Food Diary

Someone wrote and asked me what I've been eating while I'm here. Before I came, I was remembering that on previous visits to England, I had not been impressed with the food. Bland and heavy came to mind. I have to say, though,  I haven't experienced that at all on this visit. Another thing that is different this time is it's more difficult to find a proper cup of tea than it is a coffee. Before, when you asked for coffee, you got Sanka. Those days are long gone.
 
When we went out to dinner in Southwold over the weekend, we ate at The Crown restaurant which is part of an Adnams hotel there. There were four of us; two selected the scallops and scampi for the starter, one chose the smoked tomato and goats cheese salad, and the other went with pork terrine. Judging only by comments, I would guess that Irene and I made the best choice with the scallops. Under the ever-so-small scallops were those crisp English peas, which made for a nice variety in texture. For the entree, the three ladies all went with fresh sea bass, served with tiny new potatoes, spinach and fennel. The gentleman had a steak, which he said is never as good as the steaks in America. For dessert, we all got the roasted peach served with ginger ice cream.

For lunch at the 1885 Cafe at Snape Maltings, I had tomato hummus, olives, and bread to start, followed by a baked portabello mushroom with goats cheese on Thorpness greens. See what I mean by lovely meals?

Jennifer and her friend Joy have a routine of going for pizza on Friday evenings, and we have done that twice since I've been here. Pizza Express actually has more ambiance than its name would suggest. We sit in the courtyard and eat pizza with the thinnest crust I've ever had in my whole entire life. There's one pizza which has a hole in the middle (think big flat doughnut) with a salad in the hole. You never feel stuffed when you leave. Plus, they put hardly any cheese on their pizzas.

Nearby Jennifer's house, there's what I would call an upscale grocer called Waitrose. They have a Good to Go counter with fresh made items. My favorite has been the beetroot and goats cheese salad with a mix of wheatberries and lentils, spinach and a lemon/creme fraiche dressing. I've had this several times; in fact, I had it today. 

While I was at Waitrose, I bought a Ginger Beer. I've seen ginger beers on menus, but have no idea what it tastes like. The bottle, says "an alcoholic ginger beer made with jamaican ginger, sicilan lemons and a hint of chili. Serve over ice with a slice of fresh lemon."

Of course, when we cook, which is most evenings, it's just as I would cook at home. Fruits and vegetables are fresh, cheeses are abundant. Eggs come in cartons of 3 or 6 or 9, never 12. Interesting, I thought. There are a few butcher shops in town for fresh meat, although Jennifer buys beef at the Air Force base because the German base has its own cattle ranch, and the grass fed beef is superb.