new york on a crisp january day... sadly the person indulging herself was not me but my lovely friend judy. during her trip she discovered a fabulous breakfast place, which she wants to tell everyone about. over to you jude…

an oasis in the midst of an unassuming area of mid town, penelope’s was a gift from the gods. staying in the definitive budget hotel on east 30^th, our first task was to find that morning cup of coffee for me and tea for my friend kay. it was not looking good. on one corner was the brazil coffee shop: tea-less and the food wasn’t quite what we had in mind for breakfast. while we stood on that cold corner deciding whether to head up town, go to starbucks or take a chance on one of the diners, the sun shone on penelope, the paint work a little worn, the canopy needing replacing. we crossed the road just to see what it had to offer. the menu promised everything we could hope for and coffee and tea for every persuasion. the test was whether it fulfilled its beguiling promise so desperately needed to boost our flagging spirits and, in particular, my caffeine levels.

up the rickety steps to a swell of lively chatter, the young woman waiting there looked like a student from julliard ready to burst into a song of welcome. the ambience was vibrant and warm; and the smell of coffee captivating.

hurrah we were in new york and the city welcomed us. we had fruit juice, pancakes and maple syrup served with a side of fresh fruit (strawberries, blue berries and melon). the double cappuccino convinced me i was in heaven. i had more. following our initiation, we used penelope’s for our early morning fillip for the rest of our stay and enjoyed a different dish of fresh and well cooked ingredients every day: perfect eggs, bacon crispy but not teeth challenging, interesting sausage and not a favourite, irish oats – porridge to you and me, french toast, delicious jam and wonderful pumpkin waffles., all served with a infectious smile and breathtaking willingness.

from the moment we found penelope’s our visit took on a different hue because we knew that if all else failed - and in the usa the food experience is very similar to buying a lottery ticket - there was somewhere to go for succour.

penelope

corner of east 30^th street and lexington avenue, new york

www.penelopenyc.com

we spent a few days in canterbury earlier this month and, on the advice of a friend, went to the goods shed for a meal. the goods shed, next to canterbury west station, is the home of canterbury’s farmers market plus a café/restaurant which is also open in the evening, which is when we visited.

the various stalls were obviously closed and covered in preparation for the next day which contributed to an almost magical, slightly ghostly atmosphere as i walked in. the eating area is slightly raised, lit by candles on the tables and the halogen lights of the open kitchen. carpets hung at the windows and blankets on the walls which, coupled with large electric heaters overhead, kept things cosy and welcoming. as did the gentle hum of chatter, laughter and people enjoying themselves.

the food was fabulous. david’s starter, pheasant and bacon terrine, was a real winner with large chunks of various types of meat interspersed within the coarse terrine. homemade piccalilli added a welcome tartness and i greedily tucked in once my scallops with bean puree and black pudding were finished (it was good, but not as good as that terrine).

when it came to main courses david lucked out again with slow roasted pork belly served with quince and apple. this is my favourite cut of pork and my favourite way to cook it - and it was cooked to perfection with tender tasty meat and crunchy crackling in abundance.

i chose venison, having had a delicious mouthful of venison at konstam the night before. it was lovely and tender and full of flavour, served with chanterelles and puy lentils (which i’d have liked more of rather than the potatoes that also came with the dish).

i decided not to bother with pudding, instead making the decision to steal some of david’s on the basis that every choice he’d made so far had been superb. he chose a treacle tart which he was delighted with but didn’t excite me nearly as much. this was just as well, as i was exceedingly full thanks to the generous portions and i was very glad of the walk back to our hotel.

other meals in canterbury included a christmas party at the abode hotel tavern which was good for pub grub, apart from a tasteless and undercooked pumpkin risotto.

we also stopped off for a few plates of tapas at café mauresque, all of which were excellent. when we are next in canterbury i’d like to try their full menu, washed down by the house rose which is delicious. a portion of their squid and chorizo skewers might also find their way to the table, as we decide what else to order.

and if you do visit canterbury, make the time to explore the cathedral which is truly stunning.

the goods shed

station road west, canterbury ct2 8an

telephone: 01227 459153

café mauresque

8 butchery lane, canterbury, ct1 2jr

telephone: 01227 464 300

www.cafemauresque.com

on the sunday of our paris trip, we were in the marais. having grabbed fabulously rich and flakey pains au chocolat from ble sucre, we headed to marche beauvau. the covered market was full of exciting stalls and at michel brunon we stocked up on rosette (a salami-type sausage) and both plain and smoked ham d’auvergne. i also spent much of my time looking longingly at the vegetables, fish and fowl that were on display, wishing we were staying longer so i could indulge in some cooking - although i wasn’t too keen on trying the frogs legs that were on offer!

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november has been a busy month – last weekend i was in glasgow and the week before that david and i went to paris for a few days. the trip had been in the pipeline for a while as i was keen to spend more time there than i’ve previously managed and wanted to get to know some of the different arrondissements in a bit more detail, rather than just flit between them in search of tourist or food delights.

we decided to stay in montmartre in a fabulously romantic apartment. to make the most of our time we took advantage of the services offered by the lovely rosa jackson. she developed an itinerary for us, which took away my need to plan which shops and markets to visit and where to stop for food and drinks. it was actually wonderfully liberating to put myself in the hands of someone else in this way and i’d thoroughly recommend you try it if your time is precious and your standards high. inevitably i did do a little research as well…

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i’ve just spent a whirlwind girls’ weekend in glasgow and ate the most wonderful food.

for supper on saturday night we went to arisaig, which is a glamorous but entirely unstuffy restaurant that serves scottish food. apparently it’s inspired by childhood holidays to the west coast village of the same name.

to start, linda and i had loch leven surf clams tossed in extra virgin olive oil with fresh dulse seaweed. i have never before eaten such fat, flavoursome and obviously fresh clams and the salty seaweed was a great contrast with the grassy olive oil.

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