The Ebrington Arms, The Cotswolds

It was a few weeks ago now that we were in the Cotswolds celebrating one of the many Gipsy Spread birthday shenanigans. We had a hired a bijou little cottage in the picturesque village of Bourton on the Hill and the owner had made a few recommendations for dinner. I had already exhausted one, when I did my best Withnail impression of having ‘come on holiday by mistake’, so it was the Ebrington arms we headed to for the birthday boy and his sister’s joint celebration.

We bimbled along to the rustic looking former coaching inn, I’m guessing. The dining room was delightfully laid out with wooden panels, flooring and tables and chairs. It was minimal, but warm and cosy, inviting the food to speak for itself. There were also large inglenook fireplaces, which sadly as we were there in September, were not lit.

We all perused the eclectic menu with excitement and indeed all found far too many dishes we wished to try than we had the capacity for at that time. Regardless, we all made our choices and eagerly awaited the plates which promised to be joyful. We were not disappointed. Every dish came out wonderfully dressed. In fact Brother in law Spread threatened to ‘do a Greg and John’ and destroy his pretty plate in the offing.

Regardless, I gently teased through my gorgeously earthy, slightly sweet and salty beetroot and goats cheese macaroon, with delightful beetroot additions. Others had the potato and grapefruit salad and the carpacio of tuna.

The main I picked because it promised some unusual combinations, flavours and textures and I again was not disappointed. It was the special with chickpea cakes, an olive fritter and olive puree for me. Others opted for the classic cod dish, the chicken and the steak.

I think all of us were pleasantly surprised by the high calibre of the food, its presentation and what great value for money it was. I did feel like I had been transposed outside of London, but received a London quality meal, at a fraction of the cost. I also took pleasure in the fact that I knew the ingredients would have been farmed locally and were seasonal. The vegetarian dishes in particular were extremelly creative and I appreciated the thought and techniques put into these. For those that ate meat, that the animals would have had a ‘good life’ assuaged their conscience.


Now, we were all full, but again, the creative combination of banana mousse, parsnip toffee and peanut butter ice-cream lured us in and we all had to try one between us. It was a fabulous combination of tastes.

I’d highly recommend this bijou little spot if visiting the Cotswolds’, a better meal, you won’t find. I shall remember this little pub and re-visit next time I’m in this beautiful part of the Country.

Walnut pesto spaghetti with broad beans and caramelised onions

So it appears we are still reaping the rewards from broad bean season. I spotted some more in the supermarket this week and couldn't help but buy them. I find the peeling process quite theapeautic and a little bit old school as well. We are also running up the first of Gipsy Spread's 40th birthday shenanigans this weekend, so I was looking now to buy and more fresh ingredients until next week.  With the store cupboard, my broad beans and some leftover fresh basil, this delicious dinner was born.

What you will need

Spaghetti for 2

450g Broad Beans in pods

1-2 onions

3-4 sundried tomatoes (optional)

1 large red chilli (optional)

For the Pesto

A handful of walnuts

A handful of fresh basil

2 cloves garlic

A handful of grated parmesan

2-3 table spoons of olive oil

Begin by making the pesto. Blend together all the ingredients to form a rough paste and then top with the olive oil. Set aside until ready to dress the spaghetti.

 

Next, quarter or sixth the onions into large chunks. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and baked in the oven at 200 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

After 30 minutes, place the spaghetti on to cook. After 7 minutes add the shelled broad beans for the final 3 minutes of cooking and then drain.

Next stir in two table spoons of the pesto, the caramelised onion and the chopped sundried tomatoes.

 

Place on a dish and garnish with slices of fresh red chilli and more grated parmesan cheese.

 

Pomegranate relish/salad with grilled halloumi

This is a fabulously fresh and fragrant relish or salad. The wonderful shop up at the Crystal Palace triangle who sells bowls of exotic fruit and vegetables for a £1, had 3 of these on offer for that price. Bargain! So, I get to be frivolous with these beautifully pink and translucent gems. It was a tapas/mezze for dinner tonight and I thought a pomegranate relish would work perfectly with the grilled halloumi I was planning. 

 

 

What you will need

1 pomegranate

½ red onion

A handful of radishes

½ tea spoon chilli flakes

1 clove garlic

½ lemon juice

2 table spoons olive oil

Fresh parsley

Fresh mint
1 packet halloumi

Start by gently extracting the jewels from the flesh. Next, thinly slice the onion and radishes and crush the garlic.

To make the dressing, mix together the oil, lemon juice, chilli and garlic and season with salt.
 

Mix together the pomegranate with the onion, radishes and chopped fresh herbs then pour over the dressing.

 

Serve on salad leaves with grilled halloumi, on meat or folded through couscous.

Patatas Bravas

Tapas is a great idea for dinner when you have various bits and pieces left over that form small dishes, but not whole meals bythemselves. I had some left over new potatoes that needed eating and why should this humble vegetable only be a side dish; on the side of other dishes? I decided that it shouldn’t and that the Spanish classic of patatas bravas would be a great small with my other dishes. Actually, with the addition of grilled halloumi and pomegranate relish, this meal was more like a tapas/mezze fusion.
 

What you will need

2 cloves garlic

Fresh rosemary

Fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 tea spoon dried chillies

2 table spoons red wine

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

A pinch of sugar

1 tea spoon paprika

1 bag of new potatoes

Start by quartering the new potatoes. Place in a roasting dish with a generous amount of olive oil and salt liberally. Roast in the oven at 220 degrees for 40-45 minutes until cooked.
 

Meanwhile, chop the garlic, rosemary and thyme. Heat some oil in a pan and add the garlic, all the herbs, the chilli flakes and paprika to the pan and soften slightly.

Next add the wine and chopped tomatoes and season with salt and the sugar. Leave the sauce to reduce for 15-20 minutes.

 

 

Serve the sauce hot on top of the hot potatoes.

 

You could also throw together a homemade alioli for it by mixing together crushed garlic, Dijon mustard and white wine vinegar.

Mushroom stroganoff

I had bought some mushrooms, Gipsy Spread bought more mushrooms, and so it was we had to eat these up before they started to sweat and pass their best. It was with this in mind, I decided on knock up this super easy and robust mushroom dish for dinner. An abundance of fungi is exactly what was called for in this dish. I used a combination of chestnut and the newly discovered forestiere mushrooms. I also add more depth to the gravy with my sectret ingredient of marmite which I often use in place of Worcestershire sauce or where beef stock is traditionally used.

 

What you will need

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

1 table spoon paprika

300g mixed mushrooms

150ml vegetable stock

1 tea spoon lemon juice

½ tea spoon marmite

½ tea spoon Dijon mustard

3 table spoons crème fraiche or yogurt

 

Firstly chop and crush the garlic. Saute these in some oil until translucent. Meanwhile halve or quarter the mushrooms.

When the onions have cooked through, add the paprika and the mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes. Next, add the vegetable stock, lemon juice, marmite and mustard and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Finally stir through the crème fraiche and heat through gently for a further minute before serving. Do not boil the crème fraiche to avoid splitting.

Serve with rice or new potatoes.

Soupe de haricots frais et tomate

Mother in law Spread’s tomato plants are blossoming and delivering fragrant fruit in every size and colour at the moment. There are, in fact too many to keep up with and when it rained this bank holiday Monday, there was nothing for it but to make this deliciously fresh and satisfying tomato and bean soup. I opted for the traditional way of covering the tomatoes with boiling water to peel them fresh, but you could also use the great modern invention of chopped tinned tomatoes if you want a slight cheat.
 

What you will need

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic

2 tins butter beans

700g chopped tomatoes

1.2 litres of vegetable stock

1 tea spoon chilli flakes

2 bay leaves

Fresh thyme

Fresh parsley

Celery leaves (optional)

Fresh basil

Begin by chopping the onion and garlic and soften in a large pan for 5-10 minutes until translucent.

 

When soft, add in the chopped tomatoes, stock, chillies and all the fresh herbs, Finally, add the drained tins of butterbeans.

 

Bring the soup to the boil, before covering and simmering for 40-45 minutes until reduced and thickened. Remove the bay leave and any thyme stalks.

 

Next, using a potato peeler, slightly squash the butterbeans through the soup.

Serve fresh and hot with some crème fraiche and grated cheese, along with some delicious sour dough bread.

Heavenly halloumi burgers

There is a fantastic vegetarian stall in Borough market which produces heavenly halloumi burgers. At £4,50 a pop though, I justify them as a Friday lunch time treat. It was with this mind and some halloumi in the Fridge that I decided to make my own heavenly halloumi burgers. I can say with all honesty that were delicious and extremelly fresh.


What you will need
1 packet halloumi
1  courgette
1 carrot
1/2 an onion
1 egg
4  heaped table spoons of plain flour


Begin by grating or blending together the courgette, carrot, halloumi and onion. Season very well with salt and pepper and stir in the egg and flour.

 The mix is quite loose, but add more flour if needed, before shaping into patties. Fry these in some oil.

Turnover and cook the other side for 5 minutes.

To ensure the burgers are cooked all the way through, place in the oven for 10 further minutes at 200 degrees.

Serve on burger baps with fresh tomato salsa and some slices of avocado.

These would be great cooked in advance and then re-heated on a BBQ to give your veggie friends a treat!

Leek and mushroom stuffed courgette boats with goats cheese

I came back from the Shires this weekend with some beautifully organic and fresh courgettes from Mother-in-Law Spread's garden. These fantastic little gourds were too pretty to chop and add to other dishes, so I decided to stuff the beautiful fresh vegetable with some of their seasonal and similarly local chums. I also had a fantastic British lemon and black pepper goats cheese which was going to make all the seasonal vegetables sing.


What you will need
2 courgettes
2 leeks
250g good quality mushrooms
1 handful chopped walnuts
2 cloves garlic
Juice of half a lemon
Fresh parsley
Fresh lemon thyme
Good quality goats cheese log


Firstly, begin by slicing the courgettes in half lengthways. Next, using either a melon scoop or tea spoon, scoop out the flesh. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees to soften before stuffing.

 

Next, slice the leeks and mushrooms and add to a pan of oil with the chopped courgette flesh. Season well with plenty of salt and pepper before adding the lemon juice and the crushed garlic. Allow the vegetables to cook down on a low heat for 10-15 minutes to remove as much water as possible.


When the vegetables have softened, stir through the chopped walnuts, fresh herbs and then stuff inside the courgettes.

Finally, top with the slices of the goats cheese log and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 20-25 minutes until the courgette flesh has softened and the goats cheese browned.

Serve with a green salad and balsamic drizzle.

Broad bean and goats cheese salad

Broad beans only have a very short season. I was very glad to walk into the Marks and Spencer's near my work to find some for sale. The revelation of the gorgeous bean from within the pod is very exciting. This meant of course that they had to be the star of the meal.


What you will need
180g broad beans
Lettuce leaves
A handful of radishes
1 log of goats cheese
1 clove garlic
1 tea spoon chilli flakes
Fresh mint
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3 table spoons


Start by de-podding the beans. Place into boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes. When ready, rinse with cold water.

Next, make the dressing using the olive oil, lemon juice, chopped garlic and chillies.


When ready to serve, toss the lettuce, broad beans and radishes together with the fresh chopped mint.


Place the salad on a plate and top with three slices of the goats cheese log (this can also be grilled, if desired).

Pour over the dressing and serve.

Porky's BBQ, Bankside, London

It was time for the monthly team lunch again and one member of the team who has been hankering on about Porky's for ages was assuaged by the rest of us with an agreement to visit the newly opened Bankside restaurant. Table booked for 10 (that is also the only way you can make a reservation) we arrived to find the cavernous interior vacuous, although it didn’t stay that way for long. We sat down and perused the already online-consulted menu.

 

With a name like Porky’s it was never going to be up for debate what the star of the show would be. The many variants of pulled pork, the ribs of the burgers that come with pulled pork? However, they do also do salads, the burgers are beef and they have the odd vegetarian option thrown in (a salad or bean burger). So, a bean burger it was going to be for me. As we went round the table, everyone order something slightly different. The last to order was my colleague who was the great Porky’s enthusiast. Much to all our amusement and consternation he ordered the bean burger!

Many sighs of exasperation and roll of eyes later, it was enquired as to why he wanted to come there, he just wanted to try it and doesn’t eat much meat normally (this is true). Luckily for him, he did get to sample some of the ‘tips’ from another colleague’s pork ribs and tips, which he said were meat-ful. Others enjoyed their large burgers and pulled pork with a bap. Portion sizes were vast.

 

 

My burger was fine. It was a solid bean burger, I added cheese to fine and the fries were very good. So in essence, if you come here with a bunch of carnivores there will still be something acceptable for you to eat. However for me as a vegetarian, I found the smell of the pork that permeated the whole building slightly off-putting. Probably more one for the meat eaters.