When the chef came to dinner: The Plough at Eastbury

There's a pub near Newbury that is my partner and I's go-to place for treating ourselves gastronomically. One evening, he surprised me again and off we went through some Berkshire villages to our favourite spot. I had scallop, lobster, and crab Thermidor which was a dream. I may have licked the plate but don't judge me - you would too. It was so good that I couldn't manage all of my surf and turf of Rib-eye steak and giant prawns. I rolled home, happy as pie. This pub is called The Plough at Eastbury and we love it. Graham and Louise do a great job and it's a pleasure to spread the word about it.

The most important thing we saw that evening was the board in the bar about a gourmet quiz night. It was happening in a few weeks time so I messaged round the foodie crew and the 5 of us went along on a warm Tuesday evening to see what it was like. It was a very reasonably priced 5 course tasting menu with matching wine. As each course and wine would come round, we'd have a question and answer sheet about how it was cooked, what ingredients were used, what year and what grape the wine was etc. At first, it was going well, we guessed that the amuse bouche was a green veloute but guessed that it was broad bean and not asparagus. Fatal error. Most of the answers we got wrong were discussed amongst us but we all somehow convinced each other of another answer. We regained points on the cold-smoked trout (chef was impressed that we were the only ones to get the technique of the trout down - go Budgie!).

Fish course was fried monkfish but we guessed crayfish, but we regained points again with the finer details with the ingredients in the sauce. Meat course was pulled pork and goat with a crunchy salad and sweet potato mash. We did ok here. Don't think anyone guessed the goat. The cheese course is where it all went wrong. We hadn't even heard of the cheese, Chaource, but trust us to be in competition with a french cheese specialist. Shame they knew nothing apart from cheese though (haha). We gained almost no points for that course, but then the desert came. There were small black seeds in a mouse like fool and I said there is only one fruit with seeds like this and that's a dragon fruit. We put it down in vague hopefulness and chef nearly ate his hat. He thought that that was a definite that no-one would know but then how did he know that one of the quizzers had it every morning in a smoothie from a stall in Thailand?! Our knowledge on the finer detailed ingredients put us ahead of the pack and we won by a strong margin. Beginners luck was no way a part of it, we just love our food.

With regards to the wine, I don't actually remember much about it and I didn't really know any of them - that was Katie's department. We did well and got a sauvignon blanc spot on. That reminds me, I do want to do some sort of wine tasting course so I can taste and judge wine with more of an expert nose and palate. Perhaps a vineyard visit when we go to Spain next week.
 
At the end - chef Graham announced that the winners (yes, us!) would receive a meal cooked by him at our home...our mouthed dropped open (and Katie screamed). We thought we'd get a bottle of wine. So, after a mission to get everyone's calendars together, we picked a Monday evening when his kitchen at the pub was quiet, and he came to cook two beautiful courses for us lucky people. We'd get one of our favourite chefs cook us dinner? At home? What a night.

That Monday night arrived and we were treated to scallops, hogs pudding, pork belly, blackberry, cold smoked venison and trout for starter followed by venison, pigeon, and crab in a Vietnamese nasi goreng style sauce. The roasted radishes were a delight. Until that night, I've only ever sliced a raw radish in a salad. We absolutely loved it. All of us who ate at the meal work hard every week night to put yummy dishes on our own tables but for this special evening, we were the ones who got cooked for and we dined like kings and queens.

Here's to more foodie memories and the reigning gourmet quiz champions maintaining their new title! Thanks Graham.

ZP x

P.s. Please note that the The Plough didn't ask me to write this - we genuinely just love the place.

Jet lag lasagne

So, I thought I would start posting all my recipes from the past few months on here and I will start with my first meal back from Australia.

My time zones were all over the place when I landed back in London and I woke up at 7am craving savoury dinner. So what do you cook for breakfast when you fancy homemade comfort food? Lasagne, that's what. Everyone thought I was mad but when you fancy something, then cook it.

I simmered tins of tomatoes with beef mince, onions, and mushrooms for about an hour and let it all reduce and get all tasty. I also added some cannelloni beans to bulk out the meat and fill us up more. Lasagne is a dish that you can add loads of boosting bits to to make it taste delicious. I would start with tomato ketchup, chutneys, or any pickles you fancy. You could go extreme like we did and add a spoonful of vegemite and chicken salt (available from your local Australian stores or online) and it added a punchy hit that brings out the best in a strong tomato reduction. Once you start adding bits, you can't stop. But don't go too far though...no-one likes custard in pasta sauce!

Once reduced and tasting good, I layered the punchy beef and tomato sauce with pasta sheets, béchamel sauce, and cheese.

I baked in the oven for about 45 mins and then served with salad.


The key to lasagne is make sure you rest it and let all the juices set a bit. This will make it easier to cut and it will sit better on the plate.

If your not jet lagged then I would suggest to serve at normal dinner hours with a glass of Italian red!

ZP x

Birthday fun: food, food and more food!

So it was my birthday on Good Friday and what a beautiful day it was. I got lots of presents, a new leather-bound notebook, cookbooks, a steamer, a framed picture for my new house (moving day is soon!) and plenty more so thanks to all.

I spent the day by the river floating about in Hungerford, had a toasted sandwich for lunch with Dad, and then went to dinner at The Fishes in North Hinksey.

At The Fishes, I started with Pigeon and pomegranate followed by sea trout and aubergine mash and ended it with a rhubarb tart and amaretto. Throughout lots of prosecco was consumed. It was delicious. Try it out people, the service was great and the food fantastic:

I then returned home and found out that they had surprised me with a cake made in the covered market in Oxford. What a treat.

Thanks to all my amazing family.

I love you all.

ZP x

Instagram: sharing beautiful photos online

Hi all,

Good morning on this lovely day. Just a short post today to say that I also have an Instagram account online where I publish new photos of recipes as and when they are cooked. If you see anything you'd like the recipe of then please let me know.

Take a look at my account here:

zaprestonza

Enjoy the sun rays!

ZP x

Holiday food: Australia

The one thing I remember from the Australian restaurant menus is 'salt and pepper squid' and 'schnitzels'. We learnt that the Italians and the Greeks were the first to bring restaurant dining in Australia (correct me if I'm wrong) and you can see both cuisines everywhere. Of course, there were the usual burger joints that you get worldwide but there's no need for them when there's some great local places nearby.

I also loved the fact that there were salad bars as fast food outlets. I picked up on the fact that their lifestyle is definitely more healthier than ours. We saw hundreds of people running by the beach, there were people exercising everywhere and to be externally beautiful was top of the list in a lot of people's eyes. In comparison, in the UK there are hardly any healthy, fast food restaurants. I think this is a huge gap in the UK market. Burger chains have only just started selling salads on their 'menus' but they are a pathetic attempt and the burger still reigns as champion. We need fast, healthy food that packs a punch. We need it soon and I can feel it coming.

Going back to the food of kangaroo land, there were also big Asian influences from the surrounding Asian countries. We loved the noodle bars and there were plenty of sushi places like those cropping up in the West.


To the left is when we had some awesome (and very cheap) instant noodles on the table full of doodles from travellers at the Sydney Harbour hostel. It was the most amazing hostel I've been to...big recommendations to fellow travellers out there!

To the right, we stopped at a local noodle bar just off the beach at Bondi Beach and had laksa soup and chicken and mushroom coconut milk curry. It was beautiful. We went back to our Bondi beach hostel and collapsed in the heat. That was the night before Valentines Day.

The next morning, on Valentines, we woke and went down to the Lamrock cafe for pancakes, eggs and iced coffees. Perfect.

 I couldn't forget to mention that they love their local produce, especially in the smaller cities such as Perth. When we were there, we stayed with family relatives in Baldivis, and had local honey for breakfast and we also ate vegemite for the first time on toast. We were amazed that the honey not only said what honey it was but also what tree it came from. Amazing. All we get here is 'Oxfordshire honey'.

When the rain came, we had movie days and we had a lush day in Cronulla with snacks including Tim Tams, lollies, jaffas, popcorn,  and cheezels. Yum. The photo right is making homemade schnitzels in Wollongong.

 Of course, there was fresh fruit everywhere for most breakfasts. Loved this.

Then, of course, there were the BBQ's. Snaggers or snags (sausages to us Brits) and beef steak were mainly cooked on the barbie. Also, in Bowral on the farm, there were beef joints cooked and served with salad and baked potatoes in cheese and cream and onions (similar to my dauphinoise potatoes). They cooked as much as they could on the BBQ, it was the central family social party starter. It was the hub to the outside parties, it was the focal point of the evening (apart from the delicious beer, obviously!).

One last thing is not only did they love their food but they loved their drink. Ted (Tooheys Extra Dry) was popular as well as Corona (like it is here). Wine was obviously amazing and great value. I spotted some pale ale in bars but not the dark ale or stout that you get here (my Dad defo wouldn't be able to drink there!) as well as cider being introduced over there due to the influence of the Brits.

All I can say is that it was a yummy holiday!

ZP x

Toad in the hole: rainy English weather food

So it's 5 days to go until I head off to Australia for a month. I can't wait for the Asian inspired food and fresh fish over there. I thought I'd leave with a scrummy English meal for you all to make while cuddled up with the rain lashing down: Toad in the Hole...

So, first, I part roasted the sausages and made the Yorkshire pudding batter to go with it (225g  plain flour, 4 eggs, 250ml milk). Heat oil in the dishes for 15 mins in a hot (180 degrees) oven. When oil is hot, put the sausages in and pour the batter around them. Bake for 30 mins until the batter is all puffed up.

To serve, mash some carrots and suede. Onion gravy goes down well here.

Enjoy the cold weather!

ZP x

Banana and nut cake: the easiest cake in town

Now this is one dessert that I don’t need to weigh anymore. I love my banana cakes and it’s different every time. To make it easy, use a simple Victoria sponge mix then add banana, mix nuts, and dried fruit. This time I creamed butter and sugar, beat in 2 eggs and then sieved in flour with a little baking powder. I mashed 3 very black bananas and then added them in with some vanilla extract and chopped up my leftover nuts and fruits from the cupboard. I baked until it smelt good and when it didn’t pull any raw cake out when pricked with a skewer.

Leave to cool for as long as you can and then serve with raspberries.


ZP x

Coffee table platter: lazy, romantic dinner for two

Stuck for dinner tonight? Simply raid the deli at your local market or supermarket and pick up bread, pate, cheese, meats, olives, marinated peppers, hummus and anything else you fancy. I had some pickled aubergines sent down by the neighbour so I used these.  They were amazing – pickled in garlic, oil and all sorts of yummy herbs. I warmed up some pitta/ciabatta. You can dive in with your fingers and eat lots while watching a great movie or catching up with the events of the day. Amazing dinner with no cooking – all you need to do it just make it look pretty on bread boards!

Serve with red wine and coffee for after.

I decanted some red wine so it could breathe a bit (and then had the Burgandy after!); it's amazing what a few hours does to wine. If you don't have enough time to let the wine breathe, then I would pick a lighter red like a Pinot Noir. It doesn't have many tannins in so it's not a wine that necessarily needs to breathe - it's great straight out the bottle!

Have a great weekend!

(10 days until Australia!)

ZP x

Asian noodle broth: the realistic 15 minute meal

Following on from yesterday's post, I made Asian noodle broth for the neighbour. By adding Asian flavours (soy sauce, oyster sauce, etc...) you can transform a normal noodle soup into an amazingly tasty meal that is very filling.

Leave the dry noodles in boiling water to cook in the heat (read the packet if it comes with one). In a big pot, add sliced carrot, onion and mushroom and fry slightly in sesame oil (but not very long as you want to veg still slightly crunchy). A good tip here would be to slice all the vegetables and get all your ingredients out ready to go and within reach.

Add the noodles to the slightly fried veg along with a stock cube (veg or meat depending on the people eating), then add soy sauce, oyster sauce, few spoons of sugar, salt (not much as the sauces have salt in), fish sauce, chilli flakes and anything else you think would go well. You'll probably have to add a bit more water from the kettle as the water from the noodles probably won't be enough. Add as much water as you like (depending on how watery you want it to be) and simmer with some sliced meat/tofu and finely sliced coriander roots for a couple of minutes.

Remember to try some of the broth and add more soy/sugar if it needs it. Good cooks always try their food before serving! Serve with a sprinkle of coriander leaves and a trickle of soy. A squidge of lime would go well here too if you fancy it.

This meal can easily be done in 15 minutes - it's so easy and tasty. Even better is that it's comforting and to get a light broth to be comforting is a great thing indeed!

Make sure the veg are nice and crunchy to keep that freshness. I've even got some left for my lunch at work today. Can't wait for midday food time.

So dive into your cupboards today to transform your usual meals into something you'd find on the other side of the world. Tasty food for hardly any extra calories.

Get experimenting!

(11 days until Australia!)

ZP x

Mexican wraps: healthy-style with salsa and guacamole

So, another meal with the neighbour, and this time it’s hand rolled lettuce Mexican style wraps. Replacing tortilla wraps with lettuce or cabbage is a great, healthy alternative (I'll be hitting Bondi beach soon so trying to stay low on the carbs!)

Frying the beef mince off (I had some left over from a spag bol), I mixed in fennel seeds, cinnamon, cumin, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, chili flakes and onion seeds, along with diced onion and carrot to use them up. It was like dry spicy spag bol mix – which is what I wanted. I made up bowls of tomato salsa (recipe is here); guacamole (mashed avocado, juice of 2 limes, a pinch of salt, pepper, and sugar); sour cream; and cheese, then we wrapped it all up in one iceberg lettuce wrap.

We kept going until the lettuce had gone…yum. There was even some mince left to give to Dad for his jacket potato dinner.

Tonight, I'm cooking Asian noodle broth for Gabi, it's going to be a thinly sliced vegetables and pork with stock and some Asian flavours. Healthy, clean eating is the way to go until back from holiday!

I also made thai glass noodles the other day (little pic shown below) with rendang curry paste, coconut milk, sliced beef, fish sauce, mushrooms, peppers, and some other bits. The paste is normally meant to make curry but I only had beef slices and some spare noodles and veg so I made my own little concoction. Using spices is a great way to infuse flavour into food without all the calories.

ZP x

The Bunk Inn, Curridge: beautiful food and great service

A local pub close to my Dad’s house in Hermitage called The Bunk Inn deserves a post after the lovely food and atmosphere it creates. The locals love the newly refurbished pub and it's perfect for either a pint during a country walk, a Sunday roast with the family, or a romantic meal in the evenings.  I have been there quite a few times for dinner (coincidentally I will be going there tomorrow evening for my Sister's birthday meal) and I am always impressed with how delicious the food is. Follow The Bunk Inn on Twitter, or here on Facebook.

When I first visited, they described their dishes as English country tapas and we continued to order pretty much every plate on the menu. We were all in awe of their amazing lunch platter that they served (see left). We had sliced potato chips, potato popcorn, garlic bread, chicken wings, pork scratchings, rabbit, and lamb cutlets.

They were all served with various dips and sauces and it was all fabulous. The lamb and the rabbit shone as the best dishes, the delicate rabbit meat eased off the bone and the lamb cutlets (right) went with the blackberries perfectly.

I also loved their genius way to serve salt and pepper: carving out a hole in a block of wood for the salt. Salt crystals are my favourite so they won me over straight away!

The second time I visited I had the Buffalo burger (without the bun as I'm on my beach holiday diet!) and the chips (I have to treat myself somehow!) were soft and fluffy inside and crunchy on the outside. The slaw that came with it was just tangy enough and there were also pickled cornichons and onions to perk the buffalo meat up a bit. I ordered extra salad as I love the mustard dressing so much! The red wine that the barman chose was perfect and a nice full red was well received on a blistery cold evening.

We always leave The Bunk Inn very full and very happy. Thanks to the lovely staff, and of course, the kitchen. I can't wait to get back there tomorrow and eat again!

Follow The Bunk Inn on Twitter, or here on Facebook.

ZP x

Baked breakfast: easy, healthy, and cheap!

A few months ago, a work colleague brought in extra apples from his garden for people who were interested. Free fruit?! Yes please! Me and another colleague were intrigued and we tried baked apples for breakfast. What an unbelievable breakfast.

We sliced the apples, added brown sugar, raisins and a few splashes of water. We cooked them in the microwave for 7-8 minutes until soft, and then added yoghurt, almonds, and a pinch of cinnamon at the end. 

Serve with a morning smile and a glass of water with a squeeze of lemon. It really is an amazing start to the day.

Only 2 weeks today until Australia!

ZP x

Mackerel fishcakes

There's only a few weeks left until I will be flying half way round the world to Australia. My cousin is getting married and asked me to be her bridesmaid. No-one could turn that opportunity to travel to a new country, especially with the heatwave that's souring out there at the moment. 46 degrees is a little too hot for a girl that's used to the mild English climate but I'm sure I'll get used to it. The bonus is we get to see these pretty awesome sunrises on frosty winter mornings:


So, as a result of pretty much being in a bikini for the next month, I'm on a healthy plan. I'm running more and eating better (I can't quite say no to wine though...but we all need our treats!)

I've done many healthy recipes (although I do love butter and cream) where it's great to feel refreshed and not stuffed after a meal.

These fishcakes are so easy and very cheap to make. I buy the smoked or peppered mackerel in the vacuumed packet from the supermarket. My Mum would be shocked to hear me using it as it used to make me feel sick when I was younger but now, knowing how healthy it is for you, my taste buds have changed and it's great.

So, break up the smoked/peppered mackerel into a large bowl then add mash potato. Fry diced onion and add in too once cooled a little. Add an egg, salt, pepper, dill, any other herbs you have, maybe some horseradish or mustard. Shape with hands into fat disc and coat in flour. Fry off until golden on all sides. They can be baked in the oven also if you don't want to fry. It's as easy as that!

Serve with broccoli and lemon.

Oh and one last thing, in my previous post about dinner parties, I mentioned that I was going to a big dinner party/get together and planned on doing chilli con carne. I chose well as it went down a storm. I also made a side of nachos using salsa, cheese and jalapenos and serving with guacamole and sour cream on the side:

ZP x

Dinner parties and eating in

Christmas, new year, and all the days around this festive period are, for me and my friends and family, about spending time with each other. We all tend to get together and bring a course each or we just gather and bring any leftovers to come together in one massive picnic/help yourself buffet.

For a dinner party before Christmas, I was asked to bring my famous New York cheesecake to finish a meal. I get bored making things in the same way twice, so I added raspberries into the mix and baked it off in the same way. It worked out a right treat. We loved it. Here's the recipe:

150g digestive biscuits, 75g butter. Crush biscuits into fine crumbs, add melted butter and bake in tin for 15 mins.

Beat 3 big tubs of full fat cream cheese (philly works well here but make sure everything is room temperature otherwise you'll have arms the size as Arni at the end) with 200g caster sugar then mix in 200ml of sour cream (I used crème fraiche because I had no sour cream) and 3 tbspn flour. Gradually add 3 eggs and 1 egg yolk and mix in with 2 tspn of vanilla extract.


Once all combined, stir through zest of 1 lemon and a punnet of raspberries. Pour on top of biscuit mix and then bake for a 45-50 mins on a lower temp (160).

It should be slightly wobbly in the middle when you take it out as it will continue to cook when you bring it out.

Serve with more raspberries and cream – or just out the tin if you can’t wait!

I'm meeting up with lots of friends this Friday so I'm thinking of how to cook for us all. I'm thinking of making a massive pot of rice and then serving two separate dishes with it. At the moment, I'm thinking of a veggie coconut curry and a chilli con carne with guacamole. I'll let you know what I cook and how it goes down.

ZP x