Food: VIP PRESS event at Liv, Bold Street

Food: VIP PRESS event at Liv, Bold Street

Friday, 12 May 2017

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Being invited to press events is all good fun- it’s even more fun when you get invited to VIP openings of brand new businesses! Last week, myself and a few blogger friends were fortunte enough to be invited along to the Grand Opening of LIV on Bold Street, a brand new organic food market in the heart of Liverpool City Centre.

Bold Street is quickly becoming THE place for good food and independent stores – whenever I’m stuck for where to go to eat, I tend to gravitate towards this little wonder and I’m never disappointed. Whilst I was living in France, the option to eat organically was pretty much the only option- Organic supermarkets play a massive role in French society and you can find one on pretty much every street corner. Having a shop like this in Liverpool will make all the difference and definitely be there to actively encourage people to consider what and how they eat. 

You may well be aware that I try to keep dairy out of my diet as far as I can, although I am very easily tempted by cheese. Dairy doesn’t agree with me or my stomach, so usually the safest option is to just avoid it entirely. LIV specialises in vegan and vegetarian products, products which mean that I can enjoy the amazing, fabulous things in life – like chocolate brownies, for example- without the horrendous after effects that being lactose intolerant causes. I’m in no way vegan- or even veggie – but cutting down on meat and eating more plant based food can only be a good thing, right? 

The market itself was absolutely fabulous. We got there a bit earlier than the hosts were expecting, which caused a bit of a coffuffle but nothing that was too much of an issue. When we arrived, we were offered lovely flutes of fancy lemonade and invited to try a range of different hors d’œuvres, all of which were presented in the most appetising way. We were also able to speak to different brands who had set up stalls inside the market, including Mi Vida, an independent store based on Bold Street (and one of my favourite places to browse for birthday gifts!). I also tried out a number of organic crisps (MMM) and had a talk with a brand about magnesium salts. I’d only been complaining ten minutes prior about having a bad back and this lovely godsend of a man provided me with a generous sample of one of their products to try and get rid of the pressure a little! All the while, it was lovely to catch up with my fellow bloggers and do it in an engaging and organic environment. I’m really excited to go back at some point and try out the food in their café; there really is something for everyone, as they even choose to serve meat, in spite of their vegan background. Absolutely no discrimination or judgement here. 

I have absolutely no doubt that the market will be a total hit! LIV Organic Market is open now on Bold Street. 

Food: Homemade Italian Lasagne Recipe*

Food: Homemade Italian Lasagne Recipe*

Sunday, 25 September 2016

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At the end of August, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to review Campbell’s, a company renowned for it’s high quality meat and produce. I decided on a couple of recipes and requested the ingredients that I’d need to make it. Here we have MY version of the classic Lasagne dish, adapted to the more Italian way of eating (because every lasagne needs pancetta in it, trust me!) Campbell’s meat is remarkably tender and tasty, so I definitely recommend it if you want good quality food for good prices!

Hollie’s Italian-Style Home Made Lasagne

What you need:

Meat:

470g Minced Beef Steak

80g Pancetta

Fresh Egg Lasagne sheets. 

(You can make these if you prefer but the fresh ones are just as good!)

For the sauce:

A tin of chopped tomatoes

Salt and pepper

An onion

Mushrooms (if you fancy!)

1 tsp cornflour

For the white sauce/béchamel:

400ml Milk

60g butter

50g Plain Flour

A dash of salt

Optional nutmeg

Cheddar Cheese

Serves: 4 people.

Directions:

1.     Pre-heat your oven to around 180 degrees Celsius.
2.     Cook your mince meat through, seasoning with a little salt. When the meat’s cooked thoroughly, add the pancetta. You can also add a bit of oregano if that floats your boat.
3.     Dice an onion and add to the mixture. Cook the onions until they’re browned. Add the mushrooms if you’ve chosen to include them and cook through. Finally, add the tin of chopped tomatoes. Simmer and add a teaspoon of corn flour to thicken the sauce. Let the sauce simmer while you’re making the béchamel sauce.

4.     To make the béchamel sauce, mix flour and melted butter together and heat on a low heat. Slowly add the milk and stir continuously until all the milk has been added and the liquid has started to thicken. Season with a dash of salt, a little nutmeg and as much cheddar cheese as your heart desires.
5.     Start layering up your lasagne dish with a layer of mince, then a pasta sheet and repeat until all the mince is used up. Top with a final pasta sheet and cover in the béchamel sauce. Add extra cheddar cheese to the top. 

6. Cook for around 30 minutes. Serve with salad and garlic bread.
7.     Et voilà. Enjoy your amazingly delicious lasagne, and feel smug in the knowledge that you made everything yourself! 

What's your favourite Italian recipe? Let me know down in the comments, and let me know if you give this recipe a go, it's honestly worth the hard work!! 

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Food: Revolucion de Cuba Liverpool Bloggers Event

Food: Revolucion de Cuba Liverpool Bloggers Event

Thursday, 16 June 2016

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Last week, my boyfriend and I were invited along to the Revolución de Cuba event on the Albert Docks, Liverpool. I’ve never been to any of the Revolución restaurants before so didn’t really know what to expect in terms of the food and drink, but my-oh-my am I pleased that we went along for the ride on this one!

In typical bloggers fashion, the drinks were flowing and it didn’t take long before I found myself feeling pretty tipsy. As soon as we arrived we were treated to Mojitos – I must be honest, I’m not a big fan of Mojitos (but obviously wasn’t going to turn down a free cocktail) and I’m pleased to admit that actually I quite enjoyed it. The mint wasn’t overpowering as I’ve found in the past with mojitos and it really quenched my thirst whilst we were waiting for everyone to arrive. As we got there quite early on in the evening, Jack gave us a tour of the place and I was blown away, principally because of the sheer size of the restaurant, but also because of its positioning on the docks and the beautiful designs throughout. It really was an amazing refurbishment and the team should be really chuffed with what they’ve achieved with this place!

After the mojitos had been (quickly) drunk, we were treated to a voucher each which entitled us to any drink from the bar. Paul and I obviously went for cocktails, with him choosing a Zombie (with it’s secret recipe!) and myself playing it safe with a Cuba Libre (aka a fancy rum and coke.) I was ever so slightly jealous as Paul’s was fun and fruity but I loved my choice none the less! 

Once everyone had arrived, the night kicked off and was quickly in full swing! We started off with a little tapas tasting session. A little secret about me: the key to my heart is through tapas. It’s my absolute FAVOURITE style of dining and I could honestly eat tapas every day and remain pretty content! We were treated to a fair few dishes and they were all fantastic. Firstly, we tried Chicken Quesadillas, which consisted of chicken, peppers, onions, a dash of cheese and a DELICIOUS pineapple salsa, all between crispy tortillas! We had Albondigas, my personal favourite tapas choice – chorizo, pork and beef meatballs. I enjoyed these but they were in a very strong tasting red-wine based sauce so that taste overpowered ever so slightly. In spite of that, they were still pretty damn good so definitely can’t complain there! We also tried Mojito Battered Prawns, which were my absolute favourite! I’d go back to Revolución de Cuba JUST for those prawns. All of these tasty tapas dishes were accompanied with a side of Honey Roasted Vegetables and incredibly spicy Patatas Bravas.

After we’d tried and tested the best of the tapas menu, we were treated to a cocktail masterclass, with each of us allowed the opportunity to make the cocktail of our choice. I chose to play it safe and make another one of the Cuba Libre cocktails, while Paul was a little bit more adventurous and tried his hand at making a Passion Fruit Mojito. As if we weren’t getting drunk enough (and believe me, at this point I was starting to feel a little bit tipsy), we were then taken further into the beautiful space that Revolución had created to try a few different shots of rum. I’m definitely a rum girl (as well as a gin girl!) and I LOVED this aspect of the night, although by the end of the session the shots were way too strong for my mouth (and my head) to handle. Special thanks to Koko for giving us tonnes of information on the different types of rum.

Finally (!!!!) we had a go at making our very own burritos. During the day of the event, Revolución de Cuba had an offer going where the first 500 customers through the door could grab a free Burrito. That said, I’m pretty sure Jamie the head chef was sick of the sight of burritos by the time it was time for us to make them, so hats off to him for taking the time to show us how to roll our own! My burrito looked fab to begin with but then fell apart in my hands as soon as I started to eat it, so obviously I’m not destined to be a burrito chef.

Special thanks to Jack for the invitation and for organising such an amazing bloggers event. We had an absolute BALL and I’m really looking forward to going back at some point in the future – I just have to, I’ve been eyeing up their Croquetas ever since I left the joint!