So what happened? Since returning to work after maternity leave I found my spare time was practically non existent and what little I do have I Iike to spend playing with Little Miss Chief. The travelling element of my job is a new aspect for me and one I have found tiring to begin with, though I am sure it just requires getting used to. It also requires a lot more planning and forethought into my daily diet as without lunches prepared it as been too hard to avoid the attraction of those “golden arches”. Not only do they seem to be in all the right locations but when time is of the essence they are the quickest way to fuel up and I quickly became partial to their Chicken Legends!

The common occurrence of this lead to a piling on of weight and a craving for freshly cooked food. So during August we made a conscious effort to cook more and try out new recipes – mainly using the Good Food magazine that I subscribe to as our source of inspiration. We began weekly meal plans and all was going well. We tried lots of new recipes and I was itching to begin writing again.

Then as September arrived, we went on holiday for two weeks in the sun. This fuelled my love for freshly cooked food, spanish flavourings, and also reminded me why I set up this blog in the first place. My time in Spain not only reignited my desire to cook but also share my experiences here on the blog.

Since returning from Spain life has been extremely hectic, with operations, teething babies and craft events and the August meal plan regime has yet to get going again, but as I write this post I have already begun to plan my next few articles.

So I hope you’ll resume the journey with me as if I never left and I look forward to cooking my way into a healthy, Spanish styled lifestyle.

Now, I’ll be up front and tell you right away that my Brother-in-law, Lyndon Sims, just happens to be Head Chef at Bistro 95, but I assure you that will not influence my review in the slightest, in fact I’m probably more likely to be a bit harsher, just in case!!

It was the first weekend of Bistro 95 when 7 adults and 2 children decided to descend and put chef Lyndon through his paces. The bistro has been revamped and the restaurant opened up into a far more useable space from it’s previous life as 95 High Green. The restaurant is still based over two floors and we were shown to a table on the ground floor, with ample room to fit us, the high chairs and everything else dining out with little ones entails. A peruse of the menu and wine list, before we ordered and toasted to the Chef upstairs.

For my starter I had opted for the English asparagus and Goats Cheese tart with pickled red cabbage, one of the 3 vegetarian offerings.

The tart was a light quiche style offering which was delicatley flavoured with Goat’s cheese, which worked perfectly with the strong iron of the asparagus. It was served with lovely dressed salad leaves and a pot of pickled cabbage, which I liked but thought unneccesary.

For main’s I opted for the Salmon and rocket encroute with new potatoes, steamed broccoli and dill cream sauce. The salmon was cooked perfectly, as was the pastry surrounding it. The sauce was full of flavour and worked well with the fish and potatoes. Simple flavours, cooked well.

I wasn’t sure I could squeeze a pudding in but in the name of a complete and fair review I ordered the Vanilla Creme Brulee with shortbread biscuit and Rhubarb and Ginger compote.

The creme brulee was lovely, set perfectly and with the required crunch on top. Though not a typical shortbread, the biscuit was lovely and added a different texture, and the rhubarb was nicely stewed but I wouldn’t say the ginger was a noticable flavour, not that this mattered as it was lovely nonetheless.

With a bottle of wine and a couple of beers, not to mention the sides ordered for Little Miss Chief the bill came to a modest £50. This was great considering the size of the portions and the quality of the food and service.

I will definitely going back and that’s not just so I can get Brother in Law to cook for me (it only happens at his workplace!) but it really is another great eatery from the Ashmores.

The venue for my night off was to be the newest addition to the Birmingham hotel scene,  Hotel La-Tour, situated right in the heart of the city centre near to the Bullring shopping centre. On arrival it was clear to see the hotel has been designed with the utmost style and sophistication. It was modern but very classic too. After making our way up a very stylish staircase we arrived at the bar where we were greeted warmly by the restaurant manager, Daniel. Whilst we perused the menu for the Aalto Restaurant and the wine list helpfully categorised on an Ipad, we were served with one of their signature cocktails – the 1889, named after the year Birmingham was granted city status.

It was a fruity,light and refreshing drink made with gin, apple, elderflower, ginger and lime and was a perfect start to the evening by not only getting your taste buds going but also leaving your palate cleansed. We also had a pre dinner nibble of lemon and chilli infused popcorn that was strangely addictive.

The menu exemplifies the modern twist on classics that is the ethos of the hotel. It was inspired by michelin star chef Marcus Wareing who has worked closely with the team at Hotel La Tour and head chef Alex Penhaligon to develop the dishes using many local ingredients. There were also a couple of specials to choose from too, so making a decision did take a while as it was all so so tempting.

Once we ordered we were taken through to the restaurant to our table, where we were positioned right behind the chef’s table with views into the open kitchen, allowing us to see our dishes being created by the kitchen.

After choosing our dishes, the lovely Daniel, came over to discuss wine choices. Daniel’s knowledge of the wines was impressive so we asked him to choose one for each of us that would complement the foods we had chosen. I was served with the Bodega Castro Martin Albarino which was a lovely surprise. I love this type of wine which I discovered  on my many work trips to Galicia and it is not one you get in many establishments. Mr CYV was served the Frappato Nerello Mascalese, which was also a great choice as we don’t often choose Italian wines. Daniel explained how he had chosen wines that would work with both of the starters and mains we had chosen and what they would deliver to complement the food.

I opted for the Harrogate Loaf, terrine of veal, bacon, parsely and caper salad which was a beautifully dense meatloaf, studded with pistachio for added crunch and texture. The terrine was wrapped in bacon which gave a great salty edge to the loaf. Some croutons on the side The parsley and caper salad it was served with was a perfect accompaniment with the fresh flavours cutting through the meatiness.

Mr CYV opted for the Mulligatawny, haddock, curry spice, lentils  which was a velvety smooth soup which was packed with beautifully cooked haddock and the lentils gave their usual bite to give some texture to the dish. It was perfectly spiced with such depth of flavour and enough spicy heat to give a warmth to the dish.

For mains I chose the Cornish sea bass, creamed leek, mussels, grain mustard. The fish was cooked to perfection with a crispy skin which I love and the sauce was rich and unctuous. I would never have dared to pair mustard with fish but this worked brilliantly.

Mr CYV opted for one of the specials Lamb Belly, green beans and peas, breaded sweetbread and red wine jus which was also cooked perfectly. the slow cooked belly melted in the mouth whilst the sweetbread was little nugget of delight and the jus brought the whole dish together.

We were amazed not only with the quality of the food but also how the chosen wines matched both courses perfectly.

When it came to dessert I was spoilt for choice but in the end decided on Jaffa cake pudding, warm chocolate, orange cake crumb, cream, which was something devised by Marcus Wareing. Now I expected a chocolate orange pudding but was so suprised to find it actually it tasted like those little biscuits you can buy. It was delicious, the sponge pudding was light whilst the chocolate sauce was rich and smooth.

Mr CYV opted for the savoury choice of British cheese selection, walnut crisps, pickle  and was very happy with the selection of cheeses – a goats cheese from Oxford, stilton blue and an apple smoked cheese.

With our desserts Daniel yet again came to our aid and selected suitable wine to go with them. For my chocolate dessert the Nectar Jerez Pedro Jimenez sherry was perfect and hubs was given the Rivesaltes Ambre dessert wine to complement the cheese selection. Yet again they matched perfectly.

As we retired back to the bar with a coffee we couldn’t help but plan a return visit. I think we will definitely come back to try out the hotel itself too. The food was some of the best I have eaten and certainly deserves a spot in the top restaurants in Birmingham.

You can sign up to the newsletter here for all the latest offers and find Hotel La Tour on twitter and facebook.

I received the food and drink courtesy of the Hotel la Tour  I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

Two of the godfathers of Italian cookery have shared their love of their home country in the BBC TV series Two Greedy Italians, namely Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo, mentors of the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. The series sees the two chefs return to Italy, after 50 years away, to cook and explore. More of a travel documentary than just a cookery programme I enjoyed the introduction to various regions of Italy, with an insight into the history and family cooking that enlightened me to a whole world of Italian cuisine far beyond pizza and pasta that regularly features in our weekly menu.

There is the brotherly, almost husband and wife nagging style of relationship between these two friends which is on the whole quite entertaining. I don’t normally enjoy watching either of these two chefs on tv, but as a duo something just seems right. Not sure my eyes will ever recover from seeing Gennaro pull an octopus from his speedo’s and launch it Antonio though!

The series was originally aired on BBC during last summer but if you missed it now’s your chance to see it with the release of the DVD on 2nd April 2012. The Two Greedy Italians DVD features 4 great one hour long episodes, each of a different region in Italy, over 2 discs. The set also includes 4 recipe cards so you can cook along at home.

The recipes from the cards are taken from the accompanying book Two Greedy Italians, another thing to add to the wishlist!

You can pre-order your copy of the DVD here.

Thanks to Pete at PPR Publicity for the review copy. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I may earn from any purchases bought from my Amazon store. 

When I heard about Sea Bass and Creme Brulee night at The Swan in Stafford it seemed like the perfect solution. I’ve dined a few times at The Swan and have never been disappointed, in fact you can read a review from an earlier visit here. The promise of two of my favourite foods for a bargainous price of £12.95 per person was ticking all the boxes.

So with date night set for this weekly event at The Swan, grandma booked for babysitting duty, all I had to do was decide what to wear. And then it happened …. hubby stood me up! He had forgotten that he had put himself down for the pub quiz and couldn’t make it. Not wanting to miss out I asked the next best man in my life to go with me … my dad.

After arriving and being shown to the table, we were greeted with a menu offering a choice of 4 ways to have our Sea Bass. Decisions made, wine picked and then it was time for some father and daughter quality time.

In addition to the expected two courses there was also a starter of Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella bruschetta.

This was a tasty little appetiser and a great way to begin. I know it’s not exactly a unique dish or one you couldn’t create at home, but when creating a starter for all to eat – well who wouldn’t like this tasty combination?

For my seabass dish I opted for the Pan seared seabass and roasted fennel topped with tapenade and sauce vierge. 

The fish was filleted correctly, cooked beautifully and even the skin was crispy. I liked the salty tapenade as a contrast against the sauce vierge and the roasted fennel was a nice addition.

My dad chose the Grilled sesame crusted sea bass, vegetable and noodle salad with chilli and soy dressing, and whilst I managed to snap a quick photo before he dived in, I didn’t have a taste myself, so can’t describe how it was. What I can say though is that dad devoured the lot and seemed to enjoy it.

To accompany the mains we both had a dish of perfectly cooked vegetables including red cabbage, carrots and broccoli.

The third course of the evening was a classic crème brûlée served with shortbread biscuit and cream. Now I love a good crème brûlée and this one did not disapppoint, in fact even my dad who doesn’t really like them, enjoyed this.

We rounded the night off with a coffee which was served with a lovely square of fudgey, gooey chocolate.

The food was good, the service was good and for £12.95 a person I don’t think you can ask much more. I shall definitely be returning – dining out may be easier to do more regularly with offers like this, and who knows maybe hubby will join me next time?

I received the food courtesy of the Lewis Partnership – The Swan. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Thanks also to James Day of Leisure Marketing (Midlands) Ltd and Eat the Midlands

Urban Coffee Company is a locally based company with an ethos to admire – improve the quality of high street coffee available outside of London and offer an alternative to the uniquitous Starbucks and Costa. As an independent coffee place it aims to offer a unique experience for it’s customers and from my handful of visits at both of it’s current stores it certainly does. It offers not only great coffee but a community meeting place for all sorts, including knitters and bookreaders.

For those of us not able to pop into store on the way to and from work or for a Saturday afternoon shopping trip pit stop, there is now the Urban Coffee Connoisseurs. Each month members receive 2 different bags of 125g of freshly ground coffee or beans if you prefer to grind your own, tasting notes, instructions on how best to prepare your coffee and access to the online Connoisseur Academy.

The two coffees I received were Laurocaf Reserva Terruno Nayarita from Mexico and SHG – La Luz from Nicaragua. The notes included detailed descriptions of the origin of these coffees – did you know coffee is one of Mexico’s most lucrative exports with over a half a million small farmers relying on the crop for their survival?  You also get Rich’s (the head barista’s) tasting notes to assist you in developing your connoisseurship!

The Mexican coffee was the first one I tried and as Rich helped to point out, it did have vanilla tones, though my palate struggled to identify the “sweet with sour Apple acidity”. My favourite was the Nicaraguan coffee with it’s chocolate and cinnamon spice flavours.

I prepared them in my coffee machine but would definitely recommend using a cafetiere to get the best out of the coffee.

I think a subscription to the Urban Coffee Connoisseurs is a great gift for coffee loving friends or to enable you to develop your and you can choose a sign up period from 3 months to 1 year. The cost works out to around £4.25 to £5.00 a bag, which is slightly expensive, but with the added delight of waiting for your package to turn up each month and the chance to try lots of different styles of coffee and knowing exactly where they come from, I think it is a great idea. Sadly not one my budget will stretch to at the moment, but I live in hope I might manage to join at some point.

I think the ability to interact with other members would be a great addition and bring the tasting club idea to life.

I received the coffee free from Urban Coffee Company. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

I actually think a break from the blog was needed as I had been struggling with motivation to write. I never wanted to feel like it’s a chore to write a blog post or feel pressure that I haven’t blogged in x amount of days. That’s not what writing a personal blog should be like. So I’m back, motivated and ready to write.

To make the most of my foodie mojo returning I’m going to pull up a chair, grab a coffee and have a read through a few blog posts of two from my fellow foodies.

I’ll be back with soon details of where that cup of coffee came from.

Hasta pronto / be back soon

Louise x

So thanks to all those who do pop by my blog, and thanks to my wonderful supportive online friends from Facebook and Twitter.

I will be back at some point as I have a couple of reviews to share and some more family cooking. Comida y Vida is just having a little siesta!

Hasta la proxima / until next time.

The most used and “abused” cookbook from my Bookshelf that features recipes for this region is Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey. This book was published back in 2009 to accompany one of this chef’s many tv series’. I purchased the book some time ago but have never written about it here on CYV, but it’s going to be the first post in my series of posts called My Cookbook Collection where I will share a few recipes and reviews of the cookbooks from my collection.

I love food from the east and where time and access to ingredients permit will happily spend hours toasting and grinding spices, pounding garlic and ginger into a paste and all the other detailed preparation that many asian recipes require. The time invested into making your own curry pastes is something I definitely consider to be worth it when you taste the final dish – such depth of flavour. That’s not to say that ready prepared pastes don’t feature in my store cupboard for when time is limited – we all  need a little convenience in our lives.

That is kind of how this book feels too, if you have time to leisurely prepare the dishes and access to the wealth of ingredients needed you will be rewarded with some fabulous food. For me, whilst it is possible to stock up on the dried spices and condiments from trips into Birmingham to Wing Yip, getting hold of the fresh ingredients like galangal, kaffir lime leaves and pea aubergines in local supermarkets is nigh on impossible, so creating dishes from this book takes a bit more planning.

The recipes give you the ability to reproduce the true taste of dishes from this region and travel through SE Asia from the comfort of your kitchen. There are 7 chapters, each one devoted to a different country: Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Bali, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Every dish cooked so far has not disappointed, the Beef Kofta Curry is simply delicious and very moreish, the Babi Kecap is devine to name a couple of my favourites. Now I share with you the latest recipe I’ve tried.

Roasted Sea Bass with Hot, Sour and Sweet Sauce

2 seabass – gutted, scaled and trimmed
37ml of fish sauce
25g shallots, finely sliced
15g garlic, thinly sliced
1 bird’s eye chilli, thinly sliced
25g palm sugar
15g tamarind pulp

Preheat the oven to 220C. Make 3 slashes on each side of the fish and place in a shallow dish. Pour over the fish sauce and rub into the slashes.. Pour the excess into a small pan – should be about 25ml. 

Heat 1cm oil in a frying pan and once hot, fry the sliced onions/shallots until crisp and golden. Lift out with slotted spoon and leave to drain. Add the garlic to the oil and repeat the same process. Finely do the same with the chilli. 

Add the sugar, tamarind and 2 tablespoons of water to the pan of fish sauce. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 minute till thickened. 

Place the fish in a roasting dish and cook in the oven for 12 minutes until it is done – when the flesh flakes away. Reheat the sauce and stir in the fried shallots, garlic and chilli. Place the fish onto the plate, spoon over the sauce and scatter over the fried elements. Serve with rice and bok choi. 

I used onions due to not having shallots, only 30ml of fish sauce and tamarind paste which I find a useful time-saver ingredient. If using tamarind pulp you will need to sieve the sauce before serving.

The delicate fish against the flavoursome sauce is just sublime. The sauce delivers all the usual hits to the tastebuds from this corner of the world – sweet, salty, sour and hot. It was the perfect dish to feel healthy and yet comforting too.

If you want a cookbook to give you a a true taste of SE Asia then I think this is the one. I’d advise it is not for a novice though and you would definitely need to invest into a few key store cupboard ingredients.

Hasta la proxima / until next time

This is today’s photo.

It’s a close up of the sea bass we cooked for dinner this evening. We went for thai cusine with a hot, sour and sweet sauce. Recipe to come soon.

Hasta la proxima / until next time