Author: Sarah Kemp

The Nare Hotel afternoon tea

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Ding Ding. The bell rings and the receptionist immediately comes bounding through the door, all smiles. “Can I take your coat madam”, I am asked before being shown to an armchair situated by a soft glowing fire. I am surrounded by traditional furniture and an old grandfather clock ticks tocks in the background. The last guests of a wedding reception slowely filter out from the bar and I am left sitting in near silence with another couple that read the newspapers in peace. I wish I could see what was beyond the patio doors but it is mid winter and pitch black. I pick up a brochure for the hotel in which I am sitting and gaze longigly at images, taken in the summer, which show the beautiful serene surroundings that I know are there but just not visible. I am at The Nare Hotel to sample one of the hotels famous cream teas. The Nare, in case you weren’t aware, is the highest rated four star hotel in Cornwall and has been so for …

Huevos Rancheros

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Knowing that I would be feeling slightly fragile on New Years day, I took a trip to the supermarket and prepared to make a delicious hang over busting breakfast – Huevos Rancheros. I was inspired by Valentine Warner’s recipe in his newest book, The Good Table, but I seem to have misplaced it so I created my own version. I feel like I cheated slightly with the tin of refried beans but as soon as I locate my cookbook, I’ll be making Valentines version from scratch. Ingredients 1 tin of cherry tomatoes 1/2 tin of refried beans 1 red chilli, finely chopped 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped small bunch of coriander salt and pepper to season 2 tbsp tomato puree 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 4 free range eggs 1/2 avocado, chopped 1/2 lime, sliced into wedges 4 corn tortillas 8 tbsp vegetable oil for frying Method 1. Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan and fry the chopped chilli and garlic on a medium heat for 3 minutes, or until soft 2. Add …

Christmas leftovers – zesty mincemeat cakes

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It’s official, the Christmas period is over. How sad. But if like me you have various Christmassy left overs and still want the joy of eating delicious spiced cakes, I have the perfect recipe for you, courtesy of Lucas Hollweg from Sunday Times Style. This recipe was published before Christmas and I tried it as an alternative to mince pies. I am never disappointed with cakes that are baked using ground almonds and mixed with delicious mincemeat and Christmassy spices, this recipe is a winner. The original recipe included an orange cream and mincemeat topping but I swapped this for a dusting of icing sugar and grated orange peel and incorporated more mincemeat into the cake batter. I also adjusted the baking time – mine were in the oven for 25 minutes. Ingredients Makes 12 175g butter, plus extra for greasing 250g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting 150g ground almonds 60g plain flour Finely grated zest of 1 lemon 2 tsp ground cinnamon 5 medium egg whites 12 tbsp best-quality mincemeat Thin shreds of …

Montezuma’s Real Chocolate Club

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The post arrives. The thump as it lands on the doormat is louder than usual so I run to check what has arrived. My eyes light up when I see a long thin cardboard box branded with a logo that I instantly recognise. My Montezumas Chocolate Club box had arrived. I was quick to open the box to check what goodies lay inside. I found three sets of truffles, which were sat on three different flavoured solid chocolate bars. The idea is for lucky recipients to try out new creations before they go into the shops, if they make it that far. Each month boxes are themed and the theme of my box didn’t take long to figure out. Eton mess, apple crumble and lemon meringue truffles sat on top of a milk chocolate bar with salted peanuts and butterscotch, a treacle tart milk chocolate bar and a dark chocolate bar with orange and whole hazelnuts. Being a huge pudding fan, this theme couldn’t have been better suited to me. The boxes make perfect gifts …

Granger & Co

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It’s the day before Christmas Eve in West London. A black car sits waiting by the curb across the road from a grand London townhouse. Young professionals wander down the streets and into boutiques for a spot of last minute Christmas shopping. Mark Ronson casually walks across the road and clambers into the black car, careful not to knock his large white hat on the way in. Passers by don’t look twice. Such sightings are normal in these parts. Across the road, a new restaurant buzzes. Granger & Co, the first and long awaited London based restaurant from Bill Granger, Australian culinary God, opened in November. A long bar runs down the right hand side at which diners sit, casually eating their food whilst watching baristas perfecting their latte art. Objects adhering to the gold and cream colour theme adorn the bar and the windowsills around the room, including a beautiful lamp that I wished I could slip into my handbag. Tan leather banquets line the dining room, which the morning brunch brigade fills, along …