Burts Crisps - Firecracker Crisp Sandwich - yummy

Burts Crisps are really good - they are made in Devon and I like them a little bit too much.  They always seem to feature somewhere in my lunch.  I really like the sea salt and vinegar ones, and if I am in a meaty mood, I like the Spicy Chorizo and Devon Roast Beef flavours.  The Sea Salt ones are good too, but I prefer the flavours.

Burts want to encourage us this summer to have crisp sandwiches - I do not need any encouragement as I enjoy then anyway.  This is my favourite one using the Firecracker Lobster flavour:

You need the following, this is their 'recipe' but of course I tweaked it a little:

2 bags of Burts Lobster Firecracker crisps

150g cooked prawns

50g chopped sundried tomatoes

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon tomato ketchup

small squeeze lemon juice

2 handfuls of rocket leaves

10g butter

4 slices soft white bread

I do not like mayo, so I omitted the mayo and ketchup.  I'm guessing that if they were used - they could be utilised as 'butter' on both sides of the bread.

I also had plenty of salad left over from the previous evening (Romaine, cress, cucumber, beansprouts, grated carrot) and used that rather than rocket.

Also I used 1 packet rather than 2 packets of crisps.  But the bread was on the smaller side of things.  I think I would use 2 packets if I was using regular bread.

Here's the bread (only buttered on one side) plus salad and sundried tomatoes:

 Then prawns and some crisps...

....and more crisps....

It was scrumptious and easy to put together and made me and my daughter a very good lunch - I can imagine having this on a beach for a picnic lunch - but we ate them in my back garden

It tasted so good and I had a look at the ingredients and it says that actual 'lobster powder' is used (no unnatural flavours there) and the colourings were just paprika and South Devon Chilli Farm chilli.  The South Devon Chilli Jam is a firm favourite with me and I always keep a pot in my fridge.

  OK so crisps aren't the healthiest of foods, but if they're part of a meal, contain natural ingredients, taste delicious, and come from Devon - fair enough!

Cranks, Dartington: Tasty New Winter Menu

I went to Dartington shops last week (near Totnes in South Devon) and whilst there went to Cranks.  It is a vegetarian restaurant (I am fully carnivorous) but I like the fact that this cafe is dependable, reasonably-priced, homely and comfortable. Oh and it's warm.  I like a place that I don't have to keep my coat on!

They have got a new winter menu, which is very appealing and we sampled two items from that.  There was a very tempting parsnip, apple and cashew nut burger but I went for the lasagne.

My companion had the Seasonal (Leek and Cheese) Tart (with salad) (£8.35) and I had the Vegetable Lasagne (£8.35) with loads of different homemade salads.  I particularly liked the fact that none of these contained mayonnaise.  Mayonnaise is a pet hate of mine.  My companion said that the tart was very tasty - it certainly looked good.  The lasagne was really good too - the accompanying salad was fresh and there was lots of it. I liked the fact there was a mixture of salad, beans, grains and a fresh coleslaw.  A large salad on its own is £6.10.

There is a self-service bar which you slide your tray along, where you can see the food - I realise that the food is made earlier in the day, and is not cooked to order, but sometimes it is nice to be able to see something that you fancy and order it.  Yes, it is rude to point, but sometimes it gets you something really tasty!  Similarly with the accompanying salads - there were several of them in big dishes and it was possible to ask the serving staff for a 'mixture of all of them' as I did, or you could pick and choose as you preferred.

Overall, the service was very good, the food was excellent and we enjoyed our lunch very much.  My only quibbles would be that the pasta in the lasagne was very soft - my personal preference is for it to be a bit firmer, but that's just me.  It is a great place to take a well-earned break from the shopping, but it is a good enough place that you could go
there as a destination in its own right.  I have been there many times for lunch and never been disappointed.  I've also had their cream tea which was scrummy!  I must also point out their website with some really good recipes - I once made their homity pie using Devon blue cheese, broccoli and chives and it was very good.

Chagford Show 2015 - A Family Visit

I got to the Chagford Show at about 1215 on Thurs 20 August.  It is set in a beautiful spot, just outside of  Chagford.

I met up with my mum and we went to watch my brother-in-law and his dog (a Hungarian Vizsla) compete in the dog race.  The dog was too well-trained and sped off for 3 metres and then returned to his owner!  There were so many eager dogs, and so many who didn't know what on earth was happening.

I was at the show with my mother and my sister, her husband and her twins, aged 8 and their dog.

I had my lunch from the Caribbean stand, Fancy That.  I had the 'Sweet Beef with rice and peas and coleslaw' for £6.  It was yummy.  The only problem was the lack of seating.  There were about 10 chairs at the neighbouring food outlet (all occupied) so we sat on the ground which my mum and I found tricky.  I noticed there were several people sitting on or leaning against the wall of the field.

 After lunch we saw horses show jumping and harness racing.  We saw giant rabbits, many chicks, flouncy feathered chickens, a coral snake and a tarantula (thanks Dartmoor Reptiles for the last two ).  We also visited the craft marquee and saw many of the stalls.

We all left the show at about 3pm.   Mainly because we all needed to sit down!   Afterwards we had a cream tea at The Birdcage, Chagford.  This cream tea was enormous and very good.  The Birdcage had a stall at the show but our family was put off of it as they were advertising venison sausages - they aren't loved by us.

Overall the show seemed well-organised, with good hi-viz coated marshalls, lots of parking  and there was plenty to do and see.  It had a lovely local feel - many of producers, craftspeople and stalls were local people.

Luscombe Drinks: Organic, Local, Delicious

I have already waxed lyrical about Luscombe Passionate Ginger Beer - their newest offering and absolutely lovely.  A great combination of flavours - and I don't necessarily like things to be 'mucked around'. The passionfruit flavour works really well with the ginger and light fizz.

It was good to revisit these:  Strawberry Crush, Damascene Rose Bubbly (I think I tried this at Exeter Food Festival), Raspberry Crush, Wild Elderflower Bubbly.  They were all good - my children, aged 14 and 15 polished them off as an after-school treat - they loved them.  They had the Strawberry Crush and Raspberry Crush.  They are not a huge fan of fizzy drinks normally - they prefer milk or water - but they really enjoyed these.  I think lots of parents would rather their offspring had these rather than the ubiquitous caffeinated, full-of-sugar alternatives.  Three of the four were organic and they are made in Buckfastleigh I believe - the site of a lovely lunch I had recently!

These are perfect for summer days - I stored them in the fridge and served them with ice.  It is very nice to sit down and sip a Luscombe drink in the garden whilst waiting for dinner to be ready (sorry, that was a dream...).

Buckfast Abbey: The Grange Cafe Review

It's not every day that I have lunch at a Benedictine monastery (Buckfast Abbey)

We had a wander around the gardens and the abbey.  The lavender, herbs and the roses stick in my mind as being beautiful.  There were plenty of nuns and monks around all in different attire - I think they were attending a conference on site.

The Grange is a great place to eat - it is attractive to behold from the outside - the food is all prepared locally (even the sandwiches).  There is no admission charge - there are tables inside and outside (under cover, with transparent wind shields, or exposed to the elements).  The tables outside have a great view of the gardens and abbey.  It seats about 300 people.

I had the lamb hot pot with vegetables and my husband had the meat lasagne.  They were both tasty (the lamb hot pot tasted of mint and had a really good amount of meat and vegetables in it, topped with many slices of crisped potatoes and then there was the mixed veg, cabbage, cauliflower cheese and extra gravy as accompaniments).  The cafe is self-service and it's the sort of place you can ask for a large portion if that's what you want!

We followed this with an Eccles cake (fruit soaked in the famous Buckie alcohol) and an enormous slice of treacle tart, bathed in golden syrup and served with a large dollop of clotted cream.  We both had a glass of Luscombe drinks.  I had the new Passionate Ginger Beer which I can heartily recommend.  The food is traditional, really well prepared and delicious - good value too.

The restaurant manager, Bernard, chatted to us whilst we finished our desserts and enjoyed the view in the sunshine.  He explained that they never know how many people are going to dine there each day but they pride themselves on preparing all their own food and they get by even when 60 people arrive unannounced.  He mentioned that they are also open for breakfast.  The salad bar was out of action today but there were salad boxes available for those who wanted them.  There is usually a hot counter and a cold one.

I enjoyed the whole experience, despite not being religious.  Buckfast Abbey and the Grange are beautiful places.  The Abbey has an air of tranquility, serving great grub with lovely views.

This is how I felt afterwards!  A sculpture just down from the cafe...The portions were big!http://www.buckfast.org.uk/

A Visit to Devon County Show 21 May 2015, Exeter

I went along to the show with my mother-in-law.  We headed straight to the food tent where we sampled many wonderful things including many prize-winning cheeses, chutney and the recently launched, delicious and versatile Shute Fruit raspberry vinegar.

Devon County Show at Westpoint near Exeter, is on 21-23 May 2015 (Thurs to Sat, not Sunday as many people think) and it is a great day out: there is a huge food tent, many stalls promoting things as diverse as tractors, care homes, local newspapers and windows!  There are also many things for children to get involved with - one good thing was the BBC tent where there was live music, some local newsreaders, lots of seating and friendship bracelets for the children to make for charity.

There were many tempting food vans selling their wares too.  We had a Farmer Tom's ice cream (honeycomb flavour) and a refreshing Bloom Berry juice.  Was the placing of the Hog Roast van at the end of the pig sheds an accident or not?!  Perhaps you needed to be a farmer to get that joke.

We saw many weird and wonderful animals: so many different breeds of chickens, ducks, goats, sheep, ponies, cattle and more...The sun was shining and it was really good to be outdoors.

This duck was very big!

We also enjoyed mooching around the traders' stalls and watching the animals being judged.  We didn't necessarily understand the criteria, but it was good to watch regardless.

 I think that it seemed a bit smaller (possibly after last year when torrential rain meant that the final day,Saturday, was cancelled and cars had to be taken out of the car parks by tractor on the Friday) but the show was still enormous, well-attended, really interesting and more than enough for me to see in one day (10am - 2pm).  The show was definitely quieter in the morning and got gradually busier as the afternoon progressed.

Home Exchange? My Experience + A Competition to win one year's membership!

I am holding a competition to win membership of a home exchange company (https://www.homeexchange.com) for a year, worth £100, - I have experience of home exchanges and recommend them as a great way to have more holidays and travel further.   There are more than 65,000 members of this site alone and plenty of interesting places to visit.  To enter the competition, please add a comment at the bottom of this post and I will draw out a lucky winner on 31 May.  There is no pressure to do an exchange once you join - but my guess is that you will find something appealing.

Why do a home exchange?  Well, price is one thing.  You swap your home for someone else's for your holiday or trip abroad.  You pay nothing for the accommodation.  Some people even exchange vehicles (I have not done this), so you can save on car hire too.  Also there's that thing of having a nice home and then paying to go somewhere on holiday that's not as nice as your place.  That has happened to everyone.  Something is missing...the Wifi, the dishwasher, the lawn...something.

You may also get local recommendations - so you don't waste time on 'rubbish' days out or eateries.   I left a list of places to visit and places to eat.  They were well received and appreciated.  When you go somewhere new, you may well want a local's recommendation of somewhere really good, rather than the tourist hotspot.  Also, we have a vegetable plot in our back garden and we were more than happy for the visitor to partake of our produce - and as it happened we did the same!

There are also all the advantages of staying in another part of the world - either nationally or internationally.  I have heard of retired people who hop from one home exchange to another.  Others have done long term exchanges of a month or more so they can really experience the new location.  I have just done it for holidays.  We live in South Devon and I suppose people want to come here on holiday, but similarly, we want to go to a city, or somewhere new that we haven't visited.  I crave novelty.

The disadvantages.  I suppose human beings are hugely diverse but they are highly unlikely to treat your house with disrespect as you are staying in their home at the same time.  You can draw up a 'contract' before the exchange to express what you find unacceptable behaviour in your home.  Most exchange sites have a check box for smokers / non-smokers and dog owners.  I do not wish to swap my home with smokers and I do not wish to have dogs to stay (I am allergic to them).  My home has always been looked after.  I think we broke one glass in a place we stayed and found an identical replacement before we left.  My house has been left undisturbed, clean, tidy and, more importantly, occupied whilst I am away.

I have found finding a holiday rental difficult to say the least.  I do not want to be situated next to a nightclub or somewhere ugly that is just out of shot of the camera!  Also, when we were about to book a holiday online, we realised that we were about to spend the amount that we would spend on a new car on something that was a 'promise' and unknown.  There is also the possibility of not having home comforts: toys, cushions, a large sofa.  This doesn't usually happen on an exchange.  As for families - it's great (as long as your children don't trash places) as there are often toys, musical instruments, DVDs and gardens that they will enjoy.

I have stayed for two weeks in Tuscany, Italy.  Their house was gorgeous.  Views, a pool, lovely local places to eat and drink, nearby picturesque villages, lots of sunshine, good shopping....they seemed to enjoy themselves in our house too.  They were English and used the time over here to catch up with some of their friends and family.

We did a week's exchange to Yorkshire.  That was very much a 'family' home exchange and it worked really well.  My kids were delighted to find a hammock in one of the bedrooms, a different lot of DVDs, plus some amusing chickens.  We enjoyed the really nice master bedroom, the well-equipped kitchen, the easy parking, the views, different cafes, parks and the local people.

As for the future?  We have had lots of interest in our home from people in central Germany.  That doesn't particularly appeal for a family holiday, so I have politely replied 'no thanks' to them.

Sometimes I find a 'perfect' place and they owners don't wish to swap with me.  There is something on the cards for October half term - a nice-sounding 3 bedroomed house near central Amsterdam - nothing has yet been confirmed, but they have contacted me and I am interested.  I am hoping it will happen.

I think exchanging homes is ideal for foodies - I certainly really enjoyed the local produce in Italy and got an insight into Yorkshire grub too when I went there.  You can always leave a 'local food' gift for the people.  I think that my visitors enjoyed my spice cupboard, vegetable patch and the recommendations I left for local eateries.   I did not leave a 'food gift' but I would in the future.

Here is the secret recipe for a successful home exchange according to homeexchange.com.
To learn more, visit  the home exchange website

To enter the competition for one year's subscription to the website, please leave me a comment below.  No-one has yet entered the competition (18/05/15) so it will be easy to win!

Exeter Food Festival 2015: A Flavour

 General view of Exeter Food Festival 2015.  It seemed to be busy - and I visited on the Friday and it was also held on the Saturday and Sunday.

 Luscombe Drinks.   This was a chance for me to try the new flavours - I have always enjoyed the Lucombe Hot Ginger Beer - I had never tried the Passion Ginger Beer which was lovely.  I liked the balance of fruit to ginger.

There were many impressive displays of local produce.

 Quickes Cheese have a great reputation locally - but the huge cheeses they had brought along were pretty impressive.

 Gaucho BBQ - huge chunks of meat on the grill here.  I think they were cooking dinosaurs!  There were several men queuing up for their lunch.  I did not partake, but I did stop and stare...

 Pasty demonstration in the demo Ashgrove kitchen with Chunk of Devon and Glenn Cosby.  My friend and I wanted tips on filling and crimping pasties.  This was demonstrated in a kitchen and there was an overhead screen for the audience to see the details.

The eggs I always use: Black Dog Eggs.  Free range from Crediton.  Apparently they sell loads via my local store - that's because they are so good.

A great day out!  I enjoyed it thoroughly and got a few cooking tips along the way. Thanks to L for accompanying me and being so nice.  I also had my nails painted whilst I was there - bright purple to match my coat.  There were many food samples and it was a good chance to try out something new, make purchases and chat to the producers.

Live Love Eat Awards at the Deer Park Hotel, Honiton, Devon

I have just been to the inaugural 2014 LiveLoveEat Food and Drink awards ceremony at the fabulous Deer Park Hotel, set within 80 acres near Honiton, Devon.  It was raining so I didn’t get to explore the 80 acres of land – but it looked good.  I met some lovely people (‘Hi’ to Choclette and the Pig and Whistle!) and had some delicious food.

The food was great and all sourced in the West country.

It was a lovely venue and can really imagine having a wedding there.

Susan from Devon Life said that she really enjoyed staying at the hotel overnight – and so had her dog!  They are a very dog-friendly hotel. They are welcome to stay in rooms and there is even a pooch pamper area.

There was much excitement about the new treehouse suite which will soon be a feature of the hotel – a great idea for a special anniversary or the first night of wedded life!  The ground floor communal areas looked well-maintained and attractive.

 Overall, a great place for a celebration, a function or a special place to stay.  The location is quiet and beautiful and the hotel owner seems ebullient and fun.