Tastes & Tales of LA – Hugo’s Restaurant

Wow this place is amazing! Easily the best restaurant I have ever been to. It looks smart but nothing that special from the outside, but looks can be deceiving as this place was a vegetarian, coeliacs paradise! The variety, quality, freshness, versatility, choice, flavour of food was just outstanding!

Everything is made fresh to order on site and is an eclectic mix of American cuisine with some southern and Mexican influences. I should think around 80% of the menu is vegetarian and nearly all the dishes can be adapted to be gluten free or vegan too if required. I know some people think that vegetarian/vegan cuisine lacks interest and flavour, but there is nothing missing from these meals. Just take a look at the menu and you’ll see what I mean! I’ve never come across a restaurant serving food like this anywhere. I could have eaten here for breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout my stay in LA and still not tried everything I’d have liked on the menu.

J and I went for lunch here on my first day. After several minutes agonising over what to choose form the menu I decided on Green Tamales & Eggs for $11.75 described as ‘spinach corn tamales on a pool of tomatillo salsa topped with two eggs any style, avocado-tomato-cilantro salsa, toasted tortilla strips, sour cream and cilantro.’
I’ve heard and seen tamales mentioned on American cookery programmes and appearing on a few blogs, but I doubt most people from the UK would have even heard of them. So I’d never tasted one and always been intrigued by them. Seeing them on the menu seemed the ideal opportunity to try them.

The tamales were soft, yet firm and tender with a texture similar to couscous that had been pressed together or a moist cornbread. It tasted divine and had the odd larger kernel of sweetcorn in it. It was green due to pureed spinach, which also gave it a lovely flavour. The salsa was not too hot but there was a bit of heat there, it was citrusy and so fresh, with a slight sharpness and a mix of different herbs and spices which created a wonderfully vibrant salsa. I’ve never had anything like it. It came with two eggs, but I requested it to only one with one. For some reason this caused some confusion in the kitchen as they couldn't understand why someone wouldn't want both! It also came with a side order of fresh fruit salad which was nice. I just kept repeating 'oh my this is divine!' It was so so good! I’m going to have to try and recreate them somehow.

J had an egg scramble with bacon, mushroom and sausage which also looked good. It was a lovely cosy atmosphere with little booths and squishy chairs. The meal for both of us, with 3 drinks, was only $30 which was great.

I enjoyed the meal so much that during the week I went back there for lunch on my own while J was at a class. I took a book along with me and sat in one of the little booths and felt quite comfortable eating alone. The atmosphere is very relaxed.
I decided to have one of their February specials which sounded delicious. Grilled Polenta & Portobello Ragout for $7.75. They didn't mind at all that I only wanted a small dish rather than a couple of courses.

The grilled polenta was arranged in thick triangles around the edge of the dish, giving it some height and made me think of slices of toasty. Along the centre of the dish was a mound of sautéed diced portabella mushrooms, artichoke hearts, broccolini in a sun dried tomato, cashew-cream marsala sauce, which was then sprinkled with fresh basil.
Sounds good doesn’t it? The polenta was just firm enough to be cut into triangles, yet still soft and tender when it came to cut it. The mushroom and artichoke hearts had been left nice and chunky, while the broccolini were still crisp and crunchy giving the whole dish a wonderful mix of textures and flavours. The tomato cashew marsala sauce was creamy and delicately spiced. Delicious and yet so simple.

Hugo's have three locations around California, so if you are ever in the area I recommend you go there. This was one of the highlights of my trip and it makes me so sad that there is no where like this in the UK, not even in London I don’t think and yet here it seemed quite normal to have such a fabulous restaurant. I wish I’d had time to try their roasted pineapple & coconut pancakes too.

Tastes & Tales of LA – The Flights

I’m back from my holiday to LA to stay with my friend J. I had a wonderful time and loved exploring the area and discovering some fantastic restaurants and foodie places. It was sunny and warm everyday and the streets were lined with palm trees – bliss. I return to find cold winds and even snow yesterday – brrrr. I thought I’d do a little write up of some of my experiences. First up, the flights!

As I had previously mentioned, when booking my flight with British Airways, I was told I could not request a coeliac and vegetarian friendly meal. I had to chose one or the other. I opted for coeliac as this was a medical condition and the person I spoke to on the phone said the air stewardess should be able to help with some extra food on the flight itself.

London Heathrow to LA

First up was lunch. As predicted my main meal was chicken and rice which was accompanied by a fruit salad, some mixed salad leaves and a GF bread roll. I explained to the stewardess that I was also vegetarian and so couldn’t eat the main part of the meal and had been told to ask if she had anything else I could supplement it with. She suggested the vegan option, which was pasta. I explained that I couldn’t eat this either at the pasta was wheat based. She went to talk to someone and came back saying she didn’t know what she could offer me. I asked if it was possible to have some cheese, so that I could turn my bread roll into a sandwich. She came back with a lovely selection of little bits of cheeses, including brie, camembert, cheddar and red Leicester along with an additional plate of salad, which I was delighted about and made for a very tasty meal. I think this must have been pinched from first class. She did also try to give me some normal bread to eat with it, which I again had to explain I couldn’t eat. It was nice to be given a pot of fresh fruit for my dessert, although I was a little envious of the yoghurt and carrot cake my fellow diners were given.

About 8 hours later they brought round the second meal consisting of boxes of sandwiches. I never even saw my box, as the stewardess came to see me and said she had opened my GF box and found out the sandwiches were fish. She apologised and said would I like to try the vegan sandwiches if they had any leftover. I yet again had to explain I wouldn’t be able to eat these as they would have been made on wheat/gluten bread. She apologised again and left. That was it. I was not provided or offered anything else in place of this meal and so went hungry, while everyone around me tucked into sandwiches and cake. This means that after my 12 hours on the plane I had been given one meal of GF bread roll, some cheese and salad. I was also not impressed with the obvious lack of simple knowledge as to what a gluten free diet involves, as I was offered wheat/gluten accompaniments three times during the flight. Some basic allergy awareness training is needed!

Flight back from LA to London Heathrow

Coming back I had a night flight. We were served dinner at around 10pm. As before, my main dish was chicken with…some unknown grey gloop at one end and a laughable half a single floret of broccoli. Now I have a degree in nutrition and a portion of fruit and veg is meant to be around 80g. I really don’t think this half a tiny piece of broccoli qualifies, it’s mainly stalk and I’m not really sure why they bothered to put it on the dish. The accompanying grey gloopy stuff still mystifies me. It was the consistency of custard, with a gloopy texture of poorly made instant mashed potato and yet bizarrely enough had a few grains of white rice floating around in it – at least I hope they were rice! I even tasted a tiny bit to try and determine what it was, and apart from tasting like salt, I still have no idea what it was supposed to be. 10pm is a little late for me to eat dinner and so I didn’t even attempt to try and ask for anything else and instead concentrated on the rest of the meal accompaniments. I was actually really impressed with these. I had a little GF bread roll, a bag of dried fruit and oh joy… a little slice of Madeira cake! The bread looked a little solid, but was actually really good. It was quite sweet, but had a lovely soft stretchy texture, almost like a milk roll. The ingredients list was stuck to the back which I was pleased about as without these I may have even believed it wasn’t gluten free. Apparently it was made in Brooklyn NY. The cake bar was also made by the same people and apart from being a little gooey, had a lovely vanilla flavour. It was so nice to be given some cake too.

After a restless night trying to sleep, we were provided with a breakfast box a few hours before landing. After missing out on my main meal the night before, I was quite hungry and eager to see what would be provided. My fellow passengers were given their ‘breakfast boxes’ which contained a big fruit muffin, a little cookie, a box of raisins, a yoghurt drink, a polo mint and then the complimentary fruit juice and coffee. What would I get...?

I was given my own special box and opened it to find…some grapefruit segments. Yep, that’s it. They get cake, cookies, dried fruit, yoghurt, mints and I get…grapefruit segments. I sat there feeling cheated. Grapefruit, just grapefruit...really!?! Now don’t get me wrong, I like grapefruit and it was nice to be given some fresh fruit but does someone somewhere really believe that a few grapefruit segments constitutes a filling breakfast and one that is a fair and suitable substitute to the regular breakfast box???

Oh wait, yes I was also given a tiny pot of reconstituted orange juice, but as everyone including myself then got given fresh juice along with coffee too I get the distinct impression this was put here in a desperate attempt to fill up the big empty space in the rest of the box, rather than being something to enhance my meal. Why couldn’t I of had some yoghurt, GF bread, dried fruit, rice cakes, jam, another little cake… anything extra than just grapefruit! I didn’t even get the mint! Needless to say I was not impressed and went hungry again. Grrrr.

I can kind of forgive British Airways the problems with my main meals and first flight sandwiches for not being vegetarian, as they had no prior knowledge that I required this due to the annoying fact you can’t specify other dietary needs if you are coeliac. However, the breakfast I was provided with compared to my fellow passengers was inexcusable and quite frankly I’m going to write and complain. I also feel the staff should be made more aware of basic allergies, so as not to keep offering coeliac customers pasta and normal bread as substitutes for their meals.

I found this cartoon that someone has made about the variety of gluten free meals on flights and it made me laugh so much I cried. Seems I’m not the only one less than impressed. Thankfully the rest of my meals while in LA were wonderful. I’ll post more about them soon.

Warburton’s: Wheat & Gluten Free

Warburtons has long been know for its bread, and at the beginning of 2011 it took the momentous step to open a brand new dedicated wheat & gluten free bakery in Newcastle. Here they create their own free-from fresh bread and bakery products specially for people with coeliac disease and those having to follow a gluten free diet, without any risk of cross contamination.

First onto the market was their white and brown sliced bread and rolls. Leading on from the success of this, last month they launched 3 new tasty products aimed more at the sweets, treats and snacks market. Lemon & poppy seed muffins, cranberry & blueberry muffins and a spiced fruit loaf.

I can now let you in on a little secret. Back in October I, along with a few other selected gluten free bloggers (Fiona, Lucy & Annie) and some members of Coeliac UK got a special sneak preview at these products. We were all invited to Newcastle to visit their specialist bakery, taste some samples and give feedback on their current and proposed ranges as well as getting in a few requests for new product ideas and issues with obtaining gluten free foods.

It was an eye opening and very enjoyable experience. We got a grand tour of the bakery and saw the bread being made: dough, proofing, baking and packaging. The room where they proof the loaves of bread is like a giant walk in sauna.

We then got to try the products. The muffin loaves look very stylish and I love how they are baked in their own little cardboard cases. This gives them a better quality appearance and means they won’t get quite so squished if you have one in your handbag for a while. I found them to be very moist with a tender yet quite close texture. There is a generous amount of fruit in each one, although I found there was a slightly chemical aftertaste. I suspect this is due to a large amount of raising agent to help it rise, as I’ve found similar things in other GF products.

The fruit loaf, for me, was the star of the show. It’s a soft, springy loaf that’s studded with a generous amount of raisins and sultanas and nicely spiced with cinnamon. As you know, I adore anything cinnamony, but the loaf itself was also excellent. It wasn’t at all dry or crumbly and I enjoyed several slices on their own without the need to add any butter. I’ve also found its delicious toasted and topped with jam. It tastes like a hot cross bun in loaf form and is certainly going to be a regular on my shopping list from now on.

Back in October, the mini muffin loaves were destined to be sold in coffee shops but I have since spotted them in Asda, along with the spiced fruit loaf, so they may be available on a wider scale. If you are already a fan of their fresh bread and rolls the good news is that they are now also available to order on prescription! I tried their sliced bread and rolls when they were first launched and was disappointed to find they were dry and fell apart very easily. However Warburton’s have since rectified this problem and I can now happily say, for me, their sliced bread is the best on the market (still not crazy about the rolls though). I like how its not full of added bulkers, starches, fat and sugar like some GF breads. I used to prefer Genius, but the last few times I’ve had it is has been very dry, overly sweet and full of holes, so I’m afraid that’s now been crossed off my list.

I really appreciate all the hard work and dedication Warburton’s are putting into getting their gluten and wheat free products to taste good. The fact they have opened a purely gluten free bakery shows they are in it for the long haul and really seem to care about making a genuinely good quality product for people with coeliac disease, rather than just jumping on the gluten free bandwagon as some companies seem to be doing.
I also just wanted to say I have not been paid for this review and I do not blog about things I don't truly believe are good. If I don't like a product, it doesn't get blog space.

Oysters & Champagne Hotel Chocolat Giveaway

Valentines Day is only a few weeks away, and certain luxurious treats such as oysters, champagne and pearls have become synonymous with shows of love and celebration. These are all very well, but for a girl such as me, who is vegetarian, doesn’t really drink and can’t afford pearls such offerings are unlikely to get me excited. However, transform all those things into chocolate praline oysters with champagne truffle pearls and you’ve certainly sparked my attention.

This is one of the many ideal Valentines gifts being offered by Hotel Chocolat this year. This way you can give all the romantic treats in one, with the added luxury of some fabulous chocolate too! Much better (in my opinion) than being presented with a plate of cold and slimy oysters! Where’s the romance in that?

The oyster shells are filled with a smooth milk chocolate praline for extra indulgence and the accompanying ‘pearls’ are actually champagne ganache truffles in a thick chocolate shell. You can taste the champagne but it isn’t overpowering or too bitter as can be the case with some boozy truffles and as always, the Hotel Chocolat chocolate just melts in the mouth.

I am delighted to be able to offer one lucky person the chance to win their own box of Hotel Chocolat’s Oysters and Champagne. To win simply leave a comment telling me what you’re ideal Valentines Day treat would be (make sure to let me know how to get in touch with you if you win!)
You have until Saturday 28th to enter. Open to UK residents only. Good luck.

Apple & Spice featured in Love Baking Magazine

Happy New Year everyone! Hope it’s a happy and healthy one.

A few days ago I received a copy of a fairly new magazine – Love Baking, with a focus on cupcakes and & sweet treats. Imagine my delight when I opened it to discover that my blog and I had been featured in the bloggers’ cupcake creations part of the magazine!!

How exciting. This is the first time I’ve been mentioned in a magazine and it was great to see it there amongst so many other talented baking bloggers.

The other bloggers were The other bloggers on the page are The Caked Crusader, I Heart Cupcakes, Cupcake Crazy Gem, American Cupcake in London, The More Than Occasional Baker, American Chop Suey, and The Nom Bakery.

Thank you Love Baking! The rest of the magazine is full of lots of other tasty treats so I’d recommend keeping an eye out for it.

Gluten Free Rosemary, Tomato & Red Onion Focaccia! A Review and A Giveaway

I used to love focaccia bread. Its soft and springy texture with the thin golden crisp salty crust, studded with herbs. Since having to go gluten free I never thought I would eat it again, but all that changed when I tried this recipe from The Gluten-Free Baker by Hannah Miles.

I was recently sent a copy of this book and enjoyed looking through its pages, bookmarking recipes to try. Hannah Miles herself does not need to follow a gluten free diet, but does have an interest in baking of all kinds. Some people might remember Hannah from the final of Masterchef back in 2007. She also writes her own blog. The book is split into sections including cakes, cookies, breads, pastry and desserts, with many delicious sounding recipes to choose from. I don’t really know why I settled on the focaccia as my first recipe to try, especially as my own experiments with gluten free bread baking have been a bit hit and miss. The photo of the focaccia looked so inviting and ‘normal’ (see below) that I yearned to be able to create something equally as good.

I followed the recipe to the letter, with the only slight variation I made was to use red onion instead of olives and natural yoghurt in place of buttermilk, but as it was only a spoonful, I didn’t think this would matter. The dough was more like a thick cake batter than bread dough, but this is a consistency I am learning is most suited to gluten free bread baking.

My dough looked promising and once I studded the top with some tomatoes, red onion and little sprigs of rosemary I was beginning to feel quite excited by it. One point I learnt is don’t prod your fingers into the surface to create little dips like you do with a normal focaccia, or else you’ll just make a deflated hole in your dough as there is no gluten to make it spring back! I only did this once and a handy tomato covered the hole so no one was any the wiser.

Once baked the bread looked and smelt amazing. It didn’t rise quite as tall as the one in the photo but it wasn’t far off! It had a thin crispy golden crust and an airy springy underneath. I love how studded with little holes it is. It was even a little flexible without crumbling or falling apart at all! I think using eggs and a little vinegar seemed to help stabilise the dough.

The taste was amazing! It was just like regular focaccia. Light and springy with a wonderful flavour from the sweet roasted tomatoes and onion and a slight saltiness from the little sprinkling of rock salt. The best focaccia I’ve ever made – gluten free or not and definitely the most successful and delicious gluten free bread I’ve ever produced!

It was fabulous the first two days, after which it got a little drier, but using it to make a toasted cheese sandwich soon transformed it back to deliciousness once more. It was so good. I’ve already made another one and frozen it in wedges to dig out when I need. I’m thrilled to have a recipe for a more artisan type bread that really works. I can’t wait to try out some of the other recipes.

All of the recipes in the book use ingredients that are readily available which helps make them feel approachable to all bakers. For the purposes of a fair review, I will also add a slight negative comment that I’ve noticed with the book. A lot of the cake, cookie and savoury recipes use ground almonds as a substitute for flour. Although I know this often works quite well, it can result in a heavier, denser, moister end product which is not always desired. Plus, not everyone likes the taste of ground almonds, so I felt they were a little too relied upon. However, I’m sure you could replace some with gluten free flour if you liked. Don’t let this minor point put you off the book, as all of the recipes I have so far tried have been wonderful.

Now onto the exciting part. I am delighted to be able to offer a copy of the book to one lucky person. With Christmas coming up it would make the ideal gift for a friend or family member who might have recently been diagnosed with coeliac disease, or even if you’ve just got an interest in gluten free baking.

To be in with a chance to win, simply leave a comment telling me a bit about your own experiences of gluten free food. Do you or anyone you know have coealic disease? Do you have a go-to gluten free recipe you produce should the need arise or are you daunted by the idea of it and want to learn more?

Open to UK residents only. Competition closes at midnight on Monday 14^th November 2011.

Gluten Free Rosemary, Tomato & Red Onion Focaccia

(Recipe from The Gluten-Free Baker by Hannah Miles)

Ingredients

450g gluten free white bread flour (I used a mix of maize, rice, potato & buckwheat)

1½ tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp fresh yeast (I used fast action dry)

2 tsp honey

2 tbsp warm water

300ml warm milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp white wine vinegar

3 tbsp buttermilk (I used natural yoghurt)

1 tsp fine sea salt

20 cherry tomatoes, halved

20 pitted black olives (I used sliced red onion)

Few sprigs fresh rosemary

Olive oil for drizzling

Sea salt flakes for sprinkling

Method

Generously grease a deep sided 33x23cm/13x9inch oven tray.

Put the yeast, warm water and honey in a small bowl. Stir and leave for 10-15 minutes to become foamy.

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, add the proofed yeast, xanthan gum, warm milk, eggs, vinegar, buttermilk and fine salt. Beat everything together using a spoon or spatula to form a thick dough.

Spread the dough into the greased tray and spread it out into an even layer.

Cover the top with clingfilm or a clean towel and place in a warm place to proof for 1 hour or until risen and puffy.

Preheat the oven top 190C.

Dot the halved cherry tomatoes, slices of olive (or onion) and small sprigs of rosemary over the surface of the dough. Don’t stick your fingers into it though!

Drizzle the surface with olive oil and scatter the top with sea salt crystals.

Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and crisp on top.

Allow to cool in the tin to room temperature before cutting into large squares and serving.

Tastes delicious on its own or served with soups, chutneys, cheese or split in half and toasted to make sandwiches.

Eat within 2 days or freeze in portions on day of baking.

Hotel Chocolat Luxury Advent Calendar & A Giveaway!

As the days are getting shorter, the leaves on the trees are turning from green to vibrant shades of red and gold, collecting in drifts by the roadside and crunching underfoot. There is a chill in the air and these are all signs that autumn if firmly here with winter and Christmas on the way.

Growing up, Christmas was always a magical time, full of excitement and anticipation. My siblings and I used to love waking up each morning in December and being allowed to open the door of our advent calendar and eat the little chocolate shape behind – chocolate at breakfast time! I stopped buying advent calendars when I went off to university, as that seemed to be the marker of leaving childhood behind, however I missed the tradition. So imagine my delight when Hotel Chocolat offered to send me their new Luxury Advent Calendar for Two.

Specifically design for adults, it’s a huge, double layer advent calendar with two chocolate truffles behind each door! How fantastic is that!!! All the excitement and fun of childhood, only much more indulgent! The idea is you get to eat one truffle yourself and share the second one with a loved one, friend, work colleague or even just eat the second one yourself as an after dinner treat – I won’t tell!

The truffles themselves come in a delicious variety of different flavours, cocoa percentages and fillings. There are the classics like chocolate truffle and salted caramel but also a few festive specials including mulled wine and gingerbread! I love the striking colours of silver and purple against the Hotel Chocolat classic black background, so sleek and stylish. (It’s also my Christmas tree colour scheme!)

Of course for the sake of quality control I had to open one or two of the doors, just to sample the chocolates, for… review purposes. What’s behind door number one?...Mulled Wine truffle!

The filling was thick and creamy, with a faint fruity booziness and a strong flavour of Christmas clove. It didn’t taste overly wine-like to me, although very fruity. On checking the ingredient list I could see no sign of wine, but there is Port listed, so I think this has been used to give a stronger, sweeter flavour which worked really well and I’m more than happy about.

I couldn’t resist opening another door…Salted Caramel! This one was gorgeous. The chocolate was slightly dark and bitter, a lovely contrast against the gooey runny salted caramel centre. Look how delicious soft and glossy it is!

I’ve managed to hold off opening any more doors until December itself, but I’m delighted to be able to offer one of you lucky readers the chance to win one of Hotel Chocolat’s Luxury Advent Calendars yourself! (They're gluten free btw) All you have to do is leave a comment telling me who you would share your advent calendar with and why and for a second chance to win, leave another comment telling me which gift from the Hotel Chocolat Christmas collection you would buy for a loved one. Open to UK residents only I’m afraid. Comments close Midnight on Sunday 6th November. Good luck!

Sweet Apple Pips – Where The Apples Bite Back!

A few days ago I received an email that said “we are launching a new sweet for Halloween that’s both apple and spicy…interested?” Well with a statement like and considering my blog name, I was intrigued and so wrote back “tell me more!”

It turns out that A Quarter Of, an online sweetshop selling old fashioned sweets has created a new fun flavour of fruit pips – apple pips to be more precise. Does anyone else remember those from their childhood?! Little multicoloured and flavoured chips/pips of fruity sugar drops. My sister and I used to love them.

These new apple pips sound sweet and simple enough, but mixed in amongst the batch are a selection of chilli flavoured pips that look almost identical to the normal ones! The idea is you take one not knowing if you’re in for a sweet treat of a fiery trick. The slogan stamped on the lid of the box I was sent summed it up perfectly ‘Apple Bobbing Where The Apples Bite Back!’ I laughed so much when I read that.

I first tried an apple pip which was sweet with a fresh green apple flavour. I then hunted out a faintly suspicious looking chilli pip and sucked it cautiously. At first I couldn’t taste much but after a few seconds a gentle heat started to spread across the tip of my tongue which developed into a chilli heat with quite a kick, bringing a big grin to my face.

You could have so much fun with these, sharing them around with friends in the run up to Halloween. Dare your friends and family to take one and find out if they’re in for a Trick or a Sweet!

Hotel Chocolat: Knickerbocker Glory Mint Choc Chip Truffles Review

I was recently asked if I would like to try something from Hotel Chocolat’s new birthday range. I love their chocolates and so was more than happy to accept. I was sent the Mint Choc Chip Truffles from their new Knickerbocker Glory range. A set of 10 creamy mint filled chocolates, encased in a thick dark chocolate shell and topped with the cutest mini chocolate chips I’ve ever seen!

The truffles come presented in a paper cone decorated with fun candy striped colours. On first appearance they may look a bit child orientated compared to some of Hotel Chocolat’s sleek dark boxes, and I’m sure children would love them, but that’s not to say they won’t be thoroughly enjoyed by adults too!

There are a few truffles assortments in the Knickerbocker Glory range, each one designed to bring back memories of childhood ice creams. Mint choc chip ice cream always makes me think of holidays and eating ice creams on the beach. I used to love mint Cornettos or mint Feasts you could get, so the truffles brought back quite nostalgic memories for me.

I loved the contrast between the soft and creamy minty filling and the thick dark chocolate shell. The filling was tinted the palest of mint greens, a nod towards its childhood ice cream flavour without being too artificial. A lovely fun gift to take to a friends for a dinner party or BBQ although I’m sure they’d appeal to all ages, they certainly did in my house.

A Tour of the Lake District

I had a truly wonderful time in the Lake District. We stayed in a little town called Bowness-on-Windermere which was a great centre spot for exploring the area. The weather was glorious, it was sunny all week and not a spot of rain until the evening before we left. I hear they have thunderstorms now, so we were very lucky.

We were out walking every day, exploring a new town around Windermere, hiking in the fells, clambering up to waterfalls, hunting out local food shops and taking in the spectacular views!

I was also very impressed with the availability of vegetarian restaurants in the area. There isn’t even one vegetarian restaurant in the town I live in and yet I managed to eat in three different vegetarian restaurants in one week whilst in the Lakes. Not only that but in all three I should think that over half the menu was also gluten free, meaning I was in my element and quite giddy with all the menu choices.

Below is a little summary of some of my holiday highlights and places I would recommend visiting if you are ever in the area.

A ride on the ferry from Bowness-on-Windermere to the other side of Windermere Lake. It’s only 50p for a foot passenger and you get some wonderful views of the lake – bargain!

After stepping off the ferry you can take a short hike up some steep stone steps to an old Water Station with some interesting history and yet more views of the lake.

I was amazed to discover that almost any patch of ground near water or in woodland was sprouting an abundance of wild garlic! I’ve never seen so much. We picked a bit and had it with some salad at dinner. It was quite strong but sweeter and milkier tasting than raw bulb garlic. I’d have loved to have picked some more and made it into soup.

Do you have a powerful car? Are you are confidant driver? If so then this next trip is for you! A drive through Hard Knott Pass leading into Wrynose Pass. It’s a long, steep, twisty, narrow, often cliff edged path through the valley. It takes you right up into the mountains and gives some amazing views but some of the roads and so steep and narrow it will have you clutching at the dashboard, especially if you meet a car coming the other way and have to reverse down a cliff!

Half way through Wrynose Pass you can pull over and walk up onto the hilltop to explore the ruins of Hard Knott Fort. It’s very open and exposed so go prepared to tackle the wind.

A walk to Stanley Ghyll Force Waterfall, situated between Eskdale and Boot is a definite must. It may in fact be the most enjoyable and scenic walk I did whilst in the Lakes. You have to walk through some woodland, following rocky streams, before climbing up narrow stone steps and crossing over wooden bridges to reach the waterfall. The walk is so peaceful and tranquil and the surrounding vegetation is so lush that it is almost tropical!

A hike up Loughrigg Fell near Grasmere is very rewarding and perfect for anyone not keen on attempting one of the bigger mountains like Scarfell or Coniston. It’s still a challenge, being very steep and quite rocky in parts but we got up and down in one afternoon and, as always, the views were spectacular! On one side we had Windermere and the other views of Grasmere.

It was very windy at the top, so much so my hair was flying all over the place and I could barely see where I was walking, but gosh, the wind and the views really made me feel alive!

No walk would be complete without a rewarding ice cream at the end. There was a company we discovered called The Windermere Ice Cream Co who made over 30 different flavours of ice cream and as luck would have it, they had a scoop shop in the village we were staying in, so we were able to indulge quite often. The ice cream was divine – if not a little pricy. My tip would be to go for a single scoop tub over a cone – they give you more ice cream! My absolute favourite one I tried was the cinnamon and plum ice cream – heavenly, but we also sampled tiramisu, rum & raisin, damson, cherry and coconut.

Lancrigg Vegetarian Restaurant in Easedale is a hidden gem. Set in a huge manor house its completely vegetarian with many of the dishes being adaptable to gluten free. Its hidden just on the outskirts of Grasmere, in a stunning location and is well worth a visit. We went for lunch and were really impressed at the variety and care that had obviously been put into planning their dishes.

I had the daily special which was oven baked cashew nut and lemon falafel served on a fresh tomato sauce with fresh cranberry chutney accompanied by a side salad, a warm ratatouille and paprika potato wedges. It was huge plateful and all so tasty. Using cashew nuts in falafel was a real eye opener for me. It gave them such a rich creamy flavour, I’ve never cooked with cashews like this before but I’m longing to try it out myself.

Desserts were equally impressive. I had a chocolate espresso mousse with coconut sorbet. The mousse was so rich and intensely chocolaty, while still being soft and light. It was the perfect contrast to the cool silky coconut sorbet.

Another diner had the simply named pavlova, and was presented with a mountain of delicate meringue topped with freshly whipped cream and a mix of lightly stewed and fresh summer berries. It was a fabulous meal and everyone left absolutely stuffed!

In Grasmere we discovered a shop dedicated to tote bags printed with amusing things, with their brand being ‘…. Are Good’ ranging from things like chocolate to piano teachers. I ended up buying two, one for myself and one for a friend. I couldn’t resist the Cakes Are Good bag.

More? Artisan Bakery in Kendal is well worth a visit if you love bread. They have a fabulous array of breads, pies and brownies. I’d looked them up for a visit as I’d heard they made gluten free award winning brownies – what they refer to as ‘muddies.’ Let me say they deserve their award. YUM! One of the best bought brownies I’ve ever eaten, even before I went GF. It had a thin sugary top crust and was packed with chocolate flavour. The texture was almost that of flourless chocolate cake – so good!

The Staff of Life Bakery, also in Kendal, is another good bread shop. It’s a tiny shop hidden down a side street but the smell was just incredible and you could see the breads being handmade in the back. Sadly nothing GF but other family members raved about the bread.

In Kendal yet again, The 1657 Chocolate House is the place to go if you fancy a hot chocolate and cake. They have 18 different flavoured hot chocolates on the menu as well as about 6-7 different chocolate cakes. We stopped by mid morning and sampled the mint hot chocolate, almond and the cinnamon spice. All delicious.

Low Sizergh Barn is situated on a running farm and their shop has a fantastic display of local meats, cheeses, pickles, jams, fruit and other assorted goodies. I picked up a bottle of rosemary extract which I’m longing to try out in a lemon cake. They also have a tea room which if you visit between 3:30pm and 5pm you get to watch the cows being milked below from a huge picture window. Not something I’ve ever experienced before!

Finally I would highly recommend Zeffirellis in Ambleside. It’s an Italian restaurant attached to a cinema, although can go just to one or the other. Being attached to a cinema may make you think that the restaurant would be a little substandard, but rest assured this is not the case. The restaurant was very sleek and stylish, with dim lighting and an arty glass water feature thing in the middle of the room. It had been recommended to us, but imagine how delighted I was to discover that it was also completely vegetarian. Not only that but all of their pizzas and most of their pasta dishes were able to be made gluten free. I had a delicious gluten free pizza and it was so nice to have such a wide choice from the menu.

As you can see the Lake District has such a lot to offer and I feel there was still more we didn’t get chance to explore. Guess I’ll just have to go back again next year!

Update: Blogger was playing up yesterday and for some reason it's deleated all the comments from this post - humpf!?