FOOD & DRINK

Grilled miso mushroom and grain salad

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp Benecol Buttery Taste spread 11⁄2 tbsp white miso paste 2 tsp clear honey 2 cloves garlic, crushed 4 large portabella mushrooms, cleaned and any thicker stalks trimmed 1 tsp toasted sesame oil 1 tbsp rice vinegar 1 small leek, finely sliced 250g pouch ready-cooked spelt, quinoa, red rice and wild rice 1 tsp sesame seeds 1 carrot, peeled and julienned or coarsely grated 100g radishes, finely sliced 1 small avocado, chopped

Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Serves: 2

METHOD

1. Preheat the grill to high. In a small bowl, mix 1 tbsp spread with ½ tbsp miso paste, 1 tsp honey and the garlic. Arrange the mushrooms on a foil-lined tray and brush all over with the mixture; season and set aside. Mix the remaining 1 tbsp miso paste, 1 tsp honey, sesame oil, rice vinegar and 1 tsp water to make a dressing; set aside. 2. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp spread in a saucepan and gently fry the leek with a pinch of salt for 5-6 minutes until soft. Add the grain mix and cook for 1 minute. Tip into a bowl and set aside. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan for a few moments till golden, then tip into a bowl and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, grill the mushrooms for 4 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Toss the grains with the carrot, radishes and avocado and divide between plates. Top with the mushrooms (spooning over any juices), then spoon over the dressing and scatter with sesame seeds to serve.

COOK’S TIP

Any grain would work well in this salad. Try wild rice or quinoa instead of the grain mix if you prefer.

On your marks… Pancake parlour reveals its recipe for success

It is home to the oldest – and the best – Pancake Race in the world. So it seems only right that Olney should be home to the best coffee business and café in Milton Keynes. This year’s race is due to take place, as usual, on Shrove Tuesday (March 1). And Olney Pancake Parlour will be ‘flipping’ ready.

Sisters Gillian and Jennifer Donaldson, who manage the Olney Pancake Parlour, are pictured with kitchen manager Faye Hynes as they received the award for the Best Coffee Business/Café at the glittering Milton Keynes Food & Drink Awards 2021 in November which acclaimed the cream of the local food, drink and hospitality sector.

They put their success down to three factors: Great service. Great food. Great teamwork.

Gillian’s and Jennifer’s dad Barry, who with wife Sandra supports the girls behind the scenes, is delighted that the award is the result of a ‘secret shopper’ judging process. “It verifies the focus that we are giving to the service and the food,” he says. “It is a proper award and really worth shouting about.”

Olney Pancake Parlour lies within a grade II listed building in Market Place. It dates back to 1651 and has been home to a bakery, florist, Chinese restaurant and the café Beans until the Donaldsons took over the building in 2016.

The Olney Pancake Parlour has been a long-standing dream of the family. They have lived in Olney since 1995 and are well aware of the important link between the town and pancakes. There was a gap, they say, for a pancake destination and a stunning mural of the 1948 Pancake Race is a centrepiece of the café, highlighting its importance to the town.

The family converted the building into separate areas: the parlour itself, furnished with booths, and a snug area popular with grandparents, parents and children alike. “Parents bring their kids in and kids bring their parents in,” says Barry. “Everyone loves a pancake.”

Business was doing well until the pandemic struck. “We’d made a profit and we hoped we had sussed it,” he says. “We were looking onwards and upwards but now we have had to adapt to a changing world.”

When the café reopened in between lockdowns, its opening hours reduced from 8am-5pm to 10am-3pm every day. “We cut our hours, we reduced our menu because we had to in order to focus on the quality and we introduced table service. But that proved to be a winner because it means that we are receiving gratuities from customers, which means our service is what they want. It has changed the business.”

Tastes have changed too during the six years since the Olney Pancake Parlour opened. “Gluten free has become more relevant since we opened and more people are choosing a vegan lifestyle so we have more of those options and dishes on the menu,” says Barry. “It is Veganuary this month and we think our menu will satisfy all requirements.”

As the post-pandemic recovery continues, Barry, his daughters and staff have a clear plan to keep Olney townsfolk and visitors fed and watered. “These are changing times but we will move with those times, listen to our customers, continue to deliver great food and service and embrace the town,” he says.

Sisters Jennifer (left) and Gillian Donaldson receive their MK Food & Drink Award for Best Coffee Business/Café. Also pictured is kitchen manager Faye Hynes (right).

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Pulse food writer Emma Norris enjoys a taste of sunny Spain at Casa De Tapas in Towcester.

Irecently discovered a real Latin-inspired gem – Casa De Tapas is a family-run restaurant located in the heart of Towcester. They serve authentic tapas in a historic, listed building along Watling Street in the centre of town. José – the tapas chef – originates from Seville, Spain and has previously owned successful restaurants in both the Canary and Balearic Islands and he, along with Company Director Katrina and chef Csabar, creates authentic and creative tapas dishes that taste (and look!) incredibly appetising.

According to their website, the team at Casa De Tapas pride themselves on their collaborative efforts and consistently high standards when it comes to both the food and hospitality their guests receive, which is something I can absolutely vouch for. As a domestically-run restaurant, those behind Casa de Tapas recognise the importance of homegrown, independent and family businesses, hence why they source as many ingredients as they can from local suppliers, in addition to their authentic Spanish ingredients obtained from overseas.

My visit to Casa de Tapas was mid-week and at lunchtime, which meant I was able to take full advantage of their £10 Tapas Lunch Board deal (available Monday to Friday, from noon until 5pm.) The restaurant also boasts other offers, such as 3 for 2 Tuesdays (where all menu items – food and drink alike – are 3 for the price of 2 all day) and Paella Wednesdays (where you can

House of Spain

buy your choice of paella for two people, plus a bottle of wine of jug of sangria for £25.)

With the Tapas Lunch deal, you’re able to pick 3 dishes from a vast array of choices. We were hungry (what’s new!) and opted to choose 3 boards at £30 in total, as it was far too difficult to narrow it down to just 6 dishes! While we were choosing our dishes, one of the staff members overheard our conversation about sangria and, as my guest wasn’t a fan of red wine, offered to adapt their menu and make a jug of white sangria (£15) which was absolutely delicious and a complete overhaul from my traditional view of the red wine punch.

While we waited, we opted to start with the Bread Board at a very respectable £3.95 and, my gosh, we weren’t disappointed. The fresh, warm bread (from Whittlebury bakery) was served with lashings of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and was deliciously charred, perfect for dipping.

Now on to the main event! After a long process of decision-making, the tapas dishes we ordered arrived and all absolutely delivered. Our favourites were definitely the Spider Crab and Saffron Croquetas (rich and delicious spheres of joy!) the Chiperones (crispy baby calamari lightly floured and fried,) the Pork Belly braised in cider (succulent bite-sized chunks, sourced locally from the butchers in Greens Norton,) the Pimientos de Padron (fried and crusted with sea salt), and the Berejena Frita (my top dish – beer-battered aubergine chips drizzled in honey.) This isn’t however to say our other choices – Mini Chorizo Seco, Iberico Jamon Croquetas, Albondigas and Patatas Bravas – weren’t incredibly delicious too! Although stuffed, we completed our decadent lunchtime blowout with traditional Churros Con Chocolate at £5.95 – fried churros, sugar-coated and served with an authentic Spanish chocolate dipping sauce.

Be sure to pop in and visit Casa de Tapas if you fancy a taste of the Mediterranean – but just a little closer to home.

The Tapas selection enjoyed by Emma (main image), the bread board (above) and Churros Con Chocolate (inset, left)

Casa De Tapas www.casadetapas.co Tel: 01327 352051

> If you would like your restaurant reviewed get in touch nnpulse@pulsegroupmedia.co.uk