Recipe Spotlight: Ratatouille

If you know me well, you’d be aware of my love of sped-up food recipe videos. The ‘Tasty’ Facebook page is full of such amazing recipes that I often catch myself watching loads of them in one go and thinking I can make anything. However, I recently put one to the test and found it went amazingly, with a few much-needed alterations. So find below my ratatouille recipe inspired by this Buzzfeed recipe.

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 red pepper, diced
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes/passata
2 tablespoons fresh basil (approx 8-10 leaves), chopped

For the sliced vegetables:
1 aubergine
3 salad tomatoes
1 courgette

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 190˚C.

2. Slice the aubergine, tomatoes, and courgette and set aside. I put some salt on the aubergine slices and let it sink in, gently patting them dry before using them later, but this is completely optional.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan. Sauté the onion, garlic and peppers until soft. Season with salt and pepper, then add the crushed tomatoes/passata. Stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Turn off the heat and add the basil. Stir a few more times and then pour the mixture into a baking tin with steep sides, flattening the top with a spatula after you do so.

4. Arrange the sliced vegetables in alternating patterns down the tin. I did aubergine, courgette and then tomato. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Cover the tin with tin foil and bake for 40 minutes. I found that after 40 minutes it was cooked through but Buzzed suggests that after 40 minutes you should uncover the tin and then bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Review: Sobriety Alcohol-Free Drinks

Last week I was sent some sample bottles of Sobriety’s alcohol-free drinks by the Sensible Drinks co. Supposedly created for people who like the taste of alcohol but dislike the hangover, or those attempting to reduce their alcohol intake by replacing it with a placebo, the concept behind these beverages is very logical. The two original flavours are Juniper & Tonic and Rosé inspired drinks, so I’ll give a comprehensive review of these. With a few of my housemates, I tested these drinks and so this review is based on both their and my opinions.

Juniper & Tonic

Smell: I would basically advise you not to smell this drink. Bleach, cleaning fluid and chemicals were all words that flew around the room as we smelt it. Perhaps it’s the ingredients in the drink that lend to the unpleasant smell but whatever it is, it isn’t good.

Aesthetic: For this drink, the glass bottle shape is good. It’s easy to get away with believing this could potentially be an alcoholic mixer.

Taste: Unfortunately, the taste was dreadful. I felt slightly sick after trying the bizarre flavour which tasted very, very different from a gin and tonic. Some of the most descriptive comments that came out were ‘this tastes like medicine, but bad medicine’, ‘I would drink this if I were paid to’ and ‘ew’. Sadly, as much as I appreciate the idea, this drink needs tweaking.

Rosé

Smell: This smelt very sweet, almost like a strawberry sugar drink. It wasn’t as unpleasant as the Juniper & Tonic drink but it still wasn’t as appealing as I feel it could have been.

Aesthetic: In the same bottle as the Juniper & Tonic, it seemed like the wrong look for a fake wine drink. I think if I was trying to use these drinks as a means to get over alcoholism or a similar problem the look of the Rosé beverage would be severely disappointing. Part of what I would expect from the concept of these drinks is looking the part and unfortunately, this drink looked wrong.

Taste: Though better than the Juniper & Tonic drink, we still couldn’t get on board with this drink. It was too sickly, synthetic and sweet. It wasn’t drinkable, nice or realistic so overall it was severely disappointing.

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Overall, these drinks were disappointing. The concept is a good one but the taste is so far from being realistic or drinkable. The fact that none of my friends, who are all poor university students consuming cheap drinks all the time, wouldn’t drink these speaks volumes. I appreciate the idea but the product is far from being decent enough to be used as an alcohol substitute.

Recipe Spotlight: Victoria Sponge Cake by Mary Berry

With Bake Off returning to our screens tonight (finally <3) I thought I’d post a recipe by Mary Berry. Simple, classic and easy, this victoria sponge cake is perfect for afternoon tea but why not try baking it in time for the episode tonight?

Ingredients:

Sponge:

• 225g soft butter
• 225g caster sugar
• 225g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 large eggs

Filling & Topping:

• 4 tbsp strawberry/raspberry jam
• Icing sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 170°C/gas mark 4.
2. Cut 2 greaseproof paper circles and grease two sandwich tins with butter, placing the circles inside, greased.
3. Place the butter, caster sugar, self-raising flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Crack the eggs one at a time and then add to the bowl.
4. Beat the mixture until smooth. It will be soft enough to drop off the whilst when you lift it up.
5. Divide the mixture equally between the sandwich tins and level the surfaces. Place in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes.
6. When the cake are risen and golden, they’re done!
7. Cool for about 2 minutes then loosen the edges with a knife and push the cakes out of the tins.
8. When the cakes are cold, remove the lining papers and spread one with jam. Put the other layer on top and sprinkle with icing sugar.

I made a few edits to the recipe (like sprinkling the top with icing sugar rather than caster sugar) but this is Mary Berry’s recipe and can be found here. It really is delicious, I’ve made it numerous times before! Enjoy the first episode of Bake Off tonight and check back soon for Bake Off posts.

Cover image: flickr.com

Bake Off, Bake On!

The Great British Bake Off returns at the end of this month, the 24th of August to be exact, filming this year in Berkshire. But why is this programme consistently entertaining and never fails to excite the viewers?

Obviously, the drama is one of the best parts of the show. Will this episode contain a dramatic cake drop or perhaps a tense finish? Will Paul patronise a contestant whilst Mary stares them to death? It’s so thrilling, who knows what will happen! And when a contestant does do something exciting like incorrectly make a recipe, you almost have to cling to your seat in anticipation of what the judges will say. Is it over for this individual or do they have enough brownie points to stay in? So much excitement!

Of course, everybody’s a critic. We all love to sit on our sofa and criticise the contestants for not properly baking that cake, or for making a stranger design than appropriate. We just love to comment on the bakes in Bake Off and our opinions of them. If you don’t, are you even a proper fan?

The creations themselves are another varying element in the programme which grant it a factor of fresh excitement every episode. Sometimes there are cakes and desserts we’ve never even heard of, let alone seen, so every episode is filled with mystery as we watch them unveil the creations piece by piece. And of course, the signature rounds are where the real fun lies. Watching the incredible imaginations of the individuals play with design is such an amazing thing to see. The way they incorporate so many different components together is fascinating.

GBBO wouldn’t be complete without Mel and Sue though. Their hilarious (and often terrible) banter livens up the tense atmosphere and entertains the viewer when things are becoming serious. We get jealous when they’re able to nibble away on the fabulous foods whilst we sit drooling in front of our TVs or, like me, have stacked up on cakes beforehand to eat along with the show. The Mel/Sue duo interact perfectly with Mary and Paul, poking jokes and jibes here and there to lessen Paul’s hard exterior and the whole thing is so delightfully entertaining to watch.

It’s clearly unsurprising why the Great British Bake Off never fails to captivate die-hard fans and newcomers alike. The Bake Off spark contains so much talent, creativity and excitement in one place, coupled with some entertaining TV personalities, that its difficult to not become painfully obsessed with the programme.

Don’t forget, Bake Off returns on August 24th!

Drinkspiration: Sledge Hammer

I’ve taken inspiration from Thunder’s toffee vodka for this Drinkspiration post. Perhaps not the cheapest or easiest cocktail to source but it definitely looks to be a delicious option if you’re splashing the cash.

Ingredients:

• 30ml Thunder Vodka
• Champagne

Simply pour the toffee vodka into a champagne flute and top up with champagne for a quick drink. Serve with a slice of apple on the side of the glass.

The Scilly Fisles: St Mary’s Food

First in the wonderful series of the Scilly Fisles is the food on St Mary’s Island. Being the largest and busiest island, there was the potential for the food to be somewhat commercialised and typically ‘reproduced’ food. Fortunately, however, everywhere we ate on this island was great and the food was authentic and original.

One of my favourite restaurant finds was The Mermaid Inn. Before we went to the isles I had read about this being a popular place to eat and we weren’t disappointed. The entrance through the pub section of the Inn sets the wrong precedent for the restaurant that lies just up the stairs at the end of the room. The pub was oozing with character: the space above the bar was littered with nautical decor and business cards and the room gave off typically traditional vibes with wooden floorboards and television screens, yet was not the popular sophisticated type of place I had expected.

The Mermaid Inn

This entrance, as I said, was underwhelming. When we walked through the door to the restaurant, however, my initial reservations vanished as we were shown to our table. Definitely book in advance. The room is reasonably small and was busy the evening we were there despite being a Monday. The restaurant had stunning views over the harbour and sea and was tastefully decorated with a light blue theme.

Crab cakes at the Mermaid Inn

The food was fantastic. Seeing as I spent the entire trip trying the different fish on the islands because it’s so fresh, naturally, I chose the homemade crab cakes. These were rich but accompanied nicely by sliced potato and a spicy chilli dip. We also shared a garlic camembert which was a delicious starter. It was a lovely place to enjoy dinner and the food was great so I definitely recommend it.

Other places that were tasty include the Atlantic Hotel. This was another place that had been recommended through my online research. Recently refurbished, the pub food made by the hotel was very tasty. My moules marinière was cooked to perfection and accompanied by a side of crispy yet soft fries.

Another delicious restaurant we discovered was Juliet’s Garden restaurant. A little further out of Hugh Town, Juliet’s is situated overlooking the harbour in a lovely location, despite the fact it’s a bit of a walk to get to. It was very busy when we arrived early afternoon but we managed to find a stone table squeezed into the corner of the outdoor terrace. Cheeky birds fly around and perch on the edges of the tables, keen to sneak a crumb here or there. If you feed them be warned: they will flock and swarm until they’re surrounding you and relentlessly guilt you into feeding them every morsel you have!

Juliet’s crab baguette

The food here was delicious. Following my fishy theme, I had a baguette filled with locally sourced crab served with salad. It was calming to eat lunch with such a beautiful view over the sea and Hugh Town, made even better with yummy food. We stopped at Juliet’s before doing some hiking and then couldn’t resist popping back to grab a Troytown Farm ice cream, the best ice cream ever, on the way back!

Aside from the restaurants we visited, one of the best foodie finds was the Porthcressa Beach fish and chip van, known as Scilly Fish. Open from 5-7:30pm every day excluding Wednesdays and Sundays, this van hands-down made the best fish and chips ever. The battered cod was light but delicious and the chips weren’t dripping with grease. It was very popular with the locals, we noticed Scillonians we’d spoken to or seen in shops repeatedly in the queue. It was so good we went there twice instead of going to another restaurant!

Scilly Fish: fish & chips

We also ate at the Bishop & Wolf, a pub in Hugh Town, which served delicious stone bass, and the Kavorna café where we had a light pasty lunch on our final day.

All in all, the food on St Mary’s was great and there were so many fantastic places to explore. It’s definitely worth trying some of the restaurants aforementioned, but if you’re on a tight budget the fish and chip van is a definite must!

Click here to read the next post in The Scilly Fisles series, all about St Martin’s Island.

 

Review: Bill’s Restaurant

I love Bill’s. With plenty of locations around the United Kingdom, chances are there’s probably one close to you so definitely give it a go. I ventured for brunch recently, which is one of my favourite British concepts, and had a fabulous meal so thought I’d give it a little review.

Firstly, Bill’s restaurants have such a distinctive and relaxed decor. The leather booths and obvious ventilation pipes on the ceiling add character to the atmosphere and allow for a chilled environment in which to enjoy your meal. Whilst having classic dishes, like hamburgers and salads, Bill’s also adds it’s own flair to the menu with modern takes on classics (such as blueberry pancakes with added streaky bacon).

Being brunch, I went for the blueberry pancakes with banana and berries, drizzled with maple syrup and garnished with streaky bacon. Wow. Washed down nicely with some prosecco and orange juice, later moving on to Bill’s own pink lemonade, the meal was a treat. The portion was large but manageable and the contrast between the sugary sweet maple syrup and the crispy bacon was incredible. On the drinks side, the prosecco was very drinkable. The orange juice diluted the alcohol and added a sharp taste, whilst the pink lemonade was so delicate and light it made for a refreshing choice to go with the meal.

Chocolate brownie

After an adequate break, I opted for the ice cream dessert. I wanted something light and felt like being spoilt- I had just been offered a job! From the flavours, I chose strawberry, vanilla and elderflower. Honestly, the elderflower flavour was dull and weak, overall a very disappointing option. It sounded very interesting but unfortunately, it was not. Unsurprisingly, the vanilla and strawberry ice creams were good, as is expected from such common flavours. I was satisfied with my pudding but disappointed in comparison to my main meal. Members of my brunch meal tried the chocolate brownie, which was presented beautifully and apparently delicious.

Ratings:

• Presentation: 9/10
• Flavour: Main- 9/10 | Dessert- 7/10

• What to order: The blueberry pancakes and pink lemonade.
• Would go again?: Yes.

 

Recipe Spotlight: Lemon Loaf

All this rainy weather lately has encouraged me to curl up on the sofa and hide from the elements but today I thought I’d do some baking. I love baking: the sense of accomplishment you get from producing a scrumptious cake or treat is amazing. It’s even better when you sit down with a blanket draped over you, a warm cup of tea in your hand and a slice of cake next to you. What better way to spend a rainy day?

I took inspiration from The Hummingbird Bakery cookbook for this lemon loaf. This amazing bakery, situated in various locations around London, creates gorgeous cupcakes, brownies, muffins and cakes which are so delicious. I went for a Red Velvet cupcake on my last visit and I was not disappointed- the deep red colour was seductive and the frosting so light and fluffy it almost wasn’t there. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the ingredients to make those cupcakes so opted for a citrusy choice instead.

I’ve paraphrased the recipe below and included some photographs from my baking session.

Ingredients:

• 320g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• Grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
• 350g plain flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 250ml milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 200g unsalted butter, melted

For the lemon syrup:

• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 50g caster sugar
• 100ml water

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
2. Beat together the sugar, eggs and lemon zest until well mixed.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a separate bowl.
4. Combine the milk and vanilla extract together in yet another bowl.
5. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and beat well. Then beat in one-third of the milk mixture. Repeat this process twice more until everything has been added and combined.
6. Pour in the melted butter and beat until well incorporated.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes (or until golden brown and the sponge bounces back when touched).

For the lemon syrup:

1. While the cake is baking, put the lemon juice and zest, sugar and 100ml of water into a small saucepan and bring to the boil over a low heat.
2. Raise the heat and boil until it has reduced by half, or until it has a thin syrup consistency.
3. When the hot cake comes out of the oven, put it on a wire cooling rack in the sink and pour the syrup all over the top. The excess syrup will run over the edges into the sink.
4. Leave to cool slightly in the tin before turning out onto the wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Food: The South of England Show ’16

In a previous post, I wrote a review of the South of England Show in June 2016, an agricultural fair designed to promote and celebrate rural lifestyle and produce. The show boasted an abundance of food stalls, so I took a bunch of photos and  ate some samples and have compiled them into this article.

Let’s start with the sweet food. The photo to the left highlights just how spectacular and colourful some of the stalls were, urging you to approach and purchase one of the scrumptious goodies. My love of fudge drew me to the extensive fudge displays, of which there were many, perhaps one of the most impressive displayed on the right. It’s so difficult to stop buying food at this show, there is such variety you just want to buy a nibble of everything! The frozen yoghurt van was particularly refreshing and tasty, I went for the strawberry and raspberry combination and was not disappointed with my frozen treat. The homemade pastry and bakery stalls were also incredible, with beautifully displayed crates of layers and layers of crumbly cheese straws, pastries and cupcakes. Every year, I try to seek out the mediterranean food counter where you’re hit in the face with baskets of vibrantly-coloured Turkish Delight or a delicious selection of cashews and roasted nuts. My favourite are the honey-roasted cashew nuts, a perfect blend of a sweet and savoury snack, though the customer service was inexplicably poor. 

After you’ve had your sweet fix, though if you’re like me that might take some time, you should definitely have a savoury bite for lunch. As I mentioned earlier, cheese straws were a fantastic choice, made by Truffles Bakery. There was a fantastic selection of pies and scotch eggs of various flavours too, amongst wraps and seafood selections. It’s important to go for something that looks fresh and homemade, I think: the show aims to promote local foods and it’s great to be able to enjoy what you’re eating whilst supporting British businesses. It was fun to try all the different oils and vinegars too, there were so many great sauces everywhere, particularly ‘Must Chup‘. This sauce is a mixture of mustard and chilli ketchup and is a great variation on the original.

Lastly, alcohol. My favourite display for an alcoholic drink went to Pinkster gin. It was such a brilliant stall, see the picture below, with a pink theme and minimalistic feel. I’m not a gin drinker but was assured the flavour was good too, so if you’re looking for something a little feminine but very alcoholic then grab some of this. There were plenty of local cider stands which was nice, all too often it’s easy to get hung up on the common ciders you get in supermarkets, like Bulmers, but some of these small farm-brewed ciders have a unique taste which is pleasant to experience. Perhaps try Wobblegate Cider, produced in Sussex, for a change of cider. Back to the spirits, Thunder Toffee Vodka always appears at the show. It’s very yummy, the mixture of toffee and vodka works really well especially when it’s served cold. I always enjoy the tasters they hand out. As a drink, I think it makes a novel gift for someone who likes alcohol, or vodka specifically, yet wants something different.

Overall, farm shows and fairs in general tend to produce a lot of great food, some of which you just can’t find elsewhere. Both the flavours and displays at the South of England Show were of a high standard and make a nice change from supermarket alternatives. I would definitely recommend heading along to local fairs or farm shows to scour for locally produced food, it’s often fantastic and unique.

Drinkspiration: Skittle Bomb

I’m a big fan of this drink, I much prefer the flavour to a jägerbomb. The name comes from the fact that this drink tastes almost exactly like you’re drinking skittles, it’s so sweet. I love it, but I would say it can get sickly if you have a lot in one night. These sort of drinks are supposedly said to be bad for you: alcohol lowers your heart rate whilst energy drinks speed it up, creating a conflict. Personally I’ve never suffered a problem from drinking these but be careful.

Ingredients

• 1/2 can of Red Bull
• 1 shot of Cointreau

Enjoy!