Food For Thought

In these days when even relatively upmarket pub chains have their gravy shipped in from gargantuan catering warehouses, it's unfair to single any one eating establishment out for ridicule. However, life isn't fair, so it made me laugh when the waitress at The Childwall Abbey asked a nearby diner if chips would be a suitable replacement for the mash that they'd just run out of.

Back home and clearly with too much time on my hands, I found myself reading some food labels and had it confirmed to me that dates are suitable for vegetarians and that the black pepper we'd chosen adds a 'strong, fresh, peppery note to all meals'. Conversely, I made a prawn curry last night and Patak's mild paste nearly blew our heads off. Trust no-one, that's my advice!

Gourmet footnote : Dates are an excellent curry ingredient but fresh mint isn't. As you can see, I am from the 'whatever comes to hand' school of cookery; I claim it as a triumph if it works but am merely experimenting if it doesn't!