All That I'm Eating

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

Rhubarb, Rosehip and Lime Fizz

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I’m not sure if you’ve ever been in the designated driver situation where you end up at a soiree and the host assumes that the only guests not drinking alcohol are children? As much as I like Um Bongo it’s always a little embarrassing to reach the end of the carton and make that loud, conspicuous slurping noise while in the middle of a conversation. Down with this I say and hooray for the now bursting market that is adult soft drinks and cordials. I’m not sure why but all the ready-made ‘adult’ soft drinks available used to be either apple orientated or have grape juice in. I am really not a fan of grape juice; maybe because it tastes artificial to me and not at all like grapes. Not to worry though as this Rhubarb, Rosehip and Lime Fizz is a corker of a soft drink.  read more

Blackcurrant and Liquorice Lemonade

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blackcurrant liquorice and lemonade
The next beverage in my adventures with Mr Fitzpatricks cordials is Blackcurrant and Liquorice Lemonade. The smell of this cordial makes me think of old sweet shops. I love blackcurrant; it’s my flavour of choice for the last sweet in the bag. Liquorice I’m pretty unfussy about as I don’t mind if it’s there and I don’t mind if it’s not. The cordial smells rich, dark and mysterious so I thought it would be an idea to mix it with something sharp and fizzy.

Ingredients

You will need (per glass):

  • Mr Fitzpatricks Blackcurrant and Liquorice Cordial
  • Lemonade
  • Fresh lemon juice

Method

This isn’t a complicated one to make but again it’s all about personal preferences. Add some cordial to the glass as much or as little as you like then top up with lemonade. Squeeze in a few drops fresh lemon juice to give it some tang.

I think the colour is fantastic; a lovely dark purpley brown. The fresh lemon juice added a freshness to cut through the rich liquorice and distinctive blackcurrant. I am a fan of a bit of fizz too so I really liked this flavour combination. This is very much an evening drink; a long one to have with a book or a good film.
Thanks to Mr Fitzpatricks for the samples. All opinions expressed are my own. read more

Sloe Gin and Tonic with Elderflower and Apple

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sloe gin and elderflower
Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while will know about my penchant for sloe gin. I’m not sure what it is about infusing your own alcohol that I like so much. Perhaps it’s the romantic idea of foraging for food, connecting with the land and being able to puff out your chest in pride when you’ve picked a kilo of berries. It could be to do with the fact that I like gin. Either way, my second post about drinks looks at mixing up sloe gin with some classic British flavours.

Ingredients

You will need (per glass):

  • 50ml sloe gin (to make your own see recipe here)
  • 1/2 cap full Mr Fitzpatricks Elderflower and Bramley Apple Cordial
  • Tonic
  • Juice 1 lime
  • Caster sugar

Method

I was going the whole hog with this one, sugar crusting on the edge and everything. It’s easier to make the cocktail in another receptacle and then pour it into the sugar encrusted glass; much less risk of dribbling and dissolving. Start by squeezing the lime juice onto a small plate and putting a thin layer of caster sugar on another plate. Dip the rim of each glass into the lime juice and then into the sugar so you form a rather pretty (sweet and sour) edge to the glass. Mix together the sloe gin, cordial and tonic in a jug and then pour into the prepared glasses. read more

Hot Blood Tonic with Orange

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hot blood tonic and orange
One of my favourite things to make is drinks. They are so simple and there is a world of flavours and so many combinations to choose from. I recently met a great company called Mr Fitzpatricks who make a range of interesting cordials. To make the most of their intriguing flavours I am doing a series of posts all about drinks. The first of four posts is about the curiously named Blood Tonic. It’s got a fantastic deep red colour and it smells of fruit and herbs. I’ve been a bit under the weather recently (and feeling terribly sorry for myself) so this was sure to cheer me up.

Ingredients

You will need (per glass):

  • Blood Tonic
  • Hot water
  • 1 small orange

Method

With the exception of water (and even then maybe not) people are very particular about how they like their beverages; strong, hot, milk in after and many other variations can enhance or upset our enjoyment of a drink. When it comes to making this concoction it is all about how strong you like it. For this unbelievably simple drink just dilute the Blood Tonic with hot water, squeeze in a little orange juice and then top with a slice of orange. read more

Citrus Carpaccio with Champagne Sabayon

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Citrus Carpaccio with Champagne Sabayon
January is the month in which we all need a bit of sunshine. When the clouds fail to part sometimes you need to rely on a plateful of bright beams to keep you going. The dark mornings and evenings are easily punctuated by citrus fruits; particularly the blood orange. If anything is going to brighten a chilly evening it’s a platter of thinly sliced citrus fruits covered in a decadent Champagne sabayon with hints of mint and pomegranate.  

Ingredients

You will need (for two):
1 blood orange 1 pink grapefruit 1 white grapefruit Pomegranate seeds Mint leaves 3 egg yolks 3 tbsp caster sugar 150ml Champagne

Method

Start by peeling and slicing the citrus fruits as thinly as possible. Put to one side.

To make the sabayon put a bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water taking care that the bowl and water do not touch. Whisk together the eggs yolks and sugar in the bowl until combined and then whisk in the Champagne. Keep whisking for around 10 minutes until it is completely frothy and doubled in size. 

Serve the slices of fruit on a big plate, spoon over the sabayon and top with some pomegranate seeds and mint leaves.  read more

Blood Orange Bucks Fizz

By 25 Comments

A new house and a new kitchen, a tricky transition I find. What will the oven be like; a brute or a wimp? It turns out the oven is a pretty good one although I am yet to bake a cake and discover its true character. We have managed to save enough space to have a pantry; something I’ve always wanted. There are a few boxes yet to be unpacked and a few more bits of furniture to be put in place but progress has been good. So, with all the unpacking, swearing, cleaning and tidying there had to be time for a beautiful breakfast. read more

Mulled Wine and Orange Jelly

By 19 Comments

I feel a little left out at the moment. Everyone is having a Christmas party of some sort or other and I have never been to one. I’m not sure how it’s different to any other kind of party other than people adorning some questionably festive earrings and the subtle background music involving an alarming amount of sleigh bells. In order to rectify my festive blues I decided to have my own Christmas party. I say party but really it was just an excuse to make some jelly. read more

Christmas Spiced Tea

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spiced tea in cups
I rather like tea. There are times where no matter how terrible the situation a cup of tea can remedy it in an instant. If the first cup doesn’t work then you move onto a mug. If the mug is failing to turn that frown around then you move onto a larger receptacle. And so on and so forth until the only solution is to fill a bath tub with warm tea and have a little soak. That way you’ve got the best of both worlds.

No matter what the tea there is always an appropriate occasion for it. For example I would start the day on a strong single blend, have an Earl Grey in the afternoon and a fresh green tea in the evening. Each to their own I reckon. Over the festive period I find my tea consumption reduced in favour of mulled wine, sloe gin and hot chocolate. Of course, I don’t start pouring gin over my cornflakes but you get the picture. In order to feel festive and start wading through the mountains of tea I have acquired over the last few months it was time to try making a Christmas tea. read more

Tea and Me: A long term love affair and a review of Teavivre

By 15 Comments

Different teas and crockery
I have always had my tea in the same way; a splash of milk and never any sugar. Once, my Godmother tried to convert me to sweeten my tea. I determinedly told her I didn’t want sugar in my tea and when she put some in anyway I poured it into the nearest pot plant I could find and stuck to squash when visiting from then on. Things haven’t changed much and I can’t go a day without a cup of tea of some description. My collection of tea is comparable to a spice cupboard; indeed I have a tea chest from Bahrain which holds my rare and unusual varieties alongside my more mainstream leaves. I find tea as fascinating as some people find wine. I think the way that the flavour of tea can be affected by so many things really interesting; hot or cold, dry or damp, early or late picking can affect the appearance, smell and flavour in the finished tea. Then you’ve got all the flavours that can be added to the tea; Earl Grey and Jasmine being two of my personal favourites. I’m not sure I could ever get bored of tea so when Teavivre asked if I would be interested in trying some of their Chinese tea I had to say yes!

First of all I tried the Yun Nan Dian Hong which is a golden tipped black tea. The colours of the leaves are wonderful; they look like autumn. I was really surprised at how dark the colour of the tea was considering the lightness of the leaves. It was really full bodied but refreshing at the same time and not at all bitter.

The next tea I tried was the Bi Luo Chun which is a green tea. It smelled so fresh, almost lemony and the leaves looked extremely dainty. It tasted like I would expect for a green tea but slightly more rounded and complex than some of the others I have tried. read more

An Autumn Picnic 1 of 3: Spiced Cider and Sticky Chilli Sausages

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Autumn Picnic - Making Spiced Cider
Who doesn’t love a picnic? The optimum picnic is of course one where the sun is shining, the birds are singing and everyone has some food that they enjoy. This perfection can normally successfully be achieved in summer where there are lower risks of rain, wind and cold. However, that’s not to say you can’t have a picnic in the autumn; as long as you’re a bit clever with what you make. The idea of this autumn picnic is to encourage you to embrace the outdoors even when you might think outside entertainment is over. In the next three posts I’ll be showing you the recipes I created to keep everyone warm and fed on a blustery afternoon adventure. I did actually make this picnic outside; you can find some pictures of it on my Facebook page, and everything I needed for it fit into a picnic set and one other small bag (two saucepans and some foil). The only additional piece of equipment you need is a BBQ or stove; both to cook the food on and to warm your hands and guests.

To kick the picnic off to a good start I made some spiced cider. The reason for this was twofold; it’s a marriage made in heaven when mixed with cinnamon and I thought if my guests drunk a little cider they might get their cider jacket on and forget it’s cold.
When the BBQ is good and hot, put the cider into a saucepan and add a few cloves, a stick of cinnamon and some star anise. Keep on the heat until lovely and warm and then pour into cups and warm up your hands and your insides.

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