Revision Hibernation Week

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After 10 GCSEs, 1 AS level, 3 A levels, two degrees and five years as a doctor, you would think that my time sitting exams would be over...you would be wrong!

Yesterday I sat one of my MRCPsych exams (MRCPsych stands for Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists). Membership exams are a necessity for every junior doctor climbing the career ladder- you can't be a specialist without them. They are also expensive (£400 each attempt) and notoriously difficult, and many doctors believe that they aren't representative of a doctor's abilities as a clinician, merely how good they are at exams.

Regardless of that- no membership exam= no ladder climbing. Having struggled to focus on revision for previous exams because of my tendency to get easily distracted, I decided that I needed to pull out all the stops- get out of the city, turn off the phone and hole up somewhere quiet (I love Leeds, but I would rarely describe it as 'quiet') for a week, and get down to some serious studying and exam question practice.

To that end I found a little cottage in the middle of Nowhere, South Somerset, with internet access but no phone signal, and best of all, a hot tub for the end-of-the-day-relaxation! On went the work email Out of Office Assistant and off went the bane-of-my-life-pager (after it went off halfway down the M5 somewhere near Cribbs Causeway). A week's worth of groceries were ordered from the nearest supermarket- a Waitrose in the little town of Wellington- to complement my 'self-catering pack' (a small box of tricks I keep especially for self-catering trips, which includes good coffee, a small cafetiere, Yorkshire and chamomile tea, herbs, spices, sugar, flour, pasta, rice, a decent chef's knife, cleaning wipes, loo roll and washing-up liquid) and a very small (well, small for me) holdall of mainly pyjamas and hoodies was packed.

After arriving on Saturday 3rd and being greeted by the cottage owner, I didn't see another person for 6 days until my return to Leeds, and apart from a little Tweeting, a blog update and a couple of personal emails, didn't communicate with anyone either. I worked for 12 hours each day, chilled out for 5 (including cooking, naturally!) and slept for seven- virtually unheard of for insomniac me.

Was it a good idea? Well, I certainly felt more prepared for the exam, and less anxious during it. As to whether I've passed the wretched thing- only time and the Royal College of Psychiatrists will tell.


Revision Hibernation- culinary highlights


I always need a motivator when revising, especially now that I've lost the discipline of studying full-time, and what better way to motivate oneself than by yummy food?! Studying for 12 hours per day is no excuse to revert to ready meals (actually, while we're on the subject, there's almost no excuse for reverting to ready meals!). Of course, it's also not really the time to be trying out experimental, multi-staged, complicated recipes either. So it was old favourites all the way for Revision Hibernation Week! Here's a little rundown!

• Chilli con carne- one day with rice, the next day as nachos with tortilla chips and melted cheese
• Lamb steaks with redcurrant and rosemary sauce, mash, vegetables and Yorkshire pudding
• Pancakes (made from leftover Yorkshire pudding batter), banana, caramel ice-cream and cinnamon syrup
• Moroccan-spiced stir-fried lamb, pitta breads, green salad, yoghurt and mint dressing
• Fresh pasta with tomato, basil and marscapone sauce, roasted tomatoes, peppers and garlic croutons (Meat Free Mondays still apply to Revision Hibernation Week)
• Chicken and bacon club sandwich with oven-baked sweet potato chips and salad
• Cheese and chive souffle omelette made with eggs from the cottage owner's hens, with sourdough toast, bacon and roasted mushrooms
• Maltesers, salted pretzels, Ritz crackers, blue corn tortilla chips, clementines and Somerset apples

If you'd like any recipes, email me :-)

Dinner at the Manor- A Leeds Supper Club

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Over the past year or so I've become a rather big fan of the underground restaurant/supper club movement. The premise is simple- a host cooks a delicious meal and opens up their home to hungry guests in exchange for a monetary donation. Some hosts are up and coming professional chefs who wish to showcase their skills but who don't have the funds or backing to set up their own restaurant yet. Others are talented amateur and home cooks, who wish to share their ideas about what constitutes good food. The venue is kept secret until you have a place confirmed, so the poor cook doesn't get people turning up randomly! I've met some amazingly talented chefs, socialised with food lovers from all walks of life and eaten some simply fabulous food.

Last night I was privileged enough to attend Dinner at the Manor. This is a joint venture between Dan and Susie, both well known for their skills. I've known Susie for quite a while through Clandestine Cake Club, and who is well known for her delightful blog StickyPinny and her beautiful cupcakes, which have won Iron Cupcake Leeds on several occasions! It was my first time meeting Dan, who was a delightful host and warmly welcomed us into his beautifully decorated Victorian home.

We were welcomed with mulled wine and canapes in the library- sausage rolls made with homemade flaky pastry, palmiers with anchovy or pancetta and mozzarella balls with tomatoes and pesto. These were so delicious that I forgot to take some photos! I was delighted to bump into a few people I knew from other supper club events and Cake Club. We were joined by a broadcast journalism student who was doing a piece on the rise of supper clubs- I hope she didn't mind me talking with my mouth full of buttery pastry and succulent sausage! So good!

After being invited downstairs to the luxurious dining room we were welcomed with an amuse bouche of Delia Smith's cream of broccoli soup with blue cheese. It was light and flavourful, with just a hint of the blue cheese at the end. Once again I forgot the photos, but remembered after this!

Dan then came out to introduce the wines they'd selected to match our starters. Both wines were local whites from Leventhorpe Winery based in Woodlesford, to the south of the city. For the peppers stuffed with fennel, they chose the Sevyal Blanc, and for the pheasant terrine with cheese, onion and sage bread, they chose the Madeleine Angelvine.

I went for the pheasant terrine, and had the Madeleine Angelvine to accompany it.

The pheasant terrine was chock full of gamey meat, that was tender and melting at the same time. The accompanying spicy pear chutney cut through the richness perfectly. The Madeleine Angelvine wine was very light on the palate, with a hint of citrus and passion fruit. I could quite easily have drunk the whole glass in one go, but as I was driving, I had a few sips before one of my dining companions gladly finished the glass for me.

We had quite a long gap between the starter and main course, which was a good thing given how much more food was to come! There was no hesitation in the conversation around the dining table as we swapped supper club stories before talking about our travel experiences.

Dan soon announced the main course, and the accompanying wine- a young French Mauregard Bordeaux that came highly recommended by the Observer Food Monthly, from Marks and Spencer. It, too, turned out to be highly drinkable, and our hosts kindly provided a decanter so we could top up, although once again, I could only have a few sips!

The main course was venison cooked in port, stout and pickled walnuts, served with celeriac and potato puree, Brussels sprouts cooked in Riesling with bacon and parmesan baked parsnips.

 The venison was meltingly tender and the sauce was so dark, sweet and rich I had to stop myself from licking the plate. The celeriac and potato puree was so creamy, and the sprouts (which I don't normally like that much) were perfectly cooked. The parmesan on the parsnips wasn't especially strong but made them crispy.

We had another small break , complete with lychee and ginger sorbet as a palate cleanser, before dessert was brought out.

Dessert was a huge communal bowl of caramelised orange trifle served with lovely crisp-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside meringues, which Dan had made to use up the egg whites after making a homemade custard for the trifle. The oranges cut through the sumptuous cream, custard and sponge, and the nuts and chocolate on the top provided a contrast of textures.This dessert was served with a bonus glass of Asda Finest fizz.

A couple of my dining companions were lactose intolerant, so were treated to a beautiful champagne jelly instead of the trifle. I was kindly allowed to try it too- it sparkled and fizzed on my palate, was light but still substantial.

 Our final course was tea or coffee served with some of Susie's stunning cupcakes- maple and pecan, in honour of Delia who made the combination popular back in the day.

 At the end of the meal, Dan and Susie came out to join us, and we all moved around the larger of the two communal tables to chat to some of the other guests. Dan and Susie are clearly passionate about their venture and they are so talented. As we rolled out of the stunning house, we all agreed that we would definitely return again soon!

I am writing this from a little cottage in deepest, darkest Somerset- on a getaway to prepare for my impending  doom/exam next week, without the distractions that my vibrant life in Leeds throws at me. Naturally revision will be interspersed with some culinary delights, and no doubt I'll be sharing some of these with you soon.

xxx

Dinner at the Manor

Elvis Cupcakes

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I'm one of those people who hates to go to a friend's house without a little thank you gift. Other people who feel similarly often give wine, chocolates or flowers- I give baked goods.

A quick look at my cupboards and fruit bowl and I realised that I had an abundance of overripe bananas and a rare treat- peanut butter. A little spark of useless knowledge flickered at the back of my mind and I remembered reading somewhere that Elvis Presley loved fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I'm a big fan of peanut butter and banana bagels for breakfast so could definitely vouch for the yumminess of the flavour combination!

So in honour of Elvis Presley, I decided to try a banana cupcake topped with a peanut butter and brown sugar icing, to give to some of my dear friends, who I was visiting this weekend in Gateshead and York.

I have to say that I was quite pleased with the result, as were my friends. The cake was full of banana goodness. The icing was thick, creamy and enhanced by the slight crunch of the peanut bits from the peanut butter. It piped beautifully and held its shape well despite sitting in a car on the A1 for a few hours!

Ingredients (Makes 9 large iced cupcakes, 12-15 small)
3 overripe bananas, mashed
250g self raising flour
100g caster sugar
100g dark muscavado sugar
4 eggs, large
100g softened butter
1tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the icing:
150g softened butter
100g dark brown muscavado sugar
250g icing sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
1tbs maple syrup
2 heaped tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1tsp vanilla extract
1tbsp milk

To finish:
1tbsp cocoa powder

Method:
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (175 if you have a hot/fan oven) Beat the butter and sugars together and combine the eggs in one by one. Add the vanilla extract. Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold in the bananas. If the mixture is too thick add a couple of drops of milk. Spoon into cupcake cases held in tins, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until risen and golden. Cool on a cooling rack until room temperature.

For the icing: Beat the butter and incorporate the sugars, vanilla extract, maple syrup, peanut butter and mixed spice until  If too thick, add the milk. You can use smooth peanut butter if you prefer not to have the crunchy texture of the nuts.

Place the icing in a piping bag fitted with a large round tipped nozzle. Pipe the icing in a spiral onto each cold cupcake and dust with cocoa.

Delicious with Yorkshire Tea, although I think Elvis might have washed it down with something a little stronger!