Markies - dine for a tenner - Steak and chips

I think most people know about the Marks and Spencers deal that happens quite frequently now, buy 1 main course, 1 side dish, 1 dessert and a drink for a tenner - it makes for quite a good meal and depending on what main you pick and drink it can be great value for money.

Last we Richard picked up the steak, chunky chips, vanilla cheese cake and a bottle of wine, quite a bag full for a ten quid.

We started with some scallops and pea puree that were left over from Friday night. Then I grilled the steaks stuck the chips in the oven and fried some mushrooms and onions to accompany them. Richard likes a sauce to go with it, but his favourite is adding markies cracked black pepper cream cheese to the mushrooms and onions to make a kind of sauce. I tried to be artistic with the chips and copy what the restaurants do - what we call jenga chips but they weren't all regulation sized and it didn't work quite as I hoped!

To finish we had the cheese cake which was very nice, not to sweet and a good size portion. All in all not bad for roughly 5 quid a head.

My husband cooks - Scallops and Meatballs

Married life is treating me well - I'm not sure my husband Richard would agree since he is the one having to decorate the whole house and put up numerous new sets of blinds, curtains and lampshades. Infact looking at so many toilet roll holders and towel rails has made him close to suicidal as one can get and yet he still offered to make me a lovely meal - bless!

Scallops are something we have quite often but we always tend to go down the black pudding road with them, Richard has always expressed his desired to do a puree and this was his chance. He created a minted pea puree and also very skillfully crisped up some bacon - the whole thing was delicious as you can see from the licked plate! It always amazes me that restaurants charge so much for scallops when a dish like this is relatively easy to make. The pea puree was delicious and I hope he makes this again soon.

The main course was meatballs in a tomato sauce with a crispy topping of mozzerella and parmesan served with tagliatelle pasta and garlic bread on the side - another winner.

He may not be a michelin starred chef, but his meal was out of this world and food always tastes better when you don't have to cook it and it has that extra ingredient of love!



One last thing though - these were the only scallops Richard could source and although he didn't do them as per the recipe they came with, ie the breadcrumbs, I was shocked when I did read the instructions. Cook for ten minutes?????? Scallops for ten minutes????? Surely not Markies????

Scallops with black pudding, crispy bacon and rocket

Before we indulged in the fillet steaks from Andrew Gordon, we had a simply starter of scallops served on rocket, with black pudding, crispy bacon and a warm balsamic dressing - need I say more?