A Month of Munching

It's been very quiet on the Western Front lately (unless you've been following me on Twitter or been keeping up with my Vinspire posts). How on earth has it got to June already?! Well, I've just returned from a wonderful week-long holiday in Scotland, but before I divulge on my indulgences up north, I thought I'd best report my latest eats and experiences. So listen up..

I should probably start with where I left off at the end of April *slaps wrists*.. A 5 year anniversary celebration with The Chap saw a surprise trip to Cheltenham's KIBOUsushi. We went for lunch a week or so after it's opening, loved it, and vowed to return to try the dinner menu; it took us way too long to do this. Cheltenham had been missing the sushi boat for ages, and in the space of a few weeks, both KIBOU and a Yo! Sushi opened up. I'm sure Yo! Sushi is great, what with it's conveyor belt of food on brightly coloured dishes, but independent is always better in my eyes. Being tucked away in a basement on Regent Street, like a secret hide away from the bustling town centre, makes the whole thing much more memorable.

We started with some pork gyozas and scallop and venison tataki nigiri, then The Chap had a prawn/pork/sesame main dish, and I had an orange-y duck breast with pumpkin korroke (a bit like croquettes); both of which were off of the specials board. Everything was delicious, and I'm already thinking about when I can go back to get my next sushi fix. If you go, make sure you get a glass of the plum wine, as well as the obligatory jasmine tea.

A week later, I found myself at Cheltenham Jazz Festival drinking way too much wine and frolicking in the bank holiday sun. Being a massive lover of all things Hobbs House (thanks to the Bread Baking Masterclass I went on in February), I booked to go to Henry Herbert's Hobbs House Pop-up Supperclub on the festival site in Montpellier Gardens.

Being one half of The Fabulous Baker Brothers, and an advocate of all things local, Henry's Supperclub was destined to be something that you wouldn't want to miss. Upon entering the tent lined with tables and benches, we were handed a cocktail (I've no idea what it contained) and then showered with various canapés whilst we got settled into our seats and chatted to our jazzy neighbours.

No veggies here, BBQ Beef was what we were treated to; juicy charcoal grilled rib eye and a smoked brisket, which practically fell apart with as much as a glance. Bowls of Boston beans, slaw and blue cheese iceberg salad were shared round, along with a never ending supply of sourdough, and everything was kept topped up until we were sufficiently full.

Dessert was a doughnut trifle. Now I'm not normally a fan of those stodgy beasts, and the thought of having them topped with additional custard and cream was a bit daunting, but actually, it totally hit the spot and was just the right size. Coffee and truffles were kicked to the kerb until Henry had done the rounds thrusting picklebacks on every table. A shot of pickle brine and a shot of Chase Smoked Vodka sat in front of us, then on the count of three we downed the vodka then chased it with the pickle. It might sound a bit rough, but trust me, it works. Line them up please!

A trip to Bath was next on the agenda; a belated Mother's Day spa session with my Mum and Sister. I'd had a few recommendations on places to have lunch, and Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen was the venue of choice. We decided to opt for the tapas-style sharing dishes, ending up ordering pretty much the whole menu because it sounded that good.

We had mixed pickles (kohlrabi, radish and carrot), hummus with bread olives and harissa, asparagus in a lemon thyme dressing, brocolli with wild garlic, polenta chips and rhubarb ketchup, chickpea fritters with an orange rosemary emulsion, local leaf salad with toasted seeds and rhubarb dressing, and red wine fig and shallot salad with candied curried pecans. The one thing I love about veggie/vegan restaurants is that they're always so innovative; even the most stubborn carnivore couldn't possibly miss meat with this bounty. The red wine fig and shallot salad stole the show, along with the asparagus and polenta chips.. Actually, all of it was great, and our bill came to just over £30, which seemed great value considering how much we ate!

Last minute panic buying in preparation for a wedding resulted in a shopping slog at Cabot Circus, Bristol. In an attempt to get just an hours break from the herd of Saturday shoppers, we went to St Nicholas Market to refuel. Spying a queue at Grillstock surely meant that they were dishing out good grub, and on a sunny day, something meaty in a bun - alongside a cold beer - is just what the doctor ordered. I had the hickory smoked pulled pork with slaw, spicy sauce and extra jalepenos. It's messy business, but who cares when its this good?

Something sweet seemed necessary, so we popped into Source Food Hall & Cafe and I was blinded by this beauty; a salted caramel and cherry brownie. I think I died and went to heaven.. Though hell's probably more fitting, being so devil-iciously dark, rich and salty..

Nothing I can say will be able to follow that, so I shall leave it there.

Keep your eyes peeled for Glasgow goings on..

Hobbs House School // Bread Masterclass with The Fabulous Baker Brothers

I just wanted to tell you that I must have been really good last year. Father Christmas was extraordinarily generous. Not only did he get me a swish winter coat, but he also booked me on to a Bread Baking Masterclass at Hobbs House School in Chipping Sodbury. I had been dreamily looking at the courses there for ages, which makes me think he'd been keeping tabs on me, or that someone tipped him off. Either way, I'm eternally grateful.

I had just over a month to wait, and all I knew is that Tom Herbert, one of The Fabulous Baker Bothers (you might have caught them on the TV), would be leading the class, teaching us - hands on - how to make the perfect loaf, from sourdough to soda. I was informed that the day started with coffee and pastries at 9am, then would end with dinner at 5pm, so the promise of being fed for the day definitely added to my excitement. Anyway, the weekend before last saw me tootle on over to the South Cotswold town, both nervous and eager eyed.

The school is above the award winning bakery and butchery on Chipping Sodbury's high street, in what was once the Herbert's family home - its a beautiful building, with quirks and character, and yep, the bathrooms do actually have baths in. Hobbs House was established in the 20s, and is now proudly in it's fifth generation. The school is a recent addition to the business; the leading brothers (Tom and Henry) aim to use it to share their enthusiasm, and in turn pass on their experience and traditions for many generations to come.

There were ten of us attending the course, all of varying ages and baking competence; we sat around the long table in the dining room, chatted over coffee and picked out our favourite pastries (I went for the almond croissant - it never fails to hit the spot - buttery bliss). We heard all about the history of Hobbs, and how the brothers have got to where they are today. They're just as they appear on screen, jokey, passionate, and not an ounce of arrogance, which made for a laid back environment. Having introduced ourselves and attached name badges - classic - we went through to the classroom with Tom to kick things off. (Henry was to be bound to the kitchen for the day, making us food and drink, and generally acting as 'baking bitch'.)

Now, I don't want to divulge too much as I'd much rather urge you to go and participate in a masterclass yourself, so I'll just give you a brief run through of what we got up to. Each armed with a Hobbs School notebook and dough scraper, we started with sourdough as it takes the longest to make. Scribbling down the weights of the ingredients from the old fashioned black board, we then watched Tom mix a massive amount of dough on the table top, before he dished it out to us to knead for a good 15 minutes. We talked about many of the misconceptions we have in bread baking, he gave us tips on what to do/not to do, and discussed different flours. Shamefully, I'm a "flour floozy", I never stick to the same one - I'm a changed person now, honest.

Morning exertion out of the way, we put the dough in front of the fire to prove whilst we moved on to soda bread. But before we busted out the flour, we had a little task to make our own butter; the process of over-whipping double cream separates the solids from the liquids, producing super soft butter (which you can roll up and whack in the fridge), and buttermilk, which is key for making soda bread. It's the best bread to make in a hurry as it doesn't require time to rise, just mix and go, hey presto!

With little loaves in the oven, we moved on to 'The Great White' before lunch. We split into four teams, and following the recipe, we competed to see who could make their dough the quickest - I think we may have been last. Once kneaded until smooth and stretchy, all four were combined and left to prove. I think thats what's nice on the course, you don't make your own personal selection of bread to take home, it's a group effort and everything is shared out evenly. How lovely.

Lunch involved our soda bread, hot from the oven, with the homemade butter and some accompaniments courtesy of Henry; houmous, a blue cheese dip, and pickled cucumbers; toasted with a glass of prosecco. Afternoon boozing and baking? This is my kind of course..

A quick shape up of the sourdough, ready for it's second rise, and we returned to the white dough to play around with the endless possibilities of how you can adapt it - not just your average loaf dont'ya know. We made pittas (mine looked like a comedy speech bubble), ate pittas, rolled the most spherical dinner rolls, made focaccia, tossed pizza bases - then topped them with swanky cheeses and meats fresh from the butchers below, baked them in a Chadwick Pizza Oven, and scoffed them too - twirled cheese straws, plaited a jewish sweet bread called Cholla.. And I think that was it.

All palmed off to Henry to cook, we ended where we began, the sourdoughs. Luckily, we each had a kilner jar of the Hobb's 50+ year starter to take home with us, so Tom talked through the process of keeping "The Monster" alive and how to plan your weekly/monthly cycle of baking bread. The bubbly beasts were put in the oven, and we finished the day with a hearty puff pastry pie - chicken, bacon, leeks and herbs - with a dollop of fluffy mash, and fresh green veg on the side. Oh and a chilled glass of white vino too.

I'm pretty sure I ate more pastry/breaded goods over the course of this one day than I did in the whole of January; I was totally stuffed, and it was totally worth it (you can see our greedy grins in the snap of all of us). I'm still surprised at how much we made during the day, dividing it up at the end seemed like I was robbing the joint.

So, whether you're a beginner in the bread department, someone who has had a few failing attempts, or even if you consider yourself a dab hand with the dough, I'd 100% recommend Tom's masterclass (they have plenty of other classes too, if bread isn't your thing). Hobb's provides a day full of foodie fun, smothers you with confidence, and inspires you to go home and perfect what you've learnt - along with a beefy bag of hand crafted goodies.

Normally you'd go to school with a packed lunch, not expect to take one home with you; that's a sign that this is a school with a difference. So thanks F.C. - I had a blast!