The Adlington Post

My roast dinners aren't bad, & everyone enjoys the dark gravy I make, but truely crispy roast potatoes have always eluded me - until I found a recipie by Delia Smith. This method uses fat/dripping drained from previous roasts & bacon breakfasts - this makes the potatoes even more flavoursome. * there are two essentials: the potatoes need to be par-boiled, & the fat needs to be really hot..... - Wash the potatoes cut into pieces [say twice the size of a walnut], & simmer for 8 minutes, drain well. - Put the lid back onto the pot & give the potatoes a good shake. This will roughen the edges, making them floury & crispier. The small broken bits will go extra crunchy! - Meanwhile, preheat a sturdy roasting pan with 50g [2 oz] dripping per 500g [lb] potatoes to 220C/425F. If the roast is still cooking, move it to a lower shelf. If done, remove it from the oven & cover - relaxing the meat will allow the juices to soak back into the joint. - Turn on a st...

Check out this UK website for all manner of incredible edibles: "Edible Bugs, Bush Tucker Trials & The Worlds Hottest Chillis! We offer an assortment of gourmet exotic delicacies from around the world. Specialities such as Baked Scorpions & Fried Crickets from the North-East of Thailand. For centuries, these have been consumed as part of an everyday diet. Some other popular delicacies include: Sea Urchin Caviar, Escargots (Snails), Sweden's *NOTORIOUS* Surströmming (Fermented Herring), Civet Coffee, Jelly Fish Slices, Sautéed Reindeer & so much more..Check out our Super Hot Chilli Sauces & Worlds Hottest Chillies!" For more on food see www.pavlovasdog.webs.com For my cooking videos see www.youtube.com/martinadlington

On Friday my mate Johann took me fishing at the pier at the old Sunderland flying-boat base in Hobsonville. We were a bit late for the right tide conditions, but I did manage to catch this fish - twice! [he went back into the water]...... For more on food see www.pavlovasdog.webs.com For my cooking videos see www.youtube.com/martinadlington

Yesterday at Browns Bay market a stallholder gave me a bag of kumarahou leaves. According to my book on Maori herbal remedies, tea made from leaves of this native plant were drunk for turberculosis, asthma, & broncitis, as a blood purifier, & for their beneficial effects on the kidneys, as well as a remedy for colds & coughs, & as a tonic wash for the skin. Kumarahou is also known as Gumdigger's Soap because the yellow flowers make a soapy lather when crushed in the hand. For more on food see www.pavlovasdog.webs.com For my cooking videos see www.youtube.com/martinadlington

Two weeks after the first mealworm pupae formed, a beetle has emerged. So far out of 50 larvae, 20 have pupated, & most of the others are lying still in the tub - getting ready to undergo their next stage of metamorphosis. After the beetles have mated, they will lay eggs in 7-10 days, which will hatch into larvae after 2 weeks - I will then have some interesting cooking tips for you! For more on food see www.pavlovasdog.webs.com For my cooking videos see www.youtube.com/martinadlington

The friendly folks from Col's Pies at Browns Bay market on Sunday. These pork pies are delicious, but get in quick, as they sell out fast! Col is a traditionally-trained English butcher, so he knows his stuff, & these pies are the real deal. Are they as good as Melton-Mowbrays? - try for yourself! www.colslarder.com I ate mine with some "Karengo & Tamarillo Chutney" [seaweed & tree tomato], made by Pacific Harvest here on the North Shore. www.pacificharvest.co.nz For more on food see www.pavlovasdog.webs.com For my cooking videos see www.youtube.com/martinadlington

The mealworms I bought a month ago at the pet shop have begun to pupate. They seem to have been happy on their diet of bran, apple, & guava. Their cycle goes: beetles hatching to laying eggs 7-10 days; eggs hatch in 14 days as larvae; larvae pupate in 4-6 weeks; pupae emerge as beetles in 2-3 weeks. Mealworms are edible at the larval stage, so expect some interesting posts on preparing & cooking these insects in the early New Year. For more on food see www.pavlovasdog.webs.com For my cooking videos see www.youtube.com/martinadlington