Cafe Rita Harrogate - Afternoon Tea

Afternoon Tea for two at Cafe Rita, Harrogate

A recent treat came in the shape of Cafe Rita, located on Bower Street, Harrogate. As a group of guests with lofty expectations, my friends and I went with open but suspicious minds. Surely afternoon tea inclusive of a glass of bucks fizz all for 9.95 could not be up to much. But I was reasonably impressed!
The cafe is quite intimate, located near to the bus and train stations and slightly away from the main shopping thoroughfare. They have a very extensive menu, (I was glad I came specifically for the AT) and are open 7 days.

Afternoon Tea cakes, Cafe Rita, Harrogate

Delicate cake stands were grand and imposing, filled to the brim with generous portions of afternoon delights.

Afternoon Tea Sandwiches, Harrogate, Cafe Rita

The selection of sandwiches were standard, but neatly displayed and larger than you average finger sandwich! We asked for some changes for vegetarians or allergies and all our requests were met politely. Tea was also refilled on tap.

Scones in the afternoon, Cafe Rita

The scones were light and delicious and the miniature cakes were certainly adequate for the overall value of our experience. Thanks Rita, whoever you may be!

Lovely china, Cafe Rita, Harrogate

Sangria in Nicosia - Cyprus

Sangria in Nicosia

It's been long while since I saw any sunshine, so my recent trip to Cyprus was a real god send. My friend Ashleigh is lucky to have generous parents willing to let us go and stay in their beautiful apartment. Their second home is situated in the small town of Peyia, around 30mins drive from Paphos. This gorgeous place is a laid back cluster of local grocers, bakeries and bars including 'The Jail', a one time prison and more recent rustic looking public house where the expats like to meet and greet. The owner is forthcoming with stories, historical paperwork referencing his pub and a collection of British police constable hats behind the bar!

Now, a girl can while away a fair few hours around a pool with cocktails and snacks, but then you begin to feel a little guilty for not absorbing any local culture. So we took the Jimmy 4x4 two hours up the road to Nicosia - locally known as Lefkosia. Interestingly it is the only remaining divided capital city in the world. Halved between southern Greece and northern Turkey, it was once a controversial barbed and armed affair which has become much more relaxed in recent years. Once we arrived in the city and parked up we really just meandered around aimlessly, a little unprepared without a map. We found the old city wall bustling with people and public transport but safely headed into the old city streets. Much of this area is pedestrianised with high street names and food chains, but some boutique stores are mixed amongst. We walked through the souvenir and craft stalls right up to the passport control point without even realising. Strangely the atmosphere at the check point was like a queue in a theme park. One stamp in your passport by a jovial official and off you pop into Turkey. What an adventure!

Buyuk Han - Great Inn, Nicosia.

Within the old crumbling buildings on the other side of the line, we found a beautiful courtyard known a Buyuk Han, or Great Inn. This place was once an 18th century Ottoman tradesman pit stop. It later served as a safe house for the homeless, and lent itself well as a prison. Now it simply offers great food, spirited service and handicrafts behind each quaint little doors. We panicked a little when we realised the currency had changed into Turkish Lira, but the friendly waitress explained the two currencies were interchangeable within such close proximity of the border. 

Ladies who lunch in Buyuk Han, Nicosia.

With the sun beating down and the atmosphere a quiet calm, we ordered a fresh jug of sangria and some alfresco lunch. One fresh a fruity cheese platter, a token portion of halloumi and pitta and some marinaded prawns. What a treat! Ash had made it her mission to eat halloumi everyday and to be honest Amy and I were not far behind. Halloumi is a Cypriot hard cheese made from goat and sheep's milk, sometimes cow's too. It is perfect grilled or barbecued as it retains it's firm texture when cooked.

Cheese board platter, Buyuk Han, Nicosia

Alfresco Halloumi, Buyuk Han, Nicosia

Lunch in Buyuk Han, Nicosia

Sangria in Nicosia

The friendly locals wanted to chat to us and ensure we were enjoying our surroundings. The waitress was most kind acting as interpreter with this fine fellow. What a magnificent moustache!

After lunch at the height of the afternoon sun, we browsed the handicrafts before hopping and skipping back across the border for a spot of shopping. We later found that the main shopping area we were perusing was the Lidras or Ledra Street, formerly linking north and south as the UN buffer zone. Further refreshment! We rested at Heraclis Cafe and Restaurant along the Lidras and shared a couple of ice cream sundaes. They have a wonderful choice of flavours and again offered a lovely outdoor table on the pedestrian street. We could people watch while enjoying the sunshine and even made a little friend who was pleased to greet those passing by.

Cherry ice cream sundae, Heraclis, Nicosia.

Chocolate ice cream sundae, Heraclis, Nicosia

Parrot friend, Heraclis, Nicosia.

Later in the afternoon we spotted a cafe offering flavoured shisha, it looked pretty chilled and seemed a nice way to end a day of relaxed indulgence.

Hookah, shisha cafe, Nicosia.

Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights - Cardamon Rice Pudding

'...Indulgent but balanced food that celebrates the simple joy of eating' - Sophie Dahl.

Cardamon Rice Pudding

Tom's mum sent us a copy of Sophie Dahl's cook book which was rather intriguing as I always think of her grandfather's characterisation of the little girl Sophie in The BFG. How such a girl can develop recipes to tempt and capture the imagination is a testament to old Roald.

The book looks at seasonal recipes for breakfast, lunch and supper, but I of course headed straight for the pudding section.

My Nana has her own legacy- rice pudding, so I was taken with this scented version. I adapted Sophie's recipe slightly to resemble my Nana's methods and polished it off with a spoon full of my friend Jenny's Rhubarb and Orange marmalade.

Cardamon Rice Pudding

Ingredients
1.4 litres Kara coconut milk
1 tsp cinnamon
300g pudding rice
8 cardamon pods deseeded and crushed
50g honey
4 knobs of butter

Method

1. Pour the milk and cinnamon into a heavy bottomed oven dish and stir in the rice.
2. Add the crushed cardamon seeds, butter and honey and stir.
3. Transfer to a preheated oven 200C and bake stirring occasionally for 1 hour. Add more milk if it begins to dry out.

My Nana uses condensed milk which creates the delicious caramel layer that rice pudding gets when baked, this didn't materialise when using coconut milk but it was obviously much healthier.

I also wanted to mention my new Hanson mechanical scales which Tom kindly bought me for Christmas! I love them. I was getting sick of replacing digital scale batteries so these work for me.

Hanson mechanical scales

Mini Yorkshire Apple Curd Tarts

Amongst the battered old cook books on my mums shelf above her kitchen door are a collection she was given by my Dad's mother, my grandma. My grandma was a Yorkshire housewife I never had the pleasure of knowing, but one I can learn from when referring to her hand written notes in the margins of her cookbooks.

I was looking for a traditional cold sweet recipe to enter a competition at work, but nothing I found in these books sounded refined enough to grace the cake trolley at Bettys despite it's Yorkshire theme, more a mass of material worthy of farmers and millers and those fascinating dishes traditionally connected with Yorkshire. After trialing and failing one Wharfedale Orange Tart, it became obvious to me that some of the recipes were probably cooked on coal of wood stoves and cooking times in modern ovens probably are quite difficult to negotiate. One disastrous tart emerged slamming any confidence I had in entering a competition with any time soon. The other thing is that all the weights and measures appear in lbs and oz. which is a good test of my maths.

A curd tart recipe jumped out at me as it had a little twist of apple. Curd tart is a keen family favourite so I decided to bake some mini versions as another test case. They came out rather well and adding some berries made them appear slightly healthier despite all the butter. To me these are more of a custard and less a curd, but they are delicious!

Yorkshire Apple Curd Tarts

Ingredients

Sweet shortcrust pastry- makes 500g
500g plain flour
50g sugar
250g cold butter cubed
zest  of one lemon
2 large eggs
a splash of milk

(the additional pastry dough can be frozen to use later)

For the filling

60g butter

60g sugar

1 egg

1 Bramley cooking apple peeled and cored 

Method

1. Make the pastry. Rub the butter into the sifted flour using your finger tips. Once resembling bread crumbs, add the sugar, bind together with the lemon, eggs and milk until it is a soft sticky dough. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 mins.

2. Melt the butter ad sugar in a pan over a low heat.

2. Remove from the stove to cool a little and then add the beaten egg and grated apple.

3. Take the pastry out the fridge. Roll out on a floured surface to about the thickness of a pound coin. Use a cutter to the desired size and fit the round discs into a patty or mini cake tray. I used a silicone cupcake tray.

4. Add spoons of the egg mixture to your pastry cases being careful not to overfill or splash as the mixture will catch in the oven.

5. Bake for 15-20 mins on 180C or until golden and the curd is set.

Nepalese Yak Yeti Yak - Bath

30th birthday cake

My sister is another year older and this year was a milestone. A special trip down to Bath was in order to celebrate and so the five hour drive had to be made worthwhile! Spending time with family on your birthday is important but choosing the right place to get together can turn a family reunion into an unforgettable evening for all the right reasons. Jen decided that she wanted to eat out somewhere she has enjoyed a few times now. Nepalese food is a bit off the beaten track and Yak Yeti Yak on Pierrepont Street, Bath is a great place to sample the subtle blends of flavour in a comfortable and relaxed basement restaurant. The music and incense catapult you to Nepal and the friendly service is a bonus. An extensive menu is made easier with the offer of a set meal menu, both meat and vegetarian options are both extensive.

Yak Yeti Yak - set menu

Maasko Dal -Split black lentil sauce

We all plumped for the set meat menu which included the all time classic Nepalese meal of rice, your choice of black or orange dal, aloo channa which is a potato and chickpea dish spiced with cumin, fresh crispy popadums, and delicious stone-ground chutney. With these side dishes you also get your choice of meat dish. I went for the lamb tamar; a slow cooked lamb with bamboo shoots, black-eye peas and potato finished with tomato and coriander. The food is cooked to order and we were asked to specify if we preferred to alter the spice levels. It was good to know that the food was sourced locally, to.
The two dal options were both delicious, the black tasted a little more earthy and the orange was a little sweeter. Musurko Dal- Split orange lentil sauce cooked with traditional spices and finished with garlic fried in vegan butter. Maasko Dal -Split black lentil sauce cooked with traditional spices and finished with Himalayan herbs fried in butter.

Nepalese dinner - Yak Yeti Yak

 

The food really was delicious and so different from either Indian or Asian tastes we are used to and you could taste the goodness in each dish. I was very impressed with everything!

 

Birthday cake

 

We asked the waiter to bring out a birthday cake after the meal and he was very obliging. I brought the cake on a piece of card wrapped in foil and he followed my lead wrapping the knife and box in foil too! 

 

As always, Tom being Tom decided to have a dessert as well! He opted for a sweetened spiced carrot tartlet, Yak Yeti Yak's contemporary version of a Kathmandu classic with ice-cream. The tart was not too sweet at all and clearly a healthy pudding if ever I tasted! 

 

Happy birthday!