Jamie Noms Through Christmas | Iceland Festive Menu 2019

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new Jamie Noms Through Christmas post. I thought that today, that I would talk to you about Iceland, who are infamous for their Christmas ranges.

Now, with University and everything happening lately, I've only had the time to try one savoury thing from Iceland's Seasonal Range, and, three different desserts from the Iceland Seasonal Range. There won't be any images of them as it was a while ago. I could email the PR, but, with most PR teams it takes a while due to them being busy at this time of year, and I want this post up before Christmas is over and done with.

Festive Pie 

There is no description for this, but this is literally a Christmas Lunch in a Pie. I loved all of the different elements, I loved all of the veg, the meat, the creamy sauce, But my main big problem is that, it was kind of small... I was expecting something kind of bigger, like a sort of Quiche size, not a Pie a size of my palm really. The pastry against the smooth silky sauce was amazing. If it was any bigger than it was then I think it would have been one of the best pies I've had ever.

Black Forest Cheesecake 

If you love Black Forest things, then you will love this! The Cheesecake base was crumbly but still somewhat crispy which was a great contrast against the smooth creamy filling. The Cream Cheese was a beautiful blank canvas for the dark sour Cherries. The Chocolate cut against the sourness and rounded off the whole Dessert. I loved it and the Cherry flavour wasn't too pronounced or too sour which made it great for everyone, as, sometimes I'm not the biggest fan of Sour Cherries. A great dessert to round off any night.

Chocolate Orange Cheesecake 

Sadly, you can't whack this one, but, you can definitely tap it... If you love Chocolate Orange flavoured things, then this is right up your street. The Orange flavour in this was more realistic than synthetic which I quite liked. The filling of the Cheesecake had a slight set Jelly feel to it which was unusual, but, I quite liked it. It gave me quite big Jaffa cake vibes, which, is never a bad thing in my eyes. If you like something with a fruity kick for dessert, then, definitely give this one a try!

Passion Fruit Cheesecake

This was quite simple. Passion Fruit Puree as a topping, and a Cheesecake as a base. The Passion Fruit created a Fruity and Zingy contrast against the sweet creamy Cheesecake. I loved how sort of Zingy and Sour it was as it just made you want more. It's a great to enjoy at this time of year as everything is laden with rich flavours at this time of year, and, something like this dessert would definitely cut through all of that. Give it a try and let me know what you think down below!

I hope that you've enjoyed this Jamie Noms Through Christmas post. I hope that you come back next time for another post.

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

Meow! I've Got Cattitude! | Kitty Café Leeds

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I went to Kitty Cafe Leeds a while ago, and I thought that today, I would tell you if the experience was purr-fect or not. (That was a bad pun, I know. Ah well.)

'Following on from the success of our original Nottingham Café, we’re delighted to come to Leeds to share the Kitty love! We’ve converted a beautiful old building in town into a paradise of comfy chairs, fabulous food and of course, dozens of beautiful cats.' - Kitty Cafe Leeds' Website.

Myself and my friend Alex, decided to check out Kitty Cafe Leeds, as they had an offer where you could book two hours, for one. I love a deal so it made sense to check out the wonderful Cafe then.

Before entering the cat cafe itself, we were asked to read a set of rules and sign in. The rules consisted of things including, not picking up the cars and not disturbing them if they were sleeping, which is more than understandable. The sign up was to mainly check how many people were in the cafe, I believe? We signed in and was escorted to a little table with two comfy chairs, surrounded by a water feature, scratching posts and ledges for the cats to rest on.

We sat down and perused the menu for a couple of minutes. After not being able to decide for a couple of minutes, I decided to go for a Coke and a slice of Black Forest Gateaux. (Side note: I love Black Forest anything, especially the Black Forest Hot Chocolate that is normally on Costa's Festive Menu.) Alex decided to get a pot of Lychee Jasmine Tea and a Banoffee Cheesecake. I loved the Black Forest Cake. Quite chocolatey, with a hint of Cherry. I love a tiny bit more Cherry in my Black Forest but I loved it as it meant that the fruit enhanced the sweetness of the Chocolate. I enjoyed a bit of the Banoffee Cheesecake too. I love anything Banoffee. I know Banana is a love or hate thing, in both texture and taste, but I like it. I love Cheesecake! Honestly, give me Cheesecake any day of the week! My only critique with it, is that I wish it had more Banana in it, but that's just a personal thing.

We played with a fair few Kitties. There was a bright white Persian Cat (I think it was a Persian Cat) that was and is an eternal mood. Not just from their facial expressions, but from the fact that all they wanted to do was to be lazy in bed. Don't we all just want to do that with our lives for, well, eternity? When they did escape the bed/cushion, it was for a quick wander before getting back to where they were before.

Another cat that kept coming back for strokes and attention, was, a sort of white with orange and brown patches cat. They would come straight over and then go back to hiding which was adorable.

The final kitty. that may have stolen my heart just a little bit was Pud. Pud is my spirit kitty through and through. Everyone needs a Pud in their life, or at least to go to Kitty Cafe Leeds to meet Pud. Pud was the majestic beast that had their own bridge. By this I mean that they were sprawled against the bridge and wouldn't move from it, but if your dream is to be the most majestic being in the world, then isn't Pud showing you that it's possible? I could spend all year with Pud.

I spent some more time with the kitties, chatted with Alex about a plethora of things, got some pictures of the cats and myself playing with the cats and then decided that it was time to go. Well by decided, I mean the cafe was closing so we had to go before I was dragged out for wanting to spend more time with the kitties...

Check out Kitty Café Leeds.

Have you checked out Kitty Cafe Leeds, or any of the Kitty Cafes? Let me know down below!

Thanks for reading!
Jamie x

Buon Appetito! | Gusto Cookridge Menu Tasting

Hey!

I was invited to try out Gusto's new menu a while ago and I thought that I would finally talk to you guys about it.

Before visiting Gusto Cookridge, I had never visited a Gusto before which meant that I wasn't fully sure on what to expect when entering the establishment. Myself and Luke finally got to the building after an entertaining Uber ride and entered Gusto Cookridge in a rushed haze to find out that we were the first ones there... (Ah well!)

We were offered a drink and I went yes straight away as I drink like a fish. The wonderful staff at Gusto Cookridge served myself and Luke a Peach and Passion Fruit Daiquiri which contained Bacardi, Peach Liqueur, Fresh Passion Fruit, Lime Juice and Gomme. I loved it. I love Passion Fruit and things like that and it just screamed Summer on a Winter's night!

Peach & Passion Fruit Daiquiri

The starters then arrived. There were things like a meat and cheeseboard and other things but the favourite starter for myself was the Roasted Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad. It was different but so delicious. I know that people think that salads are either just a side dish or are meant for Summer but they can be so versatile and can be carried on into the Winter months using seasonal produce.

The next round of food was all about Pizza and Pasta as Gusto's main influence is Italian food. I loved all of the dishes but if I had to choose a favourite Pasta and Pizza then I would choose the Seafood Linguine and the Florentina Pizza. I love anything that has seafood in and I love pasta so a Seafood Tagliatelie is an amazing dish in my eyes. The Florentina Pizza tasted delicious. It had an egg baked into the middle of it which sounds weird but it was so good and I will have to devour a Florentina Pizza again within the future.

Florentina Pizza

Mains time! I loved all of them! The fish dish which was a Fillet of Cod was lovely. It has so much texture going on just from the fish. I loved it but I think my favourite main would have to be the Fillet of Pork Saltimbocca. It was served with Sage and Tuscan Ham with some marvellous mash and Marsala sauce. I loved the soft texture of the Pork against the slightly thicker texture of the Tuscan Ham. The mash was smooth and delicious.

I then ordered another drink. This time it was a Raspberry and Rosemary Sling. This contained Monkey Shoulder Whisky, Disaronno, Chambord, Rosemary, Apple Juice and Lemon Juice, It was so refreshing but the Rosemary gave it a bit of depth.

Last but not least, it was time for desserts. Basil and Mint Pannacotta with a Plum Compote & Vanilla Cheesecake with Cherries. I'm not the biggest fan of pannacottas due to the texture of them but the Plum compote was so Autumnal and warm. The cheesecake was delicious and the Cherries cut through the richness of it.

That was everything. It was time to go so we said our goodbyes and ordered an Uber back to the train station.

Have you ever been to Gusto? Let me know down below.

Did you enjoy this post about Gusto Cookridge? I hope that you come back next time for another post.

Thanks!
Jamie x