Train time treats - Sweet potato and chorizo pasties

Onion, garlic, sweet potato and peas cooked with crispy chorizo lightly spiced with (I think allspice, cinammon, paprika, black pepper, cumin, turmeric and coriander and cayenne pepper), wrapped in pastry and baked in the oven...served over the train table with banana beers on the way to Edinburgh to see Bonobo and The Hidden Orchestra.

Vegetable stir-fry with coconut noodles

Courgette, pepper, carrot, red onion, ginger, garlic and soy sauce with coconut fried noodles

Prawn Gumbo with Fried Bananas

A sort of African/American risotto with pepper, courgette, tomato, prawns, and spices, notably all spice chili and paprika, with some pan fried banana for sweetness. There didn't seem to be a gumbo recipe that had any of the same ingredients so we just made it up as we went along!

Ham, cheese & egg salad

A big salad for lunch with ham, goat's cheese, boiled eggs, mixed leaves, tomatoes and a honey and mustard and fresh garden herb dressing.

Moules Indienne with Curried Wedges

Mussels in a fragrant spiced sauce with Indian spiced potato wedges.

Nachos del casa

Nachos with our classic house recipe - tortillas tossed in special sauce (ketchup, tomato puree, paprika, mixed herbs, black pepper and sweet chilli sauce), with pimento olives and cheddar, all put under the grill until nice and meltey...mmm. Served with a banana beer for Ellie and a Humpty Dumpty brewery beer from Norfolk for Hamish, nice and hoppy, yum!

Raspberry, cardamon and brandy cream pots

Digestive biscuit base, topped with whipped cream infused with cardamon syrup, brandy and raspberry juice, topped with crushed raspberries and sweetened cardamon pieces. The addition of the cardamon made for a really interesting twist to otherwise traditional flavours.

Creamy chicken and tarragon stew

Chicken thighs from the farmers' market expedition cooked with onions and carrots, stock, cream and a load of tarragon, served with roasted balsamic beetroot on a nest of caramalised carrots and spinach. Gin and tonic with raspberry on the side!

Post-talk curry

After an evening of interesting talks at the Velvet and Silk Cafe (where we got a complimentary bag of chips) we were still a bit peckish so rustled up a nice mushroom and spinach curry, made with onion and mustard seeds, garam masala, cinnamon and tomato juice, served with some pakoras and samosas.

Shepherd's pie

A slightly different slant on the traditional recipe, we combined onions, garlic, lamb mince, tomato puree, chopped tomato, tobasco, lea na dperrins, HP sauce (key ingredient to perk it up) and red wine to give a nice rich sauce, layering it with spinach and topping with mashed potato.

Welsh cakes

Following a Mary Berry recipe, these welsh cakes made for a delicious afternoon tea. We of course added extra mixed spice, to give a bit extra flavour...

Zesty Mediterranean Seafood with Polenta

Salmon fillet and prawns cooked in a lemon and chilli sauce, with red onions, peppers, garlic and courgettes (cooked seperately to get nice and browned), served with slices of pan seared polenta.

Thai carrot, parsnip and noodle soup

Cooking the carrot, parsnip and onion until soft, we then added fresh red chilli, cumin, coriander and crystallised ginger and syrup, then added stock, coconut milk and noodles and left to simmer. Garnished with fresh coriander.

Jaeger Schnitzel

Pork chops in a creamy mushroom, onion and mustard sauce, served with chips, peas and spinach. Using tinned mushrooms from Lidl really gave an authentic German taste and texture.

Ostrich meatballs with stir-fry

We went to the farmers' market and happened upon a man selling ostrich products...heralded as a very healthy meat, it certainly had a nice gamey flavour and was very lean, with no fat running out at all when cooked. We combined it with a vegetable and noodle stir-fry, with a mild peanut, coconut, ginger and coriander sauce.

Afternoon tea

A classic Victoria sponge rendered less classic by the realisation that you can't whip single cream...making it more of a pudding, but no less delicious. We used blackcurrant jam instead of the more traditional raspberry too.

Japanese style pork

Pork chops marinaded in Teriyaki sauce with garlic, ginger and fresh coriander, served with rice, peppers and broccoli seasoned with rice vinegar. Simple but delicious, a new venture into Japanese style cooking (authentic or not!).

Homemade Pizza!

This could be the best pizza we've ever had, beats the 'authentic' Italian hands down! Trying out the bread maker 'pizza mode' for the first time, we added turmeric, paprika, dried chilli, black pepper and mixed herbs to the dough mixture, to give a really flavoursome and colourful base, then, once the dough was ready topped it with a mixture of ketchup, tomato puree, sweet chilli sauce, herbs and spices, red onion, peppers, mushroom, anchovies and parmesan. The fresh adulterated dough was amazing, transforming a usually culinarily boring meal into a gourmet feast!

Mediterranean Lamb & Potato Dish

A bit like moussaka but with potatoes replacing the aubergines, and no yoghurt/egg topping, we added Moroccan style spices and some dried fruit to the tomato sauce, to keep it interesting.

Venison Sausage and with Mash with a Juniper Berry Jus

Venison sausages served with mash, butternut squash and courgettes, and a juniper, red onion, redcurrant and red wine gravy.

Middle Easterny coucous

Couscous with red onion, tomato, fresh coriander, peppers, raisins and green raisins, infused with spices and a but of chorizo for a nice twist.

Veggie Burgers

These veggie burgers were made with chopped up chickpeas, spring onions and mushrooms with fresh coriander, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, chilli, black pepper, celery salt and a bit of cinnamon, pan fried and served in buns with mayo and chilli sauce, chips and salad.

Yet another fatties' drop scones!

A weekend brunch of drop scones with bacon and bananas drizzled with honey, served with fresh coffee and juice.

Mexican rice dish

 Chicken, peppers, butterbeans, tomato and greens with Mexican style spices served with cervezas

Salad nicoise and beer!

Tuna, egg, red onion, lettuce and rocket topped with a honey and mustard viniagrette, served with Roisin beer.

Pesto pasta with a twist

Fast becoming a luncheon staple, fusilli with green pesto, various seeds, raisins, pimento olives, tabasco, black pepper and topped with rocket and parmesan...full of flavour and heat.

Butternut squash and chorizo risotto

Butternut squash and chorizo risotto served with rocket and parmesan, simple and delicious

Vegetable Quiche

Leek, mushroom and pepper quiche simply served with boiled potatoes (with olive oil and sea salt flakes), and salad with rice vinegar.

Fancy KFC

Chicken breast fillet, coated in egg, then breadcrumbs with paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, turmeric and mixed herbs, pan fried until nice and crispy. Served with homemade wedges, veg and a spicy salsa.

Spanishy stew

Aubergine, chick pea, red onion, olive, pepper, chorizo and tomato stew served with fruity couscous.

Roasted pork

A pork shoulder stuffed with garlic and herbs, served with roast potatoes, carrot and parsnips, broccoli and peas, and a redcurrant and red wine gravy.

Mushroom burgers!

Grilled mushrooms topped with cheese, herbs and black pepper served with rolls, Hellmann's mayonaise, spinach and red pesto was an incredibly satisfying veggie-feast.

Spinachy scrambled eggs on toast

A very nice departure from the norm, the addition of wilted spinach to scrambled eggs with mustard, black pepper and mixed herbs, served on homemade bread with the last of Aunt Vi's spiced apple chutney made for an excellent easy breakfast.

(Not quite) Full English

Good sausages, herb-paprika fried eggs, herby mushrooms and Hamish's famous barbecue baked beans...served with bloody Mary (minus the vodka), tropical juice and mugs of tea!

Unidentified noodles

We've been a bit slack on the uploads and now can't quite remember what this was...seems to be a vegetable and fish noodle dish in a lime/ginger/coconut/chili sauce?

Roast veg and fruity couscous

Following a hefty brunch we had good old roasted veg (left-over chipolatas thrown in for good measure) served with a spiced, fruity couscous.

Big fatty drop scones!

Lack of bread means drop scones served with chipolatas and maple syrup (we think we went and did some mountain biking afterwards to balance it out!)

Pasta and pears

A simple but delicious pasta, made with red pesto, pepperoni, peppers and spinach swiftly followed by pears with a mars-bar sauce (we had a cupboard clear-out!) which was surprisingly good. Served with a shot of homemade raspberry vodka!

Dutch Apple Cake

A deliciously moist apple and raisin cake warmly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and served with coffee ice cream!

Moules Normandes with Homemade herby wedges and salad

Mussels cooked in a bacon, onion, mushroom, apple, cream and white wine sauce (it's supposed to have Calvados in but we didn't have that, tasted great anyway!) served with wedges with lots of mixed herbs, black pepper and paprika, little gem lettuce and balsamic dressing. Quite a little treat - £17.40 per serving at the Belgian Monk, £2.50 each here, ha!