[fatdoc]

This is Tommy Trout.

At approximately 5pm this evening he was stalked, caught and hot smoked on the bank and then eaten (about 20 mins after being caught). Absolutely gorgeous.

At first, the assorted grumpy old men of NE Derbyshire thought me a bit odd conducting this little exercise in eating a fish as fresh as possible, but upon tasting the lovely Tommy in his hot-smoked glory they agreed that I had done a good thing. One guy produced a cooler full of beers and we had a fantastic evening of eating, fishing and moderate drinking on a gorgeous June evening. The smoker was lit up 3 times and we would probably have kept going, but I ran out of meths for the burner.

One of those evenings where you wish it would never end 

nice. very nice.

[Houdini]

More seasonal recipes please!


Especially vegetarian - and since my herb garden is doing famously anything that goes to town on them would be just the ticket.

[fatkid2000]

As some of you may have gathered I'm getting married this September.
Its almost all sorted - the church etc
We have a few food related enquires:     1) Anybody know a good cake maker - Not the sort that sticks £500 on the price due it being a wedding
                                                       2) Is it possible to hire a fridge from somewhere - basically to stick aload of booze and champagne in
                                                       3) Glass hire - Apparently oddbins do this?
We need to hire these bits as we are have the reception in a church hall - as it was about £15K cheaper than some posh house in Derbyshire!!
BTW it's in Sheffield

Many thanks in advance from my now slightly neurotic wife to be

[SA Chris]

Many booze places hire glasses, just book it well in advance. Though i reckon if you google it you will find them cheaper elsewhere. Likewise fridge hire.

[grumpycrumpy]

Turners , the tool shop at the end of Queens Rd., hire glasses at a pretty reasonable rate ... May well hire out fridges too .....

[Jaspersharpe]

Have PM'd you fatkid.

[chappers]

yeah, i used to work as a kitchen porter for a exclusive wedding company, we used to hire all sorts. even industry quality range-cookers-on-wheels so i am sure that a large fridge will be easy enough to get hold of.
mum hired some glasses from morrisons for my dads 50th a few years back, you could check that out? but be fussy and check that they match (ours didnt)- you want it to look top quality!

[lagerstarfish]

This is Bridget Brochet in the kitchen of the gite I stayed in last week.

I caught her in the Grand Canal du Palais - the lake below the palace in Fontainebleau. In accordance with local ethics, I took her home and gave her a good filleting. I cooked one fillet on the barbecue that night. Plenty of lemon juice, pepper and salt resulted in a very large and satisfying meal.

The other fillet, I grilled the next night with lots of garlic and butter on top - also a large and satisfying meal.

Not an especially tasty fish, but the whole process of catching the bait and then catching the beast (exciting stuff) followed by the preparation, cooking and eating made for an excellent food experience.

[dave smith]

Word.

[Bubba]

 

[SA Chris]

indeed.

Excuse my ignorance, but brochet is a pike right? Looks like one. Fantastic fish, well done.

Been out once or twice on the cliffs here, but nothing. Not even mackrel.

[lagerstarfish]

Yes, its a pike.

[lagerstarfish]

Not sure if this is the right thread for this, but...
Mrs Starfish took me to the relatively new Loch Fyne restaurant in Sheffield after work yesterday.
Goodness me, it was great.
We went for the daytime set menu (until 7pm) - starter, main and glass of wine for £11.
For starters we has the steamed mussels and the grilled sardines. The mussels were absolutely perfect; plump and tasty. The sardines were served on a nice chunky bit of brown toast with a sweetish onion and tomato-ey sauce which worked very well.
Mains: the poached sea trout served with cucumber and mint was firm and tasty - just the right amount of moisure in it, not too dry and not at all watery: the fried fillet of grey mullet was also cooked to perfection and had a lovely capers and garlic sauce thing with it. Also, the side dishes - new potatoes and mixed green veg - were cooked just right; not difficult to do, I know, but often this part of a meal can be disappointing.
House white was an acceptable sauvignon blanc.
The service was stunning; the staff friendly and knowledgeable. The whole place was laid out well with the tables not too close to each other and a good overall atmosphere.
I would have been chuffed if the meal was £18 each, so at £11 it was good value.
I gather that Loch Fyne is a national chain; anyone else been to their other restaurants? Opinions?

[dave smith]

I went to the one in Leeds and thought it was a bit pricey for what it was offering (although I went in the evening, so no bargain basement lunchtime offers!). The fish was good, but not excellent. Having said that, this was shortly after 6 months of fresh (caught that morning) fish on the beach in Mexico, so I may have been a little spoiled 

[Jaspersharpe]

I went to the one in Leeds for a works xmas do a couple of years ago. The food and service were pretty good from what I recall, however I can't comment on value for money as I wasn't paying. The bar bill must have been must have been hefty. 

That £11 deal sounds good.

[Paul B]

I gather that Loch Fyne is a national chain; anyone else been to their other restaurants? Opinions?

Yup, in Leeds, enjoyed it very much and the bill was pretty reasonable. The same chain own Restaurant Bar Grill in Leeds and the food there was fantastic, we ate both our main meal and weekend breakfast in there, the bill was pretty painful.

[Scouse D]

For my 16th Birthday my parents took me for a meal in the Unicorn Inn in Cronton (near Pex Hill). They had lots of freshwater fish on the menu. I had Perch. It was boney but nice.

[Joepicalli]

In Norfolk now working. The north coast must have the best food culture in Britain. I'm staying in a cottage so I can cook for myself: bought today: Wild salmon steak, fresh samphire, broad beans - hours old. There are seaside cottages where you can buy lobster and crab caught this morning, by the householder, for Christ's sakes.
And of course the climbing down here is fantastic, majestic cliffs sweeping up out of the sea, shaded woods speckled with boulders... Oh no its flat, there had to be some downside.

[grumpycrumpy]

Mmmmmmm Samphire , blooming gorgeous  ....... Out of interest Joe , whilst on the subject of plants that go perfectly with fish , do you know of anywhere in't Sheffield area where you can find Sorrel growing ..... Bit late this year I know , but it'd handy for future refence ..... I tried growing some on my allotment , but had little success ....

[Joepicalli]

Mmmmmmm Samphire , blooming gorgeous  ....... Out of interest Joe , whilst on the subject of plants that go perfectly with fish , do you know of anywhere in't Sheffield area where you can find Sorrel growing ..... Bit late this year I know , but it'd handy for future refence ..... I tried growing some on my allotment , but had little success ....

No but if anyone would I suspect Bonjoy might

[Sloper]

Try GQT.

[underground]

Mmmmmmm Samphire , blooming gorgeous  ....... Out of interest Joe , whilst on the subject of plants that go perfectly with fish , do you know of anywhere in't Sheffield area where you can find Sorrel growing ..... Bit late this year I know , but it'd handy for future refence ..... I tried growing some on my allotment , but had little success ....

Shit loads of it grows (or grew) in a secret spot in eckington, and happens to have seeded itself into one of my patio roses, so I'll attempt to cultivate it sharpish...

[grumpycrumpy]

Well worth a go , although you may be better off hanging onto your seeds and sowing them next spring ..... I've found out that it prefers a slightly acidic soil , so I'm off for a ph tester so that I check out the quality of my  acreage ......

[lagerstarfish]

I made this last week - thick tuna steaks sliced in half and filled with a thin layer of pesto then wrapped in prosciutto. New potatoes boiled until nearly ready, peppers, plum tomatoes, red onion, peeled and squashed garlic cloves, Greek style black olives (stones out) and mushrooms all given a roll in olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper and placed around the tuna parcels. 15 mins at 200 ^oC.

Gorgeous 

It was a lovely alternative sunday roast.

[lagerstarfish]

Folks at work find it odd that I sometimes photograph my cooking. It helps me remember the food and gives me new ideas for changing things. I can't think of a more worthy subject for photos.