All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

Cocktail Masterclass at L’Ortolan

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L'Ortolan mixologist at cocktail masterclass
Jayson mixing up cocktails

This was a gifted event.

Having eaten there before I was really looking forward to this cocktail masterclass at L’Ortolan. I thought the idea of pairing cocktails with canapés was really interesting; wine, beer, cheese and charcuterie are all well matched but how would it work trying to match the complex, sweet flavours in a cocktail with a canapé?

The masterclass was held by Jayson, L’Ortolan’s resident mixologist and Marco, GM, was on hand to answer any questions. There was quite a collection of bottles, jars and ingredients on the bar containing dried fruits, flowers, freeze-dried raspberries and all manner of different colours and flavours of syrups. All the syrups that are used in the cocktails are made in house which I think really gave the cocktails an added edge. read more

No Alcohol Pomegranate Mojito

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bashing the lime and mint together for mojitos

When it comes to adult soft drinks there are some good options but I don’t like any that are overly sickly and sweet. Fruit juices can be good but they are a little dull; I’m after something which is a bit snazzy. A drink where there has been a little effort put in. My no alcohol pomegranate mojito is so easy to make and packed full of flavour, the pinks and greens are so lovely together and using tonic rather than lemonade gives this mojito a nice bitterness. I made these recently for two guests that came round as I knew both of them wouldn’t be drinking and they went down a treat. You can’t go wrong with mint and lime together as far as I’m concerned.

Ingredients

You will need (per glass):

  • 2 quarters cut from a lime
  • 2 small sprigs fresh mint
  • Pomegranate juice
  • Tonic water

Method

Start by putting the lime and mint together in a glass and bashing them together with the end of a wooden spoon. You can use a muddler if you have one. Squeeze the lime juice out and bruise the mint well to let all the flavours mingle.

Pour the pomegranate juice in until the glass is about two thirds full then top up with tonic water.

If you have any pomegranate seeds or ice to add in they would be great additions.

Pomegranate has such a rich fruity flavour that works really well with the slightly bitter tonic to lift the drink up. The sharp lime and aromatic mint are classic mojito ingredients and you could of course add a little rum if you wanted to. Soda water would be worth a try instead of the tonic too. I like to add a little mint leaf or lime wedge to the side of the glass so it looks a bit more special. I can see several more of these being mixed up soon!

Elderflower, Cucumber and Mint Fizz

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Elderflower cucumber and mint infusion

The elderflowers are here and it is the best time of year. If I was more of a poet I’d have come up with a second line to go with that. I’ve been shoving elderflowers into various different things for years: cordial, gin, crumble and sugar to name a few. I wanted to try something a little different, and a bit less time consuming this time round, to get that wonderful elderflower fragrance down my neck as soon as I could. A celebration of late spring flavours my Elderflower, Cucumber and Mint Fizz is just the ticket for a sunny afternoon.

Ingredients

You will need (for two glasses):

  • ½ cucumber, grated
  • 1 lime
  • 3 heads of elderflower
  • Small handful mint leaves
  • Sparkling water

Method

If you can pick your elderflowers on a sunny morning it is said to be better for flavour. Having picked in all manner of different weather I can confirm that sunny mornings are actually better; they certainly smell more intense anyway.

I leave my elderflower heads on my draining board when I have picked them to allow time and opportunity for any bugs to escape (it’s next to the window so they can go back to where they came from). I then follow this with a good shake outside to get rid of any others that are clinging on.

Squeeze the grated cucumber into a small lidded container to collect the juice. The leftover grated cucumber is excellent for making a raita.

Squeeze the juice from the lime into the cucumber juice. Bash the mint leaves up a little, either in a pestle and mortar or just whack them with a rolling pin, and add these to the cucumber juice too.

Pick the elderflower flowers from the heads, leaving as many stalks behind as possible, and add these to the container. Put the lid on and give everything a good shake. I prefer shaking it as I feel this more violent approach helps to release more oils and flavour.

Leave to infuse for an hour.

Strain the cucumber juice into two glasses and top up with sparkling water. Decorate each glass with a little mint leaf if you’re feeling suave.

This would be really rather delicious if topped up with some Cava or added to a gin and tonic. On its own it is so refreshing and has all the flavours of an English summer; I really like it with sparkling water, or just tonic, sat outside with a good book. It looks so delicate but don’t let that fool you, the cooling cucumber, sharp lime, refreshing mint and elegant elderflower all come through so well. If you are thinking of heading out to pick some elderflowers, check out my beginner’s guide to wild food!

Orange and Rosemary Martini

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Orange and Rosemary Martini

I’ll stick a herb in pretty much anything and adding or infusing herbs in drinks or cocktails is always delicious. My Orange and Rosemary Martini is particularly excellent for two reasons: first, it uses those fantastic big oranges that you can get at this time of year and second, that faint hint of rosemary is so distinctive it makes for a really refreshing martini. It looks inviting, it’s easy to make and the flavours take the edge of a plain martini (which I can find a bit harsh). This would work really well with leftover rosemary in the back of the fridge, or those sprigs you popped in the freezer. However you make it, and you should, make sure you’ve got a nice comfy chair and a book ready and waiting.

Ingredients

You will need (for one martini):

  • 80ml chilled gin
  • 20ml chilled vermouth
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 1 orange, sliced
  • Ice cubes

Method

Lightly crush the rosemary in a glass, to release the oils, then pour in the gin. Return to the fridge for around half an hour to chill.

Fill a glass, or cocktail shaker, with ice cubes then strain the gin into the glass and add the vermouth.

Shake or stir as you see fit.

Run a slice of orange around the rim of a serving glass then strain the martini into the same glass.

Top with a few sprigs of rosemary and a slice of orange.

Using different gins and vermouths will of course alter the flavour of your finished drink. The rosemary is so earthy, it’s just a little hint that you get from using it, but it’s so worth it. If you wanted a stronger flavour you could leave it to infuse with the gin for longer or use more rosemary. As lemon is such a classic with a martini the progression to orange seems logical and the little bit of sweetness from the orange really does take the edge off the harshness.

Lime, Thyme and Quince Gin Cocktail

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Lime, Thyme and Quince Gin Cocktail - ready to drink

I made my quince gin as a way to use some of those delicious fuzzy fruits that grow in the garden. The gin has come out a wonderful, pale canary yellow colour and makes a divine gin and tonic. It is in fact so delicious that it deserved a mix up of its own, something to complement the quince’s distinctive flavour. I love using herbs in drinks and puddings and I wanted to add a botanical twang to this drink. A Lime, Thyme and Quince Gin Cocktail is the way forward. Trust me.

Ingredients

You will need (per drink):

  • 50ml quince gin (recipe here)
  • Juice ½ lime
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • Tonic

Method

Roll your lime ferociously before halving and squeezing it out to get as much juice as possible. Put the juice into a small glass with the sprig of thyme. Muddle the lime and thyme together to release the oils from the thyme. Strain the infused lime juice into a serving glass.

Add the quince gin to the lime juice and give it all a mix. Top up with tonic and serve. You can stick another thyme sprig in the glass to make it look snazzy if you like. I did. Yolo.

If you’ve got ice cubes at your disposal then a couple would make a welcome addition to this drink.

Considering this looks like quite a summery drink it screams of autumn flavours. Quince is such an autumnal fruit and woody herbs like thyme always make me think of slow cooking, roasts and chilly evenings. If you’ve not tried quinces before I thoroughly recommend you scour your local greengrocers or farmers’ markets to track some down; they are so worth finding. They have such a fantastic, almost tropical flavour which coupled with sharp lime and earthy thyme is a cocktail certainly worth trying. If you absolutely cannot find quinces you could always plant a tree, or failing that, you could use pears.

Quince Gin

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Having put quinces through their baking paces (adding them to crumbles or baking them with honey) I wanted to see how else I could use them. Steeping them with gin seemed like a logical step; the unique flavour of quince I thought would work really well, and it does. I set about making some quince gin and I made a little film about it too. It’s the first film I’ve made and I have a new YouTube channel too, check it out below!

I love the light golden colour that the finished gin has and the delicious, almost tropical taste, the quince gives. This is just the tipple for cold, dark nights with your thickest slippers and a cosy blanket. read more

Lemon Iced Tea

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Lemon Iced Tea - ingredients

Sometimes I make something for the first time and I wonder why it’s taken me so long to get round to it. Iced tea is one of my favourite drinks, especially lemon iced tea, but other than a passion fruit and jasmine version I concocted a few years ago I’ve not made my own since. I wanted to make some to take on a recent picnic as I thought it would be nice and refreshing in the late summer sun. Considering this only uses three ingredients, I used the very best ones I could: all organic and the tea I used had the wonderfully, British, charming name ‘Georgian Old Gentleman’.

Ingredients

You will need (for around 500ml):

  • 3 tsp loose tea leaves
  • 3 thick slices of lemon (organic if you can, otherwise you get a faint oiliness on the top of the tea when the wax melts off the lemon rind)
  • 2 dsp caster sugar (organic if you can so it’s unrefined for a delicious caramel taste)

Method

Start by making the tea. Put three nice big teaspoons of tea into a pot (or heatproof jug) and add 500ml boiling water. Leave to steep for around five minutes before removing the tea leaves.

I have a snazzy teapot which makes the above stage very easy: I simply remove the middle of the teapot which contains the tea leaves. If you don’t have one of these just strain the tea through a sieve or tea strainer into another jug or teapot.

Add the lemon and leave everything until it has cooled.

Remove the lemon slices then stir in the sugar until it’s dissolved.

Cool in the fridge and then serve over ice. Or, as I did, pour it into a Thermos to keep cool and take it on a picnic.It was as refreshing as I hoped it would be and it had the most fantastic unique twang because of the tea that I had used. Just the ticket to sip while sat on a log enjoying a picnic. I’ll definitely be playing around with different fruits and teas to experiment with lots of different flavours. I can’t believe how ridiculously simple it was to make; why has it taken me so long to make it again? I love that you can add the amount of lemon, tea and sugar that suits you. The recipe above is much less sweet than ready made iced teas that you can by, and that’s how I like it.

Grapefruit, Lime and Basil Agua Fresca

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Grapefruit and Lime Agua Fresca

I’ve toyed with the idea of making an agua fresca for a little while. What with the focus on Brazil and South America at the moment with the Olympics I have seen a few frescas popping up on menus. But I wondered, is it worth the effort, isn’t it just easier to squeeze a bit of fruit then water it down? Well yes, but it turns out it’s just not the same. And the (what might seem an unnecessary step but take my word for it it’s definitely needed) sieving does save you from any surprise seeds making into your final beverage. I had a couple of grapefruits loitering round in my fruit bowl and thought it was now or never. So, welcome to my Grapefruit, Lime and Basil Agua Fresca.

Ingredients

You will need (for two glasses):

  • 2 grapefruits
  • 1 lime
  • Small handful basil
  • 1 dsp sugar
  • Chilled sparkling water

Method

Peel the grapefruits and lime and add to a food processor with the basil and sugar then blend to make a smooth puree.

Pass the puree through a sieve into two glasses then top up with sparkling water. If you’re feeling fancy, add a bit of lime peel to each glass.

It’s by no means a complicated recipe but considering how simple it is it does generate a fair amount of washing up! It’s super refreshing and a great way to use up a few pieces of fruit that you have left over. I loved the pink colour of the drink and that you could see teeny tiny pieces of basil floating in the glass, the grapefruit, lime and basil worked really nicely together and made for something different to drink which will see me all through the summer. You could try this with all sorts of other fruits and herbs; I’m thinking pineapple and mint or watermelon and lavender would be amazing.

Bergamot Gin and Tonic

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Bergamot Lemons

I am very familiar with the flavour of bergamot, being an avid Earl Grey fan, but I had never seen or tasted the bergamot lemon itself. A mystical fruit that I thought was confined to tea makers and lucky Mediterranean gardens. Then I found I could order some beautiful organic ones along with my veg box; it would be rude not to. My first thought when I got them was to add a slice to some hot water, just to smell and taste them. But then I remembered I had some gin, and, you know, why not? Hello bergamot gin and tonic.

You will need (for two drinks):

  • 1 bergamot lemon
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 75ml gin
  • Tonic (a good quality one)
  • Bergamot peel to decorate, if you’re so inclined

Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a small saucepan. Considering they are slightly larger than limes they hold an amazing amount of juice.

Add the sugar to the lemon juice then place the saucepan on a medium heat and warm the juice and sugar together. Stir and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and you have a thin syrup. Leave to cool.

Mix the gin and syrup together then divide between two glasses. Top each glass with tonic and add a swirl of peel if you like.

In a world where you can get your hands on almost any flavour or ingredient, certainly not a bad thing, it is a genuine treat to try something new for the very first time. An excuse to celebrate simplicity. I took this slight twist on a gin and tonic to my favourite chair in the afternoon sunshine and enjoyed every sip. The jury’s out on whether bergamot is a lemon or an orange (I’m team lemon) and the taste is just exquisite; acidic and very distinctive. I love citrus at this time of year especially and, to make the most of this delicious ingredient, there are a few more bergamot themed recipes coming up.

Slojito

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Slojito

I have been so busy this year that I have run out of time to make my own sloe gin. It’s not the end of the world though as I have some of last year’s stash left and once that’s gone there are some delicious ready steeped and drained sloe gins around. As much as I enjoy a classic sloe gin and tonic there’s much enjoyment to be had mixing up something different.

One place you can find some inspiration for new drinks to try is thebar. I found their recipe for a slojito and just had to give it a try!

You will need:

  • 50ml sloe gin (I used last year’s batch of sloe gin),
  • 10 basil leaves,
  • 1 tsp brown sugar,
  • Soda water to top up,
  • Ice cubes

Add the basil and brown sugar to a cocktail shaker or big glass. Use a muddler (or the end of a rolling pin if you don’t have one) to bash the basil and sugar together.

Pour the gin in with the basil and add several ice cubes to the shaker. Give everything a good shake (or stir if you’re using a glass) then strain the gin into another glass and top up with the soda water.

If you fancy giving some of the other festive cocktails a try on thebar you can find plenty of recipes here.

The combination of basil with the sharp, sweet sloe gin and the slight caramel flavour with the brown sugar was divine and a really nice alternative from the mint that you would normally use in a mojito. The joy of this particular cocktail is that if you want to make a virgin one, just use some blackcurrant cordial instead of the sloe gin (only 25ml though as it’s much sweeter) and it’s so good! As I’ve got some mint in the garden and occasionally buy basil I can see this slojito making a few appearances in my kitchen using either herb. An ideal long drink to sip snuggled up on the sofa with a good film when it’s cold outside.

This is a sponsored post with Diageo and I was reimbursed for my time and ingredients. All opinions and words are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me.

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