Meatcure - Leamington Spa

When Leamington Spa's very own fuss-free burger joint opened its doors last month, I knew I had to give it a go. So, without further a do, cue obligatory burger post...

There is no denying that Leamington is brimming with yummy mummy cafes and trendy pubs, but the one thing I have noticed it was lacking is it's own burger place.

Enter Meatcure. First opened in Leicester and now located on none other than my very own road (hashtag blessed...), this place is exactly what Leamington has been missing.

Now we all know how much I love London's Meat Liquor and Bournemouth's 7Bone, so you can only imagine my reaction when I heard this place was opening just in time for my return home from uni - Christmas come early!

Louis and I ventured for a speedy but laid-back dinner before going to see the new Star Wars film last night and we were pretty pleased with both the burger and the film.

We started off with our fave craft ale, Camden hells, followed by 2 burgers in brioche buns served with chips and a portion of beer battered onion rings to share.

I ordered 'smokey and the bandit'; a beef patty with the addition of cheese, lettuce (minus a tomato of course), smoked streaky bacon, house mayo, mother sauce and caramelised onions. Louis had a 'raging bull' - same as the above, but chorizo instead of bacon.

Both burgers were delish. Oozing patties slathered with melty classic burger cheese and perfectly crispy bacon, all encased in a glossy brioche bun. The onion rings were delicious but a little too greasy for me! The chips were skinny and crisp, exactly how they should be.

Deliciously fresh but filthyly tasty burgers right on my doorstep - what more could a girl want?

Homemade nachos

Over recent years, I seem to have become a bit of a nachos expert, or some may say a nachos snob. I know what I like when it comes to nachos and it doesn't involve Doritos or cinema-style plasticy cheese dip. Homemade tortilla chips, obscene amounts of cheese and a guacamole made from scratch is, in my opinion, exactly what nacho dreams are made of.

This nachos recipe is cinema nachos', more wholesome and lets be honest, better looking older sister. Nothing overly fancy or tricky, just a really tasty treat. These have quickly become a winner amongst my friends, family and boyfriend and go perfectly with a smoky chilli con carne and a couple of Coronas.

Ingredients: Serves 2-3

For the guacamole...

2 ripe avocados

1/2 lemon, juiced

3 spring onions, chopped

4 cherry tomatoes, finely chopped

A small handful of fresh coriander, chopped 

A pinch of dried chilli flakes

Salt & pepper

For the rest...

4 flour tortilla wraps, cut into triangles

2 spring onions, chopped

150g of cheddar cheese, grated

50g of mozzarella, torn into small pieces

100ml sour cream

100g fresh tomato salsa

80g green jalapeños from a jar (depending how hot you like it!)

Method:

1. Arrange the tortilla triangles on a large baking tray, ensuring they aren't stacked on top of one another. Cook in the oven on a medium heat for around 5 minutes or until going slightly darker in colour, then set aside.

2. To make the guacamole, mash 2 avocados in a bowl with a fork until smooth but with a few chunky bits.

3. Into the bowl add, the spring onions, coriander, tomatoes, chilli flakes, seasoning and lemon juice. Combine together and set aside.

4. Arrange half of the tortilla chips into a deeper baking dish/tin and sprinkle over half of both cheeses and a few jalapeños.

5, Place under the grill for a few minutes until the cheese has melted.

6. Then place the remaining tortilla chips on top, along with the rest of the cheese, salsa, more jalapeños and some spring onions.

7. Place under the grill again for a few minutes until the cheese has melted.

8. Remove from the oven, and dollop sour cream and guacamole over the nachos.

9. Garnish with some fresh coriander and spring onions and enjoy!

Food rut: The cookbook cure

Recently, I have found myself in a bit of a food rut. I have just started back at University for my final year and already I have been thrown into the stressful world of dissertations, huge reading lists and a sea of journal articles. This means I have much less time to do what I love most - cook and eat.

Whenever I enter a food rut, I find myself cooking the same fail-safe dishes over and over again. More often than not, these are quick and easy and very often involve pasta (guilty...). For me, one of the most wonderful things about food is the opportunity to try new things, but when you're a time poor (as well as actually just poor) student, trying exciting new dishes often takes a back seat.

If I ever feel the urge to try some new recipes, I often head to Pinterest for inspiration, but I also love to spend time in the cookbook section of book shops. Cookbook shopping can be hard. There are so many to choose from and it's often difficult to determine which book features the sort of recipes you can and will recreate at home. 

There are a few main things I look for in a cookbook; the first is ingredients lists - often extensive and some things featured are extremely hard to get hold of (yes, I'm looking at you, Nigella). Personally, I look for recipes that feature affordable ingredients that I can pick up at the supermarket. Another thing I look out for is substantial dishes. Although I love cake as much as the next girl, I want a book with a wide range of balanced meals that are both nutritious and tasty, with the occasional sweet treat thrown in for good measure. The third thing I look for is a more superficial one; photographs. Having worked on food shoots, I really appreciate the work that goes into food styling and photography, and there is nothing I like more than flicking through a cook book that simply looks gorgeous. But for me, the main purpose for buying cookbooks is to encourage me to try something new. There is no use in buying books that feature things you already make - stretch yourself and try a totally new ingredient or cooking method, you'll probably love it.

I have recently bought two new cookbooks without knowing much about them. Both were discovered whilst flicking through (and drooling over) cookbooks in a Waterstones. The first is Eat The Week By Anna Barnett. I have to admit, I had never even heard of Anna Barnett before, but this book caught my eye thanks to its unusual recipes and clever layout. This book is sectioned into days of the week like; Make it fancy Wednesdays and Slow Sundays. as well as handy sections like Cornershop dash and Carbs for comfort. Eat The Week is very nifty, mixing indulgent dishes with very healthy ones in the most effortless way. Although slightly guilty of doing a Nigella, the ingredients lists are still accessible enough and well worth it for these delicious recipes. I also have to admit that this book is also very easy on the eye, combining rich coloured patterns and backgrounds with most mouth-watering of food photography.

The second book I picked up was Anna Jones' A modern way to cook. Having visited Anna's blog on a number of occasions (and leaving feeling very envious of her blog/food/life) I sort of knew what to expect from this book. Following on from The modern way to eat, this book features over 150 ridiculously clever vegetarian recipes. For those of you who know me, you'll know I'm a fully fledged carnivore, so the fact this book has got me excited says a lot about how good it is. Not only does Anna feature a wide range of delicious dishes with a very modern twist, but throughout the book, she also has these clever tables showing which ingredients go with each other in certain dishes (like this stir fry matrix below). This is a very clever book from a very clever lady, not to mention the beautiful Nordic-esque minimalist photography throughout. 

I can't wait to try all of the delicious recipes these books have to offer and it's Thanks to them, I am confident I will be out of my food rut very soon.

Spicy coconut panko chicken and sesame kale

I like to think I am pretty good when it comes to living on a budget. Now that I am a student again, I am back to meticulously planning meals and doing all of my food shopping online. Although this involves a certain degree of planning ahead, I find that I only buy what I need which means I hardly waste anything. This recipe was something I created by using up a selection of random ingredients I had left over at the end of the week.

Panko breadcrumbs are something I always like to have in the cupboard. I find them a lot lighter and tastier than your normal breadcrumbs and they are delicious on salmon and chicken. I love sesame seeds and oil and they are always a welcome addition when cooking any Chinese or Japanese dishes, so I often have them hanging around. I had a little bit of coconut milk left over from a curry I made and coconut flakes from my breakfast bars recipe.The only fresh ingredients I used were an egg, the kale and the chicken.

It's not often I make something with leftovers and think to myself 'wow, this is actually really nice', but this dish is fast becoming a favourite of mine.

For the chicken: (serves 2)
2 chicken breasts
1 egg
100ml of coconut milk
120g of panko breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons of dessicated coconut flakes (you can use the grated kind but I prefer to have some chunkier bits in there)
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
3 to 4 pinches of dried chilli flakes (depending on how hot you like it!)
2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seed oil
A drizzle of oil (I used a mixture of sesame and chilli oil, but sunflower oil will work too)
Salt & pepper

Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to fan 190 degrees C.
2. In a food processor/mini chopper, blitz all dry ingredients (coconut, panko, chilli flakes, sesame seeds, salt & pepper) until a fine crumb is formed
3. In a shallow bowl, crack in the egg and whisk with a fork
4. Add the coconut milk in with the egg and whisk until fully combined, then add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Mix again.
5. Empty the dry breadcrumb mix from processor onto a large plate.
6. Using tongs, take each chicken breast one at a time, and dip into the egg mixture, thoroughly coating all sides of the chicken.
7. The transfer the breast into the breadcrumb bowl and thoroughly coat with the mixture.
8. Do this for both breasts and then transfer into a baking tray. Drizzle with oil of choice, and place in oven.
9. Remove the chicken after about 35-40 minutes of cooking, or until the outside crumb is golden brown and the chicken cooked through.

For the kale (also serves 2)
100g of curly kale (woody stems removed)
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
2 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil

Method:
1. Place sesame seeds into a dry pan over a medium heat and toast until fragrant and golden brown. Put aside once toasted.
2, Heat sesame oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add kale once oil is hot.
3. Place a lid on the saucepan and cook the kale for 4-6 minutes, stirring ocassionally.
4, Place kale on a plate and sprinkle over the toasted sesame seeds.

The chicken and kale make a delish combo, but are equally as good eaten separately or accompanied by other things. Try this kale as a side for fragrant Asian stylesalmon fillets or enjoy this chicken alongside some coconut rice for a hearty dinner. My favourite thing to eat with the panko chicken is sweet chilli sauce - so naughty but so good.

Polpo Soho

If you live in London, you would have heard of Polpo. This Venetian small plates restaurant is taking the capital by storm. First opening in Soho back in 2010, and popping up in a number of other locations all over London, along with a best-selling cookbook and queues out the door, can you blame me for wanting to see what all the fuss was about.

My boyfriend and I spent a lovely couple of days in London which mostly entailed eating and drinking our way through every London borough. Both huge fans of laid back Italian dining, we headed to Polpo for a late dinner. Polpo is so polpular (haha, geddit?!) that we ended up waiting for just over an hour to be seated. This wasn't much of a problem though, as in the basement, Polpo have a little bar where you can indulge in an Italian beer or four whilst waiting to be seated.

It's no wonder this place is so popular. The menu is very impressive, offering some Italian classics like arancini (deep fried cheesy risotto balls - how can you go wrong), alongside some more unexpected dishes (you wouldn't find rabbit, apricot & sage terrine in no Bella Italia...) I've said it before and I'll say it again, I LOVE small plate dining, I think it's the greedy girl in me who wants to try everything on the menu.

They recommend 2 to 3 plates per person and we went for; arancini, a gorgonzola & prosciutto pizzette, coopa, peperonata & goat cheese bruschetta, spicy pork & fennel meatballs and chicken cotoletta aioli.

Every dish was incredible. The arancini were perfection - exactly how arancini should be. The pizzette was light, flavourful and extremely moreish. The bruschetta was easily our favourite - so simple but so delicious. The meatballs - spicier than we were anticipating - tasted so authentically yummy. And finally the chicken, which arrived last but was another one of our favourites, beautifully cooked and accompanied with a delicious aioli.

This was all washed down with a few Moretti beers and a delicious bellini.

All in all, exceptionally good Italian food without a stodgy carbonara in sight. Polpo is well worth a visit, and even worth the hangry hour we waited!

Rice crispies cakes for adults

If there is any way for me to be able to spend an extra 10 minutes in bed, I'm game. Although I love breakfast, I love to take my time making it, eating it and enjoying it, time I simply don't have before work.

Over the past month, I have been lucky enough to work with the amazing branding and design agency, Big Fish. This is pretty much a dream come true for me as they work with some of the loveliest food brands widely recognised for their excellent quality. Dorset Cereals and Clipper Tea are amongst many of the food brands I have spotted in the supermarket and thought to myself 'I wish I worked with them!' and now that I've had the chance to do so, I'm completely over the moon.

This new role lured me back to London which meant an hour and a half commute from Reading each way. Thanks to the early start, I was after an easy breakfast solution that was both tasty and wholesome and could be eaten whilst travelling. These also make the perfect snack.

I love granola and museli, so I wanted to conjure up an on the go version. Sweet, chewy and not a marshmallow in sight, I give you the adult answer to rice crispies cakes....

You will need:

Greaseproof paper
A shallow rectangular baking tin

240g of porridge oats
120g of puffed rice cereal (the plain kind, I used Kallo)
2 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoon of golden syrup
4 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of peanut butter (I prefer crunchy but it's up to you)
2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds
4 tablespoons of dessicated coconut flakes
1 capful of vanilla extract
A sprinkling of sesame seeds

Kallo and Whole Earth are two of the brands I worked with at Big Fish - just look how pretty they are!

1. Line the baking tray with paper and set aside
2. Add butter, maple syrup and honey to a small saucepan, stir and heat slowly until the butter is melted
3. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the brown sugar, vanilla and peanut butter
4. Combine the oats and puffed rice in a large mixing bowl and stir in the butter mixture, ensuring it is all combined
5. Add pumpkin seeds and coconut flakes - stir again
6. Transfer into the baking tin, push mixture to the sides and press down.
7. Sprinkle some additional seeds and coconut on top and drizzle with honey.
8. Put in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, then remove and slice into bars/squares.

You can use any seeds of your choice and even add in some dried fruit if you fancy.

Easy peasy iced coffee

August in the UK has been a very disappointing month in terms of weather. There have been very few days when it hasn't rained and I can count the number of sunny days on one hand. On miserable rainy days there's not much that's better than cosying down with a hot drink, so of course, on one of the rainiest days of August so far, I bring you a recipe for none other than, iced coffee! A strange choice I know, but a refreshing pick me up whatever the weather.

I am a self proclaimed coffee addict, seriously - I get coffee withdrawal headaches around 4pm most days. This is an addiction that started when I learnt how to walk...yep. My mum claims I used to wander around the house in the search for used mugs so I could slurp up the dregs of any remaining coffee and I guess old habits die hard.

For Christmas, my mum and sister got me a Nespresso machine and wow, this thing is amazing. You can buy insertable coffee pods in a number of varieties which are all different flavours. My personal favourites are Fortissio lungo and the caramel flavour. I try to limit myself to two coffees a day, and iced coffees make a nice change.

This recipe isn't anything revolutionary, but it is fuss free and extremely delicious.

You will need:
1 coffee pod
1 glassful of milk
A flavoured sugar syrup (optional, but I like these ones)
An ice cube tray
A straw

1. Brew one long coffee into a small jug and leave to cool for around 20 minutes.
2. Pour the coffee into an ice cube tray (I find silicone ones the easiest)
3. Leave in the freezer for a minimum of 12 hours and take out when you're ready to make your coffee
4. Remove each coffee cube and place into a glass
5. Add flavoured syrup of your choice if desired
6. Fill the glass with fresh milk and leave to stand for 10 minutes
7. Stir with a straw and enjoy!*

*Best enjoyed whilst lying on a beach in an exotic country, but whilst snuggled inside in rainy England is sometimes just as good

Best of London

So the time has come for me to say farewell to London (for now!)

In June, I finished my year-long placement with The Walt Disney Company where I was working in food product development. I had the best year with the company and was given the most incredible opportunities. Now that it's over, I have moved out of my flat in West London and back home for the summer before continuing my final year of studies at Reading University.

Throughout the past year in London I have had some really incredible experiences. I have visited the most amazing places, made some friends for life and eaten the best of what London has to offer in terms of food.

What better way to end my London love affair with food than give a quick run down of my foodie 'Best ofs'

Best Breakfast: The London Edition - Fitzrovia
For my 21st birthday, I was lucky enough to stay in the incredible London Edition hotel with my Mum. The morning of my birthday, we were treated to an amazing a la carte breakfast. This breakfast is perfect for any special occasion and is served amongst the most opulent of surroundings.

Best cocktail bar: Freud - West End
Freud was somewhere my friend Lucy and I stumbled upon by chance. We were scouring the West End for somewhere to go for a drink and found this little bar tucked in a basement on Shaftesbury Avenue. This place is effortless cool epitomised. Inside it's simple, with an entirely cement interior accompanied by slate tables and chairs. The cocktails here are incredible. The menu is extensive and all cocktails come in at around £8 - a bargain for the location and quality.

Best cheap eat: Herman Ze German - Soho
This German gem was another accidental find whilst some friends and I were looking for something to grab before heading to a Soho Comedy Club night. Serving predominantly bratwurst and schnitzel, this place is perfect for a quick and affordable meal in an incredibly laid back environment. They also serve massive beer steins and project episodes of Knight Rider and Baywatch onto the walls - what more could a girl want?

Best pub: The Distillers - Hammersmith
Choosing the best pub in London is incredibly hard, if there is one thing London does really well, its pubs. I went for The Distillers in Hammersmith, as it is easily my most visited pub as it was pretty local to where I lived and worked. The Distillers serve a wide variety of beers and ciders at a reasonable price as well as offering a really impressive pub grub menu. The interior is trendy but relaxed and the garden is perfect place to spend those rare sunny days.

Best afternoon tea: Sketch - Mayfair
Sketch is very easily the winner of best afternoon tea. I have had a couple of disappointing afternoon teas in my time and they can all become quite samey. Sketch is something entirely different and stands in a league of it's own, serving well thought out food in the most decadent of surroundings. The pink plush and gold detailed gallery is covered in the artwork of Brit artist David Shringley and even the tableware is designed by him. Each element of the afternoon tea is a more contemporary take on the traditional afternoon tea but still equally as delicious, all eaten in an environment that is like stepping into a Wes Anderson film. (Also the loos are shaped like eggs...yep)