Quote: knockersbumpMKII "Yeah, persistance and trial and error...I'm more critical now of my cooking than I was when I still did it for a living..lol. It's nice to hear though of someone going to a fair bit of effort. I always said I'd get a mincing attachment for the Kenwood but never did. We have one decent butcher in Hitchin the next town to me but isn't cheap by any stretch even for affluent Herts(though it's always busy) Our last real butchers in Letchworth dissapeared a few years ago, the Heritage foundation (owners of the majority of the town's land) ousted them from the indoor market (moving Argos there..grrrrr) and by charging massively high rents on the high street which effect the shopping here hugely. I found a nice butcher in Hull when visiting the folks who'd do me a nice course sausagemeat but then they packed up too. There's a few up there still dotted around and think there is a little bit of a resurgence in places.. I realise that the supermarket giants have a draw for those on more modest incomes but they have almost killed off the high street grocer/butcher..shame really. Luck with the perfect banger Get registered on this forum, a few small holders offering half/whole pigs for sale (among other surplus meats and veg) - butchered and packed. Seem a pretty helpful bunch of people too, prices for a side of pork seem to range from £90-£130 ish, and most will be outdoor reared and well looked after. I have even had an invite to see the porker before it goes to meat his maker. Need to know what breed to go for next! www.accidentalsmallholder.net/fo ... board=18.0

Quote: knockersbumpMKII "Yeah, persistance and trial and error...I'm more critical now of my cooking than I was when I still did it for a living..lol. It's nice to hear though of someone going to a fair bit of effort. I always said I'd get a mincing attachment for the Kenwood but never did. We have one decent butcher in Hitchin the next town to me but isn't cheap by any stretch even for affluent Herts(though it's always busy) Our last real butchers in Letchworth dissapeared a few years ago, the Heritage foundation (owners of the majority of the town's land) ousted them from the indoor market (moving Argos there..grrrrr) and by charging massively high rents on the high street which effect the shopping here hugely. I found a nice butcher in Hull when visiting the folks who'd do me a nice course sausagemeat but then they packed up too. There's a few up there still dotted around and think there is a little bit of a resurgence in places.. I realise that the supermarket giants have a draw for those on more modest incomes but they have almost killed off the high street grocer/butcher..shame really. Luck with the perfect banger Get registered on this forum, a few small holders offering half/whole pigs for sale (among other surplus meats and veg) - butchered and packed. Seem a pretty helpful bunch of people too, prices for a side of pork seem to range from £90-£130 ish, and most will be outdoor reared and well looked after. I have even had an invite to see the porker before it goes to meat his maker. Need to know what breed to go for next! www.accidentalsmallholder.net/fo ... board=18.0

Went boat fising on Saturday for the first time since November and managed to bag some nice, prime Summer cod (63 between us).



If only cod fishing was like this all the time, we were a lot closer to the French coast than the English coasthttps://scontent-b-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/10463869_801194639899569_6766883941502417585_n.jpg" >

I've got four fillets currently at the smokers (cost 40p per lb), two are in the fridge salting down for carpaccio of salt cod with capers, chillies and preserved lemon. This is what they look like nowhttps://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/t1.0-9/10354626_739027906170327_3130553666808152152_n.jpg" >

The rest of them have all been vacuum sealed and frozen down.

I roasted four of the heads this morning in shallots, garlic and chillies

Beforehttps://scontent-a-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t1.0-9/10415679_739028086170309_7826939761037151018_n.jpg" >

Afterhttps://scontent-b-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/10420246_739217706151347_5123710023076356873_n.jpg" >

What was lefthttps://scontent-a-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/10388095_739251396147978_6096208613809661598_n.jpg" >

Last weekend I had Aliccia over to stay and she loves her fish, so I cooked a couple of turbot fillets (each weighing over 450g and I've still got another two just like 'em off the same fish), steamed in white wine with spring onions, cherry plum tomatoes, lime zest and dill and served them with pan-seared Manx Bay king scallopshttps://scontent-a-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/t1.0-9/10311717_735280553211729_2249962796731036909_n.jpg" >

Hang on, it was you who said they wouldn't eat cod not that long ago...

I won't eat cod bought from anywhere, I only eat cod I've caught myself. That way I know it is in prime condition and isn't full of nematodes.

I'm not interested in big (over 20lb) cod either 6-15lb is the prime size for eating. The ones we caught the other day were stuffed full of brittle starfish. I prefer haddock to cod but I've only ever caught one down this way in the last 10 years. I needed to replenish the freezers and would rather have been fishing for flatties or bream but the turbot and brill are hard to find at the moment

Good old Morrisons