Leek and Potato Soup

Even though summer is still in full swing, there have been a few hints of Autumn in the air lately, and the nights have been getting a little chilly, so my thoughts are already turning to Autumnal food. I picked up some leeks which were reduced at the supermarket this week, and so thought it was the perfect opportunity to make a batch of Leek and Potato Soup in preparation for those colder evenings!

I have really been embracing my food processor lately, and so I love this recipe, as all of the hard work - the chopping and the blending can be done by the food processor. All you really have to do is add the solid ingredients to the liquid in a pan and stir - so simple, I'm sure even the most limited cook can do it (one for the students off to uni perhaps!).

This is a delicious, hearty, Vegetarian soup, which can be made in a batch for the family, or frozen into smaller/individual portions. Give it a go and see what you think!

Ingredients
250g Leeks
250g Potatoes
One Onion
1500ml Vegetable Stock
Salt & Pepper

Directions

1. Cut off the bottom of the leeks and remove the outer layer. Place in the food processor, and chop into small pieces.
2. Peel the onion and potatoes, and cut into four pieces, food process into small pieces
3. Place the leeks, potatoes and onions into a large pan. Add the vegetable stock and desired amount of sale and pepper, and bring to the boil.
4. Reduce the heat to low, place a lid on the pan, and simmer for twenty to thirty minutes
5. Allow to cool, and then blend the mixture until smooth
6. Serve immediately, or refrigerate/freeze for later.

Carluccio's Christmas Range 2014

Ok, ok, I know it's August now, not July, and we are far from Christmas, but I attended Carluccio's Christmas in July event and so wanted to wish you all an early "Buon Natale" and share some of the products I saw at the event.

I have always wanted to experience an Italian Christmas, because it just seems to be all about the food! This was evident at the Carluccio's Christmas in July Press Show. Inspired by Napoli and it's Neopolitan style, Carluccio's Christmas range includes products from all over Italy, including cakes, biscuits, confectionary and gift boxes featuring pasta, oils, coffee and other Italian products.

The event started with an ice cold, freshly squeezed Lemon Granita, which was just delicious and much needed after a journey on the hot tube! We then got to sample some authentic Italian summer grub, as well as the Christmas range, including delicious sweets made with nougat, nuts, and candied fruits, and some of their gloriously crunchy biscotti.

"No Panettone, No Christmas" - seems to be the phrase Carluccio's cites during the festive period, and so if you want to impress your guests at Christmas, or give a great gift for Christmas, the Panettone Tradizionale is certainly a major contender. Part bread, part cake, and made with dried fruit and candied peel, this is as much a staple of a grown-up Christmas as the big man in the red suit is for the kids. I know what will be adorning my table this Christmas season!

Carluccio's gifts are a great option for Foodie Fanatics in the family, and also perhaps for those people who have everything, and don't need another wash bag, or soap on a rope! The Christmas range will be available online and in Carluccio's stores from the 21st October. I will certainly be popping along to my local store to take a look, as there is something for everyone there!

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The Galleria Hatfield: Summerdine Promotion & Prezzo Review

This summer, The Galleria in Hatfield have launched their Summerdine Promotion, which combines dining at the centre's restaurants over the summer, with some days out at top attractions including Legoland, Thorpe Park, Duxford Air Museum, Willows Farm and the Warner Bros Studio Tour. The promotion which runs from July 7th - August 21st features restaurants such as Pizza Express, Chiquito, Nando’s, Prezzo, Bella Italia, Frankie and Benny’s and Harvester. Families who dine three times and spend over £45 per visit during the six weeks of the Summerdine promotion, will receive a free day out the attraction of their choice for up to two adults and two children.

As a parent to two children, I know that days out to these attractions can sometimes be as much as £50 - £100 for a family, and so an opportunity to enjoy a family day out or free, as a reward for eating out with the kids can only be a good thing.

The Galleria in Hatfield invited us to review the Summerdine Promotion, and enjoy a meal at Prezzo to see how the promotion worked. With the kids away with the grandparents, hubby and I took advantage of the offer, and spent the evening at Prezzo, enjoying a meal together.

The restaurant was quite busy for a Monday evening, but when we entered, we were shown to a table very quickly and offered drinks. We started our evening with a bread board to share, which included tomato and pesto, mozzarella and garlic, and other breads with olive oil. Munching on our bread, we were able to peruse the menu at our leisure. Being an Italian restaurant, there is a wide selection of Pizza and Pasta on offer, along with Grills and Salads. The choice for Vegetarians included quite a few pizza choices, and two pasta choices with one salad and one risotto option. I would say that there was a pretty good selection for Vegetarians to choose from, and I didn't have trouble finding something to order.

For starters, I opted for Mozzarella in Carrozza (mozzarella in breadcrumbs served with a pomodoro sauce), which is a firm veggie favourite of mine. When it arrived, soon after ordering, there was a good portion which was very filling and tasted extremely delicious.

For main course, I chose the Goats Cheese Al Forno which consisted of field mushrooms, roasted peppers, baby spinach and fusilli in tomato sauce drizzled with basil pesto. As you can see from the photo, it was a big portion and very filling. It was so filling that I had to leave some, but it was definitely very tasty and satisfying. I also ordered the warm potato salad which had an interesting lemon and mustard dressing.  Hubby had the Calzone, which was stuffed full of filling, and which he very much enjoyed too. As the photos indicate, all of the ingredients used were fresh and the meals were cooked from scratch. 

We ended our meal with a dessert. Hubby opted for Honeycomb Smash Cheesecake, and I opted for the Pimm's Sorbet. The cheesecake was very filling and a good end to the meal, and the Pimm;s Sorbet was absolutely sublime, and finished off my meal very well. 

I would definitely recommend a visit to Prezzo. The menu is very reasonably priced, the food was delicious, the restaurant had great decor and was very atmospheric. We especially loved the open pizza oven where you could see the food being prepared. The service was excellent, the waiting staff were very attentive and gave really good service, including clearing the table between meals and offering more drinks. I was very impressed with the service. I was also very impressed with the food, which was fresh, hot and served in ample portions. The meal was very reasonably priced. 

It's always good to get rewarded for eating out, so if you haven't done so already, I would definitely recommend checking out the Summerdine Promotion at The Galleria. Check out the terms and conditions of the Summerdine promotion, and do consider enjoying a free day out for you and your family or friends. 

Disclosure: Free meal offered in consideration for review. All opinions are my own. 

Review - Dr Zak's Bread

Featured on the blog today is a new product which is Vegetarian Society Approved and is also a great source of protein - Dr Zak's Bread.

You may not necessarily think of bread as a good source of protein, considering it more a carbohydrate, but there is a new kind of bread on the market, primarily targeted at the sports and fitness market which offers something a little different.

Adding protein to a vegetarian diet can be tricky when you don't eat meat or fish, or even dairy alternatives. Made from all-natural ingredients, Dr Zak's Protein Bread is high in protein (30.4g per 2 slices) and low in carbs, meaning that it is great for adding protein to a vegetarian diet.

I mus admit that I was a little apprehensive to try this bread, but I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted it and I think I am a convert! Dr Zak's bread tasted a lot like Rye Bread, or American style bread and was really delicious. It is a richer texture, and also a lot more filling, which is a good thing as bread can be one of my absolute weaknesses. I would definitely recommend trying Dr Zak's bread. I would also recommend trying it served as a cheese and tomato toastie - yummy!!

Dr Zak's Bread is available online and stocked in supermarkets such as Tesco, with an RRP of £4.49. The range also include Pasta, and other items soon to come.

Disclosure Product offered in consideration for review

Zizzi's Restaurant St Albans Review

Recently the family was invited to review our local Zizzi restaurant in St Albans. Zizzi's aims to provide affordable Italian food using fresh, local ingredients. Founded in 1999, there are currently one hundred and twenty six Zizzi restaurants in the chain across the UK. We have visited our local Zizzi restaurant previously on a few occasions and always had a good experience. 

I absolutely love the decor and the feel of the St Albans restaurant. It feels really bright and airy, and is also very family friendly, so parents can relax during the meal. On the Saturday that we visited, there was a great atmosphere as it was quite busy with lots going on. Upon entering, we were quickly shown to a table, and sat down to browse the menu. The kids were also provided with colouring implements to keep them busy during our time there. The range of starters and main courses on the menu is quite overwhelming, there is lots to choose from - especially for vegetarians. Options for vegetarians included a butternut squash salad, pomodoro spaghetti, and several pizza options. There were also lots of choices from the starter menu too which were vegetarian friendly.

The "Bambini" kids menu consists of three courses and a chocachino for £6.75, which is great value. The kids chose dough sticks to start.  The Dough sticks came in a kiddy friendly cup, which the kids loved. They could choose a mini pasta option, or a mini pizza with toppings for a main course, and ice cream for dessert. Mine chose pizza with their own preferred toppings and then ice cream for dessert - chocolate and strawberry. They also relished their chocachino (steamed chocolate milk) at the end of their meal. They thought that the menu choices were fantastic and both kids (aged four and seven) had no trouble in finding something to eat. Their meals were also served first, which I really appreciated as it meant that they could tuck in and were not interrupting our meals. Serving the kids meals first is a big plus in my book, and something that I wish more restaurants would take notice of, as children are not as patient as adults. The kids meals were also cooked from fresh and used good quality ingredients, and it was lovely that it wasn't the usual microwaved pasta and unhealthy chips so often found on other menus.

Both hubby and I opted for the Arancini as a starter - deep fried risotto balls made with mozzarella, pea and a breadcrumb coating. We were both so impressed with our starters as they tasted really delicious. I would have liked a tiny bit more of the sauce, as it ran out fairly quickly, but it was a fairly minor niggle as the taste of the Arancini was so satisfying.     

                                                            

I have to say that the service from out waiter was genuinely the best service I have received in a very long time, and we eat out a lot. However, I don't know if this is just because they knew that I was reviewing the restaurant, but I don't think it was. The excellent service came down to the little things that can be so frequently forgotten in some restaurants - clearing napkins and dirty cutlery and glasses in-between courses, bringing fresh cutlery for each course which is a big plus in my book, and clearing dirty glasses and bringing fresh drinks when required. Our waiter looked after us really well and I was seriously impressed. 

For main course, we both chose pizza's. I had the "Pizza Rustica" - Zizzi's signature pizza which is hand stretched for a bigger base, crispier texture and more toppings. I chose the Primavera Rustica Goats’ cheese, aubergine, artichoke, peppers, olives, mozzarella, green pesto and rocket on a wholemeal base. The Primavera Pizza was very eye catching and looked really appetising. It also tasted really delicious. The combination of ingredients blended really well together, and the pizza was very filling as a main course. I enjoyed it very much. Eldest opted for a Margherita pizza which she enjoyed. 

For dessert, the kids had their ice creams. I opted for "Kitty's Gelato" in Strawberry, Mint Choc Chip and Vanilla. Hubby went for the "Espresso Affogato" - a classic Italian dessert of crema gelato and mascarpone cream, organic espresso and amaretti biscuits. Every item was served individually, to enable hubby to create the dessert in the way that he wanted. He enjoyed this very much and the taste of the dessert was very impressive. I have to admit I did steal some of his as it was so delicious. I know what I am having next time!  Here is what the kids had to say about their food:  "I liked it, it was yummy" (youngest). "The food was really good and I especially loved the dough sticks with oil. I also loved Mummy's Arancini" (eldest). "The food and service was excellent, I thought the decor of the restaurant was bright and vibrant. The menu was good with lots of variety. I would definitely visit again" (hubby). Altogether our meal came to around £70 for three courses and drinks, which for a family of four, I thought was pretty good. 

Zizzi's is a great family friendly restaurant - perfect for a visit with the kids, but also grown up enough for an evening visit on your own. I would definitely recommend a visit. 

Have you visited a Zizzi restaurant? What did you think?

Disclosure: Meal offered in consideration for review.