Food

If you love to cook at home, and you are keen to try and improve your cooking as much as possible, there are a few things that you might want to bear in mind here. The truth is that changing your cooking for the best might be a lot simpler and easier to do than you think, though it will require a particular awareness of what kinds of things work and which ones don’t work quite so well.

In this post, we are going to help with that by looking at some of the small changes that you can use to dramatically improve your cooking right now. You’ll find all of the following to be particularly worthwhile, so let’s take a look at them now.

A Little Salt

It’s really amazing how much of a difference just a little sprinkle of salt can make. When someone is wondering what they can do to improve their home cooking, generally this is one of the first things that they will want to look into, because it’s likely that they are not really utilizing salt in the way that they perhaps should. Because of that, it’s probably something that you will need to make sure you are thinking about.

If you find that some of your meals are just a little bland, a lack of salt is probably the culprit, and you might want to try just sprinkling a little over throughout the cooking. It’s all about adding a little and then tasting, and then repeating this process over and over. You might also want to change up which salt you have, because some are better for cooking – such as a flaky sea salt, for instance.

Different Fats

The fat in a meal is also really important, of course, and it’s something that you need to make sure you are thinking about if you are keen on making your cooking as good as you can possibly get it. In particular, you might want to consider whether you are using a kind of fat that doesn’t really add to the dish in the right way, in which case this might require that you change things around a little.

One of the best changes that you can make, and which a lot of people before you have made to great effect, is to swap out butter for olive oil. Oil is generally a lot healthier for you, but also much tastier, and there are certain meals – such as much of the Italian cuisine – whereas olive oil in particular is really delicious to use.

Be sure to get really good quality olive oil from the likes of Olivebox if you are going to be using it. It could be one of the best changes you make to your cooking overall.

Fresh Produce

In general, the fresher the produce that you use is, the better the end result of the cooking is going to be. One of the main barriers to having fresh produce is the price, because a lot of people will not be able to afford the best, freshest fruit and veg out there. Getting fresh produce can be tricky beyond that as well, particularly in terms of simply finding where it is. However, once you have spent some time looking around at different places, you should then be able to learn where to get hold of it.

That’s good, because having fresh produce makes your meals so much better in no time at all. It’s truly amazing how much of a difference this can make, and it’s something that you should certainly bear in mind at all times. Fresh produce will likely make your cooking so much better.

A major element that is missing from many people’s cooking is the simple addition of some herbs and spices. It can take some time to learn which herbs go with what dishes, but once you start to develop this understanding you will find that you soon know when to use rosemary, when coriander is best, and so on. And as for the spices, that is the kind of thing that you can pretty much play by ear as and when you need to in cooking any meal.

As long as you make good use of herbs and spices, it’s amazing how much of a difference this is going to make to your cooking.

Those are just some of the major things that you should bear in mind when it comes to trying to improve your cooking.

Growing up in Bearwood, I first became aware of Jonathans in the 1980s.  It was the place to be seen and there were many reports of top groups and other celebrities, like Duran Duran, eating in the restaurant.  I’m not sure how true all the rumours were, but it was certainly a very well respected restaurant.  The hotel and restaurant were quirky and different, plus the food was excellent.  In the early 2000s I moved into a house just round the corner and started eating out there fairly regularly.  As time moved along I had my wedding evening reception there and even stayed overnight there despite only living a few minutes walk away.  Years rolled by and the restaurant closed, but it found new life in the newly restored Lightwoods House as Jonathans in the Park.

Brothers Paul and John Havelin – also owners of the popular and successful Jonathans in the Park eatery, which is based in Lightwoods House in Bearwood – have brought their signature style to this new restaurant in the city’s iconic Roundhouse. Paul actually began his hospitality career in the renowned Jonathans restaurant in Oldbury (on the junction of Hagley Road and Wolverhampton Road) forty years ago, under the guidance of owners Jonathan Baker and Jonathan Bedford who trained him from being a schoolboy washer up to head chef by the age of seventeen.

Jonathans have a reputation for seeking out unusual, quirky buildings for their restaurants.  Jonathans in the Roundhouse is no exception. The building dates back to 1874 and was part of a massive city improvement act, the building was commissioned by the Corporation of Birmingham through an architectural competition, which was won by local architect W H Ward.  Ward’s Roundhouse was used as a stables and stores for the Birmingham Corporation’s Public Works Department.  In 2020 the building was subject to a full-scale renovation, which saved the historic fabric of the building; re-purposing the site for the 21st century.  Jonathans spotted the potential of the building and have set up Jonathans in the Roundhouse within its walls.  Inside there’s a sympathetically furnished cafe with Victorian furniture and detailing.   It’s a really lovely venue.

The food is very varied: you can simply pop in for a barista coffee with a delicious slice of cake or book in for a sumptuous afternoon tea.  You might prefer to come along for a relaxing three course Sunday lunch.  I’ve tried all these options (and more) at the Jonathans in the Park, which is somewhere I go very regularly.  For me the afternoon tea is the stand out choice as the surroundings lend themselves to this sort of culinary treat very well.  There’s a good range of choices on the menu and there should be something for everyone.  As I’ve come to expect from Jonathans they have selected good quality products to offer and the food is carefully prepared to high standards.  It’s the perfect place to have a delicious treat or more.

Disclosure: I was invited to a press event at Jonathans in the Roundhouse for the purposes of this review.

Few press invites have required such a careful selecting of a plus one as this one.  Usually it’s just a case of finding someone local, who I get on well with and who is available at the right time.  This time I wanted all that, but also someone who is up for new experiences and prepared to try something a bit different.  Luckily my selected victim said yes, so we rocked up to Karen’s Diner on Tuesday night.

The Brummie Karen is in Grand Central, next to the Kitty Cafe.  If you are walking into New Street Station from Stephenson Street, head straight up the escalator as you walk in.  I loved the decor: there was a lot of pink and it had that American diner vibe.   There were some lovely touches, including the pink phones which bore the legend ‘stay away from my phone by order of the peaky f*ckin Karen’s’.  I liked that they’d adapted their look to suit the city.

We were greeted rather rudely, as you’d expect, but the staff at the door did make sure that you knew what you were letting yourself in.  There was a very casual handing over of menus and we were told to find our own table (we were given the number of it).  The menu is quite simple.  You don’t want to be asking these staff for a load of explanations.  To be honest I don’t think you’d come somewhere like this, if you were a fussy eater or had a lot of stuff you needed to avoid.  Despite the apparent dislike of Karen of vegans, there are gluten free and vegan options available.  Expect to get some teasing about ordering a vegan burger though.

The first thing that happened was that we were given a colouring sheet and crayons.  The crayons were dropped one by one on the table with a frown.  Don’t expect this to be therapeutic colouring – the paper is too shiny and the crayons are poor quality.  To be honest though it just added to the experience.  We coloured in our Karens and studied the menu.  Whilst we were doing that some diners were told to come up for a game – a sort of punishment I think.   They spun the wheel and the person that had been picked on had to do the dare.  The first victim was soon crawling around on the floor and barking as part of her dog impression.  She took it all in good part.  The next victim got karaoke, but didn’t seem too keen.  The staff seemed to realise his genuine discomfort and instead got the whole section up on their feet for a quick round of head, shoulders, knees and toes.  It’s a bit noisy in the restaurant, so your embarrassing experience is unlikely to be heard by anyone sitting more than a couple of tables away.

Ordering was certainly an experience – expect to have the micky taken.  We picked out some cocktails: The Tropical Karen and The Sour Karen (can you guess which is which?).  Whilst we were waiting for our food, we got to do a lot of people watching.  Lots of people were coming up for a look at the diner and then seemed to chicken out of coming in.

Our meals came and were put down rather roughly.  We had to bravely ask for some napkins, which were brought over straight away and dumped on a nearby empty table.  We saw other people having one meal put down in the correct place and another meal on an empty table or a drink left on the server’s station.  Underlying the attitude though the service was very good.  We didn’t have to wait long for anything and it was all correct.  They have a lot of serving staff because of the theatrical side of things, so you actually get fairly few tables to each member of staff.

We ordered the ‘I want to see the manager’ Karen burger and the Basic Karen Burger.   They were good quality and very tasty – the meat was good quality and nice and juicy.  We were full after we’d finished.  The only slight downside was that the burger bun was a bit flimsy underneath.  I’m glad I got up the nerve to ask for the napkins because I needed them.

Karen’s Diner is not the place to come for a romantic candlelit dinner, but it’s a fun restaurant that really is a bit different.  I actually found the sullen service quite refreshing, rather than the usual  ‘Is your meal alright?’ just as you have taken a big mouthful of food. Don’t come if you don’t have a sense of humour or prefer a more traditional restaurant experience.  I’d happily go to the Brummie Karen (or one of the other branches) again.

News of a new Karen’s Dinner in Leicester:

Round up your Karens because an immersive, pop-up dining experience is opening its doors in Leicester (in a venue opposite the Curve Theatre) on 2nd June 2023, and it is not one to be missed, especially if you enjoy complaining!  You can register your interest now at ExploreHidden.com to be first to hear about ticket releases!

Disclosure: I was given a free meal for myself and a plus one for the purposes of this review.