The Garrison, 99 Bermondsey St, SE1

Beautiful Jen

I’ve been going to The Garrison on Bermondsey Street for a few years now and the gastro fayre never disappoints. After buying some foodstuffs in Borough with my mum on Saturday we headed there for a spot of lunch and a glass of Pimms before jumping aboard a Thames Clipper for Greenwich.

The best steak sarnie and chips in London

I was craving their bloody steak sandwich but she was far more abstemious and ordered a summer salad of prosciutto, peaches, boccini mozzarella with a light vinaigrette and a side of hand cut chips. This seasonal dish is so simple but always delicious when the ham is good and the peaches are ripe.

We were eyeing up the pudding blackboard before we had finished the mains and were taken by the salted caramel ice-cream. Sadly they were out of this so we shared three scoops of pistachio and walnut which were still very good.

I had a birthday meal here a few years ago after being charmed by the shabby chic decor while out on a work lunch. As it’s just along from our flat I often go for breakfasts or an evening drink if it’s not too packed in there.

Petits mots left in the secret drawer

My favourite thing about it is a secret drawer I discovered on a night out. I had to get a snap of it (above) on Saturday as we were seated on the next table along- it is filled with amusing little notes left by Garrison regulars/scrawls from bored diners fed up with dates who have nipped to the loo- go for lunch and add to the pile!

All aboard to Greenwich!

Morocco

Moroccans really know how to eat. I've barely been back a day after five spent in Marrakech and two in the coastal town of Essaouira and already I'm craving their pancakes, tagines and couscous.

We stayed in riads during our stay which had beautiful roof terraces that provided some welcome respite from the bustling souks and pushy hawkers on the streets below. On our second night we braved the Place Djemaa el Fna- which translates literally as 'Assembly of the Dead'. This vast square is full of oddballs by day- snake charmers, storytellers and juice sellers -but by night it really comes alive as an open air restaurant with lines of stalls shrieking for your business.

The guide books advise you to ask for your meal on paper rather than using the cutlery provided as it is of questionable hygiene but this is near on impossible with the couscous and different dishes on offer.

After a few laps of the stands, fed up of the touts we settled on number 75 after being persuaded by a cheeky young Moroccan guy who reeled us in with his Mockney impression of Jamie Oliver. Despite being overcharged a bit, the food was still good value at about £10 and more importantly we didn't get sick after eating like kings on brochette kebabs, Merguez sausages, deep fried aubergine, couscous and plenty of bread.

The night before, we had an altogether experience dining at a restaurant called Tajna which is just up from the Mellah (Jewish quarter) and affords a good view of the Koutubia Mosque. It wasn't cheap but it eased us nicely into the holiday with a Mechoui lamb for two which was a huge shoulder of meat roasted in a barbecue.

Our routine was generally big breakfasts and small snacks in the day- these were typically cakes/ice cream to satisfy my sweet tooth but also to capitalise on the local specialities which favoured almonds, prunes, apricots and oranges.

Our breakfast at Riad Lacroix Berbere was very memorable-partly due to the view but also because the coffee and fresh orange juice were excellent, as were the crepe-like pancakes which we wolfed down with lashings of honey and jam. We tried a variety of different pancakes over the course of the holiday- one type being a Beghrir variety which had crumpet like bubbles on the top but I found these a bit soggy and favoured those pictured below which were lighter.

We caught a glimpse of a Moroccan bakery while being led round the city by a tour guide (who we didn't ask for!)

Lots of bread was eaten..

In Essaouira we went to a restaurant called Elizir on Rue Agadir which was recommended in Time Out. It opened at 7.30pm and we had some time to kill so browsed the jewellery souks for 10 minutes and returned to a queue under the archway. It was clearly a popular haunt- not surprising, the food was delicious, Moroccan but with a twist. Fortunately the host accommodated us with a smile and after being seated we were given an amuse bouche on the house of various tapenades- the pumpkin pulp was particularly good.

I had gnocchi with almond pesto to start and organic chicken tagine with figs and Gorgonzola for main. Rob had black cuttlefish risotto which looked spectacular and sea bass for main which also looked attractive. My chicken could have had more meat on it but the seasoning was spot on and the flavours intense. The best thing of all about this place is the quirky retro memorabilia, plastic furniture and trinkets on the walls and shelves. We bagged a window seat which was great to people spot the locals against the background of Latin/Moroccan jazz. I wish this restaurant was closer to home!

On our last day in Essaouira I bought some spices from a friendly seller in the square- they are definitely more skilled than their Marrachi peers and take a more softly softly approach to a sale . I sniffed all the jars that lined his shop and settled on the pot for grilled meats as I'm likely to get a fair bit of use out of it. The smell of it evokes memories of a wonderful trip and will hopefully help me recreate some of the delicious Moroccan dishes we tried back in London.

The spice seller and Rob with his beard - he was affectionately nick-named "Ali-Baba" by the locals.

Banana tarte tatin

This dessert was a personal triumph so felt the need to post evidence on here. I've never made tarte tatin as pastry scares me a bit but this was one of the easiest puddings I've made.

It's one of Jamie's creations (again, sorry!)- melt 60g butter and 150g caster sugar to form a caramel, pour into a baking tin, press four sliced bananas face down in the caramel, sprinkle with cinnamon and zest of half an orange (nearly didn't add this because I'm not keen on bits of zest/candied fruit etc.) and top with a sheet of puff pastry (250g).

Cook in an oven at 180 degrees for half an hour- actually took me nearer 45 minutes- despite the fan oven- to get the pastry nice and brown. Flip out onto a plate. Serve with vanilla ice-cream/creme fraiche and some flakes of dessicated coconut. Done! Sooo good- the zest added a whole new dimension and there were no bits, they melted into the smooth caramel- absolute dreams!

Wild Garlic

No, it's not a restaurant review of last year's Masterchef winner Mat Follas, it's the fruits of a forage in Maulden Woods yesterday. Me and my family used to go there every Sunday with our crazed Springer spaniel Toby when I was younger and it was an annual tradition to catch the bluebells in late April/May but yesterday was particularly special as my parents are moving away from the area.

I've never been confident in my foraging skills but it's pretty satsifying cooking something you've plucked fresh from wild ground. I'm unlikely to get seriously into foraging because a. it sounds like a middle-aged hobby, b. there's not much woodland in London Bridge and c. I'd probably poision myself. Fortunately Dad took charge this time so we were in good hands and came home with a hatful of wild garlic leaves for an omelette lunch.

I think he regretted collecting the leaves in his hat as the smell clung- no bad thing really as that cap is not a good look on him!

When we got back, we let the leaves soak a bit to get rid of the grub. The woods had a really pungent onion smell from the garlic but when you cook the stuff it actually has a very subtle taste so we kept it simple and sauteed the leaves like spinach, added them to some eggs, seasoned with salt and pepper and served with some crusty bread - delicious!