All That I'm Eating

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

Burley Manor – An Autumn Weekend Escape

By 11 Comments

Burley Manor entrance

This was a gifted stay and meal.

A night away is a real treat; one where you have gone far enough that you’re away from home but not so far that you get bored of driving. The New Forest is much closer to me than I had previously realised (how I’ve not recognised this before is quite astounding) and a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of day to day life so I was really looking forward to a stay at Burley Manor.

The hotel

Based in Burley, in the New Forest, Burley Manor is a wonderful, big old house that has been transformed into a modern hotel. There have been some new bits added so there are more rooms but as they are no taller than one story and red brick like the main house you don’t even notice they’re new. Throughout the lounges, dining room and conservatory (and most of the rooms too) you have an uninterrupted view of the beautiful New Forest countryside; which when we arrived was straight out of a Countryfile calendar complete with deer and everything. read more

Stop The World Cafe, Leigh-on-Sea

By 7 Comments

This was a gifted meal.

I have already mentioned that Leigh-on-Sea is a fantastic town with a seemingly never ending road of independent shops, bars and eateries. We’d already spent hours wandering around; first down to the old town with fresh fish for sale in charming sheds and stalls then back to the top of the town for a nose round the shops. We are notorious for rushing round places and seeing everything within the first hour then wondering what to do next. Not in Leigh-on-Sea, we were entertained for hours. And then it was time for lunch in the beautifully charming Stop The World Cafe. read more

Coastal Bite, Southend

By 12 Comments

This was a gifted meal.

After arriving in Southend a few weeks ago we ventured out, into some unruly weather, to take a walk along the seafront to Westcliff-on-Sea to get some lunch. After passing the pier, Southend town and some of the gardens opposite the water we arrived at a collection of cafés and shops set back from the sea each with its own brightly coloured awning, tempting smell and delicious sounding menu. I love a sandwich and they don’t come much better than the open or closed ones at Coastal Bite. read more

The Pipe of Port, Southend

By 7 Comments

The Pipe of Port Southend - outside

This was a gifted meal.

Every town has a hidden gem I’m sure of it. The only problem with hidden gems is that some people don’t like to tell you about them; the secret is best kept to themselves. Well, sorry Southend but I’m going to tell everyone about yours: The Pipe of Port. Just off the main high street, with blackboards outside to announce its presence this is a restaurant that is worth a visit. Even if you live in Lerwick.

You descend into The Pipe of Port and land in an underground cellar filled with subtle light bulbs, candles, places to sit, menus to look at and absolutely huge barrels of port. This place specialises in two things: wine and pies. But don’t be fooled, they have all the independent beers, ciders and other soft drinks you could ever need. They have a huge, and very interesting, selection of wines by the glass and many, many more by the bottle. They also have some very exclusive wines available by the bottle; what a fantastic idea to treat yourself. read more

A Weekend in Southend

By 15 Comments

This was a gifted stay and meal.

When I hear a town name that ends in ‘on-Sea’ I can’t help but think it’ll be a place full of fish a chip shops, candyfloss and rock, stripy deck chairs and 99s with a flake. It conjures up images of 1950’s his and hers matching striped bathing suits, an afternoon watching Punch and Judy and a cream tea or two. If you can’t tell already I’m a big fan of a British seaside town, there’s something about them you don’t find anywhere else, so I was really looking forward to my weekend in Southend. read more

River Cottage Canteen Winchester

By 7 Comments

This was a gifted meal.

Winchester is home to many lovely things. A cathedral with an excellent second hand bookshop round the back, a marvellous independent tea shop and now, although I say now it has been there for some time, the River Cottage Canteen Winchester. It’s in such a lovely setting, next to the river Itchen in a park and they get as many of their ingredients as possible from Hampshire. If they don’t come from Hampshire they come from Devon (i.e. River Cottage HQ) and almost every ingredient has a story behind it. read more

Five Days in New York: How To Do Everything

By 11 Comments

So you’ve booked your flights and hotel to the Big Apple and it’s a little while until you go, plenty of time to plan. You start looking online for ideas and inspiration for where to go and what to see; it’s all a bit overwhelming and you tell yourself you’ll come back to it. You buy a guidebook, thicker than you thought, and start trying to narrow down what to do. Again, it’s so full of ideas you don’t know whether to start at the back or the front. Have no fear. I had five days in New York and I have been through the process for you; here’s how I did it all. read more

Aluna Bristol

By 9 Comments

This was a gifted meal.

Bristol is just over an hour away from me so it’s not too far for a day out but not close enough that I pop over on a regular basis. So when I do go I like to make the most of it; there’s always plenty to see and do. I went last weekend for a wander round the shops and it always surprises me how far the city stretches and the new places I find. This time I found a lovely street market and food hall very near each other so I was well occupied for at least an hour. We had planned lunch a bar and restaurant called Aluna which specialises in cocktails and Asian food. read more

The Dundas Arms Kintbury

By 2 Comments

The Dundas Arms Kintbury Menu

This was a gifted meal.

The Dundas Arms in Kintbury had a bit of an overhaul a few years ago; a bit of redecoration, a spruce up in the garden and more. It has recently come under new management and I was invited to try out their dinner menu. I had been for lunch a few days before and I liked what they served (classic Ploughman’s and sandwiches) but I wasn’t prepared for the dinner menu (and food) to be quite as good as it was.

I was in one of those terrible dining situations where I was looking at the menu but as it all sounded so good I couldn’t possibly choose what to have. Then they came at me with the specials which threw a spanner in the works. I distracted myself by looking at the wine list; a good selection by the glass and an even better range by the bottle. Couple this with some local beers and slightly more unusual spirits this is a great pub for a drink. read more

Crab and Boar Newbury

By 6 Comments

This was a gifted meal.

The Crab and Boar near Newbury is in a lovely location; surrounded by rolling Berkshire countryside. Inside the pub it’s slick and modern but comfortable too. There are plenty of big squishy chairs and sofas to relax in around the bar and the layout in the restaurant means you get the background hubbub of noise without feeling like people can overhear you. A few weeks ago I was invited to try out their evening menu and I was looking forward to it as I had heard lots of good things. read more

Recent Tweets

  • Error: Invalid or expired token.