Eating Away: The Swan, Forest Row (East Sussex Nr East Grinstead)

Celebrating my birthday with my boyfriend and brother

Forest Row is a quiet, picturesque village just outside East Grinstead in the Sussex countryside (for clarity East Grinstead is in West Sussex and Forest Row is in East Sussex – these places are on the county borders). Locally it has a reputation for being full of hippies, but it is friendly and welcoming (and I didn’t notice anyone smelling funky). There are two pubs and a cafe on the main high street which is small and often used as a through road. Forest Row is somewhere you pass through on the way to somewhere but if you have the time it’s not a bad place to stop for something to eat (of course!). It was my birthday in early February (happy birthday to me!) and I came home for the weekend to celebrate with my family so we went out for a meal. After a lot of deliberating we decided on the Swan in Forest Row and what a marvellous decision...

The Grazer

The Swan is part of a company called Mountain Range Restaurants, who have three restaurants in the South East, one in Forest Row, one in West Wickham (South London) and one in Findon (Near Worthing) all with a ski lodge/alpine style. What attracted me to this restaurant was the hot rocks that they offer as a main. If you don’t know what a hot rock it is basically a square rock which is really hot (as in “don’t touch that you’ll burn yourself!” hot) so you can cook your food on it. Options include fillet steak, bison steak, lamb, pork or halloumi, or you can go for a selection of meats. They come with a selection of dips and you can choose your own rub. 

Hot Rocks

After a sharing starter called “the Grazer” which included (to list some of the ingredients) some incredible hot smoked salmon, sweet grilled vegetables and warm ciabatta bread, I had the selection hot rock. It includes sliced pieces of pork, lamb and beef steak. Normally I’m not a huge fan of lamb, it can be really fatty and chewy but this lamb was excellent. It was so easy to eat. The pork and beef were also really tasty. The manager ordered us a selection of dips as the whole table was having hot rocks and this meant that garlic mayonnaise was flying one way while the BBQ sauce was hiding behind my brother’s wine glass and I was hogging the teriyaki sauce. It was really good fun cooking your own food.

trio of desserts

For dessert I had the trio of desserts because why not have three if you can? It came with a waffle, a brownie and a mini banoffee pie. They were all really tasty, I particularly liked the banoffee pie, how can you go wrong with banana, toffee and cream? It was just the right size after the huge main, especially as I’m the type of person who cannot leave without dessert. 

birthday fizz!

I really enjoyed the meal and the atmosphere was amazing. When the manager found out it was my birthday he brought glasses of sparkling rose to our table which really made us feel special. It was a lovely evening filled with good food, good wine and good company, that makes an evening right? 

A wonderful place I would definitely recommend to anyone!

My Top Places to Lunch in Sheffield: Bloo 88, West Street

This is another spot in the studenty world of West Street but I think Bloo 88 really deserves a mention on my blog. It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, mostly because I’m a student and deadlines and exams do actually take over my life but that’s not what my blog is about... Anyway I’m back and I’m going to try to

Pizza is so good

keep posting as often as I can.

An affordable, tasty and convenient lunch is what every student wants and Bloo 88 can cater for that. Surrounded by student bars like the Cavendish and West Street Live, Bloo 88 needs something to attract people over their neighbours and competition. They have that covered with a cocktail happy hour every day Monday to Friday and two for one pizza all day it’s perfect if you want somewhere to go for drinks after that horrible lecture that ends at 5.50pm (why did they do that to us?) or somewhere to meet up with friends for lunch.

When you are a student there is the continual temptation of cheap junk food, it’s easy it’s convenient and damn it even though it goes straight to my thighs it tastes so good. Yet when you think about that greasy pizza from [insert your cheap takeaway’s name here] is it really that good? Especially when you think of what actually goes into it? 

That is not the kind of pizza you will get in Bloo 88, it’s fresh and tasty and not greasy at all. I would even go so far to say it’s better than Pizza Express (and I love Pizza Express) because a lot of care is put into the pizzas. 

 

Greek Salad

I went with two friends and we ordered two pizzas and a Greek salad and they were all big and fresh. The Greek salad was covered in crumbly feta and there were plenty of juicy black olives (my favourite!), we happily finished it off. The pizzas, a Portobello (mushroom) and a Santarini (feta, tomatoes, olives, peppers and spinach) were so tasty. For me there is nothing better than mushrooms on a pizza, it seems so perfect and the Santarini pizza had so many different flavours on one slice that I would definitely recommend it. The dough had obviously been hand rolled and the ingredients were really fresh. The only complaint we had was that the tomatoes were a little sour, but it is February after all. Tomatoes are not in season!

A butterfly on my cocktail

 The 12 inch pizzas are two for one and so two pizzas and a salad were more than enough for three hungry students. The value for money is outstanding.  In total we paid £15 (£5 each!) for food and left with full and happy bellies. The decor is trendy and relaxed, despite being a studenty restaurant I’ve seen a few families in there too. If you go for lunch you are unlikely to have trouble finding somewhere to sit but you will probably need to book if you go in the evening as it gets really full. The bar staff are really friendly and make wonderful cocktails, so even if you’re not in the mood for pizza it’s worth a visit.

My Top Places to Lunch in Sheffield: Nosh, Division Street

Nosh tea

I think Division Street is great! There’s an independent butchers, quirky pubs and bars, cute cafes and even a Chinese bakery (but let’s ignore the dodgy sex shop shall we?). It’s probably one of my favourite places in the city centre to have a little walk down, as well as the cobbled streets near the Crucible. If you fancy a cheap but tasty meal I’d say Nosh is the place to go, it’s a cafe that opened recently, opposite Bungalow and Bears, and is extremely bank account friendly.

The last person I took here said “it’s very orange in here” but he loved the coffee. It’s true the interior is strikingly bright, but it’s still a relaxed place to go for a bite to eat or a coffee. They always seem to have offers on, 2 for 1 on hot drinks some days, 20% for checking in on Facebook, a Monday quiz on Facebook where you can win free hot drinks or a free meal. They’re handing things out all over the place! You’d have to be really unlucky to get there and there not be an offer on! It would be like going to DFS when they aren’t giving away sofas!

Pancakes

Most recently I was awarded some free pancakes for writing a short review of them on Facebook (they also give you free pancakes on your birthday!) so I really couldn’t wait to get down there and eat my prize! I love visiting for the coffee so I was going to go anyway! The pumpkin latte I had during October was really tasty and luxurious but I would also recommend their mochas and regular lattes on a more normal day, it's definitely one up on the big coffee chains. I ordered banoffee pancakes, and although they were out of bananas I had the toffee sauce and chocolate sprinkles with two pancakes while my boyfriend had four pancakes soaked in chocolate sauce! They were really tasty and I would definitely recommend them, even if you have to pay for your pancakes. 

My pumpkin latte

There is a wide variety of coffees, teas, soups, cakes and sandwiches to please everyone. It’s really very popular, there are people of all ages in there taking advantage of the brilliant deals. With students sat at a table next to pensioners, it's brilliant! I’ve been going since I arrived in Sheffield in September and it’s still so good. The big windows make the cafe bright and the smell of coffee mixed with laid back indie music makes it a really great place to go with friends, other halves or even parents for a relaxing and casual time.

Marmadukes - lunchtime happiness with friends

Help yourself to sauces!

One of the things I love about Yorkshire is the friendly and happy attitude that the people carry with them everyday. It’s very different from the way people are in London and it’s definitely quite refreshing. There is a certain stigma about the North in the South in which everyone is poor, speaks like the Starks in Game of Thrones (“aye”) and is covered in soot. Sheffield is a very prosperous town, but the coal mines have been shut for some time, so it’s unlikely that the people of Sheffield will be covered in soot. I have to admit their accents are pretty strong though! History lessons aside, the homely feeling that is so characteristic of the people of Sheffield is something that has also been transferred into their various eateries. Today I visited a wonderful example of this, Marmadukes on Norfolk Row (just off Fargate), it almost takes homely to another level!

Homity Pie

We went there on the suggestion of my friend Abbie, who had been dying to go (you can check out her blog post about it here) along with a few others, for an early and happy lunch. It really is incredibly inside, so warm and friendly, it’s like you’ve stopped off at someone’s cottage in the Peak District for a bite to eat, there’s even a huge cuddly teddybear! The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, with shelves of condiments to help yourself to. It makes you want to stay forever, lapping up the welcoming attitude of the staff and the tasty smells of the food cooking. 

rustic sandwiches with salads

The food that they serve is deli style and very British, with homity pies, salads, quiches and sandwiches for the lunchtime customers. The prices as reasonable, I got a homity pie which comes with a salad of your choice for £6, there’s not much you can really complain about especially as you get a filling meal. 

Outside the cafe

Everything is presented in a rustic way with the homity pies served on camping style plates and sandwiches served on thick wooden boards. For anyone who doesn’t know, a homity pie is a traditional British open pie filled with creamy potatoes, onions and leeks, it’s been a long time since I’ve eaten anything like this but gently warmed, this was really tasty with a crisp cheesy top. The cauliflower and couscous salad I had to accompany it, sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, I loved and went really well with the pie. 

The choice of cakes and pastries was amazing, with salted caramel apple pie and scones as big as my hand. I think this is definitely my kind of place. I will be coming back very soon for something sweet! The menu is vast and it’s so popular that there’s an amazing mix of people in there. If you haven’t been you really need to, this place is a must if you’re ever anywhere near Sheffield!

My Top Places to Lunch in Sheffield: QC's Bagel Bar

This is going to be a series of shorter reviews on places I would recommend for lunch if you’re in Sheffield and feeling slightly peckish! I'm going to start with...

QC’s Bagel Bar!

My yummy bagel! - Instagrammed! Follow me - @VickiMint

Located next to T K Maxx in the city centre, this hidden gem is extremely popular with those who know it’s there. The shop front is small and quietly unassuming with a blackboard outside showing what they have to offer. This shows that QC’s Bagel Bar do not need to prove themselves. They sell bagels, they’re nice so come inside and buy them!

Inside the little shop comes to life with bagel buns and menus crowding the walls. Then you need to make the decision of what to get, for up to £3 you can order yourself a filling and bagel bun of your choice. The value for money is excellent. 

QC's shop front

The menu offers a selection of fillings all named after Sheffield landmarks, I ordered The Winter Garden which is smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber. Other landmarks include Ponds Forge and The Town Hall, this touch really connects the customer with their food, showing a camaraderie of sorts.

 I chose a spinach bagel bun which was toasted for me while I watched and filled with my tasty fillings. It really was delicious, there’s something so special about smoked salmon and cream cheese in a bagel and at £3 for my lunch I had nothing to complain about!

Because the shop does not have any seating we took our bagels to the Winter Gardens (how ironic!) and enjoyed the quiet of the garden. It was a wonderful way to spend our lunchtime and I would definitely recommend it!

It really is incredibly popular so be prepared to wait for your bagel! It will be worth it in the end though.

So next time you’re wondering around the city centre and fancy a quick, cheap tasty bite to eat, don’t dash to McDonalds (!) pop into CQ’s Bagels and try them out for yourself!