A Winter Salad

Let's face it, we've all over indulged during the Christmas period. The warm fuzzy feeling has worn off and we're all left feeling a little regretful and wobbly. Or is it just me? But winter doesn't have to mean stews and roast dinners, there are some beautiful vegetables in season and it's time we remembered them.

Winter Beetroot Salad with a Wholegrain Mustard Dressing and Fresh Spinach

Serves 2

3 Different Beetroot varieties (try to get hold of a Golden Beetroot for its delicate sweetness)

1 Small Packet of Fresh Baby Spinach

1 Small Red Onion

1 tbsp Whole Grain Mustard

1 Garlic Clove, thinly sliced

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Cider Vinegar

Method

Roast your beetroots and red onion in the oven for 1 hour at 160C.

Let them cool slightly before thinly slicing your beetroots and red onion. 

Mix together in a bowl with the baby spinach.

In a jug or small container, mix your mustard, garlic, cider vinegar. 

Slowly add the olive oil, whilst whisking the mixture.

Pour over your salad and use tongs (or your well washed hands!) to ensure the dressing covers every little leaf.

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans with Colcannon

For a few months now, we've been getting a weekly mini veg box from Riverford Farm. It's something we've always considered, but they managed to get Rob to sign up on a door to door visit and it's completely changed the way we're eating. Each box delivery is an exciting event as I never know what's coming (although I could look online but that would be cheating). They also gave us a fantastically thick Riverford cookbook for all our vegetable using needs. We've had to be a lot more creative in our food and generally only need to buy some meat if necessary for our dish. So here is a recipe for a veggie filled delight, plus a naughty bit of bacon.

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans with Colcannon

Serves One

Ingredients

Fresh Green Beans

4 Rashers of Bacon/Pancetta (preferably streaky smoked bacon)

Two Medium Potatoes

A Handful of Cabbage/Kale or another Leafy Green

Butter for Mashing

Salt and Pepper

Gravy to Serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Prepare your green beans by washing, trimming the tops and bottoms and then separate into two piles.

Wrap each pile with two rashers of bacon and season with salt and pepper.

Place into a small baking dish with a drizzle of olive oil and place into the oven for 25 minutes (or until the bacon is as crispy as you prefer)

Boil your potatoes until soft. I like to keep the skins on for extra nutrients but you can peel them before boiling if you prefer. 

Wash and slice your cabbage or other leafy green into strips.

Once your potatoes are soft, drain them and mash with a knob of butter. You can also add a bit of cream here if you'd like for an extra touch of luxury.

Add your greens to the mash and stir through. 

Transfer your mash/greens mixture to a hot, well oiled or buttered frying pan and saute for 2 minutes to ensure you've got a few extra crispy bits.

Serve your parcels with the mash and a nice helping of gravy.

Street Feast London at Hawker House

I have to admit something. I'm not a trendy person. I wear jeans from GAP and my boyfriends fleece and I binge watch early 2000 US teen dramas. I barely ever leave South West London, let alone venture East. So when my good friend suggested we try out Street Feast London at Hawker House on a *gasp* Saturday night, I could feel my slippers begin to fuse to my feet.

But also as a youthful person in this country's vibrant capital, it would be a crime not to throw caution to the wind occasionally, take my slippers off and leave the house. I will do it for you food, my love.

Hawker House in Hoxton is a new venue for Street Feast London. An indoor night food market where you can sample a great variety of street food and cocktails. Running from 5pm til late with free entry before 8pm, we arrived at 7pm and Hawker House looks a little like a homeless shelter, complete with hipsters crowding around a burning oil drum. But inside, it was already full of people eating and enjoying cocktails such as Hot Buttered Rum.

On Tonight's menu was Hawker House cocktails, where we sampled margaritas and hot toddys. The classic margarita was lifted by fresh orange, bringing a different dimension to the usual version. At £10 a pop, they do provide you with quite large portion. I personally headed to the Whisky Bar where I discussed my options with the knowledgeable bartender. Talking me out of the regular buffalo trace and into the buffalo trace reserve whisky, the reserve had a much smokier taste with a more complex depth of flavour than its cheaper counterpart. Later we sampled the Whisky Bar Old Fashioned made with Wild Turkey Rye. A treat.

Food was provided by Smokestak - a moist, smoky selection of ribs with tender meat, which left you with gloriously sticky fingers. Then The Slider Bar, where we ordered 3 Chilli Cheeseburgers. I'm yet to find my ultimate chilli cheeseburger (MeatLiqour comes the closest by far), and although these looked like little bites of heaven, they only had one taste - GARLIC. I usually love garlic. I will eat raw cloves when I'm poorly, but this was so unexpected. No chilli flavour... Was there cheese? If there was it must have been GARLIC CHEESE. We were all left with perplexed expressions.

Then there were the tacos, also done by The Slider Bar. Petite little morsels of juicy goodness. Chipotle beef and Chicken tacos were both flavoursome yet a little sloppy. I suffered through the drippings of Caitlin's juice onto my arm while she munched and I held the tray.

For dessert we indulged in a couple of Apple Crumble Sundaes from Sorbitum. These were perfect for a winters night and a really innovative way to use ice cream in colder weather. The caramel bourbon sauce was the highlight.

The best dish of the night was Baba Gs Lamb Biryani. This was bought by Rob (lover of Biryanis) as a 'still hungry' afterthought. But it turned out to be the dark horse at Hawker House. Fragrant, soft meat that melts like butter, the best lime pickle I've ever tasted and more layers of Biryani goodness. I'm not usually a fan of rice based dishes but this was so delectable that I will definitely be tracking them down again. Best Biryani we've ever had.

So Hawker House is worth a punt. Providing you get there early and are prepared to spent a bit of hard earned cash exploring their culinary delights.

Cake and Bake Show 2013

Back in September, myself and my ladies spent a day at Earl's Court sampling cake, cocktails and stalking Great British Bake Off contestants. Here are a few photos from our day...

A Selection of Delectable Stalls

 Showstopping Cake Displays

 

 

Intricate Cakes inspired by Fashion through the Ages

Winner's Bake Off Live featuring John Whaite and Edd Kimber

Me meeting Edd Kimber - so exciting!  

Winter is Coming

Hello my little blogkins. You may have been wondering what had happened to me. Am I still alive? Yes. And well? Also yes. Since my last post on August, I have left the unglamorous world of telly and taken a big leap of faith into a new industry.

I'd been wanting to tell everyone about my new job for quite a while, so now I can inform you all fully. Back in May this year, I was offered a position at a catering company to start on their graduate programme. Despite no real work or educational experience with hospitality, my passion for food shone through and they saw potential.

Along with 7 others, I was assigned to one particular location to learn everything I could about the biz, and after 8 weeks here I can confidently say that I. LOVE. IT.
I spent 4 weeks in a kitchen, which was so much fun (especially the pastry section) and now I'm just completing my last week in restaurant management. I've learnt an incredible amount so far.

I am exhausted but happy and have also just installed blogger on my phone, so you can consider me fully back in action.

FEAST in Battersea Park

Foodies Feast – LONDON’S BIGGEST PICNIC

Battersea Park – Friday 16, Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 August 2013

"Foodies Festival is delighted to add a NEW festival of food and drink to their UK calendar – FEAST at Battersea Park, this summer’s essential celebration of food and drink.  The exciting new event invites London’s foodies to experience an exclusive picnic extravaganza featuring the UK’s largest selection of restaurant, street and artisan food available in one place."

With a weekend of entertaining to do, what could be better than a foodie excursion to Battersea, to sample some great street food, experience some live cooking and generally take in all things culinary? We started with a general tour of the park, assessing what was going to be the first stop on our food adventure. Alex decided to sample The Glorious Oyster and ordered a £10 bucket of seafood. This included BBQ Oyster, Mussels and Crab Legs with a generous helping of Samphire and Seafood Sauce - all grilled on a Barbecue. They also had £25 and £40 bucket options including fantastic looking lobsters. 

 Rob went straight in for the barbecued meats with a helping of Gaucho. Although we live so near the Richmond Gaucho, it's not a place we've ever been able to afford to eat at. So this was a great opportunity to sample some of their steak without the huge price tag. Rob ordered an "El Grande", which at £9 consisted of a burger, two thick and juicy slices of steaky beefy goodness and a fresh salsa verde sauce. It was great to get your teeth into. Although the burger was standard, the beef slices were delectable and I savoured every scrap I was thrown.
 

We then settled down to watch Shelina Permaloo, winner of Masterchef 2012, cook a couple of recipes from her new book - Sunshine on a Plate. She was so down to earth and warm and it was great to learn more about Mauritian food. She is also planning on opening a Mauritian restaurant, which is very exciting! She made Egg Rougaille, which is a rich, creole tomato sauce with a poached egg (similar to huevos rancheros I thought) and a Mango, Rum Syllabub, which just looked amazing. Both very simple, homely dishes but no less enticing.  She also gave away a couple of her books but my geographical knowledge let me down and I missed out. Disappointed? Yes, very.

Not the most flattering picture.

Is anyone else obsessed with coconut water? So many different flavours and it tastes to rich and creamy. Although I got my dad to try it, and he is a lover of coconut - he was not particularly impressed. There was a big coconut stall where they were slicing off the tops with a machete. How could I pass on the opportunity to have coconut water FROM A COCONUT. It was extremely heavy and about the size of my head but it was awesome.  I basically chugged it.

Then we watched Larkin Cen, Masterchef 2013 finalist. Alex and I became unhealthily interested in this years Masterchef and Larkin was a favourite of ours from the start. He was innovative and boisterous and his Welsh/Bristol accent mix is just the best. With a cavalier attitude, he cooked Pan Fried Seabass, in a clear asian broth with Pork Wontons and Enoki Mushrooms, as well a BBQ Lamb dish. His asian, surf and turf inspired dish was incredibly beautiful and the lamb smelt wonderful. I even worked up the nerve to ask him a question (much to the panic of Alex) and asked what he liked to eat himself at home. He told us he was a bit of a fast food junkie. He is developing a Masterchef book with Natalie (winner) and Dale and has included a recipe of this nature in his section. He told us that at university, the Rugby lads would try and take on the Triple Crown (finishing a McDonalds, Burger King and KFC in one go), so Larkin has decided to take this idea and create a Masterchef worthy starter! 

We had a quick drinks break in the Dorset Cider House tent. I had a half pint of Dorset Nectar (Of course! Dorset represent!) and Alex went for a pint of West Milton. Then it was time for another round of foodie delights!

Rob went for Calzone Fritters from Cheeky Italian. Deep Fried Calzone bites filled with Beef Meatballs, Fontina Cheese and a Tomato Sauce. These might have been my favourite thing that I ate all day. Really crispy and crunchy on the outside, with a soft flavourful and often cheesy filling. Too much Nutmeg for Rob and a bit too much Fennel Seed for my taste but they were a real textural and flavourful experience. 

Alex went for The Well Kneaded Wagon's Sourdough Pizza (think Franco Manca in a van). With toppings of Chorizo, Mushroom and Mozzerella with Rocket and Parmesan, this was great value at £7. Alex thought that "it was quick, well made, generously sized, tasted great and the person serving me was the friendliest person he spoke to there which always helps."

Then it was time for a spot of Afternoon Tea from Vintage Feast. They had such a beautiful selection of cakes that it was extremely hard to choose. I went for the Passionfruit and Coconut and Rob opted for the Lemon Drizzle. At £4 for a pot of tea and a slice of cake, their slices were extremely liberal. I couldn't even finish mine. The tea was by BrewHaHa Afternoon Blend and it was pretty average. It all felt very civilised until the true British weather set in. Calling Feast London's biggest picnic was going to jinx it wasn't it? The heavens opened.

 

Alex went for a third round of street food from The Banger Shack (created by The Shack Revolution). He went for a footlong (£5), which was served with mayo, rocket and fried onions.

The man himself said: "The sausage was good, tasted nice but wasn’t anything special. I’ve had nicer bangers in my mouth plus the staff weren’t exactly great, one of them looked like he really didn’t want to be there and it took him ages to even acknowledge I was waiting."

I got back on the tea train by engaging with We Are Tea, a brand I hadn't heard of before. I tried a couple of their more fruity infusions and they tried to sell me their new 'Slimming Tea'. The cheek. I went for a loose leaf English Breakfast tin to try against the loose leaf Waitrose English Breakfast I have at home. We brewed a pot when we got home and I found it extremely difficult to brew. It told me that I should use one tsp per cup and brew for 3 - 5 minutes. I brewed for 5 minutes and it was still way too weak. It took me three goes to get two decent cups of tea. We decided that the flavour was actually a bit bland compared to the Waitrose blend, so that was a bit of a disappointment.

 

After a nice walk along the river to alleviate some full tummys, we headed back into the festival to an Appleton Estate Rum and Chocolate tasting. Whilst waiting, it was clear that most people had gotten a bit pissed by this point and had lost of bit of their common decency. The rum tasting was interesting and we tried 4 different aged rums (along with one small piece of dark chocolate...). We all agreed that it was not something we could drink straight with ice but it had been a good experience. Exhausted, satisfied and a bit sleepy with rum, we headed home to a nice cup of tea and a pair of slippers. 

To Market.

With the abundance of America style diners opening up in Central London and the return of my sorely missed other half from his feature film shoot in Dunstable, we decided that it was time to go and indulge ourselves. With meat. And cheese.

You may remember Valentine’s Day 2012 fondly, as that night Rob and I explored the newly opened Meat Liquor (Fangtasia crossed with a butcher) and enjoyed some dirty US cuisine at its best.  Instead of revising as we have already done many times, we decided to check out another of Yianni Papoutsis’ creations – Meat Market in Covent Garden.  

With a rather secluded entrance off Tavistock Street, you head up the stairs to a small, rough and ready diner style set up overlooking Covent Garden’s Jubilee Market Hall. We arrived at about 7pm and managed to squeeze ourselves onto a newly empty table. There’s no table service here and you collect your food when you hear your name called. Like it’s sister, Meat Liquor, Meat Market has great style. It’s a toned down, simple version but its personality is still shining through.

Even with its small menu, it was hard to choose what to have. We both opted for the Maple Bourbon Shake (£6), which was the most incredible drink I have ever had. There was nowhere near enough of this to keep me satisfied. Rob even toyed with picking up another for the road. To eat, Rob chose the old faithful ‘Dead Hippy’ burger – just as good as usual, whilst I went for a Chilli Dog. The hot-dog itself was the star of the show – well flavoured with a good meaty texture, and stood out against the large amount of toppings that it was fighting against. The bun was soft and light and the chilli, cheese and jalapeños topped the dish off nicely.

We were in and out in about half an hour. As we left, I felt sated and exhilarated. I can only imagine that this is what it must feel like to visit a top of the range escort. 

Lancashire Hot Pot

The lack of warm weather (is it June already?), is really starting to get to me. When the sun does come out, it's generally accompanied by a bitter wind and my summer clothes are still safely packed up in the top of my wardrobe. Although Lancashire Hot Pot is the perfect meal for cold, winter nights, I think this year's "summer" allows us to extend the cosy menu for a little bit longer.

Lancashire Hot Pot is both one of mine and Rob's favourite dishes. It is the easiest dinner to cook and tastes fantastic. We've both explored different recipes for this classic and between us have come up with our ideal version. With about 10 minutes of prep, plus an hour and a half in the oven. You can put your feet up and turn the TV on whilst you wait for the oven to work its magic.

Lancashire Hot Pot

Serves 2

Ingredients

400g Lamb Neck Fillet

1 Large White Onion

2 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme

1 Large Baking Potato

250ml Lamb Stock (preferably homemade)

Salt and Pepper

20g Butter

Method

Preheat your oven (non fan) to 180C.

Chop your lamb neck into generous chunks and season with salt and pepper. 

Finely slice your white onion.

Mix the lamb and the onion together and put into a deep casserole dish.

Place your fresh thyme on the top of the mixture.

Using a mandoline (or your awesome knife skills), slice your potato width ways as thinly as possible.

Make up your stock and pour over the filling until it just reaches the top of the lamb. It's best to err on the side of caution with the stock as you don't want your pot to be too watery. Don't worry if you have some left over. We used a homemade lamb stock (made up from lamb carcass, carrots, onions, butter and herbs), but a stock cube or stock pot would also be fine.

Lay your potatoes on the top. Slightly overlap them so you're covering the entire dish.

Sprinkle some black pepper over the top and dot bits of butter onto the potatoes.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes. If the top is becoming too crispy, cover it with a lid or tin foil.