What makes a good pizza? A review @doughboysleeds

What makes good pizza? A review

I have to say I was absolutely thrilled when I was invited to indulge in a pizza tasting by @doughboysleeds . I have never been known to turn down a free lunch. However I will be honest with you, it doesn’t matter if I am reviewing a meal for which I have paid for, or a kindly donated lunch. You are going to hear the honest truth. So…what did I think to my visit to Belgrave music hall Leeds, home of the Doughboys?

First of all the location. What a fantastic concept. A busy mass of happy folk, jostling and joking, bantering and gobbling. A place where age made no difference, from tiny tots to mature would be rock stars they all ate lunch together. This place has it all. Everyone happily sharing squishy sofas and battered old buffets, jackets casually tossed under tables, whilst woolly hats still sat in place. (It wasn’t the warmest place in the world, but then this was probably due to the constant flow on hungry bodies flowing through the door.)

This is a proper meeting place, which quite honestly could have been in any city in the world; it was a transporting place to be. A lively hub of fantastic souls, making friendships, and sharing stories between hastily eaten mouthfuls.

The pizzas we indulged in were
Silvo, a base of fragrant tomato topped with buffalo mozzarella, smoked sea salt and fresh basil.
Woodsy, cured spicy Italian pepperoni, Portobello mushrooms and fresh rocket. Sausage Fest, prosciutto, salami black pepper sausage, caramelised onions and mascarpone,
And finally the comically named but delicious BAA no more, middle eastern spiced ground lamb, pecorino, baby red chard, pine nuts and the Doughboys specially made pomegranate molasses.

Wow is the word that sprang to mind, squashed in a corner perched on a tatty stool I was transported back to Venice. It was wonderful.

True pizza, a crispy thin base, with deeply savoury toppings, and a bubbled crust. I don’t normally eat the crust (don’t tell my mother) but I did that day. There wasn’t a soggy bottom or a cheese overload in sight…just spankingly fresh ingredients, prepared with love and care, by people who know how to tantalize your taste buds.

Each slice was as fantastic as the last. Each a sensory delight. I loved the fact that although the pizzas were already ready to choose from, still hot from the oven, they were hand topped with freshly sliced pecorino, hand torn basil or a flutter of peppery rocket. There was the option of flavoured oil to drizzle if you felt the desire, and a wonderful list of the ingredients telling us just where everything had been sourced.

I honestly don’t know how these guys do this…prices start at just £2 a slice, and it’s a big slice..(I know we shared 4 and I didn’t eat again until supper.) I believe they even indulge us further with a half price slice promotion. Check out the details @doughboysleeds.

My concluding thought on this review is…if you haven’t already paid them a visit, do so, you will not be disappointed. If you already have, then I am guessing you instantly became a regular, I know I will be.

Simplicity is key, I have found my pizza heaven…see you there!

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The perfect destination for my incredible journey

I have to say the best days @ thesideplate.com involve consuming the food that other people have made. I absolutely adore cooking, and some people may even agree I’m pretty good at it. However, this does make me ever so picky when I eat out. Be it a breakfast, lunch or Dinner. I need it to be at least as good as I can make at home.

I think we would all agree that we have had to tighten our belts a little recently (money wise I mean, jeez definitely not waist wise…that’s more of an expansion thing) So when we do part with our hard earned cash I think we need to get something worthy in its return. And I can happily say one of the first things I noticed on my first visit to the Bolster Moor farm shop was how reasonably priced it was.
http://www.bolstermoorfarmshop.co.uk

I will be honest, when my partner heard I was going to take a road trip that would end in the consuming bacon and sausage butties, he offered to drive. I am glad he did. My ability to follow directions and not actually reaching my destination are a great source of amusement to my family and friends. And I have to say it wasn’t the easiest place to locate, but Wow, it was worth it. And judging by the amount of folk up there on said Moor, I am not the only person to think so.

There was a queue to be seated, but we didn’t wait long, and I have to say the staff were incredibly welcoming and polite. Once we were settled we had a tough choice to make. We had arrived very late morning, so I almost wavered in my menu choice…it ALL sounded so good. However I had come on a mission…to try their award winning bacon sandwich (BBC Olive magazine 2013).

We decided to truly put them to the test and adored a sausage bap too (you can now see what I mean about the waistline…although for the record it wasn’t me that also had a Florentine!!) We also sampled their Café Ology coffee.

It is possibly wrong how thrilled I was by the coffee arriving not only bearing a complimentary fairy sized shortbread, but also a jug of cream. You would not believe how many outlets only provide milk. The coffee was divine…possibly the best I have been served in the UK. The shortbread was a perfect mixture of buttery, crumbly excellence. And then the sandwiches arrived….

So many places make rubbish bacon sandwiches…Bolster Moor is not one of them.

The bread was a soft, but not too soft, a white bap (breadcake, barm, roll, call it what you will.) The bacon was moist and tender, with a perfectly crispy edge. The sausage had texture and the most fantastic savoury taste. Seasoned to perfection. The fillings actually filled the bread, which to be honest is not always the case at other eateries I have visited. And they were big 😀 . I am sure you will agree at £3.25 for the bacon sandwich and £3.50 for the sausage, they were also great value.

I would love to tell you about the Florentine…. All I can say is I was told it was delicious.

Bolster Moor Farm & Coffee Shop…
Fantastic food, Well priced, Delightful staff.
I shall return.
It was well worth making the trip.

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/

A Hot date with…my griddle pan

It would seem my usual gorgeous Friday date is out gallivanting at a business dinner this evening. I guess I should be jealous. However, I know where he is going. So I’m not :S , or I should be out with the girls. But it’s January and we are all skint…and I am a bit of a homebody when it’s cold outside. (I have a wood burner…its hard to leave).

I also have a secret hiding in the fridge…not wine…. that’s not a secret here…but a delicious dinner, better than any takeaway, maybe as good as a meal out.

I guess you could call it a Yorkshire version of soulvaki; it has been bathing in its little bowl of marinade for 24 hours, and should be almost perfect. When it meets my griddle pan it will form those divine caramelised strips, yet retain its meltingly soft inner…I can almost taste it just thinking about it. Then my char grilled pork will enjoy a rendezvous with freshly made flat bread and a crispy salad. There may be roasted peppers..and an olive or two whilst I cook.

If I get really carried away I might dig out my sandals and sun top…and recreate a little Greek haven just for one…right here under Emley Mast. It’s a long way from sunny Greece…. but a girl can dream cant she?

(I have promised to save some for the wanderer when he returns …it’s going to be a tough promise to keep)

Here’s to a tasty night at home 😀

Happy Friday,

Love Sky @ thesideplate.com

Greece

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