Trying out news place to eat - Hand and Spear review

Going out for most parents is a real treat. It takes alot of organisation, babysitter, making sure the kids are in bed, getting ready in 30 minutes...

When you come from London and move out for the sake of a garden and a good school, life changes, In your previous life you have  been used to everything and anything on your doorstep, you become a little fussy, and appreciative at the same time. Fussy, because if you worked in town before kids, you ate out at the best KID free places, which served amazing food, and great service (or not).

When children come into the equation, places to eat change focus, and the menu usually includes an insane amount of pizza, and pasta, and thats just trying to keep them healthy!
When you get the opportunity to go out without the kids, you want it to be something different, something that is 'adult' food.

Living in Surrey, you realise that you can have great food choices, and its not always necessary to travel back into the big smoke. You also want to be able to dress up, but be casual, because ultimately thats as much time as you have.

Being so close to London, alot of the local menus are in keeping with the market, and offer familiarity, in an age of supporting local farming produce, meat and veg, ingredients are key. It seems we are more intelligent when it comes to eating out (or so we like to think).

I was lucky enough to get invited to the Hand & Spear in Weybridge. It has just reopened, after being refurbished. Karl Byron, who was a semi-finalist from 'Masterchef the Professionals' is responsible for the menu.

The menu is full of British classics, with locally sourced and foraged ingredients. my husband and started with Scallops with british truffle potatoe, and chicken liver pate. Both of which were very nice. The scallops were full, and tasted great. The pate was accompanied with honey which gave it a different twist.

The mains were locally sourced too, I ordered the 12 hour slow roasted Dingley Dell Pork belly served with bubble and squeak, crackling, and toffee apple and bramley sauce. The pork was great, really delicious. My husband opted for the 'man meal' 21 day old rib eye steak with chips with a pepper sauce, the meat was cooked perfectly and tasted great. Our tipple from the wine list was the Merlot.

I opted out of the pudding as my main was pretty filling, and also I am trying to avoid sugar! But my husband ordered the eton mess cheesecake, which was a lovely end to the meal.

Overall we had a great pub meal, and enjoyed the food, everything is locally sourced and the quality is very good.

The only thing I will say as a couple looking for a quiet meal on a Friday, this might not be the place as the music was pretty loud throughout, (Fridays & Saturdays cater to a livelier crowd) - that said I would definitely go back with a group of friends on a Friday (for a girls night) as they have a great cocktail list, and then maybe for a quieter evening Monday- Thursday.

The decor is quirky, and I really liked the fact that each room had a different feel to it.

Hand & Spear

Old Heath Road

Weybridge

Surrey

KT13 8TX

T: 01932 828063

E: handandspear@youngs.co.uk

www.handandspear.co.uk

Why I am doing Run4Good

I will start by telling that I am not a fitness freak.
I like exercise but I see it as a necessity more than something I really want to do. As I get older I know its beneficial to me in many ways. I also think its important for my kids to see me do it.
Most of the time I am motivated to do it with my friends, as we do it in a group in my back garden or on the tilt.

What motivates me to do it these days is an inspirational qualified fitness person who takes our class, her name is Melissa Lorch (she runs Buggy fit, fit4mums, running clubs, and is a PT) she is like a ray of sunshine. I know I will never look like Melissa, its physically impossible, but I will look like someone I like with her help, someone that I am comfortable with, often Melissa tells us she is our guide and we have to work hard to get results.

I've known Melissa for a few years now, and she has been a real help to my fundraising initiative Fashion4Good, we help local needs within a 10 mile radius. It has become a big part of who I am, and the more involved I get in the community needs, the more I want to help and raise awareness.

It's easy to just get on with life, and live with blinkers on, but some of life's 'not so' great situations are just around the corner from us, and with a little bit of help we can make it better. I know that so many people ask for money for various things all of the time, and this can get daunting for people. I used to work near Covent garden and I remember buying a sandwich would mean being hit on by at least 5 charities walking 500 metres.

Fashion4good, was set up so that the customer got something out of it, be it a night out, a fashion show, the chance to buy something amazing, from this they donated, and its a win win for everyone.

Melissa has set up Run4good, a local run which means so many things.
Firstly its a day out for the family, time together whether you run it or not, everyone is invited. Secondly if you do the run, you can either do it for fun, or show off your running ability. It's for everyone aged over 16 years of age.
There will be an event village where local businesses have bought stalls to showcase and sell.
Thirdly this was set up to help local needs, and give something to you in return.
A day out, making exercise fun, and bringing the community together. Its not a race to win, its a run to make a difference.

Melissa and her voluntary Run4good team have motivated me to get fit, enter the race, and have a goal. I am going to attempt to run the 5k, and I want you all to join me in doing this (did I mention I am doing it on my birthday). By signing up to this race you will achieve a sense of self satisfaction. Inspire your family, you will be part of something amazing in the community, you will get fitter, and have fun.
No one is asking you to raise thousands, just do what you can, just sign up if its all you can manage and feel comfortable with, but do it, you will feel a whole better about it.

I like a challenge, no doubt about that, but I like to know I am helping at the same time. So please join up today and help us make a difference to where we live. Its a great place, lets make it good for everyone.

Here is how to sign up ... http://fit4mum.com/run4good/

See you on June 23rd at Hatchlands Park people - its a date!!

Eating experience

An eating experience like no other....

Chef Ben Parris hard at work!

As you can probably tell I like to eat, in my house growing up as a kid it was all about social situations and food.  My mum would cook and invite unlimited amount of friends and family over,  she would also invite people she had just met, who would in turn come over to sample her food, the atmosphere was always relaxed and it turned us into very social people. I have definitely inherited the need to have people over for food and drink and go to theres for social eating.

Since moving to Cobham I have made a good set of friends who all love eating and drinking too. We often meet at each other places or go out but this weekend there was a new twist to the social phenomenon. The brilliant generous hosts treated us to a chef in there house! Now before you write this off for being too fancy or expensive think again and read on - it actually works out cheaper then going to a restaurant that cooks the same standard of food, in fact I would say this chef cooks as good as a Ramsay restaurant, if not better!

So here's how it works, Ben Parris the chef, discusses with you food dislikes, and likes, he then goes away for a bit and works his magic on a menu that will suit all of your guests. His imagination, creativity and flair is represented in the description of this menu. Ben blows your mind with his skill to use food that compliments each other, getting flavour out of everyday food that you never imagined existed. A very clever cook, that constantly wows you on every bite. 

We were ask to sit at the table, in my very good friends kitchen, which then felt like the chef's table but at home. It was all a bit ooooi, and this is fancy. To be honest, it made us all feel special, that no one was cooking, and that someone else was here to do it for us. As we sat, Ben served 3 different breads that he had baked himself in mini bread baskets per person.

It was Amuse Bouche to get the taste buds warmed up serving Spiced Butternut squash soup with coconut and coriander. This did not just come out in a bowl with a roll! Ben made soup an art form, it came out in a mini pot with a lid, surrounded by roasted squash and roasted coconut. The flavour was out of this world, a creamy soup with an Asian hint, so many flavours came through. For some people on the night this was there ultimate favourite in the flavour stakes. My husband doesn't normally like coriander, but this didn't put him off, he loved it.

Amuse bouche - Spiced butternut squash with coconut and coriander

The starter followed, and I am a seafood fanatic so this was fantastic for me, butter poached prawns, seared scallops, squid ink crumble and samphire. Holy moly this was just divine, every mouthful exploded with flavour, each bite you wanted more, the seafood was cooked to perfection, the tenderness of the prawns, and scallops, complimented by the crumble and the samphire just gave it that added sense of utter heaven.

Starter - Seafood sensation

For the main course we had Ballontine of Chicken breast with textures of cauliflower. Now I never order chicken out, because I eat it alot at home, and because I find it is never cooked that well. But this changed it for me. Firstly the chicken was moist, and considering it was breast it tasted alot like dark meat, again the flavours poured out, and made it so much more interesting. The textures of cauliflower, really showed you how Ben likes to experiment in his cooking. Every kind of interesting way cauliflower can be done was achieved. I also think that it made the vegetable trendy again, bought back to life in so many different formats, my personal favourite being the mousse. This was a winner for my husband as he finished it in record time.

Ballotine of chicken

Moving on the dessert, and consider what we had just eaten above  we had enough room as nothing left you bloated and over the top full, the portion sizes were perfect. This was my personal favourite, not because I'm the biggest pudding fan, but because I love it when people experiment. Ben served us Essence of Black forest Gateaux. What is this?? Well let me tell you, first of all its delicious, second of all its gateaux broken down into different elements so you can taste it in all its glory, its like each bit had its own personal show on a plate, the cherries, the cake, and even the meringue, nothing got lost in each other, everything got to go onto the palate, and served its purpose of delivering a fantastic well thought out pudding.

Essence of Black forest gateaux

Petis fours were delivered and then a cheese plate with quince jelly.

Overall this experience was undeniably something very special. Each person at the table felt like a new experience had been had, the hosts felt special, they got to put the kids to bed, and then get changed to walk downstairs to someone else cooking in their kitchen. The guests felt honoured to be invited, but loved that the hosts were at the meal to enjoy it in there home.

Ben Parris is a fabulous chef, whom has opened up our eyes to a new experience, I would defy you not try this with your friends or family at home. First and foremost his cooking is that of a top London restaurant, up there with the well known chefs. Second he brings it into your home a special way, making you feel like you are celebrating an occasion. Thirdly he leaves the house tidy.

We have all booked Ben again for July, and this time 10 of us are doing it! We wasted no time and booked it before the meal was gone. Prices start from £50pp and includes all of the above. You obviously add your own wine to the evening. I cannot recommend it enough. It truly is a culinary delight, that ticks all the boxes.

For more information on Ben and how to book him:

Benjamin Parris
Executive Chef

 

Mob; 07949 014 889
Web; www.benparrischef.com

Blog; www.bparris.wordpress.com

Twitter; @BenParrisChef

Easter

A fantastic Easter Sunday!

Homemade Easter cakes to celebrate

Easter for me is mostly about the children, and family time.
Once a heavily religious message is now marketed as a lighter one for the purpose of consumption and earning a living. The story of a man sacrificing his life for us, is now one which includes the Easter bunny and the delivery of not ordinary eggs no, no, no - chocolate ones! How did this happen? who married the two stories together??
But like anything time changes everything, and this world we live in evolves at a rate of knots. I do believe that its always good to educate the kids the real meaning or at least the original story and then lets have the fun with the Easter bunny, as keeping things light is good for the spirit ultimately.

Easter egg hunting

I have lived in Cobham now for 3.5 years, and like most people finding your feet takes a while. It means meeting people and finding where you are comfortable. I think I have now found it here. I have met some truly amazing people in this town who I adore (you all know who you are), and it makes me enjoy where I live, for me and my family.

Today proved to me that I have the most amazing neighbours and friends and family (from up the road, on the same road, Weybridge, Oxshott and Barnes - yes a mixed bag of egg hunters descending on Cobham) people who now work with me on various charity projects giving up their time, who work out with me and or are simply amazing to be around for dinner and a chat, coffee or a play date. A comfort that is so precious especially as you get older (I'm not that old yet - 2 more years to go to the big 4-0).

Thanks for the amazing Easter Egg Hunt today neighbours/friends - I loved it and so did my family - I truly feel the community spirit here is brilliant!!! Here is to an annual Easter celebration xxxx

Easter Egg - Community Spirit hunt

Little Birds Bakery

Traditional cakes with a modern approach - all hail The Little Birds Bakery

Sam and Nicky - The Little Birds bakery

I love, love, love, cakes, I love eating them, looking at them, and just being surrounded by them. Yet I don't make them!
If you asked me to make something lovely and savoury I would do it, a gorgeous main meal with all the trimmings, an experimental tasty feast, then I am your woman!
But I'm not a cake maker, I let the experts do this!!

Victoria, Black forest, Bakewell

This week I was invited to a friend Nicky's place who has launched a cake company with her friend Sam. Invite simply put, Cake testing with a cup of tea.

Bakewell cakes

Cupcakes with a difference

Nicky and Sam set up the company after meeting at drama group Cobham players they realised here that they shared a love of baking cakes, but felt that the cupcake market was totally saturated. They both love old fashioned cakes but wanted to add their own modern twist while keeping old recipes alive!


My cake testing session started with a Victoria sponge cake, presented in a mini form of total deliciousness! The texture was a winner and bought about afternoon tea thoughts in my head. Sometimes I find scones a bit heavy and this to me would be a good replacement as it was about the same size but less heavy on the tum.

Next up I tasted the Black Forest gateaux, which always reminds me of being a kid, and my mum who is also a great cook but not into cake making, used to buy the shop bought Sara Lee version!! I relived it this morning but with new happier memories created something that replaces the horrid plastic shop bought version, it was a real treat and gave me a new found love for something I did not like as a child.

Victoria sponge - a firm fav!

I moved onto a marbled buntt cake and for me often looking at them conjures up feelings of dryness, but in reality the Little Bird cake company could not of been anymore opposite to this. The cake was moist and utterly delicious, this being one of my favourites of the selection. It surprised me so much, that I had to take a slice home for him indoors!
By this point I was feeling like my calorie limit for the year had gone, but on and up and next in line was the Carrot and pistachio cake "Oh my" I love carrot cake and the twist with pistachio was a winner  its not good to mess with something that already works but this was a good decision and in this case a total winner.
The Bakewell cake was fantastic the combo of pastry and sponge really worked.
My final, and favourite of the session had to be toffee cupcake, something which tasted delicious from the outside and had a surprise hit on the inside very much reminds me of the salted caramel flavour which is on trend at the moment but a bit sweeter.

The winning cake - Toffee cupcake

Overall I loved all the cakes and there are many more I want to try, but I was trying not to be overly greedy but just plain greedy!
What I love the most is that they have managed to get traditional cakes,  delivered on the best flavours in small gorgeous packages.
I loved every cake I tried today and  I would bring them to my friends for birthdays, afternoon teas, a Tuesday.... I associate cupcakes more for kids, but for adults I would choose these instead as its something more sophisticated.
I think you would find them delicious, but also give you happy memories about all the great cakes you ate as a child.

Simply fabulous - The Little Bird bakery has a thumbs up from me!!!

If you would like to get in touch - then email Nicky on sam.nicky@littlebirdsbakery.co.uk

Good takeaways

When you just cannot be bothered to cook....

I love living in Cobham, but sometimes on weekend when I have had enough of cooking all week, I just want to order food in. When I first moved here I found the choice limited especially on getting someone to deliver.
Now I have found two great places to order delicious food and both deliver.
My tried and tested recommendations to you - Amaiya in Esher which does great take out, a mix of the orient, with Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian food. It really is good, and my mum comes from Malaysia so I tend to get a bit critical quickly if its not up to my mums cooking! Its not as good as my mum but it is good!
My second recommendation, comes up again because when I tried this place out at the very beginning I wasn't sure about it. But now I'm super impressed with them! Massala in Cobham is now one of the best Indian restaurants here, it really does taste good with a good choice for all levels of hotness, the ingredients are quality, and they deliver which is AMAZEBALLS.
As well as making a really good Indian meal, they run courses to teach you! So if you know someone who adores Indian food this could be a really cool gift for them.

For more information or to order a delivery here are the details of both.

Massala Cobham - http://www.massalacobham.com/

Amaiya - 51A High St  Esher KT10 9RQ

01372 466617

Carluccios breakfast in Cobham

My youngest child has recently started to go into nursery for settling in days. I am so used to having a child with me at all times that having her leave me for a couple of hours I wondered what to do. Do I go home and clean up? Get the admin done? Oh hell no - I go out and sit down, order food for me, and no one else. I get my good friend Jules to join me. We decide on Carluccio's as the coffee is good, and quite frankly this is a treat and Italian is always good. Although Carluccios is a chain, it never fails to deliver, and on this occasion it kept up the good work. Having had every illness under the sun recently, I was not holding back. I ordered the £9,95 breakfast special, this included the calorific host of juice, coffee, eggs, pancetta, toast and mushrooms. It was delicious. It was made extra special because I was ordering just for me and I could eat before the everyone else, it wasn't rushed, and so I enjoyed every last bite!
Even with children its a great place. But I felt I could also frequent without.
We had an amazing morning and had big smiley faces when we picked up our kids. The service was good and I would definitely go back for another kid free experience!!

Carluccios on Cobham high st gets a big thumbs up



Neal's Yard

As most of you know winter makes me itch! I suffer dry skin especially at night - WHERE IS THE SUN I have officially had enough of dull skies and a holiday to a sunny climate is not an option at the moment boooo.
I know I am not alone as most of my friends keep scratching (not sexy I know). So my lovely friend Sian who works as a rep for Neal's yard talked me into trying bedtime body butter. Verdict I love it and I get a good sleep without scratching my legs. I also get to smell incredible.

For more details on how to get Sian to order it and get special offers go to facebook/cobhammums

Watch my vlog and see what you think.

Neal's Yard Bedtime Body Butter Review

Comics - lets keep them alive!!!

One thing I miss about being a kid is being in love with comic books. Unusual for a girl, yes, but I had an older brother who I idolised and he was into them.
I feel sad that these days paper is going out of fashion, I understand technology has to change but I reckon in my life span I will see comic books in museums (that would make me feel old). I set myself a challenge when friends came to stay with older kids - NO IPAD - the kid must of been HELL NO, we aren't going there are we!? But I have to say it was fun, we read comics and played  board games, my son age 4 loved it too, and it meant we were just so much more interactive with each other.
I bought relatable comics and here is one that went down a treat, and I didn't find it offencive at all.

Matt Hatter Chronicles Comic

Tiana organics

Its been a phase of sickness in our house over the last few weeks. I am officially over it! I need sunshine.
Unfortunately I cant go anywhere at the moment so I am going to have to make do - just like most people.
The weather plays havoc with my skin and so I am so relived to have found something that is organic and fair trade. Best of all I have found something that has made my skin feel nice! No more itchy skin. Best of all its coconut and it smells divine!
Tiana organics is available online and instore, places like Holland and Barratt stock it so look out for it.

Here is my vlog showing you why you must try it - it only costs £7.99 and for the amount of money I have paid for creams in the past, I now feel a bit silly - but hey ho live and learn!!

Having recently bought a new medicine cabinet I am now in "I must fill and organise mode"
When I opened the box of meds that I had it looked terrible. I had a whole load of thermometers that had bits missing and were just a bit old and uncared for to be honest.
I did a bit of research and found the non touch Vera temp - have a look at this review, and I am sure you will agree it is the best on the market, a thermometer that does not enter the ear, or the forehead, basically it does not even touch the skin! AMAZING!!!

Cord lock away

We have done a review on a safety product called Cord Lock Away - this is something for you to see if you have blinds in your home. I had an incident with my daughter which led me to look for this product. It makes me less paranoid now when I leave her in her room.

Check it out

RED NOSE DAY IN COBHAM!!!

Sometimes when you stop and look around you don't realise that so much is going on. Cobham Pilates is doing a massive fundraiser and is looking for 1000 local bods to take part in a Red nose Day pilates challenge. You have to pledge to raise £50 each and they then collectively raise a massive amount for so many great causes.

Click the link below to find out more and do something fit and fun for Red nose day!

http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e710e24843ea8be2&llr=yaube4fab

We are loving JOLULO local art put together by Jo Long which has fabulous pics for the nursery and currently they are doing a great selection for mothers day - have a look - it might be the perfect gift for the woman who has everything!! On sale in Cobham at the weekend!
Jolulo - Click here for more details

Los Hermanos - a great little find!

When you have kids, you dont always get out that often. But when you do it has to be worthwhile. One of my favourite places to go to locally (in groups or as a couple) is Los Hermanos in Weybridge. The tapas is great, really tasty and its a fun buzzy place. The owner gives everyone a warm welcome and its just a fun night out. I went with my husband on Friday night for "date night" and loved it. Check it out if you love spanish food!!

Metanium review

This week I review Metanium ointment cream - I do think this is something every mum and every new mum should purchase. Its a life saver when kids get sore bottoms. As mentioned in the video it was recommended by my local doctor.

Mohdoh

Since the birth of my gorgeous little girl, my sleep has never been the same since. I do find it quite frustrating that I used to sleep like a log, and nowadays its the opposite.
At the end of my pregnancy I suffered sever insomnia and for a while after I had reflexology to help me get a pattern. It worked and I started to relax, but it still has not returned to normal.

I am now trying out mohdoh, which has essential oils in it, the premise is that colour, oils, and the relax feel of the mohdoh relaxes you. I'm trying it for a week to see if I do relax with it. I got a few more pots (at £4.99 its not a bad price point) and have asked a few friends to try out the ones to see if it works. So watch this space and I will let you know!

Spilly Spoon Review - watch the review

Today I reviewed Spilly spoon for our website. This ended up being quite a lengthy review.
Reason being I have two kids, both who are very different, my son would not need this product, my daughter on the other hand needs something to help us out. A beautiful but stubborn little thing. We have never been able to give her medicine from a spoon or a syringe. I tried this out the other night and it worked. Check out the review.

Our new blog for mums in Surrey

Welcome to the new Cobham mums blog post!!!

I am starting this blog now because I have time on my hands and the weather report is SNOW SNOW AND MORE SNOW. I also want to bring you lots of fun stuff!!! More FUN!!! Share what me and my friends get up to in this lovely place where we live.

My kids love the snow but only until there little faces turn bright pink, and all hands are numb, then its fun indoors.

I think it drives everyone a little stir crazy being in for long periods of time, but filled our days with home made cooking (everyone got involved in the making and the eating) and we also played a few games, and did all of our house choirs!! Oh yes and managed to brave the snow and pop into the high st in Cobham for the amazing sale at cSee - a massive 80% off!!! That made my Sunday pretty amazing.


Unbelievably this weekend was the first time I ever made a fruit crumble, for the record I cook but my better half, he does not like cooked fruit! That's right. Before children I never cooked it. Grandma did it and they love it and I got a request and here is my own version - what do you think?

 My berry and apple crumble to make on a snowy day with the kids-
Ingredients
APPLES - my leftover ones in the fridge
Cup of Frozen berries
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup of oats
1 cup of all purpose flour
60g butter
lemon
1tsp baking powder

Cook apples for 10 minutes in pan on medium heat, put to one side. Mix the crumble ingredients together with your fingers, wash hands, go back to apples, mix in berries and stir.

Make sure that the mix is soft and caramel like - brown is good

Look how great the berries make this - a fabulous bright crumble!

Make sure that the crumble mixture is really mixed with your hands so the butter breaks down to become the perfect topping. Knead the crumble mixture onto of the fruit, and cover it all as much as you can, pop in the oven and bake for 25 minutes temperature is 190c/375F/gas5.


Enjoy - we did!!!

 cSEE SALE
When someone mentions a sale to me, my first reaction is to ask 50 questions! Discount, discount, where, what do they have???????? So many questions so little time!!! I love cSee boutique because it has nice pieces, but it also has great practical pieces. It took me ages to go into the shop when I first moved here, but I met Hayley (lovely, friendly, smiley, everything I want in a shop ) one of the owners and once I went in I then realised it was different to what I expected. Although it stocks some expensive bits, they also stock casual wear which is well made and not that badly priced.
Today was different!
All of the winter stock was 80% off, OMG!!!!! My pulse raced, and a snow storm might of been coming but that wasn't going to stop me. I picked up my mates and headed down for a shop!
Winter stock, buying when the weather is at its coldest and I have to say it again but for 80% OFF!!!!
I bought well. Staples!!! Stuff I actually wanted, that fitted, and was useful, jeans, jumpers, shirts, and more.
I was joined in this madness by a whole other bunch of shoppers in Cobham. Make sure you have a look - they have a few bits left BUT BE QUICK AS I MIGHT GO BACK!