Dining out in Cheltenham

One of the things I love about going on holiday is dining out, al fresco, in the sunshine -  you just can't beat it.  I love lingering over every bite and knowing that I don't have to be anywhere, on anybody's schedule for the rest of the day.  When you're relaxed, you enjoy the food, the company and conversation that little bit more.  It's one of life's simple and perfect pleasures, don't you agree?

I've been working so hard recently, I've kind of forgotten to take a break and a holiday, Ooops.  But sometimes just a special 'time out' lunch or dinner with good company is just as great and does the trick  - especially in Cheltenham, when the weather is sunny, Cheltenham is really pretty and there's no excuse not to enjoy great food in the sunshine (and you can always pretend you're in the south of France.  I do).

// Yep, that's purple basil! //

I'm always keen to try somewhere new, so was a bit excited when I heard that the Hotel Du Vin in Cheltenham had released their new Al Fresco menu.  Reading a menu is so much fun, isn't it?  Seeing the choices and deciding what you fancy -  and it always makes it even more special when a lot of the menu is gluten free and I have a choice of not only one dish, but maybe two or three (a rare occasion)!  Which is where this menu scored extra points!

Not only did the menu have a great choice, but the team were so accommodating to me following a gluten free (and nut free!) diet that I felt so relaxed and welcomed - offering alternatives and recommendations - I really couldn't have asked for more.  This kind of service goes a long way!

I'll let the food do the talking now - as they say, a photograph says a thousand words, so I'll just share some of the photos from my delicious lunch 'time out' break. I'm taking my friends and family back for dinner soon because the Al Fresco menu ends on 31st August and I definitely had food envy when my dining partner had a perfect medium rare steak (Ooohhh!) so I want to try that.. Oh and everything else on the menu too!

 **Applause **

You can view and download the Al Fresco menu here.
Go on, treat a friend, a loved one, or someone special!!

And if you're looking for a great Christmas Party Menu (yet it's time to book up!) check out theirs... it's awesome! > have a look and book quickly.

Hotel Du Vin is on the Parabola Road, Cheltenham. You can't miss it.

Quick Summer Salmon Salad

I've loved the weather we've had in the UK this summer so far (hope you have too). It's been SO hot though and I've definitely not enjoyed cooking in it at all - the last thing I've wanted to do is turn on the oven or hob!  So I came up with this really quick and easy, light and fresh, full of goodness green summer salmon salad.

And do you know the best thing of all?

I didn't cook a thing!

The method is below, just press play!

Ingredients

A handful of spinach leaves

A handful of iceberg lettuce (so refreshing in the hot weather!)

Some thin ribbons of cucumber

4 spring onions, trimmed

A tin of haricot beans, warmed up in the microwave to soften (1.5 min), drained rinsed in cold water

Garlic infused oil  (white beans in garlic oil go so well wish fish! try it!)

Half a lemon

salt and pepper

Salmon steaks, poached  (I bought 4 for £7.50 where there was an offer on - crazily that's £1.87 per steak, you couldn't buy one in a restaurant for 5 times that!)

The whole dish comes out at less (much much less!) than £3.00.  Each bag of lettuce was only a £1 and the haricot beans were 49p.  The spring onions were from a neighbour, and the lemon was less than 25p.

Can't believe it.  Tasty, healthy, delicious, cool, fresh - go on treat yourself!

BBQ Salad

A Vegetarian BBQ in a hurry? Can it be done?  Oh yes!

If you live in a flat like me and don't have a garden, having a BBQ can be a bit tricky.  And cooking anything in my tiny kitchen in this weather is just swealtering.  But I wanted something BBQ-esque.  I could smell people having BBQ's in their gardens in the street, and I fancied the flavour of BBQ food all by myself.

That's where my Microwave came to the rescue.  Microwave? I hear you cry.  Oh yes!

I remember when my parents got their first Microwave.  It was probably 1987 ish.  My mum had wanted one for AGES and my Dad wouldn't get her one because he said they were a waste of money, but then we went on holiday and stayed in this house and they had one there and Mum was in heaven.  Dad found that the quality of his dinners improved a bit as she tried out new recipes (my Mum's idea of dinner is beans on toast..)  so I think he knew it would do him good to get her one.

We all own one and they do make our lives easier to some extent, however we use them.  I tend to use mine to quickly cook up frozen veg, to heat up a cold cup of tea, or blast something to defrost.  What do you use your's for?

And when I'm busy and working in the week and I get home late (and could chew on the sofa), I tend to whack a micro-rice in there and mix it with some veggies or tuna.  Job done.

And I'm a big fan of Tilda Micro Rices - I've been a fan of their Coconut rice (OMG it's amazing!)  for some time and their rices are all usually gluten free too.  They recently bought out a BBQ Limited Edition version and Dhruv Baker  who won Masterchef in 2010,  put together some recipes that go with it.  

I saw he'd done a BBQ salad one with Courgettes, Aubergenes and Halloumi that sounded so easy and delicious I had to try it -  OMG it was flipping delicious.  The mint and coriander add a real WOW flavour.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE

And you don't feel so bad about using some 'micro-rice' when it turns out like this - who cares if it's cheap and chic? It's delicious!!

Try this, and give your microwave some new skills ;)

Angie's recipe doodle

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RECIPE

Perfect Picnic Ideas!

Totally inspired by the sunshine, tennis (new Wimbledon Champion Andy Murray! Yay!) and picnic season, this post is a bunch of lovely picnic ideas for you.  First up there's a delicious Bacon and Courgette Slice (which is the best picnic food ever as it's even more delicious cold!).


Yum!  Here you go...

And as a big thank you to all my lovely readers  - You can all Download the FREE recipe card for these Bacon and Courgette Gluten Free Slices here!

Then, there's my new obsession; Five Valley's Cordial's - take it from me, these cordials are incredible, and a great thirst quencer in this weather.  You can use them as a mixer to drinks, or just mix with sparkling water for a refreshing summer drink.  Absolutely delicious and super chic too with flavours like Pomegranate and Rose and Lemon and Mint.  You could also make a refreshing 'Mocktail'- give it a try!  Being a local brand and company makes them extra special too #buylocal :)

And I couldn't help myself, but I went on a bit of an internet shopping spree!  Here's some more picnic inspiration that I'm currently coveting.  Lovely colours about this season!

Top left >  A fab designed Stelton glass water bottle - There's so much in the press at the moment about the nasty chemicals you can ingest through plastic water bottles, so this one will not only be fab for the environment, but it's made from a super natural material and doesn't leach anything into the water.  The snug sleeve keeps drinks super cool too!  Put your Pomegranate and Rose cordial in this and take it to the office.  I do!

Top right >  Pop your picnic in this Oily Rag bag form John Lewis, currently on sale too at the bargain price of under £30!  Yes, and it looks like Catch Kidson too!  Win win!

Bottom left > OMG an Orla Kiely picnic plastic tumbler glass? NO way!

Bottom right > Yes it's time to get those pasty white legs out - put your shorts on, these cute pink 3/4 length ones from Banana Republic are perfect and just long enough to hide the cellulite 'bits' you want to cover! Yay!

Soak up that sunshine folks and see you again soon!

Speedy Thai Style Fried Rice - Gluten Free!

Oh my goodness what a lovely weekend it was here in the UK!  The first bit of spring sunshine - the blossom is coming out and it's the second time I've been out for a walk without my coat on. Hurrah!

This weather really inspires me with my cooking and I tend to always turn to Thai and Asian inspired dishes.  I'm going to share with you my secret go-to Thai fried rice.  I make it all the time, it's really yummy and I've been making it for years - it's like my Saturday night takeaway - but this is really much better than takeaway rice!  And it's SO quick too!  And it's gluten free as I use Tamari instead of soy sauce (Tamari is fermented soya beans instead of wheat,  which is what soy sauce is) I usually call it Angie's special fried rice - here's how I did it!


Ingredients

1 tablespoon of Sunflower oil
1 clove garlic – crushed or finely chopped
½ a red and green pepper (capsicum for you aussies)
broccoli – a good handful (I had some left over from Sunday lunch)
2 egg - beaten
1 pack of king prawns
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
Some leftover rice (or cheat and use 1 pack of Uncle Bens micro rice like I did)
A small bunch of coriander - chopped
4 spring onions, finely diced
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons of Tamari

Method

Add a tablespoon of sunflower oil to a hot wok and add the beaten eggs.

Scramble together immediately and when just cooked, tip onto a plate.  And keep it to one side.

Return the wok to the heat and add the other sunflower oil.

Add the garlic, peppers and broccoli, stir fry together until beginning to soften.

Add the prawns and stirfry some more.

Now add the rice.  Stirfry for another minute or two and then add the tamari and sesame oil

Add the spring onions.

Keep stirring until rice is heated through.

Add the Egg back into the wok and stir through.

Turn off the heat and add the coriander.  Stir through.

Serve and enjoy!

*Adaptations - If you want some heat or like chills, add a finely chopped medium chili at the same stage as the garlic :)

If you don't like prawns you can add chicken or leave out entirely and just enjoy with the eggs :)

Lunchtime!

I LOVE lunchtimes.  I think the vision of lunch gets me through a drag morning on most days. But I'll be honest, I've got stuck in a bit of a lunch 'rut' recently and I needed some inspiring to re-excite my lunch times again.

So, as you know, my body really doesn't get on well with wheat and some gluten. But I'd heard some good stuff about Spelt (still has gluten, but lower amounts and also doesn't contain the genetically modified protein that is found in wheat that causes a lot of problems in our bodies..)  In technical terms, Spelt is a hybrid of wheat and contains only marginal proportions of 'Gluten'.  So low that even some Coeliacs find they can tolerate it. So, if you get bloated after eating wheat, feel tired, sluggish, then maybe give the Spelt a try.

I bought my fresh (made only 30 minutes before I bought it - wow, that is fresh - said the man behind the counter) Spelt Loaf from Wholefoods Market.  It was huge (reminded me of a hedgehog) and smelt delicious.   I am totally converted.  My lunch yesterday (above photo) really made my week!

Look at how colourful it was!

And, just in case you're wondering, here's what it was!

2 slices of whole Spelt Bread - one slice with Egg Mayonnaise on, the other with 1/2 an Avocado on.
A mixed salad with some grated organic carrot and tommy toms!
A nice grind of fresh black pepper (no salt! - I put so much Pepper on everything...)
And some honey and mustard dressing...which was just these ingredients:
..4 tbsp Dijon mustard
..2 tbsp honey
..80ml lemon juice
..225ml rapeseed oil

That's it!

Super-dooper quick and nutritious!  Go on - give it a try!  Health-up your lunch and swap your bread for Spelt!

You will feel so much better :)

What did you have for lunch today?