Easy no Peasy........

I had one of those days yesterday when my creative juices just weren't flowing. I was feeling lethargic and completely uninspired. That was until I saw that my expectant darling lady was feeling a little pensive so I thought what better way to cheer somebody up than to cook them something delightful.

Even then it was difficult to come up with something inspired. I was always going to use lamb as I know that is her favourite but I really struggled to come up with something to go with it that was healthy and especially light (It had been a nice warm day so anything too rich would have been just too much) but at the same time tasty and filling.

I really wanted to use asparagus as again I know she is very fond of it but even after wandering around my local supermarket for a good hour I just couldn't get my head around any combination of lamb and asparagus (however I will in future) so instead I thought back to a dish I'd had a while back at Jamie's Italian in Reading.

That time it was lamb with lentils and herbs. It was very nice however I thought it was a bit too over herbed and even though the lentils gave it some texture I didn't think there was enough variation. I also felt that it was a bit dry to taste and appearance wise it lacked a bit of colour so my remit then became to not only create something I knew Carley would love but also to improve on what I'd had previously..........I think it worked :-)


Herbed rack of lamb with lentils and wild rice

Serves 2 people as a main summertime course (approx 30 mins cooking time)

Shopping List & preparation -

1 x Rack of french trimmed lamb. If it's not trimmed (bones cleaned and visible) then get the butcher to do this for you.
1 x Small Onion, finely chopped.
2 x Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped.
4 x Strands of saffron.
2 x Tomatoes, quartered, seeds removed and flesh diced into small squares.
2 x Handfuls of small green lentils. (Puy lentils will work too)
2 x Handfuls of mixed basmati and wild rice. (sold together in a packet)
1 x Bunch of mint, finely chopped or chiffonade.
1 x Tablespoon of dried oregano.
1 x Teaspoon of garam masalla.
1 x Juice of half a lime.
75g x Unsalted butter (about 1/4 of a block cut into smaller cubes)
500ml of light vegetable stock. (double diluted stock cube will work)
Small tub of greek yoghurt.
Olive Oil. (standard oil not extra virgin)
Milled Sea Salt.
Milled Black Pepper.

Method -

1, Preheat oven and oven dish (enough to hold the lamb) to 140C/275F
2, Mix together half the mint and half the oregano with a good glug of Olive Oil
3, Season the lamb with salt and pepper then rub the flesh over with the oil mixture and the lime juice, set aside to marinade of a few minutes. (longer if you have time)
4, In a frying/sauté pan over a pretty low heat add half the butter and let it reached foaming point before adding in a glug of olive oil.
5, Take the marinated lamb and fry in the pan all over until it takes on a bit of colour. Do not be tempted to increase the heat too much as you'll begin to burn the herbs in the marinade and that will add a bitter taste to the finished dish.
6, Place the lamb into the oven.
7, Using the same pan and oil tip in the chopped onions, garlic and garam masalla then let these soften down for a minute or two stirring often.
8, Tip in both the lentils and the rice stirring to ensure that each pulse and grain gets a good coating of the oil mixture.
9, Add the tomatoes, remaining oregano, saffron and mint (leaving a little of the mint for garnish) and stir until combined.
10, Pour in some of the stock, enough to just cover the contents of the pan and let it bubble away adding stock a bit at a time until the lentils and rice are cooked through but do not overcook.
11, Remove the lamb from the oven and set aside to rest for a minute or two.
12, Season the lentils with salt and pepper to your taste then stir in a cube of two of the remaining butter to slightly enrichen then remaining juices.

To serve spoon equal amounts of the lentils and rice onto the centre of your serving dishes, carve the rack of lamb between each bone into individual cutlets and place on top. Sprinkle over the remaining mint and place a tablespoon of the yoghurt onto each dish (a quenelle just to one side looks good)

So where do I think this improved on the dish I mentioned?.......Well

Using less herbs is probably most significant but adding just a hint of spice from the garam masalla and saffron gives it more complex and admittedly curious depth.

Whereas the recipe from Jamie's Italian was very heavy on the use of rosemary I've substituted that for mint which apart from taking it down a more Greek route makes it lighter and more summery on the palate.

Mixing the lentils with basmati and wild rice gives that part of the dish more interesting textures as do the tomatoes which also add colour.

Leaving stock in the lentils rather than them absorbing it all creates a sauce when combined with the butter and of course the saffron gives the sauce a golden appearance again making the dish more pleasing on the eye, especially when served on a white dish.

Taking a piece of each component (Lamb, lentils, sauce and yoghurt) in the mouth brings all these flavours together into something that I think works very well indeed.

Give it a try and let me know what you think....even better still try your own variations :-)

Toodlepip xxx

Mixed bag......

So the season got under way and I got 3 stitches in my head!

I think you could say my start to the 2011 cricket season was a little indifferent. Firstly a few fielding nightmares, balls straight through the hands and legs followed by an early contender for catch of the season.......diving full length single handed catch about an inch off the ground....then an innocuous ball speeding along the ground bobbles up just before my fingertips and whacks me right on the head, seam perfectly vertical.

Bled quite a lot but didn't hurt however it was quite a gash and needed 3 stitches. The pay off is that not only did I save 3 runs but the cut is in a perfect lightning bolt shape so I have my own genuine Harry Potter scar, you just couldn't buy this stuff :-)





Handily a cricketing team mate of mine was working at the A&E department down at the Royal Berks so I didn't have to wait the full 4 hours to be seen.

Had a rather wonderful day yesterday. We went to the REME museum over at the Aborfield garrison. The little ones great grandad was down from Scotland and he'd served there during the war so it was a bit of a trip down memory lane for him too and the kids loved it. I'd recommend going there it's really quite good.

We followed that up with a pub lunch at the Lands End in Charvil. It's the usual standard pubco fayre but they have a nice garden and it's just by a ford which people like to wade about in on hot days so it's good fun for the children.

I've not really been keeping up with the news too much however there were a couple for stories that provoked a reaction not least the one about a woman in Gateshead, Newcastle UK who has denied biting off her boyfriends dangly bits after he refused to sleep with her......yeeeeeooooch.

I'm going to be spending the rest of today DIY shopping for work related bits and bobs and also thinking about something to cook in the waterbath as it's been a while since I last used it.

So until next time....toodlepip xx

In season.....

Lamb, crab, wild garlic, watercress, rocket and oysters....

All in season in the UK, out of those things alone you could rustle up a nice crab linguine or roast spring lamb with a creamy wild garlic sauce. Perhaps go extravagant and get some juicy fresh oysters, sit them on a bed of ice and slurp them down with some chopped shallots, tabasco sauce and crushed black pepper.

All of them would be lovely with a watercress, rocket and parmesan salad drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

However most importantly for me anyway is that also in season is Cricket.....the beautiful game. Well not so beautiful when I'm playing but alas I shall be endeavouring to increase my pretty average averages from last season twice (as it stands) this opening weekend. Feeling quite confident about scoring a few runs actually, think I've finally got used to batting with a helmet on.

Well I doubt I'll get time to update the old blogatron for a few days so if you are in the UK have a wonderful few days off, weather looks good and all that so chocs away.

Toodlepip xx

Addicted again.....

Yes it's true.......

Addiction it's a part of the human psyche that effects virtually everybody either directly of indirectly. I'm no different and I'm afraid to say I've found myself caught up in addiction once more...........Nope I'm not smoking again, been just over two weeks since that vice was removed from my lifestyle.

I have however found myself addicted to Assassin's Creed 2 on the PS3. Countless hours this past weekend were spent thinking "Just one more level and I'll definitely go to bed". 15 hours I spent on it on Friday through to 3:30am on Saturday. Mind you it saved a few sheckels so it's not all bad. It's quite an old game too, maybe 2 or 3 years old so no doubt I'll be looking for a new version soon :-)

Been fun back at work. Well I say fun but what I really mean is busy and that's not about to change soon given that there are four national holidays in the UK over the next two months and we're a bit stretched due to colleagues taking much needed holiday.

My duties as compare and judge for Reading, steady, cook 2011 are in full flight. The standard of cooking in the final two heats of round one was very high and with heat one of round two taking place tonight I'm expecting so more delicious dishes to be presented.

Horrid news of my buddies house being burgled and ransacked at the weekend has been a real downer though. Who are these cretins of society who think it's acceptable to invade other peoples lives like this? There really is no deterrent for these bottom feeders, even if they did get tackled whilst in progress you'd probably be legally obliged to leave them to it such is the state of our once great country.

I think that as soon as they step foot on your property they lose all legal right and should expect to be punished outside of the law. i.e. Given a proper good shoeing.

I'm gonna leave it there actually because I can feel myself boiling up with rage so until next time you beautiful law abiding citizens.

Toodlepip xx

Bumpski bleeeuuurrggghhh......

Was a bit naughty yesterday.......woe is me!

I was intent on getting myself up to the cricket pavilion to do a little more work on the sprucing up but got somewhat way laid by the pub, well two of them actually....................and a curry house.

Ghandi's revenge has been regular this morning but not uncomfortably which is good because I'll be having the remainder for my lunch today. You just can't beat last nights curry can you?

This weekend brings us the next heat in the first round of Reading, Steady, Cook 2011. It's down at the wonderful Reading farmers market and all the cooking commotion will be kicking off at around 9am so if you have a the time do pop along and not only enjoy the competition but also have a peek around at all the wonderful local produce that is there for sale.

I actually find a stroll around the market a rather great hangover cure especially if you firstly have a stop off at the market cafe next door for a brekky then afterwards get yourself a large bottle of the freshly pressed apple juice from one of the regular market stalls...............if that fails you can bugger off back to the pub when the market starts slowing down at about 1pm :-)

The website I have in my mind will be up and running by the weekend hopefully. With me being me I've decided to plump straight into kitchen based products and me being me they will be pretty chic and very pleasing on the eye..........Natch! (Hahaha)

Save the bookmark www.designerkitchengoods.com

Seen some amazing kitchen based objects of desire that I'm eager to get people looking at from beautiful crockery to pristine pots and pans and artful cutlery. It'll hopefully be a one stop shop for simply the best kitchen fashionista must haves that'll impress your guests and make you smile.

Other than that there really isn't too much to report..............Oh yes! We found out that our little Bumpski really does not like Chicken soup :-)

Toodlepip xxx

The Empire.....

I've been having fun these last few days making pasta with the little one. She really enjoyed using the pasta machine to create her very own Tagliatelli which she then had with some cheesy sauce. A couple of days before we'd make the dough together which really couldn't be simpler and the finished product is head and shoulders above anything that you can find dried in a supermarket.....regardless of what Jamie Oliver says!

The basic dough is 1 egg for every 100gm of strong "00" flour and a small dash of olive oil. That's it. Just mix the whole lot together and give it a good knead until it has a nice smooth feel to it then wrap it in clingfilm (stops the surface from drying out) for at least 30 mins to prove and your ready to go. Any left over can be frozen and used at a later date.

This "fresh" pasta only takes about 2 minutes to cook in boiling water and it's sooooo much tastier and has a much better texture than it's dried counterpart. Get yourselves a pasta machine and try it out, you'll never look back.

Moving on from that......

I've made the first step into my online career in buying my first .com domain name.

I've also identified the first market that I want to dabble in and the the domain name matches that, in fact I couldn't believe it was available! I don't want to divulge too much at this stage because there are many things I need to do before it's up and running and I'm really just learning it.

There is of course some expense involved in setting these things up which instantly makes you think it's some kind of dodgy fraud but I'm happy with the research I've done and only time will tell.

*** Those looking for a quick return should realise that it's going to take time before you see some fruits of your labour ***

I'm really just trying it out for fun and if I make back what I've already invested (A whole £37, probably rising to about £45 when it's running) then I'll be chuffed to bits but with the right guidance and a bit of patience case studies have proven that you can make a very good living out of it when done correctly while at the same time achieving that ultimate goal of working just 4 hours a week.

Going in with the mindset that your going to be making thousands a day and living on a yacht within 2 months is not the idea. This is about making the most of the time you have while still making a income....is it possible?...we shall see. If it is rest assured I will let you all know and then you can go and find out for yourselves. Of course that'll be via one of my websites that'll net me some commission :-)

It's about investing in yourself I think and to some extents it's gambling on your own enthusiasm but as with any form of gambling the trick is to only play with what you are prepared to lose and with the mentoring I'm getting you really can start with minimal money and put in minimal time....it'll just take longer to achieve your set and most importantly your achievable goals.

Lets face it it's highly unlikely that I'll become an internet behemoth like Amazon. I'd be happy to have a small copse rather than a complete rainforest.

For instance I have decided that I will set aside 5 hours a week and £100 a month giving this a go and essentially what that means for me is spending 1 hour less an evening on Football Manager or GT5 for 5 nights of a week and less time in the pub wasting money on beer for which I know there is no chance of a making a penny on......Hardly a sacrifice I think you'll agree.

Anyhoo I hope to be dabbling in the online world very soon which should be fun.

Back home.......

The news of my impending fatherhood has sunk in now and it's been great receiving all the well wishes from our good buddies.

A few celebratory drinks were had on Saturday at Bar Mango in Reading. As I was DJ'ing fairly early there wasn't a great deal of people there so it gave me the opportunity to drop in a remix of Wahoo's Make Em Shake It (Original available on Defected records) that I'd done that morning.....


BenSki - Make Em Shake It by ben-zagorski


.....needs some tweaking but I think it's quite jolly, uplifting and really quite good even if I say so myself!!!

My set went well, was pretty happy with my tune selection mixing up some new tracks with some revamped old classic house tunes. I didn't stay there too late as I had cricket club things to do the next day however I ended up back at my buddies house spinning more tunes and drinking more eventually falling asleep on his sofa and waking up much later than I wanted too.....Sunday was very hard work !!!

Sort of back to normality now. Busy at work due to a colleague taking some well deserved holiday so the day is flying along leaving me barely enough time to think about important things such as what sauce to have with the home made Prawn and Chilli Ravioli that I'm going to make for tea later.....I'm thinking I might do a simple Cherry Tomato sauce. I was going to do a light Dolcelatte one but of course that's a soft cheese and not suitable for an expectant mother.

I'm also making starts into the 80/20 process and outsourcing my life....(Read The 4 hour week by Timothy Ferriss) I've already decided that learning about setting up websites and making use of Affiliate Marketing is the way forward. It'll take some time to get going of course but if there is one thing I have on my hands is time....my ears are my tools at work....my hands are free to do as they please :-) The next thing will be finding a virtual PA to handle everything else.

So must dash, need to get some lunch.

Toodlepip xxx

Minor update.....

Minor update my foot.....

I'm gonna be a Daddy :-)

12 week scan was today. Everything is looking fine and well. Our little Bumpski was wriggling around like a pilled up looney at a festival............





Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit that guy his having the time of his life :-)

Of course we won't know if Bumpski will be a boy or a girl for another 8 weeks yet but whatever it is I reckon it's got cricketers arms and legs and will captain England for either the mens or ladies senior side......no pressure Bumpski!

I'm not really sure how I feel at the moment, can't really concentrate because I'm just so happy. I'm already thinking about what kind of ridiculously silly clothes this poor little thing is going to be paraded about in during it's infant years. Saw a brilliant Monkey outfit on the t'interweb and a rather silly Frog one as well. Come on.........isn't having kids all about dressing them up so they look cute...and a bit daft?





I'll be having a few celebratory drinks on Saturday when I'm DJ'ing in Reading so come along and raise a glass to Bumpski. (FYI's - I'm doing an early slot 11pm - 12am)

So that's the most important news from Benskiland but I have been doing other things noteably yesterday evening when I was judge and speaker at round 1 heat 3 of Reading, Steady, Cook 2011. I was feeling pretty daunted about having to step into the shoes of the guy who did the job last year after all he was private chef to Prince Charles for many years and the MD of one of the largest catering firms in the world. Not sure my CV comes up to that but in the end I think I made pretty good work of it.....helped by a few glasses of Sauvignon Blanc.....Does it show?





The food of the winning contestants in this round was of a very high standard and I think in general throughout this competition we'll see some outstanding dishes.

Looking forward already to the next heat on the 16th April at Reading Farmers Market although with this one starting at 9am I don't reckon it'll be al a mode to be half sozzled on some of the Chilean finest prior to addressing the passing public.

I had so much more to blog about but I really cannot concentrate so I'll leave that until tomorrow.

Toodlepip xxx

Normality resumes....

3 weeks away and back to work this morning. I have quite a bit of jetlag but the work diary is pretty full so I should be nicely busy today which will keep me alert and awake.

After getting home from Heathrow on Saturday morning I spent the day snuggled up on the sofa with my wonderful lady watching a fantastic game of cricket, well I watched some of it in between dozing off.

During this I took a DJ booking for that evening at Sakura in Reading. Pretty quiet in there it was too. Also I was asked to play more charty music which firstly I don't have and secondly I will never have because to me if a song gets into the charts these days it's because, it's anti-music, it's rubbish, it's dross, it's boring, it's predictable......it's just shit. I'm not selling out even more than I have already regardless of the payment.

I mean it's not as if I was playing anything other than what you'd find on the average (or distinctly lower than average) Hed Kandi compilation and even when I stopped playing the good quality house music that had foots tapping and people clapping the atmosphere in the room vanished. So my advice to them would be to just save money and don't book a DJ at all. Just have a compilation CD playing in the background or rig up some kind of automated DJ program. Trying to fix things that are not broken has never been a good thing to do in my opinion.

I understand what they want to do and I'm not upset by it at all and I really mean mean that but with all the sincerity in the world I'm just not the man to do it. Good luck to them :-)

Apart from that I do have some good gigs coming up where I have free reign to get the crowd motivated and of course I'm really looking forward too. This Saturday I once again have the pleasure of sharing the DJ booth at the club I call home with one of my dance music heros Brandon Block over at Bar Mango in Reading. It's always nice to see your name on a flyer under someone like Blocko. Hopefully he'll pull in a crowd and we can all have a wonderfully fun night.





Set times for this are not yet announced but when they are I'm sure they will be posted on the Facebook event page here. I'm thinking a classic house set is really the only way to go here and I'm already getting a nice selection of tunes prepared. If you liked my Remix/Remode mix CD then this will be the kind of night you'll be loving.


After that I have another booking at the same venue for Voodoo's 5th birthday. This event is a very special one because it is also a fundraiser for the promotor's (and good friends) campaign to raise funds for his partners treatment as she is a sufferer of multiple sclerosis. Again you can check the Facebook event page here and if your around please do come down and support this tremendously worthy cause.





For this event I'll be showing my tech house/techno side out in the garden so expect some heavy Sven Vath/Cocoon influence going on. I simply cannot think of any place in the area that even gets close to the Bar Mango terrace. It's always been a very special place for me and I'm just itching to get out there again.

After a couple of years finding it's way it seems Bar Mango has got it's legs back which is good for everybody in my opinion. For me it's still the only venue in the town dedicated to clubbers rather than drinkers out on a jolly. It's a place to go to hear what'll be listed on compilations and blasting out of other bars in a 6 months to a years time once David Guetta has bunged some cheesey vocals over it :-)

Back to my other love.....FOOD

This Wednesday coming I shall be judge and compare for heat 3 of round 1 of the 2011 Reading, Steady, Cook competition. The heat is being held at the marvellous "Tutu's Ethiopian Table". Having taken part in this myself last year I know how nervous the contestants will be so if you have time please do come down and give them a bit of support. It's a great little competition and being part of it again this year is just a fantastic honour.

The Facebook event page for this heat is here so click attending and lets get a few along and maybe have a glass or two of wine afterwards :-)

For more information about this event and it's culmination at the Eat Reading festival pop along to this site. It's dedicated to highlighting all the opportunites our fantastic town has to offer be that business or pleasure.

Toodlepip xx