A Very Foodie Christmas

Here at Slow Food on Campus we decided to kick the festive season off with a bang and how better to do so than with a buffet from the indomitable Oddfellows?

As everyone knows all (good) Christmas meals should begin with cocktails. 

Not ones to interfere with tradition we headed up to the 1920s speakeasy themed upstairs bar - which I wasn’t aware existed (could this be a Christmas miracle!?) - we happily picked our way through Cocktail menu. I personally chose a “Clover Field” (pictured above). This drink included: Beefeater gin, Martini Bianco, Lemon and Homemade Raspberry & Mint Syrup. It was really delicious - none of the flavours overpowered each other, there was just a pleasant light aniseed-y after taste. 

Also pictured is the impressive looking “Zombie!” I’m so sad that I didn’t try this, I was torn between it and the Clover Club but I was intimidated by the sheer number of ingredients - to be fair there were 17! The drink I had was great but this one came with fire. Next time I go I will definitely be trying this out. 

We all sat around and got to know each other. One of the best things about Slow Food get-togethers is the mix of old faces and new and the guarantee that they're all going to be just as obsessed with food as you are!

After finishing the cocktails we took our seats downstairs and dived straight into the buffet. Yet again Oddfellows out did themselves as we were treated to platter after platter of delicious morsels.

I (Lucy) hadn't really known what to expect from a buffet - as a vegetarian of more than a decade, my experience of Christmas buffets is standing over a sad-looking table, elbows out ready to defend the lone margherita pizza in a crowd of pepperonis to the death. I was extremely pleasantly surprised. This wasn't so much a buffet - more of an all-you-can-eat extravaganza but with really good, local food! 

There was traditional fare, a personal favourite were the slices of bacon wrapped around turkey and stuffing which came with a pot of beautiful gravy to dip them in. There were also mounds of roast potatoes for us to dive into - these were also dipped into the gravy!

The food just kept on coming. There were terrine-laden crostini, homecured salmon, piles of fresh bread with a huge dish of melting butter and a rather random salad that didn't seem to fit with the Christmas dinner theme but there you go! 

(I was very happy to be surrounded by all the food!)

I'd like to say that it was a rather civilised affair with everyone taking delicate morsels from the platters and slowly sampling all there was to offer.

Instead, we positively dived in, with plates and platters being passed around constantly and piles of food being shovelled onto plates (guilty!) We ate rather late and were all absolutely ravenous, especially after the cocktails! 

Nevertheless there was definitely enough to go around and we were all practically groaning in our chairs by the end of it all (oh the bread and butter...)

We finished the meal with a very moreish chocolate moose topped with a tasty raspberry coulis.

To our absolute delight, we were all presented with an individual portion (no more snatching from platters and elbowing others out of the way!) It was thick, rich and smothered in raspberries and chocolate drops (there's a joke to be made there but I just can't bring myself to do it...)

For the first time in my life, I (Lucy) couldn't finish a chocolate pudding and had to hand the honours over to my boyfriend (who is usually the dainty eater so I was more than a little surprised when he ate all of his and then polished off mine too!)

Finally completely and utterly satiated, we leant back and spent the rest of the evening chatting away around bottles of wine until the restaurant closed.

It was an absolutely brilliant evening and it was so lovely meeting more of our lovely members!

Merry Christmas to everyone and we look forward to all our new Slow Food adventures in 2016!

Dinner at Oddfellows

Last week we had our first restaurant social at an old Slow Food favourite, Oddfellows.

They pride themselves on crafting delicious meals from fresh, local ingredients and have recently started brewing their own beer too! Whilst none of us got round to trying any that night, we did conduct a rather thorough investigation of their menu; here's how we got on...

By 7:30pm, we were all sat down and ready to go! Our table was right next to the kitchen (this photo in fact was practically taken from inside the kitchen) so we could see everything that was going on. 

Sometimes open kitchens can detract from a night out; the clashing of pans and personalities can be a bit too noisy and make the evening feel stressful rather than fun. There is none of this at Oddfellows and so the open kitchen experience is quite an enjoyable one.

Most of us plumped for wine; there's a nice wide selection for those of you who know a thing or two about wine (not me...). There's even a Brut from Devon for those really looking to keep things local!

But now onto the food...

The Starters:

Top to bottom: 

Rabbit and smoked bacon bon bons, English mustard mayo and mustard cress (£6)

Pigeon breast, roasted beetroot, artichoke and red chard salad, honey & cider dressing (£5.50)

Celeriac soup, roasted garlic oil and crusty bread (£4.75)

As soon as the starters arrived, cutlery was seized in anticipation and those of us who hadn't ordered looked on in jealousy as the lucky ones tucked in.

Luckily though, it was soon our turn. The starters were polished off at an impressive speed (with many exclaims of delight in between) and soon we were getting ready for the next course...

The Mains:

From top to bottom:

Roasted cod with pommel puree, roasted tomatoes and mustard butter sauce (£15.50)

Fig, shallot and goat's cheese, rosemary polenta and Madeira dressing (£13)

Pan roasted duck breast, confit leg croquette, peach taste satin, sautéed kale and peach jus (£16)

Oven roasted venison loin, celeriac fondant, mini wild mushroom pie, heritage carrots and damson jus (£16.50)

The mains were even more delicious than the starters. There was a lot of excitement surrounding the mini wild mushroom pie that came with the venison but apart from that, the table pretty much fell silent apart from the sound of blissed-out munching.

I had the cod; the first mouthful was heavenly. It tasted like real comfort food with the roasted fish, the wonderful potato puree and the sauce adding that extra kick. However I do feel that the dish would have benefited from a little less potato and some extra vegetables in its place. There was a lot of potato to get through (don't worry, I did the job) and the flavours became a bit monotonic after a while, especially as there wasn't much sauce to go with the potato. I'd like to see a little more variety on my plate next time but I think this was just down to the dish in question as the meat dishes were much more creative.

My little niggles aside, it should probably be emphasised that as soon as the mains were over, absolutely everyone at the table who hadn't ordered a dessert then proceeded to do so.

The hero of the day was the white chocolate and vanilla panna cotta with elderflower poached raspberries and shortbread (£5.50):

Pretty much everybody had this (until the kitchen ran out! So sad!) and scraped their jars clean.

The flavours were brilliant and half of the texture was absolutely dreamy. I say half because the one I had hadn't settled too well - the top half was very luxurious and creamy whereas the bottom half was a bit gelatinous and almost grainy. Just a small thing though as I was more than satisfied by the smooth bit up top.

The other pudding chosen by our diners was the sticky toffee and ginger pudding with fudge sauce and vanilla ice-cream.

Again, Oddfellows really knows how to do comfort food - it was absolutely delicious!

In all, I think it's safe to say that Slow Food will be returning to Oddfellows. We had a brilliant night and made lots of new friends. The service was great and although we were a large table with plenty of demands throughout the night, everything was prompt and friendly.

Hope to see you next time!

Hubbox

Burgers aren't exactly the latest in food trends anymore but they're still pretty damn popular. And for good reason too. Firstly because they're delicious. Secondly because it means they're beginning to take over the smaller cities (i.e anywhere that's not London). 

Exeter is quite a small and remote place so it isn't exactly the first place for food trends to hit (although it's definitely not the worst place to be for an aspiring foodie either!) And luckily, when Exeter does something well, it does it bloody well.

Whilst there is now a relatively impressive range of options for burger fans within this tiny city (Byron, Urban burger, Ruby Diner, The Grove Diner) my favourite so far is absolutely hands down Hubbox. 

The interior is somewhat reminiscent of the Ikea self-service warehouse with bare-brick walls, angular metal frames and chipboard creating the feel of a pop-up. Luckily it seems that Hubbox is here to stay. On my first visit, I was absolutely bloomin' ravenous and decided to add a side of apple 'slaw to my order. Oh and a large portion of fries. At £2 for those I was expecting something relatively manageable. It turns out that a large fries is probably enough for three people to share.

Fear not my friends, I ate them all (mostly). The menu offers a fair amount of choice and even allows vegetarians to take their pick from more than one option (shock horror!) As one of those flakey pescatarian types, I greatly appreciate the inclusion of a fish option, the Mack Daddy which I tried on a different occasion. It was absolutely bloody marvellous and definitely worth a go.

Of course, we couldn't eat burgers without having milkshakes to start. The food arrives pretty quickly at Hubbox and is delivered with a charming smile from the lovely waiting staff (my dissertation partner works there so I'm definitely trying to get free goodies from her by putting this in - but it is also very true... hint hint...) Your friends may not give you such charming smiles when you try and get shots of them cramming the delicious food into their mouths.

I went for the Bella which as you can see is practically pornographic. The menu says grilled goats cheese with roasted red pepper, crispy courgette and beetroot mayo but it tastes better than anything you could ever dream of throwing together in your own kitchen. I've heard the meat options are fairly dreamy too.

The Big Kahuna with its 2 x 4oz patties, pulled pork and Swiss cheese is a rather popular one with the lads - every time I go, it never fails to be chosen by at least one ambitious guy in the party.

But I still say the Bella and the Mack Daddy are reason enough to go on their own. Bonus points to Hubbox for their burger buns that don't disintegrate and let you get a good grip on your burger from start to finish. Happy face-stuffing!

Al-Farid Review

Hello everyone! We thought it was about time we show you some of the amazing places to eat in Exeter. We are so lucky to have lots of little tea shops, independent restaurants, and food markets at our fingertips that it was a challenge to choose the first one to review.

However, I can tell you from experience that nothing solves the misery of deadlines like a meal out with my girlies (or guys if you like)! We chose to go to Al Farid, a gorgeous little Moroccan restaurant on Cathedral Yard, and I cannot rave about it enough. It serves the most amazing traditional Moroccan dishes in rooms which will make you feel like you're eating in a tent in Marrakesh! Apologies for not taking a photo of the décor but it really is something which needs to be seen in person. You have the option of sitting upstairs with tables and chairs, or downstairs with sofas and floor cushions, or even outside on the shisha balcony!

I should definitely point out that the main reason we went was the deal that they were offering; the offer a different deal every weekday making this place totally student friendly! We went on a Thursday so we had 3 mezze (a Moroccan style of tapas) and a glass of house wine for £15. I personally wasn't sure that 3 dishes each would be enough, but by gosh was I wrong. I eat a lot, and I mean A LOT, but I was stuffed afterwards! Also the choice of dishes was huge, ranging from hummus, to lamb kebabs, to stuffed vine leaves.

Between the three of us we had (deep breath!) hummus, falafel, calamari, stuffed vine leaves, spicy meatballs, lamb shish, fig and goats cheese parcels, stuffed peppers and baba ganoush.

Here's a photo of most of the dishes - they wouldn't all fit into one photo, let alone on the table.
(Apologies for the poor quality; my phone failed me in the low lighting!)

I can tell you, you would not be disappointed if you ordered any of these dishes, though my personal favourite was the fig and goats cheese parcels...and the hummus... and the lamb shish...and the..., well you see where this is going.

My special attention went to the calamari; I am a massive calamari fan. Sharing it was one of those 'yes of course you can have some of MY food' moments, and as you can see, it looks pretty goddamn amazing:

All the food was terrific though. You definitely need to have a conversation (or binding contract_ about sharing food before you go, just to get any potential food envy out the way!

Needless to say, all the food went down well:

Conclusion: This is the absolute perfect place to go if you're looking for somewhere a bit different in the evening. There are no burgers or sweet potato fires in sight! I really cannot urge you to go any more. I'm taking my Mother there when she comes to visit so that I can get my hands on some tagine, but this is equally the perfect place to go for a lively evening with friends!

Top tip: The olives are freaking amazing. Just get them!