Bedtime Hot Choc

Made with warm almond milk, 2 x sachets of cadburys hazelnut hot choc powder and mini marshmallows. 

Perfect for a nice relaxing bedtime drink.

Mel xx 

Coffee Shop Light Bites - Bookcafe Derby

Try the Chai Latte

Try the chicken and avocado baguette with side salad, coleslaw and crisps.

Afternoon Tea Delight - East Lodge Matlock Derbyshire

We love the whole tradition and ritual of
tea making. Even better when the tea comes with cakes and sandwiches. 

We treated ourselves to an Afternoon Tea at East Lodge in Matlock. East Lodge is a beautiful building in lush green Derbyshire surroundings.

 

We were warmly welcomed, seated in the sunny conservatory and provided with a large menus of different teas. 

We chose gunpowder green tea which was a lovely tasting tea served in Royal Albert fine bone china tea cup and saucer.  I think tea tastes so much better out of a china cup and saucer.

Then it was time for the main event. Wowwwww.

Beautifully presented sanwiches, scones and cakes.

The bottom layer of dainty sandwiches included egg mayonnaise, ham and mustard, cucumber and my favourite smoked salmon and cream cheese.

The middle layer consisted of warm freshly baked scones.

They came with clotted cream and the best strawberry jam I have tasted in a while. 

The final top tier was made up of lots if different homemade cakes. Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood would be very impressed with this selection. Being a Derbyshire afternoon tea I was pleased to see a Bakewell tart inspired cake. There was also a yummy fruit tart, chocolate brownie, lemon merrange, a berry fruit mouse slice and to finish of a fresh lemon posset to share.

A beatiful presented afternoon tea perfect for a birthday surprise or a indulgent lazy afternoon.

£17.95 per person. Served 12:00 till 17:00 ( till 15:15 on a Sunday)

www.eastlodge.com

Date Night Italian

This weeks date night took us to Ask Italian in Derby. 

Spaghetti Bolognese is one of my all time favourite dishes and I can cook a pretty mean one at home (if I say so myself).

The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente soft but with a little bit of bite. The sauce was rich and tasty.

My partner had Rigatoni Al Manao Piccante which was pasta with beef meatballs and tomato sauce which contained chillies, peppers and onions.

To accompany the meal we had wine which came in lovely glasses. (I thought they looked like lightbulbs).

We left feeling satisfied and full.

Ask Italian

http://m.askitalian.co.uk/menus/derby

Mel xx

Indian Date Night

Me and my partner like to go on date nights. It can be going to see a band or the cinema, but mostly we go out for food and we take it in turns to arrange. 

This week was my partner's turn and he took me out to our local Indian.

Balti International in Derby is a "bring your own booze restaurant".  The waiters are all lovely and go out their way to ensure you have a good night. The food is full of flavour and tasty.

We had the set menu which comes with popadoms and pickle tray

Lots of choices on the pickle tray ranging from lime pickle, mango chutney, mint sauce, sweet onions and onions with tomato and corriander.

We also had a starter I had mint lamb tikka.  Nice cuts of nicely spiced lamb with a fresh salad. 

My partner had Hot Chilli Fish. I would not normally put fish and Indian together but I tried some and it was very tasty. 

Our mains came in Balti dishes with rice or nan. 

I had Chicken Tikka Masala (mild) and my partner had (spicy) Lamb Rezzala the cuts of meat in both dishes were plentiful and tender. The sauce was creamy and flavoursome. 

Would highly recommend Balti International for an enjoyable, reasonably priced night. 

Balti International

http://www.baltiinternational.co.uk

Let me know what your favourite Indian dishes are. Would love to hear if anyone cooks Indian at home.

Mel xx

Sunday Lunch Diaries

Lets face it after a Saturday night out drinking, you need to be looked after the next day. For me that means going out for a tasty Sunday lunch. 

Mr Grundys in Derby was our chosen venue. They offer different size plates, child, adult and big. The big option comes with a free drink. They meat selections were beef, chicken, pork or lamb. 

We went for the adult lamb and it was just what I needed. Beautiful tender lamb shank with a Yorkshire pudding, crispy roast potatoes and new potatoes. Peas, carrots, swede and leek. A rich minty gravy topped it all off. 

We sat outside in the sun to eat. The service was quick and friendly.

Thank you for looking after me Mr Grundys. 

http://www.mrgrundystavern.info

Let me know where your favourite place to go for a Sunday Lunch is ?

Mel x

Love for Nandos - Try a tasty starter

Everybody loves a Nandos. I love the relaxed feel of the restaurant atmosphere, the funky background music and the service. No waiting ages to get the bill when you are ready to leave is a big bonus.

I love the variety of spices available, personally I am not very good with spicy so I have the lemon and herb or mango and lime sauce. However my partner has an asbestos mouth and goes for the extra hot option, with the triple hot sauce in the black bottle. 

I love having the option of getting halloumi cheese and avocado extra on my dish. 

What I have been loving recently is the starters and to be honest they are nicely spiced but not mouth on fire so we can both enjoy. 

So next time you are at Nandos give the Spicy nuts and warm pitta breads with humous and chilli sauce a try......... Yum yum

Let me know what is your favourite Nandos dish ?

Xx Mel xx