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.