Last night in Padstow

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Yesterday started off well. We walked into Padstow and I had a day at Rick Stein's cookery school. I have done a cooking class there before but this time due to the pandemic it was a tad different. You were not allowed to leave your work station without wearing a mask. You had to see most of the things the Chef was telling you via a screen which if I am honest 2 rows back and one dodgy cataract it was a little difficult. To be honest though if two people from the same family went they shared a work station and also shared a fish so not great value, or chance to try stuff. So the first dish was Dover Sole a la meunière which if you remember in one of my blogs I had this at his restaurant. Well it started well but my fish stuck to the pan but I managed to recover it and also to take it off the bone like the professionals - thank god there was a sauce otherwise I am sure no one would have thought it was a fish at all. Also, thank god I do not have to wash up, however, I could hear someone in the washing up room swearing not another one!

Next dish was roast troncon of Turbot with a hollandaise sauce. Has anyone made a hollandaise sauce, well this was a first for me and if I am honest the last? This is where you wanted someone from your family there so they could do some of the whisking - also so much butter in a sauce and not only that I don't like butter. This time though the dish looked like the Chef's so happy chappy there. So my next dish which I really wanted to do was Lobster thermidor - NOW this is where I got a bit narked as they cooked the lobster and cut it in half which to me was the hardest part as all I had to do was roast the shell and make the sauce - it was nice though. The Chef then prepared Le plateau de fruits de mer which was amazing and I also learned that you should cook clams first and then put ice on them before adding to a sauce as there is so much sand that comes out of them. So the start of the day went well as you can see. I can hear the makers of Masterchef the Professionals calling me so had better keep my phone on and the battery fully charged!!!!

Now here comes the bit that no one wants to hear. So Mike meets me after the cooking class and says "I have done something stupid" so I ask him what he has done, well I have broke the toilet in the motorhome. Broke the toilet how can you do that I say. To which he says "I forgot to put the latch over before trying to pull the cartridge out". This is where I saw red as I have told him and told him don't forget before you try to take the cartridge out you need to close the latch. Anyway after telling me I feel stupid millions of times I just could not talk and stormed off in a natural Paula style!!

Anyway being a girl guide (mind you I was kicked out) I thought, I know I will ask the Carthago Motorhome Group facebook page as they seem really helpful. So I tell Mike my bright idea and you will not believe what he said "oh great now everyone will know how stupid I have been". To which I cannot write exactly what I said but if you know me you know it will not have been printable! So the Carthago group came to my rescue and gave me some ideas to try but last night was not the time and I was not in the right frame of mind.

So now on to today - after taking the advice from the Carthago group we managed to sort the toilet out, well we can get the cassette out but the latch does not completely open but we can sort that out later at least now we have a loo - big thank you to everyone who gave me advice.

We hired cycles to cycle the Camel Way which goes from Padstow to Weighbridge then onto Bodmin. I know you are saying why have you hired cycles when you have some in your Motorhome. Well if you are asking that question you have never been to Padstow and stayed just outside of town as it is great going downhill but you try and go up steep hills back, especially at our age! The trail is very flat and goes along where the railway used to be and it has a number of cafes and stopping places for you to rest your legs. So we stopped at a cafe and had a brew which was pleasant until the heavens opened and every time I drank a sip of tea my cup filled up with the rain, ha ha. Back on the cycles to Weighbridge and guess what I saw on the map an old rail platform called Shooting Range - now guess who I was thinking should keep away from there well you can see from the photo I decided Mike would be a good candidate after yesterday's palaver. Anyway we got to Weighbridge and then had to hit the road for a bit which for a nervous cyclist with large lorries not a good sight as every time a vehicle went past I felt myself being pulled under the wheels - you can imagine the faces of the drivers. So we get to the bit off road again and I am feeling fine and dandy - we do not quite make it to Bodmin as we have to get the cycles back before 5pm, but a pretty good try, and 20 or so miles of cycling.

We walk back to the Motorhome to freshen up before having to walk back down again to Padstow for our evening meal - looking forward to a nice evening.

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Photos

Dover sole a la meunière
Thank god for the lemon slices

Roast troncon of turbot with hollandaise sauce
Think Masterchef the Professional here I come

Shooting Range Platform
Guess who is for the bullet!

Comments

[Mary Corcoran]

You Go Girl -- or You Went Girl
What a trip! We have lots of RVers around here and have thankfully just enjoyed daytime amenities with friends while retreating to our hotel room at night! Nonetheless glad you have a new layer of experience to share with your devoted blog readers!