Sharing a love of good food - recipes from my kitchen - eating out - great producers & suppliers
Picturedrome in Macclesfield offers food and drink from a range of independent businesses, all under one roof. I recently visited this newly opened food hall set in an old cinema and loved the lively, communal eating experience. Opened at the end of October 2019, Picturedrome …Read more
Smoky Bacon, Leek & Potato Soup is a welcome change from the usual creamy leek and potato version. Made in around 45 minutes, this golden coloured soup has bags of flavour, including smokiness from bacon or pancetta. Say ‘leek & potato soup’ and what …Read more
Don’t you love finding evidence of previous owners in used books? Maybe just a neatly written name on the flyleaf and some underlining. Or, in cookery books, splashes of sauce or perhaps recipes satisfyingly ticked off as the owner cooked them. In this post I …Read more
Chicken Chilli is a lighter alternative to many traditional chillies, whether meat or veggie. Instead of a tomato base this is a ‘white’ chilli with sweetcorn and white beans as well as chunks of chicken. The spicy mix, with as much chilli as you like, is …Read more
In this post I share some of my food and drink highlights from last month, bringing together the best of the blog and my social media during October 2019. Includes a recommended read on the history of cooking and eating, reports from one of Staffordshire’s …Read more
No.26 Bar & Dining, at Aston Marina near Stone in Staffordshire, offers a tempting selection of seasonal dishes with an emphasis on using local suppliers. On my first visit I enjoyed some satisfying Autumnal food. It wasn’t until after I dined at No.26, Aston Marina‘s …Read more
The Foxlowe Arts Centre in Leek has been holding its annual Apple Fest for a number of years now. So, as I go food shopping in Leek most Saturdays and visit the Foxlowe fairly regularly (not least to have a mooch among the local art …Read more
Chicken Croquettes, creamy on the inside with a hint of Parmesan, crunchy on the outside, are a great way of turning leftover roast chicken into irresistible fried morsels. Serve with potatoes and salad or vegetables, or with similar little dishes in an Italian style fritto …Read more
Stone Food & Drink Festival, now in its fifteenth year, seems to be going from strength to strength. Held over the first weekend in October, the 2019 Festival drew huge crowds to the Staffordshire town. As on a number of other years, I joined them …Read more
Bean, Bacon & Cabbage Soup is nourishing and flavour-packed. Using tinned cannellini beans speeds up the process and each bowlful will give you three to four portions of vegetables. Perfect comfort food for Autumn and Winter. As if the fact that Autumn is …Read more
Amore serves up solid Italian cooking in a friendly, family-run restaurant in Newcastle-Under-Lyme. On my recent visit I was wowed by their top-notch pasta dishes as well as an unusual starter with a sauce I’d been looking to sample for a while. Excellent choice of …Read more
In this post I share some of my food and drink highlights from last month, bringing together the best of the blog and my social media during September 2019. Read about Love Lamb Week, dog friendly eating and drinking in Staffordshire, two great value restaurants, …Read more
Basic Biscuit Dough is a great recipe to have in your repertoire. From this base, you can flavour the dough with all sorts of add-ins to make a range of tempting biscuits. In this post I share with you my basic dough for crisp, buttery …Read more
Green Bean, Tomato & Coconut Curry is full of spicy flavour. The creamy coconut milk in the sauce is balanced by tomatoes and a final squeeze of lime. Use fresh or frozen green beans of any kind in this easy, completely plant-based curry. This curry …Read more
Beirut Lebanese restaurant in Stoke-on-Trent deserves to be so much more widely known. This small and friendly place serves up beautifully cooked food to eat in or take away. Choose from great value mezze small plates, salads, kebabs and Arabic dishes with incredible flavour. As …Read more
Savoury Tear & Share Star Bread looks impressive, but it’s actually not difficult to create. Filled with layers of sun-dried tomatoes, cheese, basil, salami, roasted onions and garlic plus fennel seeds, you won’t be able to resist pulling off a piece and eating it warm …Read more
Tahini Miso Vegetable Slaw with Crispy Chickpeas is a big, satisfying bowlful. Crunchy shredded vegetables with a dressing based on creamy tahini, full flavoured miso paste and as much chilli heat as you like are joined by chickpeas roasted until crispy and moreish. A hearty, …Read more
Thalii in Stoke-on-Trent offers a way of eating that may be new even to diners who consider themselves old hands in British Indian restaurants. That’s because they specialize in serving tapas sized dishes on a traditional Indian thali tray. On my first visit I loved …Read more
In this post I share some of my food and drink highlights from last month, bringing together the best of the blog and my social media during August 2019. Includes quality but affordable dining in Lichfield, Thai lunchtime bargains, tapas at my local village pub, …Read more
Marrow or Courgette Jam sounds odd if you’ve never heard of it before. But don’t worry, this golden coloured preserve doesn’t taste of vegetables! Marrow or oversized courgette, along with apple, is simply a base for the zingy lemon and ginger flavour of this jam. …Read more
Roasted Tomato Sauce has a rich flavour whether you make it with homegrown tomatoes or ripe, shop-bought ones. Roasting the tomatoes with onions, garlic and herbs not only intensifies the flavour but makes it an easy, largely hands-off recipe. As the caramelized veg is whizzed …Read more
Overnight Oats are a nutritious, easy breakfast. This creamy and tart, beautifully pink version with raspberries, yogurt, coconut and optional chia seeds will have you springing out of bed to enjoy it. Perfect whether you need a quick, healthy breakfast at home or a grab-and-go …Read more
Roast Beef Salad is undoubtedly a sensible way to use up leftovers from the Sunday roast. But, made with quality beef sirloin, I think it’s so good it’s worth roasting a joint specially to make this satisfying plate. With little salads of roasted carrots, garlicky …Read more
Homemade Yogurt is incredibly easy using an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. In this post I give you step by step instructions that will produce fresh yogurt with surprisingly little effort. Eat it just as it is, or strain to make thick and creamy Greek-style …Read more
Eden in Lichfield has completed its transformation under new owners with its recent ditching of the old Olive Tree name. Last week, I returned to see if the revamped restaurant was continuing to produce the great dishes I’d enjoyed on my first visit. It’s not …Read more