SLABS; The Daddy Of All Crisps

 

So wondering round This Morning Live in Birmingham a few backs, I stumble upon a crisp stand. There's few things that get my attention so quickly in life, one being crisps. Cut me open, you're likely to find a third of me is made of potato.

Now, let's make this clear, SLABS aren't your average crisp. These bad boys are made from a Spanish variety of potato which make the crisp 4x bigger than your average shop bought variety. Plus they are cut super thick. So thick in fact, that they are less fatty than regular crisps because they absorb less oil during the frying process. 

 

 

It's June, with Fathers Day fast approaching, I thought what better gift for my husband than a good proper Ploughmans lunch. Maybe even a picnic by the river if it's warm enough. Pork pies, strong cheeses, apples and an 80g bag of SLABS. 

(Obviously I'm not going to go down the sexist route of 'Men's crisps'. Because crisps are crisps of course, we all love em'.)

 

But why stop at snacking? The beauty of SLABS being their size and thickness, why not try them with a topping? Smoked mackerel and mustard on Cheese and Onion? Or how about a starter of baked Camembert with a side of salted SLABS for scooping? 

 

You can buy SLABS direct from the site here. 

 

Spring Menu Tasting at The Stable Bristol

Never one to turn down the offer of free food, I got the chance to try out the Spring menu  at The Stable on Bristols harbourside. Specialising in pizzas, pies and ciders, I'm surprised I hadn't actually visited this place sooner!

 

For starters we tucked in to an amazing sharing board, full of Devonshire cured meats and West Country cheeses. The pickled cucumber was especially beautiful! 

Then it was next on to salads and pizzas. My favourites being The Big Jerk; Spicy jerk chicken with full punchy flavours and Billy the Kid; with goats cheese, spinach and roasted hazelnuts. All pizzas were wonderfully thin and crispy and generous in size. The salads were packed full of flavour, the butternut squash and feta cheese was a firm favourite in our table.

 

Next came cider tasting. With over 80 varieties on offer, I was surprised at how much knowledge the in house cider masters knew! We got to sample a selection of various types and although I'm no cider expert, I learnt a few things and found new favourites. 

 

As the evening ended, it was only right that it ended sweetly. The dessert pizza! All hail this simple yet heavenly slice of delight that has now got me ridiculously hooked. The thought of it made me shake my head. With the idea that pizza should only ever be savoury. WRONG! I'm now totally converted. Rich hazelnut chocolate sauce, mascarpone and toasted hazelnuts on a wood fired dough base is the way to win my heart. 

 

Have you tried The Stable yet? Check here to see your nearest location.

**Disclaimer; Although the meal was complimentary, all opinions are my own**

Vegan Cupcakes by 280 Bakes

This weekend I attended a small, low key hen party with some new friends. What better way to introduce yourself to a new group of people than coming armed with a box full of delicious chocolate cupcakes. Not only that, but vegan friendly too.

280 Bakes is a small, independent bakery company in Bristol that specialises in homemade cakes, particularly vegan and gluten free for a majority of their customers and pride themselves on being able to deliver on the same day of ordering. Firm favourites include their Fair trade banana loaf and chocolate peanut butter cake (omg!)

 On choosing our cakes, I went for the cupcake variety as I had to travel quite a fair distance and knew these would most likely last the best. And of course it had to be chocolate! 

 
 

 The cakes themselves were beautifully moist and full of flavour. They seemed to go down a treat! There's something so special and comforting about home made cakes rather than shop brought and it's great if you lack the spare time to make them yourself, especially when it's so simple to have them delivered to your home or work address. 

 

The 280 Bakes page can be found here where you can find many more of their Bakes on offer, and details of upcoming events in and around Bristol that they trade at x

A Sweet New Year with Ahmad Dessert Tea

With all the rich and heavy foods I've consumed over Christmas, I was feeling as stuffed as the table turkey! I certainly needed to dull the palate down a little and give my tummy a rest. As someone who's not shy of the old cakes and puds, I was delighted to sample the brand new range from Ahmad Teas that were dessert inspired.

As a fruit and green tea lover, I couldn't resist the sound of the flavours on offer.  Three being a green  tea; Mango & Lychee soufflé, Strawberry Basil Coulis, Citrus & Mint Sorbet And three black tea varieties; Strawberry Velvet Cake, Citrus & Mint Sorbet and Moroccan Orange Slice, Pear & Cinnamon Strudel.

 

I decided to try these cold as well as hot and they were so refreshing. I'm not a fan of milk or sugar in hot drinks so these were perfect for me in the morning. 

This new collection is perfect for people looking for a sophisticated everyday treat or looking to sweeten up a special occasion. The teas can be enjoyed at any time, with or without milk, as an ideal tasty and indulgent sweet treat. 

With an RRP of £4.00 per pack, Ahmad Tea's Dessert Teas, along with the full range of Loose Leaf Pyramids, are available from Ocado and www.ahmadtea.com now. 

             

   Or if you fancy winning yourself the full set of all 6 flavours, all you need to do is pop your email address in the comment box and one winner will be chosen at random. X

Bristol Foodie Festival

Today I had the pleasure of visiting the Foodies Festival in Bristol, thanks to some free tickets my husband was given.

The weather was perfect so we left home at lunch time, anticipating all the wonderful food on offer. 

First stall we shopped at was Crispy Candy Co where we had deep fried Oreos. Ah-maze-ing!! Crispy little dough balls filled with an Oreo centre that had turned warm and gooey and dusted with icing sugar. I limited myself to just the one but could of easily eaten all four in the serving. Definitely not Slimming World friendly! 

Next we headed over to Boy Meats Grill where huge slabs of beef were slowly barbecued until blackened. I opted for a juicy steak sandwich, slathered in mustard mayo and chimchuri 

We took a break from sampling foods such as fudge, artisan chocolate, infused oils, flapjack, olives, cured meats and nuts and sat and enjoyed the live music with a Pimms. 

With the weather being so warm, my toddler needed cooling down and one stall caught our eye. Custom Creams made liquid nitrogen ice cream in an array of flavours and being the curious creature I am, bought her a tub. 

The face says it all! The rich chocolate ice cream had an amazing velvety texture and the brownie pieces were definitely a great choice. 

Feeling refreshed, we browsed more stalls, purchased some wonderful chilli sauce and stopped by Chairman Ping . Would of been silly of us not to sample the Bao that won Masterchef 2014

Light fluffy steamed bun filled with a rich pulled pork, crisp apple slices and a generous topping of crunchy pork crackling bits. So good and clear to see why it was such a winner! 

Polar Pops was our final stop. A Bristol based artisan lolly company with the most delicious flavours! Apple and Elderflower ice lollies were in order for our drive home and did not disappoint! (Even if I did really want the adults Cherry Brandy flavour)

The Foodie Festival, sponsored by The Daily Mail, is currently on tour around the country and I would highly recommend it!