Mad March Fayre

March has been mad, its official. Mainly down to work, but I am pleased to report that my appetite and eating hasn't suffered too much!

I'm loving how popular the @TweetCardiff #ShopCardiff challenge seems to be, people all over Cardiff have been doing their food shopping locally this week, which is just brilliant- we have incredible resources, so it just makes sense! Have a look at my previous posts for some of my favorite local shops, markets and ideas of what to cook with our glorious Welsh produce!

If you have ready my previous posts, you will know that I love a list, I can't help myself. So here we go, my top March eats in no particular order...

Eating Out:

• The Smoke House. I was thrilled to be invited along to The Smoke House along with lots of other local foodie bloggers and journalists earlier in the month. A group of us gathered around a long table and sampled a fabulous section of the menu at the new venture- giving our feedback on the food, and generally having a wonderful time.I look forward to going back soon (next week!) and reviewing the food a-proper now that the restaurant has had a little time to bed in. As a sneak preview- I would have to say that the pulled pork and the signature 'slaw were my highlights at the tasting. Cannot wait to try the ribs next week.

• .CN At The Smoke House tasting, Mr B and myself had the absolute pleasure of meeting Corpulent Capers, a lovely blogging duo who gave us some great tips! They said that we must try .CN (which we did, immediately!). We were not disappointed, the restaurant was full the night that we wanted to eat there- so we instead got takeout to enjoy with friends back at ours. We ordered probably twice as much as we should have in our enthusiasm, but it didn't matter as it just fed us for a couple of days! Highlights were the hot duck tongues- gorgeous crispy little fellas, thinly coated with batter- they have a small bone in the middle, so you pull the flesh off a little bit like eating artichoke leaves, right up my street! The pork filled buns were a dream, as were the gigantic swirly buns. The crispy lamb breast was just that, and very flavorsome to boot. The salt and pepper squid was also delicately cooked  and beautifully seasoned. Good times had by all! Do check out Corpulent Capers blog for a more full review of .CN. Thanks for the tip guys, looking forward to meeting for dinner soon!

.CN at home feast!

• You might not think of heading over to St Fagans museum for a snack, but oh how I would urge you to! We are lucky enough to live within walking distance of the museum, and I couldn't resist including their bakers here. When visiting this amazing free attraction, do pop into the tiny bakers hut. The cheesy roll fresh from the oven was divine to nibble on whilst cooing at the baby animals, as was the freshly baked loaf that we managed not to eat on the spot and took home. We ate this with a lentil and bacon soup- made with veg from @Welshbox and bacon bits from Thompsons Butchers in Penarth. 

Hot Cheesy buns!

@WelshBox Veg used in soup with St Fagans bread.

Doves flying at St Fagans

Baby lambs at St Fagans!

• Ogmore Farm Tea Rooms- how did I not know about this place? Mr B and I love Ogmore, in fact it was at this beach that Mr B asked to me to become Mrs B! But somehow I have never noticed the charming tea rooms next to the Castle ruins. It feels a little like you are walking into someones house, but stick with it- the results are so worth it! Once in, you are welcomed and seated in the lovely farmhouse style restaurant. The specials looked great- I will certainly be going back to try out the homemade pies and fragrant mussels, my neck was arching to look at every morsel that was bought out and they all looked excellent. Mr B and I decided to split the home baked ham sandwich and a jam and cream scone. A very simple lunch, but one that I would thoroughly recommend. Proper thick cut ham, that tasted as good as my Mum's (big complement!) and surprisingly great coleslaw, its amazing the difference that proper homemade mayonnaise can make. The clotted cream scone was just as it should be- light scone, with densely rich cream, complete with the golden mottled crust on top that I love, and of course good raspberry jam. Welsh Brew tea was served in proper china tea cups. And all this for under £10, after a long walk on the beach- nothing short of ideal.

Ogmore Farm Tea Rooms

Afternoon tea as it should be!

Eating in:

• Square Farm Hogget Chops with Cumin Cauli and Kale Cous Cous. Simply place the chops, florets of cauli and cloves of garlic in a roasting tray, drizzle veg with a little olive oil, salt flakes and ground cumin and roast until golden. In the meanwhile- add hot stock to cover the cous cous, cover and leave to the side. Simmer a chopped baby leek until soft, then add in finely chopped kale and continue to cook town until tender. Sprinkle in salt, pepper, fresh mint and a handful of crumbled feta- then add in your plumped up cous cous and combine. Serve with a couple of cheeky kalamata olives if you have them in the fridge. 

• On one of my 500 cal days, I made Golden Beetroot Gratin with Honey and Thyme served with smoked Salmon and Leaves. This was ideal after a long trip to London for work! The beets were the star- simply wrap in foil and bake until tender (1-2 hours). I did this the night before and just left left to one side until I was ready to cook with them after work. All I did was peel and slice them, before laying the golden discs out in a small gratin dish- sprinkling with thyme and drizzling with balsamic, olive oil, honey and finishing up with a crumbling of feta, before popping under the grill until the cheese browns and the honey starts to bubble. Simple, healthy, local and delicious! 

• Easter Nest- in the festive spirit all thoughts of nutrition went out the window and I melted a load of mars bars and stirred in cornflakes to make Mr B this chocolatey treat! 

Its worth noting that the veg mentioned above came from my wonderful Welsh Food Box delivery! 

Right, off to get ready for the week ahead and distract myself from the Sunday night dread creeping in (I know its Monday!).