At Home by Mary Berry & Lucy Young

One Cookbook : Four Intrepid Cooks : Several Taster Courses : Nothing Left!

 

 

 

 

 

....  Well!   Where do we begin.  They say, 'A change is as good as a rest'.  Well there was no rest this month for the Hussies!  They also say, 'Variety is the spice of life'.  Which is why, this month, we ditched the theory and introduced our first practical read.

 

 

....  It was decided that we would test out the book on our families and after a few practise sessions choose two recipes to bring to a tasting session hosted by one of the Hussies.  The Hussies or should we say, the self raising flour, certainly rose to the ocassion.  To say a competitive element arose from the cooking frenzy which followed was an understatement!

 

.... The supermarket tills were a ringing and the pans were a rattling.  Masterpieces were emerging from the oven and the  proud moment captured on film were being texted with gusto - it's just like the picture in the book - echoing! 

 

....  To take things a step further we also decided to cost our dishes which proved to be a real eye-opener.  Many dishes coming out at under £2.00 per portion.  A well timed exercise in view of the recent horse meat scandal and with many celebrity chefs promoting home cooking over processed ready meals.  The whole evenings dishes of which there were many showed you could eat well for half the price of many of our venues. 

 

....  Listed below are a few of our photos for prosperity.  We wanted to show other bloggers that Mary Berry is truly a National Treasure.  The recipes were easy to follow.  Good tasty results can be achieved from relatively few ingredients and very little stress.  It makes us realise there's a bit of Mary Berry in all of us.  Everyday uncomplicated cooking which really hit the spot.

 

 

Banana & Choc Chip Cupcakes

 

Italian Black Olive & Cheese Rolls

Chicken in Tarragon Sauce

Apricot & Almond Torte

Quick Chicken Curry 

The Best Fish Bake

Raspberry Jelly & Yoghurt Brulee

 

Paprika Chicken

Pissaladiere

Red Pepper Soup

Bruschetta Marinara

Mosaic of Salmon en Croute

Pear & Lemon Curd Tart

Tomato, Avocado & Parma Ham Platter

Simple Lemon Traybake

Smoked Salmon, Prawn & Dill Canapes

Spinach & Three Cheese Bake

Spicy Mexican Salad

Spicy Meatballs

 

 

....  Sorry to bore you with our selected photographs, but, we honestly enjoyed our cooking experience.  All the dishes were so quick and easy to prepare, we just kept on turning the pages.  So you could say this was also a page turner!

 

....  There was some constructive critisim, however, mainly pointing out that the book did lack the wow factor.  Although everyone agreed that's not what this book was about.  We all enjoyed the cooking experience and agreed it would be an excellent choice for inexperienced and young first time cooks - pretty fool proof!

 

Hopefully everyone will enjoy incorporating Mary Berry into their everyday cooking.  This one should not be left on the shelf!

 

....  Due to our impromptu meeting and straying from our usual schedule we are popping in a recommended title for a quick read to get us back on track.  We will be meeting very soon at a chosen venue to discuss ....

 

THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY  by  RACHEL JOYCE

 

  

 

 

Please join us with your views and don't forget to blog your cooking endeavours!!!



                                                                                                                                   11th April 2013

 

 

 

 

 



The Host at The Qube, Metrocentre, Gateshead

'Our Urban Adventure Fell Flat' 

 

....  Seeing The Host entailed going beyond our Tynedale comfort zone and the vintage charm of  The Forum, to drive East for a taste of urban culture.

....  The Odeon cinema at the Gateshead Metro Centre Qube is a far cry from our usual cinematic haunt and whilst it can boast 12 screens, an Imax screen and Premier seating,  it is impersonal and lacks character.   Lucky for us then that The Forum, is quaint, friendly, oozes personality and is right on our leafy doorstep!  Unluckily though, there is no indication that The Host will be showing there in the near future - hence our urban adventure.   Our daughters were delighted to come along and behave like normal teenagers, in normal surroundings with normal refreshments.
 

Normal? refreshments!

....  But our metropolitan safari did not live up to expectations.  The Host movie was not a patch on The Host book.  Even those of us who enjoyed Stephenie Meyer's science fiction romance on paper, found that it did not translate well to the screen.  Whilst The Host pages effectively transported us to a new and different earth, the screen version failed to take us beyond The Qube.  Meyer's prose conjured up intense passion, longing, suspense and excitement but the screenplay was flat and unconvincing.  Her internal dialogue between Melanie and Wanda worked well on paper but just seemed ridiculous when portrayed on the big screen.

....  We could not criticise the cast.  Melanie / Wanda (Saoirse Ronan) did as much as she could with the script and the direction although Wanda's monotone voice grated after a while.  Fortunately Jared provided a pleasant diversion as Max Irons is easy on the eye.   The seeker 's (Diane Kruger) character was least credible.  The music seemed lack lustre, anti-climactic, dull.

....  We initially gave the book mixed reviews - a marmite story, with strong love it or hate it viewpoints.  The views on the film were more unanimous and less passionate.   A miss not a hit.   Even the soundtrack fell flat.  

....  Unlike The Twilight series, The Host was initially published as an adult science fiction story.  Interestingly, however, The Host movie went down better with our daughters who, in typical teen understatements, indicated that it had been OK.   Quite good. Whatever!   

....  If you like pink drinks, an anonymous auditorium, speak in monotones and are prepared to suspend belief for the sake of appreciating Max Irons then you might enjoy The Host movie; but if you prefer less colourful drinks and venues with character, then save your cinema money (£18.30 for one adult and one teen including £1.50 booking fee) and just read The Host.  You will find your imagination can conjure up something far more amazing than this manufactured flop.

....  No wonder it's not showing at The Forum!