Bonjour French Food Hamper - Review

French food is great, I think we can all agree on that, and I like having a snoop around French supermarkets when we are over there. The cheese, bread and cured meats, caramels, jams, chocolate and everything else in between. I heard about Bonjour French Food on Twitter, a monthly hamper full of unique and sometimes hard to find French treats, with a specific theme each time. They were kind enough to offer me a box to review, and I eagerly awaited their next shipment date at the beginning of November.

The theme for November was tartine, a traditional French open sandwich layered with any number of things - cheese, vegetables, pate or cured meat. A perfect quick lunch. My box contained a mix to make Pain de Campagne (country style bread), pork and mushroom terrine, tomato spread, olive tapenade, comte biscuits and apple caramel.

Our plan for the box was to nibble through the contents for dinner, with some excellent cheese and bread (making the pain de campagne had to wait for another day).

The tomato spread was by far our favourite - so intensely tomatoey, like fresh summery tomatoes with a hint of herbs.

Olive tapenade is one of my favourite things, but it is normally not made very well, due to the cheapness of olives used. The Aix & Terra black olive tapenade was gorgeous, so intense and really good quality. You just need a little spread on a piece of bread. I'm sure this would be great stirred into pasta, although it is a little precious for that.

The little spreads made a lovely addition to a cheeseboard and we nibbled on the gorgeous Michel et Augustin comte biscuits with a glass of wine, after dinner. They were generously packed with cheese and I liked that they are made with wholemeal flour - giving a nice nutty taste and extra texture.

Finally, the sweet. The apple caramel reminded us of the apple galettes we had in Paris - intensely fruity, buttery and sweet. I made french toast for breakfast the next day, and the caramel worked perfectly in the place of syrup. 

We really enjoyed nibbling through our box, it was full of interesting brands, most of which are small producers, that we'd not heard of before. The box came with a card explaining the stories of each item, and where you can buy them. It felt like a real insight into French food, and like a great secret that was being shared with us across the Channel. 

Each box is £29 per month, with discounts if you sign up for longer, quite reasonable when you think about the quality of each item, and the time that is spent sourcing them. Find out more here.

Thank you to Bonjour French Food for sending me a box to review.

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Hotel du Vin Cambridge, Afternoon Tea

A few months ago I tried the Hotel du Vin afternoon tea during Miss Sue Flay's afternoon tea etiquette workshop, it was on the whole very good indeed with the exception of some very lurid pink cupcakes which were very strange, given the rest of the selection. They invited me back to try their tea, after making some improvements, I went along a couple of weeks ago with two friends and unfortunately things haven't improved.

I am all for being fair when I blog, and sometimes I think I can be overly positive - so as not nice as it is to write a bad review, we all have to do it. A blogger's duty ;)

Between three of us we had a large tier - with sandwiches, scones, pastries and cake. There was a great selection of loose leaf tea, which was served in pretty blue and white floral teapots. They even provide a pot of hot water, something lots of tea rooms do not do - it is essential to prevent you drinking stewed cold tea.

The sandwiches were the same as before, and very good. Good quality smoked salmon and cream cheese, ham and cucumber. One of my tea companions was vegetarian, which she mentioned beforehand, so they included a separate plate of veggie sandwiches - a nice thought, I can't remember what they all were but I know it wasn't all cheese!

Next up were the scones, which were quite disappointing. Last time I had afternoon tea there we were treated to tall fluffy scones, just as they should be. This time around they were very flat indeed, chewy and obviously overcooked. Such a shame, the scones are the centrepiece of an afternoon tea, and it should always be the element that is perfect.

We moved on to the mille feuille - the pastry was nice but not too sweet, and the cream was just cream, not sweetened. There was a little jam/coulis but not enough to taste. Next to that were some fresh fruit tarts with cream pattiserie - the tarts had obviously been filled a little while ago - and the cream had made them soft. Soft soggy pastry, which was also undercooked (they also seemed liked they were bought in, and they are often paler than homecooked) so it was all a bit disappointing. The blueberries were fresh though!

The last offering was a sort of chocolatey nut cake, it wasn't very rich in chocolate and each was cut at very strange and slightly jagged angles, a little shabby for an elegant afternoon tea. The cake itself wasn't dry but the flavour was a little miscellaneous.

I really liked the afternoon tea last time around, so I am really not sure what happened this time. I'm quite disappointed. The library, where tea is served, is gorgeous, very cosy in the Winter, and it is a great central location. They have an excellent opportunity here and it will be sad if their afternoon tea offering becomes the same as the rest of those offered in central Cambridge - badly thought out and only appealing to the tourist crowd. Maybe I'll just pop in for a cuppa next time.

Hotel Du Vin
Trumpington Street
Cambridge

Do any of my readers have any great central Cambridge recommendations for afternoon tea? I'd love to hear them, between conversations with other bloggers we have slightly drawn a blank.

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Healthy Snacking: Bounce Balls

I'm all for snacking, but I find it hard to make it healthy. I'm not a big fan of fresh fruit (it makes you hungrier than when you started, right aren't I?), save for really nice summer berries, but that reduces my fruit snacking options to about 3 months of the year. Plus I love chocolate bars, I've written an ode to them before.

I recently tried a Nutribox subscription, which contained a Bounce Ball, which I loved. Shortly after the lovely people who make Bounce Balls offered to send me the range, which was rather nice of them!

Waitrose currently stock them, but only two flavours, so I got to try others that I wouldn't be able to get hold of locally. I'd already tried Cashew & Pecan (in my Nutribox) and also the Almond protein ball - which Waitrose have. The range I was sent was Coconut & Macadamia, Peanut, Almond and Spirulina & Ginseng.

I've got quite a sweet tooth and this is the reason I like bounce balls, a lot of other health food bars and snacks I've tried have lots of goodness in them but can be a little lacking in sweetness. Bounce Balls don't achieve this with sugar, but with Brown Rice Malts, Grape Juice and Vanilla.

By no means are Bounce Balls low calorie, they are designed to be eaten was a protein packed snack  before exercise, or as a snack to nourish you. They are really filling, which I like, as it stops me snacking on empty calories through the day, plus as they are dense and chewy they are satisfying. They are more expensive than a chocolate bar (around £1.80) so they are an occasional treat, but you can save money if you buy them in packs from their online shop - plus they are better for you than a chocolate bar!

My favourite flavour was, surprisingly, the Spirulina & Ginseng. It looks a little strange as it is a green colour but it has a really nice fudgy taste and the earthiness of the Ginseng really works.

Coconut & Macadamia was reminiscent of those snowball cakes you used to get in the 90s. The Peanut was a little too chewy for my taste, it was a little hard to eat! And it was a hot day so I would have thought it would be softer. The Almond, which I'd had before, wasn't as chewy as the peanut, so easier to eat.

I've noticed they've got a fudgie walnut ball, which makes me think (hope) it might taste a bit like a chocolate brownie, I'll be looking out for this one too.

Bounce Balls are priced at around £1.80 and you can buy them in Waitrose, Holland and Barratt and other health food stores. Find out more here. Bounce Ball also have their own online shop where you can buy packs of 12 and 40.


Thank you to Bounce Balls for my samples.

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Afternoon Tea at the Ludlow Kitchen

Last weekend we spent a sunny two days at Brook Farm in Berrington, on the Shropshire/Worcestershire border, a B&B we've stayed before and is now our go-to place for a relaxing break. Ludlow is very close and one of the best foodie spots in the country, when planning our return visit we were excited to learn the excellent Ludlow Food Centre had opened a restaurant, the Ludlow Kitchen.

We booked for afternoon tea on a Sunday afternoon weeks in advance and I was very impatient for it by the time the day arrived. For just £8.50 you get three different sandwiches, four mini cake slices, a fruit scone, clotted cream and as much loose leaf tea as you can manage.

The great thing about the Ludlow Kitchen is that most, if not all, of the produce that goes in to their food is made on site or very local - they bake their own bread, smoke their own salmon, cure their own ham and of course make their own cakes and scones. They even roast their own coffee beans and the tea is blended by a local Herefordshire company. As if that wasn't enough they grow fruit and vegetables in their own walled garden and the jam is made on site too. Suddenly that £8.50 seems ten times better value!

The service was excellent, welcoming and really helpful but not over the top. We first chose our teas from a list of 7 options, an English Breakfast for me and Darjeeling for the Mr. Vintage tea cups are used and the sugar is served in little cups made by local potters, Wenlock Pottery. The teabags used are a little strange looking but they do work very well with loose leaf tea.

The sandwiches were really impressive, usually they are the most neglected part of an afternoon tea in terms of creativity but not here. The bread was fresh wholemeal and there were three fillings each with salad leaves - cheese and pickle; smoked salmon, cucumber and pickled onion and ham and piccalilli. I particularly liked the salmon and the pickled onion was amazing with the rich salmon and the thinly sliced cucumber. We bought a jar of piccalilli from the food centre, it's great stuff - crunchy chunky vegetables with a good hit of mustard.

One of the cakes was the traditional Victoria sponge, which tasted like the birthday cakes I ate as a child - this is a good thing! It was a lovely trip down memory lane, the sponge was really light and it was sandwich with a little buttercream and strawberry jam. We were also treated to flaky and fruity Eccles cake, dense chocolate cake and a rich fruit cake.

Scones were textbook - very tall and packed with raisins and sultanas - I was able to tear it open, making sure I was using the correct etiquette when eating my scone. Raspberry jam (made on site) and clotted cream were served in little Wenlock Pottery cups.

The afternoon tea we had the Ludlow Kitchen was excellent, the atmosphere was relaxed and each element was made with lots of care and thought. I just can't believe what good value it was, £17 for two of us to eat so well, usually that is what you would pay per person.

If you're in the area (and if you're not I recommend planning a trip, maybe to coincide with Ludlow Food Festival?) do go along to the Ludlow Kitchen, and then the Ludlow Food Centre. They also do breakfast, lunch and dinner. I'm sure we'll be back in the area before too long and I can't wait to go back.

Ludlow Kitchen 
Bromfield
Ludlow
Shropshire
SY8 2JR

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The Nutribox Review - March

After feeling a little bit like I was made up of 50% butter after too much excessive dessert eating I decided I'd give The Nutribox ago. I spotted a discount on Laura's blog for 50% off a box so I decided that I needed to ditch the snickers and start snacking a bit better.

My compact box arrived in the post a week or so after ordering (they ship them at the same time each month) the boxes are letterbox friendly so no traipsing to the post office with your 'sorry you were out' card. For £12.95 you get a selection of 8-10 snacks in their 'mini box' - you can also order a large box which is 16-20 snacks for £25.00. And you can get 25% off your first box.

I've just received my April minibox, but as I've not eaten my way through it yet here is my review of the March box, which I very much enjoyed - I gave Mr a chance to try some too although only sparingly ;)

The box came with two raw chocolate 'Om Bars,' a Bounce Ball, a Braw Apple & Pear bar, some dried fruit and nuts from the Ludlow Nut Company (who are awesomely called Ludlow Nutters on Twitter), Raw Cacao Crisp Energy Bomb and a Mrs Wallflower Candy energy bar.

The bounce ball was my favourite! I think this is because it isn't a raw product, I don't mind raw but aren't things so much better when they are toasted? It had cashew and pecan along with brown rice malts (nicer than it sounds), grape juice, sesame seeds and a little sea salt. It was nutty and sweet enough with some nice toastiness - I think some chocolate would make it taste like a ferrero rocher!

The Pulsin' Energy Bomb was second on my list of favourites- it was a raw chocoalte chewy bar with crispy rice inside, which made it feel like a real treat, like a proper chocolate bar. I didn't get one in my April box so I'll be buying separately. 

I quite like Nakd bars but not usually the fruit ones, I prefer the cocoa ones (being the chocoholic I am) so I wasn't too sure about this Apple & Pear Braw bar - but it was surprisingly good. It was oaty so it was a little like cereal bar, and it was quite sweet which was perfect for my sweet tooth. I've got a blackcurrant one and a chocolate orange one in my April box!

The nuts and fruit from Ludlow Nut Company were, well, nuts and fruit, good for a nibble at my desk. I can't say much about them really! I have a goji berry mix (yuk, can't stand goji berries) and an all nut mix this month. I have noticed the Ludlow Nutters also sell muesli, porridge mixes and cereal bars so they look a little more interesting - maybe you get these in the bigger nutribox?

The Om Bars were nice, I have had 'raw chocolate' before and it can be a little powdery or too squidgy, but the Om Bars are less so. They are very intense, being dairy and sugar free, but give you that chocolate hit which is what I am certainly often looking for!

Overall I really like the Nutribox, it was a good mix of simple things for a health food beginner and more adventurous treats for the die hard health food 'enthusiast.' I used to get Graze boxes but stopped due to the fruit and nuts being a little boring but the other more interesting items being unhealthy (foccaccia, flapjacks etc). Items in the Nutribox is all good healthy food (although despite being health food you should take heed that the protein bars might be more calorific) and it also means you find lots of interesting new small brands. 

I'll be enjoying my next April box, I've already eaten the Bounce Ball (carob and walnuts this time, and it was great) and the chilli cashews.

You can get 25% off your first Nutribox - Join Here. 

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Shelford Deli, Cambridgeshire

The Shelford Delicatessen has to be one of the best loved spots in South Cambridgeshire, they are renowned for their amazing sandwiches which every office worker in within a 5 mile radius knows about. I worked nearby a few years ago and we regularly sent a colleague out with a sandwich order when the local supermarket offering got dull.

Back then they were just a small shop selling cheeses, meats, olives, all sorts of jams, pickles, oils and vinegars along with fresh pasta, bread and the aforementioned sandwiches. They also did a small line in fresh fruit and vegetables and the best tomatoes you could get your hands on.

I was tipped off recently that they'd extended the shop into a cafe which sold the same brilliant sandwiches along with hot dishes, pasta, salads, cakes and Monmouth coffee.

We settled upon a 'meze sandwich' each plus coffee. The sandwiches are in fact more like a ploughmans or a deli platter. Mine was ham with piles of pickles, salad and gorgeous granary bread, and of course English mustard. The ham is cooked and glazed in the deli and it certainly tasted so too, lovely. Mr had the vegetarian meze which consisted of a plentiful plate of homemade things - carrot houmous, guacamole, tapenade, olives and more fresh bread. The coffee is excellent, as you would expect with Monmouth.

We shared a chocolate cake (I am on a diet after all...) which was very rich, sugary and chocolatey - everything a proper chocolate cake should be I think.

The food here is great, a little on the pricey side as is normal for the area.The only thing I didn't really like about it is the strange ordering system, it is a bit like our experience at The Eden Cafe, but more complicated and ends up in lots of people bumping into each other - you order food at one place, drinks opposite, they write it all down on a bit of paper and you come back to a third till to pay at the end! Be prepared to get a bit confused, and queue in at least three queues, but the food is worth it!

Their website doesn't say anything about the new developments, they need to update it, and doesn't have opening times. I know closes at 2pm on a Saturday, closed Sunday and I think open all day during the week.

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The Cambridge Chop House

Finding a decent Sunday Roast in Cambridge can feel like a bit of a mission sometimes, especially when you are as picky as I am. On one cold, rainy Sunday the only thing that was going to warm me up was a nice roast dinner in a cosy spot. I've been to the Chop House before and I was glad that I had the brainwave to go along to try their Sunday dinners.

The location, opposite Kings College, would make you think it is an awful tourist trap, and whilst it probably can be the food is really good, hurrah. Last time we visited I had some of their housemade sausages and mash, and a sticky toffee pud.

I had roast pork this time around and Mr had the vegetarian wellington. The pork was quite huge, with all the requisite veggies and extra crackling! The veggie wellington was nicely thought out- with a big mushroom inside, greens and other veggies, with a mustardy mushroom sauce and greens. We shared a sticky toffee pudding (to which the neighbouring table all exclaimed 'wow' when it arrived, I think they ordered one too).

I really like it here, the food is homely, well made and the puds to die for.  I was really glad to hear the waitress say they have taken over the Tickell Arms in Whittlesford, which is a stones throw away from home. We'll definitely be going when it opens - they are blogging about the progress too - http://www.tickellarms.co.uk/

Cambridge Chop House
http://www.cambridgechophouse.co.uk/

Other places for a Sunday Roast (we're getting there..)
The Eight Bells, Saffron Walden 
Clarendon Arms, Cambridge - yet to try out
The First and Last - review from Ireena over here.

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Bibimbap House, Cambridge

On what I think has been the coldest day of the year, or maybe the last decade, so far we made the most excellent decision to finally try the much raved about Bibimbap on Mill Road, Cambridge. And it was such a good decision.

Formerly a not very good Chinese restaurant (I had the misfortune of going there once) Bibimbap House has been open for probably just under a year, and I've heard lots of good things about it from fellow bloggers Nora and Ivana.
As the name suggests, has one type of dish that it serves. I always like simplicity in a menu, it excudes confidence! There are 7 different kinds of Bibimbap, some veggie, some meat. Some come with an egg, some with sweet potato or 'japchae' noodles. Each bibimbap comes with a bowl of miso, pickled vegetables (I'm sure I'm getting the terminology wrong), creamed corn, and for a couple of lucky dishes you will get kimchi too. You are presented with it on a tray and in the centre a huge stone bowl, which keeps the dish hot, you mix everything together - add a bit of their homemade soy sauce or chilli sauce, and then tuck in.

I had the pork bibimbap which came with the most tender marinated pork I have ever eaten. It had a little chilli kick and was mixed in with sweet caramelised onions. Mr had the vegetarian japchae noodle bibimbap, which was a mixture of veggies topped with sweet potato noodles.

Everything was very good value, with 2 bibimbap, a coke and a corn tea for £18. I can't wait to go back, and with a beautifully small menu I think it is achievable for me to eventually try every dish on it. Let's hope so.

Bibimbap House
60 Mill Road, Cambridge

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Cooking from the River Cottage Veg Book

Never before have I made so many recipes from a recipe book before. I think I am like a lot of people, I buy cookbooks promising to try all the recipes, I look at the pretty pictures, feel my stomach grumble, make one or two and then resign it to the shelf. Google is a lot quicker if I need to find a recipe in a hurry so my books get neglected.

I've loved the recipes from this book, and we've been watching the TV programmes too. Mr. Giraffe became a vegetarian nearly a year ago so I'm really glad to find a book full of many recipes that are inventive and veggie.

Our favourite by far is the broad bean and pea bruschetta - we use frozen peas when there are no broad beans in season - topped with crumbly goats cheese or feta. A small portion makes for a lovely side to a plate of pasta too.

We've also made the polenta chips, the mushroom stoup (make lots of this, it tastes better the next day), beetroot soup, aubergine parmigiana (Sainsburys basics 'italian hard cheese' is veggie and also tastes pretty good) and the beetroot tarte tatin.

Next on the list is the rest of the book - but more specifically the cauliflower pakoras, chickpea ketchup curry (for a day when we are feeling lazy!) and the beetroot and chocolate ice cream.

I cannot recommend this book enough, whether you are veggie or not, it is huge so you'll find something you'll like. And I agree with Hugh that we all need to eat less meat, not no meat but a lot less than we eat now.

I've also forgiven Hugh for cutting his hair, this book has made up for him having run of the mill short hair.

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The Jolly Scholar, Cambridge

Update: The Jolly Scholar has now closed and has been replaced by the Cambridge Brewhouse, read my review here.

Since I heard the Jolly Scholar had opened I was quite keen to go, it was formerly the Bun Shop which is a pub that was crying out for new owners and refurbishment. The Jolly Scholar is very gastropubby, in the decor and the menu. Inside it is lots of oak, old style furniture and little Cambridge themed decor - ie the punt suspended on the ceiling.

They popped up on Groupon recently so I bought a voucher, thinking that if it wasn't up to much then at least it only cost me £12 for £35 worth of food. Anticipating it being very busy due to the voucher (our experience at using a Groupon for The Rice Boat taught us this) we booked for 6pm, although when we arrived it was pretty quiet - a good sign, or not?

The Jolly Scholar is part of the same group as The Jolly Sailor in Orford - a very good place to find something yummy to eat, and of course a great place to find seafood. Mussels are one of my favourite things to eat so I ordered these, and Mr. Giraffe ordered the veggie burger (halloumi burger with other fried veg) with aioli & sweet potato chips. Both were good, a nice start. The mussels were very very fresh with a lovely white wine sauce and a slightly too huge portion of very nice crispy frites. The sweet potato chips that accompanied the burger were great too, they know how to do chips here.

Unfortunately the puddings let us down. I had a broiche & marmalade bread and butter pudding, which was perfectly acceptable if a little soggy, I like my bread and butter pudding to have a crispy top. The custard was however homemade, not the flouro Birds stuff. Mr's berry crumble was a huge disappointment, the berries were nondescript and mostly full of seeds and the crumble top was dusty and uninspired. Such a shame.

We loved the mains, but the puds let us down and so did the service. The restaurant was pretty quiet which only made the rather brash member of staff behind the bar barking orders at his staff sound even louder -  this also meant that the waitresses were quite nervous and obviously under undue pressure.

I don't think I'd pay full price here, the whole experience wasn't up to scratch despite the main courses being nice.

The Jolly Scholar
King Street, Cambridge
www.jollyscholar.co.uk

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The Hinds Head, Bray

All I really need to tell you is, go to The Hinds Head. Go go go. Especially if, like me, you can't afford The Fat Duck. We dined from the A La Carte but the Set Menu is good value at £27.50 for 3 courses.
Now here are some pictures that will make you hungry.

'Hash of Snails' - garlic pan fried snails on sourdough with pistachio puree and shaved fennel.

Snails are surprisingly like mushrooms, except a bit more meaty. I was not freaked out about eating them, which was good.

Shaved lemon salad with goats curd and salad leaves and walnuts. Mr Giraffe's starter, the really thinly sliced lemons were excellent and the goats curd so good -  I need to find out where to buy goats curd.

My main course; Shepherds Pie with Sweetbreads

totally amazing, so meaty and the mash with the crispy top was beautiful.

Bubble and squeak cake with mushroom parfait, crispy quails egg and leek & potato sauce. Despite there being a lot of meaty dishes vegetarians are well catered for, this was lovely and featured the same kind of crisp crust as the shepherds pie.

Triple cooked chips , obviously we had to order these.

My lemon tart, I love lemon tarts that come with crispy creme brulee like tops, it came with a syrupy hazelnut syrup, nuts go well with lemon surprisingly.

Quaking Pudding (c 1700.) with shaved apple. This may sound odd but it tasted really traditional flavours and quite rustic. It came with a little bit of paper explaining what the history of the pudding was too.

We really enjoyed our meal at the Hinds Head. Definitely a place that will always impress you. I'd love to go back. Any place that can serve snails like that wins with me. The menu felt quite similar to Dinner, which we are yet to try. I think the famous meat fruit features at the Hinds Head sometimes too.

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Little Chef, Kettering

I think that has to be the least glamorous sounding blog title I've ever written.

But some of you may know that Little Chef has been undergoing something of  makeover. I watched Heston's Little Chef back in 2009 and from the looks of it there didn't seem to be much hope for Little Chef changing beyond the few restaurants they made over, but now there are 10 new Little Chefs with the updated menu and new diner style decor.

We visited the Kettering West branch just off the A14 on our way down to Shropshire a couple of weeks ago, something I've been meaning to do after Ino at Kitchen 22 blogged about it. The interior is fantastic, booths and diner style furniture with the famous 'blue sky' on the ceiling. Service was fast and friendly and the menu had so much choice. Breakfasts, little light bites, proper mains, puds and a great selection of tea and coffee with reasonable prices.

We were just stopping for a light lunch so I ordered the starter scampi, Mr Giraffe had a mushroom and pepper cheese toastie and we also got a side of chips to share. Oh my were we glad we got chips. If you don't get anything else here, make sure you get the chips. They are the triple cooked affair which Heston Blumenthal has made famous, ridiculously crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. I want to go back now and get some.

The scampi was brilliant, under the batter was proper crayfish instead of the reconstituted seafood mush you normally find, I think this is the first time I've had proper scampi. The toastie was filled with proper mature cheese and a rich mushroom and pepper rattoutile with a tomato base.

This is good food, done properly - everything tastes very fresh and it is clearly made onsite. It is very simple to get food right if you make it right. Well done Little Chef!

For 2 light lunches, a coke, cappucino and a side of chips it was £17, probably more than you'd spend on a motorway lunch but much nicer than anything else you can get off the A14.

If you love chips, go. I think that is my main message.

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