Being Mrs C

The Raymond Blanc Lunch at Brasserie Blanc

One thing I really miss since having children is being able to go out for dinner or a weekend lunch on a whim with Mr C. We were very lucky in that we could just phone each other in the afternoon and decide where to meet for dinner that night - a big luxury indeed. I was thrilled therefore when a weekday lunch for local bloggers was organised on a date that I could actually do and on a day of the week when Little Miss C was in nursery.

The venue was the newly opened St Albans branch of Brasserie Blanc and we were all invited to try the November version of their seasonal fixed price menu - The Raymond Blanc Set Menu. This really does represent fantastic value for money with three courses only costing £13.95 at lunchtime and £16.45 for dinner. 

After a quick introduction from restaurant manager Rob we were all spoilt for choice when we tried to choose from the menu.

I went for a starter of Gnocchi with jervaulx blue cheese and celery. This was served with apple slices which provided a refreshing, crisp accompaniment to the rich blue cheese sauce. The gnocchi was light and fluffy - perfect for a starter.

After nearly everyone else on the table went for the slow cooked beef as a main course, I instead decided to try the Pan-fried haddock fillet with poached egg, potato salad. Although I like fish I have to admit that this isn't the sort of thing that I'd normally order - mainly as I'm not a huge egg fan - but this really took my fancy when I saw it on the menu. The haddock was delicious and worked really well with the poached egg. The potatoes weren't quite what I expected when described as a potato salad, but the buttery taste again worked well with the haddock and egg.

All those who chose the slow cooked beef were very happy with their choice and looking round the table all I could see were clean plates - always a sign of a good meal.

I washed the food down with a crisp glass of the house white wine which you can add to your meal for just £1.95. You can instead choose a glass of the wine that Raymond Blanc recommends to accompany it for just a pound more.

Looking around the restaurant most of the other diners were slightly older couples or groups. Master C accompanied me to lunch and there were a couple of other children spotted at other tables. Raymond Blanc is keen to encourage families to dine together and this is supported by the range of dishes available for children. For the youngest customers the kitchen will prepare a puree of seasonal vegetables free of charge. There is also a children's menu and the option for some dishes from the main menu to be prepared in smaller portions. As a parent I think that's a great way of encouraging families with children of all ages to visit together. It's certainly the first time that I've seen a restaurant providing an option for really young children.

This was actually my second visit to our local branch of Brasserie Blanc and I certainly hope to return again - probably with both children. The atmosphere was lovely, service attentive and friendly and the food exceptionally good. The price of the set menu is fantastic value for money too - a very important factor for people these days.

Disclaimer: Local blogger Heidi kindly organised this lunch and all attendees received a two course lunch, accompanied by a glass of house wine. We also took home with us a goodie bag.

Full of festive cheer

Tonight I'm planning a night on the sofa. It may not be the most exciting way to spend a Saturday night, but I'm in the middle of a "six Christmas parties in five days" marathon and I'm shattered! The final one is tomorrow and as much as I've enjoyed them all it has been a bit full on.

The picture above shows where I was on Thursday night though - the Houses of Parliament in central London. On behalf of the Watercress Wildlife Association (where Mr C and I are volunteers) I attended a reception that was hosted by our local MP, Anne Main, to thank volunteers in St Albans for the work that they do. I was there with our committee chairman, but in total there were eighty of us from across the voluntry sector. People I chatted to ranged from someone who volunteers at their local church, through to members of a local residents association and someone who spends time teaching local prisoners English as a foreign language. It was a fantastic opportunity to find out what other local charities are up to and also brilliant to see how many people in St Albans gve up there free time to help others.

The big highlight of the night had to be a tour of Parliament and as neither house was sitting we were able to go into the chambers of both the Commons and the Lords. I should say that if you ever get an opportunity to visit then do take it up. After all, Parliament is there for the people, are MPs are there to represent us and our taxes go towards its upkeep.

There is a lot of tradition in Parliament and just hearing about the old-fashioned way that things happen there is fascinating. Many things have stayed that way for years and you have to wonder just how long it can stay like that in this modern age. The decoration is opulent in a way that doesn't always come across on the TV cameras and the chambers are also so much smaller than they look on TV. There was something slightly magical though about standing there in a place that you see so often on the TV news. 

We obviously weren't the one people to think that it was such a special place as just before we were taken into the Commons Chamber there was a young couple in there also visiting. Their visit is likely to be one that one day they will tell their children all about for one particularly special reason though; whilst in there the man got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend, in front of the slightly bemused policeman who looked on. And the good news for him is that she said yes!

Visitors are not allowed to take photographs on their tours so I'm afraid that you'll have to make do with my photograph from outside, but then I'm guessing most of you know what much of the place looks like already. If you want to see more then you should definitely try and get yourself on a tour.

A week in pictures

I've been lacking words this last week, so instead here are some pictures from what I've been up to.

 

 

 

 
Highlights include a hen weekend where we got to stay on a working farm (with the lovely pair at the top of this post outside where we slept!), the first bulbs coming up in our garden, Mr C's birthday (which obviously required a home made chocolate cake), the completion of my raised bed, and today the first day of Spring proper. 

Somehow I also managed to squeeze in two books (Vanessa and Virginia and Deaf Sentence - reviews of both to follow), meals out with friends, a lovely knitted hat for Baby C, some live comedy and plenty of sleep. Blogging just got left behind a little bit!

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Mr C's parents invited us to join them on Thursday evening to see the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (apologies if that link doesn't work as their website appeared to be down as I wrote this). I've heard of these guys before, but I had absolutely no idea just how funny they are! I've certainly now seen the ukulele in a completely different light and I wish Mr C could play his at this level.

They do some brilliant takes on classics songs that we all know and also some more modern stuff. My absolute favourite has to be their rendition of Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights. Ever since the show I've had it on almost permanent repeat on my ipod.

A version does appear to have been put on YouTube here but I think this is a bootleg from their DVD (available from their website), which I imagine is excellent. There is also a slightly scary video version in which a courting couple seem to be being stalked by a group of ukulele players - completely bizarre!

So impressed I was with what I saw that I queued up to buy a copy of the CDs that they were selling at the end of their performance. I managed to get a copy of their (hopefully named) Live in London # 1, mainly because it included the fantastic Wuthering Heights. That CD doesn't appear to be available from Amazon, but I'm pretty sure that it will be on their website. One of their albums is available on amazon though: The Secret of Life.  

Although quite a lot of their material is available on YouTube for free, if you do like their music (hard not to in my opinion), then please do look to buy some of it officially. The orchestra sell quite a bit via their own website or the tracks that make up The Secret of Life are also available as MP3 downloads from amazon. 

Enjoy!

Chaos

Ae we really only ten days into 2009? Last weekend I remember feeling so organised for going into the new year; now I'm not too sure. So much seems to have happened in these last ten days that I'm not even sure where to start. Sorry there are no photos to accompany my words - I've just not had time to take my camera out of my handbag all week.

I went back to work on Monday and was expecting a quiet week before starting all the regular meetings etc next week. Someone else obviously thought differently. I feel like I've been on a treadmill that's been getting faster and faster all week - and somehow I'm still on it. Everyone seems to have come back to work with a huge amount of enthusiasm to get things going. That's good in a way, but not when it creates so much more for me to do and needs me to do thinks much more quickly than I had planned. I also ended up having to take an overnight trip to Gloucestershire to meet a new supplier. Only organised the day before, but at least it gave me some train time to read and catch up with my knitting!

Outside of work things at home also seem to have been very busy. Mr C and I have started house hunting again. We've already viewed two houses this year and by the end of this weekend we will have seen a total of six. I've finished two more excellent books since reading The Outcast and reviews will be coming soon. The second sock in the pair that I started last year is also nearing completion and my journey out west allowed me to cast on a scarf for my friend L who's ill at the moment.

Mr C and I also (somehow) found time for a fantastic meal out together. When we're eating in London we tend to always book through toptable who have some fantastic offers. This time we went to the Clerkenwell dining room where there was an offer of 50% off prices on their a la carte menu. It was one of the best meals out I have had in a long time - fantastic food that was very different in style. My starter was scallops with a selection of curry sauces and an aubergine bhaji type thing. It was delicious. My main was slow cooked veal on a bed of saffron risotto. Perfectly cooked so that the veal just fell away and with the level of saffron just right to give it an interesting edge without being overpowering. Even at the full prices I would have been more than happy - with the discount it was even better. Service there was also excellent. We plan to return!

I suppose I'd better stop blogging and start on all the other things that are now on my to do list for the weekend. Hope you enjoy it and manage to stay warm. It's been freezing here in the UK for the last week and now as I type this it's starting to snow very lightly. After no summer there's no doubt that winter has well and truly arrived!

St Pancras

Once again I'm just not too sure where the last week has disappeared to. It's been a difficult week at work, with a couple of days working away as well, and I was certainly ready for the weekend when it came around.

One big highlight of the week was Mr C and my fortnightly Thursday meal out. It was my turn to choose this time and I managed to book us a table at the St Pancras Grand in London's St Pancras International station. Normally the idea of going to a train station for dinner would be laughed at, but St Pancras is no normal station.

Since it was re-opened last year St Pancras has been a destination in its own right. A fantastic job has been done to bring the station back to its former glory, combining modern needs with classic, historic style. There are some great shops and plenty of places to eat and drink. The architecture is also worth a visit and it goes to prove that we British can do some amazing things with our historic buildings.

Much fuss has been made of the champagne bar but there hasn't been quite as much fuss made of the restaurant alongside it, run by the same people, Searcys. We booked our table via toptable (a fantastic website if you're dining in London) and were shown straight to a nice table, not too far from the bar and the jazz band that was setting up.

The food was quite simply excellent. My starter in particular (black pudding, smoked salmon, a poached egg and hollandaise) was so tasty that I salivate now just thinking about it. There was also a very good wine list where you didn't have to break the bank, although there was plenty of choice if you did want to! Service was also very good, although they let things down slightly at the end when we had to ask twice for the bill and then when it did come it was wrong. A shame as everything else that evening had been perfect. We'll certainly be going back - and I never imagined that I'd be saying that about a train station restaurant!

Lacock

On our way down to Somerset to visit the River Cottage Festival Mr C and I stopped off at Lacock Abbey which is a National Trust property in Wiltshire. 

I have to admit that we did choose where to visit somewhat at random from the guide book as we headed down the motorway, but as soon as we got there we were certainly happy with the choice we'd made.

The Abbey itself is now a country house that was originally a medieval abbey and was the home of William Henry Fox Talbot, the pioneer of photography. One of the things that the Abbey is best known for nowadays is as part of the film set for two of the Harry Potter films. Photos of the cloisters when used in the film certainly look recognisable, but I was a tad confused by the fact that the tops of the windows did look slightly different. A trick of computers, or actually another location? I'm not sure.

Unfortunately the weather was such that we ducked out of visiting the gardens, but we did talk a walk around Lacock village which is a delight in itself. The village dates back to the 13th Century and has remained largely unchanged since then. Hence it's no surprise to find out that the National Trust also owns the village. 

Several of the streets look very familiar and when you hear that Lacock is regularly used as a set of costume drama it's certainly makes sense. One of the most obvious things being the lack of electricity lines anywhere. The village has previously appeared in the BBC adaptations of Pride And Prejudice and Cranford. Certainly if the modern cars were removed you could certainly picture yourself in the past.

As I went through the village there was one particular thing that caught my eye though. I spotted the following sign over the entrance of the village hall and had to smile at the fantastic language that it uses. 

Fat Pig

No, not the pink variety with a funny nose and curly tail, but instead the play by American Neil LaBute. Fat Pig has been on at the Trafalgar Studios in central London since May and Mr C and I finally got round to going with some friends on Monday evening.

The play has quite a simple plot behind it. Thin bloke meets fat woman and starts dating her. His work colleague can't believe it and winds him up about it. His ex-girlfriend, who also happens to work with him, isn't at all impressed and kicks up quite a fuss when she finds out. All this additional pressure on the relationship puts things under strain and the key question has to be will be go with true love, or bow down to the pressure of those around him?

One of the main draws of the play has to be the cast. There are only four characters in the play and three of the actors playing them are well known from television. The main one, in my mind, was Kris Marshall who is best known for his role as Nick in My Family and is also well known for his current role as the "boyfriend" in the BT television adverts. He is quite simply a fantastic actor in my opinion was by far the best of the cast. He plans the character Carter perfectly and certainly made me laugh.

Appearing on stage along side him was Robert Webb, one half of comedy duo Mitchell and Webb. Now I do have to admit to not being such a huge Mitchell and Webb fan, but have to admit that his acting was very good in Fat Pig. It was interesting seeing him in a role that wasn't always after laughs from the audience / viewer.

The play overall wasn't as good as I hoped. I still enjoyed the evening, but Mr C wasn't too impressed. As it's set in America all the cast put on American accents that at times really distracted from the play itself. It seemed such as shame as I think the play could have very easily been re-set in the UK and the accents dropped.

Had the male cast members not been there then I think the play would be much poorer for it. Interesting therefore to see that this is actually the last week with the current cast and from later this month there will be two new male actors. Later in the year one of the female roles is also due to be taken over by Kelly Brook. I'm not too sure how that one will work out, but I guess time will tell. I'm just glad I saw the play when we did.

Dead Victorians

On Tuesday night Mr C and I headed down to the White Lion pub in St Albans where there is regular Tuesday night music.

Last night we were delighted to see Dead Victorians, a fantastic comedy group playing a variety of songs, some old and some new. The comedy lyrics are a key part of their act, along with an amazing variety of instruments that the band play. If you like the music of Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band or The Temperance Seven then you're in for a treat!

If you go to their MySpace page there are samples of some of their music. Some of the lyrics are a tad risque, but had everyone in the pub laughing out loud. Their website mentions a "phonographic recording" being in production - I'm certainly looking forward to that.

I'll leave you with one picture to puzzle over - below is a man playing a sheep. Yes, you did read that correctly! These guys have to be seen to be believed!

de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre

Another place that Mr C and I visited on Bank Holiday Monday was the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre just outside St Albans. This is somewhere that we've seen the signs for as we've been driving out ever since we moved here, but just never got round to visiting until now.

The museum quite simply tells the story of the de Havilland aircraft company that were based locally in Hatfield for many years. It is also home to the famous Mosquito Aircraft Museum which tells the story of the Mosquito and its role in the Second World War.

There were several things that caught my eye as I went round (in additional to the amazing engineering of the day). The first of these was the style of poster that was used to advertise things that many of us now don't even thing about - like aviation fuel!

The other thing that I loved were the retro-style interiors of many of the planes that were at the time used for executive travel.

How fashions have changed!

One thing that caught my eye that I did love was the drinks cabinet that I spotted in one plane, right next to the cockpit.

I have to finish though with the interior fabric from one of the planes. I know this is a tad tasteless but there was still something that just drew me towards it, probably the colour scheme.