La Cachette! (Take Five)

Guess who's back, back again! You know you love it and just because I go to the same place doesn't mean I don't try to have different things, I do try! This time round there were some particularly yummy things on the menu and it was quite hard to choose what to have.

For starter I went for scallops with asparagus, jersey royal potatoes, a bacon crumb and a hollandaise sauce. I'm always loathed to go for the scallops because on the early bird menu it's a £3 or £5 surcharge I can never remember which I think is a bit excessive. But when I have it I'm always glad when I do because they're so delicious! This time round I got three huge scallops which were cooked beautifully and were soft and tasty and the bacon crumb was delicious as well and went really nicely with the scallops. I don't like jersey royals so I left those but the asparagus was nice and I like the fact that they were thin sticks as I normally have big, fat pieces of asparagus. The sauce was incredible! Creamy and tasty and it really brought everything together. Portion size was perfect and I couldn't fault it, other than the potatoes which isn't really a fault just because I don't like them.

My main was lamb epigramme with dauphinoise potatoes, pea puree, pimento and capers. This was super delicious but I think that I'd have preferred it as a starter rather than a main, I don't know why but I just do. The epigramme itself was like a fishcake but with lamb, shredded lamb coated in breadcrumbs. It was really nice but a little dry so I'd have preferred a thicker sauce to go with it. The potatoes were delicious! Crispy on the top but soft and buttery and they went really nicely with the lamb and moistened it up a little bit. The pea puree was very good and the was plenty of it. I've never properly tried pimento (pimentos, I have no idea) before and I was a real fan. They were vinegar-y and added a different flavour and texture to the dish which went well with the lamb.

Chocolate moooooousse! Loved this! To give it its full name it was a chocolate and salted caramel mousse with creme fresh jellies and roasted banana. The chocolate mousse was really creamy and full of chocolate flavour. When you hit the centre there was a soft salted caramel centre which went perfectly with the chocolate and there was just the right amount, except there was more mousse than one person could handle. If it was half the size then the portion would have been perfect. The banana was sweet and it had crystallised on the top so it had a crunch. The texture of the jellies was interesting and I liked the inclusion as it was a fresh yet creamy. I'd definitely polish this off all over again!

La Cachette! (Take Three)

Another trip home means another visit to La Cachette and another great meal! You know the drill let's just get into it. For a while now I've been meaning to try the rabbit pie but because I've been having the Beef Wellington for main I left it, so today was the day. This was so delicious! The rabbit was tender and melted in the mouth and went perfectly with the sauce. There were chunks of carrot underneath which were nice and sweet and the pastry was thin and not overtaking. Perfect portion size, gorgeous flavours, what more can you ask for?

Next up for main I had partridge which I chose because I've never tried it before. This was one of the best mains that I've ever had, not just here but anywhere. It came with creamed cabbage, chorizo and fried polenta. The polenta was to die for, crispy on the outside but soft in the centre and the creamed cabbage was out of this world. It was so tasty, seasoned to perfetction, and the fact that the creaminess was just right made it even better. The partridge was delicious as well and everything went really nicely together. I wasn't too bothered about the chorizo as I found it hard to cut but the flavour was good and I'd definitely have it again.

Finally onto pudding. By the time it'd got to dessert I was stuffed so I went for one scoop of almond and praline ice cream. It was really tasty, sweet, not too almond-y and the little chunks of almonds made it super great. I'm never normally an ice cream person but I really enjoyed this, a little something to end a fantastic meal on.

The Old Mill! (Take Two)

Bring on the Easter Holidays and all the food it has to offer! Hooray! This Easter Sunday the family decided to go out and we took a trip to The Old Mill in Brighouse (which is a Chef and Brewer to anyone who doesn't live in the area). I've been a fair few times and I really enjoy it, but we encounter problems when there's more than four people as they can't seem to deal well with big parties. I understand that with a lot of people it means that the wait for food will be extended a little but the gap between the starter and the main was bordering on an hour and by the time it came I wasn't really that bothered about it (it didn't help that I've contracted an illness from my Spain trip but more about that on Friday). Anyway for an upmarket chain pub it was pretty alright so let's jump into the food.

For starter I had something from the special April seafood menu which was a Smoked Salmon Bubble and Squeak. This was very delicious. The hollandaise sauce was delicious, I was told it had split but it didn't impact the flavour. and the smoked salmon was to die for. Recently I've become a big fan of bubble and squeak and this didn't disappoint. There was much of a cabbage flavour but the taste was good all the same. The only thing that let this dish down was the fact that the yolk in the poached egg was hard, like a rock, and because I don't really like a hard yolk I gave this away to someone else. The dish didn't miss it but it wouldn't have been a nice addition.

Now onto the main. Our first problem lied with the fact that what I originally wanted, the Luxury Fish En Croute, was unavailable meaning I had to pick something else from a menu that on that day I wasn't overly inspired by. You know when you really have your heart set on something so much that anything else is just kind of average, this was one of those times. I eventually went for the Belly Pork and it was okay. It was cooked very nicely with a soft but crispy top. The mashed potatoes were alright and I don't really understand why there was half and apple of the side of the plate. However, the star of the show was the sweet and sticky cabbage. It was delicious and full of flavour which kind of redeemed the meal a bit.

I don't mean to be slagging off the meal because I had a great time and the food was good but a mixture of a never ending illness and lack of Fish En Croute meant it wasn't my best trip out. I'm holding out hopes for my next visit though!

La Cachette! (Take Two)

Another La Cachette post coming at you today, can you tell it's one of my favourite places for food. Let's get straight into the starter and I had smoked salmon with a crab risotto ball and an orange sauce. This is one of the best starters I've ever had, and I know that's a bold statement but it was simply delicious. The salmon was soft and melted in the mouth and was full of flavour. The orange sauce complemented everything beautifully and was sweet but had a little bit of tang. The star of the dish however was the crab risotto ball. Crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, it was full of crab flavour and melted in the mouth. One was just enough but I could've eaten a bowl of just these. The portion size was perfect and I'd have to say it was an all round perfect starter!

Being the boring so and so that I am, I went for exactly the same main that I had last time. I can't help it, beef wellington just sucks me in! If you want to see my thoughts on this dish then I wrote about it in my last La Cachette post here.

I've always wanted to have a proper tarte tatin so I jumped at the chance when I saw it on the menu. The extra 15 minutes cooking time was definitely worth the wait and it was super delicious. The apples were soft and sweet and the pastry was thin and crispy yet soft and sticky. The creme freche sorbet went well with the rest of the dish, sweet but light. So my dream was fulfilled and an overall success!

New Years Resolutions

I've never really been one to make New Years Resolutions until recently because I never had the drive to carry them through. To be honest I still don't have the drive but I'm determined to carry it through! Last year I said that I was going to be more organised and even bought myself a diary, but as per it didn't last very long. THIS year I'm doing a slightly different resolution. For christmas I got two cooking books and my plan is to cook most of the recipes from each. Who knows, I might be on the next series of bake off (or not but a girl can dream). So watch this space because this year I might actually come through on a resolution!

Happy New Year!