Feeling Vinspired

A bit of news for you all..

Earlier this month I spotted a post calling out for applications to join the Vinspire team. If you haven't already come across Vinspire (come on, catch up), it's a UK-based drinks blog covering everything from wine to whisky, cordial to cognac, tea to tequila.

Behind the blog you'll find a group of fresh faced wine and alcohol-in-general-mad friends, who all work in the drinks industry, or have boozy qualifications of some kind. They each write a weekly blog post about something that's exciting them at the time, be it a particular tipple, a feature on a tasty topic, a recipe, etc, etc.

Despite what you might think, there's certainly no snobbiness involved here, and you can tell that from every honest post; their passion shines through, and the blog acts as a resourceful portfolio for new drinks to try.

Anyway, back to the point.

I applied.

.. and got accepted! *squeal*

I went on a bit of a whim to be honest. I read many a conflicting article on what we might be sipping this year - some of those drink-fuelled folks sure have strong opinions - but I managed to jot down my own 2014 Drinks Trend Predictions nonetheless. In short, we might expect even simpler cocktails, savoury experiments, the forgotten fighting back and extra emphasis on 'craft'/'bespoke'. You can read my piece on the Vinspire website.

Well, now it's the end of all those 'Dry January' resolutions, why not take a look and get involved in some quality 2014 beverages. You can follow the blog on Facebook and Twitter too, and keep an eye out for my posts every Monday afternoon.

Cheers!

Love Liverpool

A fleeting trip to Liverpool for a family party meant that I could scout out a couple of good places to eat and drink for the weekend. As you might have figured out, I like to taste my way around new places, and I'm most definitely one of those people who comes back from holiday fatter, not fitter.

Free Waitrose coffee firmly in place in the cup holder, off we went through wind and rain, competitively counting Eddie Stobart's along the way (I lost - by quite a few). Having set off on empty tummies, first stop was breakfast. Indie run Bold Street Coffee has quite a reputation in the city, three years in a row they have won best coffee shop in the Liverpool Food & Drink Awards, so it was a no brainer really. Having always been a fan of the caffeinated bean, I'm finding myself more particular on how I like my daily cup these days. I'm not opposed to the big chains such as Costa or Cafe Nero (I never go to Starbucks though), but the whole queuing to order, queuing to take your own coffee to the table kind of thing isn't a pleasant experience when you're trying to enjoy the act of 'going for a coffee'. Lets face it, they all look identical anyway, so, when I'm off on a jolly, I always make a conscious effort to find a decent independent joint.

Bold Street is a place for serious coffee lovers; various beans, various brews, and they have not-your-standard-Twynings tea for those crazy haters too. It's not the sort of place with slouchy leather sofas and big comfy chairs; it's no frills tables, chairs and long benches. You'll probably be almost too close for comfort to the neighbouring couple, but it doesn't matter, they're either too engaged in work-related-chats over their laptops, or busy nattering and tucking into their food. Which gets me swiftly onto the food.. Bold Street have a superb breakfast menu to complement their coffees, and at the weekend they're available all the way til 4pm; perfect for those persistant hangovers (I sure wish this place was my local). They have all the traditional's - bacon sarnies, a range of eggs on toast, etc - but done a little posher (this is no greasy spoon), and there's a healthy supply of pastries to tempt you at the counter. What sealed the deal for me, however, was the french toast made with sourdough. I could have had it with bacon and maple syrup, but cinnamon apples and a butterscotch sauce sounded much more appealing; served with a dollop of creme fraiche, I'd put it up there as one of my best breakfasts.

The chap and I hit the shops hard after this (in search of the perfect knitted scarf for me - don't worry, I found one), but all that shopping is very thirsty work, cue afternoon beverage. At the edge of Liverpool One is Salt House Tapas; featured in The Times' 2013 Food List, this charcuteria and tapas bar/restaurant is another Scouse favourite. Had we not already planned our late lunch, this place would have been a definite contender for eats, with plenty of breads/chorizo/serrano on offer. As it was, we simply ventured in for a drink, the chap had a beer whilst I had a ginger/lemon/prosecco combination. Despite it's central location, this place seems like a laid-back-graze-as-you-like-it-retreat, and the service felt personal, so would be a great venue for a multitude of occasions.

A bit of a trek up the road, and we arrived at 'my suggestion' for late lunch. Situated within the Baltic Triangle, in place of what used to be the artspace A Foundation, you'll find Camp & Furnace. It's pretty unassuming from the outside, but being three warehouses wide, this is not your average venue. The bar area is a good place to start; one giant table in the centre of the room, sofas snuggled up to the roaring fire, and dark corners for those kind of days where you'd rather not be noticed. They have a nice selection of wines, spirits and craft beers; perhaps try Brown Bear, which has been especially brewed for C+F.

In contrast, the room next door is a vast open space. Primarily used for events (and fortunately for the chap, they show the footie - not so fortunate for me) the room comes complete with picnic benches, retro caravans, a stage and an abundance of fairy lights; I imagine the late-night happenings are where this place comes into it's own.

As for eats, C+F is a bit like street food meets pub grub meets fine dining. They have interesting soups, stuff on toast, bountiful salads, burgers (note the 'legendary' chorizo burger), roasts, etc; there wasn't a single thing on the menu that I wouldn't have eaten, which is pretty unheard of. Forcing myself to make a decision, I had braised lamb shoulder, with pistachio cous cous, olives, saffron aioli and a scattering of toasted seeds. It was both beautifully cooked and beautifully presented, which you'd probably not expect from a place that is essentially a warehouse. The chap had a more manly meaty meal of braised beef blade, crisp pancetta, smoked onions and egg yolk ketchup (he does love a condiment). If this is anything to go by, their Food Slam Fridays and Social Supperclubs must be amazing. Camp & Furnace is well worth the walk.

That's as far as my taste tourism goes, the rest involved a boozed up party, with a dodgy disco, even dodgier drunk dancing, and a lot of wine spillages on my new dress (good job it was white not red). On that note, I best go collect my things from the dry cleaners; maybe I'll go out in my curlers like those Scouse gals do..

.. Or maybe not. Til next time Liverpool!

131 The Promenade

Roll up, roll up.. If you haven't already heard, Cheltenham has a super swish new hotel/restaurant/bar, and, hooray, its really good (it is also stumbling distance from home - bonus). 131 The Promenade, home of Crazy Eights, comes from the Lucky Onion group, which is responsible for The Tavern, just around the corner, and the increasingly popular Wheatsheaf in Northleach. Clearly, a huge amount of money has been invested into it's beautiful restoration, so, fear not, it won't be one of those places that pops up, gets a lot of hype, then gets forgotten about; it's here to stay and its going to be BIG, but maybe take a trip there soon whilst it's still out to impress and gleaming.

Situated opposite The Imperial Gardens and The Queens Hotel, the epic Georgian building, which had been left derelict for so many years, now stands proud (the additional topiary is a nice touch too). There are eleven luxurious rooms, each individually decorated and furnished, and the restaurant and bar are split over two floors, with private dining rooms, sitting rooms and a small library. Although it's a vast building, it feels very cosy, almost den like; you could easily hide away in here for days. Attention to detail has been the key here, 131 has managed to retain it's Georgian heritage, whilst boasting a very contemporary identity. Antiques and oddities fill every room, plush chairs and sofas invite you to sit down, and statement pieces of art make great talking points.

Anyway, its been just over a month since we ventured there for dinner and drinks - we've been back since (.. on more than one occasion as you'd imagine) - and it was the first night 131 was open to the public, strictly reservations only though. We plonked ourselves at the bar, on the stunning teal/turquoise leather bar chairs, and hit the cocktail menu. All on one page, which is my personal preference, it comprises a list of forgotten classics and interesting combinations, Beer & Smoke, for example, sees mezcal, lime, celery bitters, cholula and Bobby lager mixed together. I started safe, and opted for a Pisco Sours, whilst the chap chose a Penicillin (scotch, peated scotch, lemon, ginger, honey). 

No sooner as they had slipped down, we were seated for dinner. The food is British seasonal fare, and, where possible, locally sourced, with a heavy emphasis on seafood and steaks. There's good value to be had on the menu, with mains around the £15-£20 mark, though some dishes are pretty steep (the 1.2 kilo steak titled 'The Axe' comes in at £125). Another round of cocktails - this time I had a Chrysanthemum (dry vermouth, benedictine, absinthe, orange bitters) - and some Hobbs House sourdough with butter, then we just about managed to decide what we wanted to eat. It was hard, the venison wellington was very tempting.

The chap had a steak, rare, I dont remember which one, with stilton hollandaise and a side order of duck fat chips. A classic Friday night dinner and an award winning combo if you ask me; sweet tender meat, salty creamy sauce, crisp fluffy centred chips, and a good handful of refeshing watercress to balance it out.

With steak tatare on the menu, lets face it, I was never going to choose anything else. Steak, finely chopped with shallots, capers, herbs and the likes, with a golden egg yolk on top; it was served with super thin, super crisp toasts, and I had a side order of green beans to top up my 5-a-day. The idea of this dish - raw steak, raw egg - isn't for everyone, but for me, it was perfect; indulgent but not heavy.

We couldnt fit in desserts, but they had things like apple and date crumble with custard, hot chocolate pudding with clementine sorbet, brown sugar parfait with anise poached quince (all £6), and the obligatory cheese board supplied by local Neal's Yard Dairy (£9/12).

131 is the place to come for a decent drink in a stunning setting - maybe with a cheeky charcuterie plate from Trealy Farm (£6/12) - and as for dinner, it's quite the occasion place, so get planning for your birthdays. Shamefully, I haven't had the bright blue 131 cocktail yet (gin, blue raspberry syrup, lemon, egg white), so that means I'd better get back there pronto, right?..

Start as you mean to go on..

 HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you had a good one. I've been a little quiet lately thanks to too much Christmas scoffing and boozing (I'm most certainly entering 2014 a little rounder than I'd like) but I thought I'd start the year with a good'un - about cake no less.

I sent a geeky letter to Waitrose a few months back, in the hope of possibly winning some fancy Le Creuset cookware, not because I just wanted a new pen pal. No surprises, I didn't cut the mustard and wasn't included in their letters section, but I did get a nice reply. I titled it 'Being True to Beetroot', and here it is..

"I've always been fascinated by vegetable cakes; I remember the revelation as a child that carrot cake did in fact contain carrots, to which I then inspected every slice to get a glimpse of those flecks of the orange veg. So, I was thrilled to find some alternative recipes in the latest Waitrose magazine, and, mixer in hand, I directed myself to the kitchen straight away - also, the fact that The Great British Bake Off has just started again has meant that I've had a thirst for baking for the past couple of weeks! 

I thought I would share a photo of the lovely beetroot cake I made following Lily Vanilli's recipe. Now, I'm not going to lie, it was a fair bit of effort - lots and lots of grating - I was literally caught red handed making a mountain of washing up, but it was totally worth it. I've had beetroot cake in various guises before, mainly chocolate or richly spiced cakes, but this one made with polenta really brought out the earthiness that you typically associate with this root vegetable, and the mascarpone frosting, not being overly sweet, made it a very grown up bake - despite it's vivid colour!

So, thank you for including the recipe, it was delicious, and I'll be sure to try out the Fiona Cairns butternut squash and Harry Eastwood courgette ones too. They certainly make eating cake feel more virtuous."

.. What I didn't say was that I'd actually made this cake a week or so before the magazine came out, and seized the opportunity to be in it to win it (don't hate me Waitrose!). I've had Lily Vanilli's 'Sweet Tooth' book, which the recipe is from, for quite some time and made numerous things -successfully - from it. I've also visited her teeny little bakery, that's only open on Sundays, near Columbia Road's flower market in East London, it's the best place for a naughty brunch, but be prepared to queue as it's very popular. Sweet Tooth is a baking bible. If you're into cakes/tarts/biscuits/etc then this is an absolute must. Its filled with beautiful recipes which have interesting flavour combinations - bacon and maple syrup tea cakes, hot toddy tarts, baked apple cider doughnuts - and it explains in quite straightforward terms the 'sciencey' bits behind baking, with plenty of tips to tighten your technique. It has become my go-to book for anything sugar related, and with lots of ideas on decoration (without a poncey piping set), you can really create some masterpieces at home.

So, if Santa didn't bring you the book for Christmas this year, may I suggest you treat yourself a little New Year's present, it's worth every penny. Oh, and make sure you try the beetroot cake.