NO BAKE FRUIT AND NUT CHRISTMAS FUDGE

Dates, nuts, Madeira wine, cinnamon and all spice, they're all things that instantly remind me of Christmas time. Combine all these yummy ingredients to make a delicious no bake fudge and you have a festive nibble that's perfect for tucking into around the fire on Christmas Eve whilst you wait for Santa to come down the chimney! They also make a fantastic little gift to wrap up little bags and give out to friends and family. That's if you have any left to spare after you've munched on a cube or two. Or three. Or four!!!

CHEEKY VEGGIE CHORIZO AND CHICKEN CASSEROLE

That's right, you read that correctly. This is a veggie chicken and chorizo dish. How is that possible? Well I'm using Quorn products of course. Their chorizo sausages are a delight and perfect as part of this vegetable packed winter casserole that I whipped up yesterday adapting a classic Mary Berry recipe.  It has hints of cayenne and paprika from the chorizo, thyme for that herby note as well as a good glug of Madeira wine just to ramp up those Christmas vibes and quite frankly a little booze in anything at Christmas time is kind of the law really isn't it! 

CHEZ LE COQ LIVERPOOL (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

 

A Rotisserie chicken restaurant in Liverpool! Well I just had to check that out didn't I? Chez Le Coq situated on the currently booming Bold street has been making waves for a while now and last month I finally managed to take a trip down there to see if the claim on their website that their rotisserie chicken is the "finest" around was true! With all the recent restaurants open on Bold Street in Liverpool over the last 12 month it's becoming the place to be for hungry Scousers everywhere so you need to stand out from the crowd. With its name and the large cockerel emblazoned on the glass exterior it's pretty clear what Chez Le Coq is all about making it easy to grab the attention of any peckish pedestrians passing by who may be on the mood for some chook! 

"NOT LIKE SCHOOL" APPLE AND RHUBARB CRUMBLE

I used to think that rhubarb was vile. This assumption was based purely on memories of vile crumble we used to be served as dessert smothered in lumpy custard at primary school. Now that I'm more older and wiser (just!) I can see that these crumbles were never going to be amazing having been mass produced and baked to death however if you the plunge and make your own delicious version from scratch with the best homemade ingredients you might've pleasantly surprised to find yourself falling in love with this old foe! 

BECAUSE YOU KNOW I'M ALL ABOUT THE (THAI SEA) BASS

I'm not really a fan of fish but having sampled some delightful sea fare whilst on holiday in Sardinia I'm becoming a bit more adventurous. I am a big fan of Thai flavors so by combining those with two beautiful Sea-bass fillets this weekend I create a little taste of the east that is slowly pushing me over toward the side of full blown fish foodie fanatic. It's quite simple really! All you need is some butter, garlic, chili, ginger, spring onion and a big juicy whole lemon and your on you're way to Sea-bass parcel paradise!

BAKED "SOUTHERN FRIED" BREADED CHICKEN BREASTS

If you love chicken then you probably love southern fried chicken! Frying chicken can be a right faff though if you don't have a deep fat fryer like I don't. Getting that oil temperature just right and then handling super hot oil can get messy as well as dangerous. So how about a more healthier, baked version to sink your teeth in. Yes, it doesn't have that heavenly dirtiness that deep fried southern fried chicken has but it's so much more straight forward to make, better for your waistline and is still a super tasty treat!

LIVERPOOL PIZZA SLICE (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

When I get in late from work I don't need persuading to go for the easy option and get in a takeaway. Liverpool Pizza Slice situated in the Aigburth area of the city has just opened and begun to deliver so we decided to stray away from the big pizza giants and see what this local independent had to offer instead. So yes, this is a review of a takeaway. Don't worry, I haven't gone mad. This is a food blog designed for getting good food out there so let me say this from the off, Liverpool Pizza Slice delivered me one of the finest pizzas I've had not just in Liverpool but in the whole of the U.K. Let me tell you why:

"ACCIDENTAL" CHUNKY RANCH SLAW

I love a good homemade coleslaw, whether it be trying to emulate my Nan's classic slaw or a minty chili version, they always taste so much fresher than the stuff you buy in packets from the supermarket. This chunky ranch slaw was never meant to be a recipe on here but came about by accident hence the name. We thought we had a bottle of ranch dressing that we were going to use to coat our slaw but upon finding it had in fact been binned we had to create our own. The result was too good not to share with you all!

TRIPLE P CHICKPEA CHICKEN

Triple P Chickpea Chicken? Whats that all about then? Well let me tell you. I love a roast chicken for my Sunday dinner and I'm always looking for ways to jazz it up. This weekend I had a look in the cupboards and I had some pepperoni, roasted red peppers and a little bit of paprika. "That would make a nice stuffing" I thought and then when I stumbled across a tin of chickpeas well, that's when I had my "Eureka" moment and my Triple P Chickpea Chicken was born. Quite frankly I find it to be the most sexy bird I've ever had in my house.

THE BAGELRY LIVERPOOL (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

So it's noon and your peckish, where does one go to grab a spot of lunch in Liverpool's bustling city centre. Well if you're in the Chinatown area you might of noticed the Bagelry. This little cafe which specialises in (you guessed it!) bagels got my attention on social media recently so I decided to nip up Duke street and check them out!

CHAI SPICED STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING

Doesn't really get any more British than a sticky toffee pudding really does it? That piping hot dessert of a chopped date based sponge slathered in decedent toffee sauce is the perfect way to round off any meal. Can it be improved in anyway? I've tried it in the past with my Nutty Version but I think I may of done one better with my Chai spice infused version I'm about to share with you below. The hint of those Indian spices adds additional flavor and intrigue that, if there is any room left, will have you going back for a second bowl in no time.

CHAOPHRAYA LIVERPOOL (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

With the continual growth and regeneration of Liverpool city centre and the addition of more and more food outlets opening every month you sometimes forget about those guys who have been slogging it out in the area for years. One such venue is Chaophraya Thai Restaurant. We've been to this established restaurant several times in the past but had been a while since we had been through it's doors. Looking for somewhere to dine one evening, we decided it was time to go and check them out again and see if they can still hold their own against the new kids on the block.

GARLIC AND THYME ROAST TATER CUBES

There is no finer tradition in the whole of the UK than a Sunday roast served with oodles of the humble roast potato. I think for most people it evokes memories of Sundays all sat with loved ones around the family dinner table, laughing, joking and relaxing after a long and busy week. The perfect roast potato can be a bit of a faff when you need to prepare them on mass. Therefore, when you want to whip up of a batch of crispy tater treats on the fly, you can't go much wrong with these garlic and thyme cubes. Simple and delicious!

DONT WASTE YOUR PUMPKINS: NO BAKE PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

So now that you have not let those pumpkin seeds go to waste by roasting them up good, what do you do with the flesh. It's simple! Bang them in the oven to roast so that the flesh is nice and soft, turn said flesh into a puree and then use it as the filling to this delicious no bake cheese cake. With its ginger nut base and pumpkin seed topping to create a touch of crunch, this super sweet dessert is flavoured with cinnamon, all spice and ginger to give it that autumnal/christmassy vibe that is perfect for this time of the year. 

DONT WASTE YOUR PUMPKINS: ROASTED CINNAMON PUMPKIN SEEDS

Now that Halloween has been and gone there is probably a whole hoard of carved pumpkins dotted around the houses of the nation or you may see supermarkets furiously trying to sell off the remainder of their stock now that everyone starts to neglect this incredibly seasonal piece of produce. Don't worry, I have a couple of recipes to stop all these pumpkins from going to waste starting with this super simple guide to turning the seeds into a yummy little snack for nibbling on in front of the TV or they look really pretty as a topping for a sponge or cheese cake! All you need is some oil and cinnamon and a spare hour just to whack them in the oven. Simples.

AUTUMNAL ASIAN BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

The clocks have gone back this week and the nights are chugging along, getting earlier each day. On these cold evenings sometimes all you crave for dinner is a hot bowl of delicious soup. With Autumn in full swing, the butternut squash is at its best right now and makes for a fitting star to this delicious broth alongside some roasted red peppers, chili and coconut milk. The Asian touches in this recipe will help you too cling on to those memories of summertime and if you are British, your going to need as much help with that as possible.

GRILLA LIVERPOOL (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Back out and about in Liverpool last week and upon suggestion from my gig going buddy, we decided to take a trip down to Grilla in Liverpool. Located in the centre of the vibrant Hardman Street area of the city centre, I had never heard of them and neither had any of my work colleagues when I mentioned I was going that day. I was interested then to find out weather I had stumbled across a little hidden gem all for myself so and entered with a little hint of giddy excitement!

BRILLIANT BRUSCHETTA (VIA A FOODIE TOUR OF LIVERPOOL'S BOLD STREET)

Here is another delightful Sardinia inspired recipe for you too try. I've talked before about the quality of the tomatoes and basil on the island but the olive oil is also out of this world. Who would of known that by mixing these three ingredients together and using it to top griddled bread rubbed with garlic would create a thing of such beauty. When it comes to something as simple as a bruschetta it's all about the quality of ingredients that you use. If you want to make your bruschetta brilliant you need to step away from the supermarkets and explore.

CAPRESE-FIED GNOCCHI GRATIN

One of the finest lunches I had whilst on holiday was a delicious Caprese salad. Creamy mozzarella and beautifully vibrant and sweet tomatoes with fresh basil leaves all drizzled with olive oil, it was like someone had sent it down from heaven. I decided to take those flavors and add them to a classic Nigella Lawson recipe for gnocchi gratin and this is how my Caprese-fied gnocchi gratin came to be. I know you should have favorites when it comes to your children but this is definitely of my babies that I'm most proud of.

SARDI-INSPIRED MELANZANE ALLA PARMIGIANA BAKE

Well I've just got back from a week away in Sardinia and I've had a blast. The food has been amazing and I've come back with tonnes of ideas I hope to put into my recipes. My first Sardi-inspired dish is this aubergine and tomato bake. The tomatoes in Sardinia were out of this world and by just adding a few bits to this classic ingredient you can really make them shine.  So whilst making a fresh tomato, garlic and chili sauce and pouring it some sliced aubergines might not sound like the most complex dish ever, it sure is a quick and simple tasty meal.