Weekend at The Plough - Harborne, Birmingham

Last weekend I was lucky enough to dine out twice at The Plough, which for a student with a fairly restricted budget, was a major treat. After my trip there at the end of last year (read all about that here) I was desperate to go back and try the rest of the menu.

On Saturday I headed to The Plough for brunch. I'm a big breakfast lover. I'm a morning person and never miss breakfast, so eating out for the first meal of the day is one of my favourite things to do, and after examining The Plough's brunch menu I was very excited. (By the way I find breakfast and brunch to be pretty similar - either way I always end up having a bit of lunch and I guess the only real difference is that you go out later for brunch).

I decided to go for a smoothie, I think it was made with strawberry and mango.

If I really think about it, it was probably a bit overpriced but it was yummy and we went out for brunch to celebrate my friend's 21st birthday, so as it was a special occasion I decided to splash out a bit. When I looked at the menu the coconut milk porridge jumped out at me and I'm not really sure why. I don't particularly like coconut but I think seeing as it came with honeycomb and mango that was what swayed me. I'm very glad I ordered it though.

The portion size was spot-on and as well as coming with a few chunks of mango, it was also served with a mango purée which was delicious.

The porridge was really tasty and I will definitely make porridge with coconut milk in the future for a a bit of variation. Everyone elses food looked really good as well, in particular the pancakes with bacon and maple syrup.

On Sunday my parents came up to visit so we went to The Plough for Sunday lunch. We all had the roast.

It was massive! I went for beef, which was served pink, and there was loads of it. I hate going out for Sunday lunch and only being given one small slice of meat but this is not something to worry about at The Plough. The beef was really tasty and seasoned with a fair amount of pepper. I found the roast potatoes to be a bit too salty for my liking but they weren't so salty I found them inedible. The Yorkshire pudding was good and the veg was great too (peas, red cabbage and swede mash).

It's not cheap but you definitely get your money's worth and it's all really good quality. My only niggle is that the potatoes were a tad too salty and I would've prefered more gravy, but I guess I like to drown my plate in gravy so most people would probably find it to be an adequate amount. It's the perfect place to go when parents come to visit, if you want to splash out for a special occasion or if you just love great food and money is no object.

I'm yet to try the burger so I guess I'll have to go back soon!

Birthday Celebrations in Cosy Club - Cardiff City Centre

Last week it was my friend's birthday and to celebrate we went into town for some food and drinks. The birthday girl wanted to go to Cosy Club, which is part of the same group as the Lounges (read about the Fino Lounge here). Cosy Club is similar to the Lounges and there are few around the South of the UK in town or city centres and they are open all day, for brunch and coffee to dinner and drinks. Cosy Club Cardiff is located in the St Davids 2 centre and is on the first floor with huge windows looking over The Hayes so is really bright and helps to create a relaxed atmosphere. It has a similar feeling to The Plough - the quality and offering of food and drink and the layout of the restaurant makes Cosy Club a casual yet special place for a birthday meal.

I decided to splash out a bit and order a Raspberry Mojito. As I'm only a poor student I normally can't afford cocktails as they can be pretty pricey, and even though this one wasn't cheap it was definitely worth it.

Mojitos are my favourite cocktail and this one was beautifully made. The addition of raspberries made it even better than a standard mojito and the flavour came through nicely but didn't overpower the lime and mint. Very refreshing on a warm evening.

I wasn't particularly hungry and opted for some tapas. I think the menu has changed since I went last week looking at the website and two of the dishes I had have changed or been taken off the menu.

From left to right: chorizo cooked in red wine; broad bean, pea and mint paté; and honey glazed 5-spice pulled pork. I think its been made more expensive on the new menu but they still offer 3 dishes for cheaper than they would be individually and they are still served with ciabatta. If you're looking for traditional Spanish tapas dishes then this isn't what is on offer at Cosy Club but its still really tasty.

It was all delicious; the chorizo was very flavoursome and the pork was very juicy and tender. I really enjoyed the broad bean, pea and mint paté and I think its a shame that its no longer on the menu. It was fresh and was great spread on the ciabatta.

Three of the other girls also ordered tapas and I tried some of the falafels with cumin and coriander yogurt that my friend ordered.

They were really tasty and well spiced and are still available on the menu so I recommend trying them out.

The rest of the girls all had the falafel burger.

The service was wonderful in Cosy Club and our food came quite quickly after ordering. If you're looking for somewhere a bit more interesting than the standard coffee shop or chain restaurant for lunch or dinner in the city centre, then check out Cosy Club, you won't be disappointed!

Easter Nests

My long term memory is absolutely terrible. I have very few memories from primary school left but one thing that has stuck in my brain is that every Easter we would make Easter Nests and ever since I left primary school nearly a decade ago I've wanted to make these but never got round to it - until this afternoon.

Unlike similar cakes made using Rice Krispies or Cornflakes, I used Shredded Wheat to actually make them look like nests.

To make your very own easy Easter treats you will need:

200g of your favourite milk chocolate
4 - 5 biscuits of Shredded Wheat
About 24 Mini Eggs to decorate

Makes 8 nests

Break up the chocolate and melt in a bowl over gently simmering water on the hob, its much harder to burn chocolate melting it this way than in the microwave. And always remember the wise words of Mary Berry who says not to use too much heat as "chocolate melts in a child's pocket".

In a large mixing bowl break up 4 biscuits of Shredded Wheat with your hands and once the chocolate has melted pour it into the cereal and mix it all together. If there is too much chocolate compared to the Shredded Wheat break up another biscuit and add it slowly until the ratio is perfect.

On a piece of greaseproof paper on a baking tray spoon the mixture into 8 nests, pushing it down a little in the middle to make a little well.

Pop into the fridge for 5 minutes and then add 3 Mini Eggs to the middle of each nest and return to the fridge until they've set. And you're done! Super easy and anyone can make them look good!