Pieminister Nottingham Review

We were recently invited to try out the new Pieminister restaurant in Nottingham, a welcome addition to Nottingham’s blossoming food scene.

The industrial interior was interesting, with a mix of booths and tables filling the space, an open bar at the back and then a food counter near the front.

We were seated in front of the bar, now normally I am all for mood lighting, however we were seated under a red light. Not only was it difficult to photograph my food, but it also made it a rather strange eating experience. With the food looking red, it meant I couldn’t really enjoy the colour of the pie and side dishes that were served with it. So I apologise in advance for the photos, they are not my normal quality and don't represent the food at it's best.

We chose to have some of the pimp up your pie options which they kindly bought as soon as we ordered, some yummy halloumi on a stick, as well as chorizo and some pigs in blankets, the pigs weren't really that great, I would have preferred them to be nice and crisp and they were a little bit cheap tasting, my son ate still ate them though.

The main event however, was delicious. I opted for the Wild Shroom Pie, one of their vegetarian options. The pie was filled with mushrooms, asparagus and a creamy white wine sauce which was really tasty. The white wine flavours come through well and there were plenty of mushrooms. I opted for a side salad and their homemade slaw, I'm not sure what was in this but my it was the tastiest slaw I've ever had.

Some of their other veggie options sound equally as delicious and each Monday they offer 50p off their vegetarian pies as part of Meat Free Monday. So if you fancy a try of one then this is certainly a bonus on a Monday.

My husband went with the Chilli Con Carnage pie, his first comment was it was weird as you don't normallly expect a pie to be filled with chilli and spicy. But he really enjoyed it, served with chips and mushy peas. The chips were nice and crisp and the mushy peas were well mixed with mint sauce, nothing upsets me more in this world than mushy peas without enough mint sauce.

For our children, we chose a pie for them to share off the main menu, however there is a children's menu serving the likes of mac and cheese, cottage pie and fish pie, but since we were there for pie they chose the Moo & Blue pie which was a combination of beef and Long Clawson stilton.

They chose sides of chips and mash, purely because my daughter wanted mash and my son wanted chips. The skin on chips are really tasty, however my daughter didn't like the mash, it was an off day and I forgot to try it to find out why she didn't like it. My husband who hates mash made by anyone but himself also didn't like it, this is an honest opinion but maybe not a realistic once since we had two fusspots on our hands.

Each plate or bowl, gravy boat and side was served on a plank of wood, this looked great however it meant we all struggled to eat on a smallish table with four of us, we had to remove one of them from the table in order to fit everything on. It felt quite cramped and to be honest didn't really add anything to the dining experience for us.

My husband and I both had one of their fantastic selection of beers to drink, served in pint pot style glasses.

For a Saturday the restaurant felt understaffed, it is however early days and we will be keeping this on our list of places to visit with a pie and two sides coming in under £10 it is a great hearty meal and all of us certainly enjoyed the pies. They also offer a few Gluten Free options in the form of hot pots, which sound delicious and I will be trying one of those next time.

NB: We were given vouchers for a pie feast (pie and two sides), we paid for the beer and extra sides ourselves. All words and opinions are my own, pictures 

A Great Sprout Alternative

I love sprouts, they are a wonderful source of vitamins and minerals and I could eat them with every roast. But my family are not so keen, my son will eat brussels but only one or two, so when I was asked to tryFlower Sprouts I was intrigued to see whether I could get the whole family to give them a go, by incorporating them into every day meals.

First of all what is a Flower Sprout? 

"The inspiration behind the idea for flower sprouts came from a desire to create a Brussels sprout with a more subtle flavourwhich was versatile and looked great. The result - a brand new vegetable which looks a little like a tiny cabbage with green frilly leaves and streaks of purple. Just 100g of Flower Sprouts® contain double the amount of vitamin B6 the vitamin that helps us use and store energy from the food we eat and twice the amount of vitamin C than standard Brussels sprouts."

Well we've tried them in many variations, steamed with a roast dinner, with meatballs and pasta which was one of the recipes from Flower Sprouts.

And probably one of my favourites was as a smoothie, this is a super way to get all the vitamins in one go, whizzed up with some coconut water, banana, a handful of spinach, some cacao, almond butter and a squeeze of agave syrup it is a suitably yummy way to enjoy flower sprouts.

For me, I really enjoyed eating the Flower Sprouts in every form, when cooked they have a wonderfully soft texture, a mix between kale and a sprout, they have a subtle taste and are easy to eat.

My son tried one and said it was excellent, my husband, the veggie hater, tried one raw and said he thought they were better that way than cooked and my daughter tried a bit of one and didn't want anymore. But she is four and still at a slightly fussy stage in her diet, she tried it though and we will persevere to get her to eat them.

There are some wonderful recipes on the Flower Sprouts website and I will be buying more to try with them, I buy normal sprouts even though the rest of the family aren't too keen. Usually if I have them on my plate they will give them another try.

Certainly with the festivities of Christmas these wonderful little veggies make the perfect and pretty alternative to Brussels sprouts. With them looking like flowers they are sure to be a hit with children who don't like the look of normal sprouts. There is certainly place for all types of sprouts on my dinner table though.

NB: This is a collaborative review post, all words and opinions are my own.

Fruit, Nut and Seed Bites

I am currently suffering with all sorts of health problems, the doctor has diagnosed me with possible fibromyalgia and I have reduced kidney function so things are breaking all over the place.

On a mission to get healthy and to stop snacking on rubbish I spotted these over on Instagram and decided to give them a go with whatever I had in the cupboard.

I don't have any measurements it is basically a whatever you have in the cupboard kinda recipe and chuck in as much as you like of each thing.

These have raisins, dried cranberries, coconut, flaked almonds, brazil nuts, cashew nuts and some mixed seeds, 1 tsp cocoa and 1tsp of honey, all blitzed together until it becomes a sticky mess.

They don't look that attractive and even less so in ball form but you could put them in a baking tray and cut up if you so desired. Once rolled pop in the fridge to firm up and voila, Nakd style bites of loveliness.

Not only are these a healthier snack but they do seem to fill me up for longer to stave off the cravings till lunch and tea, plus they are really quick and simple.