Did anyone watch “Economy Gastronomy” last night? It’s a new BBC cookery show presented by Paul Merrett and Allegra McEvedy which attempts to educate people on how to eat better for less money. In last night’s show, Paul Merrett stated that lamb shoulder was a “cheap” cut of meat and claimed a 2kg shoulder should cost about £12. That’s less than €14. Perhaps Paul and Allegra should pay the Emerald Isle a visit. I’ve never paid less than €20 for a shoulder of lamb. I find myself getting frustrated by reading food writers who claim that cuts of meat like beef shin, pork belly and lamb shoulder are cheap. This is absolute rubbish.
According to Tim Hayward in the Guardian, the current economic climate is the cause of rising prices for cheaper cuts, but I don’t agree. These “trendy” cuts were never cheap here. So, are we being ripped off? Again…?
Read Tim’s article here.
My dreams of slurping on carrot and coriander soup are almost ruined. With just two weeks left until harvest, my children, I mean, my carrots are not exactly thriving. But there’s still hope… Come on boys!! (Those folks at Suttons are full of shit, man… 
)
I’m more often described as “ham-fisted” than “green-fingered“. Despite my obvious lack of talent in the garden, I’ve managed to grow a staggering amount of basil in pots on my window sill. A few weeks ago, I got a rush of blood to the head in B&Q and invested in a propagator tray and a packet of basil seeds. Moderation has never been my strong point, so I sowed all of the seeds at once and now I’m left with an obscene amount of the said herb. I don’t know what variety of basil I’ve got; it’s certainly not the Genovese variety, but I’m hoping it will still taste as good.
I’m determined to use every last leaf, but there’s only so much pesto a man can eat. So what do I do with it all? Here is my short-list of culinary possibilities so far:
I stumbled across a good article this morning on Chow about taking photographs in restaurants. I thought it was worth posting a link here. Since I started blogging my restaurant visits I wouldn’t contemplate going to a restaurant without being armed with my trusty Canon. Sad, I know. I’m mindful that it might irritate other diners, snapping every dish that comes my way, but I have set myself some ground rules to avoid causing discomfort to my fellow diners.
- Most importantly, turn the flash off. This can cause problems in a dimly-lit restaurant, which is why it makes more sense for bloggers and amateur food photographers to visit restaurants for lunch rather than dinner.
- Know your camera. Know how to get that perfect macro shot, first time around. Always use your camera’s macro setting if it has one.
- Limit yourself to one or two shots per dish.
- Do it discreetly. I use a small camera which doesn’t look out of place sitting on the table.
- Don’t be concerned with disapproving stares from other diners. I’m sure they’re too busy concentrating on their own meals. Restaurant staff will not mind either; any good restaurant will not deny you a photo of the meal you’ve just paid for. If anything, it’s a compliment to the chef and the restaurant.
Happy snapping!
