Feature: The Best Takeaways in Bath

Hey guys. As you all know, I do love food, and I do love cooking- but i also love eating in restaurants, and every so often getting a sneaky takeaway! Bath is full of great take aways/ normal restaurants that do take-out, so i thought i would tell you some of my favourites.

First of all there is the chinese category, in which there is just no contest- it's got to be Yummy House. It's situated in Nelson Place East, near Walcot, which is quite far from my place, but that doesnt matter because they deliver for free (if you order over £10 of stuff, which of course I always do!). I've been getting deliveries from there literally since i was eight, and the woman that runs it is really friendly (she always calls me "Miss Boots" on the phone it's adorable). They have a massive menu, including chinese thai and malaysian cuisine, and so much on there is delicious- on the starters the vegetarian spring rolls, chicken noodle soup, and the Yuk Sungs are very good. My favourite main dishes they do are their chicken chow mein, chicken thai green curry and chicken with green peppers in black bean sauce. Their egg fried rice is absolutely delicious too- it sounds basic, but a tasty egg fried rice is important to the whole meal, theres a chinese restaurant on my street that does takeouts as well, but their egg fried rice is rubbish, so i don't really go there as much. When you have a Yummy House meal, i also reccomend that you order a portion of satay sauce. It's not on the actual menu, but i just have to order a large pot of it with my meal because it's sooooo damn good. I'm really worried that they might close one day suddenly, because i just have to get their satay sauce recipe before that ever happened! Their prices are super cheap as well, their number is 01225 463975, and you can have a look at their menu online here: http://www.appetise.com/chinese-takeaway/bath/yummy-house

Next type of takeaway we get to is the mighty indian- awesome curries and melt-in-the-mouth naans, rices and side dishes. My two favourite Indian takeaways in Bath are The Bengal Brasserie (on milsom street) and The Shaad- both of which places are actually my favourite indian restaurants in town also. The bengal brasserie is a bit more convenient if you live in Bath, as it's in the centre of town, and the Shaad is slightly out of town in Weston,but i used to get curries from there a lot because i used to live in Weston and very close to it. Now i've been going to The Bengal Brasserie for years, over a decade at least, and it's always been really good. Some of the delicious items on the menu include THE BEST Vegetetable puri ON EARTH, haha, according to my brother the best chicken pakoras around as well, a really great Vegetarian Thali (that includes starters, mains and side dishes for the very reasonable price of £10.25), great Dhansaks, a good traditional Korma, and the Chicken or lamb saags are great too. Their baltis are particularly delicious also- and they do a big range of them with all sorts of different ingredients. They are very compromising too, always making you whatever you want- you want a dish extra spicy? you want a dish with added mushrooms? You got it! Also what's pretty awesome too is that they do student discount, which is always a plus (: You can check out their menu at http://www.bengalbrasseriebath.com/ and their number is 01225 428773.

The Shaad is also a great takeaway, with a few particular specialities that make me go back there again and again. First of all i reckon they make the best samosas in Bath- their meat ones anyway. Their shami kebab on the starter menu is also GAWJUS. For mains I usually go for a dhansak- although recently their chefs have been making them a bit too spicy for me, so i've been going for either a chicken passanda, or a chicken bhuna- both definitely reccomended. Side dish-wise, i wouldnt go for their parathas, because i don't think theyre all that good, but their naans are great, and vegetable side dish-wise their saag dahl is delicious, as is their sag aloo. I think my boyfriend and some of my family prefer The Bengal Brasserie to the Shaad, because apparently their spicy dishes are very good and VERY HOT, which is the kinda curry they like (not my cuppa tea so i couldn't judge). Their menu is available at http://www.shaadrestaurant.co.uk/index.html and you can order a takeaway on 01225 444940.

To be fair, a chinese or an indian are the usual takeaways I tend to frequent, but i thought i would give a shout out to a few of the other "genres" of takeaways cuisine. I reckon the best burger (and particularly veggie burger) can be found at Schwartz Bros' Gourmet takeaway. Theres two in Bath- one in Walcot street and one in Sawclose, and they are both great, i usually get a veggie-cheese burger and some onion rings and both are really good quality. I'm not a huge fan of their milkshakes, but their fries are good too though. They also have a couple of places in Bristol as well i think?

As far as i'm concerned- there are two main kebab houses in town- Marmaris, on newmarket row, and then theres another one (not sure what it's even called?) up near where Wagamamas is- anyway, who cares about that one, Marmaris is definitely the place to go. It's run by turkish people, and actually has a seat-in restaurant too serving traditional turkish food as well as kebabs (although i've never eaten in the restaurant, i've always just got a takeout kebab). Their Donner is great, but i had i think it was called a "Shwarma" kebab or something (it was lamb i think?) last time i went therw and this was delicious too. Always ask for hummus in your kebab, or on the side, because their hummus is THE BOSS. Gotta tell you though, dont bother getting chips with your kebabs, their chips were soggy and terrible! I guess chinese has already been covered- but Thai hasn't yet- i have got a takeaway from Mai Thai (which i have reviewed on this blog) a few times now, and they have been absolutely great, when you go in there they are really friendly, and they get your takeaway made SO QUICKLY, literally i'll order a few things and they get it done in 5 minutes, even if there are still people in the restaurant, it's great service. A bit more price-y than chinese/indian takeaways but still very nice.

The last typical takeaway (that i can think of anyway!) is pizza- i must admit i rarely get pizza delivered/ go out and get pizza. My boyfriend gets Dominoes Pizza every so often, and they are allright i guess, they'll do, y'know? If i get a Dominoes I usually get a thin base, extra mozzarella, ham, pineapple and mushroom pizza, yum! But even though some of the restaurants around offer pizza takeaway services (I know Pizza Express, Strada and Bottelinos do I think) I wouldn't normally get one, because you know by the time you got it home that it would have gotten really cold! Although actually theres a new pizza delivery service that's opened up REALLY near me and it looks like it might be nice actually, called Avelino's, the menu sounds great. So watch this space i suppose!

Hope this guide was useful, that if any of you stay with mates in the Bath area, you'll know where to go when you all fancy getting a takeaway and a having few beers at home!

Feature: The Bath Comedy Festival

Hey guys, I thought I would tell you all about a big festival going on in my town in a couple of weeks, that if you live in Bath/near Bath you should really check out! This is the Bath Comedy Festival, which is in it's fourth year now, and is doing really well. My boyfriend is the director, and he's used all his great comedy connections both in the south west, as well as Edinburgh and overseas to bring some great comedians to this city at Easter!

Not only are there dozens of great comedy acts, there are also some ones involving scrummy food, so i thought i would mention them here for you foodies! First of all on the 30th March there is the "Up The Pump Room Charity Ball", which is held in the beautiful historic Roman Baths and Pump Rooms. Right Roman revels and torch lit reception by the historic baths, followed by sultry jazz and Searcys' sumptuous bowl canapes (these are great, big generous sized canapes in bowls- comforting dishes such as roast pork with bubble and squeak, fish and chips, and wild mushroom risotto. Then enjoy the wonderfully nostalgic sounds of the fabulous Stuttgarter Saloniker Orchestra, specially flown in for your delight and delectation. These highly accomplished musicians have over a hundred numbers in their repertoire, from tangos to Tchaikovsky, so prepare to dance the night away.Theres then a raffle with fabulous prizes, for example a magnum of chateau Sainte Marguerite Rosé.

On sunday the 1st of April is another fabulous show being held in The Widcombe Social Club- "Sunday Lunch with Bill Smarme and the Bizness". You get a gert two course sunday lunch (completely scrummy!) and a great show, from Bill Smarme: international entertainer, love guru, connoisseur of fine marmalades and building contractor - sends up most styles of music!! (Haha!) The band bring you songs of love, pork pies, binder twine and Twerton - all in the best possible taste. I have seen these guys before and they are absolutely HILARIOUS, this "dinner and a show" event is really good value as well at £18.50!

Another show i'd like to mention is "Arthur Smith's Great Easter Egg Hunt", which has two shows on Saturday 7th of April, and is sure to be a hoot- especially for all of you that love wine, chocolate, and laughing uncontrolably (hopefully not all at the same time, haha!). Famously grumpy old man Arthur Smith is back and combining comedy forces with, amongst others, Natural Theatre, New Old Friends, Toby Longworth, Seymour Mace and Women on the Make stalwart Hilary Strong to bring you a chocolaty, feathery egg-on-your face mystery walking tour.Expect laughs, traffic hold-ups, shocked passers-by, prizes and possibly the odd glass of wine on the way.

There are loads more events during the Bath Comedy Festival, 30th March- 9th April, and some events have already sold out- so i would get your skates on, get your ticketsget down to Bath, and come and have a chuckle!! Heres the site where you can order the tickets:
http://www.bathcomedy.com/

Feature: Romantic meals for the Culinary Hopeless

A little bit late to be a Valentines Day recipe feature I suppose, but I am of the opinion that it doesnt have to be a certain day or a certain celebration to treat your significant other to a nice meal or treat. I was having a conversation with a friend at the pub yesterday, who said that he wanted to make a nice valentine dinner for his new girlfriend- but he said he really REALLY can't cook. I gave him some advice on what to make and I thought I would share my ideas with you guys too.

O.K, so if you're in the unfortunate position of having no culinary talents- I have some simple recipes here that i'm pretty sure anyone could make. I will go an extra mile and suggest that even if you can't "cook", you can slice/chop things, fry things in a saucepan, and you can make toast. Is that a fair assumption? If so, then have a go at impressing you're loved one with these easy meal ideas!

Brushcettas
Usually an Italian Appetiser, you can make a couple of brushcettas on a plate (or in lamens terms, topped slices of grilled bread!) with some salad on the side (using rocket, watercress or a darker leaf salad helps the appearance) look far more impressive that what it literally is- "something on-toast".

All you have to do is get a nice loaf of bread from the shops (ciabatta works well), slice fairly thickly, and put under the grill quickly until it turns golden brown.

Here are some examples of topping ideas:

Cherry Tomato, red onion and pesto- Mix halved cherry tomatoes with thinly sliced red onion, olive oil, salt and black pepper. Spread the toasted bread with some shop-bought pesto, and top with the tomato and onion mixture.

Roasted Red Pepper (you can get these in any supermarkets ready roasted in jars), Mozzarella and prosciutto- slice up the roasted red pepper and proscuitto (or any other type of thin ham) and put upon the toasted bread. Top this with bits of torn mozzarella.

Red onion, goats cheese, and walnut- Fry a red onion in a frying pan with a little oil and a pinch of sugar for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Put this onto the toasted bread, followed by some crumbled goats cheese and walnuts. Put under the grill for a moment or two, to make the goats cheese go slightly warm and soft.

Avocado, coriander, tomato and chilli- Mix chopped avocado, fresh coriander, a little bit of chopped fresh tomato, and a finely diced red chilli. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, and put this mixture onto the toasted bread.

Brie, red grape and wholegrain mustard- Spread the toasted bread with some wholegrain mustard, and top with some sliced oozing brie and some halved red grapes.

Eggs
I reckon that most people know how to cook eggs, right? And OK, if you can't make poached eggs or an omelette- the most easiest form is through the mode of scrambling!This is actually the dish I suggested to my friend. Make scrambled eggs the way you like it- some people like it really runny but I prefer it a little firmer. Toast a couple of nice slices of bread, top with the scrambled eggs. Snip some chives over the dish, and top with a few slices of smoked salmon. Put a wedge of lemon on the side and eh voila! A beautiful and simple dish made to impress!

Minute Steak and Salad
A minute steak does what it says on the tin- all you do is fry it on each side for a minute in a hot saucepan (with a little oil) and you're done! Here are a couple of delicious salads to have on the side of the steak.

Tomato, red onion and black olive salad- Dice some tomatoes roughly, add some finely chopped red onion, sliced black olives, and some torn fresh basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper, add a splash of olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar, and it's ready!

Apple, walnut and blue cheese salad- Mix some sliced apple, roughly chopped walnuts and crumbled blue cheese into a handful of watercress. Easy or what?

Fruit Salads
A pudding that doesn't involve cooking- thereby reducing any dessert-related-disasters! Good mixes are:

Strawberry, clementine and dark chocolate- Put some halved strawberries, clementine segments and a splash of orange juice into some bowls. Grate some dark chocolate over the top and serve!

Tropical fruit salad- a mix of sliced kiwi, mango, starfruit and papaya. Pour over a little pineapple juice, and top with the scooped out seeds from a passionfruit.

Indian fruit salad- Mix diced mango with pomegranite seeds and roughly chopped mint. Top with some pistachio nuts and serve!

So I hope this gave you all a few ideas- and I hope I have shown you that you don't have to be a masterchef in order to make a beautiful romantic meal for your significant other!

Feature: Linda Mccartney Foods 5

After a couple of weeks of none of my recipes being selected- they have now picked my Roast Celeriac, Chilli and Courgette Tart. This is the seventh recipe they have chosen so far. To be honest I reckon if they do choose me as a finalist, I reckon it will be with my Caramelised Shallot Tart recipe. The Linda Mccartney team seemed to be most interested in that one. Also I am fairly proud of that picture. It is fairly delicious looking right? But you never know, it could be one of the other ones. I do kinda think though if they choose the tart recipe, it might not ending up winning, because its not a recipe suitable for vegans. I know it is a "vegetarian" recipe competition, but they have said stuff on their facebook page like "Calling all vegans, the next Linda McCartney product could be vegan if you enter our competition with a yummy vegan recipe!".

Anyway, this week this recipe is up the win "The UK's tastiest meat free dish!" , and i'd love it if you would follow the link and vote for it! You just have to press the "rate this dish" button at the top right of the screen. Thanks for all your help guys, Mel wants to win!!!

http://www.lindamccartneyfoods.co.uk/tastiestmeatfree/recipe.php?id=215