29 on the 29th

Image from the birthday card I gave her

I have just been to London to spend a few days with my sister for her birthday. I hope she doesn't mind me sharing her age with you (too late now) but it was a great time and we did many memorable things to celebrate. Our days were full but a leisurely type of full, if you know what I mean. If you don't, it was as follows. Wake up when you are good and ready. Eat some cereal. Get dressed and if you aren't happy feel free to have an outfit change or three, with your sister as your audience, sitting on the bed, nodding or grimacing accordingly. Head into town for a spot of shopping, stop for a drink or a bit of lunch. Hit the shops with renewed energy. Perhaps pop into a gallery and take in an exhibition. Discuss the finer points as you stroll over to Covent Garden, where you meet up with some friends and drink a pear cocktail or two. If you are feeling peckish, make a quick stop at the local GBK (Gourmet Burger Kitchen) before heading over to West End for a musical (in our case Oliver), before hopping back on the tube humming musical tunes (resisting the urge to burst into song and trying to control your dancing feet) all the way home. Yes, it was a special trip. We found some great bargains (leather boots for 19 pounds, the cutest silk skirts for 15 pounds) but I won't go into too much detail, I hate to be the cause of envy. Speaking of which I haven't yet mentioned the show stopper, icing on the cake, rice pudding with a cherry on top moment that was Nobu. A birthday gift from my parents to my sister. The best type of present - one that I could share. So, between checking out the 30 000 pound cooking ranges at Harrods (dreaming is free daaarling) and more shopping at Knightsbridge we wandered over to Park Lane for a celebratory lunch at the restaurant Nobu. Walking past Fergie (not of The Black Eyed Peas variety, rather, the Duchess of York) on the way there and spotting Mr. Liz Hurley, Arun Nayar, leaving the restaurant just as we sat down at our table overlooking Hyde Park. Consider yourself at home!

What we ate, in the order the dishes arrived...

Rock Shrimp Tempura with Creamy Spicy Sauce

Black cod with Miso, our favourite, it had a texture that my sister described as 'silky'

Beef ''Toban'' Yaki, this came sizzling with really tender, rare pieces of beef

Chocolate Bento Box: Flourless chocolate fondant served with green tea ice cream

Pine nut Cake: Sabayone cream, pine nut mousse, purple potato ice cream and yoghurt

We enjoyed really helpful service on our visit. From the young French chap who collected our coats when we arrived, to our waitress who was very free with her recommendations (something I appreciate), to the Swiss waiter who told us to try the pine nut dessert. We probably wouldn't have ordered it otherwise (we planned to share the Chocolate Bento Box), he also kindly offered to take a photo of us. Whether it was all this, or the Saint Clair Sauvignon (closest to home we could find on the wine list - we get nostalgic on birthdays) that we washed it all down with, we were feeling rather giddy when we left. Each secretly wondering how the parents would react to the bill, and if we'd have to pick a pocket or two (or worse! stay away from the shops) to make it up to them.

The Cricketers

On our recent trip to London, over New Year, we were accompanied by a friend who is a huge fan of Jamie Oliver. Just to knock her socks off, we considered having dinner at Fifteen in London but didn't know if we could fit it in with all the other things we wanted to do. One of the things we did have planned was a drive to the country. We don't usually venture out of London proper when we are there, so we hired a car especially for a short tryst into the country side. The night before, it came to me in a moment of brilliance, that Jamie Oliver had his start at his parent's pub somewhere in the country. A quick google search determined that it was indeed still up and running and by his parents no less. So we decided on a trip to Cambridge with a short stopover for lunch in Clavering, Essex at The Cricketers.

The Cricketers is a cosy, charming pub where you feel like you can sit and enjoy the atmosphere for ages with a good bottle of wine. There is also accommodation if you would like to explore the surrounding area (I think the Maldon salt company is nearby) and stay overnight. We didn't have the luxury of time so we settled for a three course lunch and then we were on our way.

Husband was appointed photographer and was a bit slack it seems as we don't have pictures of all the courses, but you will get the general idea. My sister had a typical pub meal of fish and chips, the fish was cod and very, very good. Our Jamie Oliver fan chose the corn-fed chicken, Husband had the pheasant (not surprisingly, the best photo is of the pheasant) and I ordered the game and Guinness pie. Everything came with your choice of boiled potatoes or chips and cooked vegetables, which were brussels sprouts, spinach and carrots or salad. Phew! In the end, it really was a lot of food! I should add, that we were all very satisfied with our choices.


Here is our Jamie fan, taking her chips very seriously. They were as good as they look. Appropriately, you can see the Jamie magazines in the background.


Husband's delicious pheasant, stuffed with prunes & chestnuts, wrapped in pancetta.


The dessert was delicious. Of course we didn't need it but it was the perfect way to finish off the meal. We shared two desserts between four. See! We aren't excessive!

A lemon tart served with a berry sorbet. Light, zingy & worked really well after the rich meal


And this, not a great shot but let me assure you it was absolute divine dark chocolate heaven! Served with a dollop of creme fraiche, the flavour will never leave me. I will try to scout out the recipe - it was so subliminal it affected my memory. I have no idea what it was called on the menu.


I'd recommend this place to all foodies, whether or not you are a fan of Jamie. Although if you are a fan, signed copies of his latest cookbook were available when we were there. The menu is seasonal, but you can get an idea of it here on their website thecricketers.co.uk