Lots of foodie fun this weekend

 We went to Scotland for a wedding at the weekend and I took Friday and Monday off as well to make a nice long weekend.

We had lunch in the newly opened gastropub The Fox and Pheasant in Durham on Friday.  I nearly walked past it - a gastropub on the side of a large shopping mall does not necessarily induce confidence. But the decor was quirky and fun, the bar staff were friendly and cheery - and it does inspire confidence when you have to wait for your food to be cooked. The chips that came with my home made cheese and bacon burger were magnificent. And The Builder was very impressed with his cod and chips - the cod cut into "fingers" and served with mushy peas.

Bacon and cheeseburger with chips

Fish "fingers", chips and mushy peas

Then on Saturday we went to the wedding reception at Mavis Hall Park, where they did us a barbecue. You might think it slightly unusual to have a barbecue for  a wedding reception (although - we had a picnic which is no more conventional!). But the barbecue was mightily impressive.  They did burgers and sausages and spare ribs and salmon and chicken and corn on the cob, accompanied by a vast array of salads.  You almost didn't need the tasty chocolate dessert afterwards.  And I have to say that I think that greeting the reception guests on arrival with champagne, ice cream and chocolate is absolutely inspired

Wedding food

On Sunday we ate at home in the evening and - for the first time this year - the potatoes and vegetables were all out of the garden

rainbow chard

A vegetably feast: potatoes, chard, purple carrots and cabbage with sage leaves

Dinner is served

Today we are doing a Sunday-on-a-Monday.  And for breakfast we had eggs and bacon.  I cured the bacon myself using this recipe but with black treacle rather than molasses. It was extremely tasty (although I might try using even less salt next time - I'm not using the salt as a preservative; that's what God invented freezers for!!) but I struggled to slice my belly pork strips into thin enough slices. It may be easier if I used a slab of meat rather than strips. Or I may need to invest in an electric carving knife!  The eggs were from our chickens.  One was even a double yolker. I should have made the bread myself, I suppose.  But I used farm shop bread and turned it into toast. So not quite entirely self sufficient. But pretty impressive, I reckon.