Be Tarty.

The other day I trailed through town, checking every supermarket for filo pastry, which turned out to be much more of a mission than what I’d expected. Eventually the wonder that is Marks and Sparks had some and through fear of needing more in future I bought two packets.

After spending so long searching for the pastry I figured I best make something special with it and that evening we ate some very luxurious filo tarts for dessert. I love to be creative and I thought I would share my recipe with you.

Filo Pastry Tart

Ingredients 

Filo Pastry

Nectarines

Berries – I used strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries

Cinnamon

Caster sugar

Lemon sorbet

Banana

Butter

Icing Sugar

 

Method

1. Firstly I buttered the bottom of a muffin tray and layered the filo pastry over the mounds, buttering the layers of pastry together.

2. I then cooked them for about 15 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

3. Whilst they were cooking I put chopped berries in a pan with sugar and water and boiled until a syrup like consistency took form.

4. I then did the same with the chopped nectarine but with added cinnamon.

5. I then simply layered the filo baskets, firstly with the syrupy nectarines, then chopped banana, then the sweet juicy berries and then with a dollop of lemon sorbet.

6. To garnish I simply let icing sugar fall on the plate and did a loop of the left over nectarine and cinnamon syrup.

It was delicious and so easy to make. It’s also a great dessert if you have any fruit that needs using.

I haven’t put amounts on the ingredients as it really is all down to preference and just tasting as you go, which is always fun!

So, I hope you get a bit of inspiration and enjoy a yummy and simple dessert that still looks impressive.

Fresco Freddo’s

I love Mother’s Day. My mum is my best friend and although I do try to show her every day, Mother’s Day is the day whereby I can spoil her and spend the whole day showing her how much I appreciate her.

As a student, we decided not to really do gifts this year but it wouldn’t be Mother’s Day without a little treat.

So first of all, I bought my mum a veggie pick ‘n’ mix – because they’re simply brilliant and my best discovery of 2013 so far (perfectly childish discovery of course).

And then I took her to Fresco Freddo’s Gelateria. I’ve never been there before but have wanted to for months. It’s decorated with gorgeous pastel colours and has a very cute cartoon ice cream cone logo that would entice even the most adult of society.

It’s a tiny place with small wooden stools and bunting decorating the inside. It’s very kitsch and exactly the kind of place I wanted to go to treat my mum.

The mountains of gelato are so colourful and delicious looking. You can taste before you make up your mind, although it really doesn’t help as they are all mouth watering.

They have some great unusual flavours: like panna cotta and sour cherry and peanut and then some stunningly traditional flavours: pistachio, vanilla, mint choc chip.

They also do adorable bakes, lavender heart cookies and carrot cake to name just a couple.

But the best thing they do, perfectly crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside, circles of heaven that are their waffles. You can chose from plenty of toppings from Amaretti biscuits to Nutella and of course, any scoop of deliciously creamy ice.

I went for waffles with berries and passion fruit sorbet and the combination of the sweet strawberries, tart raspberries and refreshingly fruity sorbet worked so amazingly with the air-like fluffiness of the waffles.

Waffles with berries and passion fruit sorbet = heaven!

It’s all reasonably priced and there is plenty of choice, all vegetarian friendly.

I want to eat a breakfast like this every Sunday!

9/10

visit their website here - http://www.frescofreddo.co.uk/

or find them on facebook

whatever you do – go there!

Egg and Spoon .. Race? No Thanks!

I realise it is slightly premature but I have already eaten an Easter egg .. Somehow the chocolate is so much better in an Easter egg. I don’t know if it’s because it’s thinner or generally has a pattern that makes it fun to eat around but they just knock every normal, year-round chocolate bar out of the water.

There also comes the excitement of a special Easter product coming out every year – I must admit, many are disappointing but this year Mr Cadbury stepped it up and hit the nail right on the head.

Thank you Mr Cadbury!

Egg ‘n’ Spoon; such a simple idea, so genius, so delicious and so fun to tuck in to. They come with a cute purple plastic spoon, in two different flavours and in a purple egg box that, let’s face it, is exciting on its own!

There’s something about Easter eggs that just brings out the inner child in us and by involving a childhood memory for most, the good old egg ‘n’ spoon race, Cadbury’s new delight is rather intriguing.

Simply, they are chocolate eggs with a mousse like filling – suitable for veggies – score!

There’s either dark chocolate or vanilla flavour filling and they come in packs of four.

They are seemingly expensive at £2.50 a pack but for 4 and for Easter, who cares!

Trust me, they’re yummy and well worth the try! Spoil someone for Easter – they’re unique and genuinely enjoyable to eat as well as taste!

9/10

Home Sweet Home

I’ve had the pleasure of dining in Home Sweet Home on several occasions and it is quite spectacular. Typical of the Northern Quarter, it is homely and cosy and I adore the decoration. The chairs don’t match, there are fairy lights on the wall, the wall paper looks like it was taken straight out of the 60′s and it is simply adorable.

They’ve just revamped their menu and I only managed to sample it over the weekend. I had a vegetarian chilli dog that was disgustingly amazing.

I normally hate veggie hot dogs – I’ve had a lot of bad ‘ns but this one was different. To be honest it didn’t taste any different to a meaty hot dog – but with all the perks of not being genuine meat.

It was laden with bean chilli, onions, jalapenos, mustard and a mysterious sauce that was oh so very tasty! (If anyone knows what it is please let me know – I forgot to ask – doh!)

It came with a gorgeous fresh salad and their comforting home made chips and was one of the best American-style-diner meals I’ve had, if not THE best.

As a bit of a sweet lover I did prioritise and go for a blueberry and maple milkshake first. I realise this may seem backwards but it seemed like the right thing to do – and I still don’t regret it. It was sweet and fruity and my glass was empty in seconds.

 

Coffee

Ye Olde Sweets

I think everybody who enjoys sweets has a soft spot for old fashioned sweets and since moving to Manchester I’ve been spoiled for choice.

American sweet shops are also particularly exciting if you, like me, haven’t ever tried American sweets.

Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe in St. Ann’s Square is a beautiful combination of the two. With American goodies such as Welch’s Grape Soda, Twizzlers and Hershey’s it’s great for trying new delights. And with tradition English pick ‘n’ mix’s, toffee and chocolate it’s also perfect for rekindling old flames.

As most places of such nature, it is quite pricey. But as soon as I was told they have a selection of Pick ‘n’ Mix sweets that are vegetarian, I was sold.

I haven’t eaten a jelly sweet for nearly two years and the excitement of getting to go back to my childhood with a Pick ‘n’ Mix that still catered to my diet was pretty darn good.

I managed to spend £20 on goodies for a movie night, including Cola Cubes, Rhubarb Rock, Chocolate Raisins, Flying Saucers and individual Pick ‘n’ Mix’s. And as i’m sure you can imagine, was very popular that day!

Breakfast of Champs.

It’s also great for presents and little treats. For my brother’s birthday he fancied Peanut Butter Cup Milkshakes for breakfast and so I got him a bag of Reese’s Miniature Peanut Butter Cup’s that are over 1 kilo. I’ll be impressed if he munches through them!

Although it’s pricey, it has lots of veggie options, treats for all ages and great gifts. If you haven’t gravitated towards it yet, go get yourself a treat!

I Might be Addicted to Cake…

My Dad came to stay this weekend and as well as showing him the sights of Manchester it was vital I made sure he was well fed. He lives in Redcar which doesn’t exactly have an extensive range of options to eat out, to say the least.

We ventured to Sugar Junction today but as everyone knows, Sunday is tea and cake day and it was unfortunately too busy.

Instead I took him to Teacup. I know I’ve already posted about Teacup and yes, I did only go there on Tuesday .. But I think I might be addicted to their cake. I am now convinced they put something in their cakes that make you constantly want more!

Don’t get me wrong, i’m sure all of their food is lovely and we both VERY almost went for homemade soup and a sandwich but then my Dad pointed out the scones and the poppy-seed cake and then we obviously had no choice.

Old School

My Dad had a heart-shaped scone with clotted cream and jam that was very tasty and I had a slab of banana and poppy-seed cake with lemon curd and white chocolate.

Simply mental sized slab.

I thought the slice of cake was large last time but this time it was even bigger; I couldn’t even finish it this time and that almost never happens! Thankfully they will box up leftovers and I can now share my treat with my housemates.

I apologise for gushing over Teacup but if you haven’t been you really need to.

 

 

Let me know what the savoury food is like if you manage to try it!

Krispy and Kremey

Chocolate praline – Glazed Raspberry – Pistachio

I have a bit of a confession to make before I embark on exploring the dessert world … I don’t like doughnuts.

They’re too sweet, feel stodgy and greasy and just generally not the kind of dessert I’m likely to fancy .. ever!

Having said that, I recently discovered Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Now I realise that I’m years behind on my discovery but I feel it’s worth sharing my experience never-the-less.

The only reason I actually ventured in to Krispy Kreme was to get a treat for somebody else and whilst in there I thought ‘why the hell not’.

I quizzed the member of staff and was given a pistachio cream filled doughnut with white chocolate on top. It was an amazing recommendation as it was the perfect balance of sweet and savoury.

I think it helps that I am a huuuuuge fan of anything pistachio but the cream was light and the doughnut itself was airy and the whole combination made for a mouth watering treat.

Now, I had actually tried a Krispy Kreme before this but it was years ago and I wasn’t very much convinced.

But after the pistachio doughnut from heaven and an array of innovative flavours, all vegetarian, I might just be a doughnut convert yet!

6/10