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.
Revisit: No 5 Bridge Street Winchester
This was a gifted meal.
I do love Winchester as a city. Compact, historic, quaint and with just about everything you could need (including a fantastic tea shop) all in one place. At the bottom of the main high street there’s a subtle, unimposing restaurant called No 5 Bridge Street and we were invited for dinner. I have been before, the menu was completely different a few years ago, so I was looking forward to seeing what had changed.
Normally when I’m perusing a menu a few things will jump out at me and then I’ll whittle them down to what I will order. Not here. I wanted everything, absolutely all of it, I just couldn’t choose what to try because it all sounded so good. Fortunately the menu is designed to be a big sharing menu which helped but even then it was hard to choose which six to try first! Think of it like tapas but with plates inspired from all over the world: Japan, India, America, Britain, France and all sorts of other places. Just some of the things I picked out at first glance were: croquettas, crispy pork belly, beetroot hummus, jamon, hot smoked trout, charred leeks, stuffed courgette flowers, parsnip tart tatin, pulled beef sliders, lamb tagine, poached hake, dahl, smoked polenta, gnocchi…the list goes on and that doesn’t even include the specials.
Smoky Chipotle Tomato Soup
I made some enchiladas a few weeks ago and added one chipotle chilli for four people. You couldn’t taste it at all; there was a little bit of smoky flavour but no chilli heat; it wasn’t the end of the world, they were still very tasty. When I made this Smoky Chipotle Tomato Soup I added one chilli again, this time for two people, and it was probably the hottest thing I have ever eaten. It’s amazing how different two chillies that look just the same can have completely different heat levels. Despite it being so hot, it was actually rather delicious. Served with lots of bread and a glass of milk.
Urbangrains Hamper Giveaway
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.
New snacks for Spring
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.
Wild Garlic and Crispy Fried Salami Potato Salad
Meals that are made from a few simple ingredients are invariably some of my favourite dishes of all. A quick scramble around the cupboards and fridge pulling ingredients and ideas together always feels more satisfying; like you’re getting a meal for nothing. My evening meals are always planned in advance so it’s lunchtime where I get my Ready Steady Cook hat on. Sometimes however the scrabbling approach doesn’t yield any particularly tasty sounding results; ham and chocolate spread tostadas anyone? This time however, the combination of ingredients I had resulted in Wild Garlic and Crispy Fried Salami Potato Salad and it was brilliant.
Olive and Fontina Baked Courgettes
A couple of courgettes turned up in the veg box this week. Although the days have been warm, borderline hot, recently the evenings are still cold reminding me that it’s firmly still spring. I’m certainly not complaining, I prefer spring in some ways; mostly that the heat (if any) is not muggy and there are many, many fewer insects. All the more enjoyable for al fresco dining I think you’ll agree; insects in summer mean I am forever swiping the air to deter a particularly determined fly or being chased round the garden by a wasp with a bad attitude. Not the epitome of glamour and demure that I aim for in every garden dining experience. But not to worry, ones absence from the dining table will hardly be noticed when a plate of these Olive and Fontina Baked Courgettes are served up.
Layered Ragu and Aubergine Pasta Bake
I think I’m part Italian. More likely, I like to think I’m part Italian. The reason for this recent realisation is that Italian food is the food I crave the most; when I’m looking for inspiration I invariably turn my attention to that most wonderful of countries. Pasta is the obvious Italian ingredient to inspire meals but the rice dishes, salads, marinades, stews, cheeses, meats and sauces always make me feel like I’m having a little Italian getaway in my own kitchen. This ragu and aubergine pasta bake was inspired by Rick Stein’s recent series: Long Weekends. I’m sure my recipe is very different to theirs, I’m bound to have forgotten some ingredients or added others, but the principle is the same; great big, hearty portions of food. It’s worth getting hold of some fontina cheese for this pasta bake (more on that later).
The Ferry Cookham
This was a gifted meal.
I hadn’t been to Cookham before having Sunday lunch at The Ferry a few weeks ago. In Berkshire and nestled alongside the Thames it’s a lovely village for a walk around, a nose in a few of the independent shops and finding somewhere for a drink, good food and a natter. Home to the Stanley Spencer gallery you could easily while away a morning before heading for some lunch. My top tip: get there early. Parking in Cookham is somewhat limited, there is a big car park just outside the village but if it’s a sunny day you won’t be the only one trying to park! Having said that, we did find a space after doing a couple of loops.
The Ferry Cookham has very recently been decorated along with a menu relaunch and we were invited to try out the new restaurant. With a riverside table in a bustling restaurant we settled down to look at the menu. There were plenty of wines and beers to choose from along with soft drinks; I had a Chilean Merlot (£7.55, 250ml) and the OH a local golden ale (apologies, I have forgotten the name of the brewery completely). There were several things that caught both our eyes on the menu: wagyu burger, pea and mint tart, smoky short rib of beef and battered halloumi.
Horseradish Celeriac Remoulade
I used to really dislike horseradish, I just didn’t understand why you would want to eat something that makes you pull a face similar to the one you would pull if someone trod on your foot. I had tried it before and had decided to avoid it at all costs from then on; until I ate some by accident in a mini Yorkshire pudding covered with rare roast beef and everything changed. If you’re like me and you’re also on Team Horseradish then you must try this recipe for horseradish celeriac remoulade. If you’re not a fan of the fiery root then just leave the horseradish out; it’ll still be tasty (just not quite the same).
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