The BBC Good Food Show - 25/11/11

A spontaneous visit home resulted in me attending the 21^st BBC Good Food Show, at the NEC in Birmingham with my Auntie, who is also a big foodie. I’d never been before, whereas she had, so I was VERY excited but at the same time I didn’t really know what to expect, other than lots of food. We walked through the entrance and all I could see was stand after stand. It was huge! The first thing I spotted was the ‘World Cheese Awards’ area, it was my idea of HEAVEN! Tables and tables of cheese! I just wanted to be able to taste them all but unfortunately you couldn’t. Cheese is definitely my down fall in life. I ended up buying three cheeses from The Cheshire Cheese Company; taste of the raj, caramelised red onion and red rioja cheddar and cheddar with ale and mustard. I like trying new cheeses. The taste of the raj tasted like coronation chicken without the chicken, it was lovely. The Cheshire Cheese Company had a really interesting selection of cheeses. They sold the sticky toffee pudding cheese that I’ve tasted before. The offer was 3 cheeses for £10 so I chose my 3 favourites, it was difficult though. I’m saving them for the Christmas period. I know that once their open they won’t last long.

After wandering around the hundreds of cheeses we started to browse the stalls. We started tasting everything on offer; cheeses, sausages, olive oils, brownies, chutneys, jams, quiches, biscuits, ice-cream etc. etc. I also made the most of sampling all of the alcohol stands as I wasn’t driving. I looked at my watch and it was only about 11am and I’d already had shots of raspberry gin, cassis, wine, cider and vodka. I thought I better slow down. I bought some carrot and date chutney which had a slight spice to it. I bought my friend Tegan a few little presents; chocolate and banana jam, chocolate, cherry and banana jam and a chilli peanut butter. I bought a bottle of bottle green spiced berry cordial. It tasted exactly like mulled wine but it was obviously non-alcoholic, perfect for those adopting the role of driver over the Christmas period. I bought some toffee vodka after trying a shot, it was so easy to knock back. I thought it could be good fun over Christmas. I also bought a fantastic Greek salad which I had for lunch for the following two days. My Auntie bought A LOT! Cheese, cassis, balsamic vinegar, knifes, Sambuca … (that’s about all I can remember but there was definitely more). We had so many bags that we had to go and invest in a BBC Good Food Show wheelie bag, a concept we found very amusing.  

We watched a number of demonstrations at the show. We saw Gennaro Contaldo making Calzone on the Saturday Kitchen stage. We saw Rachel Allen doing a demonstration in the Magimix Theatre. My highlight of the show was meeting John Torode. He was doing a book signing so we went and bought a book each for him to sign. My Auntie bought me the MasterChef Kitchen Bible as an early Christmas present so I could get it signed. It was amazing to meet John Torode, even if it was just for a minute. After the book signing we headed to the Supertheatre to watch the ‘Michelin Starred Challenge’. It was between Glynn Purnell and Michael Caines. It was fascinating to watch these two talented chefs in action. I’d really like to visit their restaurants at some point in the not too distant future. Glynn Purnell was hilarious, he should have a television show. I managed to get their autographs afterwards. We also watched Michael Caines a little later on on the M and S stage where he was cooking a two course New Years Eve dinner; a haddock broth and fishcakes.

After we had had our fair share of wandering and tasting it was time for lunch, something I’d been looking forward to all day despite the amount I had already eaten. We ate in the MasterChef restaurant whilst watching the action from the MasterChef stage next door, which was hosted by Andy Peters. To start with we both had; Caramelised red onion and goats cheese tarte tatin which was served with a hazelnut and apple salad. For mains I had; Monkfish with butternut squash fondant, French beans and sauce vierge. This was lovely and a great lunch dish as it was light. For pudding we both had; Mango and passion fruit iced parfait with vodka and lime sorbet. The vodka and lime sorbet was served in a brandy snap basket. The pudding was my favourite part of the meal. All the food was inspired from contestants of MasterChef.

My favourite discovery of the whole show was Tim Kinnaird’s Macaroons and More stall. Tim Kinnaird is a MasterChef finalist and his macaroons are incredible! I bought four; mint chocolate, salted caramel, passion fruit and chocolate and gingerbread and chocolate. They weren't cheap but after eating them I wish I had bought more. The salted caramel one was my favourite. I've become a big fan of salted caramel recently.

I really enjoyed the BBC Good Food Show and I can’t wait to go again next year!

Christmas Cocktail Tasting at Cafe 21

I was lucky enough to be invited along to some Christmas cocktail tasting at Café 21. There were nine cocktails to try, each of which we had to be rate on; presentation, taste and Christmas appeal. Therefore, each cocktail received a score out of 30.  The three cocktails that scored the highest would become the Café 21 Christmas cocktails, giving customers something festive to enjoy before, alongside or after a fabulous dinner.

The first one we tasted was a Kumquat Mojito. Kumquats are currently being used in one of the puddings at Café 21; a steamed kumquat and ginger pudding. Kumquats taste like orange rind to me, they’re quite bitter. The base of this cocktail was a 50ml shot of Havana Club 7 years old which has a slight caramel taste to it. This was combined with six crushed kumquats, six fresh mint leaves, sugar syrup, lime juice and crushed ice. It was served long. It looked great but I felt it lacked Christmas appeal. The colour scheme of orange and green looked more spring or summer like. The cocktail itself was quite sharp.

The next one we tasted was a Sour Cherry Mojito. The base of this cocktail was a 25ml shot of Havana club 7 years old and a 25ml shot of Morgan’s spiced rum. This was combined with 5 wedges of lime, 8 mint leaves, brown sugar, sour cherry juice and crushed ice. It was served long. This cocktail had far more Christmas appeal because of the red and green colour scheme. I thought it would be overly sour but it wasn’t. I really liked it but felt it didn’t have a Christmas like flavour to it. It was definitely more of a feminine cocktail.

The next one we tasted was a Kentucky Muffin. The base of this cocktail was a 50ml shot of Jack Daniels black label. This was combined with apple juice, lime juice, crushed blueberries, sugar syrup and crushed ice. This was shaken then strained. It was served short in a tumbler.  I’m not a big whisky fan so therefore, this cocktail didn’t appeal to me. I think this would appeal far more to men. I’d describe the colour as a pale orange. It was garnished with a cocktail stick of blueberries which was laid across the glass. I thought it lacked Christmas appeal.

The next one we tasted was a Christmas Cosmo. I was really looking forward to trying this as I love cosmos. The base of this cocktail wasn’t vodka surprisingly, it was a 25ml shot of southern comfort and a 25ml shot of Cointreau. This was combined with lime cordial, a cinnamon stick, cranberry juice and ice. This was shaken and then strained into a martini glass. The edge of the martini glass had been rubbed in cinnamon sugar. The glass was garnished with a strip of flamed orange zest. I absolutely loved this! This was right up my street! It had SO much Christmas appeal. The cinnamon sugar around the edge of the glass worked so well, it added a lovely flavour to the cocktail, I wanted to lick it off of the glass. Cinnamon to me is a winter/Christmas flavour so this just screamed Christmas at me. Cosmos themselves are such a popular cocktail so this was a brilliant twist on a classic. This was definitely more of a feminine cocktail.

The next one we tasted was a Vie en Rouge. The base of this cocktail was a 50ml shot of Grand Marnier. This was combined with cranberry juice, lemon juice and sugar syrup. These were shaken and served over crushed ice. It was served short in a tumbler and was garnished with a cinnamon stick and an orange twist. It didn’t taste alcoholic to me, it was very drinkable. You got a sweet and bitter flavour. In the words of another taster, who I won’t name, you could taste it ‘all around your tongue’. I didn’t think it had much of a Christmas appeal apart from it's pink/red colour. It was more of a male cocktail.

The next ones we tasted were shots; Amaretto Soufflé and Strawberry Coffee. The amaretto soufflé consisted of disaronno, crème de cacao clear and double cream. The strawberry coffee consisted of Kahlua coffee liqueur, crème de fraise and double cream. They looked like mini liqueur coffees or mini pints of beer. The amaretto soufflé smelt like Christmas cake, I absolutely loved it! The strawberry coffee was very interesting, you got a mix of; strawberry, cream, coffee and alcohol. It hit all the after-dinner senses you’d want it to. They were like puddings in themselves so if you didn’t fancy a pudding you could have a couple of shots instead. The amaretto soufflé was my favourite out of the two. They would be perfect for after-dinner drinking, especially for large Christmas parties who wanted to hit the shots. 

The next one we tasted was an Espresso Martini. This consisted of Finlandia vodka, Kahlua coffee liqueur and crème de cacao clear. These were shaken with ice and  served in a martini glass. It looked fantastic! It was garnished with coffee beans that sat on top of the double cream. It was like a cold liqueur coffee. It would make the perfect after-dinner drink. I absolutely loved it as I’m a massive fan of liqueur coffees. It didn’t taste massively alcoholic which was nice, it tasted like sweet iced coffee. This would be a great cocktail to have on the list all year round. There’s nothing particularly Christmas like about it but I LOVED it!

The last one we tasted was a Lots’O’Passion. This consisted of Finlandia vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, lime juice, passion fruit puree and sugar syrup. These were shaken with crushed ice and strained into a martini glass. It was garnished with a lime wheel. It lacked Christmas appeal, I thought it was more of a summer cocktail. It was quite sour but there was a hint of sweetness at the same time. It would make a great pallet cleanser or pre-dessert cocktail. This was more of a feminine cocktail.

The winners were:

1^st = Christmas Cosmo

2^nd = Cherry Mojito

Combined 3^rd = Espresso Martini and Vie en Rouge

Lots’O’Passion has been added to the Café 21 Christmas cocktail list instead of Vie en Rouge.

My three favourites were; Christmas Cosmo, Espresso Martini and Amaretto Soufflé.

I would highly recommend paying Café 21 a visit to try one of their festive cocktails or a glass of mulled wine (gluhwein). There are lots of Christmas goodies laid out on the bar at the moment. It’s like being in a sweet shop, you turn back into being an overly excited child, well I did anyway! I bought a pack of florentines, a peanut brittle and two bars of chocolate. One bar was a milk chocolate fruit and nut bar and the other was a white chocolate bar with dried rose petals and strawberries. The florentines were very very moreish and the chocolate bars were incredible! So why not wander to Café 21 and have a cheeky Christmas cocktail and a browse of their festive treats? I’d recommend you book for lunch or dinner though as the food at Café 21 is second to none.

Tegan and I stayed for dinner after the cocktail tasting. It would have been rude not to!

To start with I had; Seared Sea Scallops with Pumpkin Chutney and Tegan had; Oeuf Bourgignon. The Oeuf Bourgignon consisted of; crispy fried egg, red wine shallots, duck confit, grilled mushrooms and duck crackling. Both were fabulous!

For main we both had; Medallions of Venison with Cherries, Walnuts and Goat’s Cheese Mash. This was such an incredible dish!

For pudding Tegan had; French Style Christmas Log and I had; Hot Lemon Curd Soufflé. Both of which were to die for!

Dinner at The Ivy - 13/06/11

A friend and I were staying in Covent Garden in London for a few days and thought we’d try the Ivy for dinner. I rang them up at about 9am in the morning to see if they had a table for that evening, they did, but only at 9.30pm. It was a bit late but we decided it would be worth it. The Ivy is somewhere I have always wanted to eat because of its renowned reputation. We discovered it was within walking distance of our hotel which was an added bonus. I’ve heard so many good things about The Ivy that I had high expectations.

On arrival The Ivy appeared very grand. We were greeted outside the front door by a suited gentleman wearing a top hat who opened the door for us. We were shown through to the restaurant where we were met by another suited gentleman who told us our table wasn’t quite ready. We took a seat in the small bar area while we waited. I felt like we were being judged because of the fact we were both young as the staff weren’t particularly welcoming or friendly. By the time we were seated it was nearly 10pm. The restaurant was absolutely rammed. Our table was uncomfortably close to the next. We might as well have gone and sat with the couple next to us as we could hear every word of their conversation. For the record they were both eating fish and chips! Who goes to The Ivy and orders fish and chips?! I understand that The Ivy is a busy restaurant and that they need to accommodate for a large number of guests. However, for the amount you pay for the privilege of eating there you would think they’d allow you a little room to breathe.

We started our evening off with a glass of champagne whilst we looked over the menu, which offered quite some choice. As is now standard procedure I got my camera out of my bag ready to take some photos of what I hoped would be a fantastic meal. I decided to take a picture of the setting in front of me as the napkins had The Ivy written on them. I was immediately approached by a female member of staff who told me I wasn’t allowed to take photos. This really angered me as I always take pictures of my food when I dine out and quite frankly when you’re paying the prices you do at The Ivy you should be allowed to do what the hell you like! The Ivy isn't even Michelin starred! Michelin starred restaurants allow you to take photos. We asked our waiter a little later on why the use of cameras was forbidden and he told us that it was to protect the celebrities that dine there. Sorry, but SOD the celebrities! I could understand my 'telling off' had I been pointing my camera around the room but I hadn’t. The menu actually states on it no cameras or mobiles! I just found this request absolutely ridiculous!  My first impressions of The Ivy were disappointing and this was before we’d even tasted a mouthful of food. It didn’t look like anything special from the outside and if I’m honest it didn’t feel it inside.

We chose two starters which we decided we would share. We chose; Char-grilled squid salad with preserved lemon, fennel and spicy chorizo and aromatic duck with golden watermelon and cashews.  The starters, for me, were the best part of the meal. The char-grilled squid salad was delicious. The squid was beautifully cooked and was accompanied in the salad by sun-blushed tomatoes, mint, spring onions, and red onions. I couldn’t taste the fennel which made me question whether it was even there. I enjoyed the flavour of the squid and mint together but it was quite overpowering at times. I felt they’d put a little too much mint in the salad which detracted from other flavours. I wouldn’t have described the chorizo as spicy and there was hardly any of it, you had to dig around to find it. I also found a lemon pip in the salad which was a little worrying. The duck was full of Asian style flavours, which I absolutely love. It had; lemongrass, chilli, spring onion, coriander and ginger which complemented the flavour of the duck beautifully. The watermelon was really refreshing and the cashew nuts added great texture to the dish. The golden watermelon made the dish look a little dull, I felt they should have used standard pink watermelon to add colour to the dish. My friend thought the flavours in the dish hadn’t been mixed enough as they kept getting separate bursts of each flavour rather than experiencing them all together.

Our mains arrived 20 minutes after our starters had been cleared which annoyed me. It’s nice to have a break between courses, but anymore that 10 to 15 minutes and I feel like I’m being teased. I don’t like eating late and the fact that we were seated half an hour later than scheduled meant it was coming up to nearly 11pm before we received our main courses. I had wanted to order the fillet of cod with grilled asparagus and lentil salsa but they had run out of it. Another disappointment to add to my list! Instead, I chose the grilled plaice with samphire and brown shrimps. My friend chose the slow-roast pork belly with wilted cabbage and grelot onion. I would describe my main course as average. It definitely didn’t knock my socks off. The plaice was well cooked and tasted fresh. They hadn’t cooked it in a ton of butter which pleased me. The samphire complemented the fish beautifully. However, I felt there weren’t enough of the brown shrimps. My friend’s pork belly was flavoursome. I wouldn’t say it had been well-cooked as very little of the fat had crisped. It was overly fatty which I hate, hence why I tend to avoid pork belly. The grelot onion was really tasty and the sauce was delicious. It had been made from French mustard and complemented the flavour of the pork wonderfully. However, it was quite rich.

For pudding I chose the chocolate pudding with peppermint ice-cream. It had been recommended to me by a family friend. I expected the chocolate pudding to be a moulded chocolate fondant, but I was wrong. It was served in a bowl and hadn’t even been moulded properly. The peppermint ice cream had been plonked on top of the pudding in a careless fashion. It didn’t look well thought out causing it to lack appeal on the eye. The chocolate pudding itself was good but it was ever so rich, I struggled to finish it which isn’t like me at all. The peppermint ice-cream was lovely and helped to take away a little of the richness of the chocolate.

I can now say I’ve eaten at the Ivy but I doubt I’ll be returning anytime soon. 

Lunch at Las Iguanas - 02/12/11

Tegan and I had decided to take a wander around the Monument Christmas market. It was offering lots of different foods; noodles, bratwursts, paella, ostrich and kangaroo burgers, hog roasts and sweet French treats. My nose was overwhelmed by the incredible smells wafting from each stall. However, nothing took our fancy and we weren’t too fond of the idea of having to eat our food in the freezing cold. As we were on Grey Street we decided to try Las Iguanas. It’s a Latin inspired bar that hasn’t been open particularly long. It’s really funky inside, especially the bar area. 

We started off with a glass of their ‘Caribbean Rum Punch’ (Havana Club Especial, Havana Club 7, crème d’abricot, lime and pineapple juices, sugar, almond syrup and angostura bitters). It was SO good! I’m a massive fan of rum punch! We decided to accompany our punch with some tapas. They do an offer of 3 tapas dishes for £13.50. We ordered Lamb Empanada, which consisted of two crispy pasties filled with slow-braised lamb rubbed in smoky chilli and came served with spicy cranberry salsa. We also ordered Pato Taquito, which consisted of shreds of roast duck and caramelised onion rolled in a flour tortilla and came served with a sticky chilli jam. We were torn on what to choose as our third dish but decided on the Coconut Chicken, which consisted of crispy chicken, sweetly sealed in coconut and chilli crumb and came served with a sweet mango peri-peri. All three dishes were delicious. Tegan’s favourite was the lamb, the cranberry salsa was amazing, it had a nice little tang to it. I really liked the coconut chicken, the mango peri-peri had a little kick to it and the coconut wasn’t too strong. The portion size was larger than what I would usually expect for tapas. They would be ideal dishes to accompany a cheeky cocktail in the bar one afternoon or evening.

For main, Tegan chose The Extraordinary Xinxim from under the Brazil heading on the menu. It consisted of lime chicken in a crayfish and peanut sauce and came served with rice, fine green beans, toasted coconut farofa and sweet plantains. I had a taste of it and it was scrumptious. I was tempted to order it myself but I wasn’t sure how well chicken, crayfish and peanut sauce would go together, but it really worked. The sauce was creamy but light and the chicken was so succulent.  I’d never tasted plantains before but I liked them and they complemented the dish extremely well. I chose the chicken fajitas. Not very original I know, but I hadn’t had fajitas in ages and I just really fancied them. The chicken had been blended with coriander, lime, paprika, cumin, onions and peppers. It came served with chunky guacamole, soured cream, jalapeños, home-made salsa, cheese and soft wheat tortillas.  The fajita mix came served in a sizzling hot pan and I was pleased to see there was plenty of chicken. The accompaniments came served in little bowls on a board which I liked. The guacamole and salsa were really tasty. My one criticism was that the tortillas were too small. 

We ordered cocktails to accompany our mains. We both ordered a ‘Cool Cuban’ (Havana Club Especial rum, Sauvignon Blanc, mint, elderflower, apple and lemon juices and topped with soda). It was very drinkable. It came served in a wine glass over crushed ice and was finished off with a sprig of mint and a slice of apple.

I was really impressed with Las Iguanas. The food was great and so was the service. I shall definitely be returning there soon for another ‘Cool Cuban’ and some more tapas. 

The Bugle - 11/06/11

Mum, Dad and I had been in Southampton for the morning as Dad had been out on a sun-seeker experience, a present James and I had brought him for his birthday. After he’d finished we decided to drive out to Hamble and find somewhere to have lunch.

We wandered down a narrow cobbled street towards the harbour, hoping that we’d find somewhere. We were nearing the harbour, after passing a few pubs that looked fairly average, and still hadn’t found anything that caught our eye. We then stumbled across The Bugle. Without looking at the menu I said to Dad, ‘let’s go here’. It was busier than all of the other places we had passed put together and it looked like our kind of place. After looking at the menu I was definitely right. I couldn’t decide what to eat, it all sounded so good! There was a board with the daily fish specials on and they all sounded really unique.

As it was lunch time I opted for the; Local ale battered fish finger ‘sarni’ with cucumber, tartare sauce and hand-cut chips. Mum opted for the; Pork and chorizo burger with apple relish and hand-cut chips and Dad opted for the; Hampshire beef burger, with tomato relish and hand-cut chips which he added cheese to.

My fish finger sandwich was the best I have ever had! Some people would argue that its child’s food but I like to think of it as a guilty pleasure. I love it because it’s not your typical sandwich. The Bugle use Naked baker bread, it was gorgeously thick and fresh. The fish fingers were amazing! They were chunky and crispy and the fact that they had been battered in ale just made them so much more tasty.  Some establishments use the 'Birds Eye style' breaded fish fingers, but these were PROPER fish fingers! The tartare sauce was delicious and they had put just the right amount in the sandwich.

I had a taste of Mum and Dad’s burgers and they were yummy, especially the pork and chorizo one. They were really juicy and flavoursome and the apple relish and tomato relish were delicious. I love the way all of our chips were served in mini silver buckets, I’ve seen it before, but I just think it’s a really nice touch. The chips were really good, they still had the skins on and you could definitely tell they were hand-cut. They weren't greasy and they weren’t overly thick like some hand-cut chips can be.

Overall, a really fantastic lunch. If I lived nearer to The Bugle, I think I would become a regular. 

The Red Lion - 08/06/11

My brother and I decided to go for an impromptu lunch at the Red Lion in Long Compton. I had been before but not for quite some time. It’s a charming pub that bears old fire places and beams which give it character and create a cosy and comfortable atmosphere. It is an informal kind of a place where you can drink, play pool in the separate games room, eat or sleep. There is a spacious garden to the rear which offers child entertainment in the form of a wooden obstacle course. There’s a gorgeous chocolate Labrador that potters around searching for ‘feeders’. However, there are signs on the pub walls saying ‘Much as I would like it … please don’t feed me. It’s an amusing touch. It was a Wednesday lunch time and practically every table was occupied.

For starters I chose the; Marinated chicken brochettes, spring onion and cucumber salad and spicy peanut sauce. Brochettes is literally a posh word for kebabs. The dish consisted of two reasonably sized chicken skewers which had been coated in the spicy peanut sauce. I felt that the salad leaves that were served with the kebabs were unnecessary. They were over dressed with French vinaigrette which detracted from the cucumber, spring onion and peanut flavour. The peanut sauce was lovely however, it wasn't particularly spicy. James chose; Smoked salmon, bubble and squeak and Hollandaise sauce.  I tasted this and I must say the phrase ‘food envy’ came to mind. His starter was really lovely. My only criticism would be that, again, there were too many salad leaves served with it. It detracts from certain flavours within the dish and looks poor on the eye. Sometimes less is more!

For mains I chose the; Pan-fried calves liver with spring greens, red onion jam, pancetta and horseradish jus. I chose this dish because calves liver with horseradish jus and red onion jam was something I found quite unusual and hadn’t seen done before. Unfortunately, it didn’t taste as good as it sounded. For a start, it didn’t look particularly appetising. Far too much sauce had been put on the plate so the liver looked like it was taking a swim. I couldn’t even taste the horseradish in the jus, it just tasted plain. There wasn’t a great deal of red onion jam for the amount of liver provided and the amount that was served had been shoved on top of the liver which just looked poor. It wasn’t sticky or thick like I expected it to be. The spring greens were hardly apparent and were hidden underneath the liver and therefore, drowned by sauce.  The liver itself was lovely, it melted in the mouth and had been cooked well but overall it was a very disappointing main. James chose the; Char-grilled ribeye steak with roasted vine tomatoes and Café de Paris butter. I criticised his choice as being boring as it’s something you could do yourself at home but after tasting his steak I could see why he chose it. It just melted in your mouth and the Café de Paris better was delicious.

For pudding I chose the; Banoffee and pecan pie with caramel sauce and James chose the; White chocolate terrine with fresh berries and a brandy snap biscuit. The presentation of both was good. The banoffee and pecan pie was extremely tasty, all of the ingredients were in the correct proportion to one another. Sometimes banoffee pie can be overly creamy or the base can be too thick. However, there were only three pecans on top of the pie which I thought was a little bit of a let-down. The pecans did add a nice flavour and texture to the banoffee pie though. James again chose the better option. The terrine looked beautiful on the plate and it tasted it too. It wasn’t sickly like white chocolate can sometimes be, it was surprisingly light. Pudding for me was probably the best part of the meal. However, it still wasn’t spot on.

I wasn't overly impressed with the Red Lion, I have had better meals there. I've been there before and had fish and chips served on the ‘Red Lion Times’, which were the best I've had outside of a fish and chip shop. Maybe it was the Head Chef’s day off, maybe because we were one of the last tables they couldn't be bothered or maybe I simply made bad choices. 

Grainger Market - Cheese, Cheese and More Cheese!

On average, I'd say I visit Grainger Market at least once a week. I buy all my fruit and vegetables there because it's ridiculously cheap. My favourite thing about Grainger Market by far is the cheese counter. I have discovered some very unusual cheeses there, some nice and others not so nice.

My first discoveries were; sticky toffee pudding cheese with dates and raisins and white stilton with strawberries and champagne. I wasn't too keen on the white stilton, it left an odd taste in your mouth. The sticky toffee pudding cheese was delicious. Although, you wouldn't want to eat too much of it as it could quickly become sickly as it was rather sweet. However, it is a very clever cheese, when you can't choose between a pudding and cheese you can now have both!

My second discoveries were; cheddar with walnuts, Wensleydale with pineapple and white stilton with mango and ginger. The first two were incredible! However, I wasn't overly keen on the white stilton again. I think I will avoid it from now on!

I decided to make a lunch-time omelette with the cheddar. I made it using 3 eggs, a little milk, some spinach and black pepper. It was different but surprisingly nice. The cheese added flavour to the omlette and the walnuts added texture.

The Hand and Flowers - 25/07/11 and The Crazy Bear 26/07/11

I went to stay with my friend Tegan who lives is High Wycombe for a few days during the summer. Herself and her family are huge foodies so I knew some good food would be on the cards.

On the Monday night we went to The Hand and Flowers in Marlow. The Hand and Flowers is a 2 Michelin starred pub, the first of it's kind! Tom Kerridge's food is SENSATIONAL!

Quail tart with green olives, chicory and aged gruyère

Breast of Suffolk chicken with pistachio crumble, lovage poached celery, soft polenta and spring truffle

Essex lamb “bun” with sweetbreads and salsa verde

Warm pistachio sponge cake with melon sorbet and marzipan

Raspberry soufflé with muscovado ice-cream and mint sauce

On the Tuesday night we went to The Crazy Bear in Beaconsfield. What a fantastic place! Great food and the décor is incredible.

Pan-seared Lyme Bay scallops with cauliflower puree, pickled pears and crispy kale

Trio of farm reared lamb - rack, shoulder and kidney with dauphinoise potatoes, pea purée, rosemary and garlic jus

Salted butter caramel served with dark chocolate sorbet and peanut and corn snow wafer.