Old People Eating

No, not a reference to Dolly Parton but one of a small but growing chain of bakeries. This one was visited on one of our birthdays for a light lunch, with and as recommended by the youngest of the next generation who, being a hip Londoner, knows a thing or two about eateries in the northern parts of that great city. It is set out in a communal, table-sharing style with views into the kitchen. The menu changes daily as ingredients vary with the seasons, or so we were told and have no reason to doubt. The food is served in a tapas / sharing plate arrangement which is good because it not only encourages more dishes to be tasted, but also allows the diners to order a bit more without feeling greedy. Between the three of us we sampled a good range of pizza fritta (a bit like a calzone), broad bean soup, fresh salads, focaccia with something akin to chorizo, and some smoked coppa.  This was all washed down with either kombucha or IPA, gender dependent. It would have been rude not to try ...

Tring is a small market town in the western end of Hertfordshire, close to the border with Bucks. It has a lot to offer the visitor, historically, commercially and environmentally. Some of these attractions and amenities are obvious, others are tucked away and almost hidden. One of particular note is the only branch of the Natural History Museum outside of the main Kensington site. It is, quite literally, stuffed with animals, all of which are themselves filled in the same way, from fleas, probably not stuffed, through to Elephant Seals and almost everything in between. We visited with two good friends during half-term when there the museum was also stuffed with small mammals with no sense of direction or volume control. However, it was great fun. Having had our culture for the day we headed off for a restorative coffee-and-cake session at Black Goo, which can be found at at the western end of Tring Hight Street. Various selections were made, including eggs Benedict with sl...

What a great way to start. It is 15 years to the day since we were married and we decided to celebrate in some style. At lunchtime, obviously, because at our ages big evening meals can impede sleep. Not that there won't be big evening meals, but today it was lunch. We had visited the Artichoke exactly four years previously for the same reason but, mostly due to the COVID pandemic, we had not yet returned. We don't remember what we ate on that occasion, but do remember it was very good and were keen to repeat the experience. We had looked briefly at the menu on-line before arrival. A la carte? Five course tasting menu? Nine course tasting menu? For lunch? Gins and Tonics (Silent Pool & Fever Tree) were ordered to allow us something to do whilst studying the options. It was a special occasion and so it didn't feel appropriate to skimp. Nine courses it would be. Take a look: To summarise, it was all extremely good. Highlights were the pan fried duck liver, the cod and the ...