7 things for 7 days...#9

A montage of my favourite foodie moments and other random musings from the past week...

1. When I visited Spain last summer I fell in love with the traditional pintxos bars, and was amazed to discover an impressively authentic replica much closer to home in the form of Pix Bar. Last week I visited with fellow food lovers Selina from Yummy Choo and Laura from Digest Magazine, and as I predicted they were equally taken with the stunning display of tapas on offer.

With items priced at either £1.95 or £2.95, Pix is very friendly on the purse, but because everything looks so appetising you still need to keep an eye on your growing stack of skewers. Thankfully for greedy folks like me, Pix have introduced "infinity Sundays" where you can enjoy 90 minutes of unlimited pintxos and cava for only £29.95. There's a tray of churros and chocolate sauce ready with my name on it for my next trip...!

Boozy banana, coconut and chocolate bread to put you in the tropical spirit

If, like me, you're a novice when it comes to baking, I'd recommend starting out with a loaf cake. Also described as a "bread", these look great without the need for complicated frosting or multiple layers, and can be filled with pretty much anything you fancy: fresh fruits, dried fruits and nuts, chocolate and coffee...even bacon!

Whereas previously my cookies have crumbled and my brownies have burnt, my lovely fruity loaf cakes have never let me down. Indeed, I was so stunned by my first beautifully risen bread that I even let its memory live on in the logo for this blog.

Fudges' milk chocolate florentines - sharing my delightful Dorset discoveries!

At heart I will always be a Dorset girl, no matter where I live in the big wide world or how long I'm separated from the Jurassic coast.

Occasionally the rural twang in the pronunciation of my vowels gives away my heritage (much to the amusement of my trendy urban friends), coupled with my obsession for seeking out the nearest spot of beach as soon as the sun begins to shine. In my eyes there are few things more mesmerising than watching the deep blue sea lapping against the sandy shore, whilst breathing in the salty air - transporting me back to my childhood in an instant.

Bank Holiday weekend binge

One of my favourite blog series' is Weekend Things on How Sweet It Is - the photos are always fantastic and it's so clever how your mind fills in the gaps in the story. If anything my love of food photography has grown after completing Project 366 in 2012, so I thought I'd share with you my Instagrammed snapshots from a particularly gluttonous Bank Holiday weekend...

Three Bears' Porridge at Restaurant Story...which one was "just right" for me?! More photos from this fantastic meal coming soon

7 things for 7 days...#7

My favourite foodie moments and other random musings from the last week (or so!)...

1. I believe that this is what is known in the industry as "the money shot" (I'm not saying which industry...!) Get your ass down to FishDog's truck at Brockley Market on Saturdays or the Red Market on Fridays to wrap your lips around these bad boy "dognuts", served alongside their sexed-up fish finger sarnies. These hot dognuts are crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, coated in sweet cinnamon sugar and smothered in salted caramel sauce for an added treat...just like all the best bad boys...!

KitchenAid mixer to beat this bad baker into shape!

Check out the latest addition to my culinary collection, an Ice Blue KitchenAid mixer...isn't it beautiful?!

To be honest I still can't quite believe this gorgeous mixer is mine...every time it catches my eye from across the worktop, my heart skips a beat and my stomach fills with butterflies...it's definitely love at first sight!

7 things for 7 days...#5

Apologies for the lack of blogposts over the past couple of weeks - if you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that I'm currently busy campaigning with the Liberal Democrats in the Eastleigh parliamentary by-election. Normal service will be resumed here shortly, but in the meantime I hope you'll enjoy this flashback of my favourite foodie moments and other random musings from my past week...

1. Way back in the mists of time when I first started this blog I lived in Winchester. One of my top places to entertain any visiting friends and relatives was a pan-Asian restaurant called Tanoshii Fusion, which my boyfriend and I returned to late last Friday for a romantic dinner after a disastrous Valentine's Day (don't ask!). Their tender roasted duck with a sticky tamarind sauce was the stand-out dish of the night, but everything we ordered was as skilfully cooked and beautifully presented as I'd remembered (see my Instagram for more). The complimentary plate of icecreams to share was the ideal end to our delicious meal, especially as it included my favourite flavour of rich honeycomb and dark chocolate.

London's best pancakes - a rich treat for Shrove Tuesday or any time of year

Shrove Tuesday is just a few days away, so food bloggers across Britain are currently racing to toss their recipe for the perfect pancakes to the top of the stack.

Personally, I'm a sucker for pancakes at any time of year. In fact, they were the subject of my first ever post...which I confess was far shorter and sweeter than those you're now accustomed to reading here!

What the Katys did...lunch at Polpo

Having already grazed on tasty tapas at Copita with Selina from Yummychooeats, and tucked in to a fig-filled feast at 10 Greek Street with Guilia from Mondomulia and Laura from Digest magazine, I've been keen to continue my tour of Soho's finest dining experiences.

So when BBC Good Food Show's Katy Truss suggested we finally put human faces to our Twitter icons and meet up in person, I hoped this would be a chance to see whether the positive rumours about Polpo's Italian offerings were true. Plus, it's always a bit of a novelty to find someone who spells their name the same way as me (I wonder whether Miss Truss also feigns nonchalance through gritted teeth when someone mistakenly refers to her as "Katie"...?)!

Chocolate cheesecake brownies and jigsaws

When you've been happily dating someone special for a while, you forget what life was ever like before.

Back then, you felt like "He's Just Not That Into You" was a documentary about your relationship history. Back then, you admired that special someone from afar through star-struck eyes, and dreamt of the day they would finally wake up and notice you.

Now, you forget how lucky you are to be enveloped in the love and support of someone so awesome every single day.

Chocolate and ginger brownie cake – spare me the details!

Do you like food blogs which interlink stories about the writer's personal life alongside their cooking...or do you just read them for the recipes?

Do you answer questions that foodbloggers post as part of an article...or are they just hypothetical…?!

English afternoon tea with Joy the Baker, American foodblogging royalty

It's been just over a year now since I started recording my favourite food experiences online. As a naturally sociable person, I'd assumed it would be easy to put down onto paper the pride I feel after successfully cooking a new recipe and my enthusiasm for top-quality produce.

However, it turns out that I'm not the wordsmith I thought I was, and that blogging is yet another part of my life where a lot of hard work and determination is required in order to succeed. I've now realised that I need to stop feeling so anxious and pressured to make every sentence fitting of a literary masterpiece, and just focus on the personal satisfaction that comes from publishing a post for anyone in the world to enjoy.

One person who understands the complex emotions involved in blogging and has always inspired me to continue is Joy Wilson, aka Joy the Baker.

Blueberry cake for day of loafing around

I doubt I’m the only person whose cooking habits change with the weather. As someone who grew up by the seaside I’ve always been a sun-worshipper, so once spring has sprung I like my meals to be ready within minutes and leave me feeling refreshed. But when it’s pouring with rain I can think of no better way to spend the day than in the warmth of my kitchen, cooking up a storm.

Ice-cream sandwich to instantly satisfy your sweet tooth

It’s the end of another long day, which has been part of an even longer week at work where I suddenly seem to have transformed into Challenge Anneka. I’m conscious that I haven’t written an article in over a fortnight (breaking my 2012 blog goals) and have a heap of photos of my homage to Pieminister’s Moo pie, plus a blueberry loaf cake, patiently waiting to be shared with the world. But I’m afraid I don’t think I have the energy for that level of eloquence or entertaining conversation tonight.

However, before I rest my weary head and aching limbs I must share with you this “recipe” for the ideal instant snack to satisfy any cravings your sweet tooth may be suffering from late at night (or early in the morning, depending on when you read this!). I say "recipe”, because it’s really more a question of assembly…there’s barely any cooking involved, and as an added bonus it only takes a matter of minutes to rustle up!

The best low-fat blueberry muffins made by the worst baker

 

Like most of London, I awoke last weekend to a winter wonderland. The heavens had opened overnight and left every surface caked in a bright white layer of snow, as if the mortal world were a delicious dessert dusted with icing sugar ready to be served at the gods’ dinner party.

Hopelessly devoted to Hotel Chocolat – Ideal Valentine’s Day Gifts

When it comes to gift-giving, my boyfriend and I have become increasingly hopeless. After shelling out significant chunks of our hard-earned cash last summer to settle down together in our little London flat, we sensibly decided to postpone Christmas 2011 and instead put the pennies in a jar for a special occasion in 2012. Whilst I don’t regret us putting our heads before our hearts and balancing our budget at this early stage, I am quite embarrassed that our greetings cards for the festive season still remain unwritten and stashed away by our respective bedsides!

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I was keen to redress this recent failure and show my man how much he means to me. But what could I get a technological guru who listens to the latest tunes on Spotify and downloads new books directly to his Kindle?!

Brixton Village – Hunting out the hidden food hall

For months my fine food antennae had been twitching with anticipation at testing out what Brixton Village had to offer. I’d heard numerous rave reviews of this collection of independent eateries from natives of the capital (including my favourite food critic and Brixtonite Jay Rayner), so I jumped at the opportunity to combine a summer’s evening at the retro Ritzy Cinema with a visit to the Village.

Favourite foodie finds from 2011

Before I devote my full attention on this blog to the gastronomic wonders of 2012, I thought I’d spend a few moments looking back at some of the palatable independent produce that has caught my eye since moving to the “big smoke” during the summer.

Each of these foodie finds are so outstanding that they really deserve an article from me dedicated solely to their own deliciousness (and I know you’ll find rave reviews from journalists and bloggers alike if you Google any one of their names) but as I recently confessed, a combination of time and timidity limited my writing rate in 2011. However, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to spread the word on the culinary creations that have prevented my hunger pangs over the last few months, and that I predict to be even more successful in 2012!

Amaretto tiramisu to kick trifle off your Christmas list

My festive season is always a wonderful mixture of nostalgic celebrations – some timeless societal traditions, plus some more recent personal rituals. Each Christmas eve my former schoolfriends and I are reunited in the same local pub to swap stories of the highs and lows of the past year, and each Christmas morning I awake to discover that the snowman stocking my Mum made me as a baby has been filled with gifts.

A festive feast with Love Your Larder

The dry chill in the air and cascade of commuters clutching red coffee cups that greet me every morning en route to the office is a sign of only one thing – Santa Claus is coming to town! I’m totting up a long wishlist of London food markets to get me into the festive spirit, but I’ve asked my friends at Love Your Larder to share their favourite seasonal recommendations to make sure that your Christmas is a cracker, no matter where you live. With over 1000 gourmet products on offer from 80 different independent producers, you’re bound to find the ideal foodie gifts for all the family in their online marketplace…

All the good things about Christmas, the giving and sharing, spending time with loved ones and celebrating this time of year just wouldn’t be as good without all the gorgeous food and drink it is almost compulsory to indulge in at this time of year. There is no other occasion in the year where it is perfectly acceptable to have chocolate followed by champagne at breakfast, followed by smoked salmon, more chocolate and lots of gorgeous joints of meat and roast potatoes before eating decadent Christmas pudding with lashings of cream or brandy butter. And that’s before we even start thinking about what we are will be washing it all down with.

Working at Love Your Larder means sampling lots of food and drink (hard job we know, but someone has to do it) and here are our top picks for the festive season, whether you’re looking for something to give the foodie in your life or want to make your Christmas dinner the one that goes down in family history.