When in Rome...

As the saying goes... "When in Rome..." 

Eat like Romans?!

In my recent quest to acquire another flag-badge for my backpack, I joined Food Tours of Rome for a personal and well-guided traipse around the historical centre with Bruno! What a fantastic way to spend an evening- and I say that with the utmost sincerity! I've heard (and now experienced first hand) very mixed reviews about food in Italy; so keen to not be disappointed night after night, I booked a "Roman" food tour. 

While doing the Internet research, I realised there are about as many food tours on offer in the region as there are varietals, sizes, and shapes of tomatoes. So what was my criteria? Not too touristic, yet with some sight-seeing à la typical walking tour, and definitely not run by Eat, Pray, Love American defects.

The Food Tours of Rome website looked promising advertising "Bruno, (as) your local guide"... (sounds Italian). I booked the tour and Bruno sent me the details of where to meet him and the other tourists. After a hot, long, and drawn out afternoon of getting lost in and among the nooks and crannies of the heart of the city, we arrived just on time (slightly irritable) and with a very healthy dose of scepticism to a chirpy Bruno with a very American accent. My face said it to him before I even muttered the expletives in my head, and we were kindly shepherded inside to the rest of the flock where, with an upbeat round of introductions, we learned the authenticity of the back story. So Top Tip 1: even if you don't read any further- if you are looking for a truly authentic Roman food tour run by Romans, then look no further: Bruno is your man! And I'll let him tell you his story when you visit. ;)  http://www.foodtoursofrome.com/eveningfoodtour.html

So what was it like?

We started in Piazza Mattei just outside of the Jewish Ghetto at Pane Vino e San Daniele for a first meal. As mentioned, we had a round of introductions with a sampling of a speciality of the (H)Osteria: wine! It was explained that in the good ol' days, when you voted with your preciously earned coin, if you wanted good food, you visited a Trattoria; if you wanted good wine, you visited the Hosteria/Osteria. However, nowadays, the rules aren't so straightforward and akin to the UK, if you want nice wine- head to Aldi. 

Tourists at Turtle Fountain in Piazza Mattei.

What was on offer? To start: cheese and meat platters: ricotta with acacia  honey, prosciutto, and another tasty cheese I can't remember. This was the best ricotta that I've had (Bruno accredits it to the unpasteurized milk) and it was explained to us that saying prosciutto is as non-descript as blanket-naming cheese. There are finite qualities that different domains of prosciutto must have, and the San Daniele prosciutto must be guitar in shape, tender, and with a gentle aroma. The way in which the texture and flavours are developed are so precious that even cutting the meat is done rather manually (rather than with a power-generated slicer) to ensure that each nuance in maintained. I noticed at many restaurants in Rome, there was a man slicing their *bespoke* prosciutto with the manual slicer- I'm guessing that the act of doing it specifically at the front of the restaurant is similar to "see how big mine is".

Further dishes on offer at Pane Vino e San Daniele were two polenta dishes: one with a deer ragu (like a slowly stewed, moreish bolognese) the other with mushrooms and a local hard cheese, and creamed artichoke crostinis (NOT to be confused with bruschetta- pronounced bruss-KET-ta). Very delicious! Bruno explained that if we were doing the tour later in the season, we would be eating bruschettas rather than crostinis as tomatoes would be in season. I like the idea that they cater to seasonality, it means that when I go back, I know I won't be eating the same again.

First stop complete (and already feeling full), it is time to walk a bit of the food off as we ventured onward to more of the historic informative part of the tour. We parked our feet outside of one of the very very many churches within the Catholic capital where we were encouraged to look beyond the obvious. At Chiesa Santa Caterina of Funari Bruno explained how many churches and trades within Rome have adopted patron saints of some sort, where the Funari denotes the string and rope makers of the area (just East of the Tiber river) and the Caterina (of Saint Catherine of Alexander) attributes to her and her martyrdom. Apparently the Catherine Wheel firework is named so because of her tortured death where she was placed atop a spinning, spiked wheel- her blood spurted off (as a Catherine Wheel firework goes off ) as it spun. When the church was rebuilt in olde olde times, the wheel was part of the adornment in the marble (just below the word FECIT). Interesting, huh?!

Chiesa Santa Caterina dei Funari

Moving along to the next stop: a bit of food mixed with a lot of history, which ended up a lot of history whilst we waited for our freshly prepared food, we ventured into the Jewish Ghetto area of Rome. This truly historic area of the city was infamous as the name of the area describes; however, is historically monumental for again, reasons that you need to pay attention to as you walk around Rome.

In the background behind the cement ramp in which the Jews of Rome were assembled and taken away in WWII, the great Theatre of Marcellus hides from 13BC. But this is a food blog, so to not spoil it for other wanderers, I'll review the Jewish-style fried artichokes, instead.

Some of the remaining Jewish Ghetto Flats

Theatre of Marcellus in the background

Jewish-style: twice fried artichokes.

Now I felt bad at this part of the tour, because we waited a while for the restaurant to freshly prepare the artichokes and Bruno raved on about them as if they were the best thing since sliced bread, so I felt bad when I thought that I wish I would have come in tomato season or else would have preferred a pickled artichoke. The freshness of the artichoke was entirely appreciated, as the leaves were tender and rich in flavour. I think that what I didn't like was the amount of oil within the vegetable without some enhancing saltiness. But that's just my opinion- these guys have been making these delicacies for years and years and years and When in (the Jewish Ghetto in) Rome...

On our way out of the Ghetto, we passed by another interesting piece of newly historic information where a Catholic Priest used to sit in what looked like a life-size shrine and wait for Jews to visit for quickie-conversions to Catholicism. It was quite literally the ticket out if you were prepared to add the New Book to your prayer list.

Where the Priest used to sit at the edge of the Jewish Ghetto

Moving on to more food, we stopped at Forno Marco Roscioli and this is the reason why I wished we had done the tour first rather than at the end of our visit. You know when you are in a place you've never been, and it's near, or just past lunch time, so you are hungry, which is turning into h-angry, and you can't find what you are looking for?! 

Well, this is what you are looking for. A bakery, a deli counter, a sit-in or take away. Counters and displays of deliciously smelling and looking carbohydrate based goodies. This is where you buy pizza by the slice (by weight) and some white wine cookies, and mountains of meringues for later. Fantastically fresh and very, very tasty. So Top Tip: When you are out and about, look for a Forno or look in the window, just past the meringues, and you'll find the pizza you've been dreaming of.

Fresh pizza with tomato sauce and the best ever mozzarella  & White Wine Spiced Cookies

After this mini carb-fest, more walking was in order before our next sit-down meal. We ventured down some more streets that weren't quite as they appeared upon Bruno's explanation. Look beyond the obvious, and what looked like a unique shape to a stretch of flats, was actually built that way because of the historic theatre the modern city is built upon. Our next stop would explain just what we were standing on.

The Ristorante Da Pancrazio is built upon the Theater of Pompey, which to you Roman history buffs, is where Julius Caesar was murdered. The extraordinary discovery was made by the original (and still in the family) owners when they were attempting to extend their wine cellar and happened across far more than some very intriguing artifacts. The dining hall is split across two levels where downstairs you enter the cellar structured by archways and pillars from 1st century BC and adorned with the bounty found within the area. What us N Americans (and even Brits) thought were extremely valuable historical artifacts were in fact thought of a just another piece of old $#!+ by Romans back in the day.

This gem is not only a gem for ultra-ancient historical reasons, but also because it boasts typical Roman cuisine produced every day on site. As we were guests for a dinner feast, tradition says that you serve fresh shellfish (mussels and clams) in a parsley, garlic, butter, and white wine sauce.

Add Roman wine (nothing to write home about- a mineraly, "better with food" red), and a typical meal of "straw and hay"- descriptors of the pasta colours in this alfredo and pancetta type sauce. The real reason Bruno brought us to this treasure chest of history was for the traditional Roman soups: Pasta and Chickpea (Pasta e Ceci) on the left, and a Vignarola (spring stew type soup) on the right.

The recipes are both so simple and are intended to feed the farmers to keep them nourished to continue with their harvest activities. Macaroni, chickpeas, tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, and water make up the Pasta e Ceci and fava beans, peas, and (surprise, surprise) artichoke for the Vignarola spring stew.

Next up, dessert time with a bit of a sobering-up walk to the next establishment. I had a chuckle just as we were told to finish up at Ristorante Da Pancrazio where we had four-open bottles of wine all around half-full: what action do you take? 

Option 1: chug your glass, fill up, and repeat? (American way)

Option 2: ask for a plastic take away cup? (the refined Roadie)

Option 3: make a Roadie in a plastic bottle? (the Redneck way)

Option 4: quickly drink what you have before moving on? (Euro way)

Well, I can say that the American Dad method was to chug and refill and chug again- lending to the mentality "I would never do this at home, and heck, I'm on holiday so I'm going to chug (also because the Canadian dude beside me is telling me to chug". The Canadian dude filled his water-bottle and walked on, and I felt quite proud of myself to finish my glass like a lady and then leave the table, knowing that my uncouth N American Roadie and chugging days are done. How smugly EU of me.

As mentioned, our next stop was dessert at Nonna Vincenza's:  This was the treat of treats! Intricately hand- crafted, Sicilian desserts. We were treated to a selection of dolci secchi and topped up with a locally produced canella rosoli (cinnamon liqueur) in this passionate, family-owned business.

On the left are a type of cassate Siciliana: a sensual concoction of liqueured sponge, soft filling (like flavoured ricotta or cannoli curd), marzipan, and candied fruit. They come as a small and wobbly handful below (hence the sensual descriptor as the historic symbolism is as explicit as the dessert looks; I'll let Bruno explain the rest), or as large as a 10-inch cake. The dessert is to be fragrant, vibrant, and decadently tempting. On the right were some more subdued cannolis (in comparison, but even more excellent in execution) filled with a citrus cream curd that has entirely inspired me to give them a try at home! And if the cinnamon shot, cassate, and stuffed cannolis weren't quite enough, the signoras in the shop topped us of with perhaps the most pungently sweet wild strawberry granita I've ever tasted. Top Tip again: if you are ever in Rome for even 1 hour, seek out Nonna Vincenza for a hint of escapism.

Well full up now, Bruno took us on more a historical walk for the last leg of the tour: through the nooks and crannies of the old centre of Rome through the famous Piazza Navona and Piazza Farnese to the infamous Campo de Fiori, where a stern statue of Giordano Bruno looks to the direction of the Vatican as a reminder of his persecution. Again, this square in particular is not at all as it seems, teeming with history and symbolic importance.

An on the topic of persecutions, we ventured to our second last food stop: Sant Eustachio il caffe named after the patron saint of hunters (and sometimes coffee brewers). 

While waiting for our coffee orders, we were told the story of the saint and how Eustace was eventually roasted to death in a bronze pot for pledging his faith to the Catholic church- hence the tie to the coffee house. The flavoursome experience of drinking Italian-style (at the deco-era bar, so not to pay the unregulated "tax" of sitting outside at a table) was another tick off of the list of typical things to do in Italy...along with the last and final stop on the tour: Gelateria Artigianale Corona. 

An award-winning Father-and-Son owned gelataria boasting 40 different flavours from the less adventurous, but super juicy fragola to highly creative flavour combinations of lime and basil or citrus chilli. My personal favourite (after sampling about 10!) was the lime and ginger. 

The gelatos, granitas, and other desserts are produced on-site with a lot of love: "Un buon gelato é sempre un atto d'amore- a good gelato is always an act of love", and local and seasonal produce. Bruno says that once they're gone... they're gone; so who knows what tried-and-true or nouveau flavour combination you will try when you visit, but I can say that you will leave with a content smile on your face... and a feeling that you just spent a very worthwhile, entertaining, and enjoyable evening with Bruno in his neighbourhood.

As Seen on TV

"So you're a research scientist, you've come to Britain, and you're on MasterChef... you really do love an adventure?"

Just a bit, eh?!

So how did this all come about? Some of my friends wouldn't be surprised that I ended up on reality TV- really, since the first ever season of Survivor, and ever-so building with watching the Amazing Race series, I've secretly wanted to be on a show. And like most armchair critics, my competitive nature makes me think- hey, I'm better than that person (or not in this case). 

September rolled on, still coming down from my Kili high, I did what any (attention grabbing) junkie does and scoured around for my next hit. I need some more stimulation, I thought- something to get wrapped up in! What should it be? To the internet I went in search of the application form for the Great British Bake Off.; however, it was not open yet. Ok, if not Bake Off, then what is a suitable substitute? MasterChef?! And a bit of self-commentary here:

"Are you really sure you want to do this?!"

"Why not, who says I'll get in?"

"But you know you'll get in, for the reason that you don't really want to get in?"

"That's not true. I think I can do it."

"But the thought of taking part in the professional kitchen makes you want to run away in terror"

"I'll cross that bridge when it comes"

And with that, I filled out the application form to the best of my TV-appropriate answering ability and sent it off. Now, I'm not allowed to speak about the details, so I will skip onward to commenting with my two cents/pence on what is in the public domain.

Picnic style: Braised duck in thyme-infused tortellini with blackberry reduction and creme fraiche. I might have had to cook something like this before what you saw on TV.

Filming is in advance of airing, and with enough time that I managed to forget about the live commentary I provided at the time. I even managed to calm down and underplay the feelings I had in the whirlwind of a time I was involved. Under contract, I was/am not allowed to spoil the magic, so only a handful of people knew what I was up to. My little secret- how spesh! However, some keen foodies spotted me about a week prior to airing as programme dates were confirmed on the official website. And would you look at that, who do you see?

As word started to get out, my colleagues were asking me if it was true. Should I or should I not alert the masses? In sheer fear of making an ass of myself, I kept the interests of the show in tact and downplayed the event. The truth was, I couldn't remember what I had said at the time of filming- I did, however, have flashback hints (like a Sunday afternoon after a rough Saturday out)- was I really the smart ass to seal their fate at the point of self-review?

Anyone that watches reality TV/ TV competitions knows that as soon as someone says they are better than the group, they are gone! I remembered saying something to that effect, and sorry to spoil it for those of you that haven't yet watched, I said goodbye after Day 1. To be exact- "I'm definitely not the furthest along, but I definitely think I'm not at the bottom". If I was sat on my couch watching someone I didn't know, I'd be snarkily stating how they were going home after such a comment. And so did those punters live-commenting on the Facebook page. Interestingly, though- I remember feeling more smug when I said that on the day, which didn't come across on camera, (thank god!) and, the judges didn't hear that interview so, voted my smug-ass off for some other reason that still isn't that clear to me. 

Apart from that comment, I couldn't remember what other cringe-worthy strings of words I slung together, which was why my hesitancy only strengthened my yearning for secrecy from the whole experience. It turned out that I had to watch it at the point of broadcast with the rest of the UK.

Below are a string of frames from the show with some of the thoughts going through my head at the time:

OMG- I'm in the TV! At this point I'm normally tucked up on the couch with a glass of wine anticipating what disasters are about to unfold. I am now the one who I normally judge. Keep calm- and do what I need to do.

And do this by smashing the heck out of my meat!

Mushroom stuffed port tenderloin with a honey balsamic glaze. Yes, those are toothpicks because my meat-tying skills are appalling.

Not looking disgusted, phew! Note here: What was aired was probably less than a third of the footage that was actually taken. In each of the high pressure cooking hours that we had to produce and edible plate of food, John Torode prowled the benches smugly smelling and getting into elements to be included in the contestant's dishes. I received a sceptical glance at the state of my home-grown sage (we got to bring in an element from home to include if we wished), but an approving glance when he tucked his unwashed hands into my pastry crumbs.

The two dishes that I produced for the show: 

Above- Calling Card: Mushroom stuffed pork tenderloin with a honey balsamic glaze. On a bed of creamed leeks (kudos to The Nowell's for their inspiration). Served with roast potatoes, tomatoes, and crispy sage. 

Below- Invention Test: Carameliszd fig crumble with lavender infused pastry and lavender infused marscapone cheese.

Gregg "love, love, loving the lavender infused cream". Too bad he didn't appreciate the subtlety of my garlic in the first round.

Just a few notes about the show format for those of you who aren't familiar. 

The first round we were asked to prepare our Calling Card. "It gives us an idea of what kind of cook you are". Something to be prepared in an hour with no sweet/ savoury restrictions. I battled with the strategy of the first round- do I do reliable or daring? If I get reliable bang-on, then it will trump the muppets that mess up their daring. However, there is a risk of playing it too safe. I erred on reliable. I have cooked far more complex and exciting things than pork; however, with the knowledge of what the Day 2 challenge was, I didn't want to serve pork to potential diners who were adverse to it. Let's start with it- use some sage from the garden, and with good execution I should sit comfortably (or so I thought).

Those familiar with the format know that there are many different challenges throughout the journey, and one of the classics is the Invention Test. Choose a box: Sweet or Savoury. You have a basic larder, but don't know what is in the box. You have 10 minutes to think of something to cook in 1-hour. I was so excited to take part in either this round or the Palate Test (test my sensory ability to the max!!). How do you prepare? You need to know some core recipes off the top of your head; so the night before filming, I got my little red book of recipes out and studied things I could make with core ingredients: pastries (shortcrust, puffed, crumble) and sauces (Hollandaise and veloute based).

The instant that I walked into the "kitchen" and saw the choice of two boxes, my brain did what it does best and jumped straight into action planning mode. I cannot remember the introductory spiel that the hosts were rattling off- my ears were closed to them as I processed the larder ingredients in front of me. Flour, icing sugar, eggs, butter- sorted! Now, think hard- what are your pastry ratios! By choosing the Sweet box, chances are extremely high that there will be fruit in the box= tatin or crumble. 

Here is what I had to work with: Stem ginger, figs, pastry, rosemary, marscapone, eggs, lavender apricots, and pine nuts. Classically apricot and ginger sticks in my head, but as that was the first combination I thought of, I discounted it as being too common. Hmmm... figs?! Let's try them. And, to be more interesting, throw some herbs in there as any nouveaux chef is doing these days. What was risky- I have never used figs nor lavender in my cooking. What the heck do I even do with figs? Are they peeled? I sliced one and ate the skin- it wasn't horrible so left it on the rest of them. One hour later, the fig tatin that I had intended to make ended up more like a crumble, so I disappointingly trimmed around the edges to tidy up the presentation (in hindsight I wish I would have sliced it, instead), got some over-caramelized fig caught in my teeth (you can see me picking it out on the show) and brought my plate to the judges at the front with a live crumble-re-branding as I presented the dish.

I received positive (lovely touch of lavender, excellent pastry, kudos for doing a sweet) and negative (figs too hard) comments, and ultimately was dismissed as the second contestant to leave the episode.

Gutting, yes. Bittersweet, yes- especially when I walked through the doors after being dismissed and the producers were flabbergasted! However, better now than when I invested more emotion into the competition; and, I was secretly dreading cooking my two courses in the next round. Concocting pan-fried duck breast on parsnip puree, with curly kale, and a blackberry reduction as a main with homemade pumpkin pie (from raw, whole pumpkin) to a finished product in 1hr 15min was terrifying me, but I can honestly say that the entirety of the experience was amazing and unforgettable!

And to end off, I would like to share some of the comments I received from those rooting for me during the live broadcast and fans that commented the next day:

Love from Saira Hamilton, finalist in 2013 (although I remember shouting at the TV that I can poach eggs better than her!)

Live feed on Facebook during the show.

And perhaps my favourite, after a rather large smashing from parochial Guardian writer Sam Wollaston- here is the link to the article. How dare you assume all Canadians are from Toronto!

And a mulligan of how my dessert should have been. 

The progarmme can be watch for a limited time on the BBC website (and the use of Media Hint BEFORE clicking on the link for those overseas).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03zdx14

Here Comes the (Product Developer)... All Dressed in ... (Hot Glue and Icing Sugar)

Winter means home time, which means, I better have a project or two up my sleeve to keep me out of the shops on the weekend; and with our great friends' wedding, why not volunteer to hand-make their gifts? What did I sign up for? Well, originally only a bespoke cork-board for the wine-loving couple. However, I also managed to rope myself in to making the cake. I'm not complaining (when I'm fed up of hot glue or egged-petals sticking to my fingers or for sweeping up lemon zest from the floor for the fifth time in a day)... "You do it to yourself" Thom Yorke.

Outcomes of my endeavors will be presented in two ways: 

1) A mix of business and pleasure- some scantly written details of how I scaled up a wedding cake.

2) A self-explanatory pictorial montage of cork-boarding.

1) Scale up exercise: 

First: Determine the number of consumers in which you are serving product; which makes me giggle because "serving product" is not terminology of the normal person, rather of a Product Developer; and off topic, it super makes me giggle because it reminds me of how upon winning a box of *!gasp!* Celebrations, we dissected the contents to count how many "units" of each flavour were in the box. You know you work in Product Development when... In any case, I found a super-handy website to help me estimate portion numbers for this endeavour. http://www.icedjems.com/2012/08/cake-servings-guide/ 

I know I need cake for 65 people. I don't want to be shy with the portions/ account for waste, so estimate for 70 portions; furthermore, the "portions" are certainly NOT to be the typical 1" square servings that are expected at a wedding. I opt to follow the "Party Cake" guidelines.

Next: up-scale your chosen recipe: 

Lemon sponge. Sandwich style. Normally for an 8" tin.

Earl Grey Creme Patissiere

Apricot Jam

Lavender infused (set) Chantilly cream

I will make 1x decorative round three-tiered cake: 6" on an 8" on a 10" (should serve 40-ish) + another 8" on a 10" to dish out. Below is what it looks like in my head? And as you see,I mean the recipe, NOT the finished product (I'm not that visionary and will "deal" with whatever monster I create).

It looks like 5 sponges, 2-kilos of Creme Pat and 35 freaking eggs, that's what it looks like! 

Starting somewhere, I got stuck-in early in the week with the Creme Pat. The more I get out of the way leading to the big day, the more I can relax the day before. This being said and the cake being a sponge, I opted to take Friday off as holiday to ensure the sponge would still be spongy on the day. My wedding guest pet peeve: $#!+ food- meaning dry, bland cake... (and the traditional cold finger buffet that the UK is renowned for... barf! But that's for another blog).

 Earl Grey infused Creme Patiessiere 

Line them up! Friday came and I got busy. I know you don't see 35 eggs, but I can assure you the missing 16 are in the 2kg of Creme Pat in the bowl on the right. 

Two other notes I'd like to make: 

1) I cheated out on making the jam. Get over it. Another time. (yes, that is tired sarcasm you detect). 

2) As there was one vegetarian (of course), my moral code kicked in and I decided to test out the VegeSet. A little red devil on my shoulder wanted to stick with gelatine, but as it is my job to make sure that food is fit for purpose and safe for consumers, I invested in the vegetarian suitable option. Comment- stick to gelatine, it works better :) Just kidding. I need to play around a bit more with the substitution, but a straight swap for liquefied gelatine for liquefied VegeSet was not as effective as the standard preparation.

 Ingredients out.

 Mix it up.

  

Pour it in and let it bake.

(Apricot) Jammin'

Stack it up and spin it round. Note: Fantastic Christmas prezzie from my Sister-in-law: a cake turntable. It seriously beats the dish on the bowl trick.

Pestled lavender buds into the Chantilly cream.

I was tasked with a vintage, natural look to decorate the cake, and crystallised flower petals were on the top of the list of ways to decorate the cake. "You do it to yourself, you do". But really, I do honestly LOVE a challenge... and these challenges in particular. 

Straight to the Internet to figure out how to crystallise the flower petals. 

Suggestion #1: use organic flowers (to avoid pesticides)- and thank goodness Valentine's day was around the same time as this task. I managed to get some discounted leftover roses (about the same cost as fresh conventional ones). 

Suggestion #2 (and in line with the moral nature of my job): use reconstituted powdered egg whites (they are pasteurised) as they are safe for the immuno-compromised.

And so you know, this is what you do:

1) Paint flower petals with egg wash.

2) Dip flower petals in fine grained sugar

3) Place onto baking paper and let dry. Some websites say 6-8 hours, others say "overnight". The petals in my house really needed 24 hours (and the room is heated with a log burner).

I can say the task took about as long as I expected. It is tedious and pernickity, so good tunes will bring you along. One more Top Tip: don't be heavy handed with the egg wash nor the sugar to allow for crisp drying. Some of my heavily egged petals didn't fully crisp. On the other hand, insufficiently egged petals wilted by the time the cake was cut and served. And, apparently you can freeze petals that you haven't used...good to know.

And how did it all come together? See for yourself.

Voila! I can definitely say that the time was worth it! I felt chuffed with what I accomplished- it was a freaking tasty cake, that's for sure! I can also say that I am my own worst critic. I was disappointed how small the cake looked when it was in a big room rather than my kitchen. And in hindsight, I would have scaled back some of the piping (two lines vs. three- but I needed the third line on the day when I assembled the tiers on site). But most importantly, the bride and groom were super happy with their present (and perhaps most-most importantly, so were the mothers).

 Touch up kit on site.

And to wrap this entry up, below are the photos of the other present that we (with much help from Craig and also from my friend Ollie and his saw) constructed. I'll take orders, if you see what you like! It would be nice if this hobby will make me money by keeping me out of the shops on the weekends!