THE TITANIC EXPERIENCE

Our Shipyard visit

During the following days we visited Belfast and went to the Titanic Exhibition. I had read a lot about it and it had very good press, this added to Ivan a family friend saying it was a must,this finally made our minds up.
The exhibition is encased in a building, which really does have the Wow factor; I would put it in a class not far behind the Sydney Opera House and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

It is built at the head of the slipway on which the Titanic and the Olympic where built in 1909-10. A massive Arrol gantry was built like a steel ribbed corset along and above the slipways; this made the building of the two mighty ships much easier and quicker than in previous builds.

We first went inside and got our tickets as we had an hour to spare we  then went outside and had a look at the mighty slipways (now-a-days many of the great tankers are not launched but built in a covered graving dock).

The bows of the ship would have been about at the front entrance door and some of the original slipway and tracks are still in place. The modern lighting pillars stand in the position once occupied by the lattice steel Arrol gantry supporting towers.

Towards the position of the stern is a replica of the poop, this would not have been built when the launch took place, but is there for reference, this looks out into the specially dredged Victoria channel.

 

The ground where the original slipways had been is now marked out to show the size of the ships and also the position of the few life boats and the four massive funnels. It was a bit chilly so Linda and her Dad popped in to have a cup of coffee and a bite to eat.

 

Inside the impressive building you get to the ticket booths (advisable to book in advance as when we went it was booked out for the next 4 days). The hallway is dominated by the mighty chandelier suspended in the centre of the building

The inside of the building has been constructed so that you are led through the whole of its life from the conception through the keel laying to the construction, to the fitting out, to the sailing and its sinking. But the story doesn’t finish there as there is a very well put together visual section that shows and explains the search and eventual discovery of the might liner lying in her final resting place.

The replica Arrol gantry that serves as a lift to start you off on your journey through the Harland and Wolf shipyard 

 

 

The drawing office, very similar in layout to the one I worked in while serving my apprenticeship, we wore white smock coats thank goodness

 

I served my Engineering apprenticeship in a shipyard on the Tyne, this was at a time when many of the building practises such as riveting, caulking, steam triple expansion engines were nearing the end of their days, but luckily I did work on ships that still had to be maintained and repaired using these time old processes, it took me back to my youth almost 50 years ago.

Wonderful, it was so vivid, so real; it was as if I had been whisked back through time. The “Shipyard Ride” is a wonderful adventure in itself, passing through the wonderland of a shipyard without any of the dangers, noise and smells.

If you have ever worked in a double bottom, like the one above you will know what noise is, the riveting and hammering goes on all the time from the start of the shift until the end, there is no respite and no end to the din.

 

There was also a large display showing the cabins, there fittings and the different classes, some the toffs of the turn of the century.

The Bridge with its paraphernalia and the last messages to be sent after striking the iceberg.

 It was for me one of the highlights of this holiday and will live long in my memory, I could have spent another couple of hours just wandering and looking at all of the fantastic exhibits and visual displays. From the hemp for the hawsers and ropes, to Gallaher's snuff, the ticket punches and the advertising of the period.
 

 

Well done Belfast, I will certainly visit again, it was well worth the 9 quid (over sixty does have its advantage and as Bob paid it cost me nowt).

 

 

Some of the large and small vessels built in the once proud shipyard, the gates that the hoards of workmen once poured through at the start of each day are now to be admired in part of the experience.

We headed for home and got some fish and chips at the Pit Stop in Kilkeel, I’d dropped Linda and her dad off, and so when I got home, the tea was ready and the bread and butter.

I then set about finished off some of my Blogg

and Bob watched the footy on TV

Well it's hard graft doing a couple of shifts in the Shipyard!!!

 

Christmas day and an almost dinner

Breakfast done, decks swabbed, the planning for dinner was well advanced the goose stuffed, the vegetables prepped, we had a whiskey (well Bob and I did) and got into our glad rags and headed off up town to pay a visit to family friends Ivan and Nora( we never eat the main festive meal before 15:00 on Christmas day). We had a smashing natter or craic as they say in these parts, we drank a few more whiskies and Linda a few waters, then about 13:00 it was about time to head back home to get the Christmas Dinner show on the road, famous last words!!!

Our Menu was to be: 

Christmas Dinner 2013

Starter

Parma ham wrapped, scallops, Dublin Bay prawns, steamed salmon with sauce hollandaise and a beetroot small leaf salad.

Soup

Carrot, tomato and coriander soup

Mains

Stuffed Roast Goose. Most of the fat removed from the rear end (it will normally hang in 2 lobes each side of the  rear opening. Wash and dry inside and out, liberally season with salt and pepper (if I had been in Germany I would have rubbed dried summer savoury into the skin, this is always readily available at this time of the year).

Prick the bird all over paying special attention to the area behind the wings and between the legs and breast.

Stuffed turkey crown (this was a one from sainsbury’s all ready to go into the oven stuffed and bacon latticed)

Yorkshire puddings (I have to say Linda found some Aunt Bessy’s in the freezer and she doesn’t even have an Aunt Bessy)

Roast potatoes done in the rendered goose fat

Roast Parsnips

Spiced Red Cabbage braised in cider (done to the Hairy Bikers recipe, now one of her favourites)

Sprouts with onions and Ham pieces

Mashed potatoes

Giblet gravy

Pudding

Christmas pudding with rum sauce and double cream

Linda had made the soup well in advance, this is an old favourite of ours and is based very closely on one of Mamta’s wonderful recipes.

The starter was a quick and easy one, we had been into Newry on Christmas Eve to do the last of the Christmas shopping and take in the Hobbit. We had picked up some smashing Dublin Bay prawns, plump fresh scallops and a nice piece of fresh salmon filet. These along with some ready cooked beetroots and a pack of ready to eat small salad leaves would be the starter.

But first to the Goose, because the star of the show was to be our down fall (well mine at least). I had made the stuffing before we had left for our visit, this and the stock made the day before was the main prep for our Christmas dinner.

The forced meat stuffing

Ingredients:

300g Soft bread crumbs

1 tsp. each of chopped  rosemary, thyme and sage.

A small bunch of parsley, strip off the leaves and chop finely

1 table spoon of butter (or for the health freaks oil)

1 medium onion (diced)

1 clove of garlic crushed and finely chopped

50g of Black smoked Bavarian speck, dice this into small cubes (you may not be able to find this so use any good quality cured speck)

250g of good quality sausage meat (from your local butcher, or buy some good sausages and strip of the casings, or even better make your own)

Salt, pepper, nutmeg, and any mix in the herbs.

I egg beaten

Stock to soften.

 Fry the speck, onions and garlic in the butter  until translucent. Place your bread crumbs into a large mixing bowl add the herbs mix well add the contents of the frying pan to this and mix this in, add the sausage meat and get your hands into it giving a good mixing  add the egg and mix again, if a little stiff add some of the stock.

I stuffed the neck and body cavity with this stuffing, some use two types of stuffing one for the neck and one for the body; it is entirely up to personal choice. I quartered and de-cored a Boscop apple, pricked a mandarin and add these along with half a lemon to the cavity on top of the stuffing, using wooden skewers I closed the cavities and then trussed the goose so that it kept its shape. Placed some of the goose fat into a large foil tray resting on an even larger heavy duty baking tray, I used a swiss roll tray, this is a safety procedure as I know how labile the foil ones become when the goose is cooking and is full of boiling goose fat that you wish to either remove or baste, it is the floor and your feet that get well basted!! Turn up the oven to full and place this in the oven for the fat to come up to smoking, place the goose in to the smoking oil and baste all over with the fat. Remove from the fat and add a chopped onion, carrot, leek and some chopped celery to the fat and  allowed to soften, then I  placed the goose breast side down onto this and ladle some of the stock over the breast, enough to just cover the vegetables, cover with foil and put back into the oven.  Turn the oven down to 180°C and roast for about 30 mins. After 30 minutes, take out of the oven, turn the goose breast side up (in the process skim off the fat from the surface of the stock).  Place back into the oven and cook for a further 1hr 30min to 2hrs, but keep an eye on the bird, you can remove the foil towards the end of the cooking time, but keep basting with the stock and ladling off the goose fat that comes out of the bird (we got 2 pints of wonderful goose fat for the roasted tatties and parsnips). The stock will ensure a crisp skin, (make sure that your stock has plenty of salt in it).

This is how it should have happened and did in fact happen on boxing day, but alas the oven cut out after exactly 1 hour, this is now the third time that it has happened over the last 5 years twice with a bird in the oven and once with a leg of lamb, it is most annoying but that is life!!! No matter what we tried neither the bottom or the top oven could be coerced into functioning, agggggghhh not again, I was crest fallen, nay devastated, thank goodness we had not started on the veg. The top hobs worked perfectly well so cutting our losses, we decided to have the starters, soup and Christmas pud.

So, the soup had already been made, this meant we could change direction and the starter became the main and we had the soup starter, the main was Dublin bay prawns, Parma wrapped scallops, fried scallop corals, steamed lemon salmon in a thyme hollandaise

You shall require (for 2 persons, Bob doesn’t like seafood, never tried it but doesn’t like it, never mind more for those that do)

6 large Dublin bay prawns

6 very thin slices of Parma ham

4 juicy plump scallops complete with corals (there are those that throw these away, bloody fools)

Remove the corals, and the brown/black skirt (this is a frilly part that surrounds the muscle flesh), season well with pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Wrap each scallop in a slice of ham, season the corals with pepper and salt.

A good fresh wild Irish Salmon Filet cut from the tail end , pin bone the filet, remove the skin and cut into 3 equal sized tranches (Bob does eat Salmon, well it isn’t sea food really)

Butter for frying

Juice of ½ a lemon

Lemon and thyme sauce hollandaise

Prepare your salmon filets, salt and pepper both sides and place in a steamer on a piece of buttered foil, sprinkle with lemon juice, add the prawns around the sides. Place this over a pan of boiling water, lid on and steam.

Heat some butter in a frying pan and place the scallops into the pan, when the Parma ham crisps, turn and add the corals.

Now add your salad leaves and chopped beetroots, in a mustard, oil dressing to one side of a plate, place the salmon in the middle and the scallops as outriders each side, put the three Dublin bay prawns one each side and one at the bottom, nap the salmon with the sauce Hollandaise. I would say not a bad main course in anyone’s book.

The Christmas pud was easy, Steamed for 2 hours, Linda made some birds’ eye custard laced with rum for Bob and we had the low calorie option double cream!

We did do it flambé , with some of Bobs old Sailor black rum, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.

So that was the Christmas day meal, that wasn’t as it was intended, but never the less not bad at all.

Later that evening Linda cooked the Turkey crown in the top oven and the next morning I tried the  large lower oven and it functioned perfectly, this leads me to believe that it is using everything all at once that it doesn’t like. As it is only put through its paces whenever we come to Ireland, it will only refuse to play when we are there. I think I shall have to spend some time across there when I retire, well there is a some very good fishing within a couple of Kms of Bobs house and the hunting though not on a par with what I have back in Germany is available in the beautiful Mourne Mountains, these actually look down on the Premiere fishing harbour of Kilkeel, so it can’t be bad.

I shall be adding Photographs, but I am onboard a ferry in the middle of the Irish sea and my batteries are running low, not a plug in sight!

Christmas Breakfast 2012

Deep fried poached eggs on toasted muffin, dry cured Cumberland bacon, fried sweetbreads, sautéed goose liver,  mushroom stalks and venison chorizo , smoked salmon and Nigel Slater’s  

Portabella mushrooms with blue cheese and walnuts
I saw Nigel Slater do this on his simple meals programme and thought this would be smashing as part of our Christmas Breakfast.  

The rest of the ingredients:

Muffins, crispy dry cured bacon, smoked salmon, pressed fried sweetbreads, Venison Chorizo, sautéed mushroom stalks, fried goose liver, deep fried poached duck egg and sauce hollandaise.

I had been luckily enough to get some fresh sweetbreads while shopping at that fantastic farm shop just off the M7 in Westmorland, this is also where the duck eggs, chorizo and bacon came from.

Tomato juice or Orange juice

Spanish Cava

Coffee or tea

Nigel’s blue cheese mushrooms

You shall need:

Large Portabella mushrooms 1 per person (skin and remove stem but keep for later, the stems not the skin, this went into the stock pot)

A nice blue cheese (we had Dorset Blue Vinney)

Handful of chopped walnuts

A good knob of butter

A sprig of thyme leaves removed.

50ml Water, salt and pepper (you may not need either)

Melt the butter in a pan and add the thyme leaves,

place the mushrooms in the butter gill side down and allow to soften over a low heat,

when they start to give off their juices (small golden pearls of juice will appear on the cup) turn
them gill side up and add the water, cover and allow to cook through.

Just let them slowly simmer, the juices will concentrate.

Just prior to serving crumble some blue vinney into the cup and when it has turned gooey, top with the walnuts and cover again.

Sweetbreads

I got about 7 glands from the butcher at the farm food shop, but this makes quite a nice starter or as part of a meal.

Handful of Fresh bread crumbs

1 egg beaten (as I was also doing the deep fried poached eggs, I used 2)

S&P

Water the sweetbreads to remove any blood,

 

next,gently poach them in milk, with a grating of pepper and nutmeg.

They should be firm but not hard when pressed, drain and dry on a kitchen towel.

Remove the covering membrane and any attached veins and ducts.

 

Place on a plate and put another plate on top, put a weight on top of this (I used a jar of Branston Pickle) and put into the fridge overnight.

 

Christmas morning

Remove from fridge; beat the egg(s) and season place the bread crumbs in a bowl, dip the sweetbreads in the egg and then in the bread crumbs, repeat this to get a good thick coating.

Melt some butter in a frying pan and fry these until golden brown.

Fried goose livers

Livers from the Christmas goose

Seasoned flour

Remove the outer membrane, veins and ducts from the liver, slice very thin , dust in the seasoned flour and fry very briefly at the same time and in the same pan as the sweetbreads.

Deep fried poached eggs  on toasted muffin, with dry cured bacon and sauce hollandaise

2 fresh duck eggs

Bread crumbs and beaten egg (use the same ones as you use for the sweetbreads)

A pan of neutral oil or better still use a friteuse

Poach the eggs until just set (some may think me old fashioned, but I still use the vinegar and vortex method, I have heard many discuss what way to poach a perfect egg, well I think it is all a load of bunkum, just crack the egg onto a saucer, get the water with a teaspoon of vinegar in it turning at a great rate of knots and slowly allow the egg to slide slowly into the centre of the vortex, the egg white will surround the yolk perfectly, it works every time for me, but if you have another method that works for you please feel free to use it, but I shall not.

 

Take them out and place in iced water to stop the cooking process, leave them there until required.

When ready to put the breakfast together heat the oil in the pan, take the egg out of the water and drain on kitchen paper, next cut the egg out into a perfect circle with the aid of a cutter

 

and place in the beaten egg, then the seasoned bread crumbs. Now very carefully lift the egg with the aid of a slotted spoon (it is easier to place it into one of those Chinese baskets) and lower into the hot oil, as soon as the crumbs go golden brown remove  and drain on kitchen paper.

Grill the bacon, put the mushroom stalks (split) with the chorizo into a frying pan and fry slowly. Remove and keep warm while you do the sweetbreads and liver.

 

Take the smoked salmon out of the packet and put onto the breakfast plate.

Split the muffins and toast, butter them and place a slice of bacon on top. Place your deep fried poached egg on top and then nap with freshly made sauce hollandaise ( I added thyme to mine.

Serve with the smoked salmon, the sweetbreads and goose liver, the mushrooms and venison chorizo and of course Nigel’s Portabella Mushrooms.

Tea or coffee

And of course as it’s Christmas, a glass of Spanish Cava (it would have been Champers but we didn’t get any on the ferry)

 

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

 Bob inspecting his new shirt!

 

 

Thanks everyone!!!

 

Belfast, Danny Millars Lisbarnett House and picking up the goose.

We left our wonderful friends Carol and Bills and travelled up to Lancaster to visit Cathy and Tony, friends who had been in Germany, Tony had left under an early retirement package early in 2012 had found it hard to find a job, but is now about to start in Jan 2013, I am so glad, it will get him out from under poor Cathy's feet, she has enough with Jessy their 4 month old Springer Spaniel. I did manage to dent my car on their gate post. But never mind we had a smashing fish and chip supper.

Next day it was up and across to the Cairnryan to catch the ferry to Belfast having an overnight with Roy and Patricia, Linda's Brother and SiL, they live in a wind swept part of Galloway, but ever so pretty, it is a part of Scotland that I need to explore more, so be warned! P.S. Patricia the stew was fantastic and I mean that.

Friday morning dawned as we boarded the Stena Lines fast ferry from Cainryan to Belfast, the winds had died down over night and it was a very smooth crossing much to Linda's relief. We parked up in Belfast and took ourselves off to George Market, I fell in love with these markets a few years ago and now no visit to Belfast is complete without a visit, so it has to be a Friday or Saturday. We also popped into the Continental market around the City Hall (a magnificent building), it was ok, but coming from Germany, it leaves one a little under-awed.

We next set off for lunch, we had booked into Danny Millar's new culinary venture, the gastro-pub and restaurant near Comber, Lisbarnett House. (it is actually in Lisbane).

It is a pretty white washed building with ample car parking to the side, not forgetting this was the last Friday before Christmas the car park was full but we managed to squeeze in to what I think was the last slot. Lisbarnett House is split into 3 parts, a small bar,

then to the front a restaurant (only serving evening meals) and the gastro restaurant, this is part original and part new build, we sat in the original front part, very cosy. The larger part is open and is perfect with plenty of space for larger parties (it was full to bursting with people doing their Christmas lunch thing). It had been a good idea of Linda's to book, because otherwise it would have been no room at the Inn!

 We were shown to our table beside the fire (not alight) and adjacent to the window. Asked if we wanted a drink (it was water as I was driving), the menu was produced and also directed to the blackboard with the days specials. The menu was a nice selection of traditional Irish plates and festive foods (I have eaten at Danny's Barloo house twice and know how much he likes to use Irish and if possible local produce).

Linda chose the Portavogie scampi and chips, I chose the Kilkeel sole fillets coated in panko crumbs. All the food was wonderfully cooked, I enjoyed the crispy panko crust, well seasoned and the fish still moist. The portion is more than ample (a good Irish trait), the scampi served retro in a basket hung with a pot of tartar sauce and a very nice coleslaw salad, this was also the accompaniment to my fish, the coleslaw had a nice fruity note and what I think was cranberries in it.

All in all a very tasty meal in pleasant surroundings. If asked I would say that I prefer the Balloo house, but that is just my personal choice (but then this is my blog).

We left and retraced our wheel prints back to Comber and then around the East side of Strangford Lough (Ards peninsular) to pick up our Christmas goose (ordered from Germany) at Marlfield Farm, we have had a goose 3 times from here and we return for one reason and one reason only, they are truly fantastic!

We then travelled down the Ards peninsular to get the ferry from Portaferry to Strangford.

The Portaferry lifeboat house

Across the Lough to Strangford leaving the viking gatepost behind

 



 



It was by this time getting dark and as we reached Downpatrick, the navigator with an Aussie voice decided to take us a across country via Castlewellan and Hill Town. A heavy fog had settled itself over this mountainous part of County Down, it is a not too populous part of Northern Ireland and those that were out and about in this miserable weather all seemed to be strung out like a glow worm behind me. (fools following a fool). We turned south and towards Kilkeel at last dropping below the mist, though it would may be have been better if we couldn't see the road. We at last arrived at Linda's Dads, but if you ever want to get stuck up a mountain, just follow me!

Le Champignon Sauvage a small revue

The Champignon Sauvage

Along with Linda I was visiting friends in Pershore, Carol our friend and fellow foodie from the wildfood.info food board had asked if we fancied a lunch at a very good restaurant, I never need asking twice, she had been before so knew what to expect. The fourth member of our little group was Ruth a friend of Carols another foodie with a palate for good food.

We visited another friends art workshop and then onto a gallery in which she shows her works, very nice and well done Gill.

We then walked a short way looking into a couple of bric-a-brac shops, we then made our way to the Le Champignon Sauvage, unfortunately a little too early, we arrived just after 12 noting that the actual opening time was 12:30, we perused the menu and it got the juices salivating before we even crossed the thresh hold. CLANK, the door opened and in we went, coats taken and asked if we would like a drink before being seated at our table, I was driving so it was water for me and glass of champers for the lasses.

 

We next got a little amuse bouche, consisting of a dark rye cracker, with goats cheese, beetroot cubes and pea leaves. Alongside was a walnut biscuit filled with a blue goats cream cheese. Very tasty, very tasty indeed.

We got shown to our table, and the girls ordered a bottle of Rose and a water for me, then another amuse bouche arrived, this was a butter nut and sweet potato panna cotta, with a bacon foam topping. Boy did that taste good, a rich creamy yellow savoury panna cotta topped with an intensive bacon foam, it was truly a first for me and one I am sure to try and replicate.

Next came the ordering, choices, choices, choices, it all looked ever so tasty and interesting, but the starter and main selected, the ladies all ordered seared scallops and I ordered the pressed pigs cheeks, the girls said that the scallops were perfect, very well cooked, juicy and soft.

The bread basket appeared; I chose the wonderful fresh still warm crispy roll of interesting shape, the others a light bacon and shallot brioche ( I had a one later)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My pressed pigs cheek terrine with foraged greens, a light smoked old spot ham and radish, very tasty indeed and still with a residual firmness, the accompanying puree and sauce a perfect foil for the rich pork.

Ruth chose the partridge for her mains. She said it was very tasty and perfectly cooked.

The choice for both Linda and Carol, the Cinderford lamb with cockles. (very interesting combination, that really worked). Cooked to perfection still perfectly pink, served on a bed of the most perfectly smooth creamy mash, Carol said it was true perfection, I agree as I had also the same with my main.

And now I arrive at my selection “The Halibut”.

The braised halibut with a red wine sauce, accompanied by Jerusalem artichoke puree and baby glob artichokes, woodland mushrooms and a creamy mash.

The thick, moist tranche of halibut, napped with a wonderful red wine sauce, unusual, but interesting and ever so tasty, there was also some Swiss chard stems that finished off the plate, both in the aesthetics and adding just a hint of bitterness. All the food perfectly cooked, so exquisite and well-rounded ,that it was true bliss.

We all passed on the dessert, with the exception of Ruth, who Carol said had to be the sacrificial lamb and try the plum dessert in the aid to literary investigation (she is writing a book on plums).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thought I would try a selection from the cheese board, I asked to see the cheeses and out came a folding trestle and with great aplomb topped by the cheese board this was in fact a wicker basket tray bursting at the seams with cheeses of every shape, hue and taste. I counted (afterwards from the photograph) and it contained no less than 25 unctuous bodies of loveliness. I was spoiled for choice, but under the expert direction of “The French Cheese Queen” made a selection of eight, I was honestly only going to have four, but was egged on into gluttony by my dear companions, though in all reality didn’t need a lot of egging. Perfectly conditioned cheeses, honed to perfection oozing taste, it was sublime.

 

My (our, Carols) selection was:

 

Notice the intense thoughtfulness of a true expert lass who knows what she is talking about!

Cerniy Ash

Vacherin mont de’or

Berkewelle

St. Eadeurgha

Epoise

Munster

Oxford Isis

Bleu de Causse

The plate of cheeses came accompanied with a selection of crisp breads, sliced walnut and fruit loaf and a poppy seed roll.

 

Perfect, absolutely perfect. In a moment of weakness I did succumb to pressure and give up a small taste of the Bleu de Causse, an action that I immediately regretted, if it is a sharing plate, then I will willingly share, if it isn’t then it is for me. I did not mind them helping in the choice, but I am quite able to do the tasting all by myself, thank you very kindly Carol.

The plate cleaned, we (the ladies) ordered coffees and Petits Fours, well the selection was a wonder to behold, pure decadence, chocolate’s, pastries, jellies, truffles, slices a fantastic plate (I only tasted the citrus jelly, this was so intense in flavour, the depth of  citrusy zing just going on and on, the taste increasing into a crescendo of wonderful bliss. As I am diabetic sweetmeats and chocolate do not turn me on, therefore I left the rest for the ladies to devour, a feat which they accomplished (almost, there were a few crumbs left).

It was a wonderful, eating experience, with wonderful company, the service was prompt courteous and correct, though the reception could have been a little warmer, the area to have pre-dinner drinks is nice but somewhat small, if more than two parties wished to use it, it would be rather cramped. I found the clean lines of the furniture very pleasing to the eye and the wall art very well thought out and selected.

At a cost of 60 pounds per head for lunch, including Champaign, wine, cheese for me and petit fours for the ladies, well worth it, it gets great big thumbs up from me; I have paid more for a less worthy meal. Every part of it well thought out, perfectly executed and tasted sublime.

David Everitt-Matthius stand up and take a bow, your restaurant is well worth its 2 stars (and more). He is an expert in foraged food, this shows in his menus and I enjoyed it immensely what was cooked and presented to me was first class and I know my companions with the discerning plates are also of the same opinion. Well done and thank you for a smashing afternoon.