Preview night at Roast and Conch

My sister and I were invited to an exclusive preview evening at Roast and Conch last night to launch the new menu and the delectable new range of cocktails.  After recommendations from many of the staff including the General Manager I went for the Salted Caramel Soother- and let me tell you -this was definitely worth the hype. The silky smooth and creamy cocktail is almost milkshake like in texture yet has quite the substantial kick!

Canapés were served throughout the evening including sausages in a chocolate glaze (divine) spiced aubergine (exquisite) and smoked  salmon with gin and tonic jelly to name but a few.

However my favourite would have to be the banana cake served with chocolate mouse. The moist, nutty cake was perfectly complimented by the light and fluffy mousse and I would have happily have munched on these all night.

Upon going upstairs to the main restaurant more canapés were to be had whilst we chatted to the chefs and despite our best efforts the recipe for white chocolate mash remains a secret.

I couldn't leave Roast and Conch before visiting the shop that is situated on the ground floor. Hotel Chocolat has always proved to me at least to be second to none in customer service and Shelley, who was working there that evening, was exceedingly helpful and informative when I was trying to choose what to buy. A very hard task as everything looked so good.

Having previously purchased the Cocoa beer and the gin ( not for myself btw) I was keen to get the Chocolate Port for my dad yet as I had two varieties to choose from I was faced with quite the dilemma.

I was advised that the Ruby Port goes best with dark chocolates as it very rich in flavour and full-bodied whereas the Tawny which is medium-bodied is much better suited for when eating milk chocolate. Nevertheless I bought both varieties :)

The new menu at Roast and Conch, like the chocolates sold by Hotel Chocolat offers a fantastic variety of dishes that are suitable for a variety of dietary requirements.  Including vegetarian, gluten free and dairy free options. 

Ginger and Caramel Cookies

Inspired by the flavour combinations used by Northern Bloc, who you can find at Trinity Kitchen in Leeds until the 10th of May, today's baking delight combines the aromatic, tangy and silky flavours of ginger and caramel.

I based my recipe on this but you can probably tell that my recipe has made (just a few) adjustments.

Firstly you will need:

An oven at 180c
250g sugar
400g flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
225g butter
100g crystallised ginger
2 egg yolks
1 cup of cold water

If you look at the recipe that I have adapted from you will see that they have used 300g of sugar so why am I using less? The answer is because of the crystallised ginger, it is itself covered in sugar so I have taken some sugar away so that my cookies aren't too sweet.

First things first, dice the ginger, I haven't cut mine too small as I want to go for a chunky texture in my cookies.
 

In a saucepan heat the butter and sugar to create a caramel. Pour in the water gradually to stop the caramel from thickening too much. Leave to cool.

Once cool fold in the flour, baking powder and egg yolks. If,like me, your mixture is still looking a bit on the thin side this may be because your caramel has not thickened properly or you were too impatient and added the flour before the caramel had a chance to cool.

Fold in the prices of ginger before spooning onto baking tray. I tried to make the cookies on each tray  about the same size so that they would cook uniformly yet as you can imagine as I was running out of mixture so my last batch of cookies is smaller in size (but not in taste) than my first few batches.

Bake in the oven at 180 degrees c for 10-12 minutes (depending on size) or until they are golden. Leave to cool completely on a cooling rack before enjoying with a nice cup of tea.

My headband

Sadly I'm not referring to this seriously underrated song from Glee.

Headbands are quickly becoming my favourite thing to knit. Not only are they quick, easy and look really cute but they are also a great handmade gift. 

To make your very own headband you will need a chunky ball of wool, 8mm needles, scissors and a yarn needle. 

First cast on 15 stitches, if you are using finer wool and smaller needles you will have to cast on more stitches.

And continue knitting in garter stitch for approximately 48 rows or until your headband fits around your head.

When fastening the two ends together turn your headband the wrong side up and blanket stitch the ends together.

To shape and finish I knitted a smaller rectangle 6x15 and wrap around the seam stitching in place to the back.alternatively you could knit small rectangles, leaving a long tail and wrap a single thread around the middle to make a bow. For a simpler style leave your headband as a band. Whichever decoration you choose, your headband is sure to keep your ears warm. 

Depression - you are not alone

One in four women and one in ten men will suffer from depression at least once in their life. Don't tell me to 'snap out of it' or to 'pull myself together' because sometimes you just can't. 

What is Depression 

To say that one is depressed is very common as people may refer to themselves as being 'depressed' when they have a bad day at work or school or failed an exam etc when they actually just mean that they are fed up. Life is a series of ups and downs so whilst this is considered to be normal behaviour, most people recover from this quite quickly. 

However, for people suffering from depression a low mood and other symptoms which we will look at later will persist every single day for at least two weeks and sometimes for a much longer period of time. These symptoms might even be so severe that they interfere with every day life. 

Causes of Depression

The cause of depression is not fully known yet it is believed that depression is brought about in a variety of ways.

Genetics. Experts have considered that if depression runs in the family it is more likely to affect some than others. 

Life events may also trigger feelings of depression. For example a bereavement or illness.

Depression, as mentioned above is more prevalent in woman that in men and it is believed that common times for depression to occur are after childbirth (post natal depression) and the menopause.

Symptoms 

The main symptoms of depression are: 

• a constant feeling of sadness or low mood 
• Loss in interest or pleasure activities that you used to enjoy

As with many mental illnesses, people may experience depression in different ways. It is thought, however that the following list of symptoms, and in particular if more than five of the nine is observed, is a common sign of depression: 

•  Change in sleeping pattern. This may relate to insomnia, finding it hard to get to sleep, waking up in the middle of the night and being unable to get back to sleep or even sleeping too much. 
• Appetite differing - for some this may mean eating less, loss of appetite and weight loss whilst for others this may signify comfort eating and weight gain.
• Lack of energy and feeling tired (fatigue) ALL the time.
• Agitation or slowing of movements.
• Indecisiveness and finding it hard to concentrate. For example difficulty focussing on work, reading etc.
• Feelings of worthlessness, or excessive or inappropriate guilt.
• Thoughts of death. Not usually the fear of death but rather a preoccupation with dying. This may progress into suicidal thoughts.

If you or anyone you know suffer/s from depression know that you are not weak and you are not alone. 

Click here or here for advice on how to get help 

York Chocolate Festival

Easter,a celebration best known for chomping chocolate eggs is the perfect time of year for the York chocolate festival.

The York Chocolate Festival is spread over the whole Easter weekend and today (Saturday) I went to feast on all the Chocolatey goodness.

The chocolate market can be found on Parliament street where a variety of chocolatiers are gathered and wouldn't it would be considered rude not to try their wares?

Duffy's award winning handmade chocolate made in Lincolnshire uses single origin cocoa beans from around the world. This means that each bar has a distinctive and completely unique flavour.

Our next stop was at the Deliciously Yorkshire tent where the Walmgate Ale House were demonstrating their special chocolatey recipes that were only available for this weekend. Including: chorizo and cocoa nib ragu, venison with chocolate oil and red wine jus and last but not least duck confit with chocolate and orange.

Each dish was more delectable than the last and I would definitely recommend a trip there the next time you find yourself in York.

After a quick slice of cake (chocolate of course) and a spot of shopping we ventured into the chocolate tasting tent for a workshop on the art of chocolate tasting.

When you are tasting and judging chocolate you need to use all five sense. Good quality chocolate should be smooth in texture, have a very satisfying aroma, the snap when breaking the chocolate should be crisp, and the chocolate should have a shine to it rather than looking matte as well as being uniform colour. Last but not least when tasting the chocolate you should let it melt in your mouth; experiencing the many flavours  with the chocolate bar or truffle.

Social Anxiety

Ok so here's the deal: Social situations terrify me, I'm scared of asking people for help- especially strangers and I avoid going to parties like the plague.

At first I thought that I was just being my weird little self but then it hit me. Social Anxiety Disorder.

It's quite common for people to get nervous about things. Some people find the idea of public speaking worrying or are scared to talk to somebody in an authoritative position. You can often put these fears down to shyness or a lack of confidence. Yet to others fears of social interactions may be more acute and they are known to be suffering from  Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) or Social Phobia.



So what exactly is SAD?

The Social Anxiety Research Clinic defines SAD as:

Social anxiety can be a normal part of life. It involves feeling tense, nervous or uncomfortable in situations with others, due to fear of what they may think of you. When social anxiety is very distressing or interferes with activities, however, it may be considered "Social Anxiety Disorder." People with Social Anxiety Disorder may find it difficult to make new friends, to participate in group activities, or to date, and they may find career opportunities limited by their anxiety.

Sufferers may experience fears and/or dread when faced with social situations. Even the most mundane things such as answering the phone, working, shopping or even just leaving the house can be distressing. Furthermore sufferers of Social Anxiety have the tendency to over think and analyse especially when it comes to relationships. They (or should I say we) are very sensitive to criticism (this works wonders when you are job hunting and may send you into a spiral of despair.)  and have an acute fear of rejection.

Whilst many of these tendencies may be very common in adolescence for sufferers of SAD these continue into later life and as we continue to avoid stressful situations may isolate ourselves thus leading to feelings of loneliness and depression.

SAD is a mental illness yet it is not all 'just in your head' as physical symptoms may include rapid breathing, trembling, sweating and even in extreme cases panic attacks.

These images perfectly reflect how social anxiety can impact 'normal' interactions.

                                       

If you or anyone you know suffers from Social anxiety please visit these websites. Here and here