The Cromwell Kitchen

14/07/2024

Well, we’re not exactly winning at summertime right now 🙄 - and it’s getting some people down - 😕 but there’s no better way to cheer yourself up than by sharing delicious food (and a glass of something nice) with fantastic friends! Cheers! 😀🥂🍽️

10/07/2024

Too true….! 🥪😂

Life cycle of a toastie machine.

09/07/2024

Chargrilling hispi cabbage and all things green - especially leaves you’re more likely to see raw in a salad - has suddenly become really trendy. But that’s no bad thing if more people try these delicious flavours!

This is a variation on a recipe we saw recently with Ruby Romaine, chicory and halloumi with a Sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard dressing and loads of fresh herbs. Served with a tomato and red onion salad, crusty bread and butter and you have a deliciously light, simple supper. Just a shame the weather’s so pants we had to cook inside instead of on the bbq….! 🙄☔️😂

09/07/2024

It’s sprouting seed season! This morning’s harvest has alfalfa, broccoli, red clover, mung beans and china rose. These teeny nutritional powerhouses add freshness, crunch and sometimes a spicy heat to salads, sandwiches or just enjoy with some olive oil and lemon juice.🌿🥗🥪

Other favourites are sunflower, fenugreek, red lentil, pea and kale. 😋 If you fancy giving them a go you can’t go wrong with ordering from Sky Sprouts - all organic, sustainable packaging and available in different size packs. But be warned - growing them gets very addictive!

08/07/2024

If you’re keen to try the new advice to eat 30 different plants per week then the easiest, most economical dish to include is definitely soup! 🥣You can pack so much into a delicious, healthy bowl it’s a pleasure not a chore! Today’s pot has:

- Brown onion, leeks, carrots, courgette, potatoes and celery as the base.
- Red lentils for protein and extra fibre.
- Olive oil for healthy fat.
- Garlic, ginger, red chilli, coriander (include the stalks), turmeric and some lemon juice to ramp up the flavour.
- Add enough boiling water to just cover the veg, season with salt and black pepper and simmer until tender.

We like to take a few ladlefuls out and blitz with a stick blender before adding back to give it a lovely thick texture. Quick, simple and just what you need with the current “summer” weather…..! 🙄😂🥣

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07/07/2024

Amazing (and huge) mutton chops from Bowhouse butchery for dinner, cooked over coals and accompanied with fried Jersey Royals, today’s chimichurri and a feta salad. Absolutely delicious, absolutely stuffed! 😋🥗 🥩🌿

07/07/2024

There’s lots of variations of chimichurri - this recipe throws everything but the kitchen sink at it - and boy, is it delicious! 😋

We have dried chervil but does anyone know where we can get it fresh without having to buy a huge quantity? 🌿

03/07/2024

Wow - that was a rainbow and a half! Just managed to catch it before it disappeared! 😀🌈

01/07/2024

School’s out, sunshine’s out - just! - and it’s definitely summer salad season. (Goodness knows why there’s so many Ss in that sentence!)

If you’re looking for any inspiration for your summer barbecues then just let us know! 😀🔥🍗🥗

25/06/2024

Vintage find in a charity shop yesterday. Absolutely fascinating text but oh, how times have changed…! 😂🧑‍🍳🍳

20/06/2024

So, if anyone tells you that vegan/vegetarian food is boring, then give them a good slap! Forget the crap “meat” alternatives, the artificial “cheese” (😳🥴) and pasta is all you can eat. 🙄😂

We’re not vegan, and I doubt we’ll ever be, but just love the amazing options if you are! 😀

12/06/2024

Well, we hoped it wouldn’t have to come to this but I’m afraid we’re having to put the Cromwell Kitchen “on hold” for the time being.

Getting insurance in the past few years has been increasingly difficult, not to say increasingly expensive. Our current provider now won’t renew our cover on the same terms so we’ve decided to take a break to reassess our options. This certainly hasn’t been an easy decision. 🙁

If we were a full time business then it may be more financially viable but that’s not what we’re about - The Kitchen was, and is, only ever about the love of cooking, the sheer enjoyment of meeting new people and having fun sharing food with friends.

We’re soooo disappointed not to be able to invite you to our planned summer events but hope you’ll stick with us! In the meantime, we’ll keep chopping, tasting, experimenting and sharing foodie posts so please watch this space for updates soon. 😊

Yvonne & Geoff ###

Burntisland’s first supper club! We also offer bespoke takeaway menus & a private catering service.

10/06/2024

You’ve just got to love Jay Rayner’s reviews….!! 😂🤣😂

It describes itself as a ‘refined taverna’, but this Greek restaurant deserves more colourful language

07/06/2024

It’s that time of year again - our herbs are going crazy! If anyone would like some lovage, sage, tarragon, chives, rosemary, lemon balm or marjoram then please let us know! Hate to see them going to waste. 😊🌿

07/06/2024

40th birthday celebration takeaway going out to The Bus Stop. Looks an amazing place for a party - and they have chickens and Pygmy goats! 🐓🐐😀🥗

05/06/2024

Well, Bristol - you surprised us! More street food than you can shake a stick at, a million vintage thrift stores, amazing views from Clifton, terrific cider and local real ale, great restaurants and a pub that has 6 cats snoozing on the bar! We’ll definitely be back! 😍🍻🍽️🍷🌁

05/06/2024

Is it just us or does everyone get as excited about receiving a 3kg delivery of heritage tomatoes….?! 🥳🍅😂

27/05/2024

Still nearly light at 10pm - gotta love this time of year…! 😍

22/05/2024

When the weather’s this awful you need a real sunshine dish to cheer you up! Why not try a Vietnamese inspired salad - packed full of fresh ingredients that not only look and taste good but will make you feel good too. This one is veggie and fat-free (really!) but grilled chicken and some crushed salted peanuts would be great additions to make a substantial meal.

If you’ve got any feel-good food on the go, send us your pics! 😋🌈🥗☀️

☀️

21/05/2024

The Sisters at Le Gavroche on tonight’s Masterchef. Complete example of how amazing staff are absolutely essential to make an amazing business - and, if a business looks after their staff, how they can hang onto them for years. Hope you both go on to do wonderful things and have fun! 😍👏👏🍷

20/05/2024

Really chuffed with our freshly painted planters and picnic tables! 😍 A few more bits to spruce up, some new plants to go in and we’ll be garden party ready - summer’s coming folks! 😎🍾🍽️🥗

17/05/2024

Some experimenting! 🥛🌿🧂

Geoff made some butter - simply double cream and 2% Maldon salt - and I tried Labneh, a classic Middle Eastern soft cheese. Couldn’t be easier - just add some fine salt to full-fat Greek yogurt and strain for 24hrs.

You can top it with all kinds of things. I added olive oil, za’atar and flat leaf parsley but think next time it would be even tastier with some chopped red chillies!🌶️

16/05/2024

Trying another recipe tonight from Gill Meller’s cookbook “Outside”. New potatoes, broad beans and feta parcels wrapped up with thyme, mint, lemon juice & olive oil. Cooked outside on hot coals along with some Scottish salmon. Light, fragrant, nutritious and delicious! 😋 🔥🥔🫛🌿

15/05/2024

What a lovely lunch party today! The sun shone, the wine flowed and the conversation was great! Menu included baked garlic & rosemary Camembert, heritage tomato salad with basil, braised chicken with mushrooms and créme fraîche and fresh fruit pavlovas. 😋

11/05/2024

What an absolutely glorious Saturday in sunny Burntisland! Can hardly move a muscle after a whole day’s gardening but Geoff’s outdoor bbq’d dinner of chilli yogurt marinaded smoked haddock with a soft boiled egg on sourdough made everything better. And the chilled bottle of Portuguese white helped too…!! 😋🍽️🥂🌶️🌿

05/05/2024

The winner of our prize draw chose a South East Asian theme for their takeaway menu and we were more than happy to oblige!

Rainbow rice paper rolls with a chilli and peanut dip to start followed by prawn and mushroom pho with fresh herbs, beansprouts and lime. Main was chicken in a spiced tomato and coconut sauce, steamed basmati rice and marinaded cucumber and radish with garlic, ginger and soy.

Look out for our next Supper Club nights, takeaways and prize draws coming soon! 😋

04/05/2024

We were really lucky to be in Portugal while they celebrated the 50th anniversary of overthrowing their country’s dictatorship in 1974. Outdoor concerts, music, singing, dancing and carnations everywhere! 🌺

We learned a lot of serious history but our favourite fun fact is what started the entire movement off on the ground. When people across the country heard Portugal’s 1974 Eurovision song broadcasted on the radio that was their cue to take to the streets. It was an innocuous ballad but Google the footage of people “revolting” - genius! 🇵🇹🙌

(PS. Can you believe women in Portugal only received full legal equality to men in 1976…?!?)

04/05/2024

This was our €10 set lunch menu at a backstreet, family run, cafe in Coimbra. Bread, butter and cheese, homemade vegetable soup, half a carafe of local wine, pork, chips & rice for Geoff, rabbit casserole and vegetables for me plus a side salad. Lemon mousse then coffee. We literally couldn’t move afterwards…!