Lagos // Barbosa Bar & Kitchen

So if you read my last post you'll know that I have recently returned from a super sunny holiday in Portugal. It was the dream, and I'm still suffering from the holidays blues (even as I have a Christmas countdown on my phone). Lagos is a great little place, with some gorgeous eateries, which is where we stumbled across the beauty of Barbosa Bar.

Okay, I lied. I actually found this pre-Portugal, after looking through tags on Instagram, but it paints more of an exciting picture if it was an accidental find doesn't it? + we did have to track down the exact location, so there was a small hint of stumbling.

 After a few confusing moments of trying to get in when they weren't officially open, (their windows said 10am, Facebook said 11am & the staff said 12pm) we were finally allowed through the doors, and I headed straight to the courtyard. It was everything I was hoping it would be and more. Tiled walls, pallet benches, big plants- the whole interior was right up my street and oh so Instagram.

Obvs we didn't just come here to stare at the decor {I could have easily done} so we found a comfy spot and ordered some brunch. To drink we both opted for a refreshing lemonade- but these had a twist. I went for the pineapple and basil, and Jay went for the lime and mint, and my goodness I neeeeed to recreate this, it was incredible. For food, I originally opted for the yogurt w/ granola and berries, but the yogurt was yet to be delivered, so instead I went for the croissant with homemade jam, and it was delicious. Jay went for a fancy panini, which came out looking super yummy and was gone in a flash, which was his way of saying it was good.

I could have happily pitched up for the whole day, but that wouldn't have been fair for other like-minded Instagrammers, and I had less than 24 hours to top up my tan, so every second counted. If you're off to Lagos anytime soon, I'd definitely add this spot to your to-do list.

Why I Love Living In York: York Food Festival

Want to know two words that are music to my ears? Food Festival. Want to know what's even better? When it's happening 10 minutes up the road from me. York Food Festival makes an annual appearance every September, so as a warm up, they put on a taste of what's to come. This meant we spent our Saturday wandering round York, before heading to Parliament Street for all the foodie action. 

One of my favourite parts of these sort of events is all the local produce that is on show. I'm a big 'support the locals' kinda girl, so naturally we couldn't stay away from the meat and bread stalls. I'm also a big 'let's try something different' kinda girl. So after being roped into an Italian stall with the words, 'free samples', we ended up walking away with three bags of ravioli. 

Deciding what to have for lunch was the hardest part of the day. From curry to hotdogs, there was something to suit everyone. We opted for a pulled pork bun with lemon and fennel colslaw which was super yummy, and super filling. It was then topped off with a Creemio (coconut and nutella) ice-cream as I discovered my favourite gift-shop had closed down. Shortly after this I also stepped in a big pile of goose poop. What a bittersweet Saturday it was. 

Malton Food Market

Last Saturday we woke up to sun, and after my morning Twitter catch up I realised it was Malton's monthly food market- music to my ears. We've  always been busy when this event cropped up, so with nothing planned and weather good enough for an ice-cream we jumped straight outta bed. {If food is involved I will jump out of bed, literally}

One piece of advice I'd give my future self is always look at where you can park. Usually, I do this, but in our hurried state we wanted to get on our way so we may have driven up and down the same road three times until we found a spot. 10 tense minutes later, and we were wandering towards the most heavenly smells. If anyone was watching I probably looked like a dog picking up a scent- think bread, cakes, fresh fruit, more cakes. 

The temptation to spend all our money on food we didn't need was high, but with a firm hand (and image of my financial excel spreadsheet in my mind) we managed to escape with a pie and tomatoes. Although, we did splurge out on some stone-baked pizzas for lunch, and the sunny weather made it okay to sit outside, sun and pizza what more could you want? 

Ice-cream you say? Well, conveniently we spotted a chalk board directing us to a top-notch ice-cream parlour, so naturally we followed- a bit like Sleeping Beauty to the spinning wheel. A little way up the road sat a popular gelato with too many good flavours that you spend 5 minutes trying to decide. In the end we settled for gingerbread, cookies and cream and mini egg, three flavours that were an ultimate combo and left you feeling sick, a happy kind of sick though. 

After a little stroll to walk off the pizza and ice-cream, my salads for the week made it slightly okay, we headed back to Dudley and set off home with our pie and tomatoes. If any of you are ever around for this event I would highly recommended it, and if you're ever passing through Malton I'd definitely make a pit stop at Groovy Moo's ice-cream parlour, you won't regret it!

Mince Pies

Nothing beats a nice, home-made batch of mince pies at Christmas, and the best thing is they're so easy to make. If you don't want to make the pastry yourself then you can buy some ready-made stuff and you're already halfway there! If you're reading this post and feeling inspired then check out the quick and simple recipe below. 

Ingredients
375g plain flour
260g softened butter
125g caster sugar
1 large egg
1 jar of mincemeat 

Method
1. Mix together your flour and butter until it resembles breadcrumbs then add the caster sugar to the mix.

2. Add the egg into the bowl and mix all the ingredients together until it forms together like a dough.

3. Once it's come together, be careful not to over mix, wrap it in cling film and put it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. 

4. Whilst it is chilling, pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees. Grease your muffin/cupcake trays and lightly sprinkle your surface with flour. 

5. Take the pastry out of the fridge and roll it out to around 3mm thick. Using your choice of cutters cut out bases and fill your trays. {But don't use all your pastry as you will need some for lids}

6. Scoop your mincemeat into the bases being careful not to overfill- you probably want the to be about half full. {Top tip: If you don't like mince pies, who are you, then you can replace mincemeat with jams and they'll taste just as yummy}

7. Next roll out your remaining pastry to the same thickness as before. If you're wanting completely closed mince pies use a smaller version of the cutter you used for your base. We used a mixture of stars, holly and lids but it's up to you what you want to do!

8. Place them in the oven for 15 minutes/ until they are golden brown then take them out and leave to cool for 5 minutes. 

9. Eat them all whilst they are still warm. Or you could eat one or two then share them out, whatever floats your boat really. 

I hope you enjoyed this quick and simple recipe, I'm off to make myself a cup or tea, pop the television on and tuck into one of my mince pies!

Gingerbread, Gingerbread, Gingerbread

I'm currently surrounded by all things Christmassy and the smell of roast potatoes filling the room, I am in heaven. The Christmas posts have begun and this one is a gingerbread overload. I love Gingerbread. Gingerbread men, gingerbread hot chocolate, gingerbread candles, gingerbread shower gel, gingerbread everything. So it was fitting that I baked a nice big batch of gingerbread to fill up our biscuit tin. They are getting munched through fairly quickly, especially after having my mum up for the weekend, but the recipe is super simple that I can easily make another batch to refill the stock. And for this reason exactly I thought I'd share the recipe with you. 

Ingredients:

350g plain flour, plus extra for rolling out

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp ground ginger (Alter depending on how ginger-y you want them to be)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

125g butter

175g light soft brown sugar

1 free-range egg

4 tbsp golden syrup (I suggest a squeezy bottle)
This recipe is from BBC Good Food which suggests that this will make a batch of 20 however it depends on the size of your cookie cutters!

Method:

1. Sift together your dry ingredients and then crumble in the butter using your hands until they resemble bread crumbs- yes you will get messy. Then stir in the brown sugar.

2. Make a well in the middle of the mixture and add the lightly beaten egg (do this prior to pouring it in) and the golden syrup. Stir together until it becomes a satisfying dough consistency. 

3. Take the dough out of the bowl and place on to a lightly floured surface. Knead until it is smooth, then wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. 

4. Whilst it is chilling, make yourself a cup of tea. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and line baking trays with greaseproof paper. {Or get some elbow grease behind you and butter, butter, butter those trays}

5. Flour the surface and roll out the dough to '0/5cm thickness', AKA till it's very thin. Now the fun begins- take your cutters and make lots of different shapes, placing them on the baking tray. (Don't forget to leave a gap)

6. Bake for 12-15 minutes/ until they are a golden brown, then take them out of the oven and leave to cool. 

7. Once they are cool, decorate to your hearts content. Disclaimer: Jason decorated many of these and took a quirky approach.

These definitely taste as good as they look and are a perfect festive treat to bake! I'm off to enjoy my Sunday dinner with a glass of wine and The Grinch on the TV. Happy Sunday!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

The skies are filled with grey clouds, you've got candles burning away and the heating is now on constant, am I setting the scene enough? If anyone else is was like me once Halloween is over the pumpkin heads for the bin. Well I'm now a changed woman. We have a tubful of pumpkin soup in the freezer (which was tantalizing) and a tin full of home-made cupcakes in the cupboard, and it feels good to know our pumpkins didn't go to waste! You can make these without fresh pumpkins, by using pumpkin puree in case you now have a sudden urge to treat yourselves to these!

To make 24 cupcakes you will need:
280g plain flour1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg1/2 teaspoon ground ginger1/2 teaspoon ground cloves1/2 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda110g butter, softened200g caster sugar5 tablespoons brown soft sugar2 eggs, room temperature180ml milk250g pumpkin, cooked and pureed

For the icing you will need:
280g softened butter
560g icing sugar
3-4 tbsp milk
A few drops of vanilla essence
Sprinkling of cinnamon

Method:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 then line your cupcake trays with cases. (I went for a plain and simple look due to my indecisiveness)

2. Sift together the flour, spices, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda then set aside. 

3. Beat the butter, caster sugar and brown sugar together in a bowl until it's light and creamy. Then add the eggs one at a time making sure they are fully incorporated into the mixture. 

4. Stir in the milk and pumpkin puree and then add the dry ingredients making sure you don't over mix- it's very easy to do. 

5. Scoop the mixture into the cases making sure the mixture is evenly spread. (They want to be about 2/3 of the way full)

6. Bake in the oven for around 20-25 minutes until golden brown then leave to cool on a wire rack. 

7. Whilst your cakes are cooling it's time to make the utterly goodness for the top of them. Beat the butter in a bowl until it's soft. 

8. Add half of the icing sugar and beat it until it's super smooth. Top tip: Add it slowly unless you want a cloud of icing sugar to puff in your face

9. Add the rest of the icing sugar, vanilla essence and cinnamon and milk one tablespoon at a time. It should be thick but creamy enough to form a spread.

10. When your cakes are cool decorate however you wish. I don't have any piping nozzles at the moment, so I went for the deliberately messy approach topped with chocolate sprinkles.  

11. Sit down, put your feet up and enjoy your masterpiece

Disclaimer: The basis of this recipe came from here: http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/8521/pumpkin-cupcakes.aspx?o_is=rotd  

Carrot Cake with Buttercream Frosting

 Before I begin I want to say no judging allowed! There is no such thing as a perfect circle, or not when it comes to this bake anyways. I've never baked a carrot cake before and fancied a challenge, so what better way to spend my Saturday afternoon.

For the cake you will need:
- 4 eggs
- 225g butter
- 225g soft brown sugar
- 175g of plain flour
- 350g carrots (peeled and grated)
- Grated zest of 1/2 an orange
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice
- 100g walnuts (chopped)
- 50g of ground almonds
- 2 tsp of baking powder
{I didn't use the walnuts or almonds due to not having them in my kitchen cupboards, so you can adjust to your taste preferences / cupboard stock}

For the icing you will need:
- 100g of softened butter
- 275g icing sugar
- 1 tbsp of milk{Note to self: Make sure you have enough icing sugar in the flat before you begin}Method:
1. Heat your oven to 180 degrees and line your baking tin(s) with parchment. 
2. Separate your eggs, not as easy as it sounds, and and beat the egg whites until they are stiff.
3. In a separate bowl beat the butter and sugar until it's light and creamy- a very satisfying job.
4. Then beat in the egg yolks, orange zest and lemon juice followed by the dry ingredients.
5. Fold in the carrots and then fold in the beaten egg. (If you're not sure what I mean by folding then YouTube has some great tutorials)
6. Spoon into the baking tin(s) and bake in the oven for 1 hour ish. Our recipe said 1 and a half hours but it was ready after 60 beautifully-smelling minutes.
7. Once the time is up, take it out of the oven and leave to cool before icing!
8. Enjoy with a cup of tea, your feet up and your favourite movie on the TV.

Check back soon for the next #cookingwithBeth installment.