Good Food at The Green

I've had a couple of meals at this Heworth pub and I've felt the urge to photograph most of them.

Is this a sign of having been won over by presentation before a morsel has even passed my lips?

I may have been woo'ed the first time by the fancy presentation but the fact I keep coming back means there is delicious substance to this gorgeous looking food.

Gnocchi with blue cheese sauce, rocket, wild mushrooms and walnuts

The Green's menu offers just enough variety to choose from without being too perplexing (a comment aimed at certain members of my family who are flummoxed by too much choice).

It also has the added bonus of a changing selection of real ales and local brews which gives it an automatic thumbs up in my book.

Not to mention there is always a short but sweet list of delicious desserts to choose from which appeals to my sweet tooth.

Cherry Bakewell Tart with Pistacchio Icecream

 
A recent conversation we had in The Green, inspired by the presentation of our meal, got me thinking...

Does overly posh presentation of food put people off?

 

Crab Fettuccine with chilli and lemon

Realistically, if your food looks less like home cooking and more like a fancy art exhibition will you enjoy it any differently?

I find presentation irrelevant to my enjoyment of food but admittedly I am more likely to photograph the good looking dish over the less attractive one.  

Fish and chips with mushy peas

However, I would quite happily trade fashion for function if it means a bigger portion (is that mini chip fryer basket an attempt at portion control?) but of course this is only relevant if the food actually tastes good. 

Summary: Don't judge a book by its cover when it comes to food, good food tastes good and sometimes looks the part as well.

So, if you happen to be in the area and fancy some decent good-looking grub then remember The Green gets a big old thumbs up from this happy-snapping gal.

A Secret Garden Meal at The Witchery

Special occasions call for special treatment. So, one crisp Sunday afternoon we treated ourselves to a special meal.

It was a strongly recommended little place called The Witchery located at the base of Edinburgh Castle.

This was part of a whirlwind Edinburgh weekend which included a few of my favourite things: running, fantastic company and good food. What more could a girl ask for?

We found the entrance to the Secret Garden at The Witchery down a quirky little alleyway in the basement level of an old building.

Our lunch venue had timber beams and hanging vines, white tablecloths and many, many candles (which I imagine would have been an amazing addition to the atmosphere in the evening). It felt quite secretive and special.

This place was highly recommended by online reviews (ie: Tripadvisor) for providing delicious dishes made from high quality local ingredients.

I was excited about trying the Three Course Set Lunch which looked as though it offered a glimpse into their amazing menu at only a fraction of their a la carte price.  I do enjoy a bargain! 

The set menu also helped to narrow down the selection which was a bit mind-boggling.  

For my first course I chose the Salt Cod with Crostini and Potato. 

Served on a black slate, the creamy potato lump with two crostini masts poking out was a slight disappointment.  

I'm not sure what I expected but I could not taste anything that was noticeably definable as salt cod (nor could I remember what vegetable I was eating).

Sadly, the only flavor coming through was from the fresh dill. 

The identity of this velvety smooth puree remained a mystery until I saw the menu again at the end of our meal...ah yes, potato.

Across the table, my lovely dinner date was tucking in to his picture perfect first course.  I wanted to reach across and steal it. 

The Roast Partridge with a Scotch Quail Egg was right up there with what the reviews had said about the level of quality food to expect.

It had flavour combinations and textures which all came together perfectly in the forkful I tasted. 

I was having some serious food envy but I had two more courses to make up for a less than perfect first course.  

My second course of Pan Roasted Mullet with Celeriac was centred on my plate like a fish fillet planet surrounded by mini roast potato moons (drizzled with a delicious rich mustard cream sauce). 

I was back in the running with this course. 

I was curious to see the second course choice on the other side of the table, Braised Ayrshire Beef Cheek with risotto and greens. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find it was not some grinning bovine head straight from a horror movie.  Instead it was a succulent hunk of tender beef on top of creamy risotto with an amazing tasting gravy.     

Dessert was up next and it was the best course yet.

In an unusual twist, suppressing my sweet tooth, I opted for the cheese plate.

From the choices available, I decided on an incredibly stink-tastic soft goats cheese.  Oh boy did it whiff! 

Each biteful was so delicious when combined with the fig jelly, chutney and oat cakes.   

Meanwhile, on the other side of the table, the Knickerbocker Glory which arrived looked amazing with it's glassy sugar accents and brightly coloured syrup.

To summarise, the highlight of my meal was definitely the horrendously whiffy cheese course which was the envy of my table.  

Even with this superb course forever etched into my taste bud memories, my first course of bland potato mush, which was unmemorable for the most part, has tainted my overall Witchery experience.

That said, if I win the lottery anytime soon I will be heading back to sample their a la carte menu with my bushel basket full o' cash.

It's All Greek to Me....or German?

Having recently returned from a sunny week spent relaxing in Kos I can now say that I enjoy a hot & sunny vacation, on occasion.

Up until this point I have been someone who dives into the shade as soon as the sun peeks out from behind a cloud and have preferred sticking to cultural city breaks rather than poolside lounging. 

I'm now the gal lathered in factor 50 who happily wears a humongous wide brimmed sun hat, scooting my sunbed to readjust as the parasol shade moves throughout the day.  

Now moving on to the delicious side of the vacation....

The well catered hotel subscribed to my ethos of the glory of cake and afternoon tea.

Each day at 4.30 a selection of cakes and hot beverages were laid out and allowed us to partake in a caffeinated sugary energy boost.

There was also an air-conditioned Coffee Bar on site (think walk-in freezer).  Not only did it offer espresso based drinks and yet another selection of sweet things to tickle our taste buds but it was also a very welcome blast of cool to help us in our daily battle against melting in the Grecian heat (30+ C / 90+ F).

I freely admit that I was quite giddy when we found this place.

  

Of course we ate proper meals as well as cake.

Every meal offered a large selection of grilled fish, skewered meats, and Mediterranean vegetable dishes as well as the familiar stodgy carb fest (french fries & spaghetti bolognese) for those who were creatures of habit. 

Random German dishes could also be found sprinkled in amongst the Greek delights. Various Schnitzel, gherkin salads, cabbage dishes and rye bread meant my buffet plate was truly internationalised at each meal.  

The uniting factor for each of these meals of course, was that they always included sweets of some kind. 

Vacation is the time to indulge, so why not have a sugar ball infused waffle with your breakfast muesli & fruit?

Why not pair up your healthy dessert of fresh melon with baklava & creme caramel?

Why not indeed. 

Long live fun in the sun or should I say a warm welcome to it finally, whichever the case may be.

    

 

Pierre vs. Patrick

Macaroons are a very popular favourite for those of us inflicted with a wicked sweet tooth. These sweet morsels of awesomeness are the perfect combination of pretty and delicious.

 

They make you smile even before you’ve had the tiniest taste.

I was fortunate enough to be in France recently, and depending on which source you cite, it is the home country of one of the prettiest types of macaroons around.

The coconut variety is the first type that pops into my mind when hearing the word macaroon which is probably my American heritage coming through, but I am actually referring to the delicate pastel creations made mainly from egg white and ground almond.

Pierre Hermes

We ventured out in the pouring rain to hunt down these brightly coloured highly recommended little nuggets of deliciousness from well known chain patisserie Pierre Hermes.

Unfortunately my main memory of these will be the slightly off-putting air of snootiness that overwhelmed the tiny shop front where we bought them.

 

I had spied a multipack which I thought would maximise the tasting opportunity and before I realised it I was given the pre-packed box o’ macs. 

Yes, it came complete with a little menu booklet with each of their macaroon flavours listed and I wrongly presumed the box consisted of a “one of each” idea.

But no, there were duplicates which was a big letdown.

To be honest, they were delicious, but I was not entirely sure which flavours I tasted since the ones in the box didn’t easily match up to the ones shown in the menu. So I was slightly disappointed (and slightly confused).

Due to the rain, the original plan of eating the macaroons on a park bench was scuppered and in fact, they were eaten sitting in our pokey little fourth floor hotel room.

The fluorescent lighting wasn’t optimum for the photos but indoors or outdoors, I really can’t complain since it was still Paris! 

Patrick Midgeon

A beautiful selection of sweet and savoury flavours was available in this brightly coloured one-off cafe shop in Tours.

The friendly assistants were seemingly happy to let customers take their time to mull over the choices. 

I couldn’t help but stand in front of the display case slack jawed, staring as I hemmed and hawed over which flavours to choose.

Let me tell you, do not go into a shop like this when you are hungry – you may end up walking out with far too many items!

I was especially proud for being so restrained (having felt sick from eating far too many the previous day in Paris) and decided on just a few unique flavours to taste including savoury ones. 

The choices included Fois gras and fig, Mint Chocolate, Pistachio and Tomato & Basil. The last one had a glittery swish of red edible paint which was pretty but made a bit of a mess with red blotches of glitter all over my hands.

These were eaten al fresco next to an open air riverside bar on a sunny yet cool afternoon in Tours (no rain, yay!) with a cute bandana wearing puppy frolicking nearby.

The macaroons were amazing, but the surroundings in which these particular beauties were enjoyed added an extra element to the whole experience, definitely a taste sensation to be remembered.

To summarise: I’d never turn down the opportunity to enjoy some macaroons of any kind whether simply as eye candy or as a tasty treat, but if I had both of these shops in front of me to choose from (oooh, one can dream!) I’d go with Patrick Midgeon every time.

Another Make & Mend Market

It may already be obvious, but my favorite Saturday of the month is the one on which the Make & Mend Market is held at the Grainger Market in Newcastle upon Tyne. 

cookies from Poor Girl's Kitchen

This is simply because on these Saturdays I get to choose some beautiful (and tasty) treats to indulge in with no guilt what so ever (well...in theory there is no guilt). 

Bailey's Cupcake

I practically start drooling when I enter the market hall on these magical days as I imagine what delights I am about to set my eyes on.  The stall holders never let me down and for this I am always grateful. 

Vanilla Cupcake

The homemade treats are both visually stunning and absolutely delicious. I tend to focus on the edible delights, but let me tell you, there are amazing crafts, artwork, vintage items, quirky doodads and much more for anyone who ventures in to explore the stalls. 

Jammy Dodger Cupcake

It is quite a little gem of a market, and one to keep watch out for and make the effort to get to since it is only held in Grainger Market once a month.


  

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of those unique holidays which most Americans look forward to and which we try our best never to take for granted. 

It is a holiday revolving around being thankful for what we have, being surrounded by family and close friends, and not a single gift is exchanged(except maybe a hostess gift or two).


I am always so grateful when I am able to spend it back home with my family and this year is one of those special years. 

I haven't yet graduated to being the main cook on Thanksgiving (what a scary thought that is!) but I like to contribute something to the table.  

As a member of the family who enjoys baking (and there are quite a few of us) I decided to make a dessert and in my eyes there are two main Thanksgiving desserts: Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie.  

One of these traditional desserts was already spoken for but no one had baking rights to the Pecan Pie yet, so I was quick to claim it.

I envisioned little individual pecan pies, a muffin-sized pie to be exact (I'm slightly obsessed with muffins) the perfect portion that no one can say no to really.

So I set about finding a recipe that I could mutate.  I found a recipe for Mini Pecan Pies on the Myrecipe.com web page which was from Southern Living magazine November 2008. 

The recipe used a package of frozen tart shells which I decided could easily be substituted with my clever unbaked pie crust plan.

Long story short, I followed the Southern Living recipe for the pie filling and created my own little plan for the crusts.

My dad supervised as I hesitantly put the muffin pan with the half-baked crusts filled with delicious pecan goo into the oven and 25 minutes later.....voila!

Here is the recipe, which I've slightly adapted, from Southern Living November 2008:

Mini Pecan Pies (adapted from Southern Living NOVEMBER 2008)

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped pecans
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• two unbaked, ready rolled pie crusts
• some flour for sprinkling on the crusts

You will need: muffin tins totalling at least a dozen

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant.

2. Unroll the crusts. Dust some flour on both sides of each pie crust. Using a wine glass turned upside down as a rough estimate cut rounds out of the crusts.  I was able to get 7 or 8 from each crust, although I did get creative and have to mush together the scraps and re-roll them to get the last round. 

3.  Push the rounds gently into the muffin tin, being careful not to put any holes through the dough as you press them in, the edges may overlap or be somewhat wrinkled as it is pressed into the tin but this is OK. Bake in the oven (without the filling) for roughly 10 minutes at 350ºF just to part bake but keep watch so it doesn't burn.
4. Stir together sugar and corn syrup in a medium bowl. Stir in pecans, eggs, and next 3 ingredients.
5. Spoon roughly a TBSP of pecan mixture into each crust. Ensure there is a good amount of the liquid in each and not just pecans since the liquid is what binds the filling together.

6. Place muffin tin with filled individual crusts into the middle rack of the oven.
7. Bake at 350ºF for 25 to 30 minutes or until set.

8. Remove to wire racks, and let cool completely (about 30 minutes). Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
 

Sugar Cookies

The sugar cookie is such a simple and versatile cookie. 

Perfectly delicious on its own or it can be made extra special using cookie cutters. Once decorated they can be a special treat suitable for any tea party!

I decided to make these particular sugar cookies for a Tea Party themed Baby Shower. 

I had chosen the teacup and teapot cookie cutters specifically for this purpose and I’m sure I will get plenty of use out of them in future too (Tea Party themed cookies from now on!).

I have to admit that it was a little frustrating when the baked cookies came out of the oven looking less than ideal. 

They had spread out quite a bit and were not particularly looking like they were heading to a tea party but luckily I was planning to add icing touches to embellish the finished cookie.

My mission was to force the brain to assume they were destined for a tea party through the creative use of sugar and an icing pen.

I had made an impulse buy of an icing pen (for the bargain price of only £3.99) on a little lunch time excursion to Clas Ohlson. I’m loving it and have put it to good use with these cookies.  

I am already envisioning Christmas cookies with sprinkles and icing galore!

Recipe from Joy of Baking:

Makes about 36 cookies.

3 cups (390 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. 

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). 

Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined.

Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about one hour or until firm enough to roll.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Remove one half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch (1 cm). Keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter.  Cut out desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to baking sheet.

Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking.

Note: If you are not going to frost the baked cookies, you can sprinkle the unbaked cookies with sparkling sugar. 

Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes (depending on size) or until the edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Frosted cookies will keep several days in an airtight container. Store between layers of parchment paper or wax paper.

Tyneside Coffee Rooms

Far: Banoffee Cake with Caramel Frosting

Fact: there are some fantastic places to have coffee in Newcastle.

I can appreciate the technical skill and extreme dedication to customer service that it takes to create a half-caf extra shot, extra hot, skinny caramel macchiato to the same standard each and every time, and I do indulge in a handcrafted beverage from the worldwide chains every so often quite happily. 

However, I can also appreciate a uniquely cosy one-off coffee shop that makes a helluva cuppa served in a chunky painted mug and whose decor comes complete with mismatched chairs, lumpy throw pillows and a take one/leave one book shelf in the corner. 

One of these wonderfully unique places is the Tyneside Coffee Rooms on the second floor of the Tyneside Cinema.

Blueberry cake with cream cheese frosting

Ok, so it doesn't have mismatched chairs or lumpy pillows, but it has fabulous red velvet seats with a greatly varied menu and they always seem to have a delicious selection of cakes (which come in very satisfyingly large portions!).  

Not only do they serve coffee but they also have a wide variety of tea and the loose teas are even served in funky tea cafetieres that perch on top of your cup.

It’s a great place to pop in and grab a cuppa to sip over good conversation, or to have lunch before a big shopping expedition in town.

I especially like the fact that there is movie memorabilia, factoids and photos in an exhibition in the corridor on your way into the coffee shop. 

The Tyneside Coffee Rooms is definitely a one-off coffee & cake experience.    

Make and Mend Market Treats

Here we have a little eye candy from the most recent Make & Mend Market and I can personally vouch for the deliciousness of each and every item seen here.



Lemon Dream from Poor Girl's Kitchen



Poor Girl’s Kitchen had an array of tempting goodies to choose from and I had to really hold myself back from getting one of everything.

I was even lucky enough to be the enthusiastic winner of four delightful Pet Lamb Patisserie cupcakes of my choosing. 

All I had to do in order to win the tasty quartet was to be the first fan to visit their stall in the Grainger Market and yell (yes, yell) out the secret password.

 

Caramel Bar from Poor Girl's Kitchen



Since I was out of the house early already for park run and also near enough to the market venue anyway, I figured why not give it a try? 

After finishing park run, I jogged my way through Newcastle town centre (won’t be doing that again anytime soon, yikes!) over to the market, checking via my phone along the way to see if they had released the secret password.

I was nearly at the entryway to the market when the password was finally announced.  I kept up the pace until I was standing directly in front of one of the Pet Lamb ladies who was sitting calmly at their stall.



Cupcakes from Pet Lamb Patisserie



I quickly asked if it had already happened and when she said no, I couldn't help but smile knowing I was about to be super-duper embarrassed and then I proceeded to yell out:

“MUFFIN TOP!”

Having successfully won, I just grinned like an idiot whilst choosing my cupcakes and I don’t think I stopped grinning until well after I had eaten the majority of my treats accompanied by a cup of tea in the comfort of my own home.

Whirlwind Taste of the Northeast

I had a whirlwind visit recently from an old friend who had never been to England before and was only going to be in the Northeast for a single day. 

Marshalls Fish & Chips

I felt obliged to show him not only the visual highlights of the area (see my non food blog entry) but also a few of the culinary highlights.

We headed to the seaside to enjoy fish & chips, complete with mushy peas, in its natural surroundings.  We had our typically British meal at Marshalls in Tynemouth which came very highly praised by a friend.

From now on I will be the one strongly recommending Marshalls.  

Neither one of us had room in our stomach to completely finish our tasty meals but it was so good we just wanted to keep trying.

Tasty treats

This could have been because they serve quite generous portions, or it could have had something to do with the delicious selection of sweet things we had just enjoyed whilst sitting on a breezy bench along the coast.

We chose these little beauties from a lovely bakery along the main road to the Priory in Tynemouth, which unfortunately I don’t know the actual name of but I know exactly where it is for future.

There was an unfortunate cake casualty due to the slightly slippery strawberry tart not coming with a warning label of some sort or perhaps simply because one of us was a bit over excited about eating it and got a tad bit clumsy. 

Luckily we had two other treats waiting in the wings to indulge in. Phew!

Slippery strawberry tart

The chubby coconut macaroon with a little maraschino cherry on top was superb. The other item shall remain nameless (just like the bakery, darn it!) because I have no idea what it was called. The anonymous treat was an almond flavoured shortbread-esque bar with dried fruit sprinkled throughout with each end of the square dipped in chocolate for an extra sweet touch. So good!

There was also a nice selection of real ales enjoyed during this extremely brief visit to the Northeast. The choices available at the Bodega and The Bridge Hotel pubs were fantastically varied from blonde beers to dark brews and all the stages in between.

Real ale at Bodega

The evening was rounded out with a four-course meal at The Raj Tandoori off the Bigg Market in Newcastle’s city centre, but unfortunately I did not get a decent photo of the delicious curries we had, but trust me they were very flavourful and got thumbs up all around.

It has to be said that all involved parties enjoyed this little whirlwind taste tour of the Northeast, and I personally can’t wait to head back to Tynemouth very soon to discover more sweet treats from that fabulous bakery.

Pick Your Own...

 ...strawberries!
 

The sign upon entering the farm should read: Risk life & limb fighting off the hordes of drunken wasps in order to enjoy some of our deliciously ripe fruit.

Ok....I admit it, I am a wasp-hater, and believe me the feeling is mutual since I was stung enough times as a kid to know that I should just steer clear of the little yellow & black terrors. They may be tiny but gosh oh gee their sting hurts like an elephant stepping on your toe(or what I imagine that would feel like).



Spot the wasp?

Perhaps I am overreacting ever so slightly, but there were indeed a few wasps buzzing around the strawberry fields at Brockbushes Farm this weekend which is to be expected in the great outdoors.  More than once though I had to abandon the perfect strawberry due to a (cunning & vicious) wasp nearby naughtily nibbling on a fuzzy pile of over ripe berry flesh.

Putting my irrational fear of wasps aside, I absolutely love the idea of ‘Pick Your Own’(PYO) farms. Not only do they make for a fun place to visit with their quaint little Tea Rooms and cutesy Farm Shops bursting with local products, but the whole idea is to go and pick only the best fruit.  You see exactly where it comes from and cut out the middle man.  It’s a win-win situation all around.



Summer Fruit Pie



After a hard working afternoon of picking fruit(or even a tough twenty minutes of wasp-dodging) you deserve a reward and may choose to sample some of the homemade treats that the quaint Tea Room has on offer.

You may decide to sample a slice of their Summer Fruits Pie and it may just be one of the largest pieces o’ pie you have ever seen. 

   

Bakewell Tart

Or perhaps you’ll choose a slice of the extra moist, make you drool, Bakewell Tart and you will be wishing that you had received the biggest piece you have ever seen.

Whatever you choose, just make sure you get yourself your own little pot of English Breakfast tea (and don’t forget to use the little pot of hot water supplied to top up your teapot).