Not Nick but Jancis on food this time in fact.
This Twitter/tweeting business is getting to me. Always being asked, as you are on Twitter, to reveal 'What are you doing now?' prompted me at lunchtime today to try to publish this picture of the most delicious plate of sweetbreads, fresh peas and broad beans that I lapped up at The Horseshoe in Hampstead, deliberately lining my stomach in anticipation of this afternoon's tasting of more than 40 vintage ports from the recently released 2007 vintage. Alas my dongle did not co-operate so I have not been able to share this great news and view with you until now. But I can report that I feel remarkably clear headed (even if black toothed), so the sweetbreads clearly have some magic ingredient. Tasting notes will of course follow.
This is a thoroughly friendly gastropub, usefully located between my physiotherapist and the nearest tube station, and they charged me the grand total of £7.15 for this plateful plus two slices of first class bread and butter and a glass of water.
Another recent superior meal out recently was Sunday lunch at the beloved Ransome's Dock in Battersea, Martin and Vanessa Lam's super-friendly temple to interesting, well-priced wine and first class ingredients. The three-course £20 Sunday lunch menu was
Pea & asparagus soup
Courgette fritters with mint & dill (really zesty and melt in the mouth)
Caesar salad
Elwy Valley leg of lamb with rosemary potatoes, baby carrots & green beans
Stream Farm organic chicken with bread sauce, roast potatoes & spring greens
Apple & blueberry crumble with vanilla custard
Eton mess
Chocolate brownie with ice cream
We had their amazing treacle tart and clotted cream in fact, after a glass of Fernando de Castilla fino apiece and one each of Craggy Range Riesling and Neudorf Pinot Gris. (They have something going with New Zealand Winegrowers at the moment, and have a wine dinner with James Millton planned for late June or early July.)
The Horseshoe 28 Heath St, London NW3 tel 020 7431 7206
Ransome's Dock 35-37 Parkgate Road, London SW11 www.ransomesdock.co.uk