FISH CHIPS MUSHY PEAS

The Toon Waal

2011-11-22T22:04:00.001Z

The best Pub in Newcastle (probably)
Located on Pink Lane just opposite Newcastle Central train station, The Town Wall is housed inside a beautiful grade 2 listed building on a site which once formed part of the twenty-four wards, fortifying the original city boundaries.
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The Wall opened earlier this year and immediately became my new favourite watering hole with a brilliant selection of local and international beers and ales. The locally sourced food menu covers everything from breakfast to light bites and proper pub lunches. The Sunday roast is pretty special too.
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Next time you're in Newcastle make sure you pop in for a pint…
and maybe some scran
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Artwork by Mr Scruff

The Town Wall Pink Lane Newcastle Upon Tyne

Telephone 0191 232 3000

www.thetownwall.com

Open Monday - Thursday 12pm to midnight

Friday and Saturday 12pm to 1am
Sundays - 12pm to 11pm

Apple & Plum Crumble

2011-08-30T12:46:00.000+01:00

For the first time in 5 years the apple tree in my garden has burst into life with an abundance of eatable fruit, probably due to the miserable wet summer we've had. I'm sick of the lack of sun and heat, and the final straw came on Friday when my heating turned itself on. Ridiculous!

Having given up on the summer I'm looking ahead to my favourite season Autumn and the warming comfort food that comes with it. Inspired by the apples on my tree I decided to cheer myself up by making a delicious, warming Apple and Plum Crumble. Up yours Summer!

SERVES 6 (or 3 greedy people)

Welcome to Rosie's

2011-08-25T15:53:00.000+01:00

Rosie’s Bistro and Patisserie in Gosforth, Newcastle, opened in January this year and has quickly built a reputation for serving excellent food, amazing patisserie and great coffee. It has stiff competition from the other cafe’s, restaurants and coffee houses on the high street, but the quality of what they do stands out above the rest.

To find it you need to walk through the Gosforth Shopping Centre and it's hidden away at the back overlooking the park.
The beautiful interior was designed by Julie Chambers and is furnished with reclaimed tables, chairs and various vintage items.

When you enter you're greeted by an old haberdashery cabinet full of biscuits and sweet treats. On the counter top there are various cakes such as Torta Caprese (flour-less chocolate cake), Carrot and Walnut, Bakewell Tart or Pistachio and Olive Oil. The fridges underneath are also packed full of stunning delights.
The cakes and patisserie are made on site daily and there are fruit and cheese scones baked each morning and afternoon.

The
bistro menu is very impressive too and is much in keeping with the ethos of Rosie's. The chefs Richard Winfield and Russell Byrne work hard to develop seasonal menu's sourcing ingredients from various local producers.

Richard Winfield and Russell Byrne

Rosie's opens at 10am serving North Acomb Farm bacon or sausage sandwiches and home made scones.

The bistro menu is served between 11.30am and 2.30pm offering a selection of sandwiches, salads and hot dishes such as Quiche, Croque Monsieur (my personal favourite), Spiced Lamb Patties, Minute Steak Sandwich and Thai Fish Cakes. There is always a soup of the day and a regular selection of specials.

From 2pm onwards the Afternoon Tea menu is served from which you can choose a Cream Tea (two scones, clotted cream and jam) or the full Afternoon Tea as well as a beautiful selection of desserts.

Next time you're in Gosforth I urge you to drop by. It's not really the sort of place to take someone who's on a diet, but hey everyone needs a treat every now and then!

Rosies Bistro & Patisserie 23-24 Gosforth Centre Gosforth Newcastle Upon Tyne

Telephone 0191 213 6220

www.caferosies.co.uk

Open Monday to Saturday 10am - 5.30pm

Introducing Flat Cap Joe

2011-08-16T16:17:00.000+01:00

I discovered Flat Caps Coffee House in Newcastle earlier this year after growing tired of being served coffee flavoured milk by the chains. The final straw came one day in May whilst sitting in Pret drinking a double espresso. After a couple of minutes I thought, this coffee's crap, why do I keep buying it! I then went in search of something better.

Hidden away in the basement of a gift shop, Flat Caps has a completely different atmosphere to any other cafe. You really feel as if you've escaped from the busy world above. Joe Meagher opened Flat Caps Coffee last year with the intention of serving the best coffee in Newcastle. Having recently won an award for best barista it seems he's already achieving his goal.

The house blend Daterra Bruzzi from Brazil is probably the nicest I've tasted, and there is an impressive selection of guest coffees which are individually filtered per cup. For £5 you can try any of the coffees brewed at your table with a syphon coffee maker, which is quite an experience…

The guest coffee always comes with a brief description about where it's from and how it tastes, hand written by Joe. You can tell he really loves coffee, and it shows in the quality of what he serves.

If you prefer tea you can choose from a list of 15 varieties including a number of loose leaf and flowering types. The fridge is stocked with locally brewed soft drinks, or if you'd prefer why not try a Cola Float.

Joe also serves some lovely food including sandwiches, toasties and a selection of cakes, scones and fudge.

Goats Cheese and Beetroot Sandwich and my favourite Cola Float

Flat Caps is located just off Northumberland Street so next time you're in Newcastle why not pop in and say hello.

Flat Caps Coffee House (basement of Elula) 13 Ridley Place Newcastle Upon Tyne

www.flatcapscoffee.com

@flatcapjoe on twitter

A Postcard from...

2011-06-18T14:03:00.000+01:00

Donal's Garlic and Rosemary Roast Lamb

2011-05-03T21:22:00.001+01:00

There can't be many people busier this year than Donal Skehan. Not only has he just launched his new book, Kitchen Hero, he's been filming the accompanying TV series since January in his own home!

I joined him for the last few days of filming at the end of March (mainly to stuff my face but also to work) and was blown away by the amount of hard graft and attention to detail that goes into each episode.

There will be a behind the scenes post soon but there was one recipe in particular I wanted to share as it's perfect for this time of year.

On the last day of shooting Donal cooked a gorgeous roast lamb dinner for his family. I've tried loads of recipes for roasting a leg of lamb, but this one is so simple I urge you to give it a go!

INGREDIENTS

1 leg of lamb

A few fresh rosemary sprigs

A few cloves of garlic

Olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

250ml lamb stock
1 onion

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Gas Mark 4

Slice the onion into thick slices and place on the bottom of a large roasting tray. Place the lamb on top of the onions and, using a sharp knife, make holes all over the lamb (about 2-3cm apart). Now slice the garlic into thick spikes and insert into each hole with a small sprig of rosemary.

Drizzle with a little olive oil, season generously with sea salt and black pepper, and it's ready to go in the oven. Roast the lamb for 25-30 minutes per 450g (1lb) for medium rare.

This is the time to get your veggies sorted. Donal cooked dauphinoise potatoes (recipe also in his book) but roasties always go down well and carrots and anything else you fancy.

Transfer the cooked lamb to a serving dish, cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 10-15 minutes. To make the gravy, tip the juices to one corner of the roasting tray and spoon the fat off the top. Place the tray on the hob and add the stock. Bring to the boil and whisk ensuring you incorporate all the caramelised meat juices from the tray. To thicken add a little roux (equal amounts of butter and flour mixed together) while it comes to a boil. Decant into a gravy jug and you're ready to serve!

Unfortunately there was only enough to feed Donal's family so the crew were left to look on in desperation!

Only joking, there was plenty left over, and after a full days shoot we all finally sat down at 9pm. The lamb was absolutely delicious as were the dauphinoise potatoes and yet so simple. You MUST give this a go.

Donal's book Kitchen Hero is available to buy now through most good book shops. To buy it on Amazon click here

A Postcard from...

2011-03-15T13:19:00.001Z

Holy Mackerel!

2011-03-09T13:01:00.001Z

Fishing for supper with Donal Skehan

Cook, blogger, writer and photographer Donal Skehan is quickly becoming Irelands brightest cooking star. Since starting The Good Mood Food blog in 2007 he has developed a huge following and is a regular on Irish TV and in the press.

His first book, Good Mood Food, is a staple in many kitchens (including my own) and is packed full of simple, healthy and delicious recipes. Later this month his second book Kitchen Hero will be released, closely followed by a TV series of the same name.

I was lucky enough to meet him last year and spent a few days cooking, eating and talking food. One of the highlights was heading out to sea on his dad Dermot's boat to see what we could catch for supper.

We set off from Howth harbour armed with little more than a few fishing lines and a bucket full of optimism! Luckily Dermot knew these waters well and we headed over to Ireland's Eye where he guaranteed we'd catch something. After a short wait the lines began to twitch and we starting pulling in 3 or 4 mackerel at a time. Having not been sea fishing for about 12 years I'd forgotten how much fun it is! Our thoughts quickly turned to how the fish would be cooked and we set a course for Howth.

Back on dry land, the fish were quickly gutted and cleaned (which attracted attention from a few scavengers) before heading back to Donal's family home. I LOVE mackerel so was really looking forward to having it cooked this fresh. The fish were prepared simply with a little salt and pepper, garlic, chilli, lemon, drizzled with olive oil and put straight on the barbecue.

If you've never barbecued fish before I urge you to give it a try, especially when it's as fresh as this. The flavours worked fantastically together with the mackerel coming through strongest. It may still be the winter and freezing cold outside, but the idea of eating this on a warm summers evening with a glass of wine is enough to keep me happy.

It was my first time visiting Howth but I look forward to going back very soon, especially if Donal will be doing the cooking! If you'd like to find out more or try some of his recipes, why not visit donalskehan.com

cover photo by Chris Terry

Donal's book Kitchen Hero goes
on sale on the 31st March.
Pre-order your copy now
CLICK HERE

Nanny Byrne's Devil's Food Cake

2011-03-05T12:32:00.003Z

My nan has been making this cake for the past 20 years or so and it's a firm family favourite. She makes it all year round for every celebration and it is always demolished (mainly by me). The cake is very rich and moist and eats VERY well. I warn you that one slice will not be enough.

This is not a secret recipe, it was taken from a magazine, but there's one ingredient you wont be able to get…my nan's magic touch! The recipe below is from the original but this is by no means the exact recipe as she cooks from memory. We get different versions of the cake depending on what she has remembered, but it is always delicious!

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

200g self raising flour

275g caster sugar

1 and a quarter tsp bicarb

1 tsp salt

50g cocoa

125g butter/margarine

225ml milk

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

FROSTING

75g plain cooking chocolate

175g butter

125g icing sugar

3 eggs separated

Preheat Oven to 180 degrees/gas mark 4. Grease 2 8in tins.

Sift all of the dry ingredients together and then mix in the butter and the milk. Whip then stir in the eggs and add vanilla extract. Mix well.

Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

To make the frosting, melt the chocolate in a bowl. In a separate bowl cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the egg yolks. Add to the melted chocolate and mix well. Whip the egg whites until stiff and fold into the frosting.

Let the cake cool and then spread a thick even layer of frosting over the top of one half. Place the other half on top and spread the remaining mixture evenly over the entire cake (see below).

Sometimes my nan grates dark chocolate over the top, or sprinkles hundreds and thousands.