Travels for Taste

Tales of travel and food with a touch of spice

Easy three peppercorn Baked fish recipe, Knorr Giveaway – Closed

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After the masterclass with Master Chef Marco Pierre White, where he cooked us steak in Knorr Beef stock cube and served it with a creamy three peppercorn sauce – I was hooked onto the taste of the Knorr three peppercorn flavour pot. This mix of 3 peppercorns will add a depth of flavour to your dishes. Whether used in a straightforward steak sauce or a luxury pork stroganoff, this little pot will instantly add a touch of indulgence to your meal.

Unilever has agreed to Giveaway TWO lucky winners a chance to WIN one of TWO goody bags PACKED to the brim with Knorr flavour pots and stock cubes. These stock pots have been created by Chef Cameron Healy who is part of a team of dedicated professional chefs, based at Knorr Headquarters, who work together to develop Knorr’s culinary creations, with good food, convenience and innovation as the main thought process behind these products.

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As you know by now I love seafood and I simply cannot resist buying fresh fish. Last week on my way home from work I saw fresh herring at the supermarket and just had to bring home some for dinner. I wanted a very light quick and easy fish dish which I could have with a heavy creamy soup so I rustled up this easy baked fish. Since we were already going to consume a creamy soup I wanted to avoid using single cream to make any gravy sauce.

This baked fish recipe is a super quick and easy meal idea with very few ingredients and makes for a delicious meal. Served with a fresh leafy baby kale and cherry tomato salad it makes a refreshingly light choice. No oil is used in this dish and though the butter is 2 tbsp it is the only thing that you will add other than the flavour pot. Besides Herring are very high in the long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, they are also a source of vitamin D.

A low – calorie meal for two readies in under 25 minutes – can it get any better? Think not!

I have used the Knorr three peppercorn flavour pot that was in my goody bag which all loggers received at the end of a day packed with masterclasses spent at the Unilever headquarter in the U.K at Leatherhead.

If you love cooking with the flavour of fresh herbs and spices, but prefer the convenience of dried, Knorr flavour pots allow you to create delicious meals infused with aromatic and fresh flavours in no time at all AND with the very same convenience that dried products offer.

Knorr three peppercorn Baked fish recipe

Manjiri Chitnis

Easy three peppercorn Baked fish

Print Recipe
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 whole Herrings fresh – with the head and tail removed
  • 1.5 Three peppercorn flavour pots
  • 1 Large Red Onion finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp heaped Butter
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 4 cloves Garlic finely chopped
  • Smoked sea salt as per taste

Method
 

  1. Pre – Heat the oven to 180 °C. Keep the butter out so that it is not straight from the fridge
  2. Wash the herring fish under running tap water. I asked the fishmonger to slit it through the middle and clean it from the inside for me after removing the head and the tail
  3. Place the fish on baking parchment in a baking tray and sprinkle liberally with Maldon smoked sea salt
  4. Wrap the parchment to make a neat parcel
  5. Bake the fish in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 °C
  6. Meanwhile, heat a heavy-bottom pan on medium heat
  7. When the pan is at add 2 heaped tbsp of butter
  8. Add in the bay leaf and then finely chopped onion and finely chopped garlic with skins
  9. Then add in the Knorr three peppercorn flavour pots and cook until the onion has gone soft
  10. Once the fish has been baked, remove from the oven and allow for the steam to escape
  11. When you can hold the fish in your hand without scalding remove the skin which should come of pretty easily and remove the bone, it comes straight off which is great, one clean sweep. Don’t worry if the fish falls apart, it will still taste amazing!
  12. Plate each fish onto 2 plates
  13. Place the onion onto the fish and serve with baby kale and chopped cherry tomatoes. If you wish to sprinkle some sea salt on the salad leaves
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WIN one of TWO goody bags PACKED to the brim with Knorr flavour pots and stock cubes

Each GOODY BAG from KNORR contains :

  • 2 x Mexican Flavour Pot
  • 2x Garden Herbs Flavour Pot
  • 2 x Paprika Flavour Pot
  • 2x Ginger and Lemongrass Flavour Pot
  • 2x Curry Flavour Pot
  • 2x Garlic Flavour Pot
  • 2x Mixed Chillies Flavour Pot
  • 2x Fish Stock Cube
  • 2x Pork Stock Cube
  • 2x Ham Stock Cube
  • 2 x Chicken Stock Pot
  • 2 x Beef Stock Pot
  • 2 x Veg Stock Pot
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How to enter the giveaway:

You too could WIN ONE of TWO of these GOODY BAGS from KNORR PACKED with exciting products from the flavour pots and stock sauces range, all you have to do is :

  1. Follow me on twitter – @manjirichitnis
  2. Like my Facebook page and leave your Facebook name as part of your comment.
  3. Follow me on Instagram
  4. Tweet out the following –  with 1 of 2 GOODY BAGS with Flavour Pots & Stock Cubes, Baked fish recipe
  5. Leave a comment below telling me which is your favourite herb, your Facebook name used to like my FB page, your Instagram handle. I will find you on twitter via the hashtag so it’s not required for you to mention your twitter handle in the comments. Do not share your email id in the comments, please.
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Please have a read through the Terms and Conditions below:

  • Winners will be picked using Random Number.
  • Deadline for entering this contest is 15th January’ 2015 midnight GMT.
  • Entry is open only to residents of the U.K except for Scotland and Ireland.
  • All entrants must be 18 years old and above.
  • Two lucky winners will be chosen using a random number generator.
  • The giveaway prize is as mentioned in the post. Neither Knorr or I am liable for any damage of hamper and / or contents in transit.
  • Please allow a minimum of 15 days for delivery of the prize, which may reach earlier or later. The goody bags will be sent directly by Knorr.
  • The prize is as stated: no cash alternatives are available.
  • I retain the right to DISQUALIFY any entrant who does not complete all the 3 steps mentioned above.
  • The winner will be notified on 16th January’ 2015  on Twitter by me and here on my blog post. I shall tag the 2 winners on Twitter via their twitter ids. If you are declared as the winner you agree to allow me and Knorr to contact you via email id to arrange for the goody bag to be sent out to you.
  • If the TWO winners fail to respond by 18th January’ 2015   then other winners will be chosen.

*With thanks to Unilever and the Knorr PR team for arranging the fabulous gifts for the two goody bags. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely my own. References Wiki.

While you are here why not have a look at the other giveaways on my blog and increase your chances of winnings cool freebies!?!

  • Win one beautiful Hotel Chocolat gift bag with fabulous cocoa cuisine products, to participate click here.
  • CLOSED Win a box of Chef Inspirations Saveurs Du Monde Box of 16 chocolates from Godiva, to participate click here– CLOSED.
  • CLOSED Win 5 delicious sauces from the WORLDFOODS Asian Fusion Flavour Sauces, to participate click here – CLOSED.
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Low calorie, baked white fish, ready in under 30 minutes

NO WASTE FOOD CHALLENGE – November 2014

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Growing up aai (Mum in Marathi) was always quite good at salvaging leftovers and saving the not-so-attractive beans lying in a corner of the refrigerator tray and making some exotic recipe of her. This habit of not chucking things in the bin or mindlessly stocking up the fridge has stayed with me and thankfully so.

Some of the statistics I read about food wastage made me shed tears … Can you guess how many tonnes of food ends up in landfill every year in the U.K?

A staggering 18 million tonnes! If this is not a criminal waste of food then I don’t know what is. ”Food Poverty” is a very real issue and there are a number of charitable organisations that promote the cause of stopping food wastage. One such campaign known as Love Food Hate Waste inspired Kate over at Turquoise Lemons to start  No Waste Food Challenge in a bid to encourage others to do the same.

This challenge is now hosted by the lovely Elizabeth of Elizabeths Kitchen Diary and will be guest hosted by me this month.

It is a simple linky and there are some basic rules to keep in mind while participating:

1. Please link up your url using the linky at the bottom of this post.
2. Feel free to republish old posts just make sure you add a link to the current challenge and add the challenge badge (the blue badge at the top of this post).
3. Make sure you link up before the end of the month (that’s 11.55 pm GMT, 30th November 2014)!
4. Posts will be added to the No Waste Food Challenge Pinterest Board to help spread the food waste prevention love!
5. Please make sure your post includes a link back to Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary and Travelsfortaste.
6. Tweet @TangoRaindrop and @manjirichitnis with the tag #NoWasteFoodChallenge and we will retweet all that we see.

No Waste Food November 2014
This is a Blog Hop!
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Grab the linky HERE

Powered by Linky Tools

http://www.linkytools.com/wordpress_list.aspx?id=243212&type=thumbnail ’’>Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Kadhai Chicken Masala

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As the nights close in, Indian comfort food tops my list of things I crave. And nothing spells comfort food louder than a warming curry and some rice with some spicy kebabs on the side. The problem is when these craving hit mid-week and I am simply too exhausted to make elaborate meals. That’s when I turn to my store cupboard for some help.

Loyd Grossman has come up with a new Limited Edition Mint Masala gravy sauce which I was sent to review along with some delicious naan , a bottle of Chicken Tikka Masala and boil in the bag Basmati rice all packaged in this beautiful box !

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I wanted to create something easy to make using the Mint Masala Gravy sauce and came up a recipe for Minty Chicken Masala Kadhai  – best served with some buttery warm naan!

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Manjiri Chitnis

Kadhai Chicken Masala

5 from 13 votes
Minty Kadhai Chicken in a delicious masala
Print Recipe
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Fusion Indian
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 450 grams Diced chicken breast
  • Loyd Grossman Limited Edition Mint Masala
  • 1 medium-sized red onion
  • 2 tsp Umami paste
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 2 Dried Kashmiri red chillies
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tbsp Butter for the naans
  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • 2 Sprays Oil for greasing the griddle pan
  • 1 Boiled egg
  • 1/2 Red onion sliced lengthwise to serve with the naan

Equipment

  • Pan
  • Knife and chopping board

Method
 

  1. Wash and cut the chicken breasts into cubes
  2. Coat the chicken with 300 gm of the Lloyd Grossman Limited Edition Mint Masala for about 30 minutes
  3. The yoghurt in the Mint Masala speeds up the way the spices are absorbed into the chicken
  4. Chop the red onion fine
  5. Heat the oil in a saucepan and when it is hot add the bay leaves and red chillies and sauté till the bay leaf begins to change colour, then add the onions.
  6. Sauté the onions till they turn pink and reduce
  7. Then add some of the umami paste and 2 large tbsp of the Lloyd Grossman Limited Edition Mint Masala gravy sauce and sauté for 2 minutes on a low flame
  8. Keep stirring to ensure the onion does not burn. Season with salt
  9. Take off the flame and set aside
  10. After 30 minutes heat the griddle pan till it’s very hot and place on medium heat.
  11. Spray some oil onto the griddle pan, it will sizzle and smoke
  12. Drop the marinated chicken cubes on the pan
  13. ‘Bruise’ the chicken cubes on the pan till they are grilled, flip and grill on the other side.
  14. Repeat until chicken cooks through
  15. Ensure chicken pieces are not too large as they will remain raw in the middle
  16. Once cooked add them into the sautéed onion thick gravy sauce
  17. Mix well and sauté on a very low flame for half a minute
  18. To serve heat some butter on a large pan and heat the naan till they are soft and buttery
  19. Transfer the Minty chicken kadhai into the shiny balti serving dish and place the halved boiled egg on top
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The fresh flavours of the minty gravy sauce are enhanced by the delicious umami onion gravy. Lap up the thick gravy and juicy ,tasty grilled chicken cubes with the soft warm naan, scooping up some of the soft boiled yolk as well… ummmmm

Vegetarians needn’t feel disappointed . Try the same recipes using Paneer or Indian cottage cheese, only thing is while ‘bruising’ the paneer on the griddle pan it has to be handled gently so as not to break the cubes and also while mixing it into the thick onion gravy it should be mixed with care.

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GIVEAWAY for 2 LUCKY WINNERS !

WIN ONE OF TWO Loyd Grossman GIFT HAMPERS!

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Each Gift Hamper contains  LIMITED EDITION Loyd Grossman Mint Masala – 1 bottle , Loyd Grossman Chicken Tikka Masala 1 bottle, Pack of 4 naans from Loyd Grossman , one packet with 4 boil in the bag basmati rice pouches and a SHINY new BALTI serving dish – dishwasher proof.

How to enter the giveaway:

You too could WIN ONE of TWO of these beautiful hampers from Loyd Grossman , all you have to do is :

  1. Follow me on twitter – @manjirichitnis
  2. Tweet out the following – WIN 1 of 2 LIMITED EDITION Mint Masala Hampers with , Minty Chicken Masala Kadhai recipe
  3. Leave a comment below telling me what is your favourite Indian food

Please have a read through the Terms and Conditions below:

  • Winners will be picked using Random Number.
  • Deadline for entering this contest is 8th November ‘2014 midnight GMT.
  • Entry is open only to residents of the U.K except Scotland and Ireland.
  • All entrants must be 18 years old and above.
  • Two lucky winners will be chosen using random number generator.
  • The giveaway prize is as mentioned in the post. Neither Lloyd Grossman or I am liable for any damage of hamper and / or contents in transit.
  • Please allow a minimum of 15 days for delivery of the prize, which may reach earlier or later.
  • The prize is as stated: no cash alternatives are available.
  • I retain the right to DISQUALIFY any entrant who do not complete all the 3 steps mentioned above.
  • The winner will be notified on 9th Nov’14 on Twitter by me and here on my blog post. I shall tag the 2 winners on Twitter via their twitter id’s . If you are declared as the winner you agree to allow me and Lloyd Grossman to contact you via email id  to arrange for the gift hamper to be sent out to you.
  • If the TWO winners fail to respond BY 12th Nov’14  then other winners will be chosen.

CONGRATULATIONS to the 2 LUCKY winners of this fabulous GIVEAWAY of LIMITED EDITION Loyd Grossman Mint Masala Gift Hampers!!!

AND The lucky winners are: *DRUMROLLS* …….

Claire Wilkinson –  Twitter id 

Michelle – Twitter id 

*With thanks to Loyd Grossman for sending me a complimentary Loyd Grossman LIMITED EDITION Mint Masala Hamper . No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

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Minty Chicken Masala Kadhai

Spiced Pomegranate cocktail recipe

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POM-Wonderful Giveaway

Pomegranates – have always been tempted to buy them off the wooden fruit vendor handcarts at street markets in Mumbai. Growing up my mum would keep me engaged in her kitchen by assigning me the important job of peeling the fruit and collecting the shiny ruby red juicy insides in a clean bowl – waiting to be sprinkled over her many creations.

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In supermarkets shelves here in London, it reminds me of home and I cannot resist buying the peeled ones for salads but making pomeo juice at home has always resulted in a rather messy end result.

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Now highly coveted as a highly nutritious super food, packed with antioxidant vitamins C and K, minerals, antioxidants, and other unique plant phytochemicals – pomegranates are firmly a delicious part of our modern day diet.

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POM Wonderful sent me a cute cocktail kit and I came up with this recipe for a warming cocktail with a kick of chilli :). My complimentary kit contains a cocktail shaker, measuring beaker, 2 cocktail glasses, cocktail muddler, 2 stirrers, ice-cube maker and bag of Wonderful pistachios.

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POM Wonderful warming cocktail recipe

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Manjiri Chitnis

Spiced Pomegranate Cocktail

5 from 6 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings: 1
Course: Drinks
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 250 ml Pomegranate Juice
  • 60 ml Gin or Vodka mixed with Vermouth
  • 10 ml Concentrated Cherry Syrup
  • ½  tsp Cinnamon Powder
  • 1 sprig Mint Crushed
  • 1 tsp Lime Juice
  • 1 Green Chilli split lengthwise
  • Ice cubes

Equipment

  • 1 Cocktail shaker

Method
 

  1. Shake all ingredients together in a cocktail shaker and add a few of the chilli seeds from the split green chilli
  2. Place a slit green chilli on the side of the glass and add a long stem sprig of mint inside the glass for garnish and style
  3. Serve chilled
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TOP TIP from me:

  • Chill the washed and dried cocktail glasses in the freezer for about 20 minutes before serving – the frozen glaze on the glass will look beautiful and the cocktail will stay cooler for longer allowing you to sip and enjoy your drink longer
  • I loved adding the cute heart-shaped ice cubes made in the complimentary ice-cube maker sent to me as part of my cocktail kit, I now have various shaped ice tray to make fun and interesting drinks to please everyone from little ones to adults
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POM Wonderful COCKTAIL X 3 Giveaway

POM Wonderful have agreed to give 3 of my lucky readers one POM Wonderful Cocktail Kit each. Each kit will contain a cocktail shaker, measuring beaker, 2 cocktail glasses, a cocktail muddler, 2 stirrers, an ice-cube maker, and a bag of Wonderful pistachios.

How to enter the giveaway:

  • STEP 1: Leave a comment on this blog post telling me which is your favourite cocktail
  • STEP 2: Like my Facebook page – travelsfortaste and leave your Facebook name as part of your comment.
  • STEP 3:  Follow me on Instagram (click on the hyperlink to find me on Instagram) and leave your Instagram handle  as part of your comment
  • STEP 4:  Follow me on Twitter  (click on the hyperlink to find me on Instagram) AND  Tweet out the following (simply copy and paste !)   #Win a #COCKTAILKIT from @pomwondeful enter at #sliceoffme blog http://bit.ly/1CStoJ9  #giveaway #sliceoffmelovesPOM

(I will find you on twitter via the hashtag #sliceoffmelovesPOM , so it’s not required for you to mention your Twitter id  in the comments)

I will be verifying entries ,please ensure that you follow all of the of the above 4 steps , any step missed and you will be disqualified. All the steps are mandatory!

Please have a read through the T&C’s – will take just a teeny weeny minute !

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Inspired to try your hand at some fun cocktails at home? Why not have a look at my other recipes below:

Terms and Conditions:

  • Deadline for entering this contest is 30th November ‘2014 midnight GMT.
  • Entry is open only to residents of the U.K and all entrants must be 18’s old and above.
  • THREE lucky winners will be chosen using random number generator.
  • The giveaway prize is as mentioned in the post and will be sent directly as a free delivery to the winner by POM Wonderful and I, Manjiri, accept no responsibility for any disputes.
  • Please allow a minimum of 28 days for delivery of the prize, which may reach earlier or later and is the sole responsibility of POM.
  • The prize is as stated: no cash alternatives are available.
  • I retain the right to DISQUALIFY any entrant who do not complete all the 4 steps mentioned above.
  • The winner will be notified within 15 days of the closing date via the email id provided by the entrant .Winners names will be announced on this blog post and by me via Twitter.  If you are declared as the winner you agree and allow me to pass on your email id  to POM , and  agree and allow POM and me to contact you to notify you in case you win.
  • If the THREE winners fail to respond within 15 days then other winners will be chosen.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 3 WINNERS WHO HAVE WON THEMSELVES A FABULOUS COCKTAIL KIT FROM POM Wonderful

@kerryroberts84

@Gilla01

@angiehoggett 

*With thanks to POM for sending me a complimentary POM wonderful Cocktail kit and vouchers to buy POM wonderful juice. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely my own. All images courtesy POM except one watermarked ‘travelsfortaste’.

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Win a pair of tickets to Foodies Festival Christmas 2014 – Old Truman Brewery, London – CLOSED

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With only a couple of months to go until Christmas day arrives, it’s time to start working through that Christmas list, and there’s no better way to start than surrounded by food, friends and fun at Foodies Festival Christmas.

Join ‘Foodies’ at The Old Truman Brewery, 28-30th November, for this festive three-day celebration featuring London’s best street food, produce and culinary masters. Here’s what to expect when the UK’s biggest food and drink festival puts on its Christmas jumper:

–Michelin star and top chefs cooking live

-Drink masterclasses with champagne, cocktails and craft beer

–Street food and feasting tents

-Artisan markets, pudding halls and wine and cheese villages

-Hands on cake and bake masterclasses

-Ski bars, pop-up breweries and vintage Soda Bar

-Ceilidh dancing, Christmas quizzes and live entertainment

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Foodies Festival  have offered me to giveaway a pair of complimentary tickets to share with all foodie fans. 

To win simply leave a comment on the blog post telling me what is that you are looking forward to most at the Foodies Festival 2014 AND tweet out the following:

#Win a pair of tickets to @foodiesfestival at @trumanbrewery ,28-30 Nov, enter at bit.ly/1xLKx6p #giveaway

For more info visit Foodies Festival here

Terms and Conditions:

  • Deadline for entering this contest is 10th November ‘2014 midnight GMT.
  • Entry is open only to residents of the U.K and all entrants must be 18’s old and above.
  • One lucky winner will get one pair of complimentary tickets.Children under 12 go free.
  • Tickets are non transferable. One pair of tickets per winner only.
  • Complimentary tickets are valid or one day’s use on the day of the winner’s choice.
  • No cash alternative available.
  • Complimentary tickets obtained through this offer may not be duplicated.
  • All tickets will be scanned on entry to the show.
  • Winner will be picked out via Random Number Generator.
  • Winner will receive tickets directly , I accept no responsibility for any disputes arising out of any anomalies.

CONGRATULATIONS to Veronica Still @ronstil – You have won a pair of tickets to Foodies Festival Christmas 2014 at Old Truman Brewery, London, drop me an email at fruitsnveg@yahoo.com

The Spice Traveller explores Great Britain’s culture and cuisine

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Crab Kasoori Methi  – sounds intriguing right?  If that piqued your interest then there’s lots more in store in the creative repertoire of Celebrity Indian chef Saransh Goila who’s food and travel show aptly titled The Spice traveller debuted on his YouTube channel last week. For the uninitiated Saransh Goila won the hearts of millions of fans when he won the  Food Food Maha Challenge which was hosted by Sanjeev Kapoor ( a chef he has watched on T.V in his formative years & greatly admires! ) and Madhuri Dixit ( Bollywood super start, mommy to 2 and possibly the most graceful dancer Hindi films have had in the ’90s!). He then went to host the TV show Roti Rasta aur India on Food Food channel where he travelled 20,000 km of India by road in 100 days  – exploring local flavours and cooking feats for a lucky few along the way.

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First, of its kind, India’s youngest celebrity Chef Saransh Goila’s digital food travelogue show is a 20 part series where the celebrity chef travels across England and Scotland exploring beautiful travels destinations, local food and culture. He attempts to change perceptions about how people travel across England and Scotland and what they normally expect to eat while they discover new destinations. Goila’s  1000 km journey takes him to exotic locations around Cotswolds, Yorkshire, Edinburgh and Fife where he cooks up finger-licking fusion cuisine.

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Chef Saransh at Kellie Castle –  Fife

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Chef Saransh making cheese in Yorkshire

Saransh also managed to throw in exciting experiences including cider making , also pretending to be ‘Alice in Wonderland’ for a day at what he described as the best cream tea party ever, took over the reins of a Michelin starred kitchen, spent a day at a trout farm in Yorkshire and fell hook,line and sinker in love with fishing – while learning all there is to about fly-fishing and Rainbow trout!

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 Chef enjoyed some amazing cream tea and warm scones with clotted cream and jam polished off with fresh British strawberries!

And while he was cooking, travelling and making exciting cocktails at the Virgin Atlantic bar in the air at 35,000 ft, he also managed to get a designer kilt made and ermmm pose  🙂

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Chef Saransh in a pensive mood, maybe his day out in Scotland left him enamoured with the Scottish Highlands!

So throw away all those musty old travel guides and hop onto an exciting culinary journey through English and Scottish countryside with Chef Saransh!

And what better place to start that journey than in the city I have fallen madly in love with – London city! Watch the second episode of The Spice Traveller as he explores multicultural London  – learns to make Britain’s favourite Fish-n-Chips with Chef Micheal Brown at Fishworks, discovers a restaurant that serves 100% vegetarian food in the heart fo Central London, cooks up England’s favourite curry  – Chicken Tikka Masala in the kitchen at Cinnamon in Soho, explores the sights and sounds of Covent Garden and wanders the beautiful street markets of London city!

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Chef Goila’s 1000 km has only just begun and you have lots more episodes to look forward to and exciting contests to participate in too!

So fasten your seat belts, as VisitBritain  – @VisitBritain and Virgin Atlantic Airways – @VirginAtlantic in partnership with One Digital Entertainment and Zenga TV.com – @ZengaTVMedia take you on a fabulous journey – no passport or air ticket required for this one folks!

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Hungry for more? Watch this space for an exclusive interview with the charming Chef – COMING SOON!

Disclaimer: With Thanks to Chef Saransh Gola for sharing his fabulous culinary adventures with me and my readers.

All images are courtesy Chef Saransh – Please do not reproduce without seeking prior written permission, feel free to share with due credit.

Le Restaurant de Paul – Boulangerie transitions into a restaurant

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Originating in France in PAUL bakery  continues to be be a family owned company  five generations on. Today they are present in more than 25 countries  in London, Washington, Dubai, Tokyo  ,Singapore and Moscow. They have been the go to bakery for authentic French bread, cakes and pastries for Londoners with  30 other branches located across the length and breadth of the city.

Their first bakery in London at  Covent Garden has recently become a  full fledged  restaurant . We were invited there for a relaxed dinner on Sunday evening .Located in the heart of theatreland , its walking distance from Covent Garden tube station but I prefer walking from Waterloo station . Walking beats taking the crowded tubes and my reward is a beautiful walk by the river with stunning views of the London eye on one side and St.Pauls cathedral on the other.

The famous black shop front with the name in stately lettering made famous by Francis Holder in 1993, is difficult to miss amidst the evening crowds, theatre goers and many shops.The aroma of freshly ground coffee beans is a welcome olfactory assault that is complimented by the the beautiful display of meringues, cakes ,pastries and fresh bread .

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The restaurant was packed when we arrived  and the front of the restaurant which functions as a delicatessen  had people queuing up for French bread , coffee and cake at the counters up front when we reached , so we busied ourselves taking pictures of the beautiful baked goodies .

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Our waitress for the evening was a smart young lady who showed us to our table a beautiful semi circular sofa against a wall and comfortable chairs on the side. The beautiful décor which is comprised of hand picked antiques is pleasantly distracting and a lot of photos later we finally settled down.

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Our two sharing ,one a charcuterie and one a vegetarian platter arrived with a large tray full of colourful glass jars stuffed with bright ,preserved vegetables – which were used as a base to rest the sharing platters wooden boards on – now that is going to be an idea all of us will end up using for our food photography !

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The charcuterie is a selection of saucisson, jambon cru, coppa, rosette,terrine,smoked duck breast, pickled baby onions ,cornichons,butter and assorted breads.

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The veggie platter was such a beauty – so colourful and fresh – selection of grilled and marinated vegetables,tapenade,aioli,hummus,sauce vierge and PAUL cheese gougere.

Heidi enjoyed her oven baked Camembert and  toasted Campagne bread.

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If anything these starters had made us hungry for more and our mains were so good that when they arrived all conversation came to a standstill ….

My main of Loup de Mer – Pan roasted fillet of sea bass, braised fennel with sauce vierge was flavourful and the sauce was faulous , my sea food loving self was very , very happy!

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I also had a delicious side of Gratin Dauphinios – Traditional French potato gratin   (£2.95)

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We shared a bottle of red which went well with the mains – a French Pinard Classique  2013 – best described as a lively bouquet of plum, bluberry and hints of blackcurrant on the nose, the palate is beautifully rounded, soft and juicy.

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Our group of food bloggers had these fabulous French delights :

Clockwise Top left to right – Demi Poulet au Grain Rôti à l’Estragon – Roasted free range corn fed half chicken marinated in tarragon ,lemon & garlic ,green salad (£12.50) ,

Saucisses de Toulouse – Traditional course cut Toulouse sausages served with crushed buttery potato mash & Bordelaise sauce (£10.50)

Poivron Fraci  (£7.50)  and

Confit de Canard aux Olives – Slow-cooked duck leg, crushed buttery potato mash, black olive & red wine sauce (£10.50)

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I am glad I could squeeze in some dessert as well after all that food – I really needed some coffee so mini macaroons paired with a latte it was.

Am positive that I shall be returning to dine at Le restaurant de Paul and would highly recommend that you check it out for yourself – a taste of authentic French food in the heart of  London – with a sensibly priced menu too – Why not ?!

While you are here why not have browse through the blogs of my blogger friends too?

Giveaway Mornflake Breakfast Hamper – CLOSED

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GOOD MORNING!

What better way to kick start your day than with a bowl of Oaty goodness ? well ….oat smothered with fruits perhaps! 🙂

Who better to know about the goodness of oats than Mornflake who have been milling oats in the South Cheshire countryside since 1675, making us the longest established miller of oats and cereal in the UK! 15 generations later they have managed to keep the family business within the family started by original miller, William Lea. Year on year have won accolades for the quality, purity and consistency of their oats year after year from International Grand Medaille D’Or, an international quality award. Environmentally conscious, they use local British oats wherever possible, have reused and recycled packaging, and use only certified sustainable palm oil.

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To add to that they have a wide variety of products to choose from – from rolled oats to oat bran cereals ,muesli ,granola ,oat meal and the life saver superfast cereal pots for busy morning when you have to catch the rush  hour and not miss breakfast too!

No matter how you like your oats , plain , warm , cold with or without fruit, in pancakes or in cereal bars there is a great range of products to choose from.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and to all oat lovers ,the folks at Mornflake have a fabulous giveaway for one lucky reader of sliceoffme ! It’s really easy to win ! So why not take part and stock up on pats , perfect time too with the weather all set to turn cold!

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You could win this fabulous giveaway,courtesy of Mornflake where ONE lucky winner can win all these lovely goodies :
1.Mornflake Organic Oats
2.Mornflake Scottish Jumbo Oats
3.Mornflake Superfast Oats
4.Mornflake super fast cereal pots – 4 packs in different flavours
5.Mornflake Oatbran CEREALS – any 2
6.Mornflake Oatbran Nuts & Seeds Granola
7.Mornflake Hessian bag
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How To enter the giveaway :

Please have a read through the T&C’s – will take just a teeny weeny minute !

Terms and Conditions:

  • Deadline for entering this contest is 8th November ‘2014 midnight GMT.
  • Entry is open only to residents of the U.K
  • One lucky winner will be chosen using random number generator.
  • The giveaway prize is as mentioned in the post and will be sent directly as a free delivery to the winner by Mornflake and sliceoffme accepts no responsibility for any disputes.
  • By sharing your email id in the comment you allow Mornflake and me to contact you to notify you in case you win
  • The prize is as stated: no cash alternatives are available.
  • You get one entry by way of commenting on this blog post AND following me on Instagram
  •  OR one entry by following @manjirichitnis on twitter AND following me on Instagram,
  •  OR one entry by liking sliceoffme  on Facebook ( do not forget to mention your facebook name in the comment here , comment once only) AND following me on Instagram .
  • All entries via any of the above modes is valid and you can enter by any one way .
  • All blog comments must mention your email id clearly and without a spelling error so the winner can be contacted.
  • The winner will be notified within 7 days of the closing date via the email id provided an announced on this blog post and on twitter .
  • If winner fails to respond within 7 days then another winner will be chosen.

WE HAVE A WINNER FOLKS !!! And the winner is ….hold your breath…. any guesses ?!:) Ok no more suspense !

It is  TWITTER : @smeethsaysfashion  – I have sent you a TWEET ! Please email me at fruitsnveg@yahoo.com asap. Thanks for participating everyone!

*With thanks to Mornflake for sending samples. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely my own. All images courtesy Mornflake.

Radha Krishna Bhavan – Tooting , a review

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On a dreary Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago after my weekly Indian shop form Dadu’s at Tooting, not feeling particularly in the mood to cook , we walked into Radha Krishna Bhavan for an early lunch . The place was open and barring one table we could pick and choose where to sit , unusual for a Saturday afternoon , little did I know that minutes later the place would be buzzing with activity.

 

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This is a sea food lovers heaven with authentic ,well balanced south Indian cuisine. We ordered a starter of spicy Vadas – flat, fried lentil dough spiced with green chillies and onion , this was crunchy and delicious and just the thing needed on a boring Saturday afternoon when the weather was playing traunt ! (£2.95)

 

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The first thing I noticed was the many sticker on the glass outside with various ratings from the Good Food Guide, Square Meal etc  and a bright yellow mini menu saying ”3 courses for just £5.95′ ! Super ! That definitely drew us in.

 

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But we decided to go a la Carte and ordered for some Kerala Fried Rice (£4.50)and Kerala Fish curry (£7.50) .The fish curry was yum but the portion size was a bit small to share , same with the rice and we found the rice had more than a generous use of oil but it was delicious all the same.

 

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Hungry for more we decided to experiment with some Vellappam – a pancake made of fermented rice with ground coconut and coconut milk with a  lacy egg like appearance . These were light yet  filling and 2 panckakes per dish came with the curry at a combined price (£7.95 ) .The pancakes were mopped up with the accompanying  curry –  a spicy King Fish Malabar.

 

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With no room left for dessert after this we decided to skip and just get ice lollies on our way home 😉

 

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I’d definitely recommend you visit Radha Krishna Bhavan if you are looking for delicious and authentic  flavours of South India at budget rates in a clean , welcoming atmosphere with quick service head (opposite Sainsburys on Tooting High Street)

 

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*This review was written by me of my own accord . I bore the expense of this meal. All views  expressed as always are my own and no monetary compensation of any sort by provided to me by either the restaurant or any other third party.All opinions expressed are valid for this particular visit .

Square Meal Bloggers Meet at Boyds Brasserie

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Square Meal is one of the review websites that I post my reviews too and they invited me for a lovely afternoon tea with other blogger reviewers to the very posh Boyds Brasserie at Trafalgar Square, in July.

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That day I was under the grips of a massive , massive Hayfever attack (which went on to develop into a full blown pollen induced chest infection – who knew an innocent bunch of flowers could do something so evil !?!)  and therefore starting the evening with several cups of warm tea was just what I needed ! In spite of it being a really warm evening I enjoyed cradling my hot cuppa and chatting up the other bloggers. Boyds also had a very special treat for us – Brut Ruinart Rose Champagne – I had to unwillingky refuse though …

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The potted shrimp was silky and luxurious and was polished off in no time.

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We had a selection of lovely sandwiches made with soft bread and they went down a treat .

  • Salted Beef, Pickled Cucumber, Dijon on Brown Bread
  • Egg Mayonnaise & Watercress on White Bread
  • Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese, Dill on Brown Bread
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The scones served with strawberry jam and Devonshire clotted cream were next and Susan told us about the ‘Scone Test’ , apparently if you twist your scone and breaks away in half without much fuss , it has been made well and is fresh too ! So we all spent the next few minutes trying to ‘break’ our scones , twisting our faces into weird construed frowns and scaring the staff in general 😉

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That is Emily putting her scones to the test ! @emily_etc

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I gave up after a while resigning to the fact that trying not to die of Hayfever was already too much work for me. I decided to also focus on the other sweet treats that came with the warm scones  – Fruit Cakes, Mini Chocolate Eclairs , Lemon Drizzle Cake, Lemon Curd  and the very tempting Mini Strawberry Tarts.

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It was one of those blogger meets where all the bloggers who came were really were friendly and conversation flowed easily . Each one followed the others on twitter and instagram and on other vitual spaces all this while sharing our foodie adventures.

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L R – : @MyDailyDose8 ,Ele – @cakeoverworld and Snita – @herfavfood

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Far Right : @Mitzie8cake

I quite agree with what the Food & Drink Guide 2014 has to say about the  Boyds Brasserie :

‘Unashamedly British, Boyds delivers quality food and service in opulent surroundings, with a nod to its Victorian heritage, but with none of the stuffiness that might imply. After just one visit to the buzzy bar, glamorous lounge and relaxed modern restaurant, I can promise you’ll fall in love and become a regular guest of this superb restaurant.’

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No wonder then that they have just won the OpenTable Diners’ Choice Award for the third time in four months!

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Last but definitely not the least came these cute mini ice creams – I didn’t dare try one though…took all of me to stop myself from devouring these treats !

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By the time we left the sun had set on London and there was a pleasant much needed breeze waiting to greet me as I stepped out in the chaos before being swallowed up by the evening crowds heading into the tubes , everyone in a rush to get home .

I kept smiling to myself seeing the voucher in our goody bag with an invitation for a dinner for two at the Boyds Brasserie .

Curious to explore more options for Afternoon Tea in London? Why not browse through my blog and read about my experiences in various places:

*With  thanks to  Square Meal for the invite and to Boyds Brasserie for hosting us. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review . All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

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