One of our lovely Guest Bloggers Sophie Devonshire (aka @poppylovering in the Twitter world!) has written us another fabulous foodie post about her new favourite foodie place in Leeds – students, if you’re at Leeds Met or University of Leeds, check it out!

New Favourite Foodie Place
‘As students in Leeds we’re very fortunate to have heaps of independent eateries dotted all over our stomping ground. You really don’t need to venture out of the Hyde Park/Headingley bubble to find satisfying and cheap eats. One of the brightest new stars and a personal fave on this foodie patch is Mamsy’s on Hyde Park Road.

Mamsy’s is a snug, vibrant and chilled restaurant on the edge of the park which serves up authentic Thai nommyness. And it has a nice little story behind it: the owner, Mamsy, came up with the idea of a studenty, cheap-as-chips restaurant whilst travelling in Mexico. He had zilch previous experience in the restaurant industry but fancied himself a (big) challenge. Despite most people warning him that this was a terrible idea he went ahead with the project with limited funds and knowledge.
(more…)

If you want to get into the good habit of eating breakfast but are short on time in the morning, fear not! Make these tasty, nutritious On-The-Run Bars and before you head out the house, grab one to eat on the move so you don’t miss out – sorted! Check out the video too so you can watch Pamela in action.

BREAKFAST: ON-THE-RUN BARS

Makes: 12 | Will keep for 1 week in an airtight container

Ingredients:

• 100g butter

• 3 tsp golden syrup

• 85g dememara sugar

• 150g porridge oats

• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

• 50g desiccated coconut

• 2 tbsp linseeds, slightly crushed

• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

• 100g chopped hazelnuts

Get cooking!

1. Heat oven to 160 degrees and grease a 22cm square baking tin.

2. Melt the butter, syrup and sugar in a pan, then pour in the oats, cinnamon, coconut, seeds and nuts – mix well and pour into the tin.

3. Bake for 30-35 mins until golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins then cut into slices. Wrap each in foil and store in an airtight container to keep fresh!

This is a really easy, quick and healthy tea perfect for getting in after a busy day at uni or sesh at the gym. It’s replenishing, full of goodness and is ready in 20 mins – and it’s cheap too and if you’ve got some left over you can eat it cold the next day for lunch – result! (*Plus you’re using some the ingredients you got for the Lunch recipe too so even more of a bargain!) Watch the video and see Pamela cook it up!

DINNER: CREAMY TUNA & VEG PASTA
Serves: 2 | Ready in 20 mins

Ingredients
• 100g pasta (wheat-free if you want!)
• 2 x cans tuna in spring water, drained
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 courgette, quartered and sliced*
• Pack of mushrooms
• 100g frozen peas
• ½ small tub crème fraiche (half-fat)*
• 1 lemon, zested and juice
• Fresh parsley, chopped*
• Salt, pepper & dried herbs
• Vegetable oil

Get cooking!
1. First cook your pasta: bring a pan of water to the boil and cook for 10-12 mins (or whatever it says on the packet).
2. Meanwhile in another large pan, heat a little oil and add your onions, courgettes and mushrooms – fry for a few mins, then add your frozen peas. Keep stirring well and cook for a further 5-8 mins.
3. Drain your pasta, add to the big pan then tip in your tuna, crème fraiche, lemon zest and some juice, parsley, herbs and salt and pepper. Stir through until everything’s heated through and it’s nice and saucy :) Ready!

Quiche – it’s a great, simple lunch time option that’s a nice alternative to the standard sandwich or pasta salad. The best thing is, you can make it the night before and have it chilled for lunch with salad, or eat it hot for tea with a jacket potato or chips… Plus this uses ingredients for the Dinner option* so you can make them stretch to cover two meals – bargain! Here’s the video too so you can see Pamela make it.

LUNCH: ROASTED VEGTABLE & GOAT’S CHEESE QUICHE

Ingredients:
• 1 x pack of ready-made shortcrust pastry
• 1 red onion, sliced
• I red pepper, cut into chunks
• 1 courgette, cut into chunks*
• Cherry tomatoes, halved
• 130 ml half-fat crème fraiche*
• 130 ml double cream
• 2 eggs
• Fresh parsley, chopped*
• 50-75g Goat’s cheese, crumbled
• Vegetable oil
• Herbs, salt and pepper

Get cooking!
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Put all the vegetables into a roasting tin with some oil and sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper. Roast for 20-30 mins until soft.
2. Meanwhile, roll out your pastry and press into a loose-bottomed flan tin with your fingers, prick with a fork, then put a layer of foil over it and tip dried beans into the case to fill it.
3. Remove veg from oven and leave to cool. Put the pastry case in for 5-10 mins, remove beans and foil and bake for another 5 mins.
4. Whisk the cream, crème fraiche and 2 eggs together well. Put your veg inside your pastry case, pour over mixture then place cherry tomatoes on top and sprinkle the cheese over. Bake for 25-30 mins and voila, leave to cool a bit then it’s ready to eat straight out the tin or cold the next day!

‘I’m Jamie, my younger brother is a chef so growing up food became an important part of our life. It still is; mealtimes are an event, especially when I’m at home in Nottingham with my family. I consider myself a foodie and enjoy trying new foods. I aim to be healthy too but food-loving doesn’t always work out that way. My favourite foods are quite easily meat feast pizza (thin and crispy) and chocolate ice cream.

This pie is straightforward and cheap to make but is warming, filling and tasty. Its loosely inspired by a leftover turkey pie that Jamie Oliver makes. I make it with ready roll puff pastry but if you’re feeling really adventurous you can make your own. You can also swap in or out most of the ingredients. This makes enough for around 4 hungry people; I normally end up eating it for a few days after.’

JAMIE’S CHICKEN, BACON, LEEK & STUFFING PIE

Ingredients:
• Splash of olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 rashers of smoked (always smoked) bacon, diced
• 300g chicken, cut into cubes
• Sprinkle of mixed herbs
• 1 leek, washed and sliced
• 1 pint of hot chicken stock (Oxo, Knorr etc.)
• Two tablespoons creme fraiche (or double cream or even milk or soy milk, just something to make it creamy)
• Roughly half a pack of stuffing mix (I used Paxo sage and onion but any will do)
• 1 pack of ready roll puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten
(more…)