The Stable, Poole

Having lived in Poole on and off for 4 years I am fully aware of the lack of good eateries, don't get me wrong there's nice places to eat but they tend to break the bank a little and err on the side of snobby, so when I heard that a new branch of The Stable was opening up on the quay I just HAD to visit.

It was a cold dark, drizzly England afternoon when we found ourselves wandering in the stable doors & like the wise men finding the baby jesus laid in his stable manger we knew we were in the right place.

It was only just past lunch time but the bar was busling with families nibbling away on pizzas and sipping pints of cider, the beautiful buzz of a busy restaurant warmed us as we found our seat by the window and got to work on the menu.

Hearing that I love cider & Dan hates the stuff the super knowledgable bar staff urged us to order the cider board, a mixture of 5 local golden nectars, ranging from a sweet, delicate pear through to a hearty oak brewed number with no fizz. Adult apple juice i you will...Dan was immediately converted to a cider drinker and just as he started his best rendition of ' I am a cider drinker' the garlic bread we'd ordered came whizzing down the stairs...

IT didn't last long, it was delicious. Perfectly thin and floppy, each taste was as good as the first. In fact, we were so impressed I made a B line upstairs to the restuarant and open kitchen to watch the chefs busy working away on our pizzas & before I got time to question them about how to make the perfect pizza they announced ours were ready, so I rushed back downstairs to our table.

A super simple margherita for moi, I live on the philosophy that if you can impress the italian blood within me by simple taste then you're magical, and as with the garlic bread every bite was as beautiful as the first. As he's a bit more daring (and eats meat, I always fail to add that in) Dan went for the lamb roast pizza and drizzled it in chilli oil. I'd let you know Dan's thoughts on the pizza but most of them were noises one could only liken to a soft core porno, a lot of 'mmmmm' and 'oh my god's were uttered in between bites, safe to say he was smitten. What makes The Stables pizzas so special, aside from the black magic, is the fact everything is sourced as locally as possibly can be and due to this the menus vary from branch to branch giving a true taste of the local area. They also cater to gluten free folk and vegans (which I normally am, but well...pizza).

See you soon Stable!

xo

The Raft Milford on Sea

I hate sharing little gems like the raft, it's one of those restaurants that you just want to keep secret between you and a few near and dear. We first heard about the raft when a friend suggested drinks in their shack, I was a little confused at first but the shack is a gorgeous space in the garden, cosy enough for drinks with friends or a small party (it's the picture with all the cushions), whilst passing we'd checked out the menu and popped a note on our to visit list at home. We've been really busy bunnies lately but have just had massive hand ins and deadlines so to celebrate decided dinner and drinks were in order so we got dressed up, hence the almost outfit of the day and face of the day pictures, & wondered on over to milford on sea. We were greeted by friendly staff who showed us to our table, as you can see the decor is to die for, theres a fire & cosy grand dad chairs, a huge table for parties and booths through the main part of the restaurant, you then walk past the open kitchen where the chefs are happy to natter whilst spinning pizzas and off to the garden and shack. Being the fussy fiona that I am I decided to mix and match pizza toppings and they were more than happy to accommodate this, the pizzas are all made in the kitchen on site so changing things about a bit isn't a problem at all, you can even watch if you want. Dan went for the burger which was served in a quarter of a lovely bread roll with chips and salad. We were both over the moon with our choices, everything was cooked to perfection and full of flavour. After washing down our mains with a celebratory pint we decided to order 'the raft' sharing dessert, a coconut panna cotta with mango sauce, meringue with fresh berries & an ever changing chocolate brownie- it was baileys and almond that day. The puddings were all delicious and despite me thinking otherwise were more than enough for two to share after dinner.

We will most definitely be returning to try out some of their other dishes soon!
 xo

Christchurch food and wine festival

This post's got lots of pictures, sorry if it takes a while to load!





For this little adventure we didn't have to go very far at all. Christchurch food and wine festival is now in it's 13th year and had quickly become one of the must visit food festivals in the UK and I'm sure you'll agree from the pictures there's something for everyone. There's a mix of celebrity & local chefs (we spotted James Martin!), cider makers, cheese masters and veggie growers, the cafes and restaurants of Christchurch come out in force to display their best loved dishes and show just how varied this little town can be. There's also classes for kids and adults and a whole heap of events throughout the week, from free chef demos in the marquee to a black tie charity dinner to celebrate the end of the festival. There's tonnes more information on the website - if you're local you should definitely check it out, it's well worth a visit. If you've got a sweeter tooth the last weekend of the festival (18 / 19th May 2013)  is bake weekend & fete on the quomps (what a great word!), the whole quay gets transformed in to a gorgeous little fete and on the Saturday Jo Wheatley from the Great British bake off is coming along to judge to baking contest and do some demonstrations. I'll definitely be front row for that!

We headed down around mid day and the festival was already in full swing, everyone seemed to be braving shorts and sunglasses despite the dull skies, we can wish the sunny weather back surely? After a quick natter with one of my favourite ladies, Marina (check out her blog) we headed through the crowds, enticed by every smell and sign, to the marquee to watch the demonstrations. After a while our taste buds were tingling with excitement so we headed back out to the high street to find something yummy & bumped in to Max and mummy in the macaron stall. We set to work smelling out our lunch, I settled for a hot dog & Dan went for a venison burger then we washed everything down with a summery cup of pimms. We wondered on down to the square where we watched some belly dancing before grabbing an ice cream and heading home, luckily we just missed the rain!

Have you been to Christchurch food & wine festival before?
xo

in the summer time, when the weather is fine

Hands up who's loving the sun finally coming out to play? We ended up both having an afternoon off this week (Dan's van was in the garage) so cycled from our house along the seafront to Highcliffe castle. It was such a lovely way to spend the afternoon, we haven't been on holiday for forever as a couple, so being able to just laze on the beach &throw stones in the sea was heavenly. 

xo