Sunday lunch at Chandlers

To continue with our weekend of relaxing Emily thought we should skip cooking for ourselves (and doing the washing up) and go for Sunday lunch at a nice restaurant in Lichfield before I headed back to London.

Chandlers is in an old corn mill building and is beautiful, it has huge wooden beams holding up the gallery around the top floor that looks down into the main restaurant with loads of nostalgic french prints adorning the walls. It felt like a treat without being stuffy, ideal for another chilled out meal - the now apparent theme of the weekend.

They offer a 3 course prix menu for lunch and yep, we went for the full three courses... Emily went for prawn and salmon cheesecake for starters, then the roast beef (she was swayed by the yorkshire pudding) and ended with the glazed lemon tart and raspberry sorbet. The only weird comment was as the starter was like a cheesecake the texture and look went against everything Emily's brain believed to be right, it didn't stop her finishing it though!

I went for the spinach tagiatelle with chicken and chorizo to start which was really tasty, the chorizo flavour infused with the tomato sauce and was the perfect amount. I then went for a vegetarian main, which is quite unusual for me but I needed a cheese fix! This was satisfied by two perfectly cooked and light Stilton and Leek Souffle with asparagus and then something sweet rounded off the meal perfectly - a simple creme brulee.

The meal was the perfect end to a great weekend. I then headed off to the station and instantly feel asleep with a very full tummy for the journey home.

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.

Birthday Chilli Almond Biscuits

Emily's birthday was a week or so ago but we only managed to meet up this weekend and I wanted to make something a bit different, something that would travel well (the journey from London to Lichfield can be a bit tricky with delicate baked goods) and included almonds - one of Emily's favourite ingredients.

I went straight to my bakery book of the moment - Dan Lepard's 'Short and Sweet' and looked up almonds, I was spoilt for choice but as something different was high on the list I skipped the predictable cakes and went for a savoury biscuit instead. I thought the chilli almond biscuit would also celebrate Emily's new found love of spice.

I decided to pop them in a kilner jar and tie on a ribbon with the recipe on the tag to make them feel like a special treat. I just hoped Emily would like them! I did when I tried one warm straight from the oven, the mature cheddar hit the spot and they were crumbly with only a mild tang of spice, the almonds add crunch and sweetness.

When I was making the dough I was worried the garlic paste was going to be too strong but it was softer in flavour when baked.

I halved the recipe and that is the one which is below as 40-50 biscuits seemed a bit much but you can freeze the dough and then you can always serve something up at 30 minutes notice as a pre dinner nibble with drinks.

Chilli Almond Biscuits

Makes 16-20

Ingredients:

• 87g unsalted butter, softened

• 87g grated strong cheddar

• 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes

• 1/3 teaspoon paprika, sweet smoked is best

• 1 small clove of garlic

• 87g plain flour

• 1 tablespoon milk

• 75g whole blanched almonds

Method:

1. Chop the butter roughly and beat in the chilli, salt, paprika and garlic by hand, then mix in the cheddar well. I think I would grate the cheddar finely next time I make them. If using a food processor just put the above in and whizz together for a minute.

2. Add the flour and milk, work everything together to a smooth soft dough, then stir in the almonds - by hand.

3. Spoon half the mixture onto a sheet of non stick baking paper and roll it up into a cylinder about 4cm thick by 20-25cm long. Chill or freeze until firm.

4. Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.

5. When firm remove from the fridge or freezer and slice into 1cm thick slices. I found when slicing the disks they lost their circular shape so I just gently reshapped them into rounds.

6. Place them a few centimetres apart on a lined baking tray for 20-25 minutes until golden.

7. Eat warm or leave to cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

Short & Sweet - My new favourite book for baking

I have been dying to try something from my new baking recipe book - Short and Sweet by Dan Lepard, a chef who often writes for the Guardian and is an award winning baker. The book itself is divided into different sections and offers loads of troubleshooting advice for the amateur baker making everything seem like a doddle.

I went for something suitably wintery to follow our Sunday lunch - A Cobnut and Plum Tart. It is basically a really tasty crumble but you layer crumble at the bottom as well as the top. I couldn't find cobnuts but the recipe recommends hazelnuts as a substitute.

The flavour combination was great and the brown sugar added depth to the crumble and the milk stopped it being dry, the hazelnuts added a lovely crunchy texture - I will definitely make it again.

Hazelnut and Plum Tart

Serves 6

Ingredients:

For the crumble:

175g plain flour
100g soft unsalted butter
50g hazelnuts (or cobnuts), toasted and finely chopped
50g dark soft brown sugar
1 tbsp milk
½ tsp baking powder

For the filling:

300g ripe soft red plums, pitted and cut into small pieces
1 tbsp cornflour

50g dark soft brown sugar

Zest of ½ lemon

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/360F/gas mark 5½.

2. Rub the dry ingredients and butter together quickly with nimble fingers before mixing in the milk and nuts.

3. Divide the mixture in half and place one portion, covered, in the fridge. Press the remaining portion into the base and sides of a lightly greased 20cm tart tin (with a removable base).

4. In a bowl, stir together all the filling ingredients, then spread over the pastry.

5. Finally, crumble the remaining pastry over the fruit and bake for 50 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling and the top lightly browned. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before slicing. I served mine warm with cream or custard.

Sunnyside Sunday Lunch

Since moving into our new place we were yet to cook a Sunday roast so took the opportunity to do the full works when we had friends visiting.

We went for beef cooked medium rare, rubbed with garlic and herbs - sage, rosemary and thyme. Then served with carrots, broccoli, yorkshires (cheated by using Aunt Bessie's but still good), amazing roast potatoes made by the boyfriend and some delicious cauliflower cheese by me.

The cauliflower cheese was the most complicated I have made but well worth the extra effort and silly amount of pans needed. It was by James Martin and found on UKTV good food website.

Cauliflower Cheese

Ingredients:

For the cauliflower

• 1 large cauliflower, divided into florets

• 3 tbsp butter

For the cheese sauce

• 1 cloves

• 1 bay leaves

• 1 small onion

• 600 ml milk

• 25 g butter

• 25 g plain flour

• 200 ml single cream

• 1 tsp English mustard

• 250 g mature cheddar cheese

• 1 pinches black pepper

• 1 pinches nutmeg, freshly grated

Method:

1. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and lightly cook the cauliflower florets. Drain.

2. To make the sauce, first stud the clove through the bay leaf and into the onion and place in a saucepan with the milk. Warm the milk slowly, this will allow the flavours to infuse into the milk.

3. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter, and stir in the flour. Cook over a low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the simmering milk, a ladle at a time, continuing to stir, until the mixture is thick and smooth. Bubble gently for 5-6 minutes.

4. Remove the onion and add the cream. Stir in the mustard and 200g of the grated cheese. Season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a little nutmeg.

5. Warm 3 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan and add the cauliflower florets. Roll them in the butter, without allowing them to colour, and then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

6. Set the oven to 200°/gas 6. Spoon a little cheese sauce into an ovenproof dish; arrange the cauliflower on top and coat with more of the sauce. Sprinkle the last of the grated cheddar on top and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and golden.

Jeremy & Tonic

Just when you think your cool, crisp G&T couldn't get anymore fabulous Tanqueray teams up with fashion designer Jeremy Scott to produce this well dressed bottle of Tanqueray Ten.

The sleek geometric black casing opens to reveal a glamorous Martini inspired print, bringing a modern twist to a classic bottle.

And to make it even more fabulous I own one. Being a gin and design enthusiast meant it was completely impossible for me not to buy one. Available from Harvey Nichols it's this seasons must have.

Perfect Match

It has long been a faux pas of mine, I mean no cook in their right mind wants to mismatch there kettle with their specs?

Thankfully those days are long behind me, I now own this beaut...