From Gordon Ramsey’s Cooking for Friends
Serves 4
Ingredients

So I cheated. Too much hassle for me since I am cooking for myself to use the actual clams and mussels to make the stock. It would obviously taste better but for reasons of economy and effort, I decided to skip that step instead.

So instead, I started straight with the sautéing of the vegetables. Instead of adding the mussel/clam stock, I just added white wine and the bouquet garni.

Well, the taste is decent, probably as decent as it gets when you are just using a fish stock cube to make it. But if you want to make a cream based fish soup, this is a decent recipe.

En route there we followed the signs for the Rond Point hypermarché which have been beckoning us for days, and found it a very pleasant small scale hypermarket with some very interesting food. Bought some roast pork, wine and various odds and ends. Proceeded on to the poissonerie at Etaples and found the whole place buzzing as it was market day. Went for the fish first – it all looked delicious, and is landed straight from the boats into the market. Bought 5 plaice, 3 lemon sole and a little piece of hake for David, 12.60 altogether.

Went over the road to more fish market and bout a kilo of moules, 4.60, then some fruit in the ‘Covent Garden’ and then went on to the open market. This was large and fascinating with a wide variety of goods. Gareth very upset about the fate of the lovely gentle rabbits… Appalled also by the price of the pop records – a 45 is 11 or 12 francs which seemed very expensive. Saw lots of male handbags which David refuses to consider.

Returned to the site for lunch, and got down to peeling potatoes and scrubbing moules. Had moules marinières – super – and fish and sauté potatoes, then grapes. It was a very nice lunch, and Sarah and Gareth celebrated by trapping wasps in an empty wine bottle.

Weather now fine and sunny so decided to spend the p.m. on the beach at Berck. This is only a few km away, and we settled ourselves in a sheltered spot. Played with the kite and the football and Sarah dug a vast hole – this sand goes down quite a way, and she dug up to her shoulders before she got fed up. The sand is soft, white and even silky to the touch.

Had a look at the piscine, which is an incredible place with a sweeping curving roof, and containing two pools (one for learners, one for swimmers), a golden carpeted ‘beach’, very large, with table tennis, and then upstairs a large bar and café area. Admission to the pools was 4 or 5 fr and it seemed a wonderful idea – is obviously a sports centre for the locals as well as a tourist attraction, and a godsend in wet weather. Incidentally, a little train chugs along the prom at Berck with a ‘Western type’ loco, very attractive.

Ate out of tins this evening after our lunchtime excesses, had spaghetti bolognaise and froze seafood pancakes, and cooked pork. An odd meal but it seemed to go down well. Children played table tennis after, we washed up. Gareth is getting to be a fiendish little player, improving all the time. Sky very clear, weather quite cold once the sun had set.

A bit of a retro dish, this.

The plaice fillets were floured, egged and coated in panko crumbs and set aside while the potatoes and asparagus were prepared and cooked.

Once done, the vegetables were drained and kept warm while the fish was fried in hot sunflower oil.

The tartare sauce was some bought bottled stuff with chopped capers and cornichons added for extra flavour and texture.

Garnished with chopped parsley and a slice of lemon, the dish was complete.

I started fishing at 6:30 with the usual two rods, one with various flappers and the other with a 3/0 Pulley for the bigguns. Well it wasn’t a blank, but not much to report I’m afraid. One Mackerel on a pop-up rig in daylight, two small Bass on a Pompey rig at dusk and a small Plaice just on dark.

9:30 pm saw the Spider Crabs come out to play. Three snipped snoods later and around 10:30 pm I packed it in. The remainder of the bait fed the crabs and fish close in, assuming the fish could get there first of course.

Hope the weather forecast holds for the rest of the week as it’s another Chesil trip on Friday. The Trigger search continues.

Very little being caught anywhere around the area at the moment. Quite a bit of annoying weed around, which is to be expected, but a lack of fish! I have had one three hour session over sunset on Wednesday – blank – and one session with John, Steve and mate at Branksome last night for about five hours, with only one tiny Plaice, a small Red Mullet and a decent sized early Whiting, none of them for me.

We are now in what is normally our best two months of the year for variety and numbers. Worrying.

The weather is set to worsen over the next 2-3 days but things are calming down from Wednesday next week, so off to Ferrybridge for another crack at the Triggers. And on a better note, the first of the Cod are now at Chesil. Limited numbers, but there.

Ferrybridge from near the wreck of the Adelaide

The main idea was to try and bag that elusive Trigger. Well unfortunately I didn’t manage that target but had a very enjoyable and busy session regardless.

A Portsmouth Loop rig on one rod, with a two hook cascade on the other, both armed with size 2 Mantas. Bait used was Rag, Rag/Squid, Rag/Bluey or straight Bluey.

My first cast with the cascade to around 70 yards and I had a bite within a minute producing a 1lb 3oz Plaice. So that was tomorrows dinner sorted.

1lb 3oz Plaice, Ferrybridge, Chesil Beach

My first cast with the loop rig was sent out to 100 yards plus to get closer to the wreck, and a Pollack of around a pound was beached five minutes later. A great start.

The next three to four hours saw two more Pollack, two more small Plaice, about a dozen Bream (all very small) and a new species for the year in the shape of a Tompot Blenny.

Tompot Blenny

To be truthful the Bream were an absolute menace, hitting the baits almost as soon as it had settled. Hooks were cleaned within 5-10 minutes with only 1 in 3 bites connecting. It’s not so bad when they are all a good size, but most were small.

One of the Pollack I caught had not registered a bite at all, but was neatly hooked in the lower lip. Which was a bloody good job really as the rest of it’s head was messily missing. It didn’t look anything like a cuttle bite. The water was crystal clear and the sun was bright on the water, so probably not a Conger. Line was tight and no indication was seen. I have a pic but I don’t think I’ll put it up. Ugh!!

Plenty of feather chucking going on nearby but seemed to be very little caught. Still plenty of numpties not using shock leaders. I dragged in two sets showing evidence of feathers tied direct to mainline of about 20lb. Madness!!

Just prior to darkness there was plenty of back and tail swirls in the gutter. I figured this was probably Bass, so out goes a whole Bluey on a 6/0 pulley but no joy there.

My last hours fishing after dark slowed right down with just the three Pout coming in. I packed it in around 10pm with next to no bait left!

And then I had a problem. This spring tide was a bit of a big one. The result of which meant that following my weary return across the shingle I was faced with the slight problem of a new, deep and very wide lake between myself and the car park. I had to walk 200 yards past the far end of the car park (about half a mile away and which felt like halfway to Checkpoint) just to find a dry crossing. I was totally knackered by the time I got back to the car, which needless to say was at the ‘other’ end of the car park!

I will have to have another go for that Trigger soon. I shall return.

So, on August the 18th I probably achieved a new personal best in the “decibels yelled upon reading a piece of paper”. Knowing that you’re going to university is a brilliant feeling, and I know quite a few people who will vouch for this opinion. But, there were a few things that itched at the back of my head, and I began to think about my university, my subject, and of course, the people who I’d be bound to meet and spend countless experiences with.

So, why Aberystwyth?
When I first saw Aberystwyth’s website back in October, I looked at its strange name and immediately thought “nah, I’ll pass” because I had never heard of the place before and was (naively) unimpressed with the website. But that was back during the time where I thought every website would look ridiculously manly and have the same atmosphere as the website of a Hollywood blockbuster. As time went on, the university began to grew on me, and by practically December I knew I would want to go there, and would do whatever it took to get in.

Now, I have more reasons than ever to go to Aber, including its secluded area, the financial aid it offers, its status as one of the friendliest universities in Britain and its insanely high student satisfaction rate. I couldn’t regret going to Aber any less.

But, why English Literature and Creative Writing?
I took English Literature as intuitively I knew I was better at that than the other two subjects I considered doing (Psychology and film studies). My highest A level result in the end was… Surprise surprise, English! It’s the only subject that has actually made me laugh out loud while I read a book, or brought my mood down from an ending’s emotional impact. And I’m also curious about several debates regarding Literature- such as why it changed over time (was it merely to do with societal views, or is it more) and why writers write (I have my own reasons why I write, but I’d like to know others).

If you’ve known me for more than a month, you obviously know why I chose Creative Writing. I’m getting Intensity finished, and then I’m going to publish it so strangers who I never knew will find their lives being influenced by my message. I took creative writing so I could learn every trick, every technique and every rule of the story, and I honestly think I’m going to nail it in the end.

And finally… Who will I be meeting?
Half of the people who I’m going to become good friends with in Aberystwyth probably don’t know my existence yet. And I don’t know about them either. But I will meet them, and over time god knows what will happen. I’ll probably make a speech or something six months later and they’ll be watching from one half of the sidelines cheering me on with foghorns.

But I’ve already come to know the other half. Since the 1st of August, I’ve been a part of a rather pleasant group known as the “Squad of Epic“. The name speaks for itself, really.

I’ll do a little role-call now and introduce you to some of the people I’ve come to known. I’m sure they’ll appreciate their inclusion:
Eli, the official leader of the squad for creating the group and generally bringing everyone together. As time went by I found out she was really obsessed with tennis and good at monopoly. I promised her I’ll play her in a game of tennis (and lose horrifically) and she in turn has promised to play me in my indomitable self at chess.
Jordan, the unofficial leader of the squad for merely stating so. He’s a fan of musicals, and will most likely react the most at finding out he has been mentioned in my moderately visited blog. He’s really talkative, so I guess one of the things that won’t be following me into university will be awkward silences.
Charlotte, the unofficial/official artist of the group. She’s scarily good at drawing, and also does karate. So I’m never ever going to try fighting her, even if she ends up stealing my Super Burger Deluxe. Actually, now that I think about it… I might put up a good fight if it’s a burger like that.
Will, the leader president of the crew, he shares my interest in capturing rabid animals and raising them so they could blow up their opponents with all sorts of attacks. He also sounds like a BBC radio presenter and, scarily enough, like me, but with a deeper voice.
Tricia, another member of the squad, and a fellow fan of anime. She and I are currently planning on making a society which makes one of the animes we both enjoy (Death Note) more realistic and interactive (detective stories and roleplays on who is actually the killer).
James, a passionate fan of dubstep and riding. He’s also a tech geek, so much so he recommended I relocate my blog to squarespace so my blog could look even better. I shall do so fully when I’m comfortable with my funds.
Alex, another wacky member of the squad, Alex generally comes around to play monopoly and had to suffer the same nerves as myself during results day (she also got in). She got a straight set of A’s, so I guess me and my IQ of a high number better watch out.

That’s only some of the people I’ve recently hung out with on Skype and on Facebook chat. I’m sure I’ll have many epic times up ahead.

Now, to explain the second third of this entry’s title. A businessman came to St Annes Square the other day and offered us all coffee, to which people would respond as donating money to help support teenage cancer research. Apparently what separated this coffee from the rest was that this coffee contained an ingredient you’d expect to find in the palace of a royal family, so when I tasted it my tastebuds reacted differently.

…Well, yeah, they did. They died instantly from the heat.

Now I have to deal with a burnt tongue for the next few days. The lesson I’m learning today is: never mess with hot coffee. Ever.

And you shouldn’t mess with fish either. I went to a fish and chips shop later on and ordered a plaice along with a normal portion of chips. I ate the chips fine, but the plaice was impossible to eat fully. Probably because it was so big. It was about the size of both my hands put together, and oh god was it hot. So there’s a challenge right there, a plaice which I will have to defeat sometime in my life, because I’m not easily slowed down by food. You’re reading the entry of a guy who ate a mega beef burger for his mum’s birthday and won by putting the fork down on an empty plate. Food, your demise will come!

We headed to the western arm of Shoreham harbour and paid the £3 entry and the extra pounds per rod and spread along the arm. It was a great shelter from the sea and weed and the sun even came out…

During the day lots of species were caught. I manged to catch my first ever Red Mullet. It wasn’t big but water a lovely shade of red. Here is the little fella:

Not too long after I caught its friend:

A short while after came my first Bream. This was new species number 2 for the day. There was some thought it was a Red Bream, but after looking at a picture of one it looks more like a black one with a reddish back:

Lastly came the third new species for the day, taking me to 9 in my overall hunt, a Plaice:

None of the fish were big enough to keep but it was still a great day out.

Other fish caught during the day were Golden Grey Mullet, Thin Lipped Mullet, Shanny and Mackerel and Dab

Fish and chips is a healthy meal, because although the fish is fried, it is fried in a batter which does not permit the frying oil to penetrate the fish, which steams itself cooked inside the batter.

At one time the fish in fish and chips was cod that large North Atlantic predatory fish, which legend had was good for your brain, and in truth is good for your health, though perhaps not necessarily for building up your brain power.

Mostly cod was fished around Iceland and around Nova Scotia.

Whenever we fish we rarely catch fish in moderation. Greed and moderation do not walk hand in hand in commercial fishing or indeed in any other human activity. When we found cod so abundant off the shores of Northern Eastern America and Canada, we fished them so effectively that eighteen years ago fisheries were closed because there was no more cod. Instead, snow crabs and smaller fish took the place of abundant cod. These smaller fish were eaten by cod, but with few cod to eat them, smaller fish such as herring, haddock and pollock (cod food) thrived. They too were fished heavily, and though not fished to near extinction that change had an effect on the eco system because the smaller fish ate up most of the plankton and fish cannot live without food, so the numbers of smaller fish fell heavily. This gave the cod a chance to re establish themselves, which they did and cod is beginning to become more numerous in these fishing grounds. However the cod that are coming back are smaller than before, as well as being less numerous.

We will still be eating fish and chips in fifty years time, although whether we will eat cod, haddock and plaice, which are traditional fish, or whether we shall be eating farmed species of which we eat few now, remains to be seen.

Not really. Just a bit of print frenzy going on! I’m really enjoying the process again!

This card began when I rollered out some very pale and transparent ink directly onto the card, leaving roller marks and  deliberate inconsistencies in coverage. I did not photograph this for some reason.

I set up some wood type again and overprinted the background with a brighter, but still transparent green.

You can see the backgrounds clearer here:

When this was dry I made some adjustments to the type and locked it all back up again. I then mixed up some custardy yellow, also using plenty of transparent extender…

And another then another overprint…

Deliberately out of register to give a slightly 3D effect, but really trying to make the most of the transparency…

A couple of days later I got around to real reason for these prints – a new block purchased from eBay!

This time a very deep red was mixed and the Adana 5-3 was primed and put to task…

That is one hell of a flat fish!

Well? It’s a genuine request!

I opened an unusually understated New Zealand Sauvignon, Three Terraces Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 2010 that came on offer from the Wine Society at £7.17 (normally £8.75). It is a Wine Society exclusive, said to come from premium plots in Waihopai and to exhibit a ‘tropical twist’. I like this a lot because the winemaker stopped well short of ultimate concentration and ‘zing’ and let some very characteristic Sauvignon speak for itself. The result has layers of taste that emerge as you hold it on the palate. It is concentrated enough to balance the tomatoes – often a wine-killer – and basil, but does not overpower the delicate fish. A wine that really works for food, not just for sipping.

From BBC recipes
Serves 1
Ingredients

For the plaice fillets

1 plaice fillet, cut in half
3 tbsp plain flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

For the caper butter

25g/1oz butter
½ lemon, zest and juice
1 tbsp capers, drained
1 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley

For the creamed cabbage

½ onion, peeled, finely chopped
¼ Savoy cabbage, shredded
200ml/7fl oz double cream
2 garlic cloves, peeled, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the plaice, season the plaice with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Dredge the fish in the flour, shaking off any excess.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the plaice fillets skin-side down for 3-4 minutes. Turn over and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside to rest on a warm plate.

Heat the butter and lemon zest in the frying pan used to cook the fish, stirring until the butter is melted and turns a nut-brown colour. Remove from the heat and stir in the capers, parsley and lemon juice.

For the creamed cabbage, place all of the cabbage ingredients into a pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 8-10 minutes over a low heat, or until the cabbage is tender.

To serve, spoon the creamed cabbage on a plate, arrange the plaice fillet pieces on top and spoon over the caper butter.

Well thats what I was always told as a child,some things however you can never plan for,like a phone call two days before your going on a great holiday to fish some of the finest Scottish Sea loch’s from the local Council no less,telling us they have a vacant disabled flat which we can move into if we wish.Obviously it is equipped well for Dee’s illnesses which includes a wet room ,so Dee would benefit greatly from this,so we took it,the holiday was a no go,I had a week to decorate and pack up the old house,I managed it with only one session at Silecroft over low from dusk and managed two plaice and four dogs,was a lovely night fortunately.

It was an invaluable session for me to recharge and see sence of everything,anyhow we are moved in and settled,Dee is more positive than i have actually seen her in a long time and the lochs will still be there next year, more frustrating than not going on holiday was not having internet access.

I suppose these are really fish flops.......?

Tope and Smoothhounds are here if we could get out to catch them.

One of our local  Club members hooked a Tope  from Chappelrossan, but did not land it as he only had 1/0 hooks on fishing for Dogfish and it straightened the hooks.

Mackerel are  scattered all over  as the strong winds have battered the whole peninsula,a few Bass were caught last week , but Pollack fishing  has been restricted due to weather.

The Boats were getting some good fishing, before the weather changed for the worse, Codling, Haddock, Pollack, Plaice even odd Spurdog and Bullhuss from Portlogan and Portpatrick  marks.  Tope, Thornback Ray, Dogfish and Smoothhound  in Lucebay .

Glenluce Angling Club
Are having their monthly Pike Match on this Sunday29th May,starts at 11.00am -3.30pm.

I will post another more accurate picture of the Sea Fishing  once the winds subside.

Tight Lines  Eric

In the end it calmed down a little and we had a reasonable time with mostly School Bass to about 1½ pounds and the odd sprinkling of butterfly Thornback Rays (my first this year). John also managed a small Plaice to add to his species list for this year so he was well pleased. A few on the pier last night with catches dominated by Bass, though one of the guys had a small Turbot. Worm baits predominant with fish and squid baits not getting touched.

A bit embarrassing putting up this pic but what the hell. My little butterfly Thornback.

Thornback Ray from Boscombe Pier

Not a great fishing session size wise but better than staying in, even if we did get a bit damp and windswept.

It became pretty damn cold after sunset with a bitter east wind picking up. Thank god for the central barrier running down the pier to provide a windbreak.

Not a lot to report catch wise. John unfortunately blanked, but I did manage to pull in a small Plaice and a 35cm Bass, both on straight Ragworm and both of which I was unaware of until reeling in for a bait change.

There were a couple of Mackerel caught by other anglers so that is good news though.

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First cast Bobs rod went nodding and he reeled in a Schoolie of about 1lb.

Almost straight away my rod nodded as well and when i started reeling in I felt a bit of weight and a bit of wiggle, although it did not dart off like a Bass.  as it came closer to shore i felt a few more judders and landed a Plaice of 1lb 4oz, first Plaice I have caught form shore for about 15 years!!! also prob my biggest one from shore.

The rain picked up and shortly I was wet through!! we carried on but not so much as a tap on any of the 4 rods we had out, so we gave it best and made our way home.

For supper today we had a lovely plaice (250gr plaice, a splash of cream and 1 big yellow onion) with ratatouille (tomatoes, aubergine, squash, yellow onions, 2 bay leaves and a little bit of thyme), root crop (candy striped beads and wild purple carrots – explains the funky color, parsnip, parsley root, onion, apple, celery root and cream) and whole wheat pasta.

And although a bit unorthodox just lovely! When you put roots that are otherwise a bit harsh and strong in flavor when baked turns mild and complimentary instead.

That is good to know if your significant other or child shies away from celery root or the like.

Even though there was cream in both the plaice and the root crop the amount was so small even combined that I still found a little place for my beloved creme fraîche!