SmarterFitter Daily

Had a nice lunch with Rachel Demuth at Made by Bob, pretty much the best thing going in Cirencester at the moment for good food (perhaps some Cirencester peeps can correct me on that one?).

I ordered the asparagus with parmesan and balsamic, which in retrospect was pretty meagre for lunch. Luckily Rachel shared with me some of her focaccia with Imam Bayildi, a Turkish dish of braised aubergine, onion, garlic and tomato. I'd never had before and now I totally want to make it. Rachel informs there's a recipe in Green Seasons. Imam Biyaldi coming soon.

Delightful lunch today at Brunswick House Cafe in Vauxhaul, London. I was there for a Christmas celebration with one of my clients. This wasn't your usual stuff-your-face Christmas party. Just nice light salads, soups, stews and sandwiches - I went for a roasted vegetable and bulgar salad, plus a beetroot and mackeral salad. Their bread is also very nice. And we all shared two bottles of Prosecco - it is Christmas, after all!

Worth noting: Brunswick House Cafe is a really cool architectural salvage house and I could resist taking lots of pics. You can them on Flickr.

Stunning lunch at Lido in Bristol, a nice little restaurant that overlooks an outdoor swimming pool. Their wood-fired oven is a hallmark of their dishes. My meal:

• Blue Moon beer
• Fresh bread
• Wood roast scallops
• Wood roast hake with potatoes and spinach
• A few nibbles of Tim's pear and frangipane tart with creme fraiche ice cream
• Coffee!

A few quick snacks, and a couple glasses of wine, before catching a screening of Nosferatu with the Magic Lantern Film Club. Would like to go back to The Olive Shed for a proper meal - really cool restaurant.

• Grilled sardines
• Traditional tortilla
• Stuffed vine leaves
• Mini peppers stuffed with feta

Quite rich but very good: 

• Mussel, cavalo nero and bread stew
• Braised octopus with black beans and fino

Had a Sunday pub lunch with friends at The Potting Shed pud in Crudwell (more photos here). I opted for two starters:

• Red mullet with coriander puy lentils and watercress puree
• Grilled portobello mushroom with stilton rarebit and walnut and red onion salad

We all agreed that the food was underseasoned but well prepared. Although it needed salt, I found the red mullet welcomingly simple and nicely cooked. And the mushroom was delicious. I would like to eat there again, maybe for dinner and see how they do with the main dishes.

I also shared a bit of dessert - pressed apple with blackberries and cinnamon ice cream (made on the premises). The apple and cinnamon were superb, but the blackberries were flavoured with orange zest (I think) which didn't really work with the other flavours. On a different dessert (or maybe on my morning porridge!) they would be very nice.

• Breakfast: Toast with peanut butter, banana and apples; hot black tea with milk 
• Lunch: Fagioli all Ucceletto - chickpeas and kidney beans with spicy tomatoes, kale and avocado - delicious 
• Dinner: Fossebridge Inn for a magazine review: Vodka Gravadlax with Fennel and Dill Salad; Whole Gilt Head Bream with Watercress; Vanilla Rice Pudding with gooseberry jam; a couple glasses of white (oy)

• Breakfast: Bircher muesli with yogurt, blackberries and walnuts
• Lunch: Loaded omelet with red onion, broccoli, tomato, parmesan and balsamic; served with salad, toast and avocado
• Snack: Banana protein smoothie (consumed in the car en route to apple pressing)
• Dinner: Mexican Supperclub at the Vegetarian Cookery School in Bath. Amazing spread: homemade corn chips, salsa, sweetcorn soup, tamales, mole sauce, stuffed poblano peppers, ancho cream, homemade corn tortillas, refried black beans, tequila guacamole, sorbet, chocolate torte. 

• Breakfast: Toast with almond butter, bananas and apples (400 Calories)
• Snack: Plum, hot black tea with milk (55 Calories)
• Lunch: Pub lunch food bomb - fried whitebait and a two in one pie; small glass of Muscadet (460 Calories - very rough estimate)
• Dinner: Tomato soup with lots of raw veggies, kidney bean hummus, and sourdough bread; small glass of red wine (460 Calories)

My sister is here for a week and I took her out for lunch today on one of my restaurant review gigs at a pub that shall remain nameless.  While this may have been a perfect introduction to country pub life and British food, the meal was a bit of the disaster. Very few options for vegetarians. And everything seemed to come cried or laden in cream - even the "green salad" had a pile of mega creamy cole slaw on top. What the heck? 

We were not feeling our best selves after the meal, and so I very light dinner of the freshest food we could think of was in order: tomato soup (a Bittman recipe), lots of raw veggies and hummus, a bit of bread, it was the perfect thing. And a glass of red to celebrate her arrival.

Not a lot of time for exercise today, due to early airport pickup. But I think I could do with a rest anyway. Not going to panic!