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The coffee drinking experience at Druckers

Cakes

Out of the many cafés in Weston-super-Mare, I have visited Druckers more often recently.

It’s not that the coffee is the best, I’ve certainly had better. I often like the idea behind the cakes I see in the display cabinets, but often find them to be slightly disappointing. However the ice cream is usually very good, even if they no longer sell the blue banana ice cream that they use to. The chocolate is very nice indeed as is the mint ice cream. I do quite like the biscuits and toasted teacakes too.

Most of the time the service is quite efficient, helpful and speedy.

I think though the main attraction is that the place isn’t cramped unlike the Costa branch in the nearby Waterstones. The same can be said for the coffee shop in Marks and Spencers. Both of them are full of tables and somewhat cramped. As a result they always feel very busy and rushed even when they are empty! Druckers has a lot more room and as a result feels more relaxed.

For me the environment in which you drink the coffee is just as important as the coffee itself. That’s why I go out to drink coffee, it’s the whole experience, and not just the coffee.

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Birra Moretti

As well as liking real ales I also do like Italian beers, especially when I am eating Italian food. I have always thought when eating a particular cuisine that you drink what would be drunk with that cuisine in that country. So when I was eating an Italian meal recently at a branch of Bella Italia I took the opportunity to have an Italian beer, this time I had a Birra Moretti.

Birra

This was a very nice Italian beer, full of flavour and perfect with the Italian food and Italian-esque atmosphere. It was stronger in flavour than some Italian lagers.

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Christmas Dinner – some thoughts

Roasted Vegetables and Bread

In the end our Christmas dinner went down very well.

We now have a tradition of having our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. We do this for a few reasons.

On Christmas Day itself, the children are often too excited to sit down for a long meal, so don’t eat or enjoy the meal or the occasion. It also usually means I spend a fair few hours in the kitchen, which means I miss them opening and playing with their presents. I also find it quite demanding to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible, whilst creating a wonderful dining experience.

Having the meal on Christmas Eve means that we can both spend a bit more time preparing the meal (less stressful in itself) and enjoy eating the meal (as do the children). As a result for them it helps pass the time on one of the more exciting days of the year as they anticipate the arrival of a sleigh full of presents been pulled by eight tiny reindeer!

As to what we eat on Christmas day itself, well we have lots of lovely leftovers, cheeses, pickles, hot bread, etc…. quick and easy to prepare and delicious.

We did this for the first time last year and were slightly apprehensive about how it would work and go down, but in the end it worked fantastically. Therefore this year it was a no-brainer we would do the same again and have our Christmas Dinner a day early on Christmas Eve. Worked a treat.

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Lemon Slices

Made some lemon slices at the weekend using this recipe.

Having now made them a few times, I can make them quite fast, though still have to follow the recipe carefully.

The biscuit base works well and can be used with other things. Getting the lemon custard right is key for these. The recipe calls for a lot of lemons, this time I only used two, but it seemed to work just as well. If you double the sugar, you get a more meringue type texture to the lemon custard.

They also work best served chilled. You can dust them with icing sugar, however I miss this step unless I am serving them to guests as storing them can then get messy.

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Not having that for Christmas!

Well still in two minds about what to eat at Christmas.

Last year we went for a four bird roast, this year (with less people) thinking about something small and not very exciting. What with the weather and all, probably have to go with whatever is on sale at the local butchers or supermarket.

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Quiche

I am never quite sure if I am a fan of quiche or someone who would prefer something else.

For me it always appears to be not quite a pie and not quite an omelette.

I do make quiche, and enjoyed it, but not quite sure if I am a fan.

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Risotto

I normally make a lemon and rocket risotto, however when I made this risotto I had no lemons or rocket! So I made this variation which was very tasty and went down well.

In a large frying pan, place some olive oil and butter. Then add some finely chopped onion. I also added some diced pancetta.

Soften the onions.

Bring up the heat.

Add the risotto rice and ensure that the rice is coated in the oil and butter. The key I have found to a good risotto is using good risotto rice.

Not having any chicken stock, I added some beef stock and some dried Italian herbs.

Keep topping up with stock to ensure that the rice doesn’t dry out.

Once the rice is virtually cooked I added a large handful of grated parmesan and some freshly ground black pepper.

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Pork Chop

I do quite like a pork chop now and again, though loin steaks appear to be more popular with people these days, the bone in the pork chop helps to stop the meat from drying out. Where possible I try and buy outdoor reared pork, as I have found that it has a lot more flavour than the pork you usually buy.

I cooked this pork chop by roasting in the oven, after adding some seasoning.

It was lovely and tender, delicious.

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But you said….

So there I was at Cribbs Causeway doing some late night shopping when I decided I wanted a bite to eat. So a quick decision was made to go to Café Rouge…

But you said….

Yes I know I said before that I wouldn’t go again to Café Rouge….

So….

However I had a Tesco Clubcard voucher on me, and that is one of the few places at Cribbs that takes them… so despite my reservations about Café Rouge based on previous visits, I decided to eat there.

The fixed price evening menu wasn’t an option as you can’t use the Tesco vouchers with it. So I looked at the full price menu and decided to go with the Bavette steak.

Traditional French cut of steak marinated in rosemary & garlic, best enjoyed rare, with French fries and melted garlic beurre maison.

I hadn’t tried a steak before at Café Rouge so was slightly apprehensive. I did though as the menu recommended ordered the steak rare. The Bavette is a flank steak so if cooked medium or well done it will be a tougher than say a sirloin.

When it arrived it did look very nice.

So as I cut into the steak I was still wondering if I had made a mistake. However in the end I was quite pleased. It was a little more done than I would have liked, which meant it was slightly tougher than I think it should have been. The fries were crisp, but over-seasoned. I did find them not entirely disagreeable, and there was a nice portion. I wasn’t too impressed with the butter so didn’t pour it over my steak. The main reason for ordering a steak is the steak and I was pleased with the dish. As with any dish ordered from a chain such as Café Rouge you are relying very likely on system cooking rather than home or chef cooked food. However in this case the dish exceeded my expectations and I did finish the plate clean.

Unlike previous visits to that Café Rouge the service was much much better, fast, efficient and friendly. The place was quite busy, so I was pleased with the unexpected much better level of service.

So despite my reservations I in the end had a good meal, good service and may go again.

Really?

Well I did say may…

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Jamie’s 30 minutes, now fastest selling

BBC News is reporting that Jamie Oliver’s latest book, Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals, has become the fastest selling non-fiction title of all time.

Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals has sold 735,000 copies in 10 weeks, beating the previous record held by comedian Peter Kay’s memoir, The Sound of Laughter. Delia Smith’s How To Cook (Book 1) is the bestselling cookbook of all time, with more than a million copies sold. Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals, which contains recipes for 50 quick three-course dinners, was made into a television series for Channel 4.

I quite enjoyed the series, but I also enjoyed the Guardian’s attempts to cook his recipes in 30 minutes.

In his new book, Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals, Jamie proves that, by mastering a few tricks and being organized and focused in the kitchen, it is absolutely possible, and easy, to get a complete meal on the table in the same amount of time you’d normally spend making one dish! The 50 brand-new meal ideas in this book are exciting, varied and seasonal. They include main course recipes with side dishes as well as puddings and drinks, and are all meals you’ll be proud to serve your family and friends. Jamie has written the recipes in a way that will help you make the most of every single minute in the kitchen. This book is as practical as it is beautiful, showing that with a bit of preparation, the right equipment and some organization, hearty, delicious, quick meals are less than half an hour away. You’ll be amazed by what you’re able to achieve.

Regardless of how you feel about Jamie Oliver, if it makes people think more about what they eat and how they cook, that has to be better them then relying on microwaved freezer meals.

Buy Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals.