The Brownie Post

Chocolate - much loved, much craved and some would argue, much needed. Synonymous with giggly girls getting together and often heavily marketed towards the fairer sex; it can be both a cheap, sweet pick-me-up and and expensive, single-estate luxury that has critics melting it on the tongue and rolling it round their mouths.

Whatever the reason and whenever the occasion, chocolate is one of life's little luxuries that I just can't live without. I can eschew sweets and crisps. I can (sometimes) forget about wine and gin. I can even go without cheese for a while. But 3pm on a dull afternoon, or sitting on the couch with a movie, or if I need a little pick-me-up - a trusty bar of dark chocolate is the thing I'll always choose.

When offered a box of brownies from The Brownie Post; which are handcrafted with organic flour, local free-range eggs, quality chocolate and fair trade sugar in Didsbury by the people who run And The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon Cafe - how could I say no? Especially when they offered to drop them off at work (prime chocolate eating location).

Delivered in a nifty envelope shaped box, opened at my desk (to admiring oohs/jealous sighs from colleagues), the brownies come tied up in paper and blue ribbon with a little card (with an amazing font) describing just what's in the box - a very pretty treat to brighten up any day.

Chocolaty and pretty - what more could I want? (notice amazing font under brownie)

Being of an indecisive mind, I had opted for both the plain chocolate and the white chocolate and pistachio, good decision if you ask me! I put some in my mouth, realised how heavenly they were, then did that thing where I slow-motionally turned to everyone and nearly wet myself in delight. Yes. I loved them that much.

The chocolate brownies were dark and dense, but not overly heavy or unpleasantly cocoa-powdery. A slightly bitter note ensured they weren't overpowering and they had a pleasing crispy crust to set off that soft (but not wet) inside. If the chocolate were a heady hit of cocoa, the white chocolate pistachio were a perfumed, floral delight. I had feared they would be more blondies, that they would be a super saccharine combination chock full of sugar and not much else (as you can tell, I'm not a white chocolate fan; it's a sickly sweet non-chocolate abomination created for people with tastebuds that stopped advancing age five).

LOOK! I did sharing! Note how fudgy the brownies are (and how small I cut them for people...)

Luckily the white chocolate was a mere scattering of chunks, dotted through the usual dark chocolate brownie alongside crunchy nuggets of pistachio - the whole thing was lifted up by the heady, almost soapy, exotic fragrance of cardamon - an excellent addition and a taste I am very fond of.

Being the generous soul that I aim (read, watching my figure) - I taste-tested the brownies at the office (with a crowd of drooling faces gathered round my desk, it was hard not to). Opinion was split between whether the plain were better than the white/pistachio/cardamon; but all agreed they were some of the best brownies they had ever tasted and even better that they had magically arrived in the post.

Whether it's a birthday, a cheer up, a thank you, MOTHER'S DAY (ALERT, less than seven days!!) or just as a present to yourself - Brownies by Post is a tasty, if somewhat naughty treat. They're not the cheapest in the world; but they're made by hand, from excellent quality ingredients, they last for five days and postage is included in the price - all in all each brownie works out way cheaper than the ones you can buy in a cafe.

All gone, very quickly...

Guess what? The Brownie Post whole range can also be ordered gluten free - great to see a company catering for as many people as they can.

And how do you get your hands on these amazing bites of beautifulness? Go online HERE and order yourself some. It's chocolate, it's fab, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Price for six brownies (massive choice of flavours) inc postage - £12.95

www.thebrowniepost.co.uk

Please note, I was sent my brownies for free - but you know that I'm a grumpy curmudgeon, so you know I'd slag them off if they were anything but perfect.

The Plough and Flail - Mobberly, Cheshire

Sometimes I think I expect too much from restaurants – maybe they bring it on themselves, maybe it’s the setting, maybe I just have high standards.

The Plough and Flail in Mobberly, Cheshire is set in the middle of sparrow laden hedgerows, lush fields and picturesque villages; stepping in, you’re surrounded by light wood, slate floors, exposed brick and comfy cushions. There’s also a wine cube, a special room for all their amazing stock of wine and their food is all locally sourced and seasonal.

Plough and Flail - idyllic setting - with thanks to themselves

On paper this is somewhere I’m going to love – commitment to local sourcing, drinks I’ll actually enjoy drinking, natural materials and period features, all set in an idyllic setting.

It’s just that the meal wasn’t quite right – it was almost a meal of two halves. The pâté for the starter was bland and livery, tasting as if it was bought in. However t’boy’s homemade hash brown and poached egg was a salty, crunchy, carby delight and the egg was cooked spot on – dribbling warm orange juices all over the hash, softening up the palate and just generally scrummy.

Corned beef hash brown and egg

Pheasant three ways was dry, stringy and tasteless bar the cute little pie; however this was horrendously salty and drowned out any other taste and was more pastry than filling. The dish was served with a scoop of lumpy mash potato (yes, an actual ice cream scoop, see picture) and some chopped carrots – very school dinner and not at all appetising.

Pheasant three ways - very dry

Again t’boy scored with his Gressingham duck – pink, soft, sweet and absolutely cooked to perfection, it also looked beautiful on the plate and tasted pretty much like that too.

Beautiful Gressingham duck

Would t’boy score a hat trick? He did indeed with a buttery, crunchy, sweetly sharp berry crumble. Gorgeous and generous I was left eating my overly lemony treacle tart with a lump in my throat – and that wasn’t just from heavy pastry under the custardy lemony filling I was swallowing. I appreciate a treacle tart needs a lemon tang to lift it up, however I’m sure this was actually just a lemon tart masquerading on the menu as treacle. I can only presume they a) ran out of treacle and thought I wouldn’t notice b) have a confused chef that isn’t quite au fait with the differences or c) were sent a wrongly marked lemon tart from the catering company they use.

Lemon tart? Treacle tart?

How a meal eaten by two people on one table can be so different for the parties involved, I don’t know – the skill, balance, cookery, look and taste of our dishes was so far removed that we could have been eating at different restaurants. Having sampled (a lot) of t’boy’s meal I know it wasn’t just my conceptions – he had some absolutely belting dishes and I, to use modern parlance, ‘lucked out.’

If The Plough and Flail can bring the quality of all their dishes up to the same considerably high bar that they so obviously are capable of, then it would become the country idyll pub I’d originally imagined it to be.

Price for two starters, two mains, two puddings and two beers –

Food – 7/10 (6/10 for mine and 8/10 for t’boy’s)
Atmosphere – 8/10
Service – 6/10 (we struggled to catch peoples’ eyes as they whizzed past)
Value for money – 7/10

Total – 28/40

Go again? If my meal could be as good as t’boy’s, then yes, but as the food quality is variable I’d only go again if I was in the area.

Plough and Flail, Paddock Hill, Mobberly, Cheshire, WA16 7DB - 01565 873537 - ploughandflail@thedekersgroup.com - website

Clarence House - Dalton, Barrow-in-Furness

Eating in a hotel is always an uneasy business; are there certain tables reserved for guests only, will you trip over baggage in the hallway and will the menu try and encompass every taste for the people stopping there?

Luckily Clarence House Country Hotel and Restaurant, has addressed the problem and feels very much more restaurant than hotel. Yes, the name includes the word hotel and when you enter there’s a bell and the front desk and the ubiquitous tourist information leaflets; but apart from that the whole ground floor is given over to the restaurant, bar and lounge; it helps that when you arrive you're immediately whisked in to the conservatory for drinks and canapes. Very suave.

Clarence House Hotel with thanks to themselves

Canapes seem to be the done thing in restaurants of a certain calibre these days and those that imitate them - sometimes you wonder whether the kitchen should have served up the lukewarm attempts at creativity at all; but at Clarence House I can report a consistently high standard - moreish chilli nuts, salty parmesan twists and pork terrine with apple sauce whetted the appetite and ensured we practically bolted in to the dining room when we were called to table.

Generous canapes

The dining room itself is understatedly sumptuous and takes up over half of the ground floor – white linens, heavy drapes and an attention to detail that is replicated in the gorgeous dishes that arrive from the kitchen and the attentive, professional staff. There's the main area, an orangery overlooking the manicured garden and the terrace for those few days of the year it's warm enough to eat outside.

Pan roast scallops with curry and cauliflower textures was a tastebud revelation. Beautifully seared the soft shellfish contrasted brilliantly with a curried nut crumble, the spiciness tempered by a beautifully silky foam; the nutty edge of the cauliflower highlighted this usually underrated vegetable and the whole dish was given a dash of freshness and colour from beautiful micro leaves (apparently grown by chef himself). 

Soft, salty, spicy, sensational scallops

Local partridge with confit leg was exceptionally well cooked; the small, sweet, crisp little leg was a salty and delectable morsel and I wish there had been more of them; sat atop fondant potatoes and drizzled liberally with a savoury and lip-smacking red wine jus, this dish screamed refinement and continued the high quality and excellent vein of the meal.

Partridge with more of chef's homegrown greens

The menu at Clarence House reads like a what’s what of the region; sitting at the bottom of the Lake District and Cumbria, they are surrounded by a plethora of exceptional produce that this region is so famous for. Thankfully there's a high level of skill present in the kitchen that puts this to exceptional and imaginative use. The menu is short, concentrating on a few exceptional dishes rather than try and cater to every different traveller's taste. Really it should be Clarence House Restaurant and Country Hotel.

Eating at Clarence House is a pleasure. The amazing, almost secret, setting with the orangery, terrace and the gardens ensures the experience is magical. And most surprisingly it’s tucked away on a residential street – you can almost drive past it, if you’re not lucky enough to know that it’s there!

Ps - although Clarence House is located in a little bit of a weird location it's actually very good for accessing the lakes or if you have business in Barrow-in-Furness (let's face it, Barrow isn't known for it's touristy side - although there is an exceptional birding site there called Walney Island, especially good for migrating sea birds and has resident populations of twites and eiders).

Price for two starters and two mains - £64

Food – 9/10

Service – 10/10

Atmosphere – 7/10

Value for money – 7/10

Total – 33/40

Go again? Yes, it would be lovely to stay there and it’s great for a special meal with a loved one or for a family gathering in the orangery.

Clarance House Country Hotel and Restaurant, Skelgate, Dalton-in-Furness, 

Nr Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria LA15 8BQ - 01229 462508

www.clarencehouse-hotel.co.uk

The Chetham Arms - Chapeltown, Bolton

I’m in fear of shocking you readers, but there’s something to be said about the North West’s dining scene; if you only eat in the cities because you 'know' you're guaranteed the best food, then you're getting a raw deal - the best food, the best service and the best prices are all found outside town.

I’m going to propose a theory; no matter the quality, a city restaurant it is always guaranteed custom as long as it's cheap enough or flashy enough. There’s the footfall, the tourists, the convenience, the being part of a scene (ad nauseum) and these factors ensure bums will be on seats and food will be in mouths. (Seems many restaurants in Manchester are surviving very well on just being flashy; but that's another rant and another blog).

Take an eatery out of the city and suddenly things change. There’s no guaranteed footfall bar a few pint seeking locals, so quality suddenly becomes very important; as does reasonable prices and staff that are capable of serving rather than just looking good.

One such place proving this theory is the newly refurbished Chetham Arms in Chapeltown on the outskirts of Bolton. Nestled away in a quintessentially small Northern village, it has been taken over by the powerhouse that is Chris Yates. At the tender age of 24 he already has two very successful ventures under his belt (Elephant and Castle, Shoulder of Mutton) with a raft of awards to boot and an inclusion in the Relish cookbook, along with such luminaries as Robert Owen Brown and Andrew Nutter.

The Chetham Arms - with thanks to themselves

The Chetham Arms doesn’t look anything special, in fact it looks like a local that’s had a little bit of a makeover in the main dining room; nothing stuffy or over pretentious. The staff are very welcoming and there’s plenty of good ale on tap. Even the menu is unassuming; filled with local produce and hearty sounding dishes: it doesn’t give an inkling of what’s to come.

A soup of jerusalem artichokes was rich and velvety without being overpowering; the accompanying truffle cream added a heady perfume that matched with an earthy brilliance. The cream had been foamed slightly and this added a lightness to a dish that could have suffered from being far too heavy.

Jerusalem artichoke soup and lightly truffled cream

Isle of Skye scallops were sweet, caramelised and cooked to perfection - nothing rubbery or anaemic here. I’m not one for foams when they’re just ‘there,’ but the addition of a smoked bacon foam added a salty punch that brought the dish together amazingly well.

Isle of Skye scallops - yes, this was served to me in a pub! (pint just out of shot)

Homemade black pudding with quails egg came with a moreish pineapple relish and julienned sour apple slices; a quirky slant on a well known food pairing. An accompanying fritter was light with no hint of grease - a testament to the chef's skill and one which added a lovely crunch to the dish.

 Black pudding, quails egg, pineapple relish and black pudding fitter

For mains we had burger, it would have been rude not to whilst sitting in a pub. The patties were amazing; not too salty, not too greasy, not too bland, not too much bread. Everything was spot on with this dish; from the handmade ketchup (heavy hints of star anise) to the onion relish, to the home picked onions to the toasted muffin and it was served pink to boot. Perfect!

Best burger I've ever had - please note this is a smaller portion than the usual one served

Finding space for pudding was hard, but after the quality of the proceeding dishes we reasoned we should try and find space. Rice pudding and treacle tart were very well constructed, but the most amazing pudding was the simplest – a raspberry parfait with orange rind compote. I’m not sure how the chef had managed to create such intense flavours, but the small quenelle packed a massive punch of fruity flavours -  the balance of sugary sweetness and the underlying tartness was just right, leaving you neither sugared out or pinched in the mouth.

Lovely puddings - yum yum yum

Usually in an evening there is always a bum note or some aspect of a dish you'd change. At The Chetham Arms the composition of each plate that came out was perfect; obviously Chris Yates has thought long and hard about each and every aspect of each and every dish; ensuring texture, taste, look and smell were balanced and come together to create a harmony not often found in restaurant food, let alone pub food. 

The Chetham Arms may be a simple pub with good, honest grub; but the high standard, creativity, skill and reasonable prices means this is likely to become a definite go to destination and proves that out of the city it's the food, service and price that does the talking.

Ps - I try not to go to the nth describing every dish or go in to raptures of delight on my blog, however the food at The Chetham Arms was so surprisingly good and priced so extremely fairly I'm sorry, it was needed this time!

Price for taster menu and drinks: £34.60 – as The Chetham Arms is newly opened the staff gave us a small taster menu for the same price as the three course market menu (13.95 for three courses lunch time and 5.30-7pm Mon-Fri).

Food – 10/10
Service – 9/10
Atmosphere – 6/10 (they were a bit empty, but the staff made up for it)
Value for money – 10/10

Total – 35/40

Go again? Yes, we have already booked to have Christmas Eve there and will go back time and time again.

83 High Street, Chapeltown, Turton, Bolton BL7 0EW - 01294 852279 - info@thechethamarms.co.uk

http://www.thechethamarms.co.uk/

Nutters - Rochadale

There's something of celebrity about Nutters, a whiff of expectation and an air of grandeur - it does help that Nutters is set in a eighteenth century manor house in rolling grounds, approached by a long drive, with a polished and warm welcome from Nutter Snr himself upon arrival.

Nutter's - with thanks to UK Parties

Seated in the newly refurbished bar area we were served a selection of canapes whilst choosing from the well balanced menu; a fish goujon was light and delightful, however the wrap was fridge cold, soggy and tasted no more special than philadelphia in corn tortillas. The waiting area has been newly decorated; whether this is being rolled out throughout the whole restaurant I'm not sure, but the decoration jarred with the old school, main body of the restaurant, which is characterised by sumptuous royal blue carpets, dark wood, low lighting and white table cloths.

Starter of carpaccio was lightly seared and wonderfully soft with a parmesan crisp that added a welcome crunch of texture and salty savouriness, although the accompanying crispy vegetable nibbles were soft rather than crispy and didn't add anything to the dish. Vine ripened tomato soup was deeply flavoured with a warm evocation of late summer, but the truffled chives on top added nothing to the dish; the perfume rather overwhelmed and rather jarred with the sweetness of the tomatoes.

Carpaccio with parmesan crisp

Mains were well constructed and obviously well practised by Andrew Nutter and his team. Brill with a red pepper crust with black pudding and scallops was dainty and soft, the porky sweetness marrying well with the rest of the dish. Hake with a tomato and scallop tart was brilliantly executed, the pastry light and crunchy. Steaks came out faultless, cooked to our exact specifications and were obviously good quality hunks of meat.

Hake with tomato and scallop tart

So swiftly on to pudding; a delectable chocolate delice with proper, handmade peanut brittle. This was a chocolaty, creamy delight with great shards of hard, salty brittle and tempered dark chocolate, set off by a caramel/peanut ice cream: I was in rapture and can still taste it now. For the rest of the table a small plate of petits fours arrived; small, sweet, but not anything out of the ordinary.

Chocolate delice and peanut brittle

Wine at Nutters is managed, advised on and served in style by Nutter Snr, your glasses constantly topped up without you noticing, whilst he glides around the floor chatting to the clientele - this is clearly a man who loves his work. The operation at Nutters is smooth and well polished; food comes out silently from experienced and well kept waitresses. Service was outstanding; however we did have a little trouble in locating staff between courses, they came out with the food and then disappeared again as if by magic.

Petis fours

I had initially been worried that the grand exterior, the white linen and the dark panelling would have equalled a dated, fusty experience, but felt at ease whilst eating here. Although the mains were skillfully put together, some dishes failed to live up to the standard conjured up by the grand setting. Prior to eating at Nutters we had heard such glowing reviews that we expected impeccable food in an amazing surrounding. Whilst neither was achieved, Nutters came very close and was certainly a thoroughly enjoyable meal.

Price for four starters, four mains, one pudding, pre-dinner drinks, two bottles of champagne, one half bottle of port and three coffees: £245.50

Food - 8/10
Service - 7/10
Atmosphere - 8/10
Value for money - 7/10

Total - 30/40

Go again - yes I would, I think there's many positive points here and it's worth another visit.

Nutters, 691 Edenfield Road, Norden, Rochdale OL12 7TT - 01706 650167 - enquiries@nuttersrestaurant.com - Twitter

http://www.nuttersrestaurant.co.uk/

WH Frost Butchers - Chorlton

It's good to support your local shops and indeed I try to. I have a local butcher and he's very good for your standard fare; the meat's well hung, the sausages are made by the butchers themselves, they're friendly and the meat's local. Sounds perfect you might think, but there's one big snag; when asking for free range chicken, game, mutton or anything a bit, well, different I get the following: "ooh not much call for that round 'ere." This article is a confession; I'm seeing another butcher.

WH Frost and Sons has been selling meat to Chorltonites since 1910 when the shop was opened by Jack Frost; the business is still in the family and is growing from strength to strength. Dedicated to sourcing quality local produce, Frosts won the Manchester Food and Drink Award 2011 for Best Food and Drink Outlet and is a member of the Guild of Q Butchers. Chorlton is not local to me and has never been; but I have yet to find anything that beats them for quality, dedication, customer service and scope of produce.

The dedicated commitment and care that WH Frost displays in their attitude to working is not only appreciated by Chorltonites and foodies like me; WH Frost is an ever expanding empire with 22 full time members of staff sourcing and delivering produce to pubs, supper clubs and restaurants - with some Michelin starred customers having kept long running accounts. Unlike other catering butchers they do not find the cheapest meat from the easiest source (usually countries like Poland and injected with water to plump it up); instead they ensure everything is British unless it is a specific product eg. poulet de bresse.

Paul Kitching's 21212 is just one of WH Frost's famous customers

For a high street butcher, Frosts is well stocked; the meat sourced from farms in and around Cheshire and the North West. The meat is hung properly, the beef for a full 28 days (you can ask for it longer) so you'll find no bright red, sweaty polythene packs or the 'aged' steak you find in supermarkets (most supermarket steaks are cut and put in the packs from freshly slaughtered animals, they are then held in refrigeration units for a set number of days; so not matured properly allowing the fibres to relax and water to come out).

As well as beef, lamb, chicken, pork and the handmade sausages, there's plenty else to tickle your taste buds. Venison chorizo, game from local shoots, whole legs of serrano ham, pickles, duck eggs and even cheeses such as the wonderful  Burt's Blue from Altrinham and the hard to source Norwegian Brunost.

The variety of choice doesn't end there. Want something special for that Masterchef menu you're perfecting or a quality bird for Christmas? Frosts will source what you need (marrow bones, rose veal, bath chaps, goose, smoked back fat) or they can suggest meats, foods, cooking techniques and even life advice.

Obviously you're impressed and want to pay them a visit; this is where WH Frosts is moving with the times and keeping abreast with the modern customer. My local butcher opens at 9am and closes at 5pm sharp; they don't open on Wednesday afternoons and are only open until noon on a Saturday. I'm out before they open, home after they close and am pretty lazy on a Saturday morning/go away a lot. WH Frost is open Mon-Sat 7am-5pm (plus if you follow them on Twitter you can get a sneaky order in at midnight when you're craving some chicken livers) and they've even been known to drop orders for repeat customers at a location to suit them.

One of the Frost brothers (Lee) with his sausages out!

You're not going to find bargain basement prices, lucky dip meat bags or chickens for less than a fiver here. What you will find is consistent quality and pride in the way they work and what they sell. You can get carried away with the expensive produce, however shop wisely and ask questions; the staff will point you in the direction of cuts you can't get in the supermarket and you'll be rewarded with something that tastes fantastic and something you can resolutely trust is good quality produce.

Ps - Get your Christmas meat orders in quick! WH Frost sources quality free-range birds such as Copas turkeys and Gressingham geese; plus they ensure the birds are slaughtered as close to Christmas as possible. Some butchers and supermarkets will have their birds slaughtered from late November and then kept in bubbles of inert gas to keep them fresh until Christmas - not a concept I find appealing and I'm sure you don't either.

WH Frosts, 14 Chorlton Place, Chorlton-Cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 9AQ - 0161 881 1827 - Twitter

Farmison.com - online butcher, greengrocer and dairy

I’m not a lover of veg boxes. As I’m a Guardian reading, left leaning Liberal it may come as a bit of a shock to you, but I find there’s either too much trouble with delivery (I don’t have somewhere or someone to leave it with), there’s too much repetition of produce, there’s far too much produce that’s not from the UK – even when it’s in season, or that the produce is a bit ropey. I may be asking a lot from a box scheme, but I’m a picky old thing; that’s why I write a blog!

Farmison are a new online retailer that have started a box scheme and are approaching things from a different angle. Sure there’s the boxes for families and basic boxes, but there’s an emphasis on good quality, hard-to-source produce; plus gourmet products thrown in for good measure (there’s a foodie box, for those that are that way inclined).

From the lovely marketing ladies I chose the Foodie Box (of course) and chose this with relish – big juicy garlic cloves, beautifully fragrant unwaxed lemons, sticky figs, romesco cauliflower, two varieties of cress, shallots, massive Muscat grapes, yellow beetroot, jura potatoes, cheese and yoghurt. My box arrived quickly and I was heartened to see that most of it could go in the recycling/compost – they’d even used paper straw to pad out the dedicates rather than polystyrene beads.

Foodie box with dairy - with thanks to Farmison.com

Opening the box I was like a child at Christmas – all the produce was in peak condition and lasted longer than supermarket produce. However the potatoes didn’t last very long at all and had gone mouldy by the end of the week.

The inclusion of the dairy in the box is a good idea – allowing you to mix and match what you get and add a little extra for your weekly menu. The quality of the dairy products was even better than the fruit and veg. Montgomery’s cheddar was an unpasteurised delight with a rich, almost farmyardy smell and a real tangy bite. The yoghurt was from Preston; thick, creamy and a true delight – it was hard not to eat the whole tub in one go.

Farmison’s philosophy is to offer excellent seasonal produce from traditional and artisanal producers across the UK – offering products that are not available elsewhere online. This commitment's splashed right across their website; their stock of cheeses is enviable and a fromageophile’s equivalent to online porn.

Cheese box - yes, you can even pick your own cheese and put it in a box - with thanks to Farmison.com

Compared to other box schemes Farmison’s prices aren’t much more expensive, but for me I still prefer to be able to fondle my fruit and veg; plus only the cress, cauli and potatoes were from the UK in the foodie box I received. I appreciate that certain products (ie the wonderful lemons from Italy) can’t be sourced in the UK; but for me, even as a foodie, I’d rather fore go most items that are out of season, rather than substitute with those that from a different country (though not those lemons!).

For me, rather than the box scheme, Farmison excels on their meat and dairy; each cut of meat has multiple choices for the consumer, for example there’s four different types of lamb noisettes from North Yorkshire, The Isle of Man, Lancashire and Suffolk. Each entry has details about the farm it’s from, the breed and which chefs in the country use it. You can even click on farm name or the breed and you’re linked to more detailed information. 

Photo of Abbotts Farm, Yorkshire from their producer section - thanks to Farmison.com

Farmison’s dedication to quality sourcing and care of provenance shines through from their well thought out and well designed site. Farmison are putting choice and power back in the hands of the consumer and that’s a good thing in my book. It might be a little pricey, but I like to think that I'm paying for quality, good husbandry and utter trust in the provenance of the produce I buy. I doubt I'll use the box scheme, but that's just me, however for meat and dairy I'm already there!



Ps - I was sent a box by Farmison, but not in the expectation I'd write super nice things about them - all the thoughts are my own and they haven't seen this piece before I publish it.


Pps - Sorry for the lack of pictures, technology problem.


www.farmison.com

The Rose Garden - West Didsbury

Situated in the middle of Burton Road, which is West Didsbury's equivalent of a high street, The Rose Garden shines out as a paean to modernity and minimalism. Located in an area overloaded with faux vintage, twee cupcake shops and folksy frontages, the clean lines and stark white interior of The Rose Garden make a refreshing change.

The Rose Garden exterior - with thanks to Deanna Thomas and Didsbury Life

The restaurant is totally family run; William Mills is the chef, his dad designed the restaurant, his brother kitted it out, his sister works there (and was our very eloquent, attentive and excellent waitress for the night) and I've heard a rumour that it's named after his mum and she does the books.

With seasonality and locality underlining the restaurant's ethos coupled with the stunning interior design  I was already smitten with the restaurant before eating there. All I needed was some good food and I can say I wasn't disappointed.

Starters were large and flavoursome - a fish pie was just on the right side of heavy without being too filling and the mussels in cider with bacon melted in the mouth. The combination of seafood and porcine sweetness highlighted Chef Mills' ability to pair complimentary flavours in order to create something simple yet stunning.

Mussels with cider and bacon

Mains carried on excellently; beef two ways was a big, burly dish of succulent, rare fillet and and tender slow cooked shin. The perfectly pink venison with 'rubik's cube roasted veg' further highlighted the chef's brilliant cooking skills. However this dish was priced at £21.95 and was tiny compared to the beef, plus the rubik's cube was far too faffy and the veg cubes far too small. I can think of better things to do with roasted root veg than spend my time arranging them into a neat little box.

Teeny, tiny venison portion

A pistachio tart was the final flourish to an exceptionally well put together meal. The taste was very subtle, but in no way would I call this tart bland; the flavours sweetly whispered their existence. Underlying fragrances of orange blossom and cardamon layered beautifully and I can say this is one of the best puddings I've had this year - and I'm not even going to gripe about the price!

Wonderful tart with an intense blackcurrant tuile - more please!

The Rose Garden is a special place; great food put together with great care by a great family, the only issue is the great (as in expensive) price of the mains, bring these down a few quid and then the future is, well, rosey.

Ps - The Rose Garden does have a cheaper set menu that's available all day early in the week and then as an early bird later on in the week - check it out here.

Price for two starters, two mains, two puddings and a glass of wine: £70.80

Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Atmosphere - 9/10
Value for money - 7/10

Total - 34/40

Go again? Yes, for a special occasion or if I wasn't having three courses.

The Rose Garden, 218 Burton Road, West Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2LW - 0161 478 0747 -
the-rose-garden@hotmail.com - Twitter - Facebook

therosegardendidsbury.com

Mr Vikki's Chutneys and Pickles - Penrith, Cumbria

I've long been on the search for chilli jam that doesn't place heat before flavour, only burn the back of your throat and leave a chemical aftertaste, or be so vinegary as to make me pull a face akin to the one I pulled when I was seven and my 'best mate' dared me to eat an entire packet of super sourz gobstoppers. At once.

Stopping off at an unknown village, whilst conducting a whistle stop tour of the lakes with the Legal Eagles, we chanced upon a stall selling Mr Vikki's. After not falling for tasting the King Naga sauce, made with the hottest chilli - the Naga (I learnt my lesson with the gobstoppers); we settled for a jar of the chilli jam and thought nothing much of it.

That was until we came home. Searching around for something to pep up eggs on toast, we can came across this little jar in the cupboard and thought, 'well it's that or dry bread.'

What a revelation! Not only did Mr Vikki's chilli jam make that the best damn eggs on toast I've ever had; it opened my eyes that somewhere in the distant Northern lands known as Cumbria, there was a company making what can only be described as God's preserves. No argument.

Chilli Jam - three chilli rating; King Naga is a massive eight!

The chilli jam is a richly spiced and multi-layered with a full, sweet and very distinctive taste. Large slices of garlic add their warmth to a thick base of peppers and tomatoes - none of this watery supermarket slush here. Mr Vikki's uses a combination of Naga and Habanero chillies; both hot, hot, hot - but this means there's also oodles of flavour. There's a slight citrus upnote from the habanero and then deeper sweetness and almost savoury notes of the naga, then a bit of a bam on the old tongue from the chilli. But that's not it; behind all that, washing over you in waves is all the spices used - I'm not going to guess, but there's some fennel in there, some mustard seed and some nigella too if I'm not mistaken.

This chilli jam has the ability to pep up everything and compliment so many flavours, instead of drowning them out in the usual hot sauces fashion; aforementioned eggs on toast, with cheese, dip apples in it, add it to pizza, makes wonderful sandwiches or just have it on toast (there's also recipes on the Mr Vikki's website). We have been advised to pop some on vanilla ice cream - sadly a jar hasn't lasted long enough for us to try that experiment yet!

Tomato and Nigella - only one chilli, still got a kick to it!

After the revelation that the Chilli Jam was so brilliant, we have been eating our way through the other products on offer from Mr Vikki's; Green Chilli Jam - very fresh version of the original, Aubergine Brinjal - very spicy, soft and smokey; Gooseberry Chutney - sweet and sour with a hint of spice and the wonderful Tomato and Nigella - much milder, but with a lovely fragrant taste capitalising on the wonderful marriage of tomato and nigella seeds; it leads a happy dance across the tongue and makes for happy meal times.

Mr Vikki's is a rare find; a collection of well thought out, original creations, lovingly created and with not one bad product (that we've found so far) in the range. We've started on a wonderfully fragrant and tasty journey sampling all that Mr Vikki's has to offer and are very excited about some of the jams and marmalades that will be available soon - with a hint of naga to really wake you up in the morning! However it doesn't matter what different products Mr Vikki's produces, there will always be a jar of the original Chilli Jam in our cupboards (it won't last for long though!).

Mr Vikki's produces chutneys, jams, pickles and curry pastes - the only places I know that carry stock near me are Harvey Nic's food hall in Manchester or Tebay Services/Westmorland Farm Shop and random farmers' markets throughout the Lakes; though you can order online and I'm sure if you follow @MrVikkis you can ask the man himself where you can sample his delights. Spice up your life!

Mr Vikki's, Welcome Inn, Eamont Bridge, Penrith, Cumbria CA10 2BD - 01768 899023 - Twitter - Facebook

Thanks to Mr Vikki's for the images, blatantly taken off the website/Facebook!

Southern11 - Spinningfields, Manchester

BBQ is big right now - and I don't just mean overweight men drinking Stella burning Poundland sausages, battling against the British weather whilst their wives get tipsy on no food and warm rose. No, I mean proper  BBQ, rich from the American South where people win prizes for their 24 hour smoked hog and closely guarded BBQ basting recipes are passed down from father to son in time honoured tradition.

There's Barbacoa, Jamie's central London restaurant with Adam Perry Lang and an on site butchery, there's also a further raft of restaurants round the capital, such as Bodean's - not to mention the various street carts and pop ups adding to the mix.

To show we're not slow on the uptake, Manchester now has it's own homage to the BBQ phenomenon in the shape of Southern11, in not one, but two locations. There's a small offering at the Arndale food market, but the main event happens in Manchester's glorified capitalist centre; Spinningfields.

Buzzy interior

It's a genuine surprise when you go somewhere and see one thing and experience something completely different. At Southern11 it was luckily a good surprise. The interior is shiny shiny new new and feels like it's trying to cosy up to the city types lunch crowd, the presentation is all chopping boards, buckets for chips and kilner jars. I'd usually consign this to the flashy gear, no idea list of establishments that unfortunately pull in the millions through style over substance; Southern11 is somewhat different. It is a little flashy, but the food and the service are spot on.

Southern11's mission is 'hospitality the Southern way,' serving BBQ foods cooked in the traditional way (they even have traditional Oklahoma smokers supplied from the only UK guy to win the Jack Daniel's cook off) and believe in sourcing quality produce from local suppliers.

The boy chose the Hickory Wood Smoked Belly Ribs after eyeing up several other coming out of the kitchen. When the dish arrived the meat fell off the bone and you could taste the sweet licks of hickory smoke; the meat to bone ratio was very favourable and even left enough for me to steal. The only downside to the dish was the fries, a but flabby but the homemade BBQ sauce made up for that.

Hickory smoked belly ribs replete with brush for BBQ sauce

I ordered the pulled pork; soft, juicy and very sweet. The side of jalapeno cornbread added and welcome spice to cut through the dish, and wasn't overly sweet like American cornbread can be (thankfully!). Homemade slaw was crunchy and fresh, made with only a smattering of mayo so no horrible sludgy pile to plough through. The dish was a little small compared to  the boy's ribs, but at £8.95 I wasn't expecting a whole pig.

Pulled pork and jalapeno cornbread

Southern11 is a mixed bag. Looking and feeling akin to a higher-end chain restaurant with a very affordable menu, they seem to really care about good food, good service and good quality produce. Hopefully this good food, low costs ethos will catch on else where, as usually the mere whiff of 'rare breed' bumps the price up to £20 or more.

I'm not sure how authentic Southern11 is as I've never been to the deep south and have a feeling the BBQ shacks don't serve Parmesan truffle fries and are a little more rustic with food hygiene coming second to taste. However Southern11 do great things to meat and are a fresh breath for Manchester's culinary scene. You're not going to find fireworks here; but well cooked, honest food and lovely staff are winners in my book.

Ps - the bar is super well stocked and they do cocktails too.

Pps - Southern11 has really great toilets, but has really confusing toilet door signs.

Price for two mains and two bottles of beer - £26

Food - 7/10
Service - 7/10
Atmosphere - 7/10
Value for money - 8/10

Total - 29/40

Go again - Yes it's brilliant for a relaxed, informal meal at little cost.

Southern11, Unit 26, 3 Hardman Street, Spinningfields, Manchester M3 3EB - 0161 832 0482 - info@southern11.co.uk

@SOUTHERNELEVEN Facebook

http://www.southern11.co.uk/index.html

Wednesday Night Supper Club - secret location, Manchester

On a designated Wednesday night once a month, a secretive group of gastronomes comes together at undisclosed destinations across Manchester city centre to cook for each other and score each other against strict criteria.

It was with great honour that I was asked to judge the annual WNC competition last week, where the three highest scoring members presented me with a course each; the menu kept under wraps up until I was seated at table and the dishes placed in front of me.

With trepidation I sat down to eat, marking each dish on taste, texture, presentation and overall composition. I can't say I relished the job surrounded by those who do this regularly. I was a tough job, but someone has to do it!

To start I was presented with dainty pancetta parcels on a bed of bitter leaves and balsamic syrup; one filled with a Parmesan, egg and asparagus mixture; the other with goats cheese and caramelised onions. Each filling was light and soft, almost souffle like - a great texture contrast with the crispy pancetta on the outside. The Parmesan parcel was richly flavoured, but not overpowering thanks to the lightness of the egg mixture. My only criticism would be the caramelised onions were lost under the goats cheese. However the dish was a well thought through bringing together of contrasting flavours and textures.

Starter - cheese and pancetta parcels

Mains followed a little while later - I was banned from the kitchen and the whole enterprise was shrouded in secrecy: a little hard when the bathroom was accessed through the kitchen!

What was served next was an homage to a wonderful cut of meat, especially ordered for the evening from Manchester Market. A succulent fillet, cooked to pink perfection, wrapped in crispy pastry - that classic dish of beef wellington. Whereas starters had been dainty I was now treated to a large slice, accompanied by al dente veg and garlic and chive mash (of which the garlic was slightly burnt unfortunately). This was a filling and satisfying dish, that smelt and tasted gorgeous.

WNC beef wellington

Though I was struggling to find room the pudding that followed was such a delight upon all senses that I was instantly hungry and had to slow myself to appreciate what I was desperatly hurrying into my mouth!

Pudding was a trio of summer berries; comprising a mini strawberry cheesecake, homemade raspberry ripple ice cream and warm berry compote - all garnished with the cook's homegrown strawberries; small, sweet and succulent.

Berry compote was multi-layered in flavour, a delish shot of soothing sugeriness. The cheesecake, which was slightly unset, allowed the fruit flavour to shine through and wasn't masked by an overpowering sweetness that can be found in many cheesecakes. By far the most amazing part of the dish was the homemade ice-cream. This was a cream based, rather than a custard based ice-cream, with a very sharp berry ripple, cutting the sweet fatty sugar like a lightening dash across the tongue.

WNC Trio of berry puddings

Supper clubs are springing up across the city and it is amazing the level of care, quality and attention to detail present in all of them. As Wednesday Night Supper Club is only made up of amateur cooks, I was surprised by the high level of cooking skill on display and found it hard to distinguish between the many merits of each dish. However, I'm a girl after Greg Wallace's heart, and in the end my vote fell on pudding - every aspect of the dish was well thought through, well presented and well executed.

After such an enjoyable evening of great company and great food, I'd like to point you in the direction of the Wednesday Night Supper Club; but I fear that disclosing this sensitive information may result in my imminent downfall. You'll just have to hope that one day their invite drops on to your doormat...