The White Spoon, Cheltenham

If you hadn't already cottoned on, Cheltenham is doing pretty well for itself in the food and drink stakes at the moment. We had a bit of a surge of a few bigger chains finding homes in the town not too long ago, but now it seems the independents are taking the reigns, making sure Cheltenham lives up to it's classy reputation.

Last week saw the official opening party for the latest addition, The White Spoon. Fizz, the most incredible canapés (spoons of steak tartare and razor clams with ponzu cucumber give you an idea of the quality), wine tastings, and petit fours packaged up to take home, made sure that all the guests would be chatting about the 'new kid on the block' for weeks. Luckily for me, just two days before the launch, I had booked in for dinner; what a week!

Having taken over the site that was formerly the lemon yellow Cheltenham Dandy (8 Well Walk - a stones throw away from Boston Tea Party), The White Spoon is an unpretentious eatery headed up by Chef Director Chris White and his partner Purdey Spooner - hence the name. The whole family chipped in to transform the space into the elegant dining room it is today; special mentions go to Chris' dad who made the beautiful copper piping wall lights, and Chris' brother Andy who's taken the role of Front of House Manager. It's a real labour of love.

Although Chris is only a jaw-dropping 28 years old, he's worked in some great places, most notably Heston's prestigious Fat Duck group. These experiences have enabled him to cultivate his culinary enthusiasm, developing his own style using modern techniques. Primarily British, with a few global influences, Chris says that his food is generally a bit lighter; he's not heavy handed on the seasoning and doesn't over-do it with rich sauces, he simply lets the flavours of individual ingredients shine through.

Chris and Purdey want The White Spoon to be a relaxed environment, serving consistent high quality food and drink, just without the formalities of fine dining.

It was a cold and wet night when The Chap and I went, and as such it was quiet in the restaurant. Too often this kills the vibes; all diners feel awkward, you feel as though you're being watched like a hawk, and you have hushed conversations where you daren't say anything incriminating. It really didn't matter at The White Spoon. With soft lighting, ambient music and uncluttered surroundings, we could forget about the howling winds outside, and with the charismatic Andy looking after us, we felt right at home.

We started with the Plant Pot Bread (£2.00), which came with a duo of butters; Applewood smoked and salted. Cut into quarters, we greedily commented on how it had extra surface area for slathering butter on - every little helps - and whilst the smoked butter was bold in flavour, it was the salted butter that did it for me. Maybe I'm a bit of a purist, but with the bursts of anise coming from the fennel seeds, I didn't think it needed anything else.

*Apologies for the naff photos BTW, low lighting and a single tea light was never going to work in my favour.*

Goats Milk Custard, Goats Curd, Beets, Scorched Carrot, Cob Nuts (£7.50) was my first course. A plate of various goats cheeses can be a bit daunting for even the biggest goat-lover, but rather than the super tangy versions, this dish saw much more delicate flavours, quite like Ricotta, with only a small sliver of the intense cheese we're all familiar with. Beetroot is a classic pairing - naturally sweet and earthy - and the sugary beet shards, along with the freshness of the cobnuts, were a lovely touch. My only thought was that I was craving something sharp to counteract all the creaminess; pickled beetroot perhaps?

The Chap had Crab Tortellini, Shellfish Bisque, Lime, Borage, Brandy Jellies (£9.00), which was stunning. Three plump pasta shapes lay in the bowl, concealing the jellies underneath; the bisque was poured over and the dish came to life. It was the perfect balance of tart and sweet thanks to the lime, and wasn't punch-you-in-the-face shellfish either. The pearls of brandy held their own in the hot bisque too; they were incredible!

Main course is a tough choice for meat eaters at The White Spoon. With beef, duck breast and pork belly on the menu, how are you meant to decide?! I eventually opted for the unusual combination of Kelmscott Pork Belly, Wild Sea Bass, Smoked Potato Gnocchi, Butternut Squash, Salsa Verdi (£20.00). As a nod to the ol' surf n turf, I had to give it a go.

The pork belly was possibly the nicest I've had; it had the Goldilocks "just right" ratio of fat and meat, and whilst there was no thick layer of crackling on the top, crumbs of crackling gave a similar feel. The crispy skinned sea bass was just as well cooked, though put on the same plate as a hunky chunk of pork, there's no competition. This is where the other elements of the dish come into play; the salsa verdi gave the fish it's citrusy/vinegary accompaniment, whilst at the same time cut through the fattiness of the meat. Butternut squash added sweetness and the seared gnocchi added a bit of bite. Surprisingly neither made the dish feel too heavy - it just worked.

Blackened Gloucester Beef, Potato Terrine, Pan Roasted Carrot, King Oyster Mushroom, Onion (£22.50) - what The Chap ordered - seems to be the main attraction for The White Spoon at the minute. Covered in malt extract and thoroughly blackened with a blowtorch, the beef has all that charred flavour locked in before it gets cooked sous-vide style. Apparently someone had complained the previous week that the beef was too tender… Is that even a thing? Who are these people? Would they rather be chewing on an old cow to the point of jaw ache?!

Everything about the dish was heavenly - it's a must if you go - and it also went really nicely with our smooth and spicy wine choice; Santo Isidro De Pegôes, Touriga Nacional Reserva, Portugal 2012 (£22.00, also available by the glass or carafe). The wine list is excellent by the way, and from the launch party I discovered a personal fave, this one white; Gaia Wines, Wild Ferment Assyrtiko, Greece (£29.50). "Salty dry with lazer-beam precision and very funky wild ferment layering of complexity with oak wreathed with minerality." If you're an off-dry Riesling fan, then this is for you!

For dessert, the Coconut Parfait, Poached Peach, Ginger Ice Cream (£8.00) ticked all the right boxes. The soothing coconut snowballs were contrasted with the spicy punch of ginger and sticky sweet peaches. The thin fingers of ginger biscuits were a welcome texture, and I was glad that they were just strong enough to aid my scooping.

Toffee, Pear & Rum Bavarois, Walnut Crumble, Crème Fraiche Ice Cream (£7.50) was The Chap's choice. Bavarois might be a little more popular since it was on the Bake Off last month, but to be honest, I think it was the rum that sold it (we both could've taken a splosh more). Toffee, pear and walnut seemed very appropriate autumnal ingredients, and that crème fraiche ice cream... Not too sweet, not too sour; just delightfully - erm - fresh?!

Our first dinner at The White Spoon will not be our last; Chris and Purdey have created a restaurant that really deserves to do well in Cheltenham. Fancy but not fussy, attentive but not OTT, it caters for all occasions; date nights, business lunches, boozy catch ups with friends, or a big family dinners.

If you book a table, you won't be turfed out for another sitting; it's yours for the night. And if price is an issue, you can get 3 courses for £15.00 Tuesday - Saturday lunchtime, or until 7.00pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays. They even let you bring your own booze on a Tuesday, charging just £5 corkage, all of which goes to Maggie's Cancer Charity.

I already can't wait to go back.

*Although our dinner was comped by The White Spoon, these views are entirely my own*

'Simply Nigella' at The Cheltenham Literature Festival

The day after the publication of Nigella Lawson's latest cookery book, the lucky residents of Cheltenham - myself included - were graced with her presence at The Literature Festival. 'Simply Nigella', which also ties in with the new BBC2 series of the same name - set to air in November - sees the domestic goddess find a "true sense of balance between lightness and lushness." In an interview with the opinionated food heavyweight, Jay Rayner, she revealed more about her philosophy of food, what she means by 'simply', and how her healthy recipes should not be confused with the current 'clean eating' trend.

* My previous post on Gizzi's Healthy Appetite will tell you how I feel about the whole situation.*

We're all familiar with Nigella; most of us probably own at least one of her books - well thumbed and splattered with olive oil, or stuck together with cake batter no doubt - and as much as YouTube takes pleasure in splicing together her "seductive" cooking clips, watching her effortlessly assemble dishes on TV inspires a whole host of people to get into the kitchen… It also encourages me to sneak into the fridge late at night for an extra spoonful of dessert, but I won't hold that against her.

'Simply Nigella', she explains, is partly about getting rid of the unnecessary frills in cooking, but it's not just as simple as 'simple cooking'. The recipes are an antidote to the busy lives that we lead and understanding that different days require different ways of eating; be it quick dinners when you just want to flop on the sofa (Thai Noodles with Cinnamon & Prawns), a dish that enables some breathing space at the end of a long week (Massaman Beef Curry), stress-free crowd pleasers (Chicken Trayabake with Bitter Orange & Fennel), or soothing suppers (Miso Salmon, Cauliflower & Cashew Nut Curry).

Whatever the occasion, she insists it should always be pleasurable, and as such, the book is also about celebrating all the food that she likes to make and eat. Both naughty and nice, this is food that is 'Simply Nigella'.

Obviously there are plenty of indulgent treats in the book - Lemon Pavlova, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pots, and not one but three recipes for Bundt Cakes (if you're going to make the effort to buy a bloody bundt tin, she insists you need more than one recipe to justify its worth) - but Simply Nigella also sees her take on the lighter, healthier side of food.

Cold pressed coconut oil has made its way in (which she also uses it on her feet - thanks for the tip), along with an abundance of avocados, and although Nigella's always been one to resist diets and food fads, things have changed. "While I have not gone gluten-free, or anywhere near, there are quite a few new gluten- and dairy-free recipes. Cooking brings me pleasure, but I also wish to bring pleasure to those who eat around my table – and since there is always a contingent in either camp, I want to make food they can eat," speaking to The Guardian.

When everyone has suddenly become more interested in the food they're consuming, health foods in particular, it would be a foolish thing to ignore. We're a nation obsessed by the aesthetics of what we eat; we Instagram the hell out of our avo toasts, vivid green juices and perfectly presented breakfast bowls. Expressing the creative beauty in food is certainly something that Nigella advocates, however, it all seems to have gotten a little misconstrued lately thanks to all this 'clean eating' chat.

With Jay Rayner's public love of piggy treats, we can guess where he stands on the situation, and he prompted Nigella to voice her opinions too.

'Clean eating' gives the impression that eating is dirty, shameful and something to be feared, she said. There's an air of smugness about the whole thing, and she's frustrated by the fact that people are claiming superiority over others just because of their virtuous eating habits. For Nigella, someone who has always been fuelled by greed (she said it - not me!), a restricted diet is not living wholeheartedly, and that's really quite sad.

So, although a number of the recipes in 'Simply Nigella' might attract the clean eaters, she states it's much more about the power of food; how different foods can make us feel well, make us stronger and give us the vitality we need and crave. Personally, I think I can get just as much 'goodness' from dipping saintly crudités into her Brocamole (broccolified guacamole if you couldn't guess from the name) as I could stuffing myself with her sage topped Sweet Potato Macaroni Cheese with a hangover.

Nigella's new book is one that will inevitably infiltrate the rhythms of our cooking lives, and healthy or not, the recipes are sure to make us feel good every time. Simply wonderful.

You can find some of Nigella's new recipes on the You Magazine website.

Gizzi Erskine: A healthy attitude towards food at Cheltenham Literature Festival

'Clean eating' can sod off. 

After attending two fantastic events last week at The Cheltenham Literature Festival, I'm both inspired and full of preachy rage about this stupid buzz-phrase. Sure, I'm not adverse to healthy eating, eating well, and trying to lower my calorie intake - I've gone on juice cleanses (see my post on The Core Chelt), I own a NutriBullet, and I've eaten spiralised 'courgetti' just as much as the next person has - but I'm sick of the frankly quite bullying promotion of #cleaneating.

Food events at the lit fest are always my priority (you can read my previous #cheltlitfest experiences here), and with the likes of Cornish king Rick Stein, wine buff Oz Clarke, and London heroes Honey & Co and Spuntino making an appearance, there was so much to choose from. I would've sold an arm and a leg to be able to get tickets to all of them (it gets expensive business), but with two of my all time fave ladies in the world of food, it was easy to make my decision. And happy-frickin'-days, both Gizzi Erskine's and Nigella's new books speak the truth about all this obsessive attitude over 'clean' foods.

I've owned Gizzi's latest book 'Gizzi's Healthy Appetite' since the day it came out, and FYI it's still a purse friendly £7.99 on Amazon. I went mad over the recipes in 'Skinny Weeks and Weekend Feasts' - the Pork Bun Xao is a firm staple in our house and I've wowed people dishing up the Braised Veal Shin Bourguignon for Sunday lunch - but her new book is something I'm completely obsessed with. Not a week goes by where I haven't made at least one thing from it. Just look at some of my efforts...

'Healthy Appetite' is a clever double entendre; she's really interested in health foods and food that will keep you in shape - note the superfood salad and smoothie recipes - but it also describes her indulgent side - the best ever Black Velvet Cake, truffle pappardelle using leftover hollandaise and her famous Korean fried chicken. In her discussion with Red Magazine's Pip McCormac, she proudly outed herself as being a little piglet that could easily take anyone down when it comes to how much she can eat. I salute that! Though anyone who follows her on Instagram would already know this; if it's not photos of her cute kitties - Kimchi and Ponzu - it's all the mega food she likes to cook and all the shit-hot places she likes to eat out at. I'm pretty much green with envy and constantly craving London; arghh.

"Having a healthy appetite means having a healthy lust for life," she says. If you're beating yourself up over having a slice of bloody cake at the weekend, then get a grip. Gizzi believes that all these new diets and the rise of 'clean eating' is putting too much blame on food. We know that things like alcohol and refined sugar are bad for us - fine - but to exclude whole food groups to eat saintly raw meals is a little extreme. I've lost count of the amount of people I know who have gone dairy-free, gluten-free, wheat-free, blah blah blah, and whilst I can totally understand if these people have an actual problem, just to cut them out believing it makes you 'healthier' is pretty misguided. Luckily, Gizzi is here to help, and from what I gathered from the event, her new book is just the start of her food education revolution.

Not naming any names, she discussed the problems with the popularity of health food bloggers on social media; the dishes tagged with #cleaneating or #fitfood might look delicious, and no doubt they are, but "spiralised courgette with pesto made from whizzed-up avocado is not dinner. It's a salad." Her idea of nourishing the body is about understanding balance and why we break up our plate into proteins, carbs, vegetables, fats, and the right volumes of these things. She's made friends with new techniques such as spiralizing veg and making rice out of cauliflower, but feels that it's very much misrepresented by those who aren't trained in the world of food and nutrition.

As we tucked into her dishes cooked by the Relish Events team at the Literature Fest (Ox Cheek Goulash with Spatzle followed by Maple Syrup, Orange & Rosemary Tart), it was evident that it's time to start loving our food again. Gizzi, along with others like Jamie Oliver and his latest food programme and indeed Nigella, are bringing back the emphasis of cooking fresh food from scratch and giving people a different attitude to healthy eating.

If you just do one thing this week, buy 'Gizzi's Healthy Appetite'. Oh, and "do cover your vegetables in butter; it's actually good for you!"... It tastes pretty damn good too.

**Keep your eyes peeled for my round up of Nigella's 'Simply Nigella' discussion with Jay Rayner.**