Weekend Cooking: Taste of Two Continents food walking tour - Istanbul

 

Whenever we travel we like to do something foodie, whether it be a fancy meal or some kind of tour. Our recent visit to Turkiye was no exception. The food that we had over the whole trip was amazing, but one of the first things we did was a walking tour. 

Istanbul is a pretty special city and it is proud of the fact that it has one foot in both Europe and Asia, and this walking tour had elements on both sides. 

After meeting at a location near to the Spice Markets, the group of 9 made our way through the markets collecting various different ingredients for the first tasting, which ended up being a full Turkish breakfast. This is a tour that you need to come hungry for. I really didn't even need the hot chocolate that we started with!

This Turkish breakfast really set the scene for all of the breakfasts that we had throughout the tour. It introduced us to a number of different elements that I might not otherwise have tried and we continued to eat them throughout the period we were there.

The breakfast that we had included grilled olives, several different cheeses including tulum cheese, simit (looks like a bagel but has molasses added to it and is covered in sesame seeds), red pepper paste , pasturma (pastrami), menemen (scrambled eggs with onion and tomato), hazelnut paste and honey and kaymak (which is a type of clotted cream) all washed down with turkish tea.

Everything was really delicious. Actually, I didn't try the olives because I don't like them, but everything else was really delicious. The real revelations were the hazelnut paste and the honey and kaymak. We are all familiar with Nutella which is the mix of chocolate and hazelnut but this was just hazelnut flavoured and it was so good! Interestingly, this was only served with the breakfast in Istanbul. Once we got out of the city we didn't see it again.. However, the honey and kaymak (clotted cream) is something we saw pretty regularly.

The thing with the honey and kaymak that was such a surprise to me is that I generally don't like honey that much. I will have it in small amounts but certainly it's not a topping that I reach for as a general rule, but as a combination with the simit.....and it turns out other types of bread....so good!

After our breakfast we make our way down to the waterfront and caught a ferry over the Bosphorus to the Asian side of the city in the area of Kadıköy where we wandered through a market area making various stops.

The first stop was at a restaurant where we tried Beyran soup which is a regional breakfast soup. It includes pieces of lamb in the tomato based soup. This is where we also tried ayran which is a sour milk based drink that we saw all over Turkiye. That one might be a bit of an acquired taste. More palatable was the lahmacun which is a Turkish pizza style dish but you roll it up to eat.

As we were walking our guide pointed out a number of kokoreç stores. When he explained what it was I wasn't sure if I would want to try it, but when in Istanbul.... kokoreç is basically lamb intestines which is wrapped around different types of offal and then grilled. The way we had it was very finely chopped and served on bread. It was quite tasty, although it's not something that I would go out of my way to have again.

You may have noticed that there is a lot of bread in this food, and we weren't done yet. Our next stop was to have an Iskender Kebab. I guess I really only though that there were kebabs, but there are multiple different versions. What sets this one apart is that the pita bread is at the bottom of the plate so by the time you are get to it, it has been soaking in all the juices. When it is served, there is also a flourish of butter sauce added. It was so good!  

The next stop was something I have never seen before. It was a pickle shop, but it isn't just your normal pickles. The window display included things like pickled avocado, corn and all sort of other things. I don't like pickle so this wasn't a stop for me. It also might be another acquired taste, but it did look very pretty! We saw pickle stores all over the city where people just buy a cup of pickles and juice and they just eat it like that!

We couldn't complete a tour without having proper Turkish coffee and Turkish Delight, and then our final stop was a dessert shop where we got to try Turkish ice cream (which is dondurma) and baklava. We ended up going to this chain of dessert shops multiple times throughout our time in Istanbul. The dondurma is delicious, so creamy, but it has a very different texture to our ice cream, to the point that it is possible to eat it with a knife and fork.  Because of the ingredients it doesn't melt in the same way and it has a kind of chewy texture. 

I mentioned above that I don't generally love honey. The same is true of nuts, and yet I ate baklava at every opportunity, and honey and nut are a big part of baklava! The guide did tell us that you should eat baklava upside down which was interesting!

That was the end of the a very interesting day. The tour itself lasted around 5 hours, and the guide was very approachable and knowledgable. He also shared plenty of tips about good places to eat. Once the tour as done we had the opportunity to hang around a bit longer in Kadıköy which is what we chose to do. We then caught the ferry back to Kabataş which was very close to where we were staying.

it was a really fun, informative and filling day! We did out tour through a company called Yummy Food Tours and we would totally do another tour with them!

Weekly meals

Saturday - Away
Sunday - Away
Monday - Presure Cooker Spag Bol
Tuesday -Pork chops with mash and gravy
Wednesday - Beef and Broccoli
Thursday -  Chicken Katsu Curry 
Friday - Bacon, mushrooms and eggs on toast

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

Weekend Cooking: On holidays

 

No Weekend Cooking post this week. We are currently on holidays in Turkey and while I have at least two posts to come about all the amazing foodie experiences we have had, I will save them for another week.

Weekend Cooking: The Actually Delicious Slow Cooker Cookbook by Poppy O'Toole

Last month, the Lambs Ears Cook Book Club chose Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious One Pot Cookbook by Poppy O'Toole as it's March selection. I tried to get that one from the library but they didn't have it, so instead I borrowed Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious One Pot Cookbook instead. 

We haven't had much luck with British chef  Poppy O'Toole. I love watching her, and I like her voice and attitude. The intros to her recipes are always a lot of fun, but the two cook books I have tried from her before were interesting, but there wasn't much that I wanted to cook from them. 

Poppy is a Michelin trained chef who gained popularity on the socials during the pandemic when she started sharing all the different things you can do with a potato. It turns out that there is a lot and so the first book I looked at was her potato one, and then I borrowed her air fryer cook book because we are still looking for better ways to use the air fryer. 

If it hadn't of been for the cook book club, I wouldn't have even looked at this book, and I would have missed out, because there are quite a few things we have made from this book and they are all good. So much so, I am contemplating buying this book so we can keep cooking from it!

The book is set up in a pretty standard format with chapters covering Soups, Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Pork, Turkey, Veggies and Desserts. As you would expect from a cook whose passion is potatoes, there is a whole chapter on potatoes in this book as well. 

We have a combo slow and pressure cooker all in one, and we tend to use the pressure cooker function more than the slow cooker. With the weather becoming cooler, it was a good time to try some of these hearty slow cooked meals.

So far we have tried Beef Bourgignon, Marry Me Chicken, Chicken and Chorizo Orzo and Tomato and Paneer Curry which is the recipe I am sharing today. All of them have been good, with nice flavour which sometimes can go a bit missing when you are cooking things in the slow cooker. 

There are so many recipes that I would like to try though which is why I might need to purchase this book. Some I want to try include 

Soups: Spicy Gochujan Noodle Curry, Laksa, Ramen, French Onion Soup, Hearty Whole Chicken Soup

Chicken: Coq au Vin, Teriyaki Chicken, Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs, Fajita Chicken, Chicken Korma and more 

Beef: Beef Rendang, Stroganoff and more

Pork: Char Siu Pork, Overnight Apple and Cider Pork Bap

Veggie: Potato and Aubergine Curry, Breakfast Home Style Potatos

For the record, we also tried a recipe called Chicken and Orange Tray Bake which comes from the One Pot book and is available on her website. It was delicious too.

Today I am sharing the recipe from the Tomato and Paneer Curry which was really good. Before I went to India last month, paneer isn't something that I would normally have gravitated to. While I was there we ate quite a few curry dishes which featured paneer so now I am looking forward to experimenting with it more.

Tomato and Paneer Curry 

1 red onion, thinly sliced 
4 fat garlic cloves, grated or crushed 
2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into 2cm slices 
thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated, or peeled and julienned or finely chopped
 1–2 green chillies, thinly sliced (or 1–2 teaspoons chilli flakes) 
450g paneer, cut into 2–2.5cm dice 
25g butter, cubed 
1 x 600g jar of passata 
1 tablespoon tomato purée 
1 teaspoon caster sugar 
1 teaspoon garam masala 
1 teaspoon cumin seeds 
1 teaspoon salt, plus extra to season 
150ml single cream 
1 lime, juiced 
150–200g spinach 
small handful of coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped 

1. Add the onion, garlic, peppers, ginger, chillies, paneer, butter, passata, tomato purée, sugar, garam masala, cumin seeds, teaspoon of salt and lots of black pepper to the bowl of your slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours, until the veg are completely tender and the paneer is pleasantly soft, but hasn’t completely fallen apart. 

2. Stir in the cream, lime juice, spinach and coriander stalks, until the spinach has wilted. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust as needed. 

3. Divide the curry between four bowls and scatter over the coriander leaves. 

Weekly meals

Saturday - Swedish Meatballs
Sunday - Marry Me Chicken (new)
Monday - Pork chops with mash and broccoli
Tuesday - Spaghetti Bolognaise
Wednesday - Away
Thursday - Away
Friday - Away

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

Weekend Cooking: Le assaggiatrici (The Tasters)

 

In 2012  a German woman named Margot Wolk shared a story that before then was unknown. She claimed that she was one of a group of 15 women who were forced to be the taste testers for Hitler's food, and that she was the only one of the women to survive the war. Some have cast doubts on the story, but whether it is true or not, it does make for an interesting tale. Le Assaggiatrici is an Italian movie which tells that story.

Rosa is a young woman who moves to a small town in what is now Poland to live with her in-laws. Her husband is a solder. They have been married 4 years but in that time she has only seen him for a few weeks as he has been off fighting the war. The letters have become at first infrequent and now non-existent so she is not sure if he is alive or not.

Not long after arriving, there is a knock at the door and Rosa is ordered to board a bus by soldiers. She doesn't know why or where she is going or who the other women already on the bus are. The women on the bus arrive at a facility where they are taken to a dining room where they are ordered to eat. At first the women are reticent, but food is food. It is only after they have eaten that they are told that they have now been conscripted to be the tasters of Hitler's food as the Fuhrer is paranoid of being poisoned.

Each day they are bought to the dining room and they have to eat. They then have to wait for a prescribed period of time to see if they are ill after eating. Only then will the chef give the all clear for the food to be presented to Hitler. It is easy how this could absolutely affect your mind. After all, if someone is going to try to poison him, you could also be poisoned. The guards are very alert, and even if you aren't hungry, or not feeling well for other reasons, you must still eat or face the consequences.

At first, the women are wary of each other, especially of Rosa who is an outsider. These women are doing the best they can to survive a brutal war, to raise children, and for those who are single hoping for the opportunity to find love. Some of the women are also trying to keep their secrets safe, some more successfully than others. Over the course of the film, the dynamics between the women shift constantly from rivals, to uneasy friendships and strong bonds.

I wasn't sure about one aspect of the film which is when Rosa began a passionate secret affair with one of the lieutenants who was in charge of the group. It did add additional tension into the movie but it did seem like an odd decision. 

As the war progresses, the desperation of the soldiers increases as well as the fear of what will happen  if and when the Russians arrive.

This is a WWII movie which focuses predominantly on the experience of a group of women, which makes it unusual given that so often women are on the outside of the story. It is based on a bestselling book called The Wolf at the Table by Rosa Postarino

This movie was originally shown here as part of the German Film Festival in 2025. However, I missed it then so I was pleased when I saw it as one of the options on the plane when I was travelling recently and that I took the opportunity to watch it! I quite often watch foreign movies on planes. Given that we are travelling again soon it will be interesting to see what I find to watch on these flights!

Here's the trailer

Weekly meals

Saturday -  Away
Sunday - Away
Monday - Tomato and Paneer Curry and rice (new)
Tuesday - Spicy Pork and Beans Noodle stir fry 
Wednesday - Grilled cheese on toast
Thursday - Enchiladas 
Friday - Swedish Meatballs and mash

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

In My Kitchen - March

Welcome to the first Saturday of the month where I share everything I have made over the previous month. It has been a pretty quiet month in the kitchen in March. I went to India for work early in the month and then was sick for two weeks when I got home so there wasn't a lot of cooking going on! It will be another quiet month in April as we are away for Easter and then going on holidays for the last two weeks of the month! 

What I did make are two older recipes that I have made before.

Double Choc Zucchini Bread - I have been making this recipe occasionally for at least twelve years since I first saw it at BethFishReads but it has been a while. At Lamb's Ear Cook Book club the star ingredient for March was zucchini so it seemed like a good opportunity to make it again! We still have half the loaf in the freezer. Maybe we can take it away with us on the Easter weekend. I shared this recipe here.

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt - This is another recipe that I have made several times over the last few years, but it has been a while. The reason I chose to make this .....it all comes down to how it looks in the mixer! It looks so good when you are mixing it up! Oh, and it tastes good as well. I shared the recipe for this cake here.

One of the favourite things that I ate while I was in India was a Bengali dessert called Mishti Doi. I am determined that I am going to try and make it so I went to my local Indian wholesale supermarket and bought the clay pot that it goes in. There are only three ingredients in it which are milk, yoghurt and jaggery. Of course, then I had to buy jaggery too! I am going to try and make it, although that might not be until I get back from holidays

New recipes

Chicken and Chorizo Orzo

Beef Bourguignon

Chicken and Orange Tray Bake

Weekend Cooking posts from the last month

In My Kitchen: February

Afternoon Tea Diaries: Victoria: The Place to Be at Oxi Tea Rooms

What I Ate in India

Cook the Books: The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs

Weekly Meals

Saturday - Beef Stroganoff and rice
Sunday - Beef Bourgignon (new)
Monday - Pork chop, mash, broccoli
Tuesday - Takeaway
Wednesday - Chicken and Orange Traybake (new)
Thursday - Eggs on toast
Friday - Red Curry Salmon (new)

I am sharing this post with In My Kitchen hosted at Sherry's Pickings.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

Blog Tour: Hopes and Dreams at the Chocolate Pot Cafe by Jessica Redland

 

Tara and Jed are taking it slowly. Tara has emotional scars from her past that have forced her to keep her distance from everyone for years. Slowly, she has been letting down her barriers down to many people around her allowing her to form friendships, to rebuild her relationship with her foster parents and yes, to fall in love with Jed. But she is still keeping part of herself back from him. Fortunately, Jed understands. After all, he has a history of his own including his manipulative ex-wife who tore their family apart, and separated him from the boy he thought was his son, Aaron. 

The past has a tendency to come back to life. Jed returned from life in Australia with his two daughters and has established his own business across the road from Tara's Chocolate Pot Café. When Ingrid, his ex-wife shows up unannounced, drama is sure to follow. When Jed sees Aaron again, the boy is angry with him, believing that Jed had abandoned him and wanted nothing more to with him. 

For Tara, her painful past is represented by her step sister Leanne, who betrayed her in the most shocking way. When Leanne tries to get in contact with her parents, Tara knows that it won't be for altruistic reasons and she also knows that she has to protect herself even if it means losing her parents again.

When I started reading this book, it felt like I had walked in half way through, and that's because I had. Tara and Jed's story started in a book that was published years ago called Starry Skies Over the Chocolate Pot Cafe. Of course, it I had of seen the title it would have prompted me to wonder if they were connected but there was nothing to suggest that it was a continuation of a previous story on Goodreads or in the blurb. I have learned before that Jessica Redland likes to pepper her story with recurring characters and I expected it in this one. I just didn't expect that it would be a sequel. I guess I just have to hurry up and read all of the books set in Whitsborough Bay and then the recurring characters will be old friends!

Giving that this isn't the boy meets girl part of Tara and Jed's relationship, the story really comes from the Drama with a capital D that swirls around them, and there is a lot going on. Jed's daughters have a really fractured relationship with their mother, which is perfectly understandable given the history, so when Ingrid drops in unannounced he has to navigate carefully. Similarly, Tara has enough drama in her own world, but she still manages to see opportunity to help other people, including Zoe, a young girl who lives in a shelter.

I could relate to having a relationship that is in the middle of other people's lives. My husband and I have been known to have conversations about the fact that we are really good within the two of us, but it is outside dramas that can some times cause emotional impacts on one or both of us. The main difference is that we are not now navigating a new relationship as Tara and Jed were. 

Despite the fact that I did feel like I had missed the first half of the story, I did really enjoy this book and I would love to read more of Jessica Redland's books. The question is when will I find the time and space to do so!

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews and British Isles Friday hosted at Joy's Book Blog. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy and Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour! Check out the other stops on the blog tour as well!

Rating 4/5

About the book

Hopes and Dreams at the Chocolate Pot Café

Sometimes all your hopes and dreams really do come true… ✨🌈

Life at the Chocolate Pot Café has never been sweeter for Tara Porter. Nestled on Castle Street in Whitsborough Bay, her café is thriving, her friendships are close, her foster parents are back where they belong—and she’s finally let herself fall in love with artist Jed Ferguson.

For Jed, returning from Australia feels like coming home in every sense. His teenage daughters have settled, his gallery opening is a success, and with Tara by his side, the future looks full of promise.

But the past can’t stay at bay forever.

When Tara’s estranged foster sister reappears, old wounds resurface. And when Jed is reunited with twelve year old Aaron - a boy he once believed was his son - secrets unravel and loyalties are tested.

Now Tara and Jed must decide whether facing the past will shatter everything they’ve built—or hope it gives them the strength and courage to dream again.

Warm, heartfelt and hopeful, Hopes and Dreams at the Chocolate Pot Café is a story of love, forgiveness and second chances.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/HopesDreamsatChocolate

About the Author 

Jessica Redland is the million-copy bestselling author of novels, including the Hedgehog Hollow and Escape to the Lakes series. Inspired by her hometown of Scarborough and the Lake District, she writes uplifting women’s fiction of love, friendship and community.

Social Media Links –

Facebook: @jessicaredlandauthor

Twitter: @JessicaRedland

Instagram: @jessicaredlandauthor

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/JessicaRedlandNews

Bookbub profile: @jessicaredlandwriter

Weekend Cooking/Cook the Books: The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs

 

When I saw that this book was the selection for February/March for Cook the Books, I wasn't 100% sure if I would read it or not as it would be a reread for me and I don't generally do rereads. However, FOMO is real and so I did end up reading it again, and I am glad I did.

I have a potted history with this book, which is also published under the title Miss Eliza's English Kitchen. Originally I tried to read it on an Easter road trip back in 2022. I struggled to keep interested so I put it down, only picking it up again 6 months later. I had to start reading the book again, and this time I thought it was quite good! However, I think it is a book that grows on you because when I started it again for this post, I struggled to be able to put it down. It's a book that seems to get better each time you read it!

The Language of Food tells the story of Eliza Acton and her assistant Ann Kirby as they developed what is credited as the first cookbook targeted at domestic cooks. She was also the first person to include a precise list of ingredients as part of the recipe, although she had it at the bottom rather than at the top.

It is a shame that Eliza Acton is not more well known, as her story is interesting and she has left a  lasting legacy. Interestingly, she started as a poet but when her poems were rejected she was tasked with writing a cook book. At the time, she couldn't cook at all. However, when her family fortunes are decimated, she and her mother find themselves running a boarding house for respectable people in the town of Tonbridge. Eliza is determined that she can do better than the cookbooks that were available at the time, and so she starts to teach herself to cook and write the recipes, testing the recipes for preciseness and taste.

Ann's story is also interesting, albeit almost opposite to Eliza. She came from a very poor background with a father with a penchant for drinking and a mother who is demented. Her local priest finds her a place with the Actons. She soon shows that she not only is a hard worker but she has a good sense of taste and cooking skill. Soon Eliza is talking about her book as "our book" with Ann, which suggests a closeness but both of them are keeping very big secrets from each other.

When I read a book for Cook the Books, I am always on the look out for what it is that I am going to cook so I take note of all of the mentions of food. I am glad I didn't keep a list for this book because there are SO many mentions of food the list would have been more than a page long. However, as soon as I got to a particular section, I knew that I at least had a direction, partially due to the fact that I have recently visited India.

At one point in the book, Eliza has a suitor named Mr Arnott who is a spice merchant, which seems an ideal match for her. Mr Arnott loves curry, and there is a mention at one point of egg curry, and that was my decision made.

Last year, I wrote about a cook book called Everything is Indian. I previously shared a recipe for delicious Curried Sausage Rolls, but one of the other recipes we have tried from the book was an Egg Curry, and so today, that is the recipe that I am going to share today.

The next selection for Cook the Book is called The Call of the Camino by Suzanne Redfearn. I see some Spanish food in my future!

This book counts for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here and Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story.

Rating 4.5/5

Egg Curry (Anda Tarkari) - Justin Narayan

6 eggs, at room temperature
1/4 to 1/3 cup (60-80ml) light olive oil
1 large brown onion, thinly sliced
15-20 fresh curry leaves
2 bird's eye chillies, halved lengthways
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1 large ripe tomato, roughly diced or 1/2 x 400g (14oz) can diced tomatoes

Pour some iced water into a bowl. Bring a saucepan of water to a gentle boil, then add the eggs. Boil for 6 minutes, then immediately transfer them to the iced water. Once cool enough to handle, peel the eggs.

Line a plate with paper towel. Heat the oil in the frying pan over medium heat. Fry the boiled eggs until golden brown al over, about 1-2 minutes. Drain the eggs on the paper-towel lined plate.

In the same pan, add the onion, curry leaves, fresh chilli and whole spices and cook until the onion is golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add the powdered spices and a pinch of salt and mix. Add the garlic and tomato and cook until the tomato has completely broken down, about 5-6 minutes. Return the eggs to the pan and simmer for 2-5 minutes so all the ingredients get to know each other. 

Taste and adjust with salt. Garnish with coriander and serve with roti and rice. 

Tip: If you don't have fresh tomato, use half a can of tomato and you'll get the same result. Use the whole tin if you want it to be saucier. 

Weekly meals

Saturday - 
Sunday - Chicken and Chorizo Orzo
Monday - Bacon, mushrooms and zucchini pasta
Tuesday - Eggs on Toast
Wednesday - Beef and Broccoli Noodles
Thursday - Egg curry
Friday -

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

Weekend Cooking: What I ate in India

I started a new role around 7 months ago. If you had of said that as a result of that decision I would have had the opportunity to spend a week in Kolkata, India, I would not have believed you. However, that is exactly what happened over the last couple of weeks. In previous roles the furthest I got to travel was to Sydney for two days.  

The arrangements for this trip came together very quickly. A few weeks ago my boss said I think we are going and then next thing I knew I was applying for business visas and we were off.  We went to visit our offshore processing team, and I have to say the welcome we received was incredible. We were looked after really well!

One of the bonuses of travelling for work with this company was that it is business class travel all the way. I have never travelled business class before, and I am pretty sure that there is no way that my husband will ever pay for that so it might be the only time it happens! So, yes, I was absolutely the person taking photos of everything around me including the meals. It will be a bit of a struggle to go back to economy when we go on holidays in a few weeks...depending on what the state of the world is at that time. We are supposed to be going to Türkiye via Dubai so that may or may not happen!

The food in business class was pretty good, and came with real cutlery and crockery. I had pre-booked all my meals so knew exactly what I was having. I made sure it was a good mix of western food, Indian food and Singaporean food. 

The company we were visiting is huge. There is something like 27000 people working at the site we were visiting. It's hard to comprehend that number! We ate in the executive dining room every day where we had soup, a choice of dishes from the buffet and dessert. Most of the buffet and dessert dishes were local Bengali dishes. It was here that I discovered that I do actually like paneer. It is not something that I would necessarily have chosen to eat off a menu here, but I tried several different versions and they were all delicious!

My favourite discovery though was a Bengali dessert called Mishti Doi. It is a yoghurt that is sweetened with jaggery and then set within clay pots. The clay pots are porous and help draw the liquid out so that it sets into a firm but smooth texture. The closest texture I can think of is like a panna cotta. It is so delicious! I have been trying to find restaurants here that serve it, but I think it will be a case of if I see it on a menu I will just have to have it as it might not be there the next time! We also tried some other dessert such as Roshomolai, Baked Rusgala and a saffron flavoured Sandesh.

One of the highlights was a dinner that we had with the leaders. It was at a beautiful restaurant at an upmarket hotel and the food was amazing. The host just ordered a selections of dishes which came out one after another ranging from prawns to chicken to paneer and more. Everyone was really full when she said now it's time for the main course!

Whilst the work aspect of the trip was really intense, as was the humidity in Kolkata, they also made sure that we got to see some of the sights. I stayed two days longer than my bosses because we booked flights so late, and so I go to do a day trip around the city visiting some incredibly interesting places.

Whether I get to go again or not, I had an amazing experience and I am so glad I got to go! 

Weekly meals

Saturday - Away
Sunday - Away
Monday - Spaghetti Bolognaise
Tuesday - Korean Chicken Burgers
Wednesday - Zucchini, Parmesan and Tomato Risotto
Thursday - Japanese Pork Curry and rice
Friday - Takeaway

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

Afternoon Tea Diaries: Victoria - The Place to Be at Oxi Tea Rooms

Welcome to another entry in my irregular event, Afternoon Tea Diaries.

I guess it is official! We have officially become fangirl's of Oxi Tea Rooms. Recently we had our third visit and I am going to say right from the outset, we will be going again, and again...and yes, probably again!

Why do we love it so much? I think it is because it is afternoon tea with a difference. The menu changes regularly so you don't have the same experience over and over again. The food all looks like pieces of art and it is always fun and interactive!

This time the theme was Victoria: The Place to Be with the menu featuring produce from around the state! In addition, the whole space was used like an art gallery displaying art and jewellery from local artists.

Every time we have been we have been seated in a different part of the space, and the vibe is a bit different. The first time we were at a table for two by the window, the second time we were at a big table (as there was a group of us) in a slightly elevated postion and this time we were around the corner in a space I had never even noticed before. I am hoping to end up in one of the booths for two next time my husband and I go alone!

As always, the experience starts with the tea. There are more than 30 different options available ranging from rooibos to Kenyan and Taiwanese teas. All the options are laid out in these silver boxes which you can then pick up and smell and then make your choice. Last time I went I had a delicious Roast Peach tea but I wanted to do something different this time. I therefore chose the only one on the menu which is from Victoria. To be honest, I didn't really love my tea, which is a shame but that is about me making a choice based on head rather than heart. 

You then get to drink your tea after it has been brewed in two different ways. The first is using a modern teaspresso machine, which you can see in the background of the picture with the suitcase. The second brewing is made from the same tea leaves but brewed in a traditional Chinese way.

The first course this time was called Beechworth Tea Time and it was described as flaky biscuits, Beechworth honey roasted tomatoes and onion gelato. Normally in Australia we think of biscuits as being like cookies, but in this case it was more scone like so more like the American definition of a biscuit. However, it is defined, this was delicious. Light and fluffy and so tasty. The tomato was delicious, but what a revelation the onion gelato was! It's not something I have tried before and it was amazing! There were also crunchy fried onions which gave an added texture!

The the serving platter comes out which has the rest of the afternoon tea on, and it always blows our minds because everything is presented so exquisitely. The interactive element this time was that you had the description of the food but the image didn't necessarily match the food on the platter, so you had to figure out what came next in the suggested eating order. Some of them were more obvious than others. For example, the wool and the hay bale were pretty obvious! Others not so much

Here's what the menu lists. You will probably be able to pick some of them from the photo above!

St Ali Sunflower Bloom - Coffee, sunflower seed, wattleseed, orange

Southern Valley Spring Pond - Yarra Valley trout caviar, house smoked trout, dill, kaffir lime, Southern Seagreen wakame, carrot, grape caviar

Yarra Valley Sweet Wool - blackberry, fruity Nandi Gold tea, pepperberry, cacao

Six Eyed Scorpion Roo - kangaroo, Six Eyed Scorpion chilli oil, rockmelon; blue oyster mushroom, 

Alphine Valley Tea Hill - Yarra Valley Tea Co. Victorian sencha, strawberry, matcha,cheesecake

Victorian Farmhouse Roll - chicken roulette, charred lemon & pesto, chicken skin, Duc Nga woodear tofu, charred lemon & pesto, tofu chip (v)

Royal Nut Haystack - Royal Nut Co. pecan, hay, maple, kataifi

Boort Corn Patch - polenta, mushroom & truffle, Boort baby & sweet corn, mustard

Gippsland Milk Meadow - honeydew & rockmelon, St David’s Dairy yoghurt, lemon myrtle, floral sencha

I was a bit worried about how much melon there was in the menu as I don't really like it, but in the end it wasn't overwhelming in any way.

There are also some amazing a la carte items that you can choose to purchase. To be fair, we probably didn't need to order the Koala you see at the top of the post but we couldn't resist it which is flavoured with macadamia, maple, mango, and strawberry gum. There was an amazing looking cherry dish that some others around us ordered but we couldn't possibly have fit that in!

While the menu and experiences change regularly, the super cool glasses and cutlery and the service stay at the same high quality. 

You can see our previous visits to Oxi Team Rooms and the themes in the links below

Red

Palate Through Time: Before 

There's no Weekly Meals this week as I have been on a work trip so every night will be out for dinner!

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

In My Kitchen: February

Welcome to the first Saturday of the month where I share everything I have made over the previous month. For the second month in a row it was a busy month in the kitchen. I don't think that will be the case in March but never say never!

We started the month by having a family dinner. We made roast pork, cauliflower cheese as well as tried a new way of doing potatoes which was Crispy Potato Gallette from Donna Hay's latest book, Sunshine, Sea Salt and Lemons. This book was the February cook book for Lambs Ears Cook Books Club and I really enjoyed cooking out it. (review here) The potatoes were a hit, as was the Chaja Cake which I made for the second time this month. This time I took a few shortcuts but everyone was happy with it. There were no leftovers!

Last month we tried the viral Japanese Cheesecake. We used Greek yoghurt and pretty plain biscuits. This month we made it again but this time we used a Lemon Curd yoghurt and Anzac biscuits. It was so good! Indeed, we ended up making it two weeks in a row it was that good. You do need to let it sit for at least 12 hours as Anzac biscuits are very hard so they need that additional time to soften up a bit.

Last year, it was announced that there was going to be an Arnott's cook book released and I knew I had to have it. It's a bit gimmicky really, which shouldn't really be a surprise, given that it is recipes made with Arnott's branded biscuits, but I will try a couple more things out of it in due course. This month I made Vanilla Slice which is made using SAO biscuits instead of pastry. It was good, but I think I would use a different container next time so that it gets a bit more height on the custard. 

We did have a cherry tomato crop to harvest this month. I say crop, but there were only three that were ripe. I am not complaining though, given that we didn't even plant the tomato vine, it just started growing in pot out the front. 

Do you ever look at what people have in their trolley/shopping cart and think ....I need to try those. Last time we went to Costco I saw a family that had two boxes of these Taiwanese Pineapple shortcakes, and I thought I really must try those. When we went to Costco recently it was top of my list. The box is super cute. The contents are.....you know...fine. 

Lastly, one of my work colleagues gave me some homemade jam this week and for breakfast last Saturday I had it on crumpets! It was so good!

In terms of our eating out adventures, this month we had two adventures. My husband isn't one for the big gestures but we have always done something for Valentine's Day. This year we went to lunch at a winery which is about 15 minutes away from home. We have been meaning to try this winery ever since we moved into the area. It won't take us another 3.5 years to go there for a meal again!

We also went to afternoon tea at Oxi Tea Rooms again. We have been three times now, and I know that we will go again. They change the menu every six months, the food is amazing both in looks and taste and it is a phenomenal experience! This time, the theme is Victoria - The Place to Be and it featured local produce. In addition to the set afternoon tea menu, they offer some a la carte options. We chose to have the Koala but there was a cherry dish that looked absolutely amazing! I will share more about the visit in an Afternoon Tea Diaries post soon. 

New recipes this month

Crispy Potato Gallette - delicious! (Donna Hay)

Tomato and Mascarpone Tart - easier than it looked, especially if you use shop bought pastry (Donna Hay)

Japanese  Cheesecake - Lemon and Anzac Biscuits - so good we made it twice

Thai Chicken Meatballs - Really good (Donna Hay) (recipe)

Japanese Pork Curry - We've bought enough curry sachets now to make this several times again

Korean Fried Chicken Burgers - Another winner from Donna Hay. Will be having this one again.

Weekend Cooking posts from the last month

The Oyster Catcher by Jo Thomas

Sunshine, Lemons and Sea Salt by Donna Hay

The Golden Spurtle (movie)

In My Kitchen: January

Weekly meals

Saturday - Butter chicken and roti
Sunday - Tuscan Chicken Pasta Bake
Monday - Beef Stir Fry
Tuesday - Chicken, tomato, bocconcini with past
Wednesday - Baked Pumpkin and chicken risotto
Thursday - Pork Schitzel, mash, broccolini and mushroom sauce
Friday -Take away

I am sharing this post with In My Kitchen hosted at Sherry's Pickings.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

Weekend Cooking: The Oyster Catcher by Jo Thomas

 

I have read a number of Jo Thomas's books now and really enjoy them. They are always fun stories, with lots of food and quite often interesting settings! I have decided that while I wait for each new book,  I will work my way through her backlist, starting with her first book, The Oyster Catcher.

When Fiona Clutterbuck's husband dumps her at their wedding, she takes the campervan that they were supposed to be honeymooning in and just drives. She ends up in a small town named Dooleybridge that has seen better times on the shores of Galway Bay. After crashing into a brick wall, and being admonished by the local police because the van has now been reported stolen, Fi realises that she is broke and homeless.

In the local pub she overhears that there is a job going with one of the local farmers, Sean Thornton. Desperate, she very quickly agrees to take the job, which is especially handy given that it comes with accommodation. She soon realises that she should probably have asked more questions because it turns out that Sean is an oyster farmer. Fi doesn't like oysters and she has an extreme fear of water and boats.

Sean has his own reasons for employing a stranger. Years before, the oyster industry of Dooleybridge had collapsed, with lots of repercussions for the town. Sean is now trying to keep his uncle's farm going, but it is hard work and isn't that profitable, but he loves it. He does feel like he is on the brink of being able to turn things around but he doesn't want the locals to know what he is doing just yet.

While there might be a spark of attraction between them, Fi is staying far away from Sean, not least because of his very ambitious oyster broker/business partner/girlfriend, Nancy.

It was interesting to see the parallels between this, Jo Thomas's first book, and her latest book which I reviewed here. Both feature communities where the town has seen better days, and feature that same community coming together to organise an event which will help revitalise the town. In this book, the event is a revival of the Oyster festival which had been scrapped years before after the oyster industry was pretty much closed down. It's not all smooth sailing though. Some people want a slick, high class oyster festival and others want a rustic festival with a nostalgic feel. 

There are lots of really fun characters who make up the population of Dooleybridge, as well as a couple of "baddies" like Nancy, who probably could have done with some nuance in their characterisation. There are also some really fun animal characters including donkeys Freddie, Mercury and Juliet, who have a nasty habit of escaping their enclosure at very inconvenient times!

I love most seafood, but oysters is one of the things I don't love. Give me prawns any day over oysters. I did, however, really like learning more about oyster farming. It was interesting because whenever you travel in certain parts of Australia you will see oyster farms advertised as tourist destinations. We have never stopped at one before, although we did go to a pearl farm in Broome in Western Australia which is same same but different. We might next time we come across one of them

I already have my next Jo Thomas read out of the library. That book will take me to  Italy, and I am really looking forward to it!

I am sharing this review with Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story.

Rating 4/5

Weekly meals

Saturday - 
Sunday - Pork chop, mash, beans and gravy
Monday - Mac and Cheese
Tuesday - Steak Egg and Chips
Wednesday - Takeaway
Thursday - Pad See Ew
Friday - Takeaway

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page