Tuesday 26 April 2011

Left over but never left behind.


One of the greatest parts of holidays like Easter, other than seeing family and having 4-day weekends, is coming home/waking up the next day with the leftovers. This Easter I was back home having Roast Lamb with the family, but afterwards there was still half a leg left. So obviously I grabbed it and escaped back to the city before anyone noticed.


Crispy Lamb with Spring Greens


For this, the first step is to basically attack the lamb, tear it from the bone into little pieces. The more you fray the edges of the lamb at this point, the crispier it will get when cooked.
Add some oil to a frying pan, get it really really hot and then start frying the lamb for far longer than you think is wise, until nice and crispy. At this point you can add rosemary and garlic (although the lamb I had was already roasted with these in it, so no need to add)

While this is going on, peel and slice some potatoes, boil quickly and then chuck into another frying pan with some pepper and thyme, not long enough to get crispy, but just enough to get the flavour of the herbs
Finally, just before serving, roughly chop up the spring greens and toss with the lamb.

Worked nicely, definitely an excuse to roast some more lamb in the future (not that I really needed an excuse...)

Sunday 24 April 2011

Borough Market; a city treat



With food in London, especially to one who's working in the City, there's only one place to start: Borough Market. Borough Market is just off the south side of London Bridge and every Thursday through Saturday it serves up a variety of the best food London has to offer.

You get everything from towers of cheese;


To amazing meringuesAll served from stalls
And most of it cooked right in front of you...


So what is there to know?

Firstly, Borough Market is home to the best brownies in England. Bar none. I'm currently in the process of negotiating international shipping of these brownies just in case I ever have to move anywhere. Surrounded in a perfectly crumbly but firm crust, these brownies toe the line between cake and mousse

Now onto the real recommendations, and I'll give you a guide, coming in from my usual entrance of the stairs in the North East corner by the Cathedral


First thing I ever had there was the Paella, as seen above. It's a welcome sight coming down from the city proper into the depths of the market (have I mentioned that it's half covered by a railway track? Well more accurately, it's covered half by a railway track, and the other half is covered by a proper roof) and the smells of smokey Chorizo, the bright colours of the paella and the sound of people enjoying their food assaults you, while the Paella does not disappoint.

Passing this, you get to some good, if not amazing stalls with cakes, Pimms and a variety of sausage wraps (I recommend the Bratwurst, with extra Sauerkraut). After which comes the start of the free samples.

Now I recommend that anyone who likes a free day out not even take a wallet, you can have a very good meal on the free samples of cheese (the Compte from the stall who specialises in it is a must), sweets, meats, tea and other such glorious products.


There's also first flush tea which is completely without the tannic tang of the usual cuppa, a variety of fresh fish, including freshly cooked scallops in the half shell, more fresh fruit and veg than you could ever need (but will always want) and cakes galore. Just thinking about what is there makes me hungry





The key goal, however, should be the Mozzarella and Parma Ham salads. On first sight these seem plain and not worth a minute of your over-excited and slightly addled mind. However, the Parma Ham is some of the best I have ever had the fortune of eating, and the Mozzarella is without a doubt unmatched. Paired with a simple Rocket salad, salt, pepper and a fig perched on top, this is the ideal meal for a summers day.


That's not to say there is nothing for the colder days. Pieminister, the Fresh Pasta company and the variety of hot curries and sandwiches play their part too, and all must be tried to fully appreciate the range and beauty of Borough. However, little matches the feeling of sitting in the sun with friends having a glorious salad beneath Southwark Cathedral. Or stopping by Fish! after being lured in by their window of pickled treats



The best way to understand the fun of the market is to head on over one week and just absorb it all. Definitely one of the best places in London, and one of my favourite places to eat in the world.


Monday 18 April 2011

Introductions


Three Square Miles a Day, an awful pun, but it sums up my life and my world quite well. I'm a city worker, engaged in the deepest finance mines of London. I walk to and from the Square Mile every day, while watching the world go by as I pass through it. This is where I do most of my thinking, which is what inspired me to start this blog, and inspired the name.

Most of the thinking which happens on the way to and from my office is related to the most important things in life. What to eat, where to get it and how to improve it. This is what I hope to help provide in this blog. A little view of what life is like as someone who loves eating and drinking while living in London. Because of my job, I don't have much time to go out in the day, but I do it to (quite literally) feed my obsessions.

Food



and drink


The finer things in life.