The area of North London I live in is pretty much perfect for life as a mother: full of baby-friendly cafes, restaurants and parks.
When I don’t have anything particular planned and it is a dry day, I pack Ioan up in his pram and head out to Muswell Hill or Crouch End for a wander, popping in to one of the cafes for a coffee before we wander around a park and head home.
It means Ioan and I both get some fresh air, and I get to explore the local establishments. Ioan tends to charm everyone in the room while I drink my coffee and try not to order cake (usually I fail, but walking all that way is HARD WORK).
Recently I discovered Edith’s House in Crouch End, which is decorated just like an old lady’s house, but luckily doesn’t smell like one. After the rugby on Saturday (Ioan’s first taste of a Welsh defeat …), which we watched with friends, we decided to go to Edith’s House to sample their cheese fondue.
I have never had fondue in a restaurant before, but it was a fantastic meal to share. The fondue came with unlimited bread, plus cauliflower, beetroot, carrot and chicory to dip into the gooey cheese. You can’t go wrong with gooey cheese, right?
We were accompanied by the house dog Roo, who was attentive enough for us to assume he often receives treats under the table.
As well as Roo charming us, the staff were also super friendly and cheerful. We felt very welcome and accommodated, particularly as we were given a great section of the restaurant to eat in which allowed us to park the buggies next to us so that Ioan and his little friend Oscar could be looked after.
Natasha and I drank wine with the fondue, while Richard sampled the craft beer and Andrew tried out the cocktails. Each one was served beautifully, and helped Andrew to forget the Welsh defeat:
And even the tea came in a retro teapot!
For pudding, Natasha and I managed to put away a chocolate trifle each, and then we trundled home.
This week I cannot face a full on meal plan as I am suffering from severe sleep deprivation (I say severe, but I have no doubt it could get worse, and I am fearful!) as Ioan has started waking hourly through the night. Meat free Monday is out of the window tonight as we were too tired to have dinner last night, and had finished the remains of the afternoon tea I made for Andrew’s mum, so Christmas pie is on the menu this evening.
Tomorrow is Valentines day, and although we never go out to a rip off restaurant, I have bought us the M&S meal for £20 which will do us for tomorrow (even Andrew can cook it).
For the rest of the week, my plan is as follows:
- Wednesday – crab cakes and vegetables
- Thursday – meatloaf with potato wedges
- Friday – smoked haddock with potato rosti and poached egg (bumped from last week)
- Saturday – an Italian feast as we have friends over for dinner
- Sunday – I am planning to roast a chicken in my Optimum induction multi cooker pressure cooker pro*
In the meantime, I am sure this young man will continue to mock my exhaustion with his cheeky smile.
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