I knew it was a gherkin

In my relatively short journey of discovery into the world of food and drink, last week was nigh on incredible and by far the most exciting of my foray so far.

I was extremely fortunate to be invited to Simpsons and Beef - both on the same day (oof!) - knowing that I would be enlightened further and thrown into a world of tastes that I had never had the pleasure of experiencing before - roast marrowbone being just one of them!

Following hot on the heels of my day in Birmingham came a visit to Lymestone Brewery. Organised by Brown and Green, the evening with Brad, Viv, Susie and Euan (respective proprietors and blooming lovely people) reiterated the passion and enthusiasm I knew existed in Staffordshire for locally produced food and drink. Further details of Michelin stars, bees and Stone Faced (check out the malt) will follow in imminent blogs.

The intention and concept of this blog has always been to not only source and shout about fantastic local produce but to also chart my own food journey both in acquiring new tastes and new skills in the kitchen. Such adventures into new realms have began to take me beyond our County line and into the kitchens of great Chefs (Tim @ Beef being the perfect example). I have been extremely fortunate so far in meeting great people, sampling some great food and developing myself when donning an apron, armed with a very sharp knife (more of this also at a later date). Which brings me to this weekend.

Thanks to Mr Davey (who had previously accompanied me on our mini tour of Birmingham and Stone) I came across a couple of Veal Rib-Eye Steaks supplied by Donald Russell. The Royal Warrant holder and Britain's leading mail order meat supplier enables cooks of all abilities to experience gourmet food and dining in their own home. The veal steaks themselves are matured on the bone for flavour, then de-boned and cut by hand. The eye of fat keeps it juicy and tasty and it is ideal for BBQing or pan frying.

I may not yet have the full confidence to develop my own recipe ideas from scratch but I am hoping that this will come with time. So thanks to BBC Food, the following was the result. Veal Schnitzel with caramelised red onion, spinach mash and a basil pesto. The veal was exquisite. Tender and beautifully complimented by the mash etc. It is a very simple recipe and straightforward dish to prepare. I will spare you all the recipe details here, just follow the link

More about the gherkin at a later date too...