That is the problem (and advantage) with killing your own animals. You have to face the fact that it was once alive and it makes you eat less meat, which is a good thing. It wasn't easy - a huge arguement with my son, frozen hands and now the last thing we want to eat is rabbit. So into the freezer until the memory has faded, but I am still hoping to run over a deer.
Went to see The Social Network and tried to get a pizza afterwards but full of Office Christmas Party people. Haven't been to Carluccio's yet and it was ok, but they need to slow down - we practically had the card machine before we finished dessert. PS. If you don't work in an office but would like to go to an Office Christmas Party it's not too late - we can organise one?
Excerpt from a message from my Daughter in Mallorca
Written by Claire... i know you say every year oohh your not getting any presents this year but i really dont need anything for christmas apart from some good ENGLISH food like ham and rice pudding AND haddock lasagne...
So now anyone can do it and it's going to be big - in August there was an International Food Bloggers Conference in Seattle, featuring food sponsors, talks on blogging ethics, special diets and five course menus for breakfast lunch and dinner. I might call my blogging mates in this area and see if they want to come with me next year; because we are going to change the way you think about food.
A quick look through the thousands of food blogs that I can connect to in a moment takes me into a foodie world that was previously inaccessible. From beautifully photographed decorated cupcakes in New York, to sushi in Japan, via a sweet-maker in Indonesia - the skill and dedication of people who cook, photograph and write about food is inspiring, and can make you instant friends with people around the world who are as passionate as you. And they have such great names – Eat like a Girl, Rate My Sausage or Kiss My Spatula anyone?
Here on suffolkfoodie you will find gorgeous Suffolk food - there is so much of it. I am not an expert chef but I do love cooking and eating, and nothing pleases me more than buying a pumpkin from the side of the road, or a home-made cake from a village fete, or discovering a cafe that still sells liver and bacon casserole (with fried onions and fresh cabbage) for under a fiver. I want to celebrate what comes out of my garden, from down my road and in my village. It should be easy to find, good and cheap Suffolk produce – just as easy as it is to find a simple and cheap risotto in Italy, and through the suffolkfoodie community we will encourage, not condemn.
So wot if you can't spell
When I worked in a Suffolk restaurant the thought of a food critic discovering us, writing amazing things and launching us into celebrity-land was always tempered by the fact that they might not get it, would write something rude and send us in a nosedive into even greater obscurity. Like a Michelin star it's as much a blessing as a curse. And although the critics still have some influence, now that anyone can have an opinion I'm sure it keeps them on their toes. Tracey MacLeod, food critic of the Independent, ventured out not too long ago to review The British Larder, a Suffolk country pub that has a food blog of the same name.
There has been a revolution in food, and it isn't just about eating. If you have been in a restaurant and seen someone taking a picture of their starter you can be pretty sure they are doing it to show someone who cares, but can't be there to taste it themselves. They might even be going to write about it later. Food blogging has taken over the culinary world and the food critics of our national newspapers are upset – until now they were the only ones allowed to have an opinion. Those of us who love food and write as well were always envious of their job – being paid to eat? We dream about work like that and the critics who have publicly moaned that too many people are getting in on the act have been inundated by indignant food bloggers. But when do they ever come out of London? Of course London has some of the best restaurants in the country but here in East Anglia we have some of the best produce, some great chefs (including Jamie and Delia...) a lot of dedicated cooks and foodies, and those of us who know where to find them want to tell everybody else.