We’ve reached 100 days! I think it’s turning out to be much easier than we expected – of course ask me again at the end of the year and we could really be struggling. We’ve come to discover that there are just so so many recipes out there to choose from that it really isn’t too difficult now that we’re in the habit of thining about it and as long as we are a bit organised.
06/04/2015: Big Mac – McDonald’s
http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/ukhome.html
We were pretty late driving back from visiting my family in Nottingham so we decided to eat at the motorway services. The options were limited and we were craving junk food so we went for a Big Mac. I have to confess this is the first time I have EVER had a Big Mac as I usually go for a quarter pounder with cheese or just a regular cheese burger. I can’t believe I’ve got to my age without even trying one! I was taken aback by the burger sauce as I was just expecting ketchup and mustard but it was good! Definitely satisfied the junk food craving…
07/04/2015: Toronto chicken – The Maple Leaf, Covent Garden
http://www.themapleleaflondon.co.uk/
Mark and I had planned to go to this Canadian bar when one of his friends visited recently but it was packed and we had to find somewhere else. This time we headed there straight after work on a Tuesday during Easter so it was pretty quiet. Mark and I went for the Toronto Chicken which was chicken topped with HP BBQ sauce, melted mozzarella and served with chips and peas. It looked just like average pub food when it arrived but it was delicious and the chicken was lovely and tender. I have to admit I was a bit jealous of my friend’s Toronto Chicken Burger that I assumed would be the same thing but just in a bun – but NO! The chicken was crumbed and she was given a choice of waffle chips which were really good! I think I would probably go the whole hog and have that next time – it’s not like I was going for a healthy alternative so I may aswell have had the burger version!
08/04/2015
Lizi: Itsu Thai chicken potsu – Itsu, Moorgate
With Mark out for the evening I decided to try the duck potsu that he had earlier in the year on my way home from work. However, I wasn’t able to order it in the Itsu that I went to so I’m wondering whether it has been discontinued. Instead I went for the nearest thing to it, the Thai chicken potsu which was rice topped with chicken in a thai coconut sauce. It was very tasty and I went for the smaller portion size which was plenty for me.
Mark: Aubergine and chickpea curry with rice
I was round my friend Chris’s house for dinner tonight, who promised me a meal with a unique combination of ingredients. He later added that it was a unique combination because he wasn’t following a recipe and prefers to be resourceful with what food he has in the kitchen. The outcome was a very tasty curry that I would definitely eat again (if I knew how to recreate it 🙂 ) so hats off to the chef.
09/04/2015: Couscous-stuffed peppers – The HP Sauce Cookbook by Paul Hartley
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Sauce-Cookbook-Paul-Hartley/dp/190457386X
Mark found this recipe in our HP sauce cookbook so I really wondered how the HP sauce would turn out in this dish. In the end it was really yummy and didn’t just taste of HP! It was easy enough to make too so I’d definitely make it again.
10/04/2015: Salmon with watercress sauce – M&S
http://www.marksandspencer.com/c/food-and-wine
Today is officially the 100th day of our challenge! We were heading to Mark’s Mum’s this weekend so we picked up this pretty posh-looking ready meal from M&S. Needless to say it was quick and easy to cook and it tasted really really good!
11/04/2015: Fish finger sandwiches – own recipe
Another tried-and-tested combination that needs no introduction. We found the green pea crush from Waitrose to be a nice alternative to mushy peas if you want to snazz things up a bit, but we bought regular mushy peas too as well as some tartar sauce.
12/04/2015: Braised venison with plums
http://www.saddlebackfarmshop.co.uk/
I introduced this little farm shop earlier in the year when we had one of their frozen venison pies. Today we popped in for some lunch after going for a walk with Frankie, the family’s English Springer Spaniel. After a bit of a mix up with our order, we got our food and it was perfect after our walk. The meat was tender, the sauce was thick and the mash was lovely and creamy. Of course I did a little bit of shopping afterwards and bought some sausage rolls for tomorrow’s dinner, and I also found this lovely colourful pheasant print card by Anne Marie Winchester of Snowy Pheasant Illustration. I’m thinking about getting the larger print online as well because I just think it’s really striking!
Here’s a couple more pictures I took at Saddleback:
Eclectic tea set
View over the fields
Shopping
A Year in Dinners 