All is looking well with the site and you can expect to see wonderful food related blogs, picture and videos at www.benzagorski.com very soon :-)
Another pretty hectic weekend completed. It all started on Friday after work when I began prepping salads and marinading meats for the 70 head BBQ on Saturday. I was up until near enough 4am getting it all ready and I'm glad I did because there was no way I'd have been able to do it at the cricket club due to lack of available kitchen space.
The actual BBQ was fun although the amount of smoke that kept getting in my eyes eventually gave me a headache. It was also quite difficult because the only about 1/3 of the BBQ actually gave out enough heat to cook anything. I'd have actually had more cooking space of one of those disposable BBQ's so cooking burgers, sausages, ribs, chicken and prawns for 70 people took much longer than anticipated. Still we got it done and all thanks to Carley because I'd never have been able to do it on my own.
Check out just one of the piles of meat and notice the hot spot at the back under the resting rack, that was all I had to cook on....
It also got very dark so it was tricky trying to work out if half the food was actually cooked through. No complaints though in fact all feedback has been extremely positive.
The meat I'd got from Devon Rose was perfect, really top quality and it showed by the comments that we received. I've only just noticed that they have a B&B on their farm and I'm definitely going to book it up for a weekend.
After such a long day on Saturday I had some judging to do for Reading, steady, cook but before that I treated us to a nice lunch at Jamies Italian. I did want to go to Pepe Sale but alas it was closed which was a shame, I will get there to sample some of that wonderful Sardinian cuisine.
The meal at Jamies was so so, I thought my pasta was a little overcooked, no real bite to it. The olives and music bread were lovely though and I do like their tapanade that it comes with.
The cooking comp was this time being held at The Royal Tandoori in Reading which for me is the best Indian restaurant in town by a country mile. They have some very authentic and varied dishes which sets it apart from the standard curry house. I'm yet to try the Devil Lamb which by all accounts is dynamite hot.
The judging was extremely difficult and both contestants could have made it all the way to the final had they not come up against each other at the quarter final stage. Cyril's halibut and baked goats cheese was just edge out by the narrowest of margins by Martin's duck curry. Cyril showed what a great technical cook he was and I hope we'll see more of him. Lots of support there too which was nice to see.
Back on judging duty again at 7pm tomorrow when the last quarter final takes place a La Tasca in Reading town centre but before that I have a radio interview with the lovely Helen Wright at 12pm on Reading4u.
Anyway must dash....house to view....toodlepip :-)
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