All That I'm Eating

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

Coffee and Chocolate Shortbread

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chocolate and coffee shortbread
I have been meaning to make some shortbread for a while but things just seem to get in the way and before I know it I’m tucked up in bed thinking, “Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be shortbread day”, it seemed to be a never ending cycle. However many things happen I always try to make time to bake a biscuit; there’s nothing else that can fill the void like making a homemade treat. To bring about my biscuit making I set about creating a coffee chocolate shortbread.

Kopi sent me some coffee and instead of making a mug of coffee and telling you about it I wanted to mix it up in something tasty! I like the idea of Kopi coffee; you sign up and get a different coffee sent to you each month. I was sent Sumatra Aceh Organic and it was deep and smooth with a little hint of bitterness but not too much. It formed a distinct crema layer on top with no effort on my part; I’ve been told a good crema is the sign of a good coffee. 

Ingredients

You will need (for 12 fingers):
  • 180g plain flour
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 150g softened butter
  • 40g dark chocolate, finely chopped
  • 10g ground coffee

Method

Preheat your oven to 160C and grease a baking dish; I’ve used round, square and rectangular for this mixture before and all work well. read more

Rhubarb, Honeycomb and Hazelnut Fool

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rhubarb honeycomb and hazelnut fool
It’s that rhubarb time of year. A little later than last year but it’s finally arrived and I am exceptionally pleased as it’s one of my absolute favourite ingredients. I love the smell, texture, flavour and sourness and the fact that it can be pink, white, stripy, green, tall or stumpy. To me it’s also a sign of changing seasons; its appearance in the garden and on market stalls tells me that there’s plenty more to look forward to in the coming months.

Ingredients

You will need (for two fools):

  • 2 sticks rhubarb
  • 1 tsp honey (runny or set)
  • 1 tsp water
  • 150ml double cream
  • 1 tbsp runny honey
  • Small handful chopped hazelnuts
  • A few pieces of honeycomb 

Method

Chop the rhubarb into inch sized chunks and put into a saucepan with the tsp honey and water. Cook on a medium heat until the rhubarb is soft and most of the water has gone. You do need to make sure it’s quite thick otherwise your fool will be more like a soup. Set the rhubarb aside to cool.

Put a small dry pan over a medium heat and toast the hazelnuts, watching that they don’t catch, then set aside.

In a large bowl whip together the double cream and runny honey until firm. Fold in two thirds of the rhubarb with the hazelnuts and crush in a few bits of honeycomb. Divide the fool into glasses and top with the remaining rhubarb and a few more hazelnuts and honeycomb. read more

Cocktail Making at Lola Lo Oxford

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cocktail making lola lo Oxford
I enjoy watching people make cocktails. Particularly when it’s an impressive display of throwing ingredients together and seemingly defying gravity. It’s all quite spectacular but is only worthwhile if the finished drink tastes half decent. I’ve always wanted to give it a go; behind a bar, cocktail umbrellas at the ready, knowing what it is I’m meant to be doing. It’s not quite the same mixing it up in your own kitchen so when Lola Lo asked if I wanted to try one of their master classes I couldn’t say no.

I must start by apologising for the photos; I was having too much of a good time (and had my cocktail goggles on) while I was there to think about it! I also have to tell you that our hosts Annie and John were wonderful; I arrived a little late and out of breath and they didn’t mind at all. In fact I was presented with a glass of Champagne and a flower necklace to wear.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a cocktail class, I thought it would be mostly watching but actually it was really hands on. We set about making three cocktails. They were demonstrated by John first, we tasted it and then he watched us make our own versions. I was so surprised at what a difference a small amount of gomme or lime can make to the overall flavour of a cocktail. Just a dash too much gomme can transform the cocktail from balanced to overly sweet. At the same time, if your biceps aren’t up to squeezing out enough lime juice the sourness can change astoundingly. The first cocktail we made was a Mai Tai; a mix of rum, Cointreau, lime juice, almond syrup and gomme. The balance of sweet to sour was great in this and I was really surprised how much I enjoyed the almond flavour. The next cocktail (served in the blue figure) was a Moai; rum, Cointreau, lime, grenadine, Angostura bitters and ginger beer. Again I was really surprised by the mix of flavours as I don’t normally like ginger beer but I really liked this mix. The last cocktail we made was the Captain Coconut; rum, coconut liqueur, passion fruit, lime, gomme, cream of coconut and peach liqueur. I loved this one because it was served in a frozen coconut! The tropical flavours were enhanced by the furry receptacle. All of the cocktails we made were ones I wouldn’t normally order but after trying them I definitely would. I was feeling very pleased with myself thus far. I hadn’t spilt anything on myself (or anywhere else), everything I had made was delicious and I was a little bit tipsy. I thought it was all over and I was happy with what I’d learned, but no. Off we went around the corner and there was a table full of spirits, mixers, ice and all sorts for us to invent our own cocktails. I’m not a competitive person, unless food or cooking is involved. I thought this was a great end to the evening; a chance to utilise all your acquired cocktail knowledge. Although when you’ve already had three cocktails your powers of concentration and reason are somewhat inhibited. We had to make one short cocktail and one long cocktail. My short cocktail was a mix of gin, apricot brandy, lime and grenadine. My long cocktail was a mix of rum, strawberry liqueur, lime and apple juice. The jury was out on who had won (I’m pretty sure it was me) but it was easier to keep the peace!

Now, I know I wasn’t actually in Polynesia during the master class but I felt a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the Oxford city streets above. I might come across as a bit ignorant now but I had no idea about the history of all cocktails. I thought they were a relatively recent thing but with this class not only do you learn how to make the cocktails but you learn the whole story behind them to. My particular favourite being the story of the Long Island Iced Tea (one of my preferred cocktails) which came about when clear spirits were mixed with cola and poured from a teapot during a period of prohibition. I really enjoyed the class and think it’s a great idea for a party or if you want to get to know a bit more about mixing up drinks. 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

Beetroot Gratin with Roasted Garlic and Goat’s Cheese Giant Crostini

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beetroot gratin
I was first introduced to beetroot in its pickled form. This was many years ago and I still enjoy a well vinegared beetroot very much. The first time I tried fresh beetroot I didn’t like it; it was too earthy and nowhere near as acidic enough as I was used to. However my feelings towards this most purple of roots have changed over time and now it’s one of my favourite vegetables. I like to think of this beetroot gratin as a celebration of beetroot; an impressive purple plate of pleasure.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • 500g beetroot
  • Butter, for greasing
  • 150ml double cream
  • 150ml milk
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 head garlic
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Ciabatta
  • 150g soft goat’s cheese
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Start by peeling and thinly slicing the beetroot. In my experience it’s not a good idea to wear anything that you don’t want turning pink. Preheat an oven to 180C.

Lightly grease an ovenproof dish and layer up the beetroot adding a little chopped garlic, salt and pepper between each layer. Finish with a layer of beetroot. 

Mix together the cream and the milk, pour this over the beetroot then place in the oven for 45-50 minutes.

While the gratin is cooking take the head of garlic and slice off about the top fifth so that the inside cloves are exposed. Peel off any excess papery skin but leave enough to hold the head together. Place the head on some foil and drizzle over a little olive oil and some salt and pepper. Wrap the head up in the foil and roast for around 30 minutes in the oven. Check that the garlic is cooked by trying to squeeze the cloves out of their skins; they should pop out easily. Wait for the garlic to cool down a little before squeezing out all of the cloves and mashing with some more olive oil and salt and pepper to form a paste. read more

The Living Room at Oxford

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The Living Room Oxford Menu
This was a gifted meal. I like the size and feel of The Living Room; the long bar, the different seating areas, the grand piano. It’s a nice place to relax. The idea behind the new menu is all about presentation; quirky, unexpected or grand displays of food. It’s not very often I get a menu where I just can’t choose what to have. I wanted to try everything; buttermilk chicken wings, pulled pork burger, Moroccan lamb sandwich, ricotta and potato gnocchi to name a few. I thought the menu was well laid out, easy to navigate and extremely tempting.

Whenever I go out for a meal I have two main concerns; the desire for fullness and food envy. I hate it when I’ve chosen one dish and whoever I’m dining with has got something that makes me jealous. It’s embarrassing enough dribbling at their meal and sneaking a few morsels off their plate without your eyes turning green. This rather unattractive situation normally arises if there’s a burger involved. Thank heavens then that The Living Room offer mini burgers as a sort of burger tapas (an idea I like very much) so this way I can get my burger quotient for the day but also allow myself to try some of the other items on the menu. read more

Cobbs Farm Shop

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Cobbs Morning Mushroom
This was a gifted meal. Cobbs farm shop is somewhere I like to visit to have a good old nose around. It’s nice to go and have a look at new food brands that I haven’t heard of, see what they’ve got growing and almost always buy some of their Coronation Chicken. When I received an email from a fellow food obsessive who wanted to meet up and chin wag about all things food, breakfast at Cobbs sounded like a great idea.

I turned up at Cobbs bright and early and met up with the two managers of Cobbs Farm for breakfast. Contrary to ‘normal’ shopping habits, bread and milk are what greet you on entry to the shop. But not just any bread, lovely bread from The Fabulous Baker Brothers. I have so far tried their malt loaf and sourdough both of which were great. There’s always plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables on show too.

I didn’t realise that they make and bake their own sausage rolls and other bits (a very tempting smell), have an on-site meat hanging room for their butcher and I had no idea just how much room they had to grow their own fruit and veg. They also had an interesting blackboard outside comparing the price of their vegetables with that of some of the well-known supermarkets. Cobbs prices for everything on the board that day were the same price or cheaper. The cheese counter is something to behold; there are cheeses in there I am desperate to try so I think I’ll have to work left to right. I have been to Cobbs for Sunday lunch before (it’s lovely) but until a few weeks ago had never been for breakfast. I have been missing out. I opted for the Morning Mushroom as it sounded like a fantastic, yet guilt free, combination of textures and flavours. A lovely portobello mushroom on the bottom topped with spinach and a poached egg with grilled tomatoes on the side. It was great how they put the extra effort in by adding a little nutmeg to the spinach and a little thyme to the tomatoes; it’s exactly how I would make it. After much chin wagging and discussing food, farming and foraging we went to have a look at the farm. We were walking through the pick your own rows first looking at the berries which are all on their way. At the end of the PYO section there was the vineyard. I can’t think of a prettier place to spend a day; the flint soil, south facing slopes and terroir match almost exactly that of the Champagne region of France. And of course, they are growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (it would be rude not to). This is the first year they will have a harvest so I can’t wait to see what happens to it. The rhubarb patches were in full swing and I like to think I was helpful in pulling up a few stalks but in reality the much more experienced rhubarb puller-uppers did a far better job than me. I was also allowed the first spear of the year, of asparagus that is, and I ate it raw as soon as I got home. I spent a lovely morning with two people who are clearly very passionate about food and its provenance. It was really interesting to meet the people behind the farm shop and I can’t wait until their crates outside are brimming with beans, tomatoes, berries, mushrooms, asparagus and all manner of wonderful seasonal produce.

I wasn’t invited to Cobbs to review it, just to talk all things food! I learnt so many things about the farm shop that I wanted to share it. read more

Caramelised Rhubarb Galette des Rois

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rhubarb galette
Oh rhubarb. Not only the choice swear word for the less potty mouthed among us but also a rather delectable vegetable. I know it’s sort of a fruit but as it doesn’t have any seeds I will class it as a vegetable. I acquired my most recent handful of stalks after spending a lovely morning at a local farm shop (more about that in a separate post). I was even allowed to pull this straight out of the ground myself which was a rewarding, if somewhat exhausting, activity.

I have wanted to attempt this classic French ‘King of Tarts’ for so long; the rhubarb seemed like a perfect addition. I have made many frangipanes in the past so just halved what I would normally put in my large fluted tart tin for this recipe.

Ingredients

You will need (for one finished galette des rois):

  • 1 pack ready rolled puff pastry
  • 3 large sticks of rhubarb cut into inch sized pieces
  • 2 tbsp demerara sugar
  • 75g unsalted butter, very soft
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 75g ground almonds
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp milk and 1 egg beaten together (for glazing)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C and put the rhubarb onto a baking tray in a single layer. Sprinkle over the demerara sugar and then toss the rhubarb in the sugar so it all gets nicely coated. Put this in the oven for 15 minutes to roast. When it’s done the rhubarb should have softened but retained its shape and be gently caramelised. Put the rhubarb to one side to cool. Leave the oven on after you remove the rhubarb as you’ll need it at 180C to bake the tart. read more

Grow Your Own Tomatoes with Heinz

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Heinz grow your own ketchup 2
Growing my own fruit and veg is something I immensely enjoy. I have to admit I have rather a ‘chuck it in and let it get on with itself’ attitude but it’s served me very well in the past. I don’t let myself get bogged down in specific seed insertion depths, lopping off this and tying up that. I figure that if something wants to grow then it will and I only help it along with a bit of watering, weeding and the occasional addition of manure.

When Heinz got in touch and asked if I would be interested in receiving a kit to get me growing my own tomatoes I couldn’t refuse! Spring blossom on my fruit trees, the first unfurl of my rhubarb and the wonderful smell of tomato leaves are my favourite things in the garden. As well as the sound of birds, the seed caught on the edge of the first courgette leaf and the unavoidable acquisition of a suntan. Basically, I wholeheartedly encourage you to get growing!

I’ve planted twelve seeds inside on a nice sunny windowsill and will be planting a few outside under cloches later this week. I’ve never grown tomatoes from seed before so I am looking forward to seeing the results. The warm, sunny weather we have had recently will have set them off to a good start so I can’t wait until they’re ready to pick.
Thank you to Heinz for the goodies and seeds. Disclaimer: there is an incentive to post about the Heniz GYO project as I will receive a hamper if I post three times this year. read more

Feta and Mint Potato Croquettes

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feta and mint potato croquettes
A few days ago it really felt like spring had arrived. I got a bit excited and even opened a window to let some fresh spring air in. It was still pretty chilly but I didn’t care; there were daffodils, bumblebees and the smell of blossom in the air. When this seasonal change happens I find myself craving ripe tomato salads, ratatouille and barbecues. Sadly none of these were on offer but not to worry as I had some mint and feta cheese. There’s something about mint which makes me feel instantly happy.

Ingredients

You will need (for 4-6 croquettes):

  • 6 medium potatoes
  • Small knob of butter
  • 120g feta cheese
  • A few sprigs of mint
  • Salt and pepper
  • Seasoned flour
  • 1 egg
  • Breadcrumbs

Method

Start by peeling the potatoes and chopping them up to roughly same sized pieces. Put these on to boil in salted water until they are soft. Drain and then mash the potatoes with the butter and some salt and pepper. Crumble the feta and chop the mint then stir them both into the potato.

Roll the potato mixture into tubes, balls, squares or whatever takes your fancy. Put the seasoned flour in a bowl, the egg in another bowl (beaten) and the breadcrumbs in a different bowl. Put each croquette into the flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. When they are all well coated fry them in a little oil in a pan on a medium/high heat until golden brown all over then drain on some kitchen paper. read more

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