Jersey Royals

This may seem like a bizarre thing to write about but I have to share my disappointment in my first Jersey Royals of the season yesterday!! Why can you not get them like you used to? What do they do differently now so that they just don't taste as good?
When I was little it was almost a ritual in our household - rumour would spread through Tenby that the first Jersey Royals were in Handicott's greengrocer and my Dad, Tommy and I would rush up there. Part of the ritual was the 10 minute banter between Dad & Peter about how could anyone pay that much for a few potatoes...10 for that you must be mad! Dad would pick out the tiny ones, begrudgingly pay the extortionate amount (and always tell a little white lie to Mum about the actual cost!) and bring them home. He would then personally scrape the peel off and serve them up as lunch with just butter and parsley - I can taste them now - totally delicious!
Funnily enough we would have the same ritual with the first Pembrokeshires a few weeks later.
Anyway, Tesco's £3.00 for a small bag yesterday were thoroughly disappointing - too big and no special flavour. I shan't be buying them again!

Villa Taman Burung, Lovina, Bali

We have just arrived back from a fabulous family holiday to Lovina in Bali, Indonesia. The trip was arranged as a surprise for a significant birthday, soon to be celebrated, by one of our party.

A total of 15 family members, who are usually scattered far and wide around the world, congregated at the Villa Taman Burung, near to Lovina in Northern Bali. Arriving on 4 separate flights from London, Singapore and Sydney, we were met by the villa's driver, named Made, to make the journey from the airport at Denpasar in the south of the island to Lovina in the north. The trip can take anywhere between two and three hours depending on traffic and was certainly more of a white-knuckle ride than any roller-coaster I've ridden. Mopeds, dogs, chickens, lorries and more besides all compete for road space, but our driver seemed oblivious to it all, simply using the horn to announce his intention to overtake everything in his way.

On arrival at Taman Burung, the pace immediately slowed and the entire complement of 8 staff were there to welcome us and show us around. They are clearly very proud of the facilities and with good reason.

Taman Burung comprises a site approximately the size of a football pitch. Six buildings for guest accommodation can be found spread out through the immaculate gardens, with two pools, one at either end of the site. A large building in the centre of the site forms the kitchen, dining area, and bar. Also dotted around the site were a variety of covered buildings providing shelter from the sun and occasional rain storm.


In total there were 7 double bedrooms, one twin room and an additional double bed in the thatched building on stilts (perfect for my 10 and 7 year old daughters). Each good-sized bedroom, with the exception of the thatch (see below), was air-conditioned and had its own beautiful outdoor, open-air bathroom.

The kitchen was ably managed by Pari and Wayan, who continued to produce a wide variety of both Indonesian and European food, with ever present smiles and enthusiasm. Kadek was on hand to wait on the tables, serve drinks and ensure that we had everything that we needed.

Breakfast usually consisted of a plate of fresh fruit, including watermelon, papaya, pineapple and banana, plus a fruit smoothie, and an english breakfast or pancakes, plus plenty of coffee and tea. During breakfast we also discussed with the cooks, what we would be eating for lunch and dinner.

For lunch, we opted either for Nasi Goreng (fried rice) or Mee Goreng (fried noodles), but the staff were happy to accommodate any other suggestions we came up with. Their Cap Cay (stir fried vegatables) was also excellent.

Dinner was selected from eight different three course menus, ranging from starters of greek salad, Jukut Undis (traditional black bean soup), Jukut Ares (young banana tree soup), spring roll or chicken and asparagus soup. The choices for main course included curry, sweet and sour pork, Ayam Kecap (Panfried Chicken), satay, Babi Kecap (panfried pork), Ikan Sambal Matah (grilled fillet of tuna, with spices), Ikan Pepes (spicey grilled fish in banana leaf), Ayam Betutu (spicy grilled chicken in banana leaf) - All were delicious. Desserts were usually fresh fruit, served with ice cream. We also tried the local Bali Cake, but this was not to our liking, being very stodgy, sweet and covered in coconut.

One evening, the staff also prepared a whole suckling pig as a special treat. It made quite a spectacle when on the table and could have fed us three times over.


Komang and the rest of the staff, maintained the pools, the gardens, tidied rooms and re-stocked the fridges in each room and the pool bar.

I would not hesitate to recommend this location for any large party, wanting to get together for some sun and relaxation and who don't mind travelling to get it. Apart from the cost of the flights, the remainder of the holiday was exceptional value, considering the standard of the accommodation and the service provided by the staff. Thanks to you all.

Café Bleu, Newark

Yesterday I went to one of my favourite restaurants for a gorgeous lunch - Café Bleu in Newark, Nottinghamshire. The good news is that my husband actually works in Newark so we can usually wrangle a long leisurely lunch once in a while and with us all off on holiday tomorrow it didn't seem to be a problem!
This was my delayed (by my request) Mothers Day lunch treat so myself, Immy & Scarley trekked the 45 mins up to Newark and invited Grandpa (my father in law Richard) along too.
As always the food was completely delicious and I can't recommend this restaurant enough. The staff are always so welcoming and although pricey for a 3 course meal, for a light lunch it is almost affordable!
Imogen is now 10 and won't entertain childrens' portions (there is no childrens' menu which I always see as a good thing!) so promptly ordered herself the rack of lamb (at £17.50!!) served with a garlic mash and red wine jus. Heaven on a plate. Scarlett is only 7 but ordered the supreme roast chicken breast substituting the black pudding mash with some new potatoes instead. She ate most of this but enjoyed the complimentary freshly baked baguette and butter just as much!
Richard indulged with Moules Mariniere and frites which was delicious. The sauce was incredibly creamy and rich (sometimes at other restaurants the sauce can be a bit too brothy & watery for me) and delicious with the bread for dipping! My husband Jon had the roasted cod which I didn't get to taste and I had the most amazing beef bourgignonne which was served with pommes anna. The beef was all in one piece with the very rich sauce served on top. The beef was melt in the mouth and the flavour was out of this world! The fries are always great so we ordered a side just in case!
What I love about Café Bleu is that the portions aren't huge so there is always room for pudding!
So..the Creme Brule was served with a chocolate ice cream (almost as good as Jon's!), the vanilla pannacota was served with a passion fruit jelly and a choux bun (very delicious), the chocolate fondant pudding came with a pistachio icecream crumble and was swiftly finished off by Imogen!
The whole experience is great - relaxed, informal, great service and delicious freshly cooked food. Do yourself a favour - next time you are anywhere near Newark, pop in!