Hampstead & Gin

Just a quick post today as work’s been a little busy but I wanted to share some places that I became very fond of last weekend whilst visiting London.

As most people I know are aware, I love a G&T. To be honest it doesn’t have to be a Bombay Sapphire or a Hendricks gin with Fever Tree or Fentimans tonic, I am usually the happiest when sipping on a good old fashioned Gordon’s and Schweppes…as long as it has lots of ice and a wedge of lime. Due to my love of gin I have been dying to visit The Port House on the Strand after hearing that they do some pretty tasty gin based drinks. Therefore, on arrival into London my boyfriend and I hopped on the bus to the Strand and stopped by.

The Port House is a quaint, low lit tapas bar tucked away on the high street next to the Adelphi theatre. On arrival staff were welcoming, seating us at the bar and handing us, much to my excitement, a GIN specials board. Containing a range of different types of gins and tonics, I opted for a strawberry flavoured gin with Fever Tree tonic and fresh strawberries and Tom choose a classic Hendricks with fresh slices of cucumber. The gin’s were served in large rounded glasses with lots of ice and accompanied with juicy fresh olives. The drinks were £8-£10 each so definitely just a treat and after trying two small tapas dishes I would stick to the drinks rather than the food, but all in all it’s worth a try.

The Gins at The Port House

Also over the weekend, when the sun decided to peek out of the clouds, we took a tube to beautiful Hampstead to take a walk and see what we could discover. Hampstead is full of lovely yet expensive shops and boutiques, small cafes and restaurants and deli’s to die for. During our visit we found two fantastic gastro pubs – The Wells and The Old White Bear. I know I am sounding slightly like an alcoholic in this post but with places like these it’s hard to stick to the orange juice when you can enjoy some of the best Pimms, wines and lagers around.

The Wells was a relaxed establishment which had the sport showing, decent drinks, great food and a friendly and lively atmosphere. The Old White Bear on the other hand was a little more sophisticated, yet still friendly, charming and relaxed. When visiting The Old White Bear I suggest trying some of their bar snacks, particularly ‘Habas’ (chilli roasted broad beans) as they are a delicious accompaniment to a refreshing drink. The food menu looked reasonable and extensive, however we decided to save having a meal for our next visit.

The Old White Bear

My weekend was fantastic and yet again we found some amazing London establishments, I can’t wait for my next visit, next on the list has to be the recently opened The Grain Store.

Spanish Memories – Paella for 2

Growing up my family and I spent a lot of time in Spain and I have many happy memories of us sat on the balcony tucking into a colourful paella, full of chicken, chorizo, mussels , squid and amazing flavours and herbs. It was always a monthly treat, especially as the best bit about the paella was scooping the rice up with crusty bread bought from the local Spanish bakery, talk about carbohydrate overload.

As last week consisted of mainly healthy salads and soups and with the beautiful weather we were enjoying, I decided to bring Spain to home and cook paella for my friend Sarah and I. Although I love chicken, this time I opted for just seafood and instead of squid I added loin of cod, a meaty white fish which doesn’t flake too much when cooked.

The paella was quick and easy to make and accompanied with a glass of chilled Cava, it took me back to the wonderful Andalusian Mountains in the comfort of my own home.  Sarah seemed to enjoy the meal too and with clean plates all round, it was definitely a huge success.  One of word of warning, don’t make a pudding, you will be full!

Paella recipe for 2-3 people

Ingredients

225/8oz chorizo, cut into thin slices

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 large Spanish onion, finely diced

½ red pepper, diced

300g paella rice

1 tsp paprika or 2tsp Ducros Colorante Alimentario (you can find this online)

500ml hot chicken stock

110g/4oz fresh or frozen peas

125ml/4fl oz good olive oil

12 jumbo raw prawns, with or without shells (I prefer with shells, but if you can’t find these like me this time, without shells is fine)

450g/1lb mixed fish- smoked haddock, pollock or cod, salmon chopped into bite-sized pieces

5 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley or coriander

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Gently fry onion and garlic in the olive oil in a paella pan or shallow heavy-based saucepan until lightly golden.
2. Add chorizo and red pepper and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes.
3. Cover with rice with the paprika or colorante. Gently turn the rice into mixture until it has completely absorbed the moisture.
4. Turn the heat to high and add 125ml stock until reduced.
5. Add rest of the hot stock and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Add the prawns and gently turn for 3 minutes.
7. Add the fish and peas – season with cracked black pepper to taste- gently stir the mixture for 3 minutes until the fish is cooked.
8. Add the chopped parsley or coriander and serve immediately with freshly baked bread and wedges of lemon.

By the way, if you’re anything like me and you love Spanish food, you should visit José in Bermondsey, London, it is definitely one of the best tapas bars in the UK.

Miller Howe: A Mixed Dining Experience

Located with the beautiful tourist town of Windermere and overlooking the most stunning scenery you could possibly imagine, Miller Howe is rated one of the top fine dining hotels in the North West and last week I got to visit.

Arriving at half 7 on Friday night, my family and I entered the historic hotel and were greeted by a young man who seated us in the lounge. The lounge was a grand room full of vintage furniture and oozing with charm and connected to a large conservatory with panoramic views of Lake Windermere.

Whilst waiting for our drinks we became a little wary, as although the environment was impressive  there were a few initial mistakes, which for the price we were paying should of been avoided. As it was my dad’s 50th we had pre-ordered a bottle of bubbly which we were assured would be served on arrival as a surprise for my dad, unfortunately the staff seemed to forget which ruined the surprise slightly. Also, we were presented with menus and canapes including deep fried anchovies, chicken tartlets and Parmesan biscuits, these were also disappointing and didn’t quite meet the gastronomic canapes we have enjoyed in the past, however we still tucked into them and stayed positive.  The final problem whilst in the lounge was that we were asked every five minutes from the moment we were seated, if we would like to move in to the dining room, it felt like we were being rushed to finish even before we had started. After telling the staff four times that we weren’t ready they seemed to get the picture and the pace began to slow down.

Once we were ready to be seated in the restaurant the evening was turned around slightly. Upon entering the restaurant,we were taken back by the views. Fronted in full length glass windows and with tables seated on a lower level and upper lever,  every diner can sit and enjoy the magnificent views of the Lake District whilst eating their meal.

The view from the dining room

Once at our table we were served a delicious mushroom amuse bouche, which I could happily of eaten as my main started, it was so good I really didn’t want it to finish. To follow my mum and I enjoyed ham hock terrine with pickled vegetables which was cooked to perfection and by far the best ham hock I had ever tasted. My brother and dad opted for the lobster tails with gnocchi which were cooked well, however both commented that the gnocchi didn’t really suit the flavours within the dish. Next us girls chose turbot with a mussel and leek chowder which again was superb. The boys ate venison three ways, which was good but in parts chewy – the girls definitely were the lucky ones!

Ham Hock Starter

Lobster starter

Turbot Main Course

Venison Main Course

Our meal was accompanied with fresh bread and beautiful red and white wine and followed by cheese and biscuits, which weren’t the greatest or explained very well, and an assiette of chocolate to share, which was heavenly.

To end our meal we returned to the lounge where we played chess, drank whisky and coffee and watched the sun set…perfect. The Petit fours were not worth the £4.00pp so they were sadly left to one side.

Watching the sun set from the garden

Overall, I have to say I have mixed feelings about Miller Howe. The setting and scenery is breath taking and the building beautiful but the food and service was poor.  In the past we have visited restaurants such as Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume and I have to say that Miller Howe wasn’t half as good. It is a shame because I don’t think it was the greatest birthday treat for my dad, however we were still all grateful to give it try. I think for the cost, which was around £100 per head, things like service, being rushed, no pre-ordered drinks on arrival and below average food can not be as frequent as we experienced, although maybe they were simply having a bad day. I would still recommend it maybe for lunch, just after trying the other gems within the Lake District first.