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OXO Good Grips Challenge: Grandma’s Apple Pie

September 26, 2013 by Erica Hughes 1 Comment

Recently OXO challenged me to make some seasonal food using their OXO Good Grips range of quality, culinary tools. I chose the OXO Good Grips Flour Sifter as I had plans to make some pastry.

I made my grandma’s apple pie recipe. The ingredients you will need are:

8oz sifted self raising flour
4oz margarine
5/6 medium cooking apples
2 tablespoons of caster sugar
very cold water

Core and chop the cooking apples into small pieces, add the caster sugar and stew for a few minutes on a strong heat (don’t add any water, but do stir regularly). Meanwhile rub the sifted, self raising flour into the margarine (it helps to have this at room temperature, but that isn’t essential). Then add a little very cold water at a time until you have a nice pastry dough. Roll out on a floured board and line a large pie dish with the pastry (I used a little over half the dough for this). Put in the apples and place a pastry lid on top. Seal the edges with a fork, slit the middle with a knife and few time and decorate with scraps of pastry, if you like. Cook at gas mark 5/190 degrees for about quarter of an hour.

My Grandma’s apple pie is a quick and easy recipe to follow and it’s very forgiving. It’s a very seasonal September recipe too and a great way of using up some windfall apples.

The OXO Good Grips Flour Sifter was easy to use: you just take off the top and put your flour inside. Replace the top and remove the bottom. You only need to shake gently for the flour to come out. It can be used to dust your rolling surface with flour too.

A Study In Amber

September 25, 2013 by Erica Hughes 3 Comments

A little while ago the MyTrendyPhone Company asked me if I would like to try out one of their accessories for either the iPhone4, iPhone 4S or iPhone5. It was a bit like being in a fabulous cake shop and being able to pick out whichever cake you wanted to eat. Eventually, after much browsing, I settled on this Telescope Camera Lens.

Whilst my iPhone is very good at taking pictures, I’ve been feeling for a while now that I want to raise my game a little, but wasn’t sure whether to get a DSLR or not. I’d heard about accessories for iPhones to enhance their picture taking capabilities, but I’d not had a chance to properly put them to the test. So I was up for trying the Telescope Camera Lens out.

I tried using it at Blog Summit in Manchester, and found it a good way to get a close up picture of what was happening at the front of the room. Also, it avoided having lots of heads in the way. The only downside was that you need to hold the phone very steady or use the tripod provided to get a good shot. I struggled a bit with holding it steady. The tripod is very portable which is a good thing, but that means that the legs are quite small so you need a surface to rest them on. So I decided to try taking some photos with the lens and the tripod combined.

I decided to venture into the garden and started experimenting with taking pictures of my flowers with the tripod on the ground. This worked quite well and I felt quite the professional camera woman lying down on the floor to get the right shot. I couldn’t quite get the shot that I wanted though despite the lens working very well for me.

Then one of my cats (Amber) wandered out in the garden just in time to act as a model. So here’s a series of pictures taken with the Telescope Camera Lens for the iPhone. I’m really pleased with them. I love the detail and focus, which concentrates on my cat as it should do. Also, I’ve been able to capture expressions that are distinctly him without realising what I am doing.

I was able to take these of him sitting on the garden table with my tripod set up on the garden chair a little way away. So I think the expressions I have captured are more natural for that. I’m very happy with my Telescope Camera Lens and I think it will enable me to take my photography to the next level without the expense of buying a DSLR.

Mama’s Family Cookbook Review

September 20, 2013 by Erica Hughes 1 Comment

I’m going to let you into a little secret: this is my first cookbook review. I’ve reviewed other books, but never a cookbook. Now some cookbooks make good reading and others are all about the recipes. Mama’s Family Cookbook has an introduction which tells you about the author: an Italian great grandmother from Apulia who cooks for her large, extended family on a regular basis. Aside from that introduction, Mama’s Family Cookbook is all about the food and the recipes.

The dish that really caught my eye was Penne al Pollo or Creamy Chicken Penne. I thought I’ll try that one, have a good read through the book and write my review. I tried the recipe and I was disappointed. It didn’t taste bad, but it did taste bland. Mama does suggest adding dried chillis and canned tomatoes to add depth to the sauce in a tip alongside the recipe, but this seemed to be a creating a different dish to the main recipe.

So I’m starting to feel a bit out of my depth. I’m a rookie cookbook reviewer that has tried one recipe that wasn’t much good. Do I slate the book? That seemed a bit harsh on the strength of one recipe. So I decided to try another. This time I went for Pollo alla Parmigiana or Chicken Parmesan. This was much more successful. The recipe was easy to follow and the dish had the gutsy flavours that I associate with Italian cooking, in fact it was very rich. I’d recommend serving it with a side salad, bread or lots of plainly served vegetables to mope up that deep, rich sauce.

So then I thought what does that tell the reader of my review: one dish was good and one was bland. It’s difficult to decide whether you like it or you don’t. So I decided to try another: Rigatoni ai Zucchini or Roast Courgette Rigatoni. I followed the recipe for the most part, but I added an extra clove of garlic and a bit more onion. It seemed to benefit from the slightly stronger flavour. This was a hearty, flavoursome dish that didn’t require a great deal of work.

So what did I think of Mama’s Family Cookbook overall? There were more wins than fails and I think I learnt to add more flavouring to recipes as I went along. That said, not everyone has the confidence to do this and you do expect a recipe to have been thoroughly tested before publication. I’d say it’s a good collection of Italian cookery, but feel free to experiment and make changes to suit your tastes.

I was given a copy of Mama’s Family Cookbook for the purpose of carrying out this review.

Jam Making With Lakeland

September 19, 2013 by Erica Hughes 2 Comments

Every year I make jams and chutneys during the summer and autumn. This seems to keep us going through the year. Supplies are running a little low now, so it seemed like perfect timing to make some more. Lakeland kindly sent me some of their preserving range to make life a bit easier.

I’m always on the lookout for new recipes and new ideas, so being sent the Lakeland Preserves book was a real treat. After some pleasant browsing through, I decided to try the Any Berry Jam. I liked the sound of the flexibility of this recipe because it allows you to combine whichever berries you have to hand, so it’s ideal for using up the last of your crop. I’ve also got my eye on their apricot and vanilla jam recipe, just need to find some reasonably priced apricots. It’s not just jams too: there are chutneys, piccalilli, sauces and more.

My Any Berry Jam was heavy on the blackberries and they are in season and free. Making the jam gave me the opportunity to try out Lakeland’s Thermospatula. It’s specially designed for cooking anything that requires a specific temperature like jam or chocolate. I’m a big fan of silicone spatula and this one has an integral digital thermometer, which displays the temperature of your mixture as you stir. You can remove the thermometer from the spatula if you need to wash it in a dishwasher. There’s no need to have a separate meat thermometer as this one does that job too when you have it removed from the spatula. So it’s a versatile and useful piece of kit.

Once my jam was ready and in the jars, I used the Jam Label Kit also from Lakeland. I think you’ll agree that my jars look very pretty with their gingham tops tied with ribbons. The sticky labels are useful, but continue the cottagy theme. A nice touch is the gift labels for those extra jars that you want to give as presents.

Visual Philosophy Print Review

September 18, 2013 by Erica Hughes 1 Comment

Visual Philosophy is an online print and poster shop set up by two parents to help pay for the costs of sending their son to university. They have an eclectic range of colourful prints. Inspiration comes from many sources: 1950s modernists to Danish and Scandinavian design and everything in between.

With such a big selection of prints making a decision was difficult, but I choose Visual Philosophy’s Crop Circles print. With its subdued blue and green colour scheme, it matched our study’s colour scheme really well. I also liked the intricate shapes and patterns of the individual crop circles.

My Visual Philosophy Crop Circles print arrived carefully rolled and wrapped in tissue inside its sturdy mailing tube. It’s printed on heavyweight 190gsm matte cartridge paper and you can feel the quality of the paper when you touch it. I liked the fact that the colours seemed to come true from the picture on the site.

If you’d like to have the chance to win a Visual Philosophy print, you can visit 92three30 (A Little Luxury For Me’s sister site). 92three30 is offering the chance to win a print from a selection of four prints suitable for use in a child’s bedroom or nursery. The competition closes on 5 October 2013.

Centenary Brasserie Opens At The Birmingham Rep

September 13, 2013 by Erica Hughes 2 Comments

The Birmingham Rep has reopened this month after its refurbishment. With a fresh new look to the theatre, it’s no surprise that the Rep’s bar and restaurant have had a thorough make over too. It’s a fresh, white and bright look with clean lines and plenty of light. I was invited along to try out a selection from the new menu at the Centenary Brasserie and see what I thought.

The Centenary Brasserie is a 90-cover restaurant, with a café and bar, plus a large external terrace opening out onto Centenary Square. Paul Welburn is the executive chef. Paul , who previously ran celebrity chef Rhodes’ flagship restaurant in London (with a Michelin star), has provided the guidance and the lead for the culinary direction of Centenary Brasserie. There’s a clear focus on high quality ingredients with many local suppliers. A strong team backs up Paul’s commitment to quality and head chef Steve was truly passionate about the food being served.

We were treated to a wide range of dishes from across the range of the menu. The Marinated beetroot and Gorgonzola salad, walnut crumble, rocket and red chard (pictured above) was a flavoursome dish. Our table didn’t include anyone who liked blue cheese, but we could still appreciate the efforts that went into producing such a visually pleasing dish with so many complex flavours.

The Crispy prawn and vegetables, served with harissa and guacamole steered away from a tempura batter with a more substantial coating well suited to the ‘meatiness’ of these big, juicy prawns. The heat of the harissa gave these an added twist and a punchy bite.

The restaurant is aimed at filling the gap that exists in Birmingham between the top end restaurants, with their Michelin stars, and the ubiquitous chains. There are certainly less restaurants in the middle ground in Birmingham seeking to provide good quality, innovative food without high price tags. Indeed with main courses priced at around £16 or less, the Centenary Brasserie isn’t expensive given the quality of the ingredients and the expertise of the staff.

The Centenary Bar and Brasserie will be open from 9am to 11pm on Mondays to Saturdays, and 11am to 9pm on a Sunday. As such they will be catering for those that just want a drink; those that want a snack or light meal; obviously the pre-theatre diners; and those who want a full restaurant dinner. It’s great to see such a relaxed and friendly venue with high standards right in the heart of Birmingham.

Amie Skincare Review

September 9, 2013 by Erica Hughes 1 Comment

Recently I was asked to review some of the Amie skincare range. Amie aim to make gentle, but effective skin care products that are reasonably priced. Over the last few weeks I’ve been trying out the Amie Morning Clear Purifying Facial Wash and Morning Dew Matte Finish Moisturiser.

Morning Clear is a facial wash, so it’s ideal if, like me, you like to splash water on your face in the morning. Active ingredients include mayblossom and elderflower to purify your skin, to keeping oiliness under control and help prevent spot forming. Natural sugar moisturisers aim to prevent dryness, while cocoa seed butter nourishes and sweet almond oil softens. There’s orange blossom and raspberry to tone pores and refresh your skin.

So how is this on my skin first thing in the morning? It’s very refreshing. I use it morning and night and it gets my skin clean without feeling even slightly harsh.

Morning Dew is a really light daily moisturiser that benefits from being mineral oil and parabens free. It contains organic rosehip and bilberry to nourish your skin, natural plant sugars for hydration and Vitamin E to act as an anti-oxidant (to protect against damage from sun and pollution). Lemon fruit extract is for its antiseptic properties, whilst orange blossom is known as a skin clarifying agent, which helps to remove excess sebum and keep oily skin clear.

So putting aside the ingredients what is it like to use? It’s very light and easily absorbed. My skin wasn’t left greasy or shiny so it seems to live up to the matte finish claim. My skin felt softer and smoother after application.

At £4.95 for a 150ml tube of each, these Amie products are far from expensive and compare well to premium brands. I very much liked both products and I’m thinking of trying the Radiant Dawn Exfoliating Wash and the Amie Skin Shield, which is a moisturiser with a SPF of 15, as they sound like the equivalents of the products that I normally use.

Silent Sunday

September 8, 2013 by Erica Hughes 20 Comments

Fiesta Del Asado Restaurant Review

August 26, 2013 by Erica Hughes 2 Comments

The other week we took advantage of some child free time to visit the Fiesta Del Asado Restaurant, Hagley Road, Birmingham. I’ve been wanting to go for ages: I have fond memories of an excellent South American restaurant in Lisbon and I do like a good steak.

The Fiesta del Asado restaurant is in an attractive building that used to be the Greek Consulate. Outside it’s got the blue and white colours of the Argentinian flag and a large painted sun which brings to mind somewhere sunnier than Britain usually is. Inside the decor reflects the Argentinian theme, but perhaps harking back to earlier times with nice touches like a vintage public telephone.

We started our evening with a gin and tonic while we studied the menu. You know you are off to a good start when you are offered a choice of gins (Tanqueray and Hendricks). We also selected a bottle of red (well we were planning to have some red meat) and the staff were happy to provide us with a large jug of tap water too.

When we came to order the staff were very helpful and knowledgable about the dishes they offer and I was persuaded out of my first choice the A Sado de Tira which is a cross-cut of beef cooked on the bone, as it would have required more effort than I wanted to give to eat it.

To start with I ordered Morcilla Curada, a smoked black sausage flavoured with paprika and caramelised onion. This had the texture and appearance of a black pudding with a smoky flavour and a little kick of heat. My husband had the Rabas Fritas, which is describes as crisp baby squid rings with aioli sauce. Sometimes squid can be a bit chewy, but the baby squid was very easy to eat. The aioli sauce had a delicate flavour that didn’t overpower its accompaniment.

For my main course I eventually plumped for the Bife de Angosta, a 16oz single muscle steak taken from the loin of the animal. It was a big, old piece of meat as you’d expect. It was sliced thickly and is always served medium rare. My steak came with a generous side salad and a salsa dip, but if you want any fries or other vegetables or sauces, you’ll have to order them separately. To be honest I’d have expected it to have come with some fries and a sauce. Despite its size, my piece of beef was very tender and cooked to perfection. Fiesta Del Asado pride themselves on the quality of their meat and their beef is dry aged for a minimum of 28 days. All of Fiesta Del Asado’s beef, lamb and chicken is free range and ethically farmed.

Meanwhile my husband opted for a pork dish: Cerdo asado lentamente y batatas. His piece of pork was almost as big as my steak at 15oz. It was slow roasted fore rib of pork, served with a sweet potato garlic mash and wilted greens.

When you go for a treat meal out it seems wrong to go without a pudding, so we didn’t. I chose the Almond and Amaretto Tart with Honey Ice Cream which was divine. The honey ice cream set off the flavours of the tart nicely. My husband opted for the Orange Pancakes which also slipped down very nicely.

There isn’t much in the way of vegetarian alternatives on the Fiesta Del Asado menu, but I think that’s to be expected. There are some chicken and fish dishes for those prefer not to eat red meat, but its a limited selection so you’d be advised to check the menu online before you go to make sure there’s something you’d like.

Overall we found Fiesta Del Asado to serve very high quality food and the meat was exceptionally good. The service was excellent too and certainly a cut above the average. It isn’t cheap (our meal for two cost the better part of £100 including drinks), but Fiesta Del Asado a great place to go for a celebration meal.

We paid for our meal in full and received no payment for this review.

New Mother Gifts From Hotel Chocolat

August 25, 2013 by Erica Hughes 1 Comment

You know how it is, you have a baby and everyone wants to buy cute, little baby clothes, but does anyone buy anything for the mother? When I gave birth a couple of people bought something for me rather than my baby son (or as well as) and you know, it was lovely to have something nice for me, to feel a little bit pampered and appreciated.

Hotel Chocolat have come up with some great ways to give new mother gifts to someone who has just had a baby. We were sent The New Arrival Selection to try out. It’s a selection of 12 velvety smooth pralines, pretty in pink raspberry pannacottas plus luxurious milk and white chocolate truffles. This would have been a very welcome gift to help me celebrate my son’s arrival. As you expect from Hotel Chocolat the gift is beautifully packaged and filled with high quality chocolates. They’re a really luxurious and special treat. The New Arrival Selection costs £14, but if you have a smaller budget or maybe want to buy a baby gift too, you could look at The New Arrival Pocket Selection or The Congratulations Message Box. These boxes contain 8 delicious chocolates and cost £8.