Jubilee Special: English Cheesecake Company (Review)

by 8 Comments

Hazy Summer days and balmy evenings remind me of my childhood, when mum would lay the table for dinner with the sun streaming through the large, netted windows. The dustmotes would be floating in the air and the table would be laidened with salads, meats, scotch eggs and buttered new potatoes fresh from the pan where they'd been seasoned with salt and mint from the garden. Invariably pudding would be either an arctic roll or a cheesecake.

To me there is nothing more synonymous with Summers and celebrations than cheesecake. It may not be a terribly British dessert, its origins lie in Ancient Greece and more recently in New York, but I do think it's been assimilated into the nation's heart as much as curry and rice!

Fifteen years ago, two friends decided to set up a company creating exquisite cheesecakes of the 'baked' variety. The English Cheesecake Company was born, as was a new generation of cheesecakes. Sumptuous and indulgent, the English Cheesecake Company's cakes are a true work of art in both presentation and the combination of flavours which dissolve in your mouth.

I was sent a box of their limited edition Minis produced to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee:

I know.

Have you ever seen a more beautiful selection of cheesecakes? There are three types of cheesecakes included in the Jubilee Minis selection:

  • left: Vanilla baked cheesecakes, topped with strawberries and white chocolate drizzle.
  • middle: Vanilla baked cheesecake, topped with an edible chocolate Union Jack heart.
  • right: Vanilla baked cheesecakes, topped with a decadent dark chocolate fudge sauce and luxurious white, dark and milk chocolate crowns.

The cheesecakes are sized for individual portions and are a filling amount for a pudding, especially as they are so rich and tasty. Regardless of the fact that they are smaller, they are still decorated with care and attention. If you are having a special party to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, then I would recommend investing in these show-stoppers.

The Jubilee Minis are available from the English Cheesecake Company directly.

I was sent these samples for the purpose of this review, my opinion is honest and unbiased.

Meal Planning Monday #10

by 4 Comments

I'm a bit over food at the moment. With the ongoing battles with The Boy and his being awkward at mealtimes, I really can't muster the enthusiasm to cook. This week's plan is a little boring and bland as a result but hey-ho.

  • Sunday: blue cheese and asparagus tartlets, with tomato and basil rice.
  • Monday: Mediterranean vegetables and rice, with halloumi (recipe to follow).
  • Tuesday: Pizza and wedges.
  • Wednesday: Vegetable and cheese pasties, salad and wedges.
  • Thursday: Sticky Sausage Stew (slow cooker)
  • Friday: Chinese!
  • Saturday: Spring Greens Risotto – asparagus, broccoli, peas, courgettes with blue cheese.

Hardly going to set the world alight but I've done it. Hopefully next week I'll feel more with it to enjoy planning.

—

I'm linking this up to Meal Planning Monday at Mrs. M's

The Battle of the Beans

by 35 Comments

Today has been quite hellish at times. I have cried at least twice, I have certainly ranted and I've lost count of the times that I have said, "Just eat your food!"

The Boy has always been good with his food, even as a baby and feeding from the bottle, he drank beautifully and without fuss. When I started weaning him, he accepted each new taste with pleasure and a great tolerance. Apart from mangoes, and who can really blame him. Second stage weaning saw a baby who was enthusiastic about the home-cooked meals that I prepared and cooked, and he went from strength to strength always eating everything given to him.

About six months ago he decided to exhibit the typical two year old's decision to exert his authority and ability to control a situation. He is well behaved with everything and always does as he is asked, but at that point he decided to show that he can control things himself, and he would become a right pain at mealtimes. I rode it out as he was still so young, and things improved drastically quickly.

Lately I've noticed he's messing around a lot at dinner times and is barely eating. I have never wanted to force him to eat, but I don't find him saying he's finished after three spoonfuls an acceptable amount for a child who's going through a growth spurt. He isn't getting enough nutrients or calories in that small amount to sustain himself throughout the day. An added concern to this is that he's started at a private nursery one morning a week and has lunch there, serving himself and eating with his friends. The feedback is that he's not eating very much, and this week he refused to have a drink of milk and half a banana at snacktime. This is not good because if nothing else will enter his mouth, they are the two staples he would survive on.

Today has seen World War Three and Four in this house at both lunchtime and teatime. He was served exactly the same meal at lunchtime as Mr. TheBoyandMe who sat and ate with him, but it took him well over an hour to eat it, and even then he didn't finish. Lunch was one of his favourite meals: cheesy pasta with ham. There was no reason for him not to eat it, but he couldn't be bothered. He wasn't exerting control of the situation he, just didn't want to eat it. Tea was similar with his other favourite of beans on toast. An hour!

There are those who would tell me that he'll eat when he's ready, but I'm not prepared to accept that. When it has been going on for more than a fortnight, during which time he's developed ear infections and a cold, it's not ok. I can only conclude that he's developed lazy habits at mealtimes and, with his third birthday next month, it has to stop. I'm at the end of my tether and I feel like I'm failing him.

That's why this evening I'm going to be sitting down to read this book that I've been sent:

It's been sat on the kitchen shelf for a month or two now, and I was going to get around to reading it, but now I need to. Because I can not have another day like today. I can not scream like a banshee at my child. I can not sit and sob at my failings as a mother.

With sections on 'why it hurts us so much', 'how much does a child need to eat', 'a child's three defences', 'what not to do at mealtimes' (I suspect digging my heels in is one of them), and 'how not to force a child to eat', I am hoping that 'My Child Won't Eat' is going to change my perception and explain things a little bit more to me. I want him to be happy at mealtimes and healthy because of the food he's eating.

In the meantime, there are certain things that are changing at mealtimes. And it's been with the help of the lovely folk of twitter that I've reached these decisions:

  • no pudding unless the main food is eaten (we've always relented in the past because 'he's done quite well', or 'he's just a baby'. No more!)
  • no snacks in between meals (there aren't any really but it's something I need to tell my mum who does give him some)
  • while breakfast is still in two parts (cereal first, toast or brioche half an hour later), he will no longer have the second part on a plate in the living room while he's playing or watching television. He'll be sat to the table and will eat it there.

Mealtimes mean eating kiddo! Once we've got that re-established, then you can chat!

Any more tips or advice please?

I was sent this book to review, my situation and need is real and frustrating.

Frankie & Benny's (A Review)

by 15 Comments

I've never been to Frankie & Benny's before, for various reasons one of which was that there wasn't a local branch near us in Cardiff Bay. Just a couple of years ago, one was opened about ten minutes from my house and yet I still hadn't been. I'm not sure why, I think it's because as a vegetarian I wasn't convinced that there would be anything on the menu for me.

However, when we were invited to review their new menus, I jumped at the chance to disspell my uneasiness about the American-Italian restaurant chain and decided to give it a go. Before we went, I checked the menu to ascertain if there are any vegetarian dishes (as I hate sitting at the table and discovering my choice is lasagne or salad) and was reassured to find a range of dishes, including penne, pizza, a burger and a wrap. Not a massive choice but enough for me to feel that I had a choice.

Before I go any further, I will declare now that this is a mixed-bag for a review: most of the actual food itself was ok, the service and hygiene was not.

We arrived at 12.30pm on Sunday for lunch and we'd already decided that we needed to have the three courses to be able to sample the menu properly. We were greeted by a happy and cheerful waitress who seated us at a corner table with a highchair for The Boy. And this was the first hygiene problem. I always carry Dettol wipes in my handbag, and thank God I do because this was the state of the highchair:

The entire seat was covered in ingrained food and dirt. I considered not even putting him in the highchair but decided to give it a wipe over myself and keep an eye on where he put his hands. The table also needed wiping down as it had sticky drink stains on it, and the menus had tomato ketchup and soft drink dried onto them. Two of the five forks were dirty. Mr. TheBoyandMe took The Boy to the toilet and told me that one of the door-locks was broken and the loo-seat wasn't attached. Great.

After 15 minutes, we were 'greeted' by our waiter and we gave our food order and then asked if we could have some drinks. I checked to see if they had a plastic beaker for toddlers (as they do in Pizza Express) or a paper cup with a lid (Pizza Hut) but was told it was just a glass so I asked him to leave it as I had a tippy-cup of water he could drink from. 9 minutes later he returned with the two soft drinks and the heavy glass of water which I hadn't wanted.

Starters

Left:Dough sticks, dough balls and hot cheese = £5.95

Right: 'Amazing skins' with melted goat's cheese & home-made bruschetta = £4.95

These arrived 23 minutes after we ordered them. As it goes, I was very happy with the doughballs and doughsticks and felt that they were good value for money, especially if used as a big sharing plate between people in the party. The 'Amazing skins' were pleasant enough but the potato was terribly fatty and they certainly weren't 'fully loaded' as in the description.

Main

As soon as the starters were initially brought out, I asked the waiter to bring The Boy's main meal as soon as it was ready. This is actually good practise for restaurants when families are dining with young children, but it did seem an alien concept to the waiter. Nonetheless, The Boy's meal was brought out ten minutes after we finished the starters which was a full twenty minutes after it was asked for (more about his later) and ours came twenty-five minutes after we'd finished the starters.

Goat's Cheese & Caramelised Red Onion Hot Baked Wrap = £8.45

This was one of the more adventurous vegetarian meals on the menu and I was happy with the size of the portion, the imagination behind the concept and the quality of the food. The wrap was fresh and tasty, the filling plentiful, and the chips very tasty. The only thing I will say is that I felt that the onion was too overwhelming a flavour but that is probably a personal choice. This had a thumbs up from me.

A 'Deep-filled' New Yorker Calzone = £10.45

At this point I need to point out two things: I have never known my husband (in twelve years) to ever complain about a meal, and the product description for this is as follows; "Full to the brim with spicy pepperoni, ham, bacon, mushrooms and mozzarella. All topped with Mamma’s rich Neapolitan tomato and herb sauce."

I think that it's clear from the photo that it is not 'full to the brim' at all: this 'deep-filled' calzone is as flat as pancake. Mr. TheBoyandMe said that the ham was heavily processed, the bacon was fatty, there was barely any cheese and the whole thing was greasy and bland. He's since explained to me that he orders a calzone as a measure of comparison in new restaurants because he knows what an Italian and an American-Italian calzone is like having tasted them in both countries (I did wonder why he has them so often) and is rarely disappointed. He was incredibly disappointed with this one and said that the filling wouldn't have been enough to cover a pizza had it not been folded. Not good enough for £10.45!

We finished our main at 1.55 and ordered desserts five minutes afterwards at 2pm.

Dessert

'The Godfather' – a sharing sundae = £7.95

We decided to share a pudding and went for this 'mountain of brownies, crunchy chocolate malt balls, red berries and cream. Topped with ice cream, lashings of toffee and chocolate sauce and finished with toffee crunch.' Aside from the small amount of ice-cream and copious amounts of squirty cream, it didn't disappoint. It was very tasty, very filling and we would order it again with no problem.

However, it took 36 minutes for it to arrive.

Kids' Menu

Left: Pork sausage, mash & beans.

Right: Chocolate ice-cream sundae

I was impressed with the choice on the kids' children's menu: spaghetti bolognese, hamburger, chicken strips, margherita pizza, fish fingers, chicken pasta or sausage. This younger menu costs just £3.95 and includes a main course, a dessert and refillable soft drinks. There is also the the option of a free side of vegetables, side salad or Heinz baked beans.

The sausage meat was quite poor quality and The Boy actually wouldn't eat it, which is rare for him and sausages. The mashed potato was 'smash'-style packet potatoes. The whole thing had been sat on the side for a while as the mashed potato had a skin on it, the plate was hot (a no-no for children) and the baked beans were drying around the side. The quantity was perfect for younger children, but the quality was far from ideal.

He had a single scoop of chocolate ice-cream for pudding with sauce on top and a separate pack of chocolate buttons. A perfectly sized dessert for a young child.

The activity pack contained a double-sided activity booklet for different ages, a jigsaw and a multi-coloured colouring pencil. It is one of the better packs I've seen and was well received.

Finally, 2 hours and 15 minutes after we were first seated I managed to pay the bill. At this point I decided to tell the manager about the highchair, rather than leaving it until this review is (possibly) passed on and countless other children being placed in the same seat. I showed him the dirty straps and seat and he was genuinely shocked. He apologised and tried to give an excuse, stopped because there is none and apologised again. He then sent over a waitress to clean it. I did intervene and tell her it actually needed taking apart and scrubbing as spray wasn't going to clean off months of built up dirt.

What was good?

  • The hot bread sharing plate for starters
  • The hot baked goat's cheese & caramelised onion wrap
  • The portions and price of the younger children's menu
  • The children's activity pack
  • The sharing sundae

What was bad?

  • The 'amazing skins'
  • The 'deep-filled' calzone
  • The cleanliness throughout the entire restaurant: table, menu, cutlery, toilets, highchairs. If that is what the front of house is like, what state are the kitchens in?
  • The waiting period:
    • 12.30 seated
    • 12.45 order taken
    • 12.54 drinks arrived
    • 1.08 starters came and asked for The Boy's meal
    • 1.21 end of starters
    • 1.28 The Boy's main arrived
    • 1.45 mains came
    • 2.00 ordered ice-cream
    • 2.20 waiting for ice-cream for 20 mins
    • 2.36 ice-creams came
    • 2.41 waiting for the bill

Is it good enough that it took 2 hours and 15 minutes to have a family meal? I don't think so. Not when actual eating time was 25-30 minutes, leaving 1 hour and 45 minutes as waiting time.

Will I go again? Unless there are serious improvements in service and cleanliness? No!

I was provided with a £50 voucher towards the cost of this meal. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Meal Planning Monday #7

by 6 Comments

Last week's meal plan by and large was stuck to with the exception of Saturday night's Chinese takeaway. We decided to go into Cardiff during the late afternoon and buy an iPad (as you do) and took our Tesco vouchers with us so we could have a meal at Pizza Express afterwards. Therefore, I moved the Chinese to Sunday because we don't like to miss it!

20120423-183645.jpg

  • Sunday: Chinese (home-made deep-fried tofu/takeaway chicken balls, sweet and sour sauce, crispy seaweed, egg fried rice, spring rolls and chips. Because I'm Welsh and that's how we roll around here!)
  • Monday: Dauphinoise potatoes, blue cheese and asparagus tartlets and salad.
  • Tuesday: freezer left-over Pizza Hut pizza and spicy potato wedges
  • Wednesday: Pasta and salad
  • Thursday: slow-cooked vegetable pasta (not tried this before, it will be a cheese/cream based pasta because I dislike tomato sauces on pasta)
  • Friday: Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagne (my brother, the chef, was supposed to be coming over last Friday and I cooked this for him, but mid-afternoon he had to cancel. He's coming this Friday instead so I shall cook it again)
  • Saturday: Mango and coconut paneer

Quite a few repetitive meals in this week's plan that make up our staple diet, but after two weeks off work for Easter and working an extra day due to INSET, I know I'm going to be knackered and need easy food. I'll get back on track with my imagination next week!

—

I'm linking this up to Meal Planning Monday at Mrs. M's

Sponsored Video: Goodies Galore

by Leave a Comment

Our weeks are busy. I work part-time and am home on a Monday and a Tuesday, work Wednesday to Friday. Then weekends are filled with us trying to spend time as a family and enjoying each other. It means that we seem to be constantly on the go here, there and everywhere.

Taking part in activities and playgroups is easier now that The Boy is getting older because he's slightly less dependant on a routine with food and naps, there is always leeway with meal times now as long as I don't push it.

One of the things that I always have now in my significantly reduced changebag handbag (along with wetwipes and pants, no nappies anymore) is  several snack bars and a couple of boxes of raisins. He rarely asks for the raisins because he always wants to top up on the snack bars. And who can blame him because Organix Goodie bars are delicious. He prefers the raspberry and apple soft oaty bars, and I'm a little partial too. With no salt, processed sugars, colourings or flavourings, you can be assured that they aren't pumping our precious little ones full of nasties.

This is a sponsored post.

Warburton's Breakfast

by 4 Comments

It's the most important meal of the day and that's why I find it so difficult to comprehend why my son is not better at eating his breakfast. He hasn't eaten in a full twelve hours beforehand and yet getting anything more than a half a bowl of cereal into him is an uphill struggle which, until the kettle has boiled and the first coffee been consumed, we are ill-equipped to deal with. Surely he's more hungry than he appears to be?

He turns his nose up at toast, a jam sandwich is left to go stale with just a few small sparrow-sized pecks out of it. I don't think that seven spoonfuls of ready brek is enough to keep him going until lunchtime.

That's why I was more than happy to receive samples of Warburton's new breakfast line through for review. Warburton's have introduced the most gorgeous range of brioches; rolls (butter and chocolate chip), loaves and swirls.

This is the brioche loaf (hot buttered) and the brioche swirl

Without exception, I have never seen The Boy eat breakfast better than he has the last few days. He's eating his cereal first and then having a brioche half an hour later, and wolfing it down!

Luckily he's sticking to the chocolate chip brioche rolls and loaf, which is just as well as it means I get to have the scrumptious and moist brioche swirls which have a fine layer of custard in them. Definitely moreish!

I was sent these products for the purpose of the review. My opinion is honest and unbiased, and based on the fact that I've had to buy more of these because The Boy is now eating breakfast!

Meal Planning Monday #4

by 6 Comments

I only managed to have one fail last week, and that was not my fault. My mum (despite the planner being up which is partly for her when caring for The Boy) gave him Friday's dinner for his lunch instead. I ended up doing butternut squash risotto, this time in the slow cooker. It didn't work out well: one minute it was undercooked massively, the next it was slushy. I've therefore carried the lasagne forward to this week's planner.

As we're approaching Easter weekend, I've planned for Sunday to Thursday and am leaving the actual weekend free. I've got plenty of freezer food which we can have depending upon what we're doing each day, however I also suspect we'll be out and about quite a bit and I've allowed for that.

  • Sunday: chicken (slow-cooker) or mint, chilli and vegetable loaves, with potato fritters and roasted butternut squash and vegetable salad. (Mum, dad, boy cousin and girl cousin are coming over for dinner, hence the choice)
  • Monday: pasta and salad (going to try a reduced balsamic vinegar dressing as suggested to me by The Kitchen Mechanic. Incidentally, I will be adding this recipe to next week's planner somewhere!)
  • Tuesday: Butternut squash and spinach lasagne
  • Wednesday: Shepherd's pie (freezer left-overs)
  • Thursday: Mango and coconut paneer
  • Friday: free
  • Saturday: free

As I type this up, I've realised that we haven't had fajitas in ages and so they are definitely on the menu for next week. A scrummy way of making sure we have plenty of our five a day.

What are you planning for your family meals this week?

—

I'm linking this up to Meal Planning Monday over at At Home With Mrs. M.