Blog - All That I'm Eating

An Old Cookery Book

January 14, 2013 By All That I'm Eating 22 Comments

I was given The Glasgow Cookery Book a few months ago; I’m a sucker for an old and worn book and everyone knows it. I put it to one side to have a look at later and forgot about it until more recently. An old book that smells like it should deserves a proper going over and a nice cup of tea. I sat down to enjoy a flick through the aged pages and got a lot more than I bargained for.

I was hoping to find an interesting recipe that had perhaps been forgotten about or a take on something I make regularly. What I found instead was a myriad of lists, scribbles, notes, pieces of paper, recipe cards and more. The picture below is the inside front cover which is plastered in words and phrases, for example, ‘Russian Fill Pie’ or ‘Grilled Kidneys’ amongst others. read more

Ploughman’s; is there a better luncheon?

January 9, 2013 By All That I'm Eating 29 Comments

On a cold winter’s day after having the wind whip around your face for a few hours it is essential to come back to a fantastic lunch. Perhaps a bowl of warm soup and crusty bread, maybe a lovely pasty or pie. For me, there is no better lunch than a ploughman’s. I’m not sure why it’s called as such but I’m guessing it’s something to do with ploughing. Which, incidentally I have tried my hand at before and it’s safe to say I won’t be quitting my day job. read more

Zillionaire’s Shortbread

January 3, 2013 By All That I'm Eating 37 Comments

The New Year is always full of optimism, resolutions and excitement. What is your resolution this year? Some people choose dieting/getting healthy/losing weight as their resolution and to those of you reading this who may have just started their path to a healthier lifestyle, I apologise. This recipe is not for those who strive for a smaller waist. This is pure, unashamed indulgence; layers of buttery shortbread sandwiched with dulce de leche, topped with salted caramel and dark chocolate. Not millionaire’s shortbread, but Zillionaire’s Shortbread. read more

My 12 favourite recipes of 2012

December 27, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 18 Comments

I’ve never done a ’round-up’ post before so I’m very excited. I’ve made all sorts of things this year. Some that I have carried on making and some others which I will never make again; mayonnaise being my disaster of the year. And so, below, are my favourite recipes that I have made this year; one for each month.

January
Golden Beetroot Soup

This is my favourite post from January because there’s not much else around in the winter months that can give you a bowl of pure sunshine. It’s an odd one to eat because it doesn’t look like it will taste of beetroot. read more

Mushroom Soup with Grilled Wild Mushrooms and Blue Cheese Croutons

December 22, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 18 Comments

There’s plenty of inspiration around at the moment for your Brussels sprouts, turkey, leftovers and the like. The thing I find my fridge full of, at this time of year particularly is cheese. Don’t get me wrong I will happily eat it all on its own or with copious pickled onions but when you’re preparing for a week of non-stop eating it’s nice to have something light and fresh to get things going. This recipe also helps to make a small dent in the side of any cheese mountain you may be harbouring.

You will need (for 2 bowls):
1 onion, roughly chopped
Butter
300g mushrooms, any will do but I used Portobello
A few sprigs of thyme, leaves removed
400ml vegetable stock
150ml milk
Salt and pepper
Small handful wild mushrooms
1 small baguette
Blue cheese

Start by frying the onion in a small knob of butter until softened. If using Portobello mushrooms I always peel them; mostly because I immensely enjoy doing it. Chop the mushrooms and add them to the onion and cook for a few minutes until they release some of their water. Add the thyme leaves, vegetable stock and milk, cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft. Blend the soup, season and then return to the heat to keep warm while you make the croutons. read more

Mulled Wine and Orange Jelly

December 17, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 19 Comments

I feel a little left out at the moment. Everyone is having a Christmas party of some sort or other and I have never been to one. I’m not sure how it’s different to any other kind of party other than people adorning some questionably festive earrings and the subtle background music involving an alarming amount of sleigh bells. In order to rectify my festive blues I decided to have my own Christmas party. I say party but really it was just an excuse to make some jelly. read more

Christmas Spiced Tea

December 13, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 22 Comments

I rather like tea. There are times where no matter how terrible the situation a cup of tea can remedy it in an instant. If the first cup doesn’t work then you move onto a mug. If the mug is failing to turn that frown around then you move onto a larger receptacle. And so on and so forth until the only solution is to fill a bath tub with warm tea and have a little soak. That way you’ve got the best of both worlds.

No matter what the tea there is always an appropriate occasion for it. For example I would start the day on a strong single blend, have an Earl Grey in the afternoon and a fresh green tea in the evening. Each to their own I reckon. Over the festive period I find my tea consumption reduced in favour of mulled wine, sloe gin and hot chocolate. Of course, I don’t start pouring gin over my cornflakes but you get the picture. In order to feel festive and start wading through the mountains of tea I have acquired over the last few months it was time to try making a Christmas tea. read more

Cranberry, Cointreau and Clementine Sauce

December 9, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 26 Comments

cranberry, cointreau and clemantine sauce (1 of 9)

Christmas cannot be a cranberry free zone; this versatile berry can be paired with both sweet and savoury things. Not only is this fruit a great all rounder but it makes itself into a sauce in no time. As the cranberry transforms so simply into a sauce it lends itself to interference, by you, to turn it into something new and exciting. This recipe is for my cranberry sauce with Cointreau and clementine which is extremely delicious when used as a mini pie filling, or, as I like to call them: festive puffs.

You will need (for the cranberry sauce):
200g cranberries
80g sugar
50ml water and 50ml clementine juice, mixed together
Splash Cointreau

Put all the ingredients into a pan and cook for five minutes until the cranberries start to burst. If it looks a like there’s a little too much moisture (I find cranberries to vary a lot in their water content) then cook for a few minutes more to evaporate some of the water. Put the cranberry sauce into a bowl and leave to cool. I’m not sure it gets much simpler and this sets to a lovely dolloping consistency. read more

The Vineyard at Stockcross

December 4, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 12 Comments

This was a gifted meal. I was invited to The Vineyard as part of a bloggers wine and food tasting evening. Having been before, indeed spending a wonderful four and a half hour lunch there on my birthday, I would have been a fool not to go. I have only ever been for lunch, not dinner, so I was looking forward to seeing what it was like. Turns out I was in for a treat. I’m not really a wine person, or I should say, I didn’t used to be a wine person.

The Vineyard has had a recent makeover and the addition of the glass floored cellar makes for a great entrance. It’s a little unnerving when you walk across a glass floor at any time but particularly when walking above a cellar that holds 5000 bottles of extremely fine wine. The picture at the end of the cellar has a story behind it and our sommelier for the evening, Yohann, was more than happy to explain it. It is based on a wine tasting that occurred in France in 1976 when French wine was considered the best in the world. The picture depicts a famous Parisian blind wine tasting between French and Californian wine. The upshot being that Californian came out on top every time, much to the shock of the tasters as the painting shows, and it was this tasting that was said to change the wine world forever. read more

Crispy Chilli Beef Stir Fry with Purple Kale

November 30, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 20 Comments

You know when only a take away will do? I get that feeling sometimes and short of actually eating said take away there’s not much else that can fulfill that craving. The issue I find is the subsequent guilt after consumption because I always order too much and somehow eat it all anyway. At least that was before I made this stir fry. This has everything I want when I’m craving a take away but using my own ingredients. I’d like to think it’s healthy but I’m not entirely convinced.

You will need (for two):
150g beef cut into strips
A few tbsp flour, seasoned with salt, pepper and cayenne
Groundnut oil
A few large purple kale leaves, cut into thin strips
1 large chilli, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
4 spring onions, sliced
3 tbsp dark soy sauce mixed with 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Noodles to serve

Get a wok on a high heat and add about 1cm of groundnut oil. While the oil heats up mix the beef with the seasoned flour until it’s all coated. When the oil is smoking add the beef and fry for about a minute or until cooked and crispy. Remove the beef from the wok and place to one side. Pour away any excess oil but leave a little to cook the vegetables.
Add the kale to the wok and fry for about 30 seconds before adding the chilli, garlic and spring onions. After a minute or so add the soy sauce mix and then put the beef back in. Serve on top of some noodles.
A tip: this stir fry tastes great because everything is cooked in smoking oil but this can lead to slight choking as the kitchen fills with smoke. I would put the extractor fan on full blast and tape down any toupées. read more