Roasts with the most

It's Sunday.

What with the all day pyjama-fest, broken up only by putting a dent in the washing and snoozing over Frasier repeats, there's not a lot of structure to it. The focal point is the Sunday roast - the behemoth food mountain which is the only thing Brits can think of when the words "national dish" are uttered. And what a thing of beauty it is.

Eating out - The Tramshed, Bath

Today I was lucky enough to stumble upon an exceptional Sunday roast completely by chance. If you're ever found wandering the golden streets of Bath, head to The Tramshed and order their beef roast with all the trimmings. The meltingly tender meat is teamed with a platter of sauces, perfectly cooked and seasoned veg, crisp yorkshire puds and shiny red wine gravy. I could have easily (well, maybe) eaten two. Service was pretty special too (thanks Ed).

Eating in - meat

Chicken, surprisingly enough, is my king of roast dinners. Everyone is terrified of undercooking chicken but I'm more worried about overcooking it. Those are the kind of crazy kitchen antics that give turkey a bad name at Christmas. Come on people - LOVE YOUR BIRD!

Last year's perfect Christmas turkey

I chop any string off and open up the bird to ensure it cooks through without going overboard. I serve it with cheat's stuffing (softened onions and celery, a little bacon, all stirred in with ready made Paxo), spiced cabbage and all the trimmings.

Pork has never been a favourite but this Christmas my lovely dad managed to mistake a a huge leg of pork for a giant ham and, as a result, kindly contributed it to our freezer as an act of kindness. Oh, and it was from Riverford Farm (wow).

I recently got around to defrosting one half of the pork leg but by the time the process was complete Sunday had been and gone. So, in an uncharacteristically spontaneous move, at 10pm on a Tuesday night I decided to brave an overnight slow cook.

I put the pork leg on a roasting tray surrounded by a few cloves of garlic, then seasoned it with salt, pepper and a few fennel seeds and popped it in the oven on 100C. At 7am the house smelled amazing (Firebox take note - alternative alarm clock gift idea); the pork had formed a crackling and was soft and 'pull'-able. Wonderful for a roast; just as good for stir frys, pies or spicy mexican-style tacos loaded with sour cream, jalapeños and cheese - the latter being our Wednesday night meal of choice.

Lamb is relatively new to me. For a few years while I was growing up we kept sheep as pets and, as an animal lover, I couldn't bring myself to eat my friends. Since learning lamb is on the better end of the spectrum in terms of UK mass-farming (if that makes any sense at all), I've built up trust with eating it and am now back on the (mint) sauce. Sainsbury's do a great shoulder of lamb in their butcher's section. Higher welfare and good value - a rare combination.

Old friend (flickr.com/nic)

Tom Kerridge's simple garlic-stuffed slow cooked lamb with boulangere potatoes (layered potatoes and onions) is wonderful. He's a michelin starred chef but this is simple and relatively low cost.

Eating in - vegetarian and vegan

Nut roast is so underrated. Thanks to this foolproof recipe from my vegetarian turned vegan friend Mel, I LOVE it. No measurements here - wild times.

Sauté some onions, garlic, mushrooms, courgettes, then blitz in a food processor with breadcrumbs, hazelnuts (or a bag of your favourite mixed nuts) and herbs and put in a greased dish. Top with more breadcrumbs, lots of salt and pepper, sunflower/pumpkin seeds and (optionally) a sprinkling of cheese - cheddar or parmesan are perfect.

In Mel's words: "you could always do something crazy like add a layer of olive tapenade or caramelised onion to jazz it up"- indeed.

Although the nut roast is a great vegan option, I've also had many a lovely Sunday with a fine serving of Vegan Village's chestnut and mushroom wellington recipe.  A delicious twist on a nut roast, all wrapped up in a layer of dairy-free puff pastry. Delicious with onion gravy.

Right, that's it. I'm stuffed.

Nx

Fast without the furious

If anyone has been wondering what I've been up to for this latest hiatus, well here it is - I've been fasting. 

5 months later and (on and off) 14lbs lighter I'm pretty certain this one's a keeper. 

Fasting for beginners

I probably don't need to explain the fast diet. It's the flavour of the month - the celebrity of diets. 

Essentially, you eat your recommended daily calorie allowance (2000 for women, 2400 for men) for any 5 days a week and on the remaining 2 days eat just 500 calories (600 for men). For hardcore fasters there are firmer rules - calculating your TDEE, BMR and BMI. I went for the simple route: 2000 / 500 - regardless. WTF eh?

I've given away the happy ending. It took hold and had fast (sorry...) results. I lost practically a stone in around 2 months. Since then the the weight loss has ground to a halt but, by continuing to fast, I'm staying around the same weight. 

I said this wasn't religious - but it's a revelation. I've stopped punishing myself for being greedy and started enjoying it - only for 5 days rather than 7.

Cheating eating

An admittance though - it's made me lazy. Instead of seeking out new ways to inject flavour into an iceberg lettuce, I've let the shops do all the hard work for me. 

M&S hot and sour chicken noodle soup, mini brown rice sushi trays and Pret's no-bread sandwiches (so, salads then) have been firm favourites for lunch. In the evenings I'll reach for a bowl of mixed green veg with black pepper and gravy, a hefty portion of ratatouille or huge bowls of homemade soup. 

One day at a time

Let's get one thing straight - fast days are not fun. Tough days usually leave me reaching for big portions of food and large glasses of red. On fast days, it's not an option. But that's where most diets fall down. There's nothing you can't eat on the fast diet. You might just have to wait until tomorrow. It's only a day away.

Nx

Not so fast...

Very veggie cakes

I'm not much of a baker. A bit of a one (maybe two, at a push - three) trick baking pony. But, in the words of Garth from Wayne's World, I like to play.

Chocolate courgette cake

About a month ago we were gifted with a glut of courgettes from a family allotment. And when I say a glut, I'm talking MARROWS here. Courgettes are not the most inspiring of vegetables and tend to divide the crowd. Nobody loves a courgette. Cue - a challenge. 

I discovered a recipe for chocolate courgette cake by Riverford online. I was sold on the basis that they serve them at the tiny Landscove Primary School to inject some veg into the kids, plus the original farm shop is based near my hometown of Totnes.

Result - a glut of chocolate courgette cakes. Although rich in chocolate flavour, these aren't sickly sweet. And, for non-courgette fans, I am giving you a 'no hidden courgette taste' guarantee.

Super sticky vegan carrot cake

This was my second attempt at a vegan-friendly cake. The first, although tasty, was rather flat. I was after a cake fit for a three tier birthday cake stand to sit alongside my favourite lemon drizzle muffins.

Step forward accidental vegetarian Simon Rimmer and his vegan carrot cake. Where the courgette cakes lacked in sweetness, these pack in enough maple syrup, golden syrup and light brown sugar to give you brain freeze. I replaced the syrup and frosting suggested in the recipe with a mixture of icing sugar, lemon juice and stem ginger syrup, drizzled over the cake, pricked hot from the oven. 

I'm going to use the g word again. Another GLUT of cake. I was tired what can I say? What the enormo portion meant is I could test it on a wider audience. I got a pre-birthday thumbs up from my office and another great reaction from the intended recipients. 

Playtime's over...for now.

Nx

Summer stew

It wasn't until I went to Mexico last year that I thought about the combination of hot and hot. Spicy food comes from countries with hot climates. How does that work? I was never good at biology but it seems the whole drink a cup of tea to cool you down also relates to food. 

Our breakfasts in Mexico often included the choice of spicy chicken tinga and a side of chillis. I admit, the initial thought of having the meat sweats at 9am in 35 degree heat didn't fill me with wonder but I'm glad I was talked into it. Now, with a rare heatwave under our UK belt, spicy food calls to me again. 

Roast chicken, my favourite leftovers friend, did us proud again this week. I usually default to risotto but when I discovered an unopened jar of chipotle paste in my cupboard and felt inspired. 

This little beauty is worth roasting a chicken for.

Mexican(ish) chicken (sort of) stew 

Adapted from BBC Good Food recipe - serves 4

Half a large cooked roast chicken, shredded
One white onion
2-3 cloves garlic
1-2 tablespoons chipotle paste (we used Sainsbury's - this stuff is fairly fiery)
2 cans/cartons chopped tomatoes
around 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red pepper
1/2 green pepper
1 small can pinto beans, drained
1 small can sweetcorn
1 lime
Worcestershire sauce
1 level teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (the nice La Chinata one in the red tin)
1 small glass rich red wine

Coriander - to serve
One small red onion - garnish
Natural yoghurt

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large pan. Sweat the onion and garlic on a medium heat until nice and soft. Stir in the chipotle paste, peppers, cherry and chopped tomatoes. Cook on a medium heat for around 15 minutes. 

Now add the pinto beans, cumin, paprika, juice of a lime, red wine and a splash of worcestershire sauce. Give it a good stir, pop the lid on and leave to bubble away for about half an hour. 

Now add the cooked shredded chicken and drained sweetcorn, stir through and cook for another 15 minutes until the chicken is heated through and melting into the stew. 

Chop a few slices of red onion and some coriander for garnish. Serve with rice (I stirred a few pinto beans through) and a dollop of natural yoghurt or guacamole. Or both...!

Again no pics. It's all gone. Sorry.

Nx

Richard Osman's World Cup of chocolate

After a rough day I stumbled upon this sweet little Guardian article about chocolate written by Richard Osman. 

For me, watercress soup just seems a bit … pointless. Let's talk chocolate - Richard Osman's World Cup of chocolate

I love Pointless and I love chocolate so it was a treat.

My winner though? It has to be chocolate buttons...

Bristol BYOs

I love the concept of BYO. Choosing wine I know I like, for a price I'm happy to pay, and being able to drink the lot without feeling guilty or extravagant. 

Bristol is blessed with a generous number of BYO restaurants. Luckily for me, they tie in with being some of my favourite places to eat in the city. Here are my top three:

A cappella

Tiny Totterdown treasure tucked away on the Wells Road. A cappella is always busy, not least, I suspect, due to the continuing awards it receives. The staff are easy going and seem genuinely happy to work there. 

On every visit I see regulars popping in to say hello, tempted in on the off chance there might be a corner table (or the corner of someone else's table) available. 

It's family friendly, has outdoor space and does home delivery. The pizzas are oozy, delicious and satisfying - as warming as the atmosphere. The tapas is tasty, the cakes are wonderful and the lunchtime steak sandwich is to die for.

Sergio's

Sergio's special pizza and that risotto

I'm sticking my neck out here. I visited Sergio's for the very first time a couple of days ago but it's going in my list. 

After almost 6 years in Bristol I'm still working my way through all the eateries and with Mamma Mia up the road getting a solid green light a few months earlier, I felt drawn by Sergio's simple green canopy. It's easy to miss, hidden under Park Street's 'Banksy' bridge.

The menu says 'Bristol's friendly city centre restaurant'. That it is, but, having tasted my dinner and immediately contracting a severe case of food envy, the man in my life offered a rewrite or two: "Bristol's best risotto", oh and "one of the top 10 things I've (he's) ever tasted". Strong words indeed.

I had the wonderful porcini and asparagus risotto. For a no frills restaurant it's not especially cheap (my vegetarian risotto was just shy of £13), but for the freshness (it arrived piping hot from the kitchen, clearly just made with no nasty clagginess) and flavour, it's more than worth putting your hand down the back of the sofa. Besides, you've saved on the wine right?

Thai Garden

I've eulogised about this shining beacon of Bemmy's West Street for some time now. Thai Garden's pork and prawn dumplings are still in the running for my last meal on this earth. And though your heart sinks when you hear the PING of the microwave in the kitchen, the hospitality, perfect steamed rice and authentic flavours just make you shovel it in and shut up. 

Why the big horse?

Big horse I had some very very ripe bananas, a rusted loaf tin and some time on my hands.

Recipe by Gregg Wallace with cooking time halved.