• About
  • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Press
  • Work With Me
  • Food Writing
    • Brands
    • Editorial
  • Recipe Index
  • In my kitchen
  • Contact Me

Feeding Boys & a FireFighter

Recipes & tips for filling bottomless pits

  • Home
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
    • Packed lunch
    • Soup
  • Dinner
    • One Pot
    • Quick
    • Meat
    • Fish
    • Vegetarian
    • Pasta
    • Sides
  • Sweet
    • Desserts
    • Bakes
    • Drinks
  • Preserves
  • Win
  • Review
    • Book review
    • Interviews
    • Product reviews
    • Restaurant review

October: Feeding Boys Loves…

October 25, 2014 by Katie Bryson 12 Comments

This is my semi-regular review column where I share the foodie related things i’ve loved in the last month (or two). As a food blogger one of the main perks is being sent lots of products to try out, so I like to round-up the ones worth a try, and leave out the ones that are a bit naff.

Hasselhachers Hot Drinking Chocolate

 

Hasslachers Hot Drinking Chocolate

Definitely a luxury product at £5 a pack, however what you’re getting here are flakes of 100% Colombian cacao with no added sugar or  nasties. You simply heat up a cup of milk, spoon in some flakes, let it melt then stir until frothy. We get through quite a lot of hot chocolate in this house so it was good to test a new product out. I love that we can choose how sweet to make it. Matthew and I drank it straight, but for the boys I added a tiny spot of sugar as they’re not keen on really strong chocolate. The tasting notes state “fruity and flowery aromas and flavour with nutty malt notes”. If you’re really into your chocolate in the same way that you are coffee, then this product is definitely for you.  It’s a whole world away from instant!

I reckon a pouch of this with a classy mug would make a cracking Christmas present for a teacher at the end of next term.

£5 for 250g stand up flaked pouch, available in Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose and M&S
@hasslachers
www.hasslachers.co.uk

9 Bar Breakfast Bars

9 Bar Breakfast Bars

Arlo has been the biggest fan of these energy bars, grabbing a sneaky one out of my product sample box every time he comes into the kitchen. But when you look at what’s in them, I really don’t mind! Each bar is packed with a blend of seeds including sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and hemp which are both nutritionally dense and contain a wide range of nutrients. Matthew’s also a fan as they’re a quick energy hit on his way out of the door to work.  They’re approved by both the Vegetarian and Coeliac Societies with a huge range of flavours. The favourite in this house is Cashew and Cocoa.

£1.90 for a pack of 4,  available in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrison, Waitrose and Holland & Barrett
@9bar_official
www.9bar.com

OXO Good Grips Herb Mincer

OXO Good Grips Herb Chopper

Chopping herbs is a bit of a chore when your knife skills are decidedly clunky like mine. This nifty device is basically a set of circular blades that you draw back and forth over herbs to get them swiftly chopped up ready for scattering into your recipes. It’s small, easy to clean and part of the OXO Good Grips range which i’ve long been a fan of for its great design and functionality.

£12, available from John Lewis
@oxo_uk
www.oxouk.com

Vitamix Professional Series 750

Vitamix Professional Series 750

I’m going to dedicate a larger post to show this splendid gadget off… but just wanted to share that so far this new and improved model is a bit quieter, very good looking and even has a handy cleaning function. We’re already getting along famously, and my smoothie loving husband is certainly a big fan. First adventure was making nut butter with roasted salted almonds… unbelievably good. Will report my full findings in the coming weeks.

£650, available in Harrods, Selfridges
@VitamixUK
www.vitamix.co.uk

Local eating…

Since we moved to this part of West London over nine years ago, Ealing has really started to transform from a bland little town centre with barely anywhere decent to eat out, to somewhere far more enticing. True we live in London and have a gazillion different places to try if we hop on a tube or bus, but it’s great when the immediate area can offer some culinary interest.

I thought I’d include a little round-up of some of my favourite places at the moment:

Lunch at Papillon

Quiche of the day at Papillion Cafe, Northfields

Without fail, if i’m meeting someone for lunch in Northfields, it will ALWAYS be at Abel’s cafe Papillon, ALWAYS! It’s chic interiors, freshly prepared food, exceptionally good value prices and friendly staff make it hard to compete with so it’s always bustling with customers.
My personal favourites  are the Croque Fume, Quiche of the day, Soup, Veggie Club Sandwich or the Halloumi Salad.

Papillon Cafe, 147 Northfields Avenue, London W13 9QT
papilloncafe.co.uk

Bistro Night at The Clock Tower Cafe

Clocktower Cafe Hanwell

I went with a gaggle of girls to try out the new Bistro Night at Hanwell’s little gem The Clocktower Cafe. Morna’s been running the place for over a year now, and along with her brilliant team have turned it into a bit of a local hotspot. By day it’s a fabulous place for coffee and a freshly baked cake that ends up turning into lunching on an imaginative menu of salads and sliders. By night Morna opens up for private parties and special events with a truly magical quality. Supperclubs, Jazz Nights and now the start of Friday Night Bistro Nights.

It’s amazing value, the food is divine and the cocktails even more so. The pretty pomegranate adorned halloumi salad was wonderful and the Limoncello Gin Fizz  really quite remarkable. Book yourself a table for the next one…

£10 for a main course and glass of organic wine if you order before 7pm!
theclocktowercafe.co.uk
Get the most up to date event info on Facebook
The Clocktower Cafe, 151 Uxbridge Rd, Hanwell W7 3SP

Takeaway Pizza from Ital

American Hot Pizza from Ital's in Northfields

This little takeaway pizza place around the corner from us opened up earlier in the year, but we only got around to trying it this week. It took over from a very rundown looking takeaway joint that had been on the Avenue for decades. I heard whisperings that the new pizza place was pushing out authentic style pizzas and couldn’t resist giving ordering a couple.

The crust was crisp and thin, but definitely not flimsy. The toppings generous but not sickly. We ordered online and it was delivered swiftly in smart unbranded boxes. This place totally exceeded our expectations and we’ll definitely be going back for more.

10 inch pizzas from £6.90
www.italpizza.co.uk
190 Northfields Avenue, London W13 9SJ

Cocktails at Turtle Bay

Cocktails at Turtle Bay

This Caribbean restaurant only sprung up in Ealing Broadway recently where the grim old Post Office used to be. It’s part of a larger chain so I wasn’t expecting it to be any great shakes if i’m honest. However on a night out with my lovely next door neighbours we had a brilliant experience! There was a happy hour for the delicious cocktails and chilled red stripe beer on tap as the perfect antidote to wash down the super spicy menu. We shared lots of little dishes then launched into the bigger menu. Fun, beach vibe interior, perfect when you’re in the mood for a party! It was chucking it down with rain outside but we felt like we were in a beach shack in the Caribbean – a far cry from the hours wasted in the dreary Post Office queue…

Menu highlights: Sweetcorn Fritters with Hot Sauce, Chilli Fried Squid, Jerk Chicken and the most incredible Sweet Potato Fries i’ve ever had! Cocktail wise I’d opt for the Bay Caipirinha.

Starters £4.95, Mains from £9.65, Cocktails £6.85 or 2 4 1 during happy hour (12-7pm and 10pm-closing)
turtlebay.co.uk
Ealing Broadway

Disclosure: None of the West London establishments listed above knew I was going to write a review about them so they were independent visits paid for by myself. 

Thank you to the PR companies who sent me free samples to try – I was not paid to write about them but only include products I would genuinely recommend to my readers.

Filed Under: 1 Featured Review, Product reviews, Restaurant review, Review Tagged With: products, Review

« Sweetcorn, Carrot and Coriander Fritters
Top 10 junk free Halloween recipes »

Comments

  1. Elizabeth says

    October 25, 2014 at 8:29 am

    MMm love the look of that hot chocolate mix! Not so keen on the idea of a herb mincer though – I love chopping herbs with my knife. Looks like you’ve got some great eateries near you too – how lovely!

    Reply
    • Katie Bryson says

      October 25, 2014 at 5:47 pm

      Yep the hot choc is pretty spesh!

      Reply
  2. Jacqueline Meldrum says

    October 25, 2014 at 11:12 am

    I love posts like this and I WANT that hot chocolate. It sounds amazing!

    Reply
    • Katie Bryson says

      October 25, 2014 at 5:46 pm

      Thanks Jac – it took me ages to write this post thinking it was going to be a quickie!!!

      Reply
  3. Corina says

    October 26, 2014 at 5:36 am

    I also love the sound of that hot chocolate. It looks great even from the packaging!

    Reply
    • Katie Bryson says

      October 26, 2014 at 7:29 am

      Something tells me they’re going to shift a fair bit of that hot chocolate!

      Reply
  4. Jan Bennett @GlugofOil says

    October 26, 2014 at 7:22 am

    Love the Vitamix – I look forward to you post on that. By the way, the hot chocolate looks seriously yum!

    Reply
    • Katie Bryson says

      October 26, 2014 at 7:30 am

      Thanks Jan! Yes the Vitamix is a legend in our kitchen, so I’m looking g forward to giving this snazzy model a thorough workout!

      Reply
  5. Helene @Croque-Maman says

    October 29, 2014 at 9:31 pm

    Awww Katie, such a lovely round-up! I love your local feature. Papillon is our firm local family favourite too and it was lovely to discover this hidden gem that is the Clock Tower Cafe… I’m yet to check out Turtle Bay and Ital !!! I can’t wait to hear more about your new Vitamix too 🙂

    Reply
    • Katie Bryson says

      October 30, 2014 at 3:06 pm

      Thanks Helene… you can’t beat Papillon for a fantastic local lunch spot!

      Reply
  6. All That I'm Eating says

    November 3, 2014 at 8:20 pm

    Some great products here, that hot chocolate mix sounds good and like the look of that herb mincer too!

    Reply
    • Katie Bryson says

      November 4, 2014 at 6:14 pm

      Thanks – yes I think I might just have to make myself one of those hot chocs tonight it’s such a cold wet evening!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *






This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Katie

I’m Katie Bryson – Freelance Food Writer, wife of a strapping vegetarian and mum of two boisterous boys – keeping them all fuelled and trying to stay sane is a daily challenge so I thought I’d share my experiences. Read More...

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

I’m Looking for…

Receive new posts + exclusive news by email

Pinterest Food Awards

Jam Masterclass for Total Beginners

Jam Masterclass for Total Beginners

Popular posts

  • Slimming World Friendly Hummus Recipe on feedingboys.co.uk Slimming World Friendly Hummus – Syn Free!
  • Gin and Lime Marmalade - edible Christmas gift idea on feedingboys.co.uk Gin and Lime Marmalade
  • Totally decadent and perfect for parties - the ultimate chocolate birthday cake by Katie Bryson on feedingboys.co.uk The Ultimate Chocolate Birthday Cake
  • Slimming World Friendly Steak Pie on feedingboys.co.uk Slimming World Friendly Steak Pie
  • Easy Banana and Apple Loaf Cake on feedingboys.co.uk Easy Banana and Apple Loaf Cake
The Feeding Boys kitchen helpers

Tips for cooking with kids

my foodgawker gallery
Foodies100 Index of UK Food Blogs
Foodies100
I'm a Netmums Influencer

Connect with me

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

cookingkt

Just what I needed this morning… it doesn’t ma Just what I needed this morning… it doesn’t matter what shizzle is going on in my life, the beach is always there to soothe me. #whitleybaybeach #upwiththelarks #seatherapy🌊
Feta-stuffed peppers with colourful couscous from Feta-stuffed peppers with colourful couscous from the latest @slimmingworld magazine…. Smells amazing!!!! #slimmingworlduk #slimmingworldfood
Beautiful little book the audience were all given Beautiful little book the audience were all given at last night’s performance of #Here from @curious.monkey_ at @northern_stage. Such a powerful performance from the talented cast bringing together individual stories of what it means to seek sanctuary in the North East, the friendships that are forged and the spark of hope that refuses to be snuffed out. With the plight of refugees so visible right now,  the timing of this performance was impeccable. #RefugeesWelcome #togetherwithrefugees🧡 #StoryCollectors
Look who we met on our windy walk to Old Hartley… such a gentle soul 🐴🥰
Arlo’s Biscoff ice cream from @dimeosicecream in Arlo’s Biscoff ice cream from @dimeosicecream in #ouseburn … we’ve just been to visit the urban farm - love it down here!
Load More… Follow on Instagram

Receive new posts by email

  • About
  • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Press
  • Work With Me
  • Food Writing
    • Brands
    • Editorial
  • Recipe Index
  • In my kitchen
  • Contact Me

© 2010 - 2022 Katie Bryson | All Rights Reserved | Website by Callia Web