Drink

Prestige Hamper: A Christmas Chest

October 23, 2018 by Erica Hughes 10 Comments

prestige christmas hamper

I recently got sent a Christmas Chest from Prestige Hampers to try out. We were very impressed by the box which it came in which is made of wood and leather with a lovely retro feel, perfect for the time of year. The only downside for us is the argument over who is going to get to keep and reuse the chest once it’s empty. A gorgeous container makes a hamper feel all the more special and this would make the perfect gift for a family or the foodie in your life.

contents of prestige hamper

Inside there’s a cornucopia of goodies to enjoy. Wine is always welcome and there’s a choice of red and white in the shape of Water Stop Station Chardonnay and
Water Stop Station Shiraz. There are year round favourites like Milk, White and Dark Chocolate Classics and English Breakfast Tea. There were some new products that I hadn’t tried before, which might well be making it onto my shopping list like Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Yorkshire Crisps and Red Velvet Crunch Biscuits.

seasonal christmas foods prestige hampers

For me though one of the highlights was the range and depth of the Christmas goodies. Some of the brands I was very familiar with, but often there were products that were new to me featured like the Shortbread Festive Shapes. Christmas isn’t Christmas without a good quality, succulent Matthew Walker Classic Christmas Pudding and I’m a big fan of the Iced Fruit Cake too. Add to that the Mackays Christmas Marmalade and the Mackays Christmas Preserve, perfect for a Christmas Day special breakfast and the Handmade Smoked Oatcakes which are destined for a Christmas high tea I think. I think I’ll be squirreling away the dark chocolate bar for a post-Christmas, long winter’s night treat. So many lovely things in the Christmas Chest, it’s difficult to pick out which to eat first.

The Difficulty of Getting a Proper Pint of Bitter

September 10, 2018 by Erica Hughes 1 Comment

Photo by Matthieu Comoy on Unsplash

Beer is a drink going through a bit of a renaissance. All around us craft breweries are springing up and there are lots of pubs out there who boast about their extensive beer selections, some even provide beer menus. You’d think as a long-term beer drinker that I’d be pleased about this and I’d love to be, if only it wasn’t so difficult these days to find the sort of beer I like to drink. In fact if anything I’d say it’s got harder since the craft beer revolution. Now all the hand pulls are taken up with seasonal beers or IPAs and there isn’t any room seemingly for what I would call a proper pint of bitter.

I cut my beer drinking teeth on pints of mild in the days when it was the only pint left that still cost under a pound. As my taste matured and my pocket expanded a little, I moved onto drinking bitter and I’ve been there ever since. Over the years I’ve tried lots of different beers and I know that I like a full-bodied, well-rounded bitter with a lovely coppery tone to it. My absolute favourite all time pint is Wadsworth 6X which is pure nectar and the smoothest pint I’ve ever drunk. Sadly as the brewery is based in Devizes and most of the pubs that stock the beer are south of here, I rarely get to drink it. Now and again though some landlord who knows their bitter stocks it as a guest beer and I’m in heaven. I think my second favourite beer is probably Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, but Everards’ Tiger and Adnams’ Broadside come close.

I really think that if a pub is setting its stall out as a beer specialist it should be offering a range of bitters on hand pull naturally, rather than on the tap. Offering IPAs (Imperial Pale Ales) doesn’t really count in my eyes as I think IPAs are a lot closer to lager than to a traditional bitter. I find them a bit fizzy and too light in colour and flavour to really make them a satisfying pint to drink. So often I walk into a pub with lots of hand pulls and my expectations rise and then are dashed because there isn’t a pint amongst them that I really want to drink. Sadly my closest pubs don’t really offer a decent bitter on hand pull. One offers John Smiths on tap or worse still in another Worthingtons. I often end up drinking these because it’s still better than drinking a IPA, but I do find that I have to travel further afield to get a decent pint these days.

So pub landlords please start offering more bitters. Bitter is a lovely full-flavoured drink and it’s a shame to see it dying out a bit because pubs seem obsessed with fashionable IPAs.

The Head of Steam, Birmingham

June 7, 2018 by Erica Hughes 8 Comments

The Head of Steam, Temple Street, Birmingham opens today and adds something new to the Birmingham scene. We were lucky enough to get to try it out a day early on a press evening. Relaxed and casual in the heart of the city, it’s a comfortable, but modern, place to spend some time. I liked the decor whihch was a nice mix of hard and soft furnishings with some lovely quirky touches. My dinner companion said that he felt there were some slightly steampunk features and I could see what he meant. It’s a very inclusive place to eat and drink: dogs are welcome. I took my son who is 11 and very used to eating out – that felt very comfortable.

handpull beers

Lots of pubs and restaurants claim to offer a wide range of beers, and even have a whole menu for the beers, but when you ask for something like a regular bitter beer they can’t provide it even though they might offer a huge number of different beers. Thankfully, this isn’t the case with the Head of Steam and there are some traditional bitter style beers available. It would be nice to have more available and maybe a few less IPAs, but it’s nice to have a choice. I was drinking Camerons Strongarm, a well-rounded, ruby-red bitter, which is one of a number of hand pulled, cask beers. The other thing I liked was the samples of the beers so you could immediately see the colours and get an idea of which ones to try. The staff are also very willing to let you taste a little before you make your decision.

main course size nachos

We had a bowl of Nachos to share as a starter. There was a slight mixup and we ended up with the main course size instead, so no complaints there. The nachos had melted cheese on the uppermost layer and served with three dips: salsa, guacamole and sour cream. Very moreish!

moroccan harissa marinated salmon

For my main course I had Moroccan Harissa Marinated Salmon which was served with sauteed new potatoes, artisan Mediterranean vegetables and a sun blushed tomato & pea shoot salad. I liked the slightly spicy and very succulent salmon, but the dish was slightly spoilt for me by being served in a bowl. The salad was mixed in with the hot ingredients and was somewhat wilted as a result. I’d have preferred it served on a plate or with a different accompaniment.

hot spicy pepperoni chilli pizza

My son went for the Hot & Spicy Pepperoni & Chilli pizza. As you can see it’s a very thin crust pizza, which is just the way we like them. He did say it wasn’t that spicy and given the speed at which it was put away I’d say that was probably the case. I didn’t get a chance to try as it was so very popular.

profiteroles with butterscotch syrup For dessert I had the profiteroles, which were served with butterscotch syrup. They came with a generous garnish of fresh berries which worked very well alongside the profiteroles. I think though I’d have preferred them topped with dark chocolate.

We really liked the Head of Steam and it’s the sort of relaxed and friendly place I can see us popping in for lunch to if I’m in town with my son or with friends. The food is well priced and good quality. I’m eyeing up the breakfast and brunch menu because that looks like the perfect way to spend a weekend morning.