Tag Archives: Staffordshire

Review – Bistro 95, Cannock

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Another month, another meal out …. I could get used to this! After a week away from home with work, it was nice to come home and go out for a family meal. We went with my in-laws and the extended family to a new local restaurant in Cannock, Staffordshire. Bistro 95 is the lastest offering from Jo and John Ashmore of Wine & Dine. They have a gastro pub right here in my home town of Rugeley, the Yorkshireman, which just happens to be our “local”, and a bistro in Lichfield called 1709. The new addition Bistro 95 is to be ran very similar to 1709, offering brasserie style food for a great price – 2 course dinner for £10.90 and 3 courses for £12.90.

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.

Bistro 95

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.

Seabass at the Swan

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With the return to work after maternity leave and the arrival of childcare costs, not to mention a general increased cost of living, finding money to eat out can be tough. Before Baby G arrived we used to eat out on a fairly regular basis – it was our way of keeping “date night” going after the honeymoon period of being newlyweds.  Nowadays dining out is a rare treat so we try to make sure we go somewhere which serves freshly cooked good quality food which doesn’t hurt the finances too much.

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.

Tomato and Mozarella 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. 

Pan seared seabass and roasted fennel
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.

Grilled sesame crusted sea bass, vegetable and noodle salad

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.

Creme Brulee

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

Brown and Green on tour at Lymestone Brewery

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A little while ago I was lucky enough to get myself on the first event known as “Brown and Green on tour“. Brown and Green are one of my favourite food shops that I’ve visited and I’m so lucky to have them just a little drive away at Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent. You can see my interview with owner Susie Keenan and what they are all about at my guest post on the Midlands Food Bloggers community blog here.

Part of the ethos of Brown and Green is supporting local suppliers and there is hardly a weekend goes by without one or more suppliers being in store with tastings. Brown and Green decided to take this to the next level by taking a group of customers to one of their local suppliers, in this instance Lymestone Brewery, based in nearby Stone.

It was my first visit to a micro-brewery and I imagine any other breweries will have to go some to beat Ian (Brad) and Viv Bradford , the duo behind Lymestone Brewery on their warm welcome, infectious passion for good beer and wealth of knowledge.

The evening began as every good brewery tour should – a sampling of some beer. No need to wait for service either, as we were all urged to try pulling a pint (something I’ve not done since my uni days!) for ourselves. there were 3 of Lymestone’s beers available to try – Stone Faced, Stone Cutter and Lymestone Cowboy.

After a brief introduction to the evening from Euan Keenan of Brown and Green we were handed over to Brad for a passionate talk on the history of brewing in Stone, their story, and a detailed look at the brewing process. Ian was head brewer for 18 years at nearby Titanic brewery and back in July 2008 decided to take a leap of faith in starting a brewery of his very own. It was clear to see that Brad loves his job, so much enthusiasm and passion, so you can see why they are perfect match to work with Brown and Green. Lymestone brewery have a selection of bottled beers they sell to the likes of Brown and Green, but also supply casks to pubs around the country. Their wide range of beers are always being complemented by new seasonal beers making them something to look out for at any time of year.

After more beer (of course!), a tour of the brewing room it was time for some food to mop up some of that beer with a fabulous buffet full of local foodie treats that are stocked in Brown and Green. (sorry I was too busy tucking in to take a photo before it had been devoured!)

So thanks to Euan, Susie and Jules of Brown and Green and the lovely Brad and Viv from Lymestone, plus the other lovely people that attended for a truly enjoyable evening. Can’t wait for the next one!

Slow Food Peak District & Staffordshire at Freedom Brewery

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So after the hubby’s first forage into Beer reviews we thought we might indulge a little more and came up with a new series of posts to be called Bebida/Drink. So a few weeks ago when I saw there was a chance to attend a Brewery tour which was organised as the first event of Slow Food Peak District and Staffordshire, we could not resist. 

The tour was at Freedom Brewery, home to award winning hand-crafted English lager and luckily for us was just a few miles drive away in a beautiful countryside setting in Bagot’s Park Farm estate near Abbots Bromley. We have sampled Freedom beers at local food festivals and at our local gastro pub The Yorkshire Man and were eager to see how and where they were produced. The evening kicked off with a quick explanation of the Slow Food movement and what the new group was eager to achieve and then it was over to Edward and Susan Mayman, owners of Freedom Brewery for a tour. 

Edward began by explaining the company history and how a micro-brewery for lager ended up in the heart of rural Staffordshire. The company was originally founded in London in 1995, but as brew pubs became obsolete the brand was bought and within a few years moved to it’s current location, just a few miles from the famous brewing town of Burton-on-Trent. The location we learnt is part of Freedom’s success, as they are able to tap into the same water source as all those famous large brewing companies just a few miles away, which is perfect for brewing and requires no chemical treatment or additives for the brew process. 

Freedom Brewery

it's in a cow shed don't you know!

Edward went on to explain how all their products are created with just 4 ingredients: water, barley, hops and yeast in the traditional way. Freedom are very keen on making sure they get the best key ingredients and along with that all important water source they also take care to acquire their barley and hops. They have also sourced organic materials to create their organic lagers.

Freedom Brewery

the fermentation tanks

Most micro-breweries focus on ales and so it was interesting to hear how lager is made. The most memorable fact of the tour was that “lagering” is a german word meaning to store from when beer was stored in caves back in medieval times, and Freedom continue to do this important stage maturing the lager for 4-6 weeks before it is either bottled or transferred to kegs. This is in comparison to those large lager brands brewed down the road at Burton-On-Trent which are created in just a few days. It does raise the question can those ubiquitous brands really call themselves lager? 

Freedom Four

Courtesy of Freedom Brewery

  • Freedom Four – at 4% abv it has citrus notes and a long dry hoppy finish and one that I quite liked (pretty impressive for a non-lager drinker!) 
  • Freedom Pilsner – a crisp refreshing lager to rival the continental offerings. 
  • Freedom Organic – everything you want in a lager and Owen’s drink of choice, it has a subtle bitterness and is very drinkable. (thank goodness they have it on draught at our local!)
  • Freedom Organic Dark – brewed with blend of four malts it has multi-layered sweetness and a gentle bitterness. 
  • Freedom Stout – due to a demand from their customers, Freedom created this stout to add to the range, with a rich and complex palate and just the right amount of bitterness and warmth. 

With the sampling of beers we also got to try other local producers including some fabulous sausages specially made for the event by Denstone Hall Farm Shop using Packington Pork and some Freedom lager, sourdough baguettes from The Loaf in Crich and a range of Cottage Delight sauces and chutneys. A very tasty BBQ indeed. 

It was an enjoyable evening, learning about a very local producer and we can’t wait for the next Slow Food event. For more details on this visit and any future events please have a look at the Slow Food Peak District and Staffordshire page.

Hasta la proxima / Until next time

Restaurant Review: The Swan Hotel – Stafford

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Since the arrival of Baby G, dining out has become something to treasure. We either have to plan a meal around nap time and feed time or rely on family to help out.  Luckily Baby G’s grandparents live nearby and are always happy to have some quality time with their new granddaughter.

So me and Owen decided to treat ourselves to some “us” time and booked a table at the Swan Hotel. Part of the Lewis Partnership since 2002 The Swan, situated in Stafford town centre, is an 18th century former coaching inn that has been transformed into a modern hotel, an award winning restaurant, two bar areas, a relaxing coffee shop and new Eco garden – a great venue for the town indeed.

 Swan Stafford Brasserie

We booked a table in the Brasserie and arrived to be escorted to a lovely secluded corner booth. As we sat down we were offered water for the table, and whilst Owen opted for one of the draught Cask Ales they serve, I requested the wine menu which had a great selection of wines by the glass, not something you find everywhere.

They offer an evening set menu, which changes weekly, at a very reasonable £13.95 for 2 courses, or 3 courses for £17.95, alongside the the main menu. We both opted for the main menu, which changes with the seasons, as with dining out a being a rare treat, we wanted to make the most of it.

I often choose Goat’s cheese from a menu as it is something we don’t have often at home as Owen is not a huge fan, and was particularly tempted by the thoughts of Goat’s cheese ravioli, baby beetroot and Jersey royals with tomato vinaigrette.(£5.95). I’ve never had it in this way before and enjoyed the twist on the classic combination of Goats Cheese and beetroot, far superior to the normal salad style offerings. The pasta was light and cooked perfectly, the tomato and beetroot brought the acidity needed to cut through the rich cheese. Flavourful yet light, it was a perfect start.

Owen opted for the Seared Scottish scallops with crushed peas, crispy pancetta and white wine caviar sauce (£6.50). When it arrived on the table I was wishing I’d picked it, perfectly presented on a slate plate,it looked amazing.

For the purpose of this review I obviously had to sample it too – the benefits of being the food blogger in the family!! The scallops were perfectly cooked and the usual pairings of pea and pancetta were enhanced by the delightful sauce.

Both starters had certainly pleased and though these may seem a little pricey to some, they are the two most expensive starters on the menu with plenty of other choice ranging from £4.50.

For main I chose the Rump of Lamb, balsamic glazed cherry tomatoes, sauteed spinach, black pudding bob bons and rosemary vinaigrette. Yet again, Lamb served in this way is not something we do at home as until recently Owen never ate lamb and only now likes served in spicy dishes like curry or tagines.

The lamb was served perfectly pink, and as rump can be a bit on the fatty side the accompaniments were a great choice; the iron rich spinach and the sweet and sour tomatoes cut through it and the vinaigrette just brought all the flavours together.  Now that would have have been a lovely plate of food, but what turned into a fabulous plate was the black pudding bon bons, gorgeous little deep fried balls of meaty delight. I did begrudgingly have to share one with Owen though – payback for the scallops I think.

The only thing I struggled with was the lack any potato or form of carbohydrate. Unfortunately I am one of those people who craves my carbs, particularly when dining out as diets don’t count then right? So to complement my dish I ordered a side portion of Handcut chips, which were huge chunky chips, and very good indeed.

Owen opted for a comforting tasty bowl of pasta with the Linguini of chilli marinated king prawns with chorizo sausage, slow roasted peppers and tomato fondue. I did have a little taste of this and it was superb – lots of paprika warmth, a generous amount of prawns and a wonderfully rich sauce.

After these two courses we were both feeling quite full, but in the interests of this review I opted to have a look at the desserts menu, and in the end could not resist ordering the Strawberry Mille Feuille with passion fruit and strawberry ice-cream (£4.95). This was light and creamy and the strawberry sauce and passion fruit provided a tartness to cut through the cream. A delicious way to end the meal.

Throughout the evening we had impeccable service, we were asked a few minutes after each course had been served if all was ok; we were approached for drinks when our glasses were almost empty, plates were cleared away shortly after finishing each course – attentive without being intrusive.

It was a lovely meal, perfect for our little bit of “us” time and what was even better is that with my Gourmet Life dining card we saved 25% off the bill – how fantastic!! Discount is available at all the Lewis partnership establishments including The Moat House Hotel, The Dog and Doublet Inn and even the Greengate Deli.

At the recent MFB meet up I also learned that James, the brains behind Gourmet Life, is hoping to extend the number of venues across Staffordshire and Derbyshire. I can’t wait!

Hasta pronto / be back soon

Swan on Urbanspoon

Midlands Food Bloggers meet at 99 Station Street

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This weekend saw the latest Midlands Food Bloggers (MFB) meet up. I was a little nervous about it all as I had arranged the venue and plan for the day, and just hoped everybody would enjoy themselves. So what did we get up to?

MFB, Community Bloggers

First there was the food, well a MFB meet wouldn’t be the same without some fab food of course! As a community of food bloggers who like to support local producers where better a venue than a restaurant that serves modern British food like 99 Station St in Burton-on-Trent and sources as much as possible from local suppliers. When I suggested a meet up at the restaurant, owners Ross & Susan Boardman, were more than happy to allow a “bounty of bloggers” to descend upon them and also offered some extra special treats.

First off, we got to meet Daniel Pilkington, the head chef, who was full of enthusiasm and information about the products he uses to create their seasonal menu. We learnt that local producers include the farm in Bromley Hurst who supply their 28-day aged Mature Beef, and Freedom Brewery from Abbots Bromley as one of their beer suppliers. The menu features a wealth of dishes that are all created from scratch at the restaurant wherever possible, with homemade sausages, ice-cream and pies delivering a fantastic choice.

We sampled their 3 course lunch menu for a bargain price of £10.95. I opted for the Baked Goats Cheese starter which was served on a lightly dressed salad and with a lovely tomato chutney.

Goats Cheese, Starter

For main I chose the meat option of Sautéed Strips of bed with red onions and wild mushrooms. This was so full of flavour, the beef was tender, not an easy thing to achieve for sauteed strips, and the mushrooms added a depth of flavour.

Beef strips, main

For dessert I was swayed by the Chocolate brownie with chocolate fudge sauce and homemade Vanilla ice-cream. Naughty …. but very nice. Rich gooey brownie with lots of chocolate fudge sauce. My other half opted for the Bailey’s Cheesecake served with some homemade honeycomb.

Cheesecake, Honeycomb

Afterwards we headed off with Susan to her home to meet Ross and learn all about Staffordshire Fine Foods (SFF). Launched earlier this year to satisfy customers who dined at 99 Station Street and wanted to get their hands on some of the menu favourites, SFF sells sausages, pies and smoked products online here or in specialist retailers like Brown and Green.

On my recent visit to Brown and Green I actually purchased some of the SFF smoked salmon and one of the Chicken, Chorizo and Sweet Pepper pies and I have to say that the Cold Smoked Salmon was possibly the best smoked Salmon I have ever eaten. The only one to come close was some Canadian Sockeye Smoked Salmon in Hy’s Whistler which given the provenance was duty bound to blow your taste buds! Here in the UK the SFF smoked salmon far out ranks any I have tasted either shop bought or in a restaurant with a healthy aroma of a camp fireand a gentle smokey flavour it was devoured in no time at all.

During the afternoon we spent a fabulous couple of hours with Ross, savouring his knowledge and enthusiasm on curing, smoking and foraging. We learnt the difference that brining makes to the smoking process with some samples of salmon.

After a sample of some smoked venison and pigeon breast we had a wonder into the local woods understanding what fabulous ingredients can be found on your doorstep if you know where to look. Here we picked some nettles and wild garlic and then headed back to the house to make a lovely fresh broth with some chicken stock that had been flavoured with some of the new air-dried Chorizo that Ross is trialling. It was amazing that such simple ingredients can create such flavour.

We all left with a new understanding of the curing and smoking processes and an eagerness to forage and I cannot thank Ross or Susan enough for welcoming us into their restaurant and their home. Thank you thank you, thank you!!

I look forward to creating something yummy with the sample of chorizo we came home with so watch this space.

99 Station Street on Urbanspoon

Gourmet Life and the Granary Grill at Weston Park

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Not too long ago I discovered James Day and his midlands foodie website Eat The Midlands. Along with my prize for Ludlow Spring Fair tickets I also got a 3 month memebership of  Gourmet Life, a scheme set up by James to support the region’s local producers by offering a discount card for restaurants that must source at least 20% of their A La Carte menu from producers within the region.

I think the scheme is bound to appeal to all foodies in the region as it offers not only 20% off your food bill at over 100 dining venues across the region, but discounts at farm shops and deli’s, monthly invites to gourmet events and lots more. For me as a diner, it is important to know where the food has come from, so by going to Gourmet Life restaurants it enables me to choose venues which support the local producers and of course I’ll never say no to a discount (it enables me to eat out more often!)

So with Gourmet Life card in hand, I chose the newly opened Granary Grill at Weston Park. The park is known to many as home to one half of the V Festival, and for us locals the venue for the best Bonfire night around. I have only ever been to the park for these events but it is open to the public during the summer months as a tourist attraction where you can visit the Stately Home and it’s gardens.

Over the past year Weston Park began a restoration programme for the the Granary building which dates back to 1767, with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the regional development agency Advantage West Midlands. Last year they opened an art gallery and a farm shop, which has an in-house butcher and promotes local and seasonal food from both local producers and tenant farmers, On May 1st they added to this with the Granary Grill Restuarant.

I only called to book my table the day before and although they said they were busy, they could offer a table for four at 8.30pm, which I thought was good considering it was for a Friday. We arrived a little early and I have to say it is an impressive setting for a restaurant. Upon arrival we were escorted out to the courtyard for drinks and to peruse the menu. The menu is based upon their “ethos of using the finest local produce where possible, simply cooked”. There is a decent selection of starters to choose from, and the mains is split between a few select dishes from the kitchen and an impressive Grill menu featuring Steak from 3 different sources : Staffordshire/Shropshire, British or Buccleuch Estate Scottish Beef.

I didn’t take long to make my choices, as I had been dreaming about steak all day and although a few of the starters appealed I’m always eager to support local producers and especially a fellow tweeter like Sarah from Brock Hall Farm Goats Cheese. After drinks on the patio, the first little hiccup with service happened as it seemed we had been forgotten about. At 9pm we were more than ready to order and starting to feel a little hungry so we ventured inside to see if our table was ready and they replied with “of course, has no-one been to show you through?”.Er no, that’s why we had started to become the main course for the midges outside!!

So we were shown to our table which was situated on the upper part of the split level restaurant. The restaurant has a rustic feel due to the exposed brick work but it is very clean and elegant, just as you would expect from such a venue. There was also a lovely atmosphere and the staff were very friendly and polite.

Complimentary bread is served whilst you wait, warm and, I think, homemade (apologies if not!) and in our basket there was poppy seed, granary and wholemeal and something that always pleases me, (as I love fresh bread!) plenty of it too!

My starter of Brockhall farm Goat’s cheese & Chargrilled Vegetables, with oven dried tomatoes, beetroot relish and pine nuts was lovely. The Goat’s cheese was just as I remembered it, creamy and delicate and the tomatoes, pine nuts and pesto complimented it beautifully. If I were going to be picky I would say the beetroot relish lacked a little flavour and of the vegetables, the mushrooms were too much of a squidgy consistency for my palate.

Brockhall Farm Goats Cheese & Char Grilled Veg

Despite my criticism it wasn’t long before the plate was clean.  At £7.25 it is quite extravagant for a starter, but you certainly get your money’s worth as the portion is very generous, almost a little too generous as I was feeling a little full and wondering if I would be able to finish my main? (must remember not to gorge on fresh bread!! ). Of the other starters ordered I tasted a little of the grilled Marinated Tiger Prawns which were in a lime and chili dressing and certainly full of flavour.

I had ordered a medium rare 8oz Shropshire/Staffordshire sirloin for my main, with a Bearnaise sauce and we had been kindly advised that a side order of vegetables was enough for two. A further two more steaks were ordered together with the Butterfly Chicken Breast with gremolata from the Grill menu. However, when the dishes arrived there was one missing. It appears the second mistake by waiting staff was forgetting my Mum’s main course! This had only been realised once we had been served so we was advised there would be a 5-10 minute delay, which did slightly spoil the meal (especially when Mum is the slowest eater I know!).

The steak was served simply with a tomato, mushroom and onion ring and chips in a pot on the side. The steak itself was full of flavour, if slightly overcooked, and all three of us with steaks had opted for local beef and commented on the good flavour. The side vegetables were plentiful and cooked to perfection. The Bearnaise was slightly too thick for my liking but it had a good hint of tarragon, and the chips were possibly the best I’ve ever had; cooked to perfection and with their skins on so full of flavour.

My mum’s main appeared about 15 minutes after, with fresh side orders, and we were informed that this would not be charged on the bill, which was a nice touch, along with the sincere apologies from the waiting staff (she really did look gutted she had made the mistake!). The chicken was cooked perfectly and the Mushroom Cream sauce was a tasty accompaniment.

Sadly, it had become quite late by now due to the earlier hiccups so we skipped desserts and opted for coffees. The only suggestion I would make is to serve a sweet with the coffee, especially for those who have not indulged in a pudding.

Also, missing out on desserts is just an excuse for me to go back, as despite the slight issues with service I was extremely satisfied with the food and in my mind you should never judge a restaurant on just one visit. This is especially true when you take into account that it was only their 3rd Friday since opening, so I feel sure these were just teething problems.

Last thing on the menu for the evening was the bill and with the Gourmet Life card you are presented with a bill for food with a 20% reduction and a separate drinks receipt. For the 2 course meal plus coffee for four of us, the Gourmet Life card gave us a discount of £18,  so when you consider the cost of joining the scheme is currently on offer for £24.90 after one more meal, it has more than paid for itself. Sounds too good to be true …….? It isn’t so check it out here as I’ll be doing at the end of my 3 month trial.

New Season, New Farm Asparagus

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Now I don’t want to be known as the foodie blogger who jumps on the bandwagon, and with so many people hailing the arrival of the english asparagus season I almost didn’t post this, but then I love fresh asparagus so much I couln’t resist.

Now Staffordshire may have a lack of michelin starred places to dine but we do have some producers who deserve this kind of accolade, including New Farm asparagus, used in many restaurants locally (I think even Glyn Purnell purchases his asparagus from here to as he mentioned it on Saturday Kitchen the other week!)  and sold into the supermarket chain. Fortunately for us that live locally they have a farm shop so we can indulge ourselves in the freshest of the fresh!

So I picked up a couple of bundles on Sunday morning and headed home salivating at the thought of  breaking that softly poached egg with a tasty asparagus spear. On the way home I picked up some other supplies and set to work on my dream lunch dish at this time of year.

We had opted for asparagus wrapped in proscuitto served with a poached duck egg for that extra luxury and topped off with hollandaise.

Something missing … well my first attempt at hollandaise wasn’t very successful and not wanting to wait whilst I attempted another we left it to one side. The asparagus was quickly blanched before being lovingly wrapped in proscuitto and placed on to the griddle pan,  whilst a duck egg was poached. The eggs didn’t turn out as normal, I guess the difference between buying fresh from the local butcher and picking them up on a Sunday morning at the supermarket, but we live and learn!

p.s any tips on making a fool proof hollandaise?

 

 

 

 

 

Il Marchigiano at the Plum Pudding

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I have to admit to being a bit of a “google geek”, as where ever I go whether it be on holidays or just days out I always tend to have a search for good places to visit and eat. Now on Google this can take lots of time with plenty of poor websites out there to trawl through.  It was only at the end of last year did I discover the wealth of good restaurant reviews on blogs (thanks to my twitter friend Kavey) and finally banished Trip Advisor to the recycle bin. Now food blogs are there in abundance for London trips but what about the rest of the country? 

Since starting my own blog at the beginning of the year I always had an idea of doing some local restaurant reviews, as not found one that covers Staffordshire (if anyone knows of a fellow Staffordshire based foodie blog, please let me know so I can pay a visit!). 

So, which eatery to head to first? Well, I live in a small town called Rugeley, not particularly brimming with fabulous places to eat but there are a few gems. My current favourite is The Yorkshire Man, a gastro pub offering a locally sourced menu, but I will save this for a later post as definitely want to do it justice.

Il Marchigiano at the Plum Pudding

This used to be a brasserie style restaurant called the Plum Pudding until it was bought by Giuseppe Iaconi and turned into an Italian restaurant. Il Marchigiano advertises itself as a traditional Italian serving food “just like nonna or grandmother used to make”, with the menu based upon the peasant style of his homeland, the Le Marche region.

The restaurant is situated in a lovely village location right next to the Trent and Mersey Canal, but the interior is a little tired and could do with freshening up. We went on a Friday evening and the restaurant was half full and so had a nice atmosphere. We arrived just after another table of four and despite the fact they weren’t exactly brimming with customers we were all left hanging around in the bar for a few minutes before being welcomed or even offered to be taken through to our table.

The menu has a good selection of dishes with a focus on the traditional meat and fish mains eaten in Italy, where pasta is eaten as a first course. There’s not a pizza in sight, something that seems quite rare in other Italian restaurants around the country. There is a specials board too and on a Friday they also offer a Fish Special Menu with at least 8 further dishes to choose from.

After a browse of the menu the four of us had made our choices. I was opting for the Calamari starter, as had caved into a meaty main of the Beef Medallions cooked in a brandy, red wine and tomato sauce, (despite lingering over a few of the fish dishes for a while!). My companions all chose different starters and mains so I could get to see (and hopefully taste!) a wider range. 

So we waited, and we waited and about after about 30 minutes our order was taken. Now I know sometimes you go out for food and end up chatting and not ordering for a while but at least most of the time waiting staff have been to see if you are ready to order. On this occasion all of us were hungry and ready to order after about 10 minutes of perusing the menu. When they eventually came to take the order we were informed that one of the dishes we had chosen, the Saltimbocca Alla Romana, or veal to you and me, was not available which did rather disappoint my hubby who was looking forward to something we don’t tend to cook at home. So he opted for the Steak special and there were no brownie points for the waiting staff so far!

The starters were delivered after another 30 minute wait with no accompaniment mutterings of any kind of apology from the waiting staff so either this is normal or they just don’t care. By this point we had devoured the complimentary bread sticks and were almost getting past the point of being hungry but with a desire for some scrumptious Italian food we ate. And oh how disappointed was I, the Calamari was served with a sweet chilli sauce which was needed to cut through the greasy batter which was so thick I could hardly taste the squid. Now I have eaten many plates of calamari during my time in Spain and this would definitely be at the top of the list of the worst eaten. They didn’t appear to be homemade either which was a disappointing start to the meal. 

Other starters tasted included the Whitebait from the specials board which was also coated in a very heavy breadcrumb coating which totally overwhelmed what are normally fab little fishy treats. The Crostini tricolour and ‘Prosciutto e Melone’ from the menu were both enjoyed by my fellow guests but I guess where can you go wrong with sliced Melon and Ham? 

So after a sub-standard start we waited with trepidation for the main course, and surprisingly we didn’t wait long. No sooner had our starter plates been collected than the mains arrived. Were things looking up? Most definitely, as thankfully all four dishes were received with appreciative sounds of scrumptious food. The beef medallions had been slowly braised and literally melted in the mouth, and the sauce was not as I expected but delicious all the same. It was like a really beefy ragu sauce, much like a traditional bolognaise, and was full of flavour. The men had steaks which had been topped off with some melted mozzarella and were served in a sauce suspiciously similar to mine, but were perfectly cooked and greeted with delight. The other dish tasted was the Maiale Marchigiano, pork in a creamy brandy mushroom sauce with apricots and honey, which I got to taste and was divine. The mains were accompanied with a selection of perfectly cooked vegetables including carrot, courgette and green beans and roasted new potatoes which were soon devoured by all of us.

                                                               Maiale Marchigiano

We were offered the sweet menu but with appetites now satisfied we all declined. To be honest I’m not that fond of Italian desserts anyway and after the starters I was concerned the desserts wouldn’t be homemade and flavourless. Maybe next time, if I decide to give it another try?

I feel I should note than when paying the bill we did find out that of the two waiting staff on that night, one had only started that week so maybe on a return visit the service will be up to the mark? I guess there’s only one way to find out, so this might not be my last visit to the place but I would hope for some improvements.

However, hopefully this is the first of many reviews and and if I manage to venture further a field for some culinary delights no doubt they will pop up here too. But if you are visiting Staffordshire or the surrounding areas at any time you know where to check out (or avoid the case may be!).

p.s sorry for lack of pictures, we were sat in quite a dark corner and the flash on my camera does no justice to the food! Will try harder next time!

Il Marchigiano at the Plum Pudding on Urbanspoon