I can no longer tolerate boring vegetables…

Sometimes , somedays….well, I just give in. I lose the will to live over the vegetable wars.

I am lucky that my daughter does love carrots and will eat broccoli, peas and occasionally sweetcorn…My son on the other hand, pulls a face that indicates he ihas been poisoned, should anything other than baked beans appear on his plate.

I will be honest, I am not the greatest vegetable eater either. And today this will change.

I read an interesting article online that indicated children can be fussy eaters in order to survive..It would seem our cultures have evolved way faster than our basic instincts. What it comes down to, is that children like familiar stuff because they know they ate it before and didn’t die.

Now I grant you, this might seem like an off the wall approach, but I am going to run with it. But on my terms. We will not longer have boring peas, I shall add chopped bacon and maybe some onion. Brocolli will be stir fried with sauce instead of steamed. sweetcorn will be encased in a fritter..or god forbid actually mixed in with the fish pie. sweet potatoes will be appearing twice weekly (yum).

I can no longer tolerate a boring vegetable….let the vegetable carnival commence 🙂

Best wishes….a soon to be much healthier Sky x

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/

PIGGY IN THE MIDDLE…

Piggy in the middle…

So here I am trying to pretend to be an organised person (anyone that has seen my paperwork that needs filing will tell you different). And I did say yesterday I intend to cook smarter so that I am not always thinking about the next meal. So today’s delights will be slow roast pork, slow roast chicken, (will let you know how that works out) and a vegetable casserole.

I am going to blow the dust of my electric steamer to prepare the unpopular 5 a day. I haven’t used it for far too long, as I tend to put stuff in the back of the cupboard, and the recesses of my mind. But it really is a fabulous piece of kit. Anything that looks after itself whilst it cooks is always a bonus when you have kids. Plus it saves loads of washing up (which my partner will tell you “is not my strong point.”)

It’s going to be a tight squeeze in the oven. But I will put the casserole at the bottom to slowly work its magic…. for the chicken I am using thighs and drumsticks so they only take up a trays depth of space…and of course my beautiful joint of pork will be…. the piggy in the middle.

Warmest wishes & as always, thank you for reading

Sky @ thesideplate.com

Steamers
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The Sun was shining in Flockton – a lunchtime review.

There is something special about lunch with a friend. Not a grab a sandwich type of lunch, but a sneaky long lunch that starts at midday, and only ends when you have to collect the kids and make them dinner. The kind of lunch that makes you feel like you are bunking off school (not that I would have ever done such a thing) A lunch where you can gently put the world to rights whilst consuming something delicious that you didn’t have to make yourself.

I had never eaten at The Sun inn, Flockton, Wakefield, before…despite it being stones throw from home, but as I needed to be close by this afternoon, we took a stroll to see what they could offer.

What can I say? I will be honest I wasn’t expecting much, if I had been served a decent sandwich and a cheeky glass of vino, I would have been happy.

I was thrilled by the warm welcome we received In this modern day it is always lovely to feel that your custom is welcomed, and welcomed we were.  A roaring fire,friendly staff and some cheery Christmas music. I was already happy that we had stopped by.

I would have been pleased to have been served a decent sandwich, however as our cheery host showed us to our table, we were told if we required anything from the evening menu, the chef would be happy to oblige.

Everything sounded delicious, but when confronted with Confit duck with Dauphinois potatoes nothing else stood a chance of selection. And oh my, what a choice.

The duck melted in my mouth, the potatoes…. well suddenly I knew why Dauphinois had been created, this was a gratin like I had never devoured before, rich, creamy, soft and with just a hint of thyme. I was in heaven. The vegetables that were served alongside this wondrous creation…well I actually ate them. (Please don’t tell my children I don’t generally eat my veggies when they aren’t there to watch.) They were tasty and cooked to perfection…the veggies not the children.

I will be totally frank with you, I am not sure what my good friend ordered, it was something vegetarian so I lost interest after that, however it did look wonderful, and by the noises of appreciation, and the fact that we both left very clean plates says everything about her choice too.

Will we go back? Oh yes.

Could it have been better? Only if the coffee had been a little hotter and in bigger cups…but the mints, sugar and tiny pot of cream that came with it were a delight in themselves.

Would I recommend it? I certainly would, I can only assume it was quiet because of the lack of publicity or the time of year, so everyone else was out shopping. Make time to visit. It was delicious.