Café Concerto, 21 High Petergate, York

In spitting distance of the gothic spendour of the Minster is a small café with its own unique personality (It is also on top of the Roman forum basilica complex that developed into the earliest churches……ok shut up Rosie, blog on food not archaeology……) There is something about this café with its crowd of very obvious tourists, determined regulars and people who go to York to shop for Christmas presents (like me), that makes me happy. 

This cave like little café not only has tables that are made from singer sewing machine tables it is also papered with old sheet music….even the toilets. It has ambient jazz music playing in the background which leads to a very pleasant and quirky atmosphere.  

It has a relatively small menu that has a selection of soups and sandwiches. These are all freshly made on site. I had a very juicy tomato soup with a side order of hummus and pitta bread and olives. There is a relatively small selection of vegetarian food; even the tomato soup was on the menu with pesto and parmesan cheese; however the staff were very accommodating and I just asked for the soup without the cheese. There were also cheese sandwiches and a vegetarian mezze available. I drank a ginger and lemongrass drink which was very unusual: refreshing and tasty. 

The staff were very friendly and obviously enjoyed talking to the customers. One of the best things about the café is the people watching as it appeared to attract a number of characters. It is very family friendly with a number of people with babies in the café. All in all it was a very enjoyable experience and I will definitely visit again. However it becomes very busy at peak times so be prepared to wait for a table.

http://www.cafeconcerto.biz/page2.htm

Hair Royalty Alternative Rooster feather hair extensions.

Feather Hair extensions although epic looking are sadly not very ethical as they come from intensively farmed roosters. But why should carnivores have all the fun…. Hair Royalty have developed synthetic hair extensions that mimic rooster feathers.

I put my red extensions in about 8 weeks ago and it still looks fresh and lovely after abuse from ghds and heated curlers. It looks very discrete, so can be hidden if you tie your hair back for job interview, work, school..etc. They are attached to the head using silicone rings (You can buy these off amazon or hair supply shops) that don’t damage the hair when you take them out, so already one up on glue and clips. It also grows out with your hair so it does not look stumpy after a few weeks.

I am hooked on these hair extensions and will definitely buy these again.

Peta website on the issue of intensively farmed roosters 

 http://www.peta.org/living/fashion/feather-hair-extensions-a-trend-worth-killing-for.aspx

Hair royalty website

http://hairroyalty.bigcartel.com/product/alternative-rooster-feathers-10-per-pack

Tutorial for putting real feathers in your hair. Is very good and the review is very entertaining and explains how to attach them very clearly.

http://www.youtube.com/user/LaDollyVita33#p/u/38/hTnALc7sBJ0

Graveley's Fish and Chip restaurant, Whitby

Ok first of all I am sorry for not posting for such a long time; I have had a manic few months. Firstly I am now employed!!!!!!! (Open the Champagne and have a parade) I have also been on an archaeological dig in Pontefract, the site was epic and the drunk locals shouting Time Team at us over the fence was also just as good. Anyway grovelling (I am not worthy of your esteemed readership…I am a worm…etc) over on with the blog…….

So what is a nice vegetarian like me doing in a fish and chip shop…….? Well I’m the only veggy in my family and we were at the seaside and it is traditional to have at least chips. The chips here however are fried in beef dripping so avoid them, BUT the veggy option of the mushroom stroganoff more than makes up for the lack of chips. This was one of two veggy options (so already one up on most fish and chip shops) the other being sadly the old fallback of lasagne (does anyone else get sick of lasagne? Lacks imagination doesn’t it?) . The stroganoff however was amazing; it was juicy and rich. I am however a big fan of mushrooms so for me they automatically improve any dish. It was served with a salad, garlic bread and rice. For me it would have been better if they got rid of the rice and gave me extra garlic bread instead to mop up the stroganoff. I think to date it is the best veggy option that I have had a fish and chip shop. 

Not only is the food wonderful the setting is brilliant; it is perched on top of a hill overlooking the beach in the new town. This means that if you get a window seat you can watch the bored fairground attendants supervising overexcited children on the teacups. You can also watch the pleasure boats going out to sea including my personal favourite the mini Endeavour that blasts sea shanties as it goes past. It is vulgar and amazing at the same time. The restaurant looks like a set from Life on Mars with Formica booths and a dessert cabinet. However please don’t ever change the interior as it makes the whole place fabulously retro.   

http://www.graveleyswhitby.co.uk/

For anyone interested in the dig (sadly finished for the season)
http://www.wdco.org/site/Pontefract-and--District-Archaeological-Society/Dig-News.htm

Amy’s Kitchen gluten free burrito – review

(Just a quick note for us Brits, we don’t have many Amy’s kitchen products on this side of the pond) Amy’s kitchen is a family run company from the USA specialising in Vegetarian food.  It has Vegetarian Society approval so there is no chance of cross contamination with meaty products. 

The burrito can be found in the freezer section of Sainsbury’s and are sold individually for £1.99. Although relatively expensive it is a useful food to have in the freezer, for those nights when you can’t be bothered cooking, or if you are drunk and want food (the beans will mop up the booze quite well).  The burrito is just the right size for a snack on its own or as part of a meal with perhaps chips and salad. The burrito it’s self was very tasty with a crispy outside and soft on the inside. The burrito had a good combination of spice and other ingredients meaning that the taste of one ingredient was not too overwhelming, it also wasn’t too spicy, so not scary tasting for people who may have more sensitive pallets.  It is also a good dish to cook for meat eaters, as the beans are full of protein therefor filling; it also looks like a meat dish, so again not too scary. 

The one concern I have about the burrito is that the microwaving instruction tell you to microwave the product for too short time. It may have been my microwave not being powerful enough to cook it through, but I will say that it might be a good idea to cut the burrito in half after the following the cooking instructions to check that it is piping hot.

http://www.amys.com/

The Kinloch Hotel, Blackwaterfoot, Isle of Arran, Scotland

There comes a time in every Yorkshire person’s life that they must leave god’s own county and go exploring (AKA go on holiday).  Arran is a large island just off the coast of Ayrshire in Scotlan; because it lies on the fault line between the Lowlands and Highlands, it has the landscape of both, which can be accessed in a short car journey. There is not a place on the island that doesn’t have a stunning view. I am currently on the sofa in the living room of the holiday cottage looking out over the sea to Ireland. Arran is a paradise for nature lovers and even my untrained eye spotted a golden eagle a few days ago. We have probably had the best weather the island has ever seen; we are all sunburnt through factor twenty five sun cream (curse our Scottish blood).  It is also a good place for archaeologists or those with a passing interest is history as there are a number of prehistoric sites on the island.

Well on to food, you don’t want to spend your free time listening to me witter on about sun burn and archaeology I am positive. The main shop on the Island is a co op in Brodick which has a small number of Quorn and Linda McCartney products, with enough veggie products to give enough variety to last about a week. The large number of veggie meals may be due to a small community of Buddhist monks on Holy Island in the bay off Brodick. Tonight we ate at The Kinloch Hotel in Blackwaterfoot. The food was epic; I had mozzarella, aubergine and tomato towers, with a side salad and garlic bread. The original order in the menu also included pesto sauce but parmesan cheese is not veggie friendly. However, after a quiet word with the waitress with a big smile they left the pesto sauce out.  I just goes to show that if you don’t kick up a fuss issues with food can be resolved. The stacks were very tasty and were not dry as I feared they would be, the juice from the tomato oozed out when I cut them. I saved the slice of garlic bread till the end so I could use it to mop up the juices. For pudding I had sticky toffee pudding and local ice cream and it was epic. I have never has such a good pudding in my life. The pub has a very nice dining room and a sea view out of the window. It felt like you were eating on a ship, without the resulting sea sickness. Anyway, good food, good service good price. Would recommend to anyone.

The Student Vegetarian Cookbook, Beverly Le Blanc: Review

This little book is a lifesaver when you are just starting out at uni, or as a vegetarian. My former housemate Lucie (Big shout out to you here!) and I ate our way through many of the dishes. The cook book covers many different types of food including a lentil dhal, our first attempt was a disaster; but after scrubbing out the pan and trying again (turned out that we needed to turn the heat down, our fault not the book) it was very tasty.  It also has the recipe for my current favourite dish, creamy spinach and eggs. This is a complete iron and protein feast and definitely not one for the vegans or the weight conscious (as it uses eggs, cheese and cream), it has become a firm family favourite in my sadly post student days.

This book covers some of the most basic recipes such as toast to the more complex like the above mentioned dhal or semolina gnocchi. All the recipes are well written and easy to follow. This book encourages people to be more adventurous with their cooking, which has to be a good thing at uni when some weeks you will live off toast (especially when you have multiple essays due in on the same day).  Some of the dishes in this book may be a bit expensive if you are on a tight budget, however with some shopping around (look in different ethnic food shops for some of the more exotic ingredients) most dishes are affordable. For every more expensive dish there are at least two less expensive ones.  This is the perfect book for those who are trying to wean themselves off Quorn every night and many of the dishes will be enjoyed by veggies and meat eaters alike.

Sainsbury’s, Trinity Walk, Wakefield

Well the long awaited new shopping centre has opened in Wakefield.  Yay urban regeneration! Not only does the new centre look like the artists impressions tacked up in the market hall, it also has a Debenhams, shock horror. After dodging the people dressed as flies on stilts and the different dance clubs at the entrance I made it into the supermarket

The reason I am doing this quick review is that I was pleasantly surprised by the number of veggie ready meal options, in both the fridge and the freezer sections. These included in the freezer section not only Quorn and Linda McCartney food but also Amy’s ready meals as well. I have seen these meals recommended on the PETA website so I presumed that they were a line only available in the USA.

It also (as it is Sainsbury’s and I don’t want to give you the impression that I live on ready meals) has a range on specialist curry pastes and Japanese noodles. It also sells Meso paste which is the basis of an epic soup I used to eat at Uni, and let’s face it I do live in Wakefield which is quite a small City, I sometime struggle to get ingredients for more exotic dishes.

Anyway Hurrah for the new store.

Harvey Nicols, Leeds (Breakfast)

Let’s face it unless you have more money than sense you only go into Harvey Nicks when you want the door opened for you. When you go in and say thank you to the doorman you automatically know you are a bit common. It’s like entering the twilight zone where you are too scared to touch the merchandise lest you smash that £1000 bottle of perfume.

My mum had had brunch recommended to her by a colleague, so after taking out a small bank loan in anticipation we set off to Leeds. After being informed that you could only get brunch on a Sunday we settled for breakfast.  The café is on the top floor with a wonderful view over the roof tops of the centre of Leeds. As we were the only people in the café for the majority of the time there we got the window seat. The staff were friendly and attentive (well we were the only people in!).The food also arrived quickly and was tasty.

There wasn’t a huge selection of food but what it lacked in quantity it made up for in quality. We both had a Welsh Rarebit and a Portobello mushroom on brioche. It was incredibly tasty, I don’t know what type of cheese it used but it was delicious. The portion was relatively small but the mushrooms succulent and   it was incredibly rich so you don’t need to have anything else with it. I also had a pot of tea which again was very nice. 

The biggest surprise was the price for the rarebit and a cup of tea it cost £8 plus a service charge. I would definitely go again and recommend it to everyone.