Lentil, Cashew and Chestnut Nut Roast Recipe

This Christmas, I searched for the perfect nut roast recipe, but couldn't find one that ticked all the boxes.  It had to be a straightforward recipe which didn't contain dried fruit, could be dairy free, was packed with flavour and was moist - not dry. Nut roasts get such a bad press with people likening them to old cardboard, the likes of which are only enjoyed by seventies throwback hippy vegans. But that is just not true. Nut roast can be a delicious, wholesome accompaniment to roast dinner trimmings and is a very versatile base for a range of dishes.  

Taking inspiration from a whole host of nut roast related ideas, I came up with my own recipe, which went down a storm on Christmas day, even with my non-veggie dad who couldn't get enough of the stuff.  I also made it again in the week after Christmas for guests, as a wellington, wrapped in puff pastry and it was equally well received.  It can be made in advance (and frozen before it is cooked), is pretty quick and easy to knock up and can be adapted to suit whatever ingredients/nuts/veggies you have, encouraging a bit of kitchen experimentation.  You can make it vegan by omitting the egg and cheese, or by using a dairy free cheese alternative if wanted.

                          

Lentil, Cashew and Chestnut Nut Roast

Ingredients (makes 2 loaves)

200g red lentils

450ml vegetable stock

1 tblspn oil

2oz mushrooms

1 leek

2 small parsnips

2 carrots

2 cloves garlic

2 slices wholemeal bread made into crumbs

100g cashew nuts

100g whole chestnuts

75g other nuts (I used Brazil nuts)

1 egg (optional - but makes loaf firmer)

1 teaspn garlic granules

1 teaspn sage

1 teaspn thyme

black pepper

75g grated cheese (optional - you can also use non-dairy cheese)

Method

Put red lentils and stock in a pan and cook gently until the lentils are soft, pale and pulpy and the liquid has evaporated.

Meanwhile put all the veggies in a food processor and blitz into small chunks.

Gently fry the blitzed veggies in a pan with olive oil for about 5-8 mins until just softened.

Chop the nuts and chestnuts in the processor.  Process until fine or chunky depending on preference.

Mix together cooked lentils, cooked veggies, nuts, breadcrumbs and seasoning. (Season to taste...get adventurous if you like and use curry spices or smoky paprika with chilli flakes instead to make the nut roast exactly how you like it!)

Add egg and cheese if using.

Put into 2 loaf tins.  I used oiled foil ones for ease.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at GM 5/190C for about 35 mins until cooked through and golden brown on top.

Turn out from the foil loaf tin and slice to serve with a veggie gravy and roast dinner trimmings.

Alternatively, omit the egg and put filling onto the centre of a rolled sheet of puff pasty.  Join the edges of the pastry to seal in the filling, glaze (use a milk alternative to keep the recipe vegan) and cook at GM5/190C for about 30 minutes until golden brown.

The lentils make a really nice and very nutritious base for the nut roast while the carrot and parsnip add sweetness and a lighter texture.  The seasonings can be adapted to suit personal preferences as can the nuts and veggies used.  You can easily adapt it to make it suitable for dairy free diets or for vegans. I'm really happy with how my experimental Christmas dinner worked out and I hope that if anyone tries this recipe they enjoy it too.

A Night Out at The Hinds Head in Norton-in-Hales

Last night, a bunch of us school mums enjoyed a night out before the chaos of Christmas descends, and had a fabulous three course meal at The Hinds Head pub in Norton-in-Hales, Shropshire.

The recently refurbished, family run, traditional village pub has a wonderfully relaxed and warm atmosphere. The Hinds Head has many features of a quaint, country pub, including cask ales from local breweries, a wood burning stove and a cosy snug, along with a high quality, contemporary restaurant. The ingredients are locally sourced where possible, and the menu includes pub classics alongside some more modern dishes.  I was glad to see a nice, well conceived vegetarian option for me to choose from on the set menu!

The Christmas decorations were up and the fire was burning, the perfect setting for a pre-Christmas festive get together.  Add great company, loads of laughs, class room anecdotes and a few rude stories featuring Take That concerts, strippers and trouser dropping, and you have the ingredients for a great night out.


          


For my meal I chose a mushroom bruschetta, followed by a goat's cheese, caramelised red onion and cranberry Tart Tatin with new potatoes and salad, finished off with a chocolate brownie with ice cream and raspberry coulis.

The presentation of the food was quite stunning, with great attention to detail and the portion size was perfect.  (I hate those super fancy restaurants that give you a teeny tiny piece of food in the middle of a plate ...yes Michel Roux I am looking at you!! The meal I had at his restaurant may have looked beautiful but left me starving!)

The staff at The Hinds Head are friendly, very pleasant and attentive.  My niece is one of the bar staff team and it was lovely catching up with her on my night out.

The Hinds Head have just launched a take-away service and I am eyeing up the 'Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Pizza' with caramelised onion, pear and blue cheese!  How deliciously different does that sound!

We had a great night out and it was lovely for me to get to know some of Freddy's classmates' mums in a social setting with some great food.  It's nice to feel a part of the community and to be involved in my little boy's school.

If you ever find yourself in Shropshire and are looking for some top quality pub grub or a tasty Sunday Lunch in a beautiful, little village, I'd highly recommend The Hinds Head in Norton-in-Hales.

www.thehindshead.co.uk

Christmas Day Panics

OK, in just over a month it's Christmas Day.  How did this happen? It seems like only yesterday I was pulling pine needles out of my carpet from last year's Christmas Tree and here I am ready to do it all again!

This year we are going to have a full-on family affair with the whole family descending upon us for some festive fun.  My parents are spending Christmas with us for the first time ever and I'm so excited!  They usually do Christmas Day on their own and then spend a 'second Christmas Day' with us a few days before or after the big day, but this year I managed to twist their arms and get them to come to us on the 25th.  It's also our turn to have Jade and Joe for Christmas, which means I'm getting to spend the day with my gorgeous grandson who will have just turned a year old.  Megan is home for the whole week and Ian's sister is also on the guest list.  This means there will be twelve of us for Christmas Dinner, a mixture of carnivores, vegetarians, vegans and fussy eaters!

Needless to say, Christmas Dinner is going to be a challenge.  Joe keeps trying to convince me to cook a three bird roast, but unfortunately I draw the line on cooking meat and so Quorn will be the closest thing to meat on my festive menu.  With Megan being a vegan, I'm working on plans for a luxurious, indulgent meal that suits her needs and which pleases the veggies and meat eaters too.  I've been online and found some vegan festive roasts which might just make my life easier on Christmas Day if I decide not to cook from scratch.  Decisions, decisions! I'm also wondering how on earth I'll be able to cook everything using my single oven and just four gas rings. (How I wish I had a big country kitchen and a range oven!)

But perhaps more of a challenge for Christmas day is our seating arrangements.  Our living room and dining room are completely separate rooms, neither one big enough for seating 12.  (How I miss my old house's layout with both rooms knocked through with an archway between them, allowing us to spread between both rooms but still be together!)    So we need to get a  new extendable table to use alongside our small fold down dining room table so everyone can sit down together for dinner.  It will be a good investment though, allowing us to use this as our main table and using the fold down one for the kitchen.  Our family is only ever going to get bigger as more grandchildren and future in-laws become integrated into the fold. So this Christmas has become an opportunity for us to have a bit of a furniture rethink!

With a big family I wouldn't be without a big sofa.  We have an old, tired leather corner sofa, which has done us great service for over a decade, but it is definitely coming to the end of its natural life.  It has suffered years of abuse and has doubled up as a climbing frame, trampoline and even an impromptu bed for unexpected sleepovers. I'm sure it will do us proud on Christmas Day if we all snuggle up really tightly to watch some festive TV, but 2014 will be the year to get a brand new corner sofa - hopefully in the sales!

We've already bought four extra dining chairs that we stash away in the garage for when we have extra guests, so with those and a few scatter cushions thrown on the floor, we should just about cover the seating. Now I just need to work out where I can put the Christmas tree!!?

Maybe I should ask Santa really nicely if I could win the Euromillions  and then I could buy a massive, fully furnished mansion?  Problem solved!

Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Nut Roast Pie #vegan

I'm starting to think about Christmas food! This year is going to be quite challenging...not only am I catering for 11 people, I'm also planning a vegan Christmas dinner. So I'm trying out a few ideas with a plan to make something yummy enough to appeal to the carnivores, vegetarians and vegans alike, without compromising on taste.  I was very inspired by our visit to the Toby Carvery which offered two vegan dishes that could be eaten with all the carvery veg, yorkies and gravy. 

This is my recipe for an open pie that will work really well with all the roast dinner trimmings.  It is easy to make and really quick to put together if using ready rolled puff pastry.

Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Nut Roast Pie

Ingredients

1 bag of frozen sweet potato (Morrison's NuMe Sweet Potato Chunks)

4 carrots grated

1 parsnip grated

1 vegetable stock pot (Kent's Kitchen)

boiling water

1 can chickpeas

handful of walnuts and cashew nuts

ground pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic puree

1 teaspoon mixed herbs

mixed seeds

1 packet of ready rolled puff pastry

Method

Put sweet potato, grated carrot and grated parsnip into a pan.

Cover with boiling water and add stock pot and garlic.

Simmer for 20 minutes until soft.

Drain off any excess liquid.

Mash the vegetables and add seasonings.

Stir through chickpeas and nuts.

Place the pastry onto a baking sheet.

Score the edge about an inch from the edge.

Place filling onto the middle of the pastry.

Fold up edges and pinch corners together.

Sprinkle seeds on top.

Pop into hot oven GM 6 for about 25 minutes.

This was really delicious with a nice gravy and roast trimmings.  For Christmas I am going to add chopped chestnuts to the mix for a festive twist.  It's an experimental recipe, a work in process if you will, but this first attempt was really good!  It was good cold too.

I am now feeling very positive about making a yummy vegan Christmas dinner for the family!

Santa and Christmas Day

We are now home after a magical week away at Ribby Hall in Lancashire.  I can honestly say we have had one of the best Christmases ever.  From my magical belated Flash Mob proposal to our Blackpool day out to spending time together as a family, everything has been perfect.  Ribby Hall has been a perfect location for our Christmas.

Everyone loved the Poppy Cottage accommodation we had called home for the week.  The tree made us feel really festive and Freddy loved looking at the baubles (and occasionally throwing them across the room).  The cottage was well equipped, clean, comfy and spacious.  There was plenty of room for all six of us.  My parents, my eldest son Joe and his girlfriend Jade lived next door.  It worked really nicely, getting together for meals and entertainment, but having space for Grandad to watch the horse racing on Boxing Day in peace!

The kids visited Santa on Christmas Eve following a wonderful breakfast and story time session in the Bar and Grill.  It was my parents' 56th wedding anniversary and to see them have such a magical time was a joy for us all.  The staff could not have been more friendly and welcoming.  Nothing was too much trouble for them.  The veggie fry-up option was impressive.  Usually vegetarian alternatives feel like they are second class versions of their meaty counterparts...but this breakfast was just as good.

My Family feeling festive!

Kizzy had written a beautiful letter for Santa which she hand delivered when she visited the magical treehouse at Ribby Hall.

Writing to Santa

It was a chilly morning but our spirits kept us warm as we sang Christmas songs waiting for our turn to visit the main man himself.  Freddy was getting a bit grumpy but his tears stopped when he climbed the stairs to the treehouse.  Santa was just amazing.  He chatted to the girls and Freddy.  He was up on popular culture and engaged in some TOWIE banter with my older two.  It was so wonderful when he read Kizzy's letter.  She had written such a lovely letter offering to help Santa and thinking of those less fortunate, that Santa actually was reduced to tears.  Whereas many kids want iPads and DS's, Kizzy had thought of her family and children in need around the world.  It was so touching and the most magical Santa experience we've ever had.  When Kizzy received a personal reply from Santa on Boxing Day, she was over the moon.  It made her year!

Kizzy and Santa

Christmas Eve continued with an arts and crafts session which was completely free.  Kizzy and Freddy decorated gingerbread men, made calendars, cards, Christmas decorations and snowflakes.  It was lovely.

I have never had Christmas Dinner in a restaurant before.  We made the decision to eat at the Bar And Grill which had become a favourite eatery during the course of the week, with its friendly staff, beautiful food presentation and imaginative vegetarian options.  We were not disappointed.  The five course meal consisted of a creamy garlic mushroom with black truffle starter, followed by a tomato soup.  The main was a delicious goat's cheese and caramelised onion parcel wrapped in filo pastry served with  seasonal vegetables, roast potatoes and gravy.  Brian Turner's Butlin's restaurant could take a leaf out of Ribby Hall's book when it comes to feeding vegetarians a Christmas dinner!  Pudding was a homemade trifle which was light and a perfect choice to round off the meal, followed by coffee and chocolates.  The place was beautifully and tastefully decorated, the staff were efficient and remained friendly throughout.  The food was excellent and the service was slick.  I was worried beforehand that there may have been a 'school dinner' feel to the meal, but I was totally wrong.  It was worth every penny and the relaxing atmosphere with a singer crooning some nostalgic songs in the background made for a wonderful festive dinner.  It was lovely to have space for us all around a table together, something we can't do at home as we don't have the room for us all.

Me and My Five Babies

Ready for Dinner

Cheers!

A stroll back to our accommodation which included a quick play in the outdoor adventure playground really made for a wonderful Christmas Day.  There was entertainment in the evening at the resort, but we spent our evening in our cosy cottage playing family board games I had received from University Games.  Ella entertained us with sing along Christmas songs to round off an amazing day.

Nan and Grandad x

Christmas Fun for Freddy!

For details on the resort and booking information check out www.ribbyhall.co.uk. 

*I have not received anything to post these reviews.  I am sharing my experience because I would highly recommend it to anyone!*

Possibly The Worst Vegetarian Christmas Dinner Ever?

I'm not one to complain.  I'm always very grateful for anything I receive and I actually feel guilty for writing this post, such is my lack of a complaining gene!!  But as a food loving vegetarian I felt compelled to rant in order to raise awareness for something that truly bothers me!

This weekend we had a lovely weekend away at Butlins Bognor Regis for the Tots 100 Christmas party.  Included was a three course Christmas meal at Turner's, Butlins' flagship restaurant endorsed by celebrity chef Brian Turner.  The head chef previously worked at The Ivy and with the menu boasting 'fine dining' I was suitably excited by the prospect of an imaginatively prepared vegetarian meal that would kick off my gastronomic festive feasting!

The meal started off well with a deliciously creamy and richly flavoured parsnip soup served with roasted hazelnuts which definitely pleased my palate and raised my expectations of the courses to come.  As the main courses were brought out, the traditional roast turkey meals looked impressive with a big pile of Roasted  Turkey, Chestnut Stuffing and Sausage wrapped in Bacon, served with  roast potato, green beans, braised cabbage and sprouts.  Being a vegetarian is my choice as I personally don't want to eat meat.  However, this does not mean that I do not appreciate the trimmings, colour and variety that comes with a roast dinner.  I love vegetables, roast spuds, gravy and stuffing as much as the next man!  Roast dinners are synonymous with Christmas, and a well conceived vegetarian option nestled amidst the seasonal trimmings is unbeatable. I expected a chef with the celebrity and reputation of Brian Turner would appreciate this.

When my plate arrived I saw two large wedges of indiscernible origin accompanied by a handful of salad leaves. I immediately felt my heart sink.  If there was Lollo Rosso and Endive (or whatever leaves they were) that meant they were an alternative to my spuds and veg!  Salad is for summer not winter! This is Christmas!

Pushing my initial disappointment to the back of my mind, I started to investigate my main.  I don't know what I expected this stand alone foodstuff to be, but I wasn't expecting it to be a patty of compacted rice.  There was a pleasant enough flavour, but the heavy texture and starchiness was so claggy it was difficult to eat.  Maybe if served with an accompanying rich, wintry stew it would have made a nice accompaniment.  But as the main course with nothing but a splash of sauce and some foliage it was seriously lacking.  It just didn't work at all.  It was a wedge of carbohydrate, on a plate crying out for so much more.  Maybe if one of the wedges was served alongside the roast dinner trimmings with gravy, it would have worked.  But on its own?  Brian what were you thinking!!!  This is meant to be the meal of the year.

I later found out that the patties were in fact Roasted Chestnut and Wild Mushroom Rice Cakes, but I found no discernible pieces of either chestnut or mushroom in my rice to break up the texture and improve the mouth feel.  In fact, the only way to swallow it was to eat each bit with a few salad leaves and a swig of water.  Food should not be difficult to eat.  It should be a well conceived joy...especially if it is your annual Christmas treat that you have been looking forward to.

Us veggies, are often treated as second class citizens, especially in Christmas menus.  I have previously had pasta while my work colleagues have had a full monty roast.  How hard is it to make a tasty nut roast?   I had an amazing one at a little local Shropshire pub layered with leek and mushroom, served instead of the meat in a Sunday roast.  If they can do it, surely a top chef can?

This was such a disappointment to me.  It felt like a punishment from someone who hates vegetarians...."if you aren't going to eat meat then you can lump this". *evil laughs*

Thank goodness for great company, good humour and fellow bloggers willing to donate a Brussell Sprout or two in my time of need.

This is the option available on the Butlin's Christmas Day Menu at Turner's.  The price for four courses (a salad, the soup, the rice cake and a pudding) with a glass of Buck's Fizz, coffee and mince pies costs £65. I can only imagine how I'd feel if I was served this meal up on Christmas Day after forking out sixty five notes for each of my five veggie family members.  My advice...go and get a veggie wrap meal from Burger King instead!