The Hairy Bikers' Everyday Fish Pie

I seem to love the Hairy Bikers recipes. They are simple and accessible, so perhaps that is why. I made this lovely fish pie for Kat and Kay when they came to stay and served it with vegetables.

The recipe is:

400ml whole milk
1 small onion, thickly sliced
2 bay leaves
500g skinned thick white fish fillets (I used a mixture of cod and smoked river cobbler)
40g butter
40g plain flour
150g frozen peas
200g large peeled prawns (I used some marinated in garlic and herb)
flaked sea salt
ground pepper

Mash topping
800g medium potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized pieces
50g butter, cubed
3 to 5 tbsp
sea salt and pepper

For the filling, pour the milk into the pan and add the onion and bay leaves. Season. Place the fish fillets in the pan and bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook for two minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to stand and infuse for 20 minutes. Drain the fish through a colander into a bowl, then pour the milk into a jug.

For the mash fill half a saucepan with cold water. Add the potatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return to the pan to mash with the butter and milk. Season to taste. Preheat the oven to 200c, fan 180c, gas mark 6.

Now finish the filling. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook for a few seconds then gradually add the infused milk, stirring over a medium heat for three to four minutes until the sauce is smooth and thick. Stir in the peas and season with salt and pepper.

Spread a third of the sauce into the base of an ovenproof dish. Scatter half the fish fillets over the sauce, breaking them into chunky pieces and discard the onion and bay leaves. Drop half the prawns over the top and pour over another third of the sauce. Continue with the layers and finishe with the final third of the sauce.

Spoon the potato over the fish mixture and rough up the surface with a fork. Place the dish on a baking tray and bake in the centre of the oven for about 25 minutes or until the top is golden and the filling is bubbling.

This is a really tasty pie, which although produces a lot of washing up, is easy to make. Serves about 5.

For the love of lobster

FOR Sunday lunch I went to Burger and Lobster in Soho with six of my lovely pals. I had heard a lot about it so I was *excited*. There are only three options on the menu which are Lobster Roll, which is cold and served in a brioche, Lobster (grilled or steamed) and a Beef Burger with Cheese and Bacon. It was £20 for a small and £30 for a large. We mostly went for the grilled lobster option, which is served with French Fries and salad and a lemon and garlic butter.


When I was given mine I only got half a body! But once I pointed it out to the waitress it was soon replaced. It is very messy but the lobster meat was lovely, especially with the delicious butter. The fries are beautifully salted and thin and crispy and the salad was fresh and complete with croutons.

Penny went for the burger, which also looked delicious, and the burger was really thick.

The drinks are quite pricey (about £4.50 for a soft drink) but with lobster for £20 you can’t go too wrong. A discretionary 12.5% was added onto the bill which was over £20, so beware of this. We didn’t pay it all and the waitress came back to query it which was a bit embarrassing but other than that it is good value.

Afterwards we went to Patisserie Valerie and I had a double chocolate gateux with a profiterole on top. Unsurprisingly it beat me – it was delicious though. So I took it home in a cute little box for a snack later.

A pleasant end to a week of eating!

A trip to the Crown in Old Amersham as a birthday treat

ON Thursday Tom kindly took me to The Crown in Old Amersham as part of my birthday present. I had been wanting to go there for a while as I heard good things. I also saw that it was three courses for £25 but when I looked at the website on the day this had gone and a call to the restaurant confirmed it was no longer available.

However we still went along. When we arrived it was clear there was really no need to book as there was just Tom and I and another group of four. I imagine if it was busy there would be a great atmosphere but it felt a bit flat.

The decor is tasteful but very simple with wooden chairs and rugs laid on the back of chairs.

One look at the menu and there is about five choices for each the starters and mains. We decided to go straight into the mains and were told it would be a 20 minute wait because we weren’t having a starter, which was a bit annoying.

The mains are over priced with the vegetarian option at about £18 and the top at £24.

I went for the Cornish Cod Loin (£24) with garlic langoustine tails, ink spaghetti, chervil and a lemon

and pepper butter. There was also a bit of radish scattered on the side. Although very pricey it was delicious. There was a chunky piece of cod with a crispy skin which flaked as you pressed your fork into it. The garlic langoustine tails were quite soft and not overpowering. The ink spaghetti had a beautiful butter all over it, which was delicious. It was a lovely main.

Tom went for the Braised Pork Cheeks with Truffle Macaroni cheese and wild garlic (£22). The pork was sweet yet had that taste of offal. Tom seemed to enjoy it.

For dessert I went for The Millionaire Arctic Roll (£6.50), which was chocolate sponge, vanilla icecream, chocolate sauce and salted caramel. Tom commented that it was just like any arctic roll but it was delicious. The icecream was beautifully creamy and the salted caramel added that extra taste.

I also had a lovely glass of wine which was a La Croix Grenache Merlot from France. It was beautifully soft and smooth, and well recommended.

Overall it was a lovely meal and I was impressed by the quality and the flavour on offer. I think they need to slash their prices a little bit though as the restaurant was dead. But it was a wonderful birthday treat.

A beautiful Cream Tea followed by a great pub dinner

I HAD a big day of eating on Tuesday with Afternoon Tea and a meal out in the evening. Rachel and I headed to Orles Barn in Ross-on-Wye. It was a gorgeous sunny day and as we were the only ones there for Cream Tea we sat out in the sun. There are a range of options but we went for the £8 one.


There was a large pot of tea and egg mayo and ham finger sandwiches. The bread was really fresh and the ham was proper ham- none of this wafer thin stuff. There was three of these each. Then there were two raisin scones each. They were super tasty- particularly with the beautiful raspberry jam and thick clotted cream which was so clotted it was a yellowy colour- it was like butter. Really beautiful scone. And pretty good value. My only criticism would be a greater selection in the sandwiches would have been appreciated.

In the evening I went to The King’s Head with Jemma, Beccy and Helen. I had heard good things about this place but had never been. It was a really busy Tuesday night. There is a really good menu with lots of choice, although I don’t think there were any specials. I went for the Rib Eye Steak for the main course, which was £14.95. It was delicious- the meat was perfectly cooked and so tender with fat running through- as rib eye should have. Served with this was homemade onion rings- with a beautiful crisp batter, chips, a fresh salad and a mushroom. Overall it was delightful.

I was forced to have a pudding (!) so went for the Chocolate, nut and raisin brownie with vanilla icecream (£4.95). It was good but not amazing. There were too many chunky hazlenuts in it for my liking and the raisins were a bit chewy. Other than that the brownie was a good texture.

The staff were good but they weren’t very attentive, for example they didn’t ask if our food was ok and it took a while to get the bill. Other than that though they were very friendly. I would recommend this pub.

Hay-on-Wye cafe, Oscar's Bistro

THE weekend before my birthday Tom and I headed back to the Shire and we then went out to Hay on Wye for the day, where we browsed bookshops and enjoyed the sunshine. We stopped for a bit of lunch at Oscar’s Bistro Restaurant. It is a bit cramped inside and you have to manouver yourself quite well. It was very busy but we found a table upstairs.

Unfortunately you have to order at the counter and wait for your food, and it seemed to take ages. Poor Tom had to stand down there. I went for the prawn cocktail jacket potato, which was good- the prawns were big and tasty, and the potato cooked well. Tom went for a tuna baguette. It’s a shame there isn’t more room as it felt cramped but is ok for a snack.

The first birthday meal of many...

TO signal the start of my birthday celebrations I went for a meal with the lovely Lara.


We headed to a Chef and Brewer pub called The Crown in Penn, Bucks on a sunny spring evening.

I went for the three courses for £12.95. For starters I had the Sweet Chilli Prawns. The presentation wasn’t great with a limp bit of salad and a sprinkle of spring onion, but actually they were quite tasty. There was two different types with filo wrapped and breadcrumb coated. The filo was crisp and well cooked, as were the breadcrumbs and the prawns were juicy.

Then for the main I wanted steak, but they had run out, so I went for the British cod and chips and peas instead. It started off well with a lovely, crispy batter but the fish wasn’t the best quality. The inside didn’t flake as you would expect and it was a bit soggy. The chips were good and the peas, and for the price you can’t complain too much.

Lara had a tasty boar and chorizo burger, which came with an egg to her surprise! She said it was really good.

The dessert was the winner! I had Eton Mess Cheesecake. It was a sizeable portion of creamy cheesecake piled with cream, meringue and strawberry and a raspberry coulis. It was simply delicious but extremely rich! I could not finish it all.

Overall it was a good meal- not amazing but good for the price. I also really like the pub, which is always really busy.