Discover Exeter (for Foodies)

If you’ve been caught in the Christmas madness, I invite you to take a break and find out a little bit about my home town and where to find its best food places.

Exeter, Devon, United-Kingdom is where I’ve called home for the past four and something years. When we moved here, the place was new to both Luke and I and we didn’t think we would stay for very long. It has taken us a little bit of time to fully appreciate Exeter and discover it from the inside out. It is a medium size city, which still has got plenty of independent shops and eateries. Over the past year or so, by chance or by word of mouth, we’ve found out about a few gems, our favourites often being places that don’t necessarily catch the eyes at first sight, and are truly authentic.

Here is a list of some of our favourite cafés, restaurants, food shops, etc. There are still many to discover and if you know of any special place, feel free to share in the comments below.

Cafés & Restaurants:

• Dinosaur Café (5 New North Road, Exeter, EX4 4HH): Turkish restaurant and mezze bar, very friendly staff, delicious and authentic food

• Mashawi (44 Sidwell Street, Exeter, EX4 6NS): favourite Middle-Eastern restaurant, try the falafels wraps

• Herbies (15 North Street, Exeter, EX4 3QS): cosy vegetarian restaurant, daily board in addition to menu

• The Plant (1 Cathedral Yard, EX1 1HJ): another vegetarian hangout, yummy cakes and lemonades

• Curry Leaf (50-51 North Street, Exeter, EX4 3QR): south Indian specialities

• Tye Pye Dong (175 Sidwell Street, Exeter, EX4 6RH): Asian noodle bar, communal tables, cheap and fuss free

• Jamie’s (15 Magdalen Road, Exeter, EX2 4TA): one of Magdalene Road’s independent eateries, cheap, friendly & delicious

• The Coffee Cellar (22 The Quay, Exeter, EX2 4AP): down on the quays, sit outside and enjoy toasted tea cakes for breakfast

• Boston Tea Party (84 Queen Street, Exeter, EX4 3RP): often busy, but always great for cakes, smoothies, teas and salads

• Café Espresso (12 Castle Street, Exeter, EX4 3PT): tiny café near the castle that makes great toasted sandwiches

• Gourmandine Crêperie (14 Catherine Street, Exeter, EX1 1EU): when in need of crêpes, this is the place where to go

• Tea on the Green (2 Cathedral Close, Exeter, EX1 1EZ): best Devonshire cream tea in town

• The Exploding Bakery (1B Central Station Buildings, Exeter, EX4 3SB): the place to go to indulge in cakes or grab a soup before catching your train

• Devon Coffee (88 Queen Street, Exeter, EX4 3RP): for coffee lovers, delish cakes, pastries and toasted sandwiches

Drinks:

• The Bike Shed Theatre Bar (162-163 Fore Street, Exeter, EX4 3AT): eclectic decoration and great cocktail menu

• The Cosy Club (1 Southernhay Gardens, Exeter, EX1 1SG): quirky and another good selection of cocktails

• Rendez-Vous Wine Bar (38 Southernhay East, Exeter, EX1 1PE): smart and with a good selection of wines, great food too

• Speak Easy Cocktail Lounge (60 New North Road, Exeter, EX4 4EP): if not closed for a private booking, this is another great place to go to for cocktails

• The Rusty Bike (67 Howell Road, Exeter, EX4 4LZ): popular pub

Food Shops & Places

• The Real Food Store (11 Paris Street, Exeter, EX1 2JB): shop run by locals that sell local foods, in store bakery.

• Seasons (8 Well Street, Exeter, EX4 6QR): macrobiotic and healthy little food shop, best place in Exeter for healthy foods

• Best one (120-121 Sidwell Street, Exeter, EX4 6RY): up Sidwell street, good selection of foreign foods and vegetables

• Farmers Market (corner of South Street and Fore Street, every Thursday): weekly market, local, organic and beautiful produce from vegetables to fruits, meats, fish, baked goods and flowers

• Whistle Wines (2 Central Station Buildings, Exeter, EX4 3SB): always good advice, great wines, the shop sometimes organises wine tastings

• Bon Goût Delicatessen (45 Magdalen Road, Exeter, EX2 4TA) : when looking for something for a special occasion

The Exeter Trails leaflets have recently been launched and provide you with great themed itineraries of independent shops and eateries in Exeter. Check these out!

I hope this will give you plenty of ideas if ever you come to visit lovely Exeter...

Red Rice Stuffed Squash

My shopping trolley was super heavy last week when I came back from my weekly trip to the farmers’ market. In it, I not only had a large bag full of apples that my colleague had very kindly given me, but also a load of different squashes. After making the spicy squash muffins, I was keen on using the vegetable in more of a savoury way. We had creamy butternut squash pasta, roasted squash and spaghetti squash and kale bowl just to name but a few. The one recipe that stood out the most for me was the stuffed squash I made at the weekend. A super comforting dish, that looks great when placed on the table. It’s so much fun having your own little squash in your plate! I had made loads and we had them reheated a few nights in a row. I found they were getting better and better each night, as the rice was becoming crispy and the squash flesh incredibly tender. I used different varieties of squash such as harlequin, kabosha and red kuri– a very pleasant way of experimenting with their flavours and texture. I’m feeling a little bit squashed out at the minute, but was really keen of making the most of this wonderful vegetable as long as it’s in season.

With this post I am taking part in an autumnal recipe competition, entitled ‘Couleurs & Saveurs d’Automne’ organised on the lovely blog Epices et moi.

Red Rice Stuffed Winter Squash – serves 4
• 200g red rice
• 4 small squash
• A drizzle of olive oil + 2tbsp
• 100g sunflower seeds
• Seeds from 1 pomegranate
• 50g sun dried tomatoes, soaked in warm water for 20min
• 2tsp sumac
• Salt and pepper

1. Cook the rice according to the packet instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
3. Cut the squash in half horizontally, about 1/3 of the way down. Scoop out the seeds. Brush the inside with olive oil.
4. Drain the tomatoes, keeping the soaking water. Chop them. In a large bowl, mix the cooked rice with the sunflower seeds, pomegranate seeds and sundried tomatoes. Season with the sumac, salt and pepper, 2tbsp olive oil and 2tbsp of the tomatoes soaking water. Stuff the squash with the rice and place their lid on top.
5. Put in the oven for about 1hour, until the flesh of the squash is completely cooked and tender.
6. Serve with a green salad.

Courges Farcies au Riz Rouge – pour 4 personnes
• 200g de riz rouge de Camargue
• 4 petites courges
• Un filet d’huile d’olive + 2cs
• 100g de graines de tournesol
• Graines d’une grenade
• 50g de tomates séchées, trempées dans de l’eau tiède pendant 20min
• 2cc de sumac
• Sel et poivre

1. Faire cuire le riz selon les instructions du paquet. Egoutter et mettre de côté.
2. Préchauffer le four sur 190°C.
3. Couper les courges dans l’horizontale de façon à obtenir un chapeau qui représentera environ 1/3 de la courge. Evider les courges et brosser l’intérieur au pinceau avec un filet d’huile d’olive.
4. Egoutter les tomates et mettre de côté le liquide. Les couper en petits morceaux. Dans un saladier, mélanger le riz avec les graines de tournesol, les graines de grenade et les tomates séchées. Assaisonner avec le sumac, du sel et du poivre, 2cs d’huile d’olive et 2cs du liquide des tomates. Mélanger et farcir les courges de ce mélange et placer leur chapeau sur le dessus.
5. Mettre au four pendant 1h, jusqu’à ce que la chaire des courges soit très tendre.
6. Servir avec une salade verte.

Spicy Squash & Coconut Muffins

For our last week of ‘Baking November’, I wanted to share another very seasonal recipe: little spicy squash and coconut muffins. I’m a big fan of using vegetables in cakes; they often go unnoticed to the taste but add something very special in terms of texture and of nutrition. In this case, the squash blends in so well with the spices and the coconut. Since I have discovered how to make whipped cream with coconut cream, I can’t get enough of it whether to have with fresh fruits or as a topping for cakes, like in this recipe.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this month’s challenge and that you’ve had the opportunity to get in the kitchen and bake. After this sweetness overload, I shall be back with something on the savoury side of things in my next post, before starting to think about the festivities ahead of us. Have a great week!

Spicy Squash & Coconut Muffins – makes 10 muffins

• 150g coconut flour
• 150g light spelt flour
• 2tsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• Seeds of 2 cardamom pods, crushed
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp all spice
• 100g butter
• 6tbsp maple syrup
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 250g squash purée*
• 80g walnuts, chopped
• 250g coconut cream, chilled in the fridge for a few hours
• 1tsp set honey
• 1tsp corn flour
• Lemon and orange zest + finely chopped walnuts, to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a muffin dish with paper cases.
2. In a large bowl, mix the coconut flour with the spelt flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, cinnamon and all spice. Make a well in the centre.
3. In a small saucepan, gently heat the butter and maple syrup until the butter is melted. In a bowl, mix the eggs with the squash purée. Add the butter and maple syrup to it and mix well.
4. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ones and mix well. Add the walnuts and mix to incorporate. Put spoonfuls of the mixture into the paper muffin cases. Place in the oven and cook for about 25min until golden and cooked through.
5. Prepare the icing by placing the coconut cream, honey and corn flour into a bowl. Whisk with an electricwhisk until the cream is slightly whipped. Place in the fridge to chill.
6. Leave the muffins to cool down on a wire rack and wait until they are completely cold to add the icing on top. Sprinkle with lemon and orange zest and finely chopped walnuts to decorate.

*to make the squash purée: preheat the oven to 180°C. Cut a red kuri squash in half and remove the seeds. Place it face down on a baking tray and bake for 35-45min until the flesh is soft. Scoop the flesh out with a spoon and blend in a food processor until smooth. Keeps in the fridge for a few days.

Muffins Epicés Courge et Noix de Coco – pour 10 muffins

• 150g de farine de noix de coco
• 150g de farine d’épeautre
• 2cc de levure chimique
• 1 pincée de sel
• Graines de 2 gousses de cardamome, moulues
• 1cc de cannelle en poudre
• ½ cc de 4-épices
• 100g de beurre
• 6cs de sirop d’érable
• 3 œufs, battus
• 250g de purée de courge*
• 80g de noix, émincées
• 250g de crème de noix de coco, gardée au réfrigérateur pendant quelques heures
• 1cc de miel épais
• 1cc de maïzena
• Zest d’1 citron et d’1 orange + quelques noix finement émincées, pour décorer

1. Préchauffer le four sur 180°C. Chemiser un moule à muffin avec des casettes en papier.
2. Dans un saladier, mélanger la farine de noix de coco avec la farine d’épeautre, la levure, le sel, la cardamome, la cannelle et le 4-épices. Creuser un puits au centre.
3. Dans une petite casserole, ajouter le beurre et le sirop d’érable et faire chauffer à feu doux jusqu’à ce que le beurre soit fondu. Dans un bol, mélanger les œufs avec la purée de courge. Y ajouter le beurre et sirop d’érable et mélanger.
4. Ajouter les ingrédients liquides aux ingrédients secs et mélanger. Incorporer les noix. Répartir la pâte dans les cassettes en papier. Mettre au four et faire cuire 25min jusqu’à ce que les muffins soient dorés et qu’une pique en bois insérée au milieu en ressorte sèche.
5. Préparer le glaçage : mettre la crème de noix de coco dans un bol avec le miel et la maïzena. Fouettez à l’aide d’un batteur électrique jusqu’à ce que la crème ressemble à une chantilly. Mettre au réfrigérateur.
6. Laisser les muffins refroidir sur une grille et attendre qu’ils soient complètement froids pour ajouter le glaçage. Parsemer de noix émincées et de zestes de citron et d’orange pour décorer.

*pour faire la purée de courge : préchauffer le four sur 180°C. Couper une courge/petit potiron en deux et en retirer les graines. La mettre sur une plaque à four recouverte de papier sulfurisé, face coupée vers le bas et mettre au four pour 35-45min jusqu’à ce que la chaire soit tendre. Retirer la chaire à l’aide d’une cuillère et mixer de façon à obtenir un mélange crémeux. Se garde au frais pendant environ 5 jours.

Sweet Grape Bread

Making bread is art in itself, but I also believe that everyone can make delicious bread at home, even without being an expert. The pleasure of eating bread straight out of the oven is unbelievable. And the smell in the kitchen…yum!
For this month of baking I thought it’d be great to share a seasonal bread recipe: a rich sweet loaf that will accompany perfectly an autumnal cheese and fruit platter, unless you prefer having it sliced for breakfast with honey or jam. I have to say that it looks pretty impressive, and is as good as it looks appetising.

I was going to make it with a mix of spelt and wholewheat flour, but found myself instead reaching for a bag of khorasan flour which I bought at the grocery store the other day, which made the bread even more special. While it was cooking, I went on the Internet and did a bit of research on khorasan – an ancient wheat variety, rich in proteins and minerals and milled the old fashion way. Khorasan wheat is considered a high energy wheat and has got a lovely nutty flavour. If you don’t find khorasan flour, you could easily substitute it for spelt or wholewheat, but if you do find some, try it, and I hope you’ll love it as much as I did.

Sweet Grape Bread – makes 1 large loaf

Recipe inspired by the ‘Sweet Grape Flat Bread’ recipe found in Leanne Kitchen’s Grower’s Market cookbook
• 2tsp sugar
• 270ml lukewarm water
• 1 ½ tsp dry yeast
• 600g khorasan wheat flour
• 5tbsp grated coconut
• 50g butter, melted
• 8tbsp natural yogurt
• 100g raisins
• 300g black seedless grapes
• 1tsp sugar

1. Mix 2tsp sugar with the water and dry yeast in a small bowl. Leave to stand for 10min.
2. Place the flour in a large bowl, add coconut and mix. Make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture, melted butter and yogurt and start mixing to bring the dough together and form a ball. Take the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 10min.
3. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
4. Knock the dough back down and knead it again for 2min. Tear it in half and form two balls. Flatten them in a 20cm diameter circle. Place one of the circles on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Sprinkle with 2/3 of the raisins and grapes. Place the other circle on top and seal around the edges by pressing with your fingers, to enclose the raisins and grapes. Sprinkle with the rest of the raisins and grapes, cover with a tea towel and set aside for another hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Sprinkle the bread with the remaining sugar and place in the oven for 40-50min or until golden. Eat warm or leave to cool down on a wire rack.

Pain Sucré au Raisin – pour 1 grosse boule

Inspirée par la recette ‘Sweet Grape Flat Bread’ trouvée dans le livre ‘Grower’s Market de Leanne Kitchen
• 2cc de sucre
• 270ml d’eau tiède
• 1 ½ cc de levure de boulanger
• 600g de farine de khorasan
• 5cs de noix de coco râpée
• 50g de beurre, fondu
• 8cs de yaourt nature
• 100g de raisins secs
• 300g de raisins noirs sans pépins
• 1cc de sucre

1. Mélanger 2cc de sucre dans un petit bol avec la levure et l’eau tiède. Laisser de côté pendant 10min.
2. Mettre la farine dans un grand saladier, ajouter la noix de coco et mélanger. Faire un puits au milieu. Ajouter le mélange de levure, le beurre fondu et le yaourt et commencer à mélanger, de façon à former une boule de pâte. Transférer la pâte sur un plan de travail fariné et la pétrir pendant 10min.
3. Mettre la pâte dans un saladier huilé, couvrir et laisser lever pendant environ 2h.
4. Pétrir la pâte de nouveau pendant quelques instants. Diviser la pâte en deux boules. Former deux cercles de pâte d’environ 20cm de diamètre. Mettre le premier cercle sur une plaque à four recouverte de papier sulfurisé. Parsemer le cercle des deux tiers des raisins secs et raisins frais. Couvrir avec le deuxième cercle de pâte. Presser les bords pour enfermer les raisins. Enfin, parsemer du reste des raisins secs et frais, couvrir avec un torchon et laisser de nouveau lever pendant environ 1h.
5. Préchauffer le four sur 180°C. Parsemer le pain du sucre restant et mettre au four pour 40-50min, jusqu’à ce que la croûte du pain soit dorée. Déguster tiède ou laisser refroidir sur une grille.

Baking November - Lemon Drizzle Cake

To me, cakes usually need to contain either chocolate or fruits. For years, when going to a café or baking in my kitchen, I would stay away from plain cakes and would always go for something chocolaty or fruity – for no other reason that because that’s what I like the most. Or similarly, when going to the restaurant, my dessert of choice would very certainly be a chocolate pudding of some sort. But years go by and more recently I’ve wanted to become a bit more adventurous and I now make a conscious effort to try things that are slightly out of my comfort zone.

Take lemon cake. For a long time, it would have felt into the ‘plain cake’ category for me, and I wouldn’t have thought about baking this, let alone ordering it in a café. Little did I know how tasty it can be and what I was missing out! Now that I’m getting a bit older (and lemon cake feels like an adult’s cake), I dared baking it and loved so much its tanginess as well as the crunch of the poppy seeds. I wondered why on earth I had ever thought that lemon cake was plain! I am now pleased to have added it to my repertoire and will certainly bake it again for a posh afternoon tea or simply for the pleasure of it.

Lemon Drizzle Cake – makes 1 loaf

Inspired by Jamie Oliver’s recipe: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/my-nan-s-lemon-drizzle-cake

For the cake:
• 150g ground almonds
• 150g light spelt flour
• 2tsp baking powder
• 3tbsp poppy seeds
• Finely grated zest of 2 lemons + juice of 1 lemon
• 100ml rapeseed oil
• 80ml honey or maple syrup
• 3 eggs
For the lemon syrup:
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 80g golden caster sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. In a large bowl, mix the ground almond with the spelt flour, baking powder, poppy seeds and lemon zest.
3. Gently heat the oil and honey in a small saucepan until liquid. Take off the heat and mix in the lemon juice.
4. Beat the eggs in a small bowl and add the oil/honey/lemon mix to it. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the liquid ingredients in it. Fold the mixture until smooth.
5. Line a loaf tin with baking paper and pour the cake batter in it. Put in the oven and cook for 40min, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
6. Make the lemon syrup by placing the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved.
7. While the cake is still warm, unmold it, and make lots of little holes on the top using a skewer. Pour the syrup over the cake, and let it finish cooling down on a wire rack.

Cake au Citron – pour 1 cake

Inspirée par la recette de Jamie Oliver: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/my-nan-s-lemon-drizzle-cake

Pour le gâteau :
• 150g de poudre d’amandes
• 150g de farine d’épeautre
• 2cc de levure chimique
• 3cs de graines de pavot
• Zeste finement râpé de 2 citrons + jus d’1 citron
• 100ml d’huile de colza
• 80ml de miel ou de sirop d’érable
• 3 œufs
Pour le sirop de citron :
• Jus de 2 citrons
• 80g de sucre brun en poudre

1. Préchauffer le four sur 180°C.
2. Dans un grand bol/saladier, mélanger la poudre d’amandes avec la farine d’épeautre, la levure, les graines de pavot et le zeste de citron.
3. Dans une petite casserole, faire chauffer l’huile de colza avec le miel tout doucement, jusqu’à ce que le mélange soit liquide. Retirer du feu et incorporer le jus de citron.
4. Battre les œufs et les incorporer au mélange huile/miel/citron. Faire un puits au milieu des ingrédients secs. Y verser les ingrédients liquides et bien mélanger.
5. Chemiser un moule à cake de papier cuisson et y verser la préparation. Mettre au four et faire cuire 40min, ou jusqu’à ce qu’une pique en bois insérée au milieu en ressorte sèche.
6. Préparer le sirop de citron : faire chauffer dans une petite casserole le jus des deux citrons avec le sucre en poudre jusqu’à ce que le sucre soit dissout.
7. Tant que le cake est encore chaud, le démouler et faire plein de petits trous sur le dessus à l’aide d’une pique en bois. Verser le sirop sur le cake et laisser refroidir sur une grille.