Cancer update

An update: I have now have had two operations to remove cancerous brain tumours.  I had an MRI scan yesterday and not yet had the result.  7 weeks of radiotherapy from 8 oct-23 nov to zap it into obliteration I think.  It is not how life was supposed to be but it is how it has turned out.  Shame for my food blogging and food crit as I was really enjoying it.  My poor parents are also having to deal with my brother in law who is worse than me with a similar thing. I would like to thank my husband and two kids for being superstars when life throws such a curve ball at us like this.  Thanks for your well wishes and I shall concentrate on getting better as advised!

18 December 2012
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As of mid-December I have had 33 sessions of cranio-spinal radiotherapy and my third 'tumour' has shrunk by half to about 3mm in size and has not spread. All good news. So I am feeling nauseous and wobbly but optimistic. I will need another MRI of my brain and consultant appointment in late jan 2013 and probably will have a whole day of Stereotactic Radiotherapy under general anaesthetic.

How do I feel? Sick, tired and worried. But 10 times as good as I did in August. I wish I just felt completely fine and normal but hey...the photo is of Freya's birthday cake that she made herself as I was too grotty to make one. Another side effect has been totally going off food!

They operated and removed a tumour.

Well, life's sort of changed really.

They did an emergency op and discovered a tumour, thinking it was a benign cyst.

This was only last week, I knew I had been feeling a bit off my food and a bit heady, putting it down to labyrinthitis.  Anyway, it seems that it seems they're doing the best for me and I'm having lots of care from wonderful people, but it seems to have thrown me off balance a bit.  Just when I thought I'd become a proper foodie.

Well, it's made me enjoy food again but just from a not cooking it perspective.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings.  I thought about it all night and decided that although I didn't want to be all confessional, I needed to be honest. I'm having a MRI and spinal tomorrow so will know what radiotherapy I will need and I'll report back.

Lots of love.

Devon Pub Review: Railway Inn, Honiton

The Railway Inn came warmly recommended from fellow Devon food blogger, Countrywoodsmoke.  After dropping off our lovely huge goldfish, Speedy, at his house (to keep as a pet for his kids allegedly....he'd better not end up in the smoker.....) we went to the pub.  

The Railway Inn is just slightly off the beaten track about 5 minutes walk from the main shopping street in Honiton and we had to ask twice for directions (it's not that tricky but the first lady pointed us in the wrong direction!)

It was a fairly busy Saturday lunchtime but the staff were doing an admirable job.  We were presented with a bottle of filtered water and freshly baked olive and herb bread with a bowl of oil and vinegar within a few minutes of arrival - the very soft, warm dough was beautifully squidgy and we were really hungry so it was needed.  All four of us, two adults and two children, had difficulty choosing the food as there was so much on the menu that we fancied.  And that is quite a result for two children who can be a bit choosy when they want to be (one won't eat cheese, the other won't eat potato).

We chose the pate and a bowl of chips to share as a starter for the table.  Aren't we classy?  The chef is French and he puts a French / Mediterranean twist on some great quality Devon and Somerset produce.

 I chose to have two starters as my main as I couldn't decide between the small Fritto Misto –  and the Fragrant chicken Vietnamese Salad -with beansprouts, chinese leaf, carrots, spring onion, mint, toasted almonds, confit ginger & spicy sesame dressing.

This salad was pretty good but the dressing was a bit too sweet and plentiful for my taste.

My 'starter size' fritto misto had a delicious fishcake, whitebait, a small piece of white fish and plenty of squid.  Loved it.

My son went for the Proper Fritto Misto –Trio of Crispy fried sustainable fish with proper chips (£12.95).  The fish were really well cooked and the batter was delicious, my son loved the King Prawn (or was it a langoustine - it was eaten so quickly it was hard to tell) and the white fish but wasn't so keen on the battered mackerel.  This photo makes it look quite small, but it wasn't!

 The other two had the award-winning pizzas (£10.95) and ate every morsel.  Pictured is the beef and chorizo version.

My personal favourites were the pate, the bread, the fried fish and the chips.  My tiny quibble was just that the chicken salad dressing was a bit too sweet and plentiful.

 We were sadly too full up for pudding, but we were given a handful of jelly babies on the saucer with the bill, which was a parting gift to make us all smile.

Great atmosphere, a chef and staff who know what they are doing with some great quality ingredients in a relaxed, family-friendly setting.

http://therailwayhoniton.co.uk/

Hugh Recipe Booklets Free this Weekend..7-8 July 2012

I am a big fan of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his commitment to ethical, simple, local food (plus he's based in Devon, just about).  This is a bit of a heads up as there are going to be two free booklets this Sat and Sun (7 and 8 July 2012) with The Telegraph containing 40 recipes from his River Cottage Veg Every Day book.

I have bought the book for my veggie sister but I haven't committed to it myself, possibly due to the fact that my two huge shelves of cookbooks are groaning and it's now a matter of 'one in one out'.  Two small booklets should fit in nicely.

Find out more and preview recipes at telegraph.co.uk/vegeveryday

Dartington Ways with Words Festival, 6-16 July 2012

Ways with Words  is a literature festival that is usually just slightly off my radar.  I'm not sure why as I'm a regular visitor to Totnes, the local town next to Dartington.  I spot a leaflet or poster for the event and then forget about it.  This year I've actually got a ticket to see Ziyad Marar in a talk entitled 'Searching for Intimacy' which sounds fascinating.  It probably wouldn't have been my first choice - but so many fantastic speakers coincided with important events at my son's school or doctor's appointments!  I was rather gutted that I couldn't go to see some of the foodie speakers:  Three Hungry Boys, Tom Parker Bowles, Alex James and Monty Halls are all appearing plus Kim Sayer who'll be talking about setting up the Cornworthy allotments in Devon.

So many writers that I would love to go and see: Hilary Mantel, Siri Hustevdt, A C Grayling, Helen Dunmore, Fay Weldon, Jung Chang.....it's amazing how many great people that will be there.

Dartington Hall is a fascinating and beautiful place to visit even when there isn't a literature fest going on.  It's a not-for-profit charitable foundation with an illustrious arty past.  It now has a pub, restaurant and newly renovated hotel rooms (not so glowingly reviewed in last Saturday's Guardian by Sally Shalam.)  I'm a huge fan of the on-site Barn cinema -  small barrel shaped room showing non-Hollywood films. It sometimes turns itself into a music venue - the famous Dartington International Music School and hosted a wondeful gig last year when local band Metronomy played in the Great Hall.  We've even cycled around it with our kids.  The overall feel of the place is a little bit community country manor and a lot Oxford college with quadrangles.

Devon Cafe Review: Cafe Ode, Shaldon - Sustainable & Stunning

Cafe Ode has opened at the top of the car park on the high point in Shaldon, South Devon, known as The Ness.  The man responsible is Tim Bouget, chef-owner of Ode restaurant just down the road in Shaldon village.  His eco-credentials are very high - he won the national award 2012 for Sustainable Restaurant of the Year (runners up River Cottage and Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons!) and has renovated the old stable buildings in a sympathetic yet ultra-modern way.  

 At the moment there are loads of refectory style benches and tables outside and one table inside (very similar to the ones at Eden Project and Town Mill Bakery, Lyme Regis).  Within a month there will be indoor seating and a huge sunshade over part of the terrace.

 The food and drink is very high quality - wonderful ice creams (the raspberry sorbet is heavenly and so is the butterscotch ice cream) in tasty proper wafer cones but the prices are kept low to keep the customers flowing through.  The food kind of 'rolls out' - there's no fixed menu (maybe there will be later?) but there's a chalkboard where specials appear throughout the day, a bacon and chilli jam bap for elevenses with a square of sticky homemade gingercake, and then a couple of hours later a platter of Devon produce or a salmon and potato salad...and proper fish and chips in the early evening.  

 I haven't yet tried the fish and chips, but I saw the fish guy delivering the (line caught in the Lyme Bay) fish and it looked wonderful.

This place has got to be a top priority for summer dining at any time of the day.  Views, great value, lovely staff, beaches on the doorstep and great food.  Simple really.

Open 10am - 7pm.  Closed Tuesdays

I Love The Lizard, Cornwall

This is my 100th blog post.  Wow.  I was delighted to write my first piece for the Guardian about great places to eat on a budget in North Devon.  Busy busy.  To celebrate I'm going to indulge in a couple of photos of one of my favourite places in the world: The Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall.  These places are all within about 10 miles of each other.

 This is The Lizard Point, the most southerly part of mainland England.  I met a friendly forager here who tempted us to nibble a couple of the local plants.  From this position there were about seven different wild edible plants within four feet of us.

 This is Mullion harbour

Cadgwith

The archetypally Cornish fishing village of Cadgwith.  Beautiful thrift in the foreground.

It is beautiful, rugged, remote and  just a very relaxing place to be.  

I have previously described some of my favourite things to eat there including the sinfully divine Hope's Cinnamon and Pecan Buns, Polpeor Cafe and Ann's Pasties, but actually you can't beat a little rustic picnic featuring Hope's gruyere and cumin bread, spiced pears, Helford Blue cheese (plus Tesco olives, Cornwall haven't got around to producing those....yet)