What would Ordinary Decent Gamer be without food? Perhaps a gaming blog…

Although ODG started life as Inside Gamescom in 2011, dedicated to the latest releases from the WiFi tent in the Gamescom campsite in Cologne (later almost washed away in a dramatic flood), it has morphed into a shudder “lifestyle” blog. In that it is about things occurring in life (although death occasionally creeps up; occupational hazard). And has a style, of sorts. And a large part of my life is food. Making it. Finding it. Eating it. Those are the sorts of activities chronicled herein.

And here follows a Christmas day in November. Or perhaps it would be better considered an appropriative “Thanksgiving” with family who stayed for the weekend. Turkey was replaced by chicken, but most of the trimmings were present. And like the Christmas bird, this one was spatchcocked.

Following a discussion with a friend, I parboiled the roast potatoes in an alkaline solution of salt and baking powder (only half a teaspoon of baking powder) after I did some confirmatory reading on the Spruce Eats. The alkaline solution helps to roughen up the potato surface by creating a starch slurry (sounds wonderful, right?) that crisps up well in the oven. I can verify that the method works really well. My only regret was making a reasonable number. More is always more when it comes to roast potatoes. Don’t come at me with your mash potatoes…

I didn’t go the whole hog. I used a jar of cranberry sauce which was average (compared to an orange or port one), and didn’t make a mash of any sort, or braised red cabbage. In my defence I had the whole thing ready (including spatchcocked chicken) in just over two hours. There was some familial help for veg prep, of course. This Christmas dry run went smoothly, and provided a timely reminder that I need to order a turkey…

The Muddler’s Club

Following on from a flurry of clearing out and house sorting, we took a break to experience the Michelin star restaurant in Belfast, the Muddler’s Club. I am out of touch with the dining scene in the city, but was reliably informed of the quality of the food and the general vibe. It did not disappoint, although it was a little loud inside for the first part of the meal. Once a big group had left it quieted down considerably and it was easier to hear the servers explaining the food. They did an excellent job of showcasing local and seasonal produce, with a great wine pairing to boot.

Coffee

I had some great coffee on my brief trip home, including a “funky” flat white in Established Coffee in Belfast, and another flat white in Selah in Lurgan. The latter was rather unexpected as Lurgan isn’t exactly a Mecca for coffee lovers, but  Selah is doing a fantastic job of spreading coffee culture to culchies (although arguably it could be townies in Lurgan).

Baking

I even managed to squeeze in a little bit of baking, bringing my sourdough starter back to Northern Ireland (where I originally learned sourdough management). The first loaf out of this batch wasn’t perfect but there was a decent rise on it.

Take your seat

Following on from the “Save the Royal Cinema” campaign to fund the community share offer, we had a delivery of a couple of 1938 cinema seats. These are in no way light duty. Cast iron. Red velvet. They hark back to a different time (with decidedly less leg room) and a completely different cinematic experience. Ticket stubs. Attendants in uniform. Perhaps an organ or a piano up front. The seats weigh an absolute tonne and I plan to screw them to a wooden plinth/base to keep them together. They may end up as part of my office furniture, although once in they’re not moving anywhere in a hurry. Another project to add to the mix.