Books & Reviews Archives - All That I'm Eating

Review: The Crown and Anchor at Ham

March 24, 2022 By All That I'm Eating 2 Comments

This was a gifted meal.

At the centre of the beautiful village of Ham, The Crown and Anchor is a pub worth taking a trip to. It has featured in The Times in their ‘good walk’ piece and also voted Muddy Stilettos best Sunday Lunch across the counties (one of only two in Wiltshire). Considering it’s just over the hill from where I live, it was about time I went to try it for myself.

The bar at the front of the pub is full of comfy chairs, bar stools and small tables. The sofas and roaring fire made it feel relaxed and informal. It was rammed with locals on a Friday night. The restaurant is two steps up from the bar and stretches along the length of the building. We could see through the pass into the kitchen from our table as well as earwigging the latest local news from the residents. read more

Cooking with Pyrex and a Giveaway

September 6, 2019 By All That I'm Eating 14 Comments

This is a featured post.

Having leftovers is such a joy. Cooking an extra large batch of something so that you can reap the rewards the next day, or in the next few weeks, is very satisfying, time saving and thrifty too. Even better if you can store the leftovers in a dish which you can then pop straight in the oven. Minimal washing up; and that’s never a bad thing! I have been cooking with Pyrex dishes over the last few weeks, seeing how they fit in my kitchen and with my cooking. I’ve got a few recipe ideas below for you and there’s a giveaway so you can get your hands on your own set of Pyrex. read more

Cornish Pasty Week with Ginsters

February 22, 2018 By All That I'm Eating 10 Comments

If you’ve ever been to Cornwall you’d have been hard pushed not to see, smell or try a Cornish Pasty. And a proper pasty is a serious business, don’t even think about adding peas to the classic recipe, it’s unforgivable. The classic mix of beef, potato, swede and pastry is hard to beat and I recently found out there’s such a thing as Cornish Pasty Week! If you ask me that’s a great excuse to eat as many pasties as possible between 25th February and 3rd March. The week culminates with the World Pasty Championship which takes place at the Eden project on 3rd March.

I became aware of Cornish Pasty Week when Ginsters got in touch to let me know about it and to see if I would like to try out their Original Cornish Pasty. I know how serious a proper pasty is, I married into a Cornish family you see, so I was looking forward to finding out more about their pasties.

First things first, let’s point out the obvious. It is much easier, less messy and far quicker to buy a pasty that’s ready made. I was really pleased to see the ingredients that go in to each Ginsters pasty are all ingredients that I recognise, no surprises in there, and that they use British beef.

The taste and texture of the pasty are all very familiar and they stick to the traditional mix of potato, swede and onion which I really liked. We took a couple of pasties out on a picnic to have cold and they were perfect for a blustery walk. They are best served hot though, not microwaved but baked, so after baking one at home and I have to say it was even better. The pastry turned all flaky and golden, the filling was steaming and it brought back happy memories of freshly baked pasties in Cornwall.

If you want to try making your own pasty ready for Cornish Pasty Week then I have a great recipe (see pictures below); approved by my Cornish grandmother-in-law and everything. Ginsters sent me through some information about their pasties and some facts about Cornish Pasty Week, I’ve picked out my favourite facts below:

Pasties were popularised by the Cornish miners taking them down the mines; the pastry around the edges meant they could hold the pasty without getting it dirty.

Geoffrey Ginster started making pasties in Cornwall in 1969 and they are still made in Cornwall today. They sell 800,000 pasties a week!

The pasty achieved PGI status meaning you can’t call it a Cornish pasty unless it’s made in Cornwall to an approved recipe.

Hoggan is the Cornish word for pasty.

The Cornish rugby team suspend a giant pasty above the bar if they are playing an important game.

If you’ve got any plans or recipes for celebrating Cornish Pasty Week I’d love to hear about them!

This is a featured post and I was reimbursed by Ginsters for my time to write all about pasties. All opinions and words are (as always) my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me.

Blue Coffee Box Giveaway

January 24, 2018 By All That I'm Eating 24 Comments

Coffee is a pretty serious business in our house. We don’t have just any old beans in the cupboard. I love trying out different varieties, different countries and roasters but I don’t always have time to go and find something I haven’t tried before. So when the guys from Blue Coffee Box got in touch to see if I’d like to try out their coffee it sounded right up my street!

Each month you get three different coffees delivered through your letterbox and the packaging is just lovely. I noticed that everything, other than the coffee bags which are foil lined, was made from paper or card so it could be easily recycled. As you can imagine, the smell when you open the box is just heavenly.

You can choose the grind of coffee you want depending on how you make your coffee at home; our fancy coffee machine only accepts espresso ground so it was great to be able to get the right size needed.

I really like the clean, simple packaging and the information cards that are sent through for each type so you can find out about the coffee you’ve got. The three I tried were from El Salvador, Peru and Guatemala. On the cards you can find out what the coffee tastes like, who roasted it, the variety(ies), the altitude it was grown at and a little story about each of the coffee growing farms. For example the Guatemalan coffee (Red de Mujeres) is grown by a large group of female coffee growers; the Peruvian coffee (Tunki) is grown in the Andes without pesticides and chemicals and the coffee from El Salvador (Finca Bosque Lya) is grown on a farm which is two thirds dedicated to coffee and one third natural rainforest.

Giveaway and Discount Code

Blue Coffee Box have kindly provided a discount code for my readers so if you’d like to order some coffee you can head straight to their website and apply the code below.

Use coupon AT518 on the checkout page and they will give a £5 discount off your first order, including all coffee products and gifts.

Just head to this page and you can cancel at any time (it’s very easy).

If you’d like to try your own Blue Coffee Box then you can enter the giveaway below! Please read the Terms and Conditions before entering and good luck!

The prize consists of: 1 Blue Coffee Box containing three different 150g bags of coffee (RRP £16.99). The prize is non transferable and no cash alternative is offered.

The winner’s details will be passed to Blue Coffee Box who will send the prize direct.

The giveaway is open to UK residents aged 18 or over.

Closing date for entries is 11.59pm GMT on 7th February 2018.

Entrants must log in using Gleam and complete the mandatory entry first by leaving a comment on the blog to say what your favourite thing to eat with a cup of coffee is.

Optional entry methods are on the Gleam widget.

The winner is chosen at random from all valid entries.

The winner will be informed via email within 1 day of the closing date and will need to respond within 3 days otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

The winner’s name will be available on request.

Blue Coffee Box are responsible for prize fulfilment.

This is a joint promotion between All That I’m Eating and Blue Coffee Box.

Entry to this giveaway confirms that participants have read, understood and agree to these Terms and Conditions.

City Kitchen Ready Meals: Review

September 26, 2017 By All That I'm Eating 10 Comments

I’ve got a confession to make. Although my evening meals are varied and I’m always trying something new my lunches always seem to get forgotten about. I just never remember to plan anything exciting for my lunch so I always end up with either a sandwich or a bowl of soup. So I was really looking forward to trying these meals from City Kitchen; something different every day for lunch and things that I would never normally prepare myself. The range of City Kitchen meals (available at Tesco) have been inspired by their chef’s travels; I really liked the sound of every meal I had to try.

Whenever I buy something I haven’t tried before I always head to the back of the pack to read the label. I was very pleased to see that I recognised all of the ingredients used in all of the meals, no nasty surprises in there! The meals were really easy to prepare, clear instructions and nutrition information on every one. The only problem was knowing which one to try first.

I must start by telling you that I have an intolerance to shellfish and therefore I was unable to try any of the meals containing prawns. However, I handed them to the only lady who is up to the task, the harshest critic of them all: my Granny. There were three flavours: King Prawn Thai Red Curry, King Prawn Chicken Chorizo Paella and King Prawn Sundried Tomato and Chilli Linguine. She was pretty impressed by all the meals, the amount of ingredients (i.e. the number of prawns, fresh herbs, chopped veg) and the portion size. She particularly liked the sundried tomatoes with the prawns in the linguine, the chunkiness of the paella and all the different spices in the Thai red curry. All in all, a thumbs up from her.

Vegetable, Coconut and Lentil Pilaf

This was first to try, I really liked the sound of the coconut and lentil pilaf. When I served it up I was pretty amazed by how many whole spices there were throughout the meal. The cauliflower and sweet potato were great together and the lentils through the rice added a bit of texture. That curry sauce though, I need the recipe for that. It was fantastic. I think this was actually my favourite of all the meals.

Malaysian Coconut Beef Curry and Skinny Thai Coconut Chicken

I was impressed by both of these for different reasons. The beef curry, which I had to take a second photo of so you could see how much veg was in there, was really good. There were large pieces of beef which just fell apart and it felt like a hugely generous portion of meat, sauce and fresh crunchy veg with rice. These different textures worked together really well and the lime leaves, lemongrass and coconut give a lovely fragrance.

The skinny coconut chicken I really don’t think you would know was a ‘skinny’ version. There was so much flavour and again it felt like a generous portion with plenty of vegetables. I particularly liked the pak choi in this with the carrot and mooli giving a lovely extra texture.

Malaysian Chicken Curry Noodles and Pulled Pork Steamed Bun

When I cooked both of these at work everyone said how good they smelled (I didn’t eat them both on the same day!). The Malaysian curry noodles were my second favourite of all the meals I tried. I really liked how the veg had been chopped to a similar size to the noodles, I reckon they could get away with adding even more veg for a skinny version, and I really liked how much flavour the marinated chicken had. Coupled with the curried noodles this one was right up my street, a good chilli kick too.

I wasn’t sure how the pulled pork bun was going to come out; both texture wise and out of the pot. The bun simply popped out of the pot once cooked and the bun was lovely and fluffy. There was a good amount of filling; not too much that it spilled out of the other side and just enough for lots of flavour. The cabbage and spring onions gave a lovely freshness with the pulled pork.

Shredded Duck Hoisin Noodles and BBQ Pulled Pork

The hoisin flavour in the duck noodles had a good balance of sweet and savoury, I could have maybe done with a little more hoisin because I love the stuff! There was plenty of shredded duck which meant you got some with every mouthful of noodles. Again the added vegetables gave it a nice freshness and different texture. The duck itself is marinated before being added and it really adds to the flavour.

You’ll have to forgive my photo of the pulled pork; there was cheese on the top but when I went to put it on the plate I turned it upside down by mistake so the cheese ended up at the bottom! It didn’t really matter because this was so full of flavour; it was one of my favourites. I really liked the faint chilli kick, the smoky flavour and all the spices. There was a generous amount of pork which was really tender.

Skinny Teriyaki Chicken Noodles and Katsu Chicken Curry

This skinny meal was similar to the other one in that I’m not sure you’d know it was skinny unless someone told you. I thought the colours were great; the edamame beans, pak choi and mushrooms made it look really appetising. Personally I found the teriyaki sauce a little on the sweet side but it was very tasty and there was plenty of chicken so again a really generous portion for something skinny.

The katsu curry was the last to try and I really liked it; I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the water chestnuts, I’m not normally that keen on them, as they gave such a crunch. The peppers and spring onions made it look really colourful and the curry sauce had a really nice freshness. There was a delicious sesame flavour throughout too.

After trying all the meals I would definitely try any new flavours City Kitchen add to their range. The portions and ingredients are generous and the flavours are great. There are two things that I think would add to the City Kitchen range. First would be to add instructions for cooking the meals without a microwave, I don’t have one at home myself so it would be great to have an alternative method of cooking. Second would be to see more veggie and vegan options in the range; maybe a bean chilli, a macaroni cheese type meal or a vegetarian version of the chicken curry noodles. I will certainly be looking out for these meals when I’m shopping as it was great to have something hearty, filling and warm for lunch. No offence sandwiches.

This is a sponsored post with City Kitchen. City Kitchen sent me the meals to try and I was reimbursed for my time to snap the meals and write this review. All opinions and views expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me.

What I’ve been trying: August 2017

August 31, 2017 By All That I'm Eating 4 Comments

What with moving house and getting everything sorted I haven’t been trying as many new and interesting products as I would usually. Now things have settled down a bit I’ve found some time to be able to sample some tasty new things. There’s a real variety this time as always; yoghurt, savoury snacks, drinks and tea! Take a look at what I’ve been trying over the last few weeks.

Rachels Lemon and Gin Yogurt

Lemon, gin and yogurt sound like happy bedfellows if you ask me but I wasn’t too sure about starting the day with a serving of gin! It wasn’t as strong as I thought it would be which is good, there’s just a hint of something botanical throughout the yogurt. I thought the texture of this yogurt, being Greek style, was really nice; it was good and thick which meant it was easy to serve with fresh fruit instead of cream for an easy dessert. And as you can see I completely forgot to get a picture of it!

Wellabys Simple Bakes

Wellabys make these Simple Bakes gluten free, dairy free, cholesterol free and with no preservatives, artifical colours or flavours. I had three flavours to try: Salt and Pepper, Spicy Chilli and SmokyBBQ. The bags are 120g which means they are a really good size for sharing. The Spicy Chilli were actually surprisingly spicy, the Southern BBQ were my favourite and the Salt and Pepper were just as the name suggests! The texture of all the Bakes was good and crisp but I think they could all do with a little more flavour on, just to make the taste a little more powerful.

Ugly Drinks

I have tried the Ugly Drinks before and at the time they had just two flavours: Lemon and Lime and Grapefruit and Pineapple. Now there are four flavours available: Lemon and Lime, Tropical, Orange and Triple Berry. I really like the concept of Ugly Drinks; no sugar, just fizzy flavoured water with nothing artificial. It means I can enjoy one, nice and cold, without having to have any sugar or sweetener and because it’s more interesting than just drinking water I keep hydrated and feel like I have a little treat all in one.

English Tea Shop

How lovely is this pack? It’s so quintessentially charming and I think it’s a great idea. A little book stuffed full of proper tea for you to take away with you so you don’t miss your favourites. English Tea Shop teas are all organic and fairtrade, something I personally think is very important, and I think they look so tempting. The Strong Breakfast is just as described, the ideal tea for a morning cuppa. The Green Tea with Honey and Mint I was really surprised by as I’m not usually a big dried mint tea fan but I think it really works with the honey and green tea. I love rooibos tea and the chocolate and vanilla in theirs is perfect to enjoy in the evenings (being naturally caffeine free).

Thanks to Rachel’s, Wellabys, Ugly Drinks and The English Tea Shop for the samples. All opinions expressed are my own.

New Little Treats

June 13, 2017 By All That I'm Eating 11 Comments

I don’t want to speak too soon and scare the sunshine away but it might actually now be summer. I’ve been trying out some lovely new little treats that are great for summer snacking and are easy meal additions. I always find myself eating lighter in the summer months, but I don’t just mean calories. Lighter flavours, colours and textures are always welcome at this time of year and these products I’ve been trying fit into that perfectly.

First up I tried some pots from Coconut Collaborative. Called Little Temptations these lemon and coconut pots are great mini desserts; I’ve actually been taking them to work or having one for breakfast instead of yoghurt. All the products made by Coconut Collaborative are, funnily enough, coconut based meaning they are vegan. I really liked the combination of lemon and coconut flavour in these pots and the size was just perfect for me. Also, not only are they dairy free they are also helping the farmers that grow the coconuts and planting more trees. A guilt free treat indeed! 4 pots £2 available from large retailers.

Next up, and surprisingly welcome on a chilly June morning, was this Vanilla and Pear porridge from Stoats. I was surprised how well the pear flavour carried through to the porridge and the vanilla wasn’t too overwhelming. There was a little brown sugar in the mix too and I liked the subtle caramel flavour that it added. I do like all the different flavours of porridge pots you can get; it’s so easy to just fill with hot water and have a really filling breakfast. £1.29 per pot available from Stoats, other Stoats products available from large retailers.

I also had some Soffle’s Pitta Chips to try in four different flavours: spring onion and Italian cheese, rosemary and thyme, mild chilli and garlic and wild chilli and garlic. I’ve got to say that the wild chilli and garlic was really hot, if you like your chilli spicy then you will love these. I liked all the flavours but I think the rosemary and thyme would have to be my favourite; served with a cold beer and dunked in fresh tomato salsa they were delicious. 15 packs £15.99 from Soffles, also in some larger retailers.

Thank you to Coconut Collaborative, Stoats and Soffle’s for the samples. All opinions and words expressed are my own. Prices correct as of 13/6/17.

Urbangrains Hamper Giveaway

May 13, 2017 By All That I'm Eating 22 Comments

You know when you go on holiday you can try some food or ingredients that are so wonderful and you just know you won’t be able to find the same thing when you get back home. If you’re lucky, you can stock up and take some home with you but sometimes that’s not an option. I recently tried some products from Urbangrains; a website where you can buy deliciously unique products that they source straight from the producer. In the case of Urbangrains they source a lot of products from Greece bringing back happy memories of holiday food and exploring olive groves. I have tried each of the products that they are giving away as a prize, you can read my thoughts below and also enter this Urbangrains hamper giveaway to try them for yourself.

This organic mount flower honey has a lovely rich colour and I have been enjoying it for breakfast with yoghurt. It comes from fields around Mount Olympus and is unfiltered; quite unlike any honey I’ve tried before. I think it would be great for baking with too.

Next up I tried their extra virgin olive oil. It’s got a brilliantly green colour and has that slight acidity/spiciness you get with good quality extra virgin olive oil. This is one for dunking bread and using for dressings and it’s made in a PDO (protected designated origin) area in Greece.

This Tomato and Lemon Jam, also made in Greece, is made of just five ingredients: tomato, lemon, sugar, spices and apple. I like the citrusy flavour of this; I’ve tried it so far in a goat’s cheese toastie and it was lovely. I bet it would be good with feta too.

Giveaway time!

If you’d like to get your hands on your own Urbangrains ingredients and some of their recipes, please read the rules below and good luck!

- The prize consists of: 1 bottle Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 jar Honey, 1 jar Tomato and Lemon Jam and three recipe cards (RRP £19 plus free recipe cards). The prize is non transferable and no cash alternative is offered.
- The winner’s details will be passed to Urbangrains who will send the prize direct.
- The giveaway is open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
- Closing date for entries is 11.59pm GMT on 31st May 2017.
- Entrants must log in using Gleam and complete the mandatory entry first by leaving a comment on the blog to say what you would cook up with the prize.
- Optional entry methods are on the Gleam widget.
- The winner is chosen at random from all valid entries.
- The winner will be informed via email within 1 day of the closing date and will need to respond within 3 days otherwise a new winner will be chosen.
- The winner’s name will be available on request.
- Urbangrains are responsible for prize fulfilment.
- This is a joint promotion between All That I’m Eating and Urbangrains.
- Entry to this giveaway confirms that participants have read, understood and agree to these Terms and Conditions.

New snacks for Spring

May 10, 2017 By All That I'm Eating 10 Comments

It’s time to put the jumpers away and dust off the summer clothes. Almost, it’s still pretty cold in the mornings! I find this time of year is when I start to try more new things, especially in the kitchen. Cooking with different ingredients, mixing up meals in the week and having something as a new little treat with my lunch always feels better when the skies are blue. So here’s some new snacks for spring that I’ve been trying in my kitchen recently.

As pretty packaging goes Emily Fruit Crisps has got to be at the top of the list, it’s so lovely to look at and I think really inviting. I had several of the fruit varieties to try: banana, apple, pineapple and in the vegetable varieties: french beans, sugar snap pea and edamame and sweet potato, carrot and beetroot. One thing that is consitent about the Emily crisps is that they are actually crunchy, no soggy fruit or vegetables here and the ingredients are very clean; just fruit, vegetables and sustainable palm oil. The skins are left on for the apple crisps which I liked and all the fruit crisps were good as a snack or added to cereal. The vegetable crisps I really liked too, crispy French beans are lovely! Available in shops up and down the country, and online RRP for the bigger bags £1.19-£1.49.

I’ve seen some of the I Am Super Food products before, I think the packaging really stands out. I tried out a pouch of their Quinoa, Mixed Peppers and Lentils. It’s ideal to keep in the cupboard as a quick meal fix, I also liked that there were instructions for cooking that don’t involve a microwave (as I don’t have one!). I shared the pouch between two and had some harissa marinated chicken and salad on the side, it was really filling and the texture was more interesting than just having one grain. I can easily see how having a few of these in the kitchen would come in handy on a busy week. They sell online, at the moment this flavour and some of their others are on sale at 6 for £10.

I was looking forward to trying out Bill’s granola for my breakfast; I loved that it came in a tin. I really liked that the ingrients used were exactly the ingredients that I would and nothing else. Just oats, honey, maple syrup, fruit, nuts and seeds. The seed, nut and fruit portions were really generous meaning that you always got a bit of everything. I enjoyed having a few spoonfuls over my yoghurt and the flavour was lovely, not too sweet. I’ll certainly be using the tin as a little plant pot too! RRP £4.95 for 500g.

The little pots of porridge you can but which you only need to add hot water to are a great idea for a busy morning I think. As long as there’s not too much sugar though! Fuel 10 have reduced the sugar in their protioats pots by 20% so I was pleased to see that. I had this for breakfast at work on a busy day and it did keep me full until lunchtime which doesn’t happen very often! The chunks of apple in the porridge added a nice texture and the cinnamon wasn’t overpowering. RRP 8 pots for £9.52.

Food essentials that aren’t processed are what Urbangrains are all about; they source different ingredients from around the world from small, local producers. The full review will be up later this week and there will be a giveaway that’s certainly worth entering!

Thanks to Emily Fruit Crisps, I Am Super Food, Bill’s and Fuel 10 for the samples. All opinions and words expressed are my own. All prices correct as of 10.5.17.

New Store Cupboard Ideas – March 2017

March 29, 2017 By All That I'm Eating 7 Comments

I have been trying some really interesting products recently; it always makes for a brighter day when your lunch includes something new and different. Always welcome in my kitchen is something delicious and easy to make a tasty dinner in a flash. This month I’ve been trying out a new range of curry sauces, puffed chickpeas and chocolate chock full of good stuff; some new store cupboard ideas.

I tried out two of the Funky Elephant products; the Karahi Curry Sauce and the Spiced Tikka Marinade Paste. I have to confess that I had to decant the paste into another container as I knocked it off the kitchen worktop by accident and broke the tub! But the packaging on the paste was as lovely as the one for the sauce. The Karahi curry sauce was really easy to cook with; fry some veg, add a bit of chicken, pour in the sauce, simmer and voila. It had a lovely fresh flavour and wasn’t too salty. The paste I have used as a marinade twice; once I mixed it with yoghurt and the other time with oil and both worked well. It’s got a chunkier texture than other pastes, it’s not completely smooth and I like that and is so full of flavour. The other good thing about this paste is that you’ve got six weeks to use it once it’s opened! Funky Elephant sauces are available from independent retailers. read more