The Magpie Cafe, Whitby

This place is James' favourite fish and chip place in the whole of Whitby.  Normally there is a queue that stretches out of the front door, down the steps and along the road.  And therefore we have only been here once before.

The Magpie Cafe has a very extensive menu, all kinds of seafood and shellfish.  Different kinds of fish that I've never even heard of, let alone tried before.  It has classic chippy options as well as a whole host of other seafood dishes.  But we came for the fish as chips!  My favourite thing about the menu is that due to a long list of fish options, there is a section which explains to you what each type of fish is like, look, taste and texture.

James had the regular haddock and chips, I opted for a small woof (YES, WOOF!) and chips.  We shared a dish of mushy peas, and there was more than enough for two.  Mine came without skin, which is how I prefer my battered fish.  The woof was meaty and moist without being overly oily, just this side of cooked.  But small?!  The pictures show that this small was the average chip shop's idea of a normal sized portion.  Makes a refreshing change from most restaurants who think that to be successful the portions must be tiny.  James' regular haddock was enormous and had the skin on, which is how James likes it.  Again the fish was perfectly cooked.  The batter on both was crunchy and dry, exactly as I would wish it to be.  The chips were crisp on the outside and almost perfectly fluffy in the middle.  Only my Grandad makes better chips!  Chunky and thick cut.  Again, I ended up eating them with my hands in the middle of the restaurant, scooping the mushy peas up with the chips.  The peas were perfect.  Thick and...well, what can you say about mushy peas?  They were mushy!  The right texture and consistency.  The dishes were automatically brought with a dish of tartar sauce and a bottle of tomato sauce.

I have to say, The Magpie Cafe gets my first 10/10.  I have only ever had the fish and chips so I can't speak for the rest of the menu, but they were faultless.  The waitresses were so pleasant and friendly, even when the weather was so appallingly cold and wet!  I can understand why the queue is always so long.  It's worth joining it.

Marine, Whitby

This restaurant was the first one we dined in together when we first came to Whitby.  We were out late looking for a place to eat and we found Marine.  I say 'found', it's slap bang on the quayside opposite the fortune teller.  Ever since we first ate here, we make a point of coming every time we are in town.

As we entered this time, we were greeted by a gentleman on a piano.  He was taking requests and whilst he may not have had a classical voice, he was very talented and he kept the atmosphere upbeat without being overbearing.  It was very inviting, especially when it was about -10 degrees outside.  The seasonal menu boasted all kinds of seafood, from mussels and oysters to lobster and paella.  There is also a meat section, but as I said in my previous post, I'm strictly a seafood girl when I hit the coast.  Especially when it's so fresh (caught that morning). 

We both plumped for the seafood chowder to start.  According to James,a chowder is always seafood, but I won't hold that against them.  It was full of lumps of fresh fish and clams.  The broth was thick and creamy, the flavour was deep and satisfying.  I have to say, it was very filling for a starter.  James had it previously and it was just as good as we remember.

For a main I had the fisherman's pie.  Mistake.  The pie itself was gorgeous.  The mash that topped it was crispy on top without being burnt, the sauce was thick, rich and buttery. It was billed as having prawns, chunks of fish and queen scallops.  I found one scallop which was perfectly cooked, fat and meaty.  The prawns and the fish in turn were each very well cooked.  But the sauce itself was cloying and lacking in seasoning, and I have to admit, after the chowder this dish was simply too rich and filling for me.  I would have each of the courses again, but not one after the other.  For a chowder starter one should choose a lighter main and vice versa.  James, it being his birthday, opted for a whole lobster.  Whilst more expensive then when last we had them, for a fresh lobster cooked with either thermidor or plain with a drizzle of lemon for less that £20 can't really be argued with.  James had it with thermidor.  Again, the sauce was too rich for me but he loved it.  It was meaty and salty, and came with a little grappling hook stick thing for pulling the last bits of lobster out of the shell.  James, being a caveman, didn't need such a fiddly thing.  The lobster was served with salad, fries and a wedge of lemon.  The fries were crisp but nothing extra special.

 
I give Marine a 9/10.  The food was delicious, the atmosphere fantastic and the wine list extensive.  We opted for the house sauvignon blanc and it was light and zesty, perfect accompaniment with so much seafood.  I tend to mark down anything I have to add extra seasoning to, but still my favourite restaurant yet in Whitby.

The Board Inn, Whitby

James and I adore Whitby.  We go for at least one night every year, so this year we went for James' birthday.  We ended up setting off late due to car trouble and were starving when we got there.  We've been to The Board Inn before for drinks, it's a stereotypical Yorkshire pub, with a 19th century decor.  Its serves your everyday pub fare as well as a selection of seafood dishes (it is the coast).  James opted for a steak and ale pie, whereas when I'm in Whitby I eat seafood only!  So I had the scampi. 

James' pie was delicious.  It came with mash and peas which were soft, buttery and light, as they should be.  The pie had the best gravy I've tasted in a long time.  I even dipped my chips in his left over gravy because I'm one of those that eats with my fingers in public.  My scampi was just heaven.  It was salty and crisp,the breadcrumbs were light, not too much oil.  I hadn't had scampi in a long time, it was exactly what I wanted.  It came with garden peas, salad and fries.  I'm not normally one for fries but they were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  I would definitely have the scampi again from here next time we go.

The dishes we chose happened to be two for £13, which wasn't bad to say that most places in Whitby are quite pricey, even the pubs.  There was also salads, sandwiches and paninis available.  The pub itself has a back room that looks over the bay and harbour.  They often have live music in the evenings and the staff are very friendly and polite.  We have kind of adopted it as our 'Whitby local'.

9/10.  The only reason I haven't given it 10 is because I'm a chips not fries kind of girl and with it being a pub the drinks were a tad over priced.  I fully recommend it as a hidey hole with a view.

Sakushi, Campo Lane, Sheffield

Once again I found myself in town for lunch with my fella. It was an even more hurried affair then usual as I had to travel to Worksop to be with my pregnant sister at the hospital. We had planned to go to Sakushi, so we went ahead anyway.

As well as having a revolving sushi conveyor belt, they do a series of £5 takeaway dishes that appear ideal for lunch time.  This was the menu that James an I took advantage of.  We both chose teriyaki, I had salmon and he had chicken.  They were advertised as coming with heaps of rice, which was definitely delivered!  The dishes were delivered very quickly and we ate them with chopsticks whilst walking through town and up a steep hill.  The teriyaki was a tad bland for me to be honest.  There was a decent amount of salmon but not a great salmon-and-sauce-to-rice ratio.  James found the same with his chicken.

Well cooked and great if you are starving as it is very filling!  But not if you want something flavourful or light.  A little bit different for a weekday lunch.  6.5/10.

Urban Deli, City Centre

On the rare occasion I find myself in town of a weekday lunch time I like to meet James for lunch, often making him starving hungry as I expect him to meet me about an hour and a half after he would normally eat.

James and his work friends have told me about Urban Deli before, so last Friday that's where we headed.  There was a number of menus, one for takeaway and one for sitting in.  The sit in menu is extensive, but a little over priced for a quick lunch.  There is a classic sandwich menu and a twist sandwich menu.  They offer soup, jacket potatoes,salads and also a number of hot sandwiches.  The hot sandwich menu was in chalk, implying it gets changed but I don't know how often.

James was adamant he was having a hot sandwich, so he chose Moroccan lamb.  By the time we got there, there wasn't a great selection of breads left, so he had it on olive bread.  The meat was thick, juicy and moist.  It was delicately spiced and there was plenty of it.  There was quite a bit of fat on the meat but it being lamb, I guess that's expected.  I know most people aren't as fussy as I am when it comes to fat on meat.

I took aaaages perusing the menu, I often find it tricky to decide what I want.  The classics menu was still varied and a little different, but the twist menu wasn't as unusual as the name suggests.  It all looked appetising, but I went for the chorizo, brie and black olive on tomato bread.  The bread was a good choice.  The chorizo gave a tang of heat and the brie was thick and gentle.  The black olives are the perfect accompaniment to add salt and offset the mildness of the brie.  However it only worked for four bites as there were only FOUR OLIVES.  On a six inch sandwich.  So whilst the sandwich itself is a delicious mix, the majority of the sandwich was far too cloying, with the chorizo unable to hold it's own against the cheese.  As you can see, I was dreadfully unimpressed by the olive fiasco.

I like that they still have a bar-style seating area for the takeaway menu, and there is a huge amount of choice.  I would have given it a 7.5, but my obsession with equal ingredient distribution has let the place down.  So it's a 6.  I would recommend it, but I suggest you keep an eye on how generous they are with the salad.

The Blue Bar Restaurant, Terra Nova, Majorca

I yesterday returned from my first beach holiday in about three years.  Despite going all inclusive we couldn't resist going to a restaurant.  I've been to Palma Nova a few times and Terra Nova is kind of next to it along the bay.  I had this restaurant in mind before we even left the country as it has probably the best location in the vicinity.  It's on an incline at the end of the beach and above some other bars that gives it a fantastic view across the bay.  We bagged a table outside on the balcony so we could see the entire beach and the moon reflecting off the water.

The Blue Bar restaurant isn't a posh place, it has paper table cloths and place mats.  But the view and the location is fantastic.  I was determined to have paella and sangria, which is exactly what we had.  As with most places the paella has to be for at least two people.  It was utterly delicious.  You know it's going to be special when it's served with a handful of napkins and wetwipes and a shell cracker.  I'm a massive girl when it comes to certain shellfish.  I had no trouble whatsoever in crushing the crab claws and sucking out the insides (there were loads and they were moist and salty) but James had to remove the heads from the prawns and languostines.  The paella was full of pre-shelled prawns, squid rings and mussels but it was also cooked with the full prawns and languostines inside.  That gave the depth of flavour to the dish that is often missing from paella dishes in the uk.  It was utter carnage.  there was bits of shell and peas and soft rice everywhere by the time we finished.  The sangria was the best I had all week, it had strawberries in it!  James and I have been inspired to utilise the giant paella dish we have in the kitchen and find a good sangria recipe on line.  I can't vouch for the rest of the menu, it was pretty electic as most restaurants are in massive tourist spots.  But it was ideal to what we wanted.  The waiters were rushed off their feet, yet they were prompt and friendly.

It was well worth paying for despite our all inclusive wristbands.  8.5/10.

Flurt, Pinstone Street, City Centre

Just a quick shout out to this place.  Flurt does four flavours of frozen yoghurt: natural, chocolate, strawberry and a fourth which rotates on average every six days or so.  I was wandering along to the farmer's market after an unsuccessful day of shopping.  I was going to break my diet with fresh cheesecake when I saw two girls walk past with some frozen yoghurt.  So I bee-lined for Flurt.  Oh my god.  I had caramel with strawberries and granola.  The small is still sizable and I kid you not, I had such a massive smile on my face I even got ensnared by those people trying to take your money for various charities on Fargate and gave them money!  That's how delicious the frozen yoghurt is here.  Go there.  It will brighten your day considerably.

Ego, Sheffield City Centre

I know this one is a chain, which normally I don't review, but it is a restaurant I hadn't been to before.  Ego is a Mediterranean restaurant, next to the winter gardens and one of the precious few restaurants in town that I could find that had a pretheatre menu on a Tuesday.  Two courses for £12.95 (James has fixed the laptop so I now have a pound sign) or three courses for £14.95.

We were seated next to the window (which I happen to like) on a square table.  The chairs were comfortable enough but they were tricky to sit up in to eat.  I had grilled goats cheese to start.  It was very salty (I am a salty sea dog) and served on toasted brioche.  It was a light dish and piping hot throughout.  The only complaint I have is that there wasn't enough of the chutney and balsamic syrup to fully balance out the cloying texture of the cheese, but that's just nit-picky.  Overall I really enjoyed the starter and thought it was just different enough to stand up to it being a chain restaurant.  James had the pate (naturally) and he enjoyed it a great deal.  It came with a chutney that was served in a really cute little glass lever top jar!  That was the best thing for me, I wanted to steal it (but I didn't!).

For a main I had the salmon in a cream mustard sauce.  It was a tad bland but the texture of the fish was superb.  Perfectly cooked and flaky yet moist.  James had the steak (again, naturally!) which he requested cooked rare.  James is a steak fiend and will judge a restaurant based entirely on how they cook their meat.  Whilst he was pleased it wasn't overcooked, it was closer to blue then rare.  It needed to be hot through.  The vegetables were shared between us which I liked, they were al dente which I don't normally like but with the softness of the fish I needed the bite of the vegetables to alleviate the dish somewhat.

I didn't have a dessert of my own.  I'm THAT kind of girl.  So I was handed James' fork and shared his tirimisu.  I'm a giant tirimisu fan.  The dish was soaked with Kahlua.  I understand it has to have a healthy whack of it to make the taste right but it was drenched.  You pressed on the creamy top and it leaked out.  James quite enjoyed it but it was just too much for me.  I prefer a bit more emphasis on the creamyness then the coffee liquor.

I would recommend Ego as a pretheatre venue, not least because it is bang opposite the Lyceum and Crucible.  It was good for a chain and I would go back.  I imagine they would cope quite well with large groups (but I have nothing to base that on).  7.5/10.

Dada, City Centre, Sheffield

And it was again time for a catch up with a friend from work I see far too little of.  We are a wine-and-cheese-partner-come-pick-me-up-I'm-very-drunk kind of a couple when we get together.  Generally this means we stumble around each other's houses of a weekday afternoon but we wanted some fresh air.  So my friend recommended Dada on Trippet Lane.

Dada mostly does sharing platters, so the choice seemed ideal.  We opted for 3 cheeses, pate, chorizo, olives, pomodorello tomatoes, hummous and two different types of tapenade.  It also came with a basket of bread and butter and crackers.  We coupled this with a chilled bottle of dry white wine.  The result was utterly delicious.  The tapenades and hummous were home made and tasted like it (in a good way).  There was plenty of them, I was eating the hummous with my fingers when we ran out of things to spread it on and the tapenade choices were unusual enough to be interesting.  We weren't exactly spoiled for choice on the cheeses, but the ones we did opt for were adequate.  Don't get me wrong, they complimented the rest of the board very well indeed, but they were run of the mill cheeses, nothing jumped out at me.  The same with the meats.  The chorizo and pate added depth of flavour and texture to the board, again complimenting the rest of the choices we made but not something you can't get anywhere else.

I am being harsh here.  Overall the deli board was exactly what we wanted.  It was a little bit different to the sharer platters offered else where and whilst we didn't pick them, the other options were very ploughman's lunchish and would have made a nice addition to the meats and cheeses.  The service was fast and friendly.  The venue being what it is, the interior can't help but be dark though not oppressively so.  More like a bar in town when they turn down the lights for 'ambiance'.  They've altered the decor from when it was a wine bar just enough for it to be obvious the place has changed hands.  The only real complaint I have is that we paid the extra £1.50 for bread of the day, for it to be just 3 slices of bread.  Considering the amount of spreadable items on the platter, I would have expected twice that.

I would give Dada a 8.5/10.  Unusual enough to check it out and definitely one I would recommend should you wish for a cheese and wine day yourself.  We will be going back ourselves in hopefully the not too distant future.

Cupcake Decorating Class, Cafe Central, Matlock

Another Groupon find.  My good friend Phil and I decided to partake in a cupcake decorating class in Matlock.  We did not bake the cupcakes, nor did we create the sugar or the frosting.  It was basically like spending two hours with edible playdoh.

Matlock is not a particularly tricky place to drive to, but my little clio Stella wasn't impressed by the obcene gradient of the hills.  Our class was at 6pm so I had no trouble parking quite close to the cafe, but should you go to the class at 3pm I recommend you get there enough in advance to scope out a parking spot that you can stay in for more then one hour at a time.  

I got there about 40mins early as the owners were setting up.  They are a pleasant couple who as well as running the cafe, decorate wedding cakes and cupcakes for any number of events.  They also run other confectionery, baking and decorating classes.  After everyone got there and had a complimentary tea/coffee, the instructor went through the basics of spooning frosting on to the cakes then topping them with patterned icing.  It was oodles of fun, using patterned rolling pins and cutters to blanket the top of the cupcakes.  We were then shown how to use molds and pearls to decorate the rest of the cakes.  Half way through there were more drinks and a sample of cupcakes prepared by the owners.  They were topped just with frosting and were bland but teeth achingly sweet.  The instructor also came round with a sample of chocolate cake which, whilst rich, was on the dry side.  

 

After two hours of playing and feeling proud of myself like a three year old who's made a duplo tower, Phil and I left with a box each of cupcakes decorated by our own fair hands.  I loved how they looked, but I don't like thick icing and the cupcakes underneath were soft but tasteless.  Should professionally iced cupcakes be your thing, you would love them.

All in all I would definitely go back for another class and it was a fun and unusual way to spend a few hours but the eating of the cakes was not as fun as playing with the icing.

White Chocolate Chunk Muffins with Raspberry Frosting

These are delicious.  Tart yet sweet, this recipe makes approx. 12 muffins and toppings.  Mine are not the prettiest as I had nothing to use to properly decorate the tops with raspberry sauce.  The pictures are of the raspberry muffins plus some muffins with milk chocolate chunks and vanilla frosting.  They are teeth-achingly yummy and ideal for that mid-afternoon time at work when you need a quick pick-me-up.  This recipe may at a glance look long winded and difficult but trust me - if I can do this, anyone can.

Basic muffin recipe

• 300mls milk
• 100mls vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 120g caster sugar
• 250g self raising flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 100g white chocolate roughly chopped in to chunks

Raspberry sauce

• 75g fresh raspberries 
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon water

Frosting

• 250g unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 100g icing sugar (approx.)
• 2-5 teaspoons raspberry sauce

Muffin method

1. Preheat oven to 180c and line a muffin tray with cases.
2. Beat egg and caster sugar until light and fluffy.  In another bowl combine oil and milk.
3. Add oil and milk to sugar and egg and mix until combined.  Stir in flour, baking powder and chocolate until incorporated.
4. 3/4 fill muffin cases and bake for 15-20 mins, until a wooden toothpick comes out lean.

 Raspberry sauce method

1.  Place all ingredients into a small saucepan and set to a very low heat.
2. Stir continuously until all raspberries have melted away into a seedy goo approx 10 mins and the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
3. Strain through a sieve (I used a tea strainer) into a separate bowl.

Raspberry icing method

1.  Beat butter until softened.  Add icing sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until texture begins to get thick.  Alternate adding teaspoons of raspberry sauce with tablespoons of icing sugar, whipping with a fork in between each until the frosting achieves the desired consistency.

And finally....

1. Spoon the frosting on top of the muffins and smooth out.  I've been using a spoon for the this and using a circular motion, but go wild.  A piping bag would probably be more artful.
2. Give the frosting a little bit of time to set, then top with the rest of the raspberry sauce.  I attempted to spoon it on and it ran everywhere.  Good for Halloween cakes, but not ideal for pretty little summery muffins.  Next time I'll find a little bottle and splurt it on a bit neater.

For the milk chocolate and vanilla ones, I used the same recipe for the muffins, then used a few drops of blue food colouring and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract in the frosting and topped with sprinkles. 

 

The Wig and Pen, City Centre

So James' mum didn't make a Sunday dinner last week (how dare she?!).  We'd been meaning to visit The Wig and Pen for Sunday dinner for a while and since it was Tramlines weekend, we got the bus into town and exploited their three courses for 13.95 (still can't find the pound sign), Sunday lunch and jazz deal.  We visited this restaurant last year for my birthday not long after it was taken over by the guys who run The Milestone on Kelham Island.  At that time (Feb 2011) it was quite expensive and a bit overly fancy.  I think the Milestone guys were still riding high on their success with Gordon Ramsey.  The Wig and Pen has now come back down to earth a bit and is offering local, fresh and seasonal produce at competitive rates with a Michelin-esque flourish.

For starters I had ham hock terrine, served with mint pea puree, fresh peas and pea shoots.  The terrine was salty and chunky and when blended with the peas, it was light and fresh and just a tad sweet.  There wasn't enough pea puree (I love peas) and I did have to pull a chunk of fat out of my mouth but that's kind of the point with terrine.  James' starter was a salt cured salmon with a cucumber sorbet and a beetroot puree.  Again it was light and fresh, perfectly balanced and the different textures from the salmon, cucumber, sorbet and puree complimented each other very well.  These, as all of the dishes, were well presented and visually appetising.

My main course was a whole plaice, crushed jersey royals and a crayfish crumble.  'Crayfish crumble?!' I here you say.  Yes indeed.  There was a small amount of it but you didn't need any more.  It was very rich and creamy, so different but delicious.  I'm a big potato girl, and the jerseys were crushed with spinach.  I had to add salt, but I can't really mark them down for that, as I'm a salty sea dog!  The plaice was perfectly cooked and just fell off the bones.  Perfectly complimented by the pickled carrots, just enough of a tang to bring the fish out of itself and prevent it from being bland.  James' choice was a classic Sunday lunch, pot roast guinea fowl with all the trimmings.  The yorkshire pudding was a monster!  But it was crispy and delicate.  The guinea fowl was moist and full of flavour, the vegetables still had some bite (not to my taste but again, that's how they're meant to be!).  Finished off with a gravy that was just the right side of thick.  I'm a big believer in ideal gravy consistency.

 
The desserts did not disappoint on aesthetics, but unfortunately did disappoint on tasting.  My choice was apple crumble and apple terrine.  It came with a big blob of cinnamon sauce on the side.  The terrine was disappointing.  It was so tart it was practically sour, and it's layers slid apart when you attempted to slice it with your spoon.  When taken with the cinnamon sauce it remained unappealing.  The crumble was delicious, but again it was very cinammony and after a few mouthfuls it was very cloying.  The dish simply lacked something.  Even being served on slate didn't save it.  James, as exemplified in previous posts, is a massive pudding fan.  The chocolatier the better.  So there was only ever going to be one choice for him, the chocolate brownie.  It came with homemade honeycomb, milk puree and a milk sorbet.  The honeycomb was fantastically sticky but again, that's where it ended.  The brownie was only slightly soft in the middle, whereas we would have expected it to be gooey.  The milk sorbet and ice cream were mildly interesting but were not strong enough in flavour to add anything to the dish.

The desserts being short of the mark has dropped the score for this restaurant but the overall quality of the food was superb.  The atmosphere was relaxed, but the live jazz a tad too loud through the speakers.  The Wig and Pen would have scored an 8/10, but when the bill came, they had over charged us for my dessert.  I pointed it out and the waitress was very friendly and altered the charge without a quibble.  But this minor detail means that the overall score was 7.5/10.  I highly recommend this place either for a meal or just for a casual drink and a nibble.

World's best triple chocolate cookies

Yes, that does sound like a very pompous title, but the instant you taste these bad boys, you will totally understand why I make this claim.  Apologies for the mixture of weights but chocolate comes in grams!

• 4oz margarine
• 3oz dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 4oz self raising flour
• 2oz cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp milk
• 100g white chocolate, roughly chopped
• 100g milk chocolate, roughly chopped

 

1. Heat oven to 180c and grease 2 baking trays (remember I recommend that you grease the trays then put greaseproof paper on them.  Sounds daft but it makes the paper stick to the tray and stops the cookis from sticking).
2.  Beat margarine untill soft, then add sugar and cream together until light and fluffy.
3. Stir in syrup, flour and cocoa and stir until well mixed.  Add milk and chocolate and stir until evenly mixed.
4. Place table spoons of the mixture onto the baking trays and bake for NO MORE THEN 10 MINUTES!  I don't care how not done they look, bang on 10 minutes, no more and no less.  
5. They will be hard to get off the baking tray and they may attempt to fall apart when you do.  You must remove them to a wire rack to cool straight away, just be very gentle with them.

These are James' favourites.  They are ultimately chocolatey and may be very cloying but as they crumble so easy they can be eaten in little bits.  They are gooey in the middle and go great with ice cream.

The Sandwich Division, Division Street

I had an amazing roast beef and salad sandwich in town yesterday.  So there I was, it's just gone one o'clock and as my James doesn't check his phone, I'm all alone and at a loss as to where to go to eat.  I considered Subway as I always have my kindle and wanted to sit in somewhere but the darn place is always so full.  I was on my way to a different sandwich shop when I passed The Sandwich Division.  It was an irregularly sunny day and I thought hmmmmmmmm.....why not?  And I'm very glad I did.  There was a great big chalkboard behind the counter which was clear and the choices/pricing was easy to follow.  There was a choice of bread and when I asked for the roast beef he asked if I wanted it pink.  Which, let's face it, is always going to be a great big YES!  I asked for salad and when I looked at the choices under the counter it wasn't just same old lettuce cucumber and tomato.  There was grated carrot, sweetcorn, beetroot and a host of other healthy optional extras.  There was also plenty of additional sauces.  

I ended up being one of those people who sit eating lunch on the steps of the city hall.  With my trusty kindle and a bottle of water I was all set.  The bread cake was soft and doughy and the beef was pink (as requested) and juicy.  The iceberg lettuce was a bit on the yellow side but still crunchy and the rest of the salad perfectly complimented the meat.  All the vegetables were tender and crisp.  They were also dry enough so they didn't make the sandwich all soggy.  I was pleasantly surprised by my sandwich and I would definitely go back again!  So often sandwich shops are over the top these days, trying to be gourmet, it was a breath of fresh air to find somewhere that is simple and honest and happy to have basics like potted meat on the menu.  They also sell salad boxes, individual fruit, fruit salad boxes, crisps, soft drinks and a very tempting range of delicious looking baked treats.

Had it not been a sunny day I don't think I would have ended up there as it's a proper takeaway so there is no seating.  But for anyone who works in the city I would highly recommend The Sandwich Division whatever the weather.  I rate it at 7.5/10.

A brief interlude in Minehead

As the title to this post suggests, I have recently enjoyed a jaunt to none other then Butlins in Minehead!  My sister has a little girl who is four and a half, so they usually go away in the UK for family holidays.  This year as they were staying in a static caravan that was the same price regardless as to the number of people inside, they suggested my boyfriend James and I come along.  It was 5 days and 4 nights of tongue-in-cheek fun. The caravan was clean and well equipped (and fully plumbed!) and far enough away from the actual chalet site to be quiet enough to sleep.  There was a fishing lake on the other side of the caravan site and as such there were flocks of Canadian geese running across the road every time you attempted to drive up the track.  Around our caravan however were plenty of ducks, who tried to get into the caravan after James started feeding them, and wild rabbits, who apparently do eat carrots.  To say Minehead is a seaside town, the seafront itself was very short.  Two fish and chip shops, an indoor market, one or two tat shops and an ice cream parlour.  The stretch of beach is floor-less and the weather was ideal for kite flying. 


I don't know about you, but for me when I head to the seaside I want one thing....seafood!  I was very disappointed as it appears that Minehead no longer has an active fishing trade.  There were no quirky little shellfish stalls, no local fishmongers and most of the cafes and takeaways boasted that they served Whitby Scampi.  For those of you who are lousy at geography, Minehead is on the coast of Somerset, just underneath Wales.  In fact on a clear day you can see Wales from the bay.  Whitby however is on the coast of North Yorkshire, about halfway up the country on the east side.  To my mind there is something not right about bragging you have fish from across the country when your property sits right on the seafront.  But what this post is really about....fish and chips!  First stop was Donnas.  I am still cross about the lack of accurate grammar in their name.  Connie had a children's box meal from here.  She had chicken dinosaurs, which came with chips, a lolly, a toy and a box of juice.  Not bad at all for 2.99 (again apologies for not knowing where the pound sign is!).  My sister Felicity and brother in law Rikki also had fish and chips from here on the same day.  They do a deal for a small fish and chips for 2.00.  Fantastic value, but James and I were put off as the chips, whilst salty, soft and very more-ish were clearly frozen.  I'd recommend the place if this doesn't bother you.  I can't vouch for the fish but Rikki also went back a few days later for a jumbo hotdog.  And it really was jumbo!  It was also piled high with fried onions (which ended up on his shoes) and gallons of tomato sauce and mustard (which ended up on his shirt).  I think the traveling vegetables and condiments show how good a hotdog is.  Again I didn't taste it, but Rikki really enjoyed it!  I'm unable to give Donnas a rating as I didn't have anything from there myself.

Next up was Seaview Takeaway.  It cost James and I just over a tenner for cod and chips twice and a can of Fanta.  The fish still had the skin on, which I'm not fond of.  I think it makes the fish taste oil-spilly.  But it was tender and well cooked and the batter was very crisp, nearly burned kind of crisp.  That's a good thing in my book.  I did enjoy the chips but they were nothing special.  I was a bit cross as the salt and vinegar were behind the counter and were put on by the lady who served us.  I think salt and vinegar is quite an individual taste, so to not be allowed to put it on myself spoiled the meal for me, giving Seaview Takeaway a 5/10.  As usual I couldn't finish it all and the seagulls got their fill too.


Finally on Thursday we went to Jaws.  This takeaway also had a table service restaurant.  We ate on the picnic tables out front.  They were shoehorned in and you kind of ended up sitting over one and a half tables as the benches were back to back.  You ordered at the counter and they brought the food out to you, which was nice as you didn't end up standing in a huge queue at the counter waiting or get split up from the rest of the party as everyone else has gone to score a table.  James has a large cod and chips, mine was a normal size and I had mushy peas.  We also shared a bottle of Fanta, which accumulated to approx 12.00.  This was definitely the best fish and chips we had that week.  The batter was crispy and dry, the chips were freshly cut and cooked, soft and fluffy and a little bit crisp.  The salt and vinegar were brought out to the table with your meal, so I got to add them as and when I wanted (you may be getting a vibe I'm a bit obsessive about salt and vinegar on fish and chips).  The mushy peas were sweet and soft and just the right shade of green.  I often find that mushy peas are a bit bland but these were perfect.  The miracle that makes Jaws was that I ate all my fish!  And I only left half a dozen chips!  Which James gave a good home.  For me it was the best fish and chips I've had outside of Whitby.  But it wasn't all perfect.  The place also serves pies and fried chicken which Felicity and Rikki enjoyed, but sauces (i.e. mayonnaise, tomato sauce etc) was 20p each!  A bit of a rip off to me.  Connie's meal wasn't up to much either.  Whilst she enjoyed the nuggets (she's not a big chip fan) there was nothing else that came with the meal and whilst the menu said 'box of juice' when my sister asked what flavours they had, there was only fizzy drinks.  Connie is only four and Felicity and I are fanatical about looking after our teeth, so Connie is too little for fizzy drinks.  The only alternative was a bottle of water, so that's what she had.  And shock horror, she didn't really want it.  Felicity is still fuming about that!  So that's a 7/10.


All other meals were eaten in the caravan, cooked by yours truly.  We didn't eat anything in the Butlins campus as it all tends to be fast food that's massively overpriced.  We did run around the tuppence slot machines a few times, played pool and went bowling.  Butlins is a fab place for young kids and young teenagers, as it's a relatively safe environment and it has plenty of stuff going on that they like to do.  However if you have older teenagers watch them like a hawk!  There are many dark corners and it was whilst visiting Minehead Butlins with friends eleven years ago that my then seventeen year old sister met her now husband.  This time around however it involved classic board games, cards, dvds and copious amounts of alcohol.  A good time was had by all!

Unpretty coffee and walnut muffins

So called as they are not the most attractive muffins I've made.  Apologies for the lack of pictures, as previously stated they are not photogenic!  Historically I suck at creating anything even remotely coffee-ish so I had no hopes whatsoever when I set out to create these little treats.  I was armed with my basic muffin recipe, a cupboard full of baking gear and as I had no faith in myself, I was fearless!  They turned out delicious.  Be warned!  If you attempt these they do look and taste not best pleasant at every step of the way until completed.  Again, due to trial and error, and my catastrophes as well as my acheivements are being published, future alterations will be documented following the recipe.  This recipe follows the same basic muffin ingredients as the breakfast muffins.

• 250mls milk
• 80mls vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 120g caster sugar
• 280g self raising flour
• 3 tablespoons instant coffee (I used Kenco Smooth Blend which is my everyday coffee of choice, but any decent coffee I'm sure would work)
• 100g rough crushed walnuts (I shoved 'em in a bag and bashed 'em with a rolling pin)
• 1 tablespoon golden syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 150g icing sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180c.  Line a muffin tray with muffin cases (Much of this really is exactly the same but bear with me).
2. Beat egg and sugar until light and fluffy.  In a separate bowl combine oil and milk.  Add milk and oil to sugar and egg until combined.
3. To the coffee, add just enough boiled water to dissolve the granules (approx 50mls).  When mixed, stir the coffee into the existing mixture.  Stir in the golden syrup and crushed walnuts until both are thoroughly and evenly mixed in.
4. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases.  The muffin batter is very runny but that's ok.  I filled the cases to the top and they rose ok.  Bake for 15-20mins or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Poomf the icing sugar through a sieve (it makes it easier to dissolve) and add the vanilla extract.  It will be thick and stick to the spoon in a very annoying manner which is difficult to get off).  Add warm water 1 teaspoon at a time until the icing is the desired consistency, which should be thick enough to drip very slowly off the spoon.
6. Drizzle the icing over the cooked and cooled muffins so it is thick and messy when set. 

When I made these I tasted them at every step of the way and I was never happy that they were right!  Even the vanilla icing, which I admittedly got lazy with and it was far too runny, never tasted right.  Next time I make these I will either make sure to make the icing properly or top them with American style thick vanilla frosting.  Let me know what you think if you make them :).

Breakfast muffins

I'm always looking for something new to have for my breakfast.  I'm a cereal killer (zing!) as I find them more filling then bread-y products but equally I'm a big fan of getting as many of my five a day in first thing as I can.  So I decided to create something banana and oat-y that could be combined with fruits and yoghurts for breakfast, or lain into with a coffee mid morning.  The result was something filling and delicious with the right hint of banana but not quite sweet enough for me. 

The changes I plan to make next time will be added at the end of this recipe.  These muffins are heavy, but considering the reasoning behind their invention that's the texture I was aiming for.  The basic muffin recipe was discovered on a website some time ago (like so many things before it) and as I prefer to make cake-y goods with oil over butter, I love it.
  

• 250mls milk
• 80mls vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 120g caster sugar
• 280g self raising flour
• 250g porridge oats
• 2 medium bananas, diced
• 2 tablespoons clear honey

1. Preheat oven to 180c.  Line a muffin tray with muffin cases.
2. Beat egg and sugar until light and fluffy.  In another bowl mix milk and oil.  Add milk and oil to egg and sugar and beat until combined.
3. Stir in flour until well incorporated.  Spoon in the honey and add the diced up bananas and stir.
4. Pour in the oats and stir vigorously(!) until all ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the mix.
5. 3/4 fill the muffin cases and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I found these bad boys to be a little bit not sweet enough (that makes sense).  So next time I attempt them I suggest using 3 tablespoons of clear honey and one of golden syrup.  This will add sweetness and moisture, rather than just adding more sugar, which will risk drying the mixture out.

Caffe Piazza, Sheffield City Centre

My boyfriend and I have been going to this Italian restaurant for months.  Whenever we are in the city centre and feel like going for lunch, this is my default setting.  We had a few hours to kill before the England game last night so we decided to grab a bite to eat at what is easily my favourite restaurant in the city at the moment.

At approximately 18.30 the restaurant had one other couple dining, with the owner serving tables as he does when it's busy.  We ordered the vegetarian pizza and the chicken milanese, with the speciality breads.  The breads are homemade, soft and spongey.  I'm not normally a big fan of focaccia bread but the pieces on this platter are topped with whole green olives and tomato and so soft that when dipped in the provided olive oil even I find them irresistible.  My vegetarian pizza was salty and topped with courgette, artichoke and black olives.  The base was thin and very well cooked to say that we were served within 10 minutes of ordering.  Slightly soft underneath in the middle but that's how I like my fresh pizzas.  Including the breads, my meal was so light (despite being topped with plenty of cheese) that I ate every bite without feeling over full.  I have never tried chicken milanese before and to be honest anything that is battered and fried isn't something I would order.  James decided this was the dish for him last night and I'm very pleased he did.  The butterflied chicken escalopes were crispy and freshly cooked.  Despite being fried, the chicken was incredibly moist and the batter light and very crispy.  Served with a salad and large diced potatoes again the dish was substantial without being heavy.

But James has the kind of sweet tooth that means he cannot resist a dessert.  The desserts are on display behind a glass case at the bar which means one can browse the sumptuous display to choose what they want.  The owner explained what each dessert was and recommended the homemade treats.  I've made James crackers for tiramisu (see previous post) but unfortunately they didn't have any today so he ordered the homemade cheesecake.  I'm a massive sucker for cheesecake and when it was brought to the table and the owner asked if I wanted a spoon I couldn't say no!  The base was very crumbly and the filling light and airy.  It was a set cheesecake and anyone who knows me knows I personally prefer the baked kind.  There wasn't a big base-to-filling ratio and as James had the whole thing smothered in Belgian chocolate sauce I wasn't able to taste the vanilla filling very well.  If chocolate is your thing however the sauce was thick and so rich that it was almost cloying.  Perfect for my chocolate monster boyfriend!

There is a deal which we usually go for, which is any pizza, pasta or pancake for five pounds (this laptop is all American and I can't find the pound sign).  I have tried several of the pizzas and pastas and I am never disappointed.  The tagliatelle bolognaise and carbonara are dishes I would particularly recommend.  The pastas are well cooked with rich homemade sauces which are seasoned to perfection.  Whilst many pasta dishes in restaurants can be oily, this is not the case at all at Caffe Piazza.  The pasta dishes are simple and delicious.

The service is always fast and friendly.  The decor is rustic and whilst the tables and chairs are somewhat more shabby chic, the atmosphere is comfortable and accommodating.  I've never felt rushed despite how fast the table turnover is.  I would give Caffe Piazza a 9/10.  The restaurant is due to open for longer hours soon but at the moment closing times are earlier then one would think.  However I've been reliably informed that the owners also run La Luna, an Italian restaurant on Banner Cross.  I have not tried it yet but I intend to very soon!

Tomato and chorizo soup followed by Nigella's tiramisu

James and I threw a dinner party on Saturday night and aimed to serve dishes that wouldn't need much cooking once our friends arrived.  We settled on soup, risotto and tiramisu.  I'm one of those people who always thinks that cooking and baking is a lot harder then it actually is.  I scanned the Internet for  recipe for tomato and chorizo soup, only to realise it's so freaking easy to make that you really don't need a recipe.  But the narcissist in me wants to share what I actually did.

• 400g tinned plum tomatoes (1 tin)
• Approx 100g chorizo, chopped into chunks
• 2 garlic cloves
• A handful of chopped fresh basil (or 1/4 teaspoon dried basil)
• 1 table spoon extra virgin olive oil

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan until it smokes. Add the garlic and chorizo and fry until coated with oil and starting to brown.
2. Squash the tinned tomatoes one at a time by hand over the pan to remove the skin and stalk.  Stir until well mixed.
3. Pour the lot into a blender or food processor (or use a hand blender) and whizz into the desired consistency.  It makes a pretty darn thick soup, which is what I was aiming for.
4. Pour back into the pan and add the basil.  Add salt to taste.

I didn't add any pepper to this recipe as you get a real punch from the chorizo. I also added way too much salt!  I'm a bit of a salty sea dog myself so it worked out ok, but I'd add it a tiny bit at a time to avoid potentially ruining it.

The wonderful thing about tiramisu (just think of the wonderful things), is that it requires no baking whatsoever and can be made either the night before or the the morning of the day that you need it.  This recipe is adapted from Nigella Lawson's (swoon) website and involves a healthy swig of Irish Cream (Bailey's).  When looking for the sponge fingers I was confused as I was expecting to buy spongey sponge fingers.  They come in packets and are actually dry and crunchy prior to being soaked in anything.

•  350mls coffee (approx 9 teaspoons, but I used 3 tablespoons)
• 250mls Irish Cream liqueur
• 400g sponge fingers
• 2 eggs
• 75g caster sugar
• 500g mascarpone
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1. Mix coffee with 175mls Irish Cream in a shallow bowl.  Dip the sponge fingers one at a time into the liquid until they become damp but not soggy.  Line the bottom of a dish (about 22cm and preferably glass to see the layers, but I didn't have a glass one big enough) with a single layer of sponge fingers. 
2. Separate the eggs, keeping one white.  Whisk the two yolks and sugar until thick, then fold in the Irish Cream and mascarpone (I struggled to get the mixture thick so I whisked it and it worked out fine) until the mixture is thick and moussy.
3. Whisk the single egg white in a separate bowl until frothy.  Fold the egg into the mascarpone mix, then spread half of this on top of the sponge fingers.
4. Repeat with another layer of soaked fingers and top with the rest of the mascarpone mix.
5. Cover the dish with clingfilm and leave in the fridge over night.  When ready to serve, push the cocoa powder through a tea strainer to dust the top of the tiramisu.

Apologies for the blurryness of the photo, two bottles were down by the time we got to the dessert!  I simply loved this dish.  It made a fair bit but we left just two servings by the time everyone had their fill of it on Saturday night.  You can really taste the Irish Cream, I love Nigella for bringing this one to life!

Sultana Oat Cookies

I forget where I got the actual recipe from for these but somewhere in the great Internet ether I got the inspiration for these cute, cakey little cookies.  The original recipe called for raisins but I find sultanas better as they remain a bit juicy.

• 225g unsalted butter
• 210g light brown sugar
• 65g granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 195g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking soda (same thing as bicarb of soda-normal people may know this but I had to ask James)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 260g rolled or porridge oats
• 140g sultanas

1. Preheat oven to 180c (350F, gas mark 4).
2. Beat butter and sugars until smooth. Add eggs one at a time.  Beat in vanilla extract. 
3. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Add to creamed mixture and beat until well mixed.  Stir in oats and sultanas.
4. Scoop on to a baking tray to about 1/2 inch thick.  I tend to grease the baking trays then use greaseproof paper.  I'm sure both isn't necessary but I find i easier to remove the cookies from the tray this way.
5. Bake for about 14-18 minutes.  Cookies are ready to remove from the oven when the are golden brown on the edge and soft in the centre.

This recipe will make roughly 25 cookies depending upon how big you blob the raw mix on the baking trays.  I've stuck them in an airtight container and James is munching through them like there's no tomorrow.

The Old Vicarage, Ridgeway

I'm new to the world of blogging but I have been inspired by a friend of mine to get stuck in.  Any and all comments and suggestions will always be welcome!  I also intend to add photographs as and when I attempt baking and cooking tomfoolery.


As a reward for putting up with my patheticisms I took my lovely boyfriend James out to The Old Vicarage in Ridgeway, the only Michelin starred restaurant in Sheffield.  Naturally it was a Travelzoo voucher purchase!  Anyway, it was a 5 course taster menu.  

The first course was a tomato tart.  Is it too obvious to relay that it was very tomatoey?  Ok, so it was very rich but perfectly offset by a (I think pesto?) foam.  The pastry was the shortest I've ever tasted.  Of course James ate it in one mouthful but when you have 5 courses ahead of you I imagine small helpings are key.  The second course was a sole fillet, perfectly cooked and incredibly light but disappointingly served with what was clearly cultured samphire.  I overheard another diner ask the waiter what it was and he couldn't tell her!  His response was 'some kind of herb'.  In any normal restaurant it would make me chuckle but in a place that is so fancy you end up whispering to each other I would have at least expected the poor boy to offer to ask the chef!  The sole was also accompanied by another sort of foam. Fond of the foam they are at The Old Vicarage.  The third course was old spot pork fillet with risotto and asparagus (no foam this time).  I found it too creamy and without enough seasoning.  The asparagus was tender with just the right amount of bite.  James enjoyed it more then I did, as after this course I did start to feel a bit over full due to the richness of the risotto.  One of the benefits of there being so many courses was that there was also large gaps between them.  Next was a cheese course.  Blue Ribblesdale goats cheese with toasted brioche and Ridgeway honey.  I'm not usually a fan of honey (it tastes like bees) or blue cheese but it was sensational!  I had no idea that blue cheese and honey went so well together!  James and I were so inspired we repeated the experience minus the brioche the following evening and it has inspired me to sometime soon bake a savoury blue cheesecake and serve it drizzled with honey (you may find posts regarding this at a later date).  The final course was a desert of strawberry millefeuille, strawberry sorbet and strawberry coulis with chantilly cream.  The desert was absolutely my favourite dish of the evening.  It was light, fresh, sweet without being cloying and the cream desert came in a mini desert glass with a tiny spoon!  I know that's incredibly girly but it did make it that bit more special.


Overall I enjoyed the experience and I'd give the taster menu a 7.5/10.  I expected more due to the apparent prestige of the restaurant.  The tone was set by the waiter leading us to the dining room and carrying our drinks on a silver platter, yet we constantly felt as if we were dining in a library.  But on the bright side we did spill water all over the table cloth.  I'd go back, but I doubt it's worth the money one would have to spend on a full price menu.