OK, What's For Lunch or Tea Today?

[Barry]

Brunch.

Last of the bubble and squeak. Thick cut triple smoked in oak bacon. So they say. No white scum out of this stuff. No added water either.

Nice - I love 'bubble and squeak' as well as oak-smoked (back) bacon; in fact I would have had an extra rasher on my plate.

[mightymonoped]

This:





And the opposite angle, to showcase the potato rosti, which were just superb, and which I enjoyed almost as much as the steak!



Now *that* was super-scrummy!

Marco.

Potato Rosti look epic!


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[Marco]

Rosti do look excellent, Marco. Just the right degree of crunch by the looks of things.

How did she do them?

Cheers, mate. They did! The secret is to ensure that you wring all the water out of the potatoes (she does it through a thin cloth towel, and I do the wringing, as I'm stronger), as that ensures that they're nice and dry to deliver that lovely crunch when cooked.

These weren't oily, fatty or soggy at all, as you so often get them in restaurants, but rather light, crispy and oh so tasty. I'll ask her later for you exactly how she does them

Marco.

[Marco]

Potato Rosti look epic!

Cheers, Tony! The steak wasn't too shabby, either...

Pud was Lidl's 'Italiamo' Tartufo di Cioccolato, which is surprisingly good [very chocolatey], with a ball of vanilla ice-cream and some strawberries marinated in syrup, drizzled on top:





This:



Pics are a bit out of focus, due to the effects of drinking a little too much vino!

Marco.

[User211]

Cheers, mate. They did! The secret is to ensure that you wring all the water out of the potatoes (she does it through a thin cloth towel, and I do the wringing, as I'm stronger), as that ensures that they're nice and dry to deliver that lovely crunch when cooked.

These weren't oily, fatty or soggy at all, as you so often get them in restaurants, but rather light, crispy and oh so tasty. I'll ask her later for you exactly how she does them

Marco.

Yup I do that and they still come out crap I've never made good ones and I have tried.

One day, maybe.

[User211]

Nice - I love 'bubble and squeak' as well as oak-smoked (back) bacon; in fact I would have had an extra rasher on my plate.

I nearly did then I realised how thick they were

You can't see it from the photo but getting on for gammon thickness.

[Jimbo]

Nice one... You should make a point then, Jim, of going into Tanners (in Wyle Cop) and stock up on wines for Christmas - they have a superb selection! I'll be intrigued to see which French chain restaurant you're talking about

As an alternative (non-French) restaurant, next time, if you don't know of it already, I'd highly recommend The Golden Cross: http://www.goldencrosshotel.co.uk/content/food.html

It's a small boutique hotel, with a superb (tastefully styled and cosy/intimate) restaurant, run by a husband and wife team, where only the best local produce is used, to create some mouth-watering dishes, combined with a well-thought out, reasonably priced wine list.

It's really *the* perfect place for a long, lazy lunch, followed by some coffee and home-made shortbread, beside a roaring log fire, in the lounge of the historic Lion Hotel: https://www.thelionhotelshrewsbury.com/en/

Marco.

Both of those look good recommendations. I know Tanners well as there is also a branch in Bridgnorth, old school establishment.

[mightymonoped]

Cheers, mate. They did! The secret is to ensure that you wring all the water out of the potatoes (she does it through a thin cloth towel, and I do the wringing, as I'm stronger), as that ensures that they're nice and dry to deliver that lovely crunch when cooked.

These weren't oily, fatty or soggy at all, as you so often get them in restaurants, but rather light, crispy and oh so tasty. I'll ask her later for you exactly how she does them

Marco.

Nice! I do the same thing when I do hash browns (pretty much the same thing anyway, just with a bit of added onion). Getting all the water out makes all the difference.


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[mightymonoped]

Cheers, Tony! The steak wasn't too shabby, either...

Pud was Lidl's 'Italiamo' Tartufo di Cioccolato, which is surprisingly good [very chocolatey], with a ball of vanilla ice-cream and some strawberries marinated in syrup, drizzled on top:





This:



Pics are a bit out of focus, due to the effects of drinking a little too much vino!

Marco.

Lidl’s Italian game is strong! Always been good as long as I can remember. Was there yesterday getting the bits I used today.


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[Marco]

Lidl’s Italian game is strong! Always been good as long as I can remember. Was there yesterday getting the bits I used today.

Yup, it is indeed, and that's because Germans LOVE Italian food! Their French range is almost as good

However, their Italiamo range, IMO, represents the best Italian produce sold by *any* UK supermarket. The Tartufo in question was about 80% as good as Del's homemade version, so top-notch for bought! And it's not just the desserts, but the selection of pasta and antipasto/cold meats available.

They've got some pancetta in just now (from the Italiamo range), which is excellent, the proper stuff cut into thin round slices (from a whole piece), which actually tastes of pancetta, and uses the correct herbs and seasoning, rather than the nondescript 'lardons', posing as pancetta, sold in most other supermarkets! So if you fancy making a good carbonara, I'd recommend it.

This stuff:



Also, they've got a nice selection of dried pasta in their Deluxe range, particularly Linguine, and my current favourite, Conchiglioni (large shells), which you can stuff with ricotta cheese and spinach, then bake in the oven, and turn into this: https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes...e-conchiglioni

Gorgeous, and highly recommended!

Marco.