I’m a bit poorly at the moment but have been cheered up greatly by the news that my entry into last month’s Does My Blog Look Good in This? photography competition has been chosen as the winner in the aesthetics category. With over 100 entries I am very flattered indeed, though I can’t help but think that much of the praise in this instance should go to mother nature for making such a cutie! I grew quite fond of the little chap during his brief stay at our place, though the resulting Aubergine, courgette and tomato stew with quinoa and feta was very tasty too. Check out the other winners in the final round-up over at Bake or Break. If you feel suitably inspired then get your best images to the ready because DMBLGIT October 2007 has just been announced, this time hosted by kochtopf.
A new cookery TV programme has started on Channel Five this week called Cooking the Books. I was invited along to the filming of a couple of episodes by the programme’s lovely researcher Helen Price – if you manage to catch tomorrow’s show then you should see me at the end, being the lucky person who got to choose between the two dishes that the chefs cooked (I’ve just been told the original day I posted was the wrong one, it’s actually on at 6.30pm, Channel Five, Thursday the 15th November, repeated Friday lunchtime). I give up, I’ve no idea what day this particular episode is on! Look out for an episode with Bill Granger and Valentina Harris – I’m the person at the end who picks between the two trifles. Anyway, the bit you will want to know about is the food; the recipe for Bill’s Fresh mango and macadamia trifle will be on the Cooking the Books web site briefly when the episode airs but you can also find it by following my link to the Sydney Morning Herald web site. The recipe is a great fresh alternative to a traditional boozy trifle; if you try it I would definitely recommend going to the trouble of making the Macadamia cake for the base.
The premise of the show is to get a variety of chefs to cook recipes from their own books. Some of the books featured have been around for a little while; I like the idea that it might get me to try a few new recipes from old favourites. The recipes featured on the show are all on the web site which you can check out at www.cookingthebooks.tv.
Speaking of favourite books, audience members are all invited to take along a dish cooked from their favourite cookbook*. Having turned up with my very well used copy of Bill Granger’s Every Day you can imagine how made up I was that Bill was that day’s chef! My splashed and splattered copy is now signed, splashed and splattered.
*possibly more later on the trauma of trying to pick your favourite cookbook at short notice. Is such a thing possible?
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Sophie Roberts is a registered dietitian based in Oxford, UK. She loves combining her nutrition know-how with a sustainable approach to buying and preparing food and shares her tips and recipes here at Mostly Eating. 
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Bugger. I have a parents’ night tomorrow and will miss the show. Hope you had fun!
Saw that this photo was in the finalists and am delighted you won. I truly thought it outshone the others. :)
Congrats Sophie – yes, mother nature is a star, but really, it was you who framed that eggplant so beautifully!
Show sounds great – I went to art school with Bill Granger and he’s a really gentle soul. I’m so thrilled he’s managed to do so well overseas.
Congratulations — your photos are very impressive.
Hi Wendy, I did have a good time, it was interesting to see how it all works (they film the show pretty much back to front which is a bit confusing). This particular episode is now on Thursday rather than Wednesday so you may still get to catch it (hope the parents evening goes well!)
Thank you Lucy! Funny that you went to art school with Bill (that explains why your photos are so beautifully arranged!). I sat in on a few of episodes of the show as they were filmed and Bill was the only chef who came over to say Hi to the audience (there were only about 18 of us so it wouldn’t have been a big chore for the others!). But I’m probably biased as I love his books!
Hi Kelly – thank you very much for you kind words about my photos! I’m just getting back into photography again after a rather long break and really enjoying it
Hey I got your message. In my recipe, I used biscuits like these: http://www.pillsbury.com/view/breads/pillsbury_biscuits.aspx
They are packages, prepared dinner rolls. A recipe for these, if you’re feeling ambitious, is here: http://southernfood.about.com/od/biscuitrecipes/r/bl60127b.htm
We use the term “biscuit” to describe a round, flat dinner roll. I believe the recipe is Southern in origin. Beyond dinner, in the South they also top these biscuits with a creamy meat gravy for breakfast. I think that preparation is gross, but my boyfriend really likes it.
A well deserved win for a lovely photo. Great light and simplicity makes it
hi shopie! i watched the show tonight. was that you who tasted the dishes in the end and got those 3 cookery books? i thought they said the person was called leslie…
Hi Kelly – that explains it perfectly thanks (I was asking Kelly what the difference was between UK and US biscuits for anyone confused!)
Thank you Andrew! The aubergine was so pretty I didn’t want to clutter the picture up with lots of other bits and pieces
Hi Maninas – you’re right, it wasn’t me in the end! They filmed three shows with Bill Granger on the same day and they must have got confused between them when they emailed me to say it was on. If you are watching the shows anyway look out for a show with Bill Granger and Valentina Harris making trifle and somebody called Sophie from Oxford at the end. I’ve given up second guessing when it might be on!
Congratulations, Sophie! A well-deserved award indeed.
At the risk of sounding like a groupie… I LOVE Bill! It must have been so fun to meet him and also being on that cooking show.
Fine photo; congratulations. How I remember the days of dear old Esther Rantzen and the rude veggies … I had a carrot once that was too much even for her.