How a trip to Sukhothai, Leeds City Centre, quelled the outbreak of World War Three

Picture the scene:  I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten meat for days. My sugar levels are low. My sausage levels are low.  

Now, this scene might not seem like much to some of you, but when I get hungry, I get angry.  Like, really angry. If I don’t get fed extremely quickly there’s every possibility that World War Three might break out at any second. Ash has been with me long enough to know the routine – namely a bit of grouchiness, followed by a full-on hissy-fit, followed by a pitiful moan of “but I’m really hungry.” Before the full-on hissy-fit, he usually shoves a bit of bread in my gob to try to quell the anger. You could say that he’s the Switzerland to my Germany.  

Anyway, I digress. I was hungry, miserable and close to a tantrum. I was having severe cravings for chorizo and bacon, two food-stuffs that due to meat-free March are completely out of bounds.

Ash recognised the signs. I was getting grouchy. Something had to be done, pronto. Rather than cooking (the hunger-anger ratio couldn’t cope with the wait), we decided to venture out into town to grab a bite to eat.  With a load of amazing restaurants on our doorstep, we thought that finding something veggie, quick(ish) and filling would be easy.

How wrong we were. I fancied trying Dish – the Great George St  restaurant that I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about. However, there was only one dish on the entire menu that was suitable for a pescatarian. Although the food looked amazing, with heavy hearts we had to walk away, promising ourselves a return trip once meat free March is over.

I tried to rack my brains for other restaurants in Leeds that would sell a plethora of meat and fish free dishes to fill my belly with. All of our usual go to places wouldn’t offer a great selection – the Adelphi, the Reliance etc are great for good quality gastro pub grub, but their vegetarian offerings are few and far between. I didn’t fancy a curry; otherwise the wonderful Hansas would be our first port of call.

Just as my stomach let out an almighty rumble and World War Three was about to break out, I was struck with a brainwave. Let’s go Thai! Thai cuisine is full of lovely vegetarian dishes, oodles of Tofu, bags of flavour.

And so with that we headed to my favourite Thai restaurant in Leeds – Sukhothai on South Parade. Decadently decorated, the restaurant never fails to deliver, always offering a little taste of truly authentic Thai cuisine. Although a familiar dining experience, I’d never been to Sukhothai and not had a meat or fish dish of some kind. To be honest I’d never even glanced at the vegetarian section of the menu. So when I opened the menu to find almost 40 exclusively vegetarian dishes, I was both surprised by the amount of variety and extremely happy with the amount of choice I’d have.

As soon as we tucked into our starters of Pak Tod (deep-fried mixed vegetables in a light batter, served with sweet chilli sauce) and Khanom Jeeb Pak (steamed vegetable dumplings served with soy sauce and crispy garlic), I knew that World War Three had been quashed and peace-time reigned supreme.

 Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures as the hunger had forced me to leave my phone at home, so you’ll have to believe me when I say that the Pak Tod was beautifully presented in a little metal basket. It was an absolute taste sensation. Thick slices of vegetables had been lightly fried in batter to make them almost unrecognisable – it was only when you bit into the veg that you could work out what vegetable it was. It was a type of lucky dip that I can only liken to eating a packet of Revels – but instead of “ohhh, I’ve got a toffee one” or “oooh, I’ve got a malteaser”, our dish was met with shouts of “ooohhh, a piece of butternut squash!” or “Yum! Aubergine!”. The sweet and sour sauce provided the perfect accompaniment.

The Khanom Jeeb Pak was delicious too – the dumplings were moist, delicate and perfectly flavoured. The dipping sauce was lovely too – Sukhothai could certainly win an award for brilliant condiment production.

For mains, I opted for Massam Tofu ( Massam curry with chunks of deep-fried bean curd, peanuts, carrot, onion and potato) and Ash stuck with tradition and had Gang Kiew Pak (Thai green curry with coconut milk, bamboo shoot, bean curd, courgette and mixed vegetables). The curries at Sukhothai never fail to disappoint – they’re never too heavy, always a reasonable size and always leave you wanting more. This time was no different – and I was pleasantly surprised by how flavoursome the delicious chunks of tofu were. I hadn’t had tofu since a trip to Thailand almost five years ago, and it reminded me of how much I love the stuff when it’s properly cooked. It’s now a resolution to cook it at home at some point this month.

All in all, our meal was delicious. Service was brilliant – our waitress was very keen to chat when we told her about our meat-free march challenge, and the bill was wallet pleasing (I’m not sure of the exact amount as Ash paid, but he smiled about it – I’m a lucky lady!). Next time I feel that World War Three is about to break out because of a lack of fuss free, vegetarian friendly and truly tasty food, Sukhothai will be my first port of call to quell the unrest. 

Meat Free March: how a kale and onion pizza can set you up for a Tom Odell gig

No meat for a month means no more cheeky meat feast pizzas - the food that's traditionally accompanied pre-gig or pre night-out drinking since 2003.

There's something about a good supermarket bought meat feast pizza. On paper, it's completely and utterly disgusting. Shed loads of nameless processed meat (three quarters of which is probably horse), a whole load of overly salty mozzarella cheese and the stodgiest pizza base in history pretty much equates to a heart attack on a plate. I'm not normally one for ready meals. However, when there's a gig to go to or a night out to be had where alcohol is involved, nothing quite beats the meat feast combo for its magical stomach lining properties and its delicious, salty goodness.

This Saturday we had tickets to see the brilliant Tom Odell at the Cockpit in Leeds. Slightly concerned that this gig would be meat feast pizza-less, I set about scouring around for a meat-free alternative - something that we could make at home and something that would beat Sainsbury's generic vegetarian pizza offering hands-down.

A last (meaty) supper at the Sunshine Bakery Supperclub

Image courtesy of www.leeds-list.com

Last Thursday was the final day of being able to shove as much meat in my gob as I wanted for an entire month. Having made a pact with Fay over at Food Fables to spend March meat-free, I'd decided to celebrate my final day as a loud and proud omnivore by spending Thursday evening with Anna, a fellow foodie. Coincidentally, I'd also promised Anna that I'd take her out for a slap-up meal to celebrate her birthday. The opportunity was therefore ripe to try a new dining experience, tickle our taste-buds, say goodbye to meat and celebrate Anna's 21st birthday (for the upteenth year in a row) in style.

I can't remember exactly when or where or how I'd found out about the Sunshine Bakery supperclub. Nestled in a little corner of trendy Chapel Allerton, the supperclub takes place in a bakery that, by day, serves the most amazing cupcakes. Run by David Bennett, former chef for Marco Pierre-White, it's a chintzy, vintage style haven where all sorts of sweet treats are served up on retro crockery whilst you're seated on mis-matched tables and chairs. It's small, sweet, and exceptionally welcoming.

The supperclub takes place outside of bakery opening hours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and relies on word-of-mouth rather than traditional marketing to keep the customers coming in through the door. Having heard good things, I was eager to try it out, especially when I heard that a two course meal would be just £15 a head. The bakery do little to advertise the supperclub online, so a phone call was needed to secure a booking.

Can I ditch the meat in March?

Nothing beats a good bit of sausage. A bacon sandwich is a gift from the gods on the mornings that are filled by an alcohol-induced haze. My pesto and mozzarella stuffed chicken breasts have fed many a friend during many a student dinner party. And when I was a wee lass, I pretty much survived on roast chicken and potatoes alone, being far too fussy to eat much else. To put it simply, meat is good, filling and tasty (especially when the horse has trotted off elsewhere).

However, the time has come to see if I can be meat free for an entire month. Together with my good friend Fay (who you can find over on Food Fables), I'm going to be attempting a meat-free March. Not a sausage nor a fish finger will pass my lips.

How taking my sister on a BuyaGift spa day quelled an argument that's been going on for fifteen years

I don't do relaxing. The closest I get to complete chill-out time is a couple of episodes of the OC back-to-back, perhaps with a glass of wine thrown in for good measure. My idea of a holiday nightmare consists of lying aimlessly on a beach - something that my friend Sophie can very much attest to. A few years ago, we spent three weeks backpacking around Europe and by the time we got to Croatia, she was in need of some serious sunbathing time. However, I decided to wake her up every morning at 6am to go exploring, which she wasn't too keen on - especially when I almost got stuck on the Bosnian border during one such day trip with only my University library card, not my passport, for company.

However, I know someone that can think of nothing they'd like to do more than spend a few hours in a complete chilled-out haze. My sister, Kate, has been deprived of sleep since my nephew, Will,  arrived on the scene eleven months ago. Despite being the best and cleverest baby in the whole entire world, he doesn't quite understand the whole night and day thing yet. So, when Buyagift got in contact to ask me if I'd like to review a spa day for two at Bannatyne's in Darlington, I jumped at the chance for Kate and I to spend the day together away from the grasps of a tiny person. 

Mexicanna

Copyright Adam Robinson Photography (@Adam_Zed)

Last night we joined our lovely friends Adam and Anna for an evening of tequila fueled, Mexican fun to celebrate Anna's birthday. Anna is an amazing cook, and armed with Thomosina Mier's Mexican Food Made Simple, she created a truly amazing feast. From a starter of chili nachos in a bag (seriously, don't judge until you've tried it - seriously awesome) to chicken fajitas, delectable oven baked green rice, butternut squash and chorizo enchiladas and a whole host of homemade guacamole and salsa, the whole evening was a complete taste sensation from start to end. 

A visit to a Yorkshire vineyard

Yorkshire - a word that summons an image of beautiful rolling hills, rain, men in flat caps with whippets, stone-clad villages, Last of the Summer Wine, penny-pinching individuals, nice pie and a good pint of ale.

Tuscany - a word that summons an image of rolling hills, sunshine, good food, beautiful white-washed villages, podgy, old Italian ladies and lots and lots of vineyards, which of course equals lots and lots of wine.

These are two places which probably couldn't sound much more different. But, believe it or not, a Yorkshire vineyard isn't an oxymoron - it actually exists. In a little village just outside of Holmfirth (where Last of the Summer Wine was filmed), lies a little slice of Tuscany - seven acres of vine covered land that blend into the Pennines. Holmfirth Vineyard is home to over 7,000 vines and four different types of grape - all of which cling to its steep slopes and battle the snow, wind and rain to form one of the highest and most northerly vineyards in the world.