Amy H eats... Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home, Edge Street, NQ

Buffalo Chicken Sandiwch

Home Sweet Home has to be one of my all time favourite places in the Northern Quarter. For some reason, my feet just guide me to the front door of this place, time after time. However, it is no surprise.

The current menu on at HSH has to be the best they have had so far. Their breakfast menu includes a skillet! (Which is served up until 3pm on weekdays, 3pm!) An added bonus to their new menu, is their in-house baker. "BakeOrama", as twitter calls her, bakes outrageous goods for the bar everyday. You won't catch the same kind of cupcake in the same week on that top. 

Featured in the picture above is their 'Buffalo chicken sandwich.' I had it without the blue cheese dressing as I am (very unfortunately) lactose-intolerant. However, this did not take anything away from the sandwich. It was spicy, fresh and crunchy. A combination I love. There is nothing better on a sandwich than contrasting textures and flavours. This has it all.

I'd recommend HSH to anyone, and for those I have, always return. I have also never left hungry, or wanting more. In fact, I have to stay for a little while just so I can move.

Amy H eats... rating: 8.5/10

Life on the Lacto-free

My eating habits have changed dramatically ever since Lactose-intolerance has set in...

Some of the lactofree range

When I turned twenty, a big abdominal change occurred. Lactose-intolerance. All my life I had been slightly sensitive to cheese and cream, but thought nothing of it. However, my Mum, on the other hand, suffered from Lactose-intolerance, hence it not being as much of an anomaly as it sounds to become intolerant. 

Since becoming 'lacto-free', the effects have become gradually worse. I'm a little unsure if this is due to a psychological process or a physical one, but it isn't nice. The thought process when it comes to what I eat, is even harder than being a vegetarian - trust me, I was one! It doesn't help that I'm a part-time chef - a pastry one at that...

My biggest heartbreak is cheese. I love it. Cheese on toast, pizza, grilled cheese, panini's, the lot. I used to be able to sneak a little and get away with it, but now, its a complete no go. And, I hate it. It amazes me of how many things milk is in, and how tasty it is. 

Although, thankfully now there is more choice out there for those who suffer from symptoms. Soy, almond and goat milk are nice alternatives to cow's milk, but one alternative can go on better than the rest. Lactofree. 

The Lactofree brand create dairy products without lactose! They have enabled me to carry on eating the foods I love, like cheese and ice cream, without the horrific feeling lactose gives me. I can eat cheese on toast as a snack again and not feel guilty. Their milk, especially, has allowed me to carry on enjoying my morning brew, just the way I like it, every day. 

This little piggy went to market...

There's just something about a food market that I love.

Strawberry Garden in Arndale Market.

I went to the supermarket the other day and I was craving fruit, but as soon as I walked to the fruit and veg section, I couldn't smell anything. I had never really noticed this fact before and it really disappointed me. It actually prevented me buying fruit and veg.

So, I wondered why in a supermarket, even with loose vegetables around, why isn't that sweet, fresh scent in the air as you walk in the doors? Yes, a lot of the produce is packed so the smell is concealed, but even when you remove them, there is no real smell and definitely not a rich taste. Processed, waxed and modified produce lays the shelves of a supermarket. It is even smaller than what I can find at the market at nearly 25% higher the price. 

Market food is fresher and cheaper than supermarket produce.

One memory particular that made me love the market is one Pink Lady apple. When I was in Sixth Form, in my 'free' I would tend to roam to town and go to market. As soon as you walk into Tommyfield Market, Oldham from the east entrance, there is a food market. The smell is amazing as you walk in. But it was that Pink Lady that sold me. It was enormous and the best one I ever tasted. I've never been full off an apple since that one, but its taste still remains in my memory. 

On the subject of smell, there is a mobile market in Manchester on Market Street, near to the Barclay's bank. The smells that dominate the air as you walk past are just amazing. Sweet and inviting, just as nature intended. This alone would make me suggest to anyone that market fruit is much more appealing than supermarket fruit. 

So, please give the market a try and get more fresh fruit and veg into your diets! It's also nice to be supporting local independent businesses and  local producers. 

Be the piggy that went to market, rather than the one who stayed at home. 

Inside the box... Nettle tea

Inside the box... Nettle tea

Heath & Heather Nettle tea

After stumbling upon fennel tea a couple of weeks ago, nettle also caught my eyes on the shelves. Nettles ae a scary plant to come across in the countryside due to their stinging properties. However, when brewed, this plant is actually lovely to taste. A milder substitute to green tea (which does hold that bitter taste), nettle has a bunch of health benefits too.

Multivitamin

Nettle leaves are a natural multivitamin packed with iron, potassium, vitamin A, B's, C and D, basically an all rounder. It is also packed with vital proteins and acids that are essential to the body. It's high iron count helps towards healthy circulation and lower blood pressure. A super leaf.

Antibiotic

This tea also works as an antibiotic. When suffering from a cold/flu, nettle helps to stimulate your antibodies and fight the disease head on. It has also been shown to help asthma sufferers when feeling rather chesty and phlegmy.

Diuretic

Like most teas, nettle is also a diuretic. Nettle increases a healthy urinal tract and can dissolve kidney stones, if you are prone to them. In terms of abdominal pains, it can ease the discomfort of diseases and disorders such as IBS. However, nettle has a laxative affect, so please take care in terms of dosage.

Other benefits:

• Helps calm skin conditions such as eczema and hay fever
• It's high calcium count helps frail nails and bones
• Encourages a healthy pregnancy by producing good milk and preventing anaemia 

Recipe: Apple and Berry Cobbler

Cobbler is a fantastic Sunday dessert to accompany your hearty roast dinner. 

Finished product: Warm with the juices of the fruit bubbling. Best served with custard. 

Ingredients:

Filling:

• Five Bramley apples
• Around 300g of Blue and Blackberries 
• 30g Butter
• 50g Soft light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon

Cobblers:

• 255g self-raising flour
• 1/4 tsp of cinnamon
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 5 tbsp milk
• 100g cold butter

Method:

1. Peel and core the bramley apples, then slice finely.
2. Place the apple slices and berries in the pie dish.
3. Melt the 30g of butter and pour over the fruit.
4. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the fruit and then mix together so all are evenly coated.

Your filling should look like this. Evenly coated and moist.

Leave the filling to one side whilst you make the cobbler. 

1. Preheat your oven to 180C
2. In a mixing bowl, place the flour and cinnamon, then rub until the mix resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Once rubbed, stir in the sugar.
4. Beat the egg and four of the five tablespoons of milk together in a small bowl and then add to the dry mix.
5. Mix the two together until a soft dough is formed. 
6. Knead out of the bowl for five minutes and then roll until around a couple of centimetres thick
7. With a glass or a round cutter, cut out as many rounds you can from the dough. (I got around 8 rounds)
8. With your finger poke a ridge into the rounds and with the remaining milk, brush over each round.
9. Sprinkle some brown sugar over the top of the rounds and bake for around 30 minutes. (If your tops are golden, but the fruit isn't quite done, place some foil over the top so it can be placed back in the oven without burning your cobblers for a further 10 minutes.)
10. When ready, serve with custard or ice-cream, which ever is to your liking.

    

    A great dessert for those that love tart flavours.