For various reasons, in the last week stodge has played a big part in my life and like most things (bad moods, spots, being late for work) I can blame the weather. It seems to have reached that strange time in the year when the thought of a salad keeping away the hunger pains is completely laughable, an easy pasta meal just does not suffice and the slow cooking stew you plan on making never quite happens. This is mainly due to said stew cooking time being wasted drinking far too much wine one night, and thus killing your enthusiasm for stew-making the following day.

So at this time of year, eating out or at friend’s houses is a great option. You can drink as much as want and not feel guilt. After all, sitting at the restaurant table primly drinking your orange juice and looking down on the others just won’t do and is not in the spirit of Christmas. Similarly, if you have been invited for dinner by one of your friends it would be extremely rude not to bring a bottle or two and even ruder to not join in the celebrations and toast good health, family, the food, the table…..So you see, many excuses to drink and be merry and you can also understand a little more why stodge (ok, hangover food) has been playing a large part.

On Tuesday of this week I went to ‘Roast’ in London Bridge, just overlooking Borough market. It was a win-win situation I thought, for if the food was awful I could always neck the wine and then bolt downstairs to the market, grab a sausage roll/wheel of cheese from a nearby stall and polish it off on the way home. Luckily for the general public, I actually really enjoyed the food so they were spared this spectacle.

As you can imagine by the name, the menu focus’ on lots of roast dishes, primarily being meat. My choice was pot roast mutton with gentleman’s relish, glazed turnips and my extra portions of roast potatoes and brussell sprouts, in sticking with the festive feel. Looking around the table I would not have been disappointed with anyone’s main meal and I think it was mutually agreed by everyone at the table that the meal was very good. The only exception in my opinion was my choice of a butternut squash pudding to start, which seemed to be lacking in texture and flavour.

The cheese board, served with fig chutney along with the traditional grapes and apple, made up for any lack in flavour in my first course and a piece of Tunworth has been added to my list of cheeses to buy when I go back to Borough on Monday. Described by Roast as a ‘soft and mellow cow’s milk cheese’ was soft and deep in flavour and favoured most highly on our table.

I already have two trips to Borough planned for next week, round one being cheese and round two being flowers, veg and fruit (because on this day Zac will be accompanying me and the good gent he is, he will help me carry my bags). No doubt I will have some lovely pictures of my purchases, for those who care!! I have also been asked by Olive magazine to partake in the ‘Challenge Gordon’ feature by following two roast chicken recipes (one being Gordon’s and I think the other being a reader of Olive magazine) and rating the recipes out of five. So it appears my week of roasts has indeed truly begun, what a happy week indeed…..