The best of Abergavenny Food Festival

I NEVER tire of Abergavenny Food Festival. I went for the third year with my mum and Auntie Sue and discovered some great products.

It takes over the whole of the market town, which has the beautiful black mountains hovering in the background. There is so much to see and do. We arrived at 9.30am and didn’t leave until 5pm, and that was only because we were tired of walking!

We went to two talks- the first one was with Nick Tonkin of Coedcanlas honey and Hattie Ellis, who is a food writer. They spoke about the wonder of bees and how much they love the humble honey. We tried about 12 different honey, which were so varied.

My favourite was the Sicilian lemon honey, which was delicious, fragrant and light. The lavender was very fragrant and sweet as you would expect. The buttercup honey was very strange- as you would expect!

Nick is passionate about bees. He has 90 hives in the west of Wales. He said he is not overly concerned about the future of bees as they have been around for 70 million years in their current form and are very adaptable. It take two million plants to make one pot of honey, which made the sweet stuff seem even more special.

Later on we went to Ben Tish and Simon Mullins’ Food and Wine of the Basque Country. It was pretty chaotic and organised but that added to the charm of the event. They talked about their restaurants (Salt Yard Group) and their visits to the Basque country.

They cooked eggs on a tomato and pepper base, seasoned with paprika. It was tasty and had a good kick and was served with a delicious wine called Txakoli, which was very light.

They then cooked hake on the bone with mussels, which was also lovely. The fish was meaty and had a depth of flavour. I would recommend this fish again.

As for the products I bought- I would recommend all of the ones I bought.

The Potted Game Company (www.pottedgame.com): Delicious morsels of tender meat in a rich butter. I opted for the Partridge- great with warm, crusty bread.

Wye Valley Granola (www.wyevalleygranola.co.uk): Oats, seeds and nuts gently baked by hand and a lot less sugar than commercial brands.

Coedcanlas honey (www.coedcanlas.com)– some of the best I have ever tried.

Neal’s Yard goat’s cheese (www.nealsyardcreamery.co.uk) I am not even a big fan of cheese but this is lovely- really creamy, zesty and light.

The Port of Lancaster Smokehouse (www.lancastersmokehouse.co.uk) Great smoked mackerel with chilli and lime. Great with pasta.

The Garlic Farm pork scratching (www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk) Incredibly moreish.

British Cassis (www.britishcassis.co.uk) Absolutely delicious raspberry alcoholic drink.

For lunch I had a brisket roll with pickles, Jalepeno’s,  cheese and gravy from the Hang Fire Smokehouse (www.hangfiresmokehouse.com). The meat was tender and flavoursome and I liked the added extras.

And for pudding I would hesitate to recommend Gower Cottage Brownies (www.gowercottagebrownies.co.uk). It was everything you want in a brownie and I would highly recommend this and a visit to Abergavenny Food Festival next year. 

Falafels with houmous and tabbouleh

THIS is another recipe from the healthy pull-out in the BBC Good Food Magazine. It is easy to do. I have always wanted to make falafel and I wasn't disappointed. They didn't look great but I was happy with the flavour. I also loved the tabbouleh- it is so fresh and the flavours work so well together- it would be a great salad to have at a barbecue. I cheated and brought my own houmous.

Serves 2
Ingredients
For the falafel:
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
400g can chickpeas, drained
400g can butter beans, drained
Juice 1/2 lemon
Small pack coriander, including stalks
1/4 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 egg yolk, beaten
Small pack parsley
4 tbsp wholemeal flour

For the tabbouleh
50g barley couscous
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice 1 lemon
Small pack each parsley, mint and coriander, finely chopped
2 spring onions, white parts only, finely sliced
1/2  cucumber, deseeded and cut into small pieces
3 tomatoes, quartered, deseeded and cut into small pieces

1. Heat oven to 180C/ 160C fan/ gas 4 and out a non-stick baking tray inside. For the falafels, heat a large non-stick frying pan, add the cumin and coriander seeds and dry-fry until fragrant (1 to 2 mins) stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Remove from the pan.
2. Put the seeds, the remaining falafel ingredients and some seasoning into a food processor and blitz until you have a chunky past. If it seems too dry, add 1 tsp water and blitz again until you have the consistency of damp sand. Using your hands, divide the mixture into 12 falafel balls and chill for 30 mins.
3. Heat a non-stick frying. When hot, add the falafel balls, pressing down into the pan to make patties. Leave to cook, without turning, for two to three minutes, then check to make sure they're brown and crisp. Turn and cook the other side for two mins more. Remove from the pan, transfer to the baking tray in the oven and cook for a further ten minutes. Meanwhile prepare the barley couscous following pack instructions.
4. For the tabbouleh, mix the olive oil, lemon juice and some black pepper in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, combine the rest of the tabbouleh ingredients, along with the cooked couscous, and add the dressing. Mix well.
5. Put aside 4 falafels and 4 tbsp houmous in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch. Serve the remaining falafels with the remaining tabbouleh.

Prawn, butternut and mango curry

THIS recipe is from the BBC Good Food Magazine and was in a special healthy eating section. I am a big fan of prawns- I think I could eat them every day- and I also love mango, so it seems like the perfect recipe for me. It is easy to do and makes a good low calorie mid week supper.

What you will need:
200g butternut squash, deseeded, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
75g quick-cook brown basmati rice
1 tbsp rapeseed oil (I used vegetable oil)
1 onion, finely chopped
1cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
1 lemograss stalk, woody tip and outer leaves removed, bulbous end lightly bashed (to help release oils)
1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1/2 tsp tumeric, ground cumin and ground coriander
1/2 ripe mango, peeled, stoned and cut into chunks
200g spinach
150ml vegetable stock (or  water)
150ml low-fat coconut milk
175g raw king prawns
1 tsp low-salt tamari or soy sauce
Juice 1 lime
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander

1. Heat oven to 200C/ 180C fan/  gas 6. Tip the squash into a non-stick roasting tin and roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until almost soft. Remove and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook the rice following pack instructions until tender. Drain and cover to keep warm. Heat the oil in a wok or large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for two minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the ginger, garlic, lemongrass, chilli and spices and cook for three minutes.
3. Stir through the mango and roasted squash, then add the spinach  and pour over the the stock and coconut milk. Gently stir to combine, slowly bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for a few mins until the spinach starts to melt.
4. Add the prawns and stir. Once the prawns are pink through (about three mins), remove the lemongrass and discard. Add the soy sauce, lime juice and coriander, and stir well. Just before serving, check the seasoning, adding more lime juice or soy sauce if needed. Serve with the rice.

Quick, tasty Thai in London

TUK TUK is a great place to go for a quick, tasty dinner, or a more leisurely one if you would prefer. It’s a 56, Old Compton Street in London, with Leicester Square tube station close by.

It’s quite small with really friendly, happy staff. The decor is plain and simple and it has more of a canteen style but it’s a bargain! For drinks and a two course meal, it was £12 a head.

Between five of us we shared crispy duck pancakes, satay chicken and tempura vegetables. The satay was particularly good and very tasty, as was the duck.

For the main course I had pad Thai, which was well done and I opted for it with prawns. The portion was good, with a limey tang, nuts sprinkled on top and great flavours all around.

My friends opted for noodle soup and three out of the four of them were defeated due to the portion size. Great food at great prices. 

Exciting new find for great tea and cake in Bucks

IT is official. My friend Lara appears to know all the best places for tea and cake. 

'Have you heard about the pop-up cafe at Peterley Manor Farm in Prestood,' she says. 

'It has pick your own too.'

So along we went one Saturday on a beautiful sunny day and it was amazing!! The cafe is in a yurt and it is charming. The china is lovely, the decor is floral and vintage and the food is amazing!

It serves brunch, lunch and tea and cake, and I combined two of these. I had the scrambled egg and smoked salmon on brown bread (£6.15), which was so well done. The eggs were creamy and cooked just right and the salmon was a good quality. 

I also treated myself to a pot of tea (£2.30), which tasted like no other tea I had tried and was loose leaf. It was realy fragrant and quite fruity, in a good way.

I also had a slice of the strawberries and cream cake (£3.75), which was deliciously rich.  There were layers of cream between moist sponge, all with a strawberry flavour. It was amazing.

We then picked our own fruit, and went away with a smile on our faces. I would highly recommend this place. I hope I will be going back for more cake soon. 

The Eagle in Farringdon

TOM took me to The Eagle in Farringdon. It’s uber cool, with high ceilings, tables very close together, an open kitchen with the menu on chalk boards above.

It’s a bit of an assault on the senses at first as it is so loud, noisy and busy. But once you get used to it, it feels fun and exciting. There are about ten dishes which the chef writes up on the boards each day so it is regularly changing.

Tom and I were perched on stools in a window seat right next to the bar/ kitchen so it didn’t feel particularly relaxed.

But the food was great. We both had a steak salad with rocket, new potatoes and capers. The portions are a tad on the small size. It was about £15, but the quality was superb. The steak was cooked medium rare and was tender, well seasoned and delicious. The other ingredients all married well together and it was a great dish. I would recommend to go there for lunch.

Go to www.theeaglefarringdon.co.uk. 

Filling up on more afternoon tea

ANOTHER afternoon tea beckoned. And this time to Holme Lacey House in Herefordshire. It started off badly when the receptionist was quite rude to my mum and I, but once over that little hiccough the staff were friendly.

We were seated in a very quiet room overlooking the grounds and OAPs sipping on drinks. There was no atmosphere and some music would have been appreciated, as there was only one other couple and we felt we were whispering.

The waitress told us the chef was preparing our afternoon tea but when it came out it had clearly been in the fridge, which was fine, but felt it was an odd thing to say.

But as for the afternoon tea, it was really good. There was a selection of sandwiches from smoked salmon, egg mayo, cucumber and cream cheese and ham and mustard. The ingredients were all a good quality and there were five fingers each, which is more than you would usually expect.

There were also six cakes- a mixture of pastries, carrot cake and sponge and they were all really good- no dry cakes here. An odd addition was two small cups of raspberry liqueur with a splodge of whipped double cream on top. It was so rich and rather odd! I like the liqueur but not with the cream.

The scones were really big and served with Tiptree jam and clotted cream, which was delicious.

And then, as if this wasn’t enough, we were given strawberries and yet more cream.

We were stuffed and they kindly packed the cakes up for us to take away, which was very much appreciated.

We finished the visit with a walk around the nice grounds. This is £35 per couple, which considering how much you get seems fairly reasonable. 

A perfectly pleasant afternoon...

A QUINTESSENTIAL afternoon tea. The perfect way to while away an hour or two, while catching up with a good friend.

AS afternoon tea obsessives, Lara and I made our way to Browns restaurant in St Martin’s Lane in Covent Garden.

It looks very grand from the outside and inside it is elegant, yet completely relaxed with a friendly atmosphere.

Our very charming and slightly John Cleese-esque waiter was a gent throughout and we had a perfectly pleasant afternoon.

We went for the champagne afternoon tea, which is £17 for one or £24 for two.  So shocked were we at the small difference in price, we had to double check.

The glass of Mercier NV Brut was very quaffable. And the loose leafed tea was light and fragrant.

There was a selection of finger sandwiches including smoked salmon and cream cheese, egg and watercress and cucumber, which all went down a treat.

A selection of mini cakes tempted us including a chocolate, lemon and fruit cake, the last being our least favourite and the chocolate one certainly the best.

And then the piece de resistance- fruit scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream. The scones were warm, the jam extra fruity and the cream extra thick. We were satisfied.

Served from 2.30pm daily I would  highly recommend Brown’s for afternoon tea.

http://www.browns-restaurants.co.uk/

Some great places to eat from Cyprus to High Wycombe

AND I wonder why I put weight on. I have been eating out so much of late it has been rather indulgent. But I plan to get cooking again, due to the fact my trousers are getting that little bit too tight. But I have to say I have had some lovely food, so it has all been worth it. Here are some of the places I have been:

Strada:

For one reason, or another, I have always shunned this Italian chain for the likes of Ask. But this was a silly move as the food is fabulous! I went there on a busy Saturday night and had the Cavatappipollo Crema (£10.95) which was corkscrew pasta, chicken and sliced mushroom in a deliciously creamy tarragon sauce, finished with fresh parsley and salsa verde. It was so full of flavour I relished every bite. The salsa verde was perfect and something which I don’t see much of on menus, but which I love.

I even opted for a dessert- Cherry and ricotta cheesecake which was juicy cherries and creamy ricotta cheese on a biscuit base. Served with berry coulis. I have to say this didn’t live up to the main, as it was a tad tasteless. But overall I would recommend Strada for great Italian food.

Ocean’s Basket, Cyprus

Bit of a random one, but I would definitely recommend this chain, if you are heading to Cyprus on holiday. We fancied a change from our half board one night so headed here in Ayia Napa. As you would expect, it’s seafood galore. We shared a platter of Prince prawns, calamari in breadcrumbs, calamari steak, garlic mussels and a village salad. The calamari was some of the best I ever tried- it was tender and delicious. The garlic was moreish and the prawns were well cooked. But the only problem was the village salad- it was crudely put together and didn’t add much to the meal.

Chimichanga Old Market Hereford

This is a new restaurant in the Old Market development in Hereford, so Tom and I thought we would try it. It was a lovely sunny day and it was nice to sit outside. The menu is as you would expect from a Mexican, the staff were ridiculously upbeat and friendly and there was a nice atmosphere. I had the pulled pork chimichanga (£12.25), which was packed with filling and the pork was tender and tasty. Tom had the chicken fajitas (£14.25). It was nicely presented but Tom wasn’t overly impressed. Although I don’t think you can go far wrong with a fajita. Great for lunch.

The Waterway Restaurant in Maida Vale. 54 Formosa St, London

I went to Little Venice near Paddington with my uni friends. It was a bit of a dreary day and I wasn’t overly impressed with Little Venice. It is just a small strip of canal with a few restaurants dotted around. We decided on this venue by the canal, just as it started to rain. There is a nice outdoor area and the staff are really friendly. We went for the Greek meze with hummus, halloumi, stuffed vine leaves, tzatziki, red pepper feta, olives and grilled pitta for £18.50 between three. It was ok but portions were pretty small. It all tasted good but I wasn’t amazed. Would not particularly recommend.  

The Castle in Tooting Broadway

This has recently been refurbished and is a huge space. It looks good but quite similar to most pubs you see in London. The menu is quite varied. I went for the Rotisserie Dingley Dell pork, crackling, cyder fondant potato, purple broccoli, toffee love apples and wholegrain sauce (£13.50). It was a pretty decent dish, but it was missing that little something. The pork was a bit too fatty and it wasn’t particularly well done. The crackling was much too tough and the wholegrain sauce was quite bland. However the toffee love apples were delicious- like little toffee apples on your plate. A reasonable price just needs some improvement.

The Snug in High Wycombe

Tom and I went here on a Sunday and we were the only people in there, which was a bit odd. The menu is far too basic- the only real choice is a burger or sandwich. I went for the New Yorker with dill pickle, fried onions and mature cheddar cheese (£9.45). Skinny fries were an added extra for £2.45, which made the dish overpriced. The burger was well seasoned and not too thick and the fried onions were very tasty. Tom had a bacon blue cheeseburger with back bacon and stilton (£9.45) with sweet potato fries £2.95. I think the food here is ok but not worth the money.

Pinch pizza, next to the Hammersmith Apollo

This was a great little find- freshly made pizza with loads of choice and for a great price. Daisy went for The hottie of jalapeno, chicken and mushroom £6.90,while I went for The Ialiano with capers, anchovies and olives £6.50. The pizza was thin, crispy with a good amount of topping. Worth a visit. Go to www.pinchpizza.com

A beautiful weekend in St Ives

FOR those of you who haven’t been to St Ives, I would thoroughly recommend a visit.

For me, it has it all- great places to eat (a must!), narrow cobbled streets with quirky shops, beautiful beaches, great coastal walks, not to mention the Cornish pasties and clotted cream icecream.

It has a great atmosphere with bustling crowds and lots going on.

Tom and I stayed in The Sail Lofts apartments, which I would thoroughly recommend. They are beautifully designed spaces with loads of room and somewhere you can spend a lot of time whiling away the hours.

On the first night we ate at the amazing Porthminster Beach Cafe. It is absolutely stunning as it sits just under Porthminster Point and you can look out across the bay towards the lighthouse. It really made me feel as if I was on holiday.

The staff were great and it was really busy.

I went for the special of sea bream with tempura scallops in a crab bisque. It was incredible- the sea bream was soft and tender and the scallops were to die for- the perfect constituency in a crispy coating. Tom went for the monkfish curry, which was also superb- fragrant, creamy and well presented.

For dessert we shared a chocolate crème brulee, which rather unusually was served in a slab. It was so rich and delicious, and a great end to the meal. If you go to St Ives, coming here is a must.

The next day we sampled the local pasties and then for dinner we just couldn’t decide as there are so many places to go to. In the end we opted for onshore, on the harbour front.

It was ok- it was a bit quiet at first and the waiter seemed fond of seating the few people who were there very close together.

But besides that, the food was good. I had the seafood linguini (£13.95). It was a mix of king prawns, mussels, scallops and fresh squid in a cream sauce. The sauce was great and the pasta well cooked. My only criticism was the squid was a bit tough, although strangely it tasted great. Tom went for the sharing platter (£11.95) which was a mix of olives, sunblushed tomatoes, roasted red peppers,  halloumi cheese, Parma ham, sliced chorizo, sliced salami and flatbread. All the products were fresh and a good quality.

The next day we were a little fed up of eating out so went for the fish and chips and pizza combo! But there are so many other places to eat out and a huge selection.

St Ives is a beautiful place to spend a weekend away and worth the long car journey.  

Keema meatballs and masala

THIS is a lovely alternative to the usual beef meatballs, using lamb mince. The result is a spicy, tender meatball with a nice yoghurt sauce. It is good for lunch or dinner, and I had it with a naan and tomatoes and cucumber. This is from Olive magazine.

Ingredients:
lamb mince 400g
tumeric 2 tsp
medium chilli powder 2 tsp
ground coriander 2 tsp
ground cumin 2 tsp
garlic 2 cloves, crushed
ginger finely grated to make 2 tbsp
coriander 1/2 small bunch, finely chopped
lemon 1
chicken stock 200ml
natural yoghurt 150ml pot
naan breads to serve.

Put the lamb in a bowl with a tsp each of the spices, half the garlic and ginger, the coriander and a squeeze of lemon. Fry in a little oil until browned then scoop out of the pan. Clean out the pan and add the rest of the spices, ginger and garlic with a little more oil. Fry for a couple of minutes then add the stock and the meatballs back. Simmer with a lid on for 10 minutes, stir in 4 to 5 tbsp of yoghurt and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve with naan.

A recommended salad is 1 red onion, halved and sliced, a handful of chopped mint leaves and a handful of chopped coriander.

Cod with lemon, tarragon and creme fraiche

I HAD  a lovely Nigel Slater book given to me for Christmas and I decided by the end of January it was about time I made something out of it. I cooked for my family the cod, thyme and lemon recipe, which was very easy to cook and took me only about 30 minutes in all.

I pretty much followed the recipe down to a T, although I used dried thyme as I couldn’t find any fresh.

The result it a tangy yet creamy sauce, with the added punch of the delicious salty capers. The fish is perfectly cooked. I served it with potatoes, courgettes and green beans. For pudding I did mango, passion fruit, crumbled meringue and double cream whipped- an exotic Eton mess.

Put 350g cod fillet, cut from the thick end of the fish, into a large shallow pan with the juice of 2 lemons and 40g butter. Chop half a small bunch of tarragon and add to the pan with a bay leaf and 6 black peppercorns. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover with a lid and simmer for about 10 minutes, till the fish if opaque. Remove the fish with a fish slice and keep warm.

Chop the rest of the bunch of tarragon and add it to the pan with a teaspoon of capers and 3 tablespoons of creme fraiche. The creme fraiche will turn a little grainy where it meets the lemon juice, no matter. Spoon the sauce over the fish.

This recipe serves two and is from eat, the little book of fast food, by Nigel Slater.

Jamie Oliver's Tray Baked Chicken Maryland

THIS recipe comes from Jamie's Dinners and is quite an unusual one- chicken and bananas! But the flavours went surprisingly well together and is an easy weekday dinner.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, skinless

4 fresh corn on the cobs

1 x 410g cannellini or butter beans, drained

2 bananas, peeled

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large wineglass of white wine

300ml double cream

55g butter

12 rashers of streaky bacon or pancetta

A handful of fresh mint, leaves picked

Preheat your oven to 220C/ 450F/ Gas 7 and get a roasting tray which will fit the breasts in side by side. Run a knife down the length of the raw corn cobs to remove the sweet bits of corn. Add the corn to the tray. Using a fork squash up half the beans until you have a pulp and add these to the tray, with the unsquashed half.

Put the chicken on a chopping board. and make a pocket and squash half a banana into it.  Season with salt and pepper.

Place them on the corn and beans. Add your wine and double cream, then divide the butter into little knobs and scatter all around the tray. Drape the bacon or pancetta over the breasts and bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes until the bacon is crisp. 

A three course Sunday lunch

For Mother's Day I planned a three course Sunday lunch, and it all went surprisingly well. For starters I did a pea and coriander soup with chorizo, which I would highly recommend. A very tasty soup which went down well with everyone. For the main I did simple steamed salmon. I put salmon fillets wrapped in foil with lemon and parsley and white wine poured over it and cooked for 25 minutes. With this I made a simple parsley sauce, and I did some vegetables from a Jamie Oliver recipe of cherry tomatoes and green beans with anchovies sprinkled over it and cooked in the oven. For dessert I did a simple meringue with pineapple, mango, passion fruit, kiwi and double cream, flavored with vanilla.

Here's the recipe for the Pea and Coriander Soup with chorizo, from Olive magazine.

Ingredients:
Onion 1 roughly chopped
Butter
Potato 1 medium, peeled and diced
Chicken stock 750ml
Frozen peas 400g
Coriander 1/2 small bunch, roughly chopped
Oliver oil
Sliced chorizo 60g pack, cut into strips

Cook the onion in a knob of butter until softened. Add the potato and cook for a moment then tip in the stock. Simmer until the potato is soft. Keep back a good handful of peas, then add the rest to the pan and bring back to a simmer for two minutes. Add the coriander, stir until just wilted then turn off the heat. Blend until smooth
Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a pan and cook the chorizo until crisp.
Stir the reserved peas into the soup, heat through and serve topped with the chorizo.

A decadent dessert: Chocolate chiffon Maltesers cake

WHEN one of my brothers saw this cake he asked me if I always look for the richest cake I can find. I really don't but as I had given up chocolate for Lent, when I was looking what to make for dessert on Easter Day my eyes were drawn to this cake. And it didn't disappoint. The cake was moist- even my mother who doesn't like chocolate cake liked it. The icing was delicious and the added extra of the Maltesers was just right. You only need a very small slice! It is quite easy to make. I would definitely recommend!

Ingredients:
Eggs, 6, separated
Cream of tartar 1/2 tsp
Cocoa 60g
Plain flour 260g
Golden caster sugar 360g
Bicarbonate of soda 11/2 tsp
Table salt 1 tsp
Vegetable oil 125ml
Vanilla extract 2 tsp

Buttercream icing
Slightly salted butter 500g, at room temperature
Icing sugar 200g
Drinking chocolate 50g
Milk 2 to 3 tbsp
Maltesers 5x135g pouches (I used less than this- about 500g)

Line the bottom and sides of a 23cm cake tin with baking paper. Heat the oven to 180C/ fan 160C/ gas 4. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff. Put the remaining cake ingredients into a separate bowl with 190ml water and blend to a rich, thick chocolate mixture. Fold in the egg whites. Don't beat the mixture, as you want to keep the egg whites fluffy. Just fold and fold and fold.
When the mixture has no more visible white streaks, pour it into a tin. Bake for approximately one hour. When it is ready it will feel spongy and there will be a soft crust on the top. Cool IN the tin for about 10 minutes. Then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack.
Put the buttercream ingredients into a large bowl and beat until really soft, creamy and fluffy. If you need it to be softer just add a spoon of milk and mix again.
Ice the cake in an even layer. Starting at the bottom of the cake, working your way around, take one Malteser at a time and push them into the icing. Then add the next layer. Keep going until you get to the top and then circles, and work you way into the middle until the whole cake is covered.

Service with a smile

Fair play to Bluegrass in High Wycombe. The American smokehouse is a great addition to High Wycombe town centre. Every time I go past there it looks really busy. I went along on a Sunday afternoon with a a few friends who were slightly worse for wear. But the staff dealt with it extremely well. The menu is pretty simple and offers the big four- pulled pork, brisket, chicken and ribs. They are smoked for 48 hours. They also do burgers and great desserts. I went for the beef burger with pulled pork and fries and coleslaw. The pulled pork was delicious- tender and moist. It married well with the burger. I would have preferred a soft bun than the ciabatta one though. The fries are well seasoned and I like the fresh coleslaw, although I prefer it creamier. It was about £11. The others had ribs, burgers and the chicken. Staff even replaced a burger when one was dropped on the floor by accident. Great service.

Mexicano!

The chimichanga

Ok... So just how is it April already? Nearly May. I can't believe how fast time is going. Hence why the blog updates have been a bit slack. But I'm here now... That's the main thing right. And I'm here with a little recommendation in Monmouth (recently voted in the top four places to live. Moco's Mexican Restaurant in Church Street to be exact. I went there with three home pals and it was good. Ok, it's not the most stylish or extravagent Mexican but it's simple, well priced and huge portions. We ordered nachos for starters until I remembered I had given up crisps for Lent. Jemma proceeded to tell me they were the best Nachos she had ever had- thanks Jem. I had garlic mushrooms, which were simply garlic mushrooms cooked in garlic butter. They were tasty and the staff did them very quickly. I then had the beef chimichanga for main. I must confess I was a bit disappointed it was mince and not strips of beef but it was tasty nonetheless and served with guacamole and sour cream. There were two packed parcels. I only managed one and ate the other a few days later and it tasted great. The others had burritos and chilli. It was just under £20 a head got a starter, main and two bottles of house wine, which I think is reasonable. It's worth a visit.

The Pantry in Hazlemere

I HAD quite possibly one of the best sandwiches I have ever tried at The Pantry in Hazlemere. It has been opened for about a year and I have kept meaning to go, so when my friend, Rachel came to stay we headed up there.

It's got a really nice feel to it, with young, helpful staff and nice wooden tables and bright colours. There was a lovely display of cakes but I stuck to the sandwich selection.

I had the beef, caramelised onion, aoili sandwich served in focaccia bread. The beef was lovely- perfectly cooked, soft and tender- none of this processed rubbish. And the combination of the sweet caramelised onions and not over powering aoili worked wonderfully together. The bread was also fresh and well done. All for £5.95 and beautifully presented on a wooden board.

Rachel went for the smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel (£4.95), which was also excellently done.

The next day we went to the Cedar Coffee Shop in Marlow and again it was brilliant. I had the chicken, bacon and avocado brown baguette. It was presented so beautifully- so much care and attention had gone into the presentation. And to top it off it tasted great with fresh ingredients. The Chai Latte was also really good- sweeter than usual and better than the chains. This cost about £8, which was reasonable. Rach went for the home made soup, which was also lovely, and served with a home made baguette.

I would thoroughly recommend both.

Lovely puds!

I DO enjoy cooking a nice pudding or two. As I get older I get even more of a sweet tooth and I always hanker after something sweet after dinner. So when a family event comes along it is a great excuse to get cooking. In this case it was my mum's birthday.
I decided to cook a coconut meringue roulade and lemon curd cream and raspberries, a Victoria sponge and as there would be little kids I went for a chocolate and cola cake too.
It ended up being a strawberry and lemon roulade as the raspberries were sold out- but it was easy to make and for once my meringue worked. Think the trick is to do it very quickly.
The roulade is from Bake by Rachel Allen.

Tia with the three egg Victoria sponge

Ingredients:
4 egg whites
225g caster sugar
50g desiccated coconut
For the filling:
100 to 150ml of double cream, lightly whipped
150ml lemon or lime curd
250 to 300g fresh or frozen raspberries
To decorate:
Icing sugar, for dusting
Fresh raspberries
Fresh mint leaves

23 x 33cm Swiss roll tin

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C, 350F, gas mark 4. Line the in with foil. Brush lightly with vegetable oil.
2. Place in the egg whites in a spotlessly clean bowl and whisk with an electric beater until soft peaks form.
3. Add the sugar in stages and whisk at full speed for about four to five minutes until stiff peaks form. Using a large metal spoon fold in the cocounut.
4. Smooth into the tin with a palette knife and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until faintly browned and firm to the touch.
5. Allow the meringue to cool for a few minutes, then turn out onto a sheet of foil, deftly turning it upside down on the sheet and gently removing the foil base. Allow to cool completely.
6. For the filling stir the cream and curd together.Adjust to taste.
7. Spread it on the meringue evenly and leave the long edge nearest to you free of cream for 4cm. Cover the cream with fruit.
8. Holding the foil closest to you roll up the roulade away from you and leave it in the foil until ready to serve.
9. When ready unwrap and push it gently onto a plate.
10. Dust with icing sugar and decorate with strawberries and mint leaves, if you want.

The cherry and chocolate cake was from James Martin Desserts book. Interestingly the link below is slightly different to the book. The book had 50ml less of cola in the cake and 75ml less of milk. The topping also had 40g less of butter. I can really see that these added extras will improve the cake as it was a tad dry. The gooey sauce really finished it off.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chocolatecolacake_7614

A great evening supper: salmon and black bean tacos

THIS is a quick and easy weekday supper, which is also healthy. It's also a great way to use salmon and something slightly different. I love the salty goodness of tacos so this is a pefect combination for me. It's from the February edition of Olive magazine, which does a really varied and accessible selection of recipes.

Ingredients:

2 skinless fillets of salmon

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp of chipotle paste- I bought mine from Tesco

small 200g tin of black beans. Rinsed and drained. I bought these from Tesco- they are in the world food section.

A handful of chopped coriander leaves
6 chopped cherry tomatoes

1 lime, half juiced, half in wedges

4 taco shells.

Put the salmon in a heatproof dish. Mix the chipotle and 1tsp of cumin, season and rub all over the salmon. Grill for five minutes until cooked through. ( I cooked mine for a little longer).

Toss the beans with the coriander, cherry tomatoes, lime juiece and the rest of the cumin. Season, then spoon into the tacos with chunks of the salmon. Serve with wedges of lime to squeeze over.

Jamie's chicken and leek pie

WITH all this miserable weather we have been having I wanted some comfort food, so I turned to Jamie Oliver's book, Jamie's Dinners. It's got a great selection of recipes and I loved the Chicken Tikka recipe I made from it before.

The ingredients list is pretty simple. I definitely need a sharper knife for boning and skinning the chicken thighs, but I got there in the end. The recipes is pretty easy to follow.
Unfortunately I don't think I reduced the sauce enough and as a result there was too much in the dish and it boiled over slightly. I also burnt the top of the pie, so keep an eye on the time. It was easy to flake the top off though, and the result was a homely, tasty, nutritious pie. I also love the added extra of sausage meat balls.

Serves 4
Here's the recipe:
Olive oil
2 knobs of butter
1kg of chicken thighs, cut into pieces (boned and skinned)
2 medium leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced into 1cm pieces
2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 sticks of celery, finely sliced
A small handful of thyme, finely sliced (I used dried here)
2 tablespoons of flour
1 wineglass of white wine
285ml milk
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
225g good quality pork sausages
1 X 500g pack of all butter puff pastry

1 egg

Preheat the oven to gas mark 7. Take a large casserole pot and add a lug of live oil and your butter. Add the chicken, leeks, celery, carrots and thyme and cook slowly on the hob for 15 minutes. Turn the heat right up and add the flour and keep stirring for a couple of minutes before adding the wine, a wineglass of water and the milk. Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer very slowly on the hob for 30 to 40 minutes until the chicken is tender.

Stir it every so often so it doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan. The sauce should be loose but quite thick. If it's a little too liquid, just continue to simmer it with the lid off until it thickens slightly. (At this point you could let it cool and keep it in the fridge for a couple of days if you want to- it can also be easten as stew).

Pour the chicken mixture into an appropriately sized pie dish. Squeeze the meat out of the sausage skins, roll it into little balls, brown them in a little oil and sprinkle over the stew. Roll out your pastry to about 0.5cm thikcness. Egg-wash the rim of the dish and drape over the pastry, using a knife to trim the edge of the dish. Egg-wash the top of the pastry to make it go golden while cooking, then pinch it to crimp round the edges (there's not need to do this, but I like to as my mum always does it and it makes it look pretty).

I use the back of a knife to lightly criss-cross the top- this allows the pastry to go crisp and flaky. Cook the pie in the centre of the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, until golden on top.

Yummy American style burgers

I HAVE been big into burgers lately and think I need to lay off the beef. But I did enjoy a particularly tasty one at Ed’s Diner in Wandsworth. They are a chain and a number across the country for you to try.
It is as you would expect from the word, diner- very American with shiny metal services and red seats. The staff were super friendly and helpful and it was busy for a Saturday lunch time.
I had The Original burger, with lettuce, tomato, onion, dill pickle, mayo and mild American mustard with fries and coleslaw for a healthy £10.20. The burger was the perfect thickness- not too thin or too fat with a nice grilled taste. I loved all the bits with it too, which was delicious.
There are also cheese burgers, chicken burgers, hot dogs and veggie options.
It’s a great place to stop during shopping although it did make me feel a bit sleepy afterwards. No doubt about it though they are good burgers.

Great Thai Food in Hereford

FOR those of you who love Thai food I would highly recommend the Thai Gallery restaurant in Broad Street in Hereford. It’s always busy, the service is efficient and friendly and the food is fresh and tasty. It’s reasonable too.
I went with two pals on a busy Saturday night. We opted to share a starter platter meant for two, between three of us. It was a good amount actually.
There was delicious chicken satay- the peanut sauce was not too thick and had that lovely creamy taste. The Khoong Noong Sarong- king prawns wrapped in pastry deep fried and served with a plum sauce- were moreish bites which looked like spring rolls.
I preferred the Popia- Thai mini spring rolls with pork, vermicelli and veg. I loved the texture of the pork inside the crispy shell.
The See Klong Moo Yang- roasted spare ribs in a special Thai honey sauce.- were delicious with enough meat on the bone which was very tender.
My favourite was the Tod Mun Pla- Thai fish cakes with Thai herbs, red curry paste and sweet chilli sauce and cucumber relish. They were so flavoursome and didn’t taste too fishy- the emphasis was on the herbs and red curry paste.
For the mains I went for the Thai Green Curry, which was pretty spicy! The veg was fresh and the beef was tender. It was a great curry. We also had Red Thai and a fresh healthy stir fry of prawns in oyster sauce.
With a bottle of prosecco between us and prawn crackers, it was £25, including a tip, which I think it is really reasonable for the quality of the food. I would thoroughly recommend.

Baroosh in Marlow: well worth a visit

I THINK I might have mentioned Baroosh on this blog before but it’s definitely worth a second mention.

It sits in the centre of Marlow’s High Street and has become a popular place to meet. My boyfriend, Tom, and I went in on a very busy Saturday. There were hardly any places left to sit but we did manage to nab one by the bar.

The service has greatly improved since I last came in. Although busy, we got served pretty quickly. The waiter said they had been nonstop since they opened at 9.30am.

There is a really cool atmosphere to the place, with a varied clientele, but I was quite surprised to learn no kids are allowed and saw a family get turned away. The staff are young and trendy and I think they are trying to create a London bar type vibe.

We had lunch there. Tom went for the Tapas menu, where you can get three dishes for £12. He had the halloumi, sticky sausages and the popcorn mussels. I think halloumi cheese is one of the worst creations and hate the texture and bland taste. But Tom really enjoyed his. The sausages were delicious- thick and meaty and full of flavour. The popcorn mussels are also delicious and covered in batter. He also had the bread board, which is delicious.

I went for the soup and sandwich for £5.95. I had prawn cocktail in wholemeal bread. The prawns were plump and juicy but the bread on the outside was a little dry. The soup was lovely though- it was red pepper and tomato and tasted delicious. For £6 you can’t really go wrong.

The menu is pretty simple but reasonably priced. I would recommend a visit.

Two great lunch dates

Quiche times

HAPPY New Year to one and all. The business of December just got right on top of me so I didn’t have much chance to blog in December. I made the traditional Yule Log and some rather dry Chocolate Reindeer Cakes, which looked cute, but weren’t the tastiest.
But I’m back on it now. Starting with a lovely little cafe.

I HAD some lovely lunch dates when I was home in Herefordshire. The first was with my mum and Auntie Sue when we went to Cheltenham shopping. We happened upon the Slug and Lettuce, which was packed. But we waited for a table and were seated after 10 minutes. It was 50% off food as it was a Monday.
I went for the Grilled chicken fillet burger (£8.25). It was really tasty with great seasoning and a soft, fresh bun. The chips were really crisp and I loved the spicy slaw. I was thoroughly impressed for a nice lunch time snack.

The next day I went to Pembridge with Rach and her two dogs, Finch and Sparkle. We went to Ye Olde Steppes Shop and Tearoom in the High Street, which is set in a 500 year old back and white building. It was a lovely little tea room and a warming, comfortable atmosphere and very friendly staff- I really liked it and you can browse the shop afterwards.
I went for the special of brie and bacon quiche- the pastry was the perfect texture and not too rich and the filling was not too cheesy either. It was served with a lovely side salad and even better home made coleslaw. All for £7.99.
Rach went for a slab of Victoria sponge which looked great. Pembridge is a lovely spot- we went for a nice walk afterwards and there is a fantastic art gallery brimming with great artwork next to the cafe. It is worth a visit.