Having a Soft and Fluffy Summer Thanks to Roberts Bakery

We're contacted quite often with various press releases, offers of being part of projects and some rather random requests. At the start of summer we were offered the opportunity to be part of a project for Roberts Bakery to showcase our Soft & Fluffy Summer Moments and decided it could be a good project to be a part of. We've been filling a Kilner jar full of ideas and now is our time to share.

Our Soft & Fluffy Summer Moments and a Very Sporting Summer

Our summer has certainly been an eventful one. With lots of highlights and so far very few low-lights which has been a blessing since breaking my leg back in January. We've done a lot as a family and also as a couple. Summer has certainly been a very sporting one for us with myself now getting back into my cycling (and building up the kind of appetite a food blogger needs) and Jemma taking steps forward as an Obstacle Racer.

Here's a selection of our favourite summer moments

We started our summer down in Cornwall hoping for sunshine and some great food and we weren't disappointed at all. Our real highlight was lunch at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Cornwall with beautiful views out to the impressive Watergate Bay

Watergate Bay from inside Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Cornwall restaurant

One of the biggest things this summer has been myself (Liam) becoming an Uncle for the first time. Liffey Jayne is the new addition to the family and she's settled in well to the Hallam tradition of aiming to be early for everything. A month before her due detail she decided that she'd been in the dark for far too long. Her arrival is one of the softest and fluffiest things to happen in the Hallam family for a long time. Holding baby Liffey for the first time is a moment that will stay with me for a lifetime.

Liffey Jayne at a week old with Grandad

We've had a few adventures with Jemma's Niece Shanai too. June saw her first Spartan Race event. With Auntie Jemma competing in the 5km+ Sprint event in the morning and 10+ km Super events in the afternoon it was left to Liam to spend the morning with Shanai and help her through her first obstacle race.

Shanai at her first Spartan Race

After Shanai's race we took the camera out onto the course to capture some of the action with Shanai fascinated by taking photo's of all the racers. We might even have a future photographer in our midst.

Jemma tackling the high walls at Spartan Race in Manchester

Shanai loves parks and the forest so what better than a Friday evening trip to Sherwood Pines.

Shanai with the Gruffalo at Sherwood Pines Park

A Soft & Fluffy Sporting Summer

The summer has been very eventful for us in a sporting way. As a treat after recovery from my broken leg I bought my first proper Mountain Bike. Jemma will tell you just how much of a big kid I was when I got top play with her (a man rarely rides a male bike) at Cardinham Woods on the way to Newquay.

Testing the new Radon ZR Race at Cardinham Woods

Jemma' been getting the biking in too ready for the forthcoming Rat Race Coast 2 Coast event

Jemma's Summer highlight has to be finishing the tough endurance test that is the Fan Dance. Taking place in the Brecon Beacons and mimicking the route special forces soldiers use as part of their selection process the event is a tough 16 mile trek over the formidable Pen Y Fan- twice with a heavy weighted rucksack to add to the suffering. Out of a couple of hundred men doing the event the number of women went barely into double figures in the loaded category. It was a tough event and a real achievement for Jem. 

Jemma at the Fan Dance event in the Brecon Beacons

August saw my return to running events at the Dig Deep 12.12 in the Peak District to see how well my ankle has been healing. Easily described as a tough trail race the 12.12 featured a pretty heft 632 metres of ascent in the course which just shaded over 12 miles (Although my Garmin showed 12.5 miles). 51st out of 153 competitors was a real achievement even if it was nothing like what I would have expected pre-injury. After the stresses of getting my ankle back up to a level to be able to run again it was actually nice to be able to take things relatively steady even if every time I was on a technical or rocky section people were overtaking me. The main thing was getting through the event unscathed and my ankle held up well.

Liam at the Dig Deep 12.12 in the Peak District

Our Soft and Fluffy Blogging Moments

This summer has been a busy one for us here at the Nottingham Food Lovers Blog. We always try to get out as much as possible. We've had invites to a food festival and a number of restaurants across the city whilst sampling somethings we might not have tried. As well as pursing our own food choices.

One of our surprise food highlights on our food travels has been the Dovecote Inn out at Laxton. Having cycled past it many times and not really paying much attention it proved to be a really fantastic country pub which serves exceptionally good food. We'd not originally planned on going but issues at our first option disintegrated and I knew the Dovecote Inn was pretty much on the way home.

Our blogging find of summer 2015- The Dovecote at Laxton

Would you like to share your soft and fluffy summer moments for a chance to win £100? Head over to the Roberts Bakery Facebook page to share your summer moments. 

A Saturday Night Find- The Dovecote Inn at Laxton

Sometimes you stumble across a great place. We'd hoped to visit the renowned Fountain at Tuxford which we've been debating a visit to for months only to find that they we're serving food and were in the process of changing ownership. This prompted the "Where could we go" question being in the North of Nottinghamshire and not 100% sure on where would be a good option.

A cycling friend had previously remarked that they'd had a good experience at the Dovecote Inn a short distance away in Laxton. It seemed like a good opportunity to pop in, have a look at the menu and see what we thought. If we weren't sold we could always venture across to Bengal Cottage in Warsop for a curry. So off to the Dovecote Inn we went for an initial look

The Dovecote Inn at Laxton

On arrival at the Dovecote we could see a really well presented pub in a great location at the heart of the village. There's a tourist information centre next door too and just down the road is the Holocaust centre of Beth Shalom if you're looking for something different to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.

On arrival at the Dovecote Inn we were impressed by a clean, friendly atmosphere. Even though we hadn't booked the team were extremely accommodating and whilst we were only a couple looking for that table for two they still went out of their way for us.

On tab were a small but targeted selection of four ales including Black Sheep, Everard's Tiger and Castle Rock's award winning Harvest Pale so there was plenty to tick the box of a real ale lover out for a nice meal.

Thyme Roasted Pork Loin Steak at The Dovecote Inn, Laxton

Food wise we opted for Thyme Roasted Pork Loin Steak which was served with Parmesan infused mashed potatoes, steamed seasonal vegetables and an apple salsa Verde for £12.95 and Lamb Tagine with slow braised tender lamb in a classic, lightly spiced Moroccan style tomato and chickpea sauce served with herb yogurt bread for £12.50.

Gorgeous Lamb Tagine at the Dovecote Inn

Our meal was fantastic, the Thyme Roasted Pork was a beautifully put together dish with a fantastic piece of meat and a nice tart apple salsa Verde that really complimented the pork. It was a dish that you'd happily eat as Sunday lunch and of a good size too.

The real highlight for us was the Lamb Tagine. Flavoursome slow cooked lamb in a lovely spiced sauce with chickpeas it was a real delight. Filling yet not heavy and exceptionally tasty.

We had a fantastic meal at the Dovecote Inn. We'd certainly go back with family at some point as we feel the varied menu and hearty food will satisfy plenty of grumbling stomachs or fussy eaters.

Saturday Night at Banyan Tree in Arnold

We love a good curry and after a hard day working up an appetite sorting out the garden it made sense that we'd earnt a nice reward on Saturday. After working up such an appetite a curry was really the only option. One of our favourite local curry houses is the Banyan Tree on Redhill Island on the A60 driving out of Arnold.It used to be a Little Chef a long time ago.

With a Bangladeshi influence and a range of curries that we either rarely seen elsewhere or have never ever seen on a menu we're always confident we'll be able to have something different.

Poppadoms and Pickle Tray at Banyan Tree

For our main meals we opted for the Special Mixed Grill which is a fantastic array of various different meats served sizzling over a bed of onions and the Malabari Prawn curry featuring four huge freshwater prawns the size of my clenched fist.

The Malabari Prawn curry at Bantan Tree was a delight. With mustard and curry leaves in a thick sauce the delicacy of the sauce worked well with the beautiful prawns.

We had our meals with Pilau Rice and a Peshwari Naan

The Banyan Tree is on the more refined end of Indian dining experiences. We love the food and it's local on the outskirts of Arnold too. Well worth a visit if you get chance

Malabari Prawn Curry and a Special Mixed Grill from Banyan Tree

An evening at the Harvester, Castle Marina

It's been a whirlwind last couple of months for us and we've been darting all over the country recently on holidays and to various sporting events so it's nice to spend some time relaxing at home in Nottingham after our travels.

Jemma has always raved about Harvester's unlimited salad bar (Which I think she would rather have at times than a main meal) so when the opportunity arose to visit the Harvester at Castle Marina for a review came about we were happy to head there on a glorious summers evening. It's years since I visited a Harvester so have to admit I was visiting with an open mind.

The Harvester at Castle Marina Nottingham,

What's it Like Inside?

Clean, bright and airy interior

I'm a stickler for clean, crisp interiors without fuss and the Castle Marina Harvester definitely ticks those boxes for me. It's light and airy, spacious, whilst having a simple yet modern decor. It's definitely somewhere I'd happy sit down with family or friends.

Modern, simple styling works well

The Most Important Thing- The Food

Starters

We love a good starter and decided to go for a meat and a fish option. The fish basket (£5.29) featured tender, succulent Crackerjack prawns, scampi and fish goujons together with a nice tartar sauce. Served in a large basket with the obligatory bit of green (Large lettuce leaf) we had a total of 12 pieces to the starter which represents excellent value from our experiences at other restaurants.

The Fish Basket - £5.29

For our meat option we opted for the Sticky Duck Wings (£5.49) which were served in a Crabbies ginger beer and orange blossom sauce. Very nice, beautifully cooked with the meat almost falling away from the bone.

Harvester Sticky Duck Wings

Our Main Meals

We always love to be a little adventurous when it comes to our food. If there's a great selection we'll often pick something on the adventurous side but with so much meaty choice on the menu we opted to share an I Want it All Platter (£12.99) and the fantastic sounding Jamaican Style Boneless Beef Rib (£10.29)

The  I Want it All Platter (£12.99)

The I Want it All Platter features some of the best bits on the menu with some chicken from the rotisserie, char grilled chicken thighs, a health sized gammon steak chorizo that's more like pieces of hearty sausage and half a rack of baby ribs. As with any Harvester meal you get a choice of sides and sauces. I opted for sweet potato fries (49p extra) and some of Farmer Rikki's Chili Sauce.

The meat came out beautifully cooked. The chicken succulent whilst easily pulling away from the bone with limited effort. The gammon was of a great size and there was plenty of meat between the ribs to keep us going. The chips looked and tasted fantastic with a crunchy outer and soft inner. They were so good I could easily have eaten twice as many!

The Farmer Rikki's Chili sauce was interesting. On initial taste it seemed a little like a hot curry sauce although it's heat built very quickly so anyone who's averse to anything hot would be best to stick to many of the other options on the menu without so much kick. It was certainly great with chips and made a fantastic accompaniment for chicken.

The  Jamaican Style Boneless Beef Rib (£10.29)

Our second choice was the Jamaican Style Boneless Beef Rib with a side of baby new potatoes and Jack Daniels Tennessee Whisky sauce. As shown above the rib came out looking beautiful with a rum and cola glaze. It almost fell apart as it was cut thanks to being slow cooked to perfection. The boneless beef rib was a real highlight that we'd certainly recommend.

The Salad Bar

One of the great pluses for going to a Harvester has to be the unlimited salad bar when you have a grill. In some ways it actually negates the need for a starter and there's such a selection that it pretty much will have something for everyone. Best of all it's fresh and with lots of choices. 

Take your pick from the salad bar

The salad bar is not all about greenery and vegetables. There's a good selection for all with different pastas, sauces and a nice selection of bread and croutons to satisfy the salad-dodgers among us.

Croutons and crispy bits will even appeal to those of us that don't like greenery on plates

Our Drinks

For drinks we opted for the all you could drink Pepsi or Lemonade option. We'd have liked to have seen that extended to other drinks like Fanta or Sprint which worked out just as expensive for one glass compared to the all you wanted to drink option.

Our Experience at Castle Marina Harvester

Having not been to a Harvester for a good number of years the Castle Marina restaurant was really a nice dining experience. Fantastically cooked meats, easily falling away from the bone and a good selection meant we were well catered for.

The restaurant is clean, light and airy, making for somewhere you could easily sit down and chat over a drink and a meal. The staff were attentive without being to the extreme and seemed to have a good knowledge of the menu to help with choices if required.

We'd happily go back.

More from the salad bar selection at Harvester Castle Marina, Nottingham

Disclaimer
Every so often we're offered a meal or experience in exchange for a review and whilst this was one of those occasions we adhere to be honest with people. If our experience was poor we'll tell people as so and if there are things we'd change we'll always mention them. We value our integrity.

The Nottingham Food and Drink Festival Showcased in List of 33 of the UK's Top Festivals

It's amazing how food is becoming the new rock and roll and being showcased alongside music festivals. Hotel group Jurys Inn has recently compiled a list of 33 of the UK's top festivals and our August Nottingham Food and Drink Festival features prominently.


The Jurys Inn 33 Top British Festivals for 2015

On Tour- Lunch at Fifteen Cornwall

Sampling the Delights at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Cornwall

A trip down to Newquay and the Cornish Coast means so many different things to so many different people. There's the surfing, the beaches and for us the allure really comes with the food and drink. The coastline plays host to some superb restaurants and our trip allowed us some time to sample some of the delights on offer.

Wednesday 8th June saw us have lunch at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Cornwall restaurant that looks over the beach at Watergate Bay a few miles north of Newquay.

The view from our table at Fifteen Cornwall looking out onto Watergate Bay

For a reasonable £32 we chose from the 3 course lunch menu which was limited to 2-3 choices per course however took a lot of the guesswork out for us over what to have and if you consider we could have starter, main and a dessert for around £20 at most standard pubs and restaurants at home the extra £12 doesn't seem significant for a specialist restaurant.

Fifteen Cornwall is primarily an Italian restaurant so expect exquisite pasta dishes and Mediterranean flavours alongside fine local produce.

The interior at Fifteen Cornwall

An Afternoon at the Not So Great Food and Drink Festival

We Love Nottingham and Food: But as with most projects it's really failed to deliver on giving us a Great Food and Drink Festival

Last weekend saw the Great Food and Drink Festival in Nottingham with a group of us associated with the Food Lovers blog making our way over to Nottingham Castle on Saturday to enjoy an afternoon in the sunshine with a few sweet and savoury treats.

The idea of a food festival (just like the Beer Festival) inside the iconic Nottingham Castle is a great idea. There's plenty of space and it provides a real focal point for tourists although whilst the beer festival which runs every October completely takes over the grounds, this years Great Food and Drink Festival needs a little bit more of an in injection of food, and particularly drink which we found to be somewhat lacking which considering the cost of tickets for us was a bit of a let down. I'm not sure about anyone else but when we go to a food or drink festival we want to try, try, try and try foods and the not so Great Food and Drink Festival was seriously lacking on that note. There were a few standouts who deserve a mention below however.

For £8 and adult (£7 in advance) we expected much, much more having been to other festivals where there's been more on offer for considerably less money. There were a small number of exhibitors sampling but nothing of real significance. It was the equivalent of paying to get in Wetherspoons and then still having to pay out for your food.

There was some fantastic food on offer from the exhibitors however maybe it was the organisation that let them down by promising something bigger but our biggest annoyance above anything was the lack of any companies sampling. If you go to a food festival you usually expect to sample what people have on offer. Therefore below we've focused on a selection of the sellers that we felt showcased their products well whilst offering the chance to try what they had on offer. If the company name isn't mentioned it's because they were there just to sell products, not introduce us to them.

One of our other annoyances was that it seemed the organisers had given exhibitors some exclusivity. One hot chilli sauce seller, one cupcake baker, one pizza company, one doughnutv company. It was like there had been a degree of selection on place. Sadly this really limited the number of exhibitors and restricted what was on offer. We'd have loved to see one of the local breweries having their own stand (Castle Rock, Navigation, Lincoln Green are always present at local events so why were they missing?) and much more variety for future shows. The top field looked conspiciously empty and this made us think there was something wrong with the event. When we go to a food festival we want food, food, food and usually something to wash it down. If you compared the event to Lincoln Christmas Market or our own Market Square offering which are both free I know I'd be heading to Lincoln for their huge variety.

Best Sampling of the Day

Whilst in general we felt the amount of food on offer was on the low side there were a number of exhibitors who went all out to showcase their product and help keep our hunger at bay whilst introducing us to some very nice food in the process. 

The Cheshire Cheese Company had a nice varied selection of cheeses on offer with a nob of each being cut at request. Their Black Bob was a fantastically creamy mature cheese with a very smooth pallet that we subsequently treated ourself to for an at-home tasting.