Broken Mountain - Edinburgh Restaurant Reviews

Iris - a late night dining experience

2011-06-26T21:05:00.000+01:00

I like to eat early, mainly because I also tend to crash out early and then get up early. So the idea of booking dinner at 9pm at night horrified me. The latest I've ever booked a table for has been, reluctantly, 8 o'clock. My other half, however, was golfing, so we had little choice but to wait for 18 holes to finish, and for him and his golfing buddy to drive into town. A nice excuse for a G&T for the golfing widows whilst we waited for them in The Bon Vivant. Then we sauntered next door to Iris for dinner. And it was packed to the gunnels - even when we left.

Who knew so many people liked to eat so late?

Wine List

Not bad actually. Nothing horrifically expensive, which is always nice. We had a couple of bottles of rioja and resisted the temptation to go for Kir Royales. *sigh*

Food

Pretty good! I had a chorizo, apple and spanish black pudding combo for starters - classic but perfect. 2 others had prawns - both said they'd had better. But I think we were all jealous of the gigantic spring rolls on the fourth plate.

One of the specials was Rose veal. 4 of us wanted it but when 3 of us ordered, the fourth thought he'd better be different and plumped for steak. The veal was excellent, the steak looked great. All were cooked to perfection and accompanied by some stunning chips with chilli mayonnaise.

And so to dessert - ice cream all round, with sticky toffee pudding accompanying 1 of them. Exactly what I was after at this late hour.

Overall Rating

I'll be going back - a thoroughly enjoyable meal. I'll book for earlier next time though!

What can you get for £50 nowadays?

2011-04-18T20:47:00.000+01:00

Even a tank of petrol costs more than that. But £50 can get you a 2 course meal for 2 including generous tip at A Room in Leith (bring your own wine). So - the verdict? Excellent value for money!

Location

A Room in Leith is on Dock Place, just off Commercial Road. Some may remember it in it's past guise as 'The Waterfront'. The setup is much the same as I recall from those days - a bar (Teuchters Landing) at the front, and the restaurant area in a conservatory like room at the back. The location, especially on a sunny early spring evening, is great. The restaurant itself is airy and rather lively, so if you are looking for an intimate meal you may be disappointed. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Wine List

I didn't really pay much attention to the wine list to be honest, although the Buitenverwachting Sauvignon Blanc caught my eye. You see the beauty of 'A Room in ...' is that you can bring your own wine. Corkage is £3 for wine and £4 for fizz. We decided on a Felton Road Calvert 2008 Pinot Noir - and very nice it was too.

Food

The menu is not huge, but the choice is great. Usually I end up having some kind of goats cheese tart, but thankfully there wasn't even a hint of goats cheese to be seen! Forced into being more adventurous I chose the (vegetarian) Haggis, Neeps and Tatties to start, whilst my husband selected the Stornoway black pudding scotch egg. The Haggis was elegant and tasty, and the mustard sauce a great accompaniment. The scotch egg looked (and I am assured also tasted) fabulous. The egg was perfectly runny, the black pudding perfect. And it was a large portion. I. was. jealous.

The mains again took some deciding. Would I be adventurous and go for the roast rabbit loin? Or the monkfish? Or the mixed grill of Pork? Would I be safe and plump for the Steak and Chips? Or the Chicken? In the end the Pan seared, spice encrusted monkfish on a bed of grilled asparagus, with chorizo won. The 2nd main was the Black Isle lager battered North Sea haddie fillets with hand-cut chips, peas and tartare sauce. Both the haddock and the monkfish were incredibly fresh, cooked perfectly and very tasty. The presentation for the monkfish was also impeccable. As we started to eat the mains, we agreed we must come back here more often. A side dish of al dente vegetables and boiled new potatoes accompanied the food.

No desserts, as we were tired from a weekend of walking and gardening. But so many to choose from! How long will it be before we have to come back to try the Sticky Toffee Pudding? Not long, I would guess.

Overall Rating

Excellent value food, great quality and lovely presentation. Service was also good, even though the restaurant was very busy. This was a meal which exceeded our expectations. We shall return.

Oh dear ...

2011-04-07T18:39:00.001+01:00

Nothing posted for over a year? I have to rectify this. But I have to say I haven't really been eating out anywhere posh recently either. I must also rectify that! Watch out for a review of A Room in Leith coming up in a week or two.

In the meantime I would also recommend La Garrigue where we recently had a very lovely, and typically French country kitchen / slow food experience.

Restaurant Review: 21212

2010-04-18T07:34:00.011+01:00

I've been wanting to go to 21212 for some months now, and earlier this year it gained it's Michelin star. The concept of a restaurant which offers only a choice of 2 starters, mains and desserts, with 1 soup and cheese in between is, I admit, slightly scary for a somewhat fussy eater like myself. However I had looked at sample menus before, and almost every dish appealed to me.

Atmosphere

The dining room is small and intimate. It reminded me of a 21st century Witchery in style - plush and opulent but at the same time light, modern and airy. Not at all oppressive.

Wine List

The wine list is not particularly extensive, but very well chosen. To start we had 2 glasses of Henriot NV, followed by a bottle of Dry River Syrah 2004 (one of our favourite NZ syrahs, and not that easy to get in the UK).

Food

With a limited choice it's not surprising that we both ate the same meal from start to finish. Each dish had about 10 to 15 ingredients, most of which I have forgotten. Even the bread (saffron with spice) was complex.

To start we had a new zealand lamb curry. This, we agreed, was delicious. Each of the many flavours was perfectly and delicately balanced. The lentil dahl was delicious. Easily the best curry I've eaten and an excellent start to the meal.

Then came the soup. This was a celeriac cream (or froth) with puréed vegetables. Again delicious, but more of an amuse bouche in size rather than a soup.

For the main we chose duck - smoked and breast, with a custard tart and, bizarrely, a spicy sausage. Overall the dish was nice, but a bit disjointed as the flavours didn't all mesh with each other. The sausage in particular seemed at odds with the rest of the dish.

Cheese next: a lovely blue cheese which went particularly well with the sweet biscuits; a soft, brie-like cheese from champagne; a couple of harder cheeses. The array of biscuits that came with the platter was fantastic and ranged from sweet wafer like ones through to thick oatmeal. What surprised me most about this course was the size of it - unlike the soup this was a big serving.

Finally the sweet. But before that a small palate cleansing porridge milk - delicious. We spurned the lemon curd and instead selected apple crumble. Both desserts came in glasses. A tokaji and a sweet shiraz accompanied this course. The crumble was delicious - a layered glass of creamy heaven.

Overall Rating

We retired upstairs for coffee in the drawing room afterwards - a relaxing way to end a great meal. If I had to be picky I would say that the main course didn't live up to the other 4 courses, and the balance of the meal was slightly skewed by the size of the soup and the cheese. Overall though - fantastic restaurant, great service, especially from the sommelier, great atmosphere, and fab company! I'll definitely be going again.

Restaurant Reviews: Italian Lunches & Prosecco

2010-02-14T14:27:00.009Z

What better way to spend Sunday than to go out for lunch, drink some Prosecco and watch some rugby? Well, Scotland could actually win for a change, but apart from that ...

So a couple of quick reviews! Last week we were at Centotre on George Street, and today back to our old favourite VinCaffé

Centotre

We hadn't eaten at Centrotre since it opened many years ago, but we wanted to treat friends for lunch and thought this would be a good choice before heading off to a pub to watch the rugby.

Drinks first: Prosecco Col del Sas Extra Dry @ £26 per bottle: still too sweet for my taste, but good at lunchtime. Our good intentions vanished quickly as we drank 2 bottles ...

And now the starters: Mozzarella was ordered and came without the promised tomatoes (which were definitely on our menu but do not appear online ...). With no argument, tomatoes were added. The Bresaola was very nice, as was the Bruschetta.

For mains most of us selected the veal. This was good, but we had to ask for lemon, without which the dish would have been bland. Once again the service was great though, and lemon slices were brought from the bar. The sirloin was also good.

Eager to get a seat somewhere for the rugby, we skipped dessert.

Conclusions: the meal was OK, but I was very disappointed not to be offered fresh parmesan - I can't remember the last time that happened in an Italian restaurant. And lemon with the veal would have been nice.

As a quick aside, we ended up in Hudsons bar, which was not only an excellent place to watch the rugby (read: we got a seat and it wasn't that busy!), but they also had a fantastically dry prosecco at £17 a bottle. Unfortunately I can't remember the name, but if you are in the area ...

VinCaffé

We go to VinCaffé for lunch at least once a year, usually at Christmas. We also try and avoid the conveyor belt feel and bland menus often associated with Valentines day meals. So a table was booked, and it was confirmed that nothing at all special was happening at lunchtime - just the usual menu. Perfect!

For starters we had deep fried cauliflower and peppers, and fishcakes, washed down with a glass of Ferrari Prosecco. Both were excellent!

My main course, accompanied with a glass of La Poja Allegrini, was Pasta with pork Lucanica sausage, tomato, mushrooms and cream - seriously good pasta, and complemented perfectly by the wine. My hubby elected to try Quails with polenta and roasted butternut squash, with a glass of Gaja 1999. Incredible wine, and apparently the food wasn't bad either!

Only 1 dessert: a delicious lemon and ricotta cheesecake.

Once again, VinCaffé does not let us down. The food was excellent, compared to the food at Centotre which didn't quite hit the same standards.

And as for the rugby ... it's just a shame the Italians couldn't finish the day off perfectly (we'll not talk about yesterdays result ...)

Scotland's New Michelin Star Restaurants

2010-01-16T07:18:00.004Z

Yes it's that time of year again - 3 new michelin stars for Scotland:

* Kinloch Lodge, Skye (not been there)
* The Peat Inn, Fife (fantastic food)
* 21212, Edinburgh - this was going to be the next place I eat out anyway. I may have to go sooner than intended now!

Edinburgh also now has more starred restaurants outside London than any other city in the UK. This makes me happy.

For more information see:

* The Scotsman
* EatOut Magazine

New Zealand Restaurants - A Selection

2010-01-05T07:27:00.010Z

We've just come back to the snow after 1 month in New Zealand visiting family, walking and, of course, finding the time to fit in a few meals out. A quick review of the few restaurants we managed to get to:

Andiamo, Auckland
The Botswana Butchery, Wanaka
The Bunker, Queenstown
Fergburger, Queenstown
Salt Bar and Restaurant, Whitianga

Andiamo, Herne Bay, Auckland

On arrival, we wanted to go out for a nice meal - cue some internet research and local knowledge. We had many candidates but Andiamo was one our hosts had never been to, was getting good reviews from friends, and had a good wine list.

The restaurant itself had a busy bar just off the main restaurant area and patio dining for those brave enough (it wasn't yet quite warm enough for us at the start of December).

Starters were good: a couple of feta salads, some scallops and calamari. The mains were hapuka, tuna, lamb and beef. Again all solidly presented. This was washed down with a nice Dry River Riesling. 2 desserts were ordered and 2 came (but not the ones ordered). Result: 2 free chocolate desserts and another 2 sticky toffee puddings. On receipt of the bill, we found we had been charged for 2 bottles of wine not 1, but it all got worked out in the end. Time for a walk home through the Ponsonby drunks, out celebrating Christmas early (just like being at home!).

Verdict? Good enough, but too pricey for what it is; certainly not the best Auckland has to offer, and perhaps trying a bit too hard; waiting staff need to pay more attention to the customers rather than their friends! We weren't disappointed with our meal, but neither were we blown over.

The Botswana Butchery, Post Office Lane, Wanaka

After over 1 week of hard walking in the South Island, we marked our last evening in Wanaka with a meal at The Botswana Butchery. This restaurant, albeit the Queenstown branch, was recommended by family who had visited a few weeks ago, but was already on our list to visit.

Starters consisted of Buttermilk and Herb Prawn Cutlets and French Onion Soup. The cutlets were demolished quickly, but the soup took a bit longer - it was delicious, thick, very filling and with lots of bread! A good start to the meal.

After a suitable interval our main courses arrived: 1 sirloin with Bearnaise, and 1 venison. Both were a very good size, and delicious. The cabbage and bacon side we ordered went well with both, and there was plenty of it. The wine list had plenty of wine available by the glass so we tried a couple of Otago Pinots.

For dessert it was 1 excellent crème brulee (the soup was so filling I was practically full after my starter!).

By now the sun was setting, the few clouds that had been lingering over the mountains had disappeared, and so it was off to see Mount Aspiring at sunset - glorious.

Verdict: great food; attentive service; good atmosphere and wine list; great views! Highly recommended.

The Bunker, Cow Lane, Queenstown

Part of me doesn't want to write this review - if I keep it secret then it might remain something special.

There is a Botswana Butchery in Queenstown, but we had heard tell of something else - a small windowless restaurant which used to be used to tune skis, hidden in Cow Lane below a more easily discovered bar of the same name: The Bunker. Again family had visited a few weeks before and recommended it to us, for which we must be thankful! We phoned ahead and reserved a table, and upon arrival found ourselves in a cosy windowless room with only 6 or 7 tables and a roaring log fire, kept well stoked all night.

Starters were duly ordered, along with a bottle of the stunning, and reasonably priced, Wooing Tree Pinot Noir. I had a terrine of pheasant and duck liver parfait with walnut bread - it melted in the mouth and was delicious. My partner opted for the wild hare - seared loin together with braised hare filo rolls which (apparently ...) were stunning.

For the main course I chose the Beef - easily the best beef I have had for a very long time. My husband went for the lamb - rack and braised shoulder. Again delicious.

Dessert time: 1 dessert of the day (a delicious vanilla panacotta) and a trio of chocolate, including a mouth watering pistachio brownie. These were accompanied by glasses of Cloudy Bay late harvest Riesling and 20 year old tawny port respectively.

Throughout the night the service we received was exemplary, and we were allowed plenty of time between courses to relax - the restaurant almost demands that you relax as soon as you walk through the door. In terms of overall atmosphere this rivals anywhere I've ever been - add to that top quality food and a fantastic wine list and you have the ingredients for the perfect night out. So good we stayed at our table for an after dinner drink - we didn't want the evening to end. If you're in Queenstown book a table. This was the best meal we have had in a long time!

Fergburger, Shotover Street, Queenstown

Now strictly speaking this isn't a restaurant, but it does have tables - in fact it can probably seat more diners than The Bunker, although perhaps not in quite the same comfort! But no visit to Queenstown can be complete without a visit to Fergburger.

The last time we ate there they had just moved from Cow Lane. Doing some research before we returned we were amazed to see the advertising - they are a true phenomenon! So what do you get? Fantastic quality burgers, good chips and drinks, including beer if you require it. We grabbed a takeaway consisting of a couple of 1/2lb burgers (we'd just finished a very tough walk!) but on offer are other delicacies such as the tofu 'Holier than thou' burger! This is the nest place in NZ to eat a burger - make sure you don't miss out and remember ... "Ferg Loves You".

Salt Bar and Restaurant, Whitianga

Our final meal out was at Salt. We'd dined here before so had high hopes which weren't quite met.

I started with the chicken liver pate, served with relish and cornishons (gherkins). I wasn't convinced by the gherkins, but they worked very well! A filling starter again for me though! The gravadlax was also appreciated. Then, eventually, came the main course. We had the misfortune of being served behind a large table of 12 or 14 - and it showed. Not only did we have to wait over half an hour for the main course, but when the lamb and the fillet arrived they were overcooked: the beef was medium rather than medium rare, and the lamb hadn't been pink for a while! The salsa verde served with the lamb was overpowering, as was the imam bayildi. Not the best choice. The beef was good, notwithstanding the overcooking.

For dessert there was a crème brulee again - good but not great and, bizarrely, served with rhubarb (which didn't work).

Verdict: not a great meal for us but I'd be prepared to give them another chance if we ever go to the Coromandel again. And there doesn't appear to be a huge choice of fine dining in Whiti. The last time was far better.

Le Monde - A whole world of tasteless, cold, badly cooked food

2009-11-08T18:25:00.006Z

Well the title of the post says it all really. But before I begin, can I just say that despite the food I did have a good night out - due in no small measure to some excellent company.

Le Monde is, and I quote from the website, "one of the premier boutique hotels in Edinburgh. Its popularity and reputation continues to grow." Really?

We met in the bar, Vienna. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised - the clientèle were mixed - pensioners, teenagers and a whole range in between. The bar itself was very nice. A good start. Then we went upstairs to "Paris" for dinner ...

Atmosphere

Styled as "an intimate space for romantic liaisons" (I wasn't there on a romantic liaison) I expected something subtle. Instead we (not me ...!) had to ask for the music to be turned down so we didn't have to shout to one another. I was also a bit put off by people dancing when we were eating - I know, I know: I'm old (fashioned) - a restaurant should just be a restaurant ... No?

And then, as I move a water glass away it sticks to my hand - yuck! New glass requested immediately ... I am left feeling a little bit queasy. I suspect we are not the "restaurant's" favourite table.

Food

I can safely say that this is one of the worst dining experiences I have ever had!

To start: I chose the ham terrine with apple chutney and rye bread. Or to put it another way - a completely tasteless terrine with an identical (non) tasting chutney. At least the toasted rye bread had some flavour to it. There was no salt and pepper on the table either, so I couldn't try to improve it. The textures of the food were different but that's really about all I can say. I would love to admit I was exaggerating here but no - I have never eaten anything before that tastes of nothing. So to get two on the same plate ... well it certainly was an achievement.

We also had mussels, scallops and bruschetta. The most interesting comment passed was that the sauce with the mussels was hot. I said nothing, as did most others ...

For the main: there was a mix up - one person ordered a rib-eye with no tomato, 2 others ordered rare sirloin. The rib-eye came with a tomato, one of the sirloins without ... confusion reigns as I point out that a rib eye is clearly different from a sirloin and that I have the wrong dish - I was happy to swap. No that would not do. The dishes must be taken back to the kitchen because neither of the two waiters knew their rib-eye from their &!*!. Sure enough, a few minutes later, back came the plates with the tomato switched. Apparently I was correct.

So, rare steak should be (more than) a bit bloody, right?? If we peered intently at it we could just about detect a hint of pink. Our rare steaks came medium to well done. If they had been cooked as ordered they would have been very good - the quality of the steak only ruined by the incompetence of the chef. And then the temperature: the steak was cold, the chips that came with it even colder. The mushroom was quite nice (but then it's difficult to screw up a grilled mushroom). I kind of felt obliged to eat the (half green) tomato.

Lamb shanks were also ordered. I was too afraid to ask anyone what they thought, and I suspect everyone else felt the same as we talked about everything but the food.

I skipped dessert and instead chose a large espresso: it was excellent.

The Bill

So we ask for the bill. As we divvy it up, someone mentions a tip. "Have they included a service charge?" someone else asks? Yes they have: so we get a bill with a service charge included plus a space for a tip. Cheap trick? We didn't leave any extra.

Overall Rating

It's not a restaurant. A restaurant should serve good food. A restaurant should not be dominated by a huge bar - reference Harvey Nichols Forth Floor for how it could be done. You should not have to shout in a restaurant. A restaurant should not boast of the quality of its steak and yet be unable to tell the difference between cuts, or be able to cook it correctly. This was a truly terrible dining experience. Burger King is far better - at least you get what you expect there. And I have to say the food is a damned site tastier.

If only 1 person reads this and decides not to go, my work is done. This was a huge letdown.

The Champany Inn: Restaurant with Rooms

2009-10-02T11:13:00.002+01:00

For our wedding anniversary this year we decided to go to the Champany Inn for a meal. We had visited the Chop and Ale house last year and vowed at the time to come back to the restaurant. With an eye for the bargain (and in the hope of offsetting some of the cost of the wine!) we plumped for a summer offer - Dinner Bed and Breakfast for £170. This did limit us to the quick supper menu, rather than the full menu, but the range of food looked excellent so we were more than happy to compromise.

Accommodation

It's not an hotel, it's a restaurant with rooms. But I have to say that the rooms were excellent. At what was effectively £90 for bed and breakfast, the price wasn't all that bad either. Facilities included free-view TV, wireless internet, a large super-king bed, and a spacious bathroom (even if the bathroom décor and design was somewhat dated). A very good room indeed.

Wine List

When we decide where to go for a meal, more often than not the choice is governed by how good the wine list is - if it's bad, we probably won't be going ...

The Champany wine list seemed to me to be larger than the Witchery list, which in itself is an accomplishment. But, of course, size isn't everything: the content was equally as good. As usual we found ourselves drawn to the Burgundy, something we don't drink much of at home, but instead settled on a 2001 Delas Hermitage Les Bessards which was stunning: hints of woodsmoke on the nose, red fruits on the palette and complex yet smooth.

Food

Never before have I been offered chorizo bread, or pesto bread - and those were only a small selection of what was available. An excellent and unusual start to the meal.

The Quick Supper Menu had a small but good range. We enjoyed perfect chicken liver pate and brioche, and a Stilton salad for starters. The pot roast was oxtail, but we both chose the sirloin - a large (8oz?) steak on the bone, served perfectly with freshly made chips and the largest array of vegetables I have ever been served in a restaurant: French beans, baby leeks, baby carrots, asparagus, broccoli and cauliflower. All of these were very al dente, which wasn't to my personal taste, but very nice.

Thoroughly full, we finished the wine, and looked at the desserts. In due course waffles arrived, with a delicate maple syrup, and crème brûlée - the latter came, surprisingly, with a pot of ice cream. Whilst nice, it seemed to me like 2 separate desserts rather than 1, and that was the way I ate them. An odd way to serve the pudding.

Breakfast

Breakfast is served in a country style kitchen. I found it slightly off-putting to have the food cooked in the same room, in an open-plan layout, but apart from that it was very good. A choice of fruit juice, cereal, yoghurts etc, and a full Scottish breakfast. We were not overly keen on the sausage (beef) - excellent quality but I think we are traditionalist pork sausage people (you learn somehting new every day). There were more mushrooms than I have ever seen in my life (a plus for me), well cooked eggs, tasty bacon, black pudding and tomatoes. Not a baked bean in sight (!).

Overall Rating

A great evening with very good food. In terms of value for money this was excellent. Was it Michelin star dining? For me the food was slightly below that standard, but we were just having the Quick Supper. The whole experience, however, was certainly up there with the best: the waiting staff, and owners, were attentive and knowledgeable; the sommelier was very helpful in narrowing our choice down from an excellent list; the dining room itself had a very relaxed and intimate atmosphere.

The only downside was that we forgot to check when the wine shop opened. Assuming it opened at 10am in line with licensing laws, and planning a visit after we checked out, we were disappointed to find out it opened at 12pm. Never mind, at least our wallets are a bit less empty than they might otherwise have been.

Go to the Champany Inn at least once in your life. If you don't mind spending £40 on a steak, opt for the full menu: you get a much greater range of steaks to choose from. But the Quick Supper menu offers a great choice and a 3 course meal for the same price - if you like the contents, as we did, it's an excellent option. Either way I am sure you will have a fantastic time.

This could be our last meal out in Scotland for the 2009. The next reviews may be of restaurants and wine slightly further afield ...

Next up in this country, we have 21212 in January - I'm looking forward to it already :-)

Plumed Horse - Best Restaurant in Scotland?

Rooms are advertised from £60 but this appears to be for single rooms, according to the website; doubles look to be about £85 which for Edinburgh probably isn't that bad.

Wine List

An interesting list with a pretty good selection for a pub. They have a nice grüner veltliner but the red we wanted(a NZ Pinot Noir) had sold out over New Year. In the end we settled for a valpolicella which was drinkable. We could have gone for the odd 'trophy' wine - Cristal champagne or Corton Charlemagne for instance. I think it was this that put me off slightly: I don't want to pay £150 upwards for a bottle of wine in a pub, no matter how much of a gourmet pub it's trying to be. Leave that to established top-end restaurants, and perhaps spend the money instead expanding the wine list to include a few more choices.

Food

Very good pub food. The website gives a good idea of what's on offer, and the seafood we tried was excellent. For starters we tasted queen scallops, pate, smoked fish croquettes and langoustines: all were good. The mains consisted of perfectly cooked, good quality sirloin steaks with home made chips and a peppercorn sauce, and game casserole (complete with authentic shot) with barley lentils - both delicious and well cooked. For dessert we tasted a magnificent crème brûlée and a nice, but slightly less inspiring, sticky toffee pudding,

Overall Rating

Food: Excellent pub food - certainly a better selection that the Champany Inn Chop and Ale House, and I enjoyed my dinner here far more than lunch at Champany. Gourmet? Perhaps not quite. Wine list: Trying too hard. Price: pretty good - three 3 course meals, one 2 course meal and 2 bottles of wine worked out at £30 a head (not including tip) - not too shabby at all. Lunch prices are even cheaper.

If I lived in Newtongrange I would certainly go there often. Booking advised for dinner at least.

New Year Walks

2009-01-04T14:15:00.002Z

A new year, and a new resolution - to work less and get out walking more. The aim - to be able to enjoy a week of walking at the start of May. Now it's been a while, so we are starting small - no Munros for a few weeks yet.

First up then was a stroll over Salisbury crags on New Years day (we were up too late to attempt anything further afield). Arthurs Seat itself was way too busy so we contented ourselves with wandering round the smaller hills.

St Anthony's Chapel

Why climb Arthurs seat on a day like this?

The sun did come out briefly, but there was quite a cold wind blowing, and the swans on St Margarets' Loch were certainly feeling the chill!

Swan on thin ice

The next day consisted of a very muddy struggle through Roslin Glen - not entirely satisfying, so search of something a bit more challenging we headed to the Ochils the day after.

A 10 mile walk over some nice rolling hills, through forests and across open (and slightly snowy) moorland on a circular route around Glen Sherrup. The weather was perfect - freezing (literally) and hardly a cloud in the sky; the views were unexpectedly phenomenal, taking in Ben Lomond, Ben Ledi, Stuc a Chroin and Ben Vorlich, and even Stob Binnein and Ben More far in the distance. A great day out was rounded off with the sight of 3 dippers in the River Devon as we returned to the car.

Ben Vorlich and Stuc a Chroin

Great views!

All Photographs © BrokenMountain 2008

Champany Inn - The Chop and Ale House

2008-12-06T22:47:00.006Z

What better to do on an unexpectedly free weekend, when the sun is shining, than go out for lunch? A place that has been on our 'to visit' list for some time now has been the Champany Inn near Linlithgow (well, nearer Bo'ness). The main restaurant gained a Michelin star earlier this year (along with the Ballachulish House Hotel - which is stunning! A review to be posted here if I ever have the good fortune to revisit that establishment).

We did not go to the main restaurant, but to the Chop and Ale House. It's a traditional Scottish style of pub, with plenty of parking and easy access from the M9. The choice on the menu is excellent, with mains including burgers, steaks, chicken and fish. The puddings also looked good. Between us we polished off a burger with Stilton sauce, and a beef and lamb sausage, washed down with some Bellhaven Best.

The quality of the beef is key here, and the meat was excellent. Mains ranged from £8 to over £20 for some of the steaks. All in all a good atmosphere, attentive staff, and very good pub food. Excellent coffee to finish off with!

As well as the Ale house and restaurant, there is a third establishment on the premises: Champany Cellars - a gem of a shop with a huge selection of wine (about 20% of the restaurant wine list), which specialises in South African wines. The shop stocks a large selection of 'Cape Winemakers Guild' wines. Having been to South Africa and tasted a few Cape wines, we are huge fans of Kanonkop and bagged a bottle of 1999 Pinotage. It will be interesting to see how it compares to their standard bottling.

With the wine in the boot, we headed to Blackness for a wander round the castle, and then back to Edinburgh to finish digesting.

Overall Rating

A fine day out, a good pub and a fantastic wine shop - could this possibly be the best kept secret in Scottish wine? We may have to arrange a trip to the restaurant - what could be better than good quality steak and a huge wine list?? Oh the memories .... 96 Winery Road.

Autumn Gold

2008-11-15T09:15:00.013Z

Some pictures from a recent walk along the Firth of Forth from South Queensferry to Cramond, and back. A good way to spend a Sunday morning.

Gorgeous woodland.

A little sandy cove, a sunny day ... just imagine that it's hot instead of 'bracing'.

It could almost be a golf course. This is Scotland remember, of course it's a golf course.

The road home ...

The Mother of All Indians

2008-10-19T10:32:00.006+01:00

I really have to start walking up mountains more and eating out less ... Oh well ;)

Apparently a stalwart of the Glasgow dining scene, Mother India's Cafe opened up in Edinburgh in May. It is informal Indian dining, tapas style and the latest establishment from a brand including the Cafe, a more formal 'Mother India' restaurant and 'The Wee Curry Shop',

A friend walked passed recently, smelled the food, saw that every table was full and suggested we try it.

Food

There are over 30 dishes to sample, ranging from £3.00 to £5.00 per dish, as well as the usual selection of rices and breads. Portions are small, as you would expect, and beautifully seasoned.

We started by sharing some popadoms and delicious chutneys whilst working out what dishes to order. A selection of 6 mains, including the 'signature' dish of oven baked spiced haddock arrived. My particular stand outs included the Patina Lamb, with mint and the Keema Dosa pancake stuffed with mince. As someone who doesn't particularly like fish, I even enjoyed the haddock!

The peshwari nan was so good we ordered a second, along with a few more dishes including the lamb saag. Nothing disappointed.

Overall Rating

The website points out the commitment to using the best local produce, and having tasted the dishes I can certainly attest to that - the lamb in particular was outstanding. The restaurant keeps some tables free for walk in customers, so if you haven't booked and are passing by it would be worth dropping in. However, there was a queue waiting at the bar when we left last night so I would recommend booking in advance.

If this is an example of Glasgow dining, I say bring more over to us. Mother India's Cafe delivered excellent food in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. The concept is brilliant, and it was the most enjoyable Indian meal I have ever eaten. Price??? Well, here comes the best bit: more than enough food and beer for only £20.00 per head, including tip. Go!

The Witchery: New Restaurant Review

2008-10-09T19:26:00.006+01:00

Now I know it has not been very long since I was last at the Witchery (See my previous post). But even though I was disappointed, I knew that I would be back ...

I said last time "when the Witchery is good, it is very very good". I am pleased to say that my latest visit reminded me of why I love this restaurant so much.

Atmosphere

We were back in the Secret Garden, a bottle of champagne waiting, celebrating a birthday with 2 Witchery virgins - they loved the place. I believe that the Secret Garden cannot be beaten for atmosphere - no restaurant I have been to yet has even come close. If anyone knows of any contenders please let me know! Comparing the SG to the main restaurant I can now say that there is no contest - Secret Garden every time.

Wine List

Once again, the Wine List is unsurpassed, both for quality and size, than anything else in Edinburgh. This time, in addition to the Pol Roger, we had a lovely 2001 Gran Reserva - both bottles were beautiful.

Food

Starters were varied, but all excellent: 1 goats cheese salad with walnuts, 1 smoked eel, and 2 partridge. The partridge in particular was presented in a very 'Michelin' manner! I am pleased to say that no seasoning was required for any of the dishes.

We opted for 4 different main courses: ribeye with bearnaise sauce; breast and confit leg of duck; monkfish with baby octopus (slightly squeamish to look at, but apparently delicious); and venison with (Mmm) chocolate sauce. Once again all mains were well cooked and well presented.

And so to dessert. My other half has now started a tradition of ordering (and eating in front of me) the dessert selection which he assures me was once again brilliant! Another selection was shared, and I opted for a pistachio parfait which I was very sad to see the end of.

Coffee and port finished the meal off nicely.

Conclusion

I am delighted to say that, this time, the Witchery lived up to my high expectations. I would not recommend going during the Tattoo, but this weeks visit was one of my most enjoyable. The wine was good; the food was very good; the setting was excellent as usual; the service was excellent too.

I'm glad I returned so soon as I can keep these memories and look forward to my next visit, whenever that may be.

Slugs, snails and vegetables

2008-09-14T11:49:00.004+01:00

Oh dear ...

I have been using the terrible weather as an excuse to stay inside and do things in the house, trying to convince myself that we don't need to put the heating on yet. I am a fair weather gardener, so when it rains, as it mostly has this 'summer', I have let the weeds grow.

Today, however, the sun is shining and it's actually quite warm, so I ventured out to see how my veggies were doing. The verdict? Badly.

My sprouts are ravaged by slugs and snails, but it looks confined to the lower leaves (I remain hopeful)

The cauliflower seems to be an all round disaster

My tomatoes are green (but there are lots of them!)

The only small ray of hope is that the broccoli (both varieties) have started to show some signs of life ...

Ciao Roma: Restaurant Review

2008-08-22T22:20:00.006+01:00

The Witchery or Ciao Roma .... Hmmmm tough choice.

If you don't live in Edinburgh (or Perth) you probably won't have heard of Ciao Roma. Whilst Edinburgh has some excellent Italian Restaurants, this isn't one of them. Only once in my life have I ever not tipped in a restaurant: the restaurant in question no longer exists and the service was truly appalling.

Tonight came very close.

OK I like really nice restaurants, but at the end of the day when I go out for a meal, all I really want is decent food, decent service and a good night out - of course my expectations vary depending on what price I'm paying. Ciao Roma is cheap, so my expectations are low.

Food

You can look at the menu, but really, just imagine ordinary Italian food, the kind you could do at home (no offence), and then downgrade it. You can do better yourself.

For starters I had 'peperoni': peppers stuffed with mozzarella and goats cheese. A waiter told me it was an excellent choice: I would hate to have tried anything ordinary. It lacked goats cheese, had too much cheap mozzarella, and hadn't heard of seasoning.

For the main course, I went for a chicken and mushroom pizza. Pretty ordinary with a soggy base. The Cannelloni looked OK ...

I skipped dessert, but to be fair the Tiramisu didn't look like it came out of a packet (which is always a bonus), and I could smell the alcohol for miles. Instead I opted for a 'double espresso': what it lacked in taste it made up for in quantity.

I wish I could write more, but I just can't bring myself to.

Service

Now comes the sucker punch. Imagine ordinary food with terrible service. We had a large table, but even so: 2 pieces of cutlery had to be sent back because they were not clean. When we arrived we were short of four wine glasses. How can you set a table so badly as to forget to put out wine glasses??

The staff are clearly having to look after too many tables, as getting anyone to take a drinks order was very hard work and even paying the bill took time.

Rating

Just don't go. There are many other Italian restaurants in Edinburgh which are far better value. May I offer a small selection here:

Vittorias on Leith Walk: I haven't been for a while but a very good basic Italian.

Guilliano's on the Shore: this is smaller than the one on Leith Walk, features fresh seafood, and is excellent for both groups and small tables. Recommended.

Cento Tre: George Street and higher end. I've not been in for a while, but have been very impressed on previous visits.

Vin Caffe: Valvona and Crolla's restaurant on Multrees Walk. A truly excellent restaurant (although quite expensive) with stunning food and a fabulous wine list. I really hope to be going back there soon - and if so I'll definitely post a review!

I'm sure there are many other good Italians in Edinburgh, but Ciao Roma is definitely not one of them. If you do decide to go, don't expect much ...

The Witchery: Restaurant Review

2008-08-20T13:20:00.002+01:00

The Tattoo is on; the Royal Mile is full of tourists; we have to confirm our restaurant reservations before we are even allowed up to the castle. It all added to the atmosphere before we entered the Witchery.

Because we only booked over a month in advance, and because is was in the middle of the festival, we ended up in the Witchery rather than the Secret Garden. Never mind - a new experience. Some hopeful Americans were hanging around at the entrance hoping that there was an empty table for them (there wasn't).

Atmosphere

I had heard that the underfloor heating made the restaurant too hot for comfort. If there was underfloor heating, it wasn't on, but the restaurant is quite small, and busy, so it was warm, but not uncomfortably so.

Better than the Secret Garden? I'm not sure - each has it appeal. We had a large table so didn't feel crammed in, as you sometimes can in the Secret Garden. The atmosphere is different, with dark panelled walls and ceiling, and small windows high on the wall to allow passing tourists a look in at your food. The restaurant was somehow smaller than I had imagined, but more intimate for that.

For my money though, if you can get one of the tables in the Garden besides the patio doors, you'd be a fool to eat anywhere else.

Wine List

What can I say? The Witchery is renowned for its huge wine list, and although there are some very expensive wines on it, there are also some decent bargains to be found. We enjoyed a Forrest Estate Sauv Blanc from Marlborough, and a Pavie-Macquin 2001. The latter was, we decided after much debate, very slightly corked and we sent it back - the first time we've ever had a corked bottle in a restaurant. The Sommelier agreed with our assessment and replaced it immediately. Good depth, nice cherry fruit: a very enjoyable wine.

Food

A mixed bag here. For starters we polished off 2 Crab with Iberico ham, 1 fish bisque and 1 smoked barbary duck. The verdict on the crab was good, the bisque and the duck however were a little lacking in seasoning. I had never, until last night, reached for the salt and pepper in a restaurant before. For me, there was also something missing from the duck - the prune chutney would have been better replaced with something like an onion marmalade. That was my overriding impression of the dish - it could have been so much better.

Now, my main course was a completely different story. We had 2 salmon with gingerbread crust and lemon grass velout, and 2 grass fed fillet of beef, with a savoury bread and butter pudding, celeriac purée and smoked garlic. Smoked garlic??? It was lovely! The salmon had a good balance of ginger flavouring - not too much to drown it out, but no 'crust' as promised. The beef was delicious in every respect, and cooked perfectly.

And so to dessert. This was one of the most tempting dessert menus I've seen in a long time. I settled for a vanilla brulee and strawberry milkshake. We also had: one chocolate torte; one dessert selection (how we longed to try them all) and one cheese selection. I have nothing bad to say about dessert at all. The torte was lovely, rich and creamy, the vanilla brulee perfect, the cheese eaten completely. Very good.

Conclusion

I really like the Witchery - it's my favourite restaurant in terms of the whole experience, and I generally end up there at least once a year. Yes you can get better food elsewhere, but I don't think you can get a better wine list, and you'd have to be doing something very special to get a better atmosphere.

But ... last night we were surrounded by people who said things like "That's it, we've 'done' the Witchery"; last night we had to season our food; last night we had to top up our own wine glasses; last night we had to order water twice before it came.

My heart wants to say it was great, but my head says that I've eaten far better food. My heart says that the Witchery should be trying for a Michelin star (the prices are certainly comparable) but my head, and my taste buds, says there is a long way to go.

When the Witchery is good, it is very very good. When the Witchery is not so good, it leaves you wondering why you are left with such a big bill, and why you keep going back.

Will we go back? Of course! How can you live in Edinburgh and not go to the Witchery? Besides, we've promised someone a meal there in October ...

I'll never be going back during the festival again though.

Mr Thomson: please, please, please pay as much attention to your food and service as you do to the wine list; please try for a star: your restaurant could eclipse so many others if only you just tried a tiny bit harder.

Is the Witchery trading on its reputation at the moment? Probably not, but it felt like it was last night. Having said all of that - did we have a good night? Yes.

Hanedan, Edinburgh: Restaurant Review

2008-08-13T21:24:00.007+01:00

Hanedan is a Turkish restaurant with a good reputation, on the Hit List for the List magazine. I had been looking forward to going for a while - what better occasion than a night out with friends I haven't seen for a while.

Wine List

First of all the wine list: cheap and cheerful, and perfect for the restaurant, delivering good value and good quality. We drank the rose Shiraz from Argentina (I forget the name) and at £13 per bottle it was excellent value - a damn site better than the £5.00 per glass nonsense I tried to drink at a wedding at the Dalmahoy the next day.

Food

For starters I indulged my feta fetish and chose Borek - filo pastry, filled with feta and spinach. It was lovely. The stand out starter though was the Firin Kofte - superb minced lamb meatballs (also available as a main! I will bear this in mind for my next visit).

Our mains were chicken skewers, lamb skewers and a mixed grill, all served with some rice, and a mixed salad on the side. The lamb had been recommended to me and was very good.

Desserts were, unfortunately, slightly less well received. My baklava was nice, but it's hard to do anything extraordinary with it I think. The Hanedan's Mess looked lovely but the verdict was lukewarm - nothing to write home about (in contrast to the review on the List).

Overall Rating

The ambience in the restaurant is fantastic - we stayed until about midnight and never felt any pressure to leave, although I suspect we were the last table of paying guests. Overall value for money is superb - our total bill came in at £25 per head for 3 courses and half a bottle of wine. The menu is slightly limited, especially the desserts, but I will certainly be going back, and had a fantastic night.

Book a table here for an informal, relaxed night out and good food.

Restaurant Reviews - Preview

2008-08-03T18:15:00.006+01:00

As the next few weeks stretch before me, I'll be eating out in Edinburgh a few times, so keep an eye out for reviews of: Hanedan, The Witchery, Ciao Roma and maybe 1 or 2 others.

I am especially looking forward to The Witchery as it's been nearly a year since my last visit. Unfortunately, due to festival season, we were unable to get a table in the Secret Garden in the middle of the week, despite booking well in advance. But I've never eaten in the main restaurant before, so this will be a new experience.

Expectations are high ...

Koi, Edinburgh: Entertaining Eating

2008-07-27T11:04:00.007+01:00

It's not high end dining, but it's not trying to be. Koi Edinburgh is a Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant - the only one in Edinburgh.

I'm not too keen on fish, so when it was suggested we go out for dinner with friends I was a bit wary. But when I saw the variety of dishes available on the website I was convinced, and booked a table for a teppanyaki set meal. We arrived not knowing quite what to expect.

Food

Diners sit on 3 sides of a square, with the chef in the middle. The table accommodates 18 people so be prepared to share space with people you've never met before.

We started with Miso soup, Wo Fo Salad, spare ribs, a scallop and a chicken skewer. Accompanied by Kirin beer.

Then the chef arrived to cook our mains. Some lighter fluid and candles created an explosive start to the meal, and the chef showed off his skills with a knife. For the main course(s) we had Tiger King Prawns, Chicken Teriyaki, Sirloin Steak and, the best dish of the night for me, some sublime salmon steak, cooked with soy sauce, rice wine, salt, pepper and garlic butter - amazing! To balance things out we also had some rice and vegetables, although I have to say I couldn't eat much of mine.

If we had had any room for desert we could have tried pancake ice cream (which looked delicious) and green tea or coffee, but instead the chef had ordered us a 'one time only' flask of saki on the house.

Overall Rating

Good food, fabulous salmon, the best japanese beer, and great entertainment. This is definitely a place to go for a unique experience which is immensely enjoyable. Book a teppanyaki table though, or you'll just be jealous of the people who did! One thing's for sure: you'll not be going home hungry!

New Additions to the Vegetable Patch

2008-07-14T20:40:00.005+01:00

A visit to my parents (the green fingered ones) and we leave laden with little seedlings to nurture. And so my planned Sunday afternoon of relaxation turns into a weeding and planting session ...

On the bright side I now have cauliflowers, broccoli and purple sprouting broccoli for the slugs to eat, and for the cats to dig up.

You may be forgiven for thinking that we only eat brassicas, and actually you wouldn't be too far wrong. This could present certain crop rotation challenges though, so I may have to branch out.

Ducks on the March

2008-07-09T06:50:00.004+01:00

Terrible new for Edinburgh restaurant goers yesterday as Malcolm Duck, owner of Ducks a la Marche Noir, has put his restaurant up for sale to concentrate on his East Lothian business.

This is especially bad news for us as we made our first visit there in January, and immediately marked it as our favourite Edinburgh restaurant. It has everything we look for: good food; good wine; reasonable prices; great atmosphere. It was this last aspect that really sold us on the restaurant: very relaxing and welcoming - a bit like having dinner at a friends house. All these facets came together that night to provide the perfect dining experience.

It looks like we will soon have to return to pay homage to Ducks before it shuts its doors for good.

F1 British Grand Prix: Press Conference Observation

2008-07-07T06:42:00.006+01:00

Strange Transcript Anomaly!

How the Press Conference on Sunday began:

Lewis, you started the season with a win, you won the Monaco Grand Prix, but now the moment’s yours. Let’s savour the moment, describe your emotions on that slow-down lap, having won, finally, the British Grand Prix.

Finally? It's only his second attempt!

Funny thing is, the journalist seems to have realised the stupidity of his remark as it has been excised from all transcripts of the press conference on the web. This is how PlanetF1 amongst others are reporting it: Sunday FIA Press Conference.

I started to doubt myself but I had recorded it (so I could watch it in between rain breaks at Wimbledon) - and it's there all right.

Glencoe Mountains: some pictures

2008-07-06T08:36:00.027+01:00

The river Coe on the way to the Pap of Glencoe

It's about time to add some mountains, so here are some shots of Glencoe after a week walking in glorious sunshine and t-shirts ... in May ... in Scotland - no, really, it was good weather! (and let us not forget the midges!)

First of all a shot on the Aonach Eagach - we didn't climb this, but a policy of climbing hills nearby deadly ridges is a good way to get the views without exposing ourselves to any danger!

Aonach Eagach from Garbh Bheinn

Buachaille Etive Mor is my favourite Mountain top of all time (so far). I would say favourite Munro, but I don't want to exclude other countries, notably New Zealand. This was part of the view from the top after a stunning climb up through Coire na Tulaich. A fabulous top with loads of high level walking available, and on a day like this, fantastic views.

Stob Na Doire from the top of Buachaille Etive Mor

Next up another view of Aonach Eagach, taken on the way up to Stob Coire nan Lochan. With perfect timing we did all the hard climbing in the cloud, and the sun started to break through just before the top, giving another day of breathtaking scenery.

Cloud clearing on the Aonach Eagach, from Coire nan Lochan

And finally, after a short stroll up Glen Nevis, a view of Steall falls:

An Gearanach from Steall Meadows

Horsehoe Inn, Eddleston: Restaurant Review

2008-07-05T17:59:00.023+01:00

We went to the Horseshoe Inn a few months ago so I thought I'd post a quick summary of my impressions on the blog. Hopefully this can become a regular feature!

The Horseshoe Inn is a great restaurant set in an old Blacksmiths in Eddleston, just outside Peebles and about 30 miles south of Edinburgh on the A703. It won AA Restaurant of the Year 2007-2008, so we thought it was worth checking out.

Accommodation

The Horseshoe Inn is a "Restaurant with Rooms". At £50.00 per person per night they aren't cheap compared to B&Bs, but look to be a relatively good deal for a restaurant of its calibre compared to what other establishments charge. The only problem was the size of the room: whilst it was nicely furnished, it was quite small. Yes it has everything you could want - large bed, desk, TV, tea and coffee, ironing board etc, but it was all just a little bit cramped for the price. Also, the ensuite shower room was a little tired - a few cracked tiles, some unused rawl plugs - you get the idea. We've just had a new bathroom fitted though, so perhaps we were being hypercritical.

All in all staying there didn't add anything to the experience for us, but to be fair, the only reason we did stay was because it wasn't going to require us to remortgage the house.

Wine List

One thing you should know - we won't go anywhere (expensive) unless there's a decent wine list (preferably not that expensive) ... or it's BYO!

We started off with a bottle of Champagne on arrival: Delamotte NV, which is the second wine of Salon. Phenomenal value - so much so that a party (not us!) drank the restaurant dry that weekend. I would highly recommend it! I can't remember what wine we had with the main course, but we finished off with a lovely Beerenauslese Austrian sweetie.

A definite thumbs up for the wine list: great wine and some really good value bargains!

Food

This is, after all, the reason why we went in the first place! To start: snails, as I was being brave - interesting and good to try but I'm not sure I'd eat them again; followed by fillet and braised shoulder of beef, which was absolutely delicious; and the sweets were fabulous - lots of roasted bananas and chocolate, so right up my street.

What I especially liked was that there were lots of amouse bouche served between courses (including a pre-dessert!!) but it was all done in a way which was completely unpretentious.

Overall Rating

Great food served in a really nice restaurant with a relaxing atmosphere. Staff are friendly and knowledgeable too.

Value for money? £30 to £40 for 3 courses, but well worth it. Tip: save yourselves a few quid by staying in a B&B in Peebles and forking out for the short taxi ride!

Beginning to Garden

2008-07-05T12:51:00.023+01:00

To have a garden and not to use it is a bit of a crime, and one which I have been guilty of. The problem is that to use a garden invariably involves a higher level of 'gardening' than just periodically ripping weeds out. So, putting aside the fact that I'm not very good at it, and the fact that I don't particularly enjoy gardening (I am hoping it will be like running but with less effort - not actually as bad as you think its going to be, and slightly enjoyable after a while), I decided to grow something this year. I thought this would:

(a) get me into the garden.
(b) (more importantly) help me attack my weeds and keep them under control.

I wanted to start small and not give myself too much to do, but what to plant?

For me there are 3 types of plants (excluding weeds):

Plants you can stick in the ground and forget about, whilst they grow on their own without taking over the garden - we have several of these including a huge buddleia and some rhododendrons. I really like this kind of plant, especially when they can contribute to keeping weeds at bay!
Plants with a purpose i.e. vegetables. We grow them with the aim of getting something back from them (food). For me flowers do not fall into this category.
The rest: flowers are fine (especially the ones that grow every year - see above) but they don't actually do anything, except provide a bit of colour; and those plants that only last one year - why were they even invented?

So with this in mind, the obvious answer seemed to be to grow vegetables. I went out and bought a growbag (if I put it on my newly weeded earth it'll stop the weeds beneath it - right? Well actually it doesn't, but it was worth a try).

I stuck a couple of tomato plants in it, saw some brussel sprouts in the sale and shoved them into the ground. And I also bought some marigolds, as I read on the internet that they keep whitefly away. Do marigolds only last one year? Maybe this is why such plants were invented!

I have looked after my new charges well so far: I have tended them; watered them; fed them; weeded (continually it seems); and started a battle with slugs and snails that I didn't even know we had in the garden. Funnily enough the marigolds are what the slugs go straight for. Conclusion: not even slugs like sprouts ...

To my surprise, the sprouts are actually doing quite well so far. I bought a pack of 12 for fifty pence and reasoned that some would die, but now it looks like we'll be eating sprouts all winter (good job we like them).

The tomatoes are a different story - one small plant doesn't really seem to be doing much, but I'm hopeful for the other one - just starting to flower. As they say ... time will tell.

Weeds ...

2008-07-05T10:20:00.019+01:00

I've had a garden for over 5 years now, but, although I like the idea of gardens I have to admit that I am not what you would call 'green fingered': last year for instance I managed to kill mint, which I believe is quite an achievement. Until recently though I have not really attempted to grow anything in the garden - read more here on my first attempts ...

But despite my failings in this area I am remarkably good at getting weeds to grow - why is that? And why do they grow at ten times the rate of anything else? The answer to these questions, it seems to me, lies with a higher power.

I guessed the answer was hard work, so I ripped out all the weeds. To my dismay only a week later thousands of the little b*!**!s were growing up through my beautiful soil again, throwing into disarray any plans I had for planting things. What to do???

As any fully independent adult will do when faced with uncertainty, I turned at once to my parents for answers - my parents who for years have grown organically all manner of fruit and vegetables in quantities so large that they cannot even give them all away. My mother, usually so good at reassuring me, had only one piece of advice:

"Kneel down and weed out each one by hand."

She kindly followed this bombshell with the information that seeds can lie dormant in the ground for seven years!! I think I know what I'll be doing for some time to come ...

On Wimbledon ...

2008-07-05T07:36:00.014+01:00

Photograph by Michelle

As we come to the end of a remarkably dry Wimbledon fortnight, we reach a mens final that all would have predicted, and a womens final which, although the seedings tell a different story, perhaps few are surprised to see.

So why are the headlines about what's happening off the court (or is that just me)?

We started with front page photos of what the stars are wearing - Roger in his cardigan, then Maria and her 'tux', not to mention Serena's mac (will she wear it for the final today?) The headlines reached around the world: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/06/25/1214073302908.html But who cares ...

Then there's the gripping question of Nadal's pants which seem to fit him incredibly badly ...

Jamie Murray was obviously cowed by press coverage, and perhaps comments from his brother, as he moved quickly from Macenroe tribute act to skinhead.

And don't get me started on Andy: one gripping 5 set match and the press turn him into the next winner of Wimbledon - all this from someone who (let's be honest) hasn't been playing at the top of his game so far, struggles with his first serve, and hits a second serve so slowly that even a tortoise could reach it and send a winner back. Beat Nadal?? No matter how optimistic you are it was never going to happen (not in this universe anyway). Strike 1 for the British press - build him up knock him down (on that subject Hamilton surely must be going to win the grand prix tomorrow, but lets pillory him if he crashes again ...)

Let's just ignore the press, ignore the fashion statements, try and ignore Nadal's fiddling with his bum, and sit back and enjoy what could prove to be 2 great singles finals.

Oh .. and if Laura Robson should win the girls tournament, lets try not to turn her into the next national sporting hero.