A week of eating ...

It’s been a busy few days. The weather’s been mixed with quite a lot of rain, but a few sunny spells, too. Temperatures around 12C.

Ali’s mother came to stay for the weekend, so that changed our behaviour quite a bit (and we didn’t really see the cat for 3 days!).

We did visit the Birmingham ‘Back-to-backs’ though, a courtyard of the last remaining houses of this style in the city. It was interesting and the guide was a great performer, but access was almost impossible for those not fully fit! It would have been helpful if the staff had been clearer when we rand to enquire: they said there were ‘8 stairs’ – they mean 8 staircases all of which were very steep, narrow and dark. Not ideal for a woman in her mid-80s!

 

What we’ve eaten this week (3 ‘special’ meals that I’ll recount in some detail, the rest is ordinary):

Monday – Seafood risotto.

Tuesday – Fish & chips from the chip shop.

Wednesday –  Bohemia. We had a pleasant meal, though our enjoyment was marred by the presence of a screaming toddler (whose parents did nothing to quiet or control him). I maintain that restaurants in the evening should be for adults and well-behaved young people. I’ve never heard those sorts of noises in French restaurants.

Nevertheless, the food was good.

Chorizo, spinach and mozzarella calzone (Ali)

Smoked salmon and prawn parcels, cucumber spaghetti

Slow cooked seasoned beef brisket with mature cheddar mashed potato x 2

Chocolate & Guinness sponge (Ali)

Thursday - the famous Sausage Sludge!

Friday - Takeaway Chinese.

Saturday – Opus a rather nice restaurant in Birmingham city centre. Here’s what I wrote for TripAdvisor:

'Went early on a Saturday evening with partner & her mother. The service was fine (though it would have been nice to have been offered an aperitif rather than having to ask for one).
The food is good, though my companions both thought that the twice-baked blue cheese soffle needed more cheese: my quail starter was beautifully cooked, but a little short on flavour.
Mains were good, I had scallops with belly pork and black pudding (I don't understand the fascination restaurants seem to have with Clonikilty black pudding, there's some really good ones made a few miles away in the black country). I didn't know scallops came that big! Nicely cooked, too.

The fillet of beef my partner had was excellent and I think the mother-in-law's lamb was probably good, though she didn't seem to enjoy it much. We shared 2 desserts between us (I thought the caramel pannacotta was misguided, though).
Overall, a pleasant experience.'

Sunday – I cooked. We ate:

Smoked salmon with a salmon & dill mousse and a watercress salad.

Duck breast with a raspberry and red wine sauce, long-cooked red cabbage, French beans, crushed new potatoes with garlic and red onion.

Cheeses.

Strawberry pavlova (Ali’s)

Monday – Hot smoked salmon & dill fishcakes (home-made), peas, chips, tartare sauce.

Tuesday – Pork chops, beans, new potatoes, roasted vine tomatoes.

Well, that’s us pretty-much up to date with the food. My leg’s been uncomfortable again, so I’m currently taking a couple of days off to see if it recovers. Some of the teaching rooms I’m using are less than ideal – yesterday afternoon, I was using a room that had nowhere for the lecturer to sit, so I had to stand for 2 hours, which isn’t the best thing to do. Wasn’t able to go for our usual walk when I got home.