12 minute read
DINING
GETTING CAKEY <<< [ dining ]
WITH COFFEE
CARAMEL LATTE SEEDED FLAPJACKS
Serves: 16, Preparation time: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 25 minutes
What You Need
330ml Arctic Iced Coffee Caramel Latte 150g salted butter 55g soft dark brown sugar 1tbsp golden syrup 250g porridge oats 300g dried dates and apricots, chopped 100g mixed seeds
What You Do
Pre heat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Line a baking dish, approx. 25cm x 20cm with greaseproof paper.
In a saucepan bring the Arctic Iced Coffee to the boil and reduce by half the volume. Turn down the heat and add the butter, sugar and syrup to the pan. Stir until the butter and sugar are melted and all is combined.
In a bowl, mix the oats, fruit and seeds then stir in the coffee mixture.
Tip into the prepared baking dish and cook for 25 minutes until firm and golden.
CLASSIC BANOFFEE PIE
Serves: 12, Preparation time: 20 minutes plus 4 hours chilling, Cooking time: 10 minutes
What You Need
200g digestive biscuits 70g butter, melted 150g soft brown sugar 150g salted butter 397g can condensed milk 2 bananas, just ripe 150ml Arctic Iced Coffee Latte 400ml Double cream 1 flake chocolate bar Pour the caramel over the cooled biscuit base and return to the fridge. Leave to chill completely for at least 4 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, take the pie out of its tin and slide onto a serving plate.
Whip the cream to firm peaks then slowly add the Arctic Iced Coffee as you continue to whisk, bringing it back to peaks after each addition. Slice the bananas and layer them over the caramel. Spoon the coffee cream over the top and sprinkle with chocolate flake.
What to do:
Put the digestives in the food processor and whizz to crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and blend until combined. Tip the crumbs into a 24cm loose bottomed tart tin or spring form tin and press down with the back of a spoon to make a firm, even base. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
In a saucepan melt together the butter and sugar, stirring so that they combine as they melt. Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the condensed milk and bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook whilst stirring for a few minutes until the colour darkens slightly then remove from the heat.
DITCH THE DRINK!
The times they are a-changin’ and moderation is no longer a dirty word. Whether you’re the one in charge of the car keys or just fancy an abstemious night out, here’s the answer to what to drink when you’re not drinking. KATIE SAYERS, Foodmarket manager at HARVEY NICHOLS BIRMINGHAM, reveals the most palatable alcohol-free tipples.
Three Spirit Social Elixir alcohol-free botanical spirit, £27: This small-batch botanical alchemy of plant-based ingredients can be sipped on the rocks, topped with soda or tonic, or mixed into an alcohol-free Sour or Espresso Martini. The perfect drink for a healthy night.
Harvey Nichols alcohol-free Sparkling Chardonnay, £10: Made from the juice of Chardonnay grapes, there are aromas of passion fruit and sweet mango which are complemented on the palate with ripe papaya and guava flavours. It finishes with a crisp, dry note of fresh lime.
Borrago 47 Paloma Blend non-alcoholic spirit, £22.50 : This sophisticated alcohol-free, gluten-free, allergen-free and vegan-friendly botanical spirit is created using a secret blend of six herbs and spices, each individually steam distilled.
Lucky Saint unfiltered alcohol-free lager, £2.50: Made from the highest quality Pilsner malt, fresh Hallertau hops and Bavarian water, this veganfriendly beer is carefully distilled to remove the alcohol using a patented vacuum distillation process to ensure its full and distinctive flavour.
Monte Rosso alcoholfree Aperitivo, £2: This bittersweet, crisply refreshing alcohol-free drink is inspired by the classic Italian Aperitivos and crafted using spring water, wild mountain berries, summer fruits, fragrant botanicals and zesty citrus. Serve in a glass filled with ice and a slice of orange.
Seedlip Grove 42 alcohol-free spirit, £28.95: The third drink from the brand, Grove 42 is a zest and citrusy blend of oranges, lemon, ginger and lemongrass. It’s crafted in a similar manner to a gin, just without the alcohol – and no added sugar or sweeteners.
dINING DIGEST For this issue Dluxe Dining correspondent Anita Champaneri explores the Solihull area, looking at some exciting new venues popping up in the South Birmingham suburbs. <<< [ dining ]
Most exciting is that Solihull Town Cente gets a pretty cocktail lounge! In the heart of Mell Square you can visit Greens, a chic little cocktail bar decorated in hues of jade green, cobalt blue and florals. Girls will love it.
Of course, there is the obligatory blossom tree and lots of comfy velvet seating; but most importantly the cocktails are going to be first class, because they’ve been created by acclaimed mixologist Robert Wood.
Over the past 15 years, Robert has opened over 10 venues around the UK, including 18/81, Edgbaston Boutique Hotel and 40 St Paul’s (Best Gin Bar). We can’t wait to have a Delicious girls night out here in the very near future.
Next to Greens is a covered outdoor pergola style seating area home to the new Taste Collective; where you can enjoy a rotation of cool street food vendors such as Sticky Beaks, Jammin’ BBQ and What The Cluck.
On the other side of Greens is Vita coffee shop serving delicious desserts and cakes from local, independent bakers and sparkling wines and Champagne in a cute, stylish setting.
Moving on, a hop skip and a jump away in Touchwood shopping centre, Yakinori will be opening on the ground floor. The Midlands based chain will be delivering fresh, quality and authentic Japanese food to shoppers.
44 dluxe-magazine.co.uk drive into the Warwickshire countryside to enjoy a relaxing afternoon in a cosy country pub eating your own body weight!
Foodies can enjoy sushi, ramen, bento, katsu curry, teriyaki, donburi, teppanyaki, tempura, noodle dishes and sake in a fun and vibrant setting. The new restaurant will feature an exciting open kitchen where you can watch your dishes being freshly prepared!
A 10-minute drive away in Shirley is the new highly anticipated SKVP. Set to open next to Fiesta Del Asado on the Stratford Road, the emphasis is on Mumbai’s popular street food, Vada Pav. This is essentially a spicy potato filling sandwiched between soft buns and layers of spicy garlic and green chutney!
The UK eatery wraps together all the exciting and vibrant flavours of Mumbai street food, into an easy to eat ‘quick service format’- wowing its customers with fast, healthy and authentic Vegetarian Indian street cuisine.
It’s proven to be extremely popular in and outside of London, with dedicated foodies happily making the journey to SKVP especially for their unique vada pavs. With the vegan movement gaining real momentum, SKVP is set to be hugely popular.
Lastly let’s talk about Sunday Lunch and there’s nothing better than taking a short We spent a lovely afternoon at The Crabmill near Henley in Arden, which can trace its roots back more than three centuries, and it still bears the marks of history with its tiny leaded windows, weathered half-timbered exterior, crooked beams and flagstone floors. Once a cider mill, it was clearly destined to have a life associated with the enjoyment of drink and now a packed bar sits at its heart serving local ales and a fine array of wines.
As I enjoyed a glass of zingy South African chenin blanc is was good to see the pub was particularly packed with smiling customers all around on this particular cold Sunday afternoon in January.
We picked some unusual choices for our starters. To start we had the crispy baby squid with a side of mango and chilli sauce. The squid was cooked to perfection, soft on the inside and crispy on the outside and was topped with a tasty sprinkle of crunchy spring onions and chilli peppers. The mango and chili sauce was just right, not too spicy, not too sweet, and jam-packed with flavour. We also had a portion of crispy Halloumi chips, with a tangy tomato salsa.
For the mains I had the braised shoulder of lamb, the size of which was pretty impressive. Served on a platter to accommodate the hunk of meat, it came with roast potatoes, green vegetables, carrots and red cabbage with a rosemary gravy. It was designed to put you in a food coma!
The lamb was soft, tender and full of meaty flavour and the variety of mixed vegetables were crunchy and flavoursome. Although the roasties could have been better.
For dessert, my son had the mango sorbet, which was a real highlight for him. It was creamy and the texture was perfect and consisted of just the right amount of mango. A real palette cleanser.
To round off the meal I had a decadent toasted waffle with caramelised banana and honeycomb ice cream, which was heavenly, rounded off with a glass of dessert wine. A perfect ending to a fabulous Sunday Lunch.
[the diary ] <<<
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ROMESH ROMESH
RANGANATHANRANGANATHAN
RANGANATHANRANGANATHAN
On his last nationwide tour, the monstrously successful Irrational, Romesh Ranganathan was pondering whether he has an irrational viewpoint on the world or whether that can be attributed to absolutely everyone else. This time around, he’s putting together The Cynic’s Mixtape in which he offers perspectives on the world that are partly incredulous and wholly hilarious writes Brian Donaldson.
As well as taking his views on tour, Romesh’s recent TV credits include a second series of his Sky One sitcom, The Reluctant Landlord, presenting duties on The Ranganation, Judge Romesh, and The Misadventures Of Romesh Ranganathan. Away from the small screen, you can read his memoir, Straight Outta Crawley, or hear his award-winning podcast, Hip Hop Saved My Life, in which his most recent batch of guests have included rapper Kano, singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka and documentary-maker Louis Theroux.
And now, the man who was also recently voted by The Guardian as the 17th best comedian of the 21st century, is out and about across the UK with his barnstorming new live show which he explains is divided into two distinct parts. “The first is looking at different issues such as the environment, a bit about the Liam Neeson thing, and how people respond on social media to the deaths of celebrities which is something I find quite weird. I remember sitting with a friend when Whitney Houston died and he was agonising about what he was going to post online. I said, ‘you don’t have to worry about that, it’s not your business; the world is not waiting to hear what you’re going to say.’ People end up making these events about themselves.”
In part two of The Cynic’s Mixtape, Romesh zeroes in on more personal material, focussing on the relationship he has with his wife and their three children, and fretting about his own existence. Which sounds heavier than it actually is. “I got a medical when I turned 40 as I started to worry about my own mortality not for myself but in terms of my kids. Before, when I was going to the gym or staying on top of fitness, I’d do it for some sort of vanity reason; I’ve long since abandoned that and have accepted that I’m never going to look good. So the second half is about my reaction to that medical. My wife and I are very happily married but we’ve got to that point where we’re set in our ways a bit. That’s the nub of it.”
Romesh acknowledges that we live in interesting but testing times, with the terrain of stand-up comedy one where every utterance a comedian makes comes under extra scrutiny. “I don’t feel the need to agree with the person I’m watching to enjoy what they’re doing. In his last Netflix special, Dave Chappelle said a lot of stuff that I don’t agree with but it doesn’t stop me laughing about it. Similarly, I’m a massive fan of Bill Burr and in his most recent show he’s pretty full on about feminism and how male feminism isn’t a thing. I follow the logic of what he’s saying and I do find it funny while not necessarily agreeing with him. We do seem to be living in hyper-reactive times now and people feel more ready to be offended than before. As an audience member myself, I don’t have that need to agree with everything the comic is saying.”
Romesh works from the standpoint that there will always be someone who doesn’t agree with what he’s trying to say in his comedy, but as long as he has worked hard on the material, can justify it from every angle and gets the big laughs, he knows he’s on the right road. “When I start performing material for the first time, that’s when I might offend people or push it too far, because I perhaps haven’t expressed what is definitely a good idea elegantly enough. So you play with it, and when the laugh for something is big enough you know that you’ve found an acceptable line through that way of thinking. But I never write something and think I can’t do that because I don’t want to get into trouble for it; I tend to just write what I think. I am guided by the laughs.” As he takes his Cynic’s Mixtape around the country, those resounding laughs are following him wherever he goes.
