I'll Leave This Here...

Forget chlorinated chicken, this looks like a bigger threat to me. pic.twitter.com/SqilWaWuT1

— El J Gáles (@eljgales2) July 1, 2020

Pasta and Sausage Meat Bake

I bought some sausage meat from my good chum Derek Stott (of D and D Family Butchers) and made a simple, but very tasty, pasta bake with it.

Ingredients

-Eliche pasta
-Sausage Meat
-Fennel seeds (crushed)
-Garlic (chopped)
-Chopped tomatoes
-Tomato purée
-Chicken stock
-Lentils
-Olive oil
-Parmesan
-Salt/pepper

Method

-Sauté the garlic and season in olive oil
-Add the meat
-Add tomatoes, lentils, stock, purée and fennel seeds
-Simmer for 30 minutes
-Cook the Eliche and tip into a casserole dish
-Add the sauce
-Sprinkle with Parmesan
-Bake for 25 minutes at 180

Enjoy!

The Love Sausage

Are you ready for our Love Sausage? Heart-shaped, lightly-truffled, wrapped in bacon and in store tomorrow. Say it with sausages – tag who you’ll be sharing your Love Sausage with this Valentine's Day! #MyMarksFave pic.twitter.com/VPQi4ENnsn

— M&S (@marksandspencer) February 7, 2019

Gluten Free Sausages

When I was buying my supplies of sausages, bacon and kidneys the other day from my chum Derek Stott, of D and D Family Butchers, I got to talking with him about the gluten free pork sausages that he also makes.

They contain no bread/rusk to bind them so the meat content is higher than a normal sausage.

Out of curiosity I bagged a couple of them as well, jut to test out.

As you can see from the video, in their uncooked state they are much pinker than a normal pork sausage.

I cooked them in the butter that I had sautéed my kidneys in the day before, for added lusciousness.

I had my doubts, when cooking them, that given the absence of binding agent they would fall apart or split. However, as you can see, they held their form and shape perfectly.

The texture was more crumbly than a normal sausage, but the flavour was most porkisome!

Bacon and Sausages

Not everyone may realise but in addition to excellent cuts of meat, my chum Derek Stott (of D and D Family Butchers) also makes his own sausages on the premises (eg Kempton Breakfast, Pork, Lincolnshire etc).

I regularly buy his Lincolnshire sausages (a flavoursome mix of pork, and herbs) with, naturally, smoked back bacon.

Here is a fry up feast, where all the ingredients (apart from the fried bread and eggs) are roasted in the oven in the same roasting tray in olive oil.

I think it's resonantly self explanatory from the video as to what to do.

The result, when washed down with two cans of Red Stripe, is marvellous!

Chef Sam's Sausage Fest at The Independent Brighton

The Sir Charles Napier Menu Offer

I would just like to give one of our very special local pubs The Sir Charles Napier another positive mention.

The menu now offers two main courses for £12 on certain nights.

Eva and I went there last night, and had a splendid meal of a shared bowl of scampi, followed by sausage and mash for Eva whilst I had the gammon with duck eggs and chips.

As always the food, in terms of quality and cooking, was first class.

Chef Craig and his colleague Olivia (who was on duty last night) are a good team, and the Napier is a great place to sample their food.

The Townhouse Kemptown

Restaurant

The Townhouse
81-82 St James St
Kemptown
Brighton
BN2 1PA

Tel: 01273 693216

Website The Townhouse

Overview

Eva and popped into The Townhouse in Kemptown the other day for an impromptu lunch.

The Townhouse is relatively new, and is both a bar and restaurant.

It offers contemporary British food (cooked by a head chef who hails from The Dorchester) in a relaxed atmosphere.

Ambience

The Townhouse is a cheerful and bright venue, it has "rustic" wooden tables and brick faced walls. Aside from a dining area, it has a lounge bar and a piano room where you can sit around the Baby Grand Piano on bar stools while drinking!

Menu

The menu offers a good selection of British cuisine including; smoked haddock, roasted cod, crab, steak, rack of lamb and belly of pork.

Service

The service was excellent, efficient and friendly. I was even offered a choice of wood or plastic toothpicks (a first!), which shows great attention to detail.

Food

I had the pork belly, which was slow roasted and served with an apple mash and prune jus. I was very impressed with this dish, the pork was a good sized tasty cut/join,t and the crackling was crispy. The mash was not overpowered by the apple, and went well with the meat.

Eva had one of the specials, beef sausages and mash. This was very good, four thick tasty sausages atop a bed of mash served with a gravy.

The meal, which included some quality beers and very large brandies, came to around £40 from memory (I have lost the receipt!).

Overall Opinion

A very enjoyable meal, and I have no hesitation in recommending this venue. We will certainly be returning, this time for dinner.

Sir Charles Napier Pub

Sir Charles Napier Pub

My compliments to the Sir Charles Napier pub (50 Southover Street, Brighton tel 0872 148 6009) one of our numerous locals, which is serving top notch sausage and mash.

Eva and I went there last Friday evening for a drink, and to try their sausage and mash.

For a price of £5.95 there is a choice of several meat and vegetarian sausages (locally sourced), three types of mash and even three types of gravy.

For the money you get three good sized sausages atop a pile of homemade (not packet) mash, with a good quality gravy.

First class food and good value.

The pub itself is cosy, and very welcoming.

Aside from sausage and mash, they also serve pizzas, sausage rolls and sausage baps.

Well worth a visit for a drink and a plate of sausage and mash (served until 9PM).

Taylors and Jones

Taylors and Jones

Those of you who live in Stockholm and hanker after English sausages, pork pies and good cuts of beef should pay a visit to Taylors and Jones at Hantverkargatan 12 in Kungsholmen (www.taylors.se).

Eva and I pooped into their shop last week, where they sell sausages to restaurants, pubs and individuals. They also sell Christmas turkeys, many varieties of meat and British specialities such as sausage rolls, meat pies, haggis and black & white pudding.

The meat is of good quality, the beef is hung for 30 days, and the Lincolnshire and Cumberland sausages that we bought and barbecued were excellent (as was the sausage roll that we munched on the way home).

It is not cheap, but certainly worth a visit if you want to treat yourself.

Festival of English Food

Festival of English Food

Wednesday 23rd April is St George's Day.

To celebrate the day Borough Market will temporarily set up shop in Trafalgar Square, together with food inspired street theatre and cabaret performances, in a Festival of English Food.

Stalls from Borough Market include:

-Wrights Oysters oysters and shellfish from Cornwall
-Shell Seekers Dorset diver caught scallops and shellfish
-Furness Fish & Poultry Morecombe Bay shrimp
-Farmer Sharp Herwick lamb
-Mrs King Melton Mowbray pies and Cornish pasties
-The Ginger Pig sausage rolls
-Northfield Farm, Beef
-Sillfield Farm Westmorland wild boar and pork
-Chegworth Valley Apple juice
-Flour Power City bread and scones
-Neal’s Yard Dairy Cheese
-England Preserves London’s best jam and pickles
-The Veggie Table vegetarian food, ginger beer and lemonade
-Flour Station Chelsea buns and Eccles cakes
-Burnt Sugar traditional cakes and bakes
-Secretts Direct Surrey vegetables
-Ceylon 1 London’s finest Tea
-Booth’s Flower Stall red rose and oakleaf

Restaurant 7 Portes

Restaurant 7 Portes
Paseig Isabel II
Barcelona
Spain

Phone 93 319 30 33

Website www.7portes.com

Overview

Whilst Eva and I were on holiday in Spain we took the opportunity to study the hotel guidebook of recommended restaurants, and Eva came across the Restaurant 7 Portes.

Here is how they describe themselves on their website:

"Originally called "Cafe de les 7 Portes", this establishment opened in 1836. Its over 150 years of excellence since then have made today's "Restaurant de les 7 Portes" the most classic of Barcelona's eating-places. It is housed in the "Portics d'en Xifre", a building declared a national monument that was, incidentally, the first place in Barcelona where running water was installed and the back drop for the first photograph ever taken in Spain, In 1942, it became the property of Paco Parellada, founder of one of the fore most dynasties of restaurateurs in all of Catalonia.

At "7 Portes", any time without interruption from one in the afternoon to one in the morning every day of the year, you can enjoy the finest Catalan cooking in an intimate setting or in one of the spacious banquet halls, accompanied by Spain's best wines and "cavas" (sparking wines) from the well-stocked cellar."

With a write up like that we simply had to go along and try it out for ourselves.

By the way, the list of famous diners is quite entertaining eg; Bo Derek, John Wayne and Yoko Ono have all dined there.

Ambience

We went along on a Friday evening, rather boldly without booking. We were a tad concerned on arriving to see that there was a queue of people waiting outside the restaurant, being marshaled by a doorman and head waiter. The restaurant, as could be seen through the window, was very large but also very full. The question dominating our thoughts was whether we would get in or not.

Within two minutes of arriving in the queue, the head waiter appeared and took our names and placed them on a list. Less than five minutes later, he came out again and called us to a table.

Excellent!

Quite clearly the flow through of people, and size of the restaurant means that waiting times are not at all excessive. The additional plus point being that 7 Portes is open until 1:00. However, I would recommend that if you are in a large group you make a reservation, just to be on the safe side.

The 7 Portes has a number of private dining rooms (accommodating from between 2 to 70 people) and the main public dining room, which is fashioned in the style of a grand Victorian cafe. Absolutely delightful, bright, cheerful, stylish and full of energy and life. Cafe style dining of the "old school".

The tables were laid with linen clothes and napkins, and the waiters dressed in the white uniforms reminiscent of ships' stewards. All adding to the atmosphere.

Menu

The menu offered a magnificent selection of Catalan dishes including; ham, "Esqueixada" (salt cod salad), cannelloni, salt cod fritters, Black rice Emporda style (with cuttle-fish and its ink), paella, Senyor Cortina's oven-baked langoustines, black or white sausage with haricot beans, roast suckling pig, roast shoulder of kid etc.

The portions were of the hearty variety, I am pleased to say.

I was therefore quite concerned to observe the English gentleman on the table next to us, meandering around a most excellent and succulent sirloin steak in a most unsatisfactory manner. This place is not for people with poor, unhealthy appetites.

Service

The service was absolutely first class, efficient, friendly and polite. As already noted, we were handled very professionally at the door even though we had not made a reservation. Our waitress was absolutely delightful, complementing me on my incredibly poor grasp of the basics of the Spanish language (yes, I am easily flattered).

She was also very helpful with regard to Eva's special request for a paella without seafood but with some chicken, this was no problem at all (even though it wasn't on the menu).

Full marks, we couldn't have had better service.

Food

I started with the cannelloni, which was made in the "Spanish way" with pork. I have to say, this was a delightful starter; a good sized portion of pork mince flavoured with herbs, rolled in pasta bathed (not drowned) in a light bechamel sauce.

Splendid!

I chose the roast shoulder of kid for my main course. This was heaven on a plate. A truly magnificent joint of meat was presented to me, slow cooked so that the meat fell off the bone but cooked in manner that the meat was not dry. It had been infused with rosemary, which complimented and brought out the flavour of the kid magnificently. It came with saute potatoes and assorted vegetables.

I thoroughly recommend this dish.

Eva chose the Torronada for her starter. This was rather a jolly dish consisting of fried egg and ham, served atop a mound of fried mashed potato. I thought this rather reminiscent of an English breakfast, which in my view often makes rather a good starter for dinner.

Eva then had the specially made paella, which was a vegetable based paella with chicken pieces. It was both filling and flavoursome, a nice version of paella if you or your stomach is a little tired of seafood.

The meal, including a bottle of Torres Del Veguer, came to 93Euros.

Overall Opinion

In our view this is one of the best restaurants we have dined, in whilst in Barcelona. It has everything that you could could wish for; ambience, good service, good food and energy.

Under no circumstances miss out on the opportunity of dining there, if you ever have the good fortune to be visiting Barcelona.

We most certainly will be coming back!

Sedna

Sedna
Paseo Colon 5
Barcelona
Spain

Phone 93 268 9372

Website www.restaurantesedna.com

Overview

As noted earlier, Eva and I spent our summer vacation in Barcelona this year. Here is another place that we dined in during our time there in July.

We were ambling around late one evening and came across Sedna, which afforded us the opportunity to eat outside.

Restaurante Sedna is located on the ground floor of an 18th century building, that has been catalogued by UNESCO as Gothic Catalan art heritage. It is in front of Port Vell (Old Port) in the oldest part of the Barcelona sea facade, and is surrounded by monuments and historical buildings eg; the Colon's Monument (1888), the Church of La Merced (XII centure), the Duke of Medinaceli Place (1851), the Militar Government (1847), the Post Office Building (1927), the Via Layetana Street and the Palau Place.

It is, according to the restaurant website, the place where Don Miguel de Cervantes author of the novel Don Quijote de la Mancha went to write when he lived in Paseo Colon.

Sedna has both inside dining, for 45 persons, and outside dining for 52 persons in the terrace.

Ambience

Sedna was lively and busy, both in the terrace and inside, even though it was quite late (around 23:00).

The atmosphere was friendly, the terrace comfortable, pleasant and the tables laid with linen clothes.

Despite the fact that it was quite late, and that it was busy, there was no problem in finding a table and ordering a meal at a leisurely unhurried pace.

Menu

The menu offered a variety of Spanish dishes ranging from Tapas to main courses of meat, fish and paella. I would note that in contrast to some of the other restaurants that we visited the food, although Spanish, had been given more of an "international" twist in its presentation/style (ie more attention to presentation, and slightly less hearty than some other establishments).

The menu included such dishes as; goat's milk cheese & lettuce salad with honey and pine nuts vinaigrette, salad of mozarella bufala and pesto with tomatoes and small lettuces, Iberico cured ham, Magret of duck roasted with apples and Calvados, entrecote with small vegetables, ham croquettes, mussels vinaigrette style and grilled small blood sausages with onions etc.

Service

The service was very friendly, attentive and efficient; I could not fault it. Our waiter was happy to have chat with us about Barcelona and the food.

Food

I started with the Gazpacho soup, which was refreshing and piquant.

I chose the lamb for my main course. This consisted of four lamb cutlets served with vegetables and potatoes. The lamb was perfect, tender and succulent cooked just right. However, since I had been spoilt on my holiday, and had enjoyed some rather hearty portions of meat in other establishments, I couldn't help but feel that another couple of cutlets would have been in order. That, of course, is just me being greedy!

Eva opted for a selection of Tapas dishes that evening; croquettes, hams, chorizos and cheese. All of which were of good quality and fresh.

The meal, including a bottle of Vinasol, came to 91Euros.

Overall Opinion

Sedna is a good quality restaurant, located in a nice part of town. It is worth a visit should you happen to be in the area.

Trobador

Trobador
Rambla Catalunya 2
Barcelona
Spain

Phone 93 318 40 41

Website www.restaurantetrobador.com

Overview

On our first evening in Barcelona, Eva and I were wandering around acclimatising ourselves and looking for somewhere to eat. It was late, around 11:00pm, so we were quite peckish by this stage.

We chanced upon a very lively venue called Trobador.

Trobador is a bar and restaurant that serves a variety of Spanish dishes, grills and Tapas in an informal atmosphere.

Ambience

Trobador was very lively and packed bar/restaurant; well lit, bright, cheerful and bustling. We didn't think that we would be able to find a table. However, we were assured that if we waited for ten minutes, at the bar, a table would be found.

I am delighted to say that they kept their word, and a table was found for us within five minutes.

Menu

The menu offered a good selection of Spanish dishes ranging from Tapas to main courses of meat, fish and paella.

Service

The service was very efficient and courteous. However, I would suggest that maybe our waitress could learn to smile a little more readily.

Food

This being Spain, I started with the egg and chips...don't laugh, I was hungry and wondered how they would present them.

I have to say I was rather impressed, two large eggs sprinkled with chili powder were presented atop a pile of fries.

I rather enjoyed this dish, despite Eva castigating me for being so "British":)

I chose the Catalan sausage and beans for my main course. This consisted of a most excellent, large and porky herbed sausage served with cannellini beans. An ideal meal for the weary traveller.

Eva started with the Iberian ham, which was a generous portion of local smoked ham.

She then had a selection of sausages and sauteed potatoes. The sausages were first class, one being spicy the others being variations on the version of mine.

An absolutely splendid introduction to our holiday.

The meal included a bottle of Chablis, unfortunately I have lost the bill. However, I can assure you it was less than 60Euros.

Overall Opinion

A great place, good fun and good food; give it a go!

Barcelona

Barcelona

Eva and I have just returned from a most excellent and enjoyable holiday in Barcelona, where we tried out some more superb local restaurants.

We also had time to pop into a couple of old haunts, and are happy to say that they were as good as before.

el Yantar de la ribera, which specialises in oven roast baby lamb, was again absolutely superb; we had a sumptuous meal of peppers, sausages and lamb (wine, food and liqueurs came to 105Euros).

Mi Burrito y Yo (My Donkey and I), a charming and lively steak house, was also a pleasure to revisit. We had a lovely meal of tortilla, soup, succulent barbecued chicken and barbecued pork; including wine, this came to 78Euros.

I will update the site with details of the other restaurants that we visited over the coming days.

The Surrey Cricketers

The Surrey Cricketers
23 West Street
Croydon
Surrey
CR0 1DJ

Phone- 0208 288 1781

We held my father's post funeral drink and buffet in the Surrey Cricketers yesterday. I was more than pleased with the catering and ambiance.

The pub is one of the few traditional pubs that you can still find in central Croydon, the walls and ceilings are adorned with nick nacks and memorabilia.

It is "V" shaped, and has a games area in one part and a very cosy comfortable lounge area (with leather sofas and a fire) in the "V" part.

There is not a hint of "theming" as practiced by other establishments. The atmosphere of the pub is cosy and inviting.

The landlady, Debbie Brooks, prepared a magnificent buffet for the funeral party which included; sausage rolls, Cumberland sausages, ham sandwiches, smoked salmon sandwiches, prawn sandwiches, egg sandwiches, vol au vents, pork pies, scotch eggs, a variety of quiches, chicken legs, dips, cheeses and coffee.

The food was excellent; it was good quality, freshly prepared, tasty, reasonably priced and more than generous.

I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending the Surrey Cricketers for a drink, or for catering.

My thanks to Debbie for looking after us so well yesterday.

A Good Laugh

A Good Laugh

My compliments to the excellent waitress of Tennstopet (Stockholm), who gave Eva and I a good laugh the other day when we were having lunch there.

I attempted to use my limited Swedish and asked if there was Falukorv on the menu (a Swedish sausage), the waitress looked puzzled and I repeated myself; she then apologised profusely, and said that they had no Novalucol.

Clearly my pronunciation really is appalling. I will stick to English in future.

I wondered why Eva was laughing, and she explained that Novalucol is in fact a stomach medicine.

Clearly I did not look my best that lunchtime!

Anyway, all was finally explained and good laugh was had by all. Unfortunately there was no Falukorv either, so instead I opted for a whole Irish crab; which was excellent!

Odin's

Restaurant

Odin's
27 Devonshire Street
London
W1

Phone:- 0207 935 7296

Website www.langansrestaurants.co.uk

Overview

Eva and I went up to London the other day to try out one of the Langan's chain of restaurants, Odin's. It was founded by the late bon viveur Peter Langan, who partied hard, as per the New York Times:

"Langan was burned in a fire at his home in October 1988 and died on the 8th of December 1988 at the age of 47.

Mr. Langan, whose Langan's Brasserie in Mayfair was a favorite with entertainers, was co-owner with the actor Michael Caine."

Odin's tries to stay true to his memory by serving indulgent food in a relaxed atmosphere.

Odin's serves hearty 2 and 3 course set meals that are English and French in inspiration. It is rumoured to be well liked by celebrities, keen to avoid the unwanted attention of the public and paparazzi.

You should note that it is not open at the weekends.

Ambience

The restaurant is a joy in itself to visit, as it houses a remarkable collection of artwork copiously hung throughout the walls of the restaurant. The walls are adorned with pieces by Hockney and Patrick Proctor, in fact the walls are positively groaning under the weight of the artwork hanging there.

The restaurant is luxurious, yet cosy and intimate, the tables are laid with linen cloths and napkins, and the seats soft and comfortable. Indeed our table was furnished with two rather fine low back armchairs, which definitely encouraged one to linger.

We had booked for 8:30PM, the restaurant was not that busy and indeed seemed a little "hushed". However, as the evening progressed a few more people entered and the mood livened up.

Menu

The menu offered an excellent range of French/English cuisine which can be taken in the form of two or three set courses. The dishes are changed regularly. However, on the evening that were were there the menu included; roast duck, stuffed guinea fowl, grilled seabream, veal, smoked eel and sausage and mash.

Service

The staff were highly professional and efficient. However, they were at first a little stiff not smiling as naturally/genuinely as they could have done. They did "loosen" up as the evening progressed, and managed to smile more warmly towards the end.

Food

I started with the tortellini with prosciutto ham in a tomato and garlic sauce. This was a highly enjoyable dish, small parcels of tortellini wrapped around delicately flavoured ham accompanied by an exquisite tomato and garlic sauce. A perfect combination of taste and texture, not overpowered by the sauce. I was more than pleased with this as a starter.

I chose the roast duck for my main course. This was undoubtedly, and I do not exaggerate here, one of the best ducks that I have had in a long time. The duck had been well cooked so that no blood oozed forth when I cut into it, yet it was still moist and flavoursome, the skin crispy and moreish.

I would also emphasise that the duck portion was a very good size indeed, consisting of; leg, thigh and a very large breast. A far cry for some of the dry disappointments that have been served to me in other establishments. It was accompanied by a very generous portion of home made sage and onion stuffing and apple sauce; these were ideal accompaniments for this noble bird.

Eva started with the seared scallops in saffron sauce. She was absolutely delighted with her choice, as the scallops were tender and beautifully complimented by the delicate sauce.

She chose the breast of guinea fowl, stuffed with bacon and tarragon in a Madeira sauce for her main course. A true delight, the breast had been cooked to perfection and the taste when combined with the stuffing was unctuous.

Our main courses were accompanied by paprika potatoes and carrots.

Rather unusually I decided also to have a dessert, and went for the date and ginger pudding. This was superb, a strong ginger flavour matched by an unbelievable sweetness.

Eva had the creme brulee which was a real treat, a crispy caramlelised top contrasting against the moist decadent underside.

The meal, which included a bottle of Chablis and liqueurs, came to £131 including service.

Opinion

A first class restaurant which is well worth a visit. We are more than happy to recommend it.

Restaurang Moldau

Restaurant

Moldau
Bergsunds Strand 33-35
117 38 Stockholm
Sweden

Phone (46) (8) 84 75 48

Overview

Eva and I are in Stockholm this week, and the other night tried out Restaurang Moldau; an Austrian restaurant and bar, which serves traditional Austrian food.

Ambience

Moldau is quite large, and is fashioned in the manner of a rustic Austrian country bar and eatery. Heavy craved wooded tables and chairs, with soft cushions scattered around, set off by traditional decorations hanging on the walls. It is an exceptionally cosy and inviting environment.

Unfortunately for us, it was the day before Mid Summer, and as such there were only two other people in it.

It offered a very pleasant atmosphere for an intimate evening, or for a larger gathering with friends.

Menu

The menu offered a good selection of Austrian food including; Weiner Schnitzel, sausages, ham hocks and Goulash soup.

Service

The owner was pleasant and efficient, offering me three different types of potatoes to go with my schnitzel.

Food

Eva started with a salted pretzel and green pepper, as she did not want to spoil her appetite.

I started with the Goulash soup, which was excellent. It was well flavoured, but not too spicy, and contained a generous portion of meat and potatoes.

I asked for eggs with my Wiener Schnitzel, which initially caused a "sorry we can't do that reaction" until I said Holstein Schnitzel (the official Austrian name for the dish) then there was no problem.

The dish consisted of a very generous cut of veal breaded and fried, it literally could not fit on the plate. It came with two fried eggs, two different types of potato salad and saute potatoes.

The meal was absolutely first class, the meat was tender and flavoursome and the potatoes excellent.

It is fair to say that I was well sated.

Eva's schnitzel, sans eggs, was equally large and delicious. It came with rosti potatoes.

The meal, which included a bottle of good Austrian wine and a schnapps, came to 884SEK before service.

Overall Opinion

A splendid restaurant, we heartily recommend it.

The Balmoral Christmas Day Brunch

The Balmoral Christmas Day Brunch

Eva and I stayed at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh over Christmas, and partook of their special Christmas Day Brunch on the 25th.

It was superb!

We dined in one of the function rooms that had been specially set aside for the brunch, and were warmly and cheerfully greeted by all the staff.

A glass of welcoming champagne whetted our appetites for the buffet feast to follow. This included:

• Cereals, juices and yoghurts



• Hams, smoked salmon and prawns



• Scrambled eggs, Ayreshire back bacon, black pudding, tomatoes, Musk sausages (the Queen eats these when she stays in Holyrood), saute potatoes and mushrooms



• Strawberries, chocolates and bread

We tucked in with gusto, I was even offered a plate of sausages to take back to the room for snacking on later.

At £37 per head, the brunch doesn't come cheap. However, Christmas is but once a year!