Funny caption competition

Post a funny caption for this picture, taken at the Battersea Park Zoo .
Winner gets dinner for 2 in The Eel Pie.

Pick your own

In Britain during British Summer Time, people eat Strawberries everyday. And everyone knows the best strawberries are the ones you pick yourself.

Row upon row of juicy strawberries can be picked all summer long. July saw a bit of rain.

Strawberries grow very close to the ground, short people are the best at harvesting them.

Stemless plant belonging to Genus Fragaria, the rose family.

Thames was our chief taster, he'd take a bite of each one before putting it in the bucket.

small discount

After handful and handful of sweet strawberries, bitter refreshment is required.

patacake and a pint

Perfect Sunday Roast

For the past 7 years I have done a roast chicken every Sunday.
I mean I've tried beef and lamb, the odd quail and woodpigeon, occasionally a boiled ham.
They are all very good. But I always return to chicken.
Mainly because our local butcher, Eddie at the farmers market in Holly Road, does these organic free range chickens for a fiver. Big strong birds with lots of muscle and at least 11 weeks old.
You want two things from any roast: golden crispy skin and tender moist flesh. Also, a serious consideration…roast potatoes.
This is the perfect Roast Chicken recipe. Mainly because its so easy, so simple. I have tried them all, Jamie, Gordon, Delia, Hugh…the list goes on. Some of them have you scrapping each potatoe with a fork to make them fluffy, who's got time for that?

So here goes, The perfect Sunday Roast Chicken:
Preheat oven to 230C, or highest setting.
Rinse bird inside and out, dry thoroughly with paper towel. A wet chicken will not crisp.
Smear lots of butter all over the bird.
Smear even more butter on the breasts.
Season generously.
Stuff in 1 garlic, 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig thyme. If you have it. Don’t worry if not.
Cut 4 potatoes (peeled) into large hunks. Place them around the bird.
Cook for 15 mins. At this very high heat the skin will tighten and colour.
Turn heart down to 190C. Baste potatoes and bird with the now melted butter.
Cook for another 45 mins, baste and turn potatoes a few more times during this.
Remove bird, let it rest for 15 mins, wrap in foil to keep warm.
Turn the oven back up and put the potatoes back in.
Let them bubble and spit for 15 mins or so, this will really crisp them up, take them out just before burning.
Carve chicken onto warm plates with a few potatoes.
Spoon over the cooking juices from the bottom of the pan.
Drizzle with lemon juice.
As its summer serve with a simple fresh salad instead of vegetables.
That’s it. Simple and delicious.
No stuffing, no gravy, no bread sauce needed.

Now here's the rub, you need to spend at least £10 on the bird, (unless you know Eddie).
Don’t buy chickens from Tesco or Asda for £2.25.
Go to your butchers. If you cant get to your butchers go to M+S or Waitrose. The main reason for this is age.
It should be around 12 weeks old.
Most supermarket chickens are 6 weeks old. No flavour no meat.
In my cooking course we deboned a chicken, something I never ever want to do again. Each student brought a chicken. Before we started we compared them, 11 in all.The cheap battery birds looked pale and weak and saggy. The "top end" higher priced birds looked big, healthy and golden. I splashed out £14:00 on an organic free range corn feed chicken from Waitrose. But I must admit, the 2 from M+S looked better and they where cheaper. Looking at them side by side like that, I didn’t want to eat those sad looking little pale things. It’s a lot of money for a chicken I know, try your butchers who might be cheaper. But its really worth it for the taste and smell. That wonderful smell while its roasting. Really really smells like a roast chicken should. Simple and delicious.

If you know who's recipe this is or think you have a better one, please post it for all to share. Winner gets a bottle of Badger fine ale.