Haggis hunting in bonnie Scotland!

As you may or may not know, last Friday (January 25th) was Burn's Night! J and I had planned a wee weekend away at Shieldhill Castle in Biggar for a whole weekend of celebrations! As we are both of Scottish descent (although J simply refuses to wear a kilt on our wedding day - he already wore one for his sister's wedding and unfortunately isn't keen to repeat the experience) we thought what better way to celebrate than in Scotland, the land of our forefathers!

I'll be doing a full review of Shieldhill, the ferry crossing and our little adventures in Travel News so I'll be posting that once we've gone to Press.

But here's a quick overview on the food for now -

We took the ferry across to Cairnryan and drove to Biggar over the snow-covered hill - a simply stunning start to our weekend! It was a 2.35 drive, but we didn't mind one bit, Turf was a very good boy and was only carsick once (and only a little bit).

Shieldhill is a beautiful Scottish castle, dating back to 1199. It was the seat of the Chancellor family for over 750 years and only became a hotel in 1959.

Turf made himself comfortable, while J and I got ready for our Burn's Supper! I didn't take any photos of the food as I thought it very rude to do that in such a traditional and intimate setting such as Shieldhill so you will have to picture it in your mind, lol. We both had the Haggis gateaux to start - it was a tower of haggis, tatties and neeps. Tatties, being potatoes (generally mashed if you want to keep it traditional) and neeps being turnip - also traditionally mashed. This was served with a beautiful whiskey cream gravy - what Scot wouldn't love that?!

For the main we both chose the coq au vin, tasty chicken served in a white wine gravy with onions, mushrooms and mashed potato. I had Eton mess for pud... but it beat me! I just can't eat puddings the way I used to!

Traditionally a Scottish breakfast includes haggis and black pudding... however there was no haggis on our traditional Scottish breakfast the next morning. This is the first time we haven't had haggis in our breakfast when in Scotland and I did wonder if they had just run out, with it being so popular over the Burn's weekend!

Lunch on the second day was in The Elphinstone, J went for the thick bacon steak with double cooked eggs, while I opted for something we would normally cook at home (but it's been banned from cookbook since I'm on the 'Wedding Diet'!) - Flying Scotsman, in other words, chicken topped with haggis! The only thing better than chocolate! The Elphinstone served theirs with a wholegrain mustard and whiskey cream sauce and chips (with skins on) - I cleared the plate!

We popped into the butchers for two haggis - freshly steamed and still warm - to take home... I've them sitting in my fridge at home, one is promised to my mum and the other is being saved for my special treat dinner next Monday night - I will take a picture (promise!) and tell you how I make it!

Now Haggis are only found in Scotland... deep in the Highlands... and they only come out on a full moon... lol - although the Scots enjoy telling the tourists that Haggis are a small rabbit-like animal that are caught in the highlands, haggis is really a mix of offal, oats and spices stuffed in a bung (sheeps innards) and can be bought from every butchers shop in Scotland (we always stock up when we are in Scotland because Haggis is our favourite meal!)

 In Northern Ireland you can buy it in plastic wrapping... not as nice, but still full of flavour - you can get a great one in Tesco, Bloomfield (at the new butcher section)! It's already cooked so you just need to heat it - the best way to do this is to steam it. Pierce the bung, wrap it in tin foil so that no water can get in and put it in a pot of boiling water for 45 minutes (for a two person sized haggis) - this is J's favourite method of cooking it. Personally I like to steam it in the oven - prepared the bung in the tinfoil then fill a deep dish with water before placing the bung in it and popping it in the oven for 45 minutes. When it's done it pick it out of the dish, empty the remaining water and dry the dish out (be careful, it's hot!) then empty the haggis into the hot dish.. it will sizzle and the smell is amazing! Because we eat this quite a lot, I like to have my haggis with potato gratin and peas or as flying Scotsman with chips. It's the two most popular ways we eat it in our house! If we have any left over J makes us a lovely breakfast - a heart attack on a plate - black pud, haggis, eggs, beans, sausage, bacon and toast - yummy!

And of course you can't beat a wee bit of Disney's BRAVE - this will be a Burn's weekend favourite DVD choice in our house for a few years to come... and many other weekends as well I'm sure!

And of course Burn's weekend wouldn't be complete with this -

Address to a Haggis by Robert (Rabbie) Burns

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the pudding-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm :
Weel are ye wordy o'a grace
As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o'need,
While thro' your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic
Labour dight,
An' cut you up wi' ready sleight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like ony ditch; And then,
O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin', rich!

Then, horn for horn,
they stretch an' strive:
Deil tak the hindmost! on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve
Are bent like drums;
Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
Bethankit! hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad make her spew
Wi' perfect sconner,
Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view
On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckless as wither'd rash,
His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash;
His nieve a nit;
Thro' bloody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic,
haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread.
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll mak it whissle;
An' legs an' arms, an' heads will sned,
Like taps o' thrissle.

Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o' fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies;
But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer
Gie her a haggis!

Wedding planning and Pinterest...

This week we really got stuck into wedding planning. When we got engaged in July of last year, we thought we had plenty of time... November 2013 was AGES away... but January has come round faster than we thought and the panic has set in. We got the big things booked last September - the church for the ceremony, the reception venue, the wedding cars, the venue decorators and the photographer... but it's the little things, the little details that make a wedding day really special and personal to the couple and their family that we have realised will probably take the most time and thought.

I'd heard of this great website called Pinterest a while ago, but never fully realised what a great tool it is for gathering ideas until I downloaded the app at the start of January. Since then I have made several 'boards' all of which are full of fun, funky and beautiful ideas for our wedding.

It is especially handy given that we are on a particularly tight budget - I have discovered great ideas for home-crafted centrepieces that cost less than £7 each. They are mostly made up of things we already had around the house - now I admit, if I hadn't already been pretty well into crafting and doing little homemade things for our home I wouldn't have had this stuff laying around, but as luck would have it I did.

I have about 100 jars left from the last batch of Cupcakes in Jars I made for a Vintage Fair last year - the jars only come in boxes of 500, so I was lucky to have some leftover, as ordering another box was out of the question.

We have hired a wonderful company called Sweetheart Vintage Weddings and Events as our venue decorator and they are bringing some fabulous pieces to the church and reception venue to add all the major touches that will make our wedding special to us. Because of our tight budget we had to restrain ourselves (well, more like J had to rein me in) when we selected the pieces for our venues, sticking to the things that we really wanted to have and which would give our wedding the beautifully vintage touches that we are after. I really wanted the birdcage centrepieces, but the reception venue has centrepieces included in the package we booked, so I (eventually) seen J's point of view and decided to go with the ones already included in our reception package. BUT of course, now that I had seen the lovely vintage set-up, I couldn't just give it up completely and J agreed that we could have
the wildflowers in the pretty jars - YAY!

This is the sweet little idea I found on Pinterest that I'm going to use to jazz up my reception centrepieces using the leftover jars

I am also being really thrifty and making my own favours, and they are going to also act as the place settings! Two birds, one cheap-ass stone!

Pinterest has been great for helping me visualise what our wedding cake will look like... I already knew I wanted a two/three tier vanilla sponge cake with vanilla frosting and jam filling - the frosting will (hopefully) be in little rose swirls all over the cake. I had seen this idea before at a Vintage Wedding Fair, but the cake was just to expensive for us. I've also seen it with rainbow coloured layers of sponge inside and an ombre frosting, which were quite pretty. I also really love the idea of having a grooms cake - a very America idea, but also a very cute one. J's cake will be a small single tier, three layer white chocolate cake with raspberry filling and blue white chocolate filling. The toppers are something that is very 'us'... all our friends say we have a Fry and Leela love story, so the groom's cake will be Futurama inspired, but still vintage and elegant.

Fry and Leela

After much debate about it, Turf will not be our ring bearer, simply because we couldn't be absolutely certain that he wouldn't get too nervous/excited and wee in the church... but he will be with me in the morning while the bridal party gets ready wearing a cute little tux.

The bouquets, buttonholes and corsages are being handmade by Vintage At Heart who does stunning work with foam and silk flowers and vintage broaches. My brother won't be with me on my wedding day, as he passed away in 2009, but I really wanted a way to have something there with me - Pinterest turned up this wonderful idea (below) and so I have found some lovely round picture charms on ebay for £2.49 for five, and they will be incorporated into my bouquet and the bridesmaids bouquets. This is absolutely my favourite find.

I have also found some brilliant ideas for bridesmaid's gifts and fun little things to keep kids entertained at the reception -

If anyone is planning their wedding (or any celebratioin!), decorating/redecorating their home, looking for home-crafted gift ideas or just even looking for some cute new hairstyles, I would definitely recommend Pinterest, it's free to sign up and the app is free to download to you phone/ipad/ipad mini which is super handy for when you are out and about and want to show someone an idea you have found - saves me carrying lots of bits of paper and magazine cutouts in my handbag now!

It's a dogs life...

Turf is the newest addition to our little family, an incredibly long-legged Yorkie with a beautiful scruffy face. We brought him home in June 2012 and we have been inseparable ever since. We take him everywhere we can with us... to the pub on Friday night, out to Sunday lunch, to visit family and friends, to my office... the list is endless. As I am lucky enough to travel quite a bit for work J and I were worried that we might have to leave Turf behind at some stage, unthinkable! So we got our thinking caps on and came up with a plan. I do quite a lot of hotel/weekend break features that don't involve any flying - usually we take the car and travel by ferry - and recently we had been discovering that a LOT of places are dog-friendly - and we're not just talking about your average B&B's, we talking country lodges, Scottish Castles and top 5* hotels. Pets across the country can be enjoying a weekend break with their owners - lounging in plush dog beds with luxury chef prepared treats, while their owners are enjoying a Michelin-starred meal or being pampered in the spa, and the best thing is... pets go free!

Our first weekend break as a threesome was to the stunning Glenview Hotel in County Wicklow...

It's a dogs life in County Wicklow

Whether it's a village B&B or the 5* Claridges in Mayfair, most hotels now allow dogs to stay with their owners. As a dog owner myself, I think this is a fantastic idea, and one that not many people know about! Our one concern about getting a pup was that we might have to leave him behind when we travelled - but we needn't have worried. On a recent trip to the Glenview Hotel in County Wicklow we simply packed our cases, strapped the dog (Turf) into the car and hit the motorway.
Located just south of Dublin off the N11 motorway, the Glenview Hotel is within pretty easy reach for a weekend break... only three hours from Belfast, and more importantly, welcomes dogs. Nestled high on the hillside in the picturesque Glen of the Downs in County Wicklow, the hotel is perfectly positioned for those who want a country retreat near to Dublin, but don't want to pay out the nose for it!
 

 

 Exterior view of the hotel from the gardens

Dating back to 1914, when it originally opened as a cottage, hunting lodge and guesthouse, the Glenview Hotel used to be part of the nearby Powerscourt Estate, but is now in private ownership. It's easy to find - you can spot it from the motorway - although we still managed to get lost, taking turnoff 10 instead of turnoff 9! It was easy to scoot back towards Dublin again though and five minutes later we were parked and heading for the hotel reception with Turf trotting along beside us.

The staff were very friendly and welcoming (even making sure to wish Turf a 'happy stay'), which set the scene for the rest of our visit. We had very thoughtfully been put in one of the front suites with a balcony, meaning turf could do his business outside without one of us having to take him downstairs - this was great in the middle of the night when he needed a widdle. To say the room was huge would be an understatement, Turf had plenty of room to play. There was also an attached dressing room which led to the bathroom, so we weren't tripping over puppy paws while getting ready for dinner.
While dogs are allowed in the hotel's main areas, they are not, of course, allowed in the restaurant or bar, so we left Turf snuggled up in an armchair while we headed down to the bar.

The bar area is open plan to the bistro, with a large open fire providing a cosy warmth throughout. We chose a table beside the fire for our dinner - nothing better than a roaring fire, good food and a few glasses of wine!
 

Entrance to the Glenview Hotel

I had the Asian chicken salad to start while the other half opted for the soup of the day with fresh crusty bread. We both chose the sirloin steak, chunky chips, onion rings and three peppercorn sauce for mains, while we shared the dessert - a beautifully light fruit cheesecake with whipped cream... and of course more wine. I have to say, the three peppercorn sauce was absolutely divine with the sirloin... it was warm (not mouth-scorchingly hot) with a lovely sweet taste which complemented the meat beautifully. The service was very prompt too, no sooner had we finished our starters than our mains appeared... this pleased the other half no end, as he's not one for drawn-out dinners.

The night was still young, so not wanting to head to the room just yet, we sat a little longer by the fire (we currently do not have a fire at home, so we wanted to enjoy it for as long as possible!) When we did eventually did decide to head upstairs, Turf was still fast asleep in the armchair... his little head popped up only long enough to see if we had brought him any leftovers, unfortunately for him though we had scoffed everything.

With it being very much into winter, and the nights being very dark and our bellies very full, we all snuggled up in the huge bed for some Saturday night TV and a cup of tea - I don't think Turf missed his after-dinner walk too much that night.

Breakfast consisted of a selection of cereals, continental pastries and a hot buffet. We both headed straight for the hot buffet... a fry-up being one of the highlights of staying in a hotel, as it's not something we would make at home. I was very glad to see black and white pudding in the buffet, as not many hotels serve it, but it is absolutely delicious and I had two pieces of each. Not wanting to return to the room empty handed again (after all, this was Turf's holiday too) I cut up a sausage into bite-sized chunks, which the breakfast waitress very kindly wrapped in tinfoil for me, to take back to the room.

We put our overnight things back into the case while Turf enjoyed his sausage chunks... one thing about travelling with a dog is that they seem to have more bits and bobs to fit into the case than you do.

Gardens at the Glenview
 
We wanted to be on our way pretty sharpish for the drive home, so checked out at 10.30am. This gave us plenty of time to put the case in the car and take Turf for a walk around the little garden to the front of the hotel.

With plenty of grassed areas, trees, shrubbery and flower beds there's no excuse for doggy boredom, and Turf careered around them all with abandon, happily running through muddy patches (it had been raining overnight), sticking his nose into every tree root and rubbing alongside the damp moss on the fences. The walk isn't very long and we covered it in 10 minutes at a very leisurely pace (including stopping to relax on a bench or two along the way), so we circled it a few times for Turf's amusement and to tire him out for the journey home.

If you too are travelling with your dog the Wicklow Way is a great way to spend the day - the Wicklow Way is the best known of the wonderfully unspoilt mountain trails in Ireland.

 Our cheeky boy Turf

We had a fantastic time at the Glenview Hotel and as it was the first time we had taken Turf away with us overnight, it gave us the opportunity to make a 'snag' list - a list of things we should or shouldn't have packed for him. A dog seat belt is absolutely paramount, we would never take him anywhere without one - and he sits on the back seat, not on the passenger side incase of an emergency where the airbag would be deployed - safety is everything. 

Turf can get carsick, so plastic bags, kitchen towels, baby wipes and a spare blanket are essential for the car journey. We also like to plan ahead, make sure he has been walked and fed at least an hour and a half before we leave, so as he has burned off some energy and has had time to digest his food. We also make sure he has done his business before we put him in the car, and plan if we will need to stop on the way. A small plastic bowl and a bottle of water is kept in the car with us (not in the boot!)

We take puppy pads for the hotel room (incase he needs to go while we are having dinner or during the night), a kong, stuffed toy and a cushion - although he likes to make himself comfy in an armchair!

We also bring treats (for the kong) and his normal food and bowls. This is what I mean when I say we pack more stuff for Turf than for us!

Our next adventure will take us to Sheildhill Castle in Scotland, and I'll post the feature/review as soon as its printed.

New Year's Resolutions...

NOTE: The post is really a little rant about food, where I find bargains and how I keep spending on food and household items as low as possible. There is also a quick recipe that I use at least three times a week for a filling, balanced, pocket-friendly meal. Please feel free to share your money saving tips with me :)

We're not the New Year's resolutions making types in our household, but this year we have made an exception. We sat down at the kitchen table, note book and bank statements in hand and decided that we needed up our our game and start saving. With houses in our area averaging between £80,000 - £125,000 and mortgage lenders and banks asking for a 10% deposit, we need to really save hard if we want to be able to buy our first home in the next 12 - 18 months. And with our wedding planned for November this year, saving has to be a priority.

I'm sure many of you are in the same boat, things aren't getting any cheaper and with more and more families finding money tight, cut backs have to be made. The most significant cutback we have made is to our household supplies/food bill and our Friday night takeaway and wine.

Our total housekeeping budget is £60 per week... this may seem high, but it covers our weekly electric meter top-up (£10 per week), pet supplies (puppy pads, sawdust, hay, food and treats), Friday night takeaway (one order split between us with store bought prawn crackers and boiled rice made at home), any alcohol (usually a bottle of wine for me and some cider cans for J), general household and cleaning supplies, and food.

I do the shopping on my way home from work on a Friday night, I like to get it over and done with, then go home and enjoy my takeaway and a glass (sometimes two) of wine!

On average I spend £25 per week on food and household items - and this is all I'm willing to spend. I add everything up as I go around the shop and always get the more essential things first - and trust me it isn't easy sticking to this budget, but I know it will be worth it when our savings start adding up :)

I start at the pound shop... here I can get a pack of 14 puppy pads for £1.79 - compared to a pack of seven at pets at home for £3.49, that's a great saving. One pack of 14 puppy pads will last us about a month now as Turf is learning to go to the door to let us know when he needs to do his business (although when it's raining he simply refuses to go outside and will use the pads instead, cheeky boy).

I also stock up with a large jar of jalapenoes (89p for a large jar), marshmallows (£1 for a 50% free bag), curry noodles (25p per pack) and filters and rolling papers for J (approx £2 for both which last two weeks).

Turf's pet food costs £6 for a bag that will last us a month and Goose's costs £6.49 and will last for about 6 - 8 weeks. I buy Goose's hay and sawdust from Tescos (£1.49 for sawdust and £3.49 for hay) - these will both last two weeks.

I hate spending a lot of money on food, I find it a complete waste if I have something go off and I have to throw it out. I buy a lot of frozen veg and also freeze all my meat to defrost as I need.

Here are some of the things I buy on a weekly basis -
At Tesco I will buy a 4-pack of chicken breast fillets (£4), tub of goldfish brand curry paste (£2.89), 1 box of value stuffing mix (15p), 1 value loaf (79p), 1 bag of long grain rice (40p), jar of value cranberry sauce (50p), 1 bag of fresh rocket (£1), 1 pack of own brand 'mars' bars (£1.29), 1 bag of own brand pasta (80p), 1 bag of frozen value roast potatoes (£1.59), 2 litre skimmed milk (£1), Tescos own brand prawn crackers (89p), large pack of Value ham (£1.89) and a bag of grated cheese (approx. £2).
I then go to lidl and stock up on carrots (between 39p-89p), frozen roasting parsnips (£1.46) and potatoes (1.89).
Every two weeks I will buy 1 bag of onions (£1), 1 bag of frozen peas (89p) and 1 bag of frozen value broccoli from Tesco.
I only replace what I need to, for instance if we run out of butter, but have some mayo or salad cream we will use that instead until everything has run out.

This has seen the biggest saving increase for us - normally I would have spent between £60 - £80 on food and household items alone, buying lots of meat, ready-made potato gratin, pasta 'n' sauce, wine, various cleaning products, microwave snacks for J and other things that we really didn't need.

A really filling meal that I make quite a bit is chicken/veg curry with rice -

This makes enough for two people (and sometimes I get a lunch out of it too)

1 Chicken Breast (optional)
1 Carrot
Handful Frozen Peas
Handful Frozen Broccoli
1 Tin of Sweetcorn
4 Small Onions
Long Grain Rice (measured out for two portions as directed)
1/4 tub Goldfish Curry Paste

Cook long grain rice as per instructions on packet (for two portions).
Chop chicken breast (if using) into small pieces and fry in a wok on a low heat.
Cook broccoli and peas in a pot of boiling water and drain.
Add onions to wok with chicken breast.
Using a potato peeler, peel ribbons of carrot and add to wok
Add peas, broccoli and sweetcorn to wok.
In a separate pot cook curry as per instructions, add to wok

Dish out the rice and chicken/veg curry and enjoy!

You can also add any veg you have laying around into it... lentils, chickpeas, cauliflower, they can all go in.

Fresh beginnings

It has been almost one full year since my last post and a lot has happened since then...

In March we had a big family holiday to the Canary Islands - my partner (J) and myself travelled with my mum, dad, aunt, uncle and three cousins to the sunshine for an amazing week of family time, which was much needed and which we all thoroughly enjoyed.

In May J and I moved into our first home together, a beautiful little ground floor apartment by the beach.

In July we introduced a new member to our little family, he is an absolutely beautiful little Yorkshire Terrier named Turf who adores his Guinea Pig brother Goose.

This is our beautiful little man... look at those long legs!

In August I got a wonderful surprise when J asked me to marry him! And of course I said yes! We are now busy planning our wedding for November this year (2013) so expect lots of wedding related posts! We are both very excited to start married life together and are looking forward to buying our very first home, hopefully sometime this year!

My beautiful engagement ring

Last year brought us many blessings and we are very thankful for the lives that we have and the people who share it with us. We had an excellent Christmas and New Year, of which I will be doing a proper post - this year I cooked Christmas Dinner AND New Year's Day Lunch, which was very exciting for me - and I'll also be starting to post regularly again.

I am very excited about 2013, we have lots of things planned and hope everyone has a happy and healthy New Year!

Food Provenance excellence!

It's all about the food...

When I was at the Culloden Hotel on Tuesday night there was one thing in particular that really impressed me... the dedication to supporting local food producers - they use local produce in all of the six Hastings Hotels across Northern Ireland.

Food is a great love of mine, I believe it's one of life's greatest pleasures, something to be savoured and enjoyed, and I really love knowing that the food I'm enjoying is sourced locally and supports local producers.

Moyallon dry cured back bacon and breakfast sausages, Gracehill award winning black and white puddings and eggs sourced locally from Crossgar are a staple of all Hastings Hotels Ulster Frys, while musesli and granola, handmade by Crawford's Foods in County Down, and porridge, made with White's porridge oats (and a touch of Bushmills Whiskey) graces the breakfast tables of those who prefer a healthier start to the day.

The Armagh Cider Company provides all hotels in the Hastings group with their Apple Juice, while the milk, butter and cream is all fresh from Farmview Dairies in the Castlereagh Hills, and the yoghurt is naturally made just a few miles down the road at the Clandeboye Estate.

The famous Irwin family provides the finest Irish breads for toast, sandwiches and burgers, while The Yellow Door Deli and Patisserie bakes some delicious speciality breads for the hotels.
I was extremely proud to hear that all the vegetables and salads are provided by Killinchy-based Willowbrook Farm as I am a former employee and can personally vouch for the freshness and delicious farm-to-fork flavour of their produce.

Potatoes are provided by Wilson's Country Potatoes in County Armagh - who have also just patented a very special hexagonal Causeway chip for the hotel group... these are delicious and we were lucky enough to get to sample these crispy, chunky delights on Tuesday night!
A firm Northern Ireland favourite, Tayto NI Ltd supplies the crisp garnishes for the sandwiches and panninis... a real lunch time treat.

The list goes on with pork sourced from locally reared Irish pigs, grain-fed chicken and duck (again reared locally in counties Down and Armagh), grass-fed lamb, prime local breed Irish beef including the native Dexter and Irish Moiled. Glenarm Organic Shorthorn from the Glenarm Estate is on the menu alongside certified Northern Irish Hereford beef from Hannan Meats in County Armagh. Glenarm Organic salmon and langoustines landed in Kilkeel (which is used in their signature Guinness battered scampi) ensure the survival of the fishing trade by being sourced responsibly and sustainably.

No great dinner would be complete without a cheese board, and Hastings Hotel's is a truly Irish affair - Kearney Blue from County Down, Coolkeeran from the Causeway Cheese Company, Fivemiletown Ballybrie and the famous Irish Gubbeen all served with delicious handmade Ditty's oatcakes.

Afternoon tea? The Yellow Door Deli and Patisserie (a firm Belfast favourite and a regular at St George's Market) is one of the artisan producers who prepare the hotel's baked goods and patisseries while Glastry Farm near Kircubbin in County Down provides delicious handmade ice-cream.

The unique Hastings House Blend tea is made by the Thompson family in Belfast while the iconic Irish brand Bewley's provide the coffee.

In a previous post I called the fillet of beef I had on Tuesday night "the best piece of meat I've ever tasted" (or something to that effect)... and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the culinary genius behind such a sublimely tender piece of meat was so young (there he is in the wee picture below with Managing Director of Hastings Hotels, Howard Hastings... chef's the one in the white hat)! Many chefs twice his age would be in envy at his skill!

Howard Hastings with the uber gifted Culloden chef!

The bottom line is I enjoy good local food and I love it when hotels and restaurants share that passion - it makes my dining experience one hundred per cent better to know that my gorgeous beef fillet came from the farm only a couple of miles from my home and hasn't been frozen and bounced about in a container on it's way from France or Spain or Germany.

So get out there and experience this for yourselves - get yourself some locally sourced proper Irish grub at one of Hastings Hotel's fine establishments!

Here's a wee video from Howard Hastings...

Hastings Hotels - Food Provenance from AV Browne on Vimeo.

Chic, secluded and luxurious!

With the promise of 30 acres of seclusion and dining in a Michelin star restaurant I spent a relaxing weekend in Drumfries and Galloway with my better half...

The stunning Knockinaam Lodge

Knockinaam Lodge “is the only luxury boutique hotel in Dumfries and Galloway”... they had me at luxury, I'm a sucker for anything luxurious.

Only 15 minutes drive from Stranraer, Knockinaam lodge is set, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere... the road leading to it is even unnamed! Good thing it was well sign- posted - we didn't fully trust the sat nav.

We took the car across with Stena Line - it's the best way to get to Knockinaam and you can bring the dog along too. Knockinaam has three rooms in which pets are allowed and plenty of cliff and beach walks to keep the pooch happy.

We took the early morning Caledonia crossing (7.30am to be precise) and woke up our tums with a lovely bacon and egg soda (me) and a sausage and egg bap (the other half) on board. The crossing took three hours - the crossing has been cut to 2 hours 15 minutes now that the new terminal at Loch Ryan is open and the brand spanking new Stena Superfast Ferries are on the route.

We followed the signs for Knockinaam Lodge, but after driving down the narrow country roads for about 15 minutes we were sure we'd taken a wrong turn... surely there was no way we were on the right road... we decided to turn at the first opportunity, however before we could find a place we saw another sign for Knockinaam Lodge, turns out we were on the right road after all! We were well rewarded after our bumpy country drive when Knockinaam came into view. A truly majestic stone lodge with grass lawns running down to a secluded beach... it was absolutely stunning.

There is ample parking space in the lodge's private carpark. We were warmly welcomed at reception where we dropped off our bags (we were a bit early for check-in) and signed the guest log before heading to nearby Portpatrick for a walk and a spot of lunch.

Portpatrick is a quiet picturesque little port, home to a few lovely curiosity shops, around four bar/restaurants, a local shop and a cafe (above one of the curiosity shops). We popped into one of the local sea-front bars, the Crown, for some pub grub lunch - chicken tikka cheese melt with salad and crisps.... it hit the spot brilliantly! I had a lovely oatie vanilla cream biscuit to finish (which I'd purchased from the bakery counter of the local shop), those biscuits were amazing. We made sure to get a whole box on Sunday morning to take home with us!





The quiet streets of Portpatrick

Back in the hotel we were shown to our room, and what a room it was! With a large luxurious super king-kize bed, lounge area and huge bathroom with free-standing roll-top bath, comfy robes and views right across the secluded bay... the Hannay was simply stunning. The hotel boasts only 10 luxury suites so every guest gets highly individualised attention to their unique needs - a real home away from home... especially that bath - amazing! This is definitely affordable luxury at its best.

The gorgeous claw-foot freestanding bath

The huge king-size bed of the Hannay suite... so comfy!

After a quick refresh and change we wandered downstairs to the drawing room for a cup of tea and a game of scrabble. Knockinaam is well stocked with board games and DVD's so you'll never get board - it's the kind of place you can spend an entire weekend in without having to venture out of doors at all except for a leisurely stroll around the 30 acres of stunning landscaped grounds. Perfect for those romantic get-aways.

We settled ourselves on the comfy feather stuffed sofa (seriously, it was stuffed with feathers) ready for our scrabble battle. The other half was peckish so he opted for some cheese and ham sandwiches with his tea. I whipped him at scrabble... twice.

An afternoon playing scrabble in the comfort of the lodge's drawing room with a lovely cup of tea is an afternoon well spent, so a nap before dinner was in order. While the fella had a doze I ran myself a bath and spent an hour soaking in the giant tub before finally deciding I was turning into a prune and it was time to get out and dressed for dinner.

Few small country house hotels in Dumfries and Galloway, indeed anywhere in Scotland, can match the glittering array of awards possessed by Knockinaam - they have three AA red stars, three AA food rosettes and one Michelin star (one of only 11 Michelin starred hotels in Scotland). The dinner that night did not disappoint. We enjoyed a taster menu of some delicious dishes which included an egg entree, broth with chicken sausage and some Scottish salmon. We weren't too keen on the figs, but a cheese board each was very much enjoyed (by me, my partner's not much of a cheese lover... I ate most of his too!)

My other half whipped me at chess... but I'm still the scrabble champion

Full of food it was back to the room with us and into pyjamas for some Friday night TV in the lounge area and a flick through the hotel's local activities’ book to see what we fancied doing the next day.

A full Scottish breakfast is how I'd like to start every day - sausage, bacon, potato bread, black pudding, haggis, fried tomato and egg with a selection of toast, jams, breakfast muffins, pastries and a lovely pot of hot tea... my mouth is still watering thinking about it - fine fair indeed!

With our bellies well and truly full we set off on the rather long journey to Dalton Pottery to paint a pot. Dalton Pottery is near Lockerbie, about an hour and 40 minutes from Knockinaam, but it's a lovely drive through the Scottish countryside. I choose to paint a teapot, while the other half choose a giant mug. While I was busy painting my teapot with flowers and butterflies (very girlie!) the fella painted the instructions for how he likes his tea with 'Kirsty read here' in large letters and two big red arrows pointing to 'tea, milk, 1 sugar'... so I wouldn't have to keep asking - very helpful. We spent about an hour and a half choosing and painting our pots and had a spot of lunch in the cafe while we waited for them to be dried in the kiln.

An artist in the making...

My masterpiece...

Pleased with our pots we started the drive back. We had planned to stop of at a distillery on the return journey but unfortunately time was against us and we weren't going to make it there before closing time. We decided to head back to the Crown in Portpatrick for some dinner and a few drinks. The roaring fire was a welcome relief from the cold outside and we picked a spare booth facing it to get warmed up. The menu was quite extensive and featured a lot of seafood, but I was in the mood for a cajun chicken burger and some chips, while the other half had a half chicken and chips... it was just one of those comfort food nights. I spied a chocolate mousse on the dessert menu and of course I couldn't resist. It was devine... probably the best chocolate dessert I've every had. It was so good I told my partner we'd have to come back to Portpatrick for a break in 2012... just so I could have another chocolate dessert!

It was getting pretty stormy outside so we decided it was best to head back to the hotel before it got too late and driving conditions worsened, plus we were pretty tired from our excursion. Back in the hotel we ordered a bottle of wine from the room service menu and cuddled up on the sofa for and hour or two of TV and wine before bed.

Another morning, another fantastic Scottish breakfast... which I certainly made the most of! Since we hadn't made it to the distillery the previous day, we decided to get packed up, checked out and head off to see it before we caught our ferry home. Bladnoch Distillery is just outside Wigtown, Scotland's national book town so we didn’t have much of a drive to get there - about 20 minutes.

Although there was a chill in the air, the stormy weather from the night before had passed and we now had clear skies and sunshine. We arrived at the distillery only to find that it wasn't open on Sundays... just our luck, so we drove back to Wigtown for a nosey.
There are plenty of vintage and curiosity shops in Wigtown as well as book shops, and we had great fun checking out all the treasures and hidden gems! There is also a fantastic butchers where we picked up a huge haggis bung.

Our sailing was at 2.30pm, and we wanted to have a stroll around Stranraer before we headed home, it had been a long time since I’d been in Stranraer and forgot how many little streets and shops there are to explore.

Having forgot to pick up some proper black pud with my haggis bung in Wigtown, we were lucky to come across a great butchers in Stranraer who had some big black puds... perfect.

I'm always determined to try to the local fish and chips when I go anywhere, and since I hadn't yet done so, we made a beeline for the restaurant onboard the Caledonia once we were all secured to set sail. I've never seen a cod that big... it was delicious but expensive, just under £20 for two fish and chips and fizzy drinks.

I have enjoyed weekend breaks at home in Northern Ireland, across the Border in the Republic and also across the water in England this year.... but I'm definitely putting Scotland at the top of the list of weekend breaks to take in the new year.

Creating my masterpiece

Contacts:

Address:
Knockinaam Lodge,
Portpatrick,
Dumfries and Galloway,
Scotland,
DG9 9AD
Telephone:01776 810471
Email: reservations@knockinaamlodge.com
For current rates and offers check out: knockinaamlodge.com
For ferry times and prices visit: www.stenaline.co.uk/ferry

Sneek Previews for 2012 at Culloden

I had an absolutely brilliant time at the fabulous Culloden Hotel last night! A massive thank you to Hastings Hotels, Discover Northern Ireland and the newly appointed Hastings Hotels PR partners Duffy Rafferty Communications for the top quality food (literally the best fillet of beef I have ever tasted... melted in the mouth) and the exclusive previews of all the upcoming events for 2012 - very exciting stuff... I was especially impressed by the light show preview and will definitely be keeping my Easter weekend free for that! I am also thrilled with the special edition titanic themed rubber ducks... little captain (as I've now named him) has joined his buddies on the bathroom shelf... and what a merry bunch they make!

Little Captain gets ready to join his fellow Hastings ducks

TITANIC

Little Captain and his duck buddies

Chilling out in the mild West

In need of some rest and relaxation, I headed off to Westport in County Mayo for some Clew Bay cod and a spot of reflexology...

ON one of the most western points in Ireland, deep in County Mayo overlooking Clew Bay sits the quiet little town of Westport. Shadowed by the towering Croagh Patrick, Wesport has become an extremely popular destination for long weekends and short breaks in Ireland.

It was dry and sunny when we set off on the drive across Ireland for what was to be our girlie-getaway. Taking the most direct (and quickest) route direct to the west coast from Belfast we headed west to Enniskillen where we stopped for a lovely late lunch at Maud’s Ice-cream parlour and café.

Forgetting that the UK and Ireland are well on the way into the winter season, we sat on at lunch longer than we should have, and by the time we got back on the road again the sun was quickly sinking on the horizon. It was just past 7pm when we drove into the beautiful little town of Westport and immediately we were impressed. Litter and lout free, with plenty to do Westport is the perfect place for a quick, cheap break.

The Castlecourt Hotel and its sister hotel, the Westport Plaza, sit adjacent to each other in a sort of semi-circle formation around an inner courtyard with an ornate fountain marking the middle. The fabulous Spa Sula is serenely tucked away toward the back of the resort, which only adds to the tranquility of its location.



We had booked in to the luxurious Castlecourt Hotel and wasted no time at all in driving to the back of the hotel and parking the car in the underground car-park (completely free of charge) and heading straight for our room. Tired after the drive we checked out the room service menu and ordered the Chicken Curry with rice and chips. Included in our package were two ¼ bottles of wine in our room, which went splendidly with the spicy curry, also two little boxes of chocolates, which we ate as a lazy dessert.

The next morning we got up pretty early and headed down for breakfast (which is also included in the package). After helping ourselves to the continental buffet a waiter came to take our orders for the hot breakfasts. I opted for the Clew Bay breakfast of cod and toasted brown soda (wheaten bread to you and I).

After breakfast we took a quick walk around the town, popping into the Tourist Information centre to have a chat with the lady there about her recommendations on the best places to visit in the area.

She was very helpful (if a little vague about the distances to these places) so we hopped back in the car, map in hand, and headed along the Clew Bay Archeological Trail out towards Roman Island. Our destination for the morning was Croagh Patrick and the Famine Memorial, and we found it about 20 minutes drive outside the town. Croagh Patrick is one of Europe’s best known places for pilgrimage each year many climb barefoot in memory of St Patrick, who according to legend spent 40 days and 40 nights fasting on the summit.

The National Famine Memorial sits opposite the car park and the foot of Croagh Patrick and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, facing out to the west where so many emigrants sailed. The memorial, entitled ‘Coffin Ship’, was designed and created by artist John Behan. The bronze sculpture takes the form of one of the emigrant ships, the rigging of which is made from bronze skeletal figures. It is an extremely moving monument. Situated just down the lane from the Memorial is Murrisk Abbey. On the east of the Abbey there is a window carved with human heads on the outside wall.

Back in the car again, it was off north to Achill Island, the largest island off Ireland. If you like to do a bit of sightseeing then I definitely recommend you either drive to Westport or hire a car once you’re there and it’s a good idea to note that although the locals may say “agh it’s just up the road there”, their idea of “just up the road” may not be the same as yours. After 40-minutes of “just up the road there” driving we realised that Achill Island was probably a two-hour round trip away from Westport, but since we were already more that half way there we kept on driving, stopping only for the sheep, dogs and cows that occasionally wandered across the road.

Achill Island is attached to the mainland by Michael Davitt Bridge between the villages of Achill Sound (on Achill Island) and Polranny (on the mainland). If you drive to the north-west of the island you will reach the beach at Keel, which is excellent for gathering the kind of shells where you can hear the sea if you put them to your ear.

I’m one of those people who just can’t resist a spa, so as soon as I had learned there was a spa at Castlecourt Hotel I picked up the phone and was booked in for a treatment. Described as a ‘luxurious temple of harmony for body, mind and spirit’ as soon as you walk through the door you feel at ease and relaxed.



The spacious tranquil sanctuary is designed to allow you to de-stress. Everything from the specialised dry and wet heat cabins, rock sauna, steam room, salt grotto, tropical rain showers, foot spa, ice fountain, heated relaxation room, rasual chamber, heated outdoor Jacuzzi rock pool and the Zen garden unwinds, detoxifies, cleanses and relaxes body, mind and spirit.



I’m a big massage fan and typically go for a full body massage, so in order to get out of my massage rut, I instead opted for a spot of Reflexology. This ancient pressure point foot treatment concentrates on a map of the body’s organs and structures. This is a technique used to help the body’s natural healing process and after a 60 minute session (half and hour on each foot) my therapist was able to tell me all about my neck and shoulder pain and even the headaches I sometimes get if I don’t wear my glasses when working on the computer!

Having spent the day in a mixture of careful driving through the coastal roads of west Ireland and blissfully chilling out in Spa Sula, it was with much effort that we left the hotel room and headed to the restaurant for dinner.



The Castlecourt Hotel has two restaurants to choose from, the Orchard Restaurant (where we had breakfast) and the Courtyard Bistro while Petie Joes Bar provides live music every night. If they’re fully booked you can pop across into sister hotel, the Westport Plaza and try out the menu in their Restaurant Merlot or the Plaza Bar. The Library Lounge is the perfect place for some afternoon tea or a quick panini.

After discovering that the Orchard was fully booked until after 8.30pm (our own fault for forgetting to reserve a table) we nipped across to Restaurant Merlot in the Plaza. After an absolutely mouth-watering Sirloin and a delicious melt in the middle Chocolate Pudding we were thoroughly full and took a little a walk about town to walk off our sins.

For such a small town, Westport has quite a number of little pubs, restaurants and hide-away bars, most offering traditional live music and ‘good craic’ - we walked the long way around town, down the river and over the bridge then back up past the little church, which has been converted into an Indian and Thai Restaurant.

Few towns in Ireland have as much charisma and charm as Westport. Great for family holidays, romantic getaways, and girlie spa breaks, it’s no surprise that this small coastal town is fast becoming one of Ireland’s top holiday destinations.

Factbox:

For more information on the Castlecourt Hotel and Spa Sula log on to www.castlecourthotel.ie or www.spasula.ie.

Peace and love,

GT

Cheap flights...

We've all had this experience...




Peace and love,

GT