Monday 30 May 2016

The Black Horse in Woburn

So, my Two Men About Town blog has taken off a little more ferociously than I had first thought and I've not had that much time to put down much on here but here's a link to my experience at the launch of the new Summer menu at the Black Horse in Woburn that I was lucky enough to be invited to:

The Black Horse Summer Menu Review

I've mentioned how uneasy I find these press events and really, unless you can get talking to people that realise and appreciate how inherently odd they actually are, I'm remain unconvinced. Luckily I was on home turf at the Black Horse and the team there are quite exceptional. They have been my go-to venue of choice for lunches with family for the last couple of years because a) they are consistently good, and b) they have always pitched the menu on the right sight of 'expensive enough to be worth the trip vs. enough good value not to mind.' So once again, they produced a solid and excellent performance even in the most extreme of circumstances (names of those involved have been changed to protect the innocent)

It's weird to think that we're now moving into the Summer season which is when (this time last year) I started to really see interest get put my way with all sorts of people getting in touch. This blogging lark is interesting in how it changes the way you start thinking about what you're doing and where you're going. I think that an honest blog and trusted is worth a lot more than a hundred Trip Advisor clones, even if we do get it wrong every now and then.

Coming Soon: Paris House - A Michelin Starred Anniversary (because she's worth it)

Tuesday 24 May 2016

Wine Tasting at The Old Thatched Inn in Adstock

I used to think that there was nothing better than going out for a good knees up on a school night. These days I try and be a bit more measured in my approach but still it's good to meet new people.

I spent a very relaxing evening last week doing exactly that at one of Mrs P's favourite pubs The Old Thatched Inn; eating, drinking and talking. What's not to like?

All the details are over on Two Men About Town: http://bit.ly/25jgnMm so check it out if you want to know what happens when you sign up for something without really thinking it through...


Friday 20 May 2016

Two Men About Town - a new direction

I've been blessed in my life with some truly great friends, I've known some for over 30 years and others for less than 2 but I'm glad to say that I am lucky that I have the opportunity to make new ones every day. Recently, one of those friends said:

'Hey Rob, I really like your blog, It's amazing, clearly the best blog written by anyone ever but you don't talk about much other than food. Let's do a blog together where you can talk about anything because I really value your thoughts on various topics such as what type of shoes you wear or the crisis in the Middle East.'

Yep, that's what he said and if @suburbangent tries to tell you different, he's a dirty liar. So, without any further fanfare and self-trumpet blowing, I would like to present to you, in association with my good friend Mr SuburbanGent:

Two Men About Town

I'm not going to stop RobsRibs but Two Men will be a place for far more discussion on everything that is stimulating, intriguing or pleasurable in our lives. However, you can assured that because I'm involved there will still be food, a lot of food.

So whizz on over and take a look, you never know you might even find it interesting.




Monday 9 May 2016

MK Food Awards 2016 - the aftermath

Who doesn't like a good awards ceremony? Usually it's a perfect chance to dress up in Tux and tie to meet, mingle and generally get drunk with as many like minded people as possible. So it was that last Sunday granted another great example for the best of the local catering industry in Milton Keynes to measure up and see exactly which of them had captured the public's heart over the past twelve months.

I covered the event last year and was really pleased to be invited to take part again, although I felt even more of a fraud as I spoke all evening to people who have put their money where their mouths are and actually done something about their passion for food and drink rather than just hiding behind the safety of a laptop and throwing out opinions whether people want them to or not.*

So what happened, who was there and what did we eat? Well, as per last year, I arrived too late to sample the appetisers made by Milton Keynes catering college students (dammit, I really do have to work on my timing), but breezed in to take my seat on the Mayoral table.




Which turned out to be a genius plan as Mr and Mrs Mayor were on the last few weeks wind down at the end of their tour of civic duty and were more than willing to join in with the gusto of the evening. I was also sat with some of the smaller independent producers whom I've recently covered and got to know - it's these guys who are willing to take the risks that the big brands won't and prove just how exciting your Friday night takeaway can be: @urbangrilla @foodinmk @mkfoodrev @goodtimescafeUK



Starters were cheese, tomato salsa and a couple of tasty green pea splodges - there is always a compromise to be had when catering for a large number of people and good spirits kept the table in excellent humour even when the temperature soared past 'sweaty' and hit 'sauna' early on.

Mains came with plenty of added gravy and mint sauce for those who wanted it.



But it was the desert that was the highlight - a trio of spoonfuls that provided chocolate, lemon and strawberry mouthfuls that tasted as good as they looked. It's never going to be easy to cater for so many people and while compromises will always have to be made, this dish made the most of the opportunity and so hats off to the team @berthoolivier for making such a good fist of it.



As with any event that I now attend alongside fellow eating enthusiast @Loubou, I have learned that she will inevitably take far better pictures than I can. So please check out her blog here as I'm sure she'll give you a much better view of the ambience and atmosphere than any wobbly views of a group of mates on the wrong side of a bottle of prosecco which is pretty much all I managed to come away with.

The big awards went to Spencer Orlington from Bistro Live for Chef of the year, The Don for Best Newcomer and Nonnas for Restaurant of the year, none of which I have visited and so they immediately jump to the top of the 'should visit' list. The winners of the category that I was lucky enough the judge was The Indian Orchard and the Hornes Brewery which are both products which I have already further enjoyed since the judging!

So, in summary I have nothing but massive congratulations for all the worthy winners and competitors that are working so hard to make my home town a better place to live and eat in. You can find all the details at the MK Food and Leisure Award HQ once they have recovered enough from the evening to post them up, or you can follow them @mkfoodawards. If nothing else, the evening just goes to show that the foodie scene here in Milton Keynes is growing at a breakneck pace and there is so much for us to be proud of. Excellent work from everyone - well done and I'll see you all next year! 






I'm describing me there in case you hadn't noticed.