A few foodie snaps from the last couple of days; featuring some roasted vegetables; jersey milk (rich but delicious!), a roasted carrot and butternut squash salad from M&S, a veggie BBQ at my new house, a cheeky ice cream (enjoyed at the cricket!) and a nice refreshing salad to round off the weekend.

I hope you've enjoyed this fantastically sunny weekend! Xx

This is carrot, courgette, pepper and onion waiting to be roasted and made into wraps for the week's lunches!

I always like to try something new and this was my latest choice. Jersey milk is very very rich, more like cream, but it's all natural and a nice little treat. 

I had to share this picture of a great veggie salad from M&S. It's roasted butternut squash with pomegranate seeds, couscous and a roasted carrot dip. It's DELICIOUS! Well worth a try if you are passing one.

This is a picture of my saturday night BBQ shared with my housemate. Veggie kebabs, honey-grilled sweet potato, fresh tomato and chocolate BBQ bananas for pud. Yummy! 

Finally, after my ice cream and Pimms-shaped indulgences this weekend I thought i'd try and redeem myself with a fresh quick salad, and watermelon for dessert. With salads I always make more than I need and use it for lunches, it's a great time saver as salads can be fiddly to assemble. I've added an egg to my lunch salads to give me some protein. 

Happy weekend everyone!

Hhx

As i've got more settled into London, friends and family have started to visit. This is great because it means I can take them to some of the lovely restaurants here, and introduce them to something different as well as getting my fill of tasty dishes.

As the only vegetarian in my family, I tend to go to non-veggie places with them. It means getting a decent meal can sometimes be a bit of a gamble (tomato pasta, anyone?!) but on Sunday I struck gold.

In wimbledon village there is a pub

on a corner called the Dog & Fox. It's usually heaving, which is always good, but it also has an outdoor patio area to sit in. 

As it was a sunday they were selling roasts, and more traditional english food. My mum and stepdad had come up to help move a bed for me; so we were all hungry. They had sausages and fish and chips. When I saw traditional British food on the menu I must admit my heart sank a bit because that doesn't usually bode well for herbivores; but then I saw "mushroom polenta with goats cheese and sweet potato." POW! 

Interesting and unusual; a great combo. I ordered it, and wasn't disappointed. Not only was it tastylicious, but it looked loke a piece of art too:

It's the first time i've eaten polenta and although it was a little dry, it's definitely inspired me to buy some and have a play. 

It's so nice to see a bit of originality on a menu for vegetarians. I love cannelloni, lasagne and falafel burgers as much as the next guy, but when you pay to eat out it's nice to be able to try something different rather than getting the same fare. This makes me even more excited to check out the many vegetarian, vegan and "healthy" food places i've seen. What will I try next? 

If you know any places in London I need to add to my list, please let me know below! 

Hhx

In the midst of moving house and locations I haven't managed to prepare many culinary delights, but thought I would share a snap of me enjoying my new food obsession :) 

Watermelon is really cheap at the local shop (99p for a quarter!) so i've been eating it a lot. It's great for those with a sweet tooth *ahem* as it's juicy and so so delicious! 

I don't eat it with anything, i just take great chunks and munch it down. Perfect for breakfast, lunch-pudding (maybe i'm the only one that does this, i don't know) a snack, or an actual pudding. I'm going to keep buying this until the shops run out! 

What summer foods or fruits are you enjoying right now? 

Hhx

Todays eats! 

Well: after a very sweaty day hulking boxes upstairs, downstairs, into car, upstairs etc. i am now moved! 

My new residence is South West, and I am sure I will soon be off exploring good places to eat in the area.

In the meantime; my foodie snaps from today. I picked up some veggie sushie from Morrison's supermarket for just £1! I was skeptical (especially when i saw the words "soft cheese california roll" *raises eyebrow* but it was actually ok. Good when you are in a rush like I was. 

It was a 5-piece set with two california rolls (this means rice on the outside) and 3 regular sushi rolls. 

After a busy day and a sweltering run, I came home and just wanted something fast and tasty before bed, so I grilled some Linda McCartney sausages and made couscous with dried tomatoes, grilled pepper, mushroom, sweetcorn and some thai spice mix. It definitely filled a hole, and the good news it it's also my lunch tomorrow! 

(Sausage half snaffled before I realised I needed to take a snap; and yes, I am in my pyjamas.) 

I hope you enjoyed some tasty fare today. Bring on Friday!

Hhx

A German meal and an English meal

Please accept my apologies; i'm in the middle of moving house and to a new area so blogging isn't getting a lot of my time! 

I thought I would share another German meal I made on my return; using an ingredient I picked up over there called "spaetzle". It's a lot like pasta, almost a cross between taglietelle and spaghetti but with a bit more substance. 

I mixed cooked mushrooms and broccoli into some garlic and herb Philadelphia, and then tossed this into cooked spaetzle, for a carbonara-esque dish. 

It was delicious! 

Spaetzle over there is incredibly cheap at 70cents for a big bag; so I imagine its a staple food for them. I'd quite like to make it a staple food of mine too; so i'll keep an eye out for european supermarkets while i'm out and about in London. 

Speaking of London; this week I have also enjoyed the most English of meals; bangers and mash. You cannot beat a classic. In my case, I had some broccoli and potatoes which needed eating, and some Linda McCartney vegetarian sausages which I bought for a BBQ at the weekend but didn't use. Combined with a bit of Bisto and voila; the smell of

Home, and childhood, and comfort all wrapped up into one meal. 

It really was quite special. I don't often eat potato, and tend to favour grains such as couscous, pearl barley, brown rice etc.; so this was a nice treat. 

What cuisines have you been eating from this week? Let me know! 

Hhx

Sadly it's an "al desko" lunch for me today!

Work is frantic so opportunities to sit out and enjoy are few. Fortunately the weather is pants so i don't feel too bad about staying in the warm :)

Lunch is adapted from a recipe in Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's "VEG" book; which is absolutely brilliant and well worth a read if you can.

It's a new potato, egg and tomato salad with added spring onions and spinach. I like it because it's a chunky, crunchy salad and the egg gives you a good protein boost for the afternoon. 

I also had some watermelon packed for lunch but ended up running late and scoffing it for breakfast. 

I can't remember what I have tucked away at home for dinner; but as i'm in the process of moving it might be something from a tin or packet as I don't want to buy much more just to waste it on moving day. 

I hope your day is going well! 

Hhx

PS After a long day at work, I was on the train wondering what to make for dinner when I had a massive craving for a meal I ate in Germany last week of rosti, cooked broccoli and mushrooms, all covered in hollandaise sauce. Sounds weird, but was yummy! 

The original looked like this; and my attempt is below.

Mine looks a LOT less glamorous; but it definitely satisfied the craving. As a bonus it was my first Hollandaise; and although it did separate slightly towards the end, mostly it worked! 

Happiness :) 

Broccoli and Hollandaise sauce featured on several menus in Germany over the weekend, so I think it might be a traditional side dish. It sounds weird but tastes fantastic. Maybe give it a go? 

Hh x

So; although i've chomped my way through a fair few meals since moving to London, i thought i would make it easy by starting from now.

After a heavily delayed Eurotunnel home yesterday from Germany, and spilling my lunch onto the garden as I walked out of the door; I decided today was the day to try Itsu; a London-centric eatery set up by founding members of Pret a Manger. 

It's focus is on light, healthy meals and it didn't disappoint. From a wide range of salads, wraps, soups and hot pots I went for a dumpling "Potsu" (note: the other veggie potsu is made from a fish stock base; check before buying). 

It came with chopsticks, a spoon and two free sauce sachets to jazz up the soup. Inside were some vegetable 'gyoza' or dumplings, on a bed of udon noodles and swimming in a veggie stock. 

Although fiddly to eat at my desk without splashing hot noodle juice everywhere, it was delicious, and both light and filling. I'm definitely going to remember where that is for Winter! :)

Fast-forward a few hours and i'm leaving work and heading home. Having been away, and fancying an early night I cheated this evening and bought a shop-prepared vegetable thin crust pizza for dinner. For pudding I had some chopped up, fantastically fresh and juicy watermelon. 

Observe: 

 Pizza in all it's mayonnaise-y, i can't be bothered to cook glory.

Shiny happy watermelon :) 

Finished with a lovely cup of english tea, there really was no better homecoming meal. 

Signing off, 

One happy (and full) hippy x