tibits Restaurant: Review

I have heard a lot about tibits Vegetarian Restaurant in Heddon Street, London, and so when I was invited to review the restaurant, I was excited to go along and experience a meal. 

Set in the heart of Regent Street's food quarter, tibits is located just off the hustle and bustle of the shopping quarter, and so is a great hide away to grab a bite to eat. A popular hangout for Vegetarians and Vegans alike, tibits attracts a wide and varied clientele, which is evident when you visit. They have also just won Cook Vegetarians "Best Restaurant" award - which is a great accolade to have.

tibits is an informal dining experience, which gives the flexibility to "eat and run" or stay a while and enjoy the surroundings. You typically find your own table, and you can eat inside or outside. The evening that we visited, it was Vegan Night, which occurs every ten days (check the website for info).


As we were reviewing the restaurant, we were greeted by the manager, Antony, who explained how the restaurant works. We were surprised to find that tibits actually offers Buffet style dining. The idea is that you pay per 100 grams of food. You then go and help yourself to the food buffet which is located on the " Food Boat" in the centre of the restaurant. The buffet contained hot and cold offerings, with salad and other things also including Tabouleh, Guacamole, Chickpeas, Onion Rings, Potato Wedges and so much more. The idea is that you fill your plate with whatever you fancy, and then pay for your plate at the bar, based on its weight. You can view a sample menu here.

One good thing about visiting a Vegetarian Restaurant is that I know I can always eat anything and everything on offer. Antony explained that the thinking behind the buffet idea is that often, when you order from a menu, you don't know what is going to arrive and whether it will be the same as described on the menu. Vegetarians and vegans have a hard enough time trying to decipher menus and deciding if it is ok to eat or not, and if they will like it or not like it. With a buffet style offering, at least you can make a decision about whether you actually want the dish based on seeing and smelling it, rather than trying to guess if you will like it from the menu.

My plate, when it was weighed came to around seventeen pounds - equating to around 850 grams of food. The price is between £2.30 and £2.60 per 100 grams of food. For me, there are huge plus points to this, however, the down side is that if you fill your plate a bit too much, then you end up paying more than perhaps you would have liked to, as there is no way to tell how much you will be paying until you go to the counter. I would have liked perhaps the ability to have different sized plates, or to be able to weigh the plate yourself as you go, so you know whether you want to add more to the plate or not - this was the only down side to the restaurant - that you don't know how much you will be paying, and for me, I prefer to know in advance. Having said that, the food was all extremely delicious, I enjoyed every single thing that I ate. Everything was cooked and prepared fresh, and you could really tell that the quality of the food was absolutely fantastic, so I guess that you get what you pay for, and on this part of London, I guess that you expect to pay more. Plus on top of that it was healthy, and food which is good for you, and leaves you feeling energetic, rather than feeling sluggish and over full when you leave the restaurant.

There is also a great Pudding Buffet which works in the same way as the main course buffet, and so once our food had gone down, hubby and I went and chose a dessert. As we were eating towards the end of service, they had run out of quite a few things, but there was still a few good things to choose from. The Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding, which was the house special and a permanent fixture on the buffet was absolutely delicious - it tasted really rich, but had a fantastic fluffy sponge. However, the star of the evening had to be the Vegan Panacotta. Light and airy, yet really rich and full of flavour. Filled with cherries and berries, you would never have known that the Panacotta was Vegan, and the cream was made using soya milk. We were seriously impressed with how good the Vegan food was, hubby (the meat eater) said he was surprised that everything was Vegan and so amazing.

As well as food, the restaurant also sells freshly made juice drinks, hot drinks and soft drinks, and alcoholic and non alcoholic cocktails.

We were trying to decide what the decor felt like and we couldn't really come to a conclusion as it was just so different to what we had seen before. We loved the atmosphere of the restaurant - it was really lively and vibrant. We also really liked the fact that there was a kids corner where kids could play - a nice touch. I would definitely recommend a visit to tibits. Although perhaps a little pricier than what I am used to, one has to remember that this establishment is situated right off of regent street in London and so "London prices" apply. We paid £58 for two mains, two desserts, and two soft drinks each, which works out to around £28 per person - not extortionate. Plus the added bonus is that the food was not processed or cooked from frozen - a big plus in my books. I think it would be a great restaurant to visit for meat eaters and Vegetarians/Vegans alike, as there is something for everyone. I can't wait to go back for another visit!!

"Half Time Ices" - From CBeebies I Can Cook

This week, with the girls being off school for Easter, they have been enjoying watching some CBeebies. One of their favourite programmes is still "I Can Cook" which offers kids easy recipes to make and features Katy who shows them how to do it. 

On "I Can Cook", the recipe this week was "Half Time Ices" - perfect for eating during the holidays! The Half Time Ices consisted of frozen oranges and strawberries, and the girls were really excited because we had the exact ingredients to make them!!

I really like the recipes featured on I Can Cook as most of them can be done with none, or very minimal adult help. The girls were able to make their Half Time Ices completely on their own - all I had to do was slice the top off the orange. It was great to let them have a bit of independence in the kitchen and prepare something for themselves. The recipe was also really healthy. Once it had been frozen, we all agreed that it was much more tasty than a regular ice lolly - and with much more flavour and much less sugar and nasties!!

Here is the recipe to make Half Time Ices: You will need an orange, and 4 strawberries cut into small pieces. Scoop out the orange, hide the strawberries inside, place the scooped orange back in, and freeze - that's it!

Being kids of the 21st century, the girls also wanted to record their cooking. We tried videoing the process, but it didn't really work, so in the end, the girls decided to make a video describing their experience of making their Half Time Ices. Here is youngest aged four (and a half!) telling you about how she found the process.

The video they made cuts off sharpish at the end, but here it is:

Barber's 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar: Review and Giveaway

As a Vegetarian, but also a big Cheese lover, buying cheese can sometimes be a bit of a minefield as not all cheddar cheese is Vegetarian, and you often have to decipher between what is and what isn't. It's typically even harder if you go out for dinner and are served cheese, and then have to clarify exactly what the cheese contains.

Recently I was sent some Cheddar Cheese to review from Barber's, the world’s oldest Cheddar producers. I was pleased to discover that Barber's Cheddar Cheese is rennet free and so is absolutely suitable for vegetarians.Hailing from Somerset, with over one hundred and eighty years experience passed down through six generations, Barber's Cheddar is left to mature for at least twenty four months. It's evident in the flavour that the cheese has been produced in such a high quality way. The cheese is soft, but crumbly and nutty, and it tasted really mild and creamy, even though it was mature. You would never tell it was vegetarian friendly.

Although the cheese tastes absolutely fantastic on it's own, to help us all use their cheese more effectively, Barber's has produced a series of video recipes, which are great for getting some cooking inspiration.

I was sent the ingredients to make Spinach and Cheese Souffles (follow the link for a recipe). I have never actually made a souffle before, so it was useful to be able to watch the video below before I embarked upon making my souffles. I don't think I did too badly!! They took a little longer to cook than I had thought, but I think that my oven may not have been hot enough.

Youngest definitely enjoyed the souffles as she scoffed down three one after the other!! Here she is in her own words!!

I was really impressed with Barber's Cheddar, and will definitely be buying more of it. Don't take my word for it about how good this cheese is though, because you could be about to win some!! In association with Barker's I am offering a competition for one reader to win Six packs of Vegetarian Barber's 1833 cheese.

You can enter the competition via the Rafflecopter competition here

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was sent Barber's Cheese to review. All opinions are my own. Prize winners details will be passed to Barber's PR contacts who are responsible for issuing the prize.

Banana, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Milkshake

As the Easter holidays are upon us, today I am featuring a recipe which you can try making with the kids, or which they can make themselves! Eldest (aged 7) made this milkshake and took the picture. She is now starting to become more independent with food and she is always wanting to help me with the cooking, or cook a recipe of her own.

I can see that this holidays, there may be a few recipes coming made by the kids, so watch this space!!

Peanut Butter, Banana and Chocolate Milkshake

Ingredients

1 Banana

1 tbsp Peanut Butter

1 tbsp Chocolate sauce (or cocoa powder)

150ml Milk (semi skimmed or whole)

Method

1. Chop the banana into small pieces
2. Place all of the ingredients into a blender, and make sure the lid is on tight (this may require some grown up help).
3. Whizz the ingredients in the blender, until smooth.
4. Serve Immediately, or refrigerate for later!

April Finds: New Vegetarian Products

March was a busy month for new Vegetarian finds to hit my kitchen table, and so here we are in April and I am finally featuring them! I would definitely look out for some of these at the supermarket the next time you are there as they are all fantastic products. 

Have you tried any of these? What did you think?

I was recently sent two packs of Bannister Farm Potatoes - four large ready baked potatoes for the adults and "Little'uns" small baked potatoes  for the children. I remember as a child eating baked potatoes which had been bought pre-cooked and then nuked in the microwave, and they always came out hard and horrible, so when I was asked to sample these pre-baked potatoes, I was a little dubious about whether we would really like them.

I needn't have worried. My girls absolutely loved the look of the packaging of the baked potatoes, and eagerly set about deciding what they would eat with them. They also absolutely loved the taste of the potatoes - so much so that they had them two days in a row. Us adults were equally fanatical about the grown-up versions as they were really light and fluffy, and tasted almost the same as if they had been cooking for hours in the oven. The best thing was that they only take six minutes to cook in the microwave and around half an hour in the oven.

As a busy family, this meant that they really saved dinner on a couple of occasions. I work mainly evenings, but my kids also do after school activities, so we never really have much time between us all coming in from after school activities and me having to go to work. Being able to pop a cooked potato in the microwave for a couple of minutes, to warm it up, and then to serve with some beans and cheese was a godsend. The kids absolutely loved them and I didn't feel guilty about giving them something quick and unhealthy like pizza as I rushed to work. It also meant that Hubby had something waiting for him when he came in from work. Even better, the Bannister's Farm range comes from potatoes sourced in Britain, mainly in Yorkshire and so it's good to be able to support British Business.

The Bannister's Farm range includes Ready Baked Potatoes, Baked Potato Skins, pots of Potato Crush, Filled Baked Potato Halves and Little'Uns small Baked Potatoes. Bannister's Farm Ready Baked Potatoes and Little'Uns Baked Potatoes are available from most major retailers priced around £2.30 and £2.20 respectively.

Choc Shot - Liquid Chocolate

New Choc Shot Liquid Hot Chocolate is a chocolate lover's dream. It is essentially a chocolate liquid, which is not just for drinking! Unlike other chocolate sauces. Choc Shot is made from 100% natural ingredients and is suitable for Vegetarian and Vegans.

We were sent Choc Shot to sample, and we used it as a topping when we made pancakes. The kids (and us) had lots of fun pouring it all over their pancakes. Since then though, I have found it an absolute godsend as I have used it every time a recipe calls for cocoa powder, or melted chocolate (which quite a few recipes do in our house!). I have used Choc Shot in chocolate muffins, chocolate fridge cakes, milkshakes, poured over yoghurt, as a dip for fruit, and I even added a little of it to a pot of Veggie Chilli I was making to add some richness to the flavour. It is such a hugely versatile ingredient, and a little goes a long way, so it lasts for quite a while. Of course, there is also the classic way to use it - making Hot Chocolate, which has been a big hit with the kids, and it is now so easy and quick to heat some milk and then put a couple of shots of Choc Shot in.

Choc Shot is available from most major supermarkets, priced £3.59 for 320ml.

Birthday Cake Toppers

Hubby celebrated a big birthday recently and so of course the proceedings required a birthday cake to go along with them. Even though I enjoy cookery, baking is really not one of my strong points. The cakes I make never seem to turn out the way I want them, and then decorating them is even more of a headache. Coincidentally, I was approached by Birthday Cake Toppers to sample some of their products, and so I thought that hubby's birthday was a great opportunity to sample their products.

As hubby is a big Star Wars fan, and a big kid at heart, I opted for some Star Wars themed cupcake toppers, and a personalised birthday cake topper for Hubby. Ordering was quick and easy, and the toppers were really reasonable priced at £2.50 for the birthday cake topper, and £1.50 for the cupcake toppers.

The cake toppers were really easy to use. I bought a pre-iced birthday cake, and added the cake topper using some butter cream icing.  It was really quick and easy. However, the sugar paper is thin, so you do have to use the butter cream sparingly to attach.

I would definitely recommend using Birthday Cake Toppers - especially if the special person in your life likes something specific. There is a big range from One Direction to Fireman Sam and everything can be ordered from the website.

Meridian Nut Butter's

As a Vegetarian houshold, we eat quite a lot of Nut butters - my kids especially love the toasted banana and peanut butter sandwiches my husband makes them, and we often use peanut butter as a dip for apples for an after school or mid-morning snack.

Meridian produce natural and organic varieties of peanut, almond and cashew butters as well as seed butters, and they sent me some to sample. The range includes smooth and crunchy varieties that are 100% nuts. They are deliciously vegetarian, and don't contain any palm oil or unfriendly products.

I absolutely loved the cashew butter, as cashew's are one of my favourite nut's, and so any chance to eat them in whatever way is always welcome! I also loved the almond butter as it had a slightly smoother, softer flavour. The kid's eagerly tucked into the peanut butter and really enjoyed it. It was also apparent that there was no added sugar or salt, as the peanut butter tasted a lot more natural than others we have tried. These are a must try for every one who loves nut butter's as the quality of them compared to others on the market is apparent from the first bite.

Meridian peanut butters are available in Ocado, Holland and Barratt, independent health stores and online.   Meridian’s Almond nut butter and its Cashew nut butters are available in these and supermarkets, including Sainsbury’s and Tesco, priced at around £2.99.

Rachel's Organic Greek Style Lemon Yoghurt

We are big fans of Rachel's Organic Dairy brand, and also fans of greek yoghurt in general. Rachel's Organic have created a new flavour in their range - Greek Style Lemon. New Rachel's Organic Greek Style Lemon Yoghurt is absolutely delicious, and is great on it's own. or served with fruit. It is also great used as a dessert, or perhaps when used to make something like a lemon mousse. I also love this idea for frozen Lemon Yoghurt Drops on the Rachel's Organic website.

The Greek Style Lemon yoghurt tasted creamy, lemony, velvety, and was absolutely delicious. I would definitely recommend picking up a pot at the supermarket next time you are there.

Disclosure: All products were sent to me in consideration for review. All opinions are my own.