St John, Smithfield

I have longed wanted to visit St John and it very nearly made my list of places to visit this year. It was one of the restaurant to reintroduce nose to tail eating (before offal became a regular on menus up and down the country) back in 1994. It is just round the corner from work so me and a friend popped there for lunch, I have walked past lots of times but when I walked in I did not expect the place to feel so light and airy.

They have converted an old smoke house and put in skylights, a bar and little cafe in the main area and then the dining room, where we went is elevated from this by a few steps and feels cosier. The walls are all white and the furniture simple, it instantly feels honest but like you are going to get some great food too.

I wanted to make sure I tried things I had not before and nearly went for the snails in bacon but changed my mind at the last minute and started with roasted bone marrow and parsley salad. On my plate were four pieces of bone marrow, you scoop out the marrow and spread on the toasted bread, sprinkle in salt and top with the parsley, capers and fine shallots. The marrow was delicious and the parsley cut through the fat and stopped it feeling overly rich.

I also struggled to choose a main dish as I wanted to try everything! I decided to go for the hare saddle as I have never tried it before, this has quite a gamey flavour as you can imagine but it was cooked really well so was soft with a slight crisping on the outside, this came with well seasoned beetroot and we shared some sprout tops.

I would like to go back and check out the bar area for lunch and maybe try a cake as they looked yummy too. A little on the pricey side but if felt like a real treat, the food was fresh and great quality and most importantly cooked well, as you can tell by how clean my plate was.

Spuntino, finally

I have been wanting to visit Spuntino's for a while and so put it on my New Year resolution list of places to try out and I have managed to tick it off and so glad I have. The reason it has took so long is due to the no reservation policy which means every time we have we have tried to go, the queue has been long and us hungry so we have not waited.

We timed our visit as a late lunch after a Saturday afternoon shopping trip. The outside is very unassuming and it is easy to walk past amongst the sleazy part of Soho but once inside you are transported somewhere completely different. It has a beautiful wood pannelled ceiling, moziac tiles and a zinc bar top but it is completely the opposite of how this might sound, its really grungy with bare bulbs and unfinished walls and I loved it - with a rock a billy sound track playing and only a short queue we knew we were in for a treat.

We only waited 20 minutes and then got a cosy spot up the corner of the bar, basically the majority of the seating is around the bar, only about 20 seats and then there is a 7 seater table in a little alcove towards the back of the place. We already knew what we was gong to order as we had been eyeing up everyone else's food whilst we waiting.

We went for a slider each (basically a mini burger), a salad, some pasta and fries to share, the menu is a little Italian, a little New York so nothing is quite as expected. The sliders were amazing and my one of pulled pork and pickled apple is one of the best things I have eaten in ages. I had to save a mouthful until the end as I wanted it to be the last thing I tasted. The boyfriend went for the beef and bone marrow with cheese and tiny gherkins, a classic combination but the meat was (again) some of the best we have tasted in a while.

We opted for some really skinny fries which were more like crisps as the potato was very fine and had loads crispy skin on and a salad to make us feel slightly healthy apart from the generous amount of gorgonzola with pear and walnuts.

The last to arrive was the mac n cheese served in a rustic metal saucepan that kept the food hotter than the sun for a while. This had a good amount of mustard stirred through to give the simple pasta dish a bit of kick. It might not sound like a lot of food for two but we were stuffed - I was disappointed though as I really fancied a dessert, they sounded a bit unusual but I just couldn't eat another bite.

I would love to go back as its definitely worth the wait!

An enjoyable New Years Resolution

I know this post is coming about two weeks after the beginning of the new year but this resolution is one I have been giving quite some thought.

I am a big believer in resolutions that you can keep - things such as not drinking for the whole of January, salad for lunch everyday and cutting out carbs forever are just not fun. You may feel virtuous for a week or two and then get bored and feel guilty when you give into that jar of Nutella in a weak moment (eating it with no spoon, just your hands - yep I am guilty) or head down to the KFC and scoff a family sized bucket between two of you (guilty, again), so I have decided on a good one I actually will look forward to keeping too, and will hopefully benefit foody faces too.

At least once a month I want to eat somewhere I have never eaten before, we often fall in to the trap of going to a local we love or just somewhere convenient. It doesn't have to be fancy but should still feel like a little treat... so I have made a list of restaurant I would like to visit before the end of the year. In no particular order...

• Spuntino - owned by the guys who set Polpo and Polpetto (which are also on the list), it is an Italian American relaxed restaurant with a no reservation policy.

• Polpo or Polpetto - both are inspired by food in Venice, the first serves small plates, where as the second is smaller and a little fancier.

• Zucca - I met the sous chef through a food stylist and they were both lovely and even though I know they are biased I really want to try this Italian they have raved about.

• Gaucho - I have been to this Argentinean steak place and it was great but I need to take the boyfriend to try it out.

• Smiths of Smithfield or The Luxe - I would love to go one of John Torode's meat heavy restaurants.

• Barrafina or Fino - Both serve unusual and classic Spanish tapas dishes, one takes reservations but the other doesn't, both owned by the same people.

• Rosa's - A modern and simple thai restaurant which will be easier on the wallet than some of the other options.

• Brawn - Nose to tail eating on Columbia Road.

• NOPI - This came hugely recommended by one of my favourite food stylist so I would love to go and try Ottolenghi's food here, plus all the plates are designed for sharing which is one of my favourite ways to eat.

• Pollen Street Social - Jason Antheron's first venture after learning the trade with Gordan Ramsey and at El bulli before it closed its doors. It has received huge critical acclaim. Bit pricey so would make a great cheap.

• Bocca di Lupo - Another Italian which has been highly recommended by a work college.

• Assaggi - Yet another Italian but judging by the reviews a really really good one, no websire but I think its going to be on the pricey side.

That takes the total up to twelve which is one a month but for good measure and the one I would love to go to more than any other this year is Dinner by Heston - I won't make it to the Fat Duck this year but would love to try the meat fruit at the culinary alchemists London venture.

Work Hard, Eat Well

I have been working hard since returning after the Christmas break and been on a photo shoot for over a week, so been cooped up in a studio (luckily with some lovely people) over the weekend too! The last day of the shoot fell on a Sunday and as we had not ventured outside decided to go out for a Sunday lunch at the local pub... and then again to celebrate the end of this epic shoot with cocktails and a meal in the evening!

For lunch we headed to the Colonel Fawcett in Camden, a pub typical of the area - nicely decorated but quite quirky, strewn with retro board games and fairy lights, and served great guest ales on tap. There was four options for the roast and most of us went for the roast leg of lamb which was cooked rare and melted in the mouth. It was served with garlic and rosemary stuffing which tasted homemade, crispy roast potatoes, carrot and swede mash, cider braised red cabbage, curly kale and gravy - sometimes in pubs all the extra words in the description makes me think they are a being a bit ponchy but the flavours in all the elements really came through and made for a bloomin' good meal! Just what we needed to go finish the last few shots of the day.

We also went for some very tasty cheese to share too.

In the evening we headed to Gilgamesh, also in Camden. The restaurant is considered pan-Asian and is huge, you go up an escalator from the relatively grimy Camden market and it feels like you are transported in to an opulent temple. The floor to ceiling windows make it feel vast, as do the huge wooden sculptures, plus every inch of the place seems to be adorned with carved wood from the panels on the wall to the chairs.

The cocktails were lovely and very refreshing, I went for one with rum, lime, mint, sugar and mango called Aruru. We then settled down in a huge booth and went for the set menu - all of it was amazing but there was just too much food and I felt so over full at the end.

For starters we shared a beef salad, tempura scallops and sushi with chopped salmon wrapped in chinese lettuce. This was followed by a thai green curry and jasmine rice, one of the best I have eaten in London. Then dessert was a chocolate creme brulee which I could not finish but I loved the mango sorbet it was served with. The photos all came out very pink due to the lighting and do no justice to how beautifully it was presented or great it all tasted.

Comfort Food at Medcalf, Exmouth Market

I have often posted about the foodie delights on Exmouth Market and usually head to the food stalls for a weekday lunch, but behind all the temporary stalls are the restaurants. We had been working hard all week so fancied treating ourselves to a Friday night dinner somewhere different, we decided to go visit Medcalf - a place which had been recommended by friends and where we had often looked at the menu.

Inside looked warm and welcoming with exposed bulbs, worn wooden tables and a skinny space with a high ceiling place.

We got one of the last tables so the atmosphere was bustling as we poured over the very British menu. I went for the fish pie and the boyfriend went for the Blythburgh pork chop, both served with seasonal greens and some overly salted spinach on the side, but I kind of like it that way so did not mind! I really enjoyed the hearty grub and was perfect comfort food for a freezing cold night.

Amazing Salad No 2

On one of the other days at the shoot we went for a Moroccan inspired salad with roasted vegetables. The food stylist Katie introduced me to a great range of spice blends called Seasoned Pioneers, they create authentic seasonings from around the globe. We used Ras-el Hanout on the roasted vegetables and a mild rose harissa paste in the dressing to really make the salad zing.

The base of the salad was couscous, parsley, mint, coriander, pomegranate and pistachio nuts.

Moroccan Inspired Salad

Base Salad Ingredients:

Couscous, cooked and cooled

A handful each of flat leaf parsley, mint and coriander, finely chopped

Small pack of pomegranate seeds

Pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

Roasted Vegetables Ingredients:

Fennel

Red Onion

Broccoli

Butternut Squash

Red Pepper

Garlic

Aubergine

Ras-el Hanout

Topping Ingredients:

Watercress

Feta

Dressing Ingredients:

1 tblsp rose harrisa

Juice of 1 lemon

Olive oil

Method:

1. Chop all the vegetables for roasting in to 2cm cubes, place in a roasting pan and coat in olive oil and Ras-el Hanout, roast at 200° for 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the vegetables.

2. Cook the couscous according to pack instructions and combine with the herbs and pomegranate seeds when cool.

3. Mix together the ingredients for the dressing in a pouring jug.

4. Add the roasted vegetables when cooked to the couscous mix, pour over the dressing and combine gently.

5, Top with crumbled feta and watercress.

Amazing Salad No 1

I have been on a week long photo shoot for work and even though we have been surrounded by fried chicken we are all trying to stick to our new year resolutions of healthy eating, lucky for us we have an amazing food stylist working us. Katie Giovanni has worked with many a celebrity chef and on various food magazines and supermarkets and as well as being very talented and lovely to work with, she can knock up an amazing salad.

The first salad we experienced was thai inspired and included vermicelli mung bean noddles, which are a lower in fat than egg noodles and available from most oriental stores served with loads of vegetables and a zingy dressing.

Thai Inspired Salad

Salad Ingredients:

250g Mung bean noodles, prepared according to pack instructions

200ml tender stem broccoli, sliced and blanched

200ml mange tout, sliced and blanched

Beansprouts

1 Carrot, grated

1 Cucumber, thinly sliced

6 small Radishes, thinly sliced

1 Red Pepper, thinly sliced

6 Spring Onions, thinly sliced

Handful of peanuts

For the dressing:

100ml soy sauce

100ml sesame oil

Juice of 1 lime

1 red chilli, finely chopped

Dash of fish sauce

Lemongrass, finely chopped

Lime leaf

1/2 tbsp sugar

Topping:

A handful each of coriander, mint and basil leaves, chopped

4 Soft boiled eggs

Method:

1. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a pouring jug and mix well. In a large bowl combine all the salad ingredients and pout over half the dressing, gently mix again.

2. Divide the salad between 4 plates, scatter with the herbs and top with a bundle of noodles and the egg.

3. Place the rest of the dressing on the table in case people want more.

New Year Resolutions - Cottage Pie

One of the boyfriend's new year's resolutions is to cook more and expand his recipe repertoire... so on the first Sunday in the new year (not including the very hungover first of the month of course) he cooked a classic cottage pie.

It was my turn to play sous chef and help prepare the vegetables and occasionally jump in to stop him adding the red wine at the wrong time, I think the fact he was drinking red wine at the same time may have put him off!

The recipe came from a Sainsburys cook book called Classic Recipe Collection - we got for £5 and is proving great for those recipes you grew up on and love but wasn't necessarily taught to cook, and as it is aimed at families the ingredients list are not huge or expensive. The only tweak we did on the recipe was to add cheese to the mash topping and served it with some very squeaky green beans.

Apart from having to put in lots of extra red wine as Mat added it too soon, it was a success!

It's bloomin' lovely in Bath

We went to Bath for a few days over new year to see in NYE with some friends and celebrate one's 30th Birthday, which meant we spent a lot of timing in pubs and not much time exploring (and eating in) the pretty town centre. We did manage a visit the thermal spa pre-house party which was lovely and highly recommended, especially the roof top pool overlooking the cityscape.

On new year's day, very hungover, we went for a little walk around the rainy town centre and stumbled across one of the many coffee shops, this one was independent, really homely and once we were served the food we knew we had made a good choice. Jacobs coffee house had some really cute typography as the logo and served up pieminster pies, amazing looking cakes and a great selection of tea's and coffee, a great antidote to the amount of alcohol we consumed the previous night.

Mat went for a cappuccino which was excellently prepared and tasted (and looked) amazing.

We then went for the daily changing homemade soup of spicy parsnip, orange and mango served with warm foccia, something I am going to try once my new soup blender arrives as it was delicious. the texture was perfect - thick and creamy.

We also shared a scone with jam and clotted cream, again it was great. I want to go back to Bath based on the food in this place alone!

We stayed about a 20 minute walk out of the town in a b&b called Ashley Villa's that we had to our whole group whilst the owners were on holiday for the festive period and it was great fun!