Hold that thought…
Apr 18th 2008
We arrived back today from our honeymoon and whilst we’ve been away, I have diligently been keeping a note of what we ate and where. But I’m afraid you will have to ‘hold that thought’ as there are many piles of washing and ironing and overflowing email inboxes to get through before I can even make a start on the many delights that Amsterdam and the Lake District have to offer (and there are plenty for foodies, trust me).
In the meantime I will say this – the food at our wedding, which was held at the Radisson Edwardian Free Trade Hall in Manchester, was praised by all our guests unreservedly. The hotel really did us proud. The starter of pumpkin and nutmeg soup with a watercress and pea puree was delicious. And they somehow managed to bring out over 100 portions of perfectly cooked, generous pieces of sea bass, on crushed new potatoes with a roasted red pepper sauce (I think, can’t remember what the sauce was actually) and vegetables without seeming to break a sweat and without any of it tasting ‘mass produced’ or dry or rubbery. Each piece of fish was juicy and fresh and tasty. The mushroom and vegetable risotto was outstanding. (Yes, I know, the irony, after all our protestations about risotto being the standard veggie option but let’s face it, at the Radisson it was always going to be special). And the passionfruit cheesecake with (I think) bitter berry jam…mmmmmm. There is a rumour that the hotel decided to make this as a non-dairy version due to the various dietary requirements that we were catering for, and on reflection the consistency was different to when we did the food tasting. But if that’s the case, and it was soya-based as the rumours have it, then that’s the best non-dairy dessert I’ve ever had in my life!
Many people told me that as the bride, running on adrenalin (and a sore throat in my case), I wouldn’t want to eat anything anyway. To a certain extent this was true, but having done the tasting, knowing it was going to be good, and true to my gastrogrrl ethos, I had a decent stab at it. It was worth it and I’m thrilled that so many of our guests enjoyed it.
(A special mention at this stage to my new sister-in-law, who made the wedding cake. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and it nearly made me cry. As for how it tasted? Bottom layer was fruit cake, the top two were Nutella sponge cake. The hotel told us on average, 80% of wedding cake is thrown out after weddings. From what was left of our’s, we reckon 80% got eaten! Incredibly delicious.)
And on to the honeymoon and sadly, with a full-on cold for the whole two weeks, my sense of taste and smell were badly dented. However, we visited several great restaurants (and a couple of so-so ones) and once I’ve gone through my notebook, I’ll give you the highlights. Needless to say, after two weeks of eating out every day, my husband (!) and I are now admitting defeat and looking forward to eating soup and a few vegetables for a while whilst our cholesterol levels and digestive systems re-adjust themselves back to normal life.
Watch this space….
Apr 19th 2008
Welcome home to the both of you. I look forward to hearing all about the honeymoon.
About the the food, woman! Just about the food!!!!
Good grief