Farm-Fresh-To-Table

I still don't cook. Was never keen to cook. I don't find joy in doing it. Baking, no friggin way. The smell of butter and flour baking in the oven makes my stomach churn. Which is ironic, considering how much I love chilled butter with warm bread. Sure, cooking is a life skill of which every other normal human should be more or less competent in, and it makes for a healthier option. Makes sense, especially when the body seems to have all sorts of food allergies. I'll sort that out if it's necessary. But I live in a city where it's just less of a fuss to head out and have a meal. It does mean that I've to be fastidious about the food ingested at the commercial eateries.

London has all its glitzy restaurants, fancy cafes, down-to-earth eateries, supperclubs, private clubs and kitchens. But somehow, the palate wasn't excited. It was the food in Cumbria that really made me look forward to mealtimes. Dunno. Maybe it was the fresh air and exercise. I didn't even care about not having coffee and tea oop northwest. I view all celebrity restaurants with suspicion and am generally not enthusiastic about restaurants holding Michelin stars. (i.e. six visits over two years couldn't convince me to be a fan of El Bulli or Fat Duck) There're other factors at play. I don't appreciate progressive cuisine, for starters, and I get prickly when a restaurant isn't amenable about catering to food preferences. Food on this trip has been glorious. Totally spoilt by the choices available. Am totally reminded what farm-to-table truly means. Over-rated? No. Well, I know what that phrase means. But to taste it in all its succulence, is just fabulous.

As much as I love seeing the Aunts, the bff and my friends, I'm happiest when there isn't a need to hang around central London any longer than required. The city is huge. Plenty of corners for me to hide in. On this trip, the icing was to have spent a huge portion of time in Cumbria, relishing in the freshness of the produce, enjoying the incredibly crisp air, and slowing down the pace to contemplate its breathtaking natural beauty.

It's been a wonderful trip. Till the next time, England.