Tonight is going to be exciting for two reasons-
1. Two Greedy Italians starts on BBC2 8.00pm
2.My husband and i are having a bake - off.
I'm struggling to contain my excitement about the fact that Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo are joining mega Italian forces to explore magnificent Italian food while taking their own personal trips down memory lane. These two Italian greats cook with so much passion and romanticism that i know while i am dreamily watching my mind will be conjuring up images of me recreating their homeland feast. Before i started this blog those thoughts would of stayed locked in my mind but continue reading over the next couple of weeks and hopefully i will of reproduced some of their culinary delights.
So to the second part of the night, the all important bake - off. Rich (my husband) has somewhat of an addiction for scones. I have probably spent the best part of two years using tried and tested recipes trying to find the one that creates the perfect scone. Ive tirelessly tried plain flour with baking powder, self - raising four and even found a recipe that uses pasta flour (for a finer texture). Ive used cream , buttermilk , egg and milk and lemon all in the name of finding the perfect scone recipe. With the exception of one batch ( which was made while i was having the worst hangover of a lifetime) my husband always claims that they are 'The best you've made yet'. However every time we go to an old fashioned tea room or even a more modern town cafe rich cannot avoid the temptation of ordering a scone. When he does my insides start to twist a little because i cannot help but ask him if they taste better than my scones. Sure enough after the first bite he will say ' oh yours are so much better than this' but within ten minutes i can guaranty that he will un ashamedly protest that they are the best scones he has ever eaten - back to the drawing board for me.
Anyway last week we visited two said establishments. The first was in a quaint little village just outside ludlow called Church Stretton, the tea room involved was Berry's, an amazing Victorian style building that is nestled down a little street with all of the vintage features, coal fire , walled garden and service bells. I could not argue with my husband that their scones were better than mine, it had a slightly crunchy biscuity texture whilst maintaining to be smooth and not dry at all. The chance never arose for me to try and beat this ultimate scone before he had another, this time in Marks and Spencer's Cafe. ' Oh no this ones defiantly better than that one i had the other day'. I coulnd' nt believe that after talking with so much affection about the famous Berrys scone he was so quick to dismiss it. I couldn't even bring myself to try it, i just sat there dismally thinking that i would never be able to come close to his vision of perfection, then his next words suddenly reignited a fire inside me -' I'll show you how to make scones' . And so this brings us to tonight 'The Great British Scone Off '.
Let the battle commence..........
1. Two Greedy Italians starts on BBC2 8.00pm
2.My husband and i are having a bake - off.
I'm struggling to contain my excitement about the fact that Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo are joining mega Italian forces to explore magnificent Italian food while taking their own personal trips down memory lane. These two Italian greats cook with so much passion and romanticism that i know while i am dreamily watching my mind will be conjuring up images of me recreating their homeland feast. Before i started this blog those thoughts would of stayed locked in my mind but continue reading over the next couple of weeks and hopefully i will of reproduced some of their culinary delights.
So to the second part of the night, the all important bake - off. Rich (my husband) has somewhat of an addiction for scones. I have probably spent the best part of two years using tried and tested recipes trying to find the one that creates the perfect scone. Ive tirelessly tried plain flour with baking powder, self - raising four and even found a recipe that uses pasta flour (for a finer texture). Ive used cream , buttermilk , egg and milk and lemon all in the name of finding the perfect scone recipe. With the exception of one batch ( which was made while i was having the worst hangover of a lifetime) my husband always claims that they are 'The best you've made yet'. However every time we go to an old fashioned tea room or even a more modern town cafe rich cannot avoid the temptation of ordering a scone. When he does my insides start to twist a little because i cannot help but ask him if they taste better than my scones. Sure enough after the first bite he will say ' oh yours are so much better than this' but within ten minutes i can guaranty that he will un ashamedly protest that they are the best scones he has ever eaten - back to the drawing board for me.
Anyway last week we visited two said establishments. The first was in a quaint little village just outside ludlow called Church Stretton, the tea room involved was Berry's, an amazing Victorian style building that is nestled down a little street with all of the vintage features, coal fire , walled garden and service bells. I could not argue with my husband that their scones were better than mine, it had a slightly crunchy biscuity texture whilst maintaining to be smooth and not dry at all. The chance never arose for me to try and beat this ultimate scone before he had another, this time in Marks and Spencer's Cafe. ' Oh no this ones defiantly better than that one i had the other day'. I coulnd' nt believe that after talking with so much affection about the famous Berrys scone he was so quick to dismiss it. I couldn't even bring myself to try it, i just sat there dismally thinking that i would never be able to come close to his vision of perfection, then his next words suddenly reignited a fire inside me -' I'll show you how to make scones' . And so this brings us to tonight 'The Great British Scone Off '.
Let the battle commence..........
:-) xx
ReplyDeleteI think Rich says those things so you'll make him more scones!
ReplyDeleteI know this is a really old blog post but I was just reading through your archives and spotted it. My family lives in Church Stretton and 3 of my cousins have worked at Berrys over the past couple of years as waitresses, so chances are one of them served you with those scones :)
ReplyDelete