Thursday 29 August 2013

Eating out for less in Sheffield

Sheffield is full of places to eat, good and bad, cheap and pricey. On here I mostly talk about the good but today I'm sharing just a few of the great AND cheap bargain food and drink to be found in Sheffield. This list is mainly focused on places around nether edge, sharrow and town because they are the areas I spent 90% of my time. If you know any others please add a comment and share them with us! All food listed is fresh and made on the premises, no processed packaged food included!

For people wanting a colourful box of flavour packed healthiness then Fanoush offers a falafel salad box for £3.50. Not just any salad either - they have their own pickled turnip, a variety of hummus to choose from and delicious sauces including mango pickle and tahini. Freshly cooked falafel makes this a really satisfying meal. You can also add halloumi, cauliflower or aubergine for slightly extra. Available in City centre or London road.



If you fancy lunch on London road then Pho 68 has a great deal on lunch - a massive plate of delicious and fresh vietnamese food plus fresh fruit for dessert for only £5.90. There is a limited selection if you're veggie but the meat options are very good indeed.

Those after a hot, quick meal should head to Zoobys in the winter garden and get a home made soup for only £2! Great after a look around graves art gallery. Head down the escalator for a take away drink for only £1. You can sit outside and there is free wifi!


You'd be hard pushed to find a cheap meal in Sheffield city centre right? Wrong! Breakfast at The Blue Moon Cafe is a bargain- just today I had the softest scrambled egg with mushroom and fried potato, a perfect portion size for me PLUS a loose leaf mint tea for just £5. It wasn't on the menu but because I don't eat wheat (scrambled egg on toast there is just over £3), they were falling over themselves to offer up alternatives. You do not get service like that everywhere I guarantee that.

If you're feeling knowledgable then get yourself down to The Cremorne where you can enter the weekly quiz which includes a free bowl of rice and curry at the end for only 50p! Yes, actually 50 pence. Cheaper than the price of quizzes alone at some places. Every Monday night on London road

Love chai lattes? You are not alone, unfortunately you will struggle to find one that isn't at one of the large coffee chains and that wont set you back around £4 depending on the location. Feast on Chapel Walk offers chai latte for £1.85. They also have a selection of cakes for only £1 a piece.


For those who love a bit of spice then you'd be hard pushed to find a better meal then at Khushi on London rd. Fresh authentic Pakistani food ranging from on the bone lamb curries to saag aloo and chana dahl, plus a selection of naan and rice, salads and dips. To start you can enjoy the best masala fish I've tasted or huge bhajis, tandoori chicken wings and sheesh kebab. For as much as you can eat you only pay £7.99. Save your hunger and stuff your face here, no one will judge you. If you are lucky then you'll find sweet vermicelli pudding garnished with nuts. Its like a hug in your mouth.

Sweet toothed folk can rejoice with the fresh home made wide selection of cakes including at least one vegan option at Steel City Cakes, London rd. Any huge cake PLUS any hot drink including smooth lattes and hot chocolates for only £2.50. Thats cheaper than the price of just cake at most places!


So there you have it, my selection of tasty and fresh food at a wallet friendly price. Please add your favourite budget eateries, I'd love to hear them.

Sunday 25 August 2013

Real People's Recipes - Val's Russian Salad

It's no secret that I love trying food from other countries and discovering the history behind each dish. When I was at Val and his girlfriend Olivia's leaving party the other day, he started preparing this Russian salad and I was really interested and then I remembered I hadn't done this feature in a while so luckily he agreed to share his recipe with me and my readers. The party was amazing, the variety of food was great and I also got to try these tasty Brazilian condensed milk sweets - Brigadeiro.

Tasty traditional Brazilian sweets - like a squidgy caramel with cocoa
"The dish is called "Olivier salad" but in restaurants its usually just called a "Russian salad".
The version i usually make is vegetarian and very easy, some people add meat to it like fine chopped chicken or duck.
As its a very popular salad in Russia, I'm sure each chef makes their own special recipe. Its usually served as a garnish to a roast dinner, like they add peas to dinner in UK I guess :)

I moved to UK when I was 13. I have always been able to cook for myself, but lately I found that the only way to get the Russian cuisine was to make it. So now I find recipes for the dishes I like on the internet and then tweak it to my taste, also my mother gives me tips and cooking techniques.

In Russia many people buy fresh produce on the market or grow it themselves on allotments - so much of the cuisine is seasonal and uses local products only. Here in UK you get so much imported ingredients its easy to cook dishes from anywhere and any time of year."

Val peeling the eggs

The potatoes which are boiled whole

The delicious finished salad

Ingredients:
4 large potatoes - boiled whole then diced
2 carrots - boiled whole then diced
lots of gherkins! - diced fine
about a cup of peas  - cooked
4 boiled eggs - chopped
mayonnaise - enough to coat
fresh dill
salt and pepper

Just combine the ingredients in a bowl then serve. Didn't last long at the party, everyone loved it!