An Edible Voyage

July 2021 With all this hot weather, I find myself craving the fresh, bright, juiciness of the season's best produce, and light, refreshing meals to keep me cool of the hottest of days.  I relish opportunities to browse the farm shop, selecting whatever takes my fancy, and then combining ingredients in to colourful patterns on my plate.  Here are some of my favourites. Chicory, Dolcelatte, Clementine, Pine Nuts This is my #1.  Bitter chicory is perfectly offset with creamy Dolcelatte and sweet clementine, whilst toasted pine nuts add a satisfying crunch.  With a simple dressing of olive oil, white wine vinegar and honey, this is quick to make and the flavours dance on my taste buds. Watermelon, Feta, Mint There's nothing quite like slicing through a watermelon and revealing that glorious red flesh, and biting in to cool wedges as the juice drips down your chin.  This salad takes seconds to prepare.  Toss a handful of cubed feta and a sprinkling of torn mint...

July 2021 The simple sandwich. Bread, filling, bread.  But with all the combinations of fillings and types of bread, ranging in size from a quick snack to a monstrous meal, the sandwich is anything but simple. I've recently discovered a couple of new fillings which I've fallen in love with and that have become my go to. Bloody Mary Prawns Combine a classic prawn cocktail sandwich with a Bloody Mary, and you're on to a sure winner.  Simply mix cooked prawns with some tomato ketchup, mayonnaise, a few drops of tabasco, a drizzle of Worcestershire sauce, a squeeze of lemon, a pinch of salt (celery salt would be perfect if you have it to hand) and a kick of vodka. Pile between slices of chunky granary bread or chewy sourdough topped with crisp lettuce for a summery, fun, lunchtime treat. Japanese Inspired Egg Sandwich Mash hard boiled eggs with a tablespoon of sesame seeds, Kewpie mayonnaise and a teaspoon of the miso of your choice - my current favourite is brown rice miso for...

July 2021 Looking for a casual restaurant for a laid back lunch with guaranteed flavour, with my mother during a London day trip, I came across Brawn and it seemed to tick all the boxes.  With the smallest of signs, it's unassumingly perched on Bethnal Green's quirky Columbia Road amongst the rows of Victorian shops, and has the high vibe, low pretentiousness of a local hang out. The focus is on seasonal produce sourced through suppliers within the local community, and every dish is vibrant and bursting with flavour.  The dessert really stood out for me - honey parfait with Grappa roasted apricot and pistachios, it was everything I want from a dessert - a little sweet creaminess, lively fruit, a bit of crunch, and a little grappa kick. This is the place for a leisurely catch-up with some good mates. Find Brawn on Columbia Road, opposite Ravenscroft Park. 

June 2021 One of the pubs at the top of my list for visiting post lockdown was The White Horse in King's Sutton.  I first went the day I went to look around the house I ended up buying in a nearby village, and the horsebox cafe they had going over lockdown reminded me what a great place it is.   Set on the green of a quintessential village, just over the Oxfordshire border in West Northamptonshire, it draws you in with its inviting village pub looks.  And once inside, it gets better and better.  A traditional bar, cosy wood panelling and squishy arm chairs in front of log fires mean you'll never want to leave.  The food is exceptional.  Kicking off with home baked loaves, warm from the oven and served with home made butter, the small but perfectly formed menu showcases the best of the seasons.  With an emphasis on reducing food miles and supporting local producers, dishes are as inventive as they are flavoursome.  Pies seem to be a particular...

June 2021 Tap Social is my current favourite brewery, with the Time Better Spent IPA my tipple of choice, and Cell Count pale ale a close second.  Their ethos is to provide employment opportunities for those who have been through the criminal justice system, so you can sip on your beer in the knowledge that you're doing some good for society.  Having been to their brewery in Botley a couple of times - a great space to meet friends and sample a variety of different beers, with rotating food trucks providing the eats, I was excited to hear that they had taken over the The White House pub on Abingdon Road.  Serving innovative sharing plates in a convivial atmosphere, think moorish soda bread made with their own stout, and playful grilled peach with frozen feta and black olive, there's an enormous garden for when the sun is out, and no shortage of bike racks. Their own beer is on draft, as well as rotating guest beers.  I would more than happily spend a lazy afternoon si...

May 2021 Walking through the residential streets of Cardiff's Roath, spotting the haunts of my student days, the last thing I expected to come across was an old garage, mid-terrace, housing a sourdough bakery.  Despite the small shop front, the bakery has a cavernous interior, plenty of space for all manner of sourdough loaves, including ones made with quinoa, and yesterday's bread going cheap.   In the sweet treats line up, 6 flavours of doughnut sit alongside choc chip pretzel cookies, and their signature Queens - no less than 27 layers of melt in the mouth, flaky pastry, similar to a round, sugar-dusted croissant, filled with the flavour of the month which changes with the seasons.  Being the last day of the month, I just managed to get my hands on May's offering - the PBJ Queen.  The zingiest raspberry jam marbled with peanut butter diplomat cream - a genius invention I have to say, oozing with every bite from the soft, sugary Queen.  This really was th...

June 2021 Rarely do I go anywhere without my bike.  People say I'm mad but I relish the flexibility to get off the beaten track (literally!), the extra time to savour the views as I plod my way up a hill or fly along country lanes, the opportunity to be at one with my surroundings.  If I didn't, I never would have come across Broughgammon Farm - a teeny tiny hedgerow sign spotted as I battled a blustery wind, committed to memory for further investigation. Having established the opening days (limited to Friday - Sunday at the time of writing), I decided to pop in on my way back to Belfast, to soften the blow of having to leave my beautiful campsite (which I'd had all to myself for the week). Some old-fashioned sign-following (Google Maps was a bit off) took me down a long and windy track, on and on it went, increasing the anticipation, but also having me wondering if I'd taken a wrong turn.  But a wrong turn I had not taken and soon I popped out in the farm.  The farm...

June 2021 When researching my Northern Ireland trip, I had no doubt I'd come across many a food and coffee place to add to my 'to try' list in Belfast, but I fully expected that once I was out in the 'wilds' of my campsite, any food and drink excitement would be limited by my (lack of) camping stove creativity.  To my delight, I was proved wrong.  Unexpectedly, the seaside town of Ballycastle harbours Ursa Minor, a sourdough bakery and treasure trove of local produce.  Sourdough loaves and seasonally flavoured buns and baked goods fill the window, whilst the rest of the shop bursts with locally made preserves and condiments in all manner of exciting flavours - lemon and fennel, strawberries preserved in acacia honey and rayu (Japanese chilli oil) jumped out at me, alongside delicious kombucha and all sorts of other delights. Sit in and enjoy a quality coffee - they offer all the espresso based staples, or take your haul down to the beach for a gourmet picnic. Find U...

June 2021 Along the bustling Ormeau Road, amongst the gelaterias, restaurants and cafes, is an artisan bakery who hand make everything in house.  And it's definitely popular - I could see the queue before I could see the shop!  The great thing about this place though, is that they seem to bake throughout the day, so despite not getting there until early afternoon, there was still a plentiful array of sourdough bread and pillowy soft cinnamon buns.  Scones and bombolini seem to be a speciality with several flavours of each - think toffee popcorn, and rhubarb and rose, alongside the most flavoursome soft and chewy bagels.  The poppy seed one was so good I ate it straight from the bag, and Malaysian spice and roasted garlic sounded very intriguing. Find Bread and Banjo on Ormeau Road, then take your haul a few steps down the road to Ormeau Park and enjoy it in the dappled light of a shady tree. If you find yourself east of Ormeau Park, check out Lazy Claire Patisserie f...

June 2021 A list the length of the wall, filled with shakes, smoothie bowls and exciting combinations of juices - red bell pepper, lemon, and apple?  I told you they're exciting!  I can vouch that the blue bowl is most definitely blue, and I was intrigued to try it being a huge fan of acai bowls.  The p ineapple, mango, banana, passionfruit, coconut milk and blue spirulina puree topped with blueberries, desiccated coconut, granola, chia seeds and strawberry is certainly as refreshing, although I think the tart earthiness of acai will always win me over.  Find The Juice Jar on Wellington Place, almost next to Belfast City Hall.

June 2021 A perfect flat white in Belfast's city centre, with the added bonus that it's made with beans roasted in the city by Root and Branch.  Whilst you're there, I challenge you not to be tempted by the elaborate doughnuts - rhubarb and custard meringue pie, biscoff, the seasonal special creme brulee... Find Oh Donuts and Coffee on Upper Arthur Street, close to the City Hall.  They also sell Root and Branch beans as well as some guest specials. Napoleon Coffee on Ormeau Avenue also do great coffee as well as unusual iced drinks - passionfruit and lime iced tea sounds like the ultimate refreshment, and a couple of sandwiches.  I can highly recommend the sticky sesame cauliflower and crunchy purple cabbage flat bread.

June 2021 Sourdough, exciting viennoiserie, great coffee, canal-side, revived warehouses... Pollen instantly reminded me of Northern Rye in Newcastle.  There's a smaller range of baked goods but they're equally as innovative - pineapple and coconut twice baked croissant is basically a socially acceptable way to have a Pina Colada for breakfast... The flat whites are expertly crafted using Hasbean beans, there's a squeezing machine for the sweetest, freshest OJ, a selection of breakfast baps served in potato sourdough rolls.  But the absolute star of the show has to be the long fermented sourdough.  By far the very best I've ever had (and I've sampled a lot of excellent sourdough!).  The crust was caramelised and blistered to perfection, the inside so soft and chewy at the same time, with a lovely full flavour.  Presented warm from the oven in to my hands, I could have devoured the whole loaf plain, no butter needed (and nearly did!). Get your goods and sit looki...

July 2021 I'm totally onboard with the raw cake craze.  Not only do I feel better being full of nutrients rather than sugar, but I actually prefer them - more flavour, less sickly, and a variety of textures.  It's a win-win in my book.  That's why if I lived in Liverpool, it would be dangerous.  The Nakery is all my dreams come true, a big kid in a (raw) sweet shop. There are so many goodies to choose between - cheesecakes, cake jars, brownies, blondies, cookie dough and chocolate bars - raspberry shortbread, salted caramel... and all vegan and refined sugar free.  I really couldn't choose so I told myself it's not every day that I'm in Liverpool and stocked up! The strawberry cheesecake was delicious - creamy and fruity but light and fresh.  They also have some very exciting fruit and veg combos in their smoothies and shakes - PBJ smoothie with raspberries and peanut butter? Yes please! And the All The Greens smoothie felt like it contained a week's worth ...

June 2021 Cooked rice, kimchi, an egg, gruyere.  That's all you need for kimchi fritters.  They don't look much but make the most delicious snack, fancy starter, or main event of a meal served alongside salad. I saw these on the Instagram page of a pub I've never been to in Australia.  Ottolenghi also has a recipe.  I keep things simple.  Heat a pan with a little oil, mix a few generous spoonfuls of kimchi, an egg and lots of chunks of gruyere (the more, the better is my motto when it comes to cheese) in to a portion of cooked rice, spoon blobs of your desired fritter size in to the hot pan, flip once the bottom is set and crispy - the crispy bits make a delightful contrast to the gooey centres so don't skimp on the pan time! Enjoy on their own or with a mint, yogurt and cucumber dip.

June 2021 Flavour, texture, comfort, nutrients.  Is there a bowl more complete than Korea's bibimbap.  And it's utterly delicious to boot.  If you can't get to Korea, Lime Orange in London's Victoria hits the spot every time.  Understated, and with a heavily Korean clientele, the highlight has to be the volcanic bowl mounded with 7 vegetables, rice, an egg and your choice of protein.  Add hot sauce to taste, mix quickly and devour.  My personal favourite is with tofu - giant chewy cubes a wonderful contrast to the crispy shards of rise chiselled from the bottom of the bowl - the best bit!   This dish is everything you want on a winter's day.  Go when your fingers are frozen and the biting wind is piercing your clothes, and revel in the heartiness of the nutrients racing through your blood, warming you from the inside out. Find Lime Orange on Vauxhall Bridge Road, moments from Victoria train station.

June 2021 Cardiff holds a special place in my heart, it being the city of my student years.  So when I was invited to a wedding there, I decided this was a great opportunity for a reminiscent trip. Back when I was a student, I didn't even like coffee (I do wonder how I survived being a student without!) but I had a feeling that in this day and age, Cardiff would have some pretty great roasters.  I started off at Brodies.  They have a cafe, Bricks and Mortar, on North Road but since it was a lovely sunny morning I headed to their cabin in Gorsedd Gardens to enjoy my flat white in the dappled light of the cooling trees.  There's a surprisingly large selection of sweet treats for such a dinky hut, and they also sell boxes of plant-based Patissiere Thibault Courtoisier's macarons. Next I delved in to the arcades.  I love how arcades always feel like a bit of a secret, and how you never know what exciting shop or interesting boutique you'll find around the next corne...

June 2021 I often wonder if I would have found any of the great foodie havens I write about if it wasn't for Instagram.  And this is definitely one of them. When I asked a friend if he'd like to join me At What Chloe Cooked Next, his first question was "who's Chloe?".  A logical question! Chloe was trained at Leith's and is the woman behind Oxfork - a cafe on Magdalen Road in Oxford which I actually remember visiting for brunch when I lived in the city back in 2014.  Chloe now lives in Charlbury and hosts a semi-regular Friday night pop-up and Sunday brunch, as well as collaborations with other chefs. I arrived on a grey and drizzly evening, a little early (I'd cycled faster than expected!) to find there was already a queue through the garden and out on to the street.  From their own kitchen, Chloe and her husband were serving up an Indian inspired feast featuring tofu yellow curry, braised black beans, seaweed and wild garlic korokke, and cucumber and rhu...

June 2021 When a friend told me that her latest favourite dish involved mashed up fish fingers, I was unconvinced to say the least!  Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of fish fingers.  But broken and scattered through a warm, Asian inspired salad didn't sound quite right to me! Bhorta is a Bangladeshi dish of mashed fish or vegetables and herbs, with mustard, chilli, onion and garlic, and this is Nigella's take on it.  It's fabulous. Quick, light and comforting, offering a myriad of flavours.  I switched the pickled onions for pickled carrot which worked equally well and added a delightful crunch. Find the original recipe here   Fish Finger Bhorta | Nigella's Recipes | Nigella Lawson

June 2021 I first discovered the delights of Pompette during the lockdown with one of their At Home meals.  It was so memorable that it immediately went to the top of my list of restaurants to eat at as soon as restaurants could open up post pandemic.  My mum was in town one Sunday, restrictions had eased, it was time! Pompette has such a great vibe - from the moment you turn off of Bnabury Road and see the vibrant red awning, to the laid back atmosphere that invites the long, leisurely lunches that France is known for.  I really could stay there for hours, beginning with their homebaked baguette and Burgundy butter to accompany an apperitif, moving on to the steak-frites and a good bottle of red wine, then finishing up with a coffee and digestif late in the afternoon. The creme brulee is exceptional - everything you want from this luxurious dessert.  A wide, shallow dish to give the perfect topping to custard ratio, that satisfying crack as you break through the war...

May 2021 I always find that sun plus a salty breeze in the air makes me crave fish and seafood straight from the ocean, and The Crab Shed is just the place for satisfying that craving.  Situated on the quay, fish is landed straight on to their doorstep.  This is some seriously fresh fish.  The menu keeps things simple, allowing the flavours of the fish and seafood to take centre stage.   I don't usually go for fish and chips because I don't generally like batter, or chips...weird I know! But a taste of my partner's battered haddock could almost persuade me otherwise - so crispy and so incredibly light. Find The Crab Shed in the Creek car park, a little way from the hubbub of the town centre on the tranquil water's edge behind Island Street.