Conservatory Cafe News and Recipes

 

Why not try out one of Cafe Manager, Hayley’s, delicious seasonal recipes?…

July 2023

This is such a simple recipe, providing a lighter option for those warmer days. Ideal for summer picnics teamed with a salad garnish, or even to cut into bite sized chunks for an ‘on the go’ snack.

Ploughman’s Crustless Quiche

Ingredients

• 12 Eggs
• Splash of Milk
• 1 Pack of Cooked Ham
• 1 Pack of Cherry Tomatoes
• Half a Jar of Branston Pickle
• Half a Jar of Small Silverskin Pickled Onions
• 150g of Grated Cheddar
• Fresh Herbs
• Salt and Pepper

Method

• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Line a square oven tray with baking paprt, enough so that it is coming out over the sides.
• Break up your cooked ham and scatter at the bottom of the tray, then add your pickled onions.
• Halve the cherry tomatoes and spread out in the tray.
• Distribute teaspoons of the pickle into the tray.
• Top with grated cheese.
• Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and any fresh herbs.
• In a jug beat together 12 eggs, a good glug of milk, salt and pepper.
• Pour the mixture over the ingredients in the tray.
• Bake at 180°C for 50 minutes.
• Cut into slices and serve with a salad garnish…Enjoy!

May 2023

These scones work well with so many toppings, why not try them with smoked salmon, or cheddar cheese and caramelised onion chutney?

Watercress & Cheddar Savoury Scones

Ingredients

• 225g Self-raising Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp English Mustard powder
• 2 Pinches Cayenne Pepper
• 50g Butter
• 75g Watercress (Finely chopped)
• 100g Grated Mature Cheddar
• 150ml Buttermilk (Plus extra for brushing)

Method

• Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) gas mark 6 and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment.
• For the scones; In a food processor pulse the flour, baking powder, English mustard powder, cayenne pepper and a large pinch of fine salt until combined. Alternatively mix in a large bowl. Add the butter and pulse/rub in with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Add the watercress and 75g of the grated cheddar and briefly pulse/mix. Pour in the buttermilk and pulse/mix with a cutlery knife to make sticky dough.
• Tip on to a lightly floured work surface and gently pat out to 2cm thick. Dust a 6cm round (fluted or plain) cutter with flour and use to stamp out 8-10 rounds, re-patting trimmings together as needed.
• Arrange on the lined sheets, spacing slightly apart. Brush tops with buttermilk and sprinkle over remaining 25g of grated cheddar.
• Bake for 20min, or until lightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Complete with your chosen toppings, and enjoy!

 

January 2023

If you’ve been left with a bowl of unused nuts on the coffee table after the Christmas period then we have the perfect solution! Make up a batch of orange and almond biscuits following this delicious recipe.

Orange & Almond Biscuits

Ingredients

• 100g Butter
• 50g Sugar
• 100g Plain Flour
• Zest of 1 Orange
• 50g Ground almonds

Method

• Beat together the butter and sugar, then add in the rest of the ingredients and bind together to form a soft dough.
• Wrap the dough in clingfilm and then put in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
• Roll out the dough on a floured surface to the desired thickness and cut out the biscuits using a cookie cutter.
• Place the biscuits on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, leaving space between each biscuit.
• Pop the tray back in the fridge to chill for a further 15 minutes.
• Bake in a preheated oven fpr 12-15 minutes at 170°c
• Leave to cool for a few minutes and then enjoy with a cuppa!

 

October 2022

With the milder months just around the corner, this Poke bowl is a perfect addition to your Autumn meal plan. This dish is light, colourful, full of goodness, and easy to prepare.

Sticky Pork Belly Poke Bowl

Ingredients

• Pork Belly
• 2 Carrots (put through a spiralizer, or just cut up finely)
• 1/2 Avocado sliced
• 1 Cucumber
• White wine vinegar
• 75g of Rice per person
• Pre cooked edamame beans

Sticky sauce for the pork belly:

• 3 tbsp Soy sauce
• 3 tbsp Honey
• A few chilli flakes
• 5 Thin slices of ginger
• 3 Garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp Rice vinegar

Method

• Put pork belly in an oven dish and roast on middle shelf (Timings and temperature vary depending on the weight of the pork belly, so follow the pack instructions for exact timings)
• Whilst the pork belly is roasting, make the sticky sauce (My own take on a Teriyaki sauce). Mix together the soy sauce, honey, chilli, ginger, garlic and rice vinegar together in a bowl. Put to one side.
• Once your pork is cooked thoroughly, drizzle the sticky sauce over the top and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven, and set to one side to rest.
• Boil enough rice for 75g per person.
• Slice the cucumber into thin strips and in a bowl, mix with a teaspoon of white wine vinegar and a sprinkling of sugar. Set to one side.

Arranging your Poke Bowl!

• In a bowl, place cooked rice in one section, the cucumber in another, and then add in the edamame beans and sliced avocado.
• Then top with your shredded carrot and sticky belly pork.
• Finish off with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and black onion seeds if you have any in the cupboard.
• Tuck in and enjoy!!

 

February 2022

As we leap into spring, have our new year’s resolutions given up the ghost, or still going strong? Either way you can find something tasty and tempting in the Café to enjoy! Are you worried you’ll ruin the diet by coming in? Let us know and we can accommodate most diets out there (mainly because we’ve tried most of them!)

We’re rustling up more homemade hot specials, including our homemade soups, jacket potatoes and frittatas. If there is something you would like to see on our specials menu that we don’t currently do, then just let us know. Come in and grab our great deals, like our meal deal for £5.50 or add a mug of soup to any sandwich for just £2!

As things appear to springing back to life, we take a seasonal fruit and show you a sweet and a savoury recipe.

Vegan Lemon & Lime Posset (also gluten-free!)

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp lemon juice
• Zest of 2 limes and 2 lemons
• 4 tbsp cornflour
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 6 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 237ml of almond milk

Method

1. Put your lemon juice and cornflour into a jug, whisk well to remove lumps. Whisk in the coconut milk, syrup and vanilla extract, then lastly the almond milk.
2. Place the mixture into a saucepan on a medium to high heat. Keep stirring the mixture and it will start to thicken, keep cooking until it is thick (usually about 6-7 minutes)
3. Tap the pan to remove any bubbles, stir in your zest (taste test time, in case you want to put more in), then pour into ramekins.
4. Pop them in the fridge for about 3 hours, then when ready to serve, top with fresh berries and mint!

 

Sweet Potato, Lime & Coconut Soup 

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 sweet potatoes
• zest and juice of 3 limes
• 1 can of coconut milk
• vegetable stock

Method

1. Sweat the onion and garlic off in a saucepan for a few minutes
2. Cut up your sweet potato into cubes and add to the onion, cover with vegetable stock and boil until the potato is soft
3. Take off the heat and then add your lime zest and juice, along with the coconut milk
4. Blend the mixture and season to taste, enjoy!

 

October 2021

If you’re getting stuck trying to think of new recipes all the time, how about trying this winter warmer out? A prawn, sweet potato and chickpea curry, which can be eaten on it’s own, or served with rice and poppadum’s.

Prawn, Sweet Potato & Chickpea Curry

Ingredients

• 1 red onion
• 3 tablespoons tikka masala paste
• Fresh ginger
• Handful of fresh coriander
• 3 sweet potatoes
• 1 tin of chickpeas
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tin of coconut milk
• 150g of cooked prawns
• 400g of spinach

Method

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
2. Finely slice and add the onion along with the curry paste, mix well, then cook for 10 minutes
3. Grate the ginger. Chop the sweet potatoes into 2cm chunks.
4. Add the ginger, coriander stalks and sweet potato to the softened onion. Drain and tip in the chickpeas, then cook for 5 minutes.
5. Tip in the tinned tomatoes, add 200ml of water and bring to the boil.
6. Reduce the heat to a simmer, then cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Remove the lid, then cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sweet potato is cooked through and the sauce thickened.
8. Stir in the coconut milk and prawns, cook for a couple of minutes, then stir in the spinach and cook until wilted.
9. Scatter over the coriander leaves, then serve with poppadom’s and rice, if you like

 

 

August 2021

We are delighted to announce that we have extended our café serving hours to 11.00 am-2.30 pm. This means that you can once again treat yourself to a delicious barista coffee and a slice of homemade cake whilst you are hot-desking or having an informal morning meeting in the Conservatory.

We have been enjoying some lovely sunny days recently which has been perfect timing for us to introduce our new ice cream freezer from Marshfield Farm. We now sell a variety of ice creams, sorbets, and ice pops, in a selection of scrumptious flavours!

And for all you coffee lovers on site, we now offer iced lattes too, perfect to help you cool down on a hot summer’s day. You can choose a standard iced latte or for those with a sweet tooth, you can add a shot of vanilla or caramel syrup!

If you are looking for a great additional use for a vegetable that will be in abundance in gardens this month, then why not try out our Lime and Courgette cake recipe? This loaf is nice and moist with a tasty creamy topping, delicious with a cup of tea.

Lime and Courgette Cake

Ingredients

•  175 g Caster sugar
•  175 ml Sunflower oil
•  3 Free range eggs
•  150 g Courgettes
•  2 Limes Zest only
•  175 g Self raising flour
•  1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
•  2 tsp Ground cinnamon

 

For the icing: 

•  150 g Mascarpone cheese
•  150 g Icing sugar
•  1 Lime Juice only

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Mix the sugar, oil and eggs until well beaten.
3. Squeeze out as much of the liquid in the courgettes as you can, and then stir them into your mixture
4. Stir in lime zest, self raising flour, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon. Stir until totally combined.
5. Pour into a lined and greased loaf tin and bake for 45 – 60 minutes until cooked through and a skewer comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool and remove from the tin.
7. Meanwhile make the icing by very gently combining the mascarpone with sieved icing sugar and lime juice. Pop into the fridge until the cake is totally cold.
8. Smooth the icing over the top of the cake and sprinkle on some lime zest for decoration.

 

June 2021

With the warmer days and lighter evenings, is there anything better than enjoying an alfresco supper with a refreshing glass of wine?

This easy-to-prepare Roasted Tomato & Onion salad, makes a lovely addition to any meal, we recommend serving with chicken breast or as a side dish for a tapas evening.

 

Roasted Tomato & Onion Salad

 

Now for a savoury dish, I have gone for a recipe that makes a lovely addition to a meal, as a side dish or on a tapas evening. It is a roasted tomato and onion recipe which I feel also goes well with chicken.

 

 

Ingredients

• 350g cherry tomatoes
• 2 red onions (each into 8 wedges)
• 3/4tsp cumin seed
• ½ tsp light brown sugar
• drizzle of olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 lemon (finely shave the skin of ½ to get 3 strips and finely grate the other ½ to get 1 tsp zest)
• fresh thyme
• fresh oregano
• 350g extra thick Greek yogurt
• 2 tsp Harissa paste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.
2. Place the tomatoes & onions in a mixing bowl with the olive oil, cumin seeds, sugar, garlic, thyme, oregano sprigs, lemon strips, ½ teaspoon of flaked salt and a good grind of pepper. Mix to combine, then transfer to a baking tray just large enough to fit all the tomatoes & onions together snugly. Roast for 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are beginning to blister and the liquid is bubbling. Turn the oven to the grill setting and grill for 6–8 minutes, until the tomatoes & onions start to blacken on top.
3. While the tomatoes & onions are roasting, combine the yoghurt with the harissa, the grated lemon zest and ¼ teaspoon of flaked salt. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
4. Once the tomatoes are ready, spread the chilled yoghurt on a platter (with a lip) or in a wide, shallow bowl, creating a dip in it with the back of a spoon. Spoon over the hot tomatoes, along with their juices, lemon skin, garlic and herbs, and finish with the picked oregano. Serve at once, with some bread.

January 2021

I think we can all safely say that we made our fair share of banana bread during lockdown part 1, and if you are in need of a simple twist on this classic, then look no further. This yummy upgrade will be a welcome treat for your afternoon pick me up.

Come and try out this Banana, Chocolate & Pecan Loaf recipe!

 

Banana, Chocolate & Pecan Loaf Recipe

Ingredients

-200g softened butter or spread

-200g caster sugar

-3 large eggs, beaten

-200g self-raising flour

-1 tsp baking powder

-3 very ripe bananas, mashed

-A handful of chocolate chips (milk, or dark)

-A handful of pecans (chopped)

 

Method

-Heat oven to 180c

-Grease and line your loaf tin

-Cream together your butter and sugar

-Slowly add your beaten eggs, baking powder and flour

-Add in your mashed banana (you can always use a stick blender to mash them into more of a puree form, so you don’t get chunks of banana if you prefer)

-In a separate bowl, roll your pecans and choc chips in some flour (this helps them to not fall to the bottom of the cake) then add to the mixture

-Add to your greased loaf tin and bake for about an hour (or until a skewer comes out clean)

-Once cooled you can decorate with melted chocolate and dried banana chips if you fancy it!

 

November 2020

As we make our way into the winter months, the dark evenings and the frosty mornings, what better way to finish the day than with a bowl of something hearty and comforting!

Our café manager Hayley has a wonderful slow cooker recipe to share with you, perfect to leave cooking all day, ready to eat on your arrival home…

“At this time of year, we seem to be over-run with apples, so here is a really simple recipe where apples are a great addition.” She said. “Team this Pork, apple and cider casserole with creamy mash and serve with seasonal vegetables.”

 

Pork Apple & Cider Recipe (serves 4)

Ingredients

4 pork chops

3 apples

2 onions sliced

2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard

500ml cider (or stock if you prefer)

Fresh or dried sage

Cornflour

 

Method

1. Layer the onion, then apple, then chops into the slow cooker, sprinkling chopped sage in between each layer and on top.
2. Add the mustard to the cider or stock and mix. Pour the liquid over to cover the ingredients
3. Cook on low for 8 hours, thicken with cornflour if required, then serve.

 

July 2020

We’re so pleased to say that we’re back up and running, albeit a little bit differently for the time being. A thank you to all our customers for the ongoing support in what has been a hard time.

If like myself, you decided to get a bit green-fingered, with spare time at home over lockdown, then I’ve created a few recipes that include produce likely found in the garden at this time of year.

Firstly we have three salads that I think are nice side dishes to a meal, both would go well on the table at a summer bbq!

The first is a roast carrot salad, with a sweet touch from the honey and a kick from the harissa.

 

Roasted Harissa Carrot Salad

Ingredients

• 800g Carrots (Long baby carrots are best)
• 2tsp ground cumin or cumin seeds
• 2tsp honey
• 2tsp rose harissa
• 2tsp lemon juice
• 1tbsp olive oil
• Coriander roughly chopped

 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220c
2. Peel and cut carrots into battons
3. In a bowl mix together cumin, honey, harissa and olive oil
4. Toss the carrots in the sauce mixture then place on a lined baking tray
5. Season, and then cook for about 15 minutes so that the carrots still have a bite to them.
6. Leave to cool, then add the lemon juice, coriander and serve!

 

Next up is something that you may be growing in abundance at the moment, courgettes! This is a recipe using raw courgette, so it doesn’t take too long to prepare, and naturally pairs with many fresh herbs found in the garden.

 

Balsamic Courgette Salad

Ingredients

• 3 courgettes (is you can get different colours great)
• 50ml balsamic vinegar
• 1 lemon
• 100g Parmesan
• 100ml olive oil
• 50g pine nuts (toasted)
• Fresh mint

 

 

Method 

1. Using a peeler slice your courgette lengthways into strips, place in a colander, sprinkle over salt and leave to drain (pat with kitchen paper to ensure no excess water) for 10 minutes
2. Make up your dressing in a separate bowl, combining olive oil, balsamic, the zest and juice of the lemon. Season to taste.
3. Arrange your courgette strips in a bowl, top with dressing. The finish with Parmesan, toasted pine nuts and chopped mint
4. This next recipe is more of the main salad dish. One perfect for a summer day with lots of colours and taste.
5. It teams roasted beetroot with a mustard and orange dressing. The beetroot can even be roasted with the skins on to save time and red hands!

 

Roasted Beetroot, Feta & Walnut Salad

Ingredients

• 2 medium beetroot
• 90g feta
• 30g walnut halves
• 100g Salad leaves
• 2 medium oranges
• Olive oil
• 1tsp Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper

 

Method 

1.  Wash the beetroot, then cut into segments and place in a roasting tin. Drizzle with oil, Season and roast for about 30 minutes at 200c until the beetroot still has a bit of bite.
2. To make a orange mustard dressing whisk the juice and zest of an orange with the Dijon mustard. Add 4tbsp of olive oil, season and whisk until all combined.
3. To arrange the salad, place your leaves into the bowl then add your beetroot, crumble feta over, place segments of orange onto it and scatter over with walnuts.

 

ENJOY!

 

 

March 2020

Hello everyone, it’s Hayley, Heywood House Conservatory Café’s Cook here. While we would love to still be serving you our lunches, cakes, teas and coffees indoors, sadly the state of affairs at the moment means you’ll have to wait a bit longer until we see you back in the café.

But not being open doesn’t mean we are twiddling our thumbs. There is still plenty of planning going on as we can work on ideas for how we can keep improving our menu and provide dishes that our members have suggested.

Please remember to add to our suggestion box in the café or equally have a chat with one of the team if there’s anything you would like to see on our menu that isn’t already there. We will do our best to accommodate your wishes if possible. The suggestion box is on the window seat by the door.

Some members have told us they’d love to see smoothies on the menu so we have been mulling over some tasty ideas behind the scenes and hope to introduce some really mouth-watering smoothies you this summer.

With that in mind, and while we’re unable to serve you in person, I’ve come up with this get up and go’ smoothie recipe below for you to try out. Let me know what you think and maybe even post a picture of yours and tag us in at @heywood_house_cafe on Instagram?

Many of us are working from home at the moment so there’s an opportunity to get in the kitchen and create some homemade dishes for the family. With this in mind, I’ve also added a delicious soup recipe you might like to try at home. You may currently find these on our menu or we may be doing them soon.

We hope you are all staying safe and well and we look forward to seeing you again soon in the café here at Heywood House when we’re all back up and running.

 

The café team.

 

1. Get up and go smoothie

This is a perfect start to the day with fresh fruit and ginger to combat any colds and to give you a boost of energy. Want to make it even more filling? Try adding 1/4 of a cup of oats to keep you fuller for longer.

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 a cup of fresh blueberries

1/2 a cup of fresh orange juice

2tsp chopped and peeled fresh ginger

1/2 cup low fat yogurt

2 ice cubes

 

Method:

Combine all of the above in the blender until at the desired consistency

 

2. Butternut squash, chilli and crème fraiche soup

This is a lovely warming soup, with heat from the chilli whilst the crème fraiche adds a creamy taste, without as many of those dreaded calories. If you’re not a fan of spice then take out the chillies, it’s still just as delicious.

Ingredients

1 butternut squash (chopped into large cubes)

2 onions (diced)

1 garlic clove (thinly sliced)

2 mild chillies (deseeded and finely chopped)

850ml vegetable stock

4tbsp crème fraiche

 

Method

• Heat oven to 200c
• Peel and deseed the butternut squash, then cut into cubes and roast for about 30 minutes in a large tin with a tablespoon of oil until soft
• Whilst the squash is cooking, melt a tablespoon of butter into a large saucepan and add 2 diced onions, 1 thinly sliced garlic clove and the chopped chillies.
• Cover and cook on a low heat until the onions are soft
• Add your roasted butternut squash into the saucepan, add your vegetable stock and crème fraiche then blend with a stick blender or liquidizer.
• Season to taste, you can also decorate with more crème fraiche and chopped chillies to serve if you wish.

 

If you would like more information on how to join the exceptional work environment here at Heywood House, when we are all back up and running, then come and find out about our different memberships

 

Or if you would like to chat to us about holding an event or meeting with delicious in house catering by the Conservatory cafe then come and find out more here.

landlord@heywoodhouse.com

01373 486800