Bill's Cafe - Cambridge

A few weeks ago we went to meet my parents for a mosey around the shops and some lunch in Cambridge. We went to the recently opened Bill's cafe, a small chain of restaurants originating in Brighton. They also have a branch in Covent Garden and a newly opened site in Islington, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Chorizo in a brioche bun

For lunch, Chris and I shared a fish finger sandwich and a chorizo burger, both served with a pot of skin on chips. The chorizo sausages were chargrilled before being piled into a soft brioche bun, with a good dollop of red pepper hummus, topped with rocket and roasted red peppers which was every bit as good as it sounds. The homemade fish fingers were sandwiched between lightly toasted white bread with chunky tartar sauce and ketchup, nothing fancy or extravagant but tasty none the less. The chips were crispy, and the skin added to the rustic feel of the place.

Pink lemonade with strawberries

The food is reasonably basic, they serve classics like fish & chips, burgers and cottage pie. They also have some seriously good looking desserts on the menu; the pavlova topped with lashings of whipped cream and strawberries looks delish. What we ate was good, simple and reasonably priced food at its best. A fish finger sandwich doesn't need to be over complicated or meddled with and it seems as though the guys at Bill's recognise this.

Fish finger sandwich

The restaurant itself is decked out with chunky wooden tables and the walls are lined with Bill's own brand chutneys, jams, dressings and sweet treats which are available to buy. The staff are friendly and the service was quick even though we arrived in the middle of a busy lunch service. If they can convert my dad into a fish finger sandwich fan then they must be doing something right.

Chorizo bun

Cheesy Cottage Pie

The humble cottage pie isn't the most glamourous of dishes, but it is the perfect antidote to a miserable Sunday evening. Mash potato is the ultimate comfort food, add melted cheese and juicy beef into the mix and you've got yourself a delicious dinner!

Serves 4-6

500g beef mince

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsps tomato puree

250ml red wine

500ml beef stock

1 tbsp plain flour

A couple of bay leaves

Worcestershire sauce

For the topping:

900g floury potatoes

Butter

Milk

100g cheddar, grated

1. Fry the beef in a little oil for 10 minutes until it has begun to brown. Add the onions, garlic and carrot and cook for a further 10 minutes until softened. Add the flour and fry for a few minutes, next add the red wine. Bubble away until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the beef stock, tomato puree and bay leaves. Turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Taste and add the Worcestershire sauce and seasoning
2. At this point you want the sauce to be nice and thick, so that mash can sit on top of it rather than just melting in. If you need to reduce it further, remove the meat & vegetables with a slotted spoon, you can discard the bay leaves at this point. Then put the gravy over a reasonably high heat and simmer until it has thickened
3. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes for 20 minutes or until soft. Mash with the butter and milk and season. Pour the meat and gravy into a large dish and top with the mash - make sure you rough the mash up with a fork so it goes nice and crispy. Grate the cheese over the top and bake for 45 minutes. Serve with your vegetable of choice, I went for stir fried cabbage with caraway seeds

Rosie & Jim's Sunday Lunch - Holloway

Yesterday I went to my first ever supper club, run by James Ramsden (you might have read his articles in the Guardian) and Rosie Hogg. One Sunday every month they are kind enough to invite a bunch of strangers into their home for a four course lunch.

Dining at a supper club is an utterly different experience from eating in a restaurant. The usual rules and etiquette no longer apply, but that is half of the charm. Being able to watch your food being prepared and speaking to the cook adds a personal aspect you wouldn't get in a restaurant. There's something quite intimate about going to someones house, sitting at their dining room table and eating a meal they have prepared for you; I worried that it would be awkward, but our hosts were utterly charming and at ease.

We were greeted with a bloody Mary, which was much appreciated after a few too many post-rugby drinks on Saturday night. To start we were served smoked salmon and fluffy blinis, with a healthy dollop of creme fraiche and caviar. This is one of my favourite starters and it didn't disappoint.

The main course was roast chicken served with smoked garlic mash, roasted carrots, peas, bread sauce and a light chicken gravy. This was the perfect roast for what felt like the first day of spring. No heavy gravy or roast potatoes, just simply prepared and delicious food. If I was a judge on Masterchef, I'd say something about how they let the ingredients 'sing' by not overpowering them with too many flavours. I've no idea how they managed to cooked half a dozen chickens and vegetables for twenty people without using a professional kitchen, very impressive.

For dessert we had rhubarb crumble with orange ice cream followed by an incredibly creamy Stilton, oatcakes and homemade red onion relish. At this point we were pretty much ready to burst, but just managed coffee and homemade mint tea before heading home to lounge on the sofa for the rest of the day.

Everything we ate was delicious and for £30 it was great value. The food was simple but beautifully cooked, the atmosphere was cheerful and relaxed and despite cooking for twenty hungry guests our host's were incredibly calm and friendly. Yesterday's fantastic lunch sparked a new found interest in supper clubs, I'd love to hear your recommendations...

 

To find out the dates for the next Rosie & Jim's follow James on Twitter or have a peek at his blog. 

Clissold House - Stoke Newington

On Sunday we headed down to the newly refurbished Clissold House. Hackney council finished a £9m renovation of the house and gardens in January. The house has been sympathetically updated to include a cafe and several function rooms, which you can book here.

 
The cafe serves a range of delicious looking cakes, sandwiches, salads and hot and cold drinks. I had a blueberry and white chocolate muffin and Chris went for a crazy looking hazelnut and chocolate pavlova, both of which were really good. We also shared a cafetiere of coffee while Chris read the paper and I finished my book.

As the cafe was so busy, we sat outside with a lovely view of the park. It's a great place to people watch, there are so many children and dogs running around there's always something to entertain and  getting away from the traffic and concrete makes it feel peaceful even though the park is always busy.

While we were sitting outside a sweet lady asked us to look after this little guy, how cute is he?! Having Googled 'borrowing a dog to walk in London' a few days previously, it was great having a dog for the morning and I think he enjoyed eating the crumbs from our cakes.

There were a lot of children and it was ludicrously busy, but that goes for every cafe in Stokey. I imagine the prices are prohibitively expensive for many local families (around £5 for a coffee and a cake), but that won't prevent anyone from going into the house for a snoop or enjoying the gardens. The food and service were both good and having somewhere to pick up a tasty sandwich and a drink during the summer will be really handy, so all in all I think it's a great addition to the park.

Toffee Apple Pastries

Last Wednesday was Dydd Santes Dwynwen, the Welsh equivalent of Valentines Day. As Chris is a Welshman I decided to cook us a special meal (any excuse for a celebration in dreary January). I made roast duck legs with a red wine sauce, followed by toffee apple pastries topped with toasted almonds and boy were they good. They take 5 minutes to put together if you use ready rolled puff pastry, so are perfect for a mid-week treat. If you're feeling particularily romantic you could always cut the pastry into hearts...

Serves 2
1 cox or granny smith apple, peeled, cored and sliced
Small tin of carnation caramel - trust me on this!
Ready rolled puff pastry (I used Jus-Rol)
A small handful of flaked almonds
1 egg or a little milk to glaze the pastry
Creme fraiche or custard to serve

1. Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees and pop a baking tray in to heat up. Cut your pastry into 4 inch squares and add a tablespoon of the caramel to the middle of each, spread outwards in a circular motion
2. Peel, core and slice the apple, then fan over the caramel. Cut around the apple, leaving at least 1cm of pastry at the edge and top with the flaked almonds
3. Brush the edges of the pastry with a little milk or egg and bake for 25 minutes until the pastry is golden and the apples are soft. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche or custard

The Three Crowns - Stoke Newington

I've eaten a lot of roast dinners in London, and more often than not they're a bit disappointing. There is an awful lot that can go wrong with a roast when you're cooking for four people, let alone a fully booked restaurant, but I'm still surprised by how difficult it is to find somewhere which can serve up a decent Sunday lunch for less than £20. Thankfully, I've discovered the Three Crowns on Church Street who will pile your plate with excellent food for just £13.95.

We started off with potted crab, served with lightly toasted white bread for dipping and a well dressed salad. The capers dotted on top cut through the rich crab meat perfectly and the bread was soft enough to soak up the devilishly good browned butter. Having a starter before a massive roast was certainly unnecessary, but well worth it.

I always opt for roast beef; I love lamb, but the lure of horseradish and Yorkshire pudding is just too great. Two thick slices of slightly pink beef were served with crispy roast potatoes, root vegetable mash, braised red cabbage, Yorkshire pudding and lashings of gravy. There were no greens on the plate, so you can't even pretend it's healthy, but it sure was delicious. I love red cabbage and after my dad outlawed it at Christmas I was very pleased to finally get my fix. I think the chef had been a little over zealous with the five spice and salt, but I enjoyed it anyway. The Yorkshire's were crispy on the outside, but soft and eggy on the inside whilst the gravy was rich and thick. It was a great meal, washed down with a glass of the excellent house red before heading home for an afternoon nap. Rock and roll.

My only complaint is with the horseradish they serve. I like my horseradish HOT and unfortunately their creme fraiche with freshly grated horseradish doesn't quite hit the spot. Aside from this, it's a reliable option for a tasty Sunday lunch. The service is always speedy and friendly, they were playing some great fifties tunes and they have a few sofas you can lounge on post-roast if you're in the mood.

Beef & Mushroom Pie with Parsnip Mash

I made this beef and mushroom pie for our pre-Christmas day, it's one of my favourite recipes as it's easy and doesn't have too many ingredients. The recipe is originally from Good Food, but I made a few changes (mainly more wine, garlic & herbs). It's easily the best pie I've ever made, largely due to the excellent meat I bought from Meat N16. I normally just pick up beef from the supermarket, but it is often a little tough, even when cooked for hours. If you live anywhere near Church Street, I'd definitely recommend heading to Meat N16. Their braising steak is beautifully marbled, when cooked it is perfectly tender and adds an incredibly rich flavour to stews or pies.

I served the pie with parsnip mash; simply boil parsnips in salted water until tender, mash with a little milk, butter and a dollop of horseradish to perk it up. Parsnips can be a little stringy, so I like to add a little potato to improve the consistency. I also served braised leeks, but any greens would be lovely.

Serves 4

500g beef braising steak

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

250g mixed oyster & chestnut mushrooms

A few sprigs of rosemary & thyme

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp flour

250ml red wine

300ml hot beef stock, use one of the Knorr stock pots

350g potatoes, peeled

25g butter, chopped into small pieces

1. Pre-heat the oven to 130 degrees. Cut the beef into cubes a couple of centimetres across. Using a heavy based pan, brown the meat in batches using a little oil. Once all the meat has been browned, remove from the pan
2. Add a little extra oil, turn down the heat and fry the onion until softened. Now add the mushrooms and garlic and soften for a further 5-10 minutes. Mix in the flour and tomato paste, and gently fry for a few minutes
3. Turn the heat up and add the red wine, simmer until most of the liquid has cooked off. Now add the stock, beef, herbs and seasoning, bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook in the oven for 2-3 hours until the meat is tender
4. For the topping, boil the potatoes whole, leave to cool, then grate. Transfer the beef to a pie dish, top with the grated potato, dot with butter and sprinkle over a little paprika if you fancy. Pop in the oven at 170 degrees for 30 minutes. Finish off under the grill to make the topping super crispy