Exotic Leicester

We spent a day in Leicester recently and I found the excuse to go and explore Leicester's famous market which is claimed to be the largest covered market in Europe.
I was not disappointed. There were so many stalls selling fruit and vegetables that it was overwhelming. Not just ordinary fruit and vegetables, either, but all kinds of exotic fruit and vegetables. Leicester is such a cosmopolitan city that its food market and food shops reflect this.
Here you can buy huge bunches of corriander as well as unusual herbs and spices.

I couldn't resist buying these. Do you know what they are?


This is them cut up!

They are dragon fruit. You simply peel them like a banana and they are a bit like a kiwi fruit only slightly more bland.
Traditional markets like this are wonderful places to shop. With so much competition the vegetables and fruit are so fresh and so inexpensive, especially compared with supermarkets.
I wrote a whole section about hints for storing and cooking fruit and catering tips about vegetables
on our website.

Spaghetti bolognese - really healthy version

Still trying to eat healthily. This is a recipe adapted from traditional spaghetti bolognese using turkey instead of beef. I found a farmer butcher and he minced 500g grams of turkey breast for me. You could use leg meat.
To serve 6 you need:
1 tablespoon cooking oil
500g turkey minced
1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic crushed
2 chopped carrots
1 red pepper deseeded and diced
2 x 400g chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon mixed herbs (I used sage, thyme, parsley)
Half a vegetable stock cube
2 tablespoons cornflour

1. Heat the oil in a large cast iron casserole or a saucepan and add the turkey. Cook gently for 3 minutes stirring to break up the meat. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
2. Add the carrots and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring.
3. Add the tinned tomatoes to the pan, sprinkle with the herbs and add the crumbled stock cube. Boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir from time to time.
4. Mix the cornflour with 1 tablespoon of cold water and stir it into the pan. Cook for a few seconds until the sauce is thickened.
5. Serve with wholemeal spaghetti and a large fresh salad.

If you want, you can serve this in baked potatoes instead of with spaghetti.
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Healthy pancakes!

Pancake Tuesday will soon be here and I just love pancakes.

I made these. I used wholemeal flour instead of plain white flour , I used low fat milk and I mixed fresh blueberries in with the batter.



They were easy to make in our non stick pancake pan and when they were ready I served them with sliced banana and maple syrup. (Don't know if the maple syrup was healthy but the rest of it was!)



They tasted gorgeous!

Here's the pancake pan. The recipe for pancakes is on the base.It has a non stick surface and is really shallow so that tossing, flipping and turning pancakes is, well, a piece of cake!!!


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Borough Market

Visiting food markets is a wonderful way to spend your time. If you love food then you would really enjoy a visit to London's Borough Market. There has been a market in the area since Roman times and a market on the current site since 1671.



This is a real bustling market for foodies but, be warned, it is expensive. That said, it is quite fascinating. There are specialist stalls selling sea salt, butter, spices, mushrooms. There is a stall selling simply juice, there are game dealers, fish mongers, bakers, stalls selling cider, wine, cheese.



A fishmonger's stall

A bread stall

This stall sells all kinds of mushrooms
but can you guess what these are piled high on the stall below???? *

I wonder if anyone who lives in London actually does their weekly shop here. Wonderful the food may be, but so is the price!

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*Answer is: chocolate brownies!

Eat, Drink and Be Merry

Still managing to cook the healthy stuff

Still managing to keep to my resolution to cook healthy food. We had macaroni cheese with a salad. I used wholemeal pasta spirals instead of macaroni and made the cheese sauce with non fat milk and wholemeal plain flour. I chose a strong mature cheddar so that I did not use so much cheese and added a large pinch of mustard powder to the sauce. I stuck a few sliced tomatoes round the edge of the dish before I popped it in the oven for the top to brown.
We ate it with a salad made of fresh spinach leaves , cucumber and sliced oranges and also cold cooked beetroot.
For dessert ,I took four small cox apples, cored them, scored round the middle of the skin and stuffed them with dried fruit. I microwaved them while we were having the first course and then poured plain, fat free yogurt over them and sprinkled with nuts. They were delicious.


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>Eat, Drink and Be Merry

12 Ways to Save Money when Shopping for Food

Ways to save money on your food bills.

1. Plan what you will eat for the next three days. If you plan for longer you will not be able to stick to it.


2. Try to include one meat free day.


3. Cut down on meat and increase the number of vegetables you eat. Remember that there is protein in peas, beans and lentils.


4. Eat vegetables in season. At this time of year root vegetables are plentiful and warming.


5. Plan to eat dessert. Rice pudding, yogurt, stewed fruit, bananas and custard, jam sponge pancakes with lemon etc. are all pretty cheap and filling and pretty nourishing too!


6. Make your own soups with left over vegetables. Try not to waste anything.


7. Shop twice or three times a week instead of one big shop. Visit local markets for fruit and vegetables.


8. Use your leftovers e.g. use left over pieces of ham in omlettes or scrambled egg, use left over pieces of cheese in rarebit.


9. Fish such as pilchards, sardines, tinned tuna, pink salmon are cheap and useful to keep in stock. They are also good for you.


10. When you make mashed potato , make extra and use to make fish cakes using tinned tuna or pink salmon. You can also use for corned beef hash.


11. Use some of the cheaper cuts of meat such as shin of beef , shoulder of lamb and do not forget offal. You can make such things as faggots very cheaply and they are full of goodness. Make dishes such as rissoles with left over cooked meat.


12. Pasta and rice are excellent in providing the basis of economical meals. They can also form the basis of packed lunchboxes with added ingredients to make salads. Making your own packed lunch is far cheaper than buying one ready made.

Saving money on food will offer huge satisfaction. You will become proud of your achievements and you will find that it is possible to eat really well on a lower budget with careful planning and a little imagination. The result is a better quality of life and more money in your pocket.

Always set the table beautifully so that every meal is special. It is a time for talking about the day you have just had, the things you would like to do, the things that worry you, sharing ideas and information with others.

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Well, I blew it!

Well I blew it. Yesterday I didn't go to the gym. We were too busy. My husband had to go to Sheffield and I was left holding the fort . In the evening we rushed off to the cinema as soon as he arrived home.

At our little cinema they had these huge slices of home made chocolate cake which went down well with a glass of wine while watching the film. I had such a big slice I didn't want any dinner. So bang went my New Year's Resolution to go to the gym or for a swim every day and to eat healthy meals at all times.

Ah well, it was a good film and rather nice cake, anyway!

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Fast but healthy

This is a really fast meal and very healthy. We ate it the other day. I am still keeping my Resolution regarding healthy eating!

Bean Chilli.

You need

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large onion peeled and chopped

1 large stick of celery sliced

1 clove garlic crushed

half to 1 teaspoon of hot chilli depending on your taste

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

1 large courgette sliced

1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato puree

1 vegetable stock cube

1 can kidney beans

Cooked brown rice and plain yogurt to serve

Prepare all the vegetables

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole that you can use on the hob. Cook the onion celery and garlic gently for 5 minutes and add the chilli powder and cook for a further half minute stirring.

Add peppers and courgettes and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes stirring from time to time. Add tomatoes from the pan then half a can of cold water. Add the tomato puree and the stock cube crumbled. Stir.

Boil and then simmer gently for 15 minutes stirring now and again.

Add the beans and cook for 5 more minutes until everything is tender and the sauce has thickened.

We really enjoyed this and I will certainly make it again soon. We have a selection of cast iron casseroles and skillets you can use to make it.

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Eat, Drink and Be Merry

I am keeping my resolution about healthy eating

This is a quick meal that I made which is full of goodness. It doesn't take long and is ideal if you have been at work all day. This is what you need

4 pieces cod or haddock fillet

3 tablespoons olive oil and a little extra for brushing

2 finely chopped garlic cloves

1 red pepper

6 oz couscous

10fl oz vegetable stock

2 tomatoes

4 spring onions

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

1/4 teaspoon of chilli powder

salt and pepper

1. finely chop the garlic cloves, seed and finely dice the pepper, dice the tomatoes, chop the corriander. It is vital to do all this before you begin because everything happens quickly.


2. Pre heat the grill. Cut 4 slices from the lemon and squeeze the juice from what is left. Put it in a bowl. Put the fillets of fish onto the grill pan with the skin side upwards. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 6-8 minutes.


3. While they are grilling heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and cook the garlic and pepper for 4-5 minutes until softened. Stir in couscous, hot stock, tomatoes, spring onions and coriander. Season to taste, cover and remove from the heat.


4. Mix the lemon juice with the chilli powder and the 2 tablespoons of oil you have left. Fork up the couscous and spoon onto plates with the fish on top and drizzle the chilli dressing on the top.

The meal should be read in 30 minutes from the time you begin. The skin is blackened , crispy and delicious.

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Eat, Drink and Be Merry
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The best kind of evening

We shared a minibus taxi and were greeted warmly on a cold night. We had pre dinner drinks and after lots of chats all ten of us trooped into the dining room.
There before us was a wonderful array of food. You could mix and match; have starters or not. You simply helped yourself.
There was salmon and green salad for those who wanted it and you could either have it as starter or main course. There was a vegetable curry for the vegetarians and a delicious beef casserole (both of the latter cooked in casseroles purchased from us!) a selection of vegetables and rice and new potatoes. Afterwards there were three delicious desserts to choose from. There was plenty of wine and beer.
You could help yourself and go back for seconds.......or thirds......Then we had coffee and a wonderful cheese board. Followed by chocolates.
There we were, a group of old friends, who have known each other forever all enjoying an evening dinner party at home. What better way to spend an evening?
Here is the recipe for one of the puddings which I managed to get from our host. There is lots of port in it so make sure you tell anyone who is driving!
Dried Fruit Compte.
12oz mixed dried fruit - apricots, figs and prunes
2 oranges
4 oz raisins
10 fl oz cold water
12fl oz port
20z toasted almond flakes
Rinse the fruit under the cold tap and put into a large saucepan. Slice one of the oranges and cut each of the slices into quarters. Pour in cold water. Add raisins to the rest of the items in the pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the juice from the second orange together with the port. Leave overnight in the fridge and sprinkle with almonds.
Gorgeous. Simple to make.
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Service with a Smile Part 2

In my last blog entry I wrote about a surly bar man and a horrible meal.
The same day as that incident we went out for a meal in the evening , only this time there were five of us.

The experience couldn't have been more different.

• We were welcomed by a really friendly waitress
• Our coats were taken straight away
• We were shown to a comfortable area for pre dinner drinks
• When we were ready we were able to order immediately
• We were asked exactly how we would like the meat, duck etc cooked
• The service was prompt, unobtrusive, friendly and the waitress seemed to know exactly when to reappear
• The wine waiter was brilliant and also friendly - and he didn't keep topping up our glasses ( I really hate it when they do that!)
• The meal was fine but what really made the evening was the service. Absolutely perfect!

I reckon that the most important assets in this restaurant were a smile and what is basically good manners. The staff here restored my faith in the occasional night out.

It was alsmost as good as dining in with friends!

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Eat, Drink and Be Merry

Service with a smile

We went into a "real ale" pub for a quick pub lunch. My husband asked the barman, "Do you do food?"

"Yes." answered the barman and said no more. Just stood, waiting.
We should have walked out at that point. That was the indicator! He just stood in silence. No indicating a menu, a specials board or even explaining what was on offer.
Silence reigned. My husband was first to crack. "What have you got?"
By way of answer the barman reached behind him for a menu and handed it over without a word. There was an unappetising list of burgers and baguettes and "soup of the day". We ordered and had to pay in advance. We also ordered drinks.

Mine had lipstick on the glass so I gave it back to him. He looked at me as if I were neurotic or insane and wordlessly gave me another.
We sat down to wait............and wait........and wait.
After 40 minutes my son asked what had happened to our meal. "You are next on the list" growled the barman. My son looked around. There were only five other people in the bar. A couple of those had eaten meals already.

"er........what list?" asked my son.
By way of answer the barman simply repeated, "You are next on the list" in a louder voice.

The "meal" when it arrived was inedible. The "soup of the day" , for example,was made of powder, too thick, too cold and with lumps in. None of us could eat it.

Oh, Mr. Barman, how much does a smile and a friendly word cost? We could have maybe forgiven some of the rest if you had been pleasant.

As it is, another good reason for dining in........
Get everything you need for dining in at Cutlery and CateringEat, Drink and Be Merry

Happy New Year

It has been a busy year for us, but a good year. The family have kept well and are in good spirits and our on line cutlery and catering business is growing and thriving.

I have made my resolutions but will begin in about a week. One of them is to eat healthily but not until my freezer is emptied of all the stuff I made before Christmas.

I treated myself to three new cookery books. One is for healthy food, one is for fast recipes and one is for meals on a budget. Just about got it all covered there.
A Happy New Year to all our readers and customers at Cutlery and Catering
Eat, Drink and Be Merry