outside Tesco. I park up, enter my car reg, stick a pound in the slot and walk over to Tesco. Once inside, I realise I don’t really need anything but, being a shopaholic, still manage to spend £18 on a bottle of wine (on offer), a cauliflower and a chopping board (mine are too small).

On the way back to the car, I pass the Fish Stall man and (as he doesn’t accept credit cards) manage to ferret ten pounds in change out of my coat pocket and purchase two Cromer Crabs for our lunch.

The rest of the day is spent eating the crab (lovely), driving to Apsley to pick up a new toaster (4 slice model in navy blue) and picking up post from my flat in Chesham Road (one piece of junk mail).

Spurred on by Anne Francis’s encouragement (“once you start writing you are not trying to write or trying to become a writer…you ARE a writer”!), I spend a couple of hours trying to plough on with my novel and actually get quite lost in my 1976 world (the year is starts).

My eyes hurt from the hours in front of the screen, so I opt for a simple evening meal. I have had a pack of Red Curry paste in the cupboard for months and this and a 400g can of coconut milk form the base for my Thai curry, which uses up the last of the pork, onion, ginger, chilli, garlic, red and yellow peppers, chopped apples and pak choi. I think the end result lacks seasoning and my noodles are over-cooked, but Sarah really enjoys it – and that’s the main thing.

Tuesday 9th June – A pesky critter and an essential bit of cooking kit

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 10:51:38 GMT

Not much to report today. The Black Lives Matter debate dominates the media and it’s almost as if the Corona pandemic is over! Sarah is at school and the cleaner is coming in for a couple of hours, so I make myself scarce from 9.00 until 11.00, so she can get on with it. She’s wearing clean clothes and using gloves so I’m comfortable that the risk involved in having her in the house is minimal.

In the late afternoon I play (an improved) nine holes of golf and get home around 19.30. It’s too late to cook so I stick my snout in the fridge and pull out a little snack, consisting of a chunky Lamb chop, some marrowfat peas, a couple of tomatoes and some sourdough bread and cheese. I try to toast the bread, but the toaster appears to have given up the ghost. A visit to Amazon.co.uk is on the agenda for tomorrow.

With no cookery to report I thought I’d take this opportunity to shame the brazen squirrel who has now completely decimated the bird feeder we attached to our kitchen window. His mug shots are below. Have you seen this rodent? If Crimewatch included an animal section I’m sure he would be on it!

At the top of the page I’ve added a photograph of what I consider an essential piece of Kitchen kit, i.e. the sealable food bag. I use these bags at least twice a week for marinating chicken, pork, lamb or beef. The meat goes in the bag and then I mix the spices and pour them in too. I then stick my hands in and give the contents a good massage. If the bag’s not too full you can do your massaging on the outside. The bag is then sealed and sits in the fridge until you start cooking.

Monday 8th June – I love leftovers

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 13:10:32 GMT

I enjoy a roast dinner but usually like it more when someone else has cooked it. The leftovers, however, are a different matter; knowing that we’ve only eaten just over a third of a delicious 1.8kg slow-cooked pork shoulder is enough to start me rifling through my recipe collection for inspiration.

Pork is wonderfully adaptable, and can be used in a variety of recipes, including a spicy curry, a pasta dish or a casserole with apples. However, I think my favourite use of leftover pork is to make a pork stir fry with fine noodles.

Having spent the morning enjoying a vigorous four mile walk round to Hall Park and back I was ready to head for the kitchen to get the meal prepared ready for Sarah’s return from school.

This is what I did:

We have about 800g of pork left over, so I took half of it and cut it into small chunks and put it to one side.

I then finely chopped about 6 spring onions, half a yellow pepper, half a leek (not very oriental but it needed using up!), a couple of chestnut mushrooms, half a red chilli a large smashed clove of garlic and heated all these on the hob with a couple of tablespoons of rapeseed oil.

Once these vegetables had started to soften, I added the pork, a heaped teaspoon of five spice powder, a couple of tablespoons of dark soy sauce, the juice of one lemon, I tablespoon of sesame oil, a teaspoon of oyster sauce, a teaspoon of hoisin sauce and a splash of Chinese vinegar.

I then added about 8 pak choi leaves and some halved fine green beans which I had par cooked earlier.

I seasoned the mix with salt and pepper, added about half a cup of water, covered the pan and left it on a low heat for about twenty-five minutes.

I served the pork with rice, because Sarah wanted rice! However, I would usually par-cooked two nests of fine egg noodles and add them to the mix about five minutes before serving.

A lovely sweet and spicy dish! An alternative version of this dish can be found in the recipes section of this site.

In other news, one of my tomato plants has a sprouted a tiny tomato! I can hardly contain my delight ��

Sunday 7th June - Sheep and lamb

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 08:36:04 GMT

BBC Weather app tells me it will rain at mid-day, so we get up early, collect the bag of fresh bread from our doorstep, scoff a cinnamon knot and a banana and head to Gaddesden Garden centre.

It’s only 09.00; the centre isn’t open yet, but the overflow car park is, and it is a convenient place to start what turns out to be a wonderful five-mile walk. When my daughter show me how, I will add this one to the Walks section of this site but in brief, it involves us walking up the hill towards Gaddesden Place, and then on through woodland to the outskirts of Jockey End, before heading back down the hill to Great Gaddesden.

During the walk we pass fields of foxgloves, some lovely properties and a hell of a lot of sheep – in fact we even have to move (by clapping our hands) a flock off the bridge over the River Gade, so we can enter Great Gaddesden. By the time we arrive back at the car the sun is shining. Sarah spots that there is no queue outside the garden centre, so I clear out my boot while she borrows my credit card to purchase a hose and broccoli seeds.

The afternoon brings the anticipated rainfall, which is a good excuse to sit in the lounge and watch some excellent racing from Newmarket and the 1966 World Cup Final on Channel 4. Before enjoying my afternoon on the sofa, I prepare the evening meal. Tonight we will be eating Launde Farm Lamb chops.

To start the process, I place the 4 chunky chops in a sealable plastic food bag and add the following:

2 tablespoons of oil
2 tsps. of ground cinnamon
2 tsps. of cumin powder
2 tsps. of chopped coriander
1 tsp of garlic salt
½ tsp of chilli flakes

I massage the chops, so they amalgamate all the spices and leave the bag in the fridge for four hours.

When it’s time to eat I make a quick couscous with half a courgette, 8 small shallots, a red pepper, parsley, coriander (all finely chopped), and a crushed clove of garlic. I cook these in olive oil for a few minutes on the hob then add 350 ml of vegetable stock and 300g of couscous. I stir it, season it and then leave it covered for five minutes. It remains cooking on a very low heat while I sear the chops on a smoking griddle pan for five minutes each side. I then put the lamb them in the oven for ten minutes to cook all the way through.

While the lamb cooks I place some aubergine rounds on the base of a baking dish and cover them with fresh sliced tomato, basil, cumin and garlic. I add some oil and seasoning and cook for 20 minutes in a hot oven.

While the aubergine cooks, I remove the lamb and let it rest for twenty minutes. I know I shouldn’t praise my own food, but these really are delicious – and Sarah agrees!

Saturday 6th June – Roast pork

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 13:21:06 GMT

A week ago we were basking in 25 degrees of sunshine but today the outlook is for rain – and a lot of it too. It’s a perfect day for watching some footy and racing while making a complete fuss of a delicious cut of pork shoulder ready for its appearance at dinner this evening.

My approach to cooking a joint of pork is as follows.

Crank up the oven to 220 degrees.

Make a ‘rub’, which consists of 3 dry bay leaves, 2 teaspoons of fennel seeds, 2 teaspoons of sea salt, a few good grinds of pepper and the zest of one lemon.

Put all the ingredients apart from the zest in a mortis and pestle and grind it into a rough powder. Then add and amalgamate the zest. I then reach for my Stanley knife and make plenty of incisions on the skin of the pork.

Then drizzle some olive oil over the skin and cover the pork with the rub, making sure you force the mixture right into the incisions.

Put the joint in the oven for 30 minutes, which should set the crackling.

Then wrap the joint so it sits in a sort of foil wigwam (don’t let the top of the foil settle on the crackling) and reduce the temperature to about 165 degrees.

Cook for 3 hours.

In the meantime, chop up some carrots, onions, parsnips and garlic.

Carefully remove the pork and the foil and drain away all but a couple of tablespoons of the pork fat.

Add the vegetables to the base of the dish with the fat and stir round to coat.

Then sit the uncovered pork on the vegetables and cook for a further hour at about 180 degrees.

Once the pork is cooked, place it on a board, wrap it in foil and leave it for at least half an hour before carving.

Serve with mash or roasties, some broccoli and homemade gravy. Delicious! We washed it down with the bottle of wine shown below – a birthday pressie from our neighbours Barbara and Ben.

The best news of all is that we still have about 60% of the joint left to tuck into tomorrow. Happy Days.

Friday 5th June – Is there any hope for me?

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 12:08:06 GMT

A difficult day for the epicurean. It starts with me emailing an ‘Angry from Berkhamsted’ missive to Fiat UK demanding that they URGENTLY (in capital letters) rectify the locking problem on Sarah’s car. In desperation I also email Glyn Hopkins in St Albans, the dealership that we bought the car from. Sarah comes into my office with one of the offending keys and, at her request, I demonstrate exactly how to change the batteries in the fobs. Suddenly – and without warning - she begins to laugh uncontrollably and when she eventually pulls hers self together, she manages to blurt out; “You haven’t taken the child warning stickers off the batteries!”

If I was a cartoon character, I would now sprout donkey ears and begin to loudly bray he-haw, he-haw. As Sarah removes the stickers and replaces the Duracells I reflect that I may now have slid down to the very bottom rung of the common-sense ladder. Defiantly, I pick up the key and, although I know what the outcome will be, I walk out to her car. I can hear more laughter as the car doors click into the unlocked position.

To rub salt in the wound she places one of the offending stickers on my lap top screen, lest I should ever forget this episode of my life.

As I bask in the afterglow of abject incompetence, I put my father’s laptop in a shopping bag and lay it on the back seat of the car. I then head over to Denham to show a ninety-year-old man how to access the internet on a thirteen-year-old laptop (while remaining socially distanced from him!). The session takes place with my father in his spare room/office and me standing at the window, shouting instructions. The idea is that I give him the instructions while he is on the computer. It’s a frustrating forty minutes, particularly as the window doesn’t open enough for me to see what my father is doing. However, at the end of my visit he can access the internet, which means he can now put his Nectar numbers on to the daily Mail site and access his Premium Bond numbers. What more could a man wish for? The session ends after I over-reach my tutoring skills and his IT understanding, by asking him to minimise one screen and open BT email on another. The Pearson Teach-in collapses. I think this will have to wait until after Lockdown.

From Denham I drive to Ley Hill to meet my daughter and her dog Dulcie. On the way I reflect on my visit to Denham and my lack of patience. I could never have been a teacher. Having parked opposite Ley Hill cricket pitch, we walk towards Bovingdon Green. On the way we see the huge ping pong ball in the sky that is Flaunden Observatory but possibly distracted by this sight we then get lost. Eventually - by combining my map with Amanda’s phone - we reach our cars, just seconds before the heavens open. We intended to walk three miles and ended up walking five, but Dulcie seems happy.

In the evening we drag our chairs, beers and wine round to Ben and Barbs’ driveway. Since the start of Lockdown, we have made a 6 p.m. meeting with various neighbours a regular event. I’m still felling somewhat crestfallen after this morning’s debacle, but we spend a very pleasant hour and a half with Ben, Barb, Gordon and Alison, drinking and chatting. Once the weather starts to get colder, we retreat to our kitchen and enjoy the Beef Tagine I’ve taken from the freezer. It was good when it was fresh and it’s good again tonight served with extra fine egg noodles, some broccoli and beans. Tomorrow I will be back cooking – and have a lovely shoulder of pork to work the magic on.

Thursday 4th June – 50,000 words in search of a plot

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sat, 06 Jun 2020 12:24:18 GMT

For ages I’ve been trying to write a novel. My mistake was to tell people. The boys at the golf club have started asking me how my book is coming on and what it’s about. They look cynical and bemused in equal measure when I tell them I haven’t decided on a plot yet, and one or two noses move in that; ‘I can smell bullshit’ manner. This is perfectly understandable as, despite jotting down almost 50,000 words of prose, scenarios, dialogue and insights, I’m still to decide whether all these bon mots will be turned into a book, a play or even two plays. At some point I promise myself that I’ll write down all my ideas and spread them across the big glass table in my study. I will then pick a plot and stick to writing at least 1000 words a day until I have a start, a middle and a plausible ending. OK, that’s next week’s Lockdown sorted out.

Sarah’s car is still out of action and now the batteries have been changed I don’t know what else I can do to unlock those xxxx doors. Consequently, I get up early and take her into school and then drive up to the golf club for my first full 18 holes since 2017. I’m playing with Greenie and JR; two good friends and both decent golfers. JR moved to Norfolk a few years ago but his business interests bring him back down from time to time. He is great company and one of the best tellers of terrible old jokes I’ve ever come across. Interestingly, he considers me to be one of the best audiences he has ever faced, i.e. I laugh at almost anything.

The weather isn’t great but its dry and the four hours spent out on the course are good fun. As predicted, my golf has transitioned from being very solid three weeks ago (my first-round back) to absolute guano (not a golfing term but a reasonable description) over the four subsequent rounds. Today I reach a new low and now accept that the golfing honeymoon period is well and truly over. Despite this I thoroughly enjoy a couple of beers in the car park after.

At 5 p.m. I pick Sarah up from school and on the way to Galley Hill I travel through the town and spot that there is no queue outside Berkhamsted Fish Bar. On our way back I pop in for my long-awaited Large Cod and Chips. The chippy is run by a group of Turkish lads headed up by Zafeer and, in return for my spirited attempts to greet them in Turkish, they reward me with enormous takeaway portions. Sarah isn’t hungry but I get her a medium cod anyway. When we unwrap the ‘medium’ it is about the size of a baby whale, but I don’t hear her complain. I heat up some marrowfat peas and then warm to my task. It’s been three months since my last large cod and chips and, although it’s a massive plateful, this meal doesn’t touch the sides.

Lovely.

Wednesday 3rd June – The laptop and the key fob

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 05 Jun 2020 06:53:25 GMT

The TV news has moved on from Dominic Cummings to George Floyd, an African American murdered by the Minneapolis police. A shocking occurrence made even more awful by the whole event being filmed on a camera phone. The murder has sparked riots all over the USA and across the world. This evening’s TV showed more than 3000 people protesting in Hyde Park, initially peacefully – with many of those assembled ‘taking a knee’ to indicate solidarity – but later there were clashes with the police. A less than ideal scenario at a time when we are still experiencing more than 350 deaths a day from Covid 19.

Back in Berkhamsted, it is food day and I set off at 09.40 for my weekly visit to Tesco Tring. Again, I gain entry to the store quickly and, despite promising myself that I’ll show some restraint, my trolley is almost full by the time I leave the fruit and veg aisle. We will not be catching scurvy this week!

Today is also my turn to make the beer run and after leaving Tesco, I drive across the road to the brewery to pick up essential supplies for the weekend. For a brief moment I wonder if I should worry that my order is always larger than my neighbours’. Putting that thought aside immediately I drive home and pack the shopping while Sarah works up in her study. My next port of call is Denham to drop off provisions to my parents. I call them first and my heart sinks as I hear my father utter words that strike terror into my soul, i.e. ‘Can you have a quick look at my laptop when you come over?’. My father has owned this bulky Sony machine since about 2008 and I attempt to explain to him that in human years that equates to an age of around 180. When I arrive, he tries to fire it up for me on the garden bench, but it doesn’t respond. I explain to him that most laptops don’t last more than five years so it might be time to take some of the money he received from selling his car and re-investing it in a new computer. The idea of making a major technology purchase obviously doesn’t appeal to my old man, as he retorts that over the course of twelve years, he has only had two years real use out of it. A decent argument but one which I attempt to counter with a few analogies, as follows:

1. Laptops are not durable like hammers and saws. You can leave a hammer in a draw for 12 years and it won’t degrade, but a laptop will…… (This analogy falls flat on its face….).

2. If you open a pint of milk and only drink a thimble full, the remainder of the liquid will still go off in two weeks – even though you haven’t had any ‘use’ out of it. (I like this one, but it still doesn’t resonate with my father).

3. If you have a bag of apples and only eat one, the rest of them won’t last forever just because you haven’t touched them…. (again, no recognition. Perhaps I need to move on from fruit and veg comparisons).

As my father starts to walk back in the house, I attempt to throw in a rusty car analogy, but my father is not having any of this nonsense and says rather dismissively; ‘don’t worry then, I’ll take it back in the office’, and disappears. I think he has the hump and my mother says he’s sulking. Feeling guilty now I find myself offering to take the laptop away and having a proper look at it. That seems to make Pearson Senior happier.

Back home, his laptop fires up first time. OK, it’s slow and getting a bit temperamental, but it still works. This success improves my mood, as does my success at unblocking the top floor shower by utilising the full power of a bottle of Mr Muscle.

Believing that I’m now on a roll of success, I spot that the car fob batteries have arrived. I prize open the fob with some alacrity and, demonstrating some dazzling manual dexterity, I replace the old batteries with the new Duracells. I then confidently stride out to the drive, in expectation of success, only to find that the fobs still don’t work. One hour of Google later I am still none the wiser and give up. Sarah will have to be dropped off at school tomorrow morning and picked up in the evening.

It’s now food time and I rely on one of my tried and tested recipes; Spanish Chicken. I add onions, garlic, chorizzo, peppers, some garlic, left over chicken, chilli, white wine, tomato puree and crème fraishe. I serve it with pasta and broccoli and it’s a very nice plate of 'pink mess' - if a little on the spicy side. We eat in the kitchen as the weather has turned gloomy and much colder. Rain is on the way.

In the evening I watch a couple of episodes of We Hunt Together on Alibi (Alibi TV, who knew?) before watching episode one of Cardinal in bed. I am sound asleep by 22.30.

Tuesday 2nd June – More car problems!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 03 Jun 2020 15:11:38 GMT

It’s 07.15. God I’m tired. I roll over and fall back into a deep sleep. Sarah will be going into work today so I should be able to get away with a couple of extra hours in bed. He he! This bed is so comfortable……I could sleep forever….. zzzzzz

BUT suddenly my slumbers are interrupted by heavy footsteps on the landing. Sarah has entered the room. She looks harassed and before she opens her mouth, I can already hear the words: ’the bloody car won’t open again!!’.

Heroically, I swing my legs out of bed, don my favourite Gant dressing gown and propel my rickety knees down two flights of stairs. Within a matter of seconds, I am standing on our drive in my Watford FC slippers. We have the car surrounded, with Sarah pushing the unlock button on her key fob on the driver side, while I frantically work the spare fob on the passenger side. At one point it occurs to me that I may be pressing the lock button while Sarah pushes the unlock, so we then decide to take turns. Soon things become desperate. Sarah need to leave to open the school, so we resort to physically unlocking the driver’s door with the metal key, which is secreted within the fob. Suddenly, the alarm shrieks it’s repetitive displeasure into the quiet serenity of the morning and it takes us several minutes to get it to shut up. Finally, Sarah grabs the keys to my car and drives away, but not before promising to get my car back to me so I can play golf later this afternoon.

Still in my dressing gown I go inside and, open my laptop and Google a question; ‘why can’t I unlock my Fiat 124 with the key fob?’. Encouragingly (I think?) this question has been asked a few times before and the most common answer appears to be that the batteries on the fobs need changing. I find a helpful video and within ten minutes I have taken the fobs apart. I then realise that I don’t have replacement batteries so Instead I summon up all my mechanic skills and give the existing batteries a little rub (for luck?) and relocate them. I send a WhatsApp apology to our neighbours for all the noise this morning and once more approach the car. To my surprise and deep joy, I find that by getting very close to the sensor, I can to unlock the car. Hurrah – with a side order of Wunderbar!!! This means that Sarah can pop home at lunchtime, return my car, and take her own.

I’ve left the Fiat unlocked and when Sarah returns at 15.30 it starts up and she drives back to school. I load up my car with golf clubs and booze and make my way to Stocks, where we are now allowed to play in groups of four. Stuart and I play against Greenie and Robbo and it starts very well, but steadily goes downhill until we finally lose on the final hole. Back in the car park most people have left for the day, so we circle our cars and - maintaining a distance of at least two metres from each other - sit on our tailgates to enjoy a beer together. It’s a beautiful evening – possibly the last decent weather we’ll enjoy for a few days – and it’s great to catch up with a couple of old friends I haven’t seen for months.

Earlier today I put a chicken in the oven so that Sarah would have something for her evening meal. When I arrive home, I tuck in and eat a thigh with some salad before turning in for the night. Hopefully the new fob batteries will arrive tomorrow, and our car problems will be over forever.

Monday June 1st – Same as it ever was…..

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 10:34:42 GMT

Despite the new lockdown (or in this case, un-lock-down) regulations, which start today, the new month begins like the old one ended; with wonderful warm weather.

I get up offer Sarah moral support as she faces her first day back at school. The morning doesn’t start well, as Sarah’s key fob decides not to unlock her Fiat. Although, through a great deal of trial and error (and button pressing) we eventually get her up and running, the shriek of the Fiat car alarm (set off several times during our efforts), must have been an unwelcome wake up call for our neighbours.

I now have the house to myself (hurrah!). I can play my guitar, do some photography and catch up with one of my bleak Nordic serial killer box sets. However, before I get around to any of that I must walk to my letting agents to collect the key to my flat, so my son can fix the shower before my new tenant moves in. To gain some extra ‘steps’ I take the long route in to town, walking through Berkhamsted School field and Butt’s Meadow. When I approach the High Street from Chesham Road, I can see that the town is already busy with cars and pedestrians.

I tack my way down to Home and Abroad Lettings using both sides of the street and frequent utterance of the word ‘sorry’, Apart from the key, the agents have a huge stack of post for me, which I take home and open. Despite telling DVLA that my address had changed (it’s been changed on my driving licence for xxxxs sake!), they appear to have sent two letters to my old address, which I’m alarmed to find relate to my car tax. I open a letter dated 17th February, which offers me a ‘Final Chance’ to tax my car. Panic stricken I go on-line and get the car taxed. I also send off the lo- book to DVLA with my change of address written all over it in very large letters! Much of the rest of the post is junk but I’m confused and annoyed (but not surprised), to find that my pension provider and bank have sent a letter to my old address, thanking me for advising them of my new address! Err, Ok thanks for that (a baffled emoticon would fit well here).

By the time I have dealt with all this correspondence it is almost mid-afternoon. I’ve achieved very little and certainly haven’t got close to doing any of the fun things I’d planned for my ‘Home Alone’ day.

Soon my thoughts turn to food. The sun is out, and I have some nice burgers and minted lamb steaks in the fridge. It must be a barbeque tonight and I scrub the grill pan in anticipation. Tonight, I promise myself I won’t ‘go too early’. i.e. I will wait until the coals are completely white before cooking anything. While the coals start to smoulder, I prepare the aubergine, courgette, onions and peppers. I also make a simple salad and some lemony couscous.

Patience isn't my strong suit but I manage to wait over an hour before starting to cook. Most of the coals are hot and tonight we get some decent colour on the veg and meat. The lamb steaks are very tasty, but I think I’ve slightly overcooked/under-rested them. Next time I will use a lighter touch. I think it’s fair to say that I still haven’t quite mastered the art of barbequing. Either that or I should bite the bullet and purchase a decent piece of kit.

Anyway, by 21.00 I’m exhausted but manage to stay awake for the final episodes of Normal People, despite the sound of Sarah sobbing (or was that me?). This has been one of the best TV series I’ve ever seen, with absolutely jaw-droppingly outstanding performances for the two main actors.

Sunday May 31st – May 2020 draws to a close

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 13:35:49 GMT

We rise very early and head to Beechwood Park, near Markyate for a lovely five-mile walk in gorgeous countryside. The temperature is still quite cool when we start but it is forecast to reach 23 degrees by 11.00. The weather and the scenery are wonderfully uplifting, and this joyous morning is only marred as we come to the end of the walk. Sarah, has obviously mistaken my serenity for a sign of weakness and, believing that that in my state of bucolic elation I will agree to anything, lands a verbal hammer blow. ‘It would be really useful if I could pop into Wickes on the way back’, she says, ‘I need to get some stuff for school opening tomorrow’.

The thought of leaving the quiet of the Chiltern countryside to drive through Hemel to Apsley on a hot Sunday morning is enough to send my mood spiralling. However, after my tantrum has subsided, I acquiesce and conclude that, as our visit will benefit the safe running of the school, we should probably go. ‘The Children are our future’, Sarah reminds me, as if quoting lines from Whitney songs will seal the deal.

Hence, we negotiate the magic roundabout and arrive at Wickes. Happily, the queue moves quite quickly, and we are in and out within an hour, leaving with what look like six rubber buckets (plus a bag of barbeque coals as my reward for not moaning).

In the early evening I cook our final meal of May. Appropriately it is seasonal lamb chops and the remainder of last night’s joint, cooked in one tray with roasted cauliflower, shallots, garlic, peppers, tomatoes and courgettes.

Today is officially the final day of Spring. Tomorrow is the start of Summer and will coincide with some Covid regulations being relaxed. June will also herald the resumption of Premiership football, which I feel excited and anxious about in equal measure, given Watford’s precarious position in the league.

May has been an awful month for anyone touched by this virus, with thousands more people dying. It has also been a dangerous and exhausting month for anyone working in key services. However, on a personal note I can draw some positives:

Firstly (while keeping our distance of course), I have become much better acquainted with my neighbours and really enjoyed their company. I also feel that in our little street we’ve developed a sense of community; sharing newspapers, taking tuns to go on ‘beer runs’ and arranging bread deliveries. We’ve also set up a WhatsApp group and have assembled in our street every Thursday at 8 p.m. to applaud our NHS.

Secondly, we’ve enjoyed incredible weather, which has made the lockdown bearable and allowed us to go on some superb walks.

Thirdly, I’ve now got around to doing some of the things I always intended to do in my retirement; I’ve played my guitar, written my blog and improved my cookery skills (no end IMO!). As a result, our days have had some structure; starting with a walk in the morning and ending with cooking in the evening.

I realise these are very personal positives at a time which has been difficult and, in many cases, tragic for a large number of our population. But these positives have made lockdown bearable and helped us to observe the government's rules.

Tomorrow’s relaxing of the rules feels premature to me, but I also understand that the country’s economy is on its knees and the UK has to snap out of holiday mode and start being productive again.

Saturday 30th May – Is this the weekend?

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 31 May 2020 13:04:34 GMT

It’s the usual Saturday routine; got up early-ish and made my way down to town to pick up the Saturday papers. Arrived at the bottom of Kings Road by 08.45 and glancing right, along the High Street, I was staggered to see so many people up and about and milling round the market. I had considered buying some veg, but the queue stretched back as far as Costa. My surprise and delight at seeing no one waiting outside Tesco soon dissipated when I realised the queue had been redirected so as not to block the pavement on market day. Instead it stretched back over the cobbles to somewhere near the back of Aitchison’s.

The line moved quickly, and I had soon entered the store and filled my backpack with The Telegraph, Guardian and Times – plus the July (??) issue of Home Somethingorother for Sarah. I also made a couple of wild and crazy ‘while I’m here’, impulse buys such as a turnip, a pack of blueberries and a £2 tin of coconut milk.

Back home I stripped down to my shorts and ‘We Are Premiership’ Watford FC Tee shirt and assumed my usual reclined position in the garden. After that not very much happened although I did watch the recording of Saturday kitchen and have a great idea for preparing our boneless lamb shoulder, which involved covering it with a mixture of yoghurt, harissa and mint and putting it in the oven for almost six hours at 120 degrees.

Generally, I’m finding that Saturday (without live UK footy) is the most boring day of each week and even the televised Bundesliga football isn’t quite doing it for me today. Boredom can lead to early imbibing and as I poured myself a Moongazing from a two-litre plastic bottle I contemplate just how important plastic bottles have been to me during the past two months, containing, as they have, a selection of excellent draft ale. Feeling a pang of guilt about how much plastic is now in our utility room I called Tring Brewery to ask if they wanted my empties back but alas, they said they were not reusable. Sarah has adapted one or two of them for gardening use, but I guess the remainder will just have to go in the blue bin.

Eventually the lamb emerges from the oven. It is dark brown, and I have to supress my urge to salivate as I admire it on the rack. It is soft and almost falls apart as I carve it, although it isn’t dry as the yoghurt coating has kept it succulent. We eat it with baked potatoes (I have so many spuds I am now baking them in batches!), cauliflower and broccoli. I don’t remember much more about yesterday evening, but I recall watching another episode of White Lines.

My Fitbit tells me I was in a deep sleep by 21.46.

Friday 29th May – In praise of our ‘artisan’ producers

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sat, 30 May 2020 13:47:51 GMT

As I may have mentioned before (forgive me, but at my age I am prone to repeating myself), a neighbour’s family owns Launde Farm in Leicestershire and her brother has been delivering superb meat, eggs and veg boxes to us since the week after Lockdown began.

This week he delivered a chicken, a lamb shoulder and some lamb ribs and, as a gesture of goodwill, he threw in a couple of free minted lamb steaks to thank us for our custom. I have now established that the brother’s name is Gwillam (I have written this down so I don’t forget it) – and a very nice chap he is too; always ready to stop for a quick chat about what he has available and how I’m cooking his produce. From our small, but quite regular, gatherings with neighbours I’ve learnt that most of the road have been receiving deliveries from Gwillam, which to me is brilliant news. Anyone who reads the Chiltern magazine will know that, since 2012, I’ve been banging on how sustainability and traceability should be the two key factors in how we choose the food we eat. This period of lockdown has brought Gwillam and other smaller producers to the fore; and, much like the small boats that sailed to the aid of our brave soldiers at Dunkirk in 1940, sixty years on it is the small producers such as Launde Foods, Tring Brewery, Dunsley Farm shop and Culture Bakery who have come to our assistance by keeping us well fed.

My Chiltern Epicurean business card displays my name followed by the proud strapline ‘Leader of the slow Food Counter-culture’. I had the cards printed in 2012 and this whopper of a boastful claim was intended to be tongue in cheek and amusing, while stating my proud commitment to real food. Although I am by no means the leader of a movement - and nor would I want to be part of any counterculture that would have me, I am delighted that lockdown has produced so many consumers who now share my values. In short, one positive to emerge from Lockdown is that more people are concerned about the provenance of their food than ever before – and they are willing to support small or local suppliers, even if their products are a little more expensive than the supermarket alternatives.

Ok, you could say that this ‘gastronomic enlightenment’ been born out of expediency, i.e. through unwillingness or inability on the part of many consumers to join the queues at Waitrose or Tesco, but the bottom line is that there is now a greater awareness of what is accessible food-wise. In return for our business, most small producers are willing to go the extra mile (sometimes literally) to deliver the groceries and, in fact, the produce Gwillam brings from Launde Farm is no more expensive than the prices of similar products in Waitrose.

Let’s hope our new attitude to, and relationship with, food extends beyond this pandemic.

Anyway, that’s now off my chest and I can get on with the rack of lamb ribs Gwillam brought round. I first of all pull the thin membrane off the back of the rack (this is not essential but it gets rid of any chewiness), I then take a bowl and mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of an almost empty bottle of dark soy (must put this on my next shopping list), 2 teaspoons of nigella seeds, 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, along with a pinch of salt and pepper and apply it to the ribs. I then put the ribs on a rack in a baking tray and cook at about 120 degrees for 100 minutes. That’s just in time to haul our chairs out into our quiet street and meet the neighbours for our regular our six-p.m. drink. Having consumed a couple of pints of Moongazing we head inside, and I remove the ribs from the oven. I rest them for 15 minutes while I make a simple salad and crank up the oven to crisp the skins on the baked spuds. The ribs look and smell as good as they taste, and we wash them down with lashings of Malbec.

After all that lovely beer, wine and food I am snoring soundly by 21.45.

Thursday 28th May – Scrubbing and screaming

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 29 May 2020 09:17:41 GMT

This is a subtitle for your new post

I’ve now got into a routine of waking up at around 07.30 and watching TV in bed until at least 08.00. God knows how I’d get up if I ever needed to go to work again!

This morning I eat my porridge and much to Sarah’s surprise and delight I then announce that I am going to clean the top shower room, which hasn’t had a proper scrubbing for at least three weeks.

I find the broom and mop, fill a bucket with warm water and Flash (other floor cleaners are probably available), and negotiate two sets of stairs before reaching the shower room. Plenty of elbow grease is required to remove soap stains from the floor tiles in the wet room area but all goes OK until I stand up quickly and impale my scull on the shower tap. Much screaming follows but no blood is drawn and eventually the pain subsides, I rinse out my mop and survey my work. It’s a reasonable job and at probably good enough to last until our cleaner’s long-awaited comeback visit on 9th June.

It’s golf again later today and as I won’t be home until 19.30, I prepare the evening meal in advance. I have leftover roast pork and I chop this up and cook it with sliced red pepper, chopped spring onions, ginger, garlic, pak choi, chestnut mushrooms, par-steamed cauliflower and green beans, juice of one lime, plenty of Soy, a tablespoon of Hoisin and Oyster sauce and some water.

Golf goes well (despite hacking my beloved Srixon 2 golf ball, which has been in my bag since 2017 into the lake on the final hole) and I’m back in time to add a couple of clusters of fine noodles and have the completed dish on the table in ten minutes. It’s lovely and the only thing I forgot to add was chili. Never mind, we scoff it in time to get out and clap – apparently for the final time.

Lockdown regulations are now being relaxed and it looks like footy will start again in about three week’s time. All sounds a bit premature to me but the players seem to accept it so we shall see.

Wednesday 27th May – Crazy Horses!!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 28 May 2020 09:49:05 GMT

Up early and find the bread delivery is already on the doorstep. Steam into a cinnamon knot and some walnut bread before driving to Markyate to take on a seven-mile walk.

It’s already very warm and fortunately much of the walk takes us through delightful woodland leading to Pepperstock. Some of the route is not quite as described in Nick Moon’s book and a quick glance inside the cover tells us that it was written in 1986. However, by cross-referencing Nick’s map with a photo of the Markyate section of a more recent OS map we manage to make our way to Woodside without any major confusion.

Heading out of Woodstock towards Aley Green we hit a small but not insignificant problem. We are about to climb a stile into a paddock when a couple of horses block our way. I’m usually quite comfortable around horses but one of them is a big hooded stallion. He’s wearing a hood and isn’t happy! He starts banging his head against the fence separating him from what I assume are a couple of mares in the next field. Unable to get over the fence to join them he instead decides to canter towards us and as a result we beat a speedy retreat and regroup at a safe distance.

We decide we must change our route and luckily there is a parallel footpath through the sports ground at Caddington, which gets us back on track. I’m reminded how close we are to Luton when a Ryanair aircraft flies just over our heads, but it’s a sign of the times is that we only see three aircraft during our whole walk.

Eventually we make our way to Kensworth Lynch and through the Ver Valley back to Markyate. A lovely walk but by the end of 7.28 miles we are tired and thirsty.

Back home, I consume more of the amazing Culture Bakery bread and then sit in the garden. The cat hissed at me yesterday and our relationship has still not quite recovered. However, she deigned to sit on my lap for a few minutes while I attempt The Telegraph Saturday GK crossword (difficult this week!).

We are both tired but having marinated some lamb and pork I eventually drag myself to the shed and the barbeque out of it. I am determined not to repeat last week’s errors of cooking too early and/or letting onions and peppers drop onto the coals, so I cut the veg larger and make sure I have a bowl nearby to wash my hands. I’m more organised this week and it shows in the finished product. I sear the harissa and mint lamb chops and then give them ten minutes in the oven to cook through. The lemon and chili infused pork steaks, aubergine and peppers are cooked through on the barbie and I use a tray to avoid losing the onions. The Launde Farm lamb is superb. I will cook it this way again.

Bed early tonight. We’ve started watching White Lines on Netflix. It’s slightly vacuous but has a good cast and is a great advert for the island of Ibiza. We watch two episodes and I fall into a deep sleep.

Tuesday 26th May – A DIY success

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 27 May 2020 14:13:26 GMT

My sister has volunteered to do the food delivery to Denham this week, but I still need to visit Tesco Tring to top us up with fruit and veg.

Before I leave, I decide that I should bite the bullet, show some practical gumption and, rather than continually turning the thermostat down and/or calling my son to ask ‘how do I?’, learn how to turn off the heating for the Summer.

As I crouch in the boiler cupboard squinting at the controls, I realise this isn’t going to be straightforward. Indeed, after about ten minutes my back is killing me, I’ve banged my head three times and I’ve almost expended even the most exotic profanities in my lexicon. The manual shows me that there is an Off button, but I can’t find it on the boiler controls. By now I’ve reached the point where I’ve had to get out of the boiler cupboard and shut the upstairs windows, to protect my neighbours’ children from further expletives (some in Spanish!). I’m now at frustration boiling point where my choices are as follows; a) whack the controls with a seven iron OR b) ask Google. After much counselling I decide on the latter course of action and three minutes into watching a video hosted by an American chap with a military bearing, the penny drops and I realise that I have the main control switch on the wrong mode (or something like that). Thank you, Captain America! My heating is off, and I won’t have any stress until I need to tun it on again when Winter approaches (which could be the end of August). I’m delighted to find that despite my tinkering the hot water still works and, despite my senior tantrum, I high five myself and mark this one down as a DIY success.

I’m slightly concerned that the twenty minutes I spent trying to turn off the heating could have costs me a speedy entry into Tesco, but when I arrive, I am delighted to find no queue whatsoever. Such is the lack of activity around the store that I even have time to exchange a few pleasantries with the Hand Sanitiser Man (still the same chap as last month) before cleansing my fingers and entering the store.

Once inside I secure early brownie Points by purchasing a copy of Home Beautiful/Lovely/Awesome/Incredible (delete as applicable) for Sarah. I then proceed to spend over £70 - despite only purchasing a couple of bottles of wine.

In the afternoon we decide to brave the heat and drive up to Ley Hill to take a short walk. Due to a (my) navigation error we take a wrong path which brings us back to the car within 2.8 miles. A bit short and hardly worth the drive up there, but it’s too warm to walk much further and we are slightly traumatised by dodging golf balls while crossing Ley Hill Golf course.

I have a small boneless joint of pork cooking for five hours at around 120 degrees. It is wrapped in silver foil with cumin, paprika, salt and a good splosh of cider.

Eventually I remove it from the oven and although it is not as ‘pulled’ as I expected it tastes superb, particularly with the amazing cider sauce poured over it. I will do this one again.

Later I watch the final episode of the Last Dance; one of the best sports docu-series I’ve ever watched.

Monday 25th May – hot, hot, hot!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 26 May 2020 12:25:02 GMT

After nine hours deep sleep I wake up with a cracking headache and Immediately reach for the trusty Nurofen.

The weather is glorious and once the drugs kick in, I get on with a morning of writing my blog and sitting in the garden, reading the rest of the weekend papers. Apparently today is a bank holiday but it feels like just another Monday here in Berkhamsted. The people of Essex (and possibly further afield) obviously take bank holidays more seriously than me, as later in the day TV news reports indicate packed beaches at Southend on Sea. In other news the Cummings witch hunts continues and the This Morning presenter Susannah Reid (who I have met and found to be very charming – and quite short) is almost foaming at the mouth as she reports that 80% of viewers demand that Cummings must go. As if for light relief, they cut to Andy Peters who implores us to text him for the chance to win a camper van. I turn the TV off.

At 14.30 I pack my clubs and a couple of beers and drive up to Stocks to play golf with Burnsie. My previous two rounds have raised my golfing expectations but, as is normal with this awful game, just when you think you have it cracked, the Gods of Golf take their revenge by bestowing on you the round from hell. Even the tins of Carlsberg, Burnsie plucked from his trolley, didn’t improve my game and instead acted as a catalyst to turn the air blue with the profanities that followed almost every shot.

After 12 holes we called it a day and sat on my tailgate taking in the sunshine and drinking a bottle of Tring ale each. Back home I decide to make Jamie’s quick pizza, using self-raising flour. Having initially covered myself and the kitchen with sticky mess I finally manage to get the dough into a consistency that I can spread into my new pan. I add courgette, onions, chorizo, ham hock, mushrooms, tomato puree, mozzarella, cheddar, rosemary, marjoram and basil oil and put the pan in the oven. After 20 minutes it looked fantastic, but the base is still chewy. I put it back in the oven and despite giving it another ten minutes the base is still either chewy of tooth-breakingly hard. We give it a go but finally give up on the base and scrape off the topping; reapplying it to a couple of slices of sourdough toast, which we eat with salad.

In the evening I watch episode nine of The Last Dance (just one to go) and then a double episode of Normal People. Both brilliant.

Sunday 24th May – the morning after…..

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 25 May 2020 10:02:03 GMT

Having poured a 2nd glass of Malbec and watched TV until 01.30, I am in no hurry to get out of bed this morning. Eventually I wake - just in time to watch the end of The Andrew Marr show, which is dominated by Dominic Cummings and the did he/didn’t he break lockdown rules argument. I turn over to watch Ainsley Harriot cook shawarma in Aqaba and realise that I’m hungry.

I stumble down the two set of stairs I receive a predictable morning greeting from Sarah; ‘Good afternoon’ she barks, ‘Nice of you to join us!’. She’s in her office working so I continue watching Ainsley, while rustling up some scrambled eggs, with mushrooms and pieces of the bacon hock I slow cooked all day yesterday.

Eventually I get my act together, have a shower and walk down to the town with Sarah. She wants to visit Woods Garden Centre, possibly the most expensive garden centre in the world and look at pots to place either side of our front door. The queue to enter Woods is short but my hangover has now kicked in and I spend most of the visit sitting on a £115 garden chair staring at a barbeque I can’t afford.

Having increased the Woods coffers by purchasing a £3 pack of pak choi seeds, we leave for home, where I pour myself a stabilising glass of Bulmer’s and read yesterday’s papers. The weather alternates between very warm and very cloudy and at 17.00 I return to the kitchen to watch more news about the Dominic Cummings ‘scandal’ and cook a curry using the remaining chicken (we’ve had very good use out of this bird!).

The curry includes onions, garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, paprika and coriander – plus some chopped-up cauliflower and carrots. Despite adding one and a half fresh chillies the finished dish lacks heat (or is it just my jaded pallet) but the flavours are good and we both eat seconds.

At 22.00, despite feeling extremely jaded, I take part in a Houseparty with the West End Boys WhatsApp group. There are seven of us on the call, so it’s difficult to hear or be heard, but it’s nice to see the chaps looking relatively happy and well. I think the opening of the golf courses has helped raise their morale.

Before turning the lights off we watch Killing Eve. God only knows what this series is all about now. it started to lose its way after series one and has now sunk further into self-parody. Despite knowing this I still find it quite enjoyable.

Saturday 23rd May – It’s my birthday!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 25 May 2020 09:28:05 GMT

Today I have been on this earth for exactly 61 years. There have been a few bumps along the road. There have been some financial ups and downs; a couple of marriages and some relationships that didn’t quite get that far. However, in a moment of rare sincerity I can honestly say that I’m as happy now as I’ve ever been. Lockdown seems to have cushioned the impact of retirement for me and made me focus on how I want to travel the rest of ‘the road’. However far that leads.

Anyway, enough about me (although a previous wife once commented that its been all about me since 1959). After a couple of slices of toast, we drive down to pick up the newspapers and start our walk. Halfway across the field that lead towards Cholesbury the rain begins. What’s the worst that can happen? We get wet – and even at 61 I should be able to survive a bit of rain. As it turns out we’re quite lucky; the sun comes out, we pass the sheep sculptures and arrive at Cholesbury. Walking across the cricket pitch, the sky suddenly turns very dark and there are spots of rain as we pass the Full Moon pub (which appeared to be doing a thriving trade in cakes and takeaway beer). The rain stops and we make the steep climb up to Heath End before making our way back to the car. It’s a walk of 4.7 miles and I’m now ready for some more of last night’s leftover chicken.

My son, James, comes over at 14.30. He’s cycled the whole way and is in urgent need of refreshment. While Sarah watches last night’s RHS recording, we sit in the kitchen and enjoy a couple of beers, whilst watching the racing and Bundesliga football. James heads off around 16.30 determined to cycle all the way to Rickmansworth along the canal. He’s had four bottles of Peroni, the winds have got up to about 40 mph and the canal tow path is usually packed with Lockdown walkers. I tell him I love him and wish him a safe journey home!

At 17.30 Sarah and I look anxiously at the dark skies but decide the show must go on and we move our cars and arrange chairs two metres apart on our driveway so our neighbours can join us. Again, we strike it lucky and although it is significantly colder than it’s been of late, the weather stays fine and we have a really enjoyable evening. Most of our neighbours return to their houses around 20.00 but Gordon, Alison and their son, Tom stay until well after 22.00. The music volume creeps up as we drain another three-litre keg of Moongazing and a bottle of prosecco. Back inside I experience a huge wave of drunken nostalgia as I watch a repeat of Tops of the Pops 1978. 1978 was a good year for me. I cut myself a slice of cheese (using the cheeseboard Sarah gave me this morning), get out the crackers, pour myself a large glass of Malbec and drink a toast to ME.

Life ‘aint so bad.

Friday 22nd May – walking the dog and carrying the black plastic bag

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 24 May 2020 12:05:37 GMT

Today I was re-introduced to the ups and downs of dog stewardship. My daughter drove over with her 18-month-old Springer, Dulcie, strapped into the front seat. We then made our way up to Ashridge common for a spot of dog walking – something I hadn’t done for ten years.

Like most Springers, Dulcie seems to have boundless energy and after about half a mile of vigorous ball chasing, she stopped for what I refer to here as ‘an evacuation’, which Amanda dutifully placed in a small black bag. As Amanda was already carrying a bottle of water and a ball thrower I volunteered to carry the bag while we negotiated a rickety stile, and once the obstacle had been safely negotiated I agreed to carry it until we found a ‘doggy bin’ (if that’s what they’re called).

I understand that keeping the countryside clear of doggy ordure is two stage process; firstly, you pick it up and secondly, you dispose of it in a bin. Sadly, many dog owners only complete half the process, i.e. they bag it up, but if no bin is nearby they resort to hanging the offending package from a tree, a bush, balancing it on a wall or even hanging it from a car wing mirror (Ok, I’ve never witnessed this but I bet it’s happened!).

Determined to do the right thing, I continued walking, with the bag swinging freely in my right hand. As we reached Toms Hill, I could see a car park and was confident there would be a bin nearby. However, not only was there no bin at this car park, but there were absolutely no bins whatsoever on our walk, or even on our route back to Upper Ashlyns Road.

Finally, I retrieved the item from the boot of the car, double wrapped it and dropped it into the black bin outside our house. We’d had a lovely walk but now I understand why so many sacks of excrement ‘decorate’ our countryside!

After Amanda left, Sarah and I drove down to M&S to pick up a birthday cake and some bubbly. It’s my birthday tomorrow and we’re having a few (socially distanced, of course) neighbours round.

This evening I returned to the tried and tested dish of whole Chicken poached in coconut milk and lemongrass (the recipe is on this site). At 17.30 I sautéed all the veg (see pic above), put the chicken in the oven and went outside to meet neighbours for our regular Friday evening drink. By 19.45 the chicken was ready, and the immersed thighs, legs and wings had absorbed all the cinnamon, lemon, coconut and chilli. Delicious – and after a few pints and a few glasses of Malbec Reserva I was ready for a good night’s sleep.

Thursday 21st May – golf and Malbec

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 22 May 2020 14:54:48 GMT

Two months into lockdown and I’ve established a routine of wake, walk, read, write, cook, TV, sleep…repeat. Today had a less familiar structure as this morning I prepared tonight’s food and then spent some time in the garden reading and doing most of the Telegraph GK crossword (with a little help from Mr Google and he even he struggled with a 1985 Peter Shaffer play, seven letters, first letter Y). Yesterday at around 13.00 there was an amazing vapour trail overhead; straight as an arrow heading directly for the sun. Today I take my Canon out with me hoping for a repeat but there is no sign whatsoever of anything similar.

At 15.00 I take a shower and make my way up to Stocks for a 16.30 tee time with Stuart. I’m hitting the ball straight again and despite a couple of putting aberrations - and eventually losing the match - there is a significant improvement from last week, in fact, my improvement was such, that if I’d played 12 holes in that number of shots 20 years ago (when I played twice a week) I would not have been disappointed.

I’m back by 19.20 and we quickly devour our pork and caramelised onion sausages with a salad, just in time for the weekly clapping.

It is a lovely evening and later, while Sarah watches the RHS Garden Show, I sit in the kitchen with the bifolds open and look out at the garden; large glass of Malbec in hand.

Tomorrow’s weather looks less pleasant, but we’ve had a great run of sunshine and the fairways at Stocks looked like they needed a sprinkling of rain

Wednesday 20th May – food delivery day

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 21 May 2020 13:17:55 GMT

The day starts very well. I receive a call from my Letting Agent to tell me that although my current tenant leaves on Friday she has a chap who would like to move in on 10th June. This is very good news, as regularly receiving this rental income is an important part of my life plan. I also speak to my daughter who is bringing her dog over for a walk on Friday and my son who is coming over for a beer on Saturday afternoon. Apart from looking forward to seeing them, the calls gave me an opportunity to brief them on what I’d like for my birthday on Saturday.

Toi be honest (or tbh as I’ve got used to texting), I’d rather be in the garden enjoying the 26 degree weather but It is food delivery day and I head off to Tesco with fingers firmly crossed that everyone else will have stayed home in their gardens. I arrive at 09.54 and there is no queue at all. Result! I whizz round and get my Mother and Father everything they’ve requested. The day is going very well so far but it turns out to be a day of two halves and starts to go downhill once I reach Denham Garden Village.

My parents had decided that my father should give up his car – or at least I thought they had. They are now having profound misgivings and I understand why. It is all very well me offering to take them to the supermarket every week and explaining how many taxi fares will be covered by selling their old Focus and not having to pay £for insurance, tax petrol etc. But not having a car will mean they lose their independence and I’m pretty sure that signals to them that they are reaching the final chapters of their lives. They are both reasonably healthy and coherent but at almost 180 years between them they now find it difficult to remember details and to articulate their thoughts. For someone with my solipsistic nature I can sometimes find my conversations with them exasperating, but I today I do my utmost to set out their ‘car or no car’ options in a patient and measured way, because I appreciate the significance of this decision.

On the way home I turn off TalkSport and reflect on what it is to be old and how the tables have turned; 40 years ago, I was in many ways dependent on my parents, 40 year later they are dependent on us.

It’s still baking hot and perfect for el fresco dining. I manage to wrestle Sarah’s old barbeque from the back of the shed, without causing too many breakages or uttering too many expletives and place it on the patio. I have marinated some chicken thighs in paprika, coriander, parsley, cumin, lemon juice and olive oil (classic Chermoula rub). I amalgamate the Chermoula and chicken in a sealed plastic sandwich bag and leave them to get to know each other intimately in the bottom of the fridge.

While the barby coals heat up I slice lengthways some red & yellow peppers, courgettes, aubergines and onions, drizzle them with oil and scatter on some paprika. I also make a simple salad of lettuce, chopped cherry tomatoes and cucumbers and cut a few slices of the delicious sourdough we had delivered this morning.

I always find barbequing a pain in the neck – particularly vegetables – and duly lose slice of onion and courgette through the gaps on the grill shelf. However, the finished food tastes lovely – particularly the chicken – and I reflect that you just don’t get this type of favour on meat by cooking it in a frying pan or normal grill.

After dinner I shower and we watch one of Sarah’s favourite programmes; Location, Location, Location. Today has given me lots to think about but rather than do so I manage to block any meaningful thoughts from my head and am soon dreaming of an antidote to poor golf, which involves injections and lager. When I wake suddenly at 04.00 the only other recollection I can muster is that a free grey sweatshirt came as a free gift with each vaccination, but for some reason I didn’t get one.

I feel my aching tooth, take a couple of Nurofen and sail off into dreamless sleep.

In the real world of Covid 19, fewer people are dying and Watford FC are in the news. Our Captain, Troy Deeney didn’t attend phase one training today and the club have had three positive Covid tests. Troy’s son has breathing difficulties so understandably he’s in no hurry to resume football. I fully support his actions. Surely, it’s too early to be rushing footballers back – and it only takes one club (which could be the Hornets) to dig their heels in to scupper the Government’s (and the FA’s) plans.

Tuesday 19th May – Chooons in the garden

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 20 May 2020 12:53:58 GMT

After yesterday’s medical meltdown I wake up feeling much better and as Sarah is in school today, I set out on a rapid 4-mile walk. I complete the route through Hockeridge Bottom, on to Harratts (scaling the above fallen tree en-route) and then back via Sandpit bottom, in 69 minutes and feel nicely exercised.

The rest of the day is spent writing a piece about all my ailments (which appeared yesterday), refining the plot of my (not very) soon to be complete first novel and finishing up the weekend papers in the garden

The weather is spectacular and when my new Bluetooth receiver arrives, I hook it up to my Bose speaker unit and play some choooons in the garden.

Sarah comes home at 16.30; just as I start my second Peroni. This is lager weather and once Sarah’s joined the mini party by downing a couple of glasses of Bourgogne Aligoté she relaxes and stops telling me to turn the music down.

Back in the kitchen I convert Mondays’ leftover ragu into a chilli, by adding the holy trinity of spices (Cumin, paprika and cinnamon), some more chilli and some red kidney beans. It’s very nice and I wash it down with a glass or two of Majestic’s Nero D’Avola from Sicily.

In the evening I manage to cram in two more episodes of the brilliant Last dance. I think I only have two more to watch. It is totally absorbing, and I will miss it when it’s finished.

Monday 18th May – I told you I wasn’t well!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 19 May 2020 13:29:05 GMT

It’s widely reported that the great Spike Milligan’s final words were ‘I told you I wasn’t well!’, and today this epitaph feels particularly apt. Today I feel like every part of my body is in very steep decline but having never shied away from telling people how I feel, I have been stuffed firmly in the ‘cry wolf’ pigeonhole by many people who know me best. Sarah continually demands that a ‘man-up’, my in-laws chortle when I mention my latest ailment and a best friend recently remarked that I wouldn’t have been a great man to have by his side in the trenches. All my woes are in stark contrast to my 90-year-old father’s quiet stoicism in the face of a daily mountain of potions, pills and capsules. The only people who have any empathy are my son and my mother, who as soon as I claim toothache, neck ache, or even gout will shout ‘snap’ and sign up for that very same infirmity.

Anyway, this is meant to be about cooking, so, to keep the symptoms brief Doc, I rise this morning feeling absolutely knackered and with a nagging headache. What’s the prognosis? I hear you ask. Could it be the 2 bottles of Tring ale and 3 glasses of Fiano despatched last night? Is it related to the chronic toothache which has plagued me for over a month now? Or is it something more sinister?

When this is all over, I will head for Manor Street Surgery and when whichever doctor is available asks me what the problem is, I will throw my arms wide and exclaim Everything! Starting at the bottom (or rather the feet) I have gout, arthritis in my knee, rheumatism in my legs and intermittent groin strains. I can no longer get anywhere near touching my toes (not that I could when I was 21) and I start to wonder how only three years ago I used to take part in competitive sports – in fact only a year ago I was jogging and it was only 3 months since I recorded a victory at squash. This preliminary physiological assessment takes us up to my thighs and I think that’s far enough for now. Apart from the flatulence it’s not worth getting started on the ‘midlands’ of my torso and, suffice to say, the upper part of my body, including shoulder, neck and head are in as bad a shape as the bits that keep me just about walking. At least I still have my own teeth – albeit not all of them and not in the same colour that they arrived.

Ironically and rather mockingly, my Fitbit tells me that I am in Excellent health for a man my age. Amazingly, I still walk 5-6 miles every day and like many of my peer group that grew up playing lots of sports and being outside, I wonder if I have developed a strong heart at the expense of all my other bits! And then I remember the bleak 1980s and the football ground ‘beef’ burgers and 20 No. 10 a day and I put aside any health positives I was about to claim.

Anyway, I tell you all this because on Saturday it is my 61st birthday and today I am feeling every tough minute of my time on this planet.

Back in the world of Lockdown it is Monday, and Sarah is up early working. She reminds me that she has a conference call at 16.00 and for me to be quiet when that takes place. I have a letter to post, which is a good excuse to walk down to the town. It is the start of what looks like being a beautiful week of weather and despite my legs feeling like all muscles have been removed overnight, I am cheered by the warm sunshine and the remission offered by two Nurofen.

Once in town I cannot resist the urge to check the queue at Waitrose. Much to my surprise and delight there are only two people outside the store. Last Thursday the queue – had it been in a straight line – would have stretched ack at least 100 metres. I mention this to the Hand Sanitising Lady on the door and she advises me that Thursday is when everyone shops.

Once inside, I re—acquaint myself with the Watford fan who works on the Meat counter, the friendly young lady on the cheese counter and the nice woman who used to live up our road who today is on check-out duty.

Getting back up the hill with a full backpack is hard work and I’m looking forward to an afternoon of leisure in the garden. It’s fish for tea this evening so shouldn’t take too long to make. Sarah says that If I really feel so unwell I should get a covid test, but about the one thing I haven’t had is a cough and, as I open the cod fillets ready to marinate them, I realise that I still have a sense of smell.

About 16.30 I come in from the garden and shout upstairs to ask Sarah when she wants to eat. It suddenly occurs to me that she’s on her call and I shut up again. I think it might be better not to drink tonight but suddenly the genie (or the Nevada Craft ale in this case) is out of the bottle and into the glass. I bought these beers in Tesco a couple of years ago, poured one, found it even too hoppy for my palate, and left the other two in the fridge. At 17.00 today, sat in the sun, with the cat on my lap, it tastes great. I check the bottle and find that the ‘best by’ date was 20th June 2019. I conclude that this beer improves with age, or that I have, indeed, lost my sense of taste.

I bake the fish and make a sauce that consists of white wine, capers, chopped gherkins, mustard and crème fraiche – a kind of reconstructed tartare served hot.

I also bake slices of the many coloured peppers that have accumulated at the bottom of the fridge and roast the remaining asparagus for 10 minutes. I serve with steamed beans and baby potatoes. Sarah says the finished dish is one of the best meals I’ve made recently. I will keep this one in the repertoire.

It’s the astonishingly good Normal People on TV tonight. As it ends, I comment that it is so good that I think it may be as good as the book, which I loved when I read it on the beach in Turkey last Summer. Last Summer in Turkey now seems a long time ago, and as I drift off to sleep, I consider whether a month in the sun might be what I need to bring me back to life.

Sunday 17th May – Queueing at the Garden Centre

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 18 May 2020 09:06:41 GMT

After yesterday’s retail debacle, we devise a plan; we will arrive at Gaddesden Garden Centre before it opens and hence, we will be the first people to enter the store.

We duly drive off at 9.45 and arrive shortly before 10.00. Disappointingly, the queue of people is already quite long, but we figure that once the store opens it will clear quite quickly. By 10.20 we haven’t moved at all. Apparently, the staff are having a team meeting about how opening is going to ‘work’ today. I guess this is understandable, particularly if they have staff coming in who haven’t worked for two months. Eventually, the gates open and a cheery old gent offers us hand cleanser and a trolley.

Although I enjoy cooking and therefore like fresh herbs, other aspects of the garden and gardening in general are alien to me. In fact, if gardening was a foreign language on Duolingo I would barely have reached Level 1; the equivalent of being able to say hello (merhaba) and apple (elma) in Turkish.

After Sarah has pottered around the shrubs and pots, we queue to enter the covered part of the centre. Here Sarah marvels at the huge range of shears, seed packets and gardening gloves, while I play on my phone and attempt to take some interest in the barbeques. Finally, and after two hours, we are set free. Sarah is happy as she has a full trolley and is looking forward to spending an enjoyable afternoon with her new purchases. I should be very happy because we are now growing things like carrots, parsnips, beans, garlic and onions, which I like to eat. My problem is that, despite trying, I have no aptitude for gardening and despite being regularly tutored I still can’t tell the difference between a courgette and a runner bean plant.

While Sarah takes her compost, plants, seeds, birdfeeder, new gloves and a wooden thing (?) and attacks the flower beds, I sit in my super comfy garden chair and read yesterday’s papers. The weather is just about sunny enough to remove my sweatshirt but is forecast to be very warm next week.

Finally, I retire to the kitchen and chop up a 500g lump of braising steak and fry with some lardons. I add parsnips, carrots, mushrooms, carrots, garlic, red wine, tomatoes and beef stock – plus fresh rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. I then shove the lidded dish into the oven at 170 degrees for three hours. The result is a very rich ragu which we eat in the garden with pasta.

In the evening Sarah continues her love affair with gardening by watching the RSH (?) Flower Show, while I recline on the kitchen sofa and watch another episode of The Last Dance.

Saturday 16th May – New Freedoms

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 18 May 2020 08:21:05 GMT

Sarah needs ‘stuff’ for the garden, so today we exercise our new freedoms by driving to a DIY store in Hemel. It is the first weekend of the more relaxed lockdown and I should have known better than to arrive at Apsley Retail Park at midday. The car park is packed, the queue outside the store is long and there doesn’t appear to be any concept of social distancing. Apsley High Street is very similar. The relaxation appears to have been taken as a green light for stores of all creeds and colours (e.g. Halfords and a pet shop) to re-open. We decide to give Apsley a miss altogether. Morale in the car – from the driver at least – dips considerably.

We head back to Berkhamsted to pick up newspapers, Nurofen and some bread. Inexplicably and unexpectedly, there is no queue whatsoever outside Tesco, despite Berko’s Saturday market being quite busy. Joy of all Joys! My morale is raised, and I am in and out of Tesco in 12 minutes (the pathetic amount of parking I paid for in error).

I arrive back at the car and, whilst chucking the papers in the boot, manage to instigate a painful contact between the side of my head and the corner of the boot. Annoying but no medical treatment is required so I agree to journey on to Great Gaddesden where there is a garden centre. As we approach, we can see that even the overflow car park is packed, and the human queue stretches right back to the entrance gate.

We abort the whole DIY/Garden centre mission and decide to go for a nice walk instead. We park at The Alford, walk up to St Margaret’s, turn left and follow the track as far as Hudnall Common, then turn left through woods – covered in wild garlic (see pic), to the Golden Valley and back up the hill and on to Frithsden. A wonderful walk. My heart sings once more.

After almost six miles of hill walking, we are both very tired and sadly we don’t have the option of a pint in the Alford at journey’s end. Back home I pour a beer, read the papers, watch some vintage footy and finally decide that I’m too tired to cook. I open the trusty Just Eat app and we choose a mixed sharing platter from Cyprus Grill. Forty minutes later we discover that the food is delivered to my old address and after a heated exchange with the delivery driver (i.e. I know it’s not your fault mate but I’m now going to go ballistic!), Sarah decided to drive to my old address and collect the food (she must have been very hungry to do this!).

In the meantime, I check the scores on the bets I’ve made on German Football (the Bundesliga starts today in empty stadia). I am delighted to find that I’ve got four out of five results correct and if the final result goes my way, I’ve won £833. Obviously, the final result doesn’t go my way, but I’ve still made enough money to purchase a week’s worth of Just Eats.

When Sarah returns and we finally tuck into our large delivery bag, the food is a bit disappointing. The dips, bread and salad are all lovely, the chicken and kofta is nice but the lamb has been seriously overcooked. Despite that I pretty much scoff the lot. Another day goes by….

Friday 15th May – Golf is back!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 17 May 2020 07:46:46 GMT

For some reason Lockdown had given me a renewed appetite for golf. Once my primary hobby I fell out of love with the game a few years ago and despite maintaining my membership at Stocks I’ve only played about 26 holes in the last 30 months (which makes it an incredibly expensive non-hobby!).

After spending the morning updating my website, trying without success to make my iPhone play through my old Bose speakers and finally clearing my office table of all the flotsam and jetsam left there from my completed my memories board, I managed to find both my old golf shoes, a pair of golf shorts and a top that passed for golf wear, and made my way to the golf club.

The course has only been open since Wednesday and lockdown rules dictate that the only format allowable is to play in pairs ten minutes ahead and behind other golfers. We had an allotted tee time of 16.00 and so, on a fabulous afternoon we completed twelve holes in around two hours. To promote the feeling of normality both myself and Stuart added a couple of extra items to our bags; bottles of real ale. We consumed one on the 5th tee, after which my putting improved markedly, and the other at the end of the round as we put our clubs back into our socially distanced cars.

Finally, we managed to just about not shake hands and went our separate ways. After all that exercise, I was craving cod and chips and decided to pop in to see Zafeer and the other Turkish boys and the excellent station fish shop. However, as I approached, I noticed that the queue extended back to Canal fields, so I went home and made my own.

Thursday 14th May – a lovely walk and the weekly beer run

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 15 May 2020 09:10:37 GMT

The north wind continues to blow but the sun is shining, and after a quick brekkie we decide to drive down to Chesham Vale and walk the six miles to Hawridge, Bellingdon and back though Captains Wood.

This is one of my favourite walks and starts with a steady climb before heading through open fields with tremendous Chiltern views. Before long it’s warm enough to remove our sweatshirts. This perfect walking weather.

We take it slow and everything goes smoothly until we reach Mount Nugent where I not only forget the route but also trip over a gate. Who would put a bar across the bottom of a kissing gate!!?. Having picked myself up and recovered from my ‘why always me’ moment we end up back at the Black Horse car park, where I phone Tring Brewery to call in my weekly beer order.

The brewery is right next to Dunsley Farm shop and while I load the boot with beer, Sarah ventures inside for her first visit to a grocery store in two months. How exciting for her!

Back home I cook us an omelette and take Nurofen for my ongoing headache. Sarah goes upstairs to work, and I take a magazine into the garden and sit in the warm afternoon sunshine.

Very soon the food need preparing, and I coat the chicken with spice rub, put it in a sealable bag and leave it in the fridge for three hours. I enjoy the first glass of draft Moongazing while making the rest of our meal. The marinated chicken is usually served with curry, coriander and paprika spiced lentils, but as I can’t find any lentils, I decide to use paella rice instead. The sell by date on the pack is 2014 but it passes close inspection and I add 250g to the pan and cook it like risotto by adding warm stock. The rice takes ages to soften but the end result is delicious. I bought some local asparagus today, so I steam a few stalks to complete the dish.

After dinner we call Sarah’s parents who seem to be in good spirits and then go outside to do our bit for the country by clapping. There is talk of holding a party with booze and music for my 61st birthday next Saturday but I’m not completely convinced that this would be in the spirit of lockdown. I will give it some thought.

Wednesday 13th May – Croissants and Cod

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 15 May 2020 08:16:31 GMT

A decent night’s sleep with just one sleepy grab for the paracetamols around 04.00. Up early and manage to resist eating anything before Barb leaves the fresh bread delivery on our doorstep.

I have a few issues at our place in Fethiye, Turkey, which we’ve been unable to visit since last October, and there are council tax, ground rent and utility bills that need to be paid. I WhatsApp our managing agent and friend Ugur and she reassures me that all is well (apart from a bit more damp creeping up the lounge wall).

It is 27 degrees in Fethiye today, but it is only half that temperature here in Berkhamsted. However, it is dry and having spent much of the day eating walnut bread and a devouring a huge croissant I am badly in need of some exercise.

We are now permitted to drive to places of exercise, so I take the car down to Champneys and take a four-mile walk around Heath End.

Back home, my attention turns to this evening’s meal. Having decided we should eat ‘lighter’, I have purchased some cod loin and intend to cook it ‘Asian style’ with ginger, peppers, garlic, capers and spring onions. I season the cod with a lemon and saffron spice mix I purchased in Turkey and oven cook it (in a miniscule amount of rapeseed – honest Sarah!!) for 15 minutes along with the ingredients above. I then add soy and lemon juice and a little water, and we eat it on a small helping of noodles, some ribboned cucumber and some veg. Very nice indeed.

And so, a pretty uneventful day ends. There’s not even anything decent on the telly at 21.00 tonight.

Tuesday 12th May – Stop Press: No queue at Tesco Tring

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 13 May 2020 10:21:31 GMT

Hurry, hurry! If you leave right away, you can avoid queueing for an hour and walk straight into Tesco Tring. Yes, it’s true I arrived at Tring Tesco at 9.48 this morning and the only person between me and a journey into grocery heaven goodies was The Hand Sanitiser Man!

Still in a state of shock and awe I manoeuvred my well-behaved trolley round the less than crowded aisles picking up everything my parents had requested; from oranges to soup, from bananas to porridge. I was in and out in thirty minutes. Another lockdown personal best!

I was even able to re-enter the shop – again with no queue -after reaching my car and finding that I’d forgotten a couple of essential items that Sarah had requested so she can start her healthy eating regime. Five minutes and a couple of packs of cod later I was speeding down the A41 towards Denham Garden Village; home of the most senior members of the Pearson family.

A chilly north wind is blowing today but out in the sun trap that is my parents back patio it feels warm enough to discard our coats. I pass the bag of comestibles over, and my mother insists on giving me £20 for my trouble.

Apparently, my father’s been on his travels again. This time to a garage in Denham to try to sell his car, which at an age of almost 90 (my father not the car, he has decided he should stop driving. He has also been making regularly visits to the local shop, but I have now given up telling him he should not be doing this. Would I want to be stuck inside all day if I was 90 and still able to walk?

Back home, I find that the chicken thighs have defrosted and plan (in Sarah’s words) our first healthy meal. Sarah has explained to me that healthy cooking means not doing any of the following: baking parsnips and carrots in honey and/or butter, roasting spuds in goose fat or making gravy from the fatty (but delicious) juices rendered from the chicken. Instead it means; steaming the veg, removing the chicken skin and, in Sarah’s case only, dishing up no spuds whatsoever. Generally, I obey her orders, but make sure I drizzle my thighs with a little olive oil and sprinkle over some Zaatar. I also make myself a light tomato sauce to give me something to dip my chicken, cauliflower, broccoli and leeks in.

To my jaded taste buds the meal lacks flavour and I end up gating mature cheddar over most of it. I also forget the no alcohol rule and down three glasses of Primitivo.

Monday 11th May – Ridicule, Denial and Expletives

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 12 May 2020 12:57:10 GMT

A social media storm is taking place following Boris’s less than impressive performance on TV last night. Most social media buddies are scathing about the confusing nature of the new guidelines, although one or two Uber Tories are in denial and attempt to defend Boris, by reminding us that at some point we must all go back to work. Perversely the instruction to go back to work comes from two chaps who I know are all but retired. Some might say that it’s easy for them to command others to work in dangerous conditions. I couldn’t possibly comment.

Sarah is at home and has two conference calls set up, at 14.00 and 18.30. She reminds me of this along with an accompanying warning not to turn the TV on full volume or blurt out expletives while she’s on the phone.

The ‘why always me’ moment, which I, as a clumsy non practical soul, endure most days comes along early after I decide to restring my electric guitar. Having congratulated myself for working out the reasonably straightforward task of threading the strings, I fall at the final hurdle when I find that I am unable to make the bottom E string grip the grove at the end of the fretboard. A few expletives later, I remember Sarah is on her call and I shut up and make a cup of tea. Finally, I return to the office and conclude that the gauge of the new string is too thick to fit the groove. At this point I could either turn on my laptop and Google a solution, play with just 5 strings or put the offending guitar on eBay. However, I find a solution that involves using the old Bottom E (removed yesterday), which is a thinner gauge and fits the fretboard. Not perfect a perfect outcome, but not the end of the world either - despite being one of the least captivating stories I’ve ever shared on this blog.

I pop down the shops to but some bread and take advantage of the zero-person queue outside M & S by purchasing extra onions.

Pork is on the menu tonight and, as Sarah’s second call is at 18.30, I have a deadline of 17.30 to put the evening meal on the table. This I achieve by oven baking the chops on a rack above sliced apples, butternut squash, onions and garlic – dressed with cinnamon, thyme, rosemary and paprika.

The meal is fine, but I think we’ve both hit the ‘oven roasted’ buffers. Sarah says it’s time I started to serve healthier options and tomorrow I will purchase vegetable and fish for steaming – possibly…

On TV Tiger King and particularly The Last Dance continues to entertain. I fall asleep with a radio 4 play ringing in my ears.

Sunday 10th May – Stay Alert? I don’t even know what a Lert is!!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 11 May 2020 11:16:43 GMT

Started the day with an exhausting 6.39 mile walk past Hall Park under the A41 up to Whelpley Hill and back past Harratts and Berkhamsted School field. By the time we arrive home the sky has changed colour from blue to black - and Sarah’s arms have changed colour from pink to blue. I did offer her my sweatshirt!

Spent the afternoon reading the rest of the Saturday papers and watching the first episodes of The Last Dance and Tiger King: Netflix series which had come highly recommended. Both are OK and I’ll give them at least a second episode each.

Roll on the final episode of Van der Valk this evening – soundly pilloried by the critics but enjoyed by Sarah and me……so that may tell you quite a lot about my taste in TV.

Finally, on to safer ground than evaluating TV series, as it’s cooking time. We have some leftovers from last night plus a couple of lamb steaks which I sear and then finish in the oven with onions, garlic, aubergines, courgettes, peppers, cherry tomatoes – dressed with olive oil, thyme, mint, parsley, cinnamon, paprika cumin and harissa paste. Rested the lamb for 20 minutes after cooking. Served with couscous. Very nice but not the best.

At 19.00 we sat down to a rather confusing speech from our PM. It seems that we can now go out as much as we want?, visit our old folks??, drive to the beach???, sit in the park???? Go to work????? – or all these things?????? . At the end of the speech the nation is bewildered, and the Twitter and WhatsApp backlash begins - and the criticism is not just from the left. The jokes below were sent to me by arch Tories. We have been promised that all will become clear at 14.00 tomorrow. Let’s hope so.

In the meantime, Stay Alert. I never became ‘a Lert’ in the first place but I think there might be one or two Lerts living in Berkhamsted…. Sarah says she may have seen a Lert fighting with a Squirrel in the garden earlier….. ��

Saturday 9th May – My first hangover for two months!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 10 May 2020 14:14:16 GMT

Having endured a month of toothache I am now used to waking up with a headache and stumbling into the bathroom to take painkillers of some description. This morning is no different, in that I awake with a headache. However, it is also accompanied by a dry mouth and a general feeling of listlessness. It quickly dawns on me that this morning’s ailment is a good old-fashioned hangover, induced by last night’s four hours of VE Day drinking. Powerful waves of nostalgia begin to overpower the feelings of nausea I am overcome by feelings of nostalgia, as I realise that it has been 57 days since my last hangover (better known as the day after Cheltenham) and this morning-after malaise almost feels like a return to ‘Normal’, if you can remember what that was.

Today goes the way of most hangover days in that very little gets done, although I do manage to haul my bones down to Tesco to pick up newspapers and a magazine for Sarah. When I get back, I’m very hungry and, as everyone knows, a hearty breakfast is the best hangover cure, I cook poached eggs and some cod loin. Perhaps sausages, bacon and black pudding would have been a more predictable choice, but the cod and eggs is not only reasonably healthy. It is also highly nutritious and delicious.

The rest of the day was spent in the back garden enjoying what looks likely to be the last of the warm weather for a few days. At 14.30 I prepared my lamb shoulder for its three hours visit to the main oven. It emerges, succulent and soft at 18.00, and is served with roasted veg and baked spuds. We eat in the garden and I force myself ‘back on the bike’ with a glass or two of Moongazer and a couple of glasses of red.

We spend the rest of the evening attempting to choose a film that we will both enjoy but admit defeat after thirty minutes of a strange movie starring Paul Dano. It’s then back to the safety of ‘Twin’ and we watch the final two episodes before falling asleep.

Friday 8th May – VE Day Party

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sat, 09 May 2020 15:43:06 GMT

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Started the day by walking four miles to Marlin Chapel and back down Northchurch Lane. By the time we got back the sun was high in the sky and the majority of Upper Ashlyn’s Road was decked out in bunting and union jack flags.

I spent the rest of the day waiting for 18.00 to come around. This is the appointed time for heavy VE Day drinking; the first proper session I’ve had since the last day at Cheltenham Festival back in early March. By the time I dragged our camping chairs out of the back of the car and moved outside, the party was in full flight - although much of the consumption appeared to involve tea and cake rather than anything stronger. Not to be deterred, I poured a pint from my first two litre bottle of Tring ale and was soon joined by other likeminded ale drinkers, including our neighbours next door and across the street.

Although Sarah later berated me for my paucity of emotional intelligence, my lack of social distancing (I shook someone’s hand – doh!) and my generally haughty manner, I had a bloody good time and both two litre bottles went down very well indeed!

We’re lucky to live in quite a short street with only about a dozen houses and without exception (if you don’t include me) everyone was very friendly and interesting. They even have decent taste in music!

We vowed to all get together again on my birthday in two weeks’ time and then called it a night. Back home, I received a mild bollocking from Sarah and sloped off to the kitchen where I proceeded to eat all the left-over pork in two large slices of bread. The bits that didn’t end up on the floor were delicious – although a large donner might have been a more appropriate end to a fine evening.

Thursday 7th May – The old ones are worst ones!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 08 May 2020 15:07:08 GMT

My 89.5-year-old Father’s determination to maintain some independence during Lockdown appears to be boundless. I called my son James yesterday and he told the following story; “I was sitting in my boxers watching TV in my flat yesterday morning, when I heard a knock-on mum’s door (a few metres from James’s door). I knew she was out in the fields, so I ignored it and got back to watching TV. The next thing I knew my door had been thrown open and Grandad was walking through my flat asking where he could get some manure!”.

Bearing in mind my parents live ten-minutes away, my father’s driving skills are not what they once were (i.e. he’s even slower than he was thirty years ago) and , DAMMIT!, he’s just plain very old and meant to be staying at home, I was one part worried, one part shocked, one part amused and one part not surprised when I heard the news.

This news came hot on the heels of a text from my sister telling me that when she dropped food round to our parents earlier this week my father wasn’t there as he’d already gone to Aldi in Uxbridge to get ‘other things’. I don’t think either my mother or father really ‘get’ this lockdown. My mother (despite having mobility problems) complains bitterly that she hasn’t been out for weeks and every time I switch on the news, I half expect to hear that an 89.25-year-old woman has been spotted propelling her walking frame along the nearby M25.

Back at home I went for an early morning walk and continued my eve of VE day battle with the new axis of evil; BT broadband and Sky TV. I am hoping we can reach a negotiated peace, under the terms of which Sarah and I will be permitted to watch TV in all three rooms without having to race down two flights of stairs to push a button on the main Sky box.

On the plus side though, my late night stair-sprints have helped me lose approx. 1.5 kilos in the past week, which is almost worth the frustration watching a small circle on a blue screen ‘attempting to find the IP address’ for almost thirty minutes.

Food tonight was amazing.

Against all the odds and after plenty of pain killers for my teeth and a beer or two for my general mood, I managed to make the dish Sarah has requested for weeks; Katsu Chicken (pictured above). Despite being unable to purchase some key ingredients such as limes, buttermilk or mirin I decided to give it my best shot. It involved four hours of marinating the chicken filets in curry powder, garlic salt, and a combination of skimmed milk and crème fraiche (as a substitute for buttermilk). The accompanying curry consisted of a chopped carrot, coriander, onion, garlic, ginger and chilli, followed by left over apple chutney (we had no mango chutney), garam masala, turmeric and more curry powder. I then added 35g of plain flour and 800 ml of warm water and let it bubble away for thirty minutes. I ground some coconut cream into the rice and coated each chicken filet with breadcrumbs and fried them in hot oil for a couple of minutes each side. I dressed the chicken with ribboned cucumber doused in a little lemon. It was outstanding.

Wednesday 6th May – the sunshine is back

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 07 May 2020 14:32:40 GMT

Sarah is working at home today and wants to go out for an early walk. Unfortunately, I was awake until 01.30, listening to four episodes of the Corrupted and I am knackered! I manage to drag my tired body and mind out of bed by 07.45 and after a couple of cups of tea and a splash or two of water over my face I am ready to make my legs work. Sarah needs to be home for a conference call by 10.30 and the time pressure appears to motivate her. In fact, I’ve never seen her legs move so fast as we cover over 4 miles in an hour and twenty minutes.

The weather is superb, and we don’t see anyone out until we pass through Harratts Farm and through into Hockeridge Woods, where a I spot a young couple consulting an Ordnance survey map. Seeing a walker Seeing walkers who need directional assistance is a sight to excite me on even the dullest days (or an opportunity to show off as Sarah puts it). I immediately ask them where they’re heading, and the answer is that they are walking to Bovingdon from Northchurch. They don’t need help they just want to find the shortest route. It’s probably over four miles from their home to their destination and, as it’s unlikely that they will be coming back any other way, I estimate that they will cover about the same distance on the way back. An impressive length of walk – particularly with a baby in their front pack!

We are back by 10.25 and while Sarah dials in for her call, I steam into the fresh walnut bread left on our doorstep this very morning. By 12.00 I’m out in the garden with the neighbour’s cat sat on my lap. My main reading materials are Cookery Books and, having seen on WhatsApp, that my old mate JR cooked some very good-looking Onion bhaji last night I decide it’s time to extend myself again. Out come the cookery books and I start studying the twenty steps (a lot for one recipe) required to produce good butternut squash filled ravioli.

Deciding that it’s too nice outside to spend hours slaving over the pasta maker I take an easier option by chopping up the left-over pork and adding the usual oyster, sesame and soy sauces to spring onions, garlic, chilli, shitakes and pak choi. In just thirty minutes I have created my version of the Thai dish, Pad kee Mao. I’ve found it difficult to find limes in the stores recently, so I finish off the sauce with lemon juice and salt and pepper and, finally toss in the cooked noodles.

We eat in the garden and consume the best part of a bottle of NZ Pinot Noir, which is far too light for this dish but very nice with the piece of strong cheddar I eat after.

I spoke to my old business partner, Debbie, today. She’s introduced some highly innovative products and delivery channels to keep the old company afloat. As she said it was the types of challenge that would have excited me back in the day. Good luck to them.

Tuesday 5th May – Back to basics

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 06 May 2020 12:56:32 GMT

Yesterday’s culinary shocker still haunts me as awake from my nightmares and find that Sarah has already left for school. On the table sits one of her famous notes, which lists three items she needs me to find today; coconut hair conditioner, bird seed and own-brand granola. It’s a type of lockdown treasure hunt that she regularly arranges for me and, as I am unable to even visualise the type of small local store that would stock all three items, I head for Tesco - the purveyor of all things. It is 11.43 on a warm Tuesday and my assessment is that the queues will not be anywhere near as long as; a) early morning; b) lunchtime OR c) a Thursday or Friday - which some souls still consider to be the gateway to what I once knew as the weekend.

I’m delighted to find that my analytical skills remain un-dulled after almost 18 months of retirement and after swiftly parking the car as close to the entrance as possible (and walking quickly enough to overtake an elderly gentleman making his way to the queue without making it obvious that I’m pushing in front of him), I find fewer than ten customers ahead of me.

Within ten minutes I have reached the entrance and there stands The Trolley Sanitiser Man, like St Peter standing before the gates of heaven. Keen to speed my entrance into the paradise that awaits, I wish him a cheerful ‘Good Morning’ and heap praise on him for the key role he’s playing in keeping us all safe. In exchange for my kind words he offers me advice on the best time to visit; ‘Don’t come at 6.00 a.m. It’s rammed! he rasps; ‘but by 7.00 there’s hardly anyone waiting’. I make a mental note of these timings but quickly reflect that at 07.00 this morning my eyes were still closed (or perhaps moving rapidly), as I endured the nightmare of being held hostage by horribly burnt chickens attempting to escape an air raid shelter that looked strangely like my Range cooker.

Once inside the store I throw a six and advance towards GO, following arrows that lead me towards fruit and veg. I am determined not to buy non-essentials and exercise admirable restraint until I notice that spuds and tomatoes are on offer. I don’t really need either product but add two bags of each to my trolley all the same. I quickly convince myself that this is the wise thing to do and that I should make the most of my visit by stocking up for the week.

Consequently, by the time I reach the beer and wine, my trolley is so packed with comestibles of all shapes, sizes, varieties and textures that I’m having to do extra work with my right arm to avoid taking out a shelf full of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord. Eventually by carrying out a series of jerky, backward and forward manoeuvres I find myself in front of the Malbec and am delighted to find a decent Argentinian example on sale for £6. I take two and move onto a New Zealand Pinot Noir, a South African Shiraz and three bottles of Marlborough Sauvignon – also on offer at £6.

Finally, by working my way back through the labyrinth of shelves I manage to locate the bird seed, Conditioner and Granola that I came here for. I then make my way inexorably – via another arcane route – to Checkout nine, where I just about stuff all the purchased items in my ‘bags for life’ and hand over £127 in exchange. By the time I leave I have only uttered the word ‘sorry’ twelve times. My daily number of apologies are falling as quickly as the UK death rate. I convince myself that I am over the worst of my apologist virus.

Back home I’m keen to get outside as the good weather has returned. After wedging the final bags of parsnips, carrots and spuds (bought in error) into a cupboard over the cooker, I dislodge my comfy garden chair form the overloaded garden shed (banging my head twice in the process) and spend an hour reclining in the sun, whilst dredging the final nuggets of interest from Saturday’s papers.

Soon it is food time and I decide that after last night’s debacle I must go back to basics. I choose a one tray left-over roasted chicken, chorizo and vegetable bake - using up carrots, onions, garlic, cauliflower, peppers, chopped, tomatoes, plenty of paprika and some rapeseed oil. I’ve cooked this dish successfully many times before and – to be fair – there is little that can go wrong.

Sarah comes back from school and we eat in the garden, serving the tray bake with the remains of yesterday’s pearl barley. It’s very tasty and my faith in (my) cooking is restored.

No walk today but Sarah is here tomorrow so we must get out early. On social media there is much chat about when football should restart. My personal opinion is that there should be no football until it is safe for fans like me to be in the ground to watch it.

Monday 4th May – A culinary mishap

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 05 May 2020 13:07:33 GMT

A very strange start to the week. I wake up at 07.00, with a headache, a cough and a feeling of deep malaise. Am I seriously ill? I go back to sleep and don’t wake until 09.40 when my Fitbit tells me I’ve had 10 hours 17 minutes sleep – surely a personal best.

After two cups of tea and 800 mg of ibuprofen I feel almost human again and decide to take a shower and go for a walk. Sarah is busy in her office so leaves me to it.

I set out along the footpath towards Hall Park and eventually end up back in the High Street. The queue outside Tesco is short so I decide to fill my ruck sack. I get back at 13.30 and surprise Sarah with an often requested but rarely delivered soft ‘round’ lettuce, the first I’ve seen in Tesco since Harry and Megan were part of the Royal Family. When I pluck it from a much-recycled ASDA bag she can hardly disguise her delight!

After a couple of hour’s reading (interesting that in these days of no real action, the sports pages are the final thing I turn to), I decide to get on with the evening’s food. We have another free range Launde chicken that needs cooking but having eaten (too) many roast dinners recently I go for a slightly healthier option and poach the chicken in wine, stock and pearl barley. I add shallots, onions, garlic, rosemary and lemon thyme but, in an attempt to end up with really moist chicken, I find myself constantly tinkering with the oven temperature and the lid (lid on/lid off).

The pearl barley, which I finish by stirring in cavolo nero, crème fraiche and parsley, tastes interesting, almost like a risotto without the cheese. The chicken however is a different story. The breast meat has that ‘just about cooked’ succulence but the thighs and legs are tough and sinewy - a sign of undercooking or cooking at the wrong heat.

We concentrate on eating the breast meat with the pearl barley, put the rest of the chicken back in the oven at a low heat and decamp to the sofa. An hour and a half alter I return to the kitchen where Sarah is working. I immediately notice the tell-tale smell of overcooked chicken and remember that the bird is still in the oven. I quickly turn off the heat and retrieve the charred offerings from the oven.

I attempt to convince Sarah that chicken is nice when Its crunchy and that most of the bird will be salvageable, but even I’m not buying into my optimism. What’s left of the bird now looks like Dresden after the allied WW2 bombings, with the rubble spread across the tray and the dark brown spires of the backbone looking ready to collapse. A harrowing sight for a man that loves food. I wrap the charred remains of a once lovely free-range bird in a pall of foil and push it to one side. Tomorrow, I will look at what is salvageable.

It’s been an inexplicably bad day in the kitchen and one that I am determined to learn from. What’s wrong with simply roast chicken anyway.

In other news Sarah thinks the schools will open again in June and, increasingly, the British Press is attracting criticisms for being unsupportive to the government. On TV, Killing Eve is entertaining, and Normal People has hit its stride and is compelling watching. I fall asleep listening to Series 4 of the Corrupted

Sunday 3rd May – After the Lord Mayor’s show

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 04 May 2020 09:34:46 GMT

After the social whirl that was yesterday, today turns out to be as flat as the proverbial. The weather is neither fair nor foul and hence I never quite commit to a decent walk. Instead, I write my blog, watch Andrew Marr and burn my hand while covering the pork with foil.

No, Sunday 3rd May will not make it into my soon to be published autobiography; ‘The Chiltern Epicurean – my imaginary life as the world’s greatest chef’.

However, since contracting constant toothache. I do appear to have acquired a special new skill; dribbling at night. I am horrified to awake to find that at the age of not yet 61 I have become a night-time dribbler. What’s next I ask myself?

Eventually food time comes along and I prepare a 1.5kg shoulder of pork for the oven. The Stanley knife is carefully removed, and the skin is scored. Oil and salt are rubbed over the skin and the joint is cooked at 30 minutes uncovered at high heat. This sets the crackling. The meat can then be removed from the oven, covered with foil (try not to burn yourself) and the oven temperature reduced to 160 degrees. Cook undisturbed for ninety minutes, remove the foil, cover the base of the dish with carrots, onions, parsnips and spuds, place the pork on top and cook at 180/190 degrees for a further hour. Rest for at least 20 minutes before carving. The result is good crackling and succulent meat.

We eat early and I listlessly flop onto the sofa. Countryfile, Simon Reeve in the Med and Van der Valk come and go, and I fall asleep listening to BBC Sounds; GF Newman’s The Corrupted (superb).

PS – almost forgot – a reason to be cheerful - we have a bay tree in our garden, so I now have an almost endless supply of fresh bay leaves (pic above)..

Saturday 2nd May – A tale of two video appearances

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 03 May 2020 12:19:56 GMT

In the context of the current lockdown, today must count as a very busy day. After enjoying a perfectly cooked boiled egg (5 minutes 20 seconds then immediately doused in cold water to stop any further cooking) we went for a six mile walk along Hockeridge Bottom, through Harratts Farm, up towards Haresfoot, along the footpath that runs parallel to the A41, on to the next path that that eventually bears left past the Hall Park estate, and finally walked back into Berkhamsted via Bobby’s newsagents and Darvill’s bakers.

Back at home my nervous energy is building. I have committed to two video chats today. The first one is on Houseparty at 15.00 and the second on Zoom at 17.30. The timings are crucial; 15.00 would have been kick off time against West Ham and at 17.30 we would have been in the Wetherspoons pub at Liverpool Street toasting a glorious victory.

Being one of the very few people in the UK who hasn’t used Zoom I spend much of the afternoon attempting to gain a rudimentary understanding of how it works. After all, no one wants to be known as the technical numpty of their WhatsApp group.

The 15.00 Houseparty call is fine, as, there are only five of us on the call and the connection is decent. Occasionally I hear the echo of my voice and wonder if I’ve always sounded like an eight-year-old girl. I make a mental note to pitch my voice down an octave during the Zoom call.

We spend an hour on Houseparty, covering essential topics like the Michael Jordan drama on Netflix, how soon the golf courses will reopen and when we will be able to watch live footy again. I notice that one of my friends, who is a constant contributor on WhatsApp, is quite reserved and not looking at the screen. Later he confesses that he didn’t hear what I said as he was watching the snooker (a match from 2003). Just as I hit my stride and start to talk eloquently about the merits of the C5 drama, Blood, my snooker watching friend decides to leave and, before I can shout ‘easy pink’, the call is over and I am left staring into the void of my blurred face on my iPhone screen.

I vow not to ‘mugged off’ like this at the end of our Zoom call later. But first I must ‘learn’ Zoom. I start to get a basic grip on the functionality but can’t connect to the web address Kevin has provided. Hence, I decide to ask for help from our WhatsApp group, as follows:

14.16 ME – Just tried it Kev. Getting an error message telling me the address is invalid…do I need to wait until 5.30 for it to work. Yours sincerely Mr Tecky Numpty.

14.17 ME – Think I’m ok now

14.19 KEV – you ok now mate?

14.20 ME – Think so. Thx

14.28 KEV – don’t worry mate my tech manager (his wife) will be on site if she’s needed ��

14.33 ME – Ok mate. Think I can open it on iPhone now but on laptop it’s asking me for the meeting ID. Worst case I’ll join you via iPhone.

14.36 KEV – what web browser you using Safari or Chrome

14.38 ME - I was attempting to type the link on Chrome

14.39 KEV – Jude says copy and paste it

14.50 DAZ – it’s like an episode of Last of the Summer Wine!

14.58 ME – wait till Compo and Clegg try to dial in!

15.01 – DAZ LOL. Wally Batty.

Having successfully cut and paste the link I triumphantly stride out to the garden to read the papers. Sarah is pressure cleaning the patio and I position myself at the end of the garden, well away from any mis-directed high-powered jets of water. With my 17.30 Zoom in mind, I practice my very best Lee Marvin voice and remember to text my neighbours to let them know that I might be late for our re-arranged street drink which is scheduled for 18.00.

The Zoom is all over in 45 minutes and two pints of Moongazer. A bit like an ‘early one’ in the pub. After I have disconnected (at the same time as everyone else this time) Sarah and I drag a couple of chairs out into the street. I’m surprised find that seven households have joined us tonight and we are socially distanced along about half our street. Our neighbour’s dog Ziggy has taken to growling at me, but I don’t let this put me off my second litre of Moongazer. We spend an entertaining 45 minutes in the evening sunshine and vow to meet again next Friday for VE day celebrations. It is a bit short on gravy but the sausages (from M&S) are very nice.

Time for bed. Little man you’ve had a busy day.

Friday 1st May – ‘Pinch, punch, first of the month’!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sat, 02 May 2020 16:18:57 GMT

I wake up in high spirits. It’s 1st May, the month of my birth, the sun is shining, and my toothache has relented. I sit up in bed and playfully pinch, and then softly punch, Sarah who is sat in bed next to me. ‘Pinch, punch, first of the month!’ I cry joyously! She responds by thumping me very hard and giving me a dead arm. It is the kind of disproportionate response you’d expect from the Israeli army not a 5-foot 4-inch primary school teacher!

Once I stop whimpering, I remember that it is food delivery day and my mother has given me a longs and eclectic list of products that she and my father would like me to purchase this week. It includes rice pudding, frozen peas, cod in batter, green beans and porridge. A challenging set of ingredients for even the most imaginative participant on ‘Ready Steady Cook’.

I leave the house at 10.30 and drive to Dunsley Farm to pick up my pre-ordered beers from Tring Brewery. In Upper Ashlyns Road, 18.00 on Friday is ‘meet in the street and drink time’, so I do the neighbourly thing and pick up a couple of litres of Tring ale for Gordon and Ben, who live at numbers 32 and 25.

After loading my box of beers, I drive across the roundabout to Tesco and for one deluded moment I think I can see only three people in the food queue. I rush to find a parking space but when I leave the car, I can see that I am much mistaken. The line doesn’t just extend around the side of the store, but snakes into three further lanes. From the back of the line to the entrance looks like over an hour’s wait so I decide to abort this mission and head back to Berkhamsted, where the stores are smaller but there are more of them.

Much to my chagrin, the line of people waiting outside Berkhamsted’s Tesco is almost as long as in Tring. I decide to head for Waitrose. Things are getting a bit desperate. In future I will not shop on a Friday.

As I approach the turning into Waitrose, I pass M&S and notice that there are only one or two people waiting outside. Opportunity has knocked and I park the car as quickly as possible. When I arrive back five people have joined the queue and I start to ponder the extra cost (it being M&S) versus less waiting time (then Tesco) equation. As I take on this mental assessment, two more people enter M&S. The queue has shortened, and I am now third in line. It is a no brainer; I will pay the extra and save the waiting time.

Once inside I’m encouraged that M&S have most of the foods my parents have requested. I am also surprised to find that the cost of most products are quite reasonable. Later my father points out that the reason the prices are so reasonable is because the products are half the size of their Tesco equivalents.

My father is looking quite fit for a man who will be 90 in November and seems buoyed by the fact (and I believe it to be a fact because my father keeps repeating it to me) that no one at Denham Garden village (home for the elderly) has been struck down with Covid 19 yet. My mother seems more interested in the bag of food than my company and once it starts to rain I retreat from their patio back to my car.

Back home I write for a while before watching a recording of Alex PollittI’s Search for a Chef. It is the final selection and some seriously brilliant food is being dished up.

We are due to meet in the street at 18.00 but texts are exchanged about the weather (it is now peeing down) and we decide to postpone. Suddenly the sun comes out, we all have a change of heart and pop outside with our beers. Ten minutes later it is pouring again, and we call it a night.

Inside I serve up last night’s left-over curry and consume my first litre of Moongazer. I then watch a very interesting programme about the politics of music in Nazi Germany, hosted by Suzy Levy. I think it’s important during Lockdown to delve into BBC4 esoterica occasionally if only to give the brain a little extra nourishment.

Just after 21.00 we ‘scale the wooden hill to bed-fordshire’ as my granny used to say and watch the 4th part of Blood. I am snoring before Friday Night Dinner starts.

Another 739 deaths today, but the government appears to have met its target of 100,000 tests per day, so I guess that is progress. Tomorrow will be busy; a long walk, followed by two video chats and a possible street drink.

Thursday 30th April – an eventful day to end a unique month

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 01 May 2020 14:40:56 GMT

Dreadful weather greets the final day of this extraordinary month. Boris is back on our screens and tells us we are over the worst of this virus, despite then announcing that 740 more people died yesterday. In Berkhamsted, I spend most of the morning pottering around the house and occasionally looking up anxiously at several damp patches that have spread like a plaster-based rash on our bedroom ceiling.

I spend a frustrating hour attempting to set up my new Fitbit, which works completely differently to my last device, which died on me earlier this week. During periods of iPhone frustration, I sometimes look back fondly to 1995 and my chunky Nokia phone which could only make calls and send texts. In a similar way I compare the limited functionality of my last Fitbit as a godsend compared to this new model and eventually I resort to a Google tutorial which explains that I must now access the menu by ‘swiping’ rather than ‘tapping’ (which was the protocol on the Fitbit 2).

My office is in chaos. I’ve covered the table with the contents of two large boxes of old mementos and tickets from sporting events and gigs going back almost 25 years. One by one I sort the tickets that mean the most to me and painstakingly stick them on the pin board Sarah has bought me as a very early birthday pressie. This could be looked on as a perfect Lockdown task, much like compiling iPhone playlists or organising a spice rack in alphabetical order.

As I pin a 2012 Cheltenham Owners and Trainers badges next to a 2007 Mumbai Test match ticket stub, the sky tunes black and soon the noise of the rain on my skylight is almost deafening.

A quick look through the rear door confirms what I feared; that the guttering at the side of the house, which me and my neighbour spent hours fixing, has collapsed in two places and water is starting to trickle onto the carpet after squeezing beneath the door. Combined with the ceiling damage this is beginning to get worrying.

Having completed my pin board, I take refuge in the kitchen and receive a call from BMW informing me that my car service is complete. A new tyre and rear brake pads have been fitted and the total ‘damage’ is over £1000. Having seen the value of my shares and pension increase significantly over the past two days I don’t feel as gloomy as I anticipated when the voice at the other end of the phone asked me for the long number on my card.

At 16.00 the rain stops. Sarah drops me along Shootersway, and in order to get some exercise I walk the couple of miles down to Cow Roast. Just as I carry out the two metre ‘Corona Reach’, to take the car key from the Service Manager’s hand, an alarm can be heard. We throw accusatory looks at each other, but then I realise the alarm is coming from my back pocket. I pull out my phone and am shocked to see that I have received very my first NHS Responder alert. I am surprised and a little nervous but someone out there needs assistance – and I am just the man to help!

I call the number sent to me via the app and an elderly sounding woman replies. ‘Hi’, I say, ‘I’m from NHS Respond, do you need assistance’? After a lengthy pause a rather exasperated voice replies’ why do you lot keep calling me? We sorted all this out this morning’! The phone goes dead. …..’You’re welcome Ma’am’ I think (and tip my imaginary hat). It seems that this much-heralded volunteer scheme, which sounded like a good idea on paper isn’t working quite so well in practice.

Anyway, it least when I recount the story back home it makes Sarah laugh and it encourages me to confess that when I popped in the petrol station to increase the tyre pressures I couldn’t remove one of the valve covers and had to seek assistance myself – from the female cashier, who removed it right away. In fairness she was younger and had more muscle definition than I had – even thirty years ago.

In an attempt to recover my dignity, I move on to a task that I can at least complete with a semblance of competence; cooking the evening meal. Tonight, I’m using up some of the leftover chicken in a hybrid Thai style curry. The original recipe appears on this site but in these times of versatility and ‘needs must’ I also used up half a fennel bulb, some roasted colly, butternut squash and half an orange pepper I find in the bottom of the fridge.

Ninety minutes later we have the finished dish, which Sarah says is lovely. This is a big complement, which is then somewhat tainted as she asks me to ‘never to go back to your old way of cooking curries’! This is a back-handed complement, which she softens only slightly by saying ‘you know when you had to put a tin of chopped tomatoes in everything you cooked’. That told me! But i still consider the tomato to be one of my favourite foods.

Anyway, we wash down the chicken with a very nice bottle of Vernaccia de San Gimignano. One of my favourite reasonably priced white wines.

Wednesday 29th April – An arm and a leg followed by a thigh and a leg…

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 09:10:37 GMT

My X5 is long overdue a service and as Specialist Cars BMW are open, Sarah and I drive over to Cow Roast to drop the car off. The bad news is that it’s a FULL service, which at BMW means an EMPTY wallet after. I’m also aware that at least one of the tyres need changing so this could turn out to be a very expensive day.

The good news, however, is that we get to take on a different exercise route; electing to walk the five miles from Cow Roast back to Upper Ashlyns Road, via Northcott Hill and Ashridge Forest, until we reach the Chiltern Park estate and cut up to Charles street and finally King’s Road. The forecast for later is grim but this morning the sun shines and the forest looks amazing.

We arrive home to find that the bread delivery is on our doorstep and, as a reward for our morning exercise, we eat half a cinnamon know each (they are massive) and dig into the walnut and sourdough bread.

As forecast, the rain arrives and I recieve the call from BMW telling me that not only do I need a new tyre but rear brake pads too. Unfortunately, my usual garage in Water End is temporarily closed, so after a bit of haggling on price BMW agree to do the brake pads for £270. BMW are hardly doing me a favour as Water End changed the front pads for £160, but every little helps right now.

Sarah is at home today so after spending time on the phone with my mother (her next shopping list) and on GoCompare (Dad’s car insurance), I shut the lounge door and turn on Alpha Papa, the Alan Partridge movie. I’m a huge Steve Coogan fan but having previously watched so many poor spin-off movies my expectations are low. However, it tunes out to be a funny and enjoyable film, with some brilliant dialogue.

Mid-movie I stuff the chicken with fresh herbs and half a lemon and pop it in the oven. At the end of the film I add spuds, carrots and parsnips and cook for a further hour. Sarah is very happy with her dinner.

Watched another episode of Twin tonight. It’s turning out to be very good but not at all what I expected, i.e., It is definitely ‘noir’ but without the serial killer.

Tuesday 28th April – Cleaning and cooking – and a trip to Waitrose

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 29 Apr 2020 10:54:04 GMT

A pretty gloomy day. The toothache continues, the rain is falling, and the Corona death toll now includes deaths in care homes and has been revised upwards to almost 25,000.

I walk down to the kitchen and read the mandatory morning note left by Sarah. “Gone to school. Remember?? Will be back around 4.15. There is washing in, so hang it up in dining room. Also, clean your bathroom!!” …..This will not be what I’d call a day of fun.

We’ve also run out of red wine and so I don my raincoat and Watford FC cap and start the walk down to Tesco to pick up essential supplies. Halfway down I read Sarah’s shopping list and decide that the only way I’m going to get two big cartons of milk, bottles of wine and various groceries home is to take my car down to Tesco or Waitrose. The queues differ each day. I’ve often walked straight into Tesco but on other occasions there’s a queue as far as Cole Flatt Estate agent.

Today the queue was a long one, so I pulled off an extravagant U turn and tried the other end of the High Street where the Waitrose car park was quite full, but the queue was very short. I was in within five minutes and, as if to prove the candle of love I hold for Waitrose still burns strong, I proceeded to buy six bottles of wine and enough food to feed the British Army on the Rhein (as my Grandad used to say). The shop is very quiet and after a quick chat with the extremely bored chaps on the meat counter I return home, put all the food away and have a quick sandwich while contemplating hanging the washing up and cleaning the bathroom.

Eventually I tear myself away from a lunchtime food show and start to hang up the clothes. I then begin to brace myself for the cleaning. Amanda calls as I’m pouring Flash into the mop bucket and this gives me a good excuse to sit and chat for another ten minutes. She’s identified a kitten that we could ‘acquire’, and I must admit we are tempted.

Eventually I haul the mop and bucket up the stairs and clean the bathroom. It’s not a difficult job but apparently, I never do it properly, so it lacks any job satisfaction.

Eventually I’m downstairs and it’s almost 16.00. Time to take last night’s brisket leftovers and make a beef tagine. I opt for the tried and tested method of chopped up beef, two chopped onions, 2 smashed garlics, ten chopped dried apricots, half a finger of ginger finely chopped; all cooked on the hob for five minutes. Two teaspoons of cinnamon, cumin, coriander and turmeric are added, along with about 400 ml of vegetable stock, a tin of chickpeas, a tablespoon of honey, and two tablespoons of Harissa – plus lemon juice to taste.

As an accompaniment I make a quick Couscous with paprika and refried cashews and griddle some bread and aubergines. All very nice – or so I was told.

Up to bed at 21.00 to watch Blood on Channel 5, starring the always excellent Adrian Dunbar. Sarah checks the bathroom and admits it is a better job than last week - despite missing the shower head. I sleep well until 05.00 when I wake up with a ferocious headache.

Monday 27th April – Brisket and Barolo

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 15:02:00 GMT

As we start the 6th week of Lockdown, I wake up with the usual toothache. On the kitchen table there is a short note that tells me that Sarah has left……not ‘left’ me and/or forever you understand but left to drive up to Hemel and open the school.

When she returns home at 11.00, she lambasts me for still being in my dressing gown but relents somewhat when she finds I have done the washing up (the dishwasher has been out of action for some months now). I’ve also planned this evening’s menu, written my diary and almost motivated myself to go out walking. Finally, despite the weather looking decidedly iffy I make myself embark on a brisk stroll around an extended block.

When I return, I put the brisket in the oven at a very low heat. I plan to cook it for at least three hours with half a tin of plum tomatoes, ¾ of a can of Guinness, carrots, shallots, mushrooms, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and garlic.

Having got the meat started and with Sarah working upstairs, I decide to enjoy a couple of hours in the lounge watching TV. As part of our lockdown preparation I recorded hundreds of films and shows. Strangely, we have watched very few of them thus far; finding it difficult to find something we both like. As I always enjoy a gangland saga I decide to catch up with Gangs of London, Sky Atlantic’s new big budget gangster series. It’s a double episode and is quite entertaining but I’m sure if you fast forward every machete fight/ knife fight/fist fight/shooting, hanging and/or burning you can probably cover the plot in about half an hour.

As soon as the show is over I return to the kitchen, make a big pot of mustard mash and finish off the meat. We eat around 18.00 and the beef is soft and tasty – but the sauce is extremely rich. I think next time I will render off almost all the fat before adding the vegetables to the pot. We wash the beef down with a special treat; our final bottle of red wine – a fabulous Barolo.

One of the best books I read last year was Sally Rooney’s Normal People. Serialisation starts tonight on BBC2.

It turns out to be very well acted and faithful to the plot, but whether I will end up enjoying this as much as the book is doubtful.

Back in ‘The World’, Covid 19 deaths have now reached 20,000. There is talk of football starting again but surely it won’t be in three weeks as some are suggesting.

Sunday 26th April – Tabure is now delivering!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 08:23:11 GMT

The weather forecast for next week isn’t great so today may be the last day of blue skies and warm sunshine. Sarah hasn’t been walking for a couple of days but this morning she is keen to get cracking.

She’s been on a local Facebook page and before we pull our boots on, she gives me the excellent news that Tabure (our favourite Berkhamsted restaurant) is now delivering. I immediately logon to their website and order fifty-eight quid’s worth for delivery this evening. I was intending to braise the Launde Farm beef this afternoon but that can wait until tomorrow.

We set out on one of my favourite short(ish) walks. Heading for Harratts through the woods, on to Hockeridge Bottom and back up the hill, under the A41 and along Shootersway. The weather is so good that I wear a tee shirt all the way and, reluctant to return home too quickly, we stretch the walk by taking a detour into Crossoak Road, down Grymsdyke and finally up Kings Road to Upper Ashlyns.

My Fitbit strap has now fully disintegrated but once I’ve fished the remaining part from my pocket, the display tells me we’ve walked 4.72 miles at a decent pace (19.40-minute miles).

The rest of the afternoon is spent wringing the last value from Saturday papers, and holding out as long as possible before taking my next dose of pain killers. Anything cold gives me a sharp reminder of the pain in both sides of my jaw, and the half a banana Sarah has so generously left in the fridge is eaten using just my front teeth.

Eventually, Uncle Eddie (as we called him when he was landlord of the VT, which was just before he became manager of the Tabure group) appears at our front door with a big bag of food. Eddie is a top guy and I insist on taking a photo of him.

I then put the cartons in the oven for 10 minutes while Sarah lays the table outside. Every now and then even I need a break from cooking, and this is a lovely way to take an evening off. The weather is still warm at 18.30 and we eat the wonderful dips, lamb kofta, chicken thighs, artichokes, spicy squash and rice at the table outside.

Saturday 25th April – Squirrel and pork

Sun, 26 Apr 2020 08:07:07 GMT

Yesterday we moved the bird feeder to stop our resident squirrel getting at the bird food. This morning I come down to the kitchen and find Sarah sitting on the kitchen sofa looking miserable as the realisation dawns on her that her great Lockdown pleasures has been watching the squirrel trying to get at the goodies in the bird feeder. This morning she can only look on as the squirrel (now affectionately named Nutkins) sits on the fence looking forlorn while the blue tits and chaffinches feast on the nuts.

She has now decided that she’ll attach another bird feeder closer to the tree so that the squirrel can access it and, in the process, probably destroy it!

I leave Sarah to her nature watch, put on a coat (as it is early and cold) and head for Tesco to pick up newspapers and carrots. Social distancing in Tesco is a bit haphazard. All very organised when you queue to enter but after that its’ a bit of a lottery.

Hence I decide to don the mask that my son bought me and cleanse my hands liberally as I enter. The mask turns out to be a bit of a disaster, as a wearer of specs the lenses immediately steam up and I’m unsure if I’m shoving blueberries or grapes, carrots or spuds in my basket. Finally, I give up, remove the mask, gather the rest of the shopping and walk home.

Back in home, I spread the newspapers on the kitchen table and get down to the serious business of sitting in the garden and getting through a Guardian, a Telegraph and a Times.

In the evening I cook the pork chops delivered by Launde last week. I pour a little oil and scatter thyme, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper on the chops, with extra salt on the pork rind. I place them on a rack above a baking dish in which I have deposited carrots and potatoes.

I place it in a hot oven for about 50 minutes and while it’s cooking, steam some broccoli and make a sauce consisting of white wine, crème fraiche and Dijon mustard. I then heat up some previously made red cabbage and serve with a decent bottle of Pinotage.

The pork is fabulous, and I’m encouraged to sit up until just after 21.20 (which must be a lockdown record) watching Twin and then the second episode of Killing Eve. I awake at midnight with a cracking headache. Must be this bloody toothache.

Thursday 24th April – No disinfectant was drunk at our small social gathering

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 26 Apr 2020 08:00:48 GMT

Taking pain killers every four hours has now been added to my daily routine. My jaw aches on both sides and the pain has spread up through my sinuses to my head. Anyway, mustn’t grumble.

Early morning I spend more time photographing our resident squirrel’s attempts to hang on to the bird feeder will eating the nuts inside. Closer inspection showed that he has also eaten most of the plastic, which is designed to keep the nuts safe, so we get the ladder out and attached the bird feeder to a branch that Young Nutkins will never be able to reach.

Our 6.29-mile morning walk takes us up to Potten End via Vicarage Road and Berkhamsted Golf Club. During the walk Sarah claims I am the most irritating person she knows and marvels at the fact that despite being so irritating, I am indeed so easily irritated. If only she knew how much my jaw was hurting!

Anyway, back at home we have some food, I sit at my keyboard for an hour and then sit in the garden and finish my book. Kate Atkinson. Big Sky. Very good indeed. Then check my WhatsApp feed and watch some hilarious videos mocking Trump’s new claim that ‘perhaps we can inject people with disinfectant’ to kill of Covid 19. No comment is necessary at this point.

During Thursday’s NHS applause session, a neighbour suggested that we meet for a socially distanced early Friday drink. So, at 18.00 we pulled two large garden chairs out into the road along with beers and wine. Very soon ten people and four dogs were enjoying the evening sunshine and telling tales of lockdown daring do. It was a very enjoyable ninety minutes and we all agreed to do it again next Friday.

Back in doors it’s a bit late to cook a major meal so instead I decide to attempt a quick Jamie Oliver special: self raising flour pizza. Having rolled the dough, it dawns on me that I don’t have a frying pan with an oven proof handle. In these times of improvisation, I pull out a baking tray, grease it with butter and oil, put the rolled dough on top and start to gently heat it on the hob. I then add passata, sliced cheddar, broken up mozzarella, sliced chorizo, chopped onions and peppers, capers, basil, some garlic salt and pepper, plus a little olive oil. Ten minutes on the hob and then about 15 minutes in a hot oven, I let it stand and then we dig in, along with a salad that Sarah has quickly assembled.

It turns out to be quite tasty. Next time I won’t put a whole packet of passata on and probably cook it for five fewer minutes, but not bad for a thirty-minute dinner.

We eat our Friday Night Dinner, while catching up on last week’s episode of Friday Night Dinner. Being simple folk, who don’t get out much nowadays, this amused us greatly ….

Wednesday 23rd April – Meat Delivery and toothache

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 24 Apr 2020 13:24:42 GMT

Up early and gagging for some exercise. Sarah has some schoolwork to do (and again I must stress that she is in fact a teacher and NOT a pupil!) and decides to stay home. I spend some time trying to photograph, with limited success, a squirrel that has been seen raiding our bird feeder. After 7 minutes it hasn’t appeared, and I give up. My old photography tutor impressed on me that patience was key to success in photography. If this is indeed the case, it’s probably better that I stick to taking blurred ‘action’ shots from my iPhone 6.

After a quick shower, I scoff a slice of toast, shotgun my hot tea and set out for Harratt Farm and then on to the woods that lead to a tunnel which passes under Chesham Road. I walk at a decent pace and when, 4.5 miles later, I’m home, I’m ready for a nice cup of tea and a flop into my favourite garden chair.

The rest of the day is uneventful apart from our weekly meat order arriving and the regularly swallowing of painkillers to mitigate the symptoms of this xxxxxxx toothache!

I’m now halfway through my Kate Atkinson book (very good), one episode into William Sitwell’s BBC Sounds series, Restaurant, and 2 episodes into The Corrupted, a 50-part Gangland drama, also on BBC Sounds. I calculate that if I listen to every episode of this GF Newman epic back-to-back- it would take me more than a day and a half (37.5 hours in fact).

Later, I pour a Tring ale, strip the chicken of its remaining meat and make stock with the carcass. I then turn the stripped chicken into a simple pasta dish; starting with half a chopped fennel bulb, a sliced leek, half a finely sliced red pepper and crushed garlic. White wine, cherry tomatoes and chicken stock are later added, and the result is a very acceptable dinner.

Tuesday 22nd April – Bread and barbeque

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 23 Apr 2020 11:05:26 GMT

Excitement mounts as we await news of a new arrival at our neighbour’s house. At 08.30 we get the text we’ve all been waiting for; a bouncing 5 lb (or somewhere near) bundle of joy has arrived and, before we can even make a calming pot of tea, the delivery has been placed on our doorstep. Yes, Culture Baker’s van has arrived with made-this-morning, walnut loaf, sourdough and two cinnamon twists.

Although I’m most certainly a savoury rather than sweet type of dude, I can’t resist the cinnamon twist. It is bigger than Tyson Fury’s fist but much less threatening and tastes fantastic.

By 11.00 am my snout is back in the bread bag and I treat myself to a couple of slices of walnut bread and a slice of sourdough. All covered in real butter with an assortment of toppings from apricot jam to Marmite. Superb.

I’ve decided to barbeque this evening and need a couple of peppers and onions to chuck on the fire. As I also must return the key of my rented flat to the letting agent, I decide to kill two birds with one stone and also visit Waitrose – however long the queue might be.

Having tapped on the window of Home & Abroad letting agents and then used my Fury like reach to hand their manager the keys and gas certificate (while still maintaining a two-metre distance), I walk across the car park. I am absolutely delighted to find that there is a queue of just one person outside the supermarket.

Once inside I immediately visit the chaps on the meat counter and explain that despite my Waitrose obsession this is my first visit to the store since the middle of March.

I soon realise that I haven’t yet reached the point of closure in my love affair with Waitrose, and by the time I arrive at the self-service till I have enough goodies to fill my ruck sack.

Despite the obvious strain on the shoulder straps I manage to get the provisions home in one piece and head for the garden, intent on a relaxing day reading in the continuing sunshine.

The battery on my iPhone is getting progressively weaker and I seem to spend half my days re-charging it. Sarah points out that it may be because I spend most of my days watching videos of varying taste sent to me via WhatsApp. Today was a particularly busy day for WhatsApp and ended with a fully formed (and almost informed) discussion about which sense is predominant when it comes to tasting food. It is of course ‘smell’. However, I do eventually concede my friend’s point that to a certain extent you eat with your eyes. I conclude that we’re arguing about two different things.

About 16.30 I pull out the barbeque, pour the briquettes into the tray and successfully light the fire using two pungent smelling firelighters (I know they would not taste good!).

This is the first time I’ve barbequed for about 25 years, but it all turns out well. Charred red and yellow peppers, aubergines, onions, tomatoes – and finally a quarter pound burger and piece of rump steak.

My tooth is playing me up tonight and I finally take 2 x 500ml paracetamols and a small glass of malt whisky to alleviate the pain.

Tuesday 21st April – Something different to do with a chicken

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 08:07:19 GMT

Sarah’s going into school today so I’m home alone! All those violent serial killer movies I can watch, all those furtive beers I can consume, that long walk I can go on…..

……But, bizarrely, I decide instead to go for a run. When I say run, I mean a walk to the school field and then try to run around it as many times as I can even if I have to stop and walk parts of it. After all it has been almost a year since I did my last canal run.

After a few minutes of stretching, which made me realise just how inflexible my 60-year-old body had become (note to self – Pilates??), I walked up to the end of our road and then stated running down the hill.

Halfway across the school field I realised I’d forgotten my Fitbit so all this exercise will for ever remain unrecorded. The field is one mile around, but I pick a shortened route to avoid two lads who are sprinting round the top part. When I get closer I realise that they are only about 16 so I feel a bit better about my wheezy shuffling effort.

Once home I can concentrate on my free-range chicken. Rather than do yet another roast I’ve decide to roast/braise/poach it in coconut milk and lemon grass. The ingredients are shown below.

I slow cooked it for 2.5 hours at a low temperature while sitting outside reading. The result was particularly well received by Sarah, who returned from school about 16.30, to find me sat in the sunshine with the cat on my lap and a beer in my hand.

Constant basting (every 30 minutes) meant that the chicken was moist and fell of the bone, while (because it was braised with the lid off) the skin on the breast was quite crisp.

The run (is you can call it that) has taken its toll and I am asleep by 21.30.

Monday 20th April – Toothache and WhatsApp

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 08:00:16 GMT

Recently I’ve noticed that a wisdom tooth, which I thought had been removed many years ago (perhaps it was on the other side?) is starting to grow at a 45-degree angle back towards my mouth. Consequently, it’s moving my other molars around and giving me intermittent toothache. Enjoying this gripping story so far?? Then please read on to chapter 2.

Imagine my joy then, as I wake up early this morning and find that the toothache has gone! Energised by feeling free of any pain whatsoever for perhaps the first morning in the last 1000 we get out very early for our walk and by 08.30 we are heading up the hill towards Christmas Tree Farm. Unfortunately, after just ten minutes the toothache sets in and I spend a miserable first hour in some pain. The first hour takes us three miles via Marlin Chapel and Cock Grove, using the footpaths that flank the A41. Happily, the pain abates slightly just as the gout in my right toe kicks in as a distraction. On my tombstone, I would like to see the words ’I wasn’t a hypochondriac! I was in Pain!’

To keep me moving I try to focus on Captain Tom’s heroic fundraising walk (rather than his singing voice) and Samuel Pepys’s famous kidney stone, removed without anaesthetic during the 17century. I’m hoping that these thoughts help to put my pains into context.

At 10.15, after 5.19 miles we are home and having called in my Tring Brewery order I drive over to pick up my beer along with some provisions from the farm shop next door.

Lockdown is full of tough decisions and today mine is whether to re-roast the remainder of our pork joint or cut it up and make a casserole. It’s also dominated by social media. I’m on 7 or 8 WhatsApp groups and one minute I can be sticking an oar into a debate on PPE and the next minute debating whether Ozark season 2 is any good (IMO it’s not).

For any self-centred, self-publicist attention-seeker, like myself WhatsApp is brilliant and annoying. Brilliant if you can become the group ‘Ringmaster’ and control the conversation; annoying when you find yourself getting irritated by the lack of response to food posts, Corona comment or box set recommendations. Why aren’t my public listening to me? Surely, I know best. I genuinely admire friends who don’t bother with social media. It’s taking up too much of my time. I even take some revenge on one mate who seems to ignore my posts by slagging off a recommended film, calling it so-so and formulaic when in fact I realise later that I haven’t ever seen it. However, just as I decide enough is enough, I get rave reviews on several sites for my roast pork. Everyone like positive feedback and having received this ‘stroke’ from my friends I will be back for more tomorrow.

Anyway, today the weather is lovely once more. I sit in the sun and read, with the cat on my lap. Eventually, I go inside to pour a pint of Moongazer and make a decision on the pork. It is to be a re-roast with apples, onions, carrots, parsnips and spuds. All in one pot. It is delicious (again).

sand

Later we watch Killing Eve series Three in Bed. I almost fall asleep. The first series was brilliant, but I think it has now run its course, lost its ability to shock and Jodie Comer’s accent - so engaging in series one – is now starting to grate. …..Or am I just in a bad mood because my tooth hurts again. Pass the Paracetamol.

Sunday 19th April – Semi Final Glory

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 10:52:00 GMT

Bloody hell I’m tired. At least ten hours sleep (I don’t know precisely how much because the strap on my Fitbit has broken), but I wake with a toothache, sore neck and confused about what day it is!

Eventually I stumble into the shower and, almost as soon as I have negotiated the two flights of stairs down to the kitchen, I’m hauled out for our walk. Takes me a while to get my creaky old joints moving, but after about half an hour we hit our stride and enjoy the warm sunshine as we pass Hatten’s Farm and head for a footpath that takes us towards Ley Hill.

We come home via Christmas Tree Farm and the Fitbit (now in my pocket) tells me we’ve covered 5.39 miles. That’s enough for me. I take off my now well used boots, pull my comfy chair out of the shed, and sit it.

Spend a pleasurable afternoon reading yesterday’s papers, with next doors cat on my lap.

At 3pm a recording of Watford’s semi-final comes on Sky 981 (about as far as channels go!).

I come in for the second half and watch transfixed until the end. What an afternoon! And we won (again)!

Try to cook while watching the ‘Orns but become distracted and end up adding ras el hanout, powdered ginger, tomato paste, honey and lime juice to perfectly good lamb mince, grated carrot, onion and garlic. I cook it for about an hour, serve it with couscous and surprisingly it tastes good.

After, I am so knackered that I flop on the sofa and watch Good Karma hospital. Then it’s off to bed to watch the end of Belgravia and I am fast asleep by 22.10.

Saturday 18th April – rain

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 19 Apr 2020 13:48:04 GMT

Awake to the sound of steady rain hitting our flat roof. Once out of bed I’m rather dismayed to find that some of the overnight rain has made it through the roof and manifested itself as a discoloured patch on the ceiling. Oh well, not much we cab do about that now, but I fear another 2k-plus bill is looming after lockdown ends

Despite the inclement weather I like to have a few papers to read at the weekend and so, pre shower, I don my waterproofs and walk down to the town to get some reading material.

The rain has kept the early exercisers inside, and I don’t see another living soul for at least ten minutes. Once in the town, I find that there are precisely 0 people in the Tesco queue, so I buy my papers, along with a couple of bags of peanuts and a four pack of panino. My Watford cap keeps the rain off my head, and it feels like the type of day when I should be heading to the station for a trip to Watford Junction station or further afield if we’re playing away. We should have been playing Norwich today. It may have been the game that sealed their relegation fate – or left us in very deep ordure.

The gloomy weather continues into the afternoon and is a good excuse for me to clear out old papers from my office and start to put together my pinboard of great memories. After spending an hour on the pinboard, I realise that most of my great memories involve footy, and I decide to leave my office and work towards creating our evening meal. It is another wonderful joint of pork and will need at least 3 hours to do it justice. Also make a Yorkshire pudding using wholemeal flour and later roast potatoes and carrots.

The pork is as good as last week, though this time I adjust the cooking method to ensure crackling but perhaps ended up with slightly drier pork.

As usual by the end of dinner I’m almost ready for bed. I manage to watch about half an hour of a film that starts at 21.15. It’s quite engaging but soon I’m snoring – at the start of a ten-hour sleep.

Friday 17th April – another day in Lockdown World

Sat, 18 Apr 2020 10:00:48 GMT

Our morning walk up to Alpine Meadow is only impaired by the fact that, A) it was very cold to start, B) it is no longer sunny (and rain is definitely on the way), and C) my designated job (now our cleaner is self-isolating) of scrubbing the bathroom is overdue.

5.45 miles later we are back home, and I decide to grasp the nettle by hauling a mop and bucket, Henry and broom up two flights of narrow stairs to the dreaded bathroom. Sarah is working in the garden and I occasionally open the top window to look out, attract her attention with a loud groan and moan like hell. Finally, it is all over and my back is killing me. Later I’m told it’s not even a decent job. Cheek!

A few minutes later, that bundle of energy known as Sarah suddenly appears on the front drive and she is washing her car (despite a neighbour helpfully pointing out that it is about to rain). The sight of her with sponge in hand is just about enough to trigger a small twinge of guilt somewhere within me, and eventually I put Diego Maradona the Movie on hold and go out to wash my car. What a struggle. I have to use steps to wash the roof and at the end it just looks like a dirt smeared version of the slightly more dirt smeared car it was before. Sadly, with my rather short stumpy fingers I am unable to retrieve the forest of leaves and small branches that have now set up permanent home between the bonnet lid and my windscreen wipers.

During the day we hear that famous footballer Norman Hunter has died of the Corona Virus. I saw him play many times in the 1970s. He had a reputation for being a hard/dirty player, but he didn’t get his 29 caps for England just by being dirty. In fact, he was a very good footballer, who, in any other era (without Bobby Moore and Jack Charlton) would probably have got many more caps - and would almost certainly have been in our 1966 world cup winning team. RIP Norman ‘Bites yer Legs’ Hunter.

My son is carrying out a gas inspection at my flat in Chesham Road today. He comes around for the keys and laughs at my car washing efforts. “Another half-arsed job from Papa”, he comments. “At least Sarah’s car looks she’s used a sponge!”. Thanks son. 30 years of raising; no charge!

Tonight is curry (ish) night. Only curry-ish, as apart from the usual cumin, coriander and paprika, I’ve also added Tabasco in my marinade (and left out the ginger). However, the chicken legs and left-over beef are very tasty – particularly accompanied by the rest of the two litres bottle of Tring Moongazer ale and a couple of large glasses of Rioja. For ‘afters’ I eat the remaining half of a chocolate bar that came with Sarah’s Easter egg. In my slightly half-cut state, I marvel at how well milk chocolate pairs with cheap Rioja.

After all that physical work, I am asleep by 21.15. Another day of Lockdown has come and gone.

CHEF’s TIP – How to liven up your old nuts!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 07:20:57 GMT

I was looking for some cashews to add to a pork stir fry and all I could find was this old bag from Tesco, which was bought during the Christmas shopping frenzy and has sat in the back of the cupboard since January.

They are, as you would expect, a bit soft and stale and unusable in their current condition. But, don’t throw them away! Instead dry fry them in a pan for a few minutes and, hey presto, your nuts are back to full freshness and crunch.

My partner is now wondering how she can get some life and freshness into the old nut she lives with….

Chiltern Magazine article

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 06:59:08 GMT

This is the article I wrote for the Chiltern Magazine on 9th April. Contains some handy cooking hints.

It is 9th April 2020 and as I walk over to my study window I spot two squirrels squabbling over something in the street. We are now almost three weeks into the Coronavirus Lockdown and while life goes on as normal for hungry squirrels, life for humans has taken a very uncertain turn.

Only three weeks ago hordes of kite flyers trampled all over Dunstable Downs, and ramblers and cyclists jockeyed for position on The Grand Union canal. Now the hills and towpaths are almost deserted, save for a few souls taking their daily exercise. Finally, the penny appears to have dropped, and most of the UK population are listening to the medical experts and staying at home.

The seriousness of this pandemic has been brought into sharp focus by news that Boris Johnson, our Prime Minister no less, is seriously ill with Covid 19 and is still in an intensive care unit. In Boris’s absence the man in charge appears to be Dominic Raab, who, like me, is an ex Dr Challoner’s Amersham schoolboy. With that educational background what could possibly go wrong?

For politicians and news commentators the buzzword of our times is ‘Unprecedented’. Once used to describe all things Brexit (remember that?) and, more recently, to report on last year’s events in Parliament, unprecedented is now the go-to word used to preface almost any sentence describing a Corona related event. Indeed, this adjective has become so embedded in our current national lexicon that even that chirpy TV Chef, Jamie Oliver, has dumped his usual glossary of ‘pukka’, ‘lovely jubbly’ and ‘wicked’ in favour of the ‘U word’ in the introduction to his recent Corona themed TV series.

Whatever word you think best describes these times there is no doubt that the lockdown is harder for some folks than others. Our NHS and other key workers are working heroically to keep us well and are the group that are most obviously at risk, but others are suffering too. I have a friend in London who is locked down in a small flat and has only been out to get food. He describes himself as ‘climbing the walls’ with frustration and boredom. People are being castigated for sunbathing in London’s parks but in these extraordinary (an alternative to the U word) times I cannot help but sympathise with anyone living on their own or without access to an outside space.

In comparison, many of us in The Chilterns are having a much easier time. Yes, I only see my aged parents when I leave food at their door, and I miss the regular contact with my two grown up children locked down in Chorleywood, but social media and chat apps such as Zoom and Houseparty mean that we can keep in regular touch.

Fortunately, I am finding plenty of things to do to fill my days. Having an outside space is a godsend. My partner, a teacher, has continued to go into school to provide lessons for the children of key workers, but now she is at home, on Easter holiday and is making the most of this great weather by getting our garden in shape for the Summer. Having her at home is a mixed blessing. It’s nice to spend time together, relaxing in the sun, but she has also had me shinning up ladders to trim hedges and clean out guttering. At the time of writing, I’m sitting in my study trying to repress the thought that it will be nice when she’s back at school – for a couple of days a week at least!

At the time of writing the government is still allowing us to leave our homes for an hour (or so) of exercise a day. We live very close to the open space of Berkhamsted School field but as the school continues to deny the local public full access to their playing field, we instead head up Kings Road, along Shootersway and make our way to open-fields via Hockeridge Wood. The periwinkles, forget-me-nots and bluebells are now starting to bloom, and the trees are adorned with blossom. The Chilterns are at their most beautiful at this time of year and in the current circumstances there is no excuse not to get out and enjoy our countryside – even if it is only for an hour or so each day.

When our walk is over, my partner’s attention turns to spreading compost or pruning the apple tree, and I escape to the refuge of my study. I’ve recently set up a new copywriting enterprise and need to beef up the content on the website www.chilterncommunications.co.uk. I’ve been putting this work off for weeks but the enforced time at home means I no longer have any excuse for prevarication.

By late afternoon my thoughts turn to food. Shortly before the lockdown most supermarket shelves were being emptied almost as quickly as they’d been filled. But, while Tesco in Tring was being pillaged daily by panic buyers, across the road at Dunsley Farm shop, there were still plenty of eggs, milk, bread and vegetables available. Next door to the farm shop, Tring brewery has closed its shop, but they have plenty of stock and, if you phone in advance, your beer will be brought out to you.

Most local farm shops, including Peterley Manor, Orchard View and PE Mead, have stayed open, so it’s well worth thinking about combining your weekly supermarket trip with a visit to your nearest farm shop. Not only can you buy locally produced milk, eggs and vegetables that taste like vegetables, you will also be helping to support a local business during these challenging times.

Although our cupboards at home have remained quite well stocked, shortages of certain meats, pasta, tinned goods and rice have forced me to improvise. In their scramble for toilet rolls and baked beans many shoppers have ignored the products that have become integral to my new home menu. Dried herbs and spices are still abundant and are the first thing you should add to your ‘Corona Larder’. If you’re starting from scratch I would recommend you buy sweet paprika, ground cumin, curry powder, cinnamon, sumac, mustard seeds, garam masala, cardamom pods, coriander, star anise, mixed herbs, turmeric and garlic salt (if you can’t find fresh garlic).

If a well-stocked spice rack is essential, so too is having plenty of flour. In the past three weeks I have made more dough than I have in the previous three years and I still marvel at the culinary alchemy that occurs when two simple ingredients – flour and water – combined and eventually turn into bread or pasta.

Finally, remember that vegetables are not just for boiling or steaming. Peel your carrots and bake them whole in a hot oven for forty minutes with some oil, butter, star anise and salt and pepper. Stuff your red and yellow peppers with fresh tomatoes (which are currently more abundant than tinned), add a drizzle of oil, salt and pepper and roast in a hot oven for forty-five minutes. Break your cauliflower into florets, drizzle with olive oil and generously sprinkle with smoked paprika. After just half an hour in a hot oven you will have a delicious side dish or vegetarian main course. Don’t be afraid to experiment and substitute ingredients – and have some fun doing it!

During the past three weeks cooking has become more important to me than ever before. Preparing and serving the evening meal has become the focus of my day and it can become yours too. It is also a time when we can reward ourselves for that bracing walk by cracking open a bottle or two of local ale of a glass of something red or white (non-alcoholic alternatives are of course available too).

One day this unprecedented, unique, extraordinary period of our history will be over, and we will come out the other side. On a personal note it will mean that I can at last get my hair cut, visit the pub and watch football, but I can’t help but wonder what impact this pandemic will have on society as a whole. Perhaps this shared experience will encourage us to truly value our great NHS and the other key services that have put their lives at risk for us. Perhaps it will put an end to the ‘Love Island’ culture of celebrity worship and we can instead derive happiness from the things that really matter in life such as family, friendship and good health.

Until then, perhaps some exercise and decent home-cooked food can make this interregnum bearable. Stay safe and well.

Thursday 16th April – More Corona Recipes now on this site.

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 06:51:19 GMT

This is a subtitle for your new post

Having spent an hour queueing to get into Tesco yesterday, only to find NO flour, I have added some more recipes to this part of the site.

I find it slightly baffling that while there are absolutely zero bags of flour available there was a full rack of loaves on the shelves. Does the population of Tring now fancy itself as Star bakers?

I also found the new shopping protocol a bit challenging. Apparently, you must walk round the shop in one direction keeping at least 2 metres from the next shopper. Woe betide you if disobey this rule as on several occasions I was sent back to start again on aisle one and take the correct route round! Other shoppers just flagrantly disobeyed instructions and towards the end of my carefully planned route I was forced to dance the ‘2 metre tango’ with a trolley approaching at full speed down the booze aisle.

When I reached the checkout the lady on the till barked at me to keep my distance, but later softened and explained that she didn’t mean to shout at me, it was just ‘one of those days when all the customers seem to be completely thick’ …..I quote….

Service at the Tring brewery was much more convivial. I called in advance to order (for myself and my neighbours) 6 litres of Moongazer, and hey presto, by the time I’d parked my car the beer was on the table outside waiting for me.

There are still a few products like flour and rice that are in short supply but if you have some basic cooking skills and a bit of imagination you can generally get around the shortages. I’ve now started to add more dishes to the Recipes part of this site, so go-on, break your neck! Have a go! From slicing the first onion, to eating the finished product takes up at least 2 hours and is always accompanied by a glass or two of something refreshing. That’s two lockdown hours sorted. Add a long walk and an argument with your partner and it’s almost time for bed ��

Tonight, I cook, Fajitas. Ok the fajitas pancakes were out of the one packet left on the shelf, but the rest was all our own. Firstly, Sarah made guacamole.

Guacamole

• pulp an avocado,

• with some finely chopped red onion,

• Juice of half a lime

• some lime juice, olive oil

• salt and pepper.

In the meantime, I made the chicken mix

Chicken

• Left over chicken from a v large chicken

• marinated in a marinade bag with

• 4 tbsp of olive oil

• 5 drops of tabasco

• 1 tbsp of smoked paprika

• 1 tbsp of ground cumin

• 1 tbsp of ground or fresh coriander

• 2 cloves of crushed garlic

• Salt and pepper

Left the chicken to marinade and then heated a griddle pan until smoking hot.

• Chopped up half a red pepper, a left over half yellow pepper, a red onion and half a red chilli

Added this to the chicken mix and cooked for about 10-15 minutes until it stated to char.

Eaten with a salad, the guacamole and the fajitas. Lovely

Wednesday 15th April – an eventful day

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 08:14:44 GMT

An eventful and enjoyable day. Leisurely morning. Didn’t walk until about 10.00. Took the camera and the zoom lens and headed to the woods to find bluebells to photograph and for Sarah to collect pine cones.

Halfway round our walk we met up with our neighbours who are going to deliver onions to us (they don’t eat them) in exchange for an iPhone charger. Also discovered that another neighbour has bread delivered so we’ve added our sourdough and walnut loaf requirement to their Sunday order.

My son is meant to be in Berko today but when he checked a time to do my tenants Gas certificate, he found that they were in France, so he decided to come back on Friday.

Finally get to the bluebells and they are a candescent carpet of blue. However, even with a decent camera and zoom lens it’s very difficult to capture their beauty, but perhaps that’s just down to my camera skills.

My neighbours have spotted some wild garlic in the wood and we take a few leaves to add to tonight’s meal, which is likely to consist of left-over chicken and pasta.

Not back home until almost 14.00. I download the bluebell shots and find one or two good ones, then read in the garden for an hour or so. Call my mate in Chiswick, then call my Mum and Dad and Sister. On the phone for over an hour – longer than I’ve spent on the phone in the last 6 months! Everyone seems fine and – apart from being a bit bored – quite happy.

I had almost completed the evening meal when another neighbour knocked on the door. I thought he may be calling to complain about A, my swearing or B, our adoption of their lovely cat or C, both. In fact, he announced that he thought he may have put a nail through a pipe and wondered if my son was available to look.

James comes over, repair’s next door’s leak and then pops round to deliver masks and to have a quick beer (at two metre distance of course). Really good to see him. Seems to be in very good form.

Tuesday 14th April – I think I’m getting used to this.

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 07:39:46 GMT

The day started with a superb walk. Quite cold outside at 9.00 but by the time we headed out towards Whelpley Hill, on a route we’d never taken before, it started to warm up and I ended up walking in just a white Tee shirt with my jacket wrapped around my waist.

Back home after 6.29 miles Sarah heads for the garden to plant more vegetables. If Covid 20 comes to get us next year we will be well prepared.

I feel a bit of a Corona fraud out here in Berkhamsted, with access to woods and fields just minutes away. Friends in London are finding the isolation very tough and I feel lucky that I have Sarah here to annoy and a garden to sit in when the sun is out. I am also thankful for the terrifically friendly neighbours, the meat and veg deliveries and the plentiful supply of wine and beer. My days consist of walking, writing, sunbathing, cooking and watching TV. We certainly can’t complain about our ‘lot’.

One of my best friends and drinking buddies emailed me from Chiswick to let me know was in good spirits but that he hadn’t drunk (spirits or otherwise) for 25 days. I felt a pang of guilt at my recent levels of consumption and decided to have just the one Side Pocket and two large glasses of Rioja tonight.

Our meal consisted of the left over pork cooked with shallots, red pepper, garlic, Pak choi, green beans, sesame oil, half a red chili, soy sauce, lemon and lime juice (I ran out of lemon) some oyster sauce, a splash of Chinese vinegar and plenty of wholemeal noodles. Delicious (as always).

Monday 13th April – Apparently, it’s a Bank Holiday Monday!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 11:26:49 GMT

After all last week’s early hikes, we decided to have a nice lie in this morning. What a great way to start a Monday – we have a cup of tea and watch the end of The Crown episode 5 (I fell asleep during the first watch). The weather is quite bright outside, but the temperature has dropped by about 14 degrees!

Having munched my way through the rest of the ham, I decide to get out for some exercise, while Sarah gets on with the garden.

As it’s a bank holiday there are quite a few people around. I don’t usually walk this late in the day and I decide that I won’t again. The high point was passing a house that was offering free masks. I can be seen modelling one below. I think they only offer them in size S – either that or my head is getting even bigger!

Having spent 3.65 miles of avoiding people by regularly crossing the street I arrive home and read in the garden.

Stu then facetimes me and we have a 20-minute chat. He described himself as ‘Climbing the Walls’ at home and is desperate for the Lockdown to end. With another 735 deaths today, it doesn’t look like that will happen very soon.

At 16.00 I put the chicken in the oven and soon after crack open a Side Pocket. Roast spuds tonight and at 18.30 we sit down to another mini feast.

After dinner we decide to watch the second of the Raiders of the Lost Ark films, but after an hour we realise that it is awful.

Then watch The Quiz in bed (Matthew McFadden is one of my favourite actors and definitely my favourite portly actor). At 22.00 I listen to the last 2 episodes of the Archers and then fall sound asleep. I had 9 hours 43 minutes sleep last night and I’m looking forward to more of the same tonight.

Sunday 12th April – Sunday, Sunday…..

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 11:14:22 GMT

Happy Easter to one and all! It is Groundhog Day (all over again ��). Up early, eat porridge and walk towards Hockeridge Wood as the sun comes out.

It is very warm today and, after several long walks this week, we are both quite tired and Sarah’s heart isn’t in it this morning. Therefore, we decide to go on a short and sweet 3 or 4 miler and get back to enjoy what may be the last day of sun for a few days.

On the way home we work our way from Hockeridge Bottom up to Christmas Tree Farm and the woods here are candescent with bluebells.

When we arrive home I chat to the neighbours (at a safe distance of course) and decide to go in search of newspapers. The supermarkets are closed but Bobby’s as always is open. They are operating a one in, one out, policy so I wait in the queue to buy a loaf of bread, an Observer and a Telegraph – that should keep us occupied for the afternoon.

Sarah has planted parsnips, carrots, spuds, beans….you name it she’s planted it – ad even mocked up an improvised greenhouse using two glass doors I removed from the dining room earlier this year. When Covid 20 comes along we will at least be well stocked with vegetables.

Braised beef this evening (recipe to follow). We are running out of spuds, so we decide to have pasta. The beef is soft and melts in the mouth. The accompanying sauce is rich and sweet, containing not only carrots, wine, stock, onions, mushrooms and garlic but also bay leaves, a cinnamon stick and a star anise.

In the evening I manage to keep my eyes open during Karma Hospital and Belgravia but am fast asleep by 10.00.

Saturday 11th April – it’s the weekend! ….I think…

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 12 Apr 2020 12:35:56 GMT

Ahhhh.....When Saturday comes (to coin a classic film title)...... except now when Saturday comes it feels exactly like every other day of the week.

Again, we are up early and walking. This time along the footpath that tracks to A41 down towards the Swingate Lane area of Berkhamsted. Previously we’ve taken a further path through the woods and left, down the far end of Hall Park, but today we push on at a cracking rate of just over 19 minutes miles, along Sugar Lane and down to Bourne End. The second part of the walk is less attractive as we walk along the main road back towards Berkhamsted.

There is a very long queue outside the baker’s, so we decide to forgo the sourdough, settle for a couple of newspapers from Bobby’s store and tack our way back to Upper Ashlyns Road. As we arrive home, after almost 6 miles, our neighbour Bennie is just starting his walk. We chat for a few minutes – at a safe distance of course.

At home I make some scrambled egg and spend most of the day in our sun-drenched garden reading and listening.

Much of the afternoon is also spent hopping in and out of the kitchen preparing what looks like a lovely kilo joint of pork. I use a hairy bikers’ recipe as follows:

20 minutes at 220, then drop the heat to 160 and wrap the joint in foil. 2 hours later I remove the joint and add carrots, parsnips, shallots, garlic, sliced courgette, some celery and thyme to the oven dish. I then replace the joint and cook with the foil removed for a further hour. When the pork is resting, I add a little flour, 200ml of white wine and 400ml of chicken stock to the dish to make the gravy. The result is delicious. Truly top-quality pork.

Start to watch the movie Victoria and Abdul at 21.15 but fall asleep about half an hour later.

Friday 10th April – back to the usual routine

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sat, 11 Apr 2020 11:49:42 GMT

Not for the first time this week we are up early and after a quick banana and slice of toast we are making our way up King’s Road. It is only 8.35 and apart from a few joggers and one or two vehicles, all is quiet.

Today’s exercise takes us along a familiar lane next to the A41 but then we take the road down the hill heading towards Whelpley Hill. When we reach Bottom Farm, I view their 19 plate Porsche with a covetous look and then must cross their flooded pasture via a piece of 4 x 2 suspended over a wobbly rock. Sarah takes on the challenge with alacrity, while I take 5 minutes of edging along before I finally make the other side.

We then walk up the steep hill to Whelpley Hill Farm where we head down White Hill and finally back to Haresfoot. 4.92 miles today home back nice and early so I can complete my Chiltern article.

I spend about three hours writing and when I feel I can polish no more, I force myself to hit the send button.

The rest of the afternoon I spend in glorious sunshine listening and reading in the garden. Yesterday I listened to the full serialization of Blue-Eyed Boy by the late Helen Dunmore, two more episodes of the controversial America Dirt by Jeanine Cummins and made a start on Helen Atkinsons new Jackson Brodie Novel. Suddenly it is 17.00 and too late to start cooking, so I ordered a curry from Fat Buddha and watched Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Tuesday 7th April – Gorgeous weather for exploring the woods

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sat, 11 Apr 2020 11:19:36 GMT

After yesterday’s gloom this was a beautiful day and, to avoid the anticipated additional walkers, we went out for our walk at 9.00. Within an hour the sweatshirt was off, the air was warm, and the sky was deep blue. We walked to Hockeridge Wood, where the bluebells have started to bloom, and then up to the Golden Eagle in Ashley Green and round to Haresfoot school before arriving home 5.68 miles later.

The weather has certainly lifted the mood and we spent the afternoon setting up our garden furniture and reading in the garden.

It’s my Daughter and my Mother’s birthday. My daughter is 25, seems to be in good spirits and has a video party arranged with her mates for this evening. My mother is now 89. She sounds confused but seems to know who I am and tells me that she received my card. I’ll see her later this week when I deliver some food.

In the evening I slow roast a Launde Farm boneless shoulder of lamb and it was so delicious that I forgot to photograph it until after we’d almost eaten the lot.

nd so, another day goes by….

Wednesday 8th April – Groundhog Day

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 14:59:55 GMT

We are up early again and out walking by 8.45. This time we decide to risk contact with and head down Kings Road, towards the Cricket Club and out towards Berkhamsted Golf Club. Back in town a couple of hours later I’m surprised to find that the market is open – although the public are now used to paying for everything by card and the traders want cash.

I pull ten pounds out of the cashpoint and purchase two crabs from the fishmonger, and we walk up the hill. Another 5.40 miles to add to the 5.68 yesterday. Surely, I will have lost a pound or two be the end of all this.

It’s delivery day tomorrow and I spend time on the phone trying to make sense of what my parents want me to deliver. ‘I want three of those, you now, three of them’…..and a packet of those beans in a bag’. I finally understand that they want three Tesco ‘two for £6’ dinners and French beans, so I add them to the list.

The afternoon is taken up with sunbathing, while listening to BBC Sound app, and hopping in and out of my study to complete my article. I make good progress on the article and think I will complete it by the end of the week.

That evening, I follow the usual ritual of Tring ale, followed by white wine, followed by dishing up dinner, left over lamb pasta, and more red wine. The lamb sauce is very tasty, but Sarah thinks it’s too rich and that my standard of cheffery (if there is such a noun) has declined this week despite the number of cookery shows I’ve watched.

This walking and warm weather is tiring and I’m asleep by 9.00. I think almost 1000 people died in the UK today, but Boris seems to be getting better.

Thursday 9th April – Delivery Day

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 14:54:19 GMT

I awake early in a state of high excitement. Today I am permitted to break with the usual routine of walk, home, eat and get in my car in search of food.

Thursday is our weekly food shop day and the day I make a food delivery to my mother and father in Denham Garden Village about 15 miles away,

At 09.00 Sarah waves me goodbye and reminds me not to have an accident as the hospitals are already full. I drive even slower than usual up the A41 and park in Dunsley Farm car park in Tring. I am the first customer and pick up some veg, ham and a steak pie. I then drive over to Tesco but am stopped by a polite young man who reminds me that 09.00 until 10.00 is the time set aside for NHS workers to do their shopping and asks me to come back at 10.00.

Instead I drive down to Tesco Express in Northchurch, only to find a long queue gathered outside. I set off again, thinking that M&S in Berko will probably be quiet but as I approach, I can see that their queue is longer than the one I’ve just left at Northchurch.

Finally, I stick with what I know and drive to Tesco in Berko. There is precisely one person in the queue and I quickly park my car, get a trolley and 30 minutes & £117 later I have everything we and my parents need.

I continue my careful drive to Denham. I don’t stay too long but chat to my parents on their patio. My father joyfully informs me that no one has died of Corona at their Retirement Village yet, and that they’ve stopped the oldies sitting next to each other on the benches next to the green.

I’m home by 12.00 and again spend the afternoon writing and listening to BBC Sounds in the garden. The weather is glorious but at 5 pm I drag myself inside and put the steak pie in the oven.

The pie is very nice, as is the Malbec we wash it down with. We watch the final episode of The Stranger, which is immensely disappointing, and I am asleep in bed by about 21.30.

And so, another day slips by. Boris appears to be on the road to recovery, but Lockdown looks set to continue for another three weeks at least.

Monday 6th April – a dull, lazy day with a sting in the tail

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 12:14:34 GMT

A rainy morning spent avoiding Sarah, who is lashing blue paint all over my bookcases and generally reorganising my office. Today actually felt like a Monday. I had very little energy and did nothing apart from read Sunday’s papers, sit in the garden and eat.

Suddenly the day had dwindled away, it was 16.00 and we hadn’t even been for a meaningful walk. I sat down and watched another hour of the Maradona film, which is poignant, study and as addictive as the protagonist’s personality.

I turned on the TV and learnt that Boris was not recovering from Covid 19 as quickly as had been hoped. By 21.00 rumours had been confirmed and the government announced that the PM was in an ICU and seriously ill.

Suddenly the world seemed even weirder than even yesterday. Our PM might die. Perhaps everyone will now take this pandemic as seriously as they should

In bed by 22.00 but nightmares and toothache plagued my sleep. Even today’s food wasn’t particularly good.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

At least the bluebells are starting to come through.

Sunday 5th April – a beautiful day in the garden

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 07:51:34 GMT

The 20-degree weather has arrived and a day in the garden beckons. We get our daily exercise done early and en route pop into Bobby’s to pick up a couple of Sunday papers; a Telegraph and an Observer to give us the viewpoint from both ends of the political spectrum.

Home by 11.00 and brunch on the patio. The Summer garden furniture has been uncovered and after some expert Allen-key work the chairs are again strong enough to sit on.

In the afternoon we rather guiltily drive to B&Q to pick up some compost and wood chips. Although I don’t consider this to be an essential journey Sarah explains that being able to do the garden may be the one thing that keeps her sane during an extended period of isolation with me. Charming!

Back at home we have a chat with our neighbours across the front garden wall and then start the difficult task of wheeling the compost and woodchips through the house and to the end of the garden.

Spend most of the rest of the day sat in the sun with our neighbour’s cat listening to the sad and dramatic end of the Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel and scouring the papers for some positive news.

The evening meal consisted of Sunday’s leftovers and some delicious local goat’s cheese. I was hoping to join some friends on a Houseparty call tonight, but it gets pushed back to 21.30 and by 21.15 I am sleeping soundly.

Saturday 4th April – Horseracing is back … err, sort of…

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 11:25:54 GMT

Great weather is forecast for this weekend, so, to avoid other walkers, we got up early and set out towards, Hockeridge Woods and Marlin Chapel. Two hours and 6.73 miles later we were back home. A lovely brisk walk, starting out in the early chill and ending in sunshine, with coats tied around our midriffs. Our intention was to observe the government’s suggestion of taking an hour’s exercise but when you’ve got slightly lost and ended up 3 miles from home you must get back again.

Sarah is happy that one pot of paint has ended up on our doorstep and that next door’s cat has taken a shine to her and our sun trap at the back of the garden.

I spend a few hours reading outside and at 4 pm pour an Oakham JHB ale and start my sporting Saturday. I have recorded the BBC’s Great World Cup Games programme (aired earlier) and, having watched Paulo Rossi’s hat trick against Brazil in 1982, I switch straight over to ITV to listen to Alice Plunkett and Nick Luck introduce the virtual Grand National. Profits are going to the NHS and by the end of the race I’ve made a £60 contribution to a great cause. My daughter backs the horse coming 3rd and a few racing mates pick up a place here and there. You can tell those of us who didn’t win anything from the WhatsApps flying around at the end of the race; What a load of crap, A load of old bollox, and Shite! were three immediate responses.

I felt a bit sorry for the connections of winner, Potters Corner. Everyone wants to win a National, but does anyone really care about winning a Virtual National. I’ve met the winning trainer Christian Williams a few times and he’s an absolutely top guy. I’m sure he would have laughed and taken it all in the spirit intended. One thing for sure is that it provided 20 minutes of gambling opportunity and entertainment on a day bereft of any meaningful sport.

At the end of the race I crack on with cooking 5 spice pork belly strips. I look in our fruit bowl and notice that we still have 7 oranges. I consider marrying orange with pork, but having seen how wonderful the marinated belly strips look when they leave the oven I decided to stick with the script by chopping the pork into cubes and sautéing ginger, garlic, chilli and onions (no spring onions available), before adding soy, lemon juice, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, tomato paste and kale (as a substitute for Pak Choi). At the last moment I also peel, core and finely chop an apple and add that too. Served with whole-wheat noodles and a bottle of Gavi, it all went down very well.

Friday 3rd April – Friday Night Dinner

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sat, 04 Apr 2020 07:54:58 GMT

Spent a lot of time in my office today. Sarah is unhappy that the paint for the bookcases hasn’t arrived, but to some extent this is a blessing. It’s nice to spend time together but possibly not be in the same room for most of the day!

Apart from writing my blog and making a start on my article, I’ve also been sorting through two large boxes of memorabilia to decide which old tickets, receipts cards and phots make the cut and will appear on my board of memories.

In the afternoon the weather perks up and we walk around some of the quieter areas of Berkhamsted. I’ve now realised that during the current situation narrow footpaths are a no-go option. It’s impossible to maintain a 2-metre distance on a path 4 feet wide and, on several occasions, we are forced to reverse into a gap to avoid approaching walkers.

As always 16.30 is time for a Tring ale and the start of preparing the evening meal. To celebrate Friday evening and the start of the weekend, I decide to cook the chicken we had delivered yesterday and serve it with a selection of veg, red cabbage, my own Yorkshire puds and roast spuds.

Dinner is a veritable feast, although Sarah thinks I’ve added too much salt (not possible!). The accompanying bottle of Morellino di Scansano goes down well with the chicken and despite us finding a classic old episode of Endeavour on catch-up I am snoring loudly by 21.15. I stumble up to bed at 22.00 and mange to watch the Nish report before falling asleep. Nish Kumar has shaved off his beard. I’m considering doing the same.

Ps My NHS Volunteer info has come through at last. Looking forward to some delivery assignments next week.

Thursday 2nd April – Day 12 – Household chores and dry hands

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Fri, 03 Apr 2020 08:26:51 GMT

Today, I reacquaint myself with my car and drive a few miles to Tring in search of food and beers. This will be my first major food trip for a week and the fridge is pretty much empty.

My first port of call is Tring brewery where I call the number on the board outside and wait by the table until my 24 bottles of Side Pocket are brought out. Somehow, we manage to perform a strange dance which allows us to complete a credit card payment, whilst remaining just about two meters apart.

Next I wander across the farmyard to Dunsley Farm shop. The farmer is sitting on a bench outside and he tells me he’s now closed the dairy; the shop is now in new hands and he’s looking forward to retirement. There is no staggered queuing system and I walk straight Inside, where I gather an assortment of fruit, vegetables and some bacon.

Next I cross the roundabout to Tesco. The car park is only about half full but when I approach the entrance, I realise that the queue to enter the shop stretches about 50 metres. I grab a trolley and wait- 2 metres away from the shoppers in front and behind me.

The ‘one in, one out’ policy appears to work quite well, and within 15 minutes I’m being offered hand gel and invited to start shopping. There are arrows on the floor to indicate a route for shoppers, but no one – including Tesco staff - quite knows whether the arrow means you only shop on one side of the aisle or both. Consequently, there is very little distancing. Having filled my trolley with food and wine I enter the long queue to pay and leave the store. The whole shopping trip has costs me around £170 and has taken an hour and a half. Happily, this is something I’ll only be doing once a week and with our meat order coming in from Laune Fine Foods later today, we have ample food for at least a week.

Back home Sarah sets me to work on cleaning the top floor bathroom, the master bedroom and hoovering the stairs. I don’t relish household chores but in the current climate we decided it was safer to stand down our regular cleaner for a coupe for weeks (at least). I notice how the skin on my knuckles is starting to dry and crack after the constant barrage of soap and water being inflicted on my hands.

After the chores, we go for a 4.5 mile walk out towards Bourne End. The periwinkles are out and soon so will the bluebells. When we return, we are both exhausted and it’s time for Sarah to watch Escape to The Chateau and for me to start on dinner.

As we have some lamb pilaf and Thai chicken curry left, I decide to enhance these leftovers by making an Aloo Gobi with potatoes (which we now have plenty of) and cauliflower. Despite turning the Aloo Gobi round in about 40 minutes it turns out quite well – and will be much better next time I make it.

At 20.00 we go out and clap for a few minutes and then come back in and watch some TV. I’ve been asked to write an uplifting/positive article for the Chiltern magazine, and I sit on the sofa trying to come up with something positive remember what the words positive and uplifting mean. y passes. I believe that may have been a Thursday but it’s getting harder to differentiate one day from another.

Wednesday 1st April – Day 12 – April Fools

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 08:19:24 GMT

539 deaths in the UK today, which, apparently, is in line with medical expectations. Sadly, two of those who died were just 13 and 19, they died in hospital without their friends of family beside them.

Despite the alarming increase in the total deaths, posts on our local, Everything Berkhamsted Facebook group claim that people are still walking close to each other along the canal towpath and are congregating on playing fields. While Sarah got stuck into building my new bookcases I went for my own morning walk, a vigorous five miles, avoiding the main town, walking to Northchurch along a very quiet Charles Street and then back along Shootersway, where on a couple of occasions I had to take avoiding action to maintain distance from approaching walkers, but apart from Sarah, no one came within 2 metres of me today.

The government is starting to attract widespread criticism for the mixed messages being announced. Against the backdrop of packed commuter trains, a cabinet minister said on the morning news that people should still go to work if they can’t do their jobs at home. This was almost immediately contradicted by the London Mayor, who said that people should just stay at home.

In other April fool’s news, Windsor Racecourse posts a news story claiming that jump racing is about to return to the course. In reality I would be surprised if we see any further racing in the UK this year.

On a happier note and despite a few blisters Sarah has almost erected by two bookcases. In case you wondered why I’m not involved in this project; Sarah is very good at the practical stuff and I’m not. Being completely and utterly impractical my household contributions are restricted to cooking, washing and ironing.

On the subject of food, I utilised the left-over lamb and made a Lamb Pilaf, which was a triumph. I’m a bit behind on recipes but will post these later today. In the meantime, our wine intake appears to have risen. I’ve just ordered a delivery from Majestic but the 10 remaining bottles on our rack will probably have to make do until then.

Tuesday 31st March – Day 11 – Even more ‘unprecedented’ than yesterday?

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 08:51:09 GMT

If I had a pound for every time I’ve heard the word unprecedented uttered the past 12 months I’d be a very rich man. Originally used to give Brexit and events in Parliament some added impact, it’s now being used for anything and everything related to the current pandemic. Even Jamie Oliver ditched his usual lexicon of ‘pukka’, ‘lovely jubbly’ and ‘wicked’ and used this multi-syllabic word in the introduction to his new Corona themed cooking show. Isn’t it time for the politicians, Journalists and even TV chefs to get their thesauri out and perhaps just occasionally come up with an alternative adjective?

Anyway. It’s now the end of March and those of us old enough to remember Vietnam and the daily body announced on US news every evening during the early 1970s will have noticed an eerie similarity between then and now. 437 deaths in the UK were announced today and apparently this is due to rise steeply during the next couple of weeks.

I’ve heard that Germany is getting the pandemic under some semblance of control by testing 250,000 citizens a day. Our ambition is to be testing 15,000 per day by the end of the week. In the meantime, workers pack like sardines on the reduced number of tube trains. Little wonder that London is at the epicentre of the UK epidemic.

At home in Berkhamsted, I went out for a 3-mile walk, ending up in a deserted Berkhamsted High Street. I came home and watched the final episode of Line of Duty, which was great and which I watched without feeling any guilt whatsoever. If all we can do is stay at home, cook, read and watch TV, then that is what we must do.

Sarah comes home from school to start a break of two weeks. She appears determined to maintain my morale and today my pin board arrived. This will be populated with tickets, receipts and general memories I’ve accumulated over the past 25 years. Sha has also ordered me a bookcase so I can organise my library of walking books.

Tonight, I cook another winner. Chicken thigh fillets, baked with shallots (cut in half), a handful of mini plumb tomatoes, a few mushrooms, half a chopped red pepper, extra virgin olive oil, paprika, oregano, sumac and salt and pepper. Bake for 35 minutes then add couple of tablespoons of Crème Fraiche and bake for 5 additional minutes. I also made my own pasta with just flour and water. I don’t think I rolled it enough because it needed 20 minutes on the hob before it tasted edible.

Making my own pasta was an unprecedented – or as I’d rather put it – unique event. However, an event can only be unprecedented once, and next time I make pasta - thinner and tastier - it will just become one more string on my culinary bow.

Monday 30th March – Day 10 – household chores, rumours and scares

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 08:42:32 GMT

I’ve come to the conclusion that my headache is being caused by a wisdom tooth problem and, lo and behold, a cursory inspection with my index finger tells me something is moving about in the bottom right of my mouth. Deep joy. The chances of getting a dental appointment in the current circumstances are around zero so I’m anticipating leaning heavily on the co-codamol.

I wander down to the kitchen to find that Sarah has left me a list of jobs for the day. I’ve been putting off cleaning the top-floor shower room and I’ve just text our regular cleaner in the hope that she will help out. She’s agreed to come over for a couple of hours later this week, while we go out for our daily exercise. Result! In the meantime, I do my ‘bit’ by filling the washing machine, printing the bin schedule and clearing up my clothes ghetto which has appeared in the corner of our bedroom. That’s three jobs ticked off! Should be enough to keep me out of the doghouse.

WhatsApp continues to ping regularly and apart from a quick debate about the greatest women singers – Streisand, Dusty, Aretha, Emmylou and Karen C – there are now scare stories about bank account scams and Houseparty app being hacked. I guess a bit of paranoia is inevitable when people have been holed up for 10 days without friends and family to provide some perspective.

Went for a short but brisk walk of just over 2 miles. Saw a few folks out and about but kept a safe distance. Surprisingly, the days seem to pass quite quickly and at 15.30 I place two very meaty looking lamb shanks (courtesy of Launde Foods) in the oven.

My mate Ant called me. Wanted to know whether I’d done any NHS volunteer jobs yet. I haven’t because they haven’t approved me yet. Perhaps they’ve decided I’m too old.

Called my sister and mother. My sister seems cheerful and we discussed the health of our elderly parents and when they might need another food delivery. I then called my parents, who have never been particularly communicative on the phone. My father answers and tells me that they’re both fine. He then hands me over to my mother who tells me she isn’t fine and that my father is getting on her nerves. They seem to still have plenty of food, although my 90-year-old father continues to wander down to the shop to buy a Daily Mail. I think without it he would be going quite mad.

Sarah returns from school. She had just 3 pupils attend today. I cook the lamb with harissa and aubergines, make some spiced couscous and roll some dough ready to be made into pasta tomorrow. While I busy myself in the kitchen Sarah sits on the sofa watching her favourite programme; Escape to the Château. A nice bit of escapism.

Dinner is, as always, superb and plenty of wine is consumed. Consequently by 21.30 I am snoring soundly while Sarah watches the end of Liar in bed. Hence another day goes by.

Sunday 29th March – Day 9 – six more months of this?

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 08:52:54 GMT

Haven’t felt great for the past couple of days but I’m pretty sure that’s just because of the increased evening drinking rather than anything serious. I sat in bed and watched The Andrew Marr show and, by the time I went downstairs, Sarah had completed her work on my study. She had also ordered a new bookcase, which will apparently be my birthday present. My 61st isn’t until 23rd May but I doubt that we’ll get the opportunity to do anything exciting.

Yesterday, I phoned three of my closest friends and they are all as bored and pissed off with all this as I am. However, we all appreciate how important this period of social distancing is. The main topic of conversation now is what we’re all watching on TV. If nothing else, it was nice to hear some different voices.

Outside it is bitingly cold and we combined our 2.5-mile walk with a trip down to Bobby’s convenience store to pick up an Observer and a Telegraph. I was shocked to find that they had two 9 packs of toilet rolls on the shelf and I was tempted to make a purchase. Sarah reminded me that we still have at least 6 rolls at home, so I manged to resist my panic buying impulse. Berkhamsted is so quiet – apart from the staggered queue of zombie-like shoppers standing outside Tesco. The A41 roundabout, shown above, is bereft of any traffic and anyone out walking now does everything they can to avoid other walkers.

Social media is taking up a lot of time during this crisis and now the jokes are being replaced with more interactive posts, such as quizzes. After spending almost 45 minutes on a ‘name the bands in the picture quiz’, I left my office, poured myself a pint of Side Pocket beer and watched the daily briefing, during which the Deputy Medical Officer ‘span’ (?) the notion that this lockdown may be the status quo for the next 6 months.

I then got a call from my son, who is now taking this crisis very seriously indeed. His mate has contracted the virus and we later heard that his mate’s stepfather had died of Covid 19. Consequently, he is very worried about us, and impressed on me how important it is to stay indoors. He’s also ordering us masks. All a bit depressing and unsettling but I’m pleased he cares and is taking the situation seriously.

On a positive note, a gloomy day ended with another Epicurean classic, as I reprise one of my favourite dishes. Slow cooked pork chops with red cabbage and sauerkraut is perfect on a cold evening and we washed it down with a decent French Pinot Noir. In bed by 21.00 as Sarah is teaching for the next two days.

Saturday 28th March – Day 8 – a weekend without sport beckons

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 09:49:30 GMT

Woke up this morning with a thick head. Nothing sinister or viral (I hope!), just a result of over imbibing the wine and port and falling asleep on the sofa last night (note to self – don’t let the lockdown turn you into an alcoholic!). Sarah is up and about already. I drew back the curtains to find that the weather had changed. The blue sky had disappeared and been replaced with a sky that more closely reflected the mood of the country. As I wearily rose from my bed it dawned on me that: A, it was the weekend and B, there was absolutely no football taking place.

The highlight of my morning was cooking sausages and finding that Sarah had been up re-arranging my office, which now looks great, particularly with various Watford FC prints being added to the walls.

Despite the threatening dark clouds and cold winds, we reluctantly left the house and walked for exactly 3.09 miles. By the time we returned it was 16.00. Time for me to check the status of our EasyJet flight to Turkey in 2 weeks’ time (it has been cancelled) and to start cooking the evening meal.

Tonight I stripped the rest of the chicken and used it as a base for a Thai inspired chicken curry with ingredients as follows: garlic, fresh ginger, onion, cumin, fresh coriander, turmeric, Thai green curry paste, tamarind, a lemon grass stick, a tin of coconut milk, Pak choi, mushrooms and a fresh chili. The end result was hot and tasty - much better than the rather stale pack of supermarket poppadums I found in the cupboard.

After dinner we settled down in front of the TV. Watched Friday Night Dinner which is always very funny and then started on a Netflix series, The Stranger, which looks promising although I don’t think Sarah is convinced. At least she didn’t insist on us watching Ant and Dec!

Friday 27th March – Day 7 – Boris has the virus.

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sat, 28 Mar 2020 09:39:22 GMT

Awoke early this morning with a feeling of well-being. This isolation ‘isn’t so bad I thought and there are even some positive signs that we might have Corona under some semblance of control.

My mood changed significantly when I was unable to get the upstairs TV to work and it dawned on me that the cornerstone of my isolation sanity involved access to all that Sky TV has to offer.

Happily, a few goes at turning off and on the Sky boxes in downstairs eventually did the trick and we could again enjoy the usual morning diet of TV Corona advice and statistics.

We have run out of bread, spread, mushrooms and milk, so with a heavy heart I boarded the X5 and headed for Tesco. The streets are quiet, and I can park in a space within 100 metres of the Tesco Metro. The high street is an usual sight; outside every store there is a lengthy queue of people – only lengthy because people are observing the instruction from door staff to maintain a space of at least 2 metres from the person in front and behind. I’m about 5th in the queue and once 5 people have left the store, I’m beckoned in. This seems a reasonable system; it protects shoppers and Tesco staff and appears to have regulated demand for food. Either people are now behaving themselves and not panic buying or there is more food around. Having found most of the products we needed I resisted the urge to impulse purchase a pack of Nan breads and stood two metres behind the person at the back of the payment queue. By the time I left the store the queue had extended around the corner. I packed the car and drove past Boots, Nationwide and M&S al have the same queuing protocols as Tesco.

On the way home the man on the radio confirmed that Boris Johnson has Covid 19. My immediate thought is ‘does Boris really have the virus, or has he just realised that he’s not up to the job and done a Kevin Keegan?’ The news that Nick Hancock and the Chief Medical Officer are also Corona-positive does little to allay my suspicions.

Later we also receive worrying news from Italy. The recent trend of fewer deaths each day has come to a shuddering halt, and the record death toll today approaches almost 1000.

After a quick lunch we go for a long walk. The weather is still wonderful if a little colder and the countryside north of the A41 looks wonderful. Back home I check my charging phone and see that 34 WhatsApp and 11 Facebook posts have arrived. Much of the Facebook banter focusses on a poster shown on Facebook earlier this week, which publicises a gig in 1977 featuring French punk rock band Little Bob Story and my own band Nuclear Rouge. Suddenly, a few old band mates and friends from that time are posting. I manage to dig out an old poster and some photos to add to the conversation.

Next I turn my attention to food. I have a red cabbage and I decide to shred it and then braise it with apples, onions, and white wine vinegar. For our evening meal I roast the free-range chicken my neighbour delivered yesterday, and we eat it with plenty of veg, roasted carrots and a baked spud.

Evening is TV time and happily there are now more Sky Box glitches. We’re having problems finding programmes that we both want to watch. Sarah really isn’t into Scandi noir and I really don’t like Ant and Dec. Usually we watch something like Escape to the Chateaux, which we both love – probably because of its element of escapism.

Finally, we access the box set of Line of Duty series 6. I believe that there’s a fundamental difference between men and woman when it comes to TV viewing habits; while Sarah will only watch one episode at a time, I have a need to binge watch. After one episode Sarah has seen enough for now and leaves me downstairs to watch two further episodes. I drink a couple of additional glasses of Rioja and wake up on the sofa at 12.57. Somehow, I haul myself up two flights of stairs and to bed.

Thursday 26th March – Day 6 – my meat is on its way!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sat, 28 Mar 2020 09:32:19 GMT

One of our neighbours has a brother with a farm and he’s kindly offered to deliver meat to anyone who needs it in our road. I’ve just left the cold box on the doorstep and I’m hoping that when I next peer in, the cold box will be filled with pork mince, lamb shanks, a chicken and half a dozen eggs.

Our West End Boys WhatsApp group of friends – and friends of friends - from Uni has been going berserk this morning. A veritable bombardment of box set and movie recommendations, a spaffing (as King Boris might put it) of soft porn, Corona jokes and a suggestion that we all join House Party, a kind of mini skype on your phone. My friend VJ has just invited us all to a Houseparty chat at 20.30 this evening. I’ve enjoyed many a wild weekend with these guys in the past so how do I break it to them that by 20.15 last night I was snoring like a bush pig!

In between WhatsApping I’ve rather heroically stood at the top of our rickety step ladder and trimmed the bush above our shed. I’ve also cleaned out the guttering. Now it’s time for my designated exercise, which today involved me attempting three laps of Berkhamsted school field. About 5 years ago I used to comfortably complete the 5 kilometres involved. Today was a reminder that I haven’t run for at least 6 months and my legs are carrying a couple of extra kilos. It felt good to go out running again though.

Sarah is at home again and out in the garden. We haven’t killed each other yet. Luckily, she is quite tolerant of my general incompetence and idleness around the house. However, my reluctant and brief contribution to bush trimming and gutter cleaning will surely absolve me of any other manual work duties this week.

On a positive note the stock market appears to have stabilized. Investors must assume that now is the time to buy stocks like Carnival (Cruise Lines) who’s share priced dropped by more than 40% last week. In any case it has improved my mood as my ISA and a substantial chunk of my pension are invested in stocks and shares.

On a very positive note the number of de aths per days in Italy have started to fall. Could the end be in sight for them and, if so, will it be for us a few weeks after?

PS - The meat arrived around 16.30. I sautéed 500g of the pork mince with onions, garlic, julienned carrots, a spoonful of crème fraiche, a glug od white wine, a spoonful of Worcestershire sauce and half a carton of Cirio passata, seasoned with oregano, fresh basil, smoked paprika & salt and pepper. Served with pasta and some veg the pork mince was lovely. It has more fat than the rather anaemic Waitrose equivalent but that means it has much more flavour. I look forward to the lamb shanks, which look substantial.

We’ve just had an email from a guy at the end of the road asking us to observe the cheering for the NHS initiative at 20.00, After a nice meal and a decent sauvignon blanc I hope I’m still awake!

PPS – we did indeed go out and clap and quite a noise it was too, with most of our road joining in. At 20.30 I poured myself another glass of Malbec and joined seven of my friends for a rather shambolic first attempt at a group chat via House Party. Good to see the lads and when we do it again next week, I’m sure we’ll have a better grasp of the technology.

Wednesday 25th March – Day 5 – was Cheltenham only two weeks ago!?

Thu, 26 Mar 2020 09:02:26 GMT

Two weeks ago, I was quaffing free bubbly in the Paddy Power box at Cheltenham Festival, watching my old trainer Harry Whittington have his first Cheltenham winner. A very memorable day – and I still have the free, rather snug-fitting, Paddy Power underpants as a memento.

The world has changed beyond recognition since then. Yesterday, Sarah was home. Her and the Head Teacher are taking it in turns to do a few days running the school, which is still open for the key workers’ kids. Yesterday only 13 children came in. I wonder how long it will be before they close completely. Sarah still had a few school duties to perform and although she was on and off her phone most of the day, we managed to get out for another 4-mile walk in the nearby countryside. In the late afternoon sunshine she worked in the garden while I roasted some cauliflower with paprika and roasted tomato stuffed peppers to accompany the remainder of Tuesday’s bobotie.

The government are now looking for 250,000 volunteers to deliver essential supplies to people who can’t leave their homes. I signed up immediately and am now waiting to have my identity checked before I can access their app, which is expected to be launched next week. At the time of writing more than 405,000 people have volunteered.

I had my own personal delivery run to make, as I took 2 large shopping bags of goodies to my parents (89 and 90 years of age) in Denham Garden Village. Tesco had plenty of food in stock and, as I heaved my two bulging baskets to the tills, I found it necessary to keep announcing to other shoppers that I wasn’t panic buying - I was shopping for my elderly parents! One of the Tesco staff heard this and gave me something which is currently worth more than gold; a 4 pack of toilet roll, which they keep out the back for anyone shopping for old folk.

Luckily, as the it was such a nice day, I could meet my parents at the back of their flat and sit on their patio at least 2 metres away from them. I think it’s hard for some older folk to really comprehend the distancing rules and my father’s initial reaction on seeing me was to attempt to shake my hand. Anyway, they seemed delighted with their groceries. My father is extremely bored, and my mother was giving him a hard time, but I impressed on him that he had to stick by the government rules so they both remain safe.

My daughter seems to be reasonably happy – or at least stoical – about working at home. At least she has Dulcie, her new puppy (photo above) to take for a walk. My son is a self-employed plumber and is still doing some plumbing jobs. He’s finding it challenging now the pubs are shut and he has no access to his mates, but at least it seems that the government will start offering some financial support to the self-employed.

Tuesday 24th March – Day 4 – eerie silence on Berkhamsted’s streets

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 08:44:12 GMT

The current lockdown should be a great opportunity to have a proper morning lie-in but as my other half is still getting up early to go into school, I’m showing solidarity by hauling myself out of my pit by 07.00. She’s now down to around 20 pupils as many key workers’ partners are also off work and electing to keep their kids at home.

Personally, I had a good day today. Went for a 4-mile walk around Berkhamsted and Ashley Green. Didn’t see another soul, the birds were singing, the sun was shining, and the blossom is on the trees. Hard to believe that we are in the throes of a major pandemic. I then sat in the sunny part of our garden reading Sunday’s papers and catching up with episodes of the Archers. Corona doesn’t appear to have reached Ambridge yet. The writers started a dramatic (by Archers’ standards) story line a week or so ago with a major fire at Grey Gables, in which Linda Snell almost lost her life. As a result, they must be struggling to see how they can shoe-horn in the major story of our times, and as a result Ambridge seems to be completely free of Corona – to the point where it hasn’t been mentioned once!

At a time when the government are putting out mixed messages about who should go to work and who should stay home, an old war hero put it extremely succinctly when he said ‘In 1944 I served my country by fighting on the beaches of Normandy. In 2020 you have to serve your company by sitting on the sofa.’ I think that puts things nicely into perspective.

For dinner I plucked a Dunsley Farm steak pie from the freezer and we ate it with new potatoes, mushrooms, plenty of veg and my own Horseradish gravy. All washed down with a few glasses of Malbec. After this act of heroism we did exactly what the WW2 veteran told us to do; we sat on the sofa – and watched TV.

Monday 23rd March – Day 3 and the message is starting to get through.

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 09:38:22 GMT

The schools may be closed but in our house it was a ‘normal’ Monday with the alarm going off at 06.30. As a Deputy Head Teacher, my partner Sarah will spend the day at her school teaching/ supervising/ babysitting the children of key workers. From a primary school of 400 kids she’s expecting around 60 to attend. She’s also intending to separate her desk from the Head’s, to give them a 2-metre space.

As the penny start to drop about how serious the situation is the WhatsApp jokes have slowly started to dry up and are being replaced with more measured/informative communication. Even my 30-year-old son, who is finding isolation very difficult, called me this morning to say we shouldn’t meet up for golf. As a self-employed plumber he’s still expecting to be working this week, but I guess that depends on developments today and tomorrow. Who knows? This has been an incredibly fast-moving situation.

I watched the news and it included footage from Lombardy. Apparently, the city of Bergamo is now the epicentre of the virus with more fatalities there than anywhere else in Italy. We spent a weekend in Bergamo last December. It’s a beautiful city, full of excellent restaurants and welcoming people. We wish them all the best.

Although Sarah is having to continue working, we are extremely lucky not to have to travel into London. Public transport has been cut to the bone and consequently the trains and buses that are running are absolutely packed. However, it is another beautiful sunny day and In line with NHS advice I am out getting my daily exercise with a 3-mile walk round the block. People’s attitudes have certainly changed since last week. I saw a few folk out walking and each time I approached, one of us would veer to one side to maintain at least the designated two metre gap between us.

At times like this I’m so glad I enjoy cooking. I spent the afternoon making a Bobotie with whatever ingredients we had in the cupboard. Bobotie is a dish I first came across in South Africa. Traditionally it includes ground beef, curry spices and fruit. It is baked in the oven with an egg and milk topping, like a custard. For my effort I used lamb mince rather than beef, replaced the apples with pears and used brown bread rather than white. The result was actually very good – or at least that’s what Sarah told me.

We ate early then attempted to find any TV programmes that included an element of escapism, including Great Railway Journeys and Francesco de Mosta’s journey round the Med. Then at 20.30 we sat down to watch Boris announce that the UK was about to go into virtual lockdown.

Within minutes of the announcement ending Sarah had received a barrage of texts and calls from teachers concerned about whether they should come into school. A difficult week is likely to follow.

Sunday 22nd March – Day 2 of isolation

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 09:29:27 GMT

I think it’s starting to get serious now. Following the packed crowds on Dunstable Downs on Saturday, Sunday appeared to be a turning point in public consciousness. Once more the sun was shining, and Sarah and I decided to walk from our house towards Berkhamsted golf course and into Ashridge Forest. However, today there were far fewer people around and Berkhamsted High Street was almost deserted. There was even some food in Tesco Express.

Suddenly the WhatsApp jokes have been replaced with more thoughtful contributions and a pub in Chorleywood that opened on Saturday was immediately reported to the police and closed- down. A week ago, my peer group would probably have made a beeline for anywhere open and serving ale. This weekend most of us viewed the offending landlord with utter contempt.

Last night Leyla Temiz, a friend in Turkey, posted on Facebook. I think this sums up what a lot of us are thinking.

My thoughts. A cocktail of emotions, some perhaps irrational, the sudden awaking to the impermanence of ‘normal’ life. Expectations, plans, security shattered.

Perhaps we had it too good for too long.

I worry. I worry mainly for the well-being, both physically and psychologically, of all my friends who are doctors and care providers in countries that will suffer gravely from this biological crisis. I feel pity for friends who have just welcomed new life into such a chaos. And, of course, I fear for the health of my loved ones and kindred spirits.

Then my mind wonders to my personal financial security, and the bigger economic picture. What will happen when the masses can’t afford basic provisions, debts mount and a recovering market means low employment rates? What sectors will the new world be void of, and what job opportunities will exist for those whose careers Corona wiped out? At this point the voice within me points out that, above all, health and survival are the only things we should be focused on right now.

Amidst all this I feel twinges of adrenaline-fueled excitement. What we are witnessing, what we are living, is a monumental moment in time. The beat has stopped. Never have most of us not had any concrete plans. Never has the whole world simultaneously paused the track. Never have we collectively experienced gazing into the unknown.

Today my phone’s weekly screen time report made me gasp. Over 7 hours per day of gleaning information which is mostly outdated by the time the sun sets. But what else is there to do, other than worry, look at our phones and make a conscious effort to be positive?

Whether we are infected or not, this virus is in all of us, changing the way we think, eating away at our perception of normality, forcing us to re-evaluate our priorities. The physical symptoms of COVID-19 can destroy. The spiritual effects of this outbreak might just be the remedy to an illness we didn’t realise we were suffering.

My response to this is:

Well said Leyla, this could be a welcome wake-up call for a civilisation that has become obsessed with things that really don’t matter at all. Stay well.

Saturday 21st March 2020 – Day 1 of isolation

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 22 Mar 2020 10:22:12 GMT

What to do when there’s no footy? Usually my Saturday goes like this: wake up, put my bets on, cook a large breakfast, eat it, shower, put my ‘lucky’ Watford polo shirt on and get the train to either Watford Junction (for the home games) or somewhere further afield (for away trips). The drinking starts around midday and generally continues until at least an hour after the match (and sometimes late into the evening). At the end of the journey home I’ll pick up a huge bag of fish and chips, get a cab home and drunkenly irritate the other half while she tries to watch Saturday evening TV – particularly if the despised Ant & Dec are on.

Today was oh so different. We got up early, I cooked some eggs, updated my blog, showered and we then went for a walk. We chose to take on a 6-mile hike around Dunstable Downs, where sadly (despite warnings not to congregate in groups) half the world appeared to have gathered.

We eventually found a space in the overflow part of the Overflow Carpark and after about a mile and half we left the crowds behind and enjoyed a really satisfying 6.2-mile hike, which culminated in a very hard short climb from the foot of the Downs to our car. I hadn’t breathed so hard for months. Once the walk was over and the endorphins had kicked in it felt good.

That took us up to about 14.00 (when I’d normally be finishing my last pint in the Welly before walking to Vicarage Road), and Sarah suggested that on our way back home we visited Tring Garden Centre. There is something slightly depressing about the sterile atmosphere of a garden centre on a Saturday afternoon and I spent much of our visit checking the racing results from the one National Hunt race meeting, taking place in Thurles, Ireland.

Once Sportinglife.com website had confirmed my assumption that I’d achieved precisely 0 wins from my three bets on Paddy Power, I decided that I should concentrate on the job in hand; finding the toilet and then choosing packets of vegetable seeds to sow in our garden. Having reluctantly decided not to steal a roll of toilet paper I returned to the shop and made an impulse purchase of a £10 doormat.

That took us to 16.00. We drove home and I started cooking; pork belly stir fry, with Pak choi, cauliflower florets and green beans. I’ll upload the recipe tomorrow but suffice to say it was delicious!

I took a break from cooking about 17.00, to watch a BBC re-run of some great FA Cup Quarter Finals, which included a memorable day back in 1987 when we beat Arsenal 3-1, and David Bardsley, John Barnes and Luther all had brilliant games. Despite my eyes welling up with nostalgia I managed to get the noodles on in time for the stir fry.

The evening was all about Netflix; one episode of the Crown and one of Sex Education. After the long walk I was ready for bed by 21.00 and slept like a baby. I guess most days will be like this now, with only each other for company (apart from my chums on WhatsApp!).

Day 1. We survived it!

20st & 21st March 2020 – a world without food and now a world without pubs

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 08:45:21 GMT

The supermarkets hit a new low today. I visited Tesco in Tring and found that sausages had been added to the long list of unavailable products. I would imagine that 2 or 3 Heck bangers stuffed into the centre of a kitchen roll would make a great meal for any aspiring panic buyer.

The wine situation was even worse. In line with Tesco’s demographic, the expensive wines on the top shelf were all intact. However, the remining shelves were seriously depleted. All the decent Sauvignon Blancs had gone and even the dust deposits from the Albarinhos and Gavis had been wiped away. Heaven knows what will happen to civilization if we’re reduced to drinking Vino Sol or Pinot Grigio during this pandemic.

From this low point the day picked up considerably. I left my car at Tesco and walked (as I oftene do) across the busy road to Dunsley Farm shop. Here they had eggs! Hurrah! And they allowed me (as a very regular customer) to take 12 extra-large. Fresh eggs at a fair price. I also picked up a pack of their excellent ham and a loaf of Prudens bread, which had just been delivered.

Morale rose even further when I visited Majestic Wine Warehouse in Berkhamsted. Their shelves are still very well stocked and the prices are still very reasonable. Seventy eight quid later I had nine very acceptable wines to tide me over the weekend. I have also been told that the M&S stores in Tring and Berko still have some decent wine.

So, now you know; do not follow the queue of cars into Tesco and Waitrose, visit Dunsley for eggs, ham and bread and Majestic or M&S for wine. Sorry, I still can’t help with bog rolls.

Anyway at this point, I must break away from my keyboard. Sarah has just entered my study accompanied by a cacophony of 70s music. Apparently the great Kenny Rogers had died and she is celebrating his contribution to music (and her youth) by playing his greatest hits at high volume. Oh no, she’s now stated singing along!!! Arghhhh.

Oh yes, and the pubs are now all closed. Today we will go for a long walk and then try to find something to do at the end of it ☹.

20th March 2020 - Spuds, shoots and leaves

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 15:23:28 GMT

A disappointing potato harvest but the beans have started well

If the Corona crisis (and the consequent supermarket food shortages), continues for a long period of time, growing our own food might be the answer.

My partner is a very keen and knowledgeable gardener and since we moved into our new house (complete with a fair-sized garden), she has shamed me into getting my hands dirty. As a result, we now have a thriving herb garden and in December I made my first attempt at growing spuds. As you can see from the photo below, this year’s crop was not what you would call bountiful and, in fact, one of the spuds was no bigger than a peanut. However, I cooked them, they tasted great and I am now encouraged to try again.

In the meantime, we also have green beans and courgette seedlings on the go. The beans are doing well, and I have high hopes that I’ll achieve better results than with the spuds.

We shall see.

My Corona Week – so far….16th- 18th March

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 12:21:22 GMT

Food shopping in the age of Corona.....

Following the level of abuse my body – and particularly my liver - had endured during Cheltenham week, I spent most of last weekend at home felling ill and hoping I just had a hangover rather than the dreaded virus.

With no football to watch, the highlight was shopping at Tesco. There was a reasonable number of products on the shelves but absolutely no toilet rolls or tinned tomatoes. Some alarm bells rang in my head, but I convinced myself things weren’t going to be too bad.

Over the weekend, reports came in of queues of over 100 metres to enter Costco Cash and Carry store in Watford, and there were rumours that toilet roll fights had broken out at a Tesco in Aylesbury. Over the past week, around 70k had been wiped from my retirement nest egg through a sharp downturn on the stock market. Everyone was getting very edgy and this nervousness appeared to be reflected in the amount of jokes (of varying standards and taste) that were flying around my various WhatsApp groups. The cyber equivalent of whistling in the dark no doubt.

Monday was a beautiful day and, in an attempt, to increase my fitness (really??) should the virus attack, I walked about 6 miles. I later ended up at Waitrose where there was even fewer products on the shelves than I had expected. I suggested to one of the managers that they might consider adding toilet rolls to the shelves at different times of the day, in order to stagger the supply. She said that they were considering this and the confided to me that at opening time (7.30) that morning the store had been busier than on Christmas Eve. Astonishing. I also suggested they might track panic buyers through the My Waitrose card and then string up bulk bog roll purchasers outside the store as a warning to others. The manager wasn’t sure if I was being serious but said she didn’t believe this was possible (I wasn’t sure if she meant the tracking or the stringing up).

I hated myself for purchasing the last pack of passata on the shelf. I didn’t really need another pack of passata. But I quickly shook off my remorse and congratulated myself for accepting the 4 for £6 offer on bottled ales. In fact, it was quite hear warming to observe that the shelves were still well stocked with booze.

On Tuesday I took my car down to Waitrose and stocked up with wine. I also bought an onion that I didn’t really need. Again, I felt that surge of self -loathing that most panic buyers must have to live with day after day. Particularly if they’re not first in the shop at 07.30!

By Wednesday mid-morning, Waitrose had been decimated. By 10.00 there were no available spaces in the car park and no porridge, no tinned tomatoes, no pasta, very little bread, very few vegetables and absolutely no fresh chicken on the shelves. One positive development was that people were talking to each other, decrying the panic buyers before shuffling off to take the final Fairy Liquids from the shelves.

It was depressing to witness how this wonderful Berkhamsted institution had turned into an empty husk in a matter of days.

Even more annoying was the fact that Waitrose had withdrawn almost all its offer, such as 1/3 off olives and buy three for £10. This smacked of opportunism to me and I was not happy. However, I consoled myself with a few packs of Wotsits and another tub of spread (to add to the ones already in my fridge). Overall, another excellent day in Virus Land.

14th March 2020 - Back from a great week in Cheltenham to find a world in chaos.

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Wed, 18 Mar 2020 14:00:47 GMT

The great escape to Cheltenham followed by a sad and worrying return to a new 'real' world.

What a contrast. Last week I spent 4 days trapped in a wildly hedonistic bubble that is the annual Cheltenham racing festival, where everything involves eating, drinking and horse racing and the outside world ceases to exist.

A group of old friends and I have been making the annual pilgrimage to ‘The World Cup of National Hunt Horse Racing’ since the late 1990. We started out by spending a day down there, then two but for the past 8 years we’ve gone the whole hog and rented a house for the week.

This year followed the pattern of most recent years, i.e. the owners of the house greet you and explain how the heating and the WIFI works. They summarize the house rules, give us the key and wish us a happy stay. Having sized us up they rather anxiously add a couple of extra requests to their valedictory address, including a request that we don’t wear muddy shoes in their beds or do anything unspeakable to their cat. The bun fight then starts to see who gets the best bedroom. Once that ritual is out of the way we decamp excitedly to our favourite pub The Hewlett Arms.

Monday evening is festival eve and truly the calm before the storm. Having reintroduced ourselves at the Hewlett we make our way into town and consume an enormous amount and variety of beer, wine and spirits. To round off the evening we grab a particularly virulent donner kebab laced with at least a pint of extra hot chili sauce.

The next morning you wake with a sandpaper mouth, an aching back from the makeshift bed and the type of hangover which will be repeated for the next four days.

You then stumble down to the kitchen and wonder why there’s muddy footprints on the stairs, red cabbage all over the kitchen floor and attempt to make a simple electrical advice like a kettle function.

Feeling slightly more human you wander down to the pub for the first Guinness of the day and whatever breakfast you can comfortable keep down. You consume more alcohol and get ferried to the course by the landlord. At the course you drink more Guinness and anticipate the first race of the week.

After 5 of the 7 races you climb the steep stairs to the Champagne bar and by around 7 pm you are one of the last to leave the course. One of the landlord’s family then collects you and takes you back to the pub. The rest of the evening dissolves into a drunken haze of singing, laughing and general alcoholic exaggeration.

You wake up the next day, and the next day, and the next day and follow pretty much the same itinerary. The highlights of the week were having a few winners and an amazing afternoon on the bubbly in the Paddy Power box – plus a great goody bag, including PP underpants, to take home

It really is an amazing period of male bonding, laughs and fantastic racing. But at the end of the week you must re-join humanity and make one of the most depressing journeys imaginable. The journey home after Cheltenham. Traffic is always heavy and you’re never feeling at you sparkling best after 4 days of liver abuse, but this year was truly awful, as we listened to the radio in shocked silence and took in the full implications of what had been happening in the real world. We checked our ISAs and pension pots and groaned heavily. We groaned again - possibly louder - when we realised that there would be no football in the UK for the foreseeable future. The world had changed. Possibly for ever.

6th March 2020 - A long lunch in a top restaurant

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 08 Mar 2020 13:17:20 GMT

Delicious Sicilian food in Charlotte Street, London W1

I met Stuart and Chris at Russell Primary School 53 years ago. We’ve stayed close friends ever since and last year we agreed to get together to enjoy three lunches a year. The highlights of last year were meals at The Corinthia hotel, Northumberland avenue (very nice) and at 10 Greek Street (fabulous). However, the choice of my old favourite Caravaggio turned out to be highly disappointing. They’d changed their chef and the food bore no resemblance to some of the excellent meals I’d enjoyed there for many years previously.

Anyway, on Friday we met in the Adam and Eve, downed three pints of excellent Youngs ale and then walked round to Norma in Charlotte Street, Ben Tish’s Sicilian eatery, which came highly recommended via a 5 Star review in the Observer by Jay Rayner.

We arrived at 1.30 and left at about 5.00. We consumed a vodka shot, a bottle of bubbly, a bottle of Prosecco, a bottle of Gavi, a bottle of Sherezade Nero D’Avola and three glasses of dessert wine. Yes, that’s probably many people’s annual quota of booze but hey, we only do this three times a year.

The food was extremely good – as you can see from the pics below. We nibbled on the Spaghettini Fritters and then opted for a selection of dishes from the Raw Bar, the best of which were the Salt March Lamb Crudo, the Stone Bass and the Sea Bream.

For mains Stu went for the Trapani Fish Stew, Chris surprisingly chose the Aubergine Parmigiana and I had the lamb, which was superb. Being Sicilian, the food has a North African influence and one sign of this is the abundance of pomegranates in many of the dishes.

After a pause for air I chose the Cannoli with ice cream. I can’t recall what the others ate due to the amount of alcohol consumed at that point.

It was a brilliant day. The staff at Norma are so friendly and helpful. The atmosphere is very buzzy (it was full downstairs) and the food is very good. Highly recommended.

March is here and Spring is on its way - apparently!

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 10:50:51 GMT

Cheltenham Racing just around the corner - hopefully......

One of the most enjoyable weeks of the year is just days away – or at least I hope it is. We are all currently crossing fingers that the spread of the Corona Virus will not lead to the postponement of what is national hunt horse racing’s annual world cup. We have no runner there this year but at least it gave me an excuse to post a picture of our wonderful grey, Pique Sous who ran with credit there in 2012 ans 2013 coming a close 3rd in the Cheltenham Bumper. Great Days……ahhh. At least Pique is now enjoying a wonderful retirement back in Ireland.

We have booked our house, close to our favourite boozer, The Hewlett Arms and will be travelling down on Monday afternoon to enjoy 4 days of good food, good drinking, good company and great racing. You never know I may even return with a few shillings still in my pocket.

In the meantime, I’ve been busy in the kitchen. I made a very well received chicken, mango, coconut and tamarind curry at the weekend and last night I knocked up a quick supper of ground harissa beef with cinnamon and the ultra-versatile chickpeas. Pics are below.

Ingredient of the week

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 15:26:19 GMT

Pomegranate molasses

I came across this in Turkey where it’s used in salads and main dishes. Pomegranate molasses is a syrup of boiled pomegranate juice, widely used in all Middle Eastern cuisine. It has an intense sweet-and-sour flavour, a bit like balsamic, but thicker in consistency. Add a little to your next salad to give it a real bitter/sweet hit.

18th February 2020 - Four course Taster Menu at La Scala Lucerne

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 15:59:07 GMT

Great food from Head Chef Breedijk at La Scala in the Montana Hotel Lucerne

Get ready to start salivating when you look at what we ate at La Scala restaurant in Lucerne last week. Fabulous food and proper sized portions too. All washed down with a couple of beers, a bottle of Albarinho and a glass each of local red. Four course menu price 78 CHF, approx. £63 a head. Bottle of Albarinho almost £50. Great service too.

A great trip to one of the most beautiful - and expensive - countries in the World.

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 10:10:02 GMT

Delicious Ravioli!

It is 22nd February and we have just arrived home from a week on Lake Lucerne in Central Switzerland. It was the trip that almost didn’t happen after EasyJet cancelled our Saturday flight in the wake of the dreaded Storm Dennis. We eventually got away on Monday morning and after a very smooth flight to Basel and then an even smoother rail journey from Basel to Lucerne (in an immaculately clean train) we checked into Hotel Montana, a 15-minute walk from the station.

Having researched restaurants in Lucerne I was braced for some eye watering bills – particularly for wine, which starts at over £40 a bottle in even fairly ordinary establishments.

First night we dined at the highly recommended Pastarazzi. The décor here is pretty spartan or hipster (depending on your interpretation), the ultra-friendly waiting staff (well the male ones anyway) don Shoreditch style beards and the main action centres round the display of home-made pasta on the counter facing the front door.

We chose a simple salad starter and two plates of mixed filling ravioli, one with sage butter and the other with a pesto sauce.

The plates of ravioli were delicious and the portions enormous. The wines were local and highly acceptable. As expected, the wine prices were slightly frightening; i.e. 7 Swiss Francs a glass. This would be reasonable if the glass size was 175 or even a generous 250 cl, but a ‘glass’ in Switzerland is only 10 cl – so 7 francs equates to 52.5 francs or about £42 per bottle.

Anyway, by day two I stopped moaning about the cost of everything and just laughed manically and handed my money over!

So that was Pastarazzi and very nice it was too. It was full on the Monday evening we visited and full again when I returned to pick up my forgotten backpack the next day. Always a very good sign.

r own from a different source.

A Pleasant Surprise in Chenies

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sat, 22 Feb 2020 15:21:48 GMT

Dinner at the Bedford Arms

During the 1990's, when I Lived in Little Chalfont, I spent many a lost hour drinking in the long bar of the Bedford Arms in Chenies. Although at the time it was a'posh-ish' hotel with a reputation for fine dining in the restaurant, the front bar was usually frequented by a lively and definitely 'mixed' bunch of bon viveurs (which is, of course, what the French euphemistically call alcoholics)...!. A few years ago the Bedford underwent a thorough overhaul. The front bar was extended and redecorated. It looked really good - apart from some rather dodgy book shelf wallpaper. It's been a while since I've re-visited and having picked my daughter up from Chorleywood station we decided to give it a try. Being only 7.15 p.m. and a Thursday evening it wasn't exactly packed but the staff were very friendly and the menu contained plenty of things I wanted to eat. Amanda chose fish cakes with poached eggs and I had a really soft, Chinese spiced, belly of pork with the sweetest carrots I've ever tasted! Washed down with a lemonade, a pint of Rebellion and a decent £7 glass of Syrah the bill came to £53 including service. Both meals were very good and I'm looking forward to another visit very soon.

Epicurean's recipes - now appearing at a High Street near you!

Sun, 09 Feb 2020 23:24:13 GMT

Epicureans recipes - now appearing at a High Street near you!

The Chiltern Society roadshow, which appeared in Chesham last week and is in

Berkhamsted this week features recipe cards from your truly. The roadshow is

next appearing in Princes Risborough and Marlow. More information from the

Chiltern Society www.chilternsociety.org.uk

What made me smile this week….

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 09 Feb 2020 23:14:20 GMT

What made me smile this week….

1. The Lamb has re-opened, which means that the western end of Berkhamsted High Street has again become a mecca for decent pubs, with the George and The Highwayman already in situ. Part of the pub is now a restaurant offering a very appetising looking menu with 2 courses for £29.50 and 3 for 34.50. Sounds reasonable. I’ll let you know soon. PS Those of you with kids under 18 get a babysitter. This is a no kids pub.

2. On a bracing walk from Potten End to Gaddesden Row this week I discovered that The Crown and Sceptre near Gaddesden Hall is still open. This lovely old-fashioned pub, offering old fashioned wholesome food, served by old fashioned folk wearing old fashioned clothes … (STOP now !!) looked a very likely candidate to disappear but it’s still alive and kicking. At a time when pubs are closing at a rate of between 20 and 30 a week (depending on who you believe) this is very encouraging news.

What made me sad…..

1. The newsagent in Charles Street has closed. Surely one of the last of the back-street community shops, the builders were spotted there this week. A real shame. When I lived in North Road, back in the 90s, I could get out of bed and pop down there for a copy of the Watford Observer while still wearing my Jim Jams. If I went down to Waitrose like that I’d be arrested.

January – a time to hibernate in front of the TV

Are Dirty Den and Ange still in East Enders? Does Hilda Ogden still have those ducks up her wall? How would I know? I haven’t watched a TV soap for over 20 years. However, despite my faux disdain for anything that could be described as a ’soap,’ I would still consider myself a TV addict, particular during the dark days of winter, when almost every night I‘ll sit down for a couple of hours to watch one of my huge library of shows, recorded courtesy of Sky Q.

Over the past few years many of my favourite series have come from our friends across the water, in mainland Europe.

I’ve recently binged on the last two series of Spiral, a gritty police/legal drama, which I would describe as a French version of The Wire. Absolutely brilliant.

And I’ve continued my obsession with Scandi – (you know the drill…..a blond girl locked in a basement, a serial killer on the loose, plenty of false leads and tortured lead detective) noir by picking up the Norwegian drama, Wister. Two episodes in and I am hooked. Wister continues in the footsteps of great Scandinavian TV, starting with series like Wallander, The Bridge and Borgen, and more recently Darkness, Follow the Money (both starring the wonderful Natalie Madueno), Midnight Sun (with Laura Bekhti) and Beck. I’d also throw in Der Pass, a thrilling German/Austrian drama set on the border of these two nations.

As far as TV without the subtitles go, Whitehouse Farm has been highly engaging, proving that real-life events are often harder to believe than drama series, and Larry David is back for a 10th series of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

27th January 2020 – A Sunday lunch with jazz – nice!

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Sun, 09 Feb 2020 23:04:40 GMT

27th January 2020 – A Sunday lunch with jazz – nice!

On Sunday we helped my brother in law kick-off his 60th birthday celebrations with a damned good lunch at the Gatsby in Berkhamsted. Advertised as Jazz Brunch, the only available table for 4 was at 12.15 and although the place opens at 11.30, we were among the first people to arrive. Having fallen into bad company the previous day in the Berkhamsted FC bar, I wasn’t feeling a little jaded and not quite prepared to start drinking again that early on a Sunday. However, after some gentle persuasion I ordered a Guinness (an excellent brunch tipple) and we made our way to our table. The Jazz (groovy!) was played by three old boys who looked like they’d been round the block a few times but could definitely knock out a tune or two.

The restaurant soon started to fill up and after ordering another pint and a bottle of Malbec (only £23) we decided to forgo the starters and pile into the mains. I ordered the roast beef and it came with roast spuds, veg and Yorkshire pudding. Each individual element of the meal was very good, with beautifully cooked parsnips, carrots, sweet red cabbage and cauliflower cheese. My dining companions were delighted with the amount of perfectly cooked beef they received. Perhaps I’m just very greedy or I got the children’s portion, but I was a bit disappointed with my two slices. Strangely, no one volunteered to share theirs with me….hmmm.

By the time we’d finished our main course the place was packed and the jazz boys were in full flow - even throwing in a slightly dodgy version of ‘Jammin’ by Bob Marley.

During the course of the meal we’d dropped some pathetically transparent hints to the waitresses about it being Steve’s birthday (e.g. ‘you order first BIRTHDAY BOY!!’ in very loud voices), but we were still pleasantly surprised when his apple crumble came with a candle poking out of the custard and the words ‘Happy Birthday’ expertly etched in chocolate on the accompanying board. The band piped up with a jazz rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ and Steve’s birthday lunch was complete….. In the meantime, I ordered the coffee panna cotta with salted caramel and it was lovely.

I’m delighted to report that lunch at Gatsby was a really good experience with excellent food and a terrific atmosphere. Nick, the owner, runs a tight ship and service is very good. Woe be-tide any young waitress or waiter who commits the cardinal sin of putting their thumb on the plate while serving (Use the napkin!). The silver-service background is evident here and good on them I say. There’s nothing wrong with having high standards. We will be back.

The Highwayman Berkhamsted – 21st September 2019

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 22:09:11 GMT

When we moved to our new house we encountered a small but not insignificant problem; the removal men – Percy and Lofty (you get the picture!) - were unable to force our Queen-sized bed up to the main bedroom, situated on the 2nd floor. Happily, we have a couple of friends who combine brute force with some engineering ingenuity, and with a minimal amount of help from my good self we manged to ‘bend’ the bed up the narrow stairs and successfully re-assemble it in the top room.

As a ‘Thank You’ we took these friends out to dinner at The Highwaymen on Saturday evening. I really like this place, as it combines pub and restaurant very successfully. At the front of house you have an authentic pub with friendly bar staff, very good ales, and stools to sit on at the bar. Down the stairs at the back is a restaurant which offers good food. We had the Chateaubriand, medium rare and confit of duck leg. Everyone was very happy with their food.

The wine list is decent too. The first thing I look for when I visit a restaurant is to see how many wines have a 1 or 2 at the start of the price. Here you have a choice of good wines at under £30 and even a couple of house wines that start with a 1 at £19.

If you’re looking for high-end Michelin Star quality gastronomy then you won’t find it at The Highwayman or indeed anywhere else in Berkhamsted but if you want a very good night out with good beers, wines and food this is hard to beat.

Blessed are the Cheesemakers!

Thu, 17 Oct 2019 22:09:09 GMT

I’m currently writing my next article for the Chiltern Society magazine and have decided to focus on cheesemaking in the Chilterns. I was quite surprised to discover that two of the UK’s most highly acclaimed producers are right here in the Chilterns. Award winning cheeses from Marlow Cheese and Nettlebed Creamery have featured on TV and National press and, having tasted a selection of their offerings, I can appreciate why. The full article will appear here soon.

PS ‘Blessed are the Cheesemakers’ is a line from Monty Python’s Life of Brian. Still one of the funniest movies of all time.

Blackberry time

martin.pearson@assistkd.com (Martin Pearson) — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 22:02:20 GMT

This week I found myself planting winter spuds, shaking the apples off our tree and pinning myself against extremely prickly roadside hedges to avoid speeding cars while I shamelessly rummaged (or should that be foraged) the hedgerows of the Chilterns in search of plump blackberries.

OK, the apples weren’t the juiciest and only 5 of them had escaped the attention of the two obese pigeons that stalk our garden. However, the lovely early Autumn weather has been a godsend for anyone who loves blackberries. Not only has the sunshine and warmth helped the berries grow but it’s also been an absolute pleasure to get outside and pick them! It appears that The Chilterns has been blessed with a bumper crop this year and Chez Epicurean we’ve picked enough for to eat with our porridge on most mornings – plus filled a few tubs to freeze for later use in pies and cocktails.

If you’re going out to pick blackberries, remember that the shiny black ones with the largest seeds on the berry itself are the ones that taste the best. They will also come off the bud very easily.

The canal has been a particularly happy picking ground this month – particularly the stretch of the Grand Union near College Green, and the Wendover Arm between Buckland and Tring. However, I’ve picked most of my personal harvest within 5 minutes-walk of my home.

These wild blackberries are almost unrecognisable in taste from some of the supermarket bought types and hopefully with a few more weeks of decent weather and frost-free nights we should continue to see these shiny black jewels appearing in our hedgerows.

My weekender guide to the best of North Norfolk

Sun, 01 Sep 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Looking back to Summer 2013 – My weekender guide to the best of North Norfolk

I spent last weekend on the North Coast of Norfolk, eating, drinking and walking. The weather was very good and encouraged me to strip off and go for a dip in the sea off a deserted beach between Cromer and Overstrand. My swim was hugely invigorating, which could be translated as bloody cold but actually felt really life affirming – particularly once I’d got out!

The North Norfolk coast, from Hunstanton to Cromer, is one of my favourite areas of the UK, despite the preponderance of scruffy teenagers with private school accents and their dress-down parents with much more money than me. I chatted to one such Henrietta from Chelsea as I enjoyed a pint of Wherry at the bar of the Victoria in Holkham. I told her I lived in Hertfordshire and she gave me the kind of confused but pitying look one might give a 3 legged squirrel. She just about stopped herself from patting me on the head before she muttered ‘Berkhamsted! Oh bless you’ and went back outside to join her well-heeled chums and their mandatory gun dogs.

So what did I eat? Well, ostensibly my visit was timed to coincide with the North Norfolk Food Fair and we spent much of our Saturday afternoon at the event, which is held in the beautiful surroundings of Holkham Estate, close to the equally wonderful Holkham Sands.

The fair was on a par with last year. We picked up some fantastic pork sausages from Arthur Howell, some fine Chutneys from Eleven Estate Shop stall, the best Indian snacks I’ve tasted by Eastern Fusion and some great Norfolk Mardle cheese from Fielding Cottage.

We also watch a couple of the demonstrations, the best of which was the Head Chef of Holkham Hall cooking – in real time - rump of lamb with parmentier potatoes, beetroot and Kale.

The lamb looked fantastic and when we visited one of Chris Coborough’s Kiwi Inns, The Ship, on Saturday evening I ordered rump of lamb as my main course. It was fantastic. Soft and succulent. The meat itself was from butcher Arthur Howell’s shop in Wells but the intensity of the flavour suggested that the animal itself had grazed on the salt marshes that stretch along this coast.

The rest of the meal was variable. The Brancaster Oysters were lovely but the presentation of the Seafood Assiette of Shell-on Prawns, Peppered Mackerel, Crayfish Tails, and smoked Salmon was disappointing, arriving as it did on a plate divided into 4 sections but with no garnish. I can’t remember what I had for dessert but the wine was really good – an Italian white made up of Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Trebbiano. We had a good night out at the Ship but for me it was not in the same league as the previous evening’s dining experience.

This took place at The Orange Tree in Thornham, a pub with a busy ‘local’ bar and, what appeared to be a fully booked restaurant, round the other side of the bar area. We were looked after by restaurant manager Daniel and the whole evening was as good as I’ve experienced in recent months. The full menu appears at http://www.theorangetreethornham.co.uk/menus/Restaurant_Menu.pdf

We went for the Lamb with harissa yoghurt and the Scallops and crispy pig cheek starters. Daniel also provided us with a taster of one of that night’s ‘Specials’; nettle soup with tempura frogs legs. Apparently the secret ingredient in the soup is marrow. It was really tasty with peppery nettle sting finish. Next we went for the pan-fried hake with Chorizo with brown shrimp pearl barley and the Lavender poached sea trout – a very Norfolk dish.

Both were really excellent, both in presentation and taste. Finally I ordered the summer pudding – again pretty special (Picture below). We washed this down with a bottle of Sancerre and a glass of Malbec. The bill came in at £115, which I thought was pretty good considering the quality of the evening.

I sometime wonder why restaurants like this don’t try for a coveted Michelin Star, as the restaurant food and service certainly deserves it. However, as Daniel explained the Orange Tree is also supporting a thriving pub trade, which means they’re having to produce a high volume of bar meals in addition to the excellent restaurant food. I will be back!

What else was consumed over the weekend?

Apart from several gallons of Woodforde’s Wherry ale, we took 3 trips to the two fresh fish shacks which are close to Brancaster. While we ate baguettes stuffed with crayfish, mango and spring onions with chili sauce and salad, we ordered a takeaway of dressed crabs, prawns and roll mop herrings.

We also visited the pubs in the Buttlands area of Wells. The Crown is another Kiwi Inn and we ate some excellent sea bass and drank excellent Kiwi ales last time we were there. This time we enjoyed crab sandwiches and a sea food risotto at the neighbouring pub, the Globe. I even managed to assassinate 4 wasps during our al fresco repast.

Back in time! A look back at 29th August 2013 – North Norfolk here I come!

Wed, 28 Aug 2013 23:00:00 GMT

29th August 2013 – North Norfolk here I come!

Shortly off to the spiritual home of all things Alan Partridge as I take the two and half hour drive up to North Norfolk.

It’s the food show at Holkham Hall this weekend and, lest anyone forget, this was my sausage making effort last year with the great Wells butcher, Arthur Howell. The women in the front row could barely contain their excitement. I think the backs of their heads give it away!

A full report when I return on Monday.

14th August 2013 - Seasons is voted Chiltern Farm & Produce shop of the Year

Tue, 13 Aug 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Seasons is voted Chiltern Farm & Produce shop of the Year

Having been part of the esteemed judging panel at The Chiltern Society I am delighted to announce that Seasons Farm Shop in North Dean has been awarded Farm & Produce shop of the Year. The award was sponsored by Thame based Business Analysis company AssistKD and by yours truly, The Chiltern Epicurean.

Seasons is a worthy winner. It has a shop that stocks plenty of Chiltern products, has an excellent butcher and a welcoming café selling tasty local goodies. Nice people too. Well worth a visit.

Commendations also went to P E Meads at Wilstone, The Quince Tree, Peterlee Farm and The Chiltern Brewery.

A full story will be written (by me) and published in the next edition of Chiltern magazine. It will also be reproduced on this site towards the end of the year.

11th August 2013

Sat, 10 Aug 2013 23:00:00 GMT

11th August 2013

Just watched Shelina Permalloo on Sunday brunch. Master Chef winner and all round top woman. Good to see that she’s adopted my slightly clumsy onion chopping technique. http://shelinapermalloo.com/

And now all the ads tell us that the only way to enjoy sport is to gamble on it.

5th August 2013 What the Epicurean did (and ate) last week

Sun, 04 Aug 2013 23:00:00 GMT

5th August 2013

What the Epicurean did (and ate) last week

Last week was memorable for the disappointment of Piques Sous’ defeat at Galway but also for 2 good meals at 2 top London restaurants.

On Wednesday I followed a visit to the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition where I marvelled at Grayson Perry’s breath-taking Rakes Progress paintings, by visiting Benares, Atol Kochar’s 1 Michelin Star Indian restaurant in Berkeley Square. The food was very good, particularly the starters, but the mains were good without being wonderful and the daal that accompanied the mains was slightly bland. However, the service was very good.

On Friday I took clients to Caravaggio’s in Leadenhall Street, one of my favourite Italian restaurants in the City. I had a saffron risotto and a veal chop, which was absolutely gorgeous but so large that it brought me and my guests to a standstill. After lunch (5 p.m.) we visited the Fine Line at Monument, managed by Katie, who was, until a year ago, the landlady of the Boat in Berkhamsted. It’s a great, big, airy, buzzy pub and features many faces recognizable from the Boat. Sadly (not for her of course) Katie will soon be taking maternity leave in readiness for her first child. We wish her very well.

Not much gastronomy on Saturday – unless you count large Cod and Chips on the way home – but a great day out in Birmingham for Watford’s victory over the Blues.

31st July 2013 – Pique Sous runs tomorrow at Galway

Tue, 30 Jul 2013 23:00:00 GMT

31st July 2013 – Pique Sous runs tomorrow at Galway

I’ll believe it when it finally happens, but we are told by our connections in Ireland that our horse, Pique Sous (3rd at Cheltenham in 2012), will run in the Galway Hurdle tomorrow at 4.55. The race is worth a modest 260,000 euros (!!) so no nerves at all! ….We dare to dream. Worth a nibble each way.

29th July 2013 – The Epicurean’s weekend

Sun, 28 Jul 2013 23:00:00 GMT

29th July 2013 – The Epicurean’s weekend

I was back in Sweet Home BerkO’Bama this weekend. On Friday I punctuated a hard day’s work with a very good lunch (as it invariably is) at the Alford Arms in Frithsden. The pub and its garden was packed and I wondered whether the 5 year recession had yet to reach this part of Hertfordshire – or if indeed anyone in our area actually works. Discuss.

Saturday involved a long hot walk across deserted (and what I consider to be lovely) farmland stretching from Ashley Green to The Black Horse in Chesham Vale. The food at The Black Horse is quite prosaic but very inexpensive. 4 drinks, fish cakes and my double starter meal of koftas and prawn/ crayfish cocktail cost less than £30. Although there are no pretensions towards ‘Gastropub’ here, pubs like this certainly have their place amongst all the higher priced eateries in our area. The pub has a very spacious garden and, apart from the unseemly dog turd left in the centre of the well-kept lawn, is very nice indeed.

On Sunday, I started by breakfasting with a few friends at the recently opened I Love Food. Berkhamsted has a seemingly unending appetite (excuse the pun) for places to eat but ILV is (to turn a cliché) a welcome addition to that list. Situated in Lower King’s Road you receive a friendly welcome and a very good value, beautifully cooked and imaginatively presented breakfast. I can see me visiting again soon. Good breakfast at 11.00 followed by a few ales in Berko. Sounds OK.

I later cooked some Chinese chicken which I’ll come to later….

24th July 2013 – Summer is REALLY here.

Tue, 23 Jul 2013 23:00:00 GMT

24th July 2013 – Summer is REALLY here. A couple of weekends in North Norfolk

Sorry, I’ve been off the radar for a couple of weeks. I can only plead pressure of work (a lame excuse I know), some hedonistic days at sun drenched racecourses and a couple of weekend spent at my friend Sarah’s caravan in Hunstanton. When I say caravan, it is 2 beds and 2 loos and is almost as large as the Epicurean’s humble bedsit. However, there is a distinct lack of culinary basics, such as EV Oil or herbs and spices, so I have restricted my cooking in the ‘Van’ to a couple of improvised breakfasts, consisting of eggs and anything else in the fridge.

Instead we have eat at some very nice North Norfolk establishments, all situated off or near the A149 from Hunstanton to Blakeney.

Two weeks ago we spent the whole day on Holkham Sands swimming in the sea and then walking the 3 miles to Wells to eat in the garden of Chris Coburgh’s pub The Crown, where we ate, amongst other things, the seabass with crab risotto and rocket.

That evening 5 of us went to the Hoste Arms, where despite the high quality of the sea food platter, I almost had another choking incident and was forced to retreat to the garden and then the front bar with a glass of water and a small stiffener of Hoste Red Wine (very good). Having spilt red wine down my white shirt (now ruined forever) I changed into my waterproof jacket and, in case I didn’t look enough of a pratt already, then misjudged the depth of my barstool and tumbled to the floor, tearing a calf muscle in the process.

At least my antics drew applause from the massed ranks of the Yuppirazzi in this excellent Burnham Market pub. And Sheila, the only taxi driver on the North Coast picked us up and got us home in one piece.

Last weekend it was inexplicably misty and then dull. However, this did make walking less of a chore and we took the coast path from Blakeney to Stiffkey (pronounced Stewkey). We also walked round Holt Country Park (we got lost and it was all a bit underwhelming anyway) the holy place that is Little Walsingham Abbey (lovely grounds), walked round Nelson’s birthplace at Burnham and ate at the Jolly Sailors in Thornham, which is a really good pub.

On the domestic front I am cooking for my daughter this evening and intend to do chicken with noodles. I am currently marinating the chicken with salt, pepper, sesame oil and 5 spice powder. I will then sauté spring onions, ginger, chili, coriander, baby corn, mushrooms and baby corn, add the chicken and then stir in the noodles for a couple of minutes. Finally add soy sauce and lemon juice. Delicious.

4th July 2013 – The Epicurean’s week

Wed, 03 Jul 2013 23:00:00 GMT

4th July 2013 – The Epicurean’s week

Firstly, Happy Independence day to all my US followers (if there are any). Here’s what I’ve been up to over the past week.

Thursday 27th June – A business lunch at 1 Lombard Street Restaurant next to Bank Station. With an extraordinary domed ceiling by Pietro Agostini and a circular bar in the middle of the room. 1 Lombard is worth a visit. Packed with City types, I enjoyed a

Roasted fillet of Monkfish with Mango salsa & coconut salad. Very nice but at £28.50 it needed to be.

Friday 28th June – An afternoon in London on a jolly boys’ outing. A few beers at The Grapes in Shepherds’ Market followed by lunch at El Pirata tapas bar, which was very good – and very boozy.

After a rather frantic weekend I played golf at Harleyford on Monday evening and then, on Tuesday, inspired by Rick Stein’s tour of India, I cooked a curry from scratch using whatever I had in my larder. Here goes:

6 pork belly slices propped up on a quartered onion and slow roasted for 2 hours.

In the meantime, I part steamed carrots, broccoli and beans from my veg tray.

I then removed the pork from the oven cut into cubes and tossed into an oiled and covered saucepan with the vegetables, roasted onions, lots of garlic and ginger, cumin seeds, some fenugreek seeds, plenty of turmeric (which has stained most of my kitchen!) and lots of chili. Once this had all fried off I added water, some sherry vinegar and salt and pepper. The end result was astonishingly good so I may make another one this weekend.

Last night my son, bearing gifts from Ibiza, came round and we enjoyed my version of coq au vin, made with lots of chicken thighs a couple of chicken legs, mushrooms, garlic, onions, lardons, plenty of red wine, half a tin of tomatoes, lots of basil and parsley, a pint of chicken stock, salt & pepper and cooked in a covered oven dish for 2 hours.

25th June 2013 – Ascot is over…..back to reality

Mon, 24 Jun 2013 23:00:00 GMT

25th June 2013 – Ascot is over…..back to reality

The last week has been very eventful. Having made 2 trips to A&E to have my head glued back together I eventually managed to secure an appointment with Rose, the Berkhamsted practice nurse, who removed my rather dramatic full head bandage and replaced it with a rather more dignified patch on the back of my head. This seemed to do the trick and I was able to remove it altogether during our two mad days down at Royal Ascot.

On the food front I am desperately trying to hit my deadline for the next Chiltern article, which will be about local vineyards. In the interests of ‘research’ I spent a wonderful sunny afternoon at Frithsden Vineyard being entertained by Simon and Natalie Tooley and their excellent white wine.

More on this to follow, once my article is put to bed.

16th June 2013 – I’ve been in the wars!

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:00:00 GMT

16th June 2013 – I’ve been in the wars!

Went to see Springsteen last night. A brilliant hour in the middle of his set when he played all of Darkness on the Edge of Town, one of the finest albums of all time. Away from Wembley I’ve been in the wars recently. See my blog to find out more.

I am now back from an excellent week in Calis Beach. To summarise my time away, I ate a lot of very good, excellently priced restaurant food and also bought a veritable plethora of fruit from the Sunday market. A kilo of apricots was 2 lire (78p), a half kilo of tomatoes, consisting of 5 big juicy specimens was half that price. Fantastic prices for lovely produce.

I also drank quite a lot of Efes, at around 1.80/2.50 per pint bar prices, and consumed a number of high alcohol cocktails. As a consequence I did have a quite nasty fall attempting an extravegant move on the Dawn Beach dance floor which ended in concusion and a cut head.

In every war there must be casualties eh?

Anyway I was off the sauce for a few days last week but to compensate I’ve been eating very well indeed. On Monday I cooked a nice piece of cod loin on a bed of Mediterranean vegetables and, Wednesday, whilst working in the gloom of my office at home, I prepared and cooked a leg of lamb by marinading it with Eastern Spices.

This is what I rubbed on the skin:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 3 cloves of garlic sliced

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, torn up

• ½ teaspoon turmeric

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

All put in the Mortar and pesteled within an inch of its life.

The lamb was then roasted at 160 degrees for 3 and a half hours.

Asparagus – in-season and delicious. Wrapped in Prosciutto Crudo and oven baked with butter and lemon for 8 minutes

1st June 2013 – What the Epicurean did this week

Fri, 31 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

1st June 2013 – What the Epicurean did this week

Off to Turkey today for a week of sun, reading, drinking and eating fabulous good value food. This week’s food log read like this:

Tuesday - I cooked diced tuna with ginger and shallots in a soy and lemon sauce with capers, served on a bed of noodles.

Wednesday – a family meal at Chimichangas. I misunderstood that service was included and gave an additional £17 tip. I wondered why the authentic Mexican waitress (from Bucharest) waved my goodbye like a long lost relative. Anyway, the food was good and the youngsters enjoyed my dancing on the sombrero after a good ‘whack’ of tequila had been poured down my throat (and over my expensive shirt!).

Thursday – took some pork escalope out of the freezer, smothered them in herbs from Umberto’s in Thame. Pan fried them with sliced chorizo and then oven cooked them for 1.5 hours with onions, peppers, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, red wine and pork stock. Served with

Friday – a few beers and ate the left overs with pasta and cauliflower.

28th May 2013 – No recipe can console us after yesterday’s debacle

Mon, 27 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Yesterday was a pretty disappointing day. It started so well, drinking in the sunshine outside the Rose and Crown in Chorleywood, but ended so badly when the final whistle sounded at Wembley and Watford FC were condemned to another season in The Championship.

After the match I left my son and my friends to get their train to Chorleywood and trekked the mile or so across town to Wembley Central Station for my trip back to Berkhamsted. After a couple of pit stops in Watford friendly pubs I arrived at a station so mobbed with supporters from both sides that I decided to head for the nearest hotel. On arrival I found it was packed with Palace fans that, to their great credit, were well behaved and magnanimous in victory. A pint and £60 taxi fare later I was back in Berkhamsted enjoying Lots of Rice’s excellent chow mein.

It was a struggle to get up this morning but it’s now 12.30 and I am working in the Thame office. I have just eaten one of Madame Crusty’s famous bacon quiches and the world almost seems back to normal. I can’t wait for next season’s trip to Yeovil and Doncaster.

25th May – Saturday Morning catch-up.

Fri, 24 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

25th May – Saturday Morning catch-up.

Catching up on emails – with one eye on Saturday Kitchen - after an excellent (if extremely damp) golf day, with old friends, Ian, Claudio and VJ, at Dyrham Park to mark Old Aloisians Centenary. For the record, we won the Texas Scramble morning competition and came second in the afternoon team event.

This week marked my 54th year on this planet. I was bought some lovely wine glasses by my friend Sarah and christened them with an excellent New Zealand Riesling. When I was a boy, Riesling was always served sweet and from Germany and consequently gained a pretty ropy reputation. Nowadays the Riesling grape makes vibrant bone dry wine. It is really good and has a chance to become the ‘new’ Sauvignon Blanc, which once became the new Pinot Grigio.

I also got my first iPhone this week. The iphone 5. It is mind boggling and actually pretty easy to set up.

For my birthday meal I started by purchasing some new-season asparagus from Dunsley Farm. I then bought a pack of Parma ham. I chopped off the hard final inch of 14 asparagus spears and took the ham and cut each of the 7 slices in half. I then wrapped each spear in the ham and places on a baking dish. I arranged 4 knobs of butter on the spears and added salt and pepper. I oven baked them at 200 degrees for 7 minutes. Served with the butter in the dish drizzled over the spears. They were absolutely fantastic.

I then cooked a loin of pork with plenty of potential crackling on it. I made more incisions into the rind and rubbed in plenty of salt. I cooked it for 3 hours at 150 degrees and then upped the heat to 220 for the last 20 minutes to get the crackling really crunchy. I served with oven roasted new spuds, roasted fennel, mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes and garlic. I still have the left overs in the fridge but they will not be there for long.

20th May – Lancashire Cheese and Onion pie.

Sun, 19 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

20th May – Lancashire Cheese and Onion pie.

Yesterday, before the commencement of golf and drinking, I bought a batch of Lancashire cheese which was on offer at Waitrose and, as my vegetarianism currently knows no bounds, I decided to make a cheese and onion pie. Having made the mainly butter (rather than lard based) pastry (as a quick cheat you can buy a pack of short crust) I rolled out enough to comfortably cover the base of the baking tray and hang over the edges.

In the meantime, I cut up 3 onions and fried them gently in a large knob of butter with salt and pepper. As they softened I added a small wine glass of water and cooked it all gently until the water became absorbed.

Preparing the cheese is very easy, you just roughly grate it.

Then you line the base of the pastry with onions, and then add a layer of cheese, then another of onions and then the rest of the cheese. Roll out a lid for the pasty dish, brush with milk, make 3 holes in the top of the pastry and bake in an oven at 190 degrees for 30 minutes.

Let the pie rest for at least 20 minutes before you serve cut into generous portions.

18th May 2013 – an early start and a wonderful omelette.

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

18th May 2013 – an early start and a wonderful omelette.

As I write, it is 11.00 a.m. I have already been for a run in Hockeridge Wood, where the bluebells are rather reluctantly asserting themselves. Happily, they are starting to provide colour and interest in woodland that has little else growing on the ground at the moment. As I wobbled along I looked for wild garlic, which I’d spotted in abundance further west of the Chilterns. But either the thrifty folk of Berkhamsted had picked the lot or, more probably, there is none to be found here. All in all, it was a decent run but a very poor foraging session.

Back at Epicurean HQ a looked in the fridge and found eggs, chorizo, shallots, garlic, mushrooms, half a red pepper and a couple of oven roasted new potatoes. I cut up the red pepper into thin strips, chopped the shallot and garlic and sautéed in the pan with a little oil and a few thin slice s of chorizo. Later I added the roughly chopped spud and the finely sliced mushrooms and cooked for a couple more minutes.

I then poured this mixture out of the pan and put to one side. In the meantime I had beaten a couple of eggs with herb salt, black pepper and herbes de Provence and poured the eggs into the pan. As they started to cook I re-added the onion, garlic, peppers, spuds and chorizo mixture and cooked like an omelette on a low heat, flipping it in to a half and then turning over a couple of times. Here it is. Gorgeous.

14th May 2013 What a few days!

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

14th May 2013

What a few days! I was present at the most unforgettable Championship Play-off Semi-final ever on Sunday. Found myself watching the whole match again last night – and still biting my nails at the end. Keep emailing my slightly doddery friend (he is my age) to remind him to get all our tickets tomorrow. Can’t wait for Wembley!

11th May 2013 – An exhausting week

Fri, 10 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

11th May 2013 – An exhausting week

Saturday morning and the end of an exhausting week. The result at Leicester was very disappointing but the stadium and atmosphere was amazing. It shows us how far we have to go at Watford if we really want a top quality stadium rather than one with three sides!

On an Epicurean note I cooked lemon sole fillets last night and dressed them with my version of gremolata, which consisted of some butter, lemon juice, some lemon zest, plenty of parsley and garlic all pan fried and drizzled over the fish – gorgeous but no picture (I will take one next time)! Anyway, off to lunch soon. Considering options but may plump for the Nags Head at Gt. Missenden which is a personal favourite.

11th May 2013 – Too wet for a Walk. Dry enough for a good lunch!

Fri, 10 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

11th May 2013 – Too wet for a Walk. Dry enough for a good lunch!

What you might call a capricious weather outside. Bright sunshine at when we left The Epicurean’s bedsit (hurrah!) but drizzling steadily (booo!) by the time we arrived at the Russell Arms, our pub lunch venue.

The Russell Arms is situated in Butlers Cross, a small village lying in a cleft in the Chilterns at the foot of the area’s highest point, Coombe Hill. I have passed the Russell many times on my way to Thame and noticed that it has recently re-opened after several months of closure. The pub is now under the stewardship of Wendover’s Number 2 Pound Street owners, who have worked in partnership with the residents of Butler’s Cross and Ellesborough to produce a real community pub.

The building was formerly Chequers servants’ quarters and the pictures of former Prime Ministers, which stare menacingly at the unwary customer as they approach the toilets, reflect the proximity of Chequers, which is only about a mile away. The front door of the pub opens into an attractive bar area with chunky wooden furniture and a bar that is 4 sided – so when sitting at the bar you can see through to the restaurant.

The staff are all young people who can get away with wearing a shirt and tie with jeans. There are a selection of real ales available including XT from Long Crendon and the very local Chiltern Ale from about a mile down the road. I plumped for a pint of Chiltern, which was excellent.

There are 2 menus; a bar menu for the area we were sitting in or a restaurant, a la carte menu. It’s a pity – and a bit silly - that they don’t offer the al a carte menu in the bar but instead you have to walk 5 metres to the restaurant tables if you want to sample the main menu goodies. The bar menu looks like it changes regularly and mainly consisted of good looking burgers on a day when the barbeque was fired up (under cover) in the small but nicely enclosed garden.

Personally, I’m trying to lose a bit of weight so I’ll look absolutely buff on the beach in Turkey in 3 weeks-time and so I just went for a main course.

I ate Braised Feather Blade of Beef with Suet Dumplings, Spring Cabbage, Mushroom and Tarragon Gravy, which costs a princely £14

My diminutive female companion plumped for Smoked Haddock, Poached Free Range Hen’s Egg, New Potatoes, Tomato, White Wine and Chive Sauce. It cost a very reasonable £13. We also ordered some extra spuds and broccoli.

The wine list looks like it has been heavily influenced by the proprietors of 2 Pound Street and is interesting and well-priced. My fiend chose a French Sauvignon Blanc which was very acceptable for £4.50, although the glass size is quite small at 125 ml. As some thought appeared to have gone in to choosing the house wine supplier I had a glass of red, and for £3.50 it was really quite good. The blade of beef was very well cooked if a little on the small size for the appetites of a man who hadn’t had a starter and had only had porridge for breakfast. However, the dumplings, cabbage and tarragon gravy were really tasty.

The smoked haddock and, particularly, the tomato sauce were very good but the poached egg wasn’t runny, which always removes the smile from my ever jolly countenance.

However, I soon perked up when I got my bread and butter pudding, which was lovely.

The dining room itself has attractive, robust furniture and a similar cosy, rustic feel to the bar. At 2.00 p.m. it was half full with diners, including a table next to us which appeared to include the ubiquitous verbose Americans, a well-spoken failed male model and heroin chic middle-aged female. Thankfully my view was of my dining companion and the garden outside.

There are a lot of dining pubs of a good standard in The Chilterns and The Russell sits amongst this group. It is a warm, friendly place to visit and the food has much to commend it. I hope it does well.

8th May 2013 - A manic (short) week after an excellent day at Aldbury Fair

Tue, 07 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

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I have never seen a queue for beer longer than the line from the road to the bar of the VT on Bank Holiday Monday. Thankfully, locals were allowed to cheat and purchase their brews from the other end of the bar.

I’ve cooked a couple of dishes this week. One was vegetarian lasagna made with goat’s cheese and wild mushrooms; as easy and as delicious as it looks in the picture. I’ve also rustled up some pasta with roasted vegetables, which was, again pretty healthy, and used up some delicious local pork and apple sausages which I’d cooked on Sunday (see picture below).

on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.

May 6th 2013 - The hangover continues

Sun, 05 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

May 6th 2013 - The hangover continues

An awfully disappointing day on Saturday. After an unbelievable end to the game at Hull, we failed to take our chance when the 3rd choice goalkeeper fumbled a weak shot into his own net. A lot of drinking ensued thereafter and we are now reconciled to our fate; a trip to Leicester on Thursday evening and a return game at Watford on Sunday. Really anything could happen now.

Off to Aldbury Fair today. Anyone that comes up to me and says ‘You are The Epicurean and I claim my free pint’, will be bought a brew in the VT.

4th May 2013 – A very nervous day awaits

Fri, 03 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

4th May 2013 – A very nervous day awaits

Today is our day of destiny. If Watford can better Hull’s result against Cardiff then we gain promotion to The Premiership. If we don’t we go into the lottery that is The Play Offs - exciting but potentially heart breaking. Kick-off against Leeds is at 12.45. I’m meeting my son and the lads at the ground at 11.45 for nerve calming refreshments.

2nd May 2013 – Congratulations to Natalie

Wed, 01 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

2nd May 2013 – Congratulations to Natalie

Last word on Masterchef? Last night, despite their lack of foundation skills and reluctance to leave their comfort zones, the 3 finalists managed to be quite brilliant when they cooked their own dishes. Natalie was a worthy winner and her starter and main course actually made me dribble with delight...marvelous!

May 1st – Breakfast of Champions

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

May 1st – Breakfast of Champions

A lovely sunny day. There is only one way to set yourself up for a day like this; with a healthy breakfast. After my come-back 4k plod up the canal yesterday I am feeling like a finely honed athlete once more. Hence, here is this morning’s bran flakes, milk, chopped strawberries, sliced banana and blueberry breakfast. My favourite alternative is a few spoons of Tesco Finest Wholemeal porridge covered in water and microwaved for 4 minutes. When cooked, stir in real Greek yoghurt and a tablespoon of Manuka honey. Add blueberries and banana and eat yourself healthy.

The Epicurean’s hedonistic trip to the Emerald Isle - April 2013

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

The Epicurean’s hedonistic trip to the Emerald Isle - April 2013

We arrived in Ireland at the distinctly non-hedonistic time of 7.30 a.m. and took the 110 euro taxi ride down to Blessington in County Kildare for our 4 night stay at The Tulfarris Hotel Golf Club and Resort hotel. By the time we arrived it felt like Guinness O Clock (again) but was actually time for a large Irish buffet breakfast.

After breakfast demolished we headed to our spacious rooms and unpacked our small sandwich boxes of clothes – thus is the baggage allowance on Ryanair. Somehow I had managed to get 2 suits and 6 shirts and a laptop into something the size of a pencil case. The rest of our gear had been secreted in our golf bags which were currently on their way over by boat with our mates from Yorkshire, who arrived an hour or so after us. After a good drinking session in the hotel bar we all caught the hotel coach to Punchestown racecourse. Disappointingly our horse had been withdrawn due to heavy ground but this didn’t detract from an excellent day and 4 winners for yours truly.

The weather in Ireland is never good and this week was no exception but the race days were excellent. In between races we drank a copious amount of Guinness, Stella Cidre and Bubbly. However, our intake of the fizzy stuff was slightly restricted because of the price, i.e. they only sold Bollinger and it was 88 euro a bottle. Suffice to say the Champagne whip didn’t go a long way.

After racing on day 1 we’d booked a table at Trax in Naas. TRAX is housed in a 130 year old cut stone railway building that in its time has served as a storehouse, print works and now as a restaurant. The menu is interesting and the food is very good. I went for the Grilled Irish fillet steak, potato tart, mushroom & onion compote and pepper sauce. It was one of the best steaks I’ve eaten and was washed down with a very acceptable Malbec. On the next table was Hayley O’Connor, the face of Ladbrokes racing in Ireland. Needless to say a fantastic evening was had by all and we returned to the hotel in the early hours.

Next day we played some acceptable hung-over golf and then did another day at the Races, followed by an absolutely rampant singing and drinking evening in Naas, which was absolutely bouncing.

Thursday was a day that I won’t forget. I felt unwell at breakfast but put this down to the late night in Naas. However, by the time we arrived at the Ballymore Inn in Ballymore Eustace I felt quite unwell. Being a trooper I ploughed through the assortment of Prosecco, Malbec, Bulmers and steak which was put before me. Suddenly I couldn’t swallow properly, I sipped some water, suddenly it was worse, the water wouldn’t go down and instead was coming out of my nose. I was choking. I stood up and shouted Heimlich! Heimlich! Time stood still, I was falling over tables and crockery was hitting the floor. Eventually, after some ineffectual attempts to clear my airwaves, Nigel and a nurse at the next table did most of the trick. However, I still couldn’t get any liquid down and an ambulance was called. This was the first time I have ever been in an ambulance with a blue flashing light and all the sound effects. Next stop Naas A&E……The rest is a long story but suffice to say I discharged myself after an hour and was back on the racecourse drinking Cidre by race 2. My ribs were severely bruised from the various Heimlich manoeuvres and I felt a bit weak but on tour you really have to just get on with it.

Anyway, more about the Ballymore Inn. It is very popular but overpriced and has a rather short and odd al a carte menu. The set 20 euro menu, however, is very good value. It is definitely worth a visit because the atmosphere is excellent.

April 30th 2013 – The poorest Masterchef finalists ever?

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

April 30th 2013 – The poorest Masterchef finalists ever?

Are these the 3 worst Masterchef finalists ever? Crunchy risotto rice and undercooked fondant spuds! Not to mention badly cooked suckling pig with soggy skin. These amateurs would not be welcome in the Epicurean's kitchen.

What a waste of good produce. The Italians will not be rushing to England (OK – 2 of the finalists are in fact Welsh) for their next meal. Embarrassing for UK cuisine and quite shocking awful.

29th April 2013 – Back from the Brink

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

29th April 2013 – Back from the Brink

Back after a very memorable week in Ireland, which included some great racing, excellent food and drink – and a trip to Naas A&E in an ambulance complete with blue light and sound effects. I will tell all later today

22nd April 2013 – A day of two halves

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Awoke this morning energised and inspired by watching the Marathon, but slightly jaded from the amount of alcohol consumed in the name of ‘Sport’. Spent much of the day with Darren and Lisa in the Walkabout bar, which is situated on The Embankment, only yards from the 40k line. We saw Chris hobble past and a random woman, we’d adopted earlier, offered him a jelly bean. It may have been the hallucinogenic powers of the bean or my inability to focus my camera while Chris stood there looking knackered that cost him a time under 5 hours.

I think he was a bit disappointed to complete in 5 hours 3 minutes – particularly as the Gorilla was 30 minutes ahead of him but we all thought he did brilliantly. All-in-all it was an excellent afternoon. London really is fantastic on days like these.

Anyway, I’m off to Punchestown for racing – Irish style - tomorrow. For me this is the second best week of the year (after Cheltenham) but half way through our Operations meeting this morning my work colleagues saw the blood drain from my normally rosy cheeks as news came through that at least 2 of our horses – including the great Pique Sous – will not run. Furthermore it is going to be peeing down in Ireland while over here you will be enjoying the first days of summer.

However, you will be working and I will not. And you will be delighted to know that I have now recovered from my composure and am packing my smalls in readiness for a brilliant week.

I will keep you posted during the week. I may even write about the food!

22nd May 2013 – Birthday Eve

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

22nd May 2013 – Birthday Eve – A chicken, bacon and mushroom carbonara cooked the Delia way……i.e. beaten eggs stirred into the pasta and chicken mix 30 seconds before serving. Even my daughter found it ‘acceptable’

21st April 2013. London Marathon – come on Stiffer!!

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Today is London Marathon day and I will be making my way to the Coal Hole in The Strand (excellent Victorian pub) to meet like-minded overweight people who want an excuse to drink in London and to cheer on our mate Chris’Stiffer’ Martin – an absolutely top man, who has trained like a man possessed (possessed with bad asthma) and who hoped to beat the man in the gorilla suit.

BUT, what I do care about is flavour and despite preparing the mince in the same way as my usual butcher's mince and cooking it for a long time on a slow heat in order to assimilate the lovely sauce, the mince arrived on my plate bland and slightly greasy tasting.

The messages are: 1. Who cares what’s in it (err, within reason); it’s the taste that counts AND 2. Support your Local farmers and butchers and always buy the best local produce – it tastes better! Lecture over. Bugger, I just missed the Archers!

April 19th 2013 – 17.44 - The working week is over.

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

April 19th 2013 – 17.44. The working week is over. Time for drinkies

A very good week comes to an end. I particularly enjoyed some earlier email banter about whether you can ‘confit’ fruit. Of course you can’t. The OED says you can’t and just because Auntie Delia says you can, she’s wrong. You still can’t. You can only confit meat, by preserving it in its own fat.

But now here’s a piccy of a takeaway from Tring Brewery. A plastic bottle of delicious Moongazer bitter. It is expertly made from American Chinook and Citra hops, which gives it a distinct grapefruit note.

Have a nice weekend. Watford v Blackburn tomorrow.

April 18th 2013 -The conflicted chef OR why Supermarket mince isn’t good for you

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Believe it or not I was once working class. Back in the day my mother bathed me in the kitchen sink of our small hole in t’ ground in Mill End and, when I’d grown tall enough to sit with the family at our kitchen table, I was taught the 8th Commandment: Thou shall not waste food.

Now, despite the nights of pleasure I spend in Celeb packed Michelin starred restaurants, I still find it difficult to throw food away or to leave the final mouthful of panacotta - even if my capacious belly does feel set to burst.

With a week racing in Ireland just 3 days away, today seemed like a good time to eat whatever I had left in the fridge - combined with anything that had been in the freezer for more than 3 months. After removing and scrutinising 3 freezer draws I came across a pack of Waitrose lamb mince and, despite supermarket mince being somewhat discredited recently, I decided to use this with the remainder of my mushrooms, garlic, onion, red pepper, fresh basil, tomatoes, Malbec, olive oil and red wine to make a classic ragout sauce to go with my super-healthy wholemeal pasta.

There is a picture of the sauce to follow. It looks good and was, of course, well-made and well-seasoned with salt, black pepper and a few sprinkles of chilli flakes.

Now, the point is: who knows what is really in Supermarket mince and, to a certain extent, who really cares?

14th April 2013 – Summer finally arrives in The Chilterns

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Summer finally arrives in The Chilterns.

At 9.15 a.m. I awoke from a much needed 11 hour sleep, after a horribly unsuccessful day for Watford at Peterborough. The sun was shining through the blinds of The Pleasure Palace (my bedroom) and I immediately knew that it was far too nice a day to be spoiled by a round of golf. Hence at 11.30 we walked over to the Alford Arms to retrieve a friend’s car. The walk was actually really pleasant and included some Chiltern Byways that I have never walked before (I will describe this in my Walks section).

The Alford Arms is idyllically situated in a cleft in the Chilterns at Frithsden. As we approached it was clear that the sun had brought out the crowds. The tables on the attractive terrace at the front of the pub were all busy and the restaurant was, as ever, full.

It is extremely difficult to get a table outside here and much hovering goes on. However a small table soon became vacant and we managed to wedge 1 set of buttocks (mine) on one side of the table and 2 sets (belonging to my 2 rather daintier lady friends) on the other.

Although we were only visiting for a quick beer after a long walk to retrieve the car, it seemed a waste of having a table not to eat something. The food at The Alford has been good since the early 2000s when my old golf buddy, Damo Ng, left Stocks to work there. Therefore, even though I was cooking Chiltern Ale sausages later in the day it would have been rude not to have at least a starter to go with the excellent Tring ale. Hence we ordered a mini cottage pie, with wobbly Cheese base and red cabbage and an excellent salmon mouse with rhubarb and toasted ciabatta. Both are shown here. Excuse the shadow of my head encroaching on the photo.

Retrieving your car from the Alford Arms. About a 3 mile walk

Many is the time I have found myself getting a taxi back from The Alford Arms in Frithsden after a very good meal with some excellent and reasonably priced bottles of wine.

To reach the pub from Berkhamsted, start at St Peter’s Church in the High Street. Walk down Castle Street until you reach the Grand Union Canal. Head right down the Canal (towards Hemel), passing the Boat and then The Rising ‘Riser’ Sun (both very good pubs). Leave the canal at The Riser, walk up to George Street and walk right until the next road on the left takes you up to Ellesmere Road. Turn right again and walk up Ellesmere until you reach the allotments. Turn left and walk up the steep hill past Sunnyside Church. You’re now heading out in to the country. Walk for another half a mile or so. The road heads steeply downhill into a dip. When you get to the top again look for a farm at the top of the hill. Turn right here past Gutteridge Farm and then into Gutteridge Wood. Walk through the wood and come to another field head to the stile at the end of the field.

Turn left on Bullbeggars Lane until it dissects Little Heath Lane follow Little Heath Lane past Sanuk Tea Rooms until you reach the main road. aigate at walk dips steeply tWy and turn r then leaving the canal and walking along George Street until you can walk up to Ellesmere Road. At the end of Ellesmere there are allotments and at this point you walk up a very steep hill, then down and then up again for about half a mil until you reach a farm at the top. Follow the footpath right and head towards Gutteridge Woods, whoich was still quite muddy. Come through the woods and turn right down Bullgeggars until it is intersected by ….. Walk up to the main road and follow the sign to Warners end. After about 30 meters there is a footpath on the left next to a house called…. Walk down the footpath and come to a road junction. Look North East and next to an attractive house there is another footpath in to a small common left to the peole of Potten End in 1977, follow the footpath as it sweeps to the left and carry on at the intersection. There are lovely views of Gaddesden Place here and eventally you start heading left and down a mmuddy hill to a road intersection. Turn right and walk 30 meters and then turn left into the road that takes oyu to the Allford.

The Allford Arms is idylicly situated in a cleft in the Chilterns at Frithsden. As we approached it was clear that the sun had brought out the crowds. The tables on the attractive terrace t the front of the pub were all busy and the restaurant was as ever full.

It is extrememly difficult to get a table here so when one baceame vacant we snapped it up. Although we were only visiting for a quick beer after a long walk to retrieve the car, it seemed a waste of having a table not to eat something. The food at The Allford has been good since the early noughties when my old golf buddy, Damo Ng, left Stocks to work there. beacma ais very good and although I was cooking some Chiltern Ale Sausages later in the day it would have been rude not to have at least a starter to go with the excellent Tring ale.

We ordered

A perfectly roasted loin of Pork. I bought this at Hazeldene Farm where they butcher their own Lop pigs. The flavour is fantastic. I carefully placed the loin on 4 halves of onion in a baking tray and roasted it really slow and low at 140 degrees for about 3 hours, then whacked the heat up to 220 degrees for 20 minutes at the end to complete the crackling. Leave it to rest for 30 minutes. Use the caramelised onions when you make your gravy.

A quick tip for using meat juices in gravy.

When I’ve finished roasting a joint of meat, I pour all the remaining juices in a bowl and then fold 2 sheets of kitchen roll and place it on the surface of the liquid. The fat will be soaked into the paper, leaving the lovely meat juices, which are ready to be used in your gravy.

11/04/2013 - Experiments with Cod Part 2

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Part 2. Cod loin with chorizo, spring onion and ginger

As you can probably tell, I came across a job-lot of cod this week. Obviously it was all locally sourced from the Great Sea of Pitstone and/or Dunsmore Ocean, rather than my local fishmongers at Way(lon) T Rose or Sam Bury’s (or even Tess Coe’s).……

…. Anyway about 30 minutes ago I baked it in the oven with spring onions, ginger, garlic, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper, thin slices of chorizo and baby tomatoes. Plenty of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and twenty minutes later I ate it with crushed potatoes and broccoli. Marvellous. I’ll get round to adding a photo and the recipe soon.

PS – Great to see Madmen back last night. 2 hours of total pleasure in my reclining chair, with the programme set to ‘full recline and a glass of wine’.

10/04/2013 - Cod!

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Coverage of Thatcher’s death continues to go on and on and on. I honestly thought she’s died about 10 years ago….. but anyway onto something much more interesting; the 6th series of Madmen starts tonight on the excellent Sky Atlantic Channel at 10.00 p.m.

On a culinary note I cooked these the other night. It’s so simple. Cod Fillets wrapped in Pancetta with lemon and thyme. Have a look at the recipes page. Anyone with fingers and thumbs nimble enough to wrap a cod fillet in some rashers of pancetta can make them. The sauce is lovely too.

Cod loin in pancetta with thyme and lemon – April 2013

Ingredients – serves 2

2 x Cod loins (about 6 inches long)

A pack of Pancetta – approx. 10 rashers

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & pepper

Thyme

Parsley

Crème Fraische

Salted Butter

A lemon

Method

This is very simple for anyone with even a modicum of dexterity (even me who has been known to be slightly cack-handed on occasions).

Spread rashers of pancetta on a large chopping board. Place the cod loin on the pancetta strips. Season the cod with salt, pepper, a generous amount of thyme and a good squeeze of lemon.

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil in a baking tray.

Now for the dexterity bit. Wrap the pancetta around the cod to make a rectangular parcel. Don’t worry if the end of the loin pokes out of the end. Place the parcels on the oiled baking dish.

Cook at 200g for around 20 minutes.

Take the cod from the dish and keep warm.

To make the sauce, keep the juices in the dish and add 50g of salted butter, a handful of parsley, a table spoon of crème fraische and the juice of half a lemon. Stir and put the dish back in the hot oven for 3 minutes.

Serve the fish on mash. Add some broccoli spears and perhaps some roasted cherry tomatoes.

Drizzle the sauce over the fish. Delishhhhh!

08/04/2013 - Post work pub walk

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Decent weather today so the opportunities for an after-work walk had to be taken. Decided to park at The Swan, Ley Hill and take on the 3.5 mile walk from Alan Charles’s Pub Walks in The Chilterns. My version of the walk was actually about 4 miles due to some highly incompetent map reading. However, much head scratching and indecision didn’t detract from what is an unexpectedly lovely walk with fine Chiltern views and gorgeous late evening sunshine.

An hour and 20 minutes after we started the walk was complete and it was 'Reward Time', i.e. a quick post-walk pint in the Swan. However the sign on door told us that the pub is closed all day Monday, so we went next door to The Crown. I played a Halloween gig here in 2003 and although it has had a spruce up since there is still a name carved in the bar that was there 10 years ago. The pub serves Tring Brewery’s seasonal brew, Peeking Polecat (4% alc) and it was so good that I had to have a second. A nice way to spend a Monday evening, even if I did miss the start of the Man U v Man C match.

07/04/2013 - Birthday Celebrations!

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Birthday Celebrations!

My daughter’s 18th and my Mother’s 82st birthdays, celebrated with an early evening meal at The Gate in Chorleywood. Service was as it had been when I visited a couple of months ago, extremely slow. The staff are all young and very nice people but there just doesn’t seem to be enough of them. By 6.30 p.m. the restaurant was full and the young waiters were run off their feet.

Now for the food. I went for the Sunday lunch menu at £12.50 – one of 3 starters and one of 3 roasts. The beef had all gone (disappointingly early), so I went for the Greek Salad followed by Pork. My son, James and girlfriend, Vicky, both had arancia (risotto balls), which was OK, even if the risotto filling was a bit bland. Amanda had a pizza, which she seemed to enjoy; Amanda and Vicky had a burger which looked good. My pork roast was very nice but feelings were, to say the least, mixed about the rump of lamb ordered by my Mum, Dad, Anne (Amanda’s mother), Steve (bro-in-law) and Julie (sister). Steve was actually quite scathing about the cooking and quality of the meat. It was also quite an odd shaped cut.

My mother, on the other hand, appeared to enjoy hers, so, as they say, you pay your money and you takes your choice. Personally I don’t think it is as good as when Katie ran the place a few years ago but still a nice atmosphere and comes in to its own once the weather improves and the garden starts to fill.

By the way, I seemed to have more success than most on the Grand National, as Rebecca Curtis’s horse, Teaforthree, came 3rd. Congratulations to another female trainer, Sue Smith, on her victory. Her training operation is a pretty small, modest affair and I heard her yard in Yorkshire described as “like Siberia without the home comforts” over the weekend.

6th April 2013 - Grand National Day

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Grand National Day!

It is Grand National Day. For horse owners like myself, it’s not our favourite race, but there’s 500k for the winner and the unpredictability of the result seems to captures the public’s imagination each year.

Foe the record, I’ve gone for Rebecca Curtis’s Teaforthree and The Rainbow Hunter, trained by the great Kim Bailey in The Cotswolds. However, my main bets today are in the undercard; Bally Green, African Gold, Battle Group and Ranjaan.

I’ll watch the race and then hare off to Watford for our gladiatorial meeting with the mighty Cardiff City (it is also on Sky at 5.20).

On a culinary note I’m just watching Nigel Slater and loved what he said about puddings, “without something sweet at the end of the meal I would just go on eating. A pudding tells you the meal is over”. As a gluttony sufferer I know exactly what he means!

A lovely 1 hour walk.

On a lovely day like today - and with time to kill before the pub, Grand National and football - I decided to drive up to The Red Lion in Hawridge and do the 3.5 mile walk to Cholesbury and back. This is a really straightforward walk that can be done (at pace) in an hour.

More to follow in The Walk and a Pint section but for now here’s a picture of The Red Lion at the end of the walk.

Norfolk – Dew Yew Keep a Troshin - 01/09/2012

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Day 2 and 3

Saturday included a visit to North Norfolk Food Fair at Holkham Hall, where we watched Richard Bainbridge from Moston Hall do incredible things to a lobster. We then went for a long walk round Cley Sands and a trip to Salthouses to queue for a table at Cookies, a walk in-fresh fish, hope-to get-lucky-and -find-a–table shop and eaterie. We were lucky enough to get a table for 2 looking out over the mudbanks beyond the omnipresent A149 and eat Thai Fishcakes (lovely) and lobster salad which consisted of half a lobster, cockles, crayfish tails, prawns etc for £10.45. What a bargain. When we arrived the harassed looking manager told me from behind the ranks of Eastern European girls serving at the packed counter that they only sold soft drinks but we could bring in our own alcohol. My heart sunk…..but then I remembered that I’d bought 6 bottles of Norfolk Cock from the food market and marched over to the car to liberate a couple. It was excellent (really??) with the fish and the restaurant even provided a special plastic cup for me to drink from.

A really lovely fresh lunch for under £20.

More walking in the afternoon prepared us for dinner at the packed White Horse at Brancaster, which was OK but a bit disappointing after the Hoste the evening before.

Sunday was one of the best days of the Summer. We awoke from a sound sleep in the ‘van’ and looked out on a gloomy campsite and light drizzle. Not encouraging. However, every 30 minutes the man on BBC News told us that sun was on its way and, indeed, a less dark patch of grey hovered over the map of the UK just where Hunstanton is situated. With faith in our hearts I prepared an improvised breakfast of anything that needed eating from the fridge – ciabatta bread, with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon – plus a few slices of plum tomato; surprisingly good, despite there only being a pinch of salt and a few grains of pepper in the Herb cupboard.

After Breakfast we parked up in the lane opposite Holkham Hall. This lane leads directly to the beach and after some debate over suitable clothing, I tied my waterproof round my waist and we followed a very well-spoken extended family with tweed caps, Labradors and green wellies along the lane and then down through a tree lined track. We eventually arrived at a huge expanse of beach, framed by forest on all sides. As if by magic the sun appeared and, with the tide out, we walked almost a mile towards the sea. I took my trainers off and, after an awful Summer, it felt enervating to walk barefoot on the sand and through the streams created by the outgoing tide.

By the time we dipped our toes in the North Sea the temperature had risen and we headed along the beach towards the sand dunes and colourful beach huts at Wells. From there we walked to Wells Next the Sea (not Wells next to the sea) and realised we had arrived at traditional English seaside, complete with sticks of rock and the mandatory grubbly pub on the front. We walked through to the back streets of the town and found a local pub where I drained 3 pints of Wherry’s while locals with shaven heads and Norwich City shirts discussed their hard-fought draw at Spurs the previous day.

As always 3 pints rendered me incapable of walking so we caught the costal bus back to Holkham Hall and then my companion drove the car in to the grounds of Holkham Hall and we looked for somewhere to park. A fine Norfolk Gentleman steward advised me cheerily that, as I had paid for a ticket across the road earlier, I didn’t need to pay again for the Food Show. I told him that I’d spend my £1 windfall on ale, which made him chuckle and he playfully punched me (unnecessarily firmly I thought) on the shoulder.

The end of the North Norfolk Food Fair was excellent. Buoyed from purchasing some bargains and having 3 free sample of Norfolk ales, we went over to watch local hotel owner and exec chef, Chris Coborough and his meat provider, the Rick Stein of Wells (on account of having several shops), Arthur Howell demonstrate the art of sausage making.

“How much meat do you think are in these”, Chris implored the audience holding up a rather aneamic looking banger

“45%” I cried from the back, “they are probably Walls or Richmond”.

“You bloody know-all” retorted Chris, as Arthur roared with laughter.

No one likes a know-all, particularly one gurning from the effects of local brews, so I guess it was only a matter of time before I was asked to come up as the stooge and help make the bangers. Chris crammed the 90% pork, rusk, cider and seasoning mix into the end of the machine and I turned the handle and cranked out some impressive looking bangers. With Arthur’s help and few jokes I got to loop and knot the mixtures into the sausage skins. By the end of the demonstration I had really warmed to my task. “You have a lovely touch for a big man” I told Arthur – which raised a few cackles from the elderly women in the front row and a look of sheer embarrassment from my companion. However, she took the mandatory photos and at the end of the sausaging, Chris presented me with the fruits of my labour – 14 very plump sausages, including one that in ‘man inches’ was over a foot long (we ran out of sausage twisting time).

We then chatted to Chris and Arthur at the beer tent, which served Chris’s wife, Jo Cobborough’s Kiwi beer, poured under the tag line ‘A bird Brewing Beer’. We then hauled our purchases and freebies back to the car and drove on to the caravan to carry out a rather squiffy tidy-up before heading back to civilisation.

A memorable weekend or as the old folk of Norfolk might say….. dew yar fa' ki' a dickir, bor? (Does your old man keep a donkey, mate?).

Food trip to Norfolk - Day 1 - 31/08/2012

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Day 1

Felt a bit guilty about leaving the office at noon as we had only moved in that morning and being the most senor person there I was the main target for the moans of the staff. Poor Caroline who manages our business centre and project managed the new development must have needed a stiff drink by the end of the day. We complained about the black, uneven, cracked and still resin wet floor; the so called ‘distressed’ wax finish on the walls (looked like wet plaster) and the lack of access for disabled clients. More will follow…..

Anyway, got back, packed hurriedly (is 5 pairs of shoes too much for a long weekend?) and my companion picked me up at 12.15 and, after a couple of pee stops (for me) and a petrol stop (for the Clio), we arrived at the luxurious caravan at Hunstanton by 3.00 and chucked our ‘stuff’ in the ‘van’ (for enthusiasts it is mandatory to call the caravan ‘the van’).

I was then taken to see Burnham Market, which is rather lazily labelled the Chelsea of Norfolk – which it patently isn’t, as Chelsea doesn’t have the A419 running through it. However, we did enjoy some excellent Moroccan influenced pastries from Humble Pie Foods, whilst sitting on the village bench and watching the traffic speed through on the main road that runs from Kings Lynn to Cromer.

Pastries despatched, by 4.45 we set off on our first walk from Brancaster to Londodonum fort and through the countryside back to the White Horse by 6.30. A good effort as the book of Norfolk walks recommends a minimum time of 2 hours 15 minutes for this one. A very nice walk but my companion is getting a bit fed up with the speed of my walking. I keep telling her that it’s not my fault that I have long legs and she has very short legs and is only 5 feet tall on her elegantly painted tippytoes.

The 2 pints of Oyster Catcher at the White Horse were fabulous. We managed to get a table on the terrace looking out to sea over the huge expanse of mud flats – remember the TV adaptation of Great Expectations Xmas 2012. Marvellous, I would now have 17 minutes to shower and change before we needed to leave for our first dinner – at The Hoste Arms at Burnham Market.

Dinner at the Hoste was very good. A pint of Wherrys in the lounge while we consulted menus, then to the table for plump Brancaster Oysters & Cromer crab to start, followed by our mains. My companion sent for Salmon and prawn fishcakes with lemon and dill sauce, whilst I chose the Hoste’s signature dish, sesame crusted fillet of sea bass with chilli spiced potatoes, bok choi, bean sprout and cashew nut stir fry, coriander and spring onion dressing. We washed this down with a Bottle of Sancerre and then moved on to some red with Mrs Temple’s cheeses. Finally, we enjoyed a selection of Hoste desserts to share; these included dark chocolate fondant, sticky toffee pudding,green tea crème brûlée, apple and blackberry syllabub, local blueberry and almond tart

The Hoste is a great place. Excellent service, brilliant toilets and even nice stair lighting to guide you down to the toilets.