REVIEW: Daylesford Organic, Marylebone

From the iconic Daylesford farm down in Gloucestershire comes the lovely Daylesford Organic cafe and restaurant in Marylebone. Perfectly suited to the Marylebone crowd, Daylesford is nestled between boutique home and clothing shops, well-known restaurants The Natural Kitchen and Le Pain Quotidian and numerous bars and pubs. Lucky for Daylesford then that the trend for healthful food has moved from the reserve of the 'tree-huggers' and into the luxury, effortlessly assuming them high price points and excellent quality food.



But hey, that all seems rather negative doesn't it? I visited Daylesford farm earlier this year and was struck be several things. Firstly how damn expensive everything was, from the carrots to the whole beef joints roasted to perfection, and secondly how damn delicious everything was. Yes, we pay for quality and when you're getting the best quality raw ingredients and hence the best quality meals, you quite rightly should be looking at a higher price point. Right?

As the name suggests Daylesford Organic produce is all organic and excellently farmed to the highest standards. The restaurant in Marylebone has a film on loop that display's the farms incredible work and the little shop boasts a selection of their produce. The food is beautifully presented in a modern way and the marble detailing throughout gives a truly luxe feel. That said (and all of my above comment said), we never once felt intimidated or unwelcome at Daylesford. Perhaps this is because I was visiting as press, but for me the restaurant has a homely and comforting feel. The staff throughout are incredibly sweet and polite, with an indepth knowledge of the menu and accompanying wines. The manager Anna even treated me to a tour of the shop, showing me each of their best sellers and the story behind each cheese. Now that was a winning touch.

We began our lovely meal with chic salads - haha, I hear you say. The beef carpaccio was littered with a rich shredded cheese and lemon peel, whilst the broad beans and bitter leaves helped to balance the dish. The warm scotch egg salad with Iberco ham was also very tasty with salty and fatty notes from the ham. Sadly the scotch egg wasn't dripping with yolky goodness, but there you go.



For mains I chose the special of stone bass with heritage tomatoes. Don't be fooled that is literally what you get; fish and tomatoes. That said it is very tasty with sweetness coming from the fish and the tomatoes. Married with a side of boiled new potatoes this made a healthy and tasty meal. The steak, however, stole the show. This big hunk of meat was perfectly, I mean perfectly, cooked rare without blood pouring across the plate, and decorated with charring marks from the grill. To this we added potatoes wedges which were fine.  


We ended our meal with dessert - ground breaking I know. I opted for the strawberry trifle which was incredibly reminiscent of childhood but clearly not made from packets. The sweet-as strawberries gave the majority of flavour but the custard was also good. The NEMESIS cake was almost unbearable; chocolate to the extreme is how it was described and this is quite accurate. Though we struggled to finish the pudding, we did so like that fat kid off-of Matilda; in the end we were feeling sick but very happy.

Overall, yes I would recommend visiting Daylesford Marylebone. Go for supper on a week night for a family-esque experience and enjoy the delights of the open kitchen - no swearing or shouting here! 

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VIDEO: What I Ate Wednesday, Episode 3

What I Ate Wednesday - Episode 3. Today we indulge in not one, but TWO meals out at We Grill and the Fika Crayfish Party with May from Red Velvet London. Enjoy!

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RECIPE: Vegan Chilli with Lettuce Wraps

Chilli is one of those dishes that people love and it's unbelievably easy to make. That said, the traditional chilli con carne can be really unhealthy. I remember when I was younger my Mum would serve my Dad a shit-tonne of boiled to death white rice with ladles of high-fat beef mince chilli. Not to hate on my Mum but that's what my Dad would eat in one sitting!

Since becoming more health conscious and enjoying vegan food more than meat-based dishes, I have been keen to take my favourite dishes and update them for my health-focussed lifestyle. Today's recipe ditches the rice and instead uses whole lettuce leaves to create 'cups'. I guess this dish is a mix of chilli and tacos, but hey either way it's delicious.

Of course you can swap in any veggies you feel like but I adore how many veggies we packed into this dish. Who needs meaty plates full of carbs when you can have this?

Ingredients - Serves 2

• 1 white or red onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1/3 red cabbage finely shredded
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup frozen sweetcorn
• 1 tin of kidney beans
• 1 tin of chipped tomatoes
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• 2 whole baby gem lettuces with the leaves taken off
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp of paprika (smoked if possible)
• 1 tsp of chilli powder (more if you're feeling brave)

Method

• Start by gently frying the onion off in a little oil. Add in the carrots and shredded red cabbage and gently sweat those down until they start to soften. If you want to add meat then this is the time, allowing it to brown.
• Add the spices and allow to fry for 1 minute to release the aromas then stir into the veggies.
• Chuck in the kidney beans and chopped tomatoes then turn down to a summer for 10 minutes. 
• Add in the peas and sweetcorn for 3-4 minutes.
• Arrange your lettuce leaves in a fan then ladle on your vegan chilli. Top with chopped spring onions for a touch of freshness.
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FITNESS: 1Rebel, Liverpool Street

I am currently on my flight back from Paris when this post goes live, so hopefully it actually appears on screen!

1Rebel is one of London's hottest fitness studios, despite the fact it only offers two classes - Ride and Reshape. 1Rebel was founded by James Balfour, the son of Fitness First owner Mike Balfour. Determined to create something completely different to Fitness First, Balfour junior made 1Rebel the gym for people who hate gyms. From its luxury changing facilities to state of the art equipment, 1Rebel is an experience not just a work out. 

Image from GQ.

I have experienced both classes and trust me, they kick your ass. There's no calming yoga or low intensity exercises here. 1Rebel is about getting the most bang for your buck and achieving results quicker than you could have imagined. Classes range from 30 to 45 minutes of what feels like torture and always end with a sweat drench stretch off to help heal your muscles. After that you can wander on over to the stunning changing rooms and indulge in GHD hair dryers and straighteners, complementary hair spray, cleanser, toner, moisturiser and body lotion and even manicures once a month.

But before we all start dreaming of the spa-like changing rooms, lets get down to the classes. For £10 a session you can chose from Ride or Reshape. Ride is essentially a spinning class on crack. Using state of the art bikes and clip-in shoes for added support, the 45 minute session is perfectly timed to the curated playlists. From hill climbs to speed races, the class feels like it ends so quickly but there is always a next-day burn. 1Rebel also offers Live Rides, where you spin to live music - i.e. its like being at da club but on a bike. 

Reshape on the other hand is a full-throttle bootcamp experience. I compare Reshape to Barry's Bootcamp but smaller. Although I am torn between which class I prefer, 1Rebel definitely has the upper hand when it comes to their lunchtime Reshape classes. These 30 minute sessions and broken into six 5 minute segments, swapping between treadmills and Rebel Boxes containing weights. I generally start on the treadmill working through hill climbs (they are hell), sprints and dynamic mode racing. The floor section of the workout features heavy weight lifting, planks, crunches, burpees, frogees and so many more torture-like moves. Although this all sounds very painful it really does go by so fast and the results are amazing - just make sure you hit the showers after your workout!

Let me know if you head to 1Rebel anytime soon. Lunchtime classes also come with a complementary juice or smoothie from the in-house Roots & Bulbs bar.
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VIDEO: What I Ate Wednesday, Episode 2

Hurahh! I am back with another What I Ate Wednesday video. Today I'm eating mostly vegetables and fruits with protein coming from prawns, turkey and quinoa. Oh and way too much coffee! Enjoy

BLOG: theyoungdomesticgoddess.co.uk

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REVIEW: We Grill, Leadenhall Market

I am actually writing this review live whilst eating at the wicked-cool We Grill in Leadenhall Market. I cannot believe that in almost 5 years of living in London I have never visited Leadenhall Market - it's amazing! Though quintessentially English, the area reminds me of the covered markets and out-door eateries of France. All the above said, We Grill reminds me of neither English or French food. Specialising in, well kebabs, We Grill serves up skewers with a range of mixed salads  - and by this I do not mean sad salad leaves and the odd cucumber.

The queue at times is literally out the door and you can see why. Tarek, who owns and runs the place, has more enthusiasm than I have ever seen from a restaurant owner. He greets and loves each customer that comes through the door, knows his menu inside out and ensures a speedy service each time. Everyone from suited-and-booted local office workers through to little old me with my Macbook and large appetite is here in this beautiful space. Prices start from £2.50 (BARGAIN!!) and you will wait around 2-3 minutes for a freshly cooked lunch. 

I opted for the halloumi, tomato and courgette skewer. The halloumi cheese was (or rather is) incredibly soft and sweet, with a melt-in the moth texture that you keep coming back to. It has a gentle chipotle and lime seasoning which gives the skewer a kick of spice. The courgette ribbons and whole cherry tomatoes have a gentle roast to them meaning they have bite but are not raw - which would be quite jilting against the warming halloumi.

On the side I opted for a gorgeous red rice and red quinoa pot. This includes plump dried cranberries, butternut squash, curry and ginger spicing and a sweet maple dressing. I mean, when you order a side salad at ANY restaurant you do not expect this level of healthful food! Although the salad is cold it is actually quite refreshing and the flavours of the curry and ginger work nicely with my warm halloumi skewer.

The final verdict? Go here. Go here now. Keep going and never stop. Seriously this is an awesome lunch location and is bursting with fresh, delicious dishes to excite any diner. Kiss goodbye to your sad Pret sandwich or Tesco salad, We Grill is the place to be. Take away and seating-in is available. 
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REVIEW: Vapiano, Soho

Like many Brits I adore Italian food. Until recently it was the top foreign food that we ate in this country and although we have moved on from spaghetti growing on trees our love for Italian food is still strong. Vapiano is an Italian restaurant with locations across London that brings a fun twist to this homely cuisine.

If you've visited Vapiano before then you'll understand what I am getting at. Vapiano operates a canteen-style restaurant where there is no table service and you are completely in control of your dish. You can select your pasta type (and even the grain it comes from), your toppings, dressing on your salad and any additional extras you can think of. On top of this fully customisable meal, Vapiano uses a card-scanning system for payment. Think of it like contactless payment. Each guest is given a card which they scan at the food points or bar when you purchase a dish or drink. At the end of your meal you simply pay the balance at the reception desk. Not only does this avoid splitting the bill between guests, it means that you are in control of each dish and drink you select - avoiding the up-selling that happens when you order with table service. 

Here are some top facts about Vapiano:

• Vapiano UK serves an average of 27,000 customers a week between the 3 London locations
• Top selling pasta dishes: Carbonara, Scampi e Spinaci and Salsiccia con Fichi
• Top selling pizzas: Calzone and Pesto con Spinaci
• Top selling salad: Fresh Spinach, Strawberries, Goat’s Cheese, Red Onions, Pine Nuts and Homemade raspberry Maple Dressing
• It takes 3 minutes to make a simple pasta dish such as Arrabbiata
• It takes 8 minutes to make a pizza
• 7 dolcis are made daily including: Tiramisu, Panna Cotta and Baked Cheesecake
• A chef can cook an average of 30 pasta dishes in an hour- cooking two pasta dishes at a time
• Great Portland Street guests consume the leaves off 300 basil pots a week 

Where

Vapiano, Soho

When

Thursday evening, from 7:30

What we ate

• Red mullet and mango salad
• Bruschetta with tomatoes and mozzarella
• Spelt spaghetti with beef fillet and spring vegetables
• Tagliatelle with king prawns and a tomato sauce
• Tiramisu

What we drank

• Lunetta Prosecco (sweet) 

Highlights

• I really like the system at Vapiano. It avoids the 'can we split the bill' drama at the end of the meal and really makes the whole experiment relaxed and informal
• The main restaurant space is bright and airy with plenty of green trees and fresh plants dotted around
• The red mullet was sweet and crisp on top of the salad and freshly grilled at the counter
• The bruschetta was nice and crisp with a tonne of fresh, milky mozzarella on the top. This classic combination was really refreshing. 
• Alex's dish of prawn tagliatelle with a tomato sauce was sweet, spicy and moorish. The cheese topping helped give the dish a silky and velvet like finish.

Lowlights

• There was no where near enough mango in the red mullet salad which was disappointing. Towards the end I was just left with light green leaves in a dressing. 
• I found my spelt pasta to be a little too Al dente (but hey I'm not Italian) and the sauce a little watery. That said there was a good ratio of meat and vegetables. 

Overall

I would recommend visiting Vapiano for a relaxed meal with friends or a catch up with your colleagues. The relaxed atmosphere really suits a mid day meal but when the lights come down for dinner Vapiano's Soho location is a great dinner spot before drinks. 

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VIDEO: What's In My Fridge?

Good Morning! Yes this post is going live a little alter than my normal 8am updates, but hey - I'm off work and I love a lie-in. For me next video I am sharing what is in my fridge. I love seeing what's in people's bags and make-up bags, and the what's in my fridge tag is clearly the foodie equivalent. Enjoy my nosy friends!

What the video here

The age old tag: What's in Fridge. Discover the fruits and veggies I eat everyday plus some surprising treats! 
BLOG: theyoungdomesticgoddess.co.uk

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BOOK REVIEW: Eat Nourish Glow, Amelia Freer

I've not done a book review before despite being an avid collector of cookbooks. My shelves are packed with health orientated tomes, hearty home cook books and the occasional celebrity chef. Today I wanted to share my thoughts on Amelia Freer's wonderful book Eat Nourish Glow.

Freer has been getting a lot of attention recently in the press, especially around her celebrity 'transformations'. Sam Smith is an avid follower of her system and I must say I am completely sold on it to. Freer keeps things simple: eat to nourish your body and glow on the inside and outside. 

The book is separated into 11 chapters, 10 of which are her 'tips' on how to eat, nourish and glow. Rather than a simple list of tips, Freer breaks down her points into 5-10 pages of detailed nutritional information which explain her point excellently. 

We start with the fridge refresh, which reminded me of the start of Madeline Shaw's Get The Glow (review coming soon). Freer advises what foods to get rid of (anything processed, containing sugar, gluten etc), and what to replace them with. I found this section really helpful as its all good throwing everything out but without direct replacements things can get confusing. For example replacing white flour with brown rice flour or coconut flour, looking to non-gluten grains such as quinoa and amaranth, and even sugar alternatives.  

As with PURE by Sarah Cadji, Freer makes note of the importance of falling into the fruit sugar trap. According to Freer (and most other health writers) the body doesn't see fruit sugar any differently to other sugars. The 'natural' fructose in fruits still causes blood sugar spikes although they may be less extreme. Freer also points to lower GI fruits such as green apples as a go-to if you want fruit snacks and that eating fruits alongside a complete meal helps to slow down the sugars release into the bloodstream. 

The book closes with Freer's thoughts on exercise. I appreciate that she explains like food exercise should be taken mindfully and that excessive intense exercise will do more harm than good. In a world where we all reminded daily of how amazing our bodies could look if we live in the gym Freer's words are a refreshing approach.

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VIDEO: What I Ate Wednesday, Episode 1

My first foodie vlog! Today I talk about what I ate this Wednesday, a really popular tag on YouTube and one of my favourite videos to watch. Enjoy!

P.S For my blog viewers, I totally forgot dinner! I got really drunk and ate Dominos pizza - don't judge!

What the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt14oJzLKfw

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REVIEW: Yauatcha, Broadgate Circle

Situated in the heart of the city of London, Yauatcha City is the latest addition to the Hakkasan Group’s portfolio of Chinese restaurants. Based on the dim sum tea houses of China, Yauatcha City offers an all-day dining experience for the local city folk and keen foodies like me. The original London Yauatcha gained its first Michelin star within a year of opening and has maintained it ever since, so visiting the new Yauatcha City location was always going to be a magical experience.

Joined by May from Red Velvet London, we wined and dined on some of the best Chinese food I have ever eaten. I’m scared to say that the dim sum very, VERY, narrowly topped that which I ate at Hakkasan (aside from the duck and pumpkin rolls, they were something else), but the differences between Hakkasan and Yauatcha are quite notable. Yauatcha has a much more modern, clean feel to the restaurant with a Western influence to the service. The waiting staff were polite and subtle in their approach, except the sommelier who was encouraging me to down my cocktails and start on the wine. Safe to say, the night ended with me asleep on a bus.  

Anyway onto the review! Just as a disclaimer I was invited by the PR team at Yauatcha to visit for a review. My meal was paid for but all opinions here are my own. Thank-you to May for providing a selection of images for this post. 

Where

Yauatcha City, Broadgate Circle

When

Wednesday evening, 8pm-12am

What we ate

• Starters: Black pepper and Wagyu beef dumpling (黑椒和牛蒸餃), Scallop shui mai (帶子釀燒賣), Char siu bun (蠔皇叉燒包), Har gau (筍尖鮮蝦餃). 
• Mains: Truffle pork belly rib (黑菌花腩骨), Crispy sweet and sour seabass (酥炸糖醋海鱸魚), Egg fried rice with long bean (豆角蛋炒飯), Gai lan with oyster sauce (芥蘭菜), 
• Desserts: Pomegranate yoghurt, Cassis and violet grand macaron

What we drank

• Cocktails: White Lady cocktail (Gin, Triple Sec, Lemon Juice, Sugar Syrup, Egg White), Mai Tai cocktail (Bacardi Rum, Orange Curacao Liqueur, Lime Juice, Almond Syrup, Sugar Syrup)
• Wine: Sylvaner ‘Sylvacello’, Cave de Turckheim 2012 (White, Alsace)

Highlights

• Throughout our time at Yauatcha we were treated with respect and given the best service.
• Our cocktails were really inventive as we asked the barman to surprise us. I have never drunk egg whites and this is something I would definitely do again.
• The dim sum at Yauatcha was exemplary. May is from a Chinese background as applauded the dim sum we were served but also pointed out the regional differences she had experienced. The venison puff (which was not on the online menu) was absolutely delicious with a great mix of rich flavours and light pastry. The char sui bao were pillowly soft and packed with gorgeous pork meat in a light sauce.  May laughed at me for dipping my bao in soy sauce!
• The scallop shui mai and har gau were both soft and sweet with an extremely thin pastry and delicious filling. I was expecting the scallop to be chopped rather than in large slices but either way it was great.
• The main course of truffle pork belly rib was out of this world – seriously it was one of the best things I have ever eaten. The flavour was rich with umami, sweet, sticky and incredibly addictive. The texture of the meat was super soft and just fell apart at the touch of a spoon.

Lowlights

• I was not a fan of the sea bass. We didn’t realise this came deep fried in a batter (as you can see it just states “crispy” on the menu), and it felt a little like fish and chips. The sweet and sour sauce was nice though.
• The gai lan, despite having a lovely flavour, went cold a touch quickly so we had to gobble them up very fast!

Overall

I would thoroughly recommend visiting Yauatcha City for a special occasion meal – perhaps an anniversary or special birthday. It is rather pricey but you truly are paying for excellent quality ingredients and mastery cooking. It would be great to visit again for a dim sum tea on a Sunday afternoon as per tradition and experience the restaurant in a quieter setting.  Get the truffle pork belly rib while it’s still there! 

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What I Eat In A Day

One of my post popular posts on this blog is my Deskside Lunches piece. As an update to this today I am sharing with you what I eat in an average day. Some of my favourite videos to watch and blog posts to read is 'What I Eat Wednesday's', so perhaps I could make that a feature on here? Let me know what you think?

As you can probably imagine I try to eat as healthy as possible in a normal day, but of course I’m not perfect. Today when I am writing this post I am hungover as hell and have eaten a slice of apple pie, a rocky road, a dark chocolate and pumpkin seed cake, a chicken wrap, three coffees and a plum. Like seriously, give yourself a break if you’ve eaten foods you’d prefer not to today. It’s OK! I believe you should always do what feels right for you, and today eaten a shit load of cake felt right for me!

Onto my food menu:

Breakfast

During the week breakfast is always the same for me: homemade granola with milk (normally whole dairy milk) and chopped banana. Occasionally I will add fresh berries if we have them or a squeeze of honey if I fancy something sweet. I will also drink a green tea or cappuccino from my Tassimo machine.

Lunch

The base for my lunch is always leaves – most often this is spinach but I also love baby kale, baby leaf mixed salad, rocket and massaged kale. To this I always add avocado (half, chopped into cubes), 1 carrot (chopped) and a 1/5 of a cucumber (chopped). That’s the very very basic salad. Then I will add protein: normally this is turkey but occasionally it will be feta, chicken or egg. Finally I add carbs; this changes quite a bit. Sometimes I opt for quinoa and make a big batch at the start of the week, but other days I’ll roast sweet potato and squash, use leftovers from dinner or make a big batch of hummus as add a tablespoon to my lunch box.

Snacks

I am a serial snacker and it’s something I’m trying to kick. I read in Amelia Freer’s wonderful book that snacking is actually really bad for our digestive systems. We are not supposed to have them in full-whack all day while we shovel more food in than we need. Healthy or non-healthy, snacks are not a required part of our diet and something I would love to phase out. Here is a list of some of my favourite snacks:

• Two clementine or one large orange
• Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples
• Plums and peaches (when in season)
• Kale chips
• Popcorn (usually from Propercorn which is sold at work)
• Raisins or dried cherries
• Seed and dried fruit mixes
• Hummus and vegetable sticks
• Banana and oat cookies
• Home made granola bars
• Raw cacao and seed bliss balls
• Or…. Chocolate. 

Dinner

This varies hugely day to day, but is more often than not plant based with additional protein. My dinners can range from a vegan black bean chilli with brown rice, through to sticky pork ribs with stir fried Chinese greens. I love cooking simple meals with plenty of flavours and textures. These are not restaurant dishes by any stretch of the imagination, but I like enjoying what I eat! I do experiment, but not outside of my comfort zone. For example, my boyfriend can eat rice with ANYTHING, but I can’t imagine eating rice with crispy fish, or having pasta with soy sauce, or mayo with an omelette.

I do repeat my favourite dishes, which is not something I used to do, and mostly look to creating ‘bowls’ now. I discovered the macro bowl on Pinterest and since then I have loved creating bowls that are packed with nutritious ingredients. These will always have a ‘grain’ base such as rice or quinoa, which is then surrounded with protein, veggies, sauces and greens. Here are a few of my favourite:

• Tropical Bowl: Pineapple or mango, jerk chicken, rice, guacamole, sweetcorn, bitter leaves
• Curry Bowl: Rice base with tandoori salmon pieces, carrot pancakes, peas with mint and chilli, onion chutney
• Mexican Bowl: Chile d’Arbol chicken, rice, guacamole, sweetcorn, black beans in chilli sauce, sour cream or yogurt dressing
• Chinese Bowl: Soy and ginger pork, rice or quinoa, edamame, raw spring onion and cucumber, steamed pak choi and choi sum and sesame seeds
• Morrocan Bowl: Quinoa, hummus, roasted carrots, beetroots, squash and red pepper, tzatziki, spinach

A few of my other staple dishes are fresher takes on the classics. For example I love courgetti/ zoodles and will often replace the wheat-base noodles or pasta with courgettes. An absolutely favourite dish in my house is cougetti with basil pesto, mixed seeds and fresh peas. Roasted in the oven with a little Parmesan, this dish is insanely good. We also love a big pot supper such as a curry, stew, soup, casserole or ragu.  These are easy to make and easily paired with greens, carbs or other proteins.

I hope this article was informative! If you would like me to do a ‘What I Ate Wednesday’ please let me know. I could also look at doing this as a video – branching out I know.

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