The Cheesecake Shop

My other half found this very exciting place while looking for somewhere to take me as a treat. A treat it was indeed! As the name suggests, they have a wide selection of cheesecakes and cream cakes as well as a savory menu (but lets face it, who wants a sandwich when you can have cheesecake?!). The prices are quite reasonable and definitely affordable as a treat. We had a hot chocolate each, which were fantastic and while he had a tasty slice of Strawberry Continental Cheesecake, I had a piece of tiramisu. Very satisfying!

The Cheesecake Shop can be found at 33 Devonshire Square, Town Centre, Loughborough, LE11 3DW.

Spike Island Canteen

(Image from Spike Island website)

In the company of my dear mother, we ventured to the bank of the Avon to a creative haven called Spike Island. Housed in a converted tea packing factory, it provides 80'000 square foot of exhibition and studio space. We wanted to take in the latest Richard Long and Simon Starling exhibition (incidentally, it was a little weird but very interesting with ideas about site and reflecting on journeys) and worked up quite an appetite.

Spike Island have their own Canteen/Bar which seems to have artistic souls floating about, sketching and drinking coffee. It's a light and airy space with great homemade food and friendly staff. We indulged in thai green vegetable curry all round, which was very tasty and not too harsh on an artist's pocket.

Quail

"Oh, what's this?" he says, delving into the often unusual selection of over ripe and tired-looking produce that make up the 'Reductions' section of the supermarket aisles. It was a pair of cute little quails for a laughable price with the condition that they needed to be eaten that day. Having not cooked quail before (I wasn't aware it could be bought from your average Tesco or Sainsbury's), I didn't do anything ambitious. I roasted them on a bed of onions and rosemary trying to baste them as often as possible. I served them up like I would a traditional chicken roast, making gravy from the juice-soaked onions and plating our find with roasted potatoes and vegetables. The meat itself was predictably rich, dense and gamey. After we'd enjoyed our feast, I boiled down the carcases and produced the most extraordinary stock; it was rich, dark and rather creamy but without the layer of fat you get from chicken stock. It looked so tasty, I simply boiled some brocolli in the broth and had it like that!

For any other first time quail-cookers, they don't take long to cook at all due to their size but they have very little fat on them so they need to be basted often. Another option is to put a few rashers of bacon on each quail to roast, which will add more fat and moisture to the meat. The bacon can then either be left on the quail when served or peeled off, chopped and added to the gravy but remember to lay off the salt if this is the case! You can also use the metalic wrapper from a block of butter gently wrapped around the meat while it roasts to infuse it with butteryness. They generally only need twenty to twenty-five minutes in a hot oven (220C/Gas Mark 7).

Loughborough Market

A cold morning in a weekend away from my home turf and it was decided that we'd pay a visit to the local market in the centre of town. It boasts a real variety of stalls; not just food but everything from freshly ground coffee beans to fancy dress! I always thought of towns and cities like Loughborough as market dwellings and it was great to see it come to life around the hustle and bustle of temporary stalls.

The market runs on a Saturday (and a Thursday if the websites are to be believed) from early until about 4pm. There are lots of stalls and it was pretty busy so I'd recommend keeping your wits about you. Stalls provide plastic bags but it's always a good idea to bring your own - I find fabric ones are kinder to your hands if you have a bit of a walk. Selection is good and the prices are competitive, differing on the stall so check about before buying. We bought:

- Some pork and tomato sausages and bacon
- Aubergines (three for £1)
- A bunch of fresh beetroot (£1)
- Carrots and parsnips
- Purple sprouting brocolli (£1.79 for 1lb)
- A dozen freerange XL eggs (£1.90)

Nash's Bakery

They say a way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I would hesitate before agreeing whole-heartedly but I do think culinary skills can be helpful when winning a man's affections. It seems to be important to find the right flavours to tickle his fancy affectively. Hence, I am gifting my man with his vice. He's a lover of sticky toffee pudding so when I heard that Nash's Bakery, an Oxford chain, made a sticky toffee sponge cake, it seemed like a must. They aren't cheap - £3.20 a loaf but it seems worth it. A definite hit with the boy and a great treat!

Roasted Onion Squash Pasta

Having selected a very cute looking Onion Squash from my local farmers market, I decided to cook up something rich and hearty. This would work equally well with butternut squash or something similar...

Roasted Onion Squash Pasta

(Not the most appetitising of photo's, sorry!)

Ingredients:
One onion squash or half a large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
Two deseeded red peppers, chopped
One (red) onion, finely chopped
Garlic, to taste
Smoked Bacon, cubed
Creme Fraíche
Tagliatelle

- Roast squash and peppers in an oiled tray, preheated oven (190C) for about twenty minutes or until softened and golden. Set aside.
- Put pasta on to boil in lightly salted water
- Heat a medium sized pan with a little oil then gently fry onion and garlic.
- Add bacon and brown all over.
- Add the roasted vegetables and fry enough to warm through
- Drain pasta. Stir about a tablespoon of creme fraiche into mixture to coat everything but not so everything is swimming in liquid. Add more if required.
- Add drained pasta, stir well and serve.

Headington Farmers Market

The sunshine scooped me out of bed this morning in time for the Headington Farmers Market, a meer half an hours walk from where I live in Oxford. It's situated on Kennett Road and takes place on the final Friday of each month between 8.30am and midday. It's only a small market consisting of about ten stalls but the atmosphere was great and the quality of the produce seemed fantastic and not all that expensive. A friend and I treated ourselves to fresh bacon rolls (£2.70) from one of the butchers who was also selling a variety of pork meat and game. There was also a large bakery stall selling bread and cakes from which I bought a small loaf of locally milled wholemeal bread (95p) and a yummy Belgian bun (80p). I bought a pound of home grown tomatoes for just 80p and an onion squash for 70p. There was also a flower stand selling lots of flowers in pretty autumnal shades, one selling organic mushrooms, another butchers stall selling beef and a cider and apple juice stall. Well worth a visit if you're in the Oxfordshire area!