Reviews

Posted on 7th March 2014 by 'Ome — Leave a comment

Dj’s SҠool DiИɳɘr Experience

So, for 1 week only, Dj requested to have school dinners. He was mainly tempted by the change from the ‘normal’ menu to ‘International Food Week’.

A week of dishes from 5 different places in the world.

We asked him if he’d like to write a blog on his experience & he jumped at the chance.

Everything that follows (apart from the actual Menu bit) is word for word that Dj wrote….we just corrected the spellings & some punctuation to make it easier on the brain for you good people.

Monday: French

Croque Monster, avec Pomme Frites et Harico

Tart Tatin with Ice Cream

I liked the cheese & ham baguette but the bread wasn’t as good as Daddys’.

I didn’t like the chips or the beans because the chips were soggy & the beans are out of a tin, unlike daddys, he makes his own.

The pudding was nice & my friend went mental on it.

*******

Tuesday: Caribbean

Chicken Stew with Rice & Peas

Sticky Ginger Bread

I liked the sticky bread but if my Daddy made it, it would be better, & I didn’t like the chicken stew & rice & peas because the peas weren’t in the rice & the chicken was soggy.

The pudding which was sticky bread was nice.

I don’t thinks that’s a Caribbean.

*******

Wednesday: Portugese

Portuguese Cheese Flan with Half Jacket, Coleslaw & Sweetcorn

Vanilla Biscoitos with Ice Cream

Today I had a cheese flan with half a jacket potato.

I liked none of it because the cheese was cold & yucky!

The jacket potato was yummy but it didn’t have any butter on. The sweetcorn was nice like any other persons.

The pudding was fab & my friend liked it & I loved it too!

& there wasn’t any coleslaw.

*******

Thursday: Indian

Chicken Curry with Boiled Rice

Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce

Today I had curry & I liked the curry & I don’t mean the rice & today the chicken was better than Tuesdays because the chicken that was in the stew was soggy but todays one was better.

The pudding was really nice & it was ice cream with chocolate sauce.

*******

Friday: Italian

Margarita Pizza with Potato Wedges & Sweetcorn

Iced Lemon Sponge

Today I had margarita pizza with soggy chips.

I liked the margarita pizza but Daddy’s ‘Ome Made pizza is 10 billion, trillion times better.

Todays pudding was sponge with grated lemon in & I liked it but Daddy’s ‘Ome Made lemon drizzle cake is better

*******

That’s the end of my Blog.

Thank you for reading it.

Love Dj XXXXXX

************

After reading Dj’s blog we know that some of you lovely people will be thinking ‘Yeah, well your Kids are lucky (& probably spoilt) to get nice food at home all the time’, & yes, you’re right!

We do tell our Kids that they are VERY lucky to have a Daddy who can cook them fabulous dishes at home (sometimes Mummy does too!).

We also make our Kids realise that for other children this maybe the ONLY good plate of food that they get in a day. For some busy/working full time parents it’s easier & they know their child is getting a meal at school. For some parents it’s the affordable option & a lifeline for their children.

Could it be better though?

This is just Dj’s 7yr old view of what he thought was going to be a fabulous week of school lunches. He did a fab job of sitting down everyday after school & writing (most) of his thoughts on paper.

We can’t help feeling he was a tad disappointed with the meals….apart from the puddings!!!

Great work Dj!!! XXXXX

Posted on 6th March 2014 by 'Ome — Leave a comment

Having A Good Wine…

We do like a good wine in our house. we generally drink more red than anything else because Kit doesn’t like white (Which means sometimes I get a nice bottle of white to myself!)

Occasionally we will stumble (probably the wrong choice of word there in a wine review!) across a wine that ticks all the boxes. A wine that you just can’t get enough of.

One such wine, our current favourite, is Rex Mundi
available from Laithwaites (www.laithwaites.co.uk).

It hails from France and uses a Shiraz and Merlot grape blend. For a French wine it has more of a New World feel about it. If I didn’t know I would have sworn it came from Chile or Argentina.

It comes from the Roussillon region of France, home of the Cathars who lived in awe of the evil god Rex Mundi who corrupted the faithful with promises of earthly pleasures and the forbidden delights of mortal flesh… Ahem!

Anyway… this wine is dark… very dark. It packs so much fruit flavour into one sip that you just want to quaff the lot. It’s juicy and very plummy with a hint of liquorice and you get a little hint of sweetness which just makes it even more irresistible.

This wine is very versatile. It really is a quaffing wine and can be enjoyed by itself. It also goes nicely with roast meats, will stand up to spicy dishes and goes gloriously with cheese and chutney (especially ‘Ome Made beetroot and Chillli Jam).

Laithwaites charge £8.99 a bottle, £44.94 for six bottles (7.49 a bottle) or 89.88 for a case of 12 (7.49 a bottle).

At £8.99 a bottle this wine is well worth it and tastes a lot better than other wines at that price.

At £7.49 I would say is a bargain price for a wine that tastes this good… believe me 6 bottles wouldn’t last you long.

This is a great wine to have in for when friends come round, I couldn’t see anyone turning their noses up at this.

It looks fantastic too. The labels and the story behind the name of the wine is a great talking point.

I would seriously suggest to anyone that likes red wine to try a bottle or two of Rex Mundi.

Bums aloft! Cheers!

Posted on 3rd August 2013 by 'Ome — Leave a comment

Smoking!

you may have noticed that there are a few references to slow cooked smoked meats on the Blog. You wouldn’t be wrong.

I recently acquired a big American style smoker/BBQ and it’s been getting a fair bit of use.

I love proper American food, I’m not talking McD****ds or K*C here but big hunks of meat coated in secret dry rubs and cooked slowly for hours on end. Pulled Pork, sticky ribs, slow cooked brisket even a humble chicken simply seasoned and cooked in the smoker for three hours is transformed into something remarkable.

And then served with sour cream, chilli sauce, bbq sauce with a multitude of different “slaws” to go with it, quality.

I even like a simple beef burger, ‘Ome made of course! Given the right treatment, a nice cheese or two to top, gherkin, onion, tomato and some nice crisp iceberg and some lovely, mustardy mayonnaise (which has to dribble down your chin!) and of course a good squirt of ketchup. Burgers can, and should, be good and a real treat to eat.

Anybody remember a certain burger I created?

So yes there maybe some recipes for smoked meats or BBQ food on the Blog, that doesn’t mean that a conventional oven can’t be used. However I can recommend getting a smoker, it is such an enjoyable and slightly addictive way of cooking!