All That I'm Eating

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

The Newbury Tasting Menu

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This was a gifted meal.

I have to admit that I am a big fan of a ‘Tasting Menu’. An opportunity for the chef and restaurant to show off different styles, techniques and flavours; improved further if there’s matching wines to accompany it all. Also, let’s be honest, I’m a fan of anything that means I get to gorge myself on everything indulgent. I was invited to try out The Newbury Tasting Menu and was really looking forward to it; what to expect in terms of theme or style made me wonder what we would be served and yes, I was very excited about the matching wines. read more

Spanish Fennel Biscuits with Cream Cheese and Honey

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When I was in Spain I ordered a dessert on the assumption that there had been a translation error on the menu. They can’t mean cheese ice cream, surely, they must mean cheeseCAKE ice cream, that’ll be delicious. Nope. Along came some cheese ice cream with a massive cracker on the side. What a revelation it was. The ‘cracker’ was actually a slightly sweet, very thin, fennel infused biscuit covered in sticky honey, which when dunked in the cheese ice cream was really rather delicious. I wanted to attempt something similar to this at home, so here are my Spanish fennel biscuits served with cream cheese and honey alongside some cracking fino sherry. read more

New Store Cupboard Ideas – March 2017

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Funky Elephant Sauces

I have been trying some really interesting products recently; it always makes for a brighter day when your lunch includes something new and different. Always welcome in my kitchen is something delicious and easy to make a tasty dinner in a flash. This month I’ve been trying out a new range of curry sauces, puffed chickpeas and chocolate chock full of good stuff; some new store cupboard ideas.

I tried out two of the Funky Elephant products; the Karahi Curry Sauce and the Spiced Tikka Marinade Paste. I have to confess that I had to decant the paste into another container as I knocked it off the kitchen worktop by accident and broke the tub! But the packaging on the paste was as lovely as the one for the sauce. The Karahi curry sauce was really easy to cook with; fry some veg, add a bit of chicken, pour in the sauce, simmer and voila. It had a lovely fresh flavour and wasn’t too salty. The paste I have used as a marinade twice; once I mixed it with yoghurt and the other time with oil and both worked well. It’s got a chunkier texture than other pastes, it’s not completely smooth and I like that and is so full of flavour. The other good thing about this paste is that you’ve got six weeks to use it once it’s opened! Funky Elephant sauces are available from independent retailers. read more

Vegetable Singapore Noodles

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The thing I like most about these vegetable Singapore noodles is that you can throw in whatever you have left in the fridge at the end of the week. Add a few simple store cupboard staples and voila, dinner in 15 minutes. I have been perfecting this recipe for a little while now to get a good balance of sweet, salt and spice and by Jove I think I’ve cracked it. No more takeaways needed! You really can play around with this recipe too; try using different noodles or rice, different vegetables and nuts. read more

Sticky Soy Chard

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sticky soy chard

Chard has such a fantastic earthy flavour and I love using it in all sorts of dishes. I used Swiss chard for this recipe but the rainbow variety would work just as well and look fantastic. My Sticky Soy Chard came about because I wanted to treat the chard exactly as I would treat bok choi; covering it in a savoury, sticky glaze. The chard plant itself does have a habit of getting a bit of mud stuck in the leaves so make sure you give it a good wash before you use it.

Ingredients

You will need (for two as a side): read more

Slow Cooked Lamb Curry

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This slow cooked lamb curry came about because I decided I was the proud owner of far too many spices. I hope it’s not just me that has drawers, jars and bags full of various spices. They were of course all originally bought for a specific recipe but some of them get used less often than others; I use a lot of paprika and cumin but not so much caraway or allspice. I’ve got three different types of dried chilli hanging around (ancho, chipotle, kashmiri) and pretty much every spice and spice blend imaginable. And I am committed to using them up. A great big curry or chilli is one way, marinades and rubs are another, soups, baking and all sorts. Watch out spice cupboard, I’m planning on emptying you out. read more

Double Chocolate and Orange Cookies

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After double, these cookies could only be improved by making them triple; perhaps a drizzle or dunk of white chocolate on each. As they stand however, my Double Chocolate and Orange Cookies are just splendid as they are. Especially straight from the oven. The smell as they bake is hard to beat. I like to use dark chocolate when making cookies as sweet as these because I think it adds some welcome bitterness. When it comes to rolling the cookies, for reasons I am not sure of, I always seem to manage to end up with thirteen; a perfect baker’s dozen. read more

Orange and Rosemary Martini

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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. read more

New Things in My Kitchen – Feb 2017

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Coconut Chilli Meal Pot

Anything that offers me something a bit different for lunch at work or breakfast in a hurry is always welcome in my kitchen. I’ve been trying out a few new things this year; food and books and I’ve been pretty impressed with a few things I hadn’t tried before. So here’s the latest round up of new things in my kitchen.

Coconut Chilli make a range of these meal pots and all of them sound as good as each other. As I prefer to keep my lunches vegetarian I tried the Mooli & Lentil Sambhar. You can see how fresh the ingredients are; the coriander looked like it had just been picked, it felt almost as if I had assembled the pot myself. The flavour was fantastic; well spiced, a little chilli heat and full of veg and pulses. The amount of rice was generous and I was really full afterwards, but full of good stuff. The reason I particularly liked this pot was that it gave you instructions for cooking in the microwave and cooking on the hob, always good if you don’t have a microwave! You can order Coconut Chilli online, 4 large pots and 6 small pots are £61 (delivery not included). read more

The White Star Tavern Southampton

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This was a gifted meal.

I must start by saying that there are a few things I think everyone should know about Southampton. Firstly, it’s not just a place to get boats to and from. Secondly, it’s home to the UK’s third longest stretch of Medieval town walls (and believe me, they are pretty long). Thirdly, as a city to walk around in, there’s always something to see round every corner; from fantastic old buildings to modern architecture. Lastly, it’s home to The White Star Tavern which makes some of the most interesting food I’ve had in a while. read more

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