Back with a tan and a plan...

After a noticable absence on 'the scene' that is the internet, I can say (with some confidence) that I'm back and raring to go!

A blissful two weeks in Mauritius has opened my eyes to a whole new range of cuisine mixing different cultures and influences to create a truly unique taste experience. I can honestly say, the only thing I missed was fresh milk!

Anyway, just a short post to let you know I'm still here. I've got many a tale to tell of my island hopping, dolphins, whales, crocodile steaks and much, much more!

Plus.... today sees the launch of the first cookbook I'm featured in (as a credited writer) at Liverpool Food and Drink Festival- it's all looking very promising.... More to come when I arrive back in Liverpool and unpack!

I'm still in heaven, although I'm not in Devon...

So it's been five days since I departed. Departed from that house, those people, that dog. Left Devon, left those luscious green fields, traded them for those grey high rise buildings of Liverpool...

I've been rained on, soaked through, worked my fingers to the bone, worn out and worn down, I've been through it all. But a glimmer of sunshine appears.

Like an enlightening experience that people only see once in a lifetime, my memories of Totleigh Barton are being kept alive.


Through baking, cooking, reading and writing, immersing myself in all that is food and through these mediums, I will keep my memories alive. These memories are motivation, stimulation, a way to escape the rut that was my life.

Now I write like I did when I first fell in love. I'm meeting my soul mate for the very first time, all over again.

Everything is fresh, vibrant and full of promise. But this isn't nostalgia, this is now. This is happening. I am awake, rediscovering a lost love and immersing myself in it's warm embrace.

Sin-Free Quiche

This recipe harks back to simpler times, times when I'd have the most serious fights over who'd dared to open my pint of milk, and special meetings to discuss the neglected cleaning schedule.... I'm talking of course of my student days!

One of my flatmates, Sophia, who usually lived exclusively off Caesar salad and Baked Beans, sometimes liked to throw a third food group into the mix... Sin-Free Quiche.

Much like Delia's How to Cheat collection, this recipe uses ready made items such as macaroni cheese from a can, so you can literally just throw it together- great if you're busy studying or holding down a full-time job.

The recipe was given to Sophia by her kind sister, Jody and simplified to meet our meagre budget. So here it is, I give you Sin-Free Quiche!

Ingredients
1x Tin Macaroni Cheese
250g Cottage Cheese
6x Eggs
1x Courgette (cut into chunks)
A Handful of Mushrooms (cut in 1/4s)
1/2 Large Red Pepper (cut into chunks)
A Large Onion (cut into chunks)
A Tablespoon Olive Oil
Seasoning (to taste)
A good handful of grated cheese (for all you sinners!)

1. Start by pre-heating the oven at 180 Degrees
2. Next, gently fry the vegetables in the oil until golden
3. Remove the pan from the heat and beat the eggs together in a bowl
4. Place eggs, macaroni and cottage cheese in an ovenproof dish and combine.
5. Add cooked vegetables and combine.
6. If you're a sinner like me, cover the top with grated cheese (I use Cheddar) and season.
7. Bake for 35-45 minutes until golden brown.

This dish makes enough for 4 massive, student sized portions, so if you're feeling generous, share the wealth!

My appetite for knowledge is growing...

As the new year kicked in, I was feeling slightly disheartened.

In the two years that have passed since I graduated from my MA, it seems I'm in pretty much the same position as I was then (minus the stress of a twenty thousand word dissertation looming over me!)

I kept waiting for opportunity to come knocking at my door, but I'm just getting to grips with realising, this isn't going to happen.

The reality is, I need to focus in on what I want to do with my career, and with my writing. My instincts are telling me to stick with what I'm doing, but to focus in my culinary skills to a certain area.

Monday sees the start of a new chapter for me, I've been enrolled on a Wine tasting course, which I'm very much looking forward to.

Perhaps this could open up yet another door into the world of food and drink for me? It'll certainly give me the authority to match food and wine for my future articles (rather than stick to wines from the Rioja region!)

That's by the by, I'm thinking of lots more tasty recipes and tantalising treats to impart, and I've also been promised a food related piece for next months issue of Liverpool Lifestyle Magazine- here's hoping!

Delia Through the Decades- BBC1

BBC iPlayer is a wonderful, wonderful thing! Especially when conventional television is a bit of a trek to the other room, and you've just made yourself comfortable with a cup of peppermint tea... Tonight, my bedroom was my living room, and as the wind howled outside, I nestled under the covers to catch up on some cooking!

Often regarded as THE voice of authority when it comes to boiling an egg, or indeed, how to cook, the hardened Norwich FC fan and queen of cuisine, Delia Smith has returned to our screens. This time, rather than telling us how to bake a potato, or how to cheat, it seems Delia's turned the clock back.

As a twenty-four year old aspiring food writer, this program has acted almost as a spring-board for my seemingly unreachable goals, making them seem more real. Like me, Delia was unsure of what she wanted to do for a long time, but there was always this resounding love of food which simply wouldn't leave...


Always in a kitchen, asking questions, whether serving food, prepping vegetables, or doing the washing-up afterwards, it seems we all have humble beginnings. Delia tried her hand at many career choices before falling in with the right crowd at The Singing Chef.

I thoroughly enjoyed the concept of this show, gone are the images of Delia as a prim 60-something housewife, I'm seeing a new side to Delia, young and vibrant, not afraid to make mother angry, and I like it! She was rebellious, inquisitive and confident, and this show certainly gains favour for me as Stephen Fry voices her story and recounts her ballsy attitude to life.

A prime example of this is reflected en route to an interview with the editor of The Daily Mirror. Reality, it seems kicked in, just for a moment, and it dawned on her that she had no O-Levels, couldn't spell and couldn't type...

This is where her true genius shines though... they saw the raw talent and went with it. The next thing she knew she was baking a cake for a Rolling Stones album cover!


I only wish I had her conviction, I do have a similar gusto for all things gourmet. And like Delia, I'm focusing in on the history of cuisine, reading books about royalty, pre-historic cooking techniques and articles about fig-related bicycle tours around America- it's a good job I find this stuff fascinating!

Next week we see the move from 1960's cuisine to the 1970's, so expect pineapple and cheese on sticks and tin foil hedgehogs aplenty!

Blog of the month- British Cream Tea

This month, my favourite blog happens to be the labour of love of a lady who happens to inhabit the same city as me! She calls herself a felt confectioner, an artist who not only creates delectable pieces of art which look perfectly edible, she also provides consumable recipes for some of her creations and step by step instructions on how to create her 'mock' food.

British Cream Tea is a beautiful blog, inspired by creator Ouissi's love of all things fabric, vintage and edible! Ouissi is an inspirational artist who's recent works have been sold in various galleries and exhibited at the Winter Art's Fair in St George's Hall, Liverpool.

The blog puts me in mind of a vintage fair that delights the senses and stimulates the soul, harking back to the days when people were more creative and innovative. The days when everyone knew how to knit, sew and even darn socks! Skills which have been put aside, but not forgotten, as Ouissi demonstrates.

A simple idea which has successfully seen an artist turn food into timeless art and delicious confectionery for her family and followers.

I hope my blog will look as pretty as hers someday...

New beginings...

Sooooooooooooo. There's been a bit of an absence again- what can I say? I got engaged last week, so my head's been in the clouds (and pretty much still is), although i'm able to function relatively normally now!
I'm not starting on planning anything until next year, but I can't stop thinking about food, cake and Pimms cocktails! A girl can dream!

A Cornish Culinary Adventure- Part 1

After a short flight down to Newquay, I was greeted with an overwhelming urge to eat something healthy. I tend to gorge on junk when travelling, and often feel the consequences when I arrive at my destination.

Luckily, my mother who seems to thrive on anything organic, additive free or gluten free had something fitting in mind.

After a nice cup of tea, we began the somewhat mammoth task of preparing various elements for the meal she had in mind: Stuffed Portobello mushrooms with broccoli, corn on the cob and crushed potatoes.

After adding my own spin on her improvised recipe, I was glad to taste the fruits of our labour. By adding chilli seeds to the mushroom stuffing, it gave them a good kick, contrasting nicely with the creamy goats cheese.

My mother’s garden is always brimming with various seasonal fruits, so for dessert we had home grown apple and sultana crumble with clotted cream. The apples were sweet and barely tart, which meant they didn’t need any sugaring or pre-cooking, adding a nice tang to the dish which is sometimes overpowered by the crystallised sugar granules.

Despite this meal being heavily lagged in salt, pepper, sugar, cream and anything else I could get my hands on, I got my 5 a day- that's for sure!

It ain't over till the slighty fatter lady sings!

Alas, tonight is my last night in Cornwall with my family. I have traveled the length of the county, feasted on many different dishes, baked a birthday cake and made Christmas pudding- and all in the space of seven days.

This was supposed to be a holiday, but I've felt myself learning loads, with the urge to work, but simply not having the time to! So alas, my 7 hour train journey tomorrow will be committed to the writing up of this culinary adventure! Ahoy hoy!

Home to roost...

Apologies food fans. It's been a while since my last post- but I won't dwell on it.The point is, I'M BACK!

After travelling hundreds of miles to the beloved South-West (Cornwall to be precise),
I immediately immersed myself in ideas for features i'm going to write whilst i'm here at home.

I'm going to share with you the influences, the flavours, the landscapes that have shaped
my passions for poetry and food, and the historical implications associated with traditions such as the cream tea and of course- the Pasty.

But alas, I must rest. I'm full of apple crumble and clotted cream, fit to burst, so prepare for a
rich, nostalgic week, full of seafood and real ale!

Review: An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage

For my birthday, way back in July, I received An Edible History of Humanity from my mother. She recommended it to me, and mentioned that it featured in New Scientist magazine. So was it written by an educated man, a food writer, a historian, a scientist, perhaps? I pondered...

To be perfectly honest, I wasn't expecting a flowery book all about how Marianne Toinette may or may not have been misquoted about proclaiming; "let them eat cake". Or how something completely facile reminded the author of a certain dish that his grandma used to make him, way back when. I knew there had to be more substance to this book, just from scanning the cover.

My fascination with anthropology has been fuelled by this book, containing stark tales of people being scalped for growing certain crops and spices, about how the stubbornness of political leaders and generals led to the starvation of millions. And how we actually have food stored away within the icy realms of the Arctic, should nuclear war break out and civilisation need to start again.

This is food in relation to survival, in relation to the intrinsic shaping of societies. In coherence with the fall of one tribe, and the success of another.

Author Standage proclaims, this book is about everything but food. He speaks of its growth, production, refinement, distribution. Of how it is used as a weapon to control your enemies and strike while their defences are down, and their soldiers weak.

Standage, voices with some regret, our savage history, and how we as a nation gained position and power through the slave trade exploitation, import and export.

This book has so many facets to it, each one so wide and varied, you could easily get lost in it. This is the reason I didn't want to finish this book. This is also the reason why I want to continue reading his other works.

So raise your glasses to Mr Standage, and spare a thought for your ancestors the next time you raid the kitchen cupboard.

Talk about Freaky Eating!

Like most of the population, the world over I like to browse YouTube every once in a while to see what's what. I also like to look up recipes, amateur cooking shows (as well as Cooking with Coolio!) and various other miscellanies.

The video below however, is in a league of its own... whoever came up with the concept for this advertising campaign needs help- and fast! Enjoy!

Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers, BBC1, 7.30pm

Nigel Slater's latest series kicked off this evening with an informative programme entitled: Making it up isn't making do. In it, he insists that you don't need to follow recipes or rules, yet he instructs us to use certain ingredients, but encourages adapting these 'recipes'.

In my eyes, Slater is easily the most inoffensive cook on TV (he doesn't even call himself a chef!), familiarising himself with the audience by recounting his quirky tales of the endless battle between himself and his mischievous garden critters... He even visits an allotment where a seemingly normal couple (I say seemingly because not only does the guy not like vegetables, he also has a really peculiar mullet) grown their own veg. He promptly rustles up a medley of vegetables which they gratifyingly wolf down (thus converting mullet man)- not really an inspiring dish.

The ongoing meals Slater suggests are supposedly a weeks worth of grub- providing you've got your own vegetable patch/allotment and an endless supply of Parma Ham and Parmesan. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed Simple Suppers, I just wish it wasn't so preachy about 'grow your own.'

Something else that didn't sit well with me was the soundtrack. It doesn't really fit Slater's persona. He's more of a romantic, savouring flavour and memory together, none of which I think fit the criteria of the warblings Duffy!

Slater goes on to meet renowned garlic farmer, Colin Boswell, of the Isle of Wight (who I actually met at the Harrogate Speciality Food show earlier in the year). This is a man who's passion for all things garlic, knows no bounds. So suffice to say, I think he would've been a little disappointed at Slater's offering of Goats Cheese on Garlic Toast!

Do I think I'll be watching the show next week? Surprisingly- yes! As next week's programme is all about using up leftovers. So as long as it doesn't involve using any scraps of Foie Gras or black Truffle I might just have knocking about, then I'm in!

Saleems's Sweet Centre & Restaurant- 11th August

Saleem's restaurant was established in 1971 (making it one of the oldest Balti restaurants in the area), and is nestled amongst Birmingham's famous Balti Triangle. After surviving the tornado that hit Birmingham back in 2005, Saleem's re-opened its doors in December 05, displaying a modest refurbishment, with their resounding reputation still in-tact.

As we passed by, I couldn't help but gaze in wonder at the window crammed full of various pastel coloured sweets, each one hand crafted in shades of pistachio, orange and rose. Having a prominent sweet tooth, I knew I'd be taking some of these exotic candies home with me.

After being seated, we were presented with individual dishes of sliced onion in chili sauce, which my ravenous partner quickly devoured. Not being a fan of raw onion, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this offering. We then continued with poppadoms with more chili sauce and raita, which I swept up the remaining onion with. The vegetable Pakoras were a delight, the crispiest I'd ever eaten!

Since this was my first experience with a Birmingham Balti, I asked my native guides for a bit of background on the food, and the way it should be eaten. I was told that bread was the way to go, but we decided to have rice on the side as well. Although the service was a little slow, I think we all appreciated the prolonged gap between the starters and the main course- a chance to breathe!

I opted for the Balti Chicken Mix which contained Dall, spinach and mixed vegetables. I also shared some Pilau Rice and Saleem's Special Nan (which I can honestly say, was the nicest nan bread I've ever eaten!) I asked for my Balti with a medium heat, and it certainly delivered. Packed full of tender meat, colourful vegetables and spices, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal but found myself full a lot quicker than I'd anticipated! (Must have been all that bread!) The rice was lovely and fluffy with a bit of bite to it- just the way I like it, and the nan... let me paint you a picture- imagine a soft, fluffy flat bread cooked in Ghee, so it's got that lovely rich, buttery flavour, with caramelised almonds and coconut, creating a light syrupy topping- divine.

To finish I simply had to try the authentic Indian desserts, (that weren't Kulfi!) We managed to make some room in our already full stomachs, and shared a portion of Rasmalai- which consisted of paneer, soaked in the Southern Asian version of Clotted Cream with Pistachios. And although they were a good palate cleanser after the curry, I didn't make that much of them. The Gulab Jamun however, remains a firm favourite of mine. These sweet succulent balls, made of double cream and flour were served in a sticky syrup flavoured with saffron. Although my fellow diners insisted they were too sweet- I rather liked them!

After having our fill, we left our table of empty Balti dishes, bowls and baskets and went to pay the bill. Remembering to ask about the sweets in the window, I had a conversation with the manager and he cut me off some rather big chunks of the different fudge-like sweets. Luckily one of my party popped their head round the door, and I was able to share these samples, otherwise, I think I might of exploded! Leaving the restaurant with a bag full of goodies, and an insight into the tradition that is, the Birmingham Balti, I can certainly say that I'll be back for more!
So my verdict is BOOK IT!, let them do the washing up!

The Famous Birmingham Balti

After dating a Brummy for nearly 5 years, it seems strange that i've never had one of the famous- Birmingham Balti's before, doesn't it?
Well, tonight that's going to change. We're back in Birmingham for a couple of day's and tonight's the night! So stay tuned
for my review!

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to my restaurant review blog- with a difference.

Please bear with me as I get this thing up and running and try to get my head around August's review.

In the meantime, expect the unexpected and prepare to be educated and enthralled in all things food related!

To keep you tantalised for the time being, does anyone remember this oddity of a show? Absolutely bizarre! Wonder why it didn't catch on?