London Trip

A month ago I visited my good friend Louise in Brixton. I'd never seen Brixton before and it was like a completely different city! I loved the multicultural, laid back people with their eccentric clothes and the fact that there were markets all over the place. Brixton village is amazing! Rows of tiny cafes and restaurants all full with people enjoying dishes from all over the world, each of them quirky and with defining character and individuality.
After a very colourful party with awesome costumes, friendly folk and not much sleep, I headed out to explore. My first stop was the closest cafe. It just happened to serve one of my favourite drinks - vanilla chai latte AND they had almond milk!! It was liquid heaven and rid me of any hangover. I watched the browsers and shoppers of the market as I supped my hot cup of comfort.

Brixton market under the bridge

Inside Brixton village.

 Next I met up with another friend, Simon and we went for some food in Brixton village. I had a spicy scrambled egg breakfast with plantain which was exciting and unusual.

Camden lock market

 Once I was hungry again, later in the day I visited Camden lock. I found a stall that served these beautiful white corn rolls filled with shredded chicken, guacomole and more plantain!

 More exploring = hungry again so popped into this vegan and gluten free bakery near Camden. They had a rockabilly style and various awards so I tried their peanut butter chocolate chip cookie which was super sweet but tasty. It lasted me three days!

Vegan gluten free peanut butter chocolate chip cookie

 A bit more exploring of Camden with the owners of numerous stalls thrusting samples of their food on a stick outwards towards passers by. I also browsed the clothes stores. I love the unique style of some of the clothing and the fact you can haggle down prices

 Last stop was the incredible InSpiral lounge. The atmosphere and vibe here is great. They're big on ethical food, everything is vegan and most of it is raw. They host dj nights and open late, makes me sad that there is nothing like this in Sheffield. I had the raw pumpkin pie which was light and festively spiced.

Canal with InSpiral lounge on the right

Camden

Already I miss the excitement and activity that London has to offer. Sheffield feels so un-happening in comparison. I do love Sheffield though, it's my home after all and I have so many things to be grateful for here.

Next trip is Scotland!! See you soon readers x

Where to eat and shop for the health conscious and speciality diets in Sheffield

I care about what I eat and I look after myself. I've not always been this responsible but I've developed this passion over the past few years. I suppose this comes from working in an organic cafe, researching  nutrition and reading blogs and magazines that promote a healthy way of living.

With my limited diet comes limited eating out choices and I'm not the only one who struggles in finding places to eat and also buy their groceries from. Hopefully this list I've compiled will help those of you in the same boat, if you know anyone with a limited diet, share this post with them and maybe they've got a few I've missed off the list. I'm always keen to discover more places.

Filthy Gorgeous
Brand new greengrocers / health food store literally two minutes from my house. What sets them apart from other health stores is the fact that they make fresh smoothies, sell organic wine AND stock products from pure on raw, including cheesecake! Wonderful! Plus they are the only place I've come across in sheffield where you can buy multicoloured quinoa!
Great for - healthy treats, chia seeds, buckwheat, unusual vegetables.

Rude Shipyard
Not a secret that this is a fav' haunt of mine, they'll always do their best to make something I can eat even if its not on the menu. Lovely quirky bookshop cafe with individual clientèle that frequent there
Great for - cd's from local artists, home made breakfasts ( the potato cakes!), wonderful staff, live music evenings.

the rude shipyard

Beanies
Beanies is run by a workers coop and stocks a variety of unusual vegetables, vegan vegetarian and wheat free produce. They are also Sheffield’s first, longest running, best quality and best value organic veg delivery scheme and they have their own blog too!
Great for - knowledgeable staff, ethical produce, organic veg, good chocolate (booja booja and montezumas)

Pure on Raw
Sheffields only raw restaurant. Their mocha pie with  clementine gelato is one of the best desserts I have ever eaten, fact. You can read my full review here.
Great for - raw macaroons, cashew cheese pizza, home made almond milk coffee

Pure on raw dishes

Zeds
Quirky little shop, always seems like they are having a move around. Located in one of my favourite areas of sheffield, very inviting with green awning and lots of fresh veg and plants outside. Inside is a mix of organic and ethical produce from incense to toothpaste, nut butters and vegan cheese. A nice shop to spend time browsing in.
Great for - raw cacao raisins, dairy free ice creams, candles, tea

Zeds in nether edge

Fanoush
I go here a couple of times a month or more. The salad boxes are packed full of tasty veg, hot fresh falafel and sauce. Full of flavour, cheap and healthy.
Great for - in house pickled turnip, fresh juices, event posters, chatty staff

Incredible Nutshell
Much brighter and friendlier since the new management and name change from "in a nutshell" here is a small and sparkly health store who stock home made fresh soup to go as well as plenty of other exciting food and ethnic gifts and jewellery.
Great for - christmas shopping, happy kitchen brownies, local honey, smoked garlic, tofu

treats at incredible nutshell

 
Saigon 68
Previously pho 68, as far as I know, only the name has changed. They do the most amazing crunchy fresh vietnamese salad with chilli and palm sugar and peanuts. Lunch time offer includes a hot bowl of noodle soup which you can have with rice noodles, delicious and you get a free tea and fruit.
Great for - huge portions, sriracha, people watching on london rd, yee kwan sorbet for pudding

The Blue Moon Cafe
Popular vegetarian late opening cafe in the city centre. Has tasty vegan cakes and gluten free ones too. The specials are wholesome and they serve organic beer and wine too. Menu doesn't change that often if at all so if you have a favourite then you can rest assured they'll have it when you visit again.
Great for - vegan ice cream, tasty jam, a plethora of notices, quirky meal names, pre-theatre dinner.

Just Natural 
I always visit here whenever I'm in crookes. I love the layout, very neat and the little wicker baskets are cute. It is rather expensive though so watch out for that. I love the self-pour raisin and nut selection.
Great for - fresh orange juice, wide variety of fruit and veg, yoghurt raisins, hipster shoppers

Heeley Farm Kitchen
Small bright cafe, located on their farm so nice for visiting after looking at the animals. Always children, always vegan options.
Great for - bringing the kids, petting the animals, the veggie chilli

heeley farm kitchen

 Otto's
 Delicious moroccan food in a busy restaurant that caters for all dietary needs.
 I recently had the fish tagine and there was plenty of tender fish, very filling with the rice.
 Great for - live entertainment, garlic mushrooms, friendly staff


So there you have my favourites. Let me know what you think and tell me yours.

Pure on Raw - Restaurant Review

Being a "health freak"-yes some people have actually used that phrase to describe me- I've dabbled in the raw preparation of food and it's something I'm a fan of so when Pure on Raw opened up, I couldn't wait to try it out. Eating food in it's freshest natural state ensures all nutrients are retained in the dish, so it's much healthier. Adding that most recipes avoid using refined carbs and sugars makes it even better and perfect for the health conscious.
I am intolerant to lactose and gluten intolerant so eating out can be very tricky.
These are a couple of reasons why I was incredibly excited to try this restaurant out..I'd be able to eat everything!

It was grey and rainy and I was searching Shalesmoor, outside of town when I saw it. From the outside it kind of looks like those protein muscle powder shake stores with it's bright pink banner and bold font that promises you can lose weight by eating here. I thought that was a bit off putting. Inside it's light and more clean with white walls and wicker lampshades. There are numerous health boosting food items for sale such as kale chips, agave syrup and raw virgin coconut oil plus pamphlets about vegans, the danger of vitamin pills plus details about the restaurant, you get the picture.

pure on raw, menu

 It took a while for the server to talk to me as she was on the phone chatting away for a few minutes, I didn't mind but it's not something I would ever do if someone walked into the cafe where I worked.
She pointed to a menu, still on the phone which I looked at. After her conversation with her phone friend, she talked me through what they had. I was impressed to see they make their own almond milk on site. I was slightly disappointed to see that they had regular "cooked" items on the menu such as banana pancakes and ciabatta sandwiches. So I couldn't eat everything. I still had plenty of choice though.

I started off with an almond milk hot chocolate whilst I waited for my friends. It was pretty good. Once my friends arrived we chatted, listened to the 90's pop classics they were playing which brought back memories (shola ama and sixpence non the richer). Rosie had a carrot, nut milk, banana and cinnamon smoothie which was almost as big as her and mike drank a cappucino with cold healthy coffee and something else, he said it was very sweet. Rosie loved her smoothie though.

Rosie with her carrot smoothie

About twenty minutes later our food arrived and the presentation was beautiful. I must admit, I've never had a cold soup in September before but once I tasted it, it was so full of flavour. It was actually one of the best soups I've ever eaten. The little "pizza" buckwheat squares with cashew cheese and nut loaf topping were really tasty too. Plus I also had my first ever kale crisps which I enjoyed more than regular crisps as I'm not much of a fan of those.

soup and "pizza"

 Rosie gave me some of her sweet pepper "pasta" which was light and also flavour packed. After I finished my main, I quickly ordered some of the mocha pie with clementine ice cream before my body registered it was full.

vegetable pasta

That dessert was seriously one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten. It was silky and rich, without being sickly and that ice cream was just beautiful. This whole meal more than made up for the dodgy sign and phone greeting!

raw mocha pie with clemetine ice cream

I can't wait to go back here again. I love their food so much, it's a shame that they are in the middle of nowhere really otherwise I think they'd do really well. I stuffed my face, ate way more than my friends and didn't feel bloated or heavy at all. I felt so energised that I walked around town for a bit then all the way home. Total bill came to £16 which isn't bad for a guilt-free treat. If anyone thinks vegan food is boring then I would love to introduce them to this restaurant. I would eat anything off their menu over a steak any day. They also open Friday and Saturday nights which makes me happy.

Food 10/10
Service 7/10
Value 8/10

Hot chocolate reviews and recipe

Recently I've become obsessed with hot chocolate...anywhere I go, I'll try their hot chocolate. A couple of months ago  I visited Madrid, their thick chocolate and churros were heavenly. You can get thick hot chocolate at Cocoa - a small independent chocolate shop on ecclesall road. I really love this shop, it's unlike any other shop I've seen in Sheffield. It's just unbelievable. You go in and just don't know where to look it's breathtaking and yes, they definitely do the best hot chocolate in Sheff.

Anyway my hot chocolate obsession has lead me to try out various hot chocolate to make at home and here are a few I've recently tried and my views on them. I've rated them out of 5.

Mortimer pure dark chocolate powder

This hot chocolate is unlike any of the others as it's actually powdered chocolate and 70% cocoa at that. Apparently it's great for cooking with. I found it had a slightly strange texture when I added it to my hot milk, kind of gloopy and didn't melt that well. Perhaps whisking would have helped with the consistency. The flavour was very rich although I added some honey to sweeten it slightly as I found it needed it. It's the most expensive of the ones I've reviewed here at 220g for £3.80.
★★★

Cadburys drinking chocolate

The texture of this is smooth, the colour is kind of grey and lighter than the others. It tastes cheap, sweet and disappointing. 500g £2.99 

★

Divine drinking chocolate

Well, Divine continues to be my favourite and it had been since I first tried it a few years ago. They've added salt which none of the others have done, this enhances the rich cocoa flavour. It melts beautifully and tastes delicious. 400g £4.00 

★★★★★

Green and blacks organic

The granule form is slightly odd but makes for easy combining with the milk. Another one lacking in sugar, maybe I'm just a sugar addict. It is organic though. It has dark slightly bitter taste with smooth texture 300g £3.59
★★★

Options hot chocolate - white choc

Something different here with this instant white chocolate variety. The initial flavour is really comforting, like a milky bar but unfortunately there is a nasty after-taste of aspartame, I guess flavour is something you have to sacrifice when you choose a 44 calories hot chocolate though. 220g £3.19
★★

Cafe direct san cristobal

This produced a lovely dark colour when finished and the flavour was lovely with the perfect amount of sweetness but it had a chalky texture that kind of made me choke a little bit, very powdery.250g £2.79
★★

Aero mint chocolate drink

 Another instant hot chocolate. This one is mint flavour, chocolate and mint is a favourite combination of mine and for an instant chocolate drink this one is very impressive. It has a foamy top with a delicious sweet minty flavour. Tastes just like the chocolate bar. 288g £3.49
★★★★


Here is a recipe for the ultimate luxurious hot chocolate - perfect for a special treat

Serves 2

• 1 mug (about 400ml) of milk (I used almond, cow is ok too)
• 1 mug coconut milk from a tin (if there is a thick layer on top, include that)
• 80g best dark chocolate - green and blacks maya gold is great here
• 1 tbsp cocoa
• 1 tbsp sugar/honey to taste
• a pinch of salt

Heat ingredients together on the hob, stirring with a wooden spoon. Pour into mugs, dollop on some whipped cream if you fancy and enjoy. Perfect for your bonfire night parties!

Eating out for less in Sheffield

Sheffield is full of places to eat, good and bad, cheap and pricey. On here I mostly talk about the good but today I'm sharing just a few of the great AND cheap bargain food and drink to be found in Sheffield. This list is mainly focused on places around nether edge, sharrow and town because they are the areas I spent 90% of my time. If you know any others please add a comment and share them with us! All food listed is fresh and made on the premises, no processed packaged food included!

For people wanting a colourful box of flavour packed healthiness then Fanoush offers a falafel salad box for £3.50. Not just any salad either - they have their own pickled turnip, a variety of hummus to choose from and delicious sauces including mango pickle and tahini. Freshly cooked falafel makes this a really satisfying meal. You can also add halloumi, cauliflower or aubergine for slightly extra. Available in City centre or London road.

If you fancy lunch on London road then Pho 68 has a great deal on lunch - a massive plate of delicious and fresh vietnamese food plus fresh fruit for dessert for only £5.90. There is a limited selection if you're veggie but the meat options are very good indeed.

Those after a hot, quick meal should head to Zoobys in the winter garden and get a home made soup for only £2! Great after a look around graves art gallery. Head down the escalator for a take away drink for only £1. You can sit outside and there is free wifi!

You'd be hard pushed to find a cheap meal in Sheffield city centre right? Wrong! Breakfast at The Blue Moon Cafe is a bargain- just today I had the softest scrambled egg with mushroom and fried potato, a perfect portion size for me PLUS a loose leaf mint tea for just £5. It wasn't on the menu but because I don't eat wheat (scrambled egg on toast there is just over £3), they were falling over themselves to offer up alternatives. You do not get service like that everywhere I guarantee that.

If you're feeling knowledgable then get yourself down to The Cremorne where you can enter the weekly quiz which includes a free bowl of rice and curry at the end for only 50p! Yes, actually 50 pence. Cheaper than the price of quizzes alone at some places. Every Monday night on London road

Love chai lattes? You are not alone, unfortunately you will struggle to find one that isn't at one of the large coffee chains and that wont set you back around £4 depending on the location. Feast on Chapel Walk offers chai latte for £1.85. They also have a selection of cakes for only £1 a piece.

For those who love a bit of spice then you'd be hard pushed to find a better meal then at Khushi on London rd. Fresh authentic Pakistani food ranging from on the bone lamb curries to saag aloo and chana dahl, plus a selection of naan and rice, salads and dips. To start you can enjoy the best masala fish I've tasted or huge bhajis, tandoori chicken wings and sheesh kebab. For as much as you can eat you only pay £7.99. Save your hunger and stuff your face here, no one will judge you. If you are lucky then you'll find sweet vermicelli pudding garnished with nuts. Its like a hug in your mouth.

Sweet toothed folk can rejoice with the fresh home made wide selection of cakes including at least one vegan option at Steel City Cakes, London rd. Any huge cake PLUS any hot drink including smooth lattes and hot chocolates for only £2.50. Thats cheaper than the price of just cake at most places!

So there you have it, my selection of tasty and fresh food at a wallet friendly price. Please add your favourite budget eateries, I'd love to hear them.

Real People's Recipes - Val's Russian Salad

It's no secret that I love trying food from other countries and discovering the history behind each dish. When I was at Val and his girlfriend Olivia's leaving party the other day, he started preparing this Russian salad and I was really interested and then I remembered I hadn't done this feature in a while so luckily he agreed to share his recipe with me and my readers. The party was amazing, the variety of food was great and I also got to try these tasty Brazilian condensed milk sweets - Brigadeiro.

Tasty traditional Brazilian sweets - like a squidgy caramel with cocoa

"The dish is called "Olivier salad" but in restaurants its usually just called a "Russian salad".

The version i usually make is vegetarian and very easy, some people add meat to it like fine chopped chicken or duck.

As its a very popular salad in Russia, I'm sure each chef makes their own special recipe. Its usually served as a garnish to a roast dinner, like they add peas to dinner in UK I guess :)

I moved to UK when I was 13. I have always been able to cook for myself, but lately I found that the only way to get the Russian cuisine was to make it. So now I find recipes for the dishes I like on the internet and then tweak it to my taste, also my mother gives me tips and cooking techniques.

In Russia many people buy fresh produce on the market or grow it themselves on allotments - so much of the cuisine is seasonal and uses local products only. Here in UK you get so much imported ingredients its easy to cook dishes from anywhere and any time of year."

Val peeling the eggs

The potatoes which are boiled whole

The delicious finished salad

Ingredients:
4 large potatoes - boiled whole then diced
2 carrots - boiled whole then diced
lots of gherkins! - diced fine
about a cup of peas  - cooked
4 boiled eggs - chopped
mayonnaise - enough to coat
fresh dill
salt and pepper

Just combine the ingredients in a bowl then serve. Didn't last long at the party, everyone loved it!

Sheffield's food scene is amazing!

I've been thinking a lot about how lucky I am to live in a city where I can enjoy incredibly delicious food from pretty much every country in the world. The variety of food available and all within thirty minutes of my house. Be it Sri Lankan, Turkish, Mexican, Vietnamese or Greek, Sheffield has it all and this makes greedy lil me very happy to call it my home.
Now don't get me wrong I love good fish and chips (despite the heartburn) but a city with no ethnic diversity, no exciting new dishes and ingredients which you can also buy on your way home from the pub at 3am, that city doesn't even bear thinking about.
The growing number of new cuisines and trends - bubble tea and frozen yoghurt anyone? - excites and delights me. I love travelling all over the world and sampling authentic local food, so returning from my travels and finding replications of these dishes cooked here in my home city fills me with pure joy and nostalgia.
So bearing all this in mind, here is a collection of my favourite places to eat that serve international food.

1.Japanese - Yama sushi - London Road
For the best and freshest sushi in Sheffield this small eatery cannot be beaten. Do not visit without trying their soft shell crab tempura. Unless you have an allergy to shellfish or something like that then yeah, it's ok you don't have to eat that.

Yama Sushi Unagi Maki and California Roll

2.Turkish - Cafe Des Amis - Chesterfield road
Lovely cafe/ restaurant in Meerbrook. Serves Turkish/ Middle eastern food and amazing breakfasts. It's very good value too. The decor is beautiful as is their chocolate "sinsation" tart - layers of chocolate mousse and chopped mars bar on a chocolate shell crust. Incredible.

Cafe Des Amis Chocolate Sinsation Tart

3. Mexican - Amigos - London road
Amigos have gone from strength to strength. I first saw them at sharrow market about 4 years ago where they had a stall, I begged them to open a shop after trying a quesadilla and they did just that. Their shiny new large restaurant on London road is busy every evening serving spicy fajitas, burritos and lots more.

Amigos Quesadilla

4. Indian - Urban Choola - London road
This is my favourite Indian restaurant in Sheffield, followed closely by East & West and then Dhanistas. Their Chilli paneer wraps are so spicy that you'll be sporting rouge lips that would give Dita von Teese a run for her money. It's owned by the same people as Amigos too, so you know they're doing something right.

Urban Choola Chicken Wings

5. International - Fusion Organic Cafe - Arundel street

I may be biased in naming this as one of my favourite eateries in Sheffield as I've worked here for four years, nevertheless I love everything about this place. From the fact that they are part of freeman college, giving real work experience to young students with learning difficulties inside the cafe, to the lovely little art and jewellery galleries alongside it. They also cater for pretty much every food intolerance and have lovely staff! (haha) If there is a special on, have it and you will not regret it.

Strawberry white chocolate cheesecake Fusion Organic Cafe

6. Italian - The Italian Kitchen - Ecclesall road
Seen as taste has closed down, my next choice for tasty Italian fare would have to be Italian Kitchen. They serve proper stone baked pizza  with a home made sauce and a wide variety of toppings. Nonna's is incredible too, great for a treat as it can be a bit pricy.

Goats Cheese Veggie Pizza at The Italian Kitchen

7. North African - Tassili - London road
With authentic Moroccan style rugs covering the walls and food baked and served in tagines, Tassili really does give diners an experience of the taste and atmosphere of being in Marrakesh! Tender squid and delicious and fresh juice are reason to visit alone, add great value and some silky aubergines and you got yourself a deal!

It was dark!! Aubergine with Potatoes at Tassili

8. Brazilian - Tropeiro - Leopold square

If you like barbecued meat and being able to eat as much as you want until your trouser button literally pings off straight into your dining companions eye then Tropeiro is the place for you. If you don't fancy getting your meat sweats on then the vegetarian food is pretty darn good. Plus the unlimited salad bar has Fejouada - that's stewed pork belly and black beans, one hell of a salad!

Waiters carve you strips from hunks of grilled meat at your table at Tropeiro

9. French - La Patisserie - Ecclesall Road
I actually couldn't think of a proper French restaurant that isn't a chain..I have a lot more exploring of Sheffield to do, if anyone can help me out here by recommending somewhere I'd appreciate that!
For now let me tell you about the rich chocolate ganache enveloped around tart raspberries baked inside a salty crispy pastry shell. Sound good? Get some.

Raspberry Torte and Baileys Cheesecake at La Patisserie

9.Vietnamese - Pho 68 - London road
A trip to pho 68 is worth it for their Vietnamese salad alone. Fine strips of carrot, beansprouts, chilli and peanuts are mixed with some other party in your mouth ingredients AND it's pretty healthy too.
They also have a great lunch time deal where it's just over a fiver for a massive plate of food with fresh fruit and tea. Do not miss out

Aubergine hotpot at Pho 68

10. Greek - The Greedy Greek - Sharrow Vale Road
I'm amazed that I haven't ever actually reviewed the legendary Greedy Greek on my blog! I've been there so many times I've lost count. No other Greek restaurant in Sheffield even compares with this place. A true Sheffield favourite. The strofilia makes me very happy.

11.Middle Eastern - Fanoush - London Road
There are no tables or chairs here, just a vast display of colours, pictures of exploding wraps containing falafel and vegetables plus posters advertising local music nights. When places specialise in one dish only, you know it's going to be good. Freshly fried falafel to order and about 10 times the salad options of any kebab shop including their own pickled turnip. Make mine a 10 inch falafel and halloumi wrap with tahini and mango pickle thanks!

Constructing my wrap at Fanoush

12.Pakistani - Kushi - Abbeydale Road
A favourite cuisine of mine for sure, what with being the food I grew up eating of course. Lucky me, I know. These guys make food just as good as my mums and if you've ever had authentic Pakistani food at someones house then you know how amazing it can be. I've never had fish masala better than these guys do it and the vermicelli pudding is like a hug. The deal breaker here is that it's literally all you can eat for under £8. Yes you read that right. Amazing.

Masala fish, saag, chana, pilau plus some other tastiness at Khushi

So here it is my list of twelve places to eat some delicious and exciting ethnic food. I know there is more and I'll probably add them at some point later on, for now though, these eateries make me very happy.  Where is your favourite??