SECRET EATS IN VAUXHALL

When I think of Vauxhall I don't necessarily think of culinary delights, but there are 3 places in the area that serve fantastic food.

The first is the The Canton Arms on South Lambeth Road. You can't book tables here, so you just have to turn up and try your luck - if this fails, just go to one of the other great food places below - they're all within 5 minutes walk of each other. The Canton doesn't have a menu on it's website - it changes everyday, dependent on the freshest ingredients the great female chef can get her hands on. There are bar snacks though in the form of foie gras or haggis toasties, or other toasties made from my parents' friend's delicious Montgomery cheddar - these stay the same everyday.

When I ate at the Canton for my dad's birthday I had the lovely, smooth, chicken liver parfait, melba toast and pickles, for starter. My only criticism is the that the portions are enormous! I had hardly any room left for my main course of melt in the mouth lamb and veggies. The menu at the Canton has been very meat centred whenever I've been there - my brother tells me the hare lasagne is the best - but that's the joy of not knowing what the menu's going to be before
you arrive to eat.
http://www.cantonarms.com/

The second place and the one I've most recently discovered is Hot Stuff, a bring your own booze (with no corkage fee) Indian on Wilcox Road. For about £15 a head you can eat like kings. We went for my brother's birthday, and just asked for the chef's recommended selection of starters and mains. We had piles of food, rich and deep flavoured chilli paneer and tender garlic chilli prawns for starters, and vegetable curries, king prawn dopiaza and biryanis galore for mains.

My boyfriend can't eat chilli or curry, but the chef came out and had a five minute chat with him to establish exactly what he could and couldn't eat, and went on to serve him 5 or 6 of his very own curry-and-chilli free Indian food! It went down a treat. Unlike the Canton, you can book a table at Hot Stuff - if there are a lot of you book early as they can only seat about 30 or 40 people in the whole restaurant.
http://www.welovehotstuff.com/

Finally, the last place worth a visit for a good meal in Vauxhall is The Fentiman. This is my favorite of the 3 for it's layout and decor. Cosy cushioned bench seats and old wood tables inside make it a lovely weekend afternoon hang out, and the garden is big, with lots of tables for the summer and blankets for the evenings! The starters at The Fentiman make for great sharing plates, and were recommended to me by brother's gorgeous girlfriend. Recently we had their pressed terrine of smoked ham hock with pickle chutney and toast and crispy fried Cornish squid and garlic mayonnaise.

The Fentiman's class of food is really, really good pub food. They do the best fish pie in London, creamy and rich, with an oozing egg of top, covered in melting cheese, a brilliant hangover comfort!
www.geronimo-inns.co.uk/thefentimanarms

Go to Vauxhall and eat!

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KEDGEREE DINNER

This is really a mix between paella and kedgeree and works brilliantly for dinner, or with salads and/or barbecue for lunch.

For 4

1 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
2 cardamom pods
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp caraway seeds
Zest of 1 lemon
200g basmati rice
400ml vegetable stock
2 large free range eggs
2 smoked haddock fillets
Cress

Fry the red onion and red pepper for 5 minutes. Add the cardamom pods, turmeric, caraway seeds and the zest of a lemon. Make sure the onion and pepper are coated in these spices before adding the rice. Stir the rice into the spicy veg mix and add the vegetable stock. Cover with a lid, turn the heat onto the lowest it can go and let it cook for 12 minutes. Check it half way through, and give it a stir if the rice is sticking to the bottom of the pan.

In the meantime put two pans of boiling water on. In the first pan boil the eggs for 9 minutes. In the second, boil the frozen smoked haddock fillets for 11 minutes. When the eggs are ready, peel and mash them, and when the haddock is ready, remove the skin and flake the bits of fish apart.

Gently stir the flaked haddock and broken eggs into the rice mixture and return to the heat for just long enough to make sure all the ingredients are piping hot.

Serve with a generous wedge of lemon and a sprinkling of home grown cress.

Cress is so easy to grow, and very satisfying. Take a piece of kitchen roll and line a tupperware with it. Sprinkle with water so it is damp and then sprinkle your cress seeds onto the paper. Cover with some paper for the first few days, ensuring the paper remains damp, then remove the paper, wait until your cress is a couple of inches tall, and enjoy!!

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A WONDERFUL NIGHT IN WILDERNESS WOOD

Ever since I was invited to the candlelit dinner in the Wilderness Wood over a month ago, I was counting down the days to Friday 3rd June. And when that day came last week I was not disappointed.

We left London at 6 on Friday (BIG mistake) and were stuck in the car for 3 and a half hours. All the time, all I was worried about was that we would miss the food! I really had been waiting for this meal for a very long time! However, my concern turned to calm, when our gorgeous hostess, owner of the beautiful Wilderness Wood, Joanna Yarrow, texted us to check on our progress and assure us we would still get some food, whenever we showed up!

We arrived at 9.30, and having missed out on the choice of seating, we were given our own little table for 2 - everyone else sits on two long tables, but it was actually quite special to have our own corner of the beautifully lit barn. With in a minute of sitting down we were brought a glass of organic wine, and our starter to eat whilst the evening's speaker, Lucy Siegle, Observer columnist and ethical champion, continued with her talk.

An amazing smelling stuffed mushroom was presented to us, a lovely pearl barley and preserved lemon surprise that had not featured on the dinner's website. The fresh, zesty taste of the lemon complimented the woody mushroom so well. The whole thing was delicious.

As we finished our starter it was nearly time for everyone's main course, and we hadn't missed as much of the meal as I'd thought we would. This was thanks to the brilliant scheduling of the evening. Lucy Siegle gave great mini talks between each course, not only educating us on sustainable and fairtrade fashion and entertaining us with question and answers sessions, but letting the guests digest each course, instead of galloping on to the next.

The main course was better than I'd ever hoped. Rare roast fillet of beef with incredibly smooth and creamy dauphinoise, British asparagus and yummy hollandaise. Absolutely divine. Jonathan, who runs Wilderness Wood with Joanna, told us the next day that Joanna and he sit down with their chefs once a month to choose their menus, and always go for something that would be just a bit too difficult to cook for everyone themselves. What a wonderful idea. Nothing was pretentious or too 'cheffy', just big, bold, fresh flavours.

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CRAB LINGUINE

Wandering round Brigton on Saturday we passed a lovely looking fishmonger and popped in to pick up some freshly caught and cooked crab pinchers.

I was going to make a delicious avocado and crab salad on Sunday, but felt like something much more sumptuous so decided to make crab linguine.

For 3 hungry people

1 cooked crab
240g spagetti
Olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 anchovies
1 glass of white wine
1 tbsp double cream
1 spoon creme fraiche
Juice and zest of half a lemon
Parsley

Smash the crab shell using a rolling pin. Be sure to wrap the pinchers in a plastic bag or something similar so bits of crab shell don't fly all over the kitchen! Once you have cracks in the shell you can use a chopstick to poke and pull all the bits of crab meat out of the shell. Set the meat aside.

Put some water on to boil, and as soon as it's boiling add a pinch of salt and 80g spagetti per person (I made this for 3).

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan and add the garlic and chopped anchovies. Fry gently. After a couple of minutes add the crab meat and stir fry for a further couple of minutes. Remove the crab and garlic and put in a bowl to one side. Put the pan back on the heat and add a glass of white wine. Swish it round the pan, and let it bubble away until you can't smell the alcohol coming off it anymore. Add the cream and creme fraiche and stir.

When the spagetti is cooked, drain and add to the wine/cream mix with a spoonful of the pasta water. Mix together and tip the crab in. Add a squeeze of lemon, a grate of lemon zest and a large handful of parsley, combine with the pasta and crab, and serve.

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SALMON & ASPARAGUS SUPPER

Such a simple supper, this meal only has 5 ingredients and takes about 10 minutes to make. It's perfect for summer evenings after long, hot days at work.

British asparagus is still around, mine came from the gorgeous deli on Fulham Road, courtesy of Peter Elliott.

However, when the british asparagus runs out I'll be making this with green beans or mangetout.

Supper, for 2

50g butter
1 free range egg yolk
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 bunch of asparagus
2 salmon fillets

Put a pan of water on to boil.

Whilst the pan is coming up to the boil make some hollandaise sauce. This is a cheats hollandaise but tastes just as delicious as the real thing. These are the quantities I use for 2 people. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. Put the egg yolk, lemon juice and a couple of drops of vinegar in a blender. Blend, and once the butter is melted and bubbling slowly pour it into the blending egg/lemon mixture. Blend for a few seconds, until it thickens.

Trim the ends off a bunch of asparagus and peel 2 of them into thin strips for later. Once the water is boiling put the rest in the pan to boil gently for 4 minutes.

Put the salmon fillets in a lightly oiled frying pan and sear for just over a minute on each side, then leave to rest for 2 minutes.

Plate up, add a good grind of pepper to everything and you're ready to go.

If you want to bulk the meal out, add boiled potates, and if you want to make it lighter, don't make hollandaise, just squeeze some lemon over the salmon and veg.

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WILDERNESS WOOD CANDLELIT DINNER

I have been very lucky to be invited to the Wilderness Wood candlelit dinner next Friday. The menu looks amazing :

Woodland canapes & a glass  of wine or juice on arrival

-

Rare fillet of beef with Dauphinoise potatoes, chargrilled asparagus & hollandaise sauce

or

Chargrilled asparagus, courgettes & halloumi dressed with basil oil, served with quinoa

-

Homemade flourless chocolate cake with whipped cream and raspberry coulis

-

A selection of coffees and teas

Wilderness wood do all sorts of great things with local and sustainable products, as well as Gruffalo hunting, Fairy Gardens, Wild Cookouts and courses for adults and children on their farm. They are in East Sussex, and I'll give you a full report after I get back from my night in the woods next week - I really can't wait!

http://www.wildernesswood.co.uk/

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MANGO FOOL & CRUNCHY ALMOND MOONS

I cooked a thai feast on Saturday evening for some friends, recipes for the main course to follow, but the dessert was so easy to make and went down a storm. It was a nice palette cleanser too.

FOR THE FOOL:
2 mangoes
500ml greek yoghurt
2 tbsp coconut milk or cream
Lime zest
1 tbsp icing sugar

FOR THE ALMOND MOONS:
150g ground almonds
150g plain flour
150g unsalted butter
60g soft light brown sugar
Vanilla essence

Mix equal quantities of mango flesh and greek yoghurt. Add a couple of tablespoons of coconut milk, a grating of lime zest and a spoon of sifted icing sugar. Put in individual glasses and into the fridge for a few hours. Don't remove from the fridge until it's time to eat them!

If you like you can freeze the fool, making sure to give it a stir every hour. It tastes just as good frozen. If you do freeze it though, don't serve it in glasses - freeze it in a tupperware container and then serve as ice cream.

I served my mango fool with crunchy almond biscuits, which add a lovely texture to the smooth fool: mix the ground almonds, flour, butter, sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence. Once doughy, form a ball, wrap in cling film and pop in the fridge for an hour. Roll into little moon shapes and bake on a greased baking tray for about 15 minutes at 180C, or until lightly golden brown. Wait til cool to remove from the tray otherwise they'll turn into crumbs (which are actually quite nice sprinkled on the fool anyway!)

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WHY I LOVE LEFTOVERS!!

A nice roast on Sunday is an almost essential part of my weekend, and I'll put up my recipes for roast beef, yorkshires, potatoes, carrots, greens and red wine gravy, and for roast chicken, sweet potatoes, greens and delicious yoghurt sauce soon. But below are three great recipes for using up leftovers after Sunday roasts.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP:

Uses - leftover roast chicken and cabbage.

Sunday:
After you've had your roast chicken, pull all the meat off the bones and put the meat in tupperware in the fridge.

Now you need to make your chicken stock. Put the chicken carcass in a large saucepan. Add one chopped onion, some cloves of garlic, a bay leaf and some pepper. For this recipe I add a stick of lemongrass to the stock mixture as well. Add 3 litres of water, bring to the boil and once boiling, bring down to a simmer. Leave this to simmer for 4 hours, making sure you skim the fat off the surface now and again. Sieve the stock once done, and after it has cooled down, keep it in the fridge.

Monday/Tuesday:
Bring the chicken stock up to a gentle boil. Add a splash of fish sauce, 4 chopped spring onions, a thumbnail size piece of grated ginger, a chilli chopped into rings and some cooked egg noodles. Allow to cook for 3 or 4 minutes, then add lots of coriander and sprinkle the
leftover cabbage and shredded roast chicken over the top. Stir it once and serve.

ROAST BEEF SANDWICH WITH HOMEGROWN ALFALFA:

Uses - leftover roast beef

It's a classic, with my own homegrown twist. I bought some alfalfa seeds last week and they have produced bundles of delicious sprouts - do try to grow them yourself, they require a minute's attention a day and work out to be around 3p per portion!

Take 2 slices of wholegrain bread. Spread both pieces with creme fraiche. On one piece add wholegrain mustard and on the other, horseradish sauce. Take 2 slices of cold roast beef, a slice of tomato, a sprinkle of chopped red onion and add a handful of alfalfa spouts. Close together and enjoy!!

BUBBLE AND SQUEAK:

Uses - leftover roast potatoes, cabbage and broccoli

Add a large knob of butter to a thick based frying pan. Add your roast potatoes, cabbage and  leftover broccoli if you have some. Using a fish slice mash down the veg and potato mix in the pan. Fry over a medium heat for 5-10 mins. Once the bottom is beginning to go golden, break up the mixture and then mash it all down again. Repeat this process for 30 minutes or until your have nice golden crispy bits everywhere. Serve with sausages, pie, beans or salad.

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THE PRIORY, TETBURY - A LOVELY LOCAL

Tucked away in sleepy Tetbury is a real gem of a gastropub. The Priory prides itself on sourcing ALL it's food (flour, oil and salamis included) from within a 30 mile distance from the pub: http://www.theprioryinn.co.uk/other/suppliers.aspx.

I have eaten food from The Priory three times now. The first two times we got their pizzas to take away. The thin base and plentiful toppings made for a delicious pizza, that tasted even better knowing that the food to make it had only travelled such a small distance. This is so refreshing in an industry that sends prawns caught off Scotland to China, to be deshelled and packeted, and then back to us to be eaten in the UK.

On my most recent visit to Tetbury I was treated to a meal in The Priory's main restaurant. Unfortunately I was only hungry enough for a main course so missed out on the starters, although I would have chosen either the rillettes of confit duck and rare breed pork with sticky red onion compote and toasted home made bread (£5.95) or the delicious sounding Upton Smokery salmon with a watercress salad, beetroot relish and toasted wood-oven bread (£6.95).

I had high expectations for our mains at The Priory, and was not disappointed. I chose the venison with braised red cabbage, mashed potatoes and pear and red wine jus from the specials board. The portion was huge, a massive hunk of beautifully cooked venison. My boyfriend had lamb shank which just fell off the bone and melted in the mouth.

The Priory are, and rightly should be, proud of the origins of their food, but that's not all that is good there. The staff are super friendly and it almost felt like we had our very own personal waitress with the level of attention we received. I have heard reports of slow service, but we tended to well and our food was prompt. Prices are reasonable as well.

I will definitely be going back here in the summer - their menu changes seasonally and I can't wait to see what they have in store!

To book in at The Priory call 01666 502251. They also offer a B&B service.

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DADDY'S RISOTTO

There are 3 things my dad wins at every time: sorting my accounts, painting my nails (!) and making the best risotto ever. I recreated a mushroom version of this, but you can use lemon, peas and prawns instead for a great summer risotto.

Dinner, for 2

1 medium onion
1 clove garlic
Olive oil
2 packs of mushrooms, a mixture of varieties is good here
200g risotto rice
Glass of white wine
500-600ml chicken stock
Creme fraiche, to serve
Butter
Parsley

Start by chopping the onion and clove of garlic very finely. Fry over a medium heat, with a generous amount of olive oil, until the onion is translucent. Add the chopped mushrooms to the pan and fry for a further 4 minutes.

Tip the risotto rice (enough for 2 people) into the pan and stir the rice so it is coated with the oil from the pan. After a couple of minutes of this add a glass of white wine - when cooking with wine, always use a wine you'd be prepared to drink, just because you're cooking with it doesn't mean you should lower the quality. Stir the rice and mushrooms in the wine, until it has all been absorbed.

The key to a great risotto is to constantly stir it, as this releases the starch from the rice and gives a nice soft, gooey final dish. Once the wine is absorbed start to add your stock. You'll need about 500-600ml of chicken or vegetable stock, but add it little by little, stirring all the time. Do this for 15 minutes or so, and then have a little taste of the rice. If is still crunchy add more stock and carry on stirring.

When cooked, remove the risotto from the heat, add a knob of butter and a grating of Parmesan. I serve mine with a dollop of creme fraiche, and my very own homegrown parsley.

If you want to make the pea, prawn and lemon version, leave out the mushrooms and add grated lemon zest instead, with a splash of lemon juice. Cook the risotto in the same manner as above, but add the frozen peas and fresh prawns 5 minutes before the end. Serve with a wedge of lemon and herb salad.

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BEST SALAD EVER

Refreshing yet rich, this salad is SO good, and takes 2 minutes to make. It's great on its own for lunch, or with seared steak.

For 2 people

1 bag of watercress

2 cooked beetroot, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

50g roquefort cheese

Pinch of sunflower seeds

Lime juice

Olive oil

Wash and chop a bag of watercress. Add 2 chopped cooked beetroot, 1 chopped avocado and little nuggets of Roquefort cheese. Mix together with some sunflower seeds, drizzle with lime juice and olive oil, add salt and pepper... and enjoy!!!

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SUMMER TUNA NICOISE SALAD

This is my version of a salad nicoise, without some of the traditional ingredients but with others added. You need to cook everything at the same time - the cooked parts of the salad should be served warm, so don't worry if certain elements are done before others.

Serves 4

10-12 baby new potatoes
1 pack of asparagus
4 large free range eggs
2 tuna steaks
Olive oil
1 pack of green beans, ends chopped off
1 bag of salad leaves (lamb's lettuce is great with this)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp grainy mustard

Start by boiling a handful of baby new potatoes.

Whilst these are boiling, trim and grill some asparagus for 4 minutes or until they are just going soft.

Get another pan of water on the boil and when boiling, put the eggs in for 5 minutes 30 seconds.

Put a lightly oiled frying pan on a medium heat, and fry the tuna steaks for 1 minute on each side. Remove the steak from the heat and leave to rest for 3-4 minutes.

When the potatoes are nearly cooked add the trimmed green beans to the water, boil for 2 mins and then drain.

Mix salad leaves with the potatoes and green beans and cover with a dressing made from 2 parts olive oil, 1 part lemon, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 teaspoon of grainy mustard and salt and pepper. Cover a large plate with this mixture.

Lay your grilled asparagus on top of the salad mixture, and the anchovies on top of them.

Peel the boiled eggs, cut in half and place on top of the salad. Then take your tuna steak and cut into slices and lay over the salad. 

Serve with crusty bread and a bottle of white wine, perfect for a sunny summer evening.

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