See You There?

This is just a quick post to tell you about a couple of events I'll be attending next month in the hope that I may see some of you there.



First up is Food Blogger Connect, which takes place on the weekend of 5th/6th June. Last year a group of bloggers got together and came up with the idea of holding an event just for food bloggers. I unfortunately wasn't able to attend but heard it was a resounding success. So much so that it's happening all over again this year! What's more, I feel very honoured to have been asked by the organisers if I would speak at the event. I'll be joined by none other than Luisa Weiss of The Wednesday Chef and Kerrin Rousset from MyKugelhopf and we'll be sharing our experiences and advice in a Q&A session on how to get published. If you'd like to come along pop along to Food Blogger Connect to register, and do say hello; I'd love to see you.



Last year I had a great time helping to judge The Galvin Cup, the mixology competition from the chef patron, Chris Galvin, and general manager, Fred Sirieix, of Galvin at Windows, and I'm absolutely delighted to have been asked to join the panel of judges again this year.

The Galvin Cup, now in its third year running, is helping to make the hospitality industry accessible to more people and this year it will see competitors from as far as Mexico! Everyone is welcome to come along and see the event unfold. The competition will take place at The Westminister and Kingsway College on Tuesday 8th June. Take a look at the website for details.

Walking on Sunshine

As I sat on the train this morning, open book in hand, vaguely looking out of the window at the commuters on the platform of the station we'd just pulled into, I was suddenly struck by the sound of birds singing brightly and proudly. As the doors slammed shut and the train pulled away, onwards to the grey concrete city of London, the sound of those birds stayed with me, making me feel light and happy, and I walked to the office with a spring in my step. But by midday I was starting to flag and my step was losing its bounce. The day in the office was dull and uneventful and I soon found myself willing the hours away. I left feeling flat and a little melancholy.

What I needed tonight was a meal full of the joys of spring that would require no more effort than some whizzing of the food processor, some heating of pans and some laying of salad leaves. Tender lamb cutlets, juicy British asparagus, fresh herbs, and peppery watercress were all the ingredients I needed. I turned them into a fresh and bright salad to lift my spirits.

As I sit here writing to you with my back door wide open I feel carefree once again as I listen to a chorus of birds bringing the gardens of these suburban terraced houses alive this evening with their songs. A reminder that it really is the simple things in life that bring us the most happiness.


Herb-Crusted Lamb Cutlets with an Asparagus and Watercress Salad

The herby breadcrumb mixture on the little lamb cutlets was really lovely so I think next time I'll coat the whole of the cutlets in it. I imagine that brushing the entire cutlet with mustard would be too overpowering so I'd use a beaten egg to dip them in instead, before coating them with the breadcrumbs. Perhaps if you decide to try it this way and beat me to it you could let me know what you think?

Serves 2

For the lamb
A couple of handfuls of white breadcrumbs, or a slice of white bread
A handful of basil and oregano
1 tsp Dijon mustard
4 lamb cutlets
Olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper

For the salad
2 handfuls of watercress
12 asparagus spears
Extra virgin olive oil

Place the breadcrumbs and herbs into a food processor and blend them together. If you haven't got any breadcrumbs simply whizz up a slice of (preferably stale) bread with the herbs in the processor.

Cut any excess fat from the tops of the lamb cutlets and then brush the tops of them with Dijon mustard. Press a generous amount of herby breadcrumbs onto the mustard to coat the tops of the cutlets with them.

Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the lamb cutlets and fry them for 2-3 minutes each side.

While the lamb is cooking bring a pan large enough to hold the asparagus to the boil. Snap the woody ends ends off the asparagus then add the spears to the boiling water. Simmer them for 3 minutes then remove them and set them aside.

When the lamb cutlets have finished cooking remove them from the pan and put them onto kitchen oil to drain and rest while you prepare the salad.

Put the watercress onto plates and then place 6 spears of asparagus on top of each plate of watercress. Drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil and then place 2 lamb cutlets onto each salad.

Kew Gardens (Part 2)

Some more photos of Kew Gardens for you.

Real Food Festival Tickets Winner Announcement

Thanks for your entries into the competition. It was a tough one to call but with the help of Twitter I can announce that the winner is Helen, for this fantastic poem:

Real food is real treat
Great to look at but better to eat!
Jersey royals to Cornish blue,
Fresh local food, I love you!


Memories of home and mum’s best cooking,
Quick! A mouthful of cake while she’s not looking!
Picnics with friends lying out on the grass,
Eating home-made bread while the bumblebees pass.


So put up a fight for your plate of real fun!
A misshapen carrot or that lop-sided bun
Supermarkets sell chemicals and microwave dinners,
But for me fresh, local, REAL food’s the winner.


Helen, please email me at asliceofcherrypie AT yahoo DOT co DOT uk and I'll give you details on how to pick up your tickets.

Win Tickets to The Real Food Festival

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, why not pop along to The Real Food Festival at Earl’s Court (running from Friday 7th May – Monday 10th May)? Real food producers from all over the UK will be gathered under one roof, to tempt and tantalise those taste buds.

The Real Food Festival offers gourmets a serious treat of delicious, organic, fresh and unusual food and wine products from all over the world. With over 400 producers there's so much to see and do and best of all you can leave with your bags bursting with real food to enjoy at home.

Discover the Origin, who I wrote about last year, will be there (at stand 190) running free master classes and offering you the chance to sample their products, including: Parma Ham, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Burgundy, Port and Douro Valley wines.

The master classes will run throughout the day on a first come, first served basis – they will cover the different wines and Port as well as tempt your taste buds with freshly sliced Parma Ham and delicious Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Christina Pickard, well known wine and food presenter, will be leading a master class in the Chef’s theatre at 4.00pm on Sunday 9th May.

I have a pair of tickets to The Real Food Festival for this Sunday 9th May to give away to a lucky 'A Slice of Cherry Pie' reader, courtesy of Discover the Origin. To be in with a chance of winning simply leave me a comment on this post by 8pm tomorrow (Friday 7th May) and tell me what real food means to you. I'll then choose the best entry tomorrow evening, with a little help from my late night Twitter friends.

Kew Gardens (Part 1)

Here are some photos for you from my recent trip to Kew Gardens. Enjoy!













I'll post some more in the next day or so.