Lunching at Five Houses, Crathorne

I’ve been a bit of a stranger to the food scene here in Teesside. Christmas really takes a toll on the number of times you’re able to go out for food in the New Year with a lack of funds and an overstretched waistline. Also, January was the first attempt at Veganuary for me, so we didn’t venture out much for food. When February rolled in, we were eager to get out.

I’m a lover of shopping local and getting package-free wherever possible. I pop to Stokesley every Saturday to get my fruit and vegetables from the friendly greengrocers all without plastic. So whenever I hear about a new farmers market or farm shop, I want to visit. 

One that’s been around for a few months now that I haven’t yet been able to visit is Five Houses in Crathorne. Opened by the brains behind Kitson and Sons Butchers, Five Houses hosts a shop filled with fruit and vegetables, fresh pies and plenty of quality meat. On top of all this, they have a wonderful cafe where they use all their produce to make some delicious meals.

I wanted to write this post after my first visit with Matt, but a week on and I still hadn’t put fingers to keys... and then I went again. This time with my Mum, Sister and Nephew. If anything, I think this means I have more of a solid view on this local cafe.

Each time I visited was on a Saturday and on both occasions it was pleasantly busy. We were found a seat in quick time as the turnover of visitors was pretty speedy. To place an order, rather than having people to take your order at the table, you have to go up to the counter which is filled with attractive, tempting cakes. The menu has some classic English favourites, changing specials and numerous alternative dishes for meat eaters and veggies to enjoy.

On my first visit, I chose the steak pie which was the best decision. Although we were waiting 40 minutes for our food on this occasion, which was a disappointment, the pie made up for it and made me forget all about our wait. The meat was just perfect and the pasty was wonderfully crispy.

Matt chose the steak sandwich which I then had on my second trip. The meat again was lovely and tender, and there was a lot of it. The only downside of this sandwich for me is the caramelised onions made it a little too sweet for me but the salty chips and salad were a good compliment to this.

The staff were very accommodating to other requests such as change of sides and making special sandwiches for toddlers. The cafe is very relaxed and at no point do you feel rushed to let other guests in. It's a lovely place to go for a meal with your family as well as a great venue for a catch up with friends for breakfast or lunch.

I really enjoyed visiting Five Houses and would go back in a flash. If you are going there, I recommend getting a pie. Even if you take one away, you have to have one! I've now had three in two weeks, let's not talk about it, shall we. I will refrain from going back this weekend...

Trying out the latest cut at Tomahawk Steakhouse, Potto

If you're from in and around Teesside you will have heard of the new restaurant in town, Tomahawk Steakhouse. What used to be The Dog and Gun in Potto has now been taken over and transformed into a modern, trendy steakhouse specialising in meat. Established by the people behind the Lotus Lounge, Tomahawk has now been open for seven months, so I thought it was about time I tried it out.

Organised by my fellow food-lover Rachel, we decided to go for the Early-Bird Menu which was fantastic value for money. I went for two courses at £13.50 whilst Rachel opted for all three at £15.95.

On arrival into the car park, we were greeted by two life-sized fake cows which confirmed to us that we were in the right place. The layout of the restaurant is very much the same as it was when it was The Dog and Gun but it seems much more modern with lots of clean colours and wooden furniture.

After a quick browse at the menu, it was time to order. Rachel chose the Salt and Pepper Squid to start which she thoroughly enjoyed. For our main course and dessert, we happened upon the same options; 8oz 28-day Himalayan salt dry-aged rump steak followed by Vanilla Creme Brûlée.

Although I'm not a fan of pink meat, I decided to have my steak cooked medium as the past few times that I've gone for medium to well, I haven't enjoyed it. When it came it was pretty pink in the middle but it tasted great. The steak was really flavourful and I paired it with a Diane sauce which was very rich. The chips and salad that accompanied it were perfect too.

Next up was dessert and having only had Creme Brûlée once before so I'm not able to tell what's a good one and what isn't, but this was pretty tasty. The little shortbread biscuit that came with it was good for breaking through the sickly sweet topping.

Overall I had a really great time at Tomahawk. The interior is elegant, the staff are very friendly and the food is really fantastic quality and full of flavour. If you're looking for a new spot to try in the North East, this should definitely be on your list.

Birthday walks at along the Cleveland Way

For every birthday that I have, I've always got to make sure I'm doing something on the day. I understand that as some people get older, they start to be more lax about their birthday, even working on their special day. I really enjoy planning something fun and different to do on the day. As my birthday falls in August, a lot of the activities I've done of the years have been outdoors such as strawberry picking and exploring Florence.

This year, with our newly purchased walking boots in tow, I decided we'd brave the English coast for a walk along The Cleveland Way. Reading that along the Boulby Cliff & Staithes trail you can be at the highest and lowest point of the East coast of England, we thought this would be a perfect route to try.

Starting at Staithes top car park, we ventured down into the Harbour which was adorably quaint. I wished we could have stayed for fish and chips and took in the views. Alas, we kept walking uphill and then along the coast taking in the breathtaking North Sea and to our left, Boulby Mine.

We walked as far as we could before the trail started to take us further up. It was a hefty climb but when we reached the top it was pretty epic. The view of the North Sea, coupled with the colourful flowers and historic landscape was stunning. Although it was super windy, we stayed here for a while taking lots of photos and a few cheeky selfies.

As we went to explore the next part of our route, this is where we went a little wrong with the map. Only new to this walking malarky, our map reading skills aren't the best and we managed to walk our way through someone's farm. When we'd finally escaped the squealing pigs and eerie silence of the farm (which felt like something out of a horror film), we tried to get ourselves back on track, which we eventually did. 

Chuffed with how we managed to get ourselves back on the route, we finished up the walk in no time taking in more farmland, seeing the Boulby Mine from another angle and walking through forest area inhabited by hundreds of birds. Seriously, we came into an opening and approximately 200 birds all scattered to the edges of the wood, darting through the grass. Very surreal. We finally trekked up the road and back to the car park only minutes before our parking was up. A very satisfying feeling.

After completing this walk, I'm looking forward to trying out a few other routes along the Cleveland Way. Have you been on any good walks lately?

Sampling Thai food in Stokesley - Y'Thai Restaurant Review

Since first trying Thai food in Dublin I've grown very fond of it and have really wanted to eat more of it. Around Middlesbrough, there aren't many known Thai restaurants, but one that I have heard of is Y'Thai in Stokesley. Stokesley is a cute little town, around 10 minutes from my house, which has a high street very similar to Yarm with lots of cobbled streets. In terms of food places, Stokesley is quite undiscovered for me. 

When Christmas comes around its a time to meet up with friends and catch up over food. This provides a chance for me to try out lots of new places that have been on my list for a while. I'd been dying to go to Y'Thai so I was glad when my friend was up for a visit.

Although I always want to go for Thai food, I'm not that adventurous. I love vegetables and chicken, but I won't do pork or seafood and get funny about beef in restaurants, so it reduces my choices on the menu. For starters, I chose a classic, Thai vegetable spring rolls. These were lovely and served with a sweet chilli sauce which was quite hot! My friend picked Dim Sum with hot soy and chilli, a favourite of hers. They came very well presented with a lovely little side salad.

For my main meal, I chose Kai Pad Nam Mun Hoy, which was fried chicken with vegetables and oyster sauce. If I'm honest it wasn't very special in what it was, you could probably easily make it at home, but it was very delicious and I ate it all up. Rachel chose Pad Thai Pork, as an alternative to her usual chicken, which included noodles with egg, beansprouts, ground peanuts and vegetables.

After we pursued the dessert menu but felt that we were too full for dessert although there was a nice little selection to pick from. Overall it was a lovely visit. The restaurant is in a great location with good parking, its quite big and spacious and they provide great service. I'll definitely be back to sample more of the menu and next time I might be a bit more adventurous.

Jamie's Italian Restaurant Review - Harrogate

During the Christmas holidays, myself and a friend decided to take a shopping trip to Harrogate. I think the town is very underrated in what it has to offer. It has shops such as Space NK, Jo Malone, Lakeland (my personal fave) and Whistles as well as all the usual suspects like Topshop and Primark! Definitely recommend visiting if you need a shopping destination as there is also a Betty's Tea Room for when you need a tea and cake break.

Before going I remembered that there was a Jamie's Italian in Harrogate and since I hadn't been to one before I fancied visiting for our lunch. When we arrived there was a waiting time of 20 minutes but the lady was more than happy to put our name down whilst we started shopping. We came back shortly after and were seated straight away.

The decor of the restaurant is very rustic, industrial and back to basics. There was lots of wood, exposed brick and also lots of hanging meat (which I assume was fake?).

As it was Christmas, I treated myself to a peach Bellini and ordered porcini fettuccine which was wild mushrooms, mascarpone, garlic, white wine, lemony gremolata, Parmesan & herby breadcrumbs. I also asked for a portion of polenta chips as I'd never tried them before. All the food was absolutely gorgeous and I was stuffed by the end. So many carbs.

If you have the chance to visit Jamie's Italian in any of its many locations I'd say do it! The food is of good quality and there is lots of choice.

Have you been before? What did you think?