Say cheese

Remember the squidgy soft triangles of Laughing Cow Cheese from packed lunches and break time snacking from your youth? Well, they've grown up...

 

The Laughing Cow has recently launched a new range of light cheeses targeting those with a more selective cheesy palate - Light Emmental and Light Blue Cheese.

 

 

There are few things which aren't improved with a touch of cheese - from pasta and sandwiches to salads and soups and these squares are not only light in calories, but so easy to use. If you are watching your weight or just love cheese a little bit too much, these are the perfect solution to adding creaminess to dishes without the added calories.

 

The Emmental had a soft but distinctively nutty flavour, while the blue cheese, although it didn't look blue at all, definitely had a hint of Cropwell Bishop or Stilton in the flavour.

 

These really are a fantastic fridge staple - for kids and big kids!

 

Find out more here: www.thelaughingcow.co.uk   

 

Disclaimer: I was kindly sent these to try by Laughing Cow. Thanks lovely ladies :-)

Byron Burgers

London has gone burger mad. From Shake Shack to Five Guys, there seems to be a new burger place opening every day.  But sometimes, it's good to go back to a classic. Byron Burger has been a fixture on the London burger scene for a good few years now and there's one reason for that...It does burgers well.

Burgerlicious

Oh and the onion rings....

The only slightly disappointing thing is that, as we all know, we are a cider making nation and the very best cider is on our doorstep - Herefordshire or Somerset ciders can't be beaten...yet Byron import an Australian one?? Think they need to review that one!

 

http://www.byronhamburgers.com/

A fresh start to the day

Waking up is never easy…but I’ve recently been introduced to two things which help make my morning a little bit happier.

 

The Green Machine by Naked Juice

Everyone says there is no better way to start the day than with a green smoothie. Not many of us have the inclination or time to get out the juicer, make a smoothie and then wash it all up before going to work, which is why this is a great start to the day. Packed with lovely fruit as you’d expect, it also has some more exciting ingredients guaranteed to keep you going through the day such as Spirulina, Broccolli, Spinach, Blue Green Algae, Wheat Grass, Barley Grass and parsley.  Find out more here: http://www.nakedjuice.co.uk/green.php

Emmi’s Caffe Latte in Caramel or Skinny

 

Refreshing and creamy drink. Perfect as a morning pick me up or a snack in the day.  Caramel is delicious – as you’d expect. What you wouldn’t expect is that their new skinny version would taste just as good.  You’d never know it was lower in calories. Follow the link here for their twitter account and to find out more: https://twitter.com/UKcaffelatte

 

Thanks for sending me the samples lovely Naked Juice and Emmi.

Best Tapas in London?

When I was invited down to Alquimia restaurant in Putney following the launch, I really wasn't expecting much...which sounds a bit harsh. But tapas is tapas, right? How wrong could I have been.

I can honestly say that the meal I had at Alquimia was the best Tapas I've ever had...including in Spain.

Don't be put off by the appearance of the outside of the restaurant...it looks small and insignificant, but go through the doors and you are welcomed as one of the family to experience a really authentic and delicious tapas menu.

There were plenty of choices on the menu, so me and my sister (my dining companion on this review) asked them to just bring us what they thought we should try and they went all out.

Every dish was fantastic, well thought out, presented with care and most importantly - delicious.

Try the tuna tartare - something I'd never have gone for...but which was amazing.

I'll be back!

Paletilla ibérica "Paletilla ibérica"



Freshly carved Iberico Ham




Tuna Tartare - something I never would have ordered but that was stunning



Patatas Bravas




Chorizo Riojano “a la sidra” Spicy chorizo from Rioja with cider



Calamares fritos a la andaluza Fried squid Andalucian style

Gambas a la plancha con ajo-aceite Grilled prawns with garlic oil

Torrija de vainilla con helado de leche Spanish vanilla sweet bread with milk ice cream

A most amazing drink - milk infused with rum, spices and orange - I could have drunk a pint of this!

http://alquimiarestaurant.co.uk/reservations/ 

 

Foodie goodies

I've been sent some lovely goodies to try recently. New Kallo rice cakes - in Blueberry and Caramel. Tasty and a great treat for mid afternoon snacking.

Truvia baking blend - i'm looking forward to trying this one soon, following my baking disasters earlier this year using other sweetner alternatives

A selection of Linwoods milled seeds - as i'm allergic to nuts, I didn't actually try these - but the other half enjoyed them on his cereal.

All new and available in stores now.

Darcy's Restaurant St Albans

It's always a good sign when I don't have time to take pictures of the food, as I'm too busy eating...but that's exactly what happened when we visited Darcy's restaurant in St Albans.

It's the second time we've visited and the second time was just as good as the first.

We began with cocktails downstairs in the bar area, then headed upstairs for the main meal.

We started with a sharing platter of Duck Gyoza, salt and pepper squid and miso soup - a really good start to the meal.

I then opted for the special fish dish which was pollock wrapped in chorizo and my other half went for the meat special, the pork belly.

Finally, to finish off the meal, my dining partner chose the dark chocolate and honeycomb bomb, which looked amazing. A massive cone shaped chocolate creation.

Chocolate bomb

 

I chose the After Eight dessert cocktail - mint baileys mixed with mint choc chip ice cream. Incredibly decadent, but worth visiting just for this!

 

Another great meal thanks to Darcy's - we'll be back!

 

Take a look at Darcy's here: http://www.darcysrestaurant.co.uk/

Bill's restaurant - St Albans

My friend first introduced me to Bill's, when we met for a drink in Covent Garden. Great place to meet friends, in a fun environment.  I loved it from the first visit and have returned on many an occasion. I've also tried the one in Soho.

So, I was excited to see the new St Albans venue open recently and my husband and I went along to give it a go. The new restaurant has replaced the rather short lived restaurant, Baroque, on Chequers Street, right in the centre of town and just down from Jamie's Italian.

The restaurant mirrors the other Bill's restaurants in London, with the same quirky set up, menu and buy from the shelves. We went on a Tuesday night, and it was already packed with a variety of people...proving its initial popularity.

Staff were friendly and helpful - nothing was too much trouble. So we started our meal in a good frame of mind.

We ordered a Bill's Burger and the mac n' cheese and weren't disappointed. We split both and there was certainly enough! Great food, lovely drinks and great service.

Delicious burgery-ness

The mac n' cheese

Bill's Beer

Pink lemonade

Bound to be a favourite in St Albans.

Visit: www.bills-website.co.uk for further information

Healthy Snacks - A Weight Watchers post

Yes, yet again I'm attempting my yearly membership to Weight Watchers. I've been doing it for four weeks now and it's all going to plan at the moment. I'm a bit of a snacker, to say the least, so I've come up with some easy, tasty Weight Watchers suitable snacks.

One of the great things about Weight Watchers is that fruit is completely free - so the first stop is always a banana, some berries or an orange. Point free and naturally good.

However, if i'm looking for something which feels a bit more of a treat, then the new Sakata crackers are pure genius. I was sent some to try recently and since then they've been a permanent addition to my shopping basket.

These little Japanese crackers are packed full of flavour and a very small 2 points per row (yes, that's per row...not per cracker) so you can indulge guiltfree. Available in lots of different flavours, but favourite has to be seaweed and soy sauce.

Take a look at this link for more info:www.sakata.uk.com

And finally, I think i've discovered the ultimate dessert - A healthy Eton Mess. Simply mix a punnet of raspberries with a crushed meringue (individual meringue - 1 pro point) and a small tub of Total 0% greek yoghurt (2 pro points) for a really decadent feeling dessert, without the guilt. It's my new favourite. Especially after a roast dinner!

Burger and Lobster





There's a real trend at the moment in London for restaurants which you can't book for without a minimum party - from MeatLiquor and Bubbledogs to Burger and Lobster. I hate this trend. There's nothing fun about queueing for hours or having to go away and come back - so i've avoided them like the plague unless with a big party.

The one exception to the rule however, is Burger and Lobster. Who can resist? 

Yum Yum



At an upfront £20 for a whole lobster, lobster roll or burger, i'd have been mad not to try it.

And i've now been twice already, once to the soho venue and once to the Mayfair one and am planning plenty more trips!

Tip (you can book for a table of over 6, so worth getting a group together, if like me you don't like hanging around)




http://www.burgerandlobster.com/

Union Jacks - St Giles, Covent Garden (ish)

As you can probably tell by my review of our visit to Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant, that the experience put me off not only him, but visiting any of his restaurants...so it was with trepidation that I went along to Union Jacks.

There are three things we discovered that this restaurant does really really well - pizza, ginger beer and service. 

Number 1: The staff at the Union Jacks we went to near Tottenham Court Road (St Giles) in London were fabulous.  So, if you are reading this 'Mr Manager of the restaurant' the whole team deserves a pat on the back.

The menu is slightly confusing but the team are well prepped to take you through it all, answer any questions and give advice. Great team.

Number 2: homemade ginger beer was a real winner too - I could just go back for that!

And finally Number 3: Pizzas. I went for the Old Spot, a favourite of most diners which saw the tomato on a regular pizza replaced by apple sauce and topped with pork scratchings and pork shoulder.  An interesting combination if a little too sweet. Delicious pizza though and the base was absolutely stunning as cooked in a wood fired pizza oven.

My other half went for the plain margaret (a typical tomato and cheese pizza) topped with pork shoulder. This was the most delicious pizza. The tomatos (jack hawkins) were so tasty and added a real flavour to the pizza. Definitely go for this one, if you visit as you can top with a variety of different options.

We'll be back to try out the others....

A Margaret pizza with shoulder of pork

The Old Spot pizza

http://www.unionjacksrestaurants.com/

Scandalicious Baking

It's been a while since I last posted. So apologies - it's been incredibly busy (but that's not an excuse!)

I was sent the new book, Scandalicious Baking by the lovely Signe Johansen to review a couple of months ago and I wasn't disappointed. Take a look here for more info: http://www.signejohansen.com/

Nordic is big business in the UK at the moment, thanks to the likes of the Nordic Bakery and Signe's books, Brits are beginning to realise there's more than meets the eye to Scandinavian cooking, including baking.

Scandalicious Baking is a fantastic book which gives you plenty of recipes to get stuck into which give you a taste for baking these delights without being too intimidating. From Chocolate and Orange Marmalade Loaf cake, through to Queen Maud muffins and Grilled Cheese with mushroom and hazlenut, there are plenty of recipes to satisfy a sweet or savoury tooth.

The photography in the book is a good enough reason to buy this book alone. Beautiful images that conjure up ideas of being the domestic goddess I'd always imagined I could be.

The first recipe i've had a go at from the book was the Cinnamon Bun Sharing Cake. Absolutely stunning. I'm always a little intimidated by any recipes which involve yeast, but this really wasn't a tough one to do...and the results were so impressive.

My lovely cinnamon bun!

 

I'll be using this one regularly - especially when I want to impress guests.

Pick up a copy from your local bookshop or on Amazon.co.uk

Silken Hotel Diagnol - A review [TRAVEL]

There are plenty of hotels to stay at in Barcelona and as a visitor you are really spoilt for choice. Normally I'd have gone for a boutique type hotel or as I have done before, a self catering apartment.

However, we were attending a wedding and the groom had advised all guests to stay at the Hotel Silken Diagnol. http://www.hoteles-silken.com/hotel-diagonal-barcelona/

And it was a great recommendation. Located near the Glories underground stop and only around 7 minutes by tube to Las Ramblas, it was a pretty central location. It was also within walking distance of the beach down a road crammed with bars and restaurants.

The hotel itself is next to the Torre Agbar, the Barcelona equivalent of the gherkin, which lights up at night in a myriad of colour. The hotel is modern in design with low lit lighting throughout.

The corridors to the rooms are incredibly dark with only modest lighting.

The room we had however, felt light and bright. From the Bang & Olufsen TV and phone through to the see through bathroom and the shutters on the windows, everything felt modern, clean and well thought out.

The other great thing about this hotel was the room terrace with small swimming pool (too small to be used - but it looked nice) along with a bar. The perfect place to end the night before heading back to your room.

All in all, a pretty fantastic hotel for a weekend break or work visit. Perfect for couples...maybe not so much for families.

Credit: Pictures taken from Hotel Silken website

Dinnr - an easy, impressive meal at home

I love being able to head home to a lovely home cooked dinner when it's something more exciting than spaghetti, stir fry or curry, which are my staple recipes. But by the time we've got back from work it's usually heading on for gone 8pm and hunger means creative cooking takes a back seat.  Which is why I love the idea of Dinnr!

 

Dinnr www.dinnr.co.uk/ is a company which gives you everything you need for a perfect meal in. Go onto their website and simply choose a meal that you fancy. I went for A Crusted Rack of Lamb with Roast vegetables and Bulgar wheat which looked absolutely delicious and a little bit fancy.

 

They then deliver your ingredients pack to your desk/or home with every little thing you need to create the meal and an easy colour/picture led step by step guide to recreating. I love the fact that the meat was from Waitrose (well, i would seeing as I work for them!) and that they popped a candle into the bag so you could 'add a little romantic atmosphere'.

 

 

They also sent over a playlist - so they'd even picked out the tunes for a perfect evening.

 

The delivery bag with contents - great quality items for only £20

The recipe was pretty straightforward to make and was delicious. The best thing was, I would never have thought of making something like this on a weekday due to time in the evening, but actually it showed me it doesn't take that much longer to create something you'll really enjoy.

 

 

Here's my final dish:

 

 

 

And here's what it should look like:

 

 

 

Not bad....not bad....

 

This is a genius idea for someone wanting to cook for a date at home but who works late and won't make it to the shops, someone who just wants some inspiration or perhaps just as a treat.

 

I was sent this as a review kit, but i'll certainly be buying again in the future.

 

I fancy the look of the thanksgiving feast for £60 for 4 - looks good https://www.dinnr.co.uk/recipes/15

 

Note: I was making this one handed as had hurt my right hand...so that's why it looks messier than usual (or that's my excuse)

 

 

 

 

 

 



Sharps Connoisseur range

Being a PR myself I am ashamed to say it has taken me far too long to post this up, having received the samples to try. Sorry Sharp's http://www.sharpsbrewery.co.uk/ - but it's finally up!

 

Until very recently I always thought I hated beer but at a recent tasting presentation by Thornbridge Brewery I was shown that's not true at all - it all depends on the type of beer I've been tasting!

 

So I was interested to try the new range by Sharp's - the Connoisseur's choice range of premium beers.  All designed to work well with food!

 

Now, I didn't get to try them all as i'm afraid I came home to discover my husband had tucked into them as i'd left them in the fridge unguarded! He,however, loved them, and I managed to taste some of the Single Brew.

 

It has a fresh, herbal lemon aroma (according to the website) and i'd have to agree. It was very light and clean in flavour. Fantastic with a piece of fish or a salad.

 

 

 

Definitely worth a try - buy online from http://www.sharpsbrewery.co.uk/