Got to get this big foodie adventure of mine right!

Had some time to think and realised I lost the plot a little with the whole point behind my big foodie adventure. It's meant to really, really be my opportunity to go out and enjoy great meals/foodie time with my friends and family- as well as learn more about food, cooking, baking from people/tweeters I admire. 

So......

got to be ruthless and follow those rules! 

OUT go:

Club Gascon

Maison Florentine

Hobbs House bread course

IN go (fingers crossed- a lot of this is still a wish list for now!):

Le Vendome, Lyon

Bread course with Aldo

Petersfield Food Festival

Day cake decorating with @Boudoirofcake

Belgo

The Pig Hotel

and a little progress: 2 out 40 booked...got to get a move on.

Who would have thought the prep time would have taken so long. On the other hand, I am really happy to have this time to ensure I get this right as I'll only be 40 once :)

*****THE LIST ******


version 7

1. Chancery Court, High Holborn, London (afternoon tea)- got to be numero uno priority! thanks to a lovely blog post from Kavita. Still in!
2. Wild Garlic, Devon - can't wait!
3. Pot Kiln, Berkshire- been on my list for sooooo long
4. George Blanc, Vonnas, France- must must must
5. Troisgrois, Roanne, France-Big expectations.
6. Maison Florentine, Lyon, France- if only just for the view - sorry, OUT. Now replaced by "Le Vendome", the restaurant of my friend Néné, who I haven't seen in years. But got a table "en terrace" booked for first Tuesday in June.

7. The Pass, near Horsham,West Sussex, at the South Lodge Hotel- heard great stuff about this place, and only up the road. No excuse.
8. The Giggling Squid, Brighton
9. English, Brighton
10. Le Gavroche, London - bien sur :)
11. Fashionista Afternoon Tea , Berkeley Hotel, London- looks SOOOO cute!
12. Harrods Seafood Bar- always wanted to do that, never dared for some reason? Perfect excuse.
13. Bernachon chocolate shop, Lyon
14. Hobbshouse bread making course - well, if I can get a space. OUT Got the shower cap but no news from their bread courses. Instead I am now hoping for a great day learning to make bread with the infamous Aldo...if @Ruduss can convince him!

15. Flippburger, Atlanta- recommended by several local tweeters
16. Les Halles de Lyon- pure nostalgia of my student years ...le saucisson de Madame Sibillia et le Saint Marcellin de chez Richard
17. Choccywoccydoodah chocolate boudoir, Brighton- can't EVER go there too often. One to do with the girls.
18, Masterchef UK show, Olympia
19. Butchery week end at Uncle Darrell in Devon
20  Wabi, Horsham- O.M.G.
21. Borough Food Market, London, with a hog roast sarnie!
22. Club Gascon, London- Sorry , OUT- in favour of local Petersfied Food festival on 23rd and 24th June.
23. Racine, London
24. Relais de Comodoliac, St Junien, France
25. The Fat Duck, Bray, England
26. "That fish shack restaurant in Shoreham my friend Leanne often talks about"!
27. Cake&Bake Show- London Earls Court- BOOKED!
28. The Food Blogger lunch from OneMillionGoldenStars Blog lovely Gail

29. The Great pudding dinner- at home!
30 & 31- TBC- New York? With Valou?
32. Les 7 pechés du plateau, La Croix Rousse, Lyon, France. BOOKED. Number one to kick me off on this great adventure. Will be a very special day indeed :)
33. Salt Yard, London
34. Laduree bar, Paris.
35. Viennoiserie baking course, Terre Gourmande, Drome (great Christmas present, thanks :)
36. Chocolate Festival, Brighton or London
37. A pink praline brioche in Perouges

38. A day learning the trade of cake decorating hopefully, with the amazingly talented @Boudoirofcake. Fingers crossed.

39. The Pig Hotel- Hampshire

40. One more free space for.....Brunch at Belgo, Bruxelles!! :)

The whole point of visiting 40 foodie places is....

...To spend time with the people I love, to kick off my 4th decade!
In that respect, i might need to weight out a few London establishments to bring in:


- somewhere in Bruxellles- since there is no way I am going through turning 40 without involving our "amis bruxellois" in a nice evening out with molto mussels and a few beers. You know who you are- time to submit some ideas :)
- somewhere on the South Coast of France, close to Monaco- again, no way I can turn a new decade without my "soeur jumelle"


- somewhere in Cheltenham. Ideas anyone?


I have also discovered a great event since my last post: The chocolate festival. Held in Brighton, Bristol and Oxford. To know more, jump on Twitter and look for the lovely Yael Rose (@TheChocFestival) or hop onto their website HERE. In the meantime, I have added the Brighton edition to THE LIST...for 2013 (since the official start date of going through THE LIST is June 1st). Pah! too bad. Will have to go this year in the name of market research then. Nice.


Last for today- but not least- had to make a swap. Always hard but with only 40 places, got to be....ruthless! lol. So out goes Demarquette chocolate shop, in comes Bernachon patisserie in Lyon. Parce que. C'est tout.


Sooooo- that gives me 36. Still need 4 more. Off to do some foodie thinking then. 


A plus!

*****THE LIST ******

version 6


1. Chancery Court, High Holborn, London (afternoon tea)- got to be numero uno priority! thanks to a lovely blog post from Kavita
2. Wild Garlic, Devon - can't wait!
3. Pot Kiln, Berkshire- been on my list for sooooo long
4. George Blanc, Vonnas, France- must must must
5. Troisgrois, Roanne, France- including a horse riding hack from Ecurie de Fay. Total bliss expected.
6. Maison Florentine, Lyon, France- if only just for the view!
7. The Pass, near Horsham,West Sussex, at the South Lodge Hotel- heard great stuff about this place, and only up the road. No excuse.
8. The Giggling Squid, Brighton
9. English, Brighton
10. Le Gavroche, London - bien sur :)
11. Fashionista Afternoon Tea , Berkeley Hotel, London- looks SOOOO cute!
12. Harrods Seafood Bar- always wanted to do that, never dared for some reason? Perfect excuse.
13. Bernachon chocolate shop, Lyon
14. Hobbshouse bread making course - well, if I can get a space. Got the shower cap guys! lol
15. Flippburger, Atlanta- recommended by several local tweeters
16. Les Halles de Lyon- pure nostalgia of my student years ...le saucisson de Madame Sibillia et le Saint Marcellin de chez Richard
17. Choccywoccydoodah chocolate boudoir, Brighton- can't EVER go there too often
18, Masterchef UK show, Olympia
19. Butchery week end at Uncle Darrell in Devon
20  Wabi, Horsham- O.M.G.
21. Borough Food Market, London, with a hog roast sarnie!
22. Club Gascon, London
23. Racine, London
24. Relais de Comodoliac, St Junien, France
25. The Fat Duck, Bray, England
26. "That fish shack restaurant in Shoreham my friend Leanne often talks about"!
27. Cake&Bake Show- London Earls Court- BOOKED!
28. The Food Blogger lunch from OneMillionGoldenStars Blog- BOOKED!
29. The Great pudding dinner- at home! 
30 & 31- TBC- New York
32. Le relais des 7 saveurs, La Croix Rousse, Lyon, France
33. Salt Yard, London
34. Laduree bar, Paris
35. Viennoiserie baking course, Terre Gourmande, Drome (great Christmas present, thanks :)
36. Chocolate Festival, Brighton
37. A pink praline brioche in Perouges

yes, yes, yeeeeesssssss!

Much progress last week.

- Added 4 more names to the BIG LIST- nearly full! looking for 5 more entries only :)

- managed to book 1 seat for the next #foodbloggerlunch organised by @Gailhoggett- going to Ben's Canteen

- Booked my ticket for the Cake&Bake show- going on the Saturday, hoping for some great bread making tips from Mr Hollywood.

last week= Good week.

Also decided to follow hubby's advice and use the first part of this year to finalise list and start making bookings. The clock will now start officially ticking on June First- 365 days to tick every single entry- bring it on!

follow my progress on Twitter with #40for40

*****THE LIST ******

version 5

1. Chancery Court, High Holborn, London (afternoon tea)- got to be numero uno priority! thanks to a lovely blog post from Kavita
2. Wild Garlic, Devon - can't wait!
3. Pot Kiln, Berkshire- been on my list for sooooo long
4. George Blanc, Vonnas, France- must must must
5. Troisgrois, Roanne, France- including a horse riding hack from Ecurie de Fay. Total bliss expected.
6. Maison Florentine, Lyon, France- if only just for the view!
7. The Pass, near Horsham,West Sussex, at the South Lodge Hotel- heard great stuff about this place, and only up the road. No excuse.
8. The Giggling Squid, Brighton
9. English, Brighton
10. Le Gavroche, London - bien sur :)
11. Fashionista Afternoon Tea , Berkeley Hotel, London- looks SOOOO cute!
12. Harrods Seafood Bar- always wanted to do that, never dared for some reason? Perfect excuse.
13. Demarquette chocolate shop
14. Hobbshouse bread making course - well, if I can get a space. Got the shower cap guys! lol
15. Flippburger, Atlanta- recommended by several local tweeters
16. Les Halles de Lyon- pure nostalgia of my student years ...le saucisson de Madame Sibillia et le Saint Marcellin de chez Richard
17. Choccywoccydoodah chocolate boudoir, Brighton- can't EVER go there too often
18, Masterchef UK show, Olympia
19. Butchery week end at Uncle Darrell in Devon
20  Wabi, Horsham- O.M.G.
21. Borough Food Market, London, with a hog roast sarnie!
22. Club Gascon, London
23. Racine, London
24. Relais de Comodoliac, St Junien, France
25. The Fat Duck, Bray, England
26. "That shack fish restaurant in Shoreham my friend Leanne often talks about"!
27. Cake&Bake Show- London Earls Court- BOOKED!
28. The Food Blogger lunch trip from OneMillionGoldenStars Blog- BOOKED!
29. The Great pudding dinner- at home! 
30 & 31- TBC- New York
32. Le relais des 7 saveurs, La Croix Rousse, Lyon, France
33. Salt Yard, London
34. Laduree bar, Paris
35. Viennoiserie baking course, Terre Gourmande, Drome (great Christmas present, thanks :)

My #40for40 foodie adventure is turning serious!

I am lucky.

I get a lot of thinking time going round the M25 when 1 lane is closed on top of the morning traffic. Time to think how to actually make a "kitten playing with whool" birthday cake!

So, this morning, sat between Wisley and Chertsey....Thinking of my foodie adventure, I realised that this is my perfect birthday present: I'll get to make, bake and taste a lot of really yummy food- since everything IS going to go according to plan. I'll also get to share a lot of time, in turn, with all my friends around great meals. Sweet times make sweet memories. Food magic!

Anyway, this is all getting really serious now:

1. Have realised I am due to go to New York in October, which means I can add a couple of places to visit there- and a nice challenge for my mate Valou....to pick them!

2. I have added to the list the main event I wanted to host last year and never delivered: The Great pudding dinner. Take 8 friends with a sweet tooth, add 8 home made puddings,  1 theme to link them all, a few bottles of bubbles and some silly games thrown in for good measure. Just need to sort out the date- will leave the invites for a little while seeing that there's a dieting frenzy virus going round right now!

Watch this space :)

40foodie places to visit to celebrate turning 40

*****THE LIST ******

version 4

1. Chancery Court, High Holborn, London (afternoon tea)- got to be numero uno priority! thanks to a lovely blog post from Kavita
2. Wild Garlic, Devon - can't wait!
3. Pot Kiln, Berkshire- been on my list for sooooo long
4. George Blanc, Vonnas, France- must must must
5. Troisgrois, Roanne, France- including a horse riding hack from Ecurie de Fay. Total bliss expected.
6. Maison Florentine, Lyon, France- if only just for the view!
7. The Pass, near Horsham,West Sussex, at the South Lodge Hotel- heard great stuff about this place, and only up the road. No excuse.
8. The Giggling Squid, Brighton
9. English, Brighton
10. Le Gavroche, London - bien sur :)
11. Fashionista Afternoon Tea , Berkeley Hotel, London- looks SOOOO cute!
12. Harrods Seafood Bar- always wanted to do that, never dared for some reason? Perfect excuse.
13. Demarquette chocolate shop
14. Hobbshouse bread making course - well, if I can get a space. Got the shower cap guys! lol
15. Flippburger, Atlanta- recommended by several local tweeters
16. Les Halles de Lyon- pure nostalgia of my student years ...le saucisson de Madame Sibillia et les Saint Marcellin de La Mere Richard
17. Choccywoccydoodah chocolate boudoir, Brighton- can't EVER go there too often
18, Masterchef UK show, Olympia
19. Butchery week end at Uncle Darrell in Devon
20  Wabi, Horsham- O.M.G.
21. La Croix Rousse Food Market
22. Club Gascon, London
23. Racine, London
24. Relais de Comodoliac, St Junien, France
25. The Fat Duck, Bray, England
26. "That shack fish restaurant in Shoreham my friend Leanne often talks about"!
27. Cake&Bake Show- London Earls Court
28. The Food Blogger lunch trip from OneMillionGoldenStars Blog
29. The Great pudding dinner- at home! 
30 & 31- TBC- New York

New entrants to THE LIST: Cake&Bake Show, Food Blogger Trip

Still in the research phase, I have come across 2 great events I must add to my #40for40 list (not sure what it's all about? Look HERE):

The Cake&Bake Show- 22nd and 23rd September.

"The first live event dedicated to the world of cakes, breads and the art of baking". Now that made my day!
Features include cake kitchen, bakery,  kiddie kitchen, food lab, masterclasses..AND it's during Chocolate Week!!! Cannot. Wait.

 

The same day I discovered what looks like a freakingly good event via the lovely Kavita (@KaveyF) and Onemilliongolstars blog: The food blogger trips organised by Gail Doggett. Don't believe me? Check last month's menu at The Ship in Wandsworth. O.M.G.

So here you go, I give you THE LIST version 3 :)


40foodie places to visit to celebrate turning 40

                                              *****THE LIST ******

version 3

1. Chancery Court, High Holborn, London (afternoon tea)- got to be numero uno priority! thanks to a lovely blog post from Kavita
2. Wild Garlic, Devon - can't wait!
3. Pot Kiln, Berkshire- been on my list for sooooo long
4. Blanc, Vonas, France- must must must
5. Troisgrois, Roanne, France- including a horse riding hack from Ecurie de Fay. Total bliss expected.
6. Maison Florentine, Lyon, France- if only just for the view!
7. The Pass, near Horsham,West Sussex, at the South Lodge Hotel- heard great stuff about this place, and only up the road. No excuse.
8. The Giggling Squid, Brighton
9. English, Brighton
10. Le Gavroche, London - bien sur :)
11. Fashionista Afternoon Tea , Berkeley Hotel, London- looks SOOOO cute!
12. Harrods Seafood Bar- always wanted to do that, never dared for some reason? Perfect excuse.
13. Demarquette chocolate shop
14. Hobbshouse bread making course - well, if I can get a space. Got the shower cap guys! lol
15. Flippburger, Atlanta- recommended by several local tweeters
16. Les Halles de Lyon- pure nostalgia of my student years ...le saucisson de Madame Sibillia et les Saint Marcellin de La Mere Richard
17. Choccywoccydoodah chocolate boudoir, Brighton- can't EVER go there too often
18, Masterchef UK show, Olympia
19. Butchery week end at Uncle Darrell in Devon
20  Wabi, Horsham- O.M.G.
21. La Croix Rousse Food Market
22. Club Gascon, London
23. Racine, London
24. Relais de Comodoliac, St Junien, France
25. The Fat Duck, Bray, England
26. "That shack fish restaurant in Shoreham my friend Leanne often talks about"!
27. Cake&Bake Show- London Earls Court
28. The Food Blogger lunch trip from OneMillionGoldenStars Blog