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All That I'm Eating

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

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Joe Perks Oxford

January 20, 2015 By All That I'm Eating 7 Comments

Joe Perks Oxford - All That I'm Eating (1 of 6)

This was a gifted meal.

I had heard about Joe Perks opening in Oxford back in October last year but it has taken me this long to get my act together and go and see what it’s all about. I ventured to Oxford to the Cowley Road side of the city to find Joe Perks (the place as opposed to the person, more about that later) to see if they really did offer the best hot dogs in Britain.

 

I like the location, the size, the look and the atmosphere of Joe Perks. I would describe the look at homely come industrial come minimal come friendly; in other words lots of exposed brick, a very inviting looking bar and mismatching furniture. Just how I like it. It was one of the most relaxing places I think I’ve ever eaten in; no one was rushing, no one was too busy and there was no pressure to hurry up or move on. Indeed, so relaxing was the experience that I ended up being there for four hours without even realising. All the drinks looked great as they had all the receptacles that I wish I had (glass tea and coffee cups, swish looking tea strainers, mini milk bottles and Kilner jars for the sugar) that I’m secretly pleased I don’t have so I don’t have to faff around with washing it all up. The idea is a simple one: hot dogs in four varieties (beef, pork, beef and pork and vegetarian), one or two specials, beer and cocktails.

I opted for the ‘Big Dog’ which is their signature sausage; seasoned with marjoram, garlic and black pepper then double smoked over German beech wood (£5.50). Crispy onions, gherkins and/or sauerkraut are (free) optional extras so I went for onions and gherkins. It would be rude not to. You can then choose between short or curly fries (£2); for future reference I am always curly fries. It was so good, not like any hot dog I’ve had before in that the sausage actually resembled a sausage and not a bready, stodgy frankfurter that I’ve had before. The bun was nice and soft so it was easy to pick the whole thing up and eat it. The flavour was as described with subtle garlic and marjoram; like a hot dog but better and really juicy. The crispy onions were good but they did have a habit of falling off the hot dog onto the table rather than into your mouth. The curly fries were as expected and came with a world of condiments and chilli sauces to have alongside so you could have them just as you like it.

The list of drinks I thought was good; not too long that you don’t know where to start but long enough to spark up some interest and try to decide what to have. I started with a lemon, mint and elderflower fizz which was refreshing and not too sweet. The tea and coffee looked pretty good too. Things moved progressively more alcohol containing from there; I tried a Yardbird American Pale Ale (I also had a sip of something called Noble >insert other word which I can’t remember here<) and then tried their tea cocktail (bourbon, peach schnapps, assam and lady grey) which was a delight. I thought the menu could have done with a few more craft beers on; they’ve got a great selection of local breweries to choose from round there. As it turns out Joe Perks (a mixologist) went missing some years ago and no one has found him as of yet. The bar was set up as a tribute to him. Overall I like the concept (hot dogs and drinks, no complications), the setting and the atmosphere; I would certainly like to go back.

Filed Under: Restaurants Tagged With: hot dog, Oxford, Restaurants, Travel

Sausage and Bacon Toad in the Hole

January 13, 2015 By All That I'm Eating 12 Comments

Sausage and Bacon Toad in the Hole - All That I'm Eating (1 of 2)

I had a grand vision. A toad in the hole to rival all others; one that brought together two of my favourite parts of a Sunday roast in one delicious meal. Pigs in blankets meet Yorkshire puddings sounds pretty amazing to me and so sausage and bacon Toad in the Hole was born. One slight issue with the version that I made was that it was almost a total failure. However, I decided to post this anyway (I think these posts are just as useful as those that are successful) so that if you try it for yourself you can use my ideas at the end to have more success than I did. read more

Filed Under: Bacon, Dairy & Eggs, Dinner, Eggs, January, Meat & Fish, Recipes By Month, Sausages, Seasons, Winter Tagged With: dinner, recipe, sausages

My favourite recipes from 2014

January 3, 2015 By All That I'm Eating 11 Comments

It’s a funny time of year now, the days and dates get all a bit confused and everyone is in a state of simultaneous post Christmas relaxation and start of year enthusiasm. I use it as a time to reflect on the last year (of cooking and life in general) and also as a way to think about what I might like to do and try for the upcoming year. Below is a list of my ten favourite recipes from the last 12 months; although of course they are all my favourite these are my extra special favourite ones. read more

Filed Under: Events, Events & Interviews Tagged With: Baking, budget meals, dinner, lunch

Cranberry and Pistachio Chocolate Truffles

December 16, 2014 By All That I'm Eating 5 Comments

Cranberry and Pistachio Chocolate Truffles

I can find it hard to know what to give people for gifts. When I’m not sure I normally cook or make something for them instead; it’s personal and I quite enjoy doing it. This is the other recipe that I developed for Kenwood (see crumble here) and I think they look a bit like Brussels sprouts if you stand far enough away (and squint). My recipe for Cranberry and Pistachio Chocolate Truffles is really simple and I find I usually have these ingredients in the cupboard at this time of year.

read more

Filed Under: Chocolate, Christmas, Cranberry, Cream, Dairy & Eggs, December, Fruit, Nuts & Seeds, Occasions, Pudding, Recipes By Month, Seasons, Store Cupboard, Sweet Treats, Winter Tagged With: Chocolate, christmas, recipe, sweet treats

Cranberry and Clementine Crumble

December 12, 2014 By All That I'm Eating 9 Comments

I love cranberries and really try to make the most of them when they are around; they are almost fool proof when it comes to making jams and jellies as they are so full of pectin. This Cranberry and Clementine Crumble is a great way to use cranberries in a different way over the festive period and the addition of Cointreau adds a little something extra. I was asked to come up with a couple of wintry recipes as part of a project with Kenwood. I used one of the new Kenwood Chef Sense machines to test the recipe out at home and then I spent a day filming the recipes! I hope you enjoy it! read more

Filed Under: Baking, Butter, Christmas, Cranberry, Crumble, Dairy & Eggs, December, Fruit, Occasions, Orange, Pudding, Recipes By Month, Seasons, Winter Tagged With: Baking, pudding, recipe

Christmas Food Gift Ideas

December 6, 2014 By All That I'm Eating 7 Comments

Every year I have at least one person say something like, “Oi, you like food, what do I get >insert friend/relative/colleague’s name here< for Christmas? They like food too”. Firstly I am never likely to respond to an, “Oi”, but talk about the impossible question. How do I know that they do or don’t like blue cheese, a selection of miniature spirits, dark chocolate or that special coffee that comes out of a kopi luwak? So for all of you who have someone even mildly interested in food to buy for, here are some Christmas food gift ideas. The list may get a little longer if I try anything from now on that I think is worthy of including. read more

Filed Under: Books & Reviews, Occasions, Reviews Tagged With: christmas, review

A Weekend in Scarborough

December 1, 2014 By All That I'm Eating 9 Comments

This was a gifted stay and meal.

Sometimes a weekend away can be so much better than a week away. I find that to get away to somewhere new and blow away those cobwebs just for a few days leaves me feeling like I’ve been away longer than I have. A few weekends ago we headed up to Scarborough to stay at Ox Pasture Hall Hotel. I went to Yorkshire last year but didn’t get to that far so was looking forward to having a weekend in Scarborough; somewhere I’d never been before.

We left early on Saturday morning, drove up and stopped for lunch at the pub in Sancton. We didn’t want to fill up too much as we were having afternoon tea when we arrived at the hotel. The hotel itself is in a sort of oasis; you’re driving along wondering how on earth you can have a country house hotel almost in the town centre but then you go down another road and before you know it you’re in the deepest darkest Yorkshire countryside. read more

Filed Under: Restaurants, Travel Tagged With: Restaurants, Scarborough, Travel, Yorkshire

Review: Gousto Box

November 24, 2014 By All That I'm Eating 3 Comments

Gousto box macaroni cheese

I like the idea of a recipe box. Coming home to find all your meals ready weighed and ready to cook, no need to go to the shops and no wandering round the kitchen wondering what you’re going to cook that evening. I have been so busy recently that my recent recipe box from Gouso couldn’t have come at a better time! I was sent a box containing ingredients to make three meals for two people: Macaroni Cheese, Asian Pork with Rice and Pak Choi and Sweet Tahini Chicken.

We tried the Macaroni Cheese first. It was made with Tallegio which made a nice change and there was added bacon for flavour and tomatoes for freshness. It was easy to make (you did need to make sure you had butter, milk and flour to make the sauce) and I really enjoyed it. read more

Filed Under: Books & Reviews, Reviews Tagged With: review

Baked Apples with Salted Toffee Sauce

November 18, 2014 By All That I'm Eating 15 Comments

Baked Apples stuffed with fruit

This time of year is apple season; one of my favourite times of the year. I love going to the farmers’ market and picking out which apples to try for that week; I am lucky that they offer a try before you buy service as there’s always new varieties to sample. This recipe for Baked Apples with Salted Toffee Sauce is a modern interpretation of a vintage classic. It offers so much for something so simple. If you’ve never baked an apple before I cannot recommend this enough.

Ingredients

You will need (for 2 apples): read more

Filed Under: Apple, Autumn, Butter, Cream, Dairy & Eggs, Fruit, November, Nuts & Seeds, Pudding, Recipes By Month, Seasons, Store Cupboard Tagged With: Apple, pudding, recipe

Frozen Blackcurrant Cordial

November 12, 2014 By All That I'm Eating 8 Comments

Freezer roulette, UFO night (unidentified frozen object) or whatever you call it when you select and defrost a frozen item of interest for your dinner can result in complete success or failure. I know there are those of you with very regimented and organised freezers who don’t have this issue but I know plenty of people who have chosen what they think is a delicious beef stew for their supper only to find out it used to be a chocolate gateaux. This recipe is for you; those freezer lovers who froze the summer’s berries in order to make the most of them at a later date. My frozen blackcurrant cordial recipe could easily be made of whatever berries you have; although probably best check that they are in fact berries and not spaghetti bolognese. read more

Filed Under: Autumn, Berries, Blackcurrant, Cocktails, Drinks, Fruit, November, Recipes By Month, Seasons Tagged With: Blackcurrant, drinks, recipe

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Hello I’m Caroline

Welcome to my site All That I’m Eating. You will find inventive recipes using seasonal and foraged ingredients as well as everyday easy meals and a few indulgent recipes too.

I believe humble food doesn’t have to be hum drum so whether you’ve oodles of onions, superfluous sausages or apples aplenty I hope you enjoy having a look around.

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