Guys, we have tried and tested some great restaurants all thanks to Square Meal sourcing some fabulous eateries this Spring in the UK.
With the Square Meal website which is easy to use and navigate around, which you can find here https://www.squaremeal.co.uk/ you are able to find the likes of Gallio, which you can read all about this wonderful new Mediterranean restaurant here based in the heart of Canary Wharf, London A Mediterranean delight and many more in the area.
The sun is finally shining and the daffodils are blooming in the UK and all I want to do is dine alfresco, be it here in London or little further afield for a little weekend getaway to the beach, such a Brighton with Leanora!
When it comes to dining out and where to go and always wanting to try something new, Square Meal are able to help me source just what I am looking for via their easy to use search fields, which enable me to narrow down just what I am after, be it a roof terrace restaurant with a buzzy family vibe, a chilled beer garden to even a nice quaint little eatery with a water view dining experience, which is perfect for a day date to see you in to the glorious evening giving you the perfect sunset back drop.
Since the early 1990s when Square Meal was first launched, they have come leaps and bounds and offer so many alternative places to have new dining experiences, along with helping those who even may be looking for a venue for a birthday party or christening, they even can help source your wedding venue to recipes, so if you are not wanting to dine out and want to cook a slap up meal they are there to help assist you with this and so much more.
Dining out for me is all about the experience and that it has to offer as well memories that you get to create with family and friends. Leanora and I recently went to Circolo Popolare and the atmosphere, was electrifying, we went for an early lunch and the place was heaving, it was lively the staff were amazing and the venue, I mean wow absolutely stunning you must go it is absolutely spectacular and the food was out of this world good. Circolo Popolare, brings you true classic Sicillian dishes from Italy right to your table in the heart of London and it is not too badly priced also. I have also been meaning to try out it's other sister restaurants also located in London, but they do have others too around the world from Madrid to Paris and other countries.
This is what I love about Square Meal, they are able to bring so many new and great places together all in one place for you to try and explore new dishes from all over the world right here in the UK. and with it being bank holiday and few extra days off work, I truly recommend checking them out to see what they have on offer.
Do you have any great foodie adventures happening this weekend, let us know in the comments below or tag us over on Instagram.
Don't forget you can keep upto date with what we are doing over on Instagram and some of our latest videos on TikTok and shop all our looks via LTK.
Happy weekend all!
Lindsey
Disclaimer: this is a paid collaborative post but all words are my own
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Lemon, Poppy Seed & Strawberry Buttercream Cake, now that is a treat and all in time for the bank holiday weekend.
Recently I’ve really gotten into baking, I find it soothing for me and Leanora too, plus after a long day at work who doesn’t mind coming home, putting your feet up with a cup of coffee and delicious slice of cake?!
I got the idea of making this cake from our first outing in a long time since restrictions have eased, our first was to Kew Gardens! Whilst strolling around we made a pit stop to the cafe to fuel up, all with a slice of lemon cake, hence where the creation of this delectable Lemon, Poppy Seed & Strawberry Buttercream Cake was imagined.
Ingredients for the cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup of butter extra for greasing
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup lemon juice, fresh or bottled
3/4 cup sour cream
1 heaping Tbs poppyseeds
Buttercream ingredients
1 1/2 cup diced strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter
5-6 cups icing sugar
2-4 Tbs double cream
Strawberries and daisies for decoration
Directions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees
- In 2 9 inch cake pans line the bottom with parchment paper and then grease the sides with butter and set aside.
- In large bowl mix together your four, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk together until combined.
- With hand or stand mixer mix in your eggs, oil and lemon juice until blended. Slowly add in your double cream and continue beating until incorporated.
- Pour evenly into prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden and cake springs back when touched.
- Meanwhile to make your buttercream in sauce pan add your diced strawberries, sugar to your blender and blend together with your butter until smooth, then place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
- To assemble cakes place one of your cakes on a cake stand, add about 3/4 cup of your buttercream to the top of the cake and spread to the sides.
- Layer the other cake on top of the buttercream and working from the top down spread the majority of the buttercream around sides and over the top until smooth.
- Once you smooth out frosting, cut your extra strawberries into thin slices and place around bottom of cake along with some sugared flowers.
- Keep refrigerated.
Enjoy! Xx
Let me know if you make this tasty recipe in the comments below or by tagging me over on Instagram and using the #LondonMummaEats tag or save over on Pinterest to try for a later date.
Lindsey
Pasta is my go to any time or day of the week. This delicious Martha Stewart inspired dish is a one pot wonder! Its a fresh delicious meat free family friendly dish, with a little kick of chilli.
With Leanora and I working up a sweat in the garden, all I wanted to do is just have a fresh shower and a tasty bite to eat. However, after a long day of digging up weeds, turning the soil with new compost, taking up tiles to prepare for astro turf to be laid, all by me may I add cooking is the last thing I want to do, but is an essential. That is why this 11 minute pasta dish is the ultimate fuss free one pot dish to make.
At this time in our life, we are all feeling the strain of COVID19 and not being able to leave the house, see family and friends freely, can be a bit of a struggle even a mental struggle, but it is what us all over the world have to do right now.
The first few days of lock down, I, as you may have been too was in shock, what was I going to do am I allowed out, what about my parents, grand parents, what was going to happen with Leanora's education, what was I going to do. A few days of sitting on the sofa, watching the news, I knew that sitting there was not going to be healthy for me or more importantly Leanora and my family! I decided to make a schedule, make a plan of how I was going to use my time wisely, making sure Leanora's kept on top of her education and keeping us both fit and healthy. So I've made a daily scheduler and try to stick to it as much as possible and one of those things on my list is sorting out the garden and getting other items done around the house. I find that in insolation the way to keep on going is by putting good use to your time and being proactive and I am putting that proactiveness into my home and garden and Leanora all whilst cooking and baking along the way.
So as we all have a spare 11 minutes, this one pot pasta dish is super easy to make.
Ingredients - Serves 2
1 handful of pasta
1 medium onion thinly sliced
2 handfuls of baby tomatoes cut in half
3 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
1 bunch of fresh basil leaves
a pinch of salt (to taste)
a pinch of black cracked pepper (to taste)
a pinch of chilli flakes
Directions
1. In large pot add all of your ingredients and add water to just cover and cook over a medium high heat for 11 minutes.
2. Keep an eye on the pot throughout the duration of cooking and stirring occasionally so all ingredients combine together and the pasta does not stick.
3. Serve immediately.
If you make this dish, let me know what you think in the comments or below or share your snap with me over on Instagram.
If you are looking for other recipe ideas, check out my recipes section.
Lindsey
These Lemon Pepper Chicken wings are mouth-wateringly sensational and jam-packed with flavour.
An important part for me to stay sane and get through this pandemic is by organising my days, be it homeschooling times, activities to do with Leanora and gardening, but most importantly lunch and dinner prep. We are all cooking a lot more, personally I think it’s great, my waist may not be feeling it, but we slot in our daily work out with Joe Wicks, so I don’t feel as guilty about all the bread and cake we’ve been making and I’ve been eating.
I’ve been craving for KFC, fried chicken is literally my thing, not all the time but I mean I’m more than happy to smash through a 15 box with Leanora. So as no KFC is open, I decided to bring some tied chicken to me. I wanted something fresh, fried chicken can be a bit heavy at times, so I decided why not cut through it with a bit of lemon. Never had we had it this way before, so with Leanora out in the garden playing and wanting to make one of our favourite dishes I decided to get to it.
I made these wings in advance from the night before, all set for frying the next day. If you can, always try to season your meat the night before, or if you can’t wait at least give the seasoning 30 minutes to an hour to marinade and absorb all that great flavour
Armed with a few fresh lemons, some oil for frying I got to making these Spring fresh crispy chicken wings.
Ingredients
1kg of chicken wings ( cut into wings and drummettes)
Zest of 3 Lemons
Juice of 1/2 lemons
3 tsp of crack black pepper
1/4 tsp Salt
2 cups of oil for frying
1 cup of flour
1kg of chicken wings ( cut into wings and drummettes)
Zest of 3 Lemons
Juice of 1/2 lemons
3 tsp of crack black pepper
1/4 tsp Salt
2 cups of oil for frying
1 cup of flour
Directions
1. In a mixing bowl, combine chicken wings with the zest of 2 lemon, 2 tsp of black pepper and toss well. Set aside in the fridge over night, or leave for 30 minutes - 1hour for the marinade to blend. Once ready to fry take out of the fridge and leave for 20 minutes to take the chill off.
1. In a mixing bowl, combine chicken wings with the zest of 2 lemon, 2 tsp of black pepper and toss well. Set aside in the fridge over night, or leave for 30 minutes - 1hour for the marinade to blend. Once ready to fry take out of the fridge and leave for 20 minutes to take the chill off.
2. Pour enough oil to fry the chicken wings, I use a heavy dutch pan to fry. Heat oil up to 375F if you don’t have a thermometer, just drop in a small piece of bread or fresh herb, if it starts to fry and rises, you are good to go).
3. Get another mixing bowl or shallow dish, add the flour, 1 zest of lemon, 1 tsp of black pepper 1/2 tsp of salt.
4. Once the chill has come off from your wings and you are ready to fry, coat your seasoned chicken wings in the seasoned flour and add to your pot of hot oil. Do this in batches as to not over crowd the pot.
5. Fry for 3 - 4 minutes on each sides, once done place on a cooling rack or on a clean plate, lined with kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil.
Serve up with some salad, fresh green beans or some fluffy rice and enjoy!
If you make this dish, let me know what you think in the comments or below or share your snap with me over on Instagram.
If you are looking for other recipe ideas, check out my recipes section.
Lindsey
We’ve all had the chat, pretty much on a daily basis, for me it is probably the one of the most talked about discussions that we have in the office! Where to eat and drink in London.
With so many restaurants, pop up’s, dining events, food markets, tv shows (my favourite, Come Dine With Me) even to those that love cooking for friends and family be it at home or a new thing which I love is, hosted dinner or brunch in a private dining rooms, we are simply spoilt for choice. I love to be adventurous and enjoy trying new dishes and cuisines from all over the world and I find that my hometown London offers that.
Honestly going out to dine in London is one of my favourite things to do here, be it on my lunch break, out and about with Leanora or friends and family, it is like each week something new and interesting is opening up on the streets here, it’s so diverse and I have to say I am quite spoilt for choice. I think for us Londoners or those that come over here for holidays, love and know that you can find a great place to eat and drink here, be it for a family get together to a reunion and catch up with friends, or those that crave a little something new or a little bit more intimate for date night, you know that you have come to the right place!
To keep me up to date on what is new and trending and helping me find something a little different I can always be found scouring the squaremeal website for something a little different and innovative, be it a 10 piece tasting menu being offered, which does not only tickle my taste buds, but also makes for a great present for a friend. You will also find restaurants that have popped up in your local area, or if you fancy something a little further afield.
Another great source of finding something new and different is via Instagram, with restaurants and cafes all vying for the perfect instagrammable decor be it cafes with bright pink exteriors, flower walls, futuristic egg shaped toilets, to horticultural inspired eateries for people to come eat and drink and take a selfie or two, it anther great source and friendly place to start for the perfect London dining experience.
Speaking of yummy food, I’ve loads of tasty dishes that I’ve made which you can find on my recipe section here or you can also find what I’ve been whipping up on my Bloglovin page and inspo over on Pinterest, plus keep your eyes peeled and check back as I’ll be sharing a new dish this week on the blog.
I am always in the hunt for something new and interesting to try so if you know if any great spots be it new or old, I would love for you to share it with me in the comments below.
London Mumma
Disclaimer: This post was in collaboration with Squaremeal.
All day I dream of pasta, pasta in a silky delicious sauce and this bowl of kale pesto pasta is that dish!
Seven, that is the magic number and the number of ingredients that you need to make my easy kale pesto pasta. I simply adore this dish, it takes no time at all, best for a quick healthy hearty weeknight meal.
When I’ve had a busy week with work and not managed to get round to do a good shop it can be a bit like Russian roulette in the kitchen of what is actually there, I always have the basics, pasta in all its forms! So I know I’m guaranteed to be able to make something good and nutritious to eat, I’ve never made a pesto any version of that, to be honest, so own opening the veg drawer and saw a massive bag of kale, normally reserved for chips/crisps and a bulb of garlic I knew it was time for me to jazz up some pasta, so out came the blender and it is a game changer from there.
For those that have kids, they know that it can be hard to get them to eat their vegetables but anytime Leanora sees green vegetables she is always popping into the basket as educating her on the importance of green vegetables and how they are a superfood, which she thinks will turn her into a super girl, plus getting the little ones involved with the whole cooking process encourages them to eat more of their vegetables.
When I am looking for something light and fresh as well as quick to make, I always make sure that I’ve always the essentials on hand and today’s dish is just that.
Ingredients
Pasta (gluten-free)
Kale Pesto
A bag of kale washed
180grans of parmesan
A handful of Pine nuts
Olive oil
Half a garlic bulb
Juice of one lemon
A bag of kale washed
180grans of parmesan
A handful of Pine nuts
Olive oil
Half a garlic bulb
Juice of one lemon
Instructions
1. Begin by switching your oven to 180c, once warmed half a bulb of garlic and roast it off for 8-10 minutes.
2. In a large pot, bring salted water to the boil for your pasta. Once it starts to bubble cook your pasta as per instructions on the packet.
3. Combine all your ingredients for your kale pesto into your blender. Blitz, taste and season to your preference. Take out and decant into a bowl then set the kale pesto to one side until needed.
4. Drain the pasta and place back into the pot, take a 4 tbsp of your pesto and mix together.
5. Serve immediately with extra grated parmesan.
Lindsey
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Who does not love a glass of delicious bubbles, it's the drink to celebrate with and this New Year's you'll find the perfect glass of bubbly in my hand from Pommery.
With the countdown on to New Year's, it's officially party season, this is the drink to see it in style, its indulgent, sexy and great shared with friends and family to toast in the New Year's.
The Pommery Brut Royal Champagne is light gold in colour, super delicate, light and refreshing in taste, yet packs a punch in taste and pairs easily with canapés shared on the night or any occasion.
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When you think of festivities or a girls night in, you think of Pommery! Pommery is not only just a bottle of festive indulgent champagne, but owned by the ultimate girl boss Jeanne Alexandrine Louise Melin, who took control and brought great ideas on the production line since 1860. I am all down for girl power and empowering women throughout the whole world, 2019 I will be seen and doing more of empowering us women, and shall be teaching my daughter to rely upon no man and take a stand and make her mark and pave her own way in life! Not that I'll be teaching her to drink god forbid, I mean she is only 4, but to stand on her own two feet, no matter the odds and be her own girl boss and take control, just like Jeanne and myself and all the mothers, non-mothers and women alike all over the world.
2019 I will be encouraging others, my daughter, myself no matter what, to take new steps to be courageous, be brave and adventurous be it with our adult choices of beverages, to the paths and decisions we make in life, but before I do, I raise a toast, with a delicious glass of Pommery in hand and wish you all a happy New Year.
How will you be toasting your New Year?
Lindsey xx
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So, summer is drawing to a close and we prepare for Autumn weather, we are not quite there just yet, even though we may be having cold starts to the day, from mid-morning to early evening the summer sun is still shining bright and hotter than ever.
With temperatures on high it can be hard to decide on what to eat, whilst trying to be healthy and do not want to succumb just yet to a hearty lasagne, I've been finding comfort in Gazpacho, extremely surprising as it's a tomato based soup and I have to say I am not a fan, but this soup is served chilled and packs a punch in flavour and takes no time to whizz up at all in a trusty blender.
This bowl or a shot of soup is a perfect all-rounder served as a starter or with doorstop wedge of bread in a bowl and goes down a treat with the kiddos too as you know they can be a bit fussy.
Recently I've got in to batch cooking and this is ideal, I've actually stored it in my cookuts, Miam pancake maker, it's a great travel companion and have been taking it to work with me for lunch perfect to brave the hustle and bustle of the commute to work, which is great as I tend to go for the unhealthy options on my lunch break, like you do not like a fat Friday treat!! But knowing this is packed with vitamin c, as well as a helping of 2 out of my 5 a day, I feel good knowing that I am feeding my body and nourishing my soul, Leanora's too with the good stuff.
Honestly, this takes no time to make up, so great to prepare from the night before, or early in the morning, if you are having it later in the day. Depending on how strong your blender is you can just simply chuck in all your ingredients and zap, otherwise, it's simple as 1, 2, 3, chop and drop.
Ingredients
5 large ripe tomatoes
3/4 large cucumber, peeled, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 green pepper, deseeded, roughly chopped
2 green onions, trimmed, roughly chopped, more for garnish
2 garlic cloves, peeled, roughly chopped
olive oil
1 lemon or large lime, juice of
Salt and pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
Fresh basil, stems removed, ripped or chopped
Instructions
1.Chop up your tomatoes, cucumber, celery, pepper, green onions, garlic, basil.
2. Place all other ingredients, along with your chopped ingredients into the blender, then blend at high sped for 10 seconds and then pulse your desired consistency.
3. Pour Gazpacho into a bowl, cover and leave to chill in the fridge, until ready to serve!
Enjoy, and have a soup-erb day!
So, will the gazpacho be making it into your weekly staple for you and the family? Also I here you can try this with different fruit too, let me know if you have and what you like!
London Mumma
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I can't lie I adore, no I love popcorn! Leanora too and when we were asked to make and bring in a treat for sports day we knew we just had to make white chocolate funfetti popcorn.
We are believers that popcorn solves everything, all you require is the finest ingredients to help bring it to life.
Whilst Friday and Saturday night is movie night, we always watch either Moana or Madagascar with a bowl filled with our favourite weekend treat, heck have it any day if the week if you fancy it, it never lasts and we find ourselves making a few batches of this moorish treat.
Leanora believes more sprinkles the better and I think she is right, funfetti is a real treat it's almost magical and bring so much fun to a snack.
Honestly, I never knew how quick it was to make popcorn, even quicker thanks to Exclusively Housewares recent event where I was gifted the SmArt popcorn machine. Gone are the days of microwave popcorn bags or waiting for it to pop in a hot pan, like a bunch of eager beavers.
Two large bars of white chocolate, one for me, the other for the popcorn, funfetti sprinkles, some trusty corn kernels and let the magic begin to make these fluffy white chocolate funfetti popcorn.
Honestly, this popcorn lasts no time in my house or at sports day, the kids will love you for it and the grown ups too, this is the perfect thing to bring to any occasion be it BBQ, pool party or family and friend get together.
Ingredients
10 cups of corn kernels
200g of white chocolate
4 tablespoons of sprinkles
Directions
1. If you do not have a popcorn maker, grab a microwaveable bag and zap as per its instructions. Once the popcorn is ready, pick out any kernels that have not manage to pop and place to one side.
2. Brake up your white chocolate and place into a microwaveable bowl and every 30 seconds, stop give it a stir until completely melted, then pour over you popcorn add your sprinkles and toss with a clean spoon, making sure that each popcorn is evenly covered.
3. Pour out your coated popcorn on to parchment paper and leave to dry for 20 minutes and enjoy!
Have a popping good day! x
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London Mumma
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