My foody weekend in Madrid!

My sister moved to Madrid last year and of course I always find an excuse to visit. Not only is it just a 2 hour flight from London but it is such a beautiful city. I highly recommend visiting if you haven't already- the people are friendly, city is pretty and there is food galore.

This blog post is my picture diary of my foody finds. I will be posting a restaurant/bar recommendation in a blog post soon after this one so look out for that. 

(I am also going to be starting a travel blog, starting with my weekend in Madrid. So if like me you have the travel bug like me..have a read!)

Here's all the food I managed to scoff whilst there..enjoy! : 

Croquettes!  My absolute favorite- either as tapas or a main meal, I will always make sure I order some.

                       

Tinto de Verano- Similar to Sangria but a lighter version .

Tapas time! Patatas bravas, fried cuttlefish,, ham, russian salad and my beloved croquettes

Sangria- the tasty classic

Salmon and brie, tomato and cod on bread- light and refreshing!

The spanish classic- Tortilla. Essentially potato omlette. Loved by all, especially me!

Lunch time in Segovia (a town an hour out of Madrid) ham, cheese and egg sandwich.

Serano- A breakfast I've had many times in madrid. Tortilla, Sarano Ham and tomato on toast (another classic in Madrid)

Paella!- A must in Spain. Although not known to have the best in Madrid, this was exceptional (will feature in my next blog post)

Menu of the day- A beautifully cooked burger. Medium rare, just the way I like it.

Mojito Sorbet- delicious!

My last taste of tinto de Verano before I left .

I hope You all enjoyed. Restaurants and bar recommendations in the next post!

A gorgeous meal at Seven Park Place by William Drabble

A few weeks ago I went for a lovely lunch at Seven park Place (by Michelin star chef William Drabble) at the St James's hotel .http://www.stjameshotelandclub.com/restaurant-piccadilly

Its a beautiful place just a 5 minute walk from Green park station and with the name William Drablle I knew it would be amazing. 

As we entered the hotel and then the restaurant, the staff were lovely. They took our coats and seated us in our elegant booth like table. There were two menus to choose from- one being a la carte and the other was the set lunch menu (with either a 2 or 3 course meal choice). Definitely check out the menu! 

We went for the 3 course set menu (included was a  glass of wine) which was £29.50. This was definitely one of the best meals I've had in a while and was not a ridiculous price for the type of restaurant and experience you get. It was a 4/5 star meal without the expected bill to match. 
Here's the meal in pictures:

The amuse bouche -Prawn , wrapped in spinach with a spicy tomato puree

The starter-Germini of Jerusalem artichokes and foie gras with cepes

The main- Confit of duck with red wine sauce, mash potato and Chinese cabbage

The dessert- Banana Souffle with chocolate sauce

Christmas day delights

 My Christmas meal in pictures:

Tasty stuffed turkey

Cabbage,sweet potato mash,, brussels sprouts, peas and carrots, Yorkshire puds,
beef sausages, roasted parsnips, roast potatoes.

Christmas pudding

My easy, last minute Christmas cake

Ahhhh its Christmas in a few days. And if you're like me and leave everything last minute, then Christmas cake making may be an issue. I made a gorgeous cake that can even be made the day of Christmas.  Its super tasty and super easy so I had to share it with you guys. (I am not a big fan of nuts in my Christmas cake but if you are just adapt it to your nutty tastes)
 Definitely give it a try....

Ingredients:

900g of dried fruit (sultanas, raisins and any other that tickle your tastes buds) 

225g of brown sugar

225g of butter

225g of plain flour

4 large eggs

2tsp of golden syrup (this is optional but is great for colouring and taste)

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Zest and juice of 1 small orange

1tsp of all spice

250ml of pear or apple cider

Glace cherries

What to do:

1.Put all the dried fruit in the pan with the cider. Bring to the boil and cook for 3-minutes. Allow to cool. The fruit should have absorbed all of the liquid. ( If there is any left just drain away.



2.Mix the butter and sugar in a bowl. Then add the flour and egg in and mix.

3. Then add the zest and juice of the lemon and orange, the golden syrup, all spice and mix. Then add your dried fruit and glace cherries and mix all together.



4. Put the mixture into a non stick baking tin or one that is lined with baking paper.



5. Put in the oven on gas mark 2 for 3-4 hours. Check halfway through baking- if it is getting too brown u can always cover with some baking paper or tin foil

6. Once the cake is cooked you can either leave it as it is (yes it is that delicious!) or ice and decorate.

I have yet to ice mine but once i have I will definitely include it in a post.
How do you make your Christmas cake? would love to hear..just comment below :)

My carrot cake recipe

I made a gorgeous carrot cake last week and I thought i would share my recipe. I am not a lover of nuts in my cakes but if you are just adapt this recipe to your taste. I know that walnuts are a favorite for a lot of people. This recipe serves 10-12 people.
So here it is :

• For the cake:
• 275g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 4 eggs
• 400g caster sugar
• 300g vegetable oil or soft butter
• 375g grated carrots
• zest of half an orange
• 125g chopped walnuts (optional although I prefer without)
• 
  

For the topping and middle:

1 large Philadelphia pack

Half a grated carrot 

squeeze of lemon juice

1. Mix all the ingredients into one bowl and mix until there are no lumps.

2. Pour mixture into 2 seperate non stick baking tins.

3. Put them into the oven at gas mark 4 for 30-45 minutes (checking after 30mins if you are happy with it).

4. Take them out of the oven and allow them to cool and remove from baking tins.

5. Mix the Philadelphia, grated carrot and lemon juice into a bowl. Then spread in between both cake pieces and them on top of the cake.

6. Eat and enjoy.

Do you have a favorite carrot cake recipe? Please comment below as I love discovering new recipes :)

Simple chicken, pea and coconut curry

Hi everyone!
As the days get colder and the evenings get darker there is nothing better than a lovely homemade curry on a cosy night in. Its one of my favourites and I love making it. Its simple, easy and extremely quick to make.
ahhhhh you honestly have to try, trust me its so tasty!!

Definitely tasted as good as it looks!

Ingredients needed:
Salt and pepper 
4-6 chicken breasts
25g butter
1 tablespoon of tikka paste (or any of your favourite curry paste will do)
2 teaspoons of nigella seeds (black)
1 can of coconut milk
A nice amount of frozen peas (depending on your preference)
A handful of chopped coriander (preferably fresh) 

1. Melt your butter in a good sized pan and add the nigella seeds.
Chop your chicken into bite sizes (I like to use scissors as it keeps my hands clean)
then add this to the pan and fry until the chicken is cooked through (5-10 minutes

2. Add the curry paste to the pan and stir in. Once this is done add the coconut milk and peas. Let this boil for a couple of minutes.

3. Add salt and pepper to your taste.

4. Turn off the heat from the pan and add your chopped coriander.

5. Serve in a dish with some plain rice, add some more coriander if u wish and enjoy!

Past foody favourites from around the world

As I'm new to this I thought I'd let you guys catch up on just a few of my past Favorites. These are from some holidays I've had and as always food is always my main thought when away...enjoy :)

Fisherman's platter. This is the amazing dish i had at 'the spyglass inn' ventnor, Isle Of  Wight. I always visit this pub when I'm on the island and this is my favorite..it may be cold but the taste is AMAZING.....

Lightly grilled seabass in Paris..was so well cooked and was on a bed  of spinach and miso soup

Smoked salmon in France...a big smoked salmon fan

DELICIOUS grilled squid with veg and chips. This was when i was Camp de Mar, Majorca...possibly the best squid I've ever had. Ahhh and that sangria wasn't bad either.....