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Aga saga 2

September 13, 2008 4 Comments Filed Under: Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

The Aga man came round on Thursday. I suddenly felt slightly ashamed that I hadn’t been religiously polishing it.

He’s serviced the Aga’s of Jamie Oliver, who has three, and Phil Vickery from Ready Steady Cook, who is Fern Britten’s husband. The Aga man says that most women bake cakes for him the day before he comes to service their Aga. (You have to turn the Aga off 24 hours before a service)(1). He’s expecting scones on the next visit. Bloody hell, I’d better get practising then. Never baked a scone in my life, mainly because I don’t like them.

I’ve decided to splash out on a few cookery books, for instance, The Aga bible by Amy Wilcox (which I’ve just received from Amazon and it appears to be an ex-library book!). Most of the Aga cookbooks are written by Mary Berry but I find them rather old fashioned.
I’ve also ordered How to be a domestic goddess by Nigella Lawson and The Moro Cookbook. What really annoys me though is the meat pages. Such a waste of book. And off-putting. With yucky dead cooked flesh photos. I’m going to hack them all out.
Now I like Nigella’s writing. I know she is privileged and has become a bit of a parody but you can actually follow her recipe’s. You can tell she’s a home cook. A cook not a chef.
I have practically no cook books nor do I have any decent knives. I’m also a crap baker. Bakers and patisserie chefs have a different mind set from normal chefs. Precision is important in their trade.
This winter I’m going to practise baking and work up my Morroccan dishes. Sounds like a riot doesn’t it?

(1) He also said that Aga men are never given a manual to learn how to build the Aga’s. They go on a course and have to learn it by heart. This is so no one can imitate the Aga.

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Comments

  1. Animal Disco

    September 19, 2008 at 2:34 pm

    … and have you got anything by Nigel Slater on your kitchen bookshelves? I swear by (rather than swear at) his recipes – often, just bloody good ideas – and the way he writes about food carries me off on a tide of prandial rapture. I like Nigella for the same reasons you do, but I find lots of her recipes a little too heavy on the cream/butter/rich stuff. Much as I love to over indulge myself (and my guests) Nigella style, I can’t do the hourglass figure thing that she does so well; I end up looking like a doughnut instead. And then wanting one …

    I’m loving this blog as much as I love t’other one, by the way.

    Reply
  2. marmitelover@mac.com

    September 19, 2008 at 2:48 pm

    I really like Nigel Slaters recipe’s too. Must get one of his books.
    I’m totally with Nigella on the cream and butter. Screw the waistline.
    Thanks for the feedback A.D.! x

    Reply
  3. Canal Explorer

    October 12, 2008 at 11:57 pm

    I have bad knives too. Very bad. I don’t know what to do about this, other than add it to the list of things that make me feel inadequate as a domestic goddess.

    Reply
  4. marmitelover

    October 13, 2008 at 12:04 am

    Global are supposed to be good. I’ve got one on my ‘wish list’ if anybody ever feels generous!

    Reply

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MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

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My next supper club 17th June london tickets £50 My next supper club 17th June london tickets £50 BYO book here: https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsummer-supper-club-tickets-june-17th #london #supperclub #msmarmitelover #midsummer
For tonight’s event I had to push the boundaries For tonight’s event I had to push the boundaries. Here is how to prepare goose neck barnacles or percebes which are a very expensive and rare delicacy, hunted down from cliffs. It’s quite dangerous to forage them. #canapes #eventcatering #satanicfood #percebes #grossfood #seafood #devilsfood
Midsummer supperclub 17th June book tickets here h Midsummer supperclub 17th June book tickets here https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsummer-supper-club-tickets-june-17th at London’s pioneering supper club. Tickets £50 BYO. Scandinavian inspired summery food. #supperclub #msmarmitelover #midsummer #northwestlondon #londonevents #popups
Tina sweating through a gig at Brixton academy cir Tina sweating through a gig at Brixton academy circa 1987 pic: kerstin Rodgers #rip #tinaturner #rockphotographer #kerstinrodgers #teenagephotographer
Attended an incredible talk with @frenchpete_1 on Attended an incredible talk with @frenchpete_1 on war photography in the Ukraine . Go to the exhibition @thebppa @thebargehouse in SE1 last few days 
Had to stop filming cos I was told off. The photographers would be less forthcoming if they were filmed I was told. 
Anyway @frenchpete_1 should be followed by a camera crew cos he’s a star.
For yesterdays lunch I made a blue cheese puff pas For yesterdays lunch I made a blue cheese puff pastry quiche and a little one with less blue cheese & no salt for my 7 month old granddaughter. She absolutely loved it. I’m enjoying seeing her experience and explore new foods with baby led weaning. Avocado, strawberries, kiwi & buttered crumpets are a hit. Pasta less so. Who is this child? Are we even related? #babyledweaning #quiche #homemadepuffpastry
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My terrace on a sunny May morning. The builders @l My terrace on a sunny May morning. The builders @lk.general.building left yesterday. They’ve been working since January. I had the awning installed, the encaustic Minton tiles removed and put back with green grout. The terrace was causing damp so this had to be done. My calamondin plant is looking lovely. The benches which I repaired with hard wood & I repainted using a mix of 2 colours. The marble table I bought in Suffolk at a car boot. Everything is still dusty & I’m waiting for the window cleaner to arrive.
Last but very heartfelt thankyou to @cideriswine f Last but very heartfelt thankyou to @cideriswine for their contribution of these beautiful dry ciders for the coronation street lunch. Gorgeously illustrated labels. #stcuthbertsrd #kilburn #london #cider #artisanaldrinks
When it comes to vodka I much prefer potato vodka. When it comes to vodka I much prefer potato vodka. It’s smoother. Artisanal distillery @devoncovevodka contributed some bottles to my coronation lunch which gave everyone a feeling of being at a classy party. Thanks so much. And also @rawfoodanddrink for arranging. If you want to read my blog post about how and why I organised this event, copy and paste this link: https://t.co/GWNNW2XKba #coronationstreetparty #biglunch #community #kilburn #london #forthepeoplebythepeople
I’ve been a fan of @luscombedrinks for years now I’ve been a fan of @luscombedrinks for years now. They sent a selection: elderflower bubbly, st. Clements orange 🍊 Sicilian lemonade, @belvoirfarm_uk lemonade, which were all delicious and just the tickets for the fortuitous mini-heatwave that occurred on the Sunday coronation lunch. #thankyou #community #coronation #streetparty #biglunch
Our street party. Double page spread in The Sun! T Our street party. Double page spread in The Sun! Tiny bit in the guardian. Decent pic in the Mail and The Star credit @asproider #coronationlunch #kilburn #stcuthbertsrd #kingscroftrd #fordwychrd #templarhouse
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Seaweed foraging at Spring tides in the Outer Hebr Seaweed foraging at Spring tides in the Outer Hebrides with @outerhebrideanforager Fi bird. She’s cutting sea spaghetti. I drove my campervan @camperdays.international from london to the Hebrides- using my gas stove to cook foraged and local ingredients. A real food safari. With the sea spaghetti I made a sea spag vongole with giant parlourdes picked up from the sand at the same time. Great fun, beautiful weather and, the day of the full moon, a wonderfully low tide. This was on south Uist.
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