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Tuesday 24 April 2012

That's a seriously wet looking sun!




A portent of the weather to come provides a watery backdrop to Penzance's highest feature.

Porthleven Food Festival

 This time it was the sun not storms that no doubt helped to engulf one Cornish port at the weekend as floods of people descended on Porthleven for its annual Food Fest, opened by chef Anthony Worrall-Thompson........

 there were plenty of local produce stands, Cornish Duck being one......
 a huge demonstration tent houses a constant stream of entertaining cooking events throughout the day.....
 the stalls showcase just how diverse the range of Cornish produce has become over the years......
 with cured meats being a big favourite........
 and in recent years sweet-toothed fans have plenty to choose from......
 along with that ever-increasing cheese board that seems to grow ever broader year on year!

Mitch Tonks - fish easy!

With the ink barely dry from the publishers, a copy of Mitch Tonk's new book, 'fish easy' fell through the TtG letterbox..........
as the cover suggests, well over 100 recipes are aimed at keeping things simple......
as luck would have it, the skipper from one Newlyn boat dropped off a cracking pair of ray wings so this dish looked too tempting to miss for a trial Tonks  tasting........
with the book conveniently placed its time to get some prep underway.......
a few minutes sees a simple bread based sauce already to go.......
ready to accompany the fish, a handful of light vegetables........
and a pan of the very first Cornish earlies to hit the greengrocer's shelves.......
after surviving the winter, a few sprigs of fresh thyme from the garden are all that is needed to go with the ray while it's cooking........
but not before a hot, heavy pan has given the wing a few minutes on the thicker side......
then the herbs are added and the pan popped in the oven........
ready for the table........
as the name suggests, Mitch's book is full of recipes that are quick to prepare and every bit as tasty and appealing as more complex and time consuming dishes....... 
and is conveniently organised by cooking methods which include........
the oven......... 
and the grill......
throughout the sections there are some really useful cheffy tips and info - like how to salt fish for those culinary classics.......
and a section at the back for all those basic fish dish techniques and methods........
the book is very much a hands-on experience with the Dartmouth based chef making it a personal guide through the clearly written and easy to follow recipes - fish easy gets a TtG top shelf cook book recommendation for those times when you buy some fish and then think about what to do with it once you get home! If you are anywhere near Dartmouth or want to be in touch with  one of England's fishiest chefs, @mitchtonks or @rockfishdevon should keep you in the picture.

Monday 23 April 2012

Two boats lost in as many days in the Western Approaches.

Early yesterday morning, the 11m fishing boat Sea Bird P283 went down seconds after an RNLI rib took off her two man crew - especially the skipper who saw fit to make sure he left the boat with THE most important item - his EU fishing logbook???!!.....





around the same time this morning, a small tug, the Aquarius was reported to have sunk about 40 miles south of the Lizard while she was making her way from Gibraltar to Plymouth. One man is reported to be missing from the three man crew who were taken off by a French rescue helicopter.

Sunday 22 April 2012

Fishwives needs you!

Colin Dolby Credit: ITV Anglia
The widow of a fisherman from Leigh-on-Sea in Essex is setting up a choir, inspired by the Military Wives, to help support other families of those lost at sea. 47 year-old Colin Dolby went missing while fishing in bad weather in 2008. His body was found a year later.


Now his wife Jane is launching The Fishwives Choir to record a single for the Fishermen's Mission charity. She says there's been huge interest since she launched the idea on social media websites.






The FISHWIVES project is a choir being set up to raise money for The fishermen's Mission - think Military Wives but with fishermen!


Did you know fishing is officially the most dangerous occupation in the UK with 1 in 20 fishermen losing their lives at work? 


This clip may shock and surprise you - This is my story ...See more Description THIS IS A CALL TO THE FISHING COMMUNITIES OF THE UK. 


Are you a partner, wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, grandmother of a fisherman? Would you like to be part of an exciting music project to raise money for the Fisherman’s Mission? We're now putting together a list now of choir members. REMEMBER it doesn't matter if you think you can't sing - this is not about being a good 'singer' it's all about the tradition and the heart! If you'd like to be involved, would you be kind enough to send this info to:


FishwivesChoir@live.co.uk 


Best number to reach you on Address (so we can group you according to region) Connection to Fishing Have you had any singing/choir experience? 


 Thanks so much xx 

Fill her up skipper!

 Make a diary note for the 28th of April, next Saturday at Penlee Coach House for a study led by David Tovey linked to the current exhibition at Penlee Museum and Gallery.......
 last of the Silver Dawn's fish go aboard the lorry Plymouth bound.......
 the heavy lifting boat, Cameron has the highest wheelhouse of any boat to visit Newlyn.......
 making a dash for the Scillies between blows, the wittily named ex-landing craft Severn Sins ........
 makes a stopover in Newlyn........
now waiting for fuel........
 those trawls always need repairs, this one has a stone trap fitted in the belly of the net.......
 built to take the strain.......
 the business end of the Cameron.......
 fuel when you need it from Consol's Oils........
 delivered by young Mr Bennetts himself.......
 a bargain........
 two of the paintings up for auction at Lane's picture sale.......
 this one by Hayle based artist, Robert Jones........
another nautical home in town.

Saturday 21 April 2012

Saturday Kitchen - wild garlic

Keep its location a secret the man said!
If you are watching Saturday Kitchen this morning with James Martin, his guest chef Bryn Williams is cooking with wild garlic - James said if you find some don't tell anyone where it is - there are acres of the stuff in Cornwall - but where?!!