Platters with spark

Visiting Emily in her home town of Lichfield we belated celebrated her birthday. We had a relaxing day at Eden day spa where we were indulged in a three course lunch that included (shock horror) a chocolate option for pudding.

All that doing nothing all day meant we had worked up quite an appetite so we headed to a newish cafe/restaurant that also specialises in craft workshop during the day in the heart of Lichfield City called Spark. With quirky decor (I especially like the bold wallpaper print) and an inviting and welcoming atmosphere meant it was the ideal place to relax on a Saturday evening.

We decided to go for two platters and share them, they have six to choose from and deciding took quite a while. We were so surprised by the size of the dishes, there was six 'bite-size' things to taste but bite-size they were not, each platter had one or two stand out favourites. It ended up betting Emily but I pretty much finish whatever was left.

On our 'Olympic Flame' platter we were treated to...

• Halloumi and vegetable stack

• Feta, caramelised red onion and spinach tart

• Stuffed vine leaves

• Tomato, rocket and red onion salad

• Pitta

• Heavenly hummus

This greek inspired platter had lots of different textures and all had that lovely fresh mediterranean flavours that complimented each other so well. I loved the halloumi stack, it was golden and slightly crispy on the edge with soft and slightly sweet roasted vegetables, where as Emily seemed more drawn to the feta tart. We both enjoyed the hummus which tasted homemade as it was so garlicky, but it was great.

The second platter was my favourite as I couldn't stop going back for more, it consisted of...

• Lamb and veg pot

• Tandoori chicken

• Vegetable samosa and onion bhaji

• Minted onion and cucumber salad

• Poppadoms

• Mango chutney

I always know when something is great as it makes my mouth water as I start to talk about it again and I conjure up how it tasted and how it made me feel. It made me feel good, the flavours were as good as any quality Indian restaurant I have been too, it was comfting and even though there was a lot going on every bites was a delight. I could not get enough of the lamb curry and the salad.

I would love to go back in the day (and prob will on my next visit) to do a class, have a coffee and one of those cupcakes that were tempting me as I paid.