(David) Attenborough Club Sandwich Review

Cost at time of review: £7.50        Purchased From: Attenborough Nature Reserve 

After parking the car the first port of call when visiting most establishments has to be to the cafe for some food and refreshments!


At the (David) Attenborough Nature Reserve cafe there is a small but comprehensive menu to choose from, from soup of the day to a toasted sandwich, but what took my fancy was the Attenborough Club Sandwich...


Chicken Breast, Bacon, Mayonnaise, Tomato and Salad - served with some Crisps, Salad and Homemade Coleslaw.  What more could you ask for?! 

I went for the Brown Bread version and was hoping that it wasn't going to be too dry (like some wholemeal bread can be) and I was not disappointed.  Every bite was moist and delicious!  Plenty of chicken breast with some nice thick bacon (along with a dash of mayo) made this a very tasty sandwich.

My only criticism would be that the tomato was sliced a little too thick, but other than that this was a perfect lunch.

The person I was lunching with had a Cheese and Tomato Toastie, although not visually as appealing as my sandwich it was topped with melted cheese and looked very tasty.  However, the sliced tomato was way too thick for a toastie and had to be removed to make it edible.

Oh and if you like a nice walk, they're pretty good too!

 

 

In conclusion I would thoroughly recommend a visit to this little cafe, tasty food at a reasonable price and as it's part of the Wildlife Trust you know the profits are going to a charity and not shareholders!

A well deserved 4.5 stars - the only reason I didn't give it a 5 star review as the sliced tomato was way too thick in their toasted sandwiches making parts of them inedible and a little cold.







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Cottage Pie Recipe With a Twist

Introduction

First things first, lets get one thing clear - Cottage Pie is made with Minced Beef (or ground beef if you're American).  It is not made with Minced Lamb.

There is no such thing as Cottage Pie made with Lamb Mince.  What you're thinking of is Shepherds Pie (the clues in the name).

If you put cheese in/on the mash it is also not a Cottage Pie - that's a Cumberland Pie!
 

Portions: 4

Ingredients

  • 500g Minced BEEF
  • 2 Onions
  • 4 Carrots
  • Frozen Peas
  • Mashed Potatoes
  • Oil (either vegetable oil or olive oil)
  • 300ml of Beef Stock
  • Gravy Browning
  • Winiary Przyprawa

Equipment

  • Saucepan
  • Frying Pan
  • Oven Dish(es)

Instructions

  1. Chop up the Onions and the Carrot
  2. Fry the Onion and Carrot in a little oil until the carrot has started to soften



  3. Remove the Carrots and Onion mixture from the frying pan and set to one side
  4. Put a little oil in the pan and brown the Minced Beef



  5. When the mince has browned pour in the Beef Stock



  6. At this point you would traditionally add some Worcestershire Sauce, instead I've added a dash of Gravy Browning and a generous splash of Winiary Przyprawa sauce (yes, I know, with all these changes I guess it's not technically a Shepherds Pie any more)!!

     

  7. Give it a good stir and simmer for 20 minutes



  8. If you haven't already made some mashed potatoes, now's the time to do so whilst the minced beef mixture is simmering...



  9. Add the frozen peas to the minced beef (yes, again, I know, traditionally you don't add peas to a Cottage Pie (they do go in Shepherds Pie though) but I had a handful left in the freezer that needed eating up)



  10. Stir and simmer for a few more minutes
  11. Pour the minced beef mixture in to 1 or more oven dishes



  12. Cover in the mashed potatoes



  13. IMPORTANT: rough up the mashed potato by using a fork, this will make the top nice and crispy!



  14. Put in the over at 180° for approximately 15 minutes until the top is brown and crispy

     

Serving Suggestion(s)

Serve with vegetables of your liking (runner beans and/or asparagus go very well with Cottage Pie).



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Homemade Cauliflower Broccoli Cheese Recipe Quick and Easy

Portions: 1-2

Ingredients

  • 1/2 a Cauliflower (or a mixture of Cauliflower and Broccoli or just Broccoli I guess)!
  • 15g Butter
  • 15g Plain Flour
  • 150ml of Milk
  • 115g of Cheddar Cheese
  • Salt and Pepper

Equipment

  • Saucepan
  • Bowl
  • Spoon
  • Oven Dish

Instructions

  1. Cook the Cauliflower/Broccoli
  2. Drain and put to the side



  3. Melt the butter in a small Saucepan



  4. Stir in the Flour and keep stirring for about a minute

     

  5. Remove the saucepan from the heat
  6. Slowly stir in the milk and keep stirring as you do so



  7. Don't stop stirring!
  8. Put the saucepan back on the heat (and yes you guessed it) keep stirring it for about a minute to thicken it a bit



  9. The heat needs to be medium to high as we need it to start to boil (keep stirring by the way)
  10. When it does come to the boil, simmer for 1-2 minutes and keep on stirring.



  11. Add 3/4 of the Grated Cheese to the mixture and keep stirring it



  12. Once the cheese has melted in to the sauce (takes just a few moments) remove from the heat
  13. Add Salt and Pepper to taste
  14. Put the already cooked Cauliflower/Broccoli in to a mixing bowl and pour over the cheese sauce
  15. Very gently, using a spoon, ensure all the veg is covered in the delicious sauce
  16. Transfer the Cauliflower/Broccoli in to an oven dish



  17. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top



  18. Put in the oven at 180 for around 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted and golden brown on top



  19. Serve and enjoy!

Serving Suggestion(s)

Great on it's own or delicious with a chicken leg!




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Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

Portions: 1

Ingredients

  • Asparagus
  • 1/2 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
  • 2 Egg Yolks
  • 115g Melted Butter
  • Lemon Juice (1/2 tbsp if 2 Medium Eggs or 1 tbsp if 2 Large Eggs)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 tbsp Cold Water

Equipment

  • Two Saucepans (1 for cooking the Asparagus and a smaller one for the Sauce)
  • Whisk

Instructions

Asparagus

  1. Boil some water in a saucepan



  2. Prepare your Asparagus and when the water has started boiling, drop in the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes until tender
  3. Remove the Asparagus and pour over the Hollandaise Sauce and serve!

Hollandaise Sauce
  1. Add the vinegar to a small pan and bring to a boil



  2. Simmer the vinegar until it has reduced by half
  3. Remove the pan from the heat and add 1 tbsp of cold water
  4. Whisk in the Egg Yolks



  5. Put the pan on to a low heat and continue whisking until the mixture has thickened and has started to become frothy
  6. Remove from the heat and whisk in the Melted Butter
  7. Whisk in the Lemon Juice



  8. Add some Salt and Pepper and give one last swirl of the Whisk
  9. Serve the sauce immediately over the drained Asparagus
It can be a little bit like patting your head whilst rubbing stomach as you need to try and make sure both the Asparagus and the Hollandaise sauce are ready at the same time!

Personally I like to warm a plate in the oven and then boil the water in one pan and the vinegar in another pan, I then set a timer for the Asparagus and continue to make the Hollandaise Sauce and then when the timer goes off I remove the Sauce off of the heat whilst I plate up the Asparagus (on the warmed plate) and cover it with tin foil - I can then continue to make the sauce and pour straight over the Asparagus once it's made!

Serving Suggestion(s)

Best served as a Starter before your Main Meal but you can also serve as a side.



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Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Toad in the Hole

Portions: 2-3

Ingredients

  • 175g Plain Flour
  • 1/2 tbsp Chives
  • 2 eggs
  • 300ml Milk
  • 50g Lard or Beef Dripping
  • 1/2 Dozen Pork Sausages
  • Salt and Pepper

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowl
  • Tea Towel
  • Whisk
  • Ninja Foodi Air Fryer
  • Tin Foil

Instructions

  1. Put the Plain Flour in to a mixing bowl
  2. Whisk the Eggs and slowly Whisk them in to the flour



  3. Slowly add the Milk and continually whisk the mixture until all the milk has been added and the batter is nice and smooth



  4. Add the chives and give it one last whisk



  5. Place a Tea Towel over the bowl and leave to one side for at least 30 minutes



  6. Put around 10g of the Lard or Beef Dripping in to the air fryer (along with the 6 sausages) and Air Fry at 160° for 14 minutes (turning the sausages half-way)



  7. Remove the Sausages from the Ninja Foodi Air Fryer and wrap in Tin Foil to keep warm.
  8. Add the remaining Lard/Beef Dripping to the Ninja Foodi Air Fryer and Air Fry at 210° for 5-10 minutes until it is piping hot



  9. Carefully add back the Sausages



  10. Carefully pour in the Batter mix (rearrange the sausages as necessary as they can move around a bit when you pour the batter in)!



  11. Cook on 210° for 15-20 minutes until the Yorkshire has risen and crisped up to your liking!


Serving Suggestion(s)

It can definitely be enjoyed on its own...


...but in my opinion it is best served with some gravy!


Toad in the hole can also be enjoyed with Mashed Potatoes, Pan Haggerty or even some lovely Roast Potatoes!

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