You’re invited to the Channel Island of Jersey, just off the Brittany coast–to a special charity event for Diabetes Jersey at the Merton Hotel, Oct 11 or 12, 2017 (it’s repeated Wednesday & Thursday evenings).
Recipes and Recollections–A Delicious Night with Robin Ellis
Here’s the info from the Merton Hotel’s website.
(My books.)
On stage with me will be Robert Hall, a senior BBC correspondent, who will pepper me with questions while I season various demonstration dishes.
We’ll talk inevitably about Poldark, cooking, diabetes, France and Fawlty Towers perhaps…
(Robert was John Cleese’s “co-star of choice” when he appeared at the Opera House for his sell-out Audience with John Cleese evenings.)
The one vegetable I will not be cooking sadly is a Jersey Royal potatoes.
I remember my mother preparing these jewels of the potato family back in the fifties, when we’d enjoy a feast of “Jersey Royals” with a piece of white fish from the Macfisheries shop at the entrance to the Golders Green Tube Station.
They needed little addition–white sauce would have been an insult to the delicate taste. Perhaps a knob of butter and a sprinkle of parsley. Ma used to serve them unpeeled.
Delicious–but not a goer for me now.
Potatoes are one of the “whites” I avoid as a type 2 diabetic; their concentrated carbohydrate puts them off-limits.
Others are: white rice, white pasta, white bread and white flour—refined carbs.
Don’t lose heart though–I shall be cooking up a storm…BROWN basmati rice is fine occasionally, as is wholewheat pasta, certain whole wheat and rye breads and chick pea flour.
I’ll be preparing the most popular recipe in my entire repertoire: No-potato fishcakes:
Also planning on preparing no meat, too-simple-to-believe Red Bean Chili:
A delicious black olive dip from Provence called Tapinade:
And a lovely cold summer soup–Chilled Cucumber, gifted to me by my old friend and fellow Poldark alumnus, Donald Douglas (the fiery and thoroughly untrustworthy Captain McNeil, who pursued me as Ross Poldark, up hill and down dale, with no success–so finally gave up–and settled in a house an hour north of us here.
Stuffed peppers are also an easy favorite I’ll be demonstrating:
Dinner is included in the event– and the kitchens of the Merton hotel are putting on a banquet with recipes from my cookbooks–so you can try them out!
I’ll be autographing books too, of course.
Here’s further info for reservations and tickets.
I’m looking forward to my first visit to Jersey and so is Meredith, my wife.
On va se voir bientôt, j’espère!
See you there…!
Enjoy Jersey Robin
Hope it goes well.Your interregator ,Robert Hall,worked at Yorkshire Tv at the same time as me in the 1980’s.Please give him my best-if he remembers me.
bw
John x
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I cannot think he won’t remember you, John! I will certain pass on your “best”. rxx
Sounds great, Robin, hope it goes well and raises lots of money – I’ll be in the last week run-up to the release of my new book, so busy, busy…
Margaret
Ps will be in touch soon to Meredith re HNS 2018 in Scotland. Programme is beginning to be sorted. Hoping you will be our after dinner speaker on the Friday to start the conference off, and still hoping to get a TV adaptation panel discussion organised for the Saturday morning.
Latest: Writers Workshop on Writing Authentic Historical Fiction, Galashiels Library, 28th September 2.30 pm
Katharina: Deliverance A novel of the wife of Martin Luther. Available 18th October 2017 (Research funded by Creative Scotland)
Awarded Hawthornden International Writer’s Fellowship 2016.
Turn of the Tide: Winner of the Beryl Bainbridge Best First Time Author Award Sequel – A House Divided – Long-listed for the Historical Novel Society New Novel Award 2016
Visit my webpage: http://www.margaretskea.com Or Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MargaretSkeaAuthor.Novels/ ________________________________
Good luck with your new book–exciting time. I’m looking forward to your conference and being an after dinner speaker–with some trepidation.
Still I have a year to think about it.
Wish I could be on Jersey, but not possible. However, I have a young friend who lives there, so I’ll tell her about this! BTW – love the ‘younger’ photo – I remember you looking like that!!
Thanks, Mary.
Ooof! So close (!), yet so far away! IMy husband and I’ll be visiting in NYC just days before. I wish that we could just “pop” over and be there… but our schedule doesn’t permit. The event looks memorable. ; }
You may be confusing Jersey, UK with New Jersey USA?
Ahhh! Wrong answer, Robin! In my “other life,” I loved studying geography. The Channel Islands ( including Jersey) are on my bucket list, along with Cornwall..
We have a friend from Jersey. When people ask him where he’s from (accent!), and says he’s from Jersey, many assume that he means *New* Jersey, and he has to correct them. Of course, there are too many Americans who are geographically-challenged, and haven’t a clue about the island. Where do they think Jersey (and Guernsey) cows came from? Oh, sorry–presumed they’d know about the cows producing their dairy products.
That lovely large salad in the middle, where you are wearing your black Anarchist apron–is that avocado with the lettuce?
Regarding rice: I am quite fond of the black “Forbidden Rice” and the red “Bhutanese” rice.
Add wild rice, Zizania palustris, in the same botanical class as Oryza (Asian rice) to the two above, and it’s quite delicious. There is a multi-whole-grain product available which I find very satisfying, and Lundberg Rice has a multi-rice mixture that trails behind the former.
I’m guessing cous-cous is not in your diet, but not sure if a small bit of quinoa in a vegetable dish is okay, in spite of it being a complete protein.
Not sure about the salad. I eat quinoa from time to time and like it. Basmati brown–whole–rice is what I eat at the moment.
If I lived in Jersey I’d be there like a shot. Although we’re not diabetics I have both your first two books and we’re having your marinated and roasted pork tenderloin for supper tonight as it’s a favourite, regularly served to visitors, and we’ll be able to have the rest cold tomorrow night with salad. I think, however, that you’ll find the black olive dip is TapEnade, not TapInade
Whoops, slack moment–thank you. It’s spelt correctly in the books.
Sorry not to see you and thank you personally. Enjoy the pork.
Sounds mouth watering! Some great ideas for the cold months ahead. Nancy, Santa Fe, NM
So wish I could be there! Wishing you all the success in the world! Cheers!!
Ooh, yum–those fishcakes!! Wish we could go!!
Dear Mr.Robin Ellis
This is my first message to you.
I have been reading your blog for quite a while.
I live in Japan and a great fan of Poldark 1975.
And I am crazy of Ross and Demelza.
I have all the paper backs of the Poldark series and the DVD.
I envy the members of the cooking classes.
So, in the future, I plan to be there if I can.
I am saving little by little. So please continue the event as long as you can.
Lots of love from Japan.
P.S. I wish I could be in Jersey!
Welcome Hiroko! The classes are suspended at the moment. Perhaps that will give you more tim to save up.
Was talking to some students recently from Jordan who are specialising in
nursing careers working with children with cancer and diabetes in their country. They were interested to learn about your blog and website.
Thank you, Heidi.