A fresh start to the day

Waking up is never easy…but I’ve recently been introduced to two things which help make my morning a little bit happier.

 

The Green Machine by Naked Juice

Everyone says there is no better way to start the day than with a green smoothie. Not many of us have the inclination or time to get out the juicer, make a smoothie and then wash it all up before going to work, which is why this is a great start to the day. Packed with lovely fruit as you’d expect, it also has some more exciting ingredients guaranteed to keep you going through the day such as Spirulina, Broccolli, Spinach, Blue Green Algae, Wheat Grass, Barley Grass and parsley.  Find out more here: http://www.nakedjuice.co.uk/green.php

Emmi’s Caffe Latte in Caramel or Skinny

 

Refreshing and creamy drink. Perfect as a morning pick me up or a snack in the day.  Caramel is delicious – as you’d expect. What you wouldn’t expect is that their new skinny version would taste just as good.  You’d never know it was lower in calories. Follow the link here for their twitter account and to find out more: https://twitter.com/UKcaffelatte

 

Thanks for sending me the samples lovely Naked Juice and Emmi.

Best Tapas in London?

When I was invited down to Alquimia restaurant in Putney following the launch, I really wasn't expecting much...which sounds a bit harsh. But tapas is tapas, right? How wrong could I have been.

I can honestly say that the meal I had at Alquimia was the best Tapas I've ever had...including in Spain.

Don't be put off by the appearance of the outside of the restaurant...it looks small and insignificant, but go through the doors and you are welcomed as one of the family to experience a really authentic and delicious tapas menu.

There were plenty of choices on the menu, so me and my sister (my dining companion on this review) asked them to just bring us what they thought we should try and they went all out.

Every dish was fantastic, well thought out, presented with care and most importantly - delicious.

Try the tuna tartare - something I'd never have gone for...but which was amazing.

I'll be back!

Paletilla ibérica "Paletilla ibérica"



Freshly carved Iberico Ham




Tuna Tartare - something I never would have ordered but that was stunning



Patatas Bravas




Chorizo Riojano “a la sidra” Spicy chorizo from Rioja with cider



Calamares fritos a la andaluza Fried squid Andalucian style

Gambas a la plancha con ajo-aceite Grilled prawns with garlic oil

Torrija de vainilla con helado de leche Spanish vanilla sweet bread with milk ice cream

A most amazing drink - milk infused with rum, spices and orange - I could have drunk a pint of this!

http://alquimiarestaurant.co.uk/reservations/ 

 

Foodie goodies

I've been sent some lovely goodies to try recently. New Kallo rice cakes - in Blueberry and Caramel. Tasty and a great treat for mid afternoon snacking.

Truvia baking blend - i'm looking forward to trying this one soon, following my baking disasters earlier this year using other sweetner alternatives

A selection of Linwoods milled seeds - as i'm allergic to nuts, I didn't actually try these - but the other half enjoyed them on his cereal.

All new and available in stores now.

Fire & Stone, Covent Garden

I was reminded by a friend that one of my first dates with my husband was at Fire & Stone, and as I sat in the restaurant I began to remember how much of my twenties was spent in the restaurant - it was always the 'go to' after work to meet with friends, celebrate birthdays and generally just enjoy good pizzas and drink, while not spending too much.

So, I don't know why I haven't been in a while!

We went on a Thursday night and it was packed. So definitely worth booking a table if you can. You can book online, so no excuses.

We both opted for pizzas from the specials section, but they have a large variety of pasta too and the two surrounding tables both tucked into some delicious looking pastas.

Canberra

Madrid

 

I love the combinations of toppings at Fire & Stone.Really different and the bases are lovely and crisp.

 

The Canberra pizza is roast chicken breast, garlic and rosemary potatoes, marinated mushrooms, mozzarella, sour cream and topped with sweet chilli sauce.

 

The Madrid pizza is spicy chorizo, prawns, roasted red peppers and garlic, mozzarella, garlic mayonnaise and chopped parsley.

 

Gorgeous combinations, really flavoursome and filling!

 

However, we managed to make room for some dessert with the Fire and stone ice cream sandwich and the warm Belgian waffle. Yum!

 

Waffley goodness

 

Ice Cream Sandwich

Find out more and see the full menu on www.fireandstone.com

Thanks to Fire & Stone for inviting me for a review meal.

 

Quark

Quark has had a bit of a renaissance recently since the Dukan diet arrived on the scene and people have been snapping it up to make their high protein pancakes. But for me, its something I've never really thought about trying.

So when The Lake District Dairy Company sent me a hamper jam pack full of Quark and ingredients to make a moussaka and a cheesecake as designed by The Fabulous Baker Brothers, I was keen but dubious.

Delicious hamper of Quark goodies

Lake District Dairy Co. Quark

A week later and I'm a convert. Lower in calories than creme fraiche or cream, using Quark seems to be the way to get something deliciously creamy for a lot less calories - the cheesecake was literally half the calories.

Moussaka

So thanks for introducing me to Quark!

Find out more at www.lakedistrictquark.co.uk/

Darcy's Restaurant St Albans

It's always a good sign when I don't have time to take pictures of the food, as I'm too busy eating...but that's exactly what happened when we visited Darcy's restaurant in St Albans.

It's the second time we've visited and the second time was just as good as the first.

We began with cocktails downstairs in the bar area, then headed upstairs for the main meal.

We started with a sharing platter of Duck Gyoza, salt and pepper squid and miso soup - a really good start to the meal.

I then opted for the special fish dish which was pollock wrapped in chorizo and my other half went for the meat special, the pork belly.

Finally, to finish off the meal, my dining partner chose the dark chocolate and honeycomb bomb, which looked amazing. A massive cone shaped chocolate creation.

Chocolate bomb

 

I chose the After Eight dessert cocktail - mint baileys mixed with mint choc chip ice cream. Incredibly decadent, but worth visiting just for this!

 

Another great meal thanks to Darcy's - we'll be back!

 

Take a look at Darcy's here: http://www.darcysrestaurant.co.uk/

Chocolate and Coffee tasting

Chocolate and coffee..the perfect combination?

I was thrilled to be invited to the Lindt and DeLonghi coffee and chocolate tasting in London a couple of weeks ago, as who doesn't love that combination.

The event was held at Kettners, in one of the private rooms upstairs, which was a bit of a bonus as i'd always wanted to see inside this old London staple. On arrival we were greeted with Cherry Espresso martinis which had been designed for De'Longhi by Rebecca Seal - so good.

I'd always had a fondness for Espresso Martinis but if you use a cherry vodka, rather than a plain one...you have a delicious cherry flavoured Espresso. Give it a go!

Once settled in the tasting room we were introduced to Robert Henry, expert Barista from De'Longhi and Stefan Bruderer, Lindt's Master Chocolatier, who led us through the tasting process. Pairing decaff coffees and regular coffees with the range of Lindt chocolates, we were shown how the two complement each other perfectly.

Pairings included:

 

• Lindt Excellence White Vanilla with Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Long Black
• Lindt Excellence Extra Creamy with Brazil Fazenda Passeio Long Black
• Lindt Excellence Dark with a touch of Sea Salt with Brazil Cerrado Decaf Espresso

 

So give them a go at home!

 

The new De' Longhi Primadonna S range machines were on display throughout the event and used to give us our delicious coffees. Such lovely looking machines. I've already got a De' Longhi espresso machine in blue in the kitchen, but i'm already adding these to my wishlist - mint green please if anyone is thinking of buying me one!

It was a great event which led me to think about chocolate as more of 'an event' - why not pull out some bars when entertaining guests and see which pairings they like best.

For further information on De'Longhi and Lindt pairings, visit the new pairing website: www.lindt-excellence.co.uk