Up in Manchester I joined a colleague for breakfast at the Federal Cafe Bar.
I really liked the atmosphere. We found a table and I went to the counter to order a coffee. Having had some toast at my hotel I only wanted the coffee.
My colleague with the Turkish Eggs. Two free range poached eggs on whipped garlic yoghurt with hot chilli butter and za’atar and served with sourdough toast.
It looked amazing and my colleague said the eggs were excellent.
I had a great flat white.
Later I decided to go back there for a coffee, only to find the place full and no free seats. Well maybe next time I am in Manchester I will return for a coffee or even breakfast.
So there we were visiting the Cadbury Garden Centre, in Congresbury in North Somerset wanting a quick snack and a drink.
We have been going there for years for garden stuff, other stuff and usually we stop for coffee and cake, or tea and a scone.
They had taken the time during lockdown to refurbish their cafe areas They have gone for a retro Victorian tearoom look to their eating area, Costa has gone and they now resemble posh tearooms. They are very white and bright.
I decided that rather than a cake, I went with some cheesy chips.
They arrived promptly and though not a huge portion, were just about right for a quick snack. They were chunky chips covered in melted cheese.
I was though somewhat disappointed, the cheese lacked flavour. Maybe I am just use to the flavour of mature cheddar, but the cheese on the chips was basically flavourless. The chips were a little soft too as a result of being covered in cheese.
I think the next time I will go with just plain chips.
Should add the flat white I had with the chips was excellent.
I was wanting to make some gluten free chocolate muffins, and though I have been using this recipe recently I didn’t have any yoghurt in the fridge so needed to do something different.
175g gluten free self-raising flour
1 tsp gluten free baking powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
125g golden caster sugar
125g softened unsalted butter 2 medium eggs
100g dark chocolate chips
20g of dark chocolate chunks for decoration
1 tbsp milk
Heat oven to 180C or 160C fan and line a 12-hole muffin tin with 8 paper cases.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy.
Beat in one of the eggs and then beat in the second egg.
Mix in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, chocolate chips and the milk.
This is not an authentic recipe for chilli con carne, but a dish I cook that has lots of flavour, is spicy, contains, beef, tomatoes, beans and chilli.
This dish serves 4-5
500g steak mince the 5% fat kind. You can use cheaper mince, but I find I often need to drain the excess fat after cooking off the mince.
Tin of tomatoes. We did for a while use cheap tins of tomatoes, but found that they lacked flavour so generally now use a quality brand. I use a blender to break down the tomatoes into a passata style base. If I had a carton or bottle of passata in the cupboard I may just use that instead of the tin.
Tin of kidney beans. For this dish I find the budget range fine.
Tomato puree. Like the tin of tomatoes, I have found budget brands of tomato puree okay for some dishes, but this I want that real hit of tomato, so got for a better quality version.
Two onions, diced. Sometimes I use brown onions, other times I use red onions, depends what’s in the fridge.
Red pepper, diced.
One carrot, diced. This is about “hiding” some more veg in the chilli, as well as adding texture and a little sweetness.
Cajun spicing (optional)
Chilli powder
Garlic powder, though you could use fresh.
A beef stock cube
A splash of Balsamic vinegar.
To cook the chilli I do the following steps.
Heat a large pot (or pan) and then add a little sunflower oil.
Cook off the mince in the pan, ensuring that it is evenly cooked through. If you have used a mince with 10% or higher fat content then drain off the excess fat.
Add the onions, pepper and carrot and stir into the mince.
Cook for five minutes, stirring every so often.
Add the Cajun spicing, chilli powder and garlic powder, stir into the mince. I generally use half a teaspoon of each. If you like your chilli spicier then add more Cajun spicing, if you like it hotter than add more chilli.
I might try using fresh chilli in a future version, this I would chop (and deseed) and add with the onions and pepper.
Cook for another minute.
Stir in the tomatoes and tomato puree. Sprinkle in the beef stock cube and the splash of Balsamic vinegar.
Stir, put on a lid and cook on a low heat for thirty minutes.
Add the tin of kidney beans and cook for five more minutes.
Serve.
I serve it either with rice or tortilla chips. Sometimes I use the chilli to fill soft (gluten free) corn tortillas, which I cover with cheese and then bake in the oven.
Travelling back from Manchester I stopped off at the services for a break, stretch my legs and grab a coffee. Of all the services on the M6 and the M5 between Manchester and Weston-super-Mare, the services at Gloucester are my favourite.
These services are so different to virtually all the others on the motorway network. Unlike the mix of high street chains you seem to find at Welcome Break, Moto and Roadchef, the services at Gloucester are more like a farm shop.
There is a cafe area, with a range of food options, you can have proper meals, snacks, or coffee and cake. They also have a food to go area as well, for those in a rush with pies, sausages, sausage rolls and homemade burgers.
As well as the catering places, the services also have a big farm shop which is full of lots of stuff, including fresh meat and fish, bakery goods, deli stuff and cakes.
It is so different to the other services on the motorway network, you probably wouldn’t even realise that it was a motorway services area. The fact that they are also built into a hill also helps distinguish them totally from the others.
So needing that break, I stopped for a coffee, and ordered a flat white. It was very quiet, but I suspect that was down to the closure of the M5 a few junctions further down.
Another aspect of the services I like is that they have a lovely outdoor area. So I grabbed my coffee and went and sat outside in the sun. It was a little windy, but I found a sheltered table and enjoyed the view as I drank my coffee.
I would say that this is not the best flat white I have had, but it was good flavoured coffee and I enjoyed it.
It was then back into the car. It had taken me two and half hours from Manchester to Gloucester, even with some snow around Keele area. However due to closure of M5 between J13 and J14, it took me another two and half hours to get from Gloucester to Weston-super-Mare, going via Stroud and the M4.
In my first visit to Manchester since September 2019 I was needing a place to eat dinner. I did consider going to Reds the barbecue place, but in the end decided that the last time I had eaten at Reds, in Leeds, it wasn’t the best meal I had had. Back then the brisket was a little dry. The menu had changed, so I couldn’t order the mixed platter with the short rib as I had done in Leeds. I then decided I quite liked the idea of tacos, but Chilango who did some nice tacos back in October 2016, tacos were no longer on their menu. They did burrito and boxes, but I fancied tacos.
In the end I went to Wagamama. It was quite busy, but they found me a seat. I looked over the menu and thought about what I wanted.
I wanted to have the shu’s ‘shiok’ chicken, turmeric, garlic and ginger marinated chicken, roasted and served on a bed of coconut and lemongrass dressed rice. pickled slaw and radish. chilli. coriander. caramelised lime. However they had run out of the turmeric, garlic and ginger sauce. This also meant they couldn’t do some of the other dishes as well.
In the end I ordered the teriyaki chicken donburi, this was chicken in teriyaki sauce with sticky white rice, shredded carrots, pea shoots and onions. garnished with sesame seeds and served with a side of kimchee.
It did look really nice. The chicken alas was overcooked and a little dry. It could have done with alittle more sauce in my opinion. I enjoyed the rice.
Alongside I had the vegan mixed mushroom hirata buns. These are two small, fluffy asian buns stuffed with mixed mushrooms and panko aubergine, served with coriander and mayonnaise.
These were nice and full of flavour. I also had a green tea which alas wasn’t hot.
Overall it was okay, certainly not as good as I have had at other branches.
I then went back to the hotel where I had a (hot) green tea.
Popped into Caffe Nero for a flat white. They had a special offer of a coffee and a brownie for £4.50, so I had a flat white and a chocolate brownie.
It was just what I needed after going through my inbox.
The brownie was chocolatey and gooey, but wasn’t over rich, light enough to be enjoyed.
The coffee was excellent, there is something about the consistency of experience I find with Caffe Nero, virtually every time I have a flat white at Caffe Nero is I get the same kind of experience, which is nice.
Popped out to M&S at the Flowerdown Retail Park to get some wine. I saw that the new Burger King had their signage up and the lights were on, however it wasn’t open.
As I parked a big white minibus parked up. A crowd got out and headed to the new Burger King. I said to myself, they’re going to be disappointed, however they were a cleaning crew. I saw them after I had been to M&S getting an industrial hoover out of their van.
Working in London on a Thursday, it was time for a quick lunch. I popped out to see what I could get, I was surprised by how busy everywhere was. There were long queues in most of the usual places I visit for lunch. In the end I went to the Natural Kitchen. I haven’t been there for quite a few years, even before the pandemic.
As well as a table menu, they also do take out salad boxes. You get to choose three salads and either a hot or cold protein choice.
There was a shorter queue compared to other places, so it wasn’t long before I was served.
I went with the large cous cous salad, coleslaw and the Greek salad. I chose the barbecue chicken, which comprised two grilled chicken thighs in a barbecue style sauce.
I did enjoy the salad. It was a decent portion and very tasty.
The Guardian reports on how researchers in Valencia have decided what ten ingredients you can use in paella are.
The ten permitted ingredients are: rice, water, olive oil, salt, saffron, tomato, flat green beans, lima beans, chicken and rabbit.
Note that there is no fish or shellfish. Ever!
The research was carried out by social scientists at the Universidad Católica de Valencia at the instigation of local chef Rafael Vidal. The researchers questioned 400 amateur chefs aged over 50 from 266 Valencian villages.
Now I like making paella inspired rice dishes that include chorizo and seafood, even though this sometimes upsets Spaniards.
The article talks about how the valencianos believe that only they know how to make paella.
To people in Valencia, their version of paella is the version and nothing else is worthy of the name.
As for other kinds of paella they think this isn’t paella.
The typical seafood paella encountered elsewhere in Spain is generally dismissed by valencianos as arroz con cosas (rice with things).
