River Cottage Canteen and Deli, Axminster

It was another year and another birthday for me. We tend to like to go away for my birthday, sample a little bit of boutique luxury and of course good food on our travels, both international and national. It was with this in mind that we headed to one of my most favourite haunts to stay in the west country, the Lord Poulett Arms, a bijou slice of serenity the tiny little village of Hinton St George. From here, we can roam the gorgeous coastal towns of the UK, which include Lyme Regis and Seatown. On this occasion, special as it was, we booked into Hugh’s decadent River Cottage Canteen in Axminster for a very special birthday lunch indeed.

 

With a clientele made up of local residents, business people, tourists and artists, the clean, modern space must bustle from dawn till dark. From the sleek open kitchen comes an eclectic mix of modern British cuisine, expertly prepared using locally sourced ingredients and complemented by an array of interesting blends of juices. All the food is produced in-house daily and many of the fine ingredients can also be purchased at the deli .

 

We had booked in advance and of course arrived as eager as little beavers to start munching down on a trio of small plates, which as it was a Monday, were on a fabulous lunch time offer at only £10.  With ‘Veg Everyday’ in my mind, I was delighted to see that the individual small dishes were indeed made from the seasonal and I made my very easy choice of three dishes of roasted cauliflower with cumin and yoghurt and flatbread, beetroot and carrot with grapefruit and raw oyster mushrooms with barley and goats curd.

Gipsy Spread was equally spoilt for choice, he followed suit with the cauliflower, but then went down his own route with the ham hock crumble and the merguez sausage meatballs and hummus. The food was more than enough for us and so fresh and satisfying. Particularly, as we could see that we were eating low carb. You know how I like to ‘carb dodge’ if at all possible.

After a moodling along our lunch time, we paid our bargain bill, thanked all the gracious staff and left contented in the knowledge that that was a good birthday lunch. Customers are guaranteed to come away with a smile on their face, a comfortably full stomach and a wallet that hasn’t taken a battering.  Thanks Hugh for your great efforts on this amazingly simple dining concept that caters for meat eaters and veggies alike and to the purse strings of the masses.

Parsley pesto orzo and lentil salad

We were having a Divisional away day meeting which included a lunch time “picnic” with contributions from everyone. So, lists had been circulated, I could see the kinds of things that people were bringing, dips, chips rolls and quiches. I however had not committed myself to anything other than “something vegetarian”, so it was with trepidation that I set about trying to mass produce something that would not embarrass me at the event, but rather showcase my prowess. It was with this in mind (and the contents of my store cupboard) that I made this really sample, but delicious orzo and lentil pasta. The good news is that when staff were feeding back on the workshops we had been to, they were also asked for their favourite dish of the entire picnic and this got a mention!
 

What you will need

Parsley pesto

Big bunch of parsley
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 large table spoon of toasted pine nuts
A large handful of grated parmesan
65ml olive oil – to the desired pesto consistency

200g Orzo

100g Small green lentils
½ a red pepper
½ a yellow pepper
75g feta cheese

 

Blend all of the pesto ingredients together and set aside.

In a pan simmer the orzo with the green lentils in water twice their height in the pan. If the lentils are larger, start cooking them five minutes before the orzo.

Meanwhile, slice one yellow and one red pepper and soften in olive oil.

When the orzo and lentils are cooked, after about 15 minutes, drain and whilst still hot, stir in the pesto  pepper and crumble through feta cheese and season with salt and plenty of black pepper.

 

Serve hot or on plastic or paper in the great outdoors.

Mirch masala, Tooting

What else is there to do on what is essentially a free day on Good Friday then head out for a leisurely stroll followed by lunch? Our stroll took us through the heartlands of St Reatham in London, through Wandsworth and up to the corner of Balham and Tooting Bec high street. It was here we turned left and entered a world of delicious smells, bright colours and exotic paraphernalia. We were in tooting, heading to Mirch Masala for the cheapest and most cheerful curry possible.

 

 

We arrived at about 2pm and had perhaps missed the lunch rush as we had forgotten just how long a walk it is from the GH. They must have had a lunch time rush as they were out of poppadums’ and mango juice, would you believe.

 

 

Regardless, we sat at a formica table and greedily scoured the menu, safe in the knowledge that our food should come quick. Yet again, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, so a starter of onion bhaji to share and then three curries between us and a naan bread each.

 

Gipsy Spread opted for the lamb methi and I chose the mixed dahl and the paneer tika masala to adorn my plate.

Everything arrived at once, which was how we had wanted it, keen to tuck into all at once, it’s a wonder I didn’t end up biting a finger, which has been done in the past when hungry and eating with my hands!

Everything was fresh, the spices just rightly balanced and the portions voluminous. We seemed to be eating for hours, but I was still beaten by the amounts, even with Gipsy Spread doing his best. Well, a takeaway as well it was then.

This non assuming curry chain has an excellent and well-deserved reputation amongst students and the employed a-like for its good quality and generous offerings at bargain prices. We paid just £23 for all of the above with a tip. Keep it up Mircha masala. Its well worth a trip to visit, and then pick up an array of spices at the many Asian supermarkets on the street.

Sweet and sour aubergine

How many ways with the humble aubergine? As many as you like; and this wonderfully meaty veg fares exquisitely in this sweet and sour sauce, needing not much else to enhance it to epic proportions. It is a recipe adapted from an Olive magazine recipe, which I suspect works well with other ingredients such as tofu. That is now next on my list to sweeten up and sour.

What you will need

2 table spoons sesame oil

1 aubergine

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

100g green beans

100g carrots

2 dried chillies (optional)

2 table spoons sugar

2 table spoons red wine vinegar

2 tea spoons soy sauce

2 tea spoons corn flour

Fresh coriander

 

Begin by cubing the aubergine, slicing the onion, topping and tailing the green beans and peeling and cutting the carrots into sticks. As well as crushing the garlic.

 

Fry the aubergine and onion in the sesame oil for 5 minutes until softened and browned.

 

Meanwhile, blend together the sugar and vinegar until the sugar dissolves, then add in the soy sauce and corn flour.

 

When the aubergine has cooked, add the garlic, carrots and green beans to the pan for a further 5 minutes. Add a little bit of water if necessary.

 

Finally add the dried chillies to the pan, season with salt and pepper before adding the sweet and sour sauce. Stir through for one minute before serving.

 

Serve over fresh basmati rice or noodles and garnish with fresh coriander. Gipsy Spread had a steak on the side of his.

 

 

 

Okonomiyaki, aka Japanese cabbage pizza

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked. When it comes to cooking okonomiyaki, there are two styles. The Hiroshima styleis where the plain pancake is grilled, then topped with the chosen cooked ingredients, whilst the Osaka style all the ingredients being mixed into a batter, then cooked more like a frittata. The recipe below is Osaka style, which is most common in Japan's okonomiyaki bars.


What you will need
150g finely shredded cabbage
80g finely sliced leeks
130g wholemeal flour
A pinch or two of sea salt
4 table spoons dashi or cold water
2 eggs
1 table spoon sesame oil
Toasted flaked almonds
Fresh chives
Soy sauce

Combine the cabbage, leeks, flour, dashi and salt in a bowl. Toss until everything is coated with a dusting of flour. Stir in the eggs and mix until everything is evenly coated.

 

 

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and add a generous splash of olive oil. Scoop the cabbage mixture into the pan, and using a metal spatula press it into a round pancake shape, flat as you can get it. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the bottom is golden. To flip the okonomiyaki, slide it out of the pan on to a plate. Place another plate on top and flip both over together. You might need a bity more oil  in the pan, then slide the okonomiyaki back in. Again press down a bit with a spatula and cook until golden on this side – another 3 -5 minutes.

 

 

Sprinkle the okonomiyaki with toasted almonds and chives, and slide it on to a cutting board to cut into wedges. I like mine served with or drizzled with simple soy sauce.

Traditionally, it is served with mayonnaise and okonomiyaki sauce, a sweet brown sauce strong in umami flavours. It has been suggested the our very own brown sauce can be substituted for it in this dish, so why not give it a go? 

Sweet potato and feta bubble and squeak with fried egg

So, I still had the cabbage that wouldn’t quit and some left over sweet potato mash in the freezer. This meant that I had a super healthy, low GI brunch in the making. All I needed to do was to throw some cheese at it to make sure it was a properly balanced dish. The flavours of the sweet potato, the earthy cabbage and the salty feta cheese sing un unison in my twist on a bubble and squeak.

 

What you will need

250g cooked cabbage

250g cooked sweet potato

150g feta cheese, crumbled

Fresh parsley, chopped

2 tea spoons paprika

1 egg

4 table spoons of plain flour

 

This is such a simple dish. Simply combine all the ingredients and season well with salt and pepper.

Place some oil on to heat in a frying pan and scoop large spoonfulls of the mix into a pan and shape into patties. Cook on a medium heat for 4-5 minutes before turning over and cooking on the other side.

For the final 10 minutes and to ensure the flour and egg is cooked through, place in a preheated oven at 200C.

 

 

Serve as they are, or top with a fried egg as I did.

Caramelised onion and goats cheese tart

As long as you have a packet of ready roll puff pastry and a log of goats cheese in the freezer, this is an exceptional throw together dish for lunch or dinner. I had some lovely lemony and nutty goats cheese from the Poitou-Charentes region of France to use. This combination of sweet and savoury flavours proved to be the perfect companions.


What you will need
1 packet of all butter puff pastry
2 large onions
1 log of goats cheese
2 table spoons of brown sugar
4 table spoons balsamic vinegar
A few sprigs of lemon thyme


Begin by slicing the onions finely. Add them to a table spoon of olive oil and saute for 15 minutes until softened and browned. Make sure to stir regularly so they don't burn.


Next add the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar, seasoning well and soften for a further five minutes until there is no liquid left. Finally stir through the lemon thyme.

Leave the caramelised onions to cool.


When ready to cook, pre heat the oven to 200C. Roll out the pastry and place on greased oven tray. Score around the edges, about 1 cm in.


Next, assemble the onions into the centre of the scored rectangle and spread out evenly.


Slice the goats cheese into 6-8 rounds and arrange over the onions.

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until crispy and browned.

Serve with a crips green salad.

Mushroom, ricotta and olive tarte flambe

From pide in Turkey to tarte flambé in Alsace France. The varieties of pizza-like breads topped with cheese are endless and clearly delicious. So, in homage to this week hosting  national pizza day, I thought I would go fancy and treat myself to this delicious tarte flambé with fresh ricotta cheese and meaty portabello mushrooms. In case you are wondering, this day appears to fall on the 9th February. So, if you ever needed an excuse to eat cheese and bread, let this day be that excuse. Gipsy Spread also managed to pick up some bresaola for his.

What you will need

125g plain white flour

125g strong bread flour

160ml warm water

1 tea spoon dried yeast

2 tea spoons olive oil

4 portabello mushrooms

4 table spoons of ricotta cheese

20g parmesan

1 clove garlic

½ a red onion
A handful of black olives
2 tea spoons olive oil

Rosemary

1 tea spoon of chilli flakes(optional)

Begin by making your tart base. Mix together the two flours with the yeast, 1 tea spoon of oil and warm water, seasoning well with salt. Knead lightly and roll into a ball. Drizzle over the  rest of the oil to coat the ball and cover with cling film set aside somewhere warm to rise for an hour.

Meanwhile slice the mushrooms and fry in some oil until they have cooked.

Mix together the ricotta, parmesan and crushed clove of garlic and season well.

Slice the red onion. and half the olives

When ready to assemble the tarte for cooking, roll half the dough out into a long oval or rectangle. Smooth over half the ricotta mix and sprinkle over half the mushrooms, olives and onion. Then sprinkle over ½ a tea spoon of chilli flakes and sprigs of fresh rosemary. Repeat for the other tarte.

Place on a greased oven tray and bake in the middle of  pre-heated oven for 15-18 minutes at 200C until browned and crispy.

Avocado and poached egg on toast

Avocados are a really nutty treat and full of awesome nutrition and all the best oils. There’s nothing I like more than an avocado and egg for breakfast and apparently, according to recent science, I have been getting it right all this time. Since Sainsburys introduced the creamy avocado to the British public in the 1970s, it has taken hold of our consciousness and manifested itself in various forms, not least, inspiring a whole generation’s choice of bathroom suite.

What you will need

2 slices of a rye or sourdough loaf

2 eggs

2 avocadoes

1 tomato

1 shallot

A squeeze of lemon juice

1 red chilli

Coriander

Vinegar

Olive oil

 

Begin by slicing the bread and toasting it.

Next, chop the tomato, shallot and chilli and combine with the avocado flesh. Season with salt and pepper, squeeze over lemon juice to taste and stir through fresh coriander. Set aside.

 

Next, for poaching the eggs. Bring a pan of water to boil. Once it’s boiling, add a splash of vinegar to it and turn it down. Immediately crack the two eggs into the pan. Leave the eggs to cook for 2-3 minutes until they start rising to the top. Remove from the pan carefully and place on some kitchen roll to drain.

Next, assemble the breakfast by sharing the avocado mix between the two slices of bread and topping each with a poached egg, a garnish of fresh coriander and a drizzle of olive oil.

 

Vegetarian sweet potato gumbo

I’d bought a green cabbage. Does anyone else find it hard to use a cabbage up? It seems to be a bottomless pit of a vegetable and I have never soup-ed it, as the suggestion conjures up ‘70s images of people surrounded by a Linus fug of cabbage scent.

Anyway, having been to Louisiana, I was aware that a core ingredient of the famous Cajun dish from the South called gumbo was greens. My cabbage was green. So, I set about making this deliciously hearty and spicy greens and bean dish with a sweet potato I had. They have a ready-made mix of Cajun spices that they sell everywhere in the region, however, you don’t really need this if you have a decent spice cupboard.

What you will need
1 onion
2 stalks celery
3-4 green chillies
2 cloves garlic
1 tea spoon thyme
1 tea spoon oregano
1/2 tea spoon basil
1 tea spoon cayenne pepper
1 tea spoon white pepper
1 bay leaf
300ml vegetable stock
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tea spoon of red wine vinegar
400g sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
100g cabbage, sliced
1 tin of kidney beans


Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, celery, chillies and garlic and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until softened.
 

Mix together the salt, dried thyme, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, basil and white pepper and bay leaf until well combined. Add to the pan and stir well to coat the vegetables. Continue to fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly, until the spices are fragrant.

 

Add the vegetable stock, chopped tomatoes, and red wine vinegar and bring the mixture to the boil.

Add the sweet potato cubes, shredded cabbage sand drained kidney beans and continue to cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the sweet potato is tender.

 

Serve by itself, over rice of with some fabulous corn bread.

Goats cheese, mushroom and truffle honey en croute

This recipe is adapted from an Olive magazine Christmas edition recipe and so includes quite a fancy ingredient. However, once you’ve purchased it, you may as well used it. The dish uses fairly simple staples but enhances them with the luxury product of truffle honey. This humbly lifts it a higher level. You can find it readily at M&S.

You can make the en croute as rustic or as fancy as you like. I used small plates to mark my rounds of pastry, one for the bottom and then a slightly larger one for the top, taking into account the depth of the filling I needed to cover.

What you will need
2 red onions
150g mushrooms
Thyme
1 goats cheese log cut into four slices
4 tea spoons truffle honey
1 fresh chilli
All butter puff pastry

Firstly slice the mushrooms, red onions and chilli and fry in a little oil until softened and the moisture has evaporated. Season well with salt and pepper and add the thyme.

Set aside to cool whilst you cut out four circles of puff pastry to form the bottom (10cm across) of the en croute and four slightly larger  (12cms across) rounds to form the top.

Lastly slice the goats cheese log into equal sized circles.

 

Now, to compile the en croutes. Place a couple of table spoons of the mushroom and onion mix in the centre of each base circle, leaving ½cm edge. Top with the goats cheese and then drizzle over a tea spoon of the honey.

Next, using your fingers, wet the edge of the circle.

Take each top circle and place three small slits in the centre of the circle, staying well away from the edge. Next place, each top sheet over the filling and press down at the edges to glue the two pieces together. Make sure the pastry case is sealed and flute the edges.

Place the en croutes on a baking tray and cook in the middle of a preheated oven at 180C  for 25-30 minutes until the pastry has browned.

Serve with a crisp green salad or roasted vegetables.

Cheese souffle

Gipsy Spread is a master soufflé-er. If there is such a word? If not, I have just invented in. It had been some time since he had made a cheese soufflé and strangely, prompted by my act of buying a couple of ready-made cheese soufflés at Waitrose the previous week, he set about proving his superiority in the soufflé stakes. This soufflé recipe is relatively simple and works pretty much every time. The focus is on getting the egg whites whipped just right and ensuring the soufflé mix remains full of air.

 

What you will need
3 eggs
70g cheddar
20g parmesan cheese
2 spring onions
fresh chives
40g butter
80g flour
300ml milk
1/2 tea spoon cayenne pepper

Begin by melting the butter in a saucepan. The first stage of the soufflé is to make a roux. So, once the butter has melted, slowly add the flour to bind with the butter and then slowly add the milk, stirring all the time to remove any lumps. Keep adding the milk until you have a lovely smooth roux and then add in the chives and chopped spring onions. Take the roux off the heat.

 

 

Next separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and grate the cheddar and parmesan.

Whisk the egg whites until they are light and fluffy and form soft peaks.

 

Next, carefully stir the egg yolks into the roux mix, it should have cooled slightly (you don’t want to scramble the eggs) and add the grated cheese.

Season well with salt and pepper and add the cayenne pepper.

Finally carefully fold in the egg white, making sure it is mixed through the roux.

Pour into 4 medium sized ramekins and fill right to the top and place in a preheated oven at 180C for 20 minutes. Do not open the door, but watch them rise through the glass.

 

Serve alongside some crusty bread and a fresh crisp green salad.

Evans and Peel, Earls Court, London

If a format works well, then it is inevitably going to be copied. We had a wonderful time when in San Francisco in Branch and Bourban the detective agency come-secret speakeasy. It was with this experience in mind that I was really excited to head to the Evans and Peel detective agency in Earls Court. As before, we had to make a reservation as walk-in seating is limited and as before, we were only able to book a two hour slot.

 

 

There were about 10 of us and we had already been out for dinner and were heading to the detective agency for cocktails. I had read reviews, which stated that we might be asked why we were visiting the detective agency. The story unfolded over the table at dinner with Davinhos III taking the lead on our explanation.

 

 

So, we buzzed at the unassuming white door and were let in and asked to head down the narrow stairwell. It was at this point that we were greeted by the detective agency secretary. She enquired after our sorry tale for which we needed assistance. Well, as you can imagine, the eight of us had convened as we suspected that we were all Lord Lucan’s love children and we wished to locate him.

 

 

Satisfied with this explanation, plus the fact that we all use the same brand of tissues to add to our suspicions regarding our joint paternity, she went across the bookshelf, pulled a book out out and released the door for our entry in to the secret speakeasy out back.

 

 

We were led to our table and were able to take in the wooden panels and vintage décor. The chandeliers oozed 1920s prohibition glamour, as did the patrons. We sat beside an old radio in wooden fold down cinema seats under the eaves. We all decided that the venue elicited the ordering of cocktails, old fashioned and bourbon based ones at that. We were not disappointed the mixologist knows his prohibition cocktails. We partook in making merry and managed to sink a couple of excellent cocktails each, before it was time to open up the space for some other lucky clients.

 

 

We seeped out of the venue slinkily and discretely, not wanting to draw the attention of the Bureau of Prohibition. So, back out into the brash London night, we all discussed the excitement of the event. I should also mention that they do also have a fantastic menu which offers up some traditional delights such as the beef burger with chips, plus vegetarian option. I will most definitely be returning to Evans and Peel to sample both the food and cocktails next time, perhaps the gin? Also, not least because I’m sure we’ll need an update on progress to find our father Lord Lucan.

The Paxton, Gipsy Hill, London

So, the inevitable happened as we were in the process of making arrangements to return to work after the Christmas break. The dishwasher was fully loaded, the washing machine was set to go and the sink was clogged… Gipsy Spread being environmentally minded, decided to go buy a plunger rather than use materials that might affect the land. I had no issue with this. So, home he returned with plunger in hand. I left him to it. However after 30 minutes, I wondered what he was up to and went to have a poke.  I found him under the sink with bits of plumbing in hand. So joy of joy, we had need of a plumber on a Saturday evening. So, that’s the long story, but the short of it is, that with no dishwashing facilities, we headed for Sunday lunch to the Paxton.

 

 

We were both thinking that we’d have the foot long hot dog (mine veggie) with the lovely skin on chips that has historically been a favourite. However on arrival, this delectable guilty pleasure was not on the menu. I am hopeful that this is because it was a Sunday and the roast options were paraded in their place.

 

 

So we arrived to the usual family friendly environment at the Paxton on a Sunday lunch time. The pub is large but homely and comfortable. It has an excellent quiz night on a Wednesday and also shows the football.

 

 

So, as we had both been hankering after the fries, we went for the equally guilt inducing burger (mine was veggie) and fries. There’s not much to say about Gipsy Spread’s, it was bun, burger, accoutrements and fries and an excellent burger plate at that. Mine though was rather special; a sweet potato patty with a crisp crust, bejewelled with fresh whole broad beans. An absolute delight and more so because this low GI dish lessened some of my guilt.

 

The rest of the menu at the Paxton is also exciting and I am often grateful for the thought and consideration that is given to the vegetarian options. Thank fully risottos do not abound. They also have children’s menu, as well a play area in the garden which does make it an excellent choice for families.

 

 

So, how did it all end? Well, with this delicious meal and with an entirely new set of plumbing; the money needed for which, will surely have had an impact on the environment!