I'm Back!

From a fantastic holiday in the South of France. It was so relaxing and just what I needed after a frantic week moving. We did a lot of eating and drinking (Mr J was allowed to stay for a week before being sent home to make me a nest in his father's basement... which he did superbly). Am now back on the house hunt and Beziers seems like a long time ago but as I was frantically flipping through my diary I came across the card for one of the culinary highlights of the trip, l'Orb Restaurant.

About 20 minutes outside of Beziersthis little gem has just been opened by two English guys who tired of the B&B trade in England and have moved to France and opened a restaurant almost by accident. It was by luck that we went here - it is pretty difficult to find anywhere for supper on a Sunday night in France and Papa B thought that this one would probably be a safe bet but we had already tried one advertised as open on a Sunday but firmly closed when we arrived. As you drive into the square at Cessenon-sur-Orb you are drawn to the little green lights and square tables of L'Orb restaurant. We were starving and would have fallen on a croque monsieur but the food here was exceptional possibly the best of the whole holiday and all from two people who had never run a restaurant before and were still in their first month of opening.

The Verrine of brouse de brebis and pea guacamole was a highlight of the starters - it was like nothing I've had before and was the perfect size - too often you seem to get faced with a starter the size of a main course! I had a beautiful smoked salmon mousse which I'm a pretty harsh judge on as it's one of my favourite things. What was so fantastic about this one was the little flakes of salmon throughout adding a bit of texture. Now I don't eat rabbit so I am not really qualified to comment but dining with two people who are fans and according to whom the rabbit with new potatoes and vegetables was close to perfect - uncomplicated and tasty and again not in a daunting size.

Its sounds a bit pathetic but I can base my love or hate of a restaurant on a very small thing. The cheese board. And this one was exceptional. Small taster portions of brie and three regional cheeses including Cantal my favourite. The menu was so well thought out and prepared. We were happily full, not overloaded and groaning. I can't recommend this restaurant highly enough - I know it seems a bit sad to be raving about a restaurant run by English people when you are in France but this is the perfect combination of French and English food, presented with a flourish and served with a smile xx

Shock to the System

It's a bit of a shock to the system being back in the office after a week away. The first shock being landing in Rome airport to see suitcases lying on the runway - and I don't mean where the bags are unloaded (although there were some bags and prams lying nearish there too). Mr J and I immediately started praying for the safe return of our bags. This is where they sent the luggage after the terminal five fiasco. No wonder hardly anybody got their bags back. Even so I have spent most of this week thinking to myself 'this time last week....' (this time last week we were sunbathing in beautiful Taormina).

I'd done a bit of shopping in Sicily - the ceramics there are fantastic and having bought a birthday present for my sister and some presents for my parents and Miss F and having been bought a spectacular and extravagant bowl by Mr J as my holiday treat (as if the holiday itself wasn't enough) my hand luggage felt like a time bomb. I couldn't stand anyone to be within 1 metre of me in case anything broke. I think everything was fine but the bowl seems to have completed my set of kitchen things I've been accumulating over the last couple years and now I just can't wait to have my own kitchen. Chance will be a fine thing at the rate we get paid. I don't think we'll ever be able to find somewhere within our budget and specifications. But it's official the search is on so any suggestions...

What did help ease us back into things was a delicious supper at Chisou just off Hanover Square in central London. This is (probably) the best sushi I have ever tasted. It was my sister's birthday yesterday and it is family tradition to go for a sushi blowout for her birthday supper as it's her favourite. We'd never been to Chisou before but it was tracked down by her boyfriend and we left feeling completely full and very happy but also wanting to just wait another hour until we could have another round (the kitchen had closed so we would have been disappointed). This is not the cheapest of restaurants but it is definitely worth every penny my sister and Mumma B the sushi experts were both seriously impressed so I can but hope that someone sees fit to take me back there xx