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From Peckham with Thai The deep dark depths of Peckham. Even as a Brixtonian, Peckham feels like a bit of a trek. It doesn’t have a tube for one thing which, in itself, is faintly off-putting. Nothing like an area of London with a slightly dodgy reputation that also has no quick means of escape... Anyway, Peckham does have its lures. The Peckham Plex, for one (£5 cinema tickets anyone?), Frank’s rooftop bar for another (not so great in winter but a bit of a gem in summer) but perhaps our favourite Peckham haunt has to be a little restaurant slightly away from the main highstreet on Bellenden (snigger) road called The Begging Bowl. The food is Thai inspired and consists of a variety of creamy curries, grilled meats and sticky, fragrant rice. They also do a cracking cocktail, but more on that later.

So we discovered The Begging Bowl after the Boy gifted me a copy of Harden’s Restaurants (our copy is a now well-thumbed and rather outdated 2016 edition) in which The Begging Bowl was listed as a consistent ‘good’. We were doing a bit of a tour of the best (and most reasonably priced) restaurants in our vicinity and this one seemed to be a good bet so off we popped. There’s usually a bit of a wait for a table on Fridays and weekends and you can’t book in advance (joy) so you just have to add your name and number to a list and drink consistently in one of the many local pubs on the same road until you’re called.

Once you’ve managed to stumble your way back over you’re seated in a cramped but cozy restaurant and presented with the extensive menu. SO, here’s the deal. - The rice is bottomless and you have a choice of either jasmine or sticky. - The dishes are small – think many and varied when you order. - Definitely don’t just stick to the curries – go for a mix of grilled meat, veggie dishes and curries, that way you’ll appreciate the full scope of the menu. - And finally, unless you’re partial to having your nose, mouth and digestive tract blown to smithereens, AVOID THE JUNGLE CURRY. Dear god, I thought we were good with a bit of heat but this curry was, literally in my case, unbearable. Never before or since have I chosen to abandon a meal halfway through due solely to heavy and persistent sweating. This place is SO good. The first time we went (in 2016) we had a venison dish the Boy still talks about to this day. Super tender, really flavoursome, just lush. The last time we went (in early December) we had this amazing lemongrass wrapped pork that was new to the menu and REALLY good. We also treated ourselves to a cocktail or two – the standout winner being the coconut eggnog – I know, it sounds gross, but OH MUMMA. The menu changes fairly regularly but we’ve been there four or five times and never had a bad meal, so I really recommend it. There are tons of veggie dishes as well so if you’re that way inclined it’s a good bet.

Definitely up there with our faves in South London. Go! Go! Go!

[shamelessfoodie]

An Apology

So.... it’s been a while.

Three years to be exact. And what a three years they’ve been. I’ve worked hard; I’ve travelled; I’ve moved flat; I’ve grown up and, my fellow foodies, I’ve eaten. A LOT. But I appreciate that all of this means nothing if you’ve not been there to share it with me... so what I want to say first and foremost is a big sorry. As a blog reader myself, I know how frustrating it is when the writer doesn’t keep to a schedule, or worse, drops off the radar completely without explanation. So the fact that I have any followers remaining at all is a small miracle. I’m sure anyone that happens to read this will have forgotten themselves that they ever used to follow me, but here I am – and I feel I owe you an explanation. When I last wrote, the Boy and I had just been to Hawksmoor to celebrate my new job. A job that was a huge achievement for me as it got me out of a role I was really unhappy in and allowed me to write, full time, for a living. The dream! The one thing that was quite good about that previous role, however, was that I spent a lot of the time I should have been working, writing on this blog. I was aware when I got the role that writing for work and writing for fun might be a tricky one to manage but I figured I loved writing (and food) so much that it would just happen naturally. I’d find the time. *SPOILER* I didn’t.

Turns out, sitting down at a computer and writing after a long day of sitting down at a computer and writing is not conducive to a work/life balance. I love writing this blog, almost as much as I love eating (I KNOW!), but after just a few days of being in my new role, I realised that I was expending so much energy trying to get ahead at work that the blog was inevitably going to take a knock. And here we are, three years later. 

I will be upfront from the get-go and say that realistically, I’m still not going to be able to post a blog a day – far from it, one a month might be tricky at times - but one a week is what I shall aim for initially, as part of a new year’s resolution to start writing for myself again. I’d forgotten what it feels like to have the freedom to write entirely off-brief. To write what I want to write, in the way I want to write it, about things that interest, excite and perplex me. So I suppose this post is a bit of a new year’s starting gun – to get back to blogging about my love of and passion for food in all its forms. I’d love it if you joined me.

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Hawksmoor - Spitalfields. 

This was my celebratory dinner of choice upon getting the new job. Quite pricey but SO worth it. The cocktails were excellent, the service was brilliant and the food was insane. I left it up to Boy to choose the steak as they calculate by weight and my maths is beyond appalling so, after much deliberation with the waiter, he picked an 850 T-Bone. It was perfect. We got a portion of triple cooked chips each and the creamed spinach to share along with bone marrow gravy. The steak was cooked a little rarer that I’d have expected for ‘medium rare’ but was absolutely delicious. Credit to the boy, T-Bone was an inspired choice. Half fillet, half sirloin. Go hungry, you’ll need the space.

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Bodo’s Schloss - Kensington.

Really disappointing. I think, in fairness, this place is famed more for its famous clientele than for its restaurant but if you’re going to offer a dinner menu, at least put a bit of effort in. I could have got the exact same food in a Wetherspoons and would probably have had a better evening, not to mention a fuller purse. It wasn’t that the food was bad, it was just a bit uninspiring. I had half a roasted chicken with chips and a salad. It was literally fine.

What really ruined the evening was the atmosphere. Again, considering they offer a dinner menu, you would think they might put a little more effort in. As it was, we walked into the most bizarre combination of social situations I’ve ever encountered. In the middle of the restaurant was an enormous projector screen showing the football, with the sound blaring through the speakers we were seated directly under. We could barely hear the sound, however, due to the thumping pop music resonating out of the back room, which appeared to be playing host to a children’s birthday party. Screaming children would occasionally run out amongst the diners, with no attempt from the staff to contain them and blaring disco lights would occasionally flash into faces of the baffled diners. We were reassured that the party was due to end in the next few minutes, which it did, but was promptly followed by the children filing out through the restaurant screaming at the top of their lungs. As if this wasn’t bizarre enough, once the children had all left and the football (including the entire post match commentary) had finally finished, we were then treated to, what can only be described as a torrent of abuse from the manager to his staff over the clearing of a table for him and a friend to sit at. Shocked at the practically multi-coloured language bellowing behind us we all turned and were simply given an apologetic look from the waiter. I’ve never heard someone be so unnecessarily rude. We hoped, lamely, that it may have been in jest but unfortunately I think it’s unlikely. We later discovered that the children’s party was for a friend or relation of the manager, which explained the complete disregard for the diners. It was also he and his friend who seemed most keen on watching the football. Again, explains a lot.

Essentially, this place would, I imagine, be the perfect venue for a Christmas party. As it was, we were just there for dinner and will be sure never to bother again.

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Burger and Lobster - Soho. Massive apologies for woefully neglecting the blog of late - have been in the midst of a mental job hunt which, I’m pleased to say, has been fruitful. Yup, at long last i’ve found one - and it’s a bloody good’un. Not only is it for a MUCH bigger company which pays more and works on far more interesting projects but I also get to write all day FOR A LIVING! I am honestly in a state of dizzy, delighted shock which goes some way to explaining my recent absence, but I shall endeavour, once the new job excitement has worn off, to post more regularly. I get the feeling it might be hard to write for work and pleasure initially but stay with me. I’ll make it work. So ANYWAY, Burger and Lobster. Had to queue (yawn) but once we were in and presented with lobsters the size of our arms, we were abated. The lobsters were fresh and steamed to perfection. Served with garlic butter and chips, they were pretty spesh. I had never actually tried lobster before this and, considering the average price, had been reluctant to do so just in case I didn’t like it and was lumbered with a whole-lotta-lobster and a very empty bank account. But with the lobster priced at a very reasonable £20 here, I decided now was the time to try. It was lush. Not sure I’d rate it above a bowl full of fat, juicy king prawns, but good none the less. We also got given a cool little bib to wear sooooo....

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Elephant Cafe - Brixton Village

Yet another Brixton Village jaunt, I’m afraid – but FUCK what a jaunt. I’m about to make a very bold claim. I think Elephant might be my favourite eatery in the village. I KNOW. Honestly though, it was DELICIOUS. The menu, termed ‘Pakistani street food’, combines a selection of samosas, pakoras and chaat to start, with chicken, lamb and lentil curries and thalis served with daahl, naan bread, salad or rice (or, if you’re bold enough, all three).

The brainchild of Imran Bashir, this tiny, unlicensed restaurant offers a BYO policy and spills its tables out into the village arcade, allowing around 7 tables worth of punters to get their curried fix. I’d read a few blazing reviews of Elephant but had never got round to visiting, so last night we right-ed this wrong and, armed with a bottle of pinot, offered up our Elephant virginity (?!). I’ve been in the midst of job hunt HELL for the past couple of months and am now tantalisingly close to nabbing a good one, so we headed out in search of sustenance to abate me until it’s all, FINALLY, over. (For anyone else on the job hunt at the moment, I sympathise with you, greatly.) Anyway, I went for the chicken thalis, while the boy opted for lamb. We were served promptly (being the only ones there at 6.30pm! We were starving, alright!?!) and the food was freshly cooked and smelled delicious. Thalis is a spiced, marinated meat served with lentil daahl, rice, cucumber yoghurt and a fresh, chopped salad. ERMEHGEHD it was stunning. The meat was beautifully cooked and perfectly spiced, the dahhl was thick and creamy, the yoghurt complimented everything brilliantly and with a choice of both rice and naan, it was delectably substantial. I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to come here! It’s definitely up there with Kaosarn as one of my faves in the village. Go hungry and with wine and you can be sure of a cracking evening. Can’t recommend enough.

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Chilli Chilli Bang Bang - Dalston StreetFeast

'Street Feast' in Dalston Yard, has become something of a regular watering hole for North London's agonizingly trendy inhabitants and after attending last weekend's 'Chilli Chilli Bang Bang' festival, I'm ashamed to admit, I can see why…

A sea of ironic ankle swingers and an abundance of beards greeted us as we entered the sprawling metropolis of street food vendors that adorned Dalston Yard last Saturday (10th May). Having paid 15 of our hard-earned pounds to gain entry, we hoped the self-proclaimed ‘nomadic street food circus’ would live up to expectation… and with 3 free drinks (a tequila cocktail, a Margarita and a Corona), and a complimentary bottle of Wahaca chilli sauce on offer, they were certainly off to a good start..!

Part of a one-off, chilli themed weekend, ‘Chilli Chilli Bang Bang’ combined a love of eye-watering and impromptu sweating, with some of the most exciting, innovative street food vendors in London to produce a fantastic array of chilli orientated food-stuffs for foodie London to devour. Although CCBB (the brainchild of Wahaca founder Thomasina Miers, street food specialists ‘Tweat Up’ and Jose Cuervo tequila) was a one-off, StreetFeast can be found in Dalston Yard every weekend and is the go-to event for all things street food in London. Although on first glance you’d be forgiven for assuming you’d stumbled into a post-apocalyptic wasteland, Dalston Yard is, undoubtedly, impressive.

Having decked out the space brilliantly, the variety of food and drinks on offer was almost daunting and despite significant crowds, the queues were relatively fast moving. 

SO. Let’s get to it. The food. We decided to adopt a ‘little and often’ approach in order to try as many of the stalls as we could. We failed miserably, getting full pathetically quickly and only managing about 5 stalls out of a possible 20. Shameful. However, we did manage to consume; Pork belly buns from Bao, Mini pork quesadillas from Wahaca, chilli burgers from Slider Bar, inordinate amounts of chips and chilli dip from around the yard and amazing hot naans from Rola Wala. It was pretty spesh.

Were I to pick a favourite, it would have to be the Rola Wala naans. Totally unique and utterly delicious, we went for all three heat options, mild (chicken), spicy (beetroot) and hot (pork) - all were good but the pork was bloody insane. Get down to Street Feast, where they have a regular residency, on the weekend and give them a try. Well worth it. So, although it pains me to say it, ‘trendy’ as Dalston may be, I have bought into the hype spectacularly and recommend Street Feast/Chilli Chilli Bang Bang, wholeheartedly.

Find out more about tweat up and their upcoming food events, here: http://www.tweatup.co.uk/

[shamelessfoodie]

Confessions of a ‘Woman Who Eats On Tubes’

Tumbles, in a wonderfully apt turn of events, I have been branded a ‘Woman Who Eats On Tubes’. The offending photo was uploaded to the, now infamous, facebook site around 3 weeks ago and I can say, with complete honesty, that my life has not changed in the slightest. Though I should, perhaps, claim to be mentally scarred, humiliated and disgraced, perpetually looking over my shoulder with my nerves in tatters, the truth of it is, I’m really not that bothered.

The reactions to the photo were mixed. Among my flatmates, whilst one found the fact that I was plastered across a public forum for scoffing a chicken sandwich, hilarious and is now a dedicated follower of the site, the other stated, in no uncertain terms, that the photo was 'massively creepy’ and that if she was ever featured on the site, she would be, I quote, ‘fucking mortified’. Cheers, love.

And it seems they’re not the only ones who are conflicted. There have been several articles written about the ‘Women Who Eat On Tubes’ Facebook group - the majority condemn it and feel it is not only a gross invasion of privacy but also a form of bullying, whereas others see the negative reactions it's provoked, as feminism gone mad - 'The majority of the posts are eloquent and amusing', they say, 'not at the expense of the woman in question, but in the glorifying of the mundane.'

No one can deny that certain photos are relished for their less-than-flattering angles - it's certainly no coincidence that a tall blonde holding an apple has only thirty-something 'likes' whereas an extreme close up of a woman mid-way through a foot long hot dog, has over 1000 – at which point the attention clearly shifts from the banal consumption of food, to the woman and her appearance.  But with a following of 20,000 and counting, to try and label the group with a single intention is near impossible.

So did the site start as a platform for stranger-shaming? Or is it, as moderator, Tony Burke, insists, 'art'?

“You’re capturing a moment that will never be repeated. It’s ridiculous. It’s banal; it’s the most normal thing in the world: eating. We transport it into high art...”

Hmmm. ‘High art’ isn’t quite the term I’d use to describe my fevered lunch consumption… ‘Feeding time at the zoo’ would perhaps be more accurate… but when he later admits that 'personally', he considers eating on tubes 'anti-social' and 'not particularly nice', the glaring contradiction does induce an awkward tug of the collar.

There is also, lest we forget, the minor issue of sexism. Why a group who, inexplicably, focuses solely on women is puzzled when the feminists raise a quizzical eyebrow, is beyond me. Of course, a group for ‘Gentlemen Who Consume On Buses’ could be started just as easily, but why not lose the 'niche' altogether, save a lot of unnecessary hassle and just stick with 'People'?

“If it was called 'people who eat on tubes', it wouldn't be the same,” Burke says. “I thought I might as well call it something, so I called it women eating on the Tube. It was what it is and it’s utterly pointless.”

Tony, if artful randomness is what you’re going for, do yourself a favour and leave gender out of it. That said, when my image first appeared on the site, my first thought was not, 'How dare they persecute me and my fellow woman-kind for eating in public?' but rather, 'FUCK! LOOK AT MY MASSIVE GOB!'.

To give the moderators their due, on the occasions that comments are openly derogatory or abusive, they are removed and the author, blocked. If a woman requests her image be taken down, it will be.

So doth the lady protest too much?  To be honest, I think we're in danger of reading too much into it. At the end of the day, we all love a funny photo - whether we're 'lol'-ing at a grumpy cat, an inanimate object that looks like Hitler, or, lets be honest now, someone else's expense, if it's amusing, people will lap it up.  The fact that the group focuses solely on women is unnecessary, but, I suspect, not as a result of some 'statement' about whether or not women eating on the tube is acceptable.  It started as innocuous and has, somewhat inevitably, grown to attract those with less innocent intentions, but at the end of the day, we're searching for meaning in something that, by all accounts, was intended to be meaningless.

As for me, although my initial response was a vow to travel sans-wich forever more, the incident was soon added to the PLETHORA of hilarious anecdotes in my repertoir and I figure if I chose to eat in public in the first place, is it really all that different to having people see me do it on a public forum? The only real negative that can come of the experience, is if it deters me from eating on tubes in future.... which, I can assure you tumbles, will not be the case. 

[shamelessfoodie]

STEAK! AHHH! (In manner of Flash Gordon, obvs.)

This steak, man. This BLOODY steak. Words cannot describe. Well… they can…and considering this is supposed to be a food blog, I sort of feel obliged…

Flat Iron , with its one-item menu and communal seating, has gained a certain notoriety around London in recent months, as you will see personified by the mile long queue standing nonchalantly outside in their brogues (if there were a litmus test for what’s ‘hot’ and what’s ‘not’ in London, it would surely be the presence of a fucking queue.) Indeed, you can be waiting up to half an hour for a seat at Flat Iron, and I have to be honest, this put me off.

Communal seating? A one item menu? QUEUING?? Who the hell did these glorified butchers think they were?  Had the prices been extortionate, I would have marched in and given them a piece of my mind (/walked past at a safe distance and given them a very British disapproving look) but as it was, they were and indeed, still are, pretty bloody reasonable - for the Flat Iron house steak with a side salad, it’s £10, £11 if you include the sauce - and so one Friday night after work, braced for a long wait, we headed to Beak St to see what all the fuss was about. We headed in, eyes narrowed, looking suspiciously for the end of this famed queue and were greeted by the maitre d who informed us that we had arrived just in time for the last table… WELL, how LOVELY! Isn’t that lucky?! You know, I always knew I’d like this place! And to THINK some people have referred to them as ‘glorified butchers’ - I mean, I ask you!?? Mood significantly improved, we were led upstairs and sat at a minuscule table alongside our fellow diners. With one elbow in a business dinner and the other crashing a first date,  we nibbled the complimentary dripping popcorn and perused the menu. With only one steak and 5 sides to choose from, it didn’t take long to place our order. I went for the Flat Iron steak (shockingly) cooked medium rare, with dripping cooked chips and peppercorn sauce, while the boy had the same but with bearnaise sauce and some creamed spinach to share. It arrived promptly and dear lord, it was glorious. Accompanied by the fresh dressed salad, rich, creamy spinach and crispy dripping chips, the steak was beautifully juicy and succulent, cooked to perfection, thinly sliced and well seasoned - It was also served next to can only be described as a mini-meat cleaver..? Putting faintly disturbing thoughts of Woolwich aside, we got stuck in. The sauce was delicious but fairly minimal. I would have liked a little more than the eggcup’s worth they provided. I had opted for the peppercorn which was good but Boy’s bearnaise was out of this world. I would say choose this when you go but we later discovered that there is such a thing as a ‘Secret Sauce’ which, despite sounding a bit like something Jimmy Savile might try and force upon you, is in fact a combination of the Bearnaise and Fred’s Sauce which, according to the couple next to us (who by now, considering our elbows had joined them on their date for the last hour, were firm friends), was incredible - so go for that! There is also the option of dessert which, again, is secret and has to be ordered blind. Apparently when my friend went, the dessert of the day was a caramel mousse but being critically un-cool we had no idea about this off-piste menu and only found out a week later. Balls. All in all though, I was really impressed with Flat Iron. The steak was beautiful, the sides were delicious and with the bill only totaling around £35 including (really good) wine, it was a steal! Highly recommend this place.

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SEVEN - Brixton Village

I feel I've rather bombarded you with my Brixton Village ventures of late. I can only apologise, its proximity coupled with my somewhat limited January budget means it is my eat-out location of choice at the moment and last Friday was no exception.

Boy and I were going to watch some stand up at Hootananny's and decided to grab some food before heading over. The plan was to try 'Seven' in Brixton village as the food had been widely recommended and the cocktails are famously good/cheap. Online it looked kooky and cosy, the food looked good and so I was excited to see it in the flesh.

We heard it before we saw it. Thumping old school hip hop pumped through the village to greet us and when we did eventually manage to shove our way through to the bar, the music was so loud we could hardly hear ourselves think.

After several attempts at shouting over the bar to a rather sullen looking waitress, we managed to obtain a couple of cocktails (cheap, as promised, at only £5 each) before scouring the place for a table - Now, I get that the extensive cocktail list means Seven attracts people just looking for a drink at the bar, especially on a Friday night, but the majority of the space was filled with tables adorned with menus, which seemed to suggest they encouraged people to sit there and have a meal? Well, for one, there wasn't an unreserved table in the place but secondly, who the hell would want to sit and try to consume food in what essentially sounded like the middle of a warehouse rave (I am fully aware I sound like a Nan, by the way).

Eventually, the end of a table became free and we pounced. I say table, I mean desk. A desk with a bloody massive filing drawer at one end - the end we were attempting to sit at, obviously. The boy is tall with rather long legs, so watching him furiously attempt to position himself around this drawer unit, whilst undoubtedly amusing, was rather painful. I know, I know, this is all very UN-trendy of me to complain about the loud music and the 'ironic' decor but really, tables that you can't sit at does seem ever-so-slightly counter productive for a restaurant, no?

Anyway, we perused and shouted over the menu for a bit before a hassled looking waitress stormed over to us and informed us, in no uncertain terms, that the table was reserved. 'But, there was no sign...? We thought that...’ 'THERE'S A FREE TABLE OUTSIDE. YOU'LL HAVE TO EAT THERE.'

Brilliant. A seat out in the tundra of Brixton Village concourse. Cheers love.

We sat huddled in our coats, sipping painfully icy cocktails waiting for our food to arrive which took a good half hour, but when it did finally appear we breathed a (literally) visible sigh of relief. We'd ordered a tapas sharing platter (Large - £20) and were pretty happs when a plethora of meats, cheeses, olives, and calamari were placed in front of us. We went to help ourselves before realising we didn't have plates - 'Sorry, before you go, could we get a couple of plates?' asked Boy. 'We don’t do them, sorry - There are napkins there.' replied the waitress as she pranced off.

And so it was that the boy and I sat swathed in coats, scarves and hats and ate our dinner from napkins like over-sized, grumpy looking children at a 5 year old's birthday.

The tapas was good, don’t get me wrong, but as we were essentially eating outside, it went cold within approximately five seconds. Note: Cold calamari is NOT the one.

All in all I was pretty disappointed. Maybe it was our own fault for going on a Friday night and I certainly wouldn’t rule out returning for a drink, but really, when you go out to eat, it’s not generally considered unreasonable to assume you'll be able to sit at a table and eat from a fucking plate.

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RECIPE : Fail-Safe Beef Casserole

In case you hadn't noticed, it’s January. It’s cold, it’s wet, it’s windy, it’s miserable.

Having long since abandoned the January diet in the wake of apocalyptic, week-long storms, the foods we crave are hearty and warming, easy to make and, perhaps most importantly, salad-free.

A casserole, in my books, embodies all that is good about winter. The seasonal vegetables, the tender meat, the smooth mashed potatoes. It is the culinary equivalent of a bloody massive hug.

It's very easy to scrimp on the ingredients when it comes to casseroles and with Colman's packet mixes (which can be shoved in the oven for an hour) so readily available, the temptation almost becomes unbearable. For chicken I'd consider it, as an hour in the oven is about right to get beautifully moist, tender chicken but for beef, the ONLY way to get it tender is to slow cook it.

I promise you, no packet of any kind will come close to a slow cooked, homemade casserole. If you've got the time to cook it, it's super easy and mind-blowingly rewarding.

You will need:

Casserole chunks of beef (I would say good quality but in all honesty, if you slow cook it enough, you wont be able to tell the difference)

3tbsp flour seasoned with salt and pepper

oil

spoonful of butter

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 sticks celery, roughly chopped

2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 bay leaf

100ml red wine

500ml beef stock

good sprinkling of mixed herbs and rosemary

lots of halved chestnut mushrooms 1tbsp redcurrant jelly

> Start by tossing the beef in the seasoned flour

> Heat oil in a large deep pan and then brown the beef chunks for around 5 mins - once browned take out of the pan and put to one side.

> Add a spoonful of butter to the same pan and chuck in the carrots, celery, and onion - fry for around 8 mins till soft

> Add the garlic and bay leaf and cook for another couple of minutes

> Now add the wine to the pan, turn up the heat and let it bubble for a few mins, then add the beef stock and 100ml of water.

> Return the meat to the pan along with all your herbs - bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer with the lid on.

> Leave it to cook for around 3 hrs. I know, long, but trust me, its worth it. Go back and stir it sporadically throughout.

> For the last half hour, add the mushrooms to the pan and stir in the redcurrant jelly (now is around the time you'd put your potatoes on to boil, as well, if you're having it with mash) Taste, season if necessary, and serve!

I served mine with nutmeg mash but I would imagine cheesy mustard mash would be unreal with this.

That's it. The ingredient list isn’t intimidating and although the cooking time is pretty lengthy, it's really easy to make and tastes a bit like someone's mum made it. What’s not to like?

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Merry 2014, all!

I trust you all had thoroughly gluttonous Christmases and excessive New Years?

It will come as no surprise to you that I ate approximately my own body weight over the two weeks I was holed up at the rents'.

Cheese (various), chocolate, pigs in blankets, scotch eggs, biscuits, innumerable cups of tea, bread, wine (mulled and otherwise), Christmas pudding, yule log, baileys, sprouts, gravy, stuffing, turkey (oh so much turkey)... the list goes on.

And on.

Far from feeling guilty about my December excess, however, I simply see it as taking full advantage of the only time of year where greed is fully expected of you. Embracing a season where self-restraint is frowned upon.

More to the point, why would I deprive myself now when January looms on the horizon, threatening 'health', 'exercise' and 'new year, new you's.

Don't get me wrong, there is something quite nice about the feeling of wiping the slate clean, brushing off all the negatives of the last year and looking determinedly forward. I like resolutions and the motivation that comes with them. I like a clear diary just waiting to be filled. The sound of a new years starting gun.

However, all this optimism is made somewhat harder when the bright, fresh, wintery days you envisaged as the back drop to your 'new me' are, in reality, grey, stormy and disheartening. Going to the gym is hard enough without the added ball ache of being soaked and frozen to the bone when you step out of the door.

The January Blues can be a downer BUT do not despair blog readers - I shall endeavour to fill your month with foodie goods to cheer you up.

Grab your resolutions by the horns and make them happen.

Choose a stack of new recipes and enjoy cooking them. Set yourself the challenge to cook a big old Sunday roast for a group of people in the next few weeks (everyone’s worried about money in Jan and this is the perfect way to get everyone together on the cheap).

Take up something new, whether it be the gym, a dating site, a new hobby or simply buying a stack of new books to read.

January shall be embraced! Whether it likes it or not.

[shamelessfoodie]

Honest Burger – Brixton Village

  Honest Burger is simply one of a plethora of burger chains that London Trendies will casually drop into conversation when talking about all the super cool niche eateries they frequent, leaving you and your big mac feeling thoroughly inferior. You’d be forgiven for assuming it was just another name among the 'Shake Shack's, 'Byron's and 'Meatliquors'.

  However, intrigue and appetite can only be abated for so long and therefore, ever one to carve my own path, I bought into the hype spectacularly and convinced a reluctant Boy to don a bobble hat and lens-less glasses and join the queue of nonchalant-looking hipsters to spend £8 on a cheese burger.

  We went to the Brixton Village branch (the original, so I’m told) and were pleasantly surprised by the lack of queue – every time we’d walked past previously, the queue had been out the door – I think it had to do with the fact that we turned up relatively early, around 6.30pm, and this meant not only did we walk straight in, but we also got a table inside, out of the arctic wind tunnel that is Brixton Village in winter.

  After perusing the menu (which caters for both veggie and gluten intolerant) we both opted for the cheese burger - he with Red Leicester and I with mature cheddar. We also got two portions of the legendary rosemary chips, some chipotle mayonnaise and a couple of ciders (Totalling around £28 in all)

The waitress had warned us in advance that the meat was served medium rare as standard and she wasn’t lying. The burger was practically moo-ing as it was placed in front of me and although i’m not adverse to a bit of pink, the blood seeping into my bun was, admittedly, a little off putting. However, ignoring the urge to milk it, I tucked in.... and it was pretty fucking great.

The sweet onion relish and mature cheddar were a winning combo with the meat and the rocket garnish. The chips were everything i’d hoped for, the rosemary salt absolutely made them and the chipotle mayo was totally worth the additional £1. It wasn't as greasy as many of the other burgers i've tried recently - it tasted hearty but not cardiac inducing, which made a nice change.

And so it is with a heavy heart and an even heavier Barbour jacket that I must confess, 'hipster' as this place may be, the hype is justified. Honest Burger is up there as one of my favourite London burger joints - Dirty Burger's well turned out cousin.

[shamelessfoodie]

Really Easy Sausage and Lentil Casserole

This is a brilliant recipe that my friend threw together one drunken evening a few months ago. She managed to cook it, on a whim, after several bottles of wine and was able to feed 7 of us from it. She served hers with warm buttered bread to mop up the juices and I suggest you do the same. Chipolata Sausages 1 Red Onion 1 Garlic Clove Half pint beef stock Lots of Red wine Can of tinned green lentils (drained) salt and pepper, Mixed herbs Chilli flakes Rosemary Table spoon of Red Currant Jelly > Start by cooking the chipolatas under the grill > Fry the chopped onion and garlic in a pan with olive oil > Once cooked, add the sausages to the pan along with the seasoning, herbs and chilli > Add half a pint of beef stock and a good amount of red wine to the mix. Boil off the alcohol. > Once the alcohol is boiled off, add the tin of drained lentils and give it a good mix, taste and season more if needed. > Stir in a tablespoon of red currant jelly and cook for a further 5 mins or so with the lid on. Serve to the masses in bowls with bread - eat, talk and be merry. Perfect, warming, winter food that will feed a big group of you for relatively little effort.

[shamelessfoodie]

A slightly delayed review of Inamo - Soho.

I tweeted (@noshamefoodie) about our visit to inamo a while ago and promised a blog post which has, I’m ashamed to admit, taken almost a month to materialise :S Soz. Anyway, better late than never! Me and the boy decided to try out this new-ish restaurant in Soho called ‘Inamo’. The menu is described as ‘Asian Fusion’ which, instantly conjures an image of your standard over-priced sushi bar that nonchalantly offers miniscule portions and expects something vaguely resembling gratitude.

HOWEVER, Inamo is neither overpriced, nor snobbish. The sushi and 'Tapas' style dishes are a little on the pricey side but they do a brilliant set menu (3 courses and a glass of wine for £20) which is, obviously, what we opted for.

The selling point of this place is definitely its innovative ordering system - you basically have the 'tablecloth' projected onto your table and, with a little built-in touch pad, you can order food, call waiters, set the 'atmosphere' for the table, play games and plan your evening around London on the table top..! Being the predictable losers that we are, they had us at ‘gimmick’.

So, as I mentioned, we went for the set menu - I got the chicken satay to start (beautifully cooked chicken skewers, delicious peanut sauce), followed by the Thai Red Curry (tasty, a little sweet for my taste and I hadn't realised it was a vegetarian dish - shock horror - but overall, nice enough) and Vanilla Creme Brulee for pud (really good and i'm not even a massive brulee fan). The waiters also seemed to take a liking to us as they brought out a third pudding (homemade ice cream) 'compliments of the chef' to try on the house!? Cheers babez!

The boy had Spicy Aubergine to start, followed by the Berkshire Pork Neck and finished with a sorbet selection. It was alright, the aubergine was tasty but not very substantial, the pork was delicious but reet fatty and the sorbets were slightly weird flavours.

Overall, I'd say it was worth going for novelty's sake but i'm not sure i'd opt for the set menu again. It was tasty but not mind-blowing.

[shamelessfoodie]

Dirty Burger - The Heisenburger. Dirty Burger opened in Vauxhall, just around the corner from my place of work, a few months ago, to much hype. My colleagues and I had been eyeing it up for a while but tended to opt for the familiarity of Nandos... until yesterday, when we finally bit the bullet and purchased ourselves a Heisenburger. Beef Patty. Smoked Pancetta. Melted Smoked Cheese. Lettuce. Pickle. Paprika Sauce. Sweet Jesus. What a fucking burger this was. Not only does it have a bloody excellent name (Breaking Bad fans, rejoice!) but it is also a couple of quid cheaper than the other trendy burger joints around London (£5.50). Cheaper, yet ten times better. They cook each of their patties fresh as you order and use a combination of frying and steaming to cook the burger to perfection so it maintains its charred flavour but is still perfectly juicy inside. The toppings are also pretty spesh - most notably the paprika sauce which is quite possibly the best burger sauce i've ever tasted. I KNOW. Bold claims. It was, as the name promised, filthy. Probably one of the greasiest burgers i've ever consumed - I felt like I needed to go home and scrub myself repeatedly in the shower whilst having a little cry... but boy, was it worth it. Sides were chunky, crinkle cut chips which delighted me, as i'm not a fan of the piddly McDonalds style chips they normally try and fob off on you. So yes, all in all - it was a great success. Better still, I got mine bought for me...! On the condition that I divulge all the juicy details of my new relationship with The Boy. Now you have to understand that my office is not your average working environment. I am the only girl in an office full of, what can only be described as man-children. They are the most immature adult males I have ever come into contact with and are, annoyingly, hilarious. This means that even the merest hint of gossip will have them sniggering like little girls and taunting, mercilessly, until you want to shoot yourself in the face. I was determined to maintain at least a shred of privacy and not add to the already long list of ammunition they use to tease me with, relentlessly, on a daily basis. But... it appears they know me too well. The lure of the dirty burger was too much. Essentially, I sold my soul (and my relationship status) for a burger. Woe.

[shamelessfoodie]

Kitchen Playlist Haven't updated my Kitchen Playlist in a while, but I think this more or less sums up what i've been listening to. London Grammar. Their album, If You Wait, is beautiful - perfect autumnal music. Although this particular record is not on their album, it is, nevertheless, brilliant. They've teamed up with Disclosure and the beat coupled with her hauntingly beautiful voice just blows my tiny mind. I love it. This is the soundtrack to my cooking of stews, casseroles and huge bowls of pasta in the new kitchen. Listen also, to Strong and Wasting My Young Years. ARGH they give me goosebumps.