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Thursday 29 October 2015

Curry Week!

Hello guys! Finally we got here to the next post! To say that it has been a tiny bit dramatic in recent weeks would be a mild understatement but hey, that is life!

Let me first say sorry for the wait but due to technical issues with my mac which just decided to stop working all of a sudden, the long awaited curry week post was delayed but it is finally here!


Anyway shall we crack on and let me tell you all about one of life's finer pleasures? Ok then lets roll out!

A few weeks ago I was give the chance to review some curries that were being produced by a British company called Look What We Found. Straight away they had my attention as being a massive foody, and curries being up there with some of the greatest foods out there, I felt I had to get on board with what these guys were offering. Basically after a heavy summer of far too much ale (there is such a thing), I have been on a bit of a health kick and trying to lose a few pounds so that my BMI was no longer pie. I had a look at what was on offer and was pleasantly surprised by what was being offered. Firstly let me say that I am a great supporter of local produce and also food sourced in the UK as I think that there are many hard working people out there that are often overlooked when it comes to business opportunities that are outsourced abroad (political rant over), so when I saw that all produce was sourced locally it was already ticking boxes for me. Secondly, the meals were looking very healthy and fitted right in with my current get fit or die trying mentality. Second box ticked. Thirdly was the convenience of the meals. I started curry week in a new job so knew that time was something I would be short off so the quicker I could get some food down me the better, I tend to get hangry very quickly, and again, ready in two minutes worked for me. Box 3 ticked.
So taking into account all of the above it looked like I was on for a winner with three delicious curries to try, Korma, Chicken Tikka and Red Thai.

I wanted each of the curries to have some thing different added to them from myself, whether that be replacing an ingredient with something else of my choice or simply a drink to go with it, I wanted to do it my way!


First up was the Korma.

At first taste I was pleasantly surprised as a Korma isn't something that I would ever really order when eating curry, but after this, my perceptions have changed massively about the dish.Yes it is not the hottest option on the menu and yes some curry snobs may look at you with disgust if you order one, but honestly, this was bloody delicious! I decided to add vegetables instead of rice for this meal due to my health kick, and yeah it really worked. With every mouthful it just got tastier and tastier, there were some really good creamy flavours coming through, and when it was all gone, well it left me wanting more! The chicken in the dish tasted lovely and you could tell this was good meat that wasn't pumped with water like most high street chicken these days.



Curry number one had passed with flying colours and had changed my perception from now on!


Secondly was the good old Anglo\Indian dish of Chicken Tikka, We all know it, we more than likely have all had one at some point, and it is a true English Classic.

To go with such an established recipe, I decided that none other than classic sides were good enough for this meal and selected some onion Bhaji's and Samosas to accompany the dish along with some wholegrain rice (cant forget that health kick).

Meal prepped after a long day at work, I sat down and got stuck in.

A chicken tikka is so well established within the UK that when you don't get it right, people know instantly, but on this occasion that was not the case. It tasted just how a Tikka should taste. Warm with a light yet pungent spice that you can really taste and once each mouthful is gone, all you want is more and especially when you are getting theses flavours at the same time as Bhaji and Samosa.
If you took this taste and this taste alone as the one to represent curries in the UK, you would of not of failed at finding a winner. The entire meal was lovely and really settled me in for a night of relaxing on the couch with a full stomach after a long day.
In a nutshell, the British classic has been well and truly represented with this meal.

Third up was the for what me personally is my favourite kind of curry. Thai Red.
I eat this dish a lot as I find that Thai curries for me personally are a favourite and one that will always be on my hit list if on a menu so the dish had a lotto live up to.

I was heading out on a friday night so obviously this needed to be eaten with none other than a decent beer and what else could I pick but a great Thai beer that is Singha. As well as the beer I grabbed some Uncle Bens rice as I just wanted the ease of it and I had just finished in the gym so worked for me!

I put the whole dish together in under 5 minutes and they say you leave the best for last, ad right they were.

The taste of this curry was unreal, I have eaten my fair share of Red Thai curries in my time and this was up there, and to know it had come from a bag, in the microwave, hats off guys, you have nailed this one in a big way. I cracked open the beer and tucked in, and pure and simply it was epic. Lovely spice to the dish that left your mouth watering in a good way, and if you had served me this in a restaurant, I would of been more than happy. Its a fragrant and saucy dish so make sure you have your rice or something else to soak it all up because you wont want to waste a drop I promise you. This was just what I needed before a night out with the lads and as the nights get colder and darker, this will give you a cheeky hug from the inside with its warmth and flavour.


The guys at Look What We Found have well and truly set the bar at a new level for food that is tasty, quick, convenient and above all healthy. They quite clearly are on too something here and have won me over as a new fan.


Curry week was a success and was deliciously appreciate by myself and I cant wait to try more!

Hope you enjoy guys!



Sunday 4 October 2015

Dead Guy Ale by Rogue Ales Review

Right then lets get this blog finally in motion!



I hope you have all had a great weekend whatever you have been up to, whether you have been raving or behaving, at some point a beer may have gone down range so thankfully I am on hand to offer a little point in the right direction towards finding a lovely little brew I have discovered in Bury St Edmunds here in the UK.

After walking down some small side streets I stumbled across a little place called Beautiful Beers that specialises in mainly European beers of the Belgian/Dutch areas but others can be found from as wide as the USA. Its is a lovely little store and from talking to the guy who runs the place, he has been open about 4 years and really knows his stuff, so if you are in that area, it is definitely worth a visit, I promise you wont be disappointed.

Any way after managing to control myself and clear up the dribble off my top from the sheer amount of options, I started to look around the store and was greeted my man heaven, beers from all over the world in so many shapes and sizes and to say I was overwhelmed by choice, well that would be an understatement.

I was struggling to choose which ones to bring home but after much deliberation, I saw this one bottle just staring back at me. This bottle was Dead Guy Ale, made by the guys at Rogue Ales in Oregon in the states.



I saved this bottle especially for my first post on here as I felt it was a great opener and one that I have never really drank before. A new taste for a new direction in what I am up to in life.


Dead Guy Ale is a German Maibock brew, brewed using a Pacman yeast.
It has a lovely deep colour when poured, very reminiscent of a honey colour, and on first impressions when tasted, it packs some flavoursome punches.
It is a very rich flavour and one that maybe for some would put them off, but then after a few more mouthfuls, you can really start to feel yourself enjoying it more and more.

I would say that to thoroughly enjoy this to its full effectiveness, pair it with a good spicy dish with plenty of meat, and to confirm this with you readers, I had this with some chorizo sausage as a little treat and what a combination!

This is definitely a brew for those cooler nights, not light enough for those sun kissed evenings where your lighter brews would feel more at home, but without doubt a beautifully toasty drink that will warm the soul on a cooler night.


To accompany the great deep taste of this drink, there is some awesome artwork on the label and one that certainly catches the eye, and topped with a smart bottle cap because I am a bit of a geek when it comes to that sort of stuff which you can see in the pictures.




Rogue Ales have really hit the nail on the head with this one and I’m ashamed to say that I have not found these guys earlier, but from this point on, they have won me over as a new fan, and I shall be trying to get my hands on as many of there brews as I can. They have more than just ale too, with products in both cider and spirits so if this tickles your pickle then these guys may be right up your street.

If you would like to check both where I bought the drink from and the guys who made it, here are the links for you all.

Let me know what you guys think and if there are any other beers out there you think I should check out, let me know, I’ll be more than happy to try them!