The Grazer: Too much of a good thing?

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a good time over Christmas and New Year. I caught that dreaded bug that was going around and am still feeling a little under the weather, that and the fact that I ate and drank far too much before and after said bug... I had a lovely time with friends and family, lots of delicious meals and walks on Bamburgh beach in the sunshine. I hung out there over New Year reading books and eating, it was a fine time!

Two books of note have entered my life this Christmas, firstly 'Misson Street Food: Recipes and Ideas from an Improbable Restaurant', a fascinating account of line chef Anthony and his wife in San Francisco who borrowed someone’s food cart to start their food dreams, followed by borrowing a Chinese takeaway on the days it was shut to starting their very own restaurant. Very inspiring, this year will see lots of action from my Supperclub and markets, so watch this space for new ideas and events...

The second book is Fushcia Dunlop's 'Every Grain of Rice'. My knowledge of cooking and eating Chinese food is really limited, but having read this from cover to cover over the past few days I'm feeling inspired... It is full of beautiful sounding dishes, often vegetable based, seemingly quite simple. New skills and vegetables seem a perfect way to start January...

So if you're feeling anything like me you are probably cowering at the thought of red meat or chocolate. I have put together a little medley of vegetables and salads, that will hopefully fill you full of vitamins and sprite!