Lavender & Lovage by Karen Burns-Booth {book review}

Part travel diary, part memoir, part history & all cookbook, Lavender & Lovage is an invitation from Karen Burns-Booth to join her on a personal culinary journey through the memories of the places she has lived & visited.

That is an excerpt from the back of the book and it gives a brief idea of what this book is all about, but it's so much more. With books it's always hard to describe what's inside to make a potential reader pick the book up, buy it and take it home with them. It's hard to tell them what they will feel when reading it because books, yes even cookbooks, resinate with people for different reasons.

One of Karen's first memories is of food. As she tells us the story of her first bowl of sweet sticky rice, on a hot day during the Chinese New Year in Hong Kong in the 1960's, we get the feel for the rest of her story. If you couldn't guess it features food.

In Karen's book, like her blog, food is the constant. It's the rest of life that is the variable and makes this book a real gem amongst all the other cookbooks out there. I had the pleasure of meeting Karen at a Food Blogger Connect conference back in 2014. It was a brief 'hi what's your blog name?' and I have been a follower before that encounter and since.

The break down of the contents follows most traditional cookbooks with breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and everything in between. Karen's style is all her own, but the way the book is laid out and the passion that shows through reminds me a lot of Nigella Lawson and Nigel Slater respectively.

Each recipe has an introduction and tells us where the recipe is from (the index is broken down by continents and countries.) Not only do we get the intros, but some of the recipes have memory snippets, taste notes, travel notes, or historical recipe notes. A few of the recipes even have more than one of these in various combinations depending on the recipe.

As mentioned already this book is more then a book of recipes, it takes you places you may or may not have ever been. The photography is beautiful and all of them are the author's own photos. If everything I have just written doesn't convince you or you want a taste of what to expect the book to be like visit Karen's blog Lavender & Lovage.

It's one of those books that you will keep for years and refer to time and time again. If you or someone you know is a big foodie you can't lose by picking up, yourself or a loved one, a copy of this book.

*I was provided a copy of Lavender & Lovage: A culinary notebook of memories & recipes from home & abroad  to review by the publisher, Passageway Press, retails at £31.37 and available now on Amazon (Kindle edition less, but the physical book is beautiful)! All opinions are my own, I was not given any other compensation nor was I asked to give a positive review, please see my contact/policy page for more information.

Living on the Veg: A kid's guide to life without meat by Clive Gifford & Jacqueline Meldrum

Over the last few years I have been cooking a minimum two veggie meals a week to accommodate for my child who doesn't particularly like meat. We have discussed her dislike for meat and what her other options are, but this book has been great for her to understand what exactly it means to be a vegetarian and the global impact of her choices. It has also shown her she isn't alone.

Food is one of those topics everyone has an opinion on as we all need it to survive. It's something we are all too happy to judge people, claiming that a food choice that isn't the one we would make as 'weird' or 'gross.' But if we don't talk about food then how do we know what else is out there?

I feel more empowered after reading this book to be able to explain my choices as well as my defend my daughter's choices to people. Like anything it's about educating people and it's best to educate them young and this book is a great introduction to 'living on the veg!'

Not only does it give us a lot of information it also gives us a few recipes to get started with from Jacqueline Meldrum, vegetarian and food blogger at Tinned Tomatoes. My daughters and I choose to make the Puff Pizza Pies for a treat one day after school. They are super easy and easily topped with your favorite vegetables to make the ultimate veggie pizza!

There were other great recipes like these bean burgers and sweet treats like coconut ice! There are so many more options then you think when you are eating veggie, sometimes it's just thinking a little more creatively! Your taste buds will thank you! 

If my review isn't enough to convince you have a look at these other bloggers who have reviewed Living on the Veg!!

• Tinned Tomatoes - review
• Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary - 10-Minute Vegan Bean Burgers
• A Mummy Too - Quick Green Pasta Sauce
• Tin & Thyme - Puff Pizza Pies
• Utterly Scrummy - Chocolate Mousse

*I was provided a copy of Living on the Veg by by Clive Gifford & Jacqueline Meldrum to review by the publisher, Wayland, retails at £12.99 and available now from your local book retailers or online! All opinions are my own, I was not given any other compensation nor was I asked to give a positive review, please see my contact/policy page for more information.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Avocado Icing {Veggie Desserts + Cakes by Kate Hackworthy}

This week Kate Hackworthy had her very first book published Veggie Desserts + Cakes: Carrot Cake and Beyond! After having followed her blog for a few years and interacting with her on social media I was delighted to have the opportunity to check out her book!

There are no illusions that sugar and flour and all the things you need to bake exist in her recipes. In my review (in previous post) I mentioned in that Kate didn't write her book to hide vegetables away in baked goods, but to show how they can shine!

There were so many recipes to choose from and this one, even though it has more of an autumn feel, stood out to me. I love pumpkin and the spices used with it! I was unnecessarily weary of the avocado icing - I thought "this is never going to work."

It did.

It turned out beautifully. The avocado I had might have been on the small side and I did need extra icing sugar to get in into a spreadable consistency. It was when I could coat my spatula in the icing and turn it around without it dripping that I felt I had it right. 

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Avocado Icing 

125g unsalted butter, softened 

125g granulated sugar

2 large eggs

150g pumpkin puree (canned or puree cooked pumpkin or butternut squash)

2 tsp vanilla extract

175g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp salt 

100ml milk

Avocado Icing

1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled

250g icing sugar 

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Heat the oven to 170C and line your cupcake pan with paper cases.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and beating each one in well, then beat in the pumpkin and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt.

Alternating, add one-third of the flour to the egg mixture and stir to combine, then one-third of the milk. Repeat until all the ingredients are combined.

Spoon the batter (I like using my medium ice cream scoop) into the cupcake cases until nearly full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

To make the avocado icing -
Puree the avocado with a hand blender until smooth and creamy, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the icing sugar and lemon juice and beat with an electric mixer until thick. You may need to add more icing sugar, depending on the size of your avocado, to get a thick piping consistency. Spoon into a piping bag and frost the completely cooled cupcakes as desired. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

*as I said above I needed to add more icing sugar - I didn't feel the need to pipe the icing I just used a palette knife to apply and smooth out the icing!

These cupcakes turned out great for me! The cake is nice and soft and has a great taste with all those great spices and pumpkin! The icing, as I mentioned above, I was weary of, but it turned out well! The avocado acting as the butter for the icing gave it an interesting flavor that complimented the pumpkin cake well!

Visit Kate's blog Veggie Desserts or see more of her delicious recipes on one of social media channels - Facebook or Instagram or Twitter! 

Check out how these other bloggers got on trying out Kate's recipes:

Chocolate Cauliflower Ice Lollies - on Recipes from a Pantry
Cavolo Nero and Orange Cupcakes - on The Hedge Combers
Beetroot and Vanilla Sorbet - on Natural Kitchen Adventures
Carrot Gingerbread - on Farmersgirl Kitchen
Carrot Gingerbread - also on Ren Behan
Avocado Lime Tarts - on The Veg Space (check out this post to win a copy of Kate's book!!)
Pea and Vanilla Cake with Lemon Icing - on Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary
Kale Apple Cake - on Tin & Thyme
Courgette Poppyseed Loaf - on Family Friends Food
Courgette Poppyseed Loaf - also on Baking Queen 74
Strawberry and Spinach Swiss Roll - on Foodie Quine
Pea and Mint Cupcakes with Rose Water Buttercream - on Kavey Eats

Veggie Desserts + Cakes: Carrot Cake and Beyond by Kate Hackworthy {review}

To be honest with you I've not ventured far into the world of baking with vegetables beyond the "normal" things like carrot cake and pumpkin pie. Kate's book has opened my eyes and my mind to the possibilities of the roles vegetables can play in my baking!

Kate Hackworthy is a fellow blogger and baker and after following her blog on social media for the last few years I jumped at the opportunity to review her new book Veggie Desserts + Cakes! Not only does she write for her own blog, but she always writes a column for Vegetarian Living magazine where she writes about healthy recipes for kids.

This book isn't an "how to hide vegetables in your baking to make it healthier" this is a book that showcases vegetables as the star of the show! With recipes for Kale and Apple Cake with Apple Icing and Avocado Chocolate Cupcakes with Cherry Icing and Sweet Potato and Salted Hazelnut Cookies there is no hiding that these recipes are still going to hit the sweet spot!

Those are just a few of the recipes I would love to try out! The chapters cover Cakes, Cupcakes, Cookies, Squares + Traybakes, Pies + Pastries, Frozen Desserts, and more Sweet Treats. All the things you can expect in a great baking book! I should know I have read many baking books over the years!

As with all book reviews I do I always like to make a list of recipes I'd love to try and with 60 original recipes choose from it's hard not to list all of them! But I've narrowed it down to these...

Kale and Apple Cake with Apple Icing
Beetroot Chocolate Bundt Cake with Earl Grey Icing
Pea and Vanilla Cake with Lemon Icing
Pear and Parsnip Cake with Salted Honey Buttercream and Chocolate Ganache
Cucumber and Lemon Cake with Gin Icing
Chocolate Mashed Potato Cupcakes with Espresso Icing
Avocado Chocolate Cupcakes with Cherry Icing
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Avocado Icing
Sweetcorn and White Chocolate Cookies with Blackberry Glaze
Sweet Potato and Salted Hazelnut Cookies
Pumpkin Gingernuts
Parsnip Coconut Macaroons
Sweet Potato and Pecan Brownies
Carrot, Parsnip and Coconut Flapjacks
Beetroot Seedy Squares
Black Bean Chocolate Brownies
Mascarpone Tart with Beetroot Pastry
Avocado Lime Tarts
Pumpkin Pie with Chai Cream
Beetroot and Vanilla Sorbet
Chocolate Beetroot Baked Doughnuts with Blueberry Glaze
Butternut Squash Cinnamon Rolls with Almond Glaze
Sweet Potato Dessert Waffles
Sparkling Carrot Lemonade

As you can see there is a lot of variety of baked goods and different vegetables to choose from! If you are looking for a new way to use up vegetables or just to try something new give Veggie Desserts + Cakes a look!! This weekend I will be trying out the Pumpkin Cupcakes with Avocado Icing and I can't wait to share with you how they turn out!!

This book offers so much and to get a taste of what the book is like visit Kate's blog Veggie Desserts or see more of her delicious recipes on one of social media channels - Facebook or Instagram or Twitter! 

*I was given a copy of Veggie Desserts + Cakes: Carrot Cake and Beyond by Kate Hackworthy to review by the publisher, Pavilion, Retails at £14.99 and available now from your local book retailers or online! All opinions are my own, I was not given any other compensation nor was I asked to give a positive review, please see my contact/policy page for more information.

The Real Greek - Reading, Berkshire {review}

Tonia Buxton is the face of Greek food in the UK and presenter of the award-winning "My Greek Kitchen" TV series. Tonia has a passion for food, born from an early apprenticeship in her mother's kitchen, and has brought this passion to the development of our dishes at The Real Greek. (from the website)

via

It's amazing how towns and places are constantly changing, I have lived in Reading for 10+ years now and I have watched it grow! The Riverside at the Oracle is like our very own food court and I used to think it had everything I could ever ask for until I visited The Real Greek. It's a great addition to the Riverside and I think if you visit there you would agree!!

Never having experienced Greek food like this before I was very keen to try everything! However, my eyes were definitely bigger then my stomach and I will need to visit again to try some of the amazing looking and sounding dishes on the menu!!

The restaurant is only recently opened and they invited a handful of local bloggers and press to visit I was surprised that Tonia herself was there!! She is as lovely as she comes across on TV and she sat with us and helped us pick out some of the best things to try! We had a nice mix of the hot and cold meze starting with humous, tzatziki, green pea fava, accompanied with flat bread. (pictured above)

We also ordered the limited edition Watermelon and Feta salad first because my friend Alyssia, who invited me out, has never tried feta before and because it is Watermelon month (for a few more days)!! It was defiantly an interesting combination of sweet - the watermelon and salty - the feta cheese, but it was good!

I ordered the prawn saganaki which is tiger prawns in a rich tomato sauce, with spinach, pickled peppers and sprinkled with feta one of the dishes developed by Tonia! I ate those all to myself as Alyssia doesn't like prawns, but we shared a few other dishes. Falafel's served with pickled cabbage and a tomato salsa it all worked really well together!

Then from the grilled meze menu we tried the Med Chicken - grilled rosemary marinated chicken thighs served with grilled vegetables and the Pork Belly - slow roasted with oregano and paprika. Both were cooked perfectly and worked well with the variety of food we had ordered.

There is a lunch and a kids menu that I will definitely be checking out over the summer! There was so much more on the menu I'd like to try as well and a few of the dishes I'd love to have again! These are a sign, in my opinion, of a good restaurant! It's a bit of a tapas feel with a lot of different dishes making up one meal.

As for drinks I generally stick to water when eating out and that's just because I prefer it with my meals, but there is a great list of wines and other alcoholic drinks and non-alcoholic including the iconic Greek soft drink, brand est. 1924, Orangeade! And if you are a coffee lover don't forget to try the Greek Coffee! 

At this point I was full. So, full I wasn't planning on eating anything else. However, dessert was insisted upon. I tried the Greek Filo Custard Pie and I am glad I did. It's a filo pastry filled with a unique custard cream and served with ice cream and cinnamon. It was to die for! I wish I was eating it right now. Alyssia went for the Caramel and Pecan Cheesecake which according to her was delicious!

We believe our menu and the atmosphere in our restaurants bring back the memories and the spirit of Greece. Eating in Greece is never rushed. We take our time, engage in discussion and love to share our food with friends and family. It is all about the experience! {from the website}

I have never been to Greece, but my experience at The Real Greek can be summed up by the above statement. Thank you to Alyssia for allowing me to tag along!

The Real Greek
The Oracle (Riverside)
Reading RG1 2AT

*Check out Alyissa's post here!
*My friend Alyssia from AlyssiaRose {lifestyle blog} was invited to The Real Greek to review it and she invited me along as her guest and it's just a bonus that I am a blogger as well! I was not asked to review and all opinions are my own for further information please visit my contact/policy page above.