A trip home

People often wonder what home actually is. Is it a concept or a place or both? 'Home is where the heart is' would probably be the best description I can relate to. Where is my home? Is it where I grew up and where my family all live, or is it where I live now, 5000 miles away in a different continent, sharing a home with my husband and daughter? I don't suppose it really matters, the point is we took a trip home last month. A whole glorious month of visiting family and friends, endless help with Lilac, shopping trips, meals out, pub visits, country parks, city exploring, adventure centres and really, really terrible weather. I won't bore you with the arduous journey there and back, suffice to say it was an ordeal beyond anything we've done before and certainly won't be repeating in the same way again. 

As for the food...

I got to eat my beloved purple sprouting broccoli many times, made a decent chili, beef in red wine and chicken with white wine and crayfish. I marvelled at the supermarkets' produce, fish and meat departments and enjoyed a Valentines meal deal from Marks and Spencer, (scallops in white wine to start, duck a'la'orange for main with roasted vegetables, a trifle, chocolates and a bottle of wine for 20 pounds). I suffered through two terrible steaks, (both overcooked and tough), a salad with no dressing whatsoever and a shrimp and chili butter that was a very strange chef's over indulgence. I did, however, eat the best aloo sag I have ever tasted at an Indian restaurant, finally got to eat a decent ramen at Wagamama and ate enough Chinese takeaways to sink a ship. As usual though, all the home cooked meals from parents were the best, from my dad's full English breakfast options every morning, my mum's fish pie and roasted lamb dinner and my mother in law"s hot pot and shepherd's pie. As soon as I get my camera working, I will post a few pictures and also the recipe for the chicken in white wine with crayfish which was amazing.