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| little perfect beignets |
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| Daniel Clifford and sous chef |
Everything pointed to perfection, and we noticed. Was it the brilliant weather and the light which woke us up to the fact of perfection, or was it that little slipped in half hour of meditation which alerted us to the fact that there is a source beyond all that appears. There is always something behind the appearance, the sun behind the light playing on Midsummer Common, the water behind the River Cam, and the chef behind the menu and the food. After the lunch at
Midsummer House which should really just be called experiencing taste, we went to visit the kitchen and in the furthest most modest kitchen was the chef owner beavering away at simple preparation of one of the evening's dishes. The attention given to every aspect of preparation filtered right through all the staff. Every waiter, chef, attendant clearly felt involved in delivering this experience. I am struck by the magic of the creative process, the way things appear from nothing apparent through a process. He, the owner chef,
Daniel Clifford tells us how he suddenly, sometimes in the middle of the night, knows what new dish he is going to make and how he is compelled to get up and write it all down. This putting into words is what happens and the same process is happening all the time but we seldom notice that it works like this. We think we think things up but I am beginning to think that something happens through us, using our natures and talents and we are moved almost despite ourselves to enact or make or sing them.
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| Strawberry, elderflower delight |
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| Lemon posset, berries and espuma |
Cambridge did the perfect performance for us, the weather, Kings College Singers sent their voices right up to the top of that great tall Chapel and beyond, a counter tenor's voice soaring above the bass, sharpening the boy soprano sound, candles lighting the darkened interior and all four of us full of the sheer enjoyment and bliss of a perfect end to a perfect day.
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