Computers, cake and chaos…

Goodness me, one windows update, a busy school week and celebration meal and it all went to pot!

I actually prefer the chaos to the calm, as long as I have a back up plan.
My meal plan went to pot this week but after today I shall be back on track.
I don’t need to go shopping for the next week 🙂

It all started with a computer update which seems to have wiped out half of my computer..but where there’s a will, there’s a way..so here I am back at my tappity tap keyboard.

Monday dinner was a fabulous Chinese meal. our usual takeaway was closed (see even that plan went awry).
So we tried a new one and it was excellent…so anyone who lives near Ossett, Wakefield, I can highly recommend The Orient Express.
It was a belated birthday tea, complete with balloons and cake. We finally rounded up all the children, and as it was St Patricks day, I made a chocolate guinness cake.

Wow it was the kind of cake that halfway through making it you think, Jeez this seems a lot of effort (I am lazy, what can I say). but I have to say even without the icing it was divine. I shall post the recipe later.

The rest I guess is just history…tonight’s dinner is a mishmash of pizzas wraps and fries. my boys been on a school trip so we will need to chill. Tomorrow is a little more planned with an easy roast dinner, and pie on Friday…all I need now is to sort out this damn computer.

Cooking I can do….computers..errr not so good.

Lovely to catch up and thanks for reading.

Sky @ http://www.thesideplate.com

The Warmest of Welcomes…

The Warmest of Welcomes…

Sometimes you just need a hug. Someone to welcome you…to sit you down and feed you well…I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but this did not happen at my mothers…oh no…it was in the wonderful heart of Ossett, Wakefield. In the Mews Hotel and restaurant to be precise.

OK they didn’t actually hug me, but when I entered this fantastic haven, It felt like they had. They valued our presence. Which is often a rarity in this day and age.

It was busy…I believe it generally is, and I can see why. It is warm, a roaring fire in the corner, and they even have family photos along side some excellent artwork on the walls. It felt like a homecoming.
We were guided to a cosy table, recommended a wine. Offered a splendid selection of bread to keep us going whilst we selected from the menu.
The locals recommended the 12-hour roast pork…. there was no contest. Normally if we step out to review, we order a selection, but on this cold evening, neither of us was prepared to share.

I am showing my ignorance but it was the first time I have sampled a white Rioja, I can honestly say it won’t be the last…it was divine.

I was happy and warm and in fantastic company. What more could I want?? Then the food arrived!

Oh my. I don’t want to ramble, But OH MY. I cook make a mean roast pork, but this was heavenly, crispy, moist, meltingly tender, resting alongside a pillow of cauliflower cheese, mash, carrots, cabbage, (so good I even ate it.) A stunning Yorkshire pudding, and the most delightful roast potatoes I have ever met. The jug of gravy was so good I requested a second!!!

This was truly the most delightful of meals, a little trip to foodie heaven. Reasonably priced, fantastic service…an few hours of deliciousness.

We were so very full, so very happy..it was a wonderful evening. We ended up in relaxing by the fire with a glass of Port. Heaven.

Next time I shall try harder, I would love to sample their starters and desserts. I need to cultivate a huge appetite.

Give them a try..I promise you will not be disappointed.

Love from a very satisfied sideplate.com

http://www.mews-hotel.co.uk/

WOW…what a weekend

Wow …what a weekend

I guess the best weekends are always the unplanned. I must admit, when it gets to this time of year, I find it very easy to hibernate. I stay in …grab the blankets, a bottle of wine…a DVD if I can keep awake. And that’s about it…but this weekend we decided on adventure.

The original restaurant we graced wasn’t interested in our custom apparently. So we kept walking and remembered what great feedback we had heard about the Mews hotel in Ossett,   …so with a skip in our step and our fingers crossed we paid them a visit and prayed for a table…. I will post the review tomorrow.

Just in case we hadn’t gained enough pounds that evening, Saturday morning came and we embarked on a journey to in Toto kitchens in York to sample some of the Yorkshire pudds delights. I shall scribe the delights in detail on my next blog. It has been a fabulous weekend of good eating. And so I shall roll myself to bed …love from a very full…www.thesideplate.com x