A Spanish Fiesta...

Two lots of Torres turned a windy Sunday evening into a Spanish Fiesta!
The first Torres, fiery Fernando helped Spain lift the Euro 2008 Cup with the only goal of the match.






And the second Torres, mesmerising Esmeralda kept us company with a few Tapas while we watched a lesson in football. We discovered her back in 1992 in a beautiful restaurant on the Balearic island of Majorca. We fell in love and, back in England we scoured the country for a supplier of this special wine, a delicate marriage Moscatel and Gewürtztraminer. One of our suppliers came up trumps and Viña Esmeralda has featured in our wine list ever since.

Both Torreses tower about the rest on a windy Sunday evening in Hartlepool...

Cooking by numbers...

In all the years that I've been cooking I have always looked at alternative cooking methods.
Just imagine a computer full of recipes, linked to a microwave... Get the idea?
Whenever you feel peckish, you just key your favourite dish into the computer, stick the ingredients inside the microwave and press the start button. Then pour yourself a glass of wine and relax.
DING....
Well, guess what... My dream may be about to come true...


The Smartchef - a partner in the kitchen for those who take pleasure in cooking, cuisine and the culture of food. Smartchef is a PC designed for chefs to use in the kitchen as they cook.
It provides hands on preparation tools to the cook along with learning, entertainment, organization and sharing functions. The device is split into two components; a stationary "smart" cutting board base and a portable tablet.
Because cooking enthusiasts get great satisfaction from hands-on contact with ingredients and their tools, the Smartchef does not automate or mechanize the tasks of food preparation. Smartchef is also not intended to reduce the owner's time in the kitchen. Instead, it is designed to extend that time and make the pursuit of the home chef’s passion more enjoyable and fruitful.
Can't wait for the next generation, can you?

Substitutes...

Since Madjid went on the sick in early December, Colin, Jimmy and the team have had to knuckle down and make sure that Krimo's quality did not suffer.

I must admit that on many occasions, especially on Saturday nights, I looked into the kitchen, said hello and just walked away. Cooking is mostly about concentration and organisation. Any outside interference can seriously hamper the flow of things.


Colin had nearly three weeks' holiday booked for June and Jimmy stepped up a gear with the help of Noel from Portofino and Kevin from Casa del Mar, who each gave a bit of their time whenever they were needed.

Jimmy also had Shaun, our reliable commis chef to count on. He turned out to be a great help.


Having been watching Euro 2008, I realise that there are often many great substitutes!
Ours are the best because they don't lose their head...

Hartlepool Maritime Festival...

It's back!! Bigger and better than ever!

Friday 4th - Sunday 6th July 2008

Get yourselves to Hartlepool for an amazing programme of music, Surprising and hilarious street theatre, Exhilarating watersports, Breathtaking aerial and trapeze performances, Continental market, selling an abundance of delicious produce, Comedy, dance and a lot more!

What makes kids eat weird stuff?

On holiday with our two grandchildren, we discovered that one was averse to trying anything new whereas the other was fascinated with new flavours.

Please believe me if I tell you that our 8-year old Alex scoffs squid, octopus, prawns with the ease of a Big Mac! He loved salmon, sea bass, mussels and just about anything I asked him to try.

Even chillies! I had to bribe him with one Euro though. And the little rascal took a big bite off! The way that he dived for his glass of Fanta to cool the volcano that had erupted in his mouth was a sight not to be missed.
Does he do these things to appear "macho"? To stand out from the bland crowd? I am honestly not sure.
All I know is that with every new thing he tries, he goes up a notch in my estimation.
His twelve year-old sister, Evie, on the other hand, is someone who would die of hunger rather than touch, let alone taste something like a mouthful of broccoli or a juicy prawn. By the end of the holiday she was in fact toying with the idea of becoming a vegetarian!
Do I love her any less? No way! She has always been the apple of my eye! Now she will be the green apple…

I must say that my grandson stands heads and shoulders above your everyday kid who lives on chicken goujons and chips and nothing else.
Parents, please beware! Kids who eat anything seem to have more energy than others!

Portofino celebrity wedding...

When Noel texted me to say that Wayne Rooney had his wedding in Portofino, I thought he was pulling my leg...
Until I checked the news and discovered that the footballer married his sweetheart, Colleen in the beautiful Italian resort of Portofino after which I named our Pizzeria back in 1997.

Do you think I should invite the couple for a meal on their first anniversary?

Photo courtesy of Mail Online

Sue me!!

A woman won $35,000 after a restaurant in New York's West Village asked her to leave the ladies toilets as they thought she was a man.

Khadijah Farmer visited the Caliente Cab Company last June. When she went into the toilet, a male bouncer ejected her and others in her party.

Read all about it in the New York Times !

Hartbeat Competition...

Wasn't it easy!!!
When did Krimo's open its doors?
The answer was on the same page of Hartbeat...

May 4th 1985!
May the force... be with you! Remember?

The winner is Teresa Pinchen of Hartlepool who gets a £100 voucher to spend at Krimo's. Congratulations, Teresa!