the queen's head, belton, leicestershire.

Found in the Leicestershire countryside, The Queen's Head is a cosy pub and restaurant that boasts five refurbished rooms. The Belton based establishment pride themselves on using the best ingredients and local producers to create seasonal menus mostly inspired by British and European cuisine. The bar area is dog friendly, whilst the restaurant has a more modern and refined feel for birthday meals, special occasions and date nights alike.

sunday roast at the windmill inn, brascote.

Who doesn't love a Sunday lunch, really? So many combinations, so many traditions. Whether you're a veggie, meat eater, Yorkshire pudding obsessive or insist upon roast potatoes every Sunday... everyone has their favourite way to enjoy a roast.

A local pal and I have since decided to start a little Sunday lunch club. I mean, it's just us and every roast we can eat in Leicestershire. But it's going well so far. One I was particularly fond of recently was The Windmill in Brascote. I'd been recommended the restaurant a few times, so it felt about time to venture out.

tapas treats for chutney ivy, leicester.

Award winning Leicester based restaurant Chutney Ivy has never been afraid to try new things. With traditional Bangladeshi style recipes and cooking methods at the heart of the dishes, the modern menu is always featuring seasonal flavours to inspire their guests. Most recently, Chutney Ivy plan to take on the tapas trend for their newest additions. Embracing the idea of small plates to share (yes, share), the restaurant will showcase their best Indian savouries, just that little bit smaller. 

farewell feasts at maiyango, leicester.

After many years, Leicestershire renowned Maiyango is closing its doors for an exciting new foodie venture for 2017. To say a foodie farewell, the St Nicholas based restaurant put on a variety of taster menus, as well as wine pairing, cocktail and gin nights. I went along to sample the dishes they're most proud of, the best of the best, if you will. Apart from work parties, I actually hadn't had the chance to dine from their full menu, so this seemed like a fitting way to round off an institution.

a look at miller & carter in enderby + an instagram giveaway!

The newest Miller & Carter to the Leicestershire suburbs, this well-known steakhouse has found itself in Enderby. Previously housing a Toby Carvery, the restaurant has been brilliantly refurbished and is now beyond recognisable as the same venue. A real turnaround, the quality of food included. With the classic Miller & Carter vibe of dark furniture, mellow lighting and quirky cow inspired prints, the restaurant has a sleek finish and a rather fancy menu to boot.

meltin grilled cheese: mouthwatering artisan cheese sandwiches in the midlands.

Melted grilled cheese oozing between a couple of slices of great quality bread. Sounds good, right? It's almost impossible to say no to a cheese toastie. Switch up the flavours, create some delicious combinations that complement a whole host of cheese varieties... and that's what Meltin Grilled Cheese do.

Based in the East Midlands, Meltin are touring the counties in their rice truck, one grilled cheese sandwich at a time. I went along to their recent Derbyshire launch, to same the latest flavour combinations as well as their heavenly mobile raclette grill. For the purposes of reviewing, of course.

chocolate afternoon tea at cuppas of rothley, leicestershire.

Love chocolate? Love afternoon tea? Live in the Midlands? This place needs to be next on your hitlist. For £13.95 per person, Cuppas of Rothley serves up a chocoholics afternoon tea in a 1940s inspired setting. The vintage style tea room, set in the lovely Leicestershire village, has a handful of charming chairs and tables where diners can enjoy traditional afternoon teas as well as lunch, brunch and light bites. 

middletons steakhouse grill and restaurant, leicester.

A new addition to the Leicester foodie scene, Middletons Steakhouse Grill and Restaurant is the new resident of the old bank by St. Martin's Square. A beautiful historic building just a stone's throw from Leicester Cathedral, the steakhouse prides itself on "Fine Cuts & Fine Drinks." With five other steak restaurants around the UK, the team have revamped the lovely, old Leicester building for their latest venture.

marco pierre white steakhouse bar & grill, hinckley island.

One of the newest additions to the Marco Pierre White restaurant group; the Steakhouse Bar & Grill at Hinckley Island in Leicestershire. Marking its first anniversary, the popular restaurant has launched a new menu to celebrate. From their famous steaks to British inspired starters, the menu mixes the contemporary with timeless classics. Think posh Welsh Rarebit, an elevation of the trusty prawn cocktail and macaroni cheese updated with lobster. The desserts menu is similar too; with their twist on the classic desserts of knickerbockery glory, sticky toffee pud and Eton mess.

homemade red leicester bread.

It's pretty good being a foodie in Midlands. From countryside farm shops to the vibrant cities, there are so many amazing flavours to whet your appetite. Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire is the home of the pork pie, you can find Colston Bassett Stilton in Nottinghamshire and Bakewell tarts in Derbyshire's Peak District. From beers in Burton-on-Trent to baltis in Birmingham, there's a lot to be said about the food and drink around these parts. So when Haven asked me to share a local delicacy, I was spoilt for choice.

In the end I went with classic Red Leicester; the infamous orange cheese which dates back to the 17th Century. It's found in supermarkets far and wide, but to get the proper hard, crumbly but creamy Red Leicester it needs to be traditional Sparkenhoe. To celebrate this fantastic Leicestershire cheese, I've created a Red Leicester bread - perfect accompanied with some local homemade chutney!

mill street pub & kitchen, oakham, rutland.

Found in the picturesque Rutland village of Oakham is newly opened Mill Street Pub & Kitchen. With a rustic exterior, fitting of Oakham's charm, the inside has been tastefully refurbished with contemporary finishes. Old meets new with grand chandeliers, countryside checks, oak furniture and plush quilted seating. The bar and restaurant has been take over by the EPIC group, to serve up seasonal menus, classy cocktails, local cask ales and Sunday lunch. They have seven newly decorated rooms upstairs too, making Mill Street the ideal location for dining, drinking and staying in the centre of Rutland.

pesto at the white horse, desford, leicestershire.

Pesto, found in the Leicestershire village of Desford, is an Italian restaurant with a tapas twist. Their plates are billed as piattini, or piattino, meaning small dish in Italian. With around forty dishes at around the £2.95-5.95 mark, the idea is to mix and match your favourites to create a shareable, Mediterranean feast. Not sure whether to choose pasta or pizza? Cannelloni or calamari? Rigatoni or risotto. No fear, you can have it all.

afternoon tea at the courtyard, ashby de la zouch, leicestershire.

Set back off the welcoming Market Street of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, you'll find The Courtyard. Vintage Brooke Bond, Lipton's and Lyon's Tea signs adorn the old brickwork of the Leicestershire establishment. Locals might notice there's been a new lick of paint on the outside, with friendly new management on the inside too. The quaint tearoom serves up freshly cooked breakfast, lunch and cakes, with afternoon tea to book in advance. 

meatcure, leicester.

Meatcure is one of the newer establishments of the brilliant burger restaurants that have come to Leicester. With a well received Market Harborough location, you can imagine the local chatter around the new indie eatery. A few month since the launch back in September, I returned to try the latest burger specials and their famous hardshakes.

meet & eat at the orange tree supper club, leicester.

Meet & Eat at The Orange Tree is a new Leicester based supper club with a difference. Those who are familiar with The Orange Tree will recognise its relaxed vibe and independent charm through mismatched furniture, local art and stacks of board games. With such a laid back atmosphere, you'd be forgiven for thinking the private dining area was that of someone's living room. For that reason it made the perfect location for a Leicester supper club - complete with likeminded foodie folk and locally sourced food.

britain's best sirloin steak at the parcel yard, leicester.

Part of the The Steamin' Billy brewery,The Parcel Yard in Leicester has been making its name in craft beers and cocktails for some time now. Offering up the likes of Thornbridge, Thwaits, Mordue and their very own 1485 Return of the King, it's a great place, right by the rail station, to meet up before catching your train home.

The Parcel Yard itself takes its name from the building’s former purpose as a sorting office and parcel yard for British Rail. It's a pretty cool and quirky place with high back armchairs, stacked up books and bowler hat lampshades. You'll find the well stocked bar at the front of the establishment, with their candlelit restaurant at the back - take your pick. 

As well as their impressive drinks menu, it's also becoming a foodie destination too, with UK Burger Battle and Praise to the Pork to name just a few events. This week saw the celebration of England's Best Sirloin Steak Winner, launching a menu to show off the Owen Taylor & Sons produce. 

deliveroo leaps to leicester.

Bringing tasty takeaway dishes direct to your door, Deliveroo is taking over our UK cities one delivery at a time. Their mission is to simplify the takeaway, with a well researched host of fantastic quality restaurants ready for any occasion. It's not just for Friday night takeaways over Netflix either. If you're looking for picnic in the park, grub for a gathering or munch over a meeting, they've got you covered.

Luckily for Leicester folk, they've recently set up shop in Leicester too. With Nottingham already established and Derby on the way, Deliveroo is really getting the East Midlands talking about their premium takeaways. So, if you're perusing the Leicester offerings and wondering what to try next, here are a few of my personal favourites to get you started...

the white hart, loughborough.

A couple of sunny weekends ago, my food blogger pal Alex joined me for a Saturday lunch at The White Hart. One of her (many) locals, Gingey can take all the credit for this little gem. We enjoyed a selection of their tapas menu, whilst planning an exciting new foodie venture we're in the middle of. More on that soon! For now, I'll leave you with a selection of tiny treats which are soon becoming the trendy British answer to tapas.