28/09/2015: Paneer and lamb tikka dansak – Monkey’s, Wimbledon

http://monkeystakeaway.co.uk/

I’ve been coming down with something over the weekend and tonight I really was starting to not really be able to taste things properly (which for a foodie is just torture!) so we decided to go for something with a strong flavour and plenty of spice. I was intrigued by the dansak as I haven’t tried one before and I wondered how it would go with paneer. We decided to go for one with paneer and one with lamb tikka and mixed them – both went down a treat.

29/09/2015: Chicken soup

I felt really awful today so I had to take the day off sick. Sick day? Chicken soup! I’m sure this soup was delicious but I couldn’t taste a thing 😦 Not being able to enjoy food like you normally do has got to be one of the most soul-destroying things about being sick.

30/09/2015: Chilli con Carne – own recipe

I was on the mend today and managed to venture out to the office. Another strong and flavoursome dish was on the menu for tonight with a simple Chilli con Carne.

01/10/2015: Portugese feast – A Toca, Lambeth

http://www.atoca-lambeth.co.uk/

I was still not feeling 100% but my tastebuds weren’t letting me down any more so Mark and I joined the Feast of Nations crowd, this time for Portuguese at A Toca. Top dishes for me were the Bacalhau com natas (cod with cream) and the Posta a mirandesa (mirandesa steak). The steak skewer was a showstopper too arriving on a huge hanging skewer. The pig’s ear didn’t go down as well as it was sort of soft and gristly. Gross. Overall though the food was fantastic and the wine was too.

Great creamy cod:

Great mirandesa steak:

Not so great pigs ear:

02/10/2015: Brie and bacon sandwiches with cranberry sauce – own recipe

I had a really rubbish day at work today and left the office really late. I called Mark on the walk home from the tube feeling really deflated and not sure what to do about dinner, and he was already getting brie and bacon sandwiches ready for when I got home! This is a favourite of ours but it has seriously never tasted so good!

03/10/2015: Chicken and bacon tortelloni with tomato and basil sauce – Sainsbury’s

http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/groceries/fresh-pasta/sainsburys-chicken—bacon-tortelloni-400g

Mark and I used to eat this loads as a simple after-work dinner, so when we were short of ideas this evening we thought this would be a quick fix for our busy Saturday. I was actually really disappointed as I remember enjoying these more before, so maybe the recipe has changed or we had picked up a different type. Either way, I’ll think twice about getting these particular ones again especially now we have so many speedy alternatives for next year’s work nights and busy weekends. I’d probably go for Giovanni Rana next time if I’m in Sainsbury’s and really craving tortellini/tortelloni (apparently they’re different – check out this helpful page).

04/10/2015: Chicken, bacon, and Stilton pie – The Fox at Peasemore

http://www.foxatpeasemore.co.uk/

So this is how it went: Reading the menu – Chicken – yes, bacon – yes, Stilton? Hold on… well that’s a bit different so yes let’s order that. Pie arrives: Oooh that looks nice, lovely golden pastry top, but I’ll chop a hole in it to let some of the steam out to let it cool a little…HOLY MACARONI that smells good! YES STILTON! Such a genius flavour combination that I just didn’t expect to be so perfect. I really enjoyed this pie, and the meat was beautifully tender too. I would perhaps tone down the salt ever so slightly, but that’s really all I would change.