tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14718637252926947032024-02-02T22:38:04.390+00:00Bon AppétitMerlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.comBlogger331125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-6746712849637603532019-11-01T16:54:00.000+00:002019-11-01T16:54:03.667+00:00Well, I’m sitting here writing this last post for my well-loved food blog. I really have enjoyed my time inventing recipes, following them, not following them! There have been some catastrophes (the chocolate tube things for a <a href="https://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/2010/06/world-cup-cooking-disaster.html" target="_blank">World Cup Party</a>, for example) but there have also been one successes: I still use the <a href="https://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/2009/08/day-5-summer-lamb-and-herb-stew.html" target="_blank">Herby Summer Lamb Stew</a> recipe!<br />
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Looking back through the stats, I’m amazed how many people still visit the site...in the last two days there have been over 60 page views, people searching out recipes, reading the latest post, etc. I’m not getting rid of my love as even I still use it as a recipe index, but any of my new, food related posts will now be over on my more family style blog under the <a href="https://chimneyhouseblog.wordpress.com/category/bon-appetit-2/">Bon Appétit</a> tab at the top. I’d love you to come with me over there...as well as continuing the food and recipes, I also write a monthly piece called ‘<a href="https://chimneyhouseblog.wordpress.com/category/meet-make-munch/">Meet, Make & Munch</a>’ giving ideas as to where to go, what you might like to make or cook, and what or where to eat. It’s fun, I promise! I’d love you to transfer to the new blog and follow me there too...it would be great to take you with me and continue on our journey!<br />
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As well as The Chimney House, I also have a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/direbonappetit/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> with a few more bits and pieces and incidentals!<br />
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I began Dire Bon Appetit in January 2009...it’s now November 2019 so it’s had a pretty good run, I’d say. Things change, evolve and grow, and the food blog has become part of an ever bigger, ever expanding life. With two smallish children, a three day a week teaching job and a husband who runs I simply didn’t have the time needed to do it justice. But now, a once a month post is just about manageable, and if I get more done then that’s great. A family-style blog works well for me at the moment, with food still playing a pretty big part of it!<br />
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So pop on over, write me comment, tell me who you are...I’d love to keep in touch!<br />
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And thank you...for the last 11 years.<br />
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If things didn’t change, we wouldn’t have butterflies.<br />
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Merlotti xMerlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-80525815372126884822019-11-01T09:57:00.002+00:002019-11-01T09:57:53.645+00:00Holiday Lunches<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 17.4px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17.41pt;">There is nothing I like better than a lunch on holiday. With a little family, it means that you can stay in for the evening and the children can get into pjs etc and we can play a few family games before a slightly later bedtime. But it also means they’re not sitting in a restaurant waiting for a late dinner when they’re worn out, thus leading to whingey, grumpy behaviour (from them, and, in turn, me!)</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17.41pt;">So lunch out it is. We usually just about manage to get out of the apartment around 10/11am, meaning we arrive in time for lunch! Perfect. We have a look around the village, a browse in the shops or a wander along the beach before finding a restaurant. Actually, we usually know which one we’re going to here in Nice before setting out, and our day tends to be planned around it! We have a few firm favourites which never disappoint. Most offer a Menu du Jour which is set and a fixed price, often including main, dessert and, sometimes, a drink usually for between €15 and €20. For just the Plat du Jour (dish of the day) it’s around €10-€12 and there’s usually a small choice of three or four dishes. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17.41pt;">We’ve long learnt that this is often the best, not mention the cheapest option. Our 8 year old usually chooses a piece of fish with rice or chips, or a bowl of pasta whilst the two year old shares everyone’s. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17.41pt;">Most of our restaurants are not actually in Nice itself, but a short drive outside. One is in the middle of the university area hidden between flats...you’d never find it if you didn’t know about it! And none have instagram, few have Facebook, and none need either. No self promotion necessary; the quality of food and cooking literally speaks for itself. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17.41pt;">First we visited Cagnes-sur-Mer and ate at a Moroccan restaurant on the corner of the ‘front’. It produces the most amazing tagines and cous cous, all served in big sharing bowls from which you help your self and make up your own bowl. Alongside is a small bowl of flavoured chickpeas and some harissa. My husband had a lamb and apricot tagine, I had merguez cous cous. You help yourself to Cous Cous, pop on the sausages, ladle on some delicious carrot and courgette stock/soup and garnish with the <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>chickpeas and harissa. There is a chalk board with several ‘plats du jour’ all for €10...often there is something for everyone on here: a couscous, a meat, two fish and a pasta. The restaurant is called ‘San Marino’ and if you’re visiting, get there early!</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17.41pt;">Next on the ‘list’ was the restaurant on the port at St Laurent du Var, Paradis Marin. We’ve been visiting here for many years now and recently, the whole stretch of restaurants along the port has had a facelift with the kitchens, insides and outsides being redone. There are many to choose from but we tend to return here time after time. Again, we opt for the menu du jour for €18 which is a main course, plus a cafe gourmande for dessert, and includes a glass of wine or a beer. This time it was Merlu with a light hoisin sauce served with rice. The cafe gourmande is my favourite dessert as you get a few ‘tiny’ tasters of puddings, plus an espresso. Perfect! David had the menu at around €24, and choose moules, steak and iles flotants. F had a fillet of sea bass with frites and cc shared everything. They even brought the girls a little free taster dessert! </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17.41pt;">Another great find, recommended by French friends, is hidden away next to the voie rapide by-pass. You’d never find it by accident ... you just have to know! And by the time we left yesterday, it was super busy inside with a vibrant, Thursday lunchtime atmosphere. We were the only ones mad enough to sit outside on the terrasse as it was still lovely and warm. There is a brilliant menu, and when you had a Mose at what others were eating, huge plates of sharing pasta, meaty, tasty brochettes and many other choices. We all had the menu again, this time priced at €16.90. It was an Italian cheese made with cow’s milk, baked with pine nuts and honey, and lots of bread to dip! Mains were a simple tomato pasta with pecorino...f had a bowl of this too and shared with cc: they only charged €8 for this and it was equally as large as our main portion)...with a chocolate mousse for dessert. Again, the girls also had a mousse each but they just charged for one on the bill. Booking is vital here. It was really busy on just a usual, workday, Thursday lunchtime. You’ll find it on Rue Robert Schuman and it’s called La Locanda, specialising in homemade Italian deliciousness! </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".SFUIText"; font-size: 17.41pt;">Today is going to be a choice in Antibes. Usually we would go to Square Sud, a large French brasserie on one of the main squares, but having looked into reviews, we might opt for a little french place called Cote Terroir. I’ll let you know via fb which we chose!</span></div>
Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-68161281118581247152019-10-20T21:16:00.000+01:002019-10-20T21:16:48.990+01:00‘Cheesy Bubble’ at Perrywood Garden Centre, TiptreeI chose to have this winter warmer when I last visited <a href="https://www.perrywood.co.uk/" target="_blank">Perrywood garden centre</a>, although, there is so much delicious, hoe made food to choose from it can get quite stressful at times! With a range of daily specials and the usual panini, jacket potatoes and sandwiches you couldn’t be better provided for.<br />
The ‘Cheesy Bubble’ special is simply a play on Bubble and Squeak. A hot bowl of silky, cheesy mashed potato with spring greens ribboned through it, topped with bubbly, melty cheese.<br />
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Peel, chop and boil potatoes in vegetable stock.<br />
Two minutes from the end of cooking, add thinly sliced spring greens.<br />
Drain, leaving a tiny splash of the cooking stock, then mash with a lump of butter and put a huge handful or two of your favourite cheese. I used cheddar and Red Leicester.<br />
Add salt and pepper to taste, pile deeply into a dish and top with more cheese.<br />
Grill until bubbling.<br />
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Honestly, I could eat this every day at the moment, especially since the weather has most def Italy dropped a degree or two this weekend.<br />
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And if you don’t fancy making it yourself, have a day out at Perrywoods and treat yourself to lunch. Definitely worth it.<br />
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<br />Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-74563278701034963022019-09-20T16:40:00.002+01:002019-09-20T16:42:23.781+01:00Local Italian Produce<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Since building my pizza oven, I’ve become a bit of a snob when it comes to topping ingredients for pizzas. I like to make my own Frito base tomato sauce and bubble it down over a few hours to thicken it up, but I’ve always struggled getting a good quality cheese or sausage to add to the toppings. I try to use Mutti as a tomato base, or a good quality tinned whole tomato, and first fry garlic and dried oregano in olive oil, before adding the tomato base. I then simply bubble on a low heat until it thickens to create a paste-y sauce. Mutti is available in Sainsbury’s but it’s a treck across town for me, so I was delighted when Just Italian Food opened a unit just round the corner from me!</span><br />
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Regularly importing delicious produce from Italy, they couldn’t be friendlier. There’s a huge range of dried pasta, Italian biscuits and other dried produce, but also a small selection of cheeses, salamis, nduja and other fresh produce. I even found a pizza flour I’ve been searching for for a while and couldn’t resist the buffalo mozzarella and Neapolitan salami! And if you can’t get down to the shop, which I highly recommend, if only for a wander and to get your taste buds going, then have a look at the website...delivery is free for local residents when spending £40 or more.<br />
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The shop is at Unit 19, Waterhouse Business Centre, just off Waterhouse Lane. Pop down there this weekend and say Buongiorno, or Ciao if it’s easier! </div>
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The website can be found <a href="https://www.justitalianfood.co.uk/" id="id_d3cb_5fa0_8a64_4a29" target="_blank">here</a> or search Facebook for Just Italian Food. </div>
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" />Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-39709138331181893102019-02-04T17:23:00.000+00:002019-02-04T17:23:11.292+00:00Chicken & Mushroom PieThis super simple pie is a great dish for all the family. Both my girls love it too and served with some leafy green veg. is a perfect winter warmer.<br />
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I use <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2983/basic-shortcrust-pastry" target="_blank">this</a> short crust pastry recipe from the bbc then simply make up a chicken and mushroom filling.<br />
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Brown off some chopped chicken thighs.<br />
Add mushrooms on a high heat and a big knob of butter.<br />
Season well and add a splash of water if they’re starting to stick.<br />
Turn down the heat once everything is browned and cook through.<br />
Sift a little plain flour over the top and stir in.<br />
Add milk on a high heat a little at a time, making sure every drop is incoroporated before adding the next splash.<br />
Once you have a thick sauce, add chopped fresh thyme and check seasoning again. Lots of pepper, a little salt. If you want, crumble in a stock cube too.<br />
You can keep this mixture in the fridge for a couple of days if you wanted to get ahead.<br />
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Then line a pie tin with half the rolled pastry, use a metal one to ensure no soggy bottoms; stick the oven on 200; add the filling; lay the other half of the rolled pastry over the top and seal at the edges. Brush beaten egg or a little milk over the top and stab it a couple of times for the steam to escape. Pop into the oven, then reduce the heat to around 180. Leave until the pastry is golden brown on top, between 30 and 40 mins and check filling is piping hot before serving!Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-6460711363675138292018-02-03T09:30:00.000+00:002018-02-03T09:30:19.043+00:00Chorizo, Beetroot & Ricotta BaguetteAnother 'perfect for a weekend lunch' recipe idea here, again using produce sent to me for recipe ideas by Laverstoke Park Farm. I must say, I've really enjoyed eating cheese and black pudding for the last three days!<br />
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<b><u>Chorizo, Beetroot & Ricotta Baguette</u></b><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
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10-15 cm hard chorizo<br />
half a red onion<br />
three steamed beetroot - buy ready prepped, but not the vinegary ones!<br />
handful baby spinach<br />
baguette <br />
black pepper<br />
Laverstoke Park Farm Buffalo Ricotta<br />
squeeze of fresh lemon juice<br />
thyme leaves<br />
extra virgin olive oil<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
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Slice the chorizo at an oblique angle so you have ovals rather than rounds.<br />
Fry it off in a little olive oil and add the sliced red onions. Fry until the chorizo is crispy and the onions are caramelised. They'll help each other out here! <br />
Once ready, cube the pre-cooked beetroot and add to the pan. Heat through.<br />
Grind over a little black pepper.<br />
To serve, slice the baguette and add a handful of baby spinach.<br />
Top with the chorizo, beetroot and onions.<br />
Pour any remining pan oils and juices over the top. <br />
Dollop ricotta across the mixture.<br />
Now, this is the bit that brings it all together so don't leave it out...sprinkle fresh thyme leaves, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a grinding of black pepper over the top.<br />
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Thank you Laverstoke Park Farm...not just for the produce, but for getting me back in the kitchen and inventing! I've loved it. <br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Disclaimer: The products I received
were complimentary for review and recipe development purposes. All
opinions given are my own, honest and truthful.</span> <br />
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<br />Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-4519513978956549032018-02-02T12:00:00.000+00:002018-02-02T12:00:01.328+00:00Black Pudding, Pear, Potato and Ricotta SaladI say salad, but this is a full-on, whole hearted meal that not only will leave you full of food, but also full of flavour. My <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/black-pudding-buffalo-cheeses.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> told how I was enjoying trialling some produce from Laverstoke Park Farm, and the recipe today includes the Black Pudding and Buffalo Ricotta from there. I have added quantities for ingredients as a guide, but I'm one of those 'choose as much as whatever as you'd like' sort of people, so feel free to go ahead and change!<br />
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<u><b>Black Pudding, Pear and Ricotta Salad</b></u><br />
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<b>Ingredients: Makes one large salad - serves two happily. </b><br />
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<u>For the salad:</u><br />
Bag of rocket leaves<br />
12 baby new potatoes, halved<br />
2 large pears, cored and wedged<br />
2 thick slices of Laverstoke Park Farm black pudding, cubed<br />
leftover bread (nice crusty loaf works best) torn into chunks<br />
ricotta<br />
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<u>For the dressing:</u><br />
1/2 lemon, juiced and skin torn and squashed<br />
1 garlic clove, crushed<br />
black pepper<br />
small handful roughly chopped fresh mint<br />
several small whole mint leaves <br />
extra virgin olive oil<br />
red wine vinegar<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
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Add the potatoes and all but one of the pear wedges to a roasting tin.<br />
Make the dressing - combine the garlic, black pepper, lemon juice and skins, chopped mint, 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar.<br />
Pour over the potatoes and pears and roast in a hot over until the potatoes are crispy and the pears are soft...around 20-30 minutes.<br />
Meanwhile, fry the cubes of black pudding. Once beginning to crispen up, add the torn bread. The black pudding should produce enough oil to fry the bread in too without the need to add more.<br />
Remove the potatoes and pears from the oven and drain off the juices and dressing into a small bowl. Add another 2 tbsp olive oil and a splash a red wine vinegar to the juices and stir to combine. Taste and adjust flavours as desired.<br />
Once the bread has begun to turn to croutons, add the few whole mint leaves to the oil to crispen up.<br />
Slice the remaining pear wedge thinly.<br />
In a large serving bowl, combine the rocket, potatoes, pears, black pudding and croutons. Blob little bits of ricotta all over. Top with the crispy mint leaves, thinly sliced pear and drizzle over the new dressing from the small bowl. Grind some fresh black pepper over the top.<br />
Eat warm.<br />
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I hope you like this - don't be put off by the long list of ingredients for the dressing - you'll have most in the store cupboard anyway. And once you've started the recipe, all else can be done whilst the potatoes and pears are in the oven. <br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Disclaimer: The products I received
were complimentary for review and recipe development purposes. All
opinions given are my own, honest and truthful.</span><br />
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<br />Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-56098613297223138212018-01-31T12:00:00.000+00:002018-01-31T12:00:47.633+00:00Black Pudding & Buffalo Cheeses!<div class="p1">
I was lucky enough to have recently been sent some delicious goodies from <a href="https://www.laverstokepark.co.uk/" target="_blank">Laverstoke Park Farm</a> to try out and see what I could do with! If you don't already know, Laverstoke is "2,500 acres of bio-dynamic and organic farming in Hampshire ... owned and run by ex-racing driver and Formula
One World Champion Jody Scheckter. He wanted to create a
farming environment that would follow nature as closely as
possible, combining 21st century science, together with the
most environmentally friendly farming methods available," with a view to creating "Better tasting, healthy food.<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />Without compromise." </span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">The cheeses are all produced from the milk of the Asian water Buffalo herd who </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">graze freely on organic pasture, full of 31 different herbs, grasses and clovers. Meanwhile, their kitchen is one of the few in the UK who use </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="s1">fresh pig’s blood in their black pudding. This is made using a
rare Scottish Hebridian style recipe that uses medium sized oatmeal as
opposed to fat additives and has no</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="s1"> added nitrates, preservatives or colours. Even reminding my 6 year old it's prime ingredient was fresh pig's blood, didn't put her off - she just loves black pudding!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="s1">I began my recipe ideas by trawling the internet to see more traditional pairings and recipes for the cheeses I was sent: Buffalo Mozzarella and Buffalo Ricotta. And also for the Black Pudding. Then I narrowed down what I'd like to do with it and began devising my own! Obviously, crusty bread is a big winner with both cheese and the black pudding, so that features heavily, but also the freshness and cleanliness of ripe, crispy fruit, such as pears and apples works well with both and cuts through the creaminess of the cheese. I always feel ricotta needs a little help to encourage the flavours to come through and develop too, so tend to add black pepper, thyme, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil to this. In fact, a very simple recipe is to do just that and smear onto hunks of sourdough!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">A quick idea is to add a big dollop of the ricotta to tomato based stews. This was the first thing I did as I was part way through cooking a sausage, chorizo, mushroom and paprika stew type thing when the produce arrived and I just couldn't resist adding a mild creaminess to it. Simply fry off chopped sausages and chorizo with olive oil. Add mushrooms, smoked paprika and a tin of chopped tomatoes. And, as usual, a pinch of sugar to counteract the acidity form the tomatoes. Bubble until thickened. Take off the heat, season well and add a large spoonful of ricotta, stirring through before serving. </span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Black Pudding Huevos Rancheros</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">This very British take on a classic Mexican egg dish is very quick and easy, especially for a weekend brunch. </span></div>
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<b>Ingredients: Serves 4 as a small brunch portion</b></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Half a red onion, sliced</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">2 crushed garlic cloves</span></div>
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Small piece of chorizo - cubed</div>
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Small piece of Laverstoke Park Farm black pudding - cubed</div>
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flat tsp smoked paprika</div>
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Can of chopped tomatoes</div>
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half tsp dried oregano</div>
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pinch of sugar </div>
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4 eggs</div>
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<b>Method:</b></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span><span>Fry black pudding and chorizo in a tiny little bit of olive oil over a high heat. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span><span>Sprinkle over smoked
paprika and toss in the pan for half a minute. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span><span>Add sliced red onions and crushed garlic. Keep the ingredients moving and fry until beginning to soften. Turn heat down
lower and leave.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span><span>Once softened, add can tomatoes and dried oregano and a pinch of
sugar. Keep simmering to reduce liquid. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span><span>Once at your desired consistency pour into one large of 4 individual oven dishes, top with
egg and bake until white is cooked and the yolk still runny.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span><span>Serve with crispy dippable bread. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Disclaimer: The products I received were complimentary for review and recipe development purposes. All opinions given are my own, honest and truthful. </span></div>
<br />Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-27687059894350366332018-01-30T20:23:00.000+00:002018-01-30T20:23:48.678+00:00Family TimesI'm back to it...the blog! But in a more manageable way. So, I'd like to introduce you to my new venture: a family / lifestyle blog, <a href="http://chimneyhouseblog.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Chimney House</a>. This new blog will feature a monthly round-up entitled 'Meet, Make & Munch' with a focus on what me and my family have been up to over the last few weeks, highlighting any, well highlights, and giving suggestions on where friends, family and people could meet; what you could make, either with your little ones, or for yourself or the house; and what or where to eat! The make could be a munch, or, indeed the munch a make! Other aspects of the new site include my musings as a sleep deprived mummy, and, of course, a link to here. I'll continue to post recipes and solely food based posts on here and link to them from the new site, but they probably won't be as frequent as before! More time to focus on these little poppets!<br />
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Please hop over to <a href="http://chimneyhouseblog.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Chimney House</a> and have a look around. Subscribe if you think it's something you might be interested in and keep popping back here to find those favourite recipes and new ideas.<br />
Thanks for staying with me over the years...I hope you continue to enjoy this slimlined site and the new ideas over on <a href="http://chimneyhouseblog.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Chimney House</a> too.<br />
Merlotti xMerlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-46146725125272017842017-02-06T09:44:00.000+00:002017-02-06T09:44:12.775+00:00Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls<p>I was asked for some slow cooker recipes that weren’t stew, so here’s the first. These may look like they have a lot of ingredients, but I think you should have most of the stuff to hand – and they’re really easy to put together. You can zshuz (?!) them up at the end however you like – I like to add grated cheese, chopped onions with coriander and homemade guacamole, then make wraps! But you can just as easily eat straight from the bowl. </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2UtiszN3HAQ/WJeclVahgfI/AAAAAAAAW9g/HPawMPRU4ww/s1600-h/20170205_174003%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="20170205_174003" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20170205_174003" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aeRwCMlEZpc/WJecmf0hVjI/AAAAAAAAW9k/YKxVrCbxW-U/20170205_174003_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="340" height="422"></a></p> <p>Like many of my recipes, you can vary quantities, and ingredients to some extent, according to taste. And if you don’t have a slow cooker, you could do this in the oven in a lidded casserole. If you don’t have a can of corn, use frozen, or even peas. If you don’t have black beans, use kidney beans…it really doesn’t matter here if you switch things in and out. </p> <p>This recipe makes 6 big portions. </p> <blockquote> <p><strong><u>Ingredients:</u></strong></p> <p>4 chicken breasts</p> <p>1 can chopped tomatoes (or two jars of salsa)</p> <p> 230ml chicken stock</p> <p>4tsp taco/fajita seasoning packet – I base mine on <a href="http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/38788/fajita-seasoning.aspx" target="_blank">this recipe</a> or chilli powder, cumin, salt </p> <p>CHEAT: 2 packets <a href="http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=289863993" target="_blank">microwave brown + wild rice</a> (at £1 each, I don’t think they’re bad value)</p> <p>can of black beans or 250g dried black beans</p> <p>can of sweetcorn or small mug of frozen corn</p> <p>peppers and red onions (optional) CHEAT: I used sliced frozen peppers and slice frozen red onions</p></blockquote> <blockquote> <p><strong><u>Method</u></strong></p> <p>If you’re using dried beans, rinse them well – I didn’t. It’s not a problem, but everything in the pot turns a purply brown if you don’t. </p> <p>Put everything, apart from the rice, peppers and onions into the pot. Stir to combine and ensure chicken is covered. Turn onto low for 4 hours. Keep a check to ensure it doesn’t dry out and stick. </p> <p>After 4 hours, the beans will probably still be hard and chewy on the inside…don’t worry. </p> <p>Add frozen pepper and onions. Turn up to high for 2 hours. </p> <p>Remove chicken and shred. Tip in rice. Stir together. Turn back to low for ten minutes to ensure rice is heated through. </p></blockquote> <p>This is a great ‘prep ahead’ meal. You can get everything out and bag it all up in one bag ready to tip in that morning. Easy! This recipe would also work really well in the Cook4Me although I’d definitely use tinned beans, not dried. I’d also only use half the stock. Since you’re using whole chicken breasts, I think about 15 minutes should do the trick, and you can always add more cooking time to get them to the shreddable stage! </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MyGOV8xBDok/WJecndb1m1I/AAAAAAAAW9o/hHpK3eWxiac/s1600-h/20170205_174030%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="20170205_174030" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20170205_174030" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0F5SE5Ttgpo/WJecoeXWwHI/AAAAAAAAW9s/C5GbhyTI9jE/20170205_174030_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="340" height="638"></a></p> <p>I served it with soured cream, grated cheese and salsa and gave everyone warmed wraps to make their own burritos. Once the OH discovered they were actually very healthy, with beans, tomatoes, corn, peppers, chicken and ‘good for you’ rice, his rating of the dish climbed to an 8/10. And none of the goodness disappears from the slow cooker either. </p> <div id="scid:77ECF5F8-D252-44F5-B4EB-D463C5396A79:ab659431-b32d-4a5e-a8c4-3d3f7f8fd237" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><span class="post-labels">Labels: <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/slow+cooker" rel="tag">slow cooker</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/not+stew" rel="tag">not stew</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/mexican" rel="tag">mexican</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/burrito" rel="tag">burrito</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/bowl" rel="tag">bowl</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/cook+4+me" rel="tag">cook 4 me</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/pressure+cooker" rel="tag">pressure cooker</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/one+pot" rel="tag">one pot</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/recipe" rel="tag">recipe</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/ideas" rel="tag">ideas</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/teatimes" rel="tag">teatimes</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/dinner" rel="tag">dinner</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/quick" rel="tag">quick</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/slow" rel="tag">slow</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/chicken" rel="tag">chicken</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/family" rel="tag">family</a></span></div>Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-35016530925754453432017-01-30T12:52:00.000+00:002017-01-30T12:52:01.168+00:00Family Meals–Cheat’s Cottage Pie<p>So, after asking you what you’d like to see on the blog, several people asked for quick, tasty family meals that don’t use too many ingredients. So I’m starting you off with my own ‘cheats’ version of a cottage pie. The cheat aspect is to use frozen, pre chopped veg. Now, now…don’t scoff. This is one type of food I’ve started relying on. Firstly, the taste. It’s just the same as the fresh. The price? Well, maybe twice the price as buying individual pieces of fresh veg. but there’s no waste as it simply sits there waiting for the next use. One thing I have found is that once defrosted, the veg does become watery. Because of this, I wouldn’t use it for drier dishes where you want a thick sauce, but for stews and stir-fries, the extra water just becomes a part of the sauce. </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FfU6IXeKwnE/WIvBTU4GcsI/AAAAAAAAWug/Cap1HGuOhfI/s1600-h/20170127_180337%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="20170127_180337" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20170127_180337" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0M8lQyBKQYI/WIvBUH2ohUI/AAAAAAAAWuk/nCORYs3b1II/20170127_180337_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="340" height="458"></a></p> <blockquote> <p><strong><u>Ingredients:</u></strong></p> <p>beef mince</p> <p>frozen chopped onions</p> <p>frozen chopped carrots</p> <p>crushed garlic</p> <p>stock cube (I just used a little corner of one as was making for the kiddies)</p> <p>hp brown sauce</p> <p>red wine (notice, this didn’t bother me – for the kiddies!)</p> <p>Worcestershire sauce</p> <p>pepper</p> <p> water</p> <p>frozen mashed potato – yes, I know, but it only has in it the stuff you’d put in at home I promise!</p> <p><strong><u>Stovetop Method:</u></strong></p> <p>1 - Brown mince, onions, garlic and carrots in a little olive oil</p> <p>2 - Whilst browning, make your stock – combine a large glug of brown sauce, small glug of Worcestershire sauce, half glass or so or red wine, beef stock cube, ground pepper and enough water to just cover your mince – add a little. You can always top up the pan later if there’s not enough. I used around 300g mince and made about 300ml stock. </p> <p>3 - Sprinkle the mince mix with a spoon of plain flour, mix in.</p> <p>4 - Pour your stock mix over the top, stir and let bubble down until the mince and veg are cooked and the liquid is reduced so you have a thick gooey sauce.</p> <p>5 - Pour into an ovenproof dish, top with frozen pellets of mash, Grate cheese over the top and bake as usual – about 35 minutes on 180 should do. You just need to cook the mash and brown the top really. </p> <p><u><strong>Cook4Me Method:</strong></u></p> <p>Manual mode – browning, 3 minutes. </p> <p>See 1 and 2 above. </p> <p>Once browned, see 3 and 4 above.</p> <p>Manual mode – quick cook, 7 minutes.</p> <p>Once finished, see 5 above</p></blockquote> <p>So, hopefully that’s one to get you started, even if you already make a version of this, try with the pre chopped frozen veg…it honestly is so much faster!</p> <div id="scid:77ECF5F8-D252-44F5-B4EB-D463C5396A79:988745eb-ce8b-4138-957b-0156175848e4" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><span class="post-labels">Labels: <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/frozen+veg" rel="tag">frozen veg</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/vegetables" rel="tag">vegetables</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/mash" rel="tag">mash</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/frozen" rel="tag">frozen</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/cottage" rel="tag">cottage</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/pie" rel="tag">pie</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/recipe" rel="tag">recipe</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/quick" rel="tag">quick</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/easy" rel="tag">easy</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/family" rel="tag">family</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/dinner" rel="tag">dinner</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/tea" rel="tag">tea</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/times" rel="tag">times</a></span></div>Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-18287377613564881322017-01-27T21:03:00.001+00:002017-01-27T21:03:38.233+00:00Tefal Cook4Me<p> <p>I've been experimenting with my new Christmas present over the last few weeks and am pleased to say, I'm definitely getting the hang of it! I used it last week, and this week in fact, for a healthy and hearty bean stew, which cooked in just 7-10 minutes. I also made a new years chilli, (10 mins) chicken sambal curry (4 mins) and monkfish with peppers (6 mins). </p> <p><img style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Image result for tefal cook4me" src="http://johnlewis.scene7.com/is/image/JohnLewis/234962333?$prod_exlrg$" width="320" height="320"></p> <p>You may have guessed from these cooking times that my new toy is a pressure cooker. Yes, that's right, but not one of those 80s Prestige huge pans with a scary lid that went on the hob. No. An electric one. All shiny and new. A Tefal Cook 4 Me. And I may be a little bit in love. Yes, you still have all the prep. to do, and that adds more time. And you have to wait for it to preheat. But unlike my slow cooker, I can brown meats in the cooker itself, then go straight onto cooking in there, even tho it has to preheat again. </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7mTStgEGDwA/WIu1lNe1ZAI/AAAAAAAAWt4/vsVEZsDfNGo/s1600-h/20170105_201724%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="20170105_201724" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20170105_201724" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J08kW15ccFQ/WIu1mK7pjrI/AAAAAAAAWt8/Fs2egsZZgxU/20170105_201724_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="340" height="369"></a></p> <p>There is, however, a time and a place for it. If you want a really rich, flavoursome, homemade ragu, this machine will not give you that. If you already have amazing flavours ready to go in the pot, for example, a Thai spiced paste, it's perfect. Equally, if you cook things like bolognaise from a jar, it would dramatically speed up your dinner times. <br>The machine has several recipes pre-programmed into it, so you turn it on, find the recipe and the little screen guides you through what to do when. It's normally a case of prepping the ingredients, browning meat then throwing it all in to cook. The app, which is only available in the U.K. at present, has many more recipes to use and you can just follow the recipe on there and use the manual mode on the machine brown and cook. There is a new Connect model just released over here, and the app is designed to run alongside that and send the recipe direct to your machine. But I can't really see the point. For a start, it's much more expensive. And there's no extra effort or difficulty involved in using the manual mode on the machine. In fact, it’s slightly easier as the browning mode on manual starts a timer so you know how long you’ve been browning for, although I usually go on the look of it. </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nWQ8PzS0Wv0/WIu1nPpCWSI/AAAAAAAAWuA/Tt-ROYpQIq0/s1600-h/20170110_122406%25255B5%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="20170110_122406[5]" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20170110_122406[5]" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--1rfedh94JE/WIu1oOPt5EI/AAAAAAAAWuE/NWkNGx5nEPI/20170110_122406%25255B5%25255D_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="340" height="305"></a></p> <p>You can even use it to cook desserts, but I haven't braved those yet. I also don't think I've actually followed the recipes on the machine. For a start, I only use pastes for curries and everything else, like bolognaise, I make my own tomato sauce. I tend to make something I would usually make, find a similar cut of meat recipe on the machine and use that preset! So for my chicken sambal, I chop chicken, find the green Thai curry recipe as it also uses chopped chicken and coconut milk, brown meat and onions, tip my paste, coconut milk and green beans in, then use the preset time. For my chilli, I again used the chilli preset but used my own recipe. Occasionally with the chilli, the sauce is too thick for the machine to create the steam and pressure needed, so just give it a stir, try again, and add a bit more water if needed to help it on its way! </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BlG5fnDqnX4/WIu1pBHBsiI/AAAAAAAAWuI/kNmVm7UNFmI/s1600-h/20170127_180337%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="20170127_180337" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20170127_180337" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V9Xm9fecmYc/WIu1p6IE6XI/AAAAAAAAWuM/wPIuPilJqVs/20170127_180337_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="340" height="466"></a></p> <p>Even if I use this machine once a week, it certainly does save time and was worth the money. When F asks when her dinner is ready, I can say ‘in about three minutes’, rather than telling her we just have to wait for the oven to heat up, etc. etc. It also means I can tip everything in and leave it rather than stand at the hob and try to stop CC emptying the cupboards at the same time as juggling a hot pan … never a good idea.</p> <div id="scid:77ECF5F8-D252-44F5-B4EB-D463C5396A79:257adef2-220b-4f84-8960-2dbb8bfced4b" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><span class="post-labels">Labels: <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/tefal" rel="tag">tefal</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/cook+4+me" rel="tag">cook 4 me</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/one+pot" rel="tag">one pot</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/pressure" rel="tag">pressure</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/cooker" rel="tag">cooker</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/all+in+one" rel="tag">all in one</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/quick" rel="tag">quick</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/easy" rel="tag">easy</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/recipe" rel="tag">recipe</a></span></div>Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-67962419801409619792017-01-10T13:03:00.001+00:002017-01-10T13:06:54.869+00:00New Year, New Gadget!<p>Happy New Year to all…and yes, I’ll make the resolution again to cook and blog more, but don’t hold me to it!</p> <p>Here’s hoping you all had a happy and healthy festive period and have since de-cluttered, found a fresh spring in our step and are ready to embrace January. If so, I have just the think to start the new year: a hearty but healthy bean and pasta stew / soup. I suppose it’s really a version of Italian bean or Peasant soup, made with whatever you have to hand and served on top of a slice of toasted, slightly stale country style bread. Ok, so it might not sound brilliant, but I promise it delivers on flavour. </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fc1VN3pVCek/WHTbj02GaRI/AAAAAAAAWVA/cgL_92OnjfE/s1600-h/20170110_122406%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="20170110_122406" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20170110_122406" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lN43MY9JVAQ/WHTbk5ZpCyI/AAAAAAAAWVE/jkW-zLDRmag/20170110_122406_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="340" height="303"></a></p> <p><u><strong>Ingredients:</strong></u></p> <p>streaky bacon (leave out if you want a vegetarian version)</p> <p>onion</p> <p>leeks</p> <p>carrots</p> <p>can of chopped tomatoes</p> <p>can of borlotti beans</p> <p>500ml chicken or vegetable stock</p> <p>pasta for soup (little pasta!)</p> <p>oregano / dried mixed herbs</p> <p>sweet paprika</p> <p>slice country style stalish bread</p> <p><strong><u>Method:</u></strong></p> <p>Chop the ingredients into bite sized chunks</p> <p>Brown bacon, then fresh veg in a pan</p> <p>Add tomatoes, stock, herbs, paprika and pasta</p> <p>Cover and simmer until pasta is cooked</p> <p>Meanwhile, toast the bread.</p> <p>Once the soup stew is cooked, season well and pour on top of the bread. </p> <p>Easy – and perfect to warm you up on those colder days. I even blitzed it for the baby as I used homemade, very low salt stock…and a bit of bacon does no harm every now and then!</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mBKSBompVy0/WHTblqb3DbI/AAAAAAAAWVI/AJ492_U_teU/s1600-h/20170110_122423%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="20170110_122423" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20170110_122423" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1oVy6P4xyTQ/WHTbmpFVbZI/AAAAAAAAWVM/dXJqgrB7fiI/20170110_122423_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="340" height="343"></a></p> <p>And as for the new gadget, it’s a Tefal Cook 4 Me…a sort of new-fangled one pot pressure cooker. I actually browned the ingredients in there, then threw everything else in and cooked for ten minutes. More on this amazing pot in a later post – I keep forgetting to take pictures of what I’ve cooked. Also this week, I’m looking forward to my last discounted Gousto delivery. Definitely getting back into this cooking malarkey!</p> <div id="scid:77ECF5F8-D252-44F5-B4EB-D463C5396A79:54529214-233a-4ea5-9a46-d7caa317343f" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><span class="post-labels">Labels: <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/bean" rel="tag">bean</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/italian" rel="tag">italian</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/peasant" rel="tag">peasant</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/soup" rel="tag">soup</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/stew" rel="tag">stew</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/hearty" rel="tag">hearty</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/whole" rel="tag">whole</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/healthy" rel="tag">healthy</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/lean" rel="tag">lean</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/tefal" rel="tag">tefal</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/cook+4+me" rel="tag">cook 4 me</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/recipe" rel="tag">recipe</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/lunch" rel="tag">lunch</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/baby+and+me" rel="tag">baby and me</a></span></div>Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-67778759930608457532016-12-12T14:53:00.000+00:002016-12-12T14:53:05.150+00:00Gousto–worth it?<p>I’ve been looking into all these new recipe box ideas recently and, in particular, the Gousto scheme, which I signed up for at Taste of London. I’d chosen this as there are options to choose your recipes from a selection, rather than just receive what is sent, and the fact that I got a great offer at the festival – first box half price, third free, so essentially. first three boxes for half price, making it just £1.88 per portion if you chose four meals for four people. Now, the Ella’s Kitchen baby food pouches are £1.40 each so this seemed a brilliant opportunity to give these a try.</p> <p>Each week you choose from the selection of recipes. There are some tried, tested and rated recipes, and some brand new ones, meaning you’re not always cooking the same things every week. You can also put your subscription on hold and just log into order when you feel like it with no obligation to reactivate it. This seemed like a good idea to me so opted for this as soon as I signed up so I didn’t need to remember to cancel it, if you see what I mean!</p> <p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Eg7j6MsHylE/WEV_jjvfh8I/AAAAAAAAVRY/XzXPtZzl-oQ/s1600-h/20161201_180926%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="20161201_180926" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20161201_180926" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5xIshJRtEfg/WEV_mrv-72I/AAAAAAAAVRc/8xLQZRxpl3k/?imgmax=800" width="179" height="320"></a></p> <p>The box arrived, finally, at just after 6pm, which is absolutely no good if you want to use it for that evening’s tea, especially if you have little ones who’re hungry, even though the box sticker said delivery by 5pm. Therefore, I’d advise you plan an alternative meal for the delivery day. The meat and products do last past the 4 days worth of meals – my delivery was on the 1st and the date on the chicken breasts was not until the 8th, so it does give you flexibility as to when to have them during the week.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CuyLRFsVtZU/WEV_rQ0YokI/AAAAAAAAVRg/o4MO-46iRUY/s1600-h/20161201_182215%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="20161201_182215" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20161201_182215" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hjRXoTIcUxU/WEV_uXYaDgI/AAAAAAAAVRk/V_Ja_d7b7yg/20161201_182215_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="440" height="256"></a></p> <p>Meats, fish and perishable items were stored in one half of the box in that lovely wool keep cool packaging, while veggies and other items were in the second half. Everything is pre portioned in sachets or bags which makes it really easy but does create an awful lot of plastic waste. Surely its not that important to have exactly 100g of carrot – one medium carrot would do the job, and be fine on it’s own in the box without the need to be wrapped in a plastic bag. Me and Effie had great fun un-bundling it all to see what we had, then decided to re-bundle it into meal kits as all the ingredients for all the meals come in one package, so you’ll need to sort out what foods belong to which recipe, which is made much easier by the inclusion of the recipe cards for each chosen meal. </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-o8GkOAAWP5U/WEV_xhWNA2I/AAAAAAAAVRo/KkzoLsBr1m8/s1600-h/20161203_173708%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="20161203_173708" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20161203_173708" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiyatuOtx68oUQ8WTjBop76nABxlXKZWt7f4NMwu2XEbqOsarkn8p97OzQO7nt4wFJpmwrbxP5QIiYOKueQ7jGemSfIsyvqGHc993hpzXHlX45wTGO0AEzRpijiXGgCvB1tSR3Q8V9_M/?imgmax=800" width="340" height="363"></a></p> <p>We chose a <a href="https://www.gousto.co.uk/cookbook/lamb-recipes/persian-lamb-quinoa-pilaf" target="_blank">Persian Lamb Quinoa Pilaf</a>, <a href="https://www.gousto.co.uk/cookbook/chicken-recipes/barbecue-chicken-with-apple-slaw" target="_blank">BBQ chicken</a>, <a href="https://www.gousto.co.uk/cookbook/fish-recipes/spicy-haddock-linguine" target="_blank">Haddock Linguine</a> and Bacon Wrapped Chicken. Cooking times varied from 20 minutes to 45 and, I timed as I cooked each one, were fairly accurate. All the recipes were tasty and pushed me to try flavours and ingredients I wouldn’t usually choose. The ras el hanout added to the the Persian lamb was absolutely delicious, and we enjoyed the Gentleman’s relish as part of the BBQ chicken sauce too. It certainly stopped me from cooking the same things week in, week out and meant I didn’t have to buy a whole jar or spice just for one recipe, as is so often the case if cooking Indian, Asian and African dishes. It was also brilliant not having to even think about what we would be having for dinner. I simply got our pre-prepared bag out from the fridge and followed the instructions. Yes, you still have to chop and actually do the cooking, but it’s easy. Either follow the recipe cards or use the app, which is well designed and intuitive. </p> <p>And there’s no waste. Not one bit. </p> <p>Effie ate them all, as did CC – I just made sure I kept a smaller pan aside, or removed stuff before adding salt, for her, then mashed or blended into a rough, textured puree. I chose recipes for 4 people to include the children and because I have a husband who eats double portions. I was a little worried that 1 chicken breast was sent as a serving for two people, but each one was huge and fed us adequately, especially with other ingredients padding it out, such as the huge amount of coleslaw and potato wedges! I had enough Lamb Pilaf for two huge adult meals that night, plus we both had second helpings, and two lunch portions the next day.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IycxIMrpxns/WEV_0V6yMEI/AAAAAAAAVRw/1bqjdHKwYQA/s1600-h/20161201_202928%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="20161201_202928" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20161201_202928" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B63huHi38RI/WEV_1VRmlZI/AAAAAAAAVR0/aOSpgdM5mDU/20161201_202928_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="340" height="534"></a></p> <p>Will I be using this after my three half-price boxes? Probably not on a weekly basis: at full price (£60 for four meals for four people, £3.75 per portion) I feel that I can do similar much cheaper myself. But throw in the time taken to shop, the idea that you don’t throw anything away, the new recipes each week and the fact that you don’t have a three year old pot of ras el hanout in the cupboard, wondering what to do with it, I will certainly be using it on those busy weeks, especially when I return to work at the end of February. </p> <p>And they sent me a big bag of free popcorn too!</p> <p>If you want to try, simply click this link and get £25 off your first box…</p> <p><a title="https://www.gousto.co.uk/join?promo_code=HANNA188010" href="https://www.gousto.co.uk/join?promo_code=HANNA188010">https://www.gousto.co.uk/join?promo_code=HANNA188010</a> </p> <p>Or go to the <a href="https://www.gousto.co.uk/" target="_blank">website</a> and click the ‘have a special code?’ link under the menu button on the homepage and paste in this code: HANNAH188010</p> <div id="scid:77ECF5F8-D252-44F5-B4EB-D463C5396A79:6084d4e4-c3d8-4cd1-9f06-e66277ad77cc" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><span class="post-labels">Labels: <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/gousto" rel="tag">gousto</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/hello+fresh" rel="tag">hello fresh</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/recipe+box" rel="tag">recipe box</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/boxes" rel="tag">boxes</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/quick" rel="tag">quick</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/dinner" rel="tag">dinner</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/pre+prepared" rel="tag">pre prepared</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/cost" rel="tag">cost</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/price" rel="tag">price</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/easy" rel="tag">easy</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/new" rel="tag">new</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/ideas" rel="tag">ideas</a></span></div>Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-176448921335811732016-12-08T12:07:00.001+00:002016-12-08T12:07:04.355+00:00Taste of London: The Festive Edition<p>I’ve coveted tickets for the <a href="http://london.tastefestivals.com/" target="_blank">Festive Edition of Taste</a> for the last couple of years, but finally got my hands on some via a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BigGreenEggUK/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Big Green Egg Facebook</a> competition this year – winning a pair to the Tobacco Dock extravaganza. And boy, was I excited! </p> <p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9VVbOzFWlzw/WEVYkEUeZFI/AAAAAAAAVOA/ycVEi-TAa1Y/s1600-h/20161120_134122%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="20161120_134122" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20161120_134122" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mEc_Uf3Njjg/WEVYk9fmQJI/AAAAAAAAVOE/NnauzXpHPvA/?imgmax=800" width="440" height="256"></a></p> <p>I packed up the children and the grandparents, ensuring Papi was driving, and took us off early on the Sunday morning for the 40 minutes drive to Wapping. I wanted to begin by taking my 5YO to the <a href="http://www.beas.london/" target="_blank">Beas of Bloomsbury</a> gingerbread man decorating workshop in the Patissier’s Pantry, which was free, but you needed to book after arrival. Luckily, they managed to squeeze us on an end as it was already fully booked ten minutes after the doors had opened, and what fun we had!</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRrY2wiMY7aSWpUkYkV7olMIp_62M9bSfLcBKpwqdNaoAiog77vr_GNzgWMXKLIlkqkP-mz8fVLLoFjLSPIShO3LIO1Cp-2HHCg7Dv3m3YCirTREqctQU7vO9EfKU2mzZtJTeFYDeTYQ/s1600-h/20161120_114717%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="20161120_114717" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20161120_114717" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7kLI815fjaUy_8fpFPN7wHjZ5UsCDlbwN-aJf8ySzFMwHctHlYFUtXyIC1vQvVVt050-sydLqpYkG7FvKK4c_MBj1zvL1v3Bv-hmXn2Ueu7H6mLncMrmkY_kbUZWCzLpufy1yslyj3HI/?imgmax=800" width="340" height="588"></a></p> <p>We then headed through the lower ground floor, sniffing out smoky aromas from the Big Green Eggs and choosing places to visit later on, before heading for the Great Gallery where we found 3 restaurants, many stalls, and plenty of seating. The LO enjoyed a Chicken Schnitzel Sub from Tom’s Kitchen, followed by Crispy Cod Cheeks from Tredwells. We had the Icon Dish of Smoked Rare Rump Cap from here too, which was delicious, our own portion of Cod Cheeks since monster had eaten the first plate, Adobo spare ribs and a Crispy Pork Belly Taco from Mole Taco Bar. All washed down with a couple of glasses of Prosecco, which was to be found everywhere! </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicd_c_vEEQuNjxnuSQ2hg9NpaySx8HIc2KJuOq0WRkc5n64pymNeWws9lm0kC0kYVjOf-CJbuFdjH50gvV8jOGiWjekagVa2Fu27fqGDyW4VyvnpaleU4-p1kUHpIA8mhM0KX27z-DpZU/s1600-h/20161120_121422%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="20161120_121422" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20161120_121422" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QHBRbOCxQ0g/WEVYnWvURLI/AAAAAAAAVOU/8pdStqwX_YQ/?imgmax=800" width="340" height="588"></a></p> <p>Next was a wander round the stalls, stopping particularly at <a href="http://www.pan-n-ice.co.uk/" target="_blank">Pan-n-Ice</a> to order Oreo and Nutella ice cream rolls made in front of our eyes! I think the stall holder was a little fed up with having to demonstrate what it was all about without people actually ordering, so didn’t realise we really did want an ice cream from him. The grumpiness did fade in time!</p><object width="475" height="381"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AYTDwklJ3M8&showsearch=0&rel=0&fs=1&autoplay=0&ap=%2526fmt%3D18" name="movie" /><param value="window" name="wmode" /><param value="true" name="allowFullScreen" /><embed width="475" height="381" wmode="window" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AYTDwklJ3M8&showsearch=0&fs=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&ap=%2526fmt%3D18"></embed></object><br><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYTDwklJ3M8" target="_blank">View on YouTube</a> <p>By the end of lunchtime, the whole building was buzzing. Live music, a dj, delicious smoky aromas all adding to the festive atmosphere. By far the tastiest morsel was something I grabbed on the way past … a Big Green Egg cooked Pork Belly Bun from Kurobuta. This really was just scrummy. My mouth’s watering just looking at the photograph again! I nearly went back for seconds but had lost the rest of my family by this stage so thought I should really catch up! </p> <p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VyKnZtZFlaM/WEVYn1Y3z4I/AAAAAAAAVOY/qhjuP8qenCo/s1600-h/20161120_133944%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="20161120_133944" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20161120_133944" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LpiPQ8Zc16k/WEVYosWKBII/AAAAAAAAVOc/JtQsQ7vMg_M/20161120_133944_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="440" height="446"></a></p> <p>To top if off, a hot mulled cider, oh yes, and a little chat with Marcus! A thoroughly enjoyable day…just fantastic. Thank you Big Green Egg. The perfect start to the Festive Season. </p> <p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oSgubRpl4lw/WEVYpP5ktNI/AAAAAAAAVOg/7fmbBmIhK20/s1600-h/20161120_124019%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="20161120_124019" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20161120_124019" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a9v9PlNc6tY/WEVYpzXaEkI/AAAAAAAAVOk/a-24GZryk5E/?imgmax=800" width="340" height="588"></a></p> <div id="scid:77ECF5F8-D252-44F5-B4EB-D463C5396A79:1ea1911e-0b81-45ce-98e0-c0c7d428f81b" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><span class="post-labels">Labels: <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/taste+festival" rel="tag">taste festival</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/festive+edition" rel="tag">festive edition</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/taste+of+london" rel="tag">taste of london</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/winter" rel="tag">winter</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/big+green+egg" rel="tag">big green egg</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/kurobuta" rel="tag">kurobuta</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/mole+taco+bar" rel="tag">mole taco bar</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/tredwells" rel="tag">tredwells</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/marcus+wareing" rel="tag">marcus wareing</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/tom%27s+kitchen" rel="tag">tom's kitchen</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/pan+n+ice" rel="tag">pan n ice</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/christmas" rel="tag">christmas</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/food" rel="tag">food</a></span></div>Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-58095560449757543502016-12-05T10:52:00.001+00:002016-12-05T10:52:45.590+00:00ASK Italian, Chelmsford … A Review<p align="left">What, with all these new chains opening up in Chelmsford, I can barely keep up! But one thing that will set a good restaurant apart from the others, since the food is is usually comparable, is the service. One of my main bug bears is the fact that there aren’t more independent places here, but when there are, it seems they struggle to get the service right too. Take for example A Canteen. It used to be a fab little place, perfect for a hungover weekend brunch. Then they expanded … too fast: huge premises, wildly long opening hours, three menus throughout the day at first, and new staff, who were awful. And the food went downhill too – with so large a choice, the chefs just couldn’t do it all, And the lack of communication between front of house and kitchen is still very poor. </p> <p align="left"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ip2yH0YeSds/WEVG2A6BNhI/AAAAAAAAVM8/ym9TrAajxII/s1600-h/image005%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="image005" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="image005" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R3-lpKIg8g8/WEVG23pUc4I/AAAAAAAAVNA/AqUyLckxZ3M/?imgmax=800" width="440" height="321"></a></p> <p align="left">Anyway, I digress. At many of the new chains, I have also experienced poor service. From tables not being served at the same time, some people having finished before others were served and the excuse being, “Well, we are very busy”, to poor knowledge of product from the waiting staff. At the press night at ASK, however, the staff and service was excellent. Way above anything else in Chelmsford. Staff were trained at the Billericay and Colchester restaurants for several weeks beforehand and comprised a mixture of experienced and new, which just seemed to work. Now, I know it was the press night and everyone was on best behaviour, but from product knowledge, personal experience and professionalism, to asking if we wanted the remnants boxed to take away without us asking, they were really superb. Difficult to find staff this good in when the market is saturated with new restaurants. We even received an email to say my partner had left his rucksack and that they had it safe for us to collect! </p> <p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8IxxqBwX3PGtZVgZnLzaM-2FTD_7ZWBPGCLOXKkfteRDcJ7SAXCqugoppk1Kwi_VHEaic4xZAEGubE7HfP2-OtrOElcgQgjBTjpl-T_4Z2j26SGbZx13QfHcJKlcbh5-WzHOkJtesPA/s1600-h/20161115_192347%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="20161115_192347" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20161115_192347" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FYWc-UvMPWg/WEVG4Af3WsI/AAAAAAAAVNI/JthgcFSmQ3Q/20161115_192347_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="440" height="256"></a></p> <p><a href="https://photos.google.com/search/food/photo/AF1QipPcYmviu5-zkQxjpZh1nFms0ooNeSnJ9fQQvIbE"> <p></a> <p align="left">And the food wasn’t too bad either! I’ve never been to an Ask before and was pleasantly surprised. The new mixed antipasti board was delicious, the tomatoes served at room temperature rather than straight from the fridge, so they actually had taste, and the mozzarella was soft, squishy and simply delicious. I chose a pizza with mixed salami which was exactly as expected…crisp and tasty, as was the super thin garlic bread we chose to accompany it. The OH decided on a meatball pasta, which was ok. A little more sauce would have gone down a treat as it was a bit dry, but came with a lovely side salad instead of having to order this separate and he ate it all. </p> <p align="left"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9HvpdBzzmro/WEVG46ADHZI/AAAAAAAAVNM/Ptxs6mckei8/s1600-h/20161115_194344%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="20161115_194344" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20161115_194344" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WF_4Bkfj_as/WEVG5XhDqYI/AAAAAAAAVNQ/rTOZDA6pOTA/20161115_194344_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="340" align="left" height="200"></a></p> <p align="left"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XZpVpv09IGU/WEVG6KqtPvI/AAAAAAAAVNU/x7UlFmaB288/s1600-h/20161115_194339%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="20161115_194339" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20161115_194339" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eaujU_fWvww/WEVG6jvJ4MI/AAAAAAAAVNY/uDYSIpBxTJc/20161115_194339_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="238" align="right" height="238"></a></p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left">But the real star of the show was the Etna Dessert – I'll let the picture speak for itself, but if you go, you must leave a pudding space for this!</p> <p align="left"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_9oPmytzzzY/WEVG7bonEWI/AAAAAAAAVNc/4peU425kF9A/s1600-h/20161115_202122%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="20161115_202122" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20161115_202122" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FZdCwbawvkI/WEVG8M7YgLI/AAAAAAAAVNg/tF1R3D09sdA/?imgmax=800" width="240" align="left" height="410"></a></p> <p align="left"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OUdEtfBy6zs/WEVG8kvwHdI/AAAAAAAAVNk/x7AVI3sDW3o/s1600-h/20161115_202132%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="20161115_202132" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20161115_202132" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pQ32Tew8rhM/WEVG9s02W8I/AAAAAAAAVNo/6hhz3jC_TwQ/20161115_202132_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" align="right" height="410"></a></p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left">The interior is the right side of industrial with open piping in the roof space but nicely finished wood and metal surroundings. There are a combination of booths and tables and plenty of space to fit buggies…always useful for a girly lunch!</p> <p align="left"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HCj0t4gskbE/WEVG-bbN_GI/AAAAAAAAVNs/kac8AwcbsGY/s1600-h/image001%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="image001" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="image001" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6vWZycTc-wU/WEVG_Mzn9uI/AAAAAAAAVNw/GpmyKPer4ZI/?imgmax=800" width="440" height="300"></a></p> <p align="left">Here’s what ASK had to say about the opening … </p> <p align="left">“The new restaurant features seating for 140 guests, with capacity for an additional 60 covers outside in the warmer months, overlooking the river Chelmer. The imposing glass frontage floods the restaurant with light during the daytime and showcases a very impressive hand built wooden staircase. </p> <p>Serving a range of dishes from starters such as Butterfly King Prawns, Antipasti boards and Dough Balls to mains including stone baked pizzas, pasta and salads, busy Chelmsford shoppers will be spoilt for choice at ASK Italian. One of the highlights has to be the very ‘instagrammable’ Chocolate Etna dessert where hot toffee sauce is poured over a dark chocolate cup at your table to reveal a hidden scoop of vanilla gelato on top of a hot chocolate fondant.” <p>We’ll see how they cope over the festive period, but if you fancy it, all 3 ASK Italian Christmas menu options are available to view online <a href="https://www.askitalian.co.uk/menu/super-festivo/" target="_blank">here</a> <p>Classico – 3 courses for £18.95 <p>Festivo – 3 courses for £22.95 or 2 courses for £14.95 (Mon-Fri until 5pm) <p>Super Festivo – 3 courses for £24.95 <p>I’ll be visiting again next time I’m in town for lunch…here’s hoping the service is just as good! <p> <div id="scid:77ECF5F8-D252-44F5-B4EB-D463C5396A79:b22ad3b5-664a-4388-bc12-8a42552d40d8" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><span class="post-labels">Labels: <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/Ask" rel="tag">Ask</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/Italian" rel="tag">Italian</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/food" rel="tag">food</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/restaurant" rel="tag">restaurant</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/chelmsford" rel="tag">chelmsford</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/review" rel="tag">review</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/pizza" rel="tag">pizza</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/salami" rel="tag">salami</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/pasta" rel="tag">pasta</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/etna" rel="tag">etna</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/dessert" rel="tag">dessert</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/service" rel="tag">service</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/excellent" rel="tag">excellent</a></span></div> <p>Disclaimer: Our meal was complementary for review purposes. All opinions given are my own, honest and truthful. </p>Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-56978348457492538612016-11-01T21:55:00.001+00:002016-11-01T21:55:34.458+00:00Our Local Butcher … at last!<p>Something Chelmsford has needed since I moved here over 15 years ago is a decent butchers. A couple are in and around...the farm shop on Moulsham St. has a selection of meats and <a href="http://www.eapples.co.uk/" target="_blank">Lathcoats</a> farm shop on Beehive Lane also sources and sells local meat. There are a couple of butchers in the market and a few independents in most of the surrounding areas, such as the Vineyards at Baddow and the shops at Galleywood. </p> <p>Now, Stock is much further out than 'Chelmsford' and his new butchers is just on the far side of the village, based at <a href="http://www.stockbrooknursery.co.uk/" target="_blank">Stockbrook Farm Shop and Nurseries</a>. Its’ here that James has opened up a little butchers counter. Although small, he is happy to make up or prep. ahead anything available for you to collect, or order your leg of lamb for Sunday roast in advance. And with a new delivery scheme set up, there's really no reason not to. <br>I visited this week and was pleased to see quite a big range of meats, including several pre-prepped options, such as hunters or lemon chicken, fresh stir fry or stuffed lamb noisettes. These sauced and pre-prepped options are always homemade from natural, store cupboard ingredients and perfect to pop straight into the oven. The meat is sourced as locally as possible, with pork from <a href="http://www.wicksmanor.com/" target="_blank">Wicks Manor</a> and other meats from Hanningfield and Great Leighs. James has developed relationships and struck up friendships with Smithfields Market, London, and ensures all meat is high welfare, even if it's not always possible, due to demand, to ensure it's as local as he would like. Talking of local, nearby customers are also currently given a 5% discount!</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J3_RRQoJQ28/WBkPS4vVZ-I/AAAAAAAAUhw/hQYaWKoHgvk/s1600-h/image%25255B14%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="image" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3x4EokoPch4/WBkPTjo6-WI/AAAAAAAAUh0/W2IuQk4d1-g/image_thumb%25255B16%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="440" height="370"></a> </p> <p>I chose four lamb noisettes and a chunk of rib eye which James chopped in two for me and was pleasantly surprised they only came to £15! I would have posted pictures, but we gobbled them up far too quickly! the steak was great, and I’d advise you to cook quickly on a high heat first to sear the fat and begin to melt it down, then finish them off in the oven to medium. I usually eat my steak rare – as in, just touched the pan rare – but with a ribeye, it’s important that if you want the full flavour, you need to crispen the outside fat and melt it down to make the middle moist. As for the lamb, I fried this. On a high heat to begin to, again, brown the far, then on a lower heat to begin to cook the middle. I ate this pink and it was delicious. I served it with potato dauphinois, baked tomatoes and mushrooms and roasted vegetables. They were utterly delicious.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WO7zOvrvuro/WBkPUiNM7lI/AAAAAAAAUh4/A8YonKnxg_Q/s1600-h/image%25255B15%25255D.png"><img title="image" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="image" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Jg2YhQ4OFFk/WBkPVZDdDVI/AAAAAAAAUh8/mNB28qT4cYk/image_thumb%25255B17%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="440" height="326"></a> </p> <p>You'd definitely be advised to follow James Facebook page, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ourlocalbutcher/?ref=br_rs" target="_blank">Our Local Butcher</a>, and <a href="http://www.ourlocalbutcher.com/index.jsp" target="_blank">new website</a> to view the full range of meats, and to check out recipe ideas and meal suggestions from him too. The delivery service has just begun, with different areas of Chelmsford being covered on different days. Free delivery for orders over £25 and a £5 charge otherwise. <p>This seems like the perfect answer to fresh, local meat for me, until they invent chilled meat lockers on every road anyway (!) , and I’m already looking forward to this week’s visit. <p>Photographs taken from Our Local Butcher website. <div id="scid:77ECF5F8-D252-44F5-B4EB-D463C5396A79:d14d8ee3-2082-4dea-bb1f-b58c94e1edfd" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><span class="post-labels">Labels: <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/butcher" rel="tag">butcher</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/james" rel="tag">james</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/stock" rel="tag">stock</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/stockbrook" rel="tag">stockbrook</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/farm" rel="tag">farm</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/shop" rel="tag">shop</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/local" rel="tag">local</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/chelmsford" rel="tag">chelmsford</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/delivery" rel="tag">delivery</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/quality" rel="tag">quality</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/meat" rel="tag">meat</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/delicious" rel="tag">delicious</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/lamb" rel="tag">lamb</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/ribeye" rel="tag">ribeye</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/recipes" rel="tag">recipes</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/review" rel="tag">review</a></span></div>Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-3009659782901750082016-10-31T17:16:00.001+00:002016-10-31T17:16:51.053+00:00Spicy Pumpkin Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I always struggle to use up the bits and bobs of pumpkin that are leftover from carving. Doesn't everyone just scoop out the seeds and gunk and leave most of the flesh inside, or is that just me? Anyway, this year, I had a few pieces that I refused to throw away, so topped them up with other things to make soup. It was sooo easy.</span><br />
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Fry off the leftover bits of pumpkin along with a peeled and cubed sweet potato, a few stalks of chopped celery and a red onion. That's it. Once beginning to soften, add a stock of your preference and simmer until cooked through. Blitz in a blender and serve to your little monsters. For a spicier kick, throw in some chilli flakes and chilli powder. That's our post rainbows, pre trick or treating tea made then! </div>
Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-42315443769547330992016-10-03T20:34:00.001+01:002016-10-03T20:34:39.518+01:00Homemade Salted Caramel Buttered Popcorn<p> </p> <p>After recently attempting <a href="https://twitter.com/TheDessertDeli" target="_blank">Laura Amos’</a> Salted Caramel and Chocolate Tart from her Dessert Deli, and giving the caramel at least three goes, I was more confident to try this on my own. So when we decided on a relaxed ‘cinema afternoon’, with the big cushions pulled off the sofa onto the floor, the shutters closed and the Lego Movie on the box, it seemed the perfect opportunity to try out a quick caramel to top our popcorn. </p> <p>I’d highly recommend buying the corn kernels to pop yourself. They’re so cheap and easy…and fun, especially if you have a glass lidded pan so you can see them popping. Take care to put less than you think in – a layer over the bottom of the pan will be fine - turn the heat up and keep shaking so they don’t burn on the bottom. As soon as they begin to burst, turn the pan lower and keep shaking that pan til popping slows. </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AiNferUDuT4/V_Kyy9VhtwI/AAAAAAAATxk/ZQzVsg2y7cU/s1600-h/popcorn%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="popcorn" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="popcorn" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6Cb9cWvo0FM/V_Kyzn4riHI/AAAAAAAATxo/cJJ0prVWjA0/popcorn_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="340" height="363"></a></p> <p>As for the caramel. you could make a simple sugar syrup…stop after the sugar has melted, or continue to make a richer caramel sauce. Pour a layer of caster sugar over the bottom of a saucepan and keep the heat on medium. Try not to stir the sugar, simply wait for it to melt and turn a golden orangey colour. If you end up with a lump of unmelted sugar, gently swirl the pan. Once all the sugar has dissolved, take the pan off the heat and quickly stir in a lump of salted butter – this will cause the mixture to bubble, but don’t worry and keep stirring. You can also stop at this stage or add a splash or two of cream. Again, keep stirring. If you get a few lumps, return to a low heat and stir, stir, stir. The more cream you add, the runnier the finished caramel. Once finished, add the popcorn into the pan and coat each piece thoroughly using a spoon. </p> <p>Don’t forget to have some wipes handy for those sticky fingers afterwards!</p> <div id="scid:77ECF5F8-D252-44F5-B4EB-D463C5396A79:79cf0243-b4a2-429c-917d-73e16300b727" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><span class="post-labels">Labels: <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/popcorn" rel="tag">popcorn</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/homemade" rel="tag">homemade</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/cinema" rel="tag">cinema</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/night+in" rel="tag">night in</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/caramel" rel="tag">caramel</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/topping" rel="tag">topping</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/salted" rel="tag">salted</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/butter" rel="tag">butter</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/sweet" rel="tag">sweet</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/recipes" rel="tag">recipes</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/kids" rel="tag">kids</a></span></div>Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-6387520870571286712016-09-20T13:58:00.001+01:002016-09-20T14:12:19.246+01:00Turtle Bay, Chelmsford–A Review<p> <p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IiY07q8sRgI/V-EyaYWfFsI/AAAAAAAATZs/J035-Dy7e_g/s1600-h/20160915_212452%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="20160915_212452" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20160915_212452" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qrHBMbwg4-4/V-Eya0EaH1I/AAAAAAAATZw/oIcwXmpIAGY/?imgmax=800" width="440" height="256"></a>People know how I feel about chain restaurants, but with so many opening in Chelmsford recently, and about to in the very near future with the Bond St development, you just can't get away from them. The first phase to open has been The Exchange, home to Cote, Carluccios and <a href="http://www.turtlebay.co.uk/" target="_blank">Turtle Bay</a> so far, and I was excited to have the opportunity to review the latter, especially as we have more Italians than we can shake a stick at! I hadn't heard of this chain before so was looking forward to seeing what Caribbean flavours were on offer, and I wasn't to be disappointed. <p>From the outside, the restaurant looks vibrant and fun and that theme continues inside when you enter the bar area. By 7.30pm on this Thursday evening, there was already an hour and half wait for a table. The bar and restaurant itself was packed and the noisy chatter and easy music gave a brilliant atmosphere. The cocktail list is huge...mainly rum based for obvious reasons, and the Jamaican Mule with ginger beer and Koko Colada were delicious. I usually opt for beer or wine with food rather than a cocktail, but the creaminess and fruitiness of the Colada was just right to help tame the jerk spices! The other half chose a peanut butter and banana smoothy to accompany his meal, and had to order a spoon to go with it as the straw just wasn’t wide enough to actually suck up any of this delicious drink. <p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R3M7a06Cn7I/V-EybTsIgvI/AAAAAAAATZ0/PGSg8CT70cU/s1600-h/20160915_193248%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="20160915_193248" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20160915_193248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQbciH53pNu7i7_Y8-PblzToGE3M-mykocW3dsURjav7EF325Jqu8eFuvBcXrOZY3_nV4_2BfnZ1l6pPrDQ6zr6AXXsn9kahs8tPI3k-8lgBfbLhEFT1o-Z2yk8v3aREqHQ23MGG_AuM/?imgmax=800" width="240" align="left" height="410"></a> <p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SxmWEQm5vZ0/V-EycSVZf-I/AAAAAAAATZ8/n3S0K1nbqJ4/s1600-h/20160915_200105%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="20160915_200105" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20160915_200105" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hZOk-FRtu54/V-Eyc-YGlTI/AAAAAAAATaA/aDYhcAxXc_8/20160915_200105_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" align="right" height="410"></a> <p> <p> <p> <p> <p> <p> <p> <p> <p> <p> <p> <p> <p> <p> <p>Our waitress, Millie, introduced herself and was lovely all evening, even checking how well we coped with spice before placing our order. She also asked someone else to speak to me regarding the dryness of the Rosé, just in case I fancied a glass with dinner, and he was happy to provide a taster for me. The bar staff were jubilant and efficient, balancing the right mix of friendliness and professionalism, even high fiving my husband! One of my favourite things was the size of the napkins...big. Think tea towels. This is especially important when dealing with jerk chicken, I have discovered! <p>We chose the Beach Food Platter to share for starters, purely in the interest of you readers of course, so I could feed back on several of the starters rather than just two! Priced at £12.95, you get three of each taster: jerk chicken wings, pepper roti, sweet corn fritters and garlic and herb flatbread. A word of advice...have the wings last. They are incredibly flavourful, but also incredibly spicy. The flatbread had a chilli and mango drizzle across it, which was delicious and the pepper roti was nicely warming. The sweetcorn fritters certainly were tasty but still doughy in the middle...as Paul Hollywood says, I could squish the centre and turn it back to dough. Maybe that's how they serve them in the Caribbean, but a flatter shape would have ensured the middles were cooked through. <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bVGAGaJUZZc/V-EydZNnFlI/AAAAAAAATaE/YXGdeiHxid4/s1600-h/20160915_200415%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="20160915_200415" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20160915_200415" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rXjG_YC2TSw/V-EydtyhTJI/AAAAAAAATaI/qWtV3xp3Zgc/20160915_200415_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="340" height="588"></a> <p>My husband couldn't resist the 24hr marinated whole jerk chicken served with Caribbean slaw and sweet potato fries while I opted for onepot Curry Pork Cheeks with sweet potatoes and pineapple chunks. The chicken was amazing, marginally less spicy than the wings for starters but probably because there was less surface area proportionately for the spice to stick to. It was grilled nicely and cut into easy to eat quarters which the OH attempted with knife and fork. I, on the other hand, just used my fingers. The slaw was crisp and crunchy and the sweet potato fries were crisp, and stayed that way, rather than soggy. My pork cheek curry was served in a one pot enamel bowl, half rice n peas and half curry. It didn't look a lot of food when it arrived but, after finishing, I realised it was just the perfect amount. I liked the fact it came with two small squares of flatbread too to mop up any leftover sauce. The pork was slow cooked but on the dry side rather than fall-apart tender. The cubes of meat were quite small so maybe slightly larger pieces would have ensured a more moist bite? The sauce of coconut, however, was delicious, as were the rice n peas. <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oPV_KYwSHo0/V-Eyedk01BI/AAAAAAAATaM/tduVvhsa21g/s1600-h/20160915_202030%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="20160915_202030" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20160915_202030" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JInD9cdALqA/V-Eye6fZfCI/AAAAAAAATaQ/xDFQjp_ro7I/20160915_202030_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="440" height="267"></a> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pWXK3GSFHoQ/V-EyfQeUSLI/AAAAAAAATaU/kAIJB1C_YMs/s1600-h/20160915_202059%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img title="20160915_202059" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20160915_202059" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gG87cxrBmQ4/V-Eyfnjb6GI/AAAAAAAATaY/Y-5SW--lpNY/20160915_202059_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="440" height="347"></a> <p>I didn't have too much room left for dessert so chose a lighter option of BBQ Pineapple with a caramel sauce and coconut ice cream. The pineapple was just the right side of barbecued, and was really tasty, though I just couldn't finish it off. My husband had the Rum and Raisin Bread Pudding which, despite claiming the inability to eat any more after his whole chicken, he polished off in no time! <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IbE0JY3Vsxs/V-EygPyS6iI/AAAAAAAATac/MALACv56u-s/s1600-h/20160915_210104%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="20160915_210104" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20160915_210104" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3ssk3sb-1dI/V-Eygiw_miI/AAAAAAAATag/Mlmlu7ThAPE/20160915_210104_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="340" height="466"></a> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cOq0H-9xF_0/V-EyhLCbWPI/AAAAAAAATak/8SZVv9m5Yh4/s1600-h/20160915_210124%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="20160915_210124" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20160915_210124" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-erLYcw-btk4/V-Eyhqwf3II/AAAAAAAATao/8ZxTWhYz69Q/20160915_210124_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="340" height="341"></a> <p>Bearing in mind my husband chose the priciest thing on the menu, the chicken at £17.50 (a similar price to full rack of ribs and Frankie and Bennys) we averaged £36 per head, which included two drinks each and three courses. I don't think that's bad value at all...if you took my two cocktails off, that's £22 for three big courses! <p>Service was consistently good throughout the evening, and the atmosphere was buzzing, especially considering they've only been open a few weeks. A few outdoor heaters would have meant we could have had one last cocktail under the stars (well, streetlights) before heading home, and I think all tables should come with a stack of tissues to help mop up the spice tears! <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-O0NaOwtkXk4H_Es83vxk6mvTdaGBhb4JqcX0K67iGUZDQOxzCX0V9U-D9W5K5uhwcC60tL1vS2t3TAfzdtsS7-rBzKDD1r5qnfGy1QKNNjIzceQalCDqZDG-6PoPQwNsiFLCO0K8Bc/s1600-h/20160915_212000%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="20160915_212000" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20160915_212000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdx2n8AlcvBwuKqvw-366sxKzXa-FZuo7W3N8uG1jNO9a2zsoHav0TAIWzk-CYxjcDK7n_6a5Y5YMGnrxQMkdNTFQy-sBu1Oelw9Rr74ihE-Zouh1_VcWFk_zOpX02kEM6HNE1yfSePgY/?imgmax=800" width="319" height="179"></a> <p>Will we return? Well, as I said, there are a few other new restaurants I'd like to try out first, but yes, we will. I'd like to bring my little girl back to try out the Little Turtle menu as I think she'd love the beach theme and buzziness of it. <p> </p> <div id="scid:77ECF5F8-D252-44F5-B4EB-D463C5396A79:5eb09e24-b050-427d-b041-a9456927ec8b" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><span class="post-labels">Labels: <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/turtle" rel="tag">turtle</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/bay" rel="tag">bay</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/caribbean" rel="tag">caribbean</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/food" rel="tag">food</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/jerk" rel="tag">jerk</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/chicken" rel="tag">chicken</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/chelmsford" rel="tag">chelmsford</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/review" rel="tag">review</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/new" rel="tag">new</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/pork" rel="tag">pork</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/one+pot" rel="tag">one pot</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/exchange" rel="tag">exchange</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/essex" rel="tag">essex</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/eating+out" rel="tag">eating out</a></span></div> <p>Disclaimer: Our meal was complementary for review purposes. All opinions given are my own, honest and truthful. Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-69343453144475950452016-07-17T15:25:00.001+01:002016-07-17T15:31:30.905+01:00Strawberry Season<p>Yes, it’s that very short, but ever so tasty season again – Strawberries! We are very lucky, living just 15 minutes walk from <a href="http://www.eapples.co.uk/" target="_blank">Lathcoat’s Farm</a>, predominantly and historically an apple growing farm producing it’s own juice, but also in summer a PYO farm for strawberries, raspberries, plums, cherries, and many more delicious fruit. </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RhVRLyh4VSE/V4uVRa2Q96I/AAAAAAAAQCU/zuRgKyXLWTE/s1600-h/20160717_091237%252520%2525282%252529%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="20160717_091237 (2)" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20160717_091237 (2)" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--JMJWb8sLtk/V4uVR-0R4UI/AAAAAAAAQCY/w9xAw-b_qW0/?imgmax=800" width="340" height="358"></a></p> <p>You simply turn up with your container, or take one from the little picking hut, and pick til your heart’s content. We can never resist just one last berry, and always go home with far more than we can possibly eat, usually making jam from the remains. One of the best things about this farm is the fact that the strawberries are not along the ground, but on chest-height troughs making it far easier to find and pick, especially if you have a small 5 year old who is the perfect height to wander underneath and find all the ripe fruit! This punnet cost around £2.75. </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lz7tQUc9HjI/V4uVSYLZ8sI/AAAAAAAAQCc/YwZlAOzF-cE/s1600-h/20160717_091451%252520%2525282%252529%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="20160717_091451 (2)" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20160717_091451 (2)" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c9Whg_foKe8/V4uVS39HgLI/AAAAAAAAQCg/BUEGN1JBMHc/20160717_091451%252520%2525282%252529_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="340" height="447"></a></p> <p>This year, due to the earlier wet weather, the season has been quite short-lived and much of the fruit now is going mildewy, but there are still a few lovely strawbs to gather in, and the plums will be ready soon too!</p> <p>One of the things that irks me about the prep of these red berries is having to hull them. I’ve tried picking out the leaf with fingers but this always seems to leave the thicker green inner core. Another method with which I’ve had some success is to use a straw. Simply push up from the bottom of the berry, through the leaf and pick out. This works well but sometimes you still don’t get all of the green. I’ve resorted to simply using a knife to chop the top off, but am always upset by how much wastage there is of the actually berry. </p> <p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0K5Qeoxc_NI/V4uVTDrphyI/AAAAAAAAQCk/GyvleOGnVjU/s1600-h/20160716_201905%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="20160716_201905" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20160716_201905" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_KWgI533rmTOJm1NfjhqO8hchqN79rzSrHqnC8XuhmufCYhm1HB03M6YODpiTWz67X4R1mr4ihCFtlsJVNAEewJUzIvWzzzDT7mlwze87R0wC_mO8w3O6zQj897nTKf-L9joP-JXzDs/?imgmax=800" width="240" align="left" height="436"></a></p> <p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5S0qn_lmkm4/V4uVT8xyM4I/AAAAAAAAQCs/3GcfsZjiW-M/s1600-h/20160717_093210%25255B15%25255D.jpg"><img title="20160717_093210" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20160717_093210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmw9b0Fcm4nZV6_mbv4jFYGHd2uW68SUYEU0HnNhSmMI28ZF1_YBfBFesWkkroonKVZOGp-TOtGMYVzC2Oy2uztb65EMtXZ6jhVLSn-y4jyU6NT4jJN5bNC_vwg8zCNAowW1IN2oFhHB8/?imgmax=800" width="240" height="427"></a></p> <p>So, when I heard about the <a href="https://www.oxouk.com/strawberry-huller-356" target="_blank">Oxo Good Grips Strawberry Huller</a>, I couldn’t wait to give it a try. The instructions seemed pretty easy – push out the blades, stick them into the leaf section, twist and pull out, then push the end to release. And it really was that easy too. Even my 5YO could do it. </p> <p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dOfn_66zu8Q/V4uVU3Q8oPI/AAAAAAAAQC0/nTWbMQ5NjO8/s1600-h/20160717_093509%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="20160717_093509" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20160717_093509" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2xcuVvyKBG4/V4uVVFo1qEI/AAAAAAAAQC4/NeD3cz8bqsI/?imgmax=800" width="238" height="311"></a></p> <p>It works better on bigger, firmer berries: when they are too soft, you can’t pull the hull out without squidging the rest of the berry, so choose your fruit carefully when picking!</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Bzkghifzsr8/V4uVVt4ovoI/AAAAAAAAQC8/vZGCkLnAgOg/s1600-h/20160717_093254%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="20160717_093254" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20160717_093254" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7ysSzazz_3k/V4uVWLGDqII/AAAAAAAAQDA/ik4Rqqf-rcE/20160717_093254_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="350" align="left" height="307"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e9P2ahc-Q7s/V4uVWWUgQsI/AAAAAAAAQDE/ZWNMUakXkR4/s1600-h/20160717_094022%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="20160717_094022" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20160717_094022" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LPDZOS7lqXg/V4uVW4fGDEI/AAAAAAAAQDI/0xet4SWkvMQ/20160717_094022_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="333"></a></p> <p>I’ll definitely be keeping this little tool alongside my <a href="https://www.oxouk.com/3-in-1-avocado-slicer-white" target="_blank">Oxo Avocado Slicer</a> as something I use rarely, but that does it’s job fantastically, making my work much faster and easier, and much less messy. A good little tool, especially if you can’t get enough of those summer strawberries. </p> <p>I’m going to be making mine into a Strawberry Prosecco Salad. Heat a pan with a little tiny drop of flavourless oil and add those squashed berries with a sprinkle of sugar and a splash of prosecco to make a strawberry sugar syrup. Chop some mint finely, sprinkle over the strawberries before drizzling the syrup over the top. </p> <div id="scid:77ECF5F8-D252-44F5-B4EB-D463C5396A79:f0a59c11-9325-4ef0-bf9e-89256fd0a177" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><span class="post-labels">Labels: <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/oxo" rel="tag">oxo</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/good+grips" rel="tag">good grips</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/strawberry" rel="tag">strawberry</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/huller" rel="tag">huller</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/lathcoats" rel="tag">lathcoats</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/farm" rel="tag">farm</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/apples" rel="tag">apples</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/pyo" rel="tag">pyo</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/dessert" rel="tag">dessert</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/summer" rel="tag">summer</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/prosecco" rel="tag">prosecco</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/salad" rel="tag">salad</a></span></div> <p>Disclaimer: Although I was sent products to try for the purpose of this post, all views and opinions are entirely my own, truthful and honest.</p>Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-66376399243903354342016-04-07T16:19:00.001+01:002016-04-07T16:19:01.873+01:00The Reason...Here she is...my excuse for lack of recent posts:<div><br><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-23TOZMQQ2Cg/VwZ6Y6ZitlI/AAAAAAAANRg/pUTu5e1pHHE/s640/blogger-image-1431997550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-23TOZMQQ2Cg/VwZ6Y6ZitlI/AAAAAAAANRg/pUTu5e1pHHE/s640/blogger-image-1431997550.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div>A few weeks early, but classed as term. All fit and healthy. We're back on the road to becoming a normal family again after the shock of no sleep, birth, stitches, feeding, etc. But I'm nowhere near being able to cook and blog! </div><div><br></div><div>And prep. ahead has disappeared...or, as I now call it, very expensive Charlie Bigham ready meals (just like home cooked) but someone else has done all the prep! [http://www.bighams.com] I don't care at the moment tho, whatever feeds us as I feed her works for me! <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I've also gone back to my supermarket home deliveries, finding I spend less as am less inclined to purchase impulse buys. I am, however, more likely to buy pre prepared stuff as it's easier to find and add. Pluses and minuses. </span></div></div><div><br></div><div>There will be more cooking and posts...keep an eye out. There'll probably be more baby posts too!</div><div><br></div><div>Looking forwards to getting back to blogging, but with a 4YO too, it may be a while. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-68844873053085710472016-02-25T10:44:00.000+00:002016-02-25T10:44:00.974+00:00Slow Cooked Bolognaise<p>This is another throw-it-all-in and do as much or as little cooking as you want at the end of the day. You can do a whole slow-cooked lasagna, but I’m not quite brave enough to try that one yet, and we never have spaghetti (pasta) bolognese, so that’s what I’m going to use this mince for. You could make it into a lasagna, or change the flavours slightly for a more Taginey feel. Simply add harissa, chopped apricots, cumin, ginger, cinnamon and honey instead of the red wine, mixed herbs and tomato puree. </p> <p>I ground my own mince earlier this week, seasoned, and divided and froze suitable sized portions. So once I’ve remembered to retrieve it from the freezer, all will be well! If you’re super organised, this is a really good one to use your Prep. Ahead skills on. Finely chop celery, onions and carrots and bag up ready. I did this whilst preparing the veg for the wraps – let the little ones get chopping using a safety knife on some pepper, celery and cucumber strips, whilst you complete the chopping for the rest of the week. Again, you could freeze mixed bags of these to whip out the night before and simply stir in. </p> <p>Fry off the beef mince, throw in the slow cooker with the veg, glass of red wine, tomato puree, salt, pepper and mixed herbs and a can of chopped tomatoes. Add a small teaspoon of sugar to take the acidity from the tomatoes. Top up with beef stock, making sure the liquid just covers the meat and veg, but no more. You want a rich sauce, not a loose, sloppy one. Leave on low in the slow cooker for the day and serve as you will! If you don’t have a slow cooker, put on the hob and leave to simmer and reduce for about an hour – stir every so often to stop the meat from sticking. </p> <p>Again, once the prep. is done, there’s noting more to do apart from put it all in the pot and leave it to do what it does best. </p> <div id="scid:77ECF5F8-D252-44F5-B4EB-D463C5396A79:56cfd203-5d54-4d64-b4f0-0a7f08ff23ea" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><span class="post-labels">Labels: <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/bolognaise" rel="tag">bolognaise</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/quick" rel="tag">quick</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/easy" rel="tag">easy</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/slow" rel="tag">slow</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/cooker" rel="tag">cooker</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/cooked" rel="tag">cooked</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/prep.+ahead" rel="tag">prep. ahead</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/toddler" rel="tag">toddler</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/teatimes" rel="tag">teatimes</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/healthy" rel="tag">healthy</a></span></div>Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-47304519702646951332016-02-24T10:37:00.000+00:002016-02-24T10:37:03.846+00:00Wraps n Chips<p>How much easier could this get…I mean, really? Packed full of veggie salad stuff with a tasty dressing and oven baked chips, it’s not even bad for you!</p> <p>Get your little ones to help with the prep too…this always means they’ll eat more as they’re chopping and be far more likely to try new ingredients. Make sure there are some firm favourites too – red peppers and carrot sticks in our house – but throw in a few unfamiliar ones, maybe some avocado for a change, and see what happens. You’ve got nothing to lose!</p> <p>The <a href="https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/52d02d10-907e-4f06-81be-22a9bdf029e8" target="_blank">shopping list for today</a> suggests you buy cheese, pre-cooked chicken or ham, but really it’s up to you. Cut all your veg. into batons and long strips for the chicken. If you’re using ham, leave it in slices. Now, what turns a boring wrap into a tasty one is the dressing. I’m going for a spicy mayo, simply combining mayonnaise with some curried seasoning such as tikka powder or cajun spices. Add dash of lime or lemon juice too and some sharp red onions to the wrap for extra zing.</p> <p>Either use normal or sweet potatoes, and peel and chip, or leave the skin on and wedge. Season with salt, pepper and olive oil and bake until cooked. </p> <p>My little one loves these for dinner and she’s even convinced her best friend too – who’s had them every night for the past week! </p> <div id="scid:77ECF5F8-D252-44F5-B4EB-D463C5396A79:003a4a75-354e-460d-9a1d-3c95f0066541" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><span class="post-labels">Labels: <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/wraps" rel="tag">wraps</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/healthy" rel="tag">healthy</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/dinner" rel="tag">dinner</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/family" rel="tag">family</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/meals" rel="tag">meals</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/prepahead" rel="tag">prepahead</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/salad" rel="tag">salad</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/cajun" rel="tag">cajun</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/chicken" rel="tag">chicken</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/easy" rel="tag">easy</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/quick" rel="tag">quick</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/recipe" rel="tag">recipe</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/ideas" rel="tag">ideas</a></span></div>Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471863725292694703.post-81448395452418849792016-02-23T10:33:00.000+00:002016-02-23T10:33:00.762+00:00Little Dish Go Gos - review<h4> </h4>I was recently sent three trial packs of <a href="https://www.littledish.co.uk/our-food/go-gos/" target="_blank">Little Dish Go Gos</a>, a new oaty snack biscuit, perfect for toddlers on the go! I wasn't convinced as when we were originally sent a range of 'in the process' development products, my LO was not convinced. They were too solid and 'cardboardy' so I was a little hesitant that these would be given the four year old's seal of approval...but they were! She chose the ginger flavour to try and wolfed them down. Although still rather close textured, they seemed to hit the spot and she was caught an hour later debating which flavour to try next! <p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IeIm-ZSAqy0/Vsrj_ORSF3I/AAAAAAAAMnE/0-15aB-_LfI/s1600-h/go%252520gos%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="go gos" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="go gos" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODCoEMiZrcuwQxPfwglC7oDq_oNxFuY0u2ASPb0-2A4hPOLux2jJUvDEBhmYInlhXU-e-CEGjDM4q4QvVk5zwn3YJpMATuEqg-HH35FtbV-2OkT1zj3s1JUHXyEuXjSCbcjpIiLMXsjs/?imgmax=800" width="340" height="447"></a> <p>The little ring biscuits have been created with the help of Little Dish’s nutritionist and are wheat and dairy free with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, or refined sugar, but instead use whole grain oats, molasses, honey and a flax and chia seed mix. And because of that, each 25g bag is filled with 3g of protein too, 20% of a 1-3 YO's recommended daily intake. They're sold as suitable for children over one and even come with a little sticker to reseal the bag, or stick on 'small t-shirts' , which is where ours went! <p>You can buy them in single packs (60p) or multipacks of 5, priced at £2.50 and choose from three flavours: raspberry, vanilla or ginger, which isn't too gingery or strong. I've been looking for something a little more grown-up for my four year old, but biscuity based to combat those after school sweetness craving, so will definitely be investing in a few more packs! <p> <div id="scid:77ECF5F8-D252-44F5-B4EB-D463C5396A79:c531b0d9-c209-4d98-bdc0-1e707c29a7b2" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><span class="post-labels">Labels: <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/little" rel="tag">little</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/dish" rel="tag">dish</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/go+gos" rel="tag">go gos</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/biscuit" rel="tag">biscuit</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/snack" rel="tag">snack</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/toddler" rel="tag">toddler</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/healthy" rel="tag">healthy</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/low+salt" rel="tag">low salt</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/low+sugar" rel="tag">low sugar</a>, <a href="http://direbonappetit.blogspot.com/search/label/protein" rel="tag">protein</a></span></div> <p>Disclaimer: Although I was sent complimentary products, all views and opinions are entirely my own, truthful and honest. Merlottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271807891128594417noreply@blogger.com0