Steam Lunch – Miele’s Way

One evening reading tweets, I had seen Glasgow diners tweeting about “a steam dinner” courtesy of Miele and their steam oven. The food looked amazing and if the tweets were true, then the meal was calorie neutral.

I sent an email to Miele asking if there was to be a similar event in Edinburgh. The reply was yes — on the 24th of November — a lunch or a dinner – result — lunch would suit me .

I received an email on Friday to check I was still able to attend and to tell me that there would be a short fitness class before we would eat.

Mark Greenaway was allowing Miele to use his restaurant as he is closed on a Monday– we did get to sit on his new chairs, which had just been unwrapped. Our chef for this event would be the wonderful Jacqueline O’Donnell.

Once the other diners had arrived, Jacqueline told us the plan for the day. The short fitness class was to use up the calories we were going to eat. Thankfully I had leggings on; we did a mixture or pilates, yoga and body-balance exercises. We then headed through to enjoy our lunch.

Starters

We started with steamed purple broccoli with cured salmon and almonds. Then followed another small plate of: steamed beetroot with broad beans and puy lentils.

Fish course

This consisted of prawn stuffed lemon sole, served with herb butter sauce on a bed of cooked spinach.

Main Course

This was wild Highland venison with brambles, served on a bed of shredded spinach.

Pudding

This was steamed rhubarb and pineapple, served with coconut ice cream.

There was no added salt or pepper and all the flavour came from the food. My favourite course was the fish, with the venison a close second.

Miele steam ovens are perhaps not cheap but I will be adding one to my wish list, they make amazing food and I also loved the warming drawer.

Getting Ready for Christmas: Gifts and Food

If you wish to pre-order order now I will have it ready for collection closer to Christmas. Order by email wendy (at) wendypaterson.com or call 0131 466 6279

Jams and chutneys

  • Raspberry – sold out
  • Raspberry and mint – limited stock
  • Strawberry
  • Strawberry vanilla Strawberry and Rhubarb
  • Plum and Mulled wine spice (no alcohol just the spice)
  • Pear and Chocolate
  • Melon and Vanilla – limited stock
  • Tomato chutney
  • Banana Chutney
  • Peach and ginger chutney – limited stock
  • Nectarine chutney – limited stock
  • Chilli jam – limited stock more being made tomorrow

Jams/chutneys are £3.50 or 3 for £10. I have various gift options — for instance, you can add a cardboard bag with viewing window for £1.50 or a jute bag with viewing window for £2. You can  also add china jam spoons for £1.50 each.

Christmas Goodies

  • Christmas Cakes – small, medium or large – iced or un-iced, prices from £6.50
  • Yule logs  – £17
  • Mincemeat pies prices from £6
  • Dessert and meals for over festive period (priced depending on requirements)

Hampers

I can also make up gift hampers – please give me a call to discuss what you would like in your hampers – these can include jams, chutneys, mincemeat pies, cake, biscuits, sweet treats and lots more. Prices from £20.

Gift Vouchers

I will also have gift vouchers for:

  • Afternoon tea for 2,4 or 6 people all delivered on vintage china. Price from £50.
  • Cake Club – a fresh cake a month for 3, 6 or 12 months. Price from £30.
  • Gourmet hamper – everything you need for a lovely night in – includes canapés, starter, main, pudding, napkins, candles and flowers. Price from £125.

 

Forthcoming Classes

Canapés – make amazing different canapés. On Tuesday 2 Dec 7pm, we will make 4-5 different canapés–  you will take away the recipes and what you make. Second date — Saturday 13th Dec 11am, cost £35

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Classes – Scone School, Pesto/Curry Paste, Canapés

Class Dates

Scone School Monday 17th, 7pm. Cost £20

Great skill to learn in a small class with individual attention – recipe and scones to take home. Contact me by email: wendy (at) wendypaterson.com or call 01314666279 to book – 4 places remaining

 

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Pesto/ Curry Paste Class Wednesday 19th 7pm. Cost £30
Great for your kitchen or to make as gifts – small class with individual attention – recipe and goodies to take home. Contact me by email: wendy (at) wendypaterson.com or call 01314666279 to book — only 2 places remaining, so book soon

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Canapé Classes Tuesday 2 Dec 7pm and Saturday 6th Dec 11am. We will make four or five different canapés to wow your family and friends this festive season. Cost £35

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Come and learn to how to make your own pestos and curry paste and other kitchen goodies

This workshop will take place on Saturday the 1st November, 11am, at the Secret Herb Garden

The workshop will involve a talk and a practical part, where I will be making curry paste, pesto, flavoured oils and flavoured vinegars, using some delightful herbs from the Secret Herb Garden itself and encouraging you to do the same.

These will all make great and quite unique gifts this Christmas- there’s nothing nicer than receiving a handmade gift made with love from someone who has taken the time and care to make something that’s both unusual and unique. When you leave, you will hopefully be inspired to make your own Christmas gifts like these or make these for your own kitchen.

The morning will start at 11am with tea, coffee and freshly made cake, baked by Inside Out Chef

The workshop will start with me making these products (curry paste, pesto and so on), and then I will use the products made in some exciting recipes and you will then have an opportunity to taste the food I’ve made.

You will go home with a goodie bag containing the recipes and an oil / vinegar bottle to get you started with making your own handmade Christmas gifts.

The cost is a very reasonable £30 and we anticipate the event will run for around 2 hours.

If you wish to book a place please either leave me a message here/email wendy(at)wendypaterson(dot)com or call 0131 466 6279.

Week beginning 29th September – What’s happening in the kitchen

insideoutchef shop – open for business

Jams

Flavours include: strawberry, strawberry and vanilla, strawberry and rhubarb, raspberry, raspberry and mint, pear and chocolate, melon and vanilla, plum and mulled wine

Chutneys and savoury jams

Tomato chutney, banana chutney, chilli jam, peach and ginger chutney, nectarine chutney.

Fruit cheese

New for this year… Plum Cheese (beautiful with cheese)

Price

Price £3.50 each or 3 for £10.

I am happy for people to place orders for Christmas and I will store them until closer to the time.

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Christmas Cakes

Orders also being taken for Christmas cakes small, medium or large.  Prices from £7.50 – £35

Mincemeat pies, Christmas biscuits and lots more sweet treats Prices from £5
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Gift Vouchers

Gift vouchers available for Afternoon tea, Cake club, Freezer fill and cookery classes prices from £20

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To order email: wendy@wendypaterson.com or call 01314666279/07950431463

I also have various options for gift wrap/bags and hampers prices start from £1.50 please ask.

Charity Pudding Club

Charity Pudding Club for itsgood2give

Sunday 6 April, 1.30 pm

Price £25 per ticket.  Book now – call 07950431463 or email wendy(at)wendypaterson.com to book.

We will have sixteen seats and all money will go to itsgood2give, a local children’s cancer charity. Mackies of Scotland are donating the ingredients. Reeltime bars will be donating a cocktail to start the event. Insideoutchef will be giving her time and providing the venue.

Menu
  • Starter – trio of puddings
  • 2nd course – apple crumble with jugs of custard
  • 3rd course – pillow of pavlova
  • 4th course – cheesecake
  • Final course — make your own ice-cream sundaes

Tea, coffee and iced water will be served at your table — please feel free to bring your own wine, fizz or soft drinks of your choice.

 

Forthcoming Pudding Club – April 6th, 2014

Charity Pudding Club for itsgood2give

Mackies of Scotland are donating the ingredient costs and I will be donating my time and the venue. Reeltime Bar will be supplying delightful cocktails to start the event off.

You will also have a goodie bag to take home. We plan on having five courses of pudding, including a trio of individual deserts, apple crumble, pavlova, cheesecake and make-your-own ice-cream sundaes. Here are some pictures from last time around…

You can bid now for tickets, minimum bid is £25, by visiting https://surveymonkey.com/s/mackiespopuppuddingclub

All money raised will be going to itsgood2give; see http://www.itsgood2give.co.uk/

Freezer Fill

Why a Freezer Fill?

More of us want to eat better– eat more vegetables, more fruit, less additives. You may also wish to eat more homemade food but find making meals from recipes — often for one to two people — can lead to food waste.

My freezer fills at present are for one or two people — larger portions can be catered for with sufficient notice.

A freezer fill will have seven soups, seven main courses; you can opt for baked goods, puddings or a mixture of both.

Soups — choose from delicious homemade soups like lentil, sweetcorn chowder, pea and tarragon, fresh tomato and seasonal flavours. Please ask when ordering for the latest flavours.
Mains — choose from delicious meals such as four hour slow cooked beef stew, spanish chicken, chicken curry, pasta sauce, beef chilli, shepherds pie, sweet and sour chicken, traditional mince, stewed sausages, lasagne, bacon and cheese tart.

Puddings — choose from favourites such apple crumble, apple and rhubarb crumble, sticky toffee pudding, bread and butter pudding
Baked goods — choose from the likes of scones, banana loaf, muffins, tea bread

Prices

  • freezer fill for one person, £50 (with baked goods)- £65 (with puddings)
  • freezer fill for two, £90 (with baked goods) – £115 (with puddings)

Crail Food Festival 2013

Crail Food Festival – weekend 2013

Back in February, I heard about the Crail Food Festival and decided I wanted to attend but did not want to drive back and forth from Edinburgh, so I booked the Honeypot Bed and Breakfast –http://www.honeypotcrail.co.uk – which is owned by one of the organisers of the event.

On Friday, a friend and I packed up my car and headed over the bridge to Fife,  and on arrival in Crail, we were warmly welcomed by Graham and Edna of the Honeypot.

view from our room

We had heard great things about a new restaurant in St Andrews – Forgans – http://www.forgans.co.uk – and so we booked dinner there on Friday night.

Haggis balls with neeps and tatties
crisp chicken, dauphinoise potatoes and green bean

I started with haggis, neeps and tatties but there were at least three starters that I would have liked to try.  For my main, I had crispy chicken with the most wonderful dauphinoise potatoes and green beans.  We were full  after our two courses and so opted for irish coffees to finish.  I would highly recommend visiting Forgans if you are in St Andrews pop in for lunch or dinner and I will definitely be back there.

On Saturday we woke to a glorious sunny morning after breakfast and I headed out for a walk-  Crail is a delightfully picturesque east neuk village and it was lovely to spend some time there.

one of the beautiful Crail homes

The Village in Bloom committee arrange for displays of flowering tubs and hanging baskets and these give a real wow factor to the village.

Flowering tub

 

The main advantage to staying in Crail was that we were able to walk to the venue.  Saturday kicked off at 10.30am with an indoor food market, with lots of local producers displaying their goods- and most producers offered tasters.

The Venue

In another hall, there were various cookery and food and drink related demonstrations.  I must congratulate the organisers of the demonstrations — the chefs were on a raised platform with a television showing what the chefs were doing, so even if you were at the back of the hall, you could see what was happening.  At the end of each demo, you were able to taste what the Chef had made.

 

The demonstrations started with Jenny Thomson from Courses for Cooks – http://www.coursesforcooks.com –  taking on Breakfast with a twist.

Breakfast with a twist – potato and crab rosti with poached egg

Then we attended a demonstration by Edinburgh Gins – http://www.spencerfieldspirit.com – whisky and Gin nosing.  I can highly recommend the Elderflower gin.

empty sample glasses

After  a walk round the market and some purchases made, we headed back to our B&B and then made the decision on where to eat lunch — most of the cafes, bar and restaurants in Crail were offering specials for the event, and after a walk through the village, we settled on the Golf Hotel, where the special was a sea-food plate.

Sea food plate

I headed back to the market after lunch, it was very busy now so I headed straight for the demo hall.  Nichola Fletcher was cooking up a storm with game.

Nichola Fletcher

 

The final demo of the day was Craig Millar from 16 Westend – http://www.16westend.com

Craig Millar

 

An impressive 1300 people came through the doors of the Saturday event.

The festival continued in the evening with a dinner and music back at the venue that had hosted the food market during the day.

carrot and loveage soup

 

I forgot to take a photo of the main course, which was lamb stew topped with a rosemary scone.

Pudding was beautifully presented carrot cake with a white chocolate sauce and a chocolate covered strawberry.

beautiful pudding

 

We awoke to a perfect summers morning on Sunday, so ensuring we had our bottle of water and our sun screen on, we headed for the harbour where todays events where taking place.

Crail Harbour

 

Some of the food stalls– decisions, decisions on what to have for lunch.

pizza oven in the back of a horse box

 

Kippers ready to be smoked

 

We had signed up for the Fife diets – http://www.fifediet.co.uk – foraging walk led by Mark William from Mark wild foods – http://www.gallowaywildfoods.com

Mark Williams

We were also joined by Paul Wedgwood, chef from Wedgwood in the Cannon gate in Edinburgh who uses foraged food in his recipes – http://www.wedgwoodtherestaurant.co.uk

Paul Wedgwood

 

We found lots of things to forage…

sea cabbage
Elder flower
wild peas
seaweed chat

 

We then headed back to the harbour for lunch– things had got very busy and I heard nearly 3000 people visited the event on Sunday.

Some of what I brought home to share with my family.

Duck from Penmans Crail

 

Bread and oatcake from Murray the baker

Thank you to all the organisers and suppliers, we had a great foodie weekend.  Looking forward to booking up for next year once the dates are announced.

Pastry Schools Tuesday 18th or Monday 24th June 7pm-9pm

Pastry School

I am offering 2 evenings for you learn how to make Shortcrust pastry.  We will make pastry, bake the pastry tart case and produce a finished tart.

All equipment and ingredients are included in the cost £30 you will leave with a new/improved skill the recipe, a ball of uncooked pastry,  a baked tart shell, a finish savoury tart and/or a sweet tart.

The evening starters at 7pm sharp and we should be finish around 9pm.  While your tarts bake we will have time for tea.

The classes are small – only 4 people.

To book either email wendy(at)wendypaterson(dot)com Telephone 07950431463