Travelodge Brighton Central - a Review

I was recently asked if I would like to review a Travelodge. I could pick anyone in Mainland UK. After having a look at their extensive city list Mr R and I decided on a weekend away in Brighton.  It was far enough to want to stay over but not too far so that we spent too much time travelling.

On a previous trip to Brighton we gave up looking for somewhere to park and this led to our decision this time to take the train, a direct line from St Albans to Brighton. However if you do drive the Travelodge Brighton Central has plenty of parking but you do have to pay. It is £5.00 for 24 hours which is better than queuing up in town to park and pay high parking prices.  There is a good bus service from right outside the hotel into the town centre and sea front.

We arrived early afternoon a couple of hours before check-in thinking that perhaps the hotel would let us leave our bag until later after check-in time. The reception staff were very friendly and accomodating and after checking that our room had been made up let us check-in early.

Our room was on the 8th (top) floor with a lovely view over Preston Park.

The room was a large family room with two small beds for the children and a good size double for us! As we were on our own we used the two spare beds to put our stuff on.

The bathroom was a bathroom, what more can I say - it had all the usual bathroomness about it. Enough said!

Brighton has two Travelodges. We were told by the reception staff that the Brighton Sea Front site was very noisy until quite late in the night. The Brighton Central site was just off the main road from London into Brighton and quite busy traffic however this was never apparent to us in our room.

There is a small restaurant if you want a simple menu consisting of fish-n-chips, nachos, creamy mushrooms, chicken tikka masala and a steak and ale pie.  There is also a Pizza take away 24 hours per day.

Breakfast is not included however a full English breakfast costs £7.65 unless you pre-book then it is available for £6.65.

 There is also a small bar where you can sit and watch TV and have a few drinks.

All in all the Travelodge Brighton Central was simple and basic but clean and convenient. The staff were all friendly and helpful, eager to make recommendations to ensure our stay with them and visit to Brighton was a success.

Thanks to Travelodge for the room and chance to have a well earned break.  I was not required to write a positive review and as usual all opinions and photos are my own.

Le Restaurant de PAUL - Covent Garden

PAUL is a chain of French bakeries and cafes in 29 countries that started in France. Their shop in Covent Garden, London is their first to offer a restaurant on the premises as well.  The inside of the shop offers so many treats for your sense of smell and taste and looks enticing as well.

 

But step into the next room and you are in a French bistro right in the heart of London!  I was invited to sample the menu along with a group of other bloggers.  I had expected to be given a selection of items that the restaurant wanted us to try, instead we were given menus and told to pick anything we wanted!

We were two groups of tables and our table agreed to try the sharing Charcuterie Platter along with a Petit Camenbert au Four (baked camenbert cheese)

 

 

For my main course I chose Confit de Canard aux Olives - a slow cooked duck leg, crushed buttery potato mash, black olives and red wine sauce.  This duck just fell apart and melted in your mouth. 

Our table also had a selection of side orders to share.

All of the main courses are regional dishes, keeping things simple and very very French home cooking style!

I try not to have three course when eating out because I don't like that over full feeling however I could not resist trying PAUL's Brioche Perdue! Slice of Brioche French Toast served with your choice of creme anglais, apricot coulis or warm chocolate sauce.  I had the chocolate sauce and let me say it was fantastic! Even after eating the Brioche Perdue I was scrapping the jug of chocolate sauce to get every last bit!

The rest of the food on the Menu was equally as stunning and delicious with plenty of choice of firm favourites that will remind you of your previous trips to France - or make you want to go there; Soupe a L'Onion (classic French Onion Soup), Coq au Vin (Free range chicken slow cooked in red wine) along with a host of delicious puddings and desserts.

As well as a stunning range of artisan breads, pastries and cakes for all occasions you can order a pic-nic with a difference for two or four people ready to collect.

If you are in Bedford Street just down from Covent Garden Underground Station and looking for that special French taste there is a table waiting for you!

 

I was a guest for dinner at PAUL and did not receive any payment to write this. As usual all comments and photos are my own.

What's New with John West!

John West just do fish in tins – right?

Wrong. Of course, since they started in 1857, they still produce the tins of mackerel fillets, sardines, pilchards, salmon and tuna steaks that we are used to seeing.

What’s new: I was sent a collection of John West products and as well as all that mentioned above I also received their newest products; John West Steam Pots – a pot of couscous with different flavours that you add boiling water to, put the lid back on and wait 5 minutes, fluff with a fork and add the small tin of John West Infusions Tuna.  This little tin is a ‘No Drain’ product and is large flakes of tuna infused with flavours such as lemon & thyme, all delicately coated with olive oil that you just pop onto the steamed couscous. 

The John West Steam Pots are perfect for lunch at work and despite looking quite small are deceptively filling.  As an added bonus they are high in protein, low in sugar, low in saturated fat and free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives.

These little tins are also sold separately and make the perfect tuna sandwich for one with no mess and packed with loads of flavour.  The some of the infused flavours are: basil, soy & ginger, lemon & thyme and chilli & garlic.

The tins of tuna steaks are now ‘No Drain’ as well with just a little brine, sunflower oil or olive oil to keep them moist but never messy.

They would love to hear from you so drop them an email – ahoy-there@john-west.com

Thanks John West for my selection of products.  I was not paid to review these products and as usual all opinions and photos are my own

 

 

Tapas Revolution Evening - A Guest Post

I was recently invited to an evening at Tapas Revolution the creation of Omar Allibhoy but unfortunately I was unable to attend.  My blogger friend Manjiri Chitnis went in my place and here is her review:-

A few days ago I was invited to an evening of Tapas, fun and tipples with Chef Omar Allibhoy, thanks to Heidi my friend and food bloggers, Here is my account of an unforgettable evening .

Chef Omar is the winner of Acorn’s ‘Young Star of the future‘ award for 2012. He was trained by the legendary Ferran Adria of El Bulli Fame. He arrived in London 8 years ago to take over the reins of at El Pirata DeTapas in West London, quickly establishing as London’s best Tapas restaurant.

Not one to rest on his laurels, he decided that Spanish food needed a voice if it was to become as popular as other notable cuisines that Britain loves. This lone crusader undertook a brave mission to cover the length and breadth of England, he drew a huge T across a map of England and set on his motorbike, travelling across the T, cooking Tapas for a lot of lucky people along the way. After this hugely popular tour he came back to London to start what is now Tapas Revolution, with the aim to create an atmosphere similar to any barrio in Omar’s hometown, Madrid, Spain.

He also published a 120 recipe book last August and It was exactly a year ago that since I was first invited for a Tapas evening   at Omar Allibhoy’s Tapas Bar in Westfield Mall, London. Surrounded by high street biggies this cute Tapas Bar has not created a niche for itself but is thriving .It comes as no surprise really, with the very passionate and certainly very charming young Chef Omar Allibhoy at the helm and a menu which is carefully curated by him -  taking into account seasonal foods – it changes 4 times a year.....Tapas Revolution is definitely a must visit place for all those that seek the authentic and fabulous flavours of good, honest Spanish cuisine.

We started the evening with these very moresish brine- cured olives called Accitunas hojiblanca partidas. Fresh and delicious these went down a treat! They are superior in quality as they are individually picked and carefully preserved to guarantee the texture, firm skin and soft fleshy heart inside, my first sip of the freshly prepared Sangria and I wanted more of it ! It’s nothing like any Sangria I’ve tasted before and I honestly am not exaggerating. It was sweet and fruity and as the evening progressed I lost count of how many times my glass was refilled. Noteworthy that it didn’t leave me feeling tipsy which also means that that Tapas served were so very filling!

Next up were slices of a peppery Catalonian cured pork sausage called Fuet served in mini paper cones and midget breadsticks. 

Then came Pan de la casa - Wafer thin Jamon Serrano on toasty bread smothered with romesco sauce, the nutty, peppery flavour balanced by the flavourful ham. 

Multi coloured and summer fresh the Ensalada de tomate or salad with red and yellow tomatoes, olives and red onion was light and airy bursting with the juicy goodness of Kumato tomatoes from Spain. Succulent, sweet and tart all at once, this dark brown to golden green coloured tomato originates from a wild tomato.

I have always wanted to try squid Ink pasta or rice but never mustered up the courage to work with the squid ink at home. Luckily one of the Tapas served was Arroz negro or  black rice with prawns and squid.

The squid ink sits quietly in the background allowing the squid and prawn to dominate the flavours in this comforting dish elevated many degrees by an aioli with an intense garlic flavour. So smooth, the aioli left like a silk ribbon on my tongue... 

Much required hydration came in the form on a cold soup or Gazpacho de sandía, traditional chilled vegetable soup with a hint of watermelon. The golden orb floating on top is a extra virgin olive oil originating from you guessed it right – Spain!

In quick succession followed the Pulpo a la Gallega or  steamed octopus served with potatoes set off by spicy pimentón paprika. Fear not vegetarians for what followed next were two delicious vegetarian Tapas that beat the octopus dish hollow! 

Pimientos rellenos de setas - Succulent triangular red pepper - Piuillos - stuffed with mushrooms. Served with a wild mushroom béchamel sauce a red sauce which is made using the same red peppers smoked and blended in. This Tapas disappeared from the cute terracotta pots it was served in, in a matter of seconds!  

Chef Omar is very proud of all the dips and sauces that we so relished with our meal, all made from scratch in the kitchen at Tapas Revolution, each ingredient sourced from various producers from Spain. Amongst the many tales he regaled us with he also proudly mentioned that mayonnaise – which is an integral part of various dishes worldwide originated from one of the islands of Spain known as Port Mahon on Minorca. It is widely believed that mayonnaise was invented in 1756 to commemorate a victory at the start of the Seven Years War, the successful siege of English-held St. Philip's Castle.

 

This star dish was followed by another - baby artichokes smothered in with olive oil and garlic and served with a dipping sauce – Romesco. Also called Alcachofas con salsa romesco , these young,fleshy,juicy  and tender artichokes are Chef Omars favourite too and he managed to gobble a few before letting us in on some very interesting updates. Chef Omar is very excited about the opening of his new restaurant in Shoreditch where he promises that there will be a lot of space for people to enjoy the huge carefully selected wines or like me guzzle several glasses of the fab Sangria. But most importantly it may be the only restaurant in London to serve dishes using meat from mangalica pigs. Of the 3 types of pigs that are available in Spain , white are a majority, while only 2% are the Iberico or black pigs and even smaller percentage are the rare breed of mangalica pigs. They have wooly, furry coat like sheep and mainly used for lard.

To ensure that we sleep well at night, we were bombared with Croquetas de jamón or deep-fired Iberico ham croquettes. Sink your teeth into one and you will know what I am talking about. This is one carb laden, artery clogging, bomb of gooey goodness that I will gladly pop into my mouth without abandon!

I was sure I would hang upside down from the ceiling, given the amount of Sangria I had consumed. To make matters worse we were given Crema Catalana in cute mini jars. How I wish we could have taken those jars home too, come on, they would make for perfect props for a fab food photography session. This traditional dessert of Spain, made with vanilla pod, cinnamon and lemon served as a happy ending to a fabulous Tapas meal.

I don’t quite recollect how one of the other bloggers who attended the event too and me managed to walk past Shepherd’s Bush and reach the next station (!?!!). In spite of the mercury taking a sharp dip we seemed to not mind it too much....

With Thanks to the team at Tapas Revolution for a fab evening and to Chef Omar Allibhoy for inviting us.

Family Lunch and Plum Trees

I had my 6 year old granddaughter for a couple of days over the Bank Holiday weekend and the plan to get her home was to meet my daughter-in-law at a cafe on a roundabout on the A428.  This would mean I could turn and go home a lot shorter route and she was not having to go too far out of her way.  At my grandson's birthday party on the Saturday my ex husband and his wife invited us to meet at their house which is near the suggested roundabout in order that neither of us needed to sit and wait in a cafe for the other.

I would have to pass the ex husband's house anyway on my way home making this an attractive alternative for the precious swap over.  The offer was initially for a cup of tea, then became a quick 'buttie' but ended up a BBQ so I asked Mr R to meet me there as well. Might as well make a real family occassion out of it!

Anyway their hospitality was great and really appreciated and a trip to the bottom of their 400' garden where we were surrounded by greengage trees, plum trees, apple and pear trees along with berries and loads of other fruits was a treat.

So at this point there was eight of us; the ex and his wife, me, my granddaughter and daughter-in-law, my daughter (she didn't want to be left out) and her 5 year old son and Mr R, all picking plums and greengages to take home to make jams, cakes, plums for the freezer, stewed plums and more.

The children loved running around the fruit trees and helping to pick and fill up the baskets and ultimately ending up the ladder!

The weather held up for us and we all had a great end of summer day outside with a simple burger BBQ and the chance for a relaxed family lunch. (even Mr R got involved with the BBQ!).

 

 

After lunch Peter, the ex husband took Mr R and I (and grandson - BoyG) to look at the bells in the nearby church (he is a member of the bell ringers in the village) and gave us loads of local information on the church and the history of some of the bells. 

I managed to get up the tiny, spiral staircase but waited on that level with BoyG whilst the ex and Mr R carried onto the top.

We were incredibly lucky with the weather, we went home laden with plums and greengages to preserve the sunshine for the winter ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Muscadine Wine - A Taste of the Deep South

I like to drink a cold glass of dry white wine with meals or in the garden on a hot summer day and although I am no wine expert I know the sort of grape varieties that I like.

When I got to North Carolina in June this year my sister offered me a glass of wine. She said it was ‘dry’ and that it was one of her favourites.  In actual fact it was on the sweet side for me and not at all dry by my tastes. 

I asked what the grape variety was. Muscadine! I had never heard of this grape and apparently it is not widely grown anywhere except for the southern states of America. It thrives on the rich soil and mild winters as well as the heat and humidity of the Southern states and even the North Carolina General Assembly named the Scuppernog grape (a cultivar of the original Muscadine) the official state fruit in 2001!

I contacted the Johnson County Tourism Board to see if there were any Muscadine wineries in the area that would offer a tour and tasting so I could learn more.

It was very kindly arranged for us to have a tour and tasting of Hinnant Family Winery in Johnson County. Bev had not been to this winery or sampled their wines before so it was a first for both of us.  Each producer has their own little nuances in their range.

First of all we tasted their range of wines, white, red and rose all with the distinctive taste that comes from the muscadine grape.  This is a very earthy and a bit metallic taste, very different to my ‘European’ wine tastes. The locals say it is an acquired taste.

They have a range of wines that they link to being like certain ‘Bordeaux’ or ‘Merlot’ wines and then a range of very different wines that have no ‘European’ counterpart.

Hinnant Family Winery is North Carolina's oldest and largest muscadine vineyard and a family run winery. The staff have a real passion for the vines, the processes and the finished product and love greeting the visitor with their Southern hospitality. Though a small operation it is incredibly modern and efficient,

as well as award winning.

Funny enough the wine I picked as my favourite of the range had elderflower and honey in it which I would have thought would have made it sweet but it is in fact quite dry but with a beautiful bouquet and fragrance.

There are over 100 wineries in the state of North Carolina and for a list of them and where you can get a tasting and tour check out North Carolina Wines. You can visit the North Carolina Muscadine Grape Association for more information.

Many thanks to Erin at Johnson County Tourism Board for arranging my tour and tasting of Hinnant and thanks too to the staff at Hinnant Family Winery for their hospitality and the wine they gave me to take home.  I did not receive any payment to write about this and as usual all opinions and photos are my own.