Manomasa Beef Nachos

Nachos, nachos, nachos! A yummy snack that’s perfect for sharing. But some combinations can be very boring and lack flavour. There are two secrets to my scrumptious beef nachos recipe. The first is… use good quality, tasty tortillas, such as the ones from Manomasa. I used two varieties of their premium tortillas: Sea Salt & Cracked Black Pepper and Manchego & Green Olive. They are sturdy tortilla chips that withstand the weight of the toppings and the heat from the oven.

Manomasa Beef Tortillas

Each variety of Manomasa tortillas is shaped differently and they are packed with flavour, which is the key to this tasty beef nachos recipe.

Manomasa bags

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Chicken Cachaça

It’s summer and that means it’s time to fire up the BBQ! Here’s a great recipe that makes a change from burgers and steaks. Chicken thighs are dark meat so they are slightly fattier than chicken breast but this cut of meat lends itself well to grilling and stays nice and moist.

Chicken

Cachaça, Brazil’s national spirit, is made from sugar cane and apart from being crucial to cocktails such as the caipirinha, it makes a great marinade for meat or fish. You may have heard of cachaça when the World Cup in Brazil was all the rage. Since then, it has been easy to find in the shops. I got my bottle at Cambridge Wine Merchants but cachaça is readily available in various supermarkets too.

Cachaca bottle

The key to the flavours in this Chicken Cachaça recipe is the marinade. It’s easy to make! Here’s what you need.

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Provenance at Burwash Manor – Barton, Cambridge (UK)

Provenance, a mobile purveyor of seasonal, restaurant quality food, operate from a stunning vintage Airstream caravan that’s been converted into a kitchen with wood fired oven. I attended their launch party earlier this month (I wrote all about it here) and I was so impressed by the food and drink that I vowed to follow their whereabouts for my next Provenance craving.

Burwash

On Saturday 11 July, Provenance served up delicious food at Burwash Manor, located in the village of Barton, about 5 miles from Cambridge. Provenance’s gleaming Airstream caravan looked right at home amid Burwash Manor’s lovely independent shops, including foodie haven The Larder in its Food Hall.

Collage Provenance Burwash

Burwash Manor is situated on a working organic farm where they grow produce and rear their own rare breed pigs. Dynamic Organics, a three-acre market garden on the farm, use biodynamic principles to grow a variety of vegetables many of which were featured in Provenance’s Burwash menu, such as spring onions, rainbow chard and new potatoes.

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The Cock – Hemingford Grey, Cambridgeshire (UK)

A few months ago, I was kindly invited to sample The Cock’s new à la carte starters and mains menu, designed by talented head chef Wil Findlay. I was seriously impressed and raved all about it here. I also vowed to return and experience the restaurant as a customer. I had that opportunity on Monday!

The Cock sign

The Cock side sign

The Cock, which is one of the restaurants operated by Cambscuisine, isn’t one of their Cambridge locations. It’s located in the picturesque village of Hemingford Grey in Cambridgeshire (out Huntingdon way) and it is definitely worth the drive. Its focus is on high end casual dining, with no sign of pretentiousness. Reservations are strongly recommended as The Cock has been garnering rave reviews and has even been named the 2015 Cambridgeshire Dining Pub of the Year in the Good Pub Guide.

Collage The Cock

Paulo and I arrived 10 minutes before the restaurant opened at 6:30pm for dinner so we were able to enjoy a drink in the cosy pub, which has a separate entrance but still connected inside for staff to make their way from one section to another. The Cock’s building dates back to the 17th century so some parts have a quirky layout but it is all quite charming.

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Provenance Launch Party – Cambridge (UK)

I was invited to attend Provenance’s launch party on 3 July, held on the beautiful grounds of The Three Horseshoes in Madingley. In fact, Provenance is made up of the team behind this restaurant and their concept is to bring restaurant quality food to the hungry masses through corporate, private and public events.

Provenance Kitchen collage

Airstream caravan

Operating from a vintage Airstream caravan converted into a kitchen complete with wood fired oven, Provenance’s changing menu focuses on seasonal and nutritious food.

Provenance Kitchen

We were warmly welcomed and served some of Provenance’s homemade sodas and cocktails. I tried their non-alcoholic drinks: elderflower lemonade and strawberry cream soda, both very tasty and refreshing. There were also some very nice gin-based cocktails, such as elderflower cucumber gin fizz and strawberry rhubarb cream gin fizz.

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