weekend of eating!

What an unbelievably good-tasting weekend! A visit to the green hills of Macclesfield rendered some wonderful food, charming company and at least two new food-obsessions for me. In fact, there was so much food I barely have space to detail it - it won't do it justice, but I hope a little of its deliciousness is conveyed in this bare-skeleton run down:

Friday evening we were treated to a home meal of:

• Asparagus and rocket with bresaola, parmesan shavings and a dressing
• Fish pie with salmon, prawns etc. yum etc. and a rosti topping - in which I noticed some delicious capers
  
• Pear and almond sponge with creme fraiche
  

Saturday got off to an excellent start, when bacon and egg on toast extended to black pudding and sausage too, with OJ and tea. Later, there was space for apple tart and ice cream, with a cappuccino in Arighi Bianchi - a department store with a formidable cake selection in the cafe. Then tea and biscuits with Grandma Miles, before visiting the Lord Clyde pub

What a gem of a place! A G&T whetted my appetite for scallops with black pudding and pea puree. It made me want to eat it every day of my life. Some lovely red wine (gent, can you recall?) accompanied the pork three ways: pork cheek on creamed cabbage, with some specs of carrot in; roast belly pork on mashed potato; loin of pork rolled in pancetta with sage leaves entrapped between the two, on apple puree.

Three scoops of ice cream: two amaretti, one vanilla and an espresso finished a perfect evening.

On Sunday we breakfasted on smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on toast, with OJ and tea. Then a cappuccino in Buxton; sweet-spicy nuts, parmesan biscuits and pistachios to keep us going until a Sunday feast of:

• Potted shrimp with bread
• Wholegrain tagliatelle, underneath pork baked in a beautiful creamy sauce, topped with crispy-melted mozzarella. I wish I had asked for the recipe now, I really want to make it!
  
• Delia's very lemony lemon tart, with cream

Well that was the short version and I didn't even touch on the breads! My two resulting obsessions are beautiful, savoury black pudding and potted shrimps. Items I have been tentative with before, but won't be now I have tasted the good stuff!