Rice Krispies Snowmen

I was recently invited to test some Christmas recipes that Jo Wheatley, winner of Great British Bake Off has developed for Kelloggs.  The recipes looked great, there were Rice Krispies Snowmen, a White Chocolate Tiffin or Christmas Star Biscuits.  I have already cooked up some Christmas biscuits with my daughter so thought we'd give the Rice Krispies Snowman a go as they look so cute.

Here is the recipe:

Rice Krispies Snowmen

200g Rice Krispies

400g white Marshmallows

50g butter

6 melted marshmallows

A handful of currants

Strips of jelly sweets (as many as you like)

300g fondant (either 2 different colours 200g for the hats & scarves 100g for scarves and noses or white and 2 gel colours)

Sprinkles for buttons

1.Melt the butter and marshmallows in a heat proof bowl in the microwave for about 60-90 seconds. Alternatively you can melt the butter in a pan, add the marshmallows and stir until melted.

2. Pour mixture into a large bowl and add Rice Krispies.  Mix all together until all the Rice Krispies are coated in marshmallow.

3. Use an Ice-cream scoop to get the snowmen’s body shapes, mould with buttered hands, compact together and then set the bodies to a side.

4. To make the heads, roll smaller amounts of mixture and mould with buttered hands, set aside to firm.  

5. To make fondant hats, roll out coloured fondant, about half a centimetre thick, cut 8 circles using a small round cutter (about 4cm), then shape a little top of the hat and glue together with a little water.

Make 16 sausages of fondant then twist together to make the scarves.

6. Shape 8 carrot noses.  

7. 'Glue' the snowman’s head and body together using the melted marshmallow, then cut 8 currants in half for his coal eyes. These should stick easily in to place, and then add three sprinkle buttons along his body. Finally add his hat, scarf and carrot nose.

The end result looked amazing and fantastic for my daughters Christmas party that took place yesterday.  My camera has given up the ghost so no pics I'm afraid.  But if you want a festive recipe that kids will love I definitely recommend this one.

Thanks to Kelloggs and Jo Wheatley for the recipe.

New Zealand Honey Co

Another fab item I have recently been sent is this amazing box full of natural remedies from the New Zealand Honey Co.  The wooden box itself is fantastic and my 7 year old daughter has already laid claim to it!  I'm sure it will be coloured in and decorated shortly for me to share with you.

The box was full of natural remedies including a selection of New Zealand Honey Co's goodies, a pack of peppermint tea, lemon juice, a clove of garlic, lavender oil, a packet of dried blueberries and some ground ginger.

The idea behing the box is everything you need to survive the winter season without grabbing packets of over-the-counter medicines from the local pharmacy.  The honey contains a range of antioxidant, antibacterial and pre-biotic properties to help keep our bodies in tip top shape and leaving us feeling full of vitality!  A definite must-have for a mother of twins working full-time!

I am a huge honey fan so very excited to look closely at the honey they sent through:

New Zealand Honey Co's Beech Forest Honeydew Honey - apparently ideal if you are in need of a little boost.  It has a pre-biotic rating of 20+ so one of the highest rated pre-biotic honeys in the world.  It is recommended to keep digestive systems in shape.  The honey feeds the good bacteria in the gut to neutralise harmful toxins and increases the absorption of nutrients.

New Zealand Honey Co's Thyme Honey - smells amazing and is meant to keep immune system on track.  Again a must-have when you have three kids at home carrying all sorts of bugs and germs!  This honey can help neutralise the harmful free radicals that cause anxiety, premature aging (sounds perfect) and other health problems.

Finally, the honey everyone knows - New Zealand Co's Manuka Honey - has an antibacterial rating of 15+, and is effective against a wide range of harmful bacteria, particularly coughs, colds and sore throats.  They recommend dissolving one tsp every few hours in your mouth.  Manuka honey has so many benefits, apparently it can also help treat skin infections, rashes, blemishes and sort spots.

I will be using this fabulous selection of natural remedies over the next few weeks so come back to see the results and whether I had to use any other forms of medication to get me and the family through the Winter!

Juppy Baby Walker

I was recently asked to review the Juppy Baby Walker and I have to admit I was not convinced either me or the twins would get along with it.  It is similar to a door bouncer, however you hold the straps and walk the baby round the room.  It looked slightly back aching so when it arrived it sat on the sideboard for a few days.

Last night, I decided to bite the bullet and try it on the twins, so we strapped them in and walked them round the room.  They both loved it!  They already love being on their feet so the idea of us walking them round the room totally appealed to them.   There was squeals of delight as we walked them towards each other and round to the Christmas tree.  They were so excited they were trying to bounce along rather than walk.

On to the technical side, it wasn't back aching at all and my twins are not small (18lb and 20lbs).  In fact it meant we didn't have to lean over holding on to their hands, we could stand upright holding their straps. 

I believe Juppy is American and there are a number of video clips on internet of how to use the walker, not that you need to watch them as it is so obvious how to use it.

One size fits all and it folds down so small you could carry it around in your changing bag.  In fact it comes in a lovely carrying bag.  Anyone can use it, my 7 year old daughter even had a go walking the twins round.  Using the Juppy Walker stops the babies falling over when they are walking along the furniture which is a definite plus point.  I'm forever hovering behind them in case they fall.

Both babies cried when we took them out of it so am sure we'll give it another go tonight.  Totally recommend buying it, trying to find out where it is stocked in the UK so will post asap along with price.  I'll be using them for a couple of months until the twins are walking properly so if anyone wants after me give me a shout and I'll forward them on.

The twins with their Nanny & Grandad in the Juppy Baby Walkers

Love Music Love Food - The Rock Star Cookbook

I was so excited to review the Love Music Love Food - The Rock Star Cookbook, in support of Teenage Cancer Trust.    I had seen mentions of it on Twitter so was eager to see the final result.

When my copy arrived, I ripped open the envelope with delight, made myself a cuppa and retired to the lounge to study the book in peace and quiet.

The book is a fantastic, hardback, book with stunning photography of musicians and their favourite foods.  Over 60 musicians are featured in the book, each driven by their support for Teenage Cancer Trust.  Artists include rock legends and emerging artists, many I know really well but there are some I hadn't really heard of.

The intro is written by Heston Blumenthal with photographs by Patrice de Villiers, who has developed a unique style and approach to food photography which is now in worldwide demand.

Some of the food/drink suggestions are quite simple, for example Paul Weller of The Jam has chosen Caffe Latte & Amaretti Biscotti as his favourite.  Noel Gallagher has selected a cup of Yorkshire Tea.  Others are slightly more complex - Roger Daltry from The Who, loves Trout, so Heston has supplied a recipe for Hay-Smoked Rainbow Trout, Pickled Lemon & Pea Shoots.  Professor Green is in there with Jerk Chicken, even Tinie Tempah is included with a delicious recipe for Seafood Linguine.  Of course, a Rock Star Cookbook wouldn't be complete without Sir Cliff Richard, he chooses Chicken Tikka Masala as his favourite dish.

It is such a beautiful book and I can't wait to read it cover to cover, it will certainly be taking pride of place on my coffee table (well out of the twins reach!). 

The photographs aren't just standard recipe shots, they show each celeb with their chosen food.  There's a fab shot of Siouie Sioux holding a fan of toast and baked beans, another of Rapper Example juggling with his favourite food - Jaffa Cakes.  The photography really adds another dimension to the book, making it a must-have.

Background info and a biog is included with each celebrity contributor, including details on why they have selected their chosen food.  Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet, chooses Curry & Poppadoms and explains he tried his first curry when he was 18, and this began a lifelong love of powerfully spiced food, he's now a hot freak!

There's also quirky brief biogs at the back of the book including the celebs Top Moments.  Highlights of these include Kelly Jones of Stereophonics who quotes his Top Moment as playing to 200,000 people at a 2-day festival in 2001.

The book would definitely make a fantastic gift for someone, they don't necessarily have to be into their food to to enjoy the book, as it is so much more than that.

So, just to round up, a brilliant book, that is a must-have for any music or food lover.  I will definitely be recommending as a top-gift this Christmas, I can't wait to finish reading it!

Christmas Biscuits

As I mentioned in a previous post, me and my eldest hit the kitchen to practice cooking our Christmas biscuits.  Here is the recipe:

250g Butter
140g Caster Sugar
1 x egg yolk
2 x tsp vanilla essence
300g Plain Flour
1/4 tsp salt

1. Put the butter, caster sugar, egg yolk and vanilla essence in a large bowl and mix well.

2. Sift in the flour and add the salt.  Mix again to form a dough.
You can add cocoa powder with the flour if you want to do chocolate cookies, we meant to but forgot!

3. Press the dough firmly to make into a ball, you're going to get messy!


4. Roll out the dough to about 5mm thick, make sure the surface is well floured as it's rather sticky!

5. Cut out the shapes using the cookie cutters, make sure you press down firmly.   We used a Christmas tree, a star, some different size snowflakes and an angel (although it could've been a ghost!)

6. Gather up the excess pastry, roll into a ball and use the shapes to cut out some more cookies.

7. Lift the shapes up with a palette knife and place on a non-stick baking tray.

8. Cook in an oven for about 14 mins, then place on a cooling rack.

9. We iced our shapes and decorated with Christmas baubles but they were delicious plain. They were great fun to make, and we will be making again for Christmas pressies!

Smoked Fish Pate

Try this delicious Smoked Fish Pate recipe, it's so easy to make and is perfect as a supper party starter, or even to keep in the fridge for lunch - although it doesn't tend to last very long in my fridge!

Ingredients

 

2 x smoked mackerel fillets - I buy ones with added papper

1 x packet Boursin Poivre

125ml single cream

Rind and juice of 1 lemon

Method

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth

2. Pour into small ramekin dishes or a large dish and chill in fridge for 2-3 hours before serving.

3. Serve with a selection of breads and garnish with lemon slices and dill.

Unfortunately I didn't have any nice bread - just your standard Hovis!!  I also didn't leave in the fridge long enough so definitely make sure you leave for at least 2-3 hours

Review - Plum Baby Food

When I weaned the twins I focused on giving them home cooked food, cooking up all sorts of weird and wonderful vegetables and freezing them.  But, there are times when you just need a handy jar or pouch of ready-made product, particularly when you've got two hungry mouths to feed!!  I became aware of the Plum Baby Food this Summer when I was asked to take part in a baby food trial.  The twins loved the range of products I tried them with and I have to say I am now a regular purchaser of the products. 

The twins favourite Plum meals at the moment are the Red Cabbage & Chicken Casserole Meal and the Salmon & Spinach Bake.    The meals are just so natural tasting, yes I have tried them!  Both babies sit with their mouths open waiting for more, which is definitely not something that happens all the time!

The meals use all organic ingredients and come in handy-size pots, retailing at about £2.69 for the pictured pack of two.  It does sound expensive but in my opinion definitely worth it, the Plum products are so much tastier than other baby foods.

I struggle to buy Plum products in my local Tesco so ordered a bumper pack online - http://www.plum-baby.co.uk/ - for just £10 (great value for money) I was sent the following: 

1 x lemon chicken & sweetcorn pouch

1 x bean & beef stew

1 x minted peas with lamb

1 x spinach & salmon bake

1 x sweet potato & lamb hotpot
1 x spelt & apple munch fingers
1 x four grain with apple & apricot porridge 

The twins have worked their way through, and loved, everything except the porridge.  They are just not big breakfast fans, particularly porridge that you have to mix up.  I have finally now got them into Shreddies so will stick with this until they get bored again!  Then I will retry all the usual suspects - porridge, Weetabix, toast, etc!

I definitely recommend the Plum range of baby food, we'll be moving on to stage 3 soon, although they pretty much eat what we eat now, it is definitely handy keeping some emergency supplies!

Whoopie Pies

For the last year, all I've read and dreamed about is Whoopie Pies.  I'd never actually tried them or baked them but just constantly read reviews about them, or heard people say how yummy they are. 

I haven't tried them because I just hadn't found anywhere that sold them and never really got round to ordering online, or didn't want to pay the expensive postage costs.  Well I'm pleased to say this week it all changed, thanks to Twitter I came across @Whoopiepiesuk and found they deliver a trial pack anywhere in the country with no postage costs. 

I was so excited, I visited their website http://www.whoopiepiesuk.co.uk/ straight away and studied the selection carefully.  You could choose two from Strawberry, Banoffee or Chocolate Mars Bar variety.  I opted for a Chocolate Mars Bar and a Banoffee and paid the trial price of £5.99 via Paypal.

Customer services got in touch straight away to confirm delivery, I actually requested a later delivery date when I knew I would be there to receive the parcel.

The parcel arrived a couple of days later and sealed in individual tupperware dishes were my yummy Whoopie Pies:

I couldn't wait to tuck into them, but which one to choose first, it was a difficult decision but I opted for the Banoffee Whoopie Pie! 

I was nervous!  Would the long-awaited Whoopie Pie meet my expectations, what if I didn't like it, what if it was just the same as a boring old fairy cake!  I took my first bite ......

...and breathed a sigh of relief!

It was delicious, so moist and incredibly moreish.  The sponge was yummy banana and the filling vanilla buttercream with a toffee sauce, it tasted just like banoffee pie (well without the biscuit base).  It was scrumptious and its fair to say the rest of the Pie did not stand a chance!  I tucked into it before anyone in the office could ask to try it!

I was very impressed and will certainly be ordering again.  I've already studied the more extensive range of varieties that are on offer when you place an order for 6 or more.  I particularly like the sound of the banana with nutella or the carrot cake with orange.  Its so hard to decide, so while I think about it I might just tuck into the Chocolate Mars Bar Whoopie Pie that is staring at me from my desk!

SnoozeShade for Car Seat Review

This Summer, I was lucky enough to be sent a SnoozeShade for car seat to test out on my twins.  Priced at £19.99, the shade claims to help your baby switch off from outside distractions, encourage good sleeping habits and better napping when out and above or you prefer other people not to disturb your sleeping baby.

I wasn't overly convinced I would have a use for the SnoozeShade as my babies were a bit older and as I work full-time they don't have a set sleep routine in the day. They are out and about all day with their carer so sleep as/when they need too.

However, I trialled the SnoozeShade at the weekend when we were out and about in the car and was really impressed with the product.    The shade blocks 94% of the light so stopped us having to worry about the glare of the sun whilst driving.  When over the car seat, it keeps a well-ventilated area for babies to sleep and with the highest sun protection UPF50+, we didn't have to worry about sunburn.

It helped my babies sleep without them getting hot and sweaty in the car.  The shade fits so easily over the car seat and when not being used folds up into a little bag that fits neatly into my changing bag.

I would definitely recommend this product, I've actually passed down to a friend now who has a newborn as my babe's are in the next car seat up so I have no use for it.  Time to invest in some suncreens for the car windows!

For further information or to buy a Snoozeshade online visit their website - http://www.snoozeshade.com/snoozeshade-infant-car-seat.html 

I actually purchased a similar product for my double buggy from http://www.boohoobaby.co.uk/ - the Outlook Shade-a-Babe Pram UV Protector for Double Buggies, price £40 - perfect for sun and wind protection.

This shade fits easily over any double buggy and can be held on with velcro.  It has a top sunscreen visor of UPF50+ made of material that blocks out direct sunlight, plus a UPF10 glare shield, beneath the visor that protects from sun if you pull the visor back.  Then a lower mesh of UPF3 to protect from insects and wind.  I used this shade all summer and was pleased with my purchase.  The only downside is the babies were getting quite hot in there so I often left unzipped to let the air circulate.

There is a zip in the middle of the sunshade and both babies can be reached easily. 

A weekend of baking

Having twins is amazing and so much fun, but we are always really conscious to ensure we spend some quality time alone with our eldest daughter (7).  Although she is fantastic with the twins, she loves spending time with us and doing grown up things.  Saturday was the perfect time, hubby was out at the Races all day, so I packed up the 3 kids and took the 2 minute journey to my parents house.

My parents kept the twins occupied, while me and my daughter gatherered together our ingredients to practice baking our Christmas biscuits.  I had bought some fantastic biscuit cutters in my local cook shop http://www.cookshop.uk.com/ - they have such an abundance of gadgets and kitchen equipment I have to really hold back spending a fortune.  I purchased cutters shaped like a Christmas Tree, a star, an angel (when iced could be a ghost!) and a beautiful tin of 3 different sized snowflakes.

The biscuits would make great gifts (if we bake nearer Christmas), plus my daughter has recently started at Brownies and needs to donate cakes/biscuits for the Christmas Fayre, so we thought with a bit of practice the Christmas biscuits will be perfect.

Despite a few minor interupptions from the twins coming in to the kitchen to see what was going on, we had a great time together.  My daughter had a lovely time and is a really keen little cook, she follows recipes really well, weighing out ingredients, plus eating the mix and icing of course!

(recipe to follow)

On Sunday, eldest daughter took part in the Rememberance Parade with her Brownie pack . When we got home she announced she would like to bake fairy cakes all on her own.  She found a recipe, weighed out the ingredients, mixed together her cakes and put them into cake cases with no assistance from me!  I popped them into the oven and removed when she decided time was up!  She waited until they had cooled and then decorated with bright blue or pink icing.   The resulting cakes looked lovely and she was incredibly proud she had done them all on her own.  She merrily packed 6 into a lunch box and shot round to our next door neighbour with her gifts.  The neighbour was delighted and she came back merrily carrying a packet of sweets they had given her. 3 of the cakes were given to her grandparents and one went off to school in her lunch box. 

I managed to have one of the last remaining cakes and can proudly say I am very impressed with my little baker! 

China Modern by Ching-He Huang

This soft-back cookery book claiming to contain 100 cutting-edge, fusion-style recipes for the 21^st century is the first recipe book that Ching-He Huang has brought out.   As Ching claims to be spearheading a revolution in Chinese food and I am already a big fan of Chinese food, I wanted to check it out.

The book, published by Kyle Cathie ltd, priced at £14.99, includes a wide selection of beautiful photography from top food photographer Kate Whitaker.

Divided into 5 sections:

1.       Modern Takeaway Favourites

2.       Traditional Home Cooking

3.       West Meets East

4.       East Meets East

5.       Rice and Other Side Dishes

The book starts with an introduction to woks and Chinese cooking techniques which is ideal for anyone new to Chinese cookery.

Some familiar dishes are included in the book, including Sesame Prawn Toast, Sweet & Sour Chicken and Stir Fries.  There are also some more unusual dishes such as Stir-fried Fresh Beancurd, Pak Choy & Oyster Mushrooms, Lemon Honey Turkey Escalopes and Taiwanese-style Chicken Caesar Salad.

The recipes are all short and easy to follow, with an explanation into the more Oriental names and ingredients.  Perhaps 5 years ago some of the ingredients may have been difficult to purchase, however these days most of the ingredients can be found in speciality food stores or, dare I say it, the main supermarkets.

The back of the book contains tons of short recipes for rice and other side dishes, such as Sweet chilli jam, Chinese pickled salad and Chinese pea shoots in sesame and garlic.

One of my favourite parts of the book was Ching’s menu planner.  If you are having a buffet party, a first date, a quick meal for one, or Friday night curry, Ching has recommended dishes accordingly. 

Overall, I was really impressed with the book, the photography really makes it and the recipes are certainly a modern twist on some of the traditional classics.

I am working my way through the recipes, having already cooked the Burmese-Style Beef Curry with Vermicelli Rice Noodles and Kung Po Chicken and will be posting recipes, pics and results shortly.  I will certainly continue trying out Ching’s recipes.

You can win a copy of China Modern by Ching-He Huang, simply follow me on Twitter and comment below that you are following, I'll select the lucky winner next Friday 18th November.  Good Luck

Craft Guild of Chefs

Last week I was lucky enough to attend the Craft Guild of Chefs, Business Partners Luncheon which was taking place in the Edwardian Suite of the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Buckingham Gate. 

The idea behind the lunch was a networking opportunity for the various business partners of the Craft Guild and Daniel Ayton, the Exec. Chef at the Crowne Plaza is a member and supporter of the Craft Guild.

The room was slightly dark with wood panelling, which would have been fine on a proper winters day, not so great when London was so mild, we were melting slightly!

I was seated with fellow partners and associates, including Steve Munkley, Chef at the Royal Garden Hotel, plus representatives from Tilda, Alaskan Seafood, Villeroy & Bosch and Kraft.

Our starter was served - Home Smoked Scottish Salmon, placed on a shredded cucumber salad with clams, saffron oil, amaranth and pea dust - which was looked beautiful.  It tasted fresh and full of flavour.

Main course was a delicious Rump of English Lamb with Dauphinoise Potato, Nicoise Rataouille, Plymouth Gin Sauce and Wild Thyme Foam.  Presentation was spot on and the lamb was cooked to perfection.   I couldn't really taste the Plymouth Gin in the sauce but perhaps this is not a bad thing, not being a gin lover!

Dessert was probably my favourite part, an assiette of desserts consisting a White Chocolate filled with Iced Honeycomb Parfait, Billionaire's Tart (like Millionaire's but with added edible gold leaft), Malva Pudding swerved with Blood Orange Caviar and a Sesame Glass Tuille.  The Blood Orange Caviar was amazing, drops of Blood Orange juice dropped into calcium chloride so it sets into small (caviar like) roundels - think MasterChef Winner Tim Anderson!

A selection of British Cheeses were served next with a Buckingham Gate Fig compote and Quince jelly Sardinian Music Paper Bread. 

Finally, a selection of petits fours - Pate au Fruit and Macaroons - were served with tea and coffee.

All in all a delicious lunch and a great networking opportunity.  Will certainly consider this hotel for a possible venue in the future.

Pollen St Social

I was lucky enough to visit Pollen St Social last week for the second time.  The first time was in September before they had been awarded their Michelin star so I was interested to see if their new found accolade had impacted their standards.

We received a very warm welcome and were introduced to the various cocktails and drinks at the bar.  We started with a glass of Prosecco while we waited for our guests, Jason was in the bar and greeted us before heading to the kitchen.  Once our guests arrived, we were quickly shown to our table, in the main part of the restaurant.


We slowly perused the menus while discussing our various favourites. I always try to order differently from fellow diners so we can share/compare dishes.  I opted for the Cornish crab vinaigrette, Nashi pear, cauliflower sweet ‘n’ sour dressing, frozen peanut powder (£11.50) to start.  This was followed by the Black Angus Aged Beef Rib Eye with duck fat chips & green salad, which at £33 made it the most expensive main course on the menu.  To accompany our dishes, we chose the 2009 Matakana Pinot Noir from the Marlborough region of New Zealand, which at £40 a bottle was quite reasonable.

My fellow guests ordered Cauliflower & squid, clear roasted squid juice (£11.50), Jerusalem artichoke, wood pigeon, celeriac, wet walnuts (£11.50) and Escabeche of quail, chicken liver cream, nuts & seeds (£11.50).  As we had heard so much about the Full English breakfast (£10.50) starter, we decided to order an extra dish to share.  This includes an egg slow-cooked for over an hour, bacon, fried bread croutons and tomatoes with mushroom ketchup.

My starter was delicious; it was beautifully presented and tasted divine.  Comments from my fellow diners were also unanimously excellent.  The Cauliflower & Squid looked particularly stunning.  We all tucked into the Full English Breakfast with trepidation (given that we usually eat breakfast, well, closer to breakfast time) but we needn't have worried it was an exquisite dish that left us very excited about the arrival of our main course.

Now is a good time to talk about the ambience in the restaurant, it was fully booked and the place was buzzing, although still easy to talk to fellow diners.

Staff came back with dessert menus and invited us to move to the dessert bar, which we declined; we were a group of 4 and sitting in a long row at a bar would not have been conducive for conversation.  I selected Lemon Meringue, Cream Cheese and Lime Sorbet (£8), a slight mistake as I actually had this on my previous visit.  Other desserts ordered included the “PBJ” Parfait, cherry jam, creamed rice puffs (£8), “Tiramisu” Hot chocolate coffee (£8.50), Caramel Apple Puff (£8).

Dessert arrived and exemplified the standard of the rest of the meal; presentation was spot on and dishes were packed with flavour flavour.  We all tasted each others dishes and I think the PBJ is what i will be ordering next time - if I can wangle a third visit!

Up until now the service had been excellent and very attentive, however after serving us dessert we seemed to be neglected.  Whether this was because they were leaving us to talk or they just simply forgot about us, I am not sure but we were there for 30 minutes before we received the bill.  However, this was a minor blip in an otherwise excellent experience. 

When we left the restaurant, Jason was still hard at work in the kitchen, which is a really good site to see.  How many other top chefs can still be found regularly in their kitchens?

On leaving, the female guests were given a special gift which I will leave as a surprise in case you are lucky enough to visit soon.

Jason is certainly worthy of a Michelin star and my second visit was as good as, if not more enjoyable than my first visit.   I will certainly be recommending to others.

Pollen St scores an impressive 9/10 with me.

My steak was served on a fantastic olive board with a side order of chips and a rather large green salad, which I have to say I didn't even touch as there was just too much, it put me off!. The steak was cooked to perfection with either a bearnaise or pepper sauce, I opted for the pepper sauce.  The chips were also delicious and well presented.  My fellow diners ordered West Country Ox Cheek with tongue & sirloin, carrots, caper & raisin puree with horseradish mash (£24), Rack of Cotswold lamb, braised shoulder, creamed spiced aubergine, & black olive reduction (£25.50) and another Rib Eye.  The dishes were so intricate and the presentation spot on.   All guests were extremely complimentary about the food and you can certainly see why Pollen St is now sporting a Michelin Star.

Pollen St Social

Off tonight to Pollen St Social so check out my post next week on my thoughts on this newly Michelin-starred restaurant

The Opera Tavern

I was fortunate enough this week to visit The Opera Taven in London's Covent Garden.  This beautiful, although small bar serves Italian and Spanish Tapas.

We started with chargrilled bread with Alioli and Padron Peppers.  Our guest, a spanish chef, then ordered us some of the Jamon Iberico de Bellota which was amazing and actually, I could have just eaten a whole plate of!

We shared a selection of fish tapas, including the Pan Seared Scallop with Jerusalem Artichoke Puree, Truffle Dressing and Morcilla de Burgos which was very tasty; the Slow Roasted Salmon and a small portion of Crispy Squid with Chilli Aioli - the Squid were very moreish, as you can see from the near empty dish.

Our next course of tapas included the Confit of Old Spot Pork Belly, Roasted and Braised Mallard and the Grilled Iberico Pressa.  These courses were all very good although the Mallard slightly tough.  Whenever I have tapas I always have to order a portion of Patatas Fritas and the Opera Taven Fritas were particularly good. 

Staff were very helpful, although a bit on the slow side.  The bar wasn't packed but there was a good buzz.  I would certainly visit Opera Tavern again and recommend to others, watch the pricing though as we ended up spending over £170 for three of us, although this did include two bottles of very good wine!! 

My rating for this restaurant is 7/10.