From Sea to Smoke - a Mackerel Fishing Adventure

To be out on the sea with no other boats around...so beautiful.

Although we did meet this fishing boat - a slightly more professional operation than us.

 Anything on the hook?

 Got one!

The catch - small but but lovely!

 Salted fish on the smoker.

 Lighting the burners.

The big reveal!

 The result - and that amazing smell.

Home smoked Mackerel. Amazing.

Mackerel fishing. This must be one of the funnest things I know, and since I was given a smoker a few years ago I like it even more! Smoked Mackerel is on my top ten list of yummy things to eat, so to fish and smoke it myself...just the best.

We like to get up early, pack a breakfast basket with coffee and sandwiches and head out on the sea while most people are still in bed. This is not necessary at all, you would catch just as many fish any time of the day, but the getting up early bit adds some magic to the experience. The tools are incredibly simple, just four hooks and a weight on the end of a long line. We drive along very slowly at two or three knots, throw the lines in and wait. It is hard to know if there is anything on the hook - sometimes you can feel a definite tug but not always, so every so often you have to reel in and check. Seeing a shiny, white-bellied Mackerel on the hook feels like winning the lottery jackpot. My heart pounds when I pull a wildly wiggling fish out of the water.

To prepare the Mackerel for smoking, gut and clean them then season with salt inside and out. The smoker itself just needs some wood chips scattered on the bottom. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Jamie Oliver both have tips on how to make a smoker out of a biscuit tin, but mine came from a shop. It has two burners underneath which you fill with spirit. Once lit, smoke will start to appear very quickly and soon the most wonderful smell spreads. These Mackerel were quite small and only needed about 12 minutes, larger fish would take a bit longer. Opening the lid and seeing those beautiful, golden, oily fish is great. And it makes you hungry. Let the fish cool down a bit then have a taste. Still warm home smoked Mackerel - in my book, not a lot could beat it!

Exotic harvest

This is a dream come true - ripe figs in my own garden! 

I won't be making jam and chutney any time soon as I only have a few fruit, but I am so pleased about this first harvest as it means the fig is in a position sunny and sheltered enough for the figs to ripen. I will pick them at them at the weekend and enjoy them on their own in a ceremonial way.

Moody weather

How about this for a summer evening sky? A mass of grey cloud like a lid over the small amount of light that still managed to get through. Beautiful.

An Olympic Day

View of Greenwich from the north side of the river with the spectator stands in the background.

I love the Olympics! I don't want it to end!

Yesterday was a brilliant day. We have been trying to get tickets constantly since they were first released, but have been unsuccessful every time. Until Friday night when we managed to but two for the showjumping at Greenwich Park the following day. Yes!

To get the arena, we went to the Isle of Dog and crossed the Thames under water using the Greenwich Foot Tunnel. Very handy. The setting is truly amazing. Right on the river in picturesque Greenwich with the Cutty Sark a stone's throw away. The weather was lovely, the crowd was fantastic and the horses and riders were incredible. So happy that we got to experience an Olympic event first hand, and particularly thrilled to get to visit Greenwich Park which could be the coolest sporting arena ever, I think.

The afternoon was spent on the sofa watching team GB bring home one gold medal after the other. A wonderful end to an Olympic day.

Cosy

Nothing wrong with the occasional rainy summer day when you can have breakfast in front of a fire and do nothing much except read and play chess.

Barbecued Langoustine with Garlic and Lemon Zest Butter

This was a slightly adventurous dinner due to the fact that the langoustine were so so fresh...they were actually alive. Preparing them involved cutting them in half lengthways with a sharp knife inserted just behind the eyes. I have read about this in relation to lobster, but have never actually done it before (although I have dropped a live lobster into a pan of boiling water...the experience was less hilarious and romantic in real life than in Annie Hall) and I still haven't done it because I gave my husband this slightly gruesome job. Once he got the first one out of the way, it was actually fine. And it was all worth it because this was one of the tastiest meals I have had in a long time. The setting and the beautiful Riesling we enjoyed with the langoustine were not bad either.

Here is what to do:

Grate the zest from one lemon. Chop two garlic cloves finely. Stir both into some room temperature butter and put to one side. Heat up the barbecue - you want it to be really hot as the langoustine should cook super quickly. Put the langoustine on the barbecue cut side down and cook for around 30 seconds. Turn them over, dot a bit of the lemon and garlic butter over and cook for another 30 seconds. Take them off the barbecue, serve and eat as quickly as possible and whatever you do, don't forget to get all the lovely meat out of those claws!

Magic

View over Grundsund Harbour and the islands outside.

After dinner, to put on a warm jumper and go for a walk to look at the sky and the sea and the village below settling down to sleep. Certainly beats switching on the TV if you ask me.