TRATTORIA CAPRICCIO, DUBROVNIK (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

For the last day of our holiday to Croatia we decided to spend the night in Dubrovnik to really take in the sights rather than just passing through on the way to the airport as we had done last year. There are hundreds of restaurants up and down the alleyways of the old town so it can be quite overwhelming trying to decide on one place to go and eat. After consulting Tripadvisor we decided to head over to Italian restaurant Trattoria Capriccio located behind the aquarium on the east side of the city. Being highly rated on Tripadvisor we had high hopes as we headed over late to take in one last meal in this beautiful country.

THE RETURN OF OUR PERFECT NUT ROAST

We loved our nut roast when we made it a couple of Christmases ago but then we neglected it! This year however we resurrected this old favorite and it was still as good as we remembered. So much better than a shop bought nut roast, this mixture of herb and garlic mushrooms and nuts is bound together with rice and cottage cheese to make a beautifully plump and moist roast that is perfect not just for Christmas but for the whole year. It’s even got a good glug of wine in it for good luck. Who could resist that?

ONE LAST NIGHT AT MANDRAC (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Yes, I'm well aware that I've spoken about my visits to Mandrac several times already but as it is one of my most favorite places in the world and we did visit it for a third time when we visited Lopud in September that I think it's perfectible acceptable to talk about it for another time, especially when the food was once again utterly delicious. No surprises here, this isn't the day that Mandrac mess up and the food was awful, it's just me showing you some more of the amazing food that was served up too us on our final night on Lopud.

RESTORAN DUBROVNIK (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Don't be fooled by the name! Restoran Dubrovnik is not actually on the mainland of Croatia but is actually another restaurant (or "konoba" to use the local lingo) on the beautiful island of Lopud, just under one hours ferry ride away from Dubrovnik. Restoran Dubrovnik is one that always pops out when you google up about the island. They seem to have the biggest social media profile as well as featuring quite highly on sites such as Tripadvisor. We did stop by when we visited last year after a day at Sunj beach for a quick lunch but this year we decided we would take a relaxing dinner there to really take the time to sample what they had on offer!

A RETURN TO MANDRAC AND TO BLOGGING! (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

After a long month of difficult times coupled with holidaying in Croatia as well as moving into a brand new home I am finally back ready to share some of my latest dining experiences and some brand new recipes. What better way to start this next chapter than with a return to an old friend. Last year we visited Mandrac on Lopud and instantly fell in love with the amazing setting, friendly laid back staff and most importantly, the incredible food. Would they be able to work the same magic 12 months later when we visited again this September?

LULLY VEGGIE LASAGNE

One of the most comforting meals you can have in my eyes is a vegetarian lasagne but it can appear like a bit of a faff to make one especially after you have had another long hard day at work. That is just not true with my lully vegetarian lasagne. OK, it does require a bit of work but that is only really in the preparation of the yummy Quorn mince, tomato and pepper filling and the cheesy white sauce. Once it's layered up and in the oven all you need to do is sit back, relax and wait for this lully little treat to bake. Result!

FABULOUS GARLIC AND CORIANDER FLATBREAD

Baking bread can be quite a daunting and laborious task. All that kneading and proofing and then there is always the fear of your yeast failing so you end up with dodgy bread that's as tough as cardboard. This recipe for a delicious garlic and coriander flatbread removes all of these worries. You still need to rest the dough overnight but once you have then all you need to do is roll out your dough, pop it in the oven and finish with garlic butter for a delightfully thin and crispy accompaniment to many a meal.

OOZY MELTY CHEESY CENTRE BEEF BURGERS

Cooking lots of vegetarian food in our house means that I don't often get the chance to make proper meaty treats. However, last weekend when presented with some mince on a brilliantly hot summers day, I decided to have a go at making my own burgers. Me being me though I had to add my own twist to them so I decided to hide a blob of mozzarella in the centre of the patties so that once they were fried and you bit into them, there would be a marvelous melty oozy centre to them. Let me tell you; they were brilliant!

BRILLIANT HONEY MUSTARD PARSNIP BAKE

Just after Christmas I bought a load of parsnips in Tesco that were being sold off for cheap and decided to freeze them to use at a later date. That later date arrived a few weeks ago when I used them to make this delicious honey mustard parsnip bake for a Sunday roast one weekend. I took those parsnips, defrosted them and then baked them in a home made white sauce flavored with honey and Dijon mustard which I topped with a crunchy cheese and onion topping. Parsnips have never been more yummy than this!

TREDWELLS LONDON (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Having visited the Gilbert Scott at London St Pancreas before this blog was born and really enjoying it we were glad to see that chef owner Marcus Wareing also looked after Tredwells near to the Cambridge theatre. Close to the Seven Dials which we were visiting to see a show, we took a look at the menu and we were instantly sold so we booked a table and headed down one Friday evening to go check it out.

RAVISHING RED PEPPER PESTO PASTA

Last weekend I had a go at making my very own green pesto (recipe is here if you want to give it a go - it's really good!). This weekend to try and mix things up a little I decided to make a red pesto. Now it may not look particularly red in the the pictures I'll give you that but this version made with roasted red peppers and cherry tomatoes is super delicious and at the end of the day it is the taste that matters the most isn't it? Toss it around some of your favorite pasta and lunch can be yours in no time!

PERFECT PESTO PASTA

I've been getting a bit more adventurous lately when it comes to trying food that I thought I didn't like. I did it with satay when we were in Singapore (I now love the stuff!) and this weekend we decided to make some homemade pesto to see if it's better than the ready made stuff that I don't like. Well I like basil, garlic, lemon, pine nuts and parmesan so why wouldn't I like them all blended together. Turns out homemade pesto is well lush, super easy to make and I'm gutted I've been missing out for so long.

STAR CINNAMON SINGAPORE (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

I wouldn't normally recommend food which you can pick up in a food court but then again I had never been to Star Cinnamon until recently. We stumbled across Star Cinnamon in the basement of the Bugis Junction shopping centre on our way home from visiting the Gardens By The Bay in Singapore and we couldn't help but be enticed by the wonderful cinnamon buns on display. We just had to try some so we stood and began to make our selections. What a hard choice this was going to be!

PIZZERIA MOZZA SINGAPORE (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Our adventure overseas continues now with the second week of our holiday were we ventured over to the vibrant and beautiful city of Singapore. We came armed with our guide book and when we didn't have any luck finding any food in the Little India area of the city we decided to venture to the glorious Marina Bay Sands and it's shopping area where you can find Pizzeria Mozza. Described as having "pizza crusts to die for!" and with our love of pizza we just knew we had to go and visit them to find out for ourselves.

"MELT IN THE MIDDLE" CHEESE AND ONION POTATO CAKES

These cheese and onion potato cakes came about when I was trying to make a vegetarian version of a fish cake on Good Friday this year. I wanted to make them really special and so with some leftover cheese in the fridge I set about making a delicious potato cake with an amazing melt in the middle cheese filling in the centre that would explode over the plate once you cut through the golden panko breadcrumb coating. They take a little work to make but trust me when I say that it is really worth the effort. Who knew potatoes could be so exciting!

AZUL BALI (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

I initially didn't want to go into the Azul Tiki Bar when we first passed it the previous day whilst walking along the beach in Legian, Bali. I don't know why but maybe I just thought that by having the mantle of being the island's first tiki bar that it was just going to be a bit cheap and nasty. I gave the menu another look the next day though and decided to give them a whirl. Well, they did have barramundi on the menu (which I've always wanted to try!) and there were cocktails ahoy so even if it was bad I could get bladdered on those. Off we trotted to see if my feelings would be correct or if I needed to eat my words.

S.K.A.I BEACH CLUB BALI (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Our Bali adventure continued on day two with drinks on the beach during sun downers. I can't think of any better way to finish off a hard day of sun bathing by the pool. How about if there was a yummy meal to be had too? With hungry bellies we headed off down the strip and stumbled upon the SKAI Beach Club. This restaurant is part of the Padman Resort in Legian but we didn't let the fact it's attached to a hotel put us off giving it a try as the menu looked delicious!

HOLY GUACAMOLE BAR AND GRILL BALI (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

So at the beginning of this month I was very lucky to go for two weeks holiday exploring Bali and Singapore. I love Asian food in all its forms so I couldn't wait to try all the delights of these two regions. You might be surprised to see then that for our first meal away we actually ended up in Holy Guacamole, a Mexican bar and grill near our hotel in Legian. Well, when you're still adjusting to a country's time zone, temperature and culture sometimes it's best to stick a little too what you know.

PROPER DIRTY LEFTOVER CHILI ENCHILADAS

Whenever we make a chili con carne we always have loads leftover. A batch we make can last three days sometimes if we go all out! Just having chili and rice for three days straight would be boring though so you need to think of ways to breath life into it each evening. Enchiladas are a perfect way to do this. Wrap your leftovers in tortillas, cover in a tomato based sauce, cheese and fresh herbs and voilà, your chili is transformed into something new right before your very eyes. It's proper dirty but proper delicious!

REFUGE MANCHESTER (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

It's funny how you can walk past somewhere fairly regularly and not even notice it's there. When we travel up to Manchester for concerts and theatre visits we often get off at Oxford Road and we'd never noticed Refuge before. We spied this offshoot of "Volta", a successful Manchester restaurant by chefs Justin Crawford and Luke Cowdrey (also know as the Unabombers - according to their website anyway!) online when planning a birthday meal in the city and we loved the sound of the menu so we decided to give them a try. Off we popped on the train to Manchester once more ready for a delicious celebration meal.