tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8786946206521719672024-02-18T21:31:08.032-08:00maratanga bitestasty tidbits and bobsmaratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-73580434362197633022015-03-24T10:07:00.003-07:002015-03-24T10:16:59.345-07:00tea in the afternoon<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As somebody who actively <strong>enjoys</strong> <strong>eating cucumber sandwiches</strong>
(white bread, no crusts, decent butter, semi salted) and drinks enough daily
cuppas to bathe in, it may come as no surprise that <strong>afternoon tea</strong> floats my
boat. I can think of nothing better than whiling the best part of the day away,
the quintessentially British way; over a <strong>smorgasbord of sandwiches and dainty
treats</strong>, the chink of china and the idle flow of chitchat. Real decadence with a hint of bygone times. Although it can be a little girly
and twee, and there’s nothing wrong with that, in recent years
afternoon tea has been thrust firmly into modern times with eclectic twists on
the stalwart ingredients and a healthy addition of booze. Ahh booze.<strong> Prosecco
and champagne</strong>, or cocktail themed teas, get the party started in ways the early
19<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup> century society gal could only imagine. Something one of my
best friends knows only too well, as she recently treated me to an awesome <strong>tipsy gin
fuelled tea</strong> as a birthday treat (see Mr. Fogg's below).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s fair to say that London certainly has no shortage of
afternoon tea hotspots to suit all tastes and budgets – from the famously deluxe
opulence of the Ritz, to Time Out and Groupon’s
seemingly continuous stream of deals and 241’s, luring in punters desperate for
something last minute to appease Mum on her birthday. But be warned, <strong>no two
teas are the same</strong>! The variety is certainly broad but so is the quality. Trust
me, cucumber sandwiches can be made so wrong. And there is nothing worse than
forking out for stale sarnies and substandard sponge... Price is also something to take into consideration. You can certainly get some good offers, but if you want a filling tea it's sometimes better to pay a bit more and plump for the continuously refreshed option, such as at the Ritz or the St. Pancras Ren, where you can stuff yourself silly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To avoid potential tea pitfalls, I have pulled together some
of my <strong>tried and tested favourites</strong>, perfect for a range of tea partners, scenarios and
pockets. <em>Chin chin.</em></span></div>
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Something diff: <a href="http://mr-foggs.com/" target="_blank">Mr. Fogg’s Tipsy Tea<o:p></o:p></a></h4>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think the key to quirk is to highlight one particular theme or
ingredient. If you go too mental, you run the risk of turning afternoon tea into something else altogether, or even worse, a weird version of lunch. In that case, you may as well just go for lunch in the first place. There seems to be some awful bastardised 'lads' tea out there involving pork pies and doorstep sandwiches. I like a pork based snack product as much as the next bloke, but there's a time and a place people. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">No, stick
to the traditional parameters of afternoon tea (sandwiches, cake, liquid) but
with a fresh spin and you can't go far wrong. Like at Mr Fogg's house, an elegant time traveller's drinking den tucked away down an inconspicuous side street in Mayfair, where <strong>teapots of gin or champagne
infused tea cocktails</strong> accompany dainty towers of treats in novel surroundings. Watched over by an array of accoutrements from taxidermy to vintage maps (supposedly sourced by Phileas Fogg on his travels), whilst a pianist tickled the ivories, we opted for the 'bottomless' choice (£58 pp) which got us through three generously sized teapots each of a range of super sweet gin based drinkypoos. Our favourite was the <strong>Woburn Abbey</strong>, a refreshing mix of English breakfast tea-infused Tanqueray No. TEN with crème de bergamot, lemon juice and bee pollen sugar. The combo of the booze plus the custard and chocolate rich cakes and pastries made for an <strong>intense sugar hit</strong>, that was almost too much to handle and certainly left me craving the sandwiches more than the sweets. I think next time I would opt for the single teapot option (£38 pp) and perhaps pick a more savoury drink to have afterwards, like a G&T, so I could eat more cake! Best for drinking buddies with tons to catch up, this tea will certainly leave you tipsy by the time you come rolling out...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>More to try:</strong> <a href="https://www.morganshotelgroup.com/originals/originals-sanderson-london/eat-drink/mad-hatters-afternoon-tea" target="_blank">Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea</a> at the Sanderson
(from £38 pp), <a href="http://www.the-berkeley.co.uk/fashion-afternoon-tea/" target="_blank">Prêt-à-Portea</a> at the Berkeley (from £41), <a href="http://www.cinnamonsoho.com/Pages/DocumentManager/High%20Chai%20Menu%20-%20August%202013.pdf" target="_blank">High Chai</a> at
Cinnamon Soho (from £20) </span><br />
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<o:p> </o:p>Pure decadence: <a href="https://www.thewolseley.com/afternoon-tea" target="_blank">The Wolseley<o:p></o:p></a></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For a great British afternoon tea in the old tradition with a touch of class, you can't go far wrong with the luxurious setting of The Wolseley, resplendent in it's black and gold art deco finery. The atmosphere is refined yet lively, service snappy and special yet you don't need to worry too much about smart attire or speaking too loudly; just relax and soak up the experience. Aaaaahhh. <strong>Ideal for nattering and people watching</strong>, you're also bound to catch a celeb or two in there, especially if you go during the week. Last time we saw Billie Piper and Laurence Fox with kids in tow (impeccable table manners FYI). Tea is served daily from 3pm, and it's a traditional affair with a lovely selection of perfectly turned out sandwiches, scones, cakes and teas, which keep getting replenished, and all at a very affordable £23.75 pp. <strong>A memorable special treat</strong> for any best mate, mum, gran or other half. Prepare to get your brownie points well and truly doubled with the Wolseley option.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>More to try:</strong> <a href="http://www.theritzlondon.com/tea.html" target="_blank">The Ritz</a> (from £55 pp), <a href="http://www.claridges.co.uk/london-mayfair-afternoon-tea/" target="_blank">Claridge's</a> (from £55), <a href="http://www.dorchestercollection.com/en/london/the-dorchester/restaurants-bars/afternoon-tea" target="_blank">The Dorchester</a> (from £49), <a href="http://www.thegoring.com/food-drink/afternoon-tea/" target="_blank">The Goring<o:p></o:p></a> (from £42.50)</span></div>
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<o:p> </o:p>Cutesy: <a href="http://www.bettyblythe.co.uk/bb_Afternoon_Tea" target="_blank">Betty Blythe</a></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chintz, cupcakes and a voluminous vintage dress up box; you can't get sweeter than Betty Blythe's in Hammersmith. Available to hire for large parties, as a group of eight ladies we had the <strong>Twenties themed basement boudoir</strong>, replete with retro photo frames, feather boas, long gloves and beaded headdresses all to ourselves for a few flippin' great hours...
The food is <strong>tasty, simple, home baking done well</strong>. Think cucumber, cheese and ham sandwiches, dinky brownies and bitesize cupcakes with Earl Grey tea in prettily patterned cups and saucers. Betty Blythe's caters for all palates and ages, and is a great spot for baby showers, hen do's and children's parties - and at £22 pp for a traditional afternoon tea you'll leave feeling like a flapper on wings. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>More to try:</strong> <a href="http://www.thetearooms.org/our-menu/afternoon-tea/" target="_blank">Stoke Newington Tea Rooms</a> (from £23 pp), <a href="http://www.beasofbloomsbury.com/afternoon-tea/" target="_blank">Bea’s of Bloomsbury</a> (from £24.50),
<a href="http://www.bake-a-boo.com/afternoon-tea-party" target="_blank">Bake-a-Boo<o:p></o:p></a> (from £18.50)</span></div>
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<o:p> </o:p>Shopaholic's delight: <a href="http://www.liberty.co.uk/pws/images/services/tea_menu.pdf" target="_blank">Liberty's</a></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Afternoon tea bookended by shopping. Feminists look away now! However there are surely worse things in life, and if you do
want to punctuate trawling the streets of the big smoke for glad rags <strong>with a
creamed scone or three</strong>, then why not rest in the welcoming, and rather jazzily patterned,
embrace of Liberty’s of London. Good for a pit stop, the buzzy café housed within the iconic black timbered Liberty's department store, serves a <strong>gutsy afternoon tea</strong> to keep you sustained throughout your day. Hearty scones, generous sarnies and a range of thirst quenching teas. On our visit we found some clingfilm in our smoked salmon, but even that didn't dent the mood. At £36.95 for two people, we each got a large, floor standing tier of goodies to ourselves (really enough for three) so certainly didn't feel short changed. The good news with shop or attraction cafes is that they
often don’t get booked up far in advance, and tables get turned quickly - so your chances of walking in and
securing a table for afternoon tea are high. <strong>Just be prepared to go up a dress size afterwards.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>More to try:</strong><a href="https://www.fortnumandmason.com/restaurants/afternoon-tea" target="_blank"> Fortnum & Mason</a> (from £40 pp), <a href="http://www.afternoontea.co.uk/uk/london/covent-garden/portrait-gallery-restaurant/" target="_blank">National Portrait Gallery</a> (from £24.50), <a href="http://www.selfridges.com/wcsstore/Selfridges/Attachment/Dollys%20Mr%20Selfridge%20menu%207%20Jan%202013.pdf" target="_blank">Selfridge’s</a> (from £21.95)</span></div>
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<o:p> </o:p>The modern classic: <a href="http://www.bookingofficerestaurant.com/london-restaurant-bar-st-pancras-renaissance-lonpr/Afternoon-Tea-at-St-Pancras-38.html" target="_blank">St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel</a></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes you find a place that just ticks all the boxes. The St Pancras Ren is such a place. Beautifully designed, with a calm and restful ambiance where time appears to stand still, afternoon tea is taken in the Hansom Lounge where we decide to treat Mum for a special Mother's Day. It's a large, spacious, light area with high backed comfortable armchairs that manage to give a feel of privacy to your table. This is <strong>a good looking tea</strong>, no doubt about it. Sandwiches were things of beauty, designed in different shapes and featuring yummy artisan beetroot bread, brioche and cranberry bread. Continuously refreshed, I can't imagine how many I ploughed through, but it was a lot. Fresh s<span style="font-family: Calibri;">umptuous scones with cream and jam and a huge variety of patisserie; t</span>his is definitely <strong>a tea you could bring a real man to</strong>, and he would leave feeling full and in no way emasculated. The service was always attentive and friendly and we felt in no way rushed or pushed. We could have sat there all day and night - and nearly did!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Classic tea is around £35 pp and there's also a tea inspired cocktail selection if you want to up the alcoholic ante. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our teatime easily spilled into early evening time and as darkness fell
outside and the lights came up inside, we felt blissfully happy and ready to start on the pre-dinner drinks... <strong>A tea to remember.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>More to try:</strong> <a href="http://www.deanstreettownhouse.com/system/files/032015/55085499ebeeb5930000004c/original/afternoon_teaMArch_17.pdf?1426698861" target="_blank">Dean Street Townhouse</a> (from £19.50 pp), <a href="http://www.themodernpantry.co.uk/pdf/afternoon-tea.pdf" target="_blank">The Modern Pantry</a> (from £22.50), <a href="http://www.orangerykensingtonpalace.co.uk/afternoon-tea/" target="_blank">The Orangery</a> (from £26)</span></div>
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maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-64598139679686610312014-12-03T03:23:00.001-08:002014-12-03T03:27:39.428-08:00festive fondue<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>There's nowt more festive than fundue.</strong> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In fact, for turophiles, you could argue that fondue is even more festive than
a Christmas dinner which is <em>really</em> just a glorified Sunday roast with added
trimmings in my book. And honestly, can anybody get truly excited about turkey? A <strong>bubbling hot vat
of molten cheese</strong> on the other hand, is the stuff of sweet (albeit surreal)
dreams... Fondue is the perfect cold weather treat; warming, comforting and with all the Alpine Christmassy connotations of snow<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>dusted mountains, log cabins and roaring
fires. From the teeny weeny forks, to the platters of meat and veg for dipping,
it's the funnest option for a December dinner shared amongst friends. The twinkly lights come out, the temperature drops and the best
way to start getting in the mood for magic is through the medium of <strong>fromage
chaud</strong>...</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">oh yeah</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are plenty of decent fondue establishments in London, where you can get elbow deep in quality grease to your heart's content - from
Spitalfields' <strong><a href="http://www.androuet.co.uk/restaurant/" target="_blank">Androuet</a></strong> or Shoreditch's stinky <strong><a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d2009354-Reviews-Walluc_Bistro-London_England.html" target="_blank">Walluc</a></strong>, to the cosily central <strong><a href="http://www.stmoritz-restaurant.co.uk/" target="_blank">St Moritz</a></strong> or (brand new this year) jaunty <strong><a href="http://jimmyspopup.com/the-lodge-balham/" target="_blank">Jimmy's Pop Up at The Lodge</a></strong> in Balham, which has been getting rave reviews. And I will
never forget the now sadly defunct <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d2043549-Reviews-L_art_du_Fromage-London_England.html" target="_blank"><strong>Art du Fromage</strong></a> in Chelsea where I spent one
unseasonably hot October evening sweating into a raclette press. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But a while ago I discovered the wonderful <strong><a href="http://cheeseatleadenhall.co.uk/" target="_blank">Cheese at Leadenhall Market</a></strong> and as far as fondue experiences go it's been my favourite to date.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In 2011 I met <a href="https://twitter.com/leadenhall_lou" target="_blank">Lou Beegan</a>, dishing out groundbreaking raclette sandwiches by the bonfire at
food blogger <a href="https://twitter.com/MsMarmitelover" target="_blank">Ms Marmite Lover</a>'s night market. Quite simply, it was one of the best things
I've ever eaten - sourdough bread, pickles, potatoes and thick melted cheese spilling out from between the toasted slices. I was raving about that sarnie for days! Lou worked at
<strong>Cheese,</strong> an artisan cheesemongers in the City. Desperate for more raclette
goodness, I was gutted that the short lunchtime sandwich availability meant
there was no way I could make the journey west from my workplace in time.
<em>However</em> I soon found out that over the winter months, and - if you ask nicely and book ahead - during the evening, Cheese will happily <strong>fire up the fondue on request</strong>. So one particularly frosty night a group of
us made the post work journey over for a cheese fest.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leadenhall</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shivering,</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> we anticipated the toasty interior of a
welcoming restaurant - and were a little taken aback to find a tiny shop with
hardly any seating inside and a table set up for us outside (under the
cavernous roof of <strong><a href="http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/visiting-the-city/food-drink-and-shopping/leadenhall-market/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">Leadenhall Market</a></strong> but pretty much exposed to the winter chill nonetheless). Were
they mental?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well it turns out no they weren't, as we
were swiftly given big woollen tartan blankets to wrap up in, glasses of wine
and soon enough, pots of delicious bubbling fondue, which warmed us up in no time. And
just like that raclette sandwich, which tasted so much better devoured outside,
it's true that the fondue tasted all the better and more festive for being eaten al fresco. Ok we
were in spitting distance of the Gherkin, and not a skier in sight. But Leadenhall Market has a <strong>beautiful olde worlde, Victorian feel</strong>, the vintage shop fronts all lit up with fairy lights and a huge real Christmas tree pride of place in the centre. Most fondue joints also absolutely reek of cheese - so eating it in the crisp cold air made a refresing change, and we skipped away feeling nicely full and merry, not overly hot, bothered and dripping with the dreaded cheese sweats.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>The fondue is a very reasonable £15pp</strong> - one hot pot of cheese comfortably feeds two hungry cheese heads and comes with a generous amount of crusty bread for dipping. You can also order a charcuterie platter with various hams and salamis, for just £12 more. The wine list is extensive and reasonable priced, with a nice Merlot coming in at £24. Since my first visit, Cheese has expanded with plenty more outdoor seating and a couple of mini heat lamps to take the bite out of the air. However an extra pair of socks and hat and scarf are recommended to enable you to linger over your fromage for the maximum amount of time!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While you're there, you could also get one of the lovely
expert Cheese team to advise you on some tasty purchases to wrap up for your Christmas
cheeseboard or as gifts for friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Grab your furry earmuffs and go forth to fondue!</strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-39485568848174989932014-11-18T01:25:00.003-08:002014-11-18T01:28:30.840-08:00toad in the hole + spawn<strong>November is all about #toadlife.</strong><br />
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Jus' chillin', preferably on a <a href="http://www.fatboy.com/gb/bean-bags/original" target="_blank">fat boy</a>, in front of a toasty fire, with hot tasty food, ideally washed down with something boozy and lightly spiced. I love the run up to Christmas, when comfort food can be guzzled down with wild abandon as we relish the first proper bite of winter. In January the guilt starts to creep in and Banuary bitches like to wag fingers and remind you of the millions of calories you've consumed in the preceding two months. Now, however, it's more than acceptable to start cooking up all those warming hearty dishes that light up the dark chilly evenings.<br />
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In honour of all things toad like, what better dish to try out on a wintry evening than a <strong>big ol' toad int' hole</strong>. I'm not usually a huge sausage fan, but enveloped snugly in billowy battery freshly made Yorkshire pud... Well, I'm all over it. Paired with a rich onion gravy and some roasted carrots, kale and broccoli for the health factor, this was a satisfying supper and a half. And pretty easy to make with hardly any ingredients required. Just buy some posh sausages and you'll probably have the rest of the ingredients at home. You could even sack off the Sunday roast and serve this up instead - you might get some complaints at first, but once everyone gets their helpings it'll be <strong>froggy fun</strong> all round, mark my words.<br />
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If Q4 is mainly about upping the eating ante, then of course there is always room for just desserts and with toads comes... erm... spawn?! As a child <strong>rice pudding</strong> was one of my favourite ever afters, preferably dished up with some of the lovely caramelised skin on top and a grate of nutmeg. So it was with this in mind that I cooked up a decadent version with cinnamon and double cream, the perfect sweet treat to round off a serious supper. Some slow stewed apples or plums would make a fantastic fruity accompaniment to your toad spawn, or you could go old school with a big fat jam whale swimming on top. <br />
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For go-to tried and tested recipes, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/profile/felicity-cloake" target="_blank">Felicity Cloake</a> is the mama. And it was with joy that I found she had wise words to offer on both <strong>toads and spawn, </strong>suggesting boozy additions of both ale to the batter and sherry to the pud<strong>. </strong>However, if you prefer your alcohol in your glass then the below recipes should serve you well. Both feed 4 comfortably.<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Dive in...</strong><br />
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<strong><u>Toad in the Hole + onion gravy</u></strong><br />
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>100g plain flour</strong></li>
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>½ tsp English mustard powder</strong></li>
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>1 egg</strong></li>
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>300ml milk</strong></li>
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>8 pork sausages</strong></li>
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>2 tbsp sunflower oil</strong></li>
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>2 onions, peeled and sliced</strong></li>
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>1 tsp soft brown sugar</strong></li>
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>500ml beef stock</strong></li>
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<li class="separator separator-solid-grayoffwhite first" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Make the batter: Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Tip flour into the large mixing bowl and stir in the mustard powder with a good pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre, crack in the egg, then pour in a dribble of milk. Stir with a wooden spoon, gradually incorporating some of the flour, until you have a smooth batter in the well. Now add a bit more milk and continue stirring until all the milk and flour has been mixed together.</li>
<li class="separator separator-solid-grayoffwhite" itemprop="recipeInstructions">The batter is ready: You should now have a smooth, lump-free batter that is the consistency of double cream. Roast sausages in the oven, in an oiled roasting tray, for 15 mins.</li>
<li class="separator separator-solid-grayoffwhite" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Cook the batter: Take the hot tray from the oven, then quickly pour in the batter – it should sizzle and bubble a little when it first hits the hot fat. Put it back into the oven, then bake for 40 mins until the batter is cooked through, well risen and crisp. If you poke the tip of a knife into the batter in the middle of the tray it should be set, not sticky or runny.</li>
<li class="separator separator-solid-grayoffwhite" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Make the gravy: Soften the onions with the remaining oil in a large nonstick frying pan for about 20 mins, stirring often, until they are golden brown. Sprinkle in the sugar for the final 5 mins. Add the spoonful of flour, then cook, constantly stirring, for 2 mins, so it coats the onions and there is no dry flour left. Gradually pour in the stock, stirring well to make a smooth sauce. Bubble for 4-5 mins to thicken, then season. Cut the toad in the hole into large wedges and serve with the gravy spooned over. </li>
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<strong><u>Toad Spawn</u></strong></div>
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>50g butter</strong></li>
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>50g soft light brown sugar</strong></li>
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>100g pudding rice</strong></li>
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>1 litre full-cream milk</strong></li>
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>Zest of ½ a lemon</strong></li>
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>Bay leaf</strong></li>
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg</strong></li>
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>¼ tsp cinnamon</strong></li>
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<li itemprop="ingredients"><strong>150ml double cream</strong></li>
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1. Pre-heat the oven to 140C. Put the butter in a large saucepan over a gentle heat, and, when melted, add the sugar. Stir and cook for a few minutes, then tip in the rice, and stir to coat. Cook until the rice has swelled slightly, stirring continuously, then add the milk and stir well to dislodge any clumps of rice and sugar on the bottom of the pan.<br />
2. Add the lemon zest, bay leaf, spices and a pinch of salt, then pour in the cream and bring to simmer. Pour into a greased ovenproof dish.<br />
3. Bake the pudding in the oven for about 2 hours <em>(or an hour if putting it straight into the same hot oven you just cooked your toad in!),</em> until it has set, but is still slightly wobbly. Devour.</div>
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maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-74770872950426821942014-08-28T08:07:00.002-07:002014-11-07T02:23:01.399-08:00flesh & buns<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Hot, sticky flesh. Pillowy soft buns. Deep dark basement. Orgasmic faces...</strong></div>
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In the words of the Essex lot - #NAWTY.</div>
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And that's exactly how I felt after being utterly seduced by the brilliant <strong><a href="http://www.fleshandbuns.com/" target="_blank">Flesh and Buns</a></strong> in Covent Garden. Nawty. But nice.</div>
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Tucked downstairs in a cosy basement space on Earlham Street, opposite Belgo's and round t'corner from Urban Outfitters, it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it den of deliciousness. The offspring of ramen joint <a href="http://bonedaddiesramen.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Bone Daddies</strong></a>, I knew I was likely in for decent Japanese fodder at F&B's. And having sampled the yumminess of the small but on point <strong><a href="http://www.yumbun.com/" target="_blank">Yum Bun</a></strong>, I also knew I liked BUN. (For those of you not aware of the delights of BUN, where have you been?) Oblong shaped soft steamed buns, which you can fill with meat, fish, veg and sticky sauce and stuff in your gob in an Asian inspired kind of fluffy doughy taco. Messy but satisfying. So I was more than happy to be handed a menu that was chock full of yummy bun fillings along with a fantastic array of other dishes. The fact I found it hard to choose, when usually I'm hard nosed and ruthless, is testament to the great range on offer - as well as the ubiquitous buns, there's other types of <strong>ceviche, tempura and sushi</strong> type tastiness. Everything is for sharing, with the main, more expensive 'flesh' courses enough for two to three people, and the menu suggesting two buns (£2) per person. We found two starters and two main dishes more than enough for the three of us.</div>
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While we waited for our main course to arrive we nibbled on <strong>'chips and dips'</strong>, crisp rice crackers with <span style="color: #333333;">avocado shiso and tomato jalapeno dips, Japanese versions of guacamole and salsa. We also played chopstick fights over crisp <strong>fried squid</strong> chilli spiked with pepper and lime. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaB3Gc9K5MvctbdpEjOr-39DasGSgYXkdQamMxg0yJ0x1xKAEga3mcdcEyfGrBfFVcpYYvt09KTBx-mSmSO6367KipybNBqI6Zq6EbKw3IOyJSZ6YFh4xTdduwq2VfS-CeKDhrq2iqRks/s1600/photo3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaB3Gc9K5MvctbdpEjOr-39DasGSgYXkdQamMxg0yJ0x1xKAEga3mcdcEyfGrBfFVcpYYvt09KTBx-mSmSO6367KipybNBqI6Zq6EbKw3IOyJSZ6YFh4xTdduwq2VfS-CeKDhrq2iqRks/s1600/photo3.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">squidz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333;">Then the buns arrived, fat and friendly in their steamer tower, along with perfectly cooked fillets of <strong>salmon teriyaki</strong> with pickled cucumber and a juicy <strong>crispy duck leg</strong> with <span style="color: #333333;">sour plum soy sauce and beetroot pickle. Shredded succulent flesh, with crisp salad, crammed into buns and washed down with <strong>warm sake</strong>. Comfort food at it's best. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #333333;"></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">quack</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd8m4BZFVPgHL4FnVsNDaGdI8KbaVKbSJXYab0oIh5Mjb1TaS4dCUKgoyOcbxJZ245f4juaudalnWwwHy-Ep3orzn8i1uXAMNScoiULKEksD7lS4CohC1COJNNgw21trGtNtEGj4r73aU/s1600/salmon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd8m4BZFVPgHL4FnVsNDaGdI8KbaVKbSJXYab0oIh5Mjb1TaS4dCUKgoyOcbxJZ245f4juaudalnWwwHy-Ep3orzn8i1uXAMNScoiULKEksD7lS4CohC1COJNNgw21trGtNtEGj4r73aU/s1600/salmon.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fishy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduyQ80310OGRW7xE0kSY9QINCHOuMbz9pcQh1YiRw16yW82mFGiP55w1XO79R2mBF69blOXIMsRxXOHyjB5VZJzIaSaFbLsxrjdR-jSLupuVGtzXyvhxP2X7ZG-76-5tVX1ZJ6gMZCZc/s1600/bun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduyQ80310OGRW7xE0kSY9QINCHOuMbz9pcQh1YiRw16yW82mFGiP55w1XO79R2mBF69blOXIMsRxXOHyjB5VZJzIaSaFbLsxrjdR-jSLupuVGtzXyvhxP2X7ZG-76-5tVX1ZJ6gMZCZc/s1600/bun.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we bun tings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #333333;">We were all set to leave, when the table next to us were presented with a <strong>flaming fire pit</strong>. Like moths to a flame, all eyes were on the fyah. The waitress informed us that this was the <strong>S'mores</strong> dessert - big rectangular marshmallows on sticks (one each), with thin slices of green tea chocolate and buttery biscuits. Those who know me, know of my love affair with the <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d1587787-r152947722-Barrica-London_England.html" target="_blank">Barrica choc ice</a>. Well this is the choc ice's dirty cousin. OF COURSE WE WANTED IT! Salivating, we waited. And it did not disappoint. Mallows toasted over the fire, then sandwiched inbetween choc and biccie to make the most utterly sinful, gooey gorgeous dessert sandwich. A real treat to round off a superb dins.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMc9n9j6IxslOZ889QI7H89QTdtiAxmv2hwa0ZaiFaAfnmRkr2kZoSfm3V2H7y9Zm8cP2ij-YJ8q4Op0c-9uOZfXah6Tcff3K4hQgWqWWbNQNQ_XdI4O8pCHrIrkCrqw7kt8tJQTtJO4/s1600/photo7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMc9n9j6IxslOZ889QI7H89QTdtiAxmv2hwa0ZaiFaAfnmRkr2kZoSfm3V2H7y9Zm8cP2ij-YJ8q4Op0c-9uOZfXah6Tcff3K4hQgWqWWbNQNQ_XdI4O8pCHrIrkCrqw7kt8tJQTtJO4/s1600/photo7.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the good stuff</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333;">Service was friendly, prices reasonable, and on the printed bill they even handily split the price for you between the number in your group, making it easy to pay and away; rolling like happy fat buns off into the wilds of the city. <strong>Flesh and Buns</strong> is up there as my <em><strong>favourite meal of the year thus far</strong></em>. Quality cooking, and fun to boot. Just make sure you book. And leave enough room for those heavenly S'mores...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333;">For more Japanese amazingness I can recommend <strong><a href="http://www.suzuonline.co.uk/" target="_blank">Suzu</a></strong> in Hammersmith and <strong><a href="http://brilliantcornerslondon.co.uk/" target="_blank">Brilliant Corners</a></strong> in Dalston. Neither do steamed buns, but the former does great sushi classes and the latter does decent tunes and mezcal. <strong>Konichiwaaa.</strong></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvPHrWUM93TAS1n6pX9FWHrVqEc3Neguny8V0S_qlvkFjoYR_Y1WiXAiOrC6UQlu8NojYd9hQv3QV5pS9WzDFBCe5IP0wzSzH7TnpZIr0mJZwH0gaGqLNX54JzaZBgQlR6htN0rrTzC8/s1600/smores.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvPHrWUM93TAS1n6pX9FWHrVqEc3Neguny8V0S_qlvkFjoYR_Y1WiXAiOrC6UQlu8NojYd9hQv3QV5pS9WzDFBCe5IP0wzSzH7TnpZIr0mJZwH0gaGqLNX54JzaZBgQlR6htN0rrTzC8/s1600/smores.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">phwoar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-8576916273093186122014-08-01T02:55:00.002-07:002014-08-01T03:12:30.446-07:00coppa, london fields<div class="MsoPlainText">
As London's skyline get higher, and evenings stretch
longer, summertime rooftop drinking and eating has never tasted so damn<b> GOOD</b>.
There's a plethora of places to pick from in the big smoke, from <b><a href="http://netil360.com/" target="_blank">Netil House</a></b>'s
glorious 360 roof terrace in Hackney to the refined insouciance of <b><a href="http://www.theboundary.co.uk/rooftop/" target="_blank">Boundary</a></b> in
Shoreditch to Kensington's tropical luxe <b><a href="http://www.roofgardens.virgin.com/" target="_blank">Roof Gardens</a></b>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.coppalondon.co.uk/" target="_blank">Coppa Bar & Rosticceria</a>, </b>nestled on high between the London Fields railway
line and the fields themselves, is a little big gem with a mahoosive sparkle,
that definitely deserves winkling out ASAP. Open Thursday - Sunday, serving a mixture of Italian charcuterie, meat, salads, cocktails and wine, it's the ideal locale for a long boozy sunset supper. (It's also got a canopy for any pesky showers that may threaten to rain on your parade).</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
With a mixture of long bench tables spread with red and
white checked tablecloths, and cute intimate beach style huts to sit in,
coloured fairy lights twinkle overhead as hungry Hackneyites laugh, jape and chow down on
strong Italo BBQ cookery...<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Summer nights call for summer punch and we set the pace
with some bang tidy fruity<b> Amaro Mule</b> cocktails (Melletti Amaro, ginger beer, lime). The Rosemary Julep and Stella Spritz didn't go down quite so
well with my companions, being a bit punchy for our tastes, so we ordered in a bottle of chilled red to go
with our feast.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>And what a feast it was!</b> Opting for the set menu at a
very reasonable £25 a head, the courses just kept on comin'... Here's a tip -
arrive hungry. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Kicking off with a beautiful mix of pillowy chewy
ciabatta, toasted almonds, plump juicy green olives, creamy buffalo mozarella,
thick cloudy quality olive oil and thinly sliced meats with pickled samphire, it's fair to say we
guzzled that <b>antipasti</b> like nobody's business. </div>
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When the tender <b>BBQ chicken</b> (roasted in Nduja and Rosemary & Lemon) turned up we had to
slow the pace, and do our best to do justice to the meat and the four generous, fresh and zesty
salads which came with: grilled radicchio, fennel and orange, potato and bean and panzanella. There were even <b>patatine fritt</b>e, or salty fries, with ketchup & mayo to go with - an essential in
my book.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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A zingy little pot of lemon sorbet at the end of the meal
was an <b>unexpected but welcome surprise</b>. And as we all know, there's always room for dessert.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Although the end bill was higher than we intended (our
fault - those cocktails) the amount of lush food for dollar and good vibes atop
that roof was well worth it. We were stuffed like pigs by the end, but the cooking is clean, tasty and healthy - which means you can drink more, right? And you could always come for balmy evening
boozing, with a smattering of snacks to go with, rather than the veritable
banquet we opted for.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You can't book unless you're a group of six or more - but
as long as you arrive early you should be just fine. Or do what we did and
book a table for 6, then turn up with 3...naughty.<o:p></o:p></div>
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With just the right mix of charm, cool and credible
cooking, <b>Coppa feel of some Italian rooftop action</b> quick smart before the cumulonimbus inevitably come rolling back over...</div>
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maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-61876751410571203292014-06-30T02:44:00.005-07:002014-06-30T03:44:06.133-07:00chip n dip ting<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>An array of nibbles + chilled glass of fizz +
chitchat = makings of a good night in.</strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Who doesn't like a bit of chip n' dip action with a side of booze?</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's so easy to grab a bag of nachos or Kettle Chips and
a few supermarket dips to munch on with your aperitivo - and they do serve a purpose, I won't deny.
There's some 'world food' shops near me that do a lovely line in tzatziki. And I've got a soft spot for Sensations Thai sweet chilli crisps bathed liberally in red pepper houmous. But
in general, shop-bought crisps or tortilla chips are way salty and greasy and the dips often thin, weak, vinegary or artificial tasting - making for <strong>sodium overload</strong> and that horrible
'full but not really full' feeling that gets you running out for a kebab when the party's over. So when my bezzie came over t'other night
for catchups, proferring two bottles of fizz (pink and white), I went down the healthy route
and made some substantial yet simple <strong>baked pitta chips and homemade dips.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Guacamole, salsa and houmous</strong> are a delish dip tricolore that
seem to go down well with msot folks and just work together. Super easy to whizz
up, easily sourced, affordable ingredients and if you, like me, are lucky
enough to live near a market where they do <strong>big bowls of avos or toms</strong> for a quid
you may as well load up and make a huge batch as they all freeze incredibly
well too. And then you're all prepared and ready to dip freely on demand whenever you so desire. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Pitta chips</strong> are the perfect vehicle to transport <strong>your
dips to lips</strong>. They're tasty but don't distract from the dip - and retain the structual integrity to stop any disappointing mushiness when scooping - a key factor of any chip worth it's salt (ahem).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Allow a couple of breads per person. It's easier if you buy round
pittas as they are easier to cut into chips - but strips would work equally as
well.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Just brush a baking tray and your breads with a tiny bit of olive oil,
season with any spices or herbs you fancy and cut into triangles. Bake for 10
mins at 180C.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Voila - <strong>crisp tasty chips</strong>, baked not fried and not overly salty
(unless you want them to be!)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Again, stock up on round breads and keep them in the
freezer and you're all sorted for <strong>chip n dips round 2, 3, 4...</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
All dip recipes will serve around 4 hungry people.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>
</u><em>Hoummmous</em></span></strong><br />
<strong><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></u></strong><br />
<u></u><span dir="LTR"></span><em><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">200g canned chickpeas</span><span style="color: black;"></span></em><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><em>2 tbsp lemon juice</em></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><em>2 crushed garlic cloves</em></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><em>100ml tahini paste</em></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><em>1 tsp ground cumin</em></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><em>4 tbsp water</em></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Whizz up in a food processor. Season with salt and more lemon juice to taste.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Add a drizzle of olive oil and scattering of paprika on top when serving.</span><br />
<div style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 36pt;">
<o:p></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<strong><em><span style="font-family: inherit;">Holy Guacamole</span></em></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: black;">1</span> ripe tomato</span><span style="color: black;"><u></u><u></u></span></span></em><br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><em>3 very ripe avocados</em></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><em>Juice of 1 lime</em></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><em>1 small red onion, </em></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>1 chilli, deseeded</em> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Make just ahead of serving. Chop up everything very small, and mix with the mushed up avo. Add more chilli to taste, and a squeeze of lemon to stop it going brown. If freezing, do it straight away before it turns brown!</span></o:p></div>
<strong><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="font-family: inherit;">My Salsa</span></em></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><em>4 large vine tomatoes</em></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><em>Small red onion</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">2</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"> crushed garlic clove</span></span></em><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><em>1 tbsp white wine vinegar </em></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><em>Squeeze of lime juice</em></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><em>1 chilli, deseeded</em></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Chop up small and mix together. Add more lime or chilli to taste. Leave in fridge for at least an hour, to chill and absorb flavours.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;">Serve in a pretty dish - my auntie makes glass, and I finally got the chance to give her beautiful handmade blue glass dip tray a whirl - along with some crudites (carrots, cucumber, peppers), olives - <strong>and some delicious chilled booze.</strong></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"></span><br />maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-14481906081541015562014-06-25T09:15:00.005-07:002014-06-25T09:22:47.660-07:00rotorino, dalston<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>When the moon hits your eye,<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<em>Like a big pizza pie,<o:p></o:p></em><br />
<em>That's amore...<o:p></o:p></em></span><br />
<br />
A good Italian is a failsafe - perfectly cooked pasta or pizza tends to tick
the box every time. But sometimes you want comfort food with a tad more
finesse. Less molten mozzarella, more tender taleggio. Less giant pepper
grinder, more artfully placed broad bean... (more on that later).<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<strong><a href="http://www.rotorino.com/" target="_blank">Rotorino</a></strong> in Dalston is just such a place. Recently opened
up on Kingsland Road, serving affordable small plates of modern Italian fodder,
it’s a nice change from the gastro brunch spots, pubs and street foody pop ups
that have tended to populate this middle stretch of KR. The interior is jewel
like with colourful tiles and welcoming lighting, hitting the right side of ‘trendy’
without going down the tiresome filament bulbs and utilitarian chair route. <strong>Characterful
whilst remaining classy</strong>, with a good mix of bar stools, low seats by the
window, cosy booths and communal tables. We dined on a Tuesday and it was packed
out - the hard surfaces did contribute to quite a loud, clattery acoustic, so
don’t expect a quiet and peaceful meal. This is a lively joint. <o:p></o:p><br />
</span></div>
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The name of the game is s<strong>haresies</strong>, as each dish is plenty big enough for two
to share. However unlike most tapas style spots, the dishes were a lot heartier
and more filling, so less is more at <strong>Rotorino</strong>. We opted for a fish dish, a meat
dish, a pasta, a cheese and a side – plentiful.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<strong>White fish and whitebait</strong>, fried in light as a feather batter with a wedge of
lemon, was crisp and fresh. We were expecting squid as per the menu, and weren’t told they had
run out which was a bit of a let-down as I'm a lover of fried squid. The white fish substitute, whatever it was, was beautifully done
nonetheless.<br />
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<strong>Sausage gnochetti sardi</strong>, slow cooked sausage and red wine pasta with
breadcrumbs, came in a huge portion. The taste was slightly lacking although
the texture was good with a nice little crunch. Overall not nearly enough sausagey or winey flavour, dill was an odd addition and I must admit I was put off by the maggot like pasta shapes. Slippery customers. All in
all, more filler than killer and I'd try a different pasta dish next time.</div>
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The favourite of the meal was roundly voted to be the <strong>pork and veal
meatballs</strong> in a tomato sauce. Rich and flavourful, firm and packed with chunky pieces
of quality meat, not overly minced. Could have done with more of that delectable tomato
sauce they were nestled in, but I believe real Italians don’t serve everything swimming, more’s the
pity. <strong>Crisp fried potatoes</strong> with rosemary and garlic were a good vehicle for
sauce mopping duties, and more like crunchy roasted spuds than your standard
fries. I like all potatoes to come with some kind of dipping pot, and in the
absence of an aioli style substance I opted for the waitress recommendation of a
tomato and chilli relish. However this never materialised -another tiny
grumble.<br />
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The sweet section had nothing that really grabbed us by the hand – surely some
kind of coffee based, tiramisu pud to round off the meal should be a no brainer, affogato at least.<br />
<br />
However the absence of caffeine based treats, cheese was the order of the day. Initially we ordered a piece of <strong>taleggio
with broad beans</strong>. This arrived with no beans in sight, and no bread or crackers for smearing. Meh. Looking at
the menu again, we realised that at £5 for one piece, or £7.50 for three pieces
of different cheese, we may as well upgrade to the plate. Plus where the devil
were those broad beans?! The upsized cheese plate came back, this time with
some crisp wafer breads – and two massive fresh bean pods laid on top. Not
quite the chunky bean chutney I was kind of expecting, and pretty nondescript on their own - but tasted good when
munched with a bite of the taleggio. The other two cheeses, a <strong>gorgonzola dolce</strong>
with fresh thin pear slices and a <strong>percorino sardo</strong> with chestnut honey, made for
a delicious final encore with the last glug of vino.<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
On average the dishes are about £6-£8 each, and the house red (<b>the Statua</b>)
was yummy. Our thoroughly enjoyable dinner for two, with wine plus service,
came to just shy of £60 altogether.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Not every dish will blow you away, but you’ll
certainly want to come again, both for the good vibes and to work your way
through the rest of the menu… <strong>Rotorin-oh, ok then…</strong> I’ll come back and try
the pigs head terrine next time.<o:p></o:p></div>
</span><br />
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<strong></strong><br />
This was a workmate's response when I explained the lengthy process behind preparing and cooking these buttery breadcrumbed beauts at home from scratch. And it's true - it is about 3 hours of your life you won't get back... <em>However</em>, if like me, you have happy memories of childhood comfort meals (kiev, potato waffles, peas) and in adulthood you still succumb to the temptation of a gourmet buttermilk fried chicken piece (or ten) - then at least attempting to kiev a chicken at least once in your life is a <strong>no brainer </strong>and defo worth a shot. Not least for that satisfaction of cutting through a crisp crust to release the molten garlic lava within... <br />
<strong></strong><br />
I have been banging on about making my own chicken kievs for years, and finally got round to cooking them for friends. An extensive search of various recipes online gave me all sorts of different methods, but in the end I settled on <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/jun/07/how-cook-perfect-chicken-kiev" target="_blank"><strong>Felicity Cloake's perfect recipe</strong></a> as featured by the Guardian.<br />
<br />
Let's face it, I'd never really considered how the butter gets in the chicken in the first place but it seemed a messy business... I knew that I didn't trust the 'make a pocket in the chicken' bit that most people seemed to advise. Any fool can see the <strong>garlic butter</strong> is likely to ooze straight out. Equally, messing about with mini fillets and using them to plug in the butter, was never going to work for me. My mate Mike suggested wrapping the chicken fillets in <strong>parma ham</strong> before breadcrumbing to stop the spillage, but I'm one of those philistines that doesn't like mixing meats so this was also a no no.<br />
Turns out the best way of doing it, is to butterfly the fillets and then batter tham out, good n hard, until they're really flat and thin. You can then wrap the meat tightly around a frozen tube of garlic butter, completely enclosing it, and pop the whole thing in some clingfilm and back in the freezer to harden. This means the kiev holds it's shape and makes the butter less likely to ooze through the meat. Done.<br />
<br />
The breadcrumbing thing was another messy business. I didn't want a greasy crumb coating my kievs, and using <strong>Japanese panko breadcrumbs</strong> worked a treat as they're much lighter and crispier than your average. Back out of the freezer the fillets came, dipped in flour, then egg, then panko, then flour, then egg, then panko - then back in the freezer again. At this point your hands are claggy and gluey and you begin to wonder whether this is really worth it. (It is). The more thorough your breadcrumbing, the less chance your butter will escape.<br />
<br />
I also knew I didn't want to <strong>deep fry</strong> the kievs, even though Felicity recommended it. Not only am I shit scared of vats of bubbling hot oil but I also preferred the idea of a slightly healthier, baked version. Plus I was making baked sweet potato fries to go with so I could lump them all on the same tray. So instead I lightly fried mine in a pan until golden brown and then finished them off in the oven for another 20 minutes, which seemed to work a treat.<br />
<br />
<strong>The result was special! A Friday night treat... Bon appetit.</strong><br />
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<br />
Makes 2<br />
<strong>2 chicken breasts<br />50g salted butter, at room temperature<br />2 garlic cloves, crushed<br />2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped<br />1 tbsp tarragon, finely chopped<br />½ lemon<br />2 tbsp flour, seasoned<br />2 eggs, beaten<br />4 tbsp breadcrumbs, panko if possible, seasoned</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
1. Mash together the butter, garlic and herbs, and season with black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Form into 2 sausages, and wrap in clingfilm. Put in the fridge to chill.<br />
<br />
2. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqjfQP3Mp2k"><span style="color: black;">Butterfly each chicken breast</span></a> by opening it out using a knife, and then put it between 2 sheets of cling film and bash with a rolling pin or meat tenderiser until about 0.5cm thick, being careful not to create any holes. Season both sides well.<br />
<br />
3. Put a sausage of butter near one edge of the chicken and begin rolling the meat up around it, tucking in the ends as you go (use some egg and flour as glue if they prove obstinate). Roll into a tight sausage using the clingfilm, and freeze for 2 hours.<br />
<br />
4. Put the seasoned flour, eggs and breadcrumbs into 3 shallow dishes and then roll the frozen kievs in each in turn, then again in the eggs and crumbs to double coat. Put in the fridge to defrost, which should take about an hour. Preheat the oven to 200C.<br />
<br />
5. Fry until golden brown then place in oven for around 15-20 mins. Serve with veg and potatoes of some description.<br />
<strong><br /></strong>maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-51440037244567295492014-05-10T01:54:00.001-07:002014-05-10T01:54:40.017-07:00#feaster sunday<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">These days cooking a big family lunch
or dinner is a pleasure I relish. The whirlwind of living in the big smoke
means food for me is usually a quickly assembled affair, eaten out or cooked in
giant quantities then frozen for ease. I should count myself lucky, as sooner
or later, I imagine I'll be ground down by the monotony of big supermarket
shopping for a family, churning out lovingly prepared food, devoured in seconds
with no thanks (or was that just us?)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">However</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> at the moment when I do get a chance
to <i>properly</i> cook, I enjoy menu planning and spending a fair amount of
time slaving over a hot stove. It's especially good when I go home to cook for
my family, as we're not that numerous so it's all manageable - and often the
ingredients I need tend to magically appear in the fridge so I swerve shopping
duties...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Anyway, for <b>Easter
Sunday</b> this year I cooked a 3 course lamb roast for the fam. Knowing I
would have spent at least two nights out on the razz previous and have depleted
my brain cells, I needed to keep it relatively straightforward yet reasonably
impressive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here's my spring lamb Sunday lunch
menu, which serves six, is super easy to make and should go down well with most
palates. A seasonal starter, meaty main and chilled fruity dessert. You can
prep the starter and pud the night before so on the day all you need to worry
about is your meat which needs to go in just 1.5 hours before serving<i>.</i> <b>Why
not try it out this weekend...<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Aperitif:
<em>Hendrick's gin, mint, elderflower & cucumber cooler<o:p></o:p></em></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A decent bit of booze
will make everyone happier, less fractious, more willing to forgive any delays
on the food... This cocktail is light and refreshing and actually managed to
convert a gin hater! Serve with some savoury snacks - posh crisps or cheese
straws - to warm up the party.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<ol>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fill a chilled highball glass with
ice cubes, 50ml of Hendrick's gin and 20ml of elderflower cordial.</span></div>
</li>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Add two strips of cucumber (use a
peeler to peel vertically) and two mint leaves.<o:p></o:p></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Top up with fresh tonic and stir.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<ul type="disc">
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</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Starter: <em>Roasted asparagus & parma
ham spears with aioli<o:p></o:p></em></span></b><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Super easy but looks
vibrant and is deliciou - allow 4-5 asparagus spears and 1 slice of parma ham
per person. Wrap the asparagus spears in the ham the night before and arrange
on a baking tray ready for sticking straight in the oven. Aioli for dipping can
also be made the night before and chilled in fridge. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<ol>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Slice the ham into two lengthways
so you get 2 long strips.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wrap half the asparagus spears in
the ham, leave the rest plain (it's nice to get a mixture).<o:p></o:p></span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Brush lightly with olive oil,
season with pepper and roast at 180C for around 5 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<ul type="disc">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></ul>
<ul type="disc"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Serve with <b>aioli </b>(garlic mayo)
for dipping.<o:p></o:p></span></ul>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I used this recipe from BBC Food which
was uber garlicky, so don't be tempted to add more cloves even if you're a
garlic fan!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3 free-range egg yolks<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4 cloves garlic<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">½ lemon, juice only<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">salt and freshly ground black
pepper<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">150ml/5fl oz extra virgin olive
oil</span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Blend all ingredients, except the olive
oil, in a food processor. </span></div>
</li>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pour the oil into the blender in a steady stream,
until it forms a thick sauce.</span></div>
</li>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The mixture, once blended, should be vibrant and
yellow in colour. Sprinkle paprika on top to garnish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
</ol>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Main:
<em>Roast leg of lamb with all the trimmings<o:p></o:p></em></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Using a leg with bone
in makes everything so much simpler. I used a 2.2kg leg for 6 people, which was
plenty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Leg
o' lamb</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<ol>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mix 3 crushed garlic cloves with a
small bunch of chopped rosemary, zest of 1 lemon and a glug of olive oil.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stab leg 4 times on each side and
massage in marinade.<o:p></o:p></span>
</div>
</li>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Season with salt and pepper </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cook at 200C for 1.5 hours which
should give you a nice pink middle.</span></div>
</li>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Leave out of the oven to rest, covered
in tin foil, for 15 mins before serving.<o:p></o:p></span>
</div>
</li>
</ol>
<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Homemade mint sauce</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Finely
chop 4 tbsp of fresh mint leaves, and mix in a mug with 2 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp hot
water and 3 tbsp white wine vinegar. Season to taste. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqK4_hMs8In4g19mzHf2MmdPxnO9rEf8TUXfM4m1Pc73LlWHVXX2tgv0GHq17vpt8dtDQl1fzAdwEFAjmNahboIwGZ4OvKoxoPoX3W7Sk6tkcjkpY9nKr_YK5aQtmRvez2hrAc-07b6k8/s1600/6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqK4_hMs8In4g19mzHf2MmdPxnO9rEf8TUXfM4m1Pc73LlWHVXX2tgv0GHq17vpt8dtDQl1fzAdwEFAjmNahboIwGZ4OvKoxoPoX3W7Sk6tkcjkpY9nKr_YK5aQtmRvez2hrAc-07b6k8/s1600/6.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Spuds & veg</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<ol>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Peel
and chop Maris Pipers, then simmer for 10 mins in boiling water until just
tender.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Drain
and shake them in pot so they go all fluffy at the edges.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tip
into a roasting tray with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil at bottom (pre
heated in oven for 10 mins).</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Add in some sliced carrots and parsnips. Slice
these in 2, no smaller, as they shrivel up loads when they roast.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Coat
and season with sprigs of thyme, salt, pepper and a few whole garlic cloves.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Roast
in oven below the lamb, for around 45 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
</ol>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjafK0WSbIA9pyU8jLUIv2U9ecD3dLdr7OZGS40dTfj-x1onKerbpUwBr4bPWv0nUjDS1iYdtaLos6kzvI4Dm2EG4pVFPSNZ9NIoeZ0TFmhm3DuW85b9ytrDWbvf__3RX59Xv4SapQAJwo/s1600/4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjafK0WSbIA9pyU8jLUIv2U9ecD3dLdr7OZGS40dTfj-x1onKerbpUwBr4bPWv0nUjDS1iYdtaLos6kzvI4Dm2EG4pVFPSNZ9NIoeZ0TFmhm3DuW85b9ytrDWbvf__3RX59Xv4SapQAJwo/s1600/4.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yorkshires</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
recipe is my failsafe and makes exactly 12 puddings. You want everybody to have
at least 2 each innit. Make the batter in advance and leave in a jug to chill
in fridge. It seems to make the puds lighter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">140g
plain flour<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4
eggs<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">200ml
milk</span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Combine
gradually in a bowl so there are no lumps. Season with salt and peps.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pour
batter into a jug.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Add
a tsp of sunflower oil to each hole of a 12 hole muffin tray.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Put
in oven for at least 10 mins so oil is SUPER HOT (this is key to them rising!)</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Carefully
take muffin tray out and pour in batter to each hole so it is nearly at the
top.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cook at 220C for 20 mins (these can go in once the lamb has
come out of oven, so you can bust up the temperature).</span></b></div>
</li>
</ol>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLq-qKsDlIFNrIhuoo_Hq5sNTkeTJhQSSEjSMAjG-849w8Ur710lYfnrPDGt1OEGTNOM6eYWbeoBkaO3EQBlmuINywvKiEJWnkLHFdto8zpNtYWmzriUmEV_bWRjaiU8DGHWPhFudV-Q/s1600/trifle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLq-qKsDlIFNrIhuoo_Hq5sNTkeTJhQSSEjSMAjG-849w8Ur710lYfnrPDGt1OEGTNOM6eYWbeoBkaO3EQBlmuINywvKiEJWnkLHFdto8zpNtYWmzriUmEV_bWRjaiU8DGHWPhFudV-Q/s1600/trifle.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Dessert:
White chocolate & raspberry trifle</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After a stuffing main
you want a light dessert. Trifle haters gon' hate. However they may be
converted with this whipped up bad boy.</span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">175g/6oz white chocolate<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2 medium egg yolks<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">25g caster sugar<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">150ml milk<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">85g/3fl oz double cream<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">220ml whipped cream<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4 x 4cm thick slices swiss roll
(bought or homemade)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2 tbsp Kirsch liqueur<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">225g fresh raspberries<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">a few fresh mint sprigs</span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Put a 55g/2oz piece of the white
chocolate in the fridge, (this will make it easier to grate later). Break the
remainder into small pieces.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cream the egg yolks and caster sugar
together in a large bowl.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pour the milk and cream into a small pan and bring to the boil. Pour on to the egg yolk mixture,
whisking all the time. Pour back into the pan and place over a moderate heat.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until it starts to thicken and add the
chocolate pieces.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Remove the pan from the heat and allow
to cool slightly. Cover the custard with a little icing sugar and piece of
cling film to prevent a skin forming.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Place the swiss roll slices in a large
glass bowl and sprinkle with the Kirsch.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Scatter with raspberries. Pour the white chocolate custard over the swiss
roll and leave to set in the fridge, <b>preferably overnight.</b></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Top with freshly whipped cream just
before serving, and decorate with fresh raspberries and a few mint leaves.</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<br />maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-53624601466993009882014-05-01T08:17:00.003-07:002014-05-01T08:31:00.753-07:00cambalache!<strong>One night in Argentina...</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Not some sunny knock off version of Paris Hilton's sex tape - oh no. This was <strong><a href="http://www.winesofargentina.com/cambalache/the-event/" target="_blank">Cambalache</a></strong> (Spanish for bazaar), a pop up evening event we attended last night, bringing together Argentina's finest wines, food and entertainment to give a flavour of the country famed for it's gauchos and steaks.<br />
<br />
Given a heads up by the <strong><a href="http://thenudge.com/" target="_blank">Nudge</a></strong> team, we managed to bag tickets for the two date event which sold out like hot empanadas. At £40 each, and encompassing wine tasting of 120 different varieties, a three course Argentian supper plus a cocktail and a beer this seemed pretty darn reasonable. Pop up, one-ticket-covers-all ventures can sometimes be a risky business for the punter - often disorganised, food and drink can be stingily sized and served cold and rushed, as organisers struggle to keep up with demand from the baying mob. However <strong>Cambalache</strong> was a very slick operation, a lesson in how to run an event, with good quality food and drink and importantly, more than enough staff on hand to advise and guide ticket holders round a little slice of Argy in London.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UgVgmst_rz0239i9sy9i3QV-Arf3WIsbkeUZ8BZs3qwj9JQb-RjwWK0Vefh7DHNj2tpUayNFJNG3Dghyphenhyphenro6fAVyzTjy9_R3XKetfEIzaHMWZQweq6IDQRhhJeCVJAlg12XPl3HmkkxA/s1600/cambalache.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UgVgmst_rz0239i9sy9i3QV-Arf3WIsbkeUZ8BZs3qwj9JQb-RjwWK0Vefh7DHNj2tpUayNFJNG3Dghyphenhyphenro6fAVyzTjy9_R3XKetfEIzaHMWZQweq6IDQRhhJeCVJAlg12XPl3HmkkxA/s1600/cambalache.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Held at <strong><a href="http://www.castlegibson.com/locations/mc-motors/" target="_blank">MC Motors</a></strong> in Dalston, the slightly grotty exterior belies the vast, light and airy atrium which lies inside. I have often walked or bussed past the venue and noticed the cinema style sign on the front, often with some witticism spelled out along the lines of 'Hipsters need love too' or 'Dirty Bertie's Thirty' so i guessed it was available to hire for weddings and parties. However it was clearly also a great location choice for the recreation of a bustling Argentine village, with artfully distressed and relaxed furnishings, exposed brickwork, windows to peer through, mirrors to gaze in and an outside area based on a San Telmo market, complete with <strong>chimichurri blending station, graffiti wall, Argentinian BBQ and street band.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJesOsSIZMzZlqevfqVGSVTH2ujOZ0w7yycFTGkuxAEH87MOkQlrIszPXUyIyPyXcCIa7h1k7dEwR9Jm5cDYQlh9RxYbeoToblFogW4YlnCV2qb9cs37qCkABixoeMQiv03WCmR-Kb9ws/s1600/TRIVENTO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJesOsSIZMzZlqevfqVGSVTH2ujOZ0w7yycFTGkuxAEH87MOkQlrIszPXUyIyPyXcCIa7h1k7dEwR9Jm5cDYQlh9RxYbeoToblFogW4YlnCV2qb9cs37qCkABixoeMQiv03WCmR-Kb9ws/s1600/TRIVENTO.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
On arrival we were welcomed in by real LIVE Argentinians (oh yes), given a map of the event and soon sat round a 'campfire' on animal skin rugs with friendly <strong>gauchos</strong> - or the mate men as I nicknamed them - and learnt how the traditional <strong>yerba mate tea</strong> is brewed and drunk from the iconic calabash gourd. Bitter in taste, if you like green tea, mate's your mate.<br />
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We then made a good stab at tasting the many and varied wines on offer, which is predominantly what the event is about. It's a chance to quiz wine buffs on their knowledge, and act like you got some yourself. From reading my illegible notes, I am pretty sure we were well impressed by tasty tipples from <strong><a href="http://www.saurus.com.ar/" target="_blank">Familia Schroeder</a>, <a href="http://www.graffignawines.com/g/main/home_landing.php?lang=en" target="_blank">Graffigna</a>, <a href="http://www.trivento.com/" target="_blank">Trivento</a></strong> and <strong><a href="http://www.vinalba.com/" target="_blank">Vinalba</a></strong>. There's been a massive spike in Malbec drinking of late, especially in the States, and Argentine wines are in demand. The only thing missing was some kind of delicious meat and cheese platter to accompany our fine wines, but we made do with some palate cleansing, dainty pots of <strong>cucumber ceviche</strong> instead. It's safe to say that wine tasting is a slippery slope, and we were soon rhythmically tango twirling (or wobbling) our way outside to the <strong>asado</strong> to cash in our food tokens. Three different perfectly crisp and delicious <strong>empanadas</strong> to start, followed by <strong>tender lamb</strong> with roasted veg and chimichurri in a hearty, greasy sandwich, rounded off with some divine <strong>dulce de leche icecream</strong> courtesy of <strong><a href="http://www.icecreamunion.com/" target="_blank">Ice Cream Union</a></strong>. Stomach lining complete.<br />
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Luckily we had arrived early at the event just after 6pm, and booked ourselves in for some of the in demand <strong>experiences</strong> which definitely added to our enjoyment (and alcohol content).<br />
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<strong>Wine and the Senses</strong> was a whizz through the mind boggling effect of touch, sound and sight on our tastebuds. Who knew that certain music could make wine taste sweeter, or stroking your finger on a piece of velvet (THE WRONG WAY!) make a drink taste less smooth. Blindfolded sipping and crunching coffee beans whilst supping red wine was a particular taste sensation.<br />
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A <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernet" target="_blank">Fernet-Branca</a> tasting session</strong> was also a revelation. I had heard about this Italian spirit before but never sampled it. First off we had to guess all the components that made it up, set out before us in little glass bottles - not easy. Myrrh, camomile, saffron and aloe are all thrown into the mix with this unique, herby, sweet and thick liquor which Wikipedia quotes as 'tasting like black licorice-flavoured Listerine'. Nice. A small shot was enough to get most of us rolling on the floor and gagging.<br />
However the Fernet-Branca guy waxed enthusiastically about the black stuff and got us all on side, leaving us converted by the end with glasses mixed with coke and lots of ice. Turns out in this format, it's a bloody amazing drink!<br />
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The rest of the evening is a bit of a blur, filled with <strong>tango lessons, super strong cocktails drunk to nice beats, learning (and failing) to play Argentine card game truco</strong> and meeting some absolute characters. <strong>Cambalache</strong> will no doubt return again next year, and I urge you to jump on those tickets quick smart as it's certainly worth the 40 bucks. You might even learn a thing or two in the process - if only, that the next holiday you'll want to book will defo be Argentina. And that in the absence of paintstripper Fernet-Branca is a less than sloppy second. <strong>Olé!</strong><br />
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maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-19836461990128653672014-04-28T04:01:00.002-07:002014-04-28T04:36:35.302-07:00une belle nuit à brasserie zédel<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you have ever fancied dining inside a beautiful box of <a href="http://www.laduree.com/en_fr/" target="_blank">Ladurée</a> macarons then <a href="http://www.brasseriezedel.com/brasserie-zedel" target="_blank"><strong>Brasserie Zédel</strong></a> is for you. A French fancy of a fooderie, it's a beautiful gilt edged 'grand Budapestesque' place where the service is chic and the cuisine is cheap. Oui, c'est vrai - you can get 3 courses for a snippidy snip of a song at £<strong>11.75! </strong>Incroyable.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">zedel staff photo</td></tr>
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We visited for midweek supper on a Thursday soir, and were thoroughly impressed. Dapper smiling doormen ushered us through grand doors bearing a giant Z and L (get it?) through the tiled cafe front area (great for morning coffee), via the giant cruise ship chandelier and into l'ascenseur, down into the belly of la bête. We half expected Wes Anderson's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278388/" target="_blank">Zero</a> to be lobby boy and pop up with his funny little fez on. It felt like stepping back in time. A luxurious pale pink and gold marbled dining room with grand piano awaited us, immediately conjuring up memories of <a href="http://www.thewolseley.com/" target="_blank">the Wolesley's</a> famous Art Deco open plan design - unsurprising as Zédel is the child of Corbin & King, the guys behind said institution as well as <a href="http://www.thedelaunay.com/" target="_blank">the Delaunay</a> (still on my unwieldly 'to do' list).</div>
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inside zedel</div>
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Affordable, impeccably cooked French dining in pretty as a picture surroundings is hard to find in London, let alone two minutes walk from Piccadilly Circus tube station. But Zédel has nailed it. <strong>Boeuf bourguignon</strong> at under a tenner was rich and lipsmackingly good, with moreish creamy mash. A perfectly sized portion. Shoulder of lamb with dauphinois potatoes was also a dream Thursday night special, which change daily.</div>
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The <strong>prix fixe</strong> menu is clearly the hero choice and one worth returning for - carrot salad, chopped steak and a choice of dessert for just shy of a dozen British pounds will never get old. And the first class bread and butter deserves a special mention too, a true mark of quality in my book and a touch no discerning Frenchie would leave unnoticed.</div>
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I wanted to try the fromage but opted for kitsch <strong>île flottante</strong> instead, a dessert I hadn't had since France 2007.. Oh my. Almost too cute to eat, drizzled in caramel and scattered with what I think must have been gorgeous baby pink pralines, floating in a custardy sea of delight. My lasting memory of watery oversweet crème anglais was blown away by this proper stuff dished up in totally vintage dainty bowls.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">avant</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">apres</td></tr>
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Service was cracking and front of house keen to meet & greet as if we were honoured guests. I pretty much can't fault them. I didn't want to leave. We didn't have time to check out the sleek Bar Americain or Crazy Coqs cabaret, but rest assured ZL, we shall be back <strong>tout de suite...</strong><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">zed's not dead</td></tr>
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maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-37410498053712081432014-01-31T05:59:00.003-08:002014-01-31T05:59:36.559-08:00taxidermy by numbers<strong>Or How to Stuff a Rabbit in 18 Simple Steps...</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Taxidermy</strong> has always intrigued me.<br />
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I can probably trace this back to:<br />
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a) seeing the fascinating stuffed exhibits at <strong><a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/tring/index.html" target="_blank">Tring museum</a></strong> (I still maintain there was a stuffed dodo there - but was it real?!)<br />
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b) when I was small we spent a few summers visiting friends in Devon, and part of the trip was always spent at a very eccentric old lady's house turned B&B, packed to the rafters with oddities. The conservatory where we had our breakfast was a blend of both stuffed and real animals - tortoises would crawl around your feet as you avoided the glassy eye of a stag overhead. She also had a ridiculous basement full of trinkets, and at the end of each stay she would let myself and my brother pick out a present to take home. I still have the porcelain harlequin doll I rescued from her Aladdin's Cave. Looking back, how she came by so many brand new and boxed toys does look slightly dodgy... but we'll gloss over that.<br />
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Recently, taxidermy has made the leap from bizarre great-uncle to hipster's front room, as foxes in top hats and mice in boxing gloves create a vintage talking point in any Stokey abode worth it's salt. Bars like the <strong><a href="http://www.thezettertownhouse.com/cocktail-lounge" target="_blank">Zetter Townhouse</a></strong>, restaurants comme <strong>Les Trois Garcons</strong> and private members club <a href="http://www.thekingshead-london.com/" target="_blank"><strong>The Kings Head</strong></a> have cottoned onto the Victoriana feel that comes with leather backed chairs, chandeliers, dusty old maps and... bulldogs in angel wings. Short evening classes made popular by the <strong><a href="http://www.thelasttuesdaysociety.org/" target="_blank">Last Tuesday Society</a></strong> and <strong><a href="http://www.wearetbc.com/" target="_blank">The Book Club</a></strong> have now made it acceptable to skin and stuff a mammal in the time it takes to sink a few large G&T's. With this in mind, I set off for the <strong><a href="http://www.londontaxidermyacademy.com/" target="_blank">London Taxidermy Academy</a></strong> in Borough for a wild weekend's worth of stuffing. By popular demand, I took step by step photos and am now going to share these with you.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But first a massive DISCLAIMER: not for the squeamish! </span><br />
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<u><strong>Day One</strong></u><br />
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1) <em>Choose your victim.</em><br />
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I opted for a large wild rabbit (£350 for the specimen + course fees).We were presented with our dead animals (4 rabbits, 1 hare, 2 squirrels and 1 crow), which had been frozen for up to 5 weeks and taken out that morning - so they were beginning to thaw nicely. These are sourced from gamekeepers/estates and killed either by shots, traps or Harris hawks as pests on the property. Apparently they aren't specifically killed for stuffing purposes (but then why are guinea pigs on offer?! Ours not to reason why..) <br />
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2) <em>First cut is the deepest.</em><br />
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Using a scalpel we slit down from between the front legs to the bottom legs, just through the thin top layer of skin so the body underneath was visible. For mammals, like rabbits, this means you don't actually get up to your elbows in blood and guts as the skin is literally peeled off the body keeping the carcass intact.<br />
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At this point I wondered whether we should have been supplied with aprons - they were 'in the wash'.<br />
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3) <em>Separate skin from body.</em><br />
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Using a scalpel to nick away any membrane the skin comes away from the body surprisingly well. We make two deep pockets on either side of the body, and go right around under the back - so the whole middle bit of the rabbit is now detached from it's skin.<br />
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4) <em>Pop out the back legs.</em><br />
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Once the thighs and knees have been exposed, the leg is detached from the body at the hip.<br />
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5) <em>Pop out the front legs.</em><br />
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Same deal with the front legs, which are detached from the body at the shoulder. <br />
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6) <em>Butchery for Beginners.</em><br />
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By now you basically have a skinned torso with no arms and legs attached. The skin can be pulled completely up and over the head leaving you with skin to your left, body to your right (there's a song in there somewhere).<br />
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Now it's beginning to smell a bit... Luckily the room is kept cold, which helps, but by lunchtime I am definitely ready for some fresh air / no ham sandwiches.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ryBwmZLIx3tE7YM3gTfEFa3Hi_8fDdAnMT3j-dgM0Y4xdtmEr2w5pRZ0hEQv_uIep4_HNdcB7YiLc7AMo8dMBDyw5stI0Ai5xs27B2BjhlLWQSMCMIEh_EAlKQoqJB9e3sJVTzlNrVk/s1600/body2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ryBwmZLIx3tE7YM3gTfEFa3Hi_8fDdAnMT3j-dgM0Y4xdtmEr2w5pRZ0hEQv_uIep4_HNdcB7YiLc7AMo8dMBDyw5stI0Ai5xs27B2BjhlLWQSMCMIEh_EAlKQoqJB9e3sJVTzlNrVk/s1600/body2.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">peekaboo</td></tr>
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7) <em>Headmasters.</em><br />
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The skin is now only attached to the body over the skull. Using a scalpel the skin is carefully detached from the muscle of the head until the eyeballs can be seen through a thin layer of skin. A slit across this, and then cutting around the eyelids means the eyeballs are left within the carcass but the eyeholes (literally) remain on your piece of skin. This was by far my LEAST favourite part of the process.<br />
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8) <em>Eye eye.</em><br />
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The ears are connected to the head through a piece of cartilage. This is detached so the ears remain on your skin. The skull is then cracked with pliers across the forehead and between eyehole and jaw, so you are left with the front piece of skull still attached to your skin - this contains the jaw and teeth etc, which we want on our rabbit.<br />
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9) <em>Insides Out.</em><br />
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Turning the skin inside out, we were now left with skin completely separate to body/carcass which is then chucked back in the freezer. And no rabbit stew, as it's dangerous to eat meat that's been bandied about over a chopping board all morning...<br />
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10) <em>Skin and bone.</em><br />
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Carve the meat off the leg bones as if you were gnawing on a leg of turkey. This now leaves you with all the bits you'll be leaving on your stuffed rabbit (skin, leg bones, bit of skull)- which also looks like something out of alien.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ALIEN</td></tr>
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11) <em>Roadkill.</em><br />
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The skin is then stretched out flat, and sprinkled with various curing elements to dry out all the flesh and bones. Borax is sprinkled on the bones. Tanning oil is brushed over the skin, and then a powder called Lutan 5 is put on top. The skin is left overnight to dry out completely.<br />
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At this point it really looks like squished meat but I have bonded with it nonetheless. It may be roadkill, but it's MY roadkill goddamn you.<br />
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<strong><u>Day Two</u></strong><br />
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12) <em>Is that Serrano ham?</em><br />
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No it's not, it's your rabbit. Dried out now, and the colour of cured meat, it was all I could do not to tear off a bit to have with a coupla olives and a nice chilled glass of Chardonnay.<br />
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13) <em>Wash and go.</em><br />
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Cold water + Fairy Liquid x a toothbrush + a helluva lot of elbow grease = whats needed now to clean up the skin good and proper. The aim is to scrub the skin and break it down again so it's all soft and white and lovely. A good 30 mins was spent on this bit, so imagine doing a giraffe... At this point the skins were looking very bedraggled and ropey. I began to think my rabbit would never look normal....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">came up a treat</td></tr>
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14) <em>Charles Bunnington.</em></div>
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Once scrubbed, skins were turned inside out and blow dried on a cool setting. Call me a big girl, but this was by far my favourite part, especially grooming the tail and using a little comb to brush out the fur... The skins and fur were all sparkly, soft and stretchy.<br />
The rabbits started to look beautiful again.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bobtail</td></tr>
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15) <em>Stitch in time.</em><br />
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Throughout the process it is easy to get holes in your skin, either through inadvertent nicks through scalpel misuse, over zealous skinning or scrubbing. At this point skins can be neatly and easily stitched up using a neutral colour thread.<br />
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16) <em>Turkey stuffing.</em><br />
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A length of wire is used as the backbone, and a stuffing 'body' made through tightly wrapping wood wool and cotton thread around it until compacted. Use the frozen carcass as a guide of how big to make the head/body stuffing. Wire is then poked through the front and back of the stuffing which is then wired into the leg bones, by poking it down through the feet tendons and coming out through the paw pads. This bit felt a bit gruesome...<br />
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17) <em>Build me up (Bunnycup).</em><br />
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The stuffing body is placed inside the skin, and the legs and shoulders padded out with cottonwool. The front is then sewn up the middle. The head is stuffed out with more cottonwool, fed in through the eyeholes, and finally marble eyes are popped in at the end.<br />
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It's at this point that you can move your rabbit into position, and use metal pins to keep it's ears/mouth in place if you want to give it a smile (weirdo).<br />
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18) Et voila! Meet my first stuffed specimen - <strong><em>Mr Hamish MacBunny.</em></strong><br />
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Done and done. It was a gruelling, full on weekend but extremely satisfying and not half as gory as I expected. Nobody was sick or passed out, and much to the dismay of some people, there were no 'taxidermy gone wrong' horrors. I can thoroughly recommend the expert tuition of Lee Paton at LTA, and it's definitely worth the money to create your very own taxidermy creation (which you can then. of course, jazz up in all manner of fripperies and froufrous...) <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Party on.</td></tr>
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maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-86323236905465788682013-09-17T07:43:00.005-07:002013-09-17T07:53:19.080-07:00montpelliyay<strong><span style="background-color: white;"></span></strong><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><strong>A change is as good as a rest.</strong> A splendid Septembre weekend in the <span class="st"><strong>Languedoc</strong>-<strong>Roussillon</strong> </span>was just the tonic to relax and refresh.</span><br />
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Everbody knows how much I love the French - I won't bang on about it too much (again) but for more blog posts on my precious frog jaunts please see <strong><a href="http://maratanga.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/paris-me-manque.html" target="_blank">ici</a></strong> and <strong><a href="http://maratanga.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/lyon-love.html" target="_blank">ici</a></strong>. It had been a while since I'd set foot on Gallic soil, so nabbing a pair of cheap Easyjet flights and a quirky apartment through <a href="https://www.airbnb.co.uk/" target="_blank">airbnb</a> (total cost for two - £300!), I was all set for a long weekend of Frenching to the max in beautiful <strong>Montpellier</strong>.<br />
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It's the perfect small city to explore over a weekend, and seems to have it all - the old, winding cobbled streets, hidden away squares, petites boutiques, churches and museums of the old town, the bigger shopping malls and gleaming modern architecture of the <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigone_District" target="_blank">Antigone</a></strong> district and cute beaches and clear waters a short tram or taxi ride away. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">place de la comedie<br />
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It was the first time I'd used airbnb for accommodation, and we had a great experience. Cheaper than a hotel, yet more characterful, easy and authentic. Our fourth floor apartment (high ceilings, balcons, arty touches, très français) was tucked away between a boulangerie and a chocolaterie, right in the heart of the old town. There's nothing more heartening than throwing open the shutters, gazing out on blue skies and then sitting down to a <strong>proper petit déj</strong> laid on by invisible breakfast fairies...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">great start</td></tr>
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For lunch we ate some delightful <strong>c</strong><span class="st"><strong>rêpes </strong>at <a href="http://www.pagesjaunes.fr/pros/50022541" target="_blank"><strong>Le Phare Saint Roch</strong></a><strong>, </strong>a cheap and cheerful café a short walk from our apart. I have come to understand that c<span class="st">rêpes<strong> </strong></span>to the French, are a bit like <strong>toasties</strong> to les Anglais. In other words, uneventful, boring and safe. C<span class="st">rêpes are not haute cuisine, they are not even midi cuisine. They are just: <strong>c</strong><span class="st"><strong>rêpes.</strong> But they are amazing! You fools, you don't even know you're born.</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="st"><span class="st"><span class="st">Is there anything more tasty for lunch, than a chilled bottle of crisp cidre and a savoury galette, filled with melty cheese, ham, mushrooms, a perfectly cooked egg atop and a grind of black pepper? Doubt it. Needless to say, there's always room for a sweet one, and if it's not the traditional <strong>Nutella Banane</strong> then it's got to be <span class="st"><strong>La belle Hélène </strong>(pear, dark chocolate sauce and whipped cream) for me. After some horrendous crap crepe affairs in the UK, and at festivals, I tend to avoid eating them unless in France - however there is one good c<span class="st">rêperie I can recommend in Kensington called <a href="http://www.kensingtoncreperie.com/" target="_blank">Cremerie</a> which makes up in food what it lacks in interior design.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cidre et crepes</td></tr>
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<strong>Palavas-les-Flots</strong> is one of the closest beaches to Montpellier, and although not the most beautiful, has everything you could wish for an afternoon of sun soaking, wining and dining. The sea runs into a river which splits Palavas in two down the middle, and cafes and bars line both sides. You can do one side, then take a chair lift over the river and do the other, eating and drinking as you go.<br />
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This close to the sea, it had to be seafood. The giant platter of lobster and varied shelled beasts was tempting but in the end we had to settle for the classique, a kilo of <strong>moules frites</strong>, with a nice white at <strong><a href="http://www.linternaute.com/restaurant/restaurant/55338/la-passerelle.shtml" target="_blank">La Passerelle</a></strong>. We had seats right by the riverside, and noticed a viewing stand opposite slowly filling with a small crowd of people. Then the music started up and a dude on a loudspeaker announcing the 'ecole des joutes' (jousting school) competition was about to begin. Cue a hilarious hour of jousters with shields and poles, balancing on the end of a giant platform on two boats, trying to knock each other off - some very close calls were had! Apparently, it's a regular summer occurrence around this time of year, and certainly made for entertaining dinner viewing. Bear in mind that getting back to Montpellier from Palavas in the evening is a bit tricky, as the last bus to the tramstop is at 19.30. Obviously we missed the bus, but found a very accommodating eighty year old Frenchman, stripey top, neckerchief, covered in tatts, in a convertible - who drove us there no problem.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">moules frites</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">oui</td></tr>
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There are plenty of top notch places to eat in Montpellier, but two of note deserve a mention here.<br />
<a href="http://www.tamarillos.biz/" target="_blank"><strong>Tamarillos</strong></a><strong>, </strong>a restaurant by Philippe Chapon, has an original menu themed around fruits and flowers. Visually exciting, with a range of tasting menus, tapas and unusual salads piled high with edible colourful flowers. In an effort to counteract all the calorie laden cheese and wine, we wanted to go down the salad route (but avoid the goats cheese and lardons) and plumped for the fresh crab and avocado salad with poppies and the smoked salmon, lemon and nasturtium concoction. They also do a range of vivid juices, freshly blended - the strawberry was particularly nice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYFaN5srGggnlxNOQNJnFrUzQPC2C5HBXNEN9xdU-oYPU7EM85QOX01V9e30pQJyxC2OVWkus8Wx6pFRDiUkj3vE70cHEBtQ6b3H_QMEd5LVLuVFyxdAjDIoYroLcXYX_WWACydYYTy0/s1600/salmon+sal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYFaN5srGggnlxNOQNJnFrUzQPC2C5HBXNEN9xdU-oYPU7EM85QOX01V9e30pQJyxC2OVWkus8Wx6pFRDiUkj3vE70cHEBtQ6b3H_QMEd5LVLuVFyxdAjDIoYroLcXYX_WWACydYYTy0/s400/salmon+sal.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">saumon fume</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPiLUj5osdx-2jZXD40u1CYZ16XBS1qTcxRh0KhOGUDC4pNZGwd6dcmna5eRNOa0QcK_b2fHUGVY8xv3muxO9xcHiyevm_JPxbj4tlDYVECV06xuMQ6KdgKq61aaiWe0BQwwI2mLNrM8/s1600/crab+sal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPiLUj5osdx-2jZXD40u1CYZ16XBS1qTcxRh0KhOGUDC4pNZGwd6dcmna5eRNOa0QcK_b2fHUGVY8xv3muxO9xcHiyevm_JPxbj4tlDYVECV06xuMQ6KdgKq61aaiWe0BQwwI2mLNrM8/s400/crab+sal.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">crabe avocat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On our last night we wanted a good, simple but effective feast, and a local recommended we dine at <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187153-d1327692-Reviews-La_Place-Montpellier_Herault_Languedoc_Roussillon.html" target="_blank"><strong>La Place</strong></a><strong>. </strong>Tucked away in a secretive square, with tables outside next to a burbling fountain, we had a lipsmacking and very reasonable two courser for 22 euros. Lamb cutlets and steak frites cooked to perfection, followed by a tarte aux pommes and a mini cheese selection, with star fromage performer a local Tomme. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdB5UyaEgLZHQ_aJ5VCWFXDjFlMZYvFLcLK-lFG3ALSwSqNufrTkCoBT9kqxskSFLMvDqwCvlMHooP9hg51RzH6HWVpeqh8VISnCyUzLk_-bkL-xJ-0UraaiXYjnJZEjgA26kS4ysqU-4/s1600/steak.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdB5UyaEgLZHQ_aJ5VCWFXDjFlMZYvFLcLK-lFG3ALSwSqNufrTkCoBT9kqxskSFLMvDqwCvlMHooP9hg51RzH6HWVpeqh8VISnCyUzLk_-bkL-xJ-0UraaiXYjnJZEjgA26kS4ysqU-4/s400/steak.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">piece of meat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Gluttons for punishment, we couldn't return home empty handed, and stocked up on some pretty biscuits and chocolates for friends and family from <strong>Leonidas</strong> before leaving. Of course, this turned into a late night chocolate testing session (read: binge). Needless to say, they all rated a minimum of a respectable neuf sur dix... the<strong> coconut cream</strong> and the <strong>blanc bouche</strong> were divine.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgATU2NN4VVV84SfagdbbgclyfaF1jysRxbJyuQcrN7Ptn-v-bV0KK_bxoZvdmlTJkbFMFMSIwh14WmKsunyyvE9UtdAsmYWzbSaAQgR0MC8XMibvMCe6EfRIbPveSxC2ii7EGuKKpTp4U/s1600/chocs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgATU2NN4VVV84SfagdbbgclyfaF1jysRxbJyuQcrN7Ptn-v-bV0KK_bxoZvdmlTJkbFMFMSIwh14WmKsunyyvE9UtdAsmYWzbSaAQgR0MC8XMibvMCe6EfRIbPveSxC2ii7EGuKKpTp4U/s400/chocs.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bitesize</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As it turned out, my <strong>Montpellie</strong>r sojourn was also a celebration of the end of the sunny summer, as I took off from London in a heatwave and touched back down in autumnal England to grey clouds, rain and a 15 degree temperature drop.<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">I really couldn't feel too gloomy about it though given the long sultry months we've had this year, and a last blast of South of France heat and hospitality will hopefully see me through the next three months and my next hot holiday in December...</span><br />
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<br />maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-47904596344055603302013-09-02T07:47:00.000-07:002013-09-02T07:51:12.360-07:00hoxton heroes<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A <strong>glut</strong> of new and improved Hoxton eateries have made my
local neighbourhood a real treat to trough in – and as a piglet, I feel pretty blessed
that I can get any kind of truffles I fancy, at a decent price, right on my doorstep.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m talking about <strong>Hoxton Street</strong> in particular, where in the
past year some fantastic new café style eateries have popped up, properly
interspersed with the local butchers, bakers, greengrocers and candlestick makers along the road, helping the street retain its edge and
character. It all feels very friendly and very approachable. Moving away from
the overstyled Shoreditch and City hotspots, and the too cool for school
Dalston dive bars, Hoxton St is genuinely always a real pleasure to stroll
along at the weekend, or chill outside on a pavement table on a balmy summer
eve. It’s also the home of the free <a href="http://www.shoreditchtrust.org.uk/Shoreditch-Festival" target="_blank">Shoreditch Festival</a>, this year (the twelfth)
a sunny weekend of music, street entertainers and double the amount of vendors
as usual.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have whittled it down to eight of my <strong>favourite Hoxton
St. hotspots</strong>, starting at the bottom end towards Hoxton Sq. and walking up
towards Dalston… if you haven’t yet visited - go go go! And let me know if you
enjoyed any of these little delights: </span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><a href="http://monikers.co.uk/" target="_blank">Monikers</a></strong> – 16 Hoxton Square<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was going to skip over Hoxton Sq altogether, as it’s not technically
on Hoxton St, but I couldn’t pass up a mention about one of my all time
favourite E. London joints – the fabulous <strong>Monikers</strong>. In my humble opinion, the
only place really worth eating at on Hoxton Sq. Sublime seasonal food, unique
venue (in an old, converted school - blackboards on the wall, cocktails in glass
milk bottles, double decker bus inside…!), relaxed yet refined vibes and some
of the friendliest staff known to man. When I go to eat at Monikers, I know I’ll
probably end up staying all night, going OTT on the cocktails, graffiti-ing the
top deck of the bus and wobbling home in an undignified manner - but hell it’s my local!
Hallelujah. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.openkitchen.biz/" target="_blank"><strong>Open Kitchen</strong></a> – 40 Hoxton St</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">An unassuming, informal restaurant where trainee chefs for
the London City Hospitality Centre cook and serve yummy meals at reasonable prices - you could easily pay just £20 for a three course meal with wine. The food is good, simple and sometimes a bit retro in presentation, but it's a great midweek option. Open 5-9pm Wed-Friday, I believe you need to book in advance. They also have a Loyalty Card scheme running: one stamp for every tenner spent, and 10 stamps = £20 off a meal or a free Evening Cookery Class. Bing!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.hoxtonstreetmarket.co.uk/" target="_blank"><strong>Hoxton Street Market<o:p></o:p></strong></a></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Every Saturday, 9am-4pm</strong> (although I’d recommend swinging by
closer to 11am if you want all the lazy traders to be up and about). HSM is a
relatively new addition to the local scene, and as such is still growing – so don’t
expect the breadth and variety (or hecticness) of Broadway. However it’s a
great local gem, and is only going to get better. Read more about it <a href="http://madeinshoreditch.co.uk/2013/05/16/hoxton-street-market-is-about-to-get-interesting/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I regularly head there on a
Saturday morning to get fresh eggs from the egg man (the first time you buy
eggs he’ll write that price on the box, and you just keep bringing the box back
to get more at the same fixed price - £1.40 for 6 pour moi), fantastic sourdough
or spelt fresh loaves from the fantastic <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/hoxtonbakery" target="_blank">Hoxton Bakery</a></strong> and other nibbly bits to munch on over
the course of the weekend. At the last count I spotted, amongst others,
churros, cakes, pinxos, foie gras, a Korean BBQ, the Caribbean van, a gnocchi
man, a halloumi man and a coconut lady. After the food stalls and some vintage
and artisan jewellery traders, come the more traditional cheap as chips marketeers
and Hackney locals selling and bargaining over flowers, fruit, clothes and other bits and bobs. You’ll quickly realise
you really do need 5 tubes of toothpaste for 3 pahnds mark my words.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><a href="http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/directory/1150/98878.php" target="_blank">Café Olive</a></strong> – 120 Hoxton St<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A small and sweet little café, run by fun guys, please don’t pass this one by – they
churn out amazing and cheap pizzas, beaut homemade cakes and biscuits and
delicious coffee. It’s warm and cosy inside on a cold evening, or you can grab
an outside table and watch the world go by. Or take a couple of pizzas to go,
and avoid the countless cheap & nasty takeaways that litter Hoxton! I got quite irritated
when the boring Barrel Boulangerie opened up next door, also flogging pizzas.
Don’t go there – go to <strong>Olive</strong>! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Hoxton Fruit & Veg</strong> – 183 Hoxton St<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As a rule, I try not to buy any of my fruit and veg from
supermarkets. It’s all bland, overpriced and been sat in cold storage for
years. Why would you? Hoxton has tons of small shops that sell fresh goods, but
this is the big daddy of them all. Look for the green and white striped awning.
Huge range, good value, and you can get 4 packs of pitta breads for £1.20. What’s
not to love?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong> </strong></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/Meat_in_Hoxton" target="_blank">Meat in Hoxton</a></strong> – 193 Hoxton St<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">See above. Meat pumped full of fats, water, shredded cow’s vaginas
etc, lying under Tesco’s strip lights… Hmmm. Better to buy from a friendly
local butcher, rarer than hen’s teeth nowadays I will grant you. But this small but
perfectly formed halal butchery does great meat, and it’s affordable. I
recently got 3 absolutely huge chicken breasts, for £3.50 from these dudes. </span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><a href="http://www.realhoxton.co.uk/f-cooke.htm" target="_blank">F. Cooke's Pie and Mash</a></strong> – 150 Hoxton St<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Not to be confused with <strong><a href="http://cookespieandmash.com/" target="_blank">A. Cooke’s</a></strong> of Goldhawk Road fame,
but just as good. What could be more Landan trad than a nice big pie with
creamy mash and a lagoon of liquor. Hell, why not take a pie or two to go and eat it in Shoreditch Park, a mere 10 minute stroll away...</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><a href="http://thegingerpigcafe.com/" target="_blank"> </a></strong></span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><a href="http://thegingerpigcafe.com/" target="_blank">The Ginger Pig Café</a></strong> – 231 Hoxton St<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This bad boy packs a meaty punch – mouthwatering, giant steaks,
big and brassy brunches, no skimping, no shirking. This is the real deal. Come
here for a right good feed and a chilled ambiance. It’s a great place to bed-in
on a hangover, and you won’t get the hordes that plague other spots further
down into Shoreditch. They make a mean liqueur coffee too. Hoping this one
doesn’t get too popular too quickly if I’m honest as I’d like to keep it all to
myself…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>And beyond…<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Also worth a nod, are gastropub <strong><a href="http://www.bacchuspubandkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Bacchus</a></strong> at number 177 (Hoxton
St’s classiest addition, if a tad overpriced) and the new <strong><a href="http://100hoxton.com/" target="_blank">100 Hoxton</a></strong> (at number
100 funnily), by the team behind Zilouf’s in Islington. <strong>The White Horse</strong> pub (number
153) also appears to have closed down and is bound to reopen with a bang under
some guise sooner rather than later… <strong>keep your eyes trained on The Street innit.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For a full rundown of all of the local amenities head to Real Hoxton's <a href="http://www.realhoxton.co.uk/services.htm" target="_blank">website</a>.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-79371871660188750472013-06-09T12:35:00.002-07:002013-06-09T12:35:32.337-07:00blue door thinking<strong>Supperclubs</strong> are ten a penny these days - springing up all over the capital and further afield, it can be quite a mind boggling task sorting the wheat from the chaff. Whole websites and forums are now dedicated to the discovery of the next host with the most or fusion chef with 'personality' (read: ego), often wanting to peddle their less than amazing wares for an overinflated price, whilst quaffing your more than decent BYOB. It's a real balancing act finding a good venue, with good food, at a good price and with good people - and with the average price of a supperclub spot at around the £35-£40 mark (sans booze) I've tended to err on the side of caution rather than fork out just to be disappointed. <br />
<br />
With this in mind, it was with slight trepidation that I booked a spot for myself and a friend at <strong><a href="http://thepalebluedoor.com/" target="_blank">The Pale Blue Door</a></strong>, a Dalston based supperclub situated at set designer Tony Hornecker's gaff. I had been meaning to pay TPBD a visit for a year or so, and the time finally felt ripe for a slice of local dining with a difference. Would it come up trumps? A brief googlewhack revealed some past happy customers, and without digging too deep for fear of spoiling any surprises, we signed ourselves up for supper.<br />
<br />
The night began with pre dinner cocktails at one of my favourite Shoreditch spots, on Great Eastern St, the gloriously girly and kitsch boudoir bar <a href="http://ninetyeight-bar-lounge.com/index.html" target="_blank"><strong>Ninety Eight</strong></a>. Spirited away down a spiral staircase, it's a blink and you'll miss it Parisian drinking den, which I only spotted one night by chance as I caught sight of some candles glimmering up through the gloom underfoot. Awash with fur, sparkles, quirky portraits and <em>objets, </em>this place is a real visual feast (and the cocktails aren't bad either). We plumped for <em>green tea cheesecake</em> in a jamjar affair, and a <em>strawberry and coffee bean</em> extravaganza - both full of flavour, unique and not badly priced. This spot is really one for the girls, but if you fancy being thoroughly emasculated then step inside, I am sure you'll just love it mon cher. <br />
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Cocktails quaffed it was time to head to deepest darkest Dalston (well, near Middleton Road) and find the elusive pale blue door... <br />
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<strong>Yep that's it</strong>. Tucked down a long alleyway of warehouse spaces, a ramshackle sort of workshop, with a decrepit looking campervan parked out front and a load of old tyres and a soiled dressing gown hanging from the rafters. YUM! Not to be defeated, we pushed on through to walk into an Aladdin's cave of well worn theatre props and warm candelight. Phew - things were looking up. Shown to our table for two (a godsend for those who like suppeclubs but don't like the idea of getting stuck between two oddballs for the duration) we ignored the slightly musty aroma and had a good ogle at all the weird shit. I turned round to come face to face with a mannequin in a sequinned Smurf's hat and had to throw my jacket over it's head but apart from that all was good. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rowena a table</td></tr>
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Hornecker's home is a real eyeful - he has built up quite a collection of costumes, masks, stuffed things and theatrical paraphernalia over the years. Everything is a bit ragged round the edges - we touched the mismatched cutlery and dogeared napkins gingerly, but it all adds to the edge and the feeling that this is really someone's lived in abode. The precarious stairs (made of chairs) up to his sleeping quarters were thankfully off limits, with a sign reading 'NO ENTRY - DEAD DOG'. Nice.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the stairway to hell</td></tr>
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After about twenty-five people were seated, a weird crackly record began to play and a Latino love god(ess) came stomping through to welcome us all in a chicken outfit. Random. Introduced to our host for the evening, glamourous drag queen <strong><a href="http://www.timeout.com/london/cabaret/londons-cabaret-superstars" target="_blank">A Man To Pet</a></strong>, we were treated to a fresh ceviche vegetable starter and some decent red wine. Hornecker himself didn't show up, but we were regaled with a song and a dance from this dudette between each course, getting more and more dramatic and outlandish as the night progressed. The main was a fairly good lamb stuffed with ricotta accompanied with quinoa and dessert was a fresh berry Eton mess. Portions were adequate (just) and the food was simply done, but the atmosphere was fun, warm and friendly and if you haven't seen a drag queen in a gold leotard, cape and a bird's mask getting hoisted to the ceiling on a pulley while flapping away to a Seventies soundtrack then quite frankly <em>where have you been hiding?</em><br />
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By the end of the night, everybody was up on their feet and dancing, as A Man To Pet whirled around in a mankini and six boobs (don't ask). <br />
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At £40 for a three course meal, half a bottle of vino each and fun frolics from a class (drag) act you can't really go wrong with The Pale Blue Door for some midweek merriment. <strong>Just give your hands a good scrub when you leave.</strong><br />
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maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-10749122943200048172013-05-05T13:09:00.004-07:002013-05-05T13:11:54.505-07:00spanortuguese sunday<i>Wow, it's been nearly 365 days since I last blogged.</i><br />
Let's gloss over how scary that is, tempus fugit etc. and instead concentrate on whatever could have been so inspiring as to take me away from my uber busy life and put fingers to keys and talk about FOOD once more.<br />
<b>A sunny bank holiday lunch full of delicious Spanish paella and Portuguese pasteis that's what.</b><br />
A visit to a village to see some good friends of ours (Spanish Valencians no less) was the perfect moment to finally perfect my paella making skills. For too long now I have blundered about with risotto rice (shock!) and chorizo (horror!) making some sort of weird hybrid version of the devil's paella when in fact, I should just have been <i>listening to it talk</i> to me all along... Let me elaborate.<br />
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Angel showed me how to make a <b>traditional chicken paella</b> from scratch, using his special big cast iron paella pan and a massive gas canister - not for the faint hearted. He started by frying a whole chicken cut into pieces in olive oil, and then added some paprika and a tin of chopped tomatoes. (Usually rabbit is added for depth of flavour but the meat is pretty hard to find in the UK - plus mum doesn't like eating bunnies). Broad beans cut into pieces and butter beans which had been soaked overnight completed the base of the paella. Super simple - no fresh tomatoes, no onion and garlic base, no mushrooms, NO CHORIZO! This is a huge faux pas - never add chorizo to paella as the flavour tends to dominate everything else in the dish. Pour in 3 litres of water, add some saffron and salt crushed together with a pestle and mortar and simmer for 45 mins.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhescULWIf1wq-xchf8Ir619Q1sKzbFX8dvanXR1xvqYb9hyOd54P3b7CKaarp95Xy4MFfMdnh-ErJpZ9Vfq15dod0YXA2aKjg9u-lpz9ZLgXoh8UiSML_xZYTujvoPvyOgyrLWRBAykiw/s1600/photo+(22).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhescULWIf1wq-xchf8Ir619Q1sKzbFX8dvanXR1xvqYb9hyOd54P3b7CKaarp95Xy4MFfMdnh-ErJpZ9Vfq15dod0YXA2aKjg9u-lpz9ZLgXoh8UiSML_xZYTujvoPvyOgyrLWRBAykiw/s200/photo+(22).JPG" width="150" /></a>In the meantime while you wait for the paella to turn from a liquidy soup into a thick hearty broth, why not drink an icy beer in the garden, nibble on some jamon, manchego and olives, or maybe try some of a freshly baked <b>hojaldre (pastry) </b>filled with cheese, bacon and dates. The dates complement the savouryness like caramelised onion chutney works with a sharp cheddar, and the flaky pastry wraps it all up beautifully. It is a bank holiday weekend after all. </div>
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Back to the paella pot, and its time to add in some medium short grain rice. Risotto rice is just too sticky - you need something firm enough to soak up all the liquid while still staying loose in the dish. Once the rice is added, mix well and<b> LEAVE WELL ALONE</b> for another 20 mins. Another paella myth (and one I was perpetuating) is that, like a risotto, you need to stir like a wild thing constantly until the thing's cooked. No! Just leave the rice to soak up all the liquid and use the heat to speed up or slow the process by turning up or down. No spoon action needed.</div>
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Only a true paella pro like Angel would know when the dish is ready to be served - no digging in with fingers, testing grains of rice etc. The trick is to<i><b> listen</b></i>. You can hear the sound of the paella change, from a more liquid bubbling to a gentle snap and crackle of the edges of the rice crisping and frying. This means the paella is done and dusted, and after resting it for 5 minutes, it's ready to serve in all it's glory with a few slices of charred fried red peppers on top and a chilled glass of white wine on the side. Mmmm mmm mmm.</div>
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Spanish sundays, all the S's, as a palette cleanser before I took over the reins on dessert, we had some divine <b>strawberry specials</b>, super light and dreamy, made with whipped egg whites, and pureed strawbs with icing sugar. Best described as little clouds of summer and could definitely be recipe riffed by adding pureed mango or other fruits instead of strawberries.<br />
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My turn to teach, as for pudding I cracked on with <b>pastel de nata</b> (Portuguese custard tarts), eyecatching buttercup yellow wibbly wobbly centres. Boil 250g golden caster sugar (don't use brown sugar as it will turn your custard muddy in colour) in 125ml water, with two cinnamon sticks and two lemon slices for around ten minutes so the flavours infuse nicely. In a separate pot, whisk 30g plain flour with 20g cornflour and a few drops of vanilla essence, with a dash of milk to make a sticky paste (think glue).<br />
To this, keep whisking in 250ml of cold milk until you have a thick mixture. The key is to add very small amounts in slowly so no lumps occur. Add in the sugary water (with the slices and sticks removed obvi) and 3 beaten egg yolks plus one whole egg. Stir away until you get a gorgeous<i> unctuous </i>yummy custard.<br />
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Using a deep muffin tray, grease the tins and cut out puff pastry rounds. Pretty Rosario in her flamenco apron, did a sterling job of holding the tray still while we filled the pastry cases with the nata and then popped in the oven for 20 mins at 220C. <b>Lovely tarts for all</b>, crisp flaky buttery casing deep filled with a full flavoured custard - extra delicious cold the next day too. Dust with cinnamon or nutmeg for an extra flavour hit. I also want to experiment with a dollop of caramel or chocolate in the bottom of each tart with a heart... watch this espacio.<br />
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<br />maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-73096236123051349012012-05-15T03:07:00.003-07:002013-05-05T11:56:27.558-07:00rocky razzAs mentioned in previous blog posts, I can be a very indecisive (read: greedy) eater. Given the option, I would rather have a little bit of <strong>everything</strong>. It's the reason why I love mezze and tapas, or even better, a long tasting menu... Certain foods done simply and well are sublime. But a real filthy blow out hits the spot - cram in as many goodies as you can, and get all your favourites in one sitting. <b>R</b><strong>ocky road</strong> is a shining example of a sweet treat that packs a punch, and is stupidly simple to make. Nothing refined about it. It's all your top tings smashed up and mixed together with lashings of chocolate.<br />
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My preferred ingredients are <strong>crushed digestive and ginger nut biscuits, glace cherries, Maltesers and mini pink and white marshmallows</strong>, but you can stick in anything you like. Try dried fruits like cranberries, apples and raisins. Hazelnuts, chunks of brazil, amaretti biscuits, rice krispies and bits of Twix also work really well. Add a splosh of liqueur and a dusting of icing sugar on top, maybe even a few of those geeky silver balls, to make a Christmas version...also makes a beaut Xmas present when arranged in a festive tin. It really looks lovely, with a crazy paving effect, when sliced up into squares, and I tend to indulge my girly side with a trademark sprinkling of <strong>edible glitter</strong> on top. Every bite guarantees you something delicious and it seems to go down a hit every time with friends and fam. <br />
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The best part is how easy it is to put together. Simply melt 100g of dark chocolate with 100g of milk (Belgian quality is best), add 100g of melted butter and 3 tbsps of golden syrup.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the melty bit</td></tr>
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Chop up your fruit, nuts and other shizzle into pieces of varying sizes. Keep some things whole, for example your cherries or your Maltesers. Put your biscuits in a freezer bag and bash them into bits between 50p chunks and dust. Add everything to the melty mix. You want to add enough extras so the chocolate is just binding everything together nicely. The more chocolate to bits ratio, the stodgier and heavier it is. I prefer it lighter as it looks prettier and tastes better.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">chezzas & 'tesers</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">les biscuits</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mallows</td></tr>
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Once your rocky razzle mix is ready, simply line your average baking tray with clingfilm and pour the mixture on top. Smooth down the top and refridgerate overnight. Next day, cut into bitesize squares and <strong>eat</strong>. Nothing could be simpler! Helpful hint - take it into work to score extra brownie points... <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the finished product</td></tr>
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Comment or <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/maratanga" target="_blank">Tweet</a> me if you have any amazing <strong>no cook, fridge cake recipes...</strong><br />
I'll leave you with this classic moment from the Goonies:<br />
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maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-73049511490954255802012-05-08T02:26:00.001-07:002013-05-05T11:55:27.397-07:00ooooh mami!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Umami</strong> <span class="IPA" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_English" title="Wikipedia:IPA for English">/uːˈmɑːmi/</a></span>, popularly referred to as <b>savouriness, </b>is one of the five </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_tastes" title="Basic tastes"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">basic tastes</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> together with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. <i>Umami</i> is a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loanword" title="Loanword"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">loanword</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> from the Japanese <i>umami</i> <span style="font-weight: normal;">(<span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja" xml:lang="ja">うま味</span>)</span> meaning "pleasant savory taste".</span><br />
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<sup><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So says Wiki....</span></sup><br />
<sup><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alot of people are unaware of the 'fifth taste', but it's one that can make all the difference when it comes to understanding and enjoying foods. It's hard to put your finger on what makes it so moreish, but it's that sharp tang of parmesan cheese, salty canned anchovies, Parma ham and also believe it or not, wine and beer. <strong>Umami foods</strong> have a strong taste which means they need to be paired with certain plainer flavours to really get the most from them - simple and delicious examples are cheese and tomato (mozzarella cheese on a tangy tomatoey pizza base) or piquant olives with pistachio nuts. Mmmmmmmm. </span></sup><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><sup>It depends on your personal preference of course, but umami rich foods generally taste 'tastier' - and <strong>Marmite</strong> is (of course) a personal favourite of mine. Coupled with cool smooth cream cheese or a runny egg yolk really brings out the salty uniqueness of the spread I love to love. And one of my favourite party food umami nibbles to get the tastebuds going are delicious <strong>Marmite and cheese swirls</strong>. Puff pastry whirls wrapped up with grated cheddar melting softly into Marmite. Pretty calorific but damn they taste good and ready in 20 minutes. You can mix and match fillings for these easily depending on what you like - try cheese and tomato puree, with some finely sliced and sauteed mushrooms or onion added. Fresh herbs, cream cheese and smoked salmon would also make a good amuse bouche, as would goats cheese with walnuts and sundried tomatoes. So simple to make, they're speedy but look pretty, and taste good hot or cold. You could even make sweet ones, with apple, cinnamon and currents or lemony zest with tinned mandarin segments and a dusting of icing sugar on top.</sup></span><br />
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<sup><span style="font-family: Verdana;">One ready rolled standard supermarket packet of puff pastry will make about <em>12 swirls</em>, so buy 2 rolls if you need to cater for a group. </span></sup><br />
<sup><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Simply open out the pastry onto a flat surface, and spread over 3 tsps of Marmite with a knife, leaving a 1cm gap around the edge. Sprinkle cheddar cheese and any other ingredients on top. Whisk 1 egg and use a pastry brush to glaze the 1cm border.</span></sup><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Slowly roll up the pastry width ways using the backing paper to help you. The tighter the roll the better the whirly effect! Once all rolled up, glaze the top with the beaten egg and slice into rounds half an inch thick. Arrange these on a baking sheet and squidge them slightly so they are more round in shape. Glaze once again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Pop in a hot oven for 10 - 15 mins until golden brown on top.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">At this point you can take them out of the oven and put a few strands of cheese on top for decoration, place back in the hot oven quickly just to melt them. Delicious fresh from the oven while the cheese is still oozy, but keep just as well in the fridge for a few days and you can reheat under a grill or for 30 secs in the microwave (any longer and you'll have soggy swirls on your hands). <strong>Uma-me!</strong></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">umami goodness</td></tr>
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<br />maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-50850427208790389902012-04-23T03:22:00.001-07:002013-05-05T13:21:52.442-07:00breakfast burritos<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all know the feeling. Groggy, bleary eyed, emerging from the safe cocoon of blissful (or not so) slumber after a heavy night on the tiles. Dry mouthed, a hefty mug of tea or coffee is downed to kickstart the tastebuds and unstick the eyelids. Once Gandhi’s flipflop has been rinsed off, it’s time to move onto some energising fuel to deal with the trials of showering and engaging in any form of meaningful communication….</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>What’s your brunch of fancy?</strong> And we’re talking home cooked. No venturing outside my dears, not yet anyway. My personal favourites have got to be; a bagel, split and toasted, both halves spread first with butter, then Marmite, then a hefty squeedge of cream cheese with a sprinkling of rocket on top. I know it sounds lunchy but this is brunch innit, we can go off piste! Equally bon is a couple of poached eggs with lots of cracked black pepper atop two slices of granary toast, again with plenty of butter and Marmite. Delishybags. I’m not a huge meat fan, so bacon and sausages are usually off the menu, but I am partial to some crispy bacon with mashed avocado and a poached egg on toast, should there happen to be some pig in the fridge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This weekend, having mates to stay over after a post pub sesh, I was inspired to stock the fridge with essential ingredients to make <strong>breakfast burritos</strong>. Introduced to the BB via my good friend <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Lexilicious28" target="_blank">Lex</a>, they are the perfect mix of flavour and texture, protein and veg, with a hint of a spicy kick to get you on form. They’re remarkably healthy too (if you grill the bacon and don’t overload on the cheese!) and the tortilla wrap doesn’t weigh you down like a doughy bagel or a stack of pancakes. I wanted to share them with the world. Definitely worth a try this weekend…</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">prep stage</td></tr>
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<u><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>You’ll need:</strong></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tortilla wraps (white)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Eggs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bacon</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Potatoes (King Edward or other floury variety)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Avocado</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Grated cheese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Salsa</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cherry tomatoes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Onion</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fresh red chilli</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sour cream (optional)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Simply peel and dice the potato, boil until softly tender, then fry with some finely sliced onion and chilli with spices of your choice (try salt, pepper, mild curry powder and turmeric).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Grill the bacon and scramble the eggs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Warm the wraps in the oven while you’re doing the above.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When the hot bits are cooked, it’s time to assemble. Layer the egg, bits of bacon and some diced spuds in a line down the middle of the wrap. Add the tomatoes. Sprinkle over with cheese.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Smear some mashed avocado, salsa and sour cream down either side of this line so when you wrap you’ll get a nice even mixture of everything.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally chuck on shredded lettuce.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Roll up and enjoy! Yummsville.</strong></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">happy days</td></tr>
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maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-85151784297812045482012-04-12T06:40:00.001-07:002013-05-05T11:53:52.597-07:00les trois garcons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What a night! It was the perfect threesome - myself, the lovely <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/libstar3" target="_blank">Libby</a> and some damn fine food.<br />
The boudoir?<strong> </strong><a href="http://wordpress.lestroisgarcons.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Les Trois Garcons</strong></a><strong>, Shoreditch</strong>. A heady mix of decadent French restaurant and Miss Haversham's attic, richly decorated with chandeliers, handbags hanging from the ceiling and other such quirky artwork. A taxidermist's wet dream; bulldogs with angel wings, a giraffe's long neck stretching over diners, crocodiles in crowns and tigers in tiaras...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">monkey see...</td></tr>
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'The 3 lads' certainly ticks the boxes when it comes to authentic French dining with excellent service, all dished up with a healthy dollop of arty weirdness. With a price tag to match, <strong>Les Trois Garcons</strong> is surely a treat for local trendsters. But with a good old <a href="http://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/london" target="_blank">Groupon</a> voucher clutched in naughty mitts, we headed in for a superb six course taster menu for a snip at £30 each, down from the usual £80.<br />
I'm a real Groupon cynic and am fully aware of the pitfalls of a 'free meal' - stingy portions, snooty service and all too often hidden charges. This was <strong>not </strong>one of those. Beautiful food and warm and welcoming staff made the experience a real pleasure from start to finish. It's a great way for them to boost mid week trade as you can't book the deal on weekends. And coupled with the usual pricey wine list (a bottle of the cheapest red, a decent Côtes Du Ventoux 2009 set us back £25) and a 15% service charge (that's 15% of the original menu price ie: a tip added on of about £20), they do recoup costs elsewhere. However the tip <em>is</em> discretionary and for <strong>a night of fayne dining,</strong> truly affordable. Keep your eyes peeled for those deals!<br />
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We began the starry sups with an <em>amuse bouche</em> of thinly sliced roast chicken on a light crisply salted sheet of won ton, accompanied with caramelised onions and a basked of freshly baked bread with butter. Nothing too punchy, it did the job - it amused the bouche and tickled the tastebuds. (Apologies for the dingy photography, as you can imagine, cameraphones and a looming stuffed narwhal do not a bright picture make...)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">amusing</td></tr>
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This was swiftly followed by a beautifully presented circle of <em>foie gras</em>, cured in Sauternes and cooked <a href="http://ruhlman.com/2011/05/how-to-make-torchon-recipe/" target="_blank">au torchon</a>, served with toasted brioche and apple chutney, with a swirl of toffee sauce. I'm a guilty fan of foie gras when served in it's meaty pâté like form with thin little slices of melba toast. I'll never forget after just arriving in France, when visiting a hugh Auchan supermarket (the equivalent of a big Tesco) I was handed tasters of foie gras of all things (!) while shopping. Beats the lump of cheddar of the day on the deli counter. Needless to say I went back and back and back.... When served with fruit (and again, my fave is anything apple based) the rich meat flavour becomes fresh and satisfying. It ticked all the boxes, and I think this actually rated as my favourite course of the six...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8yvw_QpNiRXq_EyOsjHMPS6EZ7SXZdJHAP0lYwNh_lfALg2t8F2lOENE3q2keKymZYJXXrcuIfdcMbNwmefcIE5kIF41Nop7gmlbopp2mlp0EqqMIKvVKXKwwBt0aGX4ty9LTb2ygd1w/s1600/photo2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8yvw_QpNiRXq_EyOsjHMPS6EZ7SXZdJHAP0lYwNh_lfALg2t8F2lOENE3q2keKymZYJXXrcuIfdcMbNwmefcIE5kIF41Nop7gmlbopp2mlp0EqqMIKvVKXKwwBt0aGX4ty9LTb2ygd1w/s320/photo2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">foie good</td></tr>
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<em>Lemon sole</em> came next, a good sized piece of fish accompanied with a sweetly seared scallop, pear barley risotto and a lemon butter sauce. Light and healthy tasting, the fourth course then switched the balance with four rounds of juicy <em>duck magret</em> served with swede gratin, green beans and a luscious truffle red wine jus. The crispy crackling around the edges of the morsels of duck gave way to a smear of juicy fat and then tender flesh, and the swede kept the dish on the right side of ribsticking. There was also a mystery element to number four. <strong>Get Inspecteur Barnaby in.</strong> We<em> think</em> it was a piece of fried foie gras, at least it had that light and squidgy consistency and flavour. Who knows? But it was bloody good with the veg.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicRVuWh1ut1hnb-H9ZDjnmTC2nlJl2Vbnn-g5SaD3voJwRv0kOmAZO7PPgu_xUEX1224l3hMR9SoHLX94jxF3uYiSF38a6MYYe_tD80daSRZsLDQf6c_viQq29vzhGiKXH9HXaQqVSLBk/s1600/photo4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicRVuWh1ut1hnb-H9ZDjnmTC2nlJl2Vbnn-g5SaD3voJwRv0kOmAZO7PPgu_xUEX1224l3hMR9SoHLX94jxF3uYiSF38a6MYYe_tD80daSRZsLDQf6c_viQq29vzhGiKXH9HXaQqVSLBk/s320/photo4.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">duck</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHplEo1FMN3o6QC09Uo6dX4JncyCQ5-XDfWdICz_rzLeY31iNpj8BzxQ332iGX_GsH0MXKsZn7DNHnQGBZwRO_i3lWsZN9wcKlSSkdNqgYzhpn-mX9ogNS6gH2EPYVnS_CUj0GlHtbe7M/s1600/photo3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHplEo1FMN3o6QC09Uo6dX4JncyCQ5-XDfWdICz_rzLeY31iNpj8BzxQ332iGX_GsH0MXKsZn7DNHnQGBZwRO_i3lWsZN9wcKlSSkdNqgYzhpn-mX9ogNS6gH2EPYVnS_CUj0GlHtbe7M/s320/photo3.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fish</td></tr>
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By now we were beginning to slow. Luckily the wine and table water, and good pacing between dishes, kept us forging forwards. Time for a sweet treat - <em>moelleux of chocolate</em> (like a solid mousse) filled with popping candy gave an unexpected crackle and kiddy giggles, and came with a nice but unremarkable chocolate brownie. Dusted with icing sugar and dotted with whisky soaked raisins, this hugely rich course would have been offset nicely with a good dessert wine. Our choice of vin was a light accompaniment for both the meat and fish but punters can also opt for the restaurants own wine pairing per course, at an additional £39. I would defnitely go for the three G's recommendations next time around to get full enjoyment and appreciation between chaque plat.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">choco, choco, lat</td></tr>
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<em>Petits fours</em> saved the day, in the shape of a mini almond cookie, a petite madeleine with passion fruit cream and a truly beaut little square of white chocolate mousse cake topped with banana cream, which blended together in the mouth like a condensed milky pillow. A lovely fruity finish to cleanse the palate and round off the meal. <strong>Délicieux.</strong><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtuF9umRFttpjWRGXaS6pXMUY0RnNPaOGJPMl2Y3GDX-buq2zApDOJ9lwFxJstSEIMM9Wp79SlB57fZIbOJCKWnV29gDDmyO0KI1THtcPomJSGVAnP7ds8vhMoK_q_vReQPfVSFiAHeU/s1600/photo7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtuF9umRFttpjWRGXaS6pXMUY0RnNPaOGJPMl2Y3GDX-buq2zApDOJ9lwFxJstSEIMM9Wp79SlB57fZIbOJCKWnV29gDDmyO0KI1THtcPomJSGVAnP7ds8vhMoK_q_vReQPfVSFiAHeU/s320/photo7.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">petit six</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The point of a taster menu is to get the full gamut of the restaurant's capabilities, a showcase of what the chef can offer. Les Trois Garcons certainly delivered on this point, and we left feeling nicely full and well treated, having set the world and our tummies to rights over the course of a good 3 hours. Bon bon.<br />
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Have you had the joy of a <strong>top class yet affordable</strong> taster menu à Londres? Tweet me back <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/maratanga" target="_blank">@maratanga</a> and spill the beans, or leave a comment underneath!<br />
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maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-67278418655853997062011-09-19T01:19:00.000-07:002013-05-05T11:55:01.616-07:00up brockenback mountainThe proposition of an impromptu trip to Germany initially left me feeling - well - <strong>nichts much</strong>. A self confessed Francophile, I am generally biased towards France, Spain and Italy. Germany has never really appealed if I'm honest.<br />
Due to meet a very lovely old friend in her German boyfriend's hometown near <strong>Hannover</strong>, I googled said city and read the usual (museums, gardens, church, river, zoo…) Expecting a weekend of generally pleasant sightseeing, supping kaffee und kuchen and laughing at unfeasibly long German nouns was about the sum of what I expected during my Deutsche weekend. How wrong I was.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTKsxPfyabZCDkfvZ4-nItRrM78ay_8xsEltNg-bnURDByvD8CTAcQUNOiOtnroM4JI-igoRmWYR1qXyOAt5a8my80aVGB5SPpBGs90HnpS1yyzaLsdYvm6Ek9u59GFEl_EXpTFbBzd0/s1600/houseswans.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTKsxPfyabZCDkfvZ4-nItRrM78ay_8xsEltNg-bnURDByvD8CTAcQUNOiOtnroM4JI-igoRmWYR1qXyOAt5a8my80aVGB5SPpBGs90HnpS1yyzaLsdYvm6Ek9u59GFEl_EXpTFbBzd0/s400/houseswans.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ilsenburg lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from the brocken</td></tr>
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First off, Hannover was a distant 2 hour drive away from the picturesque small town of <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilsenburg">Ilsenburg</a></strong>, nestling at the north foot of the Harz mountains. No busy roads, thronging tourists, overpriced schnitzel here - just simply beautiful Hansel & Gretel style houses, all with their own burst of individuality and painstakingly tended gardens awash with colour and quirky touches. So peaceful as to be almost silent, we hardly ever saw people walking through the streets - far from being eerie (although a few Fritzl comments were made - cellars anyone?!) this lent the town an olde worlde feel. People just generally seemed happy pottering in their homes and gardens, at one with nature. Excess water was all collected in butts for gardens, there's no wastage - herbs are hung up to dry, berries left fermenting in bottles for home brewed booze. Swans paddled slowly across the big lake in the town centre, as the sun shone over lush woodland rising up the mountains beyond. Enough of the picture painting - lets get down to the heart of the matter - <strong>the food</strong>.<br />
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For someone who loves cheese and bread, a German breakfast ticked all the right boxes for me - freshly baked rolls and rye bread with butter and homemade jams, fresh fruit, ham and cheeses of all varieties was a hearty way to start the day and fuel us for mountain climbing up the aptly named <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brocken">Brocken</a></strong> (back), the highest peak in the Harz mountain range. We hopped on a steam train which wound it's way up to the summit, where we watched a load of sorry souls reaching the halfway point of an ardous marathon and being whacked on the bum with a broom by the legendary Brocken witch. Lunch at the top of the mountain consisted of a savoury warming <strong>Kartoffelsuppe</strong>, a potato broth, with the most wonderfully creamy rice pudding or <strong>Milchreis</strong>, I have ever had the fortune to sample. Topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar and a slick of cherry or apple compote I was honoured to be eating not only the best rice pud ever but <strong>the highest in Northern Germany</strong>… <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jBeaipytthGWU20HcupZs9Ov0Kj3GMIjIiXiIqwUvBtwc_O9VIJ3aSOT26Mf_hBNPELQqU5ItVOjVpyuV2OX1-o20AEEf-Ngd32AdId840P6PA4-QI9QS3AFDRMc9m_zvmhyVg0_Ol8/s1600/ricepud.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jBeaipytthGWU20HcupZs9Ov0Kj3GMIjIiXiIqwUvBtwc_O9VIJ3aSOT26Mf_hBNPELQqU5ItVOjVpyuV2OX1-o20AEEf-Ngd32AdId840P6PA4-QI9QS3AFDRMc9m_zvmhyVg0_Ol8/s320/ricepud.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ambrosia</td></tr>
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Walking back down the mountain took it's toll on my knees, however we diverged from the beaten track onto the soft floor of the dense woodland, stepping on lichen, fern and an abundance of <strong>wild mushrooms</strong>. The national parkland that surround Ilsenburg is full to bursting with gourmet shrooms, including chanterelle and porcini, which sell for a handsome price to the surrounding high class restaurants. Accompanied by a <strong><em>pilz</em></strong> expert, I was shown how to hunt down the vivid orange hue of the <strong><em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanterelle">pfifferlinge</a></em></strong> and how to twist and pull it from the earth, dust and cut it's stem and check for worms/dryness/age. I also discovered the <strong>pepperpilz</strong>, a spicy tasting mushroom, the blood mushroom with a reddy orange stem, the <strong>hex</strong> mushroom which turns a witchy blue when cut, the devil and <strong>goat's lip</strong> mushrooms and a plump specimen which only 10% of the population find deadly… I also found a giant <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boletus_edulis">porcini </a>the size of my foot, or bigger, which gave me the giggles.<br />
With a bag full of <strong>chanterelles</strong>, the tip from the top was to fry them lightly with some butter and garlic, and eat simply with pasta, a dash of cream and a sprinkling of chives. Divine.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43JiaT8RsIL_zgckG6GcK_TqiQMw5ZMvhieUJWBvClHA-1AuqrVN9mA3uujJHdz52oP6FQhaP78XGOky8v_qGwutjcQDiAD8NoBFkAFt5xu7Ekr3OjDP4xX-U9xAb5nDMePFDT8s1sOM/s1600/woods.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43JiaT8RsIL_zgckG6GcK_TqiQMw5ZMvhieUJWBvClHA-1AuqrVN9mA3uujJHdz52oP6FQhaP78XGOky8v_qGwutjcQDiAD8NoBFkAFt5xu7Ekr3OjDP4xX-U9xAb5nDMePFDT8s1sOM/s400/woods.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the forest</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9k7zY-OPES5d0G4Lt5NtKphbaVZpJgLIdLWThavSZSUMvx2n01dUB7f_Rcp6yz_BYy97DbuU4DgTn8gQZZgob6RYp3WUhugFBLohtbr4jBkv5OdHrQLrHtqg8YlYAr3V0v_i9iaLPt4/s1600/chanterelles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9k7zY-OPES5d0G4Lt5NtKphbaVZpJgLIdLWThavSZSUMvx2n01dUB7f_Rcp6yz_BYy97DbuU4DgTn8gQZZgob6RYp3WUhugFBLohtbr4jBkv5OdHrQLrHtqg8YlYAr3V0v_i9iaLPt4/s400/chanterelles.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">chanterelling hard</td></tr>
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The Germans love their soup. We had our fair share of <strong>supping suppe</strong> when sitting down to have drinks al fresco, as we ordered from an extremely limited bar menu. Thin, watery soup with processed noodles and veg, a meaty concoction and what can only be described as a bowl of lardons coated in thick cream and melted cheese, were presented to us with local beer. Oddly enough the soups slipped down ok, but this was more down to hunger than delicatesse. We had a delightful bbq experience dining with uber hospitable Germans. A fresh, herby, zesty <strong>tomato salad</strong> made with homegrown onions, cucumber and green and yellow tomatoes, followed by perfectly flame cooked <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bratwurst">bratwurst</a></strong>. Crispy, smooth skins giving way to tasty meat, accompanied with ketchup, mustard and tzatziki. Stuffed to the gills with tender <strong>steaks</strong> topped with <strong>wild mushrooms</strong> softly sauteed and crusty bread with homemade garlic butter, it was all we could do to huddle in the rustic summer house with a few morsels of dark chocolate and plenty of wine and <strong>home brewed liqeur</strong>. Many crystal tumblers later, we were all suitably sozzled on this wine coloured elixir - the only way to describe it is <strong>boozy ribena</strong>. Blackcurrants picked and fermented in glass bottles in the sun with just <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korn_(liquor)">korn</a></strong> (a German colourless spirit) and a dash of brown sugar, this stuff was to die for. Hand luggage prevented me bringing a bottle back, but to be honest it's probably for the best - she was found, in a hazy stupor, lying in a pool of Germany's best blackcurrants…</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">super fresh salad</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">steak n shrooms</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wine n liqueur</td></tr>
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I noticed that the Germans don't appear to be huge fans of dessert. They would rather OD on cream, meat, cheese and booze (lots of it) than faff around with some puff pastry and icing sugar. In fact coffee and cake seems to the be the done thing, and a torte or heavy pie while we're at it. Dining out started and ended with booze, and the menu was brimming with fried <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schnitzel">schnitzel</a>, pasta, potatoes in various forms, steaks, chicken and soups. A starter soup someone ordered can only be described as a bowl of garlic butter. Portions are generous and filling. Nobody is leaving the table full, or sober, for that matter.</div>
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My German weekend was a welcome relief from the busy busy, disposable days of London. I felt like I'd stepped back in time for a weekend. If you get the chance to visit Ilsenburg, I highly recommend it. And don't forget, if you get lost you are not on <strong>einbahnstraBe</strong>*…</div>
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*<strong>one way street</strong>. We wrongly assumed this sign was the name of the road we were living on. Could prove dangerous when drunk and searching for a signpost which does exist, but many times over!</div>
maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-80505983917764248342011-08-28T03:55:00.000-07:002013-05-05T11:53:26.851-07:00albion, shoreditchWith a blink and you've missed it summertime, we've somehow slipped into those drizzly autumnal inbetween-ish months when you wake up and don't quite know what to wear in the morning. Sudden sun breaks through brooding clouds, only to be swallowed up again (usually when it's time for your lunch break...) and suddenly those nice cropped jeans and pumps just aren't cutting it anymore. It's time to pull out the furs and boots - or is it? Same applies to eating out - al fresco dining around this time of year is a hit and miss affair. A balmy early evening, supping cocktails and nibbling tapas on a fortuitously spied prime outside table, can suddenly be spoilt rotten with incoming freezing gusts of wind or a flash downpour.<strong> Oh Albion!</strong> At times like this it's good to cover all your bases and pick somewhere where indoor and outdoor, and even inbetweeny, options are available for savvy diners. One such spot is the warm and laid back <strong><a href="http://www.albioncaff.co.uk/caff/">Albion Cafe</a></strong>, in 'trendy' Shoreditch. Ok you may have to put up with the odd skinny jeaned, brogued up and tousle haired hipster but they'll be more of the yummy daddy, solo book reading type - you won't tend to get the more irritating shoulder padded, Deirdre bespectacled oddballs of deepest Hoxton hanging out here. Albion is reassuringly tucked away on Boundary St, with outside tables and a completely open frontage (at this time of month) on a quiet residential street away from the hustle and bustle of surrounding Brick Lane, Sditch High St and Spitalfields. Here you can kick back and relax with a hearty brunch, lazy lunch or chilled out supper with good quality food in calm surroundings... and still be close to the bars and buzz should you wish to move on there afterwards.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">albion by day</td></tr>
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<strong>Albion</strong> is sold as a 'cafe' however it's more of a luxe caff/homely restaurant, definitely suitable for a couples treat or a low key date night. Tables inside are cosy and warm, with those outside or in the open frontage available for warmer/braver customers. Food is top notch, a little on the pricey side but truly filling, and you certainly won't leave feeling like you need a kebab chaser. With typically British grub, harking back to that retro era of kippers and devilled kidneys, <strong>Albion</strong> is a meat lovers dream with pies, chops, sausage and mash, fish and chips and stodgy puddings for the greedy punter. We plumped for the <strong>kedgeree</strong> and the <strong>fish pie</strong> - gorgeously spiced rice with lightly smoked haddock and delicately hard boiled eggs, while the pie was satisfyingly creamy with decent chunks of prawn and fish, topped with a very buttery smooth mash. Complimentary fresh baked bread is also served before the courses, with salted butter. We visited on a Sunday evening, and tucking in at one of the outdoor tables, enjoying the quiet night, fresh air and warming food, this rare spot felt rather well hidden and unknown. However it must be said that daytimes are particularly busy, and if you fancy a spot for weekend brunch be prepared to queue. The bakery is stocked with fresh produce and gorgeous crusty bread, cakes and muffins on a daily basis, so you can always start nibbling while u wait if hunger is striking...<br />
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It may feel like it's not part of the east end massive, but unfortunately - it is. And<strong> Shoreditch prices</strong> do creep in on the drinks menu with teeny tumblers of, admittedly good, red wine at a horrendous £7 a pop, with a large glass going hard at £9! I do recommend the bloody marys and elderflower refresher, if you fancy a cheeky aperitif or a boozy brunch fuel - but be prepared to fork out. Next door there is also the French<strong> <a href="http://www.theboundary.co.uk/">Boundary bar and restaurant</a></strong>. A more luxurious and lofty affair, it's a great place to start; take the lift up to the rooftop for a pre-dinner cocktail watching the sunset or if the rain starts pouring down, head to the sleek and chic bar for an expertly mixed Martini - then head next door to <strong>Albion</strong>, kick off your brogues, push back those gawjuss locks, shrug off that corduroy blazer and slouch back as you enjoy one of those rare blissful London moments where for just a minute you can switch off and forget where you are without a Pete Doherty alike stumbling into your path and effing it all up. <strong>Oh Shoreditch!</strong><br />
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(Don't worry they'll all move over to Hackney Wick(ed) soon...)<br />
<br />maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-12385023593531596412011-06-20T02:02:00.000-07:002013-05-05T11:52:20.075-07:00when life gives you lemons......why not make something lemony?<br />
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I have always been a big <strong>lemon lady - </strong>as a child I apparently used to sit in my high chair happily sucking on raw lemon segments, not a wince or grimace on my chubby cheeks. I do remember sneaking to the fridge when I was little and sneakily dipping the tip of my tongue in the lid of the concentrate lemon juice bottle for that little frisson of flavour. Naughty! I love my pancakes absolutely doused in limone juice with the merest sprinkle of sugar, a tarter than tart <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3482/ultimate-lemon-meringue-pie">lemon meringue pie</a> and French <a href="http://my-french-corner.blogspot.com/2009/07/citron-presse.html">citron pressé</a> made up of more citron than, erm, pressé....<br />
A colleague of mine, who goes by the last name <strong>Lemon, </strong>had a birthday and I decided to bake some lemon cupcakes to honour the occasion. <br />
To make, I creamed butter with sugar and grated lemon zest, then folded in 2 beaten eggs with flour and baking powder. Popped in the oven at 180C, for about 10 mins so they're not too solid, the mixture made around twelve cupcakes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ready to rock</td></tr>
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To add a bit of pizazz once the cupcakes came out of the oven, i cut the tops off, spooned in a dollop of lemon curd, then replaced the tops before icing with lemon butter (cream butter, icing sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice together into a spreadable consistency). I then sprinkled the cupcakes with a touch of silver edible glitter, along with those little lemon jelly slices (so retro) to stick on top of the cakes for added citrus impact. On the birthday boys cupcake I added his initials in chocolate along with a yellow candle, and finally just before serving I topped all the cakes with little flags with his face on them (complete with evil curly moustache doodled on...comedy value)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tops off</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">icing on</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>just lemon</strong></td></tr>
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I also wanted to make a jelly lemon lake but unfortunately ran out of time... To make fizzy jelly, you just dissolve jelly in 150ml hot water, and then add 420ml cold lemonade instead of cold water. Ramp it up for adults by adding champagne or sparkling wine into the mix instead of the lemonade... Pour the jelly mixtures into a suitable mould (rude ones if possible), for a refreshing fruity sweet with a fizz!</div>
<strong>Lemony good.</strong><br />
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maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-44526928469800282942011-05-19T02:11:00.000-07:002013-05-05T12:02:49.289-07:00tapas me up!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've always been a fan of <em>little plates</em>; tasty tidbits over a hefty dish. There's something about all the flavours and textures mingling together but still remaining very separate that makes dinner a more interesting (and often lengthier) experience. My preference has always been <strong>Greek</strong> or <strong>Lebanese mezze</strong> - delicious squid, chicken, lamb morsels, chickpeas, spinach and feta filo parcels, grilled halloumi cheese, falafel with sides of homemade houmous, tzatziki, couscous salad and <strong><a href="http://javanehskitchen.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/salad-olivieh/">olivieh</a></strong>. I discovered this beauty when I was seventeen and working in a middle Eastern restaurant. An ancient Persian dip/potato salady thing made with <em>chicken, garlic, mayonnaise, potato, egg and olive oil.</em> Sounds a bit dodgy, but honestly the most tasty, moreish thing and freshly made daily by the owner's wife, I used to stuff quantities down with grilled pitta - being a slip of thing at the time, I could afford to make that my started and follow up with freebie butterflied prawns or swordfish. A jammy job indeed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Tapas</strong> has always been something I have avoided in favour of mezze - because I adore Greek food so much, I will always go for the Hellenic option. However a recent trip to <strong><a href="http://www.nerjatoday.com/">Nerja</a></strong>, Spain with my good friend <a href="http://www.twitter.com/hollstardeluxe">Emily</a>, meant tapas were due to be the order of the day - and I am now a tapas fan! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to legend (and Wikipedia) the tapas tradition began when <strong>King Alfonso X</strong> of Castile recovered from an illness by drinking wine with small dishes between meals. After regaining his health, the king ordered that taverns would not be allowed to serve wine to customers unless it was accompanied by a small snack or "tapa." Most Spanish bars/restaurants charge for tapas, meaning people tend to order a whole selection for a sitdown meal, which isn't really in the <em>tapas spirit</em>. The serving of tapas is designed to encourage conversation - people aren't so focused upon eating an entire meal that is set before them, and it's much easier to move around with your one little plate and drink, and chat to people. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However luckily for us, in certain areas of southern Spain (including Nerja!), <strong>free tapa</strong> is still offered with a drink at the bar. Wahoo! We completed a few tapas tours of the town, bar hopping and ordering a drink in each. House specials such as beer, wine, or our fave <strong>tinto de verano</strong> (lovely, refreshing drink of red wine & lemonade) are just <strong>€1.60</strong> each, with which you pick a complimentary tapa. Then it's munch, slurp, chat and onto the next. It was a fantastic way to not only see the city, but meet different people, try a variety of tapas and get nicely tipsy (and full) on the cheap. We put in 10 euros at the start of the night and that lasted us across 6 tapas bars - under a tenner for all your food and drink! Unheard of. It's worth remembering if you're planning on visiting Spain, as if I hadn't known and was offered tapas with my drink I would have turned it down, not realising it was free! It's also a bit intimidating for tourists I imagine, as you have to sit at the bar to qualify (and most of us would gravitate to a table would we not?). Also the tapas are all under a covered glass window on top of the bar (usually around 10-12 different options), unlabelled - so if you are unfamiliar with tapas, or don't have a translator, you might be unable to identify the offering. Like all restaurants, there is bound to be a variety in quality - some establishments freshly cook the tapas, some microwave it etc. Get locals to recommend you the best tapas bars (although they will be biased!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However it's worth just going for it as everything I tasted was delish!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of my personal favourites were </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>albóndigas</strong> (meatballs in a sauce), paella, <strong>croquetas </strong>(chicken, potatoey croquettes), <strong>bacalao</strong> (very thinly sliced and fried pieces of salty garlicky cod), calamari, the Spanish version of eggs & bacon (fried quail egg on bread with pancetta), freshwater prawns, chorizo, <strong>ensaladilla rusa</strong> (literally means little Russian salad and is made with mixed boiled vegetables with tuna, olives and mayonnaise) and <strong>tortilla</strong>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The tapas are often served with crisps, olives, bits of crusty bread, cheesy mash (in one instance!) or <strong>alioli</strong> for dipping, making it amazing value for money. Next week, The Grub Club, are off to <strong>Galicia</strong>, Westbourne Park to check out the London tapas scene… watch this space for a review!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In other news, last night I made a <strong>chicken and chorizo paella</strong>. I used arborio rice, along with mushrooms, peas, pepper, herbs, onion and garlic along with a garnish of flat leaf parsley. It turned out really well, if a bit soggy, and the flavour of the chorizo along with saffron not only gave the paella a beaut golden yellow colour but a delicious meaty, rich taste. You could add squid, prawns, lobster or mussels happily to this recipe, and serve alongside salad with a bit of crusty bread for sauce mopping…. <strong><em>Delicioso!</em></strong></span><br />
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maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878694620652171967.post-56660085636318071112011-05-03T05:35:00.000-07:002013-05-05T12:03:12.181-07:00totally tayyab's<strong><a href="http://www.tayyabs.co.uk/">Tayyab's</a></strong>. A Whitechapel curry house institution, opened in 1974 and still going strong with a loyal and dedicated fan base. In my quest for a decent Indian in London, and buoyed by nothing but rave reviews for this place, it was only fitting that <em>The Grub Club</em> decided on Tayyab's as the spot for our second meeting! Arriving around 7pm on a Wednesday night we beat the infamous queues and were immediately seated. Decor was simple but pleasant, kitchen table not upmarket restaurant. We were immediately given a plate of fresh salad and dips, with <strong>fresh poppadums</strong> (Charly said they were the best she'd ever tasted!), including an amazing homemade <strong>mango chutney</strong>. Stainless steel water jugs were on the tables along with those classic Seventies water glasses - we immediately commented on how our mothers both had the same versions at home! The menu was perfect, with a decent amount of starters, meat and veggie dishes and extremely reasonably priced to boot.<br />
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We opted for a selection of starters including tasty <strong>meat and veg samosas</strong>, gorgeous and super spicy <strong>lamb seekh and shami kebabs</strong> and <strong>paneer</strong>. We then went for <strong>chicken karahi</strong> and a <strong>baby aubergine dahl</strong>, both very fresh and not swimming in sauce. The chicken had a lovely sweet, almost honeyed edge to it and the dahl wasn't sloppy, with good sized pieces of lentil and veg. Pilau rice and an obscene amount of Indian breads completed the dinner. I always get a bit overexcited at the prospect of decent <strong>naans, rotis or parathas</strong>. That puffy, soft, buttery goodness brings out the fat kid in me and I want it all, all I tell you! Needless to say bread stuffs you and it's a crime to the deliciousness of the food to do so. To be honest if you're having bread, I would recommend getting a single dish of rice for 3/4 people. We left our second one untouched, along with two of the breads (it kills me to say). Go for one bread item per person - they are large and unlike the thin, flimsy style rotis or chapatis in most Indian restaurants or takeaways, they are very thick and puffy, almost like naan breads. <br />
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Needless to say, we were absolutely overstuffed at the end of the meal (Charly went up a bra size and I nearly fell over twice on the way home). Couldn't even fit in a <strong>kulfi </strong>or <strong>gulab</strong>, tempting as they did look. There is also a big Indian sweets counter in Tayyab's, stocking brightly coloured<strong> barfi</strong> and my alltime favourite, those sticky syrupy sweet<strong> </strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalebi"><strong>jalebi</strong></a>. Packed full of condensed milk, sugar syrup, ghee and all sorts of highly calorific business, there's still no denying their deliciousness enjoyed alongside a nice cup of tea. They also keep for ages so you can slowly work your way through a box of goodies and make yourself feel slightly less guilty! The bill for everything was a steal at <strong>£38.95</strong> for three people, a real rarity in these tough times to get such a good quality, fast and cheap meal in London.<br />
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Overall <em>TGC</em> had a highly enjoyable Tayyab's experience with a vote of a very solid <strong>8.75/10</strong>. Marks were deducted for slightly too much grease left in the bottom of our dishes, although there was no telltale oil slick on the tops of the dishes when they arrived (as you see in many curry houses) which was a good sign. The poppadums are also on the bill, although served as if free, which is also a pet hate of mine. However these are all minor tings in the scheme of it all and come on, we have to give them some room for improvement...!<br />
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It's BYOB so don't forget the booze, and try it out on a weekday evening to avoid the queues. On the way home, we saw the Gherkin rising up into the sky on our left as an old Indian guy played jaunty music on his flute on our right - and were reminded of the melting pot that London really is...maratangahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07417429286417504418noreply@blogger.com4