Summer tasting plate; courgette and avocado cake

I finally got out of the house today, courtesy of one of mum’s friends inviting her to go to the Donkey Sanctuary. Mum decided she didn’t want to go without me, so I tagged along.

The Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary, near the centre of the Isle of Wight, prides itself on being accessible and inclusive so, even with my mobility issues limiting me, I managed to get about a bit. None of the donkeys wanted to say hello, sadly, but I got to meet a couple of nice dogs so it wasn’t a completely animal-free experience.

Mum and friend said how well I was walking, and I will say that the carefully flat paths really did help. Walking the length of one paddock and back was more than enough, though: I was determined to try and be part of the outing, but I was struggling by the time we turned back.

Then we had lunch in the attractive converted barn which is the site café. Mum had a huge jacket potato, while I went bouji with a ‘tasting plate’ (foccacia, olives, sundried tomatoes, and hummus, with a choice of ham, feta, or vegan feta. (They’re also better than many Island eateries for plant-based offerings.)

I don’t think any of it was produced on site (although I’m happy to be told otherwise), but it was good quality, tasty, and very filling. I really didn’t need the slice of cake I had while mum and friend went for a longer walk, but I couldn’t resist.

I had to choose the courgette and avocado cake out of sheer curiosity. It looked prettily green, with pistachios and dried lavender. It was similar in style to a carrot cake, with the occasional raisin and bits of coconut, but didn’t taste of anything much other than sweet.

Unfortunately something in it left a really odd taste in my mouth which made plain water taste disgusting. It’s only now wearing off.

I don’t yet know if I’m going to have anything to eat this evening: if I do, it will be something small and not worth writing about. So I will leave this here, with mum on auto-complain, Suki crunching on her kibble, and water finally back to tasting like it oughta.