The Grill on the Corner, Glasgow City Centre

May 4, 2013 by Briony

Once again, life has gotten in the way of my well-organised blogging routine! Here is a much overdue post about the dinner we had at The Grill on the Corner back at the end of March (eeeep!). We were invited in for dinner and headed into town for a wander before going in to dinner. Every single time I go into Glasgow, I’m always captivated by something new and exciting, or discovering some place I’ve never been before. This time it was the bar opposite Stereo, The Old Hairdresser’s which obviously isn’t new but it was very exciting as it had just the right vibe for a pre-dinner drink.

We arrived a little early for our booking at The Grill on the Corner, but that wasn’t a problem for them. The restaurant always catches my eye from the outside with the glittering fairy lights in the window – they definitely know how to make you feel like you’re visiting somewhere really special. We were guided to our table and left to look over the menu.

Me being me, I’d already studied it in great detail. I went for the asparagus spears with a duck egg which also came with parma ham salt. This was a great start to the meal – the asparagus had a buttery taste that let the natural flavour of the asparagus shine though, and then egg was cooked perfectly for dipping. I think my favourite thing on the plate was the parma ham salt – as moreish as it sounds!

Graeme’s starter was the crispy calamari with lemon mayonnaise. Fresh, crispy, salty and with the perfectly tangy mayonnaise, this was a real treat. I liked the side of lime too for a bit of a contrast with the lemon.

For me, you can’t dine somewhere like the Grill on the Corner without going for a steak (unless you’re vegetarian, of course). I went for the 200g fillet with a side of chips, as well as a side of greens and peas. A really delicious, flavoursome steak that was cooked to perfection (medium rare for me). Addictive chips to top it all off.

Graeme went for the burger, for something different. 100% Wagyu beef with cheese and smoked bacon as extra and served with chips and tomato relish. Presented on a soft bun which didn’t go mushy part way though. A lovely meaty burger made this a juicy treat which is of a high standard compared to other burgers in Glasgow. Again, those lovely skin-on chips – what other side goes better with a burger?

I needed something light and refreshing to finish of my meal, so went for sorbet – standard lemon but hitting all the right flavours for a cleansing finish.

Graeme went for his standard – chocolate – this time as a torte. Rich, smooth and indulgent, that’s his preferred way to finish a meal!

The service at the Grill on the Corner was impecable – friendly, helpful without being pushy or overbearing. Everyone we came into contact with was lovely, and on a Friday night the restaurant had a buzzing, vibrant atmosphere with people raring up for a night out in town. Us – we were winding down for a relaxing night at home with a glass of wine.

Thanks to the Grill on the Corner for inviting us for dinner. While our meal was complimentary, we were not obliged to write a positive review. We look forward to returning in the near future.

After reading all about our delicious – tell me, what’s your favourite steak? Failing steak – vegetarian/vegan substitute?

The Lansdowne Bar & Kitchen, Glasgow West End

April 9, 2013 by Briony

We visited the Lansdowne on Wednesday to try out their wine dinner – 3 courses for £25 per person. We have posted about the Lansdowne previously (if you remember that far back!). This place is definitely one of my favourite pubs and restaurants in Glasgow for its consistently good food and awesomely relaxing atmosphere.

We sat in a booth (probably better for 4 people rather than 5) and were greeted with two glasses of wine to accompany the starter, a white and red. The wine aspect of the evening was a brief, non-intrusive chat from Chris from Bibendum Wines about the wines and how they matched the food. I thought he had the perfect balance of telling you enough interesting information without droning on and distracting from the food. After the meal he popped around to each table to see if anyone had questions which was a great idea.

Spinach and wild mushroom lasagne with toasted Italian olive loaf

For the starter, I had the spinach and wild mushroom lasagne with Italian olive loaf. I also got to eat the poached egg off Graeme’s dish (seared lambs’ liver with smoked bacon, poached egg and hollandaise) because he doesn’t like egg (still baffles me!). The poachy was perfect and I’d eaten it in two or three mouthfuls, I was that excited. My meal looked slightly soupy, which was worrying for a lasagne. But when I dived in, I was delighted by the super umami punch of the wild mushroom which made this a really exciting starter. My only criticism is that the portion size was a bit big – but that really isn’t much of a complaint!

Seared lambs’ liver with smoked bacon, poached egg and hollandaise sauce

For mains I went for the braised beef cheek, chorizo dauphinoise with white truffle and mushroom sauce. Again, another dish with a real wow-factor of flavour. The plating perhaps wasn’t the most beautiful I’ve seen, and it would have benefited from a side of green vegetables to cut through the richness. The dauphinoise was moreish and I continued eating until that exploding-full-breaking-point because I just didn’t want to stop.

Braised beef cheek, chorizo dauphinoise with a white truffle and mushroom sauce

Then we moved onto dessert – I had a few bites of the strawberry and mascarpone roulade and that was me finished for the night. It was really lovely but I had just eaten too much.

Strawberry and mascarpone roulade

The wine nights are on monthly and it was a really fun event to attend. For the amount of wine you got with your meal (5 small glasses) this was definitely amazing value. I also love sampling wines I wouldn’t normally buy or try. I’ve always enjoyed the food at the Lansdowne and it’s pleasing to see them keeping up the high standards! Keep your eyes peeled for their next wine dinner, probably at the beginning of May.

Malmaison, Glasgow City Centre

April 6, 2013 by Briony

We hadn’t visited Malmaison in ages and were thankful to be invited along to try their new Sunday lunch menu, the Mal on Sunday. I’ll forgive their play on the newspaper with a similar name but of dubious quality. Lunch at Malmaison was simply all class, no trash.

Chef’s Table at Malmaison

For £19.95 per person you get a three course meal in the Brasserie. Malmaison have gone for something a little different though, which makes this feel decidedly more decadent and special than a usual three course set menu. The starter course is served at the Chef’s Table – “a selection of hors d’oeuvres and chef’s cook station featuring eggs, omelettes, waffles and pancakes prepared just for you.” We arrived at around midday on Easter Sunday to find the Chef’s Table to ourselves – you can imagine my delight! I was also ravenous from playing roller derby the day before, so it was great to be able to head up and help ourselves without having to wait for our orders to come out.

Chef’s Table: pancake/omelette station

The Chef’s Table was incredibly well stocked, and would cater for all tastes – salmon, cold meats, salads, pancakes, fruits as well as the option to have an omelette made fresh with whatever filling you wanted. The chef at the table on Sunday was incredibly chatty and friendly, and was super helpful with any questions you had about what certain dishes were. My only comment would be that they could improve the lighting in this areas as it is pretty dark and could be difficult to see!

My first trip to the Chef’s Table

I can’t fault anything I ate at the Chef’s Table, it was all fresh, tasty and in good portion sizes. I was wary of eating too much and not being able to eat my main though.

For mains, I went for the steak: Mal steak frites (200gm). Graeme had the burger (180gm) with bacon, Gruyère and fries. Our mains arrived a good amount of time after we had finished eating from the Chef’s Table, meaning we felt relaxed and had some digestion time. The steak was massive and I found it a challenge to finish it all. It was cooked beautifully and had a nice charred grill flavour on the outside while being perfectly cooked (medium rare) on the inside.

Mal steak frites

Graeme’s burger made me drool with envy. I really struggle to find a burger that I like in Glasgow – I am really not a fan of a tower burger that is impossible to eat. While this burger was big, it tasted heavenly. I put it down to the relish on the burger which had a nice pickle flavour through it. The bun was also really soft and easy to bite into.

Mal lunch burger with bacon, Gruyère and fries

Finally we moved onto dessert. With 7 options it was a little difficult to narrow it down but I ended up going for the crème brûlée and Graeme ordered the sorbet.

Crème brûlée

Apart from the fact that this dessert was delicious, it was also served in a wide and shallow bowl – meaning more of the crunchy topping! Perfect! I did struggle to finish this though, just because it was rich and I was incredibly full by this stage.

Sorbet

Sorbet is such a great way to finish a heavy meal as it refreshes and cleanses, and is easy to eat as it’s so light. This sorbet was lovely and each flavour packed a real punch.

We had a wonderful lunch at Malmaison. It was quiet while we were there, but it was the first day of British Summer Time so people may have been still sleeping in! The staff was friendly and helpful – again, a shout-out to the chef on the Chef’s Table as well as the lovely hostess.

Thanks to Purple PR for inviting us along to sample the new lunch menu. It was a really lovely Easter treat!

Blythswood Bubbles, Glasgow City Centre

March 18, 2013 by Briony

We were invited along to afternoon tea at Blythswood Square for the launch of Blythswood Bubbles on Friday. Blythswood Bubbles is either a three-course lunch from the market menu, or afternoon tea with Moët & Chandon Champagne for the duration, for £50 per person.

We had the afternoon tea option, and had the pleasure of sampling the three versions: The Duchess of Bedford (a traditional afternoon tea with sandwiches and scones); Blasad Albannach (Tasty Scotland) – Scottish themed as well as Tea Tox – a healthy option with salad, crudities and dips and some sugar free dessert options.

The Duchess of Bedford: An assortment of freshly cut finger sandwiches. Served on white or wholemeal bread, selection of miniature homemade cakes, pastries and desserts. Freshly baked plain or apple and sultana scones. Served with preserves and Devonshire clotted cream

Blasad Albannach (Tasty Scotland): An assortment of open sandwiches with poached salmon, smoked venison and Angus beef. Raspberry cranachan with shortbread. Dundee and Madeira Cake. Selected Scottish fine cheeses with oatcakes, quince jelly and grapes

Tea Tox: Detox salad – broccoli, cauliflower, cous cous, golden raisins, sunflower seeds and lemon oil. Vegetable crudities with hummus and guacamole. Apple and cucumber jelly. Sugar-free carrot cake. Raspberry sorbet, fruit skewers and berries. Served with honey and yoghurt dips.

As you can see, the food looks beautiful – and tasted great too! I think there is definitely an option for everyone here whether you’re a meaty cheese lover (like me), a traditionalist, or a lover of green stuff (that’s me too!). I particularly loved the tea tox salad as it was nice and refreshing after a few cakes. The open sandwiches were a big hit (I could have devoured a few more of the salmon ones!) and the desserts on The Duchess of Bedford were unusual and good sized for sharing.

Berry mint fizz

While I was sipping Moët, Graeme was sorted out with a treat of his own – a sweet, refreshing mocktail for the designated driver. This drink was lovely and still felt like a nice treat.

Blythswood Bubbles would be a great afternoon treat – whether it be for a weekend stay over at the hotel, or a night out in town. If you were planning on having a drink with your afternoon tea, it makes sense to get the Bubbles option so you don’t have to worry about the price either! We’re planning on heading back to try the option with the market menu as the food at Blythswood is notoriously good!

Which of the three afternoon teas would you choose?

What we ate in Melbourne, February 2013

March 12, 2013 by Briony

We ate so much food in Melbourne. SO MUCH. Nearly every day we were out for lunch or dinner, or both. That’s what’s nice about being on holidays but by the end of it, all I wanted to eat was salads. We had a few stand out amazing meals though, and I want to share them with you in case you’re planning a trip down under.

Mama Baba

For anyone who watches Masterchef Australia here in the UK, you’ll be familiar with the adorable judge George Calombaris. He has an ever-growing hoard of restaurants in Melbourne. Mama Baba opened in 2012 and has a pasta focused menu but with plenty of salad and meat options. We tried so much food on the menu and some of the things were really mind blowing.

Parma: Panino, chicken, jamon, tomato ketchup

We had these as a starter. If there was one thing I had to eat every day for the rest of my life, I would pick this. They were simply delicious! The bun was quite sweet with some really nutty cheese and all off set with a super crunchy parma (chicken) in the middle.

Scallop: Grilled, garlic skordalia, crumbs

When I lived in Melbourne, I used to eat at the Press Club bar after work on a Friday night (too) frequently. I loved the scallops there, and these had a similar vibe to them. Lovely and crispy on top, with an oozy sauce to complement the scallop.

Gnudi: Pumpkin puree with a dash of honey, fried sage, mitzethra and pumpkin seeds

We ordered this on a recommendation from my best friend. I don’t even like pumpkin but this dish changed my mind. This was hands down the nicest “pasta” dish I’ve ever eaten. I loved everything about it. I’d never heard of gnudi before (it is simply “nude pasta” – a pasta dish without an actual flour wrapper).

Orecchiette: Braised wagyu, peas, lemon, pangrattato

This is the second nicest pasta dish I’ve ever eaten. The pasta itself was so soft and delicate, almost slippery (without being creepy) and the wagyu was rich and intense. Wow. By this stage of the meal I was so happy and excited – the magical feeling you get from a really amazing meal.

We ordered heaps more food than just this – but I thought I’d just share these few with you. Mama Baba has an upbeat atmosphere with an in-house DJ. The staff are super, super friendly – although I am biased because our waiter was a friend of my best friend. So he took extra good care of us! I loved the idea of a mash-up between Greek and Italian food, and think that Mama Baba really pulls it off.

Little Hunter

This restaurant is seriously brand spanking new in Melbourne. In fact, we went on their opening night to the public. I read about it online as it is run by the sous chef of The Fat Duck here in the UK. Based on just that small piece of information, we were super keen to visit. We went with a group of friends and were pretty excited to see what the food would be like.

Complimentary bread

Normally I wouldn’t include a picture of the bread. But this bread was to die for. Pull apart herb bread. Sounds nice hey? Wait until I tell you the butter was from chicken skin! Ok, this might not appeal to everyone, obviously, but if you love your meat then this is the butter for you. It was decadent, rich and the bread just soaked it all up. I think if we’d eaten three courses of this bread we’d all have been happy!

“Beef on Toast” – chicken liver parfait, dressed chives

We all agreed that this was really great – strong flavours, all balanced really well.

Grits: herb butter, salt

I’d never tried grits before – in fact, I barely knew what they were. I have a few American friends who have mentioned how great they are though, and after trying this I’m inclined to agree! Really rich, savoury and smooth. I can’t wait to try grits again (I can’t find them in the UK though – if you know where I can get them, please comment and let me know).

For main, I had a Blackmore flank steak with avocado and Cajun flavours. Somehow in all the excitement I forgot to take a photo. My friend had the Robbin’s Island ribeye which I have to agree was probably a smidge nicer than my own steak (although is also more expensive!)

We finished off with a few desserts.

Fresh Yogurt – apple pie jam, basil granita, nutmeg

This was really lovely. Refreshing, from the granita and then a really awesome balance between apple and yoghurt further down the jar.

I really enjoyed the food at Little Hunter. It was all let down by some seriously awkward service, but I would put that down to first night teething problems. I’d happily return when we are back in Melbourne to see how it’s going!

So that’s two of the great meals we had in Melbourne. But that isn’t it for now! I will put up another post in the upcoming week with some more great dishes. If you’ve visited recently and ate somewhere great, why don’t you share it in the comments?

Zizzi Ristorante, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow

February 11, 2013 by Briony

On Saturday night we were excited to attend the launch of Zizzi Ristorante in Royal Exchange Square. In the space that was previously occupied by Borders (facing GoMA), I was really interested to see what they’d done with the space. If you remember way back to nearly the start of this blog, we went to the launch of Zizzi in the west end and were delighted to be a part of the opening night.

We were greeted by pipers, a glass of prosecco and a photographer, so we knew we were in for an eventful night! The space is really beautiful – my memories of what it was like as Borders have faded but they have made great use of the space by lots of interesting artwork (again, supplied by graduates of the Glasgow School of Art) and contrasting colours.

The first part of the night we spent milling around, checking out the decor, menu and listening to some great music provided by The Jack Dames. We were then seated and treated to a three course meal sampling the new menu. The starter was a beautiful antipasti platter with calamari, arancini, garlic bread, tomato bread, olives and prosciutto. I love an antipasti platter and I particularly liked this one because it was really well balanced so there was perfect portions to split between two people (nothing worse than fighting over the last arancini!).

Antipasti platter

For mains we had the pollo proscuitto – chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto, and cassareccia pollo piccante. I really enjoyed my main (I had the chicken breast) – it came with a white wine sauce that went really well with the sides.

Pollo Prosciutto

I hadn’t tried cassareccia pasta before and really enjoyed it as it was a bit unusual - and we even got a bag to take home in our goody bag! The chilli on top meant you could control the level of spiciness to your taste buds - a great idea, and I though this looked great by adding a nice splash of colour to the plate. It was offset nicely with a creamy sauce.

Cassareccia Pollo Piccante

Then it was time for the trio of desserts:

Trio of desserts: torta cioccolata, torta limone and tiramisu

If I had to pick a favourite, I think I’d go for the tiramisu. I thought this was just perfect! The lemon tart had an awesome punch of lemon with the right amount of sweetness and the chocolate torte was rich and decadent. I think the trio is the perfect way to finish a meal and I wish that it was an option on the dessert menu! I would also love to try the sorbet next time we visit.

We had a really fun night on Saturday night. It was definitely a party, celebratory atmosphere and all the staff seemed excited to be there for the launch. I’m a big fan of Zizzi’s for its consistency and delicious food, and the meal didn’t disappoint. This restaurant seems like it might be marketing itself towards a more business clientèle - although time will tell how it goes. We’ll definitely be back after our trip to Australia!

The restaurant officially opens today, Monday 11 February 2013! Thanks to Zizzi for inviting us along.

More photos:

The artwork upstairs is a lovely tribute to the former Borders with book covers from Scottish authors – I really loved this (so excuse all the pictures!):

Hotel Chocolat Valentine’s Day giveaway

February 10, 2013 by Briony

Hotel Chocolat recently sent me a Valentine’s Day present – a 50g slab of “To my Valentine” chocolate to try, and another one to give away!

I had some on Friday night while having a relaxing night in – just me, a glass of wine and watching Girls. What better way to treat myself than to have some chocolate too? I have been posting recently about I Quit Sugar (which I still love) but sometimes you need to indulge a little. I really liked this chocolate – it’s traditional 40% milk chocolate with a strawberry heart middle.

All you have to do is comment on this post! I want to make sure the winner gets this for Valentine’s Day on Thursday, so this is going to be a short competition and will run until 9pm on Monday 11 February 2013. You can only enter once. I will do a post on Monday 11 February announcing the winner – you will need to get in touch with me with your details so I can give you the voucher. If I don’t hear from you by Tuesday 12 February at 9pm I’ll re-draw the prize. I’ll post it out by first class mail to the winner. This competition is open to residents in the UK only.

Good luck!

Book review – I Quit Sugar Cookbook

January 28, 2013 by Briony

I got lots of lovely nice feedback on Twitter about my I Quit Sugar post! Thanks to everyone who tweeted – your feedback was really nice and uplifting.

I thought I’d do a follow up post about what you actually eat on the I Quit Sugar programme. As I’ve been doing it for a while now, I am getting more inventive so will do a few of my own recipe posts in the upcoming months.

So here are a few things I’ve made, so you can get an idea of what you’d be eating if you gave it a try.

Coco-nutty Granola

Coco-nutty granola on pancakes (made from eggs, cottage cheese & oats)

Sarah has posted on her website the recipe for her granola – she says this is her most popular recipe from the Cookbook. I think this is because it is so easy, very delicious and easy to adapt to whatever you have in the cupboard. I have made this a couple of times, and I really enjoy it as well. It is great with yoghurt and berries for breakfast or a snack.

Straight out of the oven: coco-nutty granola

Fennel soup

Fennel soup with chicken, yoghurt and Parmesan

I was browsing the Cookbook as I had some fennel, but wasn’t sure how I could use it. To make this recipe I just needed leeks so I went ahead and made it. I am slowly becoming a soup addict – I used to find soup always left me hungry, but that was because I was eating the tinned variety. When you make your own soup and control what goes in, I find it is more satisfying. I made this soup and then added in some extras at the ended – shredded chicken, Parmesan and yoghurt. But the soup on its own was delicious and I can’t wait to make this again. I ended up with about 5 servings from this recipe as well and it freezes really well, which makes it great for when you forget to make lunch.

Hash

Sweet potato, pumpkin seed crush

The best way to describe the hash recipes is that it’s just a mix of a variety of vegetables and nuts in whatever combinations you like. The first hash I made pretty much followed Sarah’s recipe and had sweet potato and pumpkin seeds in it and topped with yoghurt. It looked more like a dessert than a dinner! I put it in a bowl and struggled to finish it – it was really filling. It is also great to use up whatever you have in your fridge like herbs with a nice refreshing lemon dressing. This also makes a great, quick lunch to take to work if you have cooked the vegetables in advance. You could also add in bacon bits, shredded chicken, cheese or tuna to add in more protein.

Crushes/pesto

Pea and almond crush

I am addicted to crushes and pestos now. These are such a great way of eating more raw vegetables while still having a snack or meal that fees like a treat. I have it on toast, mixed into a hash, used as a pasta sauce, as a dip or as a pizza base. They are versatile and could really be used for anything! My husband isn’t a huge fan of the pea crush but I really like it – it has a tangy zing from the lemon and Parmesan.

Sweet stuff

The Cookbook also has a section of sweet treats – sugar free desserts to enjoy without feeling guilty. I made the cheesecake which we took to a friend’s house a while back. The judges were split – two of us liked it, and two didn’t. It was very savoury! It was the first time I’d used stevia and I don’t think I put enough in. I also can’t get used to the taste of stevia and will try xylitol when I finish our carton of stevia (we are currently using it up to make mojitos!).

The Cookbook warns about going overboard with the sweet stuff – so these are sometimes treats, not daily ones! Thankfully I don’t have too much of a sweet tooth so just make do with a small piece of 70-85% chocolate when needed.

Hopefully that is a useful insight into the recipes in the eBook. There are loads more! Generally, the recipes contain lots of nuts, coconut, vegetables and avocado. Some ingredients I haven’t been able to find in shops (such as almond flour) so some recipes I haven’t been able to try. But overall, I like the recipes and they are generally really quick and easy to make. I preferred reading the eBook and then the Cookbook to see all the things I could eat. I think they are much better when read in conjunction as they help you stay on track and remember why you’re trying to quit sugar.

If you’re interested in I Quit Sugar, you can check out the bundle using this link, which as I mentioned in my last post is an affiliate link, meaning I get some money because you buy the book via me. The eBook and Cookbook are both 50% to celebrate Australia Day until Tuesday 29 January – so get in while it’s super cheap!

I’ve got lots more posts for you this week – including my long overdue review of Nachos Southside and a couple of cookbook reviews! Let me know if you have any questions on IQS below, or via twitter.

(All the images here are photos I have uploaded to instragram, in case you were wondering about the filters!)

The Living Room, Glasgow City Centre

November 16, 2012 by Briony

We were invited to “Dining in the Dark” – the Living Room Glasgow’s challenge for food bloggers to fight to the death, blindfolded, to win a coveted trophy for Dining in the Dark Champion 2012. Have I ever mentioned before how competitive I am? Well, let’s just say that I was determined to win, and get my paws on a trophy (and a bottle of wine too!).

We were treated to a bunch of canapés to try, while blindfolded, and given a test. What I assumed was going to be a total walk in the park was a lot tougher – some dishes were vegetarian and yet I am sure I tasted bacon. Damn you taste-buds.

We worked out way through the menu – trying out a whole range of items. Because we were blindfolded, the lovely Alfred offered to take photos while we ate our hearts out – thanks Alfred!

Here is what we ate:

Black forest smoked ham and fig; venison shepherds pie; pan fried sea bass; moroccan spiced lamb; glamoran sausages; duck breast with Szechuan pepper

Coconut and passion-fruit crème brulèe, basil grande eton mess, cheeses and some delicious cocktails

It was an amazing smorgasbord of delights which, after seeing Alfred’s pictures, I wish I had been able to see as it all looks so beautiful! It is surprising how much you rely on your eyesight when eating and I definitely appreciate it a lot more now. Thankfully the food was exceptionally delicious, and it was a real pleasure to eat with just your senses focusing on smell and taste.

So, you’re wondering how The Glasgow Food Blog went compared to the other bloggers? We wouldn’t let you down! We came equal first with Jen from Pie in Soup – who then won in a wine-off. Thankfully The Living Room took pity on me and gave me a trophy anyway. I went home very happy and content after a lovely meal with lovely people.

Thanks to the Living Room for inviting us along. I promise we’ll be back soon – no blindfolds this time! And thanks Alfred for sharing your great photos.

The Handmade Cheesecake Company – and competition

October 28, 2012 by Briony

Cheesecakes are always pretty high up on our list of desserts when we are eating out. Done well, they can be a great way to finish off a meal, and the chances of you feeling fit to burst are lower than if you get stuck into a big bit of chocolate cake. In spite of this, we very rarely make them in the house, and never really bother with any of the supermarket pre-made options. While they are great fun to make, we always struggle to eat all of a standard size cake in time, and either throw some of it out or cave in and eat it all in one guilt laden go.

The Handmade Cheesecake Company – van arrives!

We were therefore absolutely delighted to accept a sample of 4 mini individual cheesecakes from the Handmade Cheesecake Company, who are based in Ayr, and provide a wide array of cakes and desserts for cafes, restaurants, and for events. Included in the range are Wee Yins, small cheesecakes around 4 inches in diameter which can be purchased in boxes of 9. We were given 4 different flavours to sample: Butterscotch Pavlova, Limoncello, Strawberry Shortcake, and Caramel Shortcake.

The Handmade Cheesecake Company – clockwise from back – butterscotch pavlova; strawberry shortcake; caramel shortcake; limoncello

Of the toppings, strawberry was the real standout, which is unexpected coming from someone who normally doesn’t like strawberry desserts. Sometimes strawberry flavours can feel really false and artificial to me, but this tasted like real fruit recently picked, and didn’t overpower everything. The Limoncello was also good, subtly flavoured and again avoiding the artificial flavouring that you sometimes get with shop bought cheesecakes. Both the other cakes were good too, although there did seem to be something overly sweet in the caramel shortcake topping that overpowered. The base cheesecakes themselves were well made, and let the toppings shine without taking over the flavours. Briony would have preferred a little bit less biscuit base, but I wasn’t bothered by that. Texture and consistency was good, not feeling too heavy, but still having some substance to it. Size-wise, they were perfect. We had half of 2 cheesecakes each for 2 days, and this gave us enough to feel like we had been naughty and had a fair bit, but not feel like we were going to explode.

If you have a big event coming up, a Handmade Cheesecake Company dessert would be a great time saver, as well as a delicious dessert!

The Handmade Cheesecake Company

The Handmade Cheesecake Company have generously given me a £25 voucher to give to one lucky reader! All you have to do is comment on this post with what flavour you’d like to try! The competition will run until Sunday 4 November 2012. You can only enter once. I will do a post on Monday 5 November announcing the winner – you will need to get in touch with me with your details so I can give you the voucher. If I don’t hear from you by Monday 12 November I’ll re-draw the prize. While I’m not restricting entry … be logical … can you get the cheesecakes delivered if you live in Australia? That’s not really practical now, is it?!