Mildreds Cookbook

We are pleased to be working with Octopus Publishing on our very own cook book.  Due to be released in the summer of 2015 the cook book will feature between 80-100 internationally inspired vegetarian recipes, including some of our classic menu items, starters, mains and desserts.  There will also be various wheat free, gluten free, and vegan recipes, we have lots of recipes to try and test and will keep you updated with posts and photos from our test sessions in the kitchen.

Give us your thoughts on which recipes you would like to see in the Mildreds Cookbook.

Photo Album

We recently updated our photo catalog here at Mildreds, here are a few snaps from our recent photo shoot.

Artichoke crostini

Cambridge burnt cream

Chocolate chip cookies

Dumplings

             

Stir fry

Take away Meze

Private dining room

Private dining room

Staff photo

Earlier this summer, we worked with Cath Kidston, to craft the perfect mushroom breakfast for the press launch of their new seasons collection of colorful  mushroom inspired crockery, home-wares, knitwear and bags.  

With three delicious options on offer we served up brunch to lots of very satisfied press.

 Below are a few pictures of the collection along with the recipes for you to enjoy. 

 

Poached eggs, asparagus, oven roasted field mushrooms with Hollandaise sauce

Serves 4

Hollandaise sauce

• 2 egg yolks
• 1tbsp cider vinegar
• Juice of ½ small orange
• 500g melted butter
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

1. Whisk the yolks and vinegar in a bowl over a bain-marie (simmering water) until the yolks triple in volume and become thicker and paler in colour, being very careful not to overcook or start to scramble the eggs.
2. Remove from the heat and slowly pour about ¾ of the butter into the yolks, whisking vigorously and constantly until the sauce thickens.
3. Add the orange juice and then the remaining butter, trying to avoid adding the milk solids at the bottom of the melted butter.
4. Season and keep in a warm spot next to the stove until ready to use.

Poached eggs, blanched asparagus and roasted field mushrooms

• 8 eggs
• Vinegar (cider or white)
• 2 bunches asparagus
• 16 medium field mushrooms
• 2 cloves of garlic – sliced
• Sprig thyme
• Your choice of bread for toasting
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

1. Wash the field mushrooms and place on a baking tray with the thinly sliced garlic, thyme and season with salt and pepper. Generously cover with olive oil and bake at 180°c for 15-20 minutes.
2. Holding the asparagus spears near the end of the stalk, break off the woody ends, allowing them to snap off naturally. Lightly peel the skin from the end of the spears and blanch in boiling water for 1-1½ min. Remove the asparagus from the water with tongs.
3. Break all the eggs into a bowl. To poach the eggs, bring water to the boil and reduce to a medium simmer. Give the water a light swirl with a spoon clockwise and place eggs in water. Make sure the water continues to simmer and poach the eggs for approx 2-3 minutes, checking to see when they have reached their desired cooking point.
4. Plate the mushrooms, asparagus spears and poached eggs together and serve with toasted bread and as much or as little hollandaise sauce as you’d like.

Scrambled eggs with wild mushrooms and truffle oil
on sourdough bread with slow roasted tomatoes

Serves 4

Slow roasted tomatoes
(these can be made the day before to save time)

• 1 punnet (500g) cherry tomatoes (preferably on the vine)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp Maldon sea salt
• Olive oil

1. Preheat oven 90°c
2. Wash the cherry tomatoes and place on a baking tray. Lightly sprinkle with oregano, salt and olive oil. Bake at 90°c for approx 2½ hours.

Scrambled eggs and wild mushrooms

• 8 eggs – whisked lightly
• Dash of double cream
• 200g fresh wild mushrooms – sliced
• Truffle infused olive oil
• Salt and white pepper to season

1. Fry sliced mushrooms in a good splash of truffle infused olive oil, making sure the oil is very hot.
2. Add cream and eggs on a medium to low heat, stirring the eggs constantly until they are still quite runny. Remove from heat. Continue to stir as the eggs will still cook with the leftover heat from the pan.
3. Season with salt and white pepper and serve on toasted sourdough with another splash of truffle oil over the eggs, some freshly chopped parsley and garnish with side of slow roasted tomatoes.

Welsh rarebit, wilted spinach and pan-fried chestnut mushrooms

Serves 4

 

 

Pan fried mushrooms and wilted spinach

• 200g chestnut mushrooms
• Olive oil
• Knob of butter
• Few sprigs of thyme
• Splash of white wine
• 300g bag of spinach
• Thickly sliced granary bread
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

1. Wash and quarter the mushrooms, pan fry with a good splash of olive oil, a knob of butter and few sprigs of thyme for 3-4 minutes. Add a splash of white wine and cook out on high heat for further few minutes, set aside.
2. Pan fry the spinach in a dash of olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper, set this aside for later.

Welsh Rarebit

• 50g butter
• 90g flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 500ml strong ale
• 2 tsp English/Dijon mustard
• 150g strong cheddar cheese
• Small pinch cayenne pepper
• 50ml of your preferred spicy sauce (classic Worcester or Hendersons relish for veggies)
• Your choice of bread for toasting
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

1. Melt the butter in a non-stick saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook over a low heat for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Slowly add the ale. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until the sauce is thick and smooth.
2. Add the cheese, egg yolk, mustard, spicy sauce and cayenne pepper. Cook until the cheese melts, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
3. Toast the bread until golden brown. Spread the rarebit sauce thickly over the bread, making sure the slices are completely covered so the edges don’t burn. Place under a hot grill for 20-30 seconds until lightly browned and bubbling.
4. Serve with wilted spinach and pan-fried mushrooms.

 

Mildreds goes greener

At Mildreds we have been trying to reduce our impact on the environment.
We have installed a water filtration system to reduce impurities and limescale to our mains water that we use for cooking and washing up.  We have also installed a secondary water filtration system to replace bottled mineral water which we now offer to our customers free of charge.

We have also looked in to our waste management and as a result have started to recycle all our food waste, along with our glass bottles, plastics, tin and paper are recycled with zero to land fill initiatives.  For more information regarding recycling please follow the link paper-round.co.uk

Fair trade cotton bag

We have installed water saving push taps in the bathrooms, and are in the process of changing all our lighting to L.E.D
All our take-away packaging is bio-degradable or re-usable, we have also looked into the number of suppliers we use and consolidated where possible to reduce our carbon footprint.

WITH YOUR HELP WE CAN DO BETTER

For our take-away customers we ask for you to re-use your salad containers and we will give you 10p back


To encourage you to reu-se we will now be charging 5p if you choose to use our paper carrier bags, instead you can buy one of our re-usable fair trade cotton bags for only £3.50 with £1 going directly to childreninneed-donations.co.uk

New dessert menu

After much though, careful planning and experimenting in the kitchen we have come up with some amazing new desserts for our pudding menu.  Our classic apple crumble is staying on but we have changed the selection to include a bigger range of vegan puddings, without compromising on taste, and have come up with some real treats.

We have a coconut black rice pudding with fresh mango compote and toasted coconut flakes and a chocolate and peanut butter brownie with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream, both desserts are wheat free, gluten free, and vegan and both taste absolutely amazing 

Our chocolate and salted caramel cheesecake with hazelnut stays on, an old favourite Sticky toffee pudding is back on the menu,  and we have the new addition of an Italian classic tira misu, made with plenty of tia maria and strong coffee, one of my favorites.

Warming up for Winter

With winter creeping in, its almost that time of year for some well needed menu changes hear at Mildreds.  We will be looking at changing a few of our classic dishes that have been on the menu for some time but also bringing back some of our well loved dishes that have not made an appearance for a while. 

Our ever popular sri-lankan cashew nut and sweet potato curry will be back on the menu for the winter, we will be changing our meze selection to include some hot meze dishes with spinach and feta spanakopita and felafels. 


Our risotto and ravioli dishes will change with the seasons and be accompanied with creamier sauces along with some exciting new changes to our pudding menu including a great vegan banoffie pie.  


With Christmas also around the corner will also be posting some info closer to the date about our xmas menu.

Tofu and banana cheesecake

Thought i would share this recipe as it has been on our menu for many years, this particular recipe has now retired from the menu but is well worthy of a blog post.  Enjoy...

Photo: Steven Lawson

Biscuit Base:

300g Digestive Biscuit

75gr Vegan Margarine

50gr  brown Sugar

Filling:

5 Bananas 

500g firm Tofu

1pkt Creamed coconut block (warmed in microwave)

200ml Maple Syrup

125g brown Sugar

200ml Apple Juice

7gr Agar Agar

Blend the biscuits with the brown sugar, then add the melted vegan margarine and combine well.   Fill the bottom of a 10” lined cake tin with this mix, packing it in with the back of your hand.

For the filling heat in a pan all the ingredients except the tofu, bananas and coconut cream. Bring to boil and simmer for at least 10mins constantly stirring.

Thoroughly blend this mix together in a food processor with the tofu and creamed coconut.

Slice the bananas and place over the biscuit bases then pour over the tofu puree.   Allow to set overnight, garnish with freshly toasted coconut shavings.