All That I'm Eating

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

Food Bloggers Unplugged

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Food Bloggers Unplugged

I have seen a few of the Food Bloggers Unplugged posts and I think it’s such a good idea. We read each others posts all the time but how much do we actually know about the people writing, taking photos and talking to us. The lovely Urvashi from her Botanical Baker blog tagged me for this one! 

What or who inspired you to start your blog?
I was encouraged to start my blog as a kind gesture to get me to shut up. I wouldn’t stop talking about food and instead of bombarding my boyfriend, he suggested I start blogging. read more

Honey Roasted Persimmons

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Persimmon

There are so many vegetables around at the moment and fruit is a little thin on the ground. To save me turning into a cabbage I felt I needed something other than a clementine to lift me out of my Savoy stupor. Persimmons (or Sharon Fruit) were something that I had never tried; for some reason they were forever unobtainable. I did manage to get hold of them eventually and was then thoroughly perplexed as to what to do with them.

My dilemma was ended when I asked Twitter how to deal with the situation. Roasting them in honey was my favourite suggestion and so I went about constructing honey roasted persimmons. I was very excited.
I had three persimmons to deal with and not a clue where to begin. The leaves didn’t look particularly appealing so off they came with a little persuasion. Slicing them in half also seemed like a solid start. It was sort of apple meets peach but they smelled of nothing in particular. read more

Game and Root Vegetable Stew

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Game is a difficult food. It’s hard to convince people to try it when they are absolutely determined they hate it, if you’ve never handled it before it can be intimidating to try and skin a rabbit and despite your best efforts sometimes you wonder why you bothered buying venison when you might as well have bought beef. Regardless of all or any of these, game is tremendously delicious.

I don’t tend to have ‘healthy’ recipes on here, nor do I discuss the fibrous merits of the many vegetables I feature but game is a treat without that feeling of guilt. I heard tell that venison contains less fat than a chicken breast without skin. Marvellous news. Venison is obviously trumping the chicken right about now but not only is it pretty much making you lose weight, it is local and seasonal. This game stew makes the most of all game available at this time of the year and some wonderful seasonal vegetables. read more

Candy Beetroot and Goat’s Cheese Tart

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candy beetroot - inside
It’s almost Christmas and that means indulgence and overeating. A candy beetroot and goat’s cheese tart is the perfect thing to have as a light meal amidst all the festive frivolities. Candy beetroot can’t fail to be eye-catching; pink and white circles which look like a humbug. Beetroot are fantastic at this time of year adding colour to an otherwise mostly green and white season. Whichever beetroot you have it is excellent with goat’s cheese and particularly delicious with caramelised onions.  

Start by roasting the beetroot, boiling the beetroot will result in it turning pink and not retaining its wonderful stripes. Drizzle over a little oil before roasting and roast for an hour at 180C to 200C. While the beetroot roasts, caramelise the onions. Slice an onion and put into a pan over a low heat with a little butter. Leave to cook slowly for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Taste after 20 minutes to see if they need a little sugar or vinegar and season. While all this is taking place, prepare your pastry. For my rich shortcrust pastry recipe click here. read more

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Walnuts

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The poor sprout. I don’t know of another vegetable that has to put up with as much ridicule. People turning their noses up at even the slightest mention of this poor brassica must be hard to deal with if you’re a sprout. Chances are those that turn up their noses have only tried them boiled to within an inch of their life. There’s much more to a sprout than as a soggy green mess at the side of the plate. There is a rumour that sprouts can cause side effects of the flatulent sort. This rumour is also rife for baked beans but it doesn’t seem to put people off. read more

Fallowfields at Kingston Bagpuize

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fallowfields scotch egg
This was a gifted meal. I was invited for a day at Fallowfields Country House Hotel and went without any real idea what to expect. I thought it would be nice inside, pretty little garden and good food. What greeted me was exceptional and exceeded my expectations. The hotel has ten rooms and staying there would, I’m sure, make you feel like a name and not a number. After arriving I rather comfortably sat by a lovely open log fire; one side of my face very hot but happy nonetheless.

The food at Fallowfields was a wondrous surprise. They try to source as much as possible from their kitchen garden and the animals that they have in the grounds. I apologise profusely for the lack of photos of the lunch that we had; technology was not my friend that day. The food was very well executed and with head Chef Shaun Dickens’ pedigree it’s no surprise. read more

Farmers’ Markets: The Unsung Heroes

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compass brewery tannenbaum beer
Praises are regularly sung about all the fantastic ingredients you can get from farmers’ markets. Fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese are all wonderful artisan ingredients that are picked up and turned into a glorious meal at home. What about those things which you don’t use in another meal; the ones that are ready to eat?  Here are some of my farmers’ market heroes, the stalls and people you turn to to cheer up your stomach and put a big smile on your face.

Beer is an exception I suppose as it can be used as an ingredient or enjoyed on its own. This beer from Compass Brewery is a rather festive beverage; it’s balanced with Oxfordshire spruce needles. Where else could you get something that local and forever varying?

I’m not one for beer usually but I did enjoy a smidgen of this one. I can certainly vouch for the fruit wines available at the farmers’ market. I used some Cassis to poach some quinces a little while ago and it was divine. read more

Sloe and Hedgerow Gin: The Taste Test

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Some of you may know that I made my own sloe gin and hedgerow gin this year. It all started on a warm September afternoon with a kilo of sloes, some hedgerow berries, a sprinkling of sugar and a litre of fine gin. It’s something I’ve never even attempted before but I thought how hard can it be?
Turns out it’s extremely simple. Put it all together and leave the flavours and juices to mingle and infuse for as long as you can wait. The longer you can wait the better as the flavour gets more intense and the colour gets darker. read more

Onion Squash and Blue Cheese Risotto

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What is it about a squash that makes you warm from the inside out as you enjoy its beautiful sweet flesh. It could be the bright orange colour, a welcome sight amidst all the greens and browns of autumn. It could be the way it goes with pretty much everything: it can be soup, stew, curry, pudding; the list is endless, although I’ve not heard of anyone making squash gin or squash vodka. I had heard that the onion squash was the nicest of all the squashes as it has the most flavour. For me I think it is the sweetest and brightest of the lot. read more

Restaurants – how many visits does it take?

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How many times should you have to visit a restaurant to work out what it’s actually like? Perhaps I should rephrase this. How much money should you have to spend in a restaurant to work out the quality of the food and service?

Let’s take the first question. If the chef is having a bad day, they’re short on staff and really busy it might not necessarily be the most incredible olfactory experience you’ve ever had. Take the opposite scenario where everything is perfect, how come you can still leave hideously disappointed? There are so many factors involved but despite any issues the establishment is having, we the customer, should be the priority. read more

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