Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Our London Food Tour: Part One, Harrods


Hiya followers!
My sweetie Kev and I went on a trip to Scotland and England earlier this summer. We weren't sure if we were going to venture down into London, since both of us have been there a few times before. But, upon further pondering, I came up with an idea! Instead of hitting all the major tourist attractions which both of us had already seen, I though we could do something a bit different. Why not visit some of the cities best food spots?! After a quick Google search, I got my sweetie to make a map of the five food spots I wanted to see and guess what? They were all with in walking distance of each other! So, the map was printed and put into the suitcase and off we went to Edinburgh, with the plan to head south into London a week later.

Our London Food Tour: Part One, Harrods

 
Harrod's motto: Omnia Omnibus Ubique - All Things for All People, Everywhere.
Harrods is a luxury department store located in Knightsbridge, London. The business was established in 1849 and the shop, as we see it today, was built in 1883. With 330 departments, seven floors and over one million square feet of retail space, it's no wonder that Harrods attracts more than 15 million customers per year. The famous Food Hall is located on the ground floor and is just as grand as you could imagine! My collection of photos are below, but if you wish to have a more in depth view, watch this video I found on YouTube. Enjoy the grandeur!


Soon to come... Our London Food Tour: Part Two, Laduree


 
 
 
 





















 

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Mini Souvlaki Skewers with Feta, Yogurt and Dill Dip

"Summer afternoon- summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." Henry James


Hiya followers! Isn't the weather oh so nice?!
Today I just had to get out and soak up the sun for a little while! I decided to do some weeding in the garden and before I knew it, I had gone back inside to grab my camera to take some pictures of the exciting goings on around the backyard! I know I'm not a professional photographer, but taking photos makes me happy, especially on a gorgeous, sunny summer day!
A day like to today is perfect for a BBQ and one thing that I absolutely love is souvlaki. The scent of these tasty skewers on the grill takes me right back to the summer festivals around Hamilton I loved to attend as a teenager and to the couple of times I've been to Greece. All I need to do is close my eyes and I can imagine I'm back on a Greek island... Busy narrows streets, white washed walls and little restaurants layered up the side of a rocky island with smoky BBQ grills. The air is heavy with the scent of lemon and oregano, small patios have simple furniture with bright and colourful table clothes and the sparkling blue water of the Mediterranean is stretched out in front of me, with tiny ferry boats far below taking their passengers to the next island and awaiting adventure. One day I will return, but for now, just having delicious souvlaki on the BBQ is good enough for me! Enjoy the recipes and if you don't mind, I also included a few of my pictures from today's backyard photo shoot! Bye for now!

Mini Souvlaki Skewers with Feta, Yogurt and Dill Dip
(makes 18)

450 gr. (1 lb) boneless pork, lamb, chicken or turkey
2 tbsp. good quality extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice, fresh squeezed
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

 Cut the meat into 36 cubes, 2cm or 1 inch in size. Place the pieces into a bowl and add in the rest of the ingredients. Marinate and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
Thread 2 cubes of meat onto 18 skewers. Broil, grill or pan fry the souvlaki skewers until the meat is fully cooked, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Sprinkle with sea salt as the skewers are cooking. Serve with the feta, yogurt and dill sauce.

Feta, Yogurt and Dill Dip

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup feta, crumbled
2 tsp. good quality extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. fresh dill, chopped
1 tsp. lemon juice, fresh squeezed
Pinch of sea salt

In a bowl, mash the yogurt and feta cheese together. Stir in the rest of the ingredients until well combined. Cover and chill until needed. Enjoy!