“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.”

– Brillat-Savarin.

So said Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, famed epicure and gastronome. What he would think of me from my food I do not know, perhaps lacking in the multiple courses and elegant French desserts of Brillat-Savarin’s own table. Being rather inept at remembering to keep a written diary I decided, out of interest, to keep a photographic record of everything I eat for one week. Whether this is of interest to anyone else I do not know. My diet is not set in stone, nor constant, and tends to evolve over time. Nor is it something I recommend for everyone or expect everyone to like as I eat the way I do for my own reasons. While it is difficult for the the observer not to alter what they are observing I shall attempt to eat as I usually do. So without further ado, on to breakfast.

This weeks food was to a large extent based on food cooked at the weekend, supplemented with some a few freshly cooked additions. As I am currently finishing up my PhD my time during the week is limited making cooking ahead more important. Particularly at busy and stressful times I find that eating nutritious and delicious food is important to maintain my health.

Monday

Breakfast: 12 o’clock.

A late breakfast at work as I didn’t feel very hungry in the morning. Black coffee made in the cafetiere. The oxtail stew was made and the weekend and stockpiled in the fridge for the week. This consisted of a oxtail broth together with the meat of the bones, pot barley, parsnips, carrots, onion, kale, frozen peas, and dulse. While not always the most photogenic food, it is very satisfying, nutritious, and filling. The cherries are British grown and as they are currently in season, and delicious, I am making the most of them.

Lunch: 4 pm

More of the same oxtail, pot barley, and vegetable stew.

Dinner: 8 pm

Dinner consisted of a manx kipper (a whole smoked herring), a soft boiled local duck egg, with a mix of cooked kale, fresh broad beans, onion, and a tin of smoked oysters. The duck egg and vegetables had been cooked at the weekend and were reheated from the fridge. Plus a Hobgoblin Gold beer to finish.

Tuesday

Breakfast: 8 am.

Duck eggs and whole grain rice, with kale, smoked mussels, fresh broad beans, and onion plus butter. All the food was cooked on sunday and reheated this morning. Plus a black coffee. As I had leftover food to use up this morning my breakfast was larger than it often is and I was feeling in need of something substantial. Even for breakfast plating food attractively is quite important to me even on a normal morning, I like my food to look nice.

Lunch: 1 pm.

More oxtail, barley, and vegetable stew made at the weekend, cherries, and black coffee. I made the effort to actually go outside for lunch today as the weather was good for once, braving the seagulls that commonly patrol such areas of Aberdeen. Again premake food in the form of weekend stew makes for a substantial ready made lunch to take to work.

Late afternoon snack: 5 pm. More oxtail stew.

Dinner: 8pm.

Cold dinners are comparatively rare for me, as I live in a cold, damp northern climate hot dinners are rather more satisfying. But as it is summer and the weather is still closer to what would generally be called “warm” I am making the effort to with some good buffalo mozzarella and British grown tomatoes. Currently on my third can of a four-pack of Wychwood Hobgoblin Gold.

Dessert: 9 pm.

The season for British cherries is to short not to be taken full advantage of. They also combine well with some Cornish clotted cream and heather honey.

Wednesday.

Breakfast: 9 am

Steelcut oatmeal cooked in my pressure cooker with cherries, pecans, and honey.

Dinner: 5 pm

An early dinner, as no lunch today, of oxtail, barley and vegetable stew and some beef cheek, butter bean and vegetable stew.

Dessert: 9 pm

Strawberry cheesecake Häagen-Dazs and another beer.

Thursday

Breakfast: 10 am

Beef cheek, butter bean, and vegetable stew.

Afternoon snack: 2 pm

Dinner: 9 pm

Oxtail, barley and vegetable stew and some beef cheek, butter bean and vegetable stew. Together with a scotch whisky.

For the rest of the week see the next post here>>>