All That I'm Eating

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

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): read more

Grapefruit, Lime and Basil Agua Fresca

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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. read more

Crussh Book

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The idea of smoothies and juices I really like; getting the nutrients (with or without the fibrous parts) in a convenient way really appeals. Not least because it gives me something to do with a fridge full of vegetables other than soup. The only thing that puts me off is the thought I needed another piece of kitchen equipment to be able to make my own. The publishers of Crussh, Nourish Books, got in touch to see if I’d like to try out the new book. I asked if a juicer was necessary and they said it wasn’t so I was looking forward to giving one of the recipes a try. read more

Duck Lettuce Wraps with Gressingham Duck

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Gressingham Duck Lettuce Wraps - All That I'm Eating (1 of 4)
As it’s Mother’s Day soon there are many things to consider: will it be flowers, chocolates, something else or a simple card. My Mum isn’t picky or fussy and would be just as happy with a few daffodils as a full blown Mother’s Day themed weekend. So really, as our lives both revolve around feeding us and other people, I think the real decision is whether to eat out somewhere or eat in? Both have their merits. Having lunch at a restaurant means no washing up and someone else worries about what to cook but is much more costly than eating at home. Cooking at home is cheaper, you can make it your own and you can eat as much as you want. I think I’ve just answered my own question. However, I don’t want to be spending hours in the kitchen getting all of a fluster and make my Mum feel bad about the hours of work and mountains of washing up that have been created. Simplicity is key and so I give you my relaxed, Asian inspired Mother’s Day lunch: Duck Lettuce Wraps. You will need (this is for four but just keep adding more bits for more people): For the duck:
  • 2 Gressingham duck breasts
  • 1 pack of Gressingham Duck Mini Fillets
  • Oil for frying
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
To wrap:
  • Wraps
  • Whole lettuce leaves
Salad and crunch:
  • Cucumber
  • Carrot
  • Spring onions
  • Coriander
  • Chillies
  • Sesame seeds
Dips:
  • Chilli sauce(s)
  • Soy sauce
  • Hoisin sauce
  • Plum sauce
  • First of all, get the table laid and ready then as you get things prepped you can get them straight to the table.

  • Slice and chop the cucumber, carrot and spring onion however you like. I find sticks work well when you wrap up carrot or cucumber and slices of spring onion are more welcome than bigger pieces.
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    Coconut and Lime Biscuits

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    It’s February, apologies for stating the obvious. To me, February is the interim month; not as fresh as January when I’m enthusiastic about the New Year and not as good as March when you know that spring has pretty much arrived. So as far as I’m concerned February needs a bit of brightening up to get us all through the cold, grey days. That help can come in many forms; in this case coconut and lime biscuits. This particular flavour combination can transport you to a place of tropical tranquility and for a brief moment you can forget your February woes. *see below read more

    Basil Lime and Lemonade

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    Basil Lime and Lemonade mixed
    If I had to choose I reckon I would choose a lime over a lemon anytime. They just seem a bit more special somehow. I’ve seen plenty of recipes for homemade lemonade but not that many for homemade limeade. My basil lemonade with lime is such a refreshing summer drink. I actually ended up using a mixture of lemon and lime juice to make this, mostly because I ran out of limes. If you give your limes a quick blast in the microwave before squeezing them you’ll get much more juice out than if you squeeze them cold. Who knew I gave out useful life tips? You’re welcome.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for a jug of basil lemonade):

    • Small handful basil leaves
    • 3 tbsp sugar
    • 750ml sparkling water
    • 125ml freshly squeezed lime and lemon juice (I used three limes and one lemon)
    • Ice to serve

    Method

    Put the basil and sugar into a jug and bash it together with a rolling pin or muddler until the basil is well bruised and it smells lovely. Add the lime and lemon juice and stir it all together until the sugar is dissolved.  Add some ice to the jug and top up with the sparkling water. Give everything one final mix then pour into glasses and serve.

    Trust me on the basil for this, it gives the drink a really interesting flavour; sort of floral and quite earthy. I made this quite strong as I prefer a mouth puckering, not too sweet lemonade but you could add more or less sugar and juice to suit your taste. I have made this with flat water but I do think that the sparkling is slightly better. It’s really refreshing and ideal for a warm evening but I will definitely make it later on in the year as a citrus pick-me-up. read more

    Pulled Pork Ribs with Carrot & Ginger Slaw

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    I’m often a bit slow on the uptake. Pulled food, more specifically pulled pork, has been doing the rounds for some time now and it’s not something that I had attempted. Yet. I wanted to make an Asian coleslaw that used some spring carrots (I demoed this at Eat Reading Live) but wasn’t too sure what to serve it with. It seemed an ideal time to attempt some sort of pulled pork. If, like me, you can’t be bothered with pulling anything I think this would be fantastic with some leftover roast pork or chicken in a nice soft roll. read more

    Lime Macerated Cherries with Caramelised Brioche

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    Toasted Brioche with Lime Macerated Cherries
    Considering how much I like cherries I don’t get the chance to eat very many of them. I have never had much success with a supermarket cherry preferring to take my chances at the farmers’ market where I might be lucky to nab a punnet if I am early enough. The cherries used for this spontaneous dessert were earned by my own fair hand. I was meandering through the market, deliberating how many doughnuts were too many for breakfast, when I was called to help one of the stall holders who couldn’t fill enough punnets to keep up with demand. My reward for much scooping was a big punnet of cherries all to myself.  

    Ingredients

    You will need (for two):

    • 300g cherries, de-stoned
    • 1 tbsp caster sugar
    • Juice 1 lime
    • 2 slices brioche
    • Butter
    • Demerara sugar

    Method

    I quite like de-stoning cherries. I find it a therapeutic thing to do and once you get into the swing of things it takes no time at all. I have to admit that my fingers were stained for days afterwards which is not something I’ve ever encountered with cherries before. Put the de-stoned cherries into a bowl with the caster sugar and lime juice and then leave to macerate overnight. Remove the cherries from the fridge an hour or so before you want to eat them so that they are at room temperature. Lightly toast the brioche and then spread generously with butter. Sprinkle over a little demerara sugar and then put under a grill so that the sugar lightly caramelises. Remove from the grill and top with the cherries.

    For an impromptu dessert I was pretty pleased with this. The cherries create their own sweet and sour juice which soaks into the sweet bread. It’s crunchy at the edges and gooey in the middle. The lime freshens everything up and the cherries were a lovely shade of deep crimson which looked great on top of the sugar topped bread. Perhaps it was because these were free cherries, maybe it was because I had to work for them but there was something a bit more special about this sweet treat than normal. read more

    Damson Gin with Lemon and Lime

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    damson gin

    It’s nice to have a cupboard full of foraged wares. Currently I am housing sloe port made with sloes that were steeping in gin for two years, a nine month damson gin and I am now using the gin soaked damsons to kick off a batch of damson port. I’ve been busy. As nice as it is to sip the damson gin like a thin fruity syrup it’s also nice to be able to jazz it up sometimes.

    After nine months of steeping the damson gin has come out a glorious, deep, rich red colour and it is asking to be made into a long drink. This is my perfect summer evening tipple. If I don’t have lemonade in the house it is just as good with a bit of tonic. It doesn’t look fancy, it’s not got any frills but when it tastes this good and fresh it doesn’t need any. read more

    Gin and Tonic Mini Jellies

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    gin and tonic jelly
    I was never a fan of jelly and ice cream. I’m afraid that even when I was five I had standards and high expectations of jelly and ice cream that a children’s party just could not match. I went off jelly after several wobbly strawberry attempts for many years. I tried it in trifle too (not for me) and it wasn’t until I decided to make my own jelly that I appreciated just what a marvel it can be. Now I’m a grown up and I like jelly I’ve also realised I quite like gin. It’s about time these two met each other. Welcome to my gin and tonic mini jellies.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for around 12 mini jellies):
    • 30g sugar
    • 50ml water
    • 120ml pre-mixed gin and tonic
    • 3 sheets gelatine
    • Decorations of your choice (e.g. herbs or zests)

    You may have noticed that I have three different coloured jellies. Indeed, not only was this an excuse to get out my calculator and work out gin to tonic to gelatine proportions but also a good reason to try out my new jelly mould and gins. The proportions above are for 12 jellies in total of around 10g each; feel free to mix up whatever spirits you have just divide the total gin and tonic amount by the amount of flavours you want to try and make different batches.

    Method

    Best to get the mathematics out of the way before you start your jelly making just in case you feel the need to make and drink a G&T at the same time. Not that I did of course. First of all put your decorations of choice into the jelly mould and go about selecting your gin. I went for: Sloe Gin and Mint, Saffron Gin and Cucumber and Gin and Lime Zest. 

    Put the sugar and water into a pan to dissolve the sugar and then bring to the boil. While the sugar and water are heating put the gelatine into cold water. Once the sugar syrup has boiled remove from the heat, squeeze the excess water from the gelatine and stir the gelatine into the syrup until dissolved. Pour in the pre-mixed gin and tonic and stir gently so that you retain some of the fizz. Pour the jelly mix into your jelly mould and refrigerate until set. I like knowing that if you dissolve five sheets of gelatine into 500ml of liquid it will set to a decent quiver so I upped my gelatine to liquid ratio to make these thicker and more like adult gummy bears. read more

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