Street Spice - 28/02/13 - 01/03/13

I was unsure as to whether I should write this blog post after I was one of 342 people (according to the Chronicle) to suffer from illness after eating at Street Spice, a 3 day festival organised by Bob Arora, owner of Sachins, in aid of Brain Tumour UK. However, I felt it would be an injustice not to mention the stall holders whose food tantalised my taste buds. The event appeared a great success at the time, the marquee at Centre for Life was constantly bustling with people (it is estimated 12,000 attended) and the majority of the time there was a queue to get in. I attended on both the Friday and Saturday evening and it’s safe to say over the two days I ate too much and drank too much of Wylam Brewery’s fantastic cider. It was an enjoyable event, it’s just a shame it has been overshadowed by so many people suffering from illness because of it.

Here are my favourites:

The Rib Man - http://www.theribman.co.uk/

I was disappointed to have missed Mark Gervaux, aka. The Rib Man, at Urban Night Feast when he ventured from London to Newcastle to sell his famous ribs to us Toon dwellers (#ribtoon). So when I heard he was making an appearance at Street Spice I knew exactly where my first port of call was going to be! His ribs have caused quite a stir amongst avid foodies both North and South so I couldn’t wait to tuck into one of his renowned rib meat rolls. They may have been £6 a pop but it was money well spent in my opinion. I bit into the soft roll that was over-flowing with rib meat and suddenly realised what all the fuss was about. Hot, succulent and sticky rib meat shredded off the bone and made into a pulled rib roll. In the words of my good friend, Miss Katie Rose Lowe, "an absolute taste sensation"! I probably didn’t look particularly attractive eating it but it tasted so good that I really didn’t give a damn. My brother described it as “the best thing he’d tasted in a long time”. Mark’s ribs are of the baby back variety from pigs reared outdoors on farms in Norfolk and Suffolk. He cooks his ribs on a barbecue and then wraps them in foil before placing them in a large insulated box to continue cooking slowly.

As well as selling rib meat rolls at Street Spice, he was also selling half racks and full racks of ribs. My brother decided he couldn’t leave without trying a full rack of The Rib Man’s ribs so we waited patiently until they were ready. When it was announced over the microphone that the racks were finally good to go everyone flooded to his stand but due to the fact we’d spent about half an hour over the course of the evening talking to Mark my brother was given the privilege of being first to purchase a full rack. He also bought some Holy Fuck sauce which Mark created because he was unable to find a hot sauce he liked. It is made, bottled and labelled by the man himself. Trust me, it is named appropriately! It may be full of heat but it is also full of flavour. The full rack was worth the wait but personally I preferred the rib meat roll. My brother, however, loved both and has now developed a little bit of an obsession with The Rib Man.

Mark  is a friendly East Londoner who possesses a genuine passion for proper street food . Through talking to him and watching him work it is apparent that he absolutely loves what he does ... cooking his ribs, feeding them to people and watching those people enjoy them on the streets! 

My brother and I are already planning a visit to London to see him.

Follow him on Twitter - @theribman  

El Kantina - http://www.elkantina.co.uk/

El Kantina was another street food sensation I missed at Urban Night Feast. They were only at Street Spice on the Saturday so I went back especially to sample some of their pulled pork. It was totally worth going back for. They had four options available on their menu. We decided we’d try two. I’d be gagging to try their nachos so they were a must. We were then intrigued by their ‘Cone of Love’ – Cajun spiced homefries with nutmeg butter, pulled pork and BBQ sauce. It was a cone of serious yumminess. But the nachos were the favourite. Just looking at the photo of them makes me drool. I am never going to be able to eat nachos again without thinking about how unbelievable El Kantina’s were. Dare I say the best around? They were far nicer than the usual marriage of nachos with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, grated cheese and jalapeños.  That seems boring in comparison to their nachos which are covered in chipotle sour cream, home-made pickles, BBQ sauce, cheese and of course their juicy Southern style pulled pork. My brother had decided not to come back with us on the Saturday but I couldn’t let him miss out so I went back to El Kantina and bought some take-away nachos for him. He enjoyed them just as much as I did.

Like The Rib Man, the people behind the wonderful El Kantina are utterly lovely and ooze enthusiasm for what they do. They are based in Yorkshire, but however, dedicate time to travelling Mexico and South America in search of new ideas.

I hope to see El Kantina again very soon!

Follow them on Twitter – @ElKantina

David Kennedy’s Street Social

Food Social is up there in my top five restaurants in Newcastle. I could have eaten everything Mr D.K had on offer as it all sounded scrumptious. He had 3 great options available for vegetarians too, something other stalls were lacking. I opted for his ‘Zapper’s’ spice rubbed charred beef and avocado wrap with chipotle dressing. Each mouthful consisted of tender rare beef, a sharp kick from the Zapper’s spice rub and the chipotle dressing and a welcoming ‘cool down’ from the avocado. It was fresh, tasty and easy to eat without making an absolute mess. 

Follow him on Twitter - @Dkfs16

Electric East - http://www.electric-east.co.uk/

I only discovered Electric East this year. Better late than never! If you’re in search of proper Asian food then look no further. A good friend who has travelled around South East Asia said the food at Electric East was better than that he’d eaten whilst travelling, to me that speaks volumes. I was torn between their Malaysian Nonya Chicken and Beef Rendang (which is one of their signature dishes that never ventures from their menu). I was swayed toward the chicken, as I’ve had it before and loved it, which I paired with their peanut sauce. It was as good as I remembered and I liked the dinky box it came served in. Keep your eyes peeled for these guys at future food festivals!

Follow them on Twitter - @ElectricEast

Riley’s Fish Shack - http://rileysfishshack.com/

I’d been following Riley’s Fish Shack, a husband and wife team, on Twitter but first came across them in Tynemouth on a particularly cold day back in November when my Uncle and Aunt were up visiting. I tucked into one of their lovely monkfish fritter wraps as I wandered around the park next to the Queen Victoria monument. They were a definite on my Street Spice 'to eat' list. I wanted to try something different so I opted for their crab and onion bhajis and my brother decided to try their langoustines, which we watched Adam cook. Both came served in a cone shaped piece of tin-foil, which gave their food a bit of a seaside feel, and were served with caperberry salsa and raita. The bhajis were delicious and the langoustines were fresh and sweet.

Riley’s Fish Shack has now teamed up with Wylam Brewery to bring you ‘The Boiler Shop Steamer’ at The Stephenson Works on Sussex Street. It’s an ‘after-work social’, taking place on the first Friday and Saturday of every month, which will feature street food, drink of the alcoholic variety, pop-up shops as well as entertainment in the form of cinema, comedy and live music to name a few.

Find out more at - www.theboilershopsteamer.com

Follow them on Twitter - @rileysfishshack/@steamerevent

Rachel's Cupcakes

Rachel Price-Whittle is the face behind ‘Rachel’s Cupcakes’. I first met Rachel last summer at a preview event, at the One Elm in Stratford-upon-Avon, for last year’s Stratford Food Festival. I remember trying her mini cocktail cupcakes which were mojito and strawberry daiquiri.  I was then lucky enough to win a box of four of her cupcakes in a raffle that evening. I fell in love with her award winning and very scrumptious gluten-free sticky toffee pudding cupcake.

Since meeting Rachel her business has gone from strength to strength. Rachel always baked at home as a child with her Mum, who is a chef. When she was eighteen she began a degree at Coventry University studying Sports and Exercise Science, something she admits is the complete opposite to what she’s doing now. However, she felt it gave her the confidence to pursue what she wanted to do, open her very own bakery! During her time at university she began working in her mother’s farm shop. This is where her cupcakes were born. She was there for two years before the demand for her cupcakes became so great she required larger premises so she moved to Yew Tree Farm Café in Wootton Wawen. She was there for three years but unfortunately had to leave at the beginning of this month after her lease wasn’t renewed. Onwards and upwards, she moved to Redditch, bringing forward plans to open her own bakery at the end of this year. However, this worked in her favour as she now has cakes flying out of the door on a daily basis with the shop front due to open in two weeks’ time. She also currently has a stand in The Kingfisher Centre in Redditch which has proved extremely popular and led to the managing director offering her a shop within the centre which she plans to open as a cupcake café in April or May.

So if you’re ever in Redditch DO NOT leave without paying Rachel’s Bakery or Cupcake Café a visit!

Rachel’s business may be called Rachel’s Cupcakes but they are not the only thing she bakes. If you follow her on Twitter or have liked her Facebook page you’ll see images of lots of divine looking cupcakes (some of which are seasonal) but also giant cupcakes, beautiful wedding cakes, fun birthday cakes and various tarts and slices. It was coming up to February which is when all my family’s birthdays begin, mum in February, myself in March, dad in April and my brother in May (expensive few months), and unlike my dad and brother I actually begin to think about my mum’s birthday more than a few days in advance. So in January I bought my train tickets home, bought her present, but what about a cake? No birthday is complete without a cake! I wanted something unique, not a generic shop bought cake. It was her 60^th last year and I’d been planning for her to have a crossword cake then, as at weekends she always sits and does the crossword and if my Nan is there they do it together, but sadly I couldn’t find anyone to make it for her. This year I immediately thought of the wonderfully talented Rachel. I sent her an email outlining what I wanted and left it in her capable hands. She couldn’t have done a better job! It looked absolutely fantastic (so much so that Mum didn’t want to ruin it by cutting it), tasted lovely (the sponge was gorgeously moist) and most importantly Mum adored it.

If you want a cake for a special occasion that looks delicious, tastes delicious and isn’t stupidly expensive then Rachel is the lady you need to contact! I know who’ll be making all my family’s birthday cakes from now on!

You can:

Follow Rachel on Twitter – @RachelsCupcake

Or

Like Rachel on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rachelscupcakes1

Food Nation's Cookery Classes for Autistic Children at Ouesburn Farm - 19/02/2013

According to The National Autistic Society there are over 500,000 people in the UK suffering from autism. ‘Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with, and relates to, other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them’. Autism is a ‘spectrum’ condition, meaning that it affects individuals in different ways. 

The National Autistic Society runs a project in which they organise extra-curricular activities for autistic children to participate in. They organised for Food Nation to run four cookery classes hosted at and funded by Ouesburn Farm. Food Nation and Ouseburn Farm have formed a relationship whereby both organisations work alongside one another and promote each other’s services and resources.  The aim of the cookery classes was to provide the children with; new lifestyle skills, an opportunity to work together in order to develop their communication skills and the chance to try new foods.

The children, aged 12-16 years, were split into two groups, a Tuesday night group and a Thursday night group. They each received two classes. In the first class they cooked a vegetable carbonara and in the second class they cooked quesadillas. Each class had a maximum of 12 children who were supervised and supported by a fantastic team from the National Autistic Society and Food Nation volunteers.

The recipes the children cooked were healthy, reasonably simple and the ingredients they used were seasonal. The method was demonstrated to them at the front of the class in stages, with a heavy emphasis on safety. After they were shown each stage they went back to their tables and worked together in small groups under supervision and took it in turns to perform tasks, i.e. chopping vegetables. 

When making their quesadillas they each made their own tortilla from scratch and then filled it with their choice of filling; mozzarella, tomato, pepper, sweetcorn and basil before cooking it themselves. During the demonstrations the children were asked questions about the ingredients they were using and for example, what country quesadillas come from to encourage their learning.

It surprised me how intelligent some of the children were. There is a form of autism known as Asperger syndrome which is considered a ‘hidden disability’. The condition is not apparent and children who suffer from it often have above average intelligence. I’d never experienced being around autistic children before and it amazed me how children all suffering from the same condition display such different personalities. Some seemed like perfectly ‘normal’ children, others were a little over excitable, some were quite anxious and a small minority were slightly aggressive.

From talking to some of the children and watching them interact with one another it was apparent that they liked cooking and enjoyed attending the classes. At the end of the class the children could eat their food or take it home. If there was enough time left the team from the National Autistic Society, who I can’t express enough admiration for, took the children to see the animals outside, something they found fascinating. The idea behind this was to hopefully spark an interest in the venue and encourage the children to want to visit the farm again in the future.

At the end of their two classes at Ouesburn Farm each of the children were awarded a certificate and given recipe cards outlining the ingredients and methods for the two recipes they had cooked.

Jamie's Ministry of Food North East Adult Cookery Class - 23/01/2013

I went along to one of Jamie's Ministry of Food North East adult cookery classes that take place at Food Nation in Heaton to volunteer and take some photos. The idea behind the classes is to teach people the basics of cooking in order to inspire them to get in the kitchen at home preparing nutritious meals that are tasty and don't cost a fortune.

When I arrived at the kitchen I helped prepare each participants ingredients tray which is put on their bench ready for when they arrive. 

There were 10 people taking part that evening, all of whom differed in age and ability, the youngest being 17 years old. They  pay £5 each week to cover the cost of the ingredients and each week they cook a different recipe. They were making chicken fajitas with fresh tomato salsa and home-made guacamole that night. The week before they'd made a pea and mint soup.

The class was taken by Katie who has a degree in nutrition. She demonstrates each step of the method from the front of the class and then the class go off and do it before coming back to watch her demonstrate the next step. Katie makes the classes fun and interesting by educating the class about the ingredients they're using, for example that avocados contain 'healthy' fat. We had an amusing conversation about coriander tasting like soap to some people and Katie explained that by using a more mature cheddar you can use less without losing flavour therefore, saving on the calories. As can you use wholemeal tortillas instead.

First the class were shown how to cut their chicken into suitable sized strips, then they washed their hands and changed their chopping boards. Next they were shown how to cut the peppers and onion and then marinate it with the chicken in paprika and cumin. Then they were shown how to make their fresh tomato salsa. Finally they were shown how to cook their fajita mix. 

Katie showed the class how to make guacamole, this was the only thing they didn't then go off and do themselves. However, they got to try it in the fajita she made for everybody to have a little taste of. Everyone seemed to like it. They then went back to their benches to assemble their own fajitas. 

The class was an hour and a half long and each person's ingredients made enough for them to take at least two, if not three, fajitas home. They also take a printed copy of the recipe home with them.

I had a wander round the kitchen whilst the class were busy cooking and asked them all why they had decided to participate in the classes. Most people had similar reasons; they loved food, they wanted to learn to cook healthier dishes, they wanted to learn the basics, they wanted to learn to cook new dishes rather than the same old thing, they wanted to broaden their range of skills, they enjoyed the social element of the class and the fact that they were learning as part of a group and they enjoyed it because it was hands on and easier than watching cookery demonstrations on the television.

A couple of reasons that stood out for me were two of the younger members of the group, one girl and one boy both in their 20's, who said they were taking part in order to be able to cook for their partners. I also had quite a long chat with a mother who is taking part in the class with two of her children. She saw the classes as something they could do together as a family and said she wished she'd found them before her eldest son went off to university as it would have been helpful for him to have learnt to cook before he left home. 

Whatever their reasons it was lovely to see so many people passionate about learning to cook proper food. If you're interested in taking part in the classes then you can find out more about them here - http://www.foodnation.org/cooking-skills.

I went home and tried the recipe myself and I have to say it was so much nicer to make fajitas from scratch rather than using an Old El Paso kit. Also, home-made salsa and guacamole is so much nicer than shop brought. It's a really fresh and flavoursome recipe that's simple, quick, cheap, healthy and tasty. All the things you could want out of a dinner.

This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients:

1 x red pepper (I used half a red pepper and half a yellow pepper to add extra colour)
1 x medium red onion
1 x skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 x tsp smoked paprika
1 x small pinch of ground cumin
2 x limes
Olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
4 x small or 2 large flour tortillas
1 x 150ml tub of low-fat natural yoghurt
50g grated cheddar cheese

For the salsa:

1 x fresh red chilli
15 x ripe cherry tomatoes
A small bunch or coriander
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 x lime
Olive oil

For the guacamole:

1 x ripe avocado
A small handful of cherry tomatoes (mixed-colours if possible)
1 x fresh red chilli
A few springs of fresh coriander
1 x lime

Method:

1. Slice your chicken lengthways into long, thin strips.
2. Halve and deseed your pepper and cut into strips roughly the same size as the chicken.
3. Peel, halve and finely slice your onion.
4. Put the chicken, peppers and onion into a bowl with the paprika and cumin.
5. Squeeze over the juice of half a lime, drizzle over a little olive oil and season with a good pinch of pepper before mixing well. Put to one side to marinate while you make your salsa.
6.  To make the salsa, finely chop your chilli and roughly chop your tomatoes and coriander (including the stalks). Put the chilli and tomatoes into a bowl with the salt and pepper and the juice of one lime and then stir in the coriander.
7. To make the guacamole, squeeze a handful of cherry tomatoes on to a board. Finely chop up the flesh with  the red chilli and a handful of coriander. Halve and stone the avocado, then squeeze it over a board so that the flesh comes out of the skin. Squeeze over the lime juice and chop everything together until fine.
8. Put a griddle pan on a high heat and wait until hot before adding the chicken, pepper and onion. Cook for 6-8 minutes until the chicken is golden and cooked through. Keep the ingredients moving about so that they don't burn.
9. Warm your tortillas up in the microwave.
10. Build your fajitas - spoon the chicken, pepper and onion into the middle of your tortilla, top with salsa, guacamole, yoghurt and grated cheddar and wrap and enjoy! Be careful not to overfill your wrap else it could get messy!

Newcastle Restaurant Week - 21/01/2013 - 27/01/2013

Lets face it, January is a pretty depressing month for most people. Christmas and New Year have passed by in a flash again, we've gained a few extra pounds from excessive eating and drinking with friends and family, New Years resolutions have already gone out of the window, it's cold, it's dark by 4 o'clock and worst of all everyone's bank accounts are looking pretty dire.

Thank God for NE1 giving us Newcastle Restaurant Week! The opportunity to dine out for seven days at 41 of Newcastle's restaurants for a fraction of the usual cost. Who could say no to that? I managed to squeeze in three lunches.

Vujon

I've been to Vujon once before and was impressed  by the fact it wasn't just a bog standard Indian restaurant hence why I decided I'd like to go back again.

Poppodoms with chatnis and pickle.

  

Mahi Salmon Tikka - Chunks of salmon marinated in yoghurt, garlic, home-made spices and grilled in tandoor, served with mint chutney (which there wasn't any of). 

Achari Gosht - an Indian delicacy diced lamb cooked in ground spices, tomato, onion and chilli pickle. 

Vegetable pilau rice.

Garlic and coriander naan.

2 courses cost £15 and that included the poppodoms, rice and nann bread. It was great Indian food. However, the service and atmosphere let the food down. I booked a table for 1.30pm (the website says lunch is served till 2pm) and as soon as we'd sat down we were told we'd have to order quickly as the kitchen was closing. We hadn't even finished our poppodoms by the time the starters arrived, our starter  plates were swiped away as soon as we'd finished chewing and the waiter watched over us the whole time we were eating like some sort of vulture. We were made to feel like we had to rush our food rather than enjoy it. It didn't help that there was only one other table in the restaurant. We paid the bill and hadn't even made it to the front door before the waiter was putting his coat on to leave himself! 

Caffe Vivo

I'd never been to Caffe Vivo before so I was looking forward to feasting on some authentic Italian food. I'd heard great things about the food and it didn't disappoint.

Prosecco with Limoncello and an Aperitivo Vivo (prosecco with blood orange and campari).

Sicilian caponata with chick pea fritters.

Escalope Milanese with spaghetti pomodoro.

Tutti frutti semi freddo. 

Three courses cost just £15 and each one was enjoyed in a thoroughly relaxing atmosphere. Why bother going to Italian chains like Zizzi, Carluccio's and Pizza Express when you can eat fresh, delicious Italian food at Caffe Vivo. I can't wait to go back and try the A la Carte menu. 

The Broad Chare

I've been to The Broad Chare a number of times, mainly for their incredible bar snacks. If you haven't tried their scotch egg you NEED to. They also do a cracking Sunday lunch. They've just come 46th in the Top 50 Gastropub Awards so it's well worth paying them a visit if you haven't already.

Potted rabbit and chicken with pickles and toast.

Crispy pulled pork and ham with butterbeans.

Rhubarb and custard.

3 courses cost £15 and this was definitely my favourite lunch of the week. The crispy pulled pork and ham was unbelievably tasty.