A few little recommendations....

Just a few quick recommendations.... The £12.95 set menu at Pizza Express is really good. The choice is quite limited for starters and mains but it is still good. I had dough balls for starters, and then the American Hot Pizza Leggara, which I thought was really good. I wouldn't normally go for a pizza with a hole, which is then filled with salad, but I need to be a bit more careful with what I eat and this was really good actually. The pudding choice is chocolate fudge cake or icecream. I had the strawberry and vanilla icecream, which was really nice. An all round good meal. The Rose and Crown in Severn Stoke in Worcestershire is also a good pub, which a nice outside area. I went for the Seafood Linguine (£9.95). It was quite simple but it had a nice lot of fish and there was a side of garlic bread. The sauce was a little bit thick, but still nice. There is a huge selection of puddings. I went for the Key Lime Pie, which is about £5. It was nice but not as good as the one I make. I think of this dessert as a cheesecake style dish but this was more like lemon meringue. All in all reasonable pub grub though. And I have also had a few Marks and Spencers picnics. I have to recommend the Make Today Delicious- the amazing Vietnamese rolls are lovely crunchy fresh bites, the sweet potato and barley salad is fresh yet really tasty, the antipasti meat platter is also beautiful. The chicken and asparagus quiche is a great combination and I really like the Moroccon lamb bites. The chocolate sundae from the chilled area is really saucey and not too rich. The only disappointment I had was the flat bread sandwich, it was the Moroccan chicken and it was quite dry and not something I would recommend. The White Grape fizzy drink is also beautiful- it tastes like a light wine but it is alocohol free- perfect for drivers.

Jamie's Dinners Chicken Tikka Masala

I love this recipe- it tastes like proper curry and is really tasty. You have to use quite a few pans but it is easy to make otherwise.
Serves 4
Ingredients
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
7.5cm/ 3 inches of fresh ginger, peeled
2-3 fresh red chillies
Olive oil
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
3 tablespoons garam masala
200g natural yoghurt
4 medium chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
1 tablespoon of butter
2 medium onions, peeled and finely sliced
2 tablespoons tomato purée
A small handful of ground almonds
Sea salt
115ml double cream
A handful of fresh coriander
Juice of one to two limes

What to do
Grate the garlic and ginger on the finest side of the cheese grater and put in a bowl. Chop the chillies as finely as possible and add to the garlic and ginger. Heat a splash of oil and add the mustard seeds, cook until they pop. Add them to the mix too and the spices but only 2 tablespoons of the garam masala. Put half of this in a bowl and add the yoghurt. Add the chicken and marinate for half an hour or so or overnight.
Melt the butter and add the onions and the rest of the spice mix. Cook gently for 15 minutes without browning too much. Add the purée, the ground nuts, 500ml water and half a teaspoon of salt. Reduce until it thickens.
Meanwhile cook the marinated chicken on a hot griddle pan and cook through, or you can do it under a grill.
Add the cream to the sauce and the rest of the garam masala. As soon as it boils,  add the chicken and  the coriander leaves and a splash of lime. Serve with rice.

Good pub grub in Berks and Bucks

I have been to a few good pubs within the last month or two. I went to The Potters Arms in Winchmore Hill in Bucks, which has a small pub garden for the sunny weather and has a good menu. The landlord, Richard, is lovely and will make you feel really welcome.
Before it got hot I went there for a pork roast. The best thing about it, by far, was the long piece of crackling across it, which was perfectly crisp and salty. The pork was also good. The veggies were a little bit plain but all well cooked and tasty.
The pudding was amazing. I had the Profiterole Cheesecake, which

was so calorific! The creamy cheesecake sat underneath three cream filled profiteroles and was covered in caramel and even had cream on the side. Having a sweet tooth I finished it off no problem.

A few weeks later I went to The Cunning Man in Burghfield Bridge, near Reading. It has a huge pub garden and it was really hot and lovely. I went for the Wild Boar and Chorizo burger, which was delicious. It was a thick, well seasoned burger which made a change to the usual beef. It was served with crispy chips and was a good price at £10.95.
I also had the Eton Mess for pudding. This was a bit different as it had a strawberry mousse and icecream- I have to say I prefer the classic mix of cream, fruit and meringue. Otherwise a good spot.

I went a bit mad that weekend on the burgers and the day before I ate in Kick in Hoxton, London. It has a simple menu and I went for their homemade burger- which I have to say was surpisingly delicious. Well recommended.

Time to do some sit ups....

The joy of National Trust food

IF you have never eaten at a National Trust property- you really should try it. The food is normally fantastic. They use vegetables and fruit from their estates and source food as locally as possible. It is the best part of any National Trust visit!

I went to Hanbury Hall and Gardens next to Droitwich Spa with my friend, Rachel. This is a great house built in 1701. It was owned by the Vernon family until the middle of the last century, and it has a rich history. The rooms are beautifully kept and the grounds even more so. There are also lots of walks surrounding it.

For lunch I went for the sausage casserole with a range of vegetables from the garden. There were two tasty sausages with a really colourful display of veg- ranging from beetroot to sweet potato to carrots and celery. The potato wedges were well seasoned and thick and fluffy- a wholesome dish- reasonably priced at £6.95.

Later on we treated ourselves to a cake and I went for the Chocolate Fudge Cake. This was really well done as sometimes I find chocolate cake a little dry but it kept its moisture.

A few weeks late I went to Tyntesfield near Bristol with my other friend, Kaylee. It is a gothic Victorian mansion, which was bought by the public in 2002. It still needs a lot of work doing to it and has a ridiculous amount of objects which need to be looked after by The National Trust.

It has very dramatic furnishings and is huge! The grounds are also very big.

We went to the cafe afterwards and both of us had the same! We went for the home made pork with basil and sundried tomato and home made coleslaw (£3). The pie was delicious- with well seasoned meat and the pastry wasn’t too thick. The coleslaw was also fresh and crispy and went well with the pie.

We then treated ourself to a Cream Tea (£3.95)! It was divine- with beautiful large scones, thick raspberry jam and lovely clotted cream. My tummy felt full until bed time!