Wagtail, Jaguar and Kiwi Stew

Spontaneous trip to the local last Friday proved to be the right move. A welcoming pint of Great Oakley's Wagtail (lightish 1038 brewed with a New Zealand hop) whilst Mrs Diplo and I peruse the menu. As usual the obvious solution of ordering the entire menu is discussed and set aside. Caution and prudence rights off the starter course - so pressed duck and chicken liver terrine, whitebait and the Tuscan Ribolita are out of the question. A second pint of Wagtail helps me settle for the grilled pork cutlet and chorizo cassoulet and Mrs D sensibly opts for the calves liver - never known to disappoint and guaranteed to be the freshest, lightest cooked liver for miles around. The Argentinian Malbec (illustrated complete with Yaguarete) waves enthusiastically from the wine list, desperate for a place on our team. Just as the Wagtail's spent, two huge elegant glasses arrive with the Chakana and the main course. Not much said for the next twenty minutes or so - plenty of sighs and happy whimpers in between slurps of the Agentinian nectar. A little post-main course rest is interrupted by discussion of the sweat choice - up 'till now things have been pretty straightforward. From the six dishes on offer it is decided that we simply can't make do without at least four of them. A further Wagtail will be needed to wash them down. A few minutes later and a gargantuan platter of goodness arrives - pint on the side. Home made panna cotta with Vin Santo-poached pears, lemon and almond polenta, VERY rich dark chocolate Nemesis, fig and almond tart with clotted cream. MORE SPONTANEITY !

LLama Drama

Slightest glimmer of sunlight, the smallest hint of summer and we fire up the barbie. Inaugural firing of the new Diplo cooker required plenty of scrap timber to warm the flue and cure all the important bits. Whilst waiting for the fire to reach optimum cooking performance we need to replenish the larder - fate is kind to the hunter-gatherer in our neck of the woods and a 120 metre lung/heart shot (150 grain soft nosed High-Shock Win 30-30) should suffice here.
A week to cure and a delicate 24 hour marinade, (pinot, rosemary, olive oil,garlic and a liberal dollop of smoked paprika, I fancy) should do the trick. Fried garlic-potatoes, a spicy water cress salad and a heavy Chilean Malbec will be required, llama can be a little chewy. I'm particularly looking forward to fashioning a jalfrezi, rich in saag, out of the neck fillet. MORE PROTEIN !