All That I'm Eating

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

Three Easy Soup Toppings with New Covent Garden Soup

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I like to look forward to my lunches; whether I’m using up some leftovers to make a quick salad, sticking all sorts of ingredients in a sandwich or slurping on soup. Sometimes it can be very tempting to just grab the quickest thing in the kitchen but if I do that I am invariably disappointed at lunch time. So say hello to my three easy soup toppings which can all be made in less than five minutes, using ingredients you probably already have and can be made in advance to enjoy at work.

New Covent Garden Soups are currently encouraging everyone to revive their lunch life, something I was really keen to get involved with as I think lunch can make or break a day. Below are my three easy soup toppings and the soups that I chose to serve them with. You can get creative and add any of the toppings to any of the soups and have a go at putting your own twist on them too. read more

Smoked Cheddar and Pickled Onion Turnovers

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There’s something you need to know about these turnovers. Although they are most excellent for using up leftovers they are more than worth baking up in their own right. Am I the only one who couldn’t say no if offered Smoked Cheddar and Pickled Onion Turnovers? Didn’t think so. Perfect for using up roast or mashed potatoes, pickled onions or chutneys and whatever hunk of cheese you have lying around. Completely versatile and a little bit too tasty to believe you can knock them up out of some odds and ends. read more

Beetroot, Lentil and Bergamot Lemon Salad

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Beetroot, Lentil and Bergamot Lemon Salad

I’ll be honest, salads don’t tend to excite me very much. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the freshness a few leaves bring on the side of something else but as a standalone dish, it’s not really for me. However, things have changed and I’ve started to make, what I would call, more ‘bulky’ salads. This particular combination of beetroot, lentil and bergamot lemon is so colourful and combined with a bit of goat’s cheese is equally good warm or cold.

You will need (for two large salads): read more

Spinach and Cheese Vegetarian Sausage Rolls with The Laughing Cow

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Hang on, a sausage roll that doesn’t have any sausage in it? Correct. I absolutely love a proper sausage roll; when the juices run out of it and caramelise under the flaky pastry. To pack a picnic with a couple of sausage rolls and a flask of tea is to pack a fine picnic as far as I’m concerned. So what’s with this vegetarian creation? My reasons are threefold: firstly, at this time of year I need pastry; secondly, I love spinach and particularly spanakopita and thirdly I wondered what a vegetable ‘sausage’ roll would be like. read more

A few ideas for lunch with Philadelphia

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Sometimes I just don’t know how I get myself in such a mess. Each weekend starts with grand plans for exciting ideas for lunch; all planned in to use everything up in the fridge, easy to make and delicious too. Yet somehow I never get past the ideas stage. I just somehow think that all this food will appear in my kitchen and I’ll sail through the week with something different for lunch each day. You can imagine my surprise every lunch time when I’m greeted with the same old sandwich, and sometimes in moments of absent bread desperation, cereal at work. read more

Pea and Bacon Soup for a #thriftyorganic challenge

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In case it has escaped your attention, September is the month where people make a fuss about organic; aptly named Organic September. I have to admit that the majority of food that I buy is already organic so for me I wanted to try some new organic ingredients that I hadn’t tried before. I loaded up my weekly veg box with tomatillos, Homity pies and all sorts. I was challenged as part of Organic September to make an all organic three course meal, for four people, which cost less than £30.

I have done a few dinner parties before but not a budget conscious one so I was looking forward to seeing what I could make without going over the allowance. Initially I thought a roast chicken would be quite a good idea but with the cold weather closing in I wanted to make something a bit more hearty and autumnal. 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.
    • read more

    Garlic and Honey Mushrooms

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    I went to Madrid last year in search of tapas, paella and Rioja and I was not disappointed. I think I ate more often each day I was there than anywhere else I can remember. If memory serves the meals were thus: breakfast, snack at lunch, late lunch, tapas then dinner. Amazing. It took some adjusting on the return home to get used to a mere three meals a day I can tell you. One of the most remarkable meals I had while there was at a roadside restaurant; the sun was going down, it was wonderfully warm and I was complemented on my excellent Spanish. I mean, I can’t be 100% sure the waiter said it was good but I like to think he did. The starter was translated on the menu as garlic and honey mushrooms and I thought I’d have a go at recreating it. read more

    Sweetcorn Chowder

    By 4 Comments

    Sweetcorn chowder - close up
    I always like seeing sweetcorn growing in the fields near where I live; it’s one of my absolute favourite vegetables. The only thing that is a little irritating is the inevitable corn-stuck-in-the-teeth situation which ensues after consuming corn from the cob. Particularly irksome if surrounded by unfamiliar company. Worth it though; especially if you’re lucky enough to have a 50:50 butter to corn ratio. If you’re looking for something different to try with your cobs, this sweetcorn chowder is my most favourite soup ever.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for two bowls of soup):

    1 medium onion, finely chopped  £ 0.10
    100g smoked bacon lardons  £  0.65
    Large knob of butter  £  0.15
    2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped  £  0.50
    250ml vegetable stock  £  0.10
    400ml milk  £  0.35
    1 cob sweetcorn, kernels removed  £  0.25
    Small handful chives, chopped  £  0.25
    1 bay leaf  £  0.05
    Salt and pepper  £  0.02
    Total  £  2.42

    Method

    Melt the butter in a large saucepan and fry the bacon and onion together until the onion is soft and the bacon turning brown at the edges.

    Add the potatoes, bay leaf, stock, milk and salt and pepper and simmer until the potatoes are almost soft, around 10 minutes. Add the sweetcorn and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

    Check the seasoning, remove the bay leaf and stir in the chives before serving in warmed bowls.

    This soup has chunky bits, soft bits, crunchy bits and a full flavoured liquid bit. It’s got sweet, smoky, savoury, salty and soupy. Earthy, fresh, homely and new. What I’m trying to say is that as a bowl of food goes it’s got it all. Not only that but it’s inexpensive too. What more do you need? I think I could eat this for lunch every day and never tire of it. And that’s pretty much what I do as long as the cobs keep coming. Happy days. read more

    Broad Bean and Feta Smash with Cucumber, Lettuce and Dill Salad

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    Broad Bean and Feta Smash with Cucumber Dill Salad
    It’s all about green beans and peas at the moment and a veg box delivery last week left me with beans coming out of my ears! I wanted to put them on toast to make them go as far as possible so I tried out a broad bean and feta smash. I like the slightly odd bitterness from broad beans and it goes so well with salty feta cheese. The cucumber and dill salad on the side adds real sweetness and freshness to the meal. It’s super quick to make too so you won’t be stuck in the kitchen when you want to be outside; perfect for summer.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for two):

    • Large handful broad beans, podded
    • 100g feta, cubed
    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 small garlic clove, crushed
    • Salt and pepper
    • Small handful mint leaves, finely chopped

    • 1 ciabatta
    • 1 small cucumber, sliced
    • 1 lettuce, shredded
    • Small handful dill, finely chopped
    • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 tsp white wine vinegar
    • 1/2 tsp sugar
    • Salt and pepper

    Method

    Start by adding the broad beans to a pan of lightly salted boiling water and cooking them for 3-4 minutes. Drain the beans and rinse under cold water before peeling off the grey skins on the outside.

    Put the broad beans into a bowl with the feta, a drizzle of olive oil, the garlic, salt, pepper and mint. Mash it all together so it is slightly combined but still chunky. Put to one side.

    Bake the ciabatta according to packet instructions then cut into slices.

    Put the cucumber and lettuce into a serving bowl. read more

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