July was a busy one! Like, seriously busy. Aside from avoiding melting in this ridiculous heat, we attended a friend’s wedding at the glorious Belvoir Castle and spent a weekend at my mums back home. I also headed up to Sheffield for an annual weekend with friends (and fell off some decking). We did a spot of cat-sitting for Dave’s parents and I started a new job as Head of Content for a UX agency in Bristol.
But, enough of all that, what did I eat?
Vegan Meringues
We’d made something with chickpeas and decided to give vegan meringues a whirl, using the leftover water. Everything was going well until they went into the oven. I’m still not entirely sure what went wrong, as the mixture tasted really lovely and we had the required soft peaks. Needless to say, we couldn’t eat them sadly! If you want to try them for yourself, try this BBC Good Food recipe. Good luck!
Mindful Chef
I’ve reviewed most of the meal box options on the market so when I saw Mindful Chef on Wriggle, I thought I’d give it a go and see if it was worthy of a blog review. Sadly it wasn’t. Fair enough, it’s been very hot but the quality was very poor. Just two days after the delivery (bearing in mind it was a box of three meals) and this was the state of some of our ingredients… can you guess what that green stuff is?
Birthday Burgers at Hubbox!
We joined our friends at Hubbox on Whiteladies Road in Bristol to celebrate their first birthday. We ate LOADS. Mostly, it was all delicious but I wouldn’t say it’s the best burger joint in the city and there was a noticeable difference in quality between the beef and the chicken burgers. Note – the beef burgers were much better! I had the Pit Burger: 6oz beef patty, slow-smoked brisket, BBQ sauce, American burger cheese & slaw and it was delicious. The onion rings and fries were lovely too and their frozen negroni well and truly hit the spot!
Honest Burgers
From one burger to another. Later in the month, I joined some of my fave Bristol food bloggers at the newly opened Honest Burgers in town. Initially, I wasn’t sure – it’s not an indie (with over 20 sites in London, Cambridge and Reading as well as now, Bristol) but it started life that way. Having learned more about how they do things from co-owner Tom Barton, I realised that these guys are doing ‘chain’ as an indie and I am seriously impressed.
They work with local producers and suppliers wherever they go – with the Bristol site showcasing Pyschopomp gin and Good Chemistry beers as well as a burger made in collaboration with Westcombe smoked cheddar. What’s most impressive though, is that in order to be allowed to serve their burgers pink, they went to the extreme of opening their own butchery.
They are one of the few places in the UK to have the LTTC accreditation (less than thoroughly cooked) and, their beef is chopped not minced to give a really juicy, steak-like texture.
I love love love what these guys are doing. Their food is glorious, their attitude is top notch and their staff are fabulous. They’re a chain with heart and soul and I will be back very soon!
Last but not least (and not edible)…
Worthwhyle
A friend of mine is about to launch a new online store designed to help people shop consciously with a great range of low and zero waste products – from soap to toothpaste, shopping bags and drinking straws. I wish her ALL the luck, this is a great idea!
Why not follow the Worthwhyle Instagram and visit the online shop here.
The best of the rest:
We returned to Yakinori for more sushi and it was just as good as I remembered. They have 2-4-1 on Wednesdays so if you’re in Bristol, do check them out.
I made an amazing Indian spiced chicken salad for my mum, complete with poppadoms and mango sauce. I’ll have to recreate and stick it on the blog. In the same week, I also made mini pizzas for Dave and I. We went back to childhood, each choosing our own toppings! Such a fun, midweek meal using those Napolina pre-made bases.
We tried chicken karaage donburi from street food traders Don Don and I fell in love with the Pippins lemon and pistachio doughnut. Definitely, one to try!
Thank you so much for mentioning the shop Alex! And congrats on the new job, that’s amaaaazing! xx