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Simon Rhodes owns:
The Lobster Pot Fishmongers. Cobbs Farmshop, Bath Road,
Hungerford, Berkshire RG17 0SP
Telephone: (01488) 686770
About the author
F
irstly, set the mood with
some low lights, easy music
and some scented candles.
The secret of a great meal is in the
preparation, so remember to give yourself
plenty of time.
Start with sourcing a nice bottle of wine. I am
fortunate to be part of Cobbs Farmshop and
they have a great selection of wines, including
their own home-grown award-winning sparkling
white.
Make sure it is suitably chilled or aired.
Then, why not start proceedings with a few
oysters?
Try some different accompaniments like finely
chopped ginger, soy sauce and wasabi, or
tabasco and a squeeze of lemon or lime, chilli
and fresh coriander or experiment with different
combinations.
The flavours will explode in your mouth and will
give you something exciting to talk about.
As a starter, try something simple like pan-fried
scallops with fried chicken livers.
The scallops should be nicely seared on both
sides. Serve with a little rocket salad and use
the juice from the livers with reduced port and
butter as a dressing.
Shredded apple livens up this dish as the
sweetness of the apples contrasts with the
chicken livers and scallops.
As for the main course, be adventurous
with tuna served with new potatoes
and a fresh salad.
To get the perfect tuna heat a little rapeseed
oil in a pan until it’s very hot. Season the tuna
steaks with rock salt and cracked black pepper
and fry rapidly for about a minute on each side,
remember good tuna tastes sublime when it’s
pink in the middle.
Why not try something different in the salad
like mango or pineapple, maybe some fresh
coriander, roasted pine nuts or sesame seeds?
Make the salad with an assortment of different
leaves beforehand and add a simple dressing
at the last minute so as not to spoil the leaves.
Dessert should be simple and prepared
beforehand.
Crushed meringues, with frozen summer fruits
(defrosted, naturally), Greek yoghurt and
chocolate pieces make for a simple and
delicious dessert.
Finally serve up some special cheeses with
flavoured biscuits or crackers.
Remember keep the conversation positively
light, don’t talk about politics, knitting patterns
or what your opinion of the greatest ever
England football team is. Keep music and food
the main topic of conversation and you won’t
go far wrong.
Maybe next month I should be starting my new
column as an agony aunt...
HOOK
LINE
&
SINKER
They say the way to a man’s, or indeed a
woman’s, heart is through the stomach.
If you want to catch your Valentine and reel
them in, then what better way than to prepare
a special meal – Simon Rhodes offers some
mouth-watering suggestions for
a perfect romantic evening
I am fortunate to be part of
Cobbs Farmshop and they
have a great selection of
wines including their own
home-grown award-winning
sparkling white