Ur-food is famous

From this week's Observer - your own ur-food blogger referred to in the final paragraph

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jun/21/jay-rayner-reviews-felin-fach-griffin

HFW recipe

From last week's River Cottage programme, freshly picked small courgettes

Fried in olive oil, lemon juice and fresh mint, then used to top some garlic-rubbed bruschetta, and finished with a mint and yoghurt sauce

Sunday lunch

Roast chicken, new potatoes and salad, served with homemade crabapple jelly out in the garden

More summery food

I'm afraid the food gets less original as the weather gets hotter - lots of new potatoes and salads, this time with an oven baked pork chop in a creamy mushroom sauce

Barbecue dinner

Halloumi and red pepper; yellow and green courgettes

Chipolatas with mushroom and tomato

A quick barbecue

Finished with fresh berries and vanilla ice cream

Simple supper

Pan fried pork loin steaks, with new potatoes and sauteed courgettes

Homegrown

First of the homegrown Charlotte potatoes

And the first of the strawberries. First year for the strawberry plants, but still plenty of fruit so far.

Sunday lunch - last of DC

Sunday lunch was at Old Ebbitt bar and grill opposite the White House

A decent Bloody Mary to start, although I remain to be convinced by the king prawn garnish

And another steak - this time a 12oz New York Strip with a peppercorn butter

Saturday dinner

Dinner was at the fancy Capital Grille near the Capitol. Great atmosphere - very classy, and felt much less 'touristy' than anywhere else we ate

Started with a dry gin martini

Oysters weren't great - but then I prefer the plumper French atlantic oysters

Steak was excelletn - a good char to the filet mignon, which we had with a bearnaise sauce, creamed spinach and a potato gratin

Surprisingly good lunch

Weather was wet, so by Saturday lunch we dived into the closest place we could find, and the bacon cheese burger from Cedar was excellent

Hotel Breakfast

Breakfasts in the hotel were great - here's a great eggs benedict from Saturday morning

Washington DC - Bobby Vans

A weekend in Washington, so plenty of photos. First night we ate at Bobby Vans, opposite our hotel. Crabcakes were good - tasty and well seasoned

Finished with a peach sorbet in a frozen peach

Unseasonably warming food

A beef stew with some of the leftover wine from the tasting, mushrooms, carrots, celery and pearl barley

Fresh food

I used the little yellow courgettes and some young broad beans to make a pasta sauce

The broad beans were boiled briefly, released from their skins and then sauteed with the courgettes, olive oil and mint

Local shopping

Cute little yellow courgettes from the local garden centre

Wine tasting fun

Blinis to accompany the sparkling wines

A good selection of wines - of the six reds we tasted the Wine Society NZ Shiraz came out well in a blind tasting

Some Chaource in a good state of ripeness

Finished with a Tokaji and a Sauterne

Giant steak

Bone in rib of beef

Seared in a pan, then roasted for about 6 minutes

Sliced and served with dijon, bearnaise and a rocket salad