Unfortunately we didn't get out very far this time, mainly due to the awful weather which has meant a shortage of photographs.
It was nice to meet up with friends though. Had lunch on Friday at Weybourne Ship which was very good indeed and certainly heaps better than our lunch at Wells earlier in the week.
We ate a few times at Ali's Bistro and soon Weybourne will be getting a third culinary place with the re-opening of The Maltings. There are loads of workmen around at the moment although the Maltings is far from finished after what looks like a thorough renovation. I believe it is due to re-open in the summer but there still looks to be a lot to do.
I well remember a famous Swiss restaurant called Gasches in Weybourne from my time working in the area in the early 1970s. This former restaurant is now two flint character cottages.
I'm trying to remember whether I ate at either or both of the Maltings and Gasches and I think the answer is probably yes for both. I seem to have a vague memory of having coffee in a lounge at Gasches which was named after a renowned Swiss chef. I also have a vague memory of going there with Anne on one of our first dates but I might be wrong there. But that's something I can sort out by going through my old diaries as it would have been during the time I was working in Cromer which narrows it down to 18 months or so. I will of course report back.
Swiss cuisine is something I have never been very enamoured with. I love Switzerland and it's possibly my favourite country but all I seem to remember from visits there is overpriced pizzas and fondue with a smattering of rosti. But Monsieur Gasches was a celebrated chef after the Second World War.
I would like to find out more about him and will endeavour to do so
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Do you ever get totally overwhelmed by emails. I know that I do. Over the last few days I seem to have received so many that need a response that sometimes I feel I am drowning under their weight. I don't like to leave them hanging and always try to respond and I must set aside a couple of hours over the next few days just to acknowledge and respond.
Apparently during his presidency Bill Clinton only sent two emails. I wonder what their content was and who they were about!
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Eggs Benedict has joined pizza and fish and chips. So what connects them I hear you ask?
They are examples of food that at their best are very good and at their worst are awful.
Good fish and chips are classic English food, but I've had some dreadful ones with horrid batter and soggy chips. Same goes for pizzas. Good pizzas are wonderful, bad pizzas are awful.
Now I've added Eggs Benedict which used to be specialist food but is now mainstream. When done well with a lovely muffin, a chunky piece of ham, well poached eggs (not too hard and not too runny) and creamy hollandaise sauce they are a delight. When done badly they are horrid.
Sadly that's what we got in Holt. We go to a small tea rooms with a courtyard which is very pleasant in warm weather. Yesterday it wasn't warm enough to do that. We had EB but they weren't good. The muffins were cheap, the eggs slightly undercooked, the sauce sparse and, worst of all, the ham was a couple of small bits of fatty bacon. Just not good enough.
I will tell you more culinary stories of pizza, fish and chips and eggs Benedict tomorrow.