Happy Thanksgiving.

Having recently returned from Florida (playing golf for 12 days), I was reminded of the value and tastiness of the great British breakfast.  Now there are lots of things that I like about the States -  the weather in Florida at this time of year is sunny and hot without any of that stifling humidity that you get in August - the service in restaurants generally is exceptionally good and the golf courses are wonderful.  The same however, in my humble opinion,  cannot be said for their breakfasts.  It's fine to serve bacon and eggs with hash browns and sausages but not with pancakes and waffles covered in Maple syrup all on the same plate - it's just not right!  I also came across Grits!  A bowl of grits is very similar to a bowl of cat sick and about as appetizing.  The other thing that struck me about American breakfasts was how crap their bacon is!  It's all streaky and fatty - don't they have any big pigs in the USA?  With everything else being so large you begin to wonder where all the big pigs with the lean back bacon have gone?  I think I may have to continue my quest next year!

Talking of golf, I can honestly say that 11 rounds of golf in as many days, left me feeling a little sore in the shoulders and wrists!  All the courses started to blur into one gigantic course after a while!  But they have such great names for their courses - Grande Pines, Osprey Ridge, Eagle Creek immediately conjure up visions of beautifully manicured greens, long winding fairways fringed by lakes and pine trees and bunkers that are as big as Wales filled with the purest white sand!  The wildlife on the courses is also spectacular - deer, snakes, alligators and an abundance of birds all add to the joy of playing the courses.  Picture the scene - the isolation of  the 3rd tee at Osprey Ridge - surrounded by tall trees and wasteland as far as the eye can see,  you could be in the middle of nowhere - suddenly the silence is broken by the screams of the theme park roller coaster riders as they hurtle backwards at Mach 3 towards the ground!  So much for tranquility and getting away from it all!

Enough of holidays - it's nearly time to dust off those baubles and tinsel and get ready for Christmas!  Obviously food will play a major part in the festivities so if anyone has any unusual or well tried recipes let me know!  I'm going to try sprouts in a blue cheese, cream and bacon sauce this year - should offset the turkey crown nicely!

Oh! I thought it somewhat ironic that the great British turkey magnate, Bernard Matthews, died on Thanksgiving day - maybe the turkeys have had the last laugh?

Happy thanksgiving!