Let's all have a mezze!

It's July! And this weekend at least, it certainly feels like Summer, so to celebrate I made a big mezze spread for Saturday lunch including a herb dip, roasted garlic, sourdough bread, french prawns, cheats roasted peppers and a tomato and buffallo mozzarella salad.

Keep an eye on the blog as I will be uploading one recipe a day from this lunch spread for the next week! Today's recipe is Giant Roasted Garlic using a Terracotta Garlic Roaster from The Garlic Farm on the Isle of White

Click here to go to the recipe.

Enjoy!

Herb Chopping Tools

We were sent two lovely time saving gadgets from The Present Finder ; the Herb Cutting Set (RRP £19.99) and the Herb Cutting Scissors (RRP £9.99) both from Secret du Potager. Adding fresh herbs instead of dried to your latest culinary creation adds both depth and freshness but we all know it can be a hassle to actually chop the herbs, however these fantastic gadgets made it so quick and easy!

I've had a chance to use both of these great products, firstly for a french prawn dish and secondly for a cream herb dip (recipes coming soon).

The Herb Cutting Set firstly was a joy to unpack, it comes with one mezzaluna knife and a wooden cutting board as well as plant markets, a cooking suggestions booklet and seeds for growing basil, parsley and chives. The wooden board has a circular dip in the middle making the job of chopping herbs and salad leaves quick and effortless. The mezzaluna knife was easy to use and also rather fun - it makes you feel like more of a chef than a home cook!

Here's a video of me using it for the first time to chop mixed salad leaves for my Herb Dip- doesn't it make a satisfying noise? 

If you don't have the space for the full Herb Cutting Set, I can certainly recommend the Herb Cutting Scissors, which also come with some extra treats. With their 5 parallel cutting blade you can cut chives and other herbs quickly and evenly, without crushing them these scissors would be an ideal gift for any avid cook to help save time and frustration in the kitchen!

Stockist Information

Order online at www.thepresentfinder.co.uk

Or by phone on 0844 557 0280

It's the Tour de France...we better have some garlic

To celebrate the beginning of the Tour de France we thought we should make something traditionally French; roasted garlic! We've just been sent a gorgeous Terracotta Garlic Roaster (RRP £6.50) from The Garlic Farm, based on the Isle of White, they also sent us a mini-Elephant garlic bulb to try it out, both are available online at www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk/.

The terraccotta roaster is a beautiful object and could also double as storage for your garlic, it would make a lovely gift for any foodie.

The Garlic Farm has been growing garlic on the Isle of Wight for over 30 years now and are the UK's largest specialist garlic grower. Their garlic is not available in supermarkets but is available online and in specialist food retailers across the UK including farm shops and delicatessens and at farmers markets.

The roasted garlic will be sweet and is delicious spread onto crusty bread or stirred through a bowl of mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

1 elephant garlic bulb or 4 small garlic bulbs

Olive oil

Method (as per The Garlic Farm instructions)

To make the garlic more moist, soak the terracotta dome in cold water for 15 minutes. Cut 1/2 " to 3/4" off the top of the garlic bulb, exposing the clove tops.

Remove some of the loose outer skin leaving the bulb intact.

Place the bulb on the terracotta base and if desired, pour 1 tbsp of olive oil on top of the bulb.

Cover with the dome and starting with a cold oven, bake for 50-60 minutes (slightly more for the elephant bulb) at 350F or 180C.

To Microwave: prepare as for oven cooking and cook for 5-6 minutes on medium (The Little Kitchen LDN recommends you oven cook for best results)

 

  

 

Mini-review: The Flask, Highgate

Lovely Thursday night dinner in The Flask, a traditional Fullers pub. We ate in a cosy room where a black board cheerfully announced that one of the first autopsies was performed right here in the pub (not legally mind) but hopefully not on our table...

We had fish and chips with mushy peas and a lovely cheeseburger and chips! Washed down with a lovely glass of red and a pint of London Pride. Great bit of tartare sauce on the side too. The staff are friendly and so is the atmosphere so be sure to pop down if you are ever in Highgate (prepare yourself for the hills though). 

Ale battered pollock; chips, pea puree & tartare sauce   

Chargrilled beef burger, with Cheddar, harissa, gherkins, chips 

Q&A with Housebites.com Founder Simon Prockter

Housebites.com recently launched a new service called ‘pretend you cooked’ that allows customers to pretend they have slaved away at a hot stove more convincingly by delivering dirty pans alongside the food. Cooked by a professional chef and delivered to your door, Housebites main courses cost on average between £10 and £12, and now for an additional £5, customers can request the pans used to cook them for added authenticity. Collection of the pans is then arranged as easily as the original delivery slot.

We posed a few questions to the CEO and founder of Housebites.com, Simon Prockter, to find out more about the new service and the business as a whole- read as we talk dirty pans and celeb fans with the man who's changing the face of the humble takeaway.

How would you describe Housebites to our readers that might not have heard of the service?

Housebites is a reinvention of the takeaway. It allows customers to order high quality meals from experienced chefs in their area. It’s a simple system, customers visit Housebites.com, enter their post code and view menus for chefs cooking in their area. Then customers just place their order and pick a time slot to suit them when it'll be delivered.

We think Housebites is a great concept, what was the inspiration behind it?

Bad takeaway.  The sector hasn’t changed in years. Bulk cooked, oily food, delivered cold and late. We wanted to make takeaway an experience and at the same time solve the problems with existing takeaway. So with Housebites you know exactly who is cooking your food – you can see their biography and what others think about their meals. You have a menu choice you won’t see in any other takeaway. Portion sizes are great and delivery is done with a smile and usually with a free treat in the bag.

What is the correct Housebites etiquette, do you encourage tipping for example?

It’s entirely up to the customer whether they tip or not but our delivery guys and chefs don’t expect anything.  We recommend instead of tipping to use our ‘Round Up My Order’ button.  When a meal costs say £14.60, we encourage our customers to round it up and that 40p (+ GiftAid) goes to Action Against Hunger.  That way when feeding yourself you can feed someone else at the same time.

Is the service exclusively London based at the moment and do you see this service going nation wide?

We are recruiting chefs throughout the country and aim to be operating in Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Manchester very soon.  

How do you vet your chefs to ensure great quality food is delivered to your customers?

We choose creative chefs with experience at a high level. We’re very proud of our very diverse range of chefs. To create exciting food, you need to have innovative chefs with a wide array of culinary inspirations. We have chefs from all over the world who have trained in Britain and also internationally. It’s this richness of experience that we look for in our chefs. 

HouseBites.com Chef Alice Feaver

Do you have any celebrity foodie fans?

Yes we do, we’ve had Lily Allen and Stephen Fry tweeting about how much they loved Housebites. Brighton based Zoe Ball is also a fan of us. It’s always great to have positive recommendations from people in the public eye. 

We love the 'pretend you cooked service', what's next for Housebites?

Who knows - it depends what our customers want. We recently launched Housebites Plus, which offers a bespoke catering service. Our chefs have catered for Board Meetings and picnics and we’re currently quoting on some weddings.  We’re also launching cooking lessons next month.

We presume you use the Housebites service, do you have a favourite chef in your area?

All of our chefs are excellent and produce beautiful dishes, so I couldn't possibly pick a favourite.

We hear you are somewhat of a serial entrepeneur, have you got anything new in the works? 

Housebites is my focus at the moment, but there is so much we can do with the brand so you can expect a few new businesses to come out of it very soon. I previously founded SpeedDater and Adventura but I’m happiest creating new things.

Many thanks to Simon for answering our questions!

Taste of London: post show review

We had the privilege of attending the Taste of London 2012 event at Regents Park on its opening day, and luckily it didn't rain once when we were there (although we both realised we were wearing slightly inappropriate footwear in a muddy Regents Park).

Taste of London 2012, Regents Park

The atmosphere was full of fun, food and frolics.  As we only had limited 'crowns' (raffle-type tickets to pay for food and drink) we had a walk round of our surroundings carefully selecting what would be our best choices to sample whilst getting to grips with the wind and mud.


We came across a stall with various types of sake.  Hayley had never tried sake before so the friendly woman kindly let us try two types.

Left to right - Genmai Aged Sake - can be hot or cold, or to cook with; Honjozo Genshu - more of a dessert drink.

In desperate need for something to fill our stomachs, we found the pulled pork dish from Jamie's Barbecue.  It was almost unavoidable as the smell of the barbecue wafted into everyone's path.  It was by far the busiest stall, however, we were left slightly disappointed with the lukewarm dish we were served.  

Thailand

Not to be deterred, we made our way through the continents; Thaliand, Italy, the Far East (ironically with no far-easterns working at the stall), Whisky... We also inspected some durians and had a debate with a fellow foodie about why they have been banned from from Australia - give it a smell and you will know why; whilst Kate tried some exquisite spicy dip at the Malaysian counter.

We have to say, Gaucho's grilled thin skirt of steak with a humita cake and smoked garlic hollandaise was magnificent.  Between the two of us, we could really taste the quality of the meat.  That's when you know you are eating good food, it doesn't depend on the size of the plate, it's what is on the plate that counts.

For dessert we decided to go for some traditional ice cream from Simply Ice Cream based in Kent.  Kate had the Heavenly Honeycomb Crunch flavour, while Hayley had the seasonal Apply and Blackberry Crumble.  We're sure if the weather had been right, the ice cream would have suited us perfectly, it was just unfortunate Taste of London took place on a cold day in Summer.

On our way out, we came across some very friendly waiters from the West Country Cream Teas, and of course we couldn't resist.  As soon as we approached them, the cream teas flew off the trays like wildfire.  The jam was good, but the scone itself was a little bit dry to get through.  

All in all, we both enjoyed our time at the festival.  The only minor things we noted was that the entrance could have been better signposted when getting out of the tube station, and the queuing system could have been a lot more efficient.  It was just a shame about the weather as it really does have an effect on people's moods especially as it is an outdoor event.  The 'crowns' you had to buy in order to buy the food was slightly confusing, nor practical as the wind would have very easily swept them away (we thought coins may have been a better option).  The mood of Taste was very friendly and inviting, with the range of food available interesting, as well as learning about different ways of cooking with foods; it was a very worthy time for us!

Range of sake

Food News: AGA iTotal Control

AGA iTotal Control: the all new on-off AGA you can control wherever you are.

If you grew up in the 70s, it was tempting to imagine the home of the future would be decidedly space age, with robots running everything and us sitting back doing very little. This, of course, isn't quite how
things turned out – but things are getting decidedly more techie in the kitchen.
AGA has taken things a step further by launching the AGA iTotal Control cooker. Owners of this innovative new range cooker will be able to control it wherever they are, using a mobile phone, smartphone, PC, laptop, iPad or tablet.
The AGA iTotal Control cooker's three ovens (roasting, baking and simmering) are remotely operated, so you can ensure the cooker is warm and supper will be cooked at exactly the time you need it – wherever you are in the world. Essentially, you can sync your AGA at the touch of a button.
Those AGA iTotal Control owners who don’t have a smartphone, tablet or laptop can still take advantage of this technical revolution – simply by sending a text message to the AGA. The AGA can also be controlled via the web, so even if you have no phone signal you can use a wireless network to ensure the cooker is doing exactly what you want it to.
AGA is using Orange technology to run the communications element of iTotal Control. Marc Overton, VP of Wholesale and M2M for Orange, said: “We are very proud to be working with such an iconic British brand and starting a conversation between people and their ovens all over the world.”
AGA iTotal Control is available now and costs £10,090.

Cookery Book News: Squires Kitchen Guide to Iced Flowers

Squires Kitchen Guide to Iced Flowers by Ceri DD Griffiths...piped and stencilled sugar flowers for cakes, cookies and desserts.

The author, Ceri DD Griffiths trained as a Master Baker and Confectioner at the South Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education. After three years of study he achieved his City & Guilds certification, obtaining distinctions for all cake decoration and design qualifications. Ceri’s creations won several categories and acknowledgements at competition level.

This September, Ceri will be releasing his new title; Squires Kitchen’s Guide to Iced Flowers (RRP £12.99). This guide is the perfect introduction to creating floral designs with royal icing. From delicate daisies to pretty poppies, learn step-by-step how to ice 13 impressive decorative flowers.

This comprehensive SK guide provides all the steps needed to help you achieve successful iced flowers, with full-colour photographs and templates throughout. As an experienced tutor, all sugarcrafters will appreciate Ceri DD Griffiths’ clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions.

Ideal for beginners, this SK guide also offers a wealth of inspiration for even the most experienced of sugarcrafters. From contemporary cake pops to flawless macaroon favours, this guide includes 11 creative

projects that will beautifully showcase your iced flowers. With something for every season and every occasion, Ceri’s guide offers an array of beautiful floral decorations that will never leave you short for inspiration.

Squires Kitchen Guide to Iced Flowers will be published this September and is available from the Squires Kitchen online shop, where you can also get inspiration and lots of innovative baking and cake decorating accessories at www.squires-shop.com. We can't wait to get our hands on it!

Review: Bincho Yakitori EC1

Bincho Yakitori

   

A recent event in The Little Kitchen LDN was Hayley's birthday, and what better way to celebrate than with Japanese food - one of our favourites.  Bincho Yakitori was a place that stood out to us and seeing as we hadn't heard of it before, we thought why not.  Based in Clerkenwell (the other branch is in Soho) we were an hour early for our reservation, and the staff kindly let us sit down anyway and were very accommodating with our seating preferences (we weren't being fussy, we just decided eating by the window next to the smokers was not our best choice).  

The exciting thing about the restaurant is that most of the food is made to be shared and the grill section served in skewers.  

   

What we ate: 

• We had the combo sharer dish, which is an ideal start for any newbies to the restaurant, it consisted of salmon, pork rib (off the bone), whole tiger prawn, chicken wings, asparagus and shiitake mushroom. 
• Specials: soft shell crab
• Akadashi - Red miso soup
• Buta - pork belly
• Aigamo - duck breast, wasabi and spring onion
• Tofu with kimchi 
• Tori Tatsuta-Age - Deep fried chicken with ponzu
• Ninniku Chahan - Buttered garlic rice
• Yakitori Tare (Bincho's signature sauce)

The menu was simple to read with plenty of dishes to choose from, as well as mouth-watering specials.  We decided to start off slow with our choices, and ordered seconds, that along with the red wine made a delicious evening.  The food was cooked fresh, and the chefs can be seen through a clear screen which adds to the excitement.  A few of our favourites from the evening was the Yakitori Tare, the signature sauce, it went well with the spicy tofu dish...and well, everything else.  If anything, the salmon was slightly too over-cooked and was a bit chewy than we would have preferred, and for those who do not want to get their hands messy, the whole tiger prawn may not be for you, as it comes with shell and all.   

Not to mention the quirky, neat decor, it all added to the experience and had an inviting atmosphere as soon as you step inside.  Don't under estimate the amount of food served to you because if you're anything like us, you will soon realise that this is wholesome, good food enough to satisfy your hunger needs.  Don't under estimate Bincho.  It is safe to say, that we will be making another trip here soon to try out all the things we wanted to the first time round.  

Demai Express Sushi Takeaway

Fresher, tastier and more authentic than Yo! or Itsu...and with really friendly delivery drivers! Nothing wrong with high street sushi but this was really nice and from a local restaurant.

I had an 18 piece sushi plate for a very reasonable £12.50 and it was delivered in 30 mins. I also tried the chicken gyoza which were tasty too!

http://www.demaiexpress.co.uk/menu