bakewell tart cheesecake.

In the Midlands we're pretty spoilt for food. With Leicestershire as the home of Melton Mowbray pork pies and Stilton cheese, breweries in Burton-on-Trent and the amazing curry houses in Birmingham and Leicester, there really is so much to choose from.

A particular favourite of mine is the Bakewell tart, or pudding, which hails from the Derbyshire town with the same namesake. The puddings and tarts are a little different in recipe and texture, but they both have that delicious medley of almonds and cherries that I can't get enough of. If you've read my recipes or scrolled through Insta before, you'd know I'm pretty obsessed with any adaptation of my beloved tart. So when Leisure cookers challenged me to make a twist on a classic regional dish at my next dinner party, I knew I had try a Bakewell cheesecake. My mixer and range cooker are my best friends in the kitchen so I couldn't wait to get started.

homemade strawberry and yoghurt ice pops.

 

It's ice cream season! Whether you call them ice pops, ice poles or just frozen yoghurt, turn your favourite flavours into iced delights in just a few simple steps. For these, I went for a strawberries and cream inspired froyo recipe with vanilla yoghurt, fresh chopped strawberries and a recent discovery Fabbri Strawberry Syrup, which was kindly gifted. 

A wild strawberry flavour, the syrup is really refreshing and juicy, tasting a lot more like real strawberry juice than other fruit sauces on the market, probably down to 15% of its ingredients being strawberries. As well as the obvious drizzle on desserts, I tried (with success) at freezing it to make these super delicious lollies. 

individual lemon tarts.

If all good things come in small packages, then these lemon tarts are no exception. With a rich, buttery pastry and the zing from two lemons, this dessert recipe is the perfect mix of sharp citrus and sweet indulgence. Make ahead for a Spring or Summer dinner party, dusting with extra icing sugar to finish.

triple chocolate macarons.

Chocolate. Triple chocolate, at that. Could there be anything finer than that first bite into your favourite chocolate bar? Personally, I love a really good milk chocolate or anything with almonds, hazelnuts or pistachios. And so, in teaming up with Expedia and their 2017 calender of foodie experience and events, I was inspired by this month's celebration of all things cocoa at York Chocolate Festival.

This triple chocolate macaron recipe is made up of cocoa infused macaron shells, a Nutella spread filling and a final drizzle of white chocolate. Macarons and chocolate? Yes please!

the crowded house, ashby de la zouch.

Note: This establishment no longer exists and has been replaced by The Vine in Ashby de la Zouch.

The Crowded House is one of myself and my friends' favourite local place to go for drinks these days. with loads of brilliantly tasty cocktails as well as an extensive wine list, it's the right balance between having a buzzing atmosphere for twenty and thirty somethings - whilst still getting to wear a nice outfit that you aren't feeling horrible a stuffy wearing in a busy pub. the walls are covered in caricatures of various celebrities - fun to try and guess who's who! 

My personal favourite cocktails there is nuts & berries - made with hazaelnut liquor, chamboerd and topped up with bubbles! lovely! i used to really love dawn kiss - which was a strawberry version of this - which even though it isn't on the menu anymore the bar staff seem happy enough to make! :) 

So getting to the point - recently i went on a little dinner date with my mum and was pleased to see the lunch menu was just as appetizing. i decided the desserts looked too good to miss so went with a light main of soup of the day - french onion soup and crusty bread - and finished it off with a delightful lemon seville tart! (you may have noticed i'm a sucker for a lemon tart!) so sorry my main picture isn't that interesting - i promise it was very tasty. but be all means be jealous of the dessert!