Thank you Blogger for being the platform bringing me from random Facebook postings to blogging. Sometimes it seems like full time unpaid work but on the whole I have enjoyed it.

However, the time has come for me to say goodbye as I migrate my postings from here to WordPress. Given that I spend so much time blogging I have started to feel like a professional and dare I say that WP is just that.

Anyway, thank you to the people and developers behind Blogger.

My blog can now be viewed at my website http://www.theflexible.co.uk - it is a work in progress.

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One hot sleepy Sunday afternoon at my restaurant in rural France Dennis Lillee came in for lunch. Dennis is a former Australian cricketer rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation". Lillee was known for his fiery temperament, 'never-say-die' attitude and popularity with the fans. According to Wikipedia.

He sat outside with friends enjoying the good weather and how he came across us in the middle of the Périgord-Limousin natural park I never got to find out.

I did have a lengthy chat with him about what he was up to these days – a little commentary and a share in a dry cleaning business didn’t seem to do justice to such a great athlete even if he was on the other side.

Now, I am not the world’s greatest cricket fan but in 1981 I attended an England vs Australia test match at Manchester’s Old Trafford. The first session of the morning was rather dull but when we returned from lunch Ian ‘Beefy’ Botham was at the crease. It was where he set a record of six sixes in a single Ashes match. One such six was scored when Dennis caught the ball but the momentum took his foot over the boundary line thus ‘Beefy’ recorded a six instead of losing his wicket. Botham went on to score 118. I reminded Dennis that I witnessed this little piece of history first hand. He smiled convincingly.

We chatted for some time whilst I prepared his bill. What a great man who even took time out to chat with a young lad of around 9 who would never had known who Dennis Lillee was.

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Once, whilst channel hopping in a hotel in deepest Hertfordshire, I stumbled upon a re-run of Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory. For those that don't know, Londoner William "Willie" George Harcourt-Cooze grew, imported and produced his own chocolate and Channel 4 made a fly-on-the-wall documentary about it.

I found the programme fascinating and I soon learned to love Willie and his chocolate exploits.

Now fast forward a few years and with my Tea Cargo hat on I was attending a food and drink exhibition, I cannot remember which but I am sure it was at Olympia in London. Anyway, coming towards the end of the show I ambled along an isle making way towards the exit when I heard a voice ask if I liked chocolate. When I looked over my shoulder it was coming from Willie's chocolate stand and there was Willie and he was talking to me.

I admitted that I ate chocolate once or twice a year especially Toblerone straight from the fridge. We got talking... I told him about channel hopping and discovering his TV series... one thing led to another which inevitably moved towards food. He gave me his recipe for this:

Chocolate-basted Partridge

8 oven-ready partridges

75g goose fat

4 tbsp cacao, finely grated

4 shallots, peeled and sliced

Olive oil

24 slices pancetta

Thyme sprigs

Preheat oven to 200ºC | 390º F | Gas 5

Place the goose fat and cacao in a small pan and heat until the goose fat has melted, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.

Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the shallots and fry until soft.

Season the partridges then add them to the pan, along with the shallots. Fry the birds until golden brown then remove from the pan. Leave to cool slightly, reserving the shallots and cooking juices for gravy.

Use a pastry brush to paint the birds with the chocolate goose fat. Wrap 3 slices of pancetta around each partridge, sprinkle over the thyme and roast for 25-30 minutes.

Leave the birds to rest before serving with gravy and roast vegetables.

He also gave me a block of 100% pure Nicaraguan Black which I still have today. I gave him my Tea Cargo business card and he promised to buy some of our organic Puerh tea. He never did. 

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When I was a young man of 17, just starting out in my working life in the big city, I discovered The Taj Mahal in Streatham, south London. At this Indian restaurant, just off Streatham High Road, was an experience that 4½ decades later I would still hanker after. Mulligatawny  Soup – a bowl of green, wonderful liquid with a slice of lemon and a few grains of rice floating near the bottom of the ample bowl. I loved Mulligatawny Soup produced by this delightful kitchen.

In 1972 I left London for sunnier climes… well, Lancashire. It was actually dark, dismal and it rained a lot and despite its quite high Asian population their restaurants were a pretty poor show. And as time went by and things improved considerably (not the weather I may add) I could never, never ever find a Mulligatawny Soup that didn’t consist of something resembling a bowl of curry with some rice throw in as an afterthought. Mulligatawny is GREEN! Mind you, no sleight on Lancashire as I have never experienced The Taj Mahal’s Mulligatawny Soup anywhere, and I mean anywhere other than in Streatham.

Around 2005 I found myself in Streatham. It didn’t take long before I strolled along the High Road and there on Leigham Court Road was The bloody Taj Mahal – just as I remembered it! But surely after 33 years they couldn’t still be serving up the same soup, no not possible but just maybe, maybe. My heart raced and that usually only happens when I am watching Chelsea play or a pretty woman smiles at me.

I didn’t recognise the interior nor the menu which reflected dishes served up in 90% of the UK’s curry houses.

Downhearted I reluctantly ordered Mulligatawny Soup and Chicken Dupiaza…

It was early evening, I couldn’t stand the anticipation and decided to eat at 6pm. And whilst nibbling a poppadum or two I engaged the waiter who turned out to be the manager. I told him I frequented the establishment in the late sixties and early seventies and I asked who the owner was today and he told me that he was, having bought the business from the original owner, Mr Khan. He further explained that it opened in 1961 – one of the first in south London and after selling up Mr Khan returned to India having purchased a tea plantation with his profits.  

The soup arrived – a bowl of curry with a slice of lemon. It was disappointing, the chicken with pillau rice was OK.

The owner did ask me how the soup fared, he could tell by my dejected reaction and I think he felt a little sorry for me.

Anyway, if you don’t mind fast forwarding to 2013 I’ll continue.

One evening in July I found Rick Stein’s India on BBC’s iPlayer. I like Rick, India and Mulligatawny Soup of course so I watched it knowing that the TV series is to sell a book. I have them all (I know, I know)… and blimey, in one of the episode he visits The Madras Club and they cook Mulligatawny Soup and it is GREEN!

Now, I have bought cookery books on the strength that one of the recipes is my much longed for but never forgotten soup. And since 1995 I have scoured the internet but to no avail. I have never found a recipe that produces GREEN Mulligatawny. I even badgered my Indian friend, Amit who works and lives in Pune – his wife was bound to know?

Books, the internet and Amit’s wife drew a blank but thanks to Rick things have changed.

So this evening instead of sitting on my roof terrace enjoying the sunshine and a glass of something chilled in heat of 40°C I tried to recreate, the real, proper and pukka Mulligatawny Soup – the GREEN version.

It wasn’t such a bad attempt and over the months I am going to tweak it until it becomes Streatham’s finest, Andaluz style.

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Football First and not just on Sky...

OK, listen up. Football is very important so tomorrow there’s a little dilemma. The Confederations Cup is currently taking place in Brazil and tomorrow, showing live in one of the bars in my village, will be a semi-final match between Spain and Italy. The winners will meet Brazil in the final on Sunday.

My dilemma? Watch the football or go to my Spanish class:

Football. Case closed. 

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Whilst chatting with a friend on Skype recently she asked me what I miss about England now that I have been living in sunny Andalucía for one year. It didn’t take long for me to reply, liquorice, not just any old liquorice but proper Basset’s hard liquorice sticks shaped like an oar or paddle with ‘Bassetti’ stamped on the flat end. I love it.

Four days later Pedro the postman was complaining that he couldn’t get my post under the door and that I should invest in a post box. Anyway, he handed over a thick jiffy bag that, when I opened it, contained sticks and sticks of lovely hard liquorice and a note saying ‘I will not take any responsibility for the health of your teeth.’

And not wishing to appear ungrateful, nevertheless, she sent me the brown version instead of the shiny black ones. Also, I think they are shorter than I remember but that’s probably because Bassett’s is now owned by the evil Kraft Foods Group Inc., and their marketing men have increased profit by reducing the size of the stick. I said they were evil.

Which reminds me, when I was younger (much younger) we used to suck the flat end then dip it into a bag of sherbet lemon but that’s another story. And for northern England readers I am talking about Kali.

And now I am off to brush my teeth.

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A mojito is a cocktail of Caribbean origin consisting of rum, lime, sugar and mint.

Put together pirates, rum, the sugar industry and the slave trade and there you have the origins of Mojito.

It is claimed that during the 16^th century Queen Elizabeth’s golden boy Sir Francis Drake was involved in the creation of El Draque, Spanish for The Dragon which today is called mojito and probably a corruption of mojo a drink made by African slaves. However, whilst I agree that Drake was almost certainly the creator of the original mojito it was actually another Drake, Captain Richard Drake.

Mojitos were made famous by Ernest Hemingway, who enjoyed them at La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana, Cuba. And more recently by heavy advertising campaigns by Bacardi.

To make the perfect mojito you need:

Rum (white or golden)

Lime juice (fresh)

Sugar (brown)

Fresh mint (leaves)

Soda water (club soda)

Angostura bitters (not always standard but part of my recipe)

Crushed ice

It helps if you have a cocktail shaker otherwise use a sturdy glass as you have to muddle (mix) the lime juice, mint leaves with the sugar first before adding crushed ice over which you pour the rum and then soda water finishing off with a dash or two of bitters and a quarter of lime.

Tastes best when the sky is blue and the weather is hot and I love them. 

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Rabitena is a 60 year old man who rears lambs in Alcaudete. His father, who was born in La Rabita, hence his name, did the same and his father's father and the one before that... so when Rabitena dispatches one of his lambs he defies diktaks from Brussels or anybody else to stop what has gone on for generations before. And who I am to complain as I chose one, watched it peacefully dispatched, skinned, gutted and cleaned. It was done with love as I swilled an obligatory bottle of Cruzcampo (chilled it was too).  

I know I am top of the food chain so I don’t have any hang-ups about what I eat but I do know that I have more of a conscience than most supermarket shoppers.

Knowing that my food is reared to the best of the ability of the farmer, has traceability and above all that no matter how young or old the animal is or was, it has been treated well and with respect and enjoyed a half decent diet, freedom and fresh air (just like we do) before being dispatched to the great farmyard in heaven where my Dad now lives.

I am not extreme about it and you’ll never find me on a protest march either but I am concerned about this and how much pollution drops out of the sky from the zillions of flights across our skies every day. I think about it but it doesn't stop me from flying.

So I eat most things including chicken’s feet but I draw the line at sheep’s eyes. 

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Sometimes I crave the heat and taste of curry, cooked from scratch. This recipe of cubed shoulder of lamb and butternut squash contains just about everything in my spice cupboard. The spices need to be dry fried (don’t let them burn) in order to bring out the oils and aromas.

I know that the cooking process kills off a lot of the benefits in fresh and dried herbs and spices but try eating a raw curry. My ‘healthy’ version contained:

Cinnamon/Casia bark

Cinnamon has antifungal properties, and it's been said that candida cannot live in a cinnamon environment. 

Turmeric powder

Is a potent natural anti-inflammatory that works as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs but without the side effects.

Black pepper

Black pepper stimulates the taste buds in such a way that an alert is sent to the stomach to increase hydrochloric acid secretion, thereby improving digestion.

Cumin seeds

Antioxidant content of cumin seeds has been found to be 'potent'...

Coriander seeds

In the US, coriander has recently been studied for its cholesterol-lowering effects.

Fenugreek seeds

Several human intervention trials demonstrated that the anti-diabetic effects of fenugreek seeds ameliorate most metabolic symptoms associated with type-1 and type-2 diabetes in humans.

Cardamom pods

These aromatic pods are rich in many vital vitamins, including riboflavin, niacin, vitamin-C that is essential for optimum health.

Bay leaves

Arthritis, osteoporosis and rheumatism symptoms can be eased by adding bay leaves to your diet. 

Garlic

Garlic promotes the well-being of the heart and immune systems with antioxidant properties and helps maintain healthy blood circulation. 

Ginger

Ginger improves the absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients in the body.

Parsley

A rich source of anti-oxidant nutrients.

Onions

Flavonoids promote a healthy heart; Onions are rich in flavonoids which help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Butternut squash

Butternut squash delivers an ample dose of dietary fibre, making it an exceptionally heart-friendly choice. It provides significant amounts of potassium, important for bone health, and vitamin B6, essential for the proper functioning of both the nervous and immune systems.

Cloves

The active principles in the clove are known to have antioxidant, anti-septic, local anaesthetic, anti-inflammatory, carminative and anti-flatulent properties.

Cayenne pepper
Cayenne is a well-known digestive aid. It stimulates the digestive tract, increasing the flow of enzyme production and gastric juices.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are widely known for their outstanding antioxidant content, including, of course, their rich concentration of lycopene.

Red lentils

A fibre all-star.

Lemon

Being rich in Vitamin C, it is also essential for maintaining a fully functional immune system, aiding digestion, fighting cancer, helping wounds to heal faster and can even help to prevent heart failure.

Lamb

Grass-fed lamb is a significant source of omega-3 fats.

Now, who is for a BIG curry? I know this contains a lot of ingredients but you cannot hurry a curry - it needs time and love. 

P.S. It ALWAYS taste better the following day when things have had a chance to marry and mingle.

P.P.S. This is cooking for ONE so I shall be freezing the rest, obviously. 

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If my little Sister can wear a fascinator then so can I wear a hat. 

I don't normally do hats as it usually messes up my hair but it was my son's wedding so it was the least that I could do on the 19th April, the first day of sunshine in England in 2013. 

This post is not about food but the catering was extremely good all the same, well done Laceby Manor Golf Club. It was just a lovely day, which is why I wore a hat. 






Congratulations, Dan and Dan (it gets confusing, I know)... 

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This is a labour of love but it is worth it. It also helps if the sun is shining and you are sharing 'al fresco' so this recipe is for two as a starter.

Ingredients:
4 Fresh sardines, gutted, de-headed
1 Egg beaten
25g Parmesan cheese. grated
25g Breadcrumbs
1 tbsp Fresh herbs, chopped
25g Seasoned plain flour
1 Red Chilli,deseeded and finely sliced
Oil for frying


Method:
Butterfly the sardines by laying the fish cut side down. Press along the backbone with your thumb then turn the fish over gently removing the bone cutting at the tail keeping the tail intact with the fillet. 
Mix together the breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs and chilli then spread out on a plate, the flour onto another plate and the egg in a shallow bowl. 
Dip the fish in the flour, then the egg followed by the crumb mixture coating completely.
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the coated fish for 2 minutes each side in a frying pan or 3 or 4 minutes in a deep fat fryer.
Shake, drain on absorbent paper and serve at once with a lemon wedges.

Tips:
Sometimes the tiny bones are difficult to remove. In which case use tweezers to remove any small bones that may be left behind. 

Leave the chilli seeds in for a real kick.

P.S To all males. If she doesn't fall in love with you after this then you may have to think of moving on.  Learn more »