I don't know about you but I'm feeling 22!

On Wednesday I turned the grand age of 22! For my birthday we visited Jamie's Italian in St Albans. I have never been to a Jamie's Italian before and it was nice to try somewhere new.

Dress - Topshop £45 now £15
Necklace - Forever 21 £8.40
Watch - River Island £15
Boots - Matalan £24

The restaurant is situated on the main road and is very big! The main part of the restaurant was completely full so we were sat in a separate section, which was nice. The atmosphere was nice with lively music playing and an open kitchen to see what the chefs were cooking.

For starter my family and I shared a couple of plates, we enjoyed the famous meat plank, crispy tomato and mozzarella risotto balls and a selection of breads. This was all delicious especially the risotto balls and the creamy mozzarella cheese that came with the meat plank.

For main I chose the Rabbit Ragu (Wild Rabbit Casarecce). My manager at work recommended this to me and I am glad she did because it was simply delicious. There were not many ingredients in the dish but the flavours were lovely.

However my highlight was the cocktail that I drank. I picked the cocktail named 'Florence Fizz' that Jamie created in his Bath restaurant. The cocktail was made up of Limoncello, pomegranate juice, elder flower cordial and Prossecco. When it arrived the pink from the pomegranate was separate from the rest and it looked so pretty! The taste was delicious and I could've drank many many more! I cannot wait to go back just to have the cocktail! However I may try to recreate it at home first! It is the perfect summer drink.

The evening finished with chocolate and Oreo birthday cake that my mum made for me. It was lovely, very rich and chocolaty, perfect for a chocoholic like myself!

Everything will be alright if we just keep dancing like we're 22 :) xoxo

Venetian Duck Ragu

I had lots of holiday to use up from work, so on one of my days off I decided to treat the family to this duck recipe for dinner!

We rarely eat duck in or family (usually only when we have a Chinese takeaway, duck pancakes mmm!!), so this was a treat! Additionally this is a very authentic Italian recipe, and we love Italian food in my family!

I stumbled across this recipe when it was the feature recipe on BBC Good Food website and the picture caught my attention. It is one of the most flavoursome pasta recipes I have ever made, and this will be because it is left to simmer and bubble away for 2 hours! It is simply divine!

Ingredients:

4 duck legs

2 onions, finely chopped

2 fat garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp plain flour

250ml red wine

2x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

1 chicken stock cube, made up to 250ml

3 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and chopped

2 bay leaves 

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp milk

600g paccheri or pappardelle pasta

Method: 

1) Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the duck legs and brown on all sides for about 10 mins. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add the onions to the pan and cook for 5 mins until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a further 1 minute , then stir in the cinnamon and flour and cook for a further minute. Return the duck to the pan, add the wine, tomatoes, stock, herbs, sugar and seasoning. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat, cover with a lid and cook for 2 hrs, stirring every now and then.

2) Carefully lift the duck legs out of the sauce and place on a plate – they will be very tender so try not to lose any of the meat. Pull off and discard the fat, then shred the meat with 2 forks and discard the bones. Add the meat back to the sauce with the milk and simmer, uncovered, for a further 10-15 minutes while you cook the pasta.

3) Cook the pasta following pack instructions, then drain, reserving a cup of the pasta water, and add the pasta to the ragu. Stir to coat all the pasta in the sauce and cook for 1 minute more, adding a splash of cooking liquid if it looks dry. Serve with grated Parmesan, if you like!

Buon appetito!! xoxo