Yemi’s Food Stories: A visit to the Harrogate pop-up Afghan Kitchen

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips – please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.

 

I first learnt about Afghanistan’s national dish kabuli pulao – which consists of rice cooked with raisins, carrots, nuts, and lamb – back in 2021. I followed a recipe to create it and it was one of the most delicious, aromatic rice dishes I’d ever tasted.

The char masala mix that goes into the dish is made up of only four spices: cumin, cinnamon, black cardamom, and cloves in equal proportions. Other recipes include green cardamom and black pepper corns, but I am told the secret is the black cardamom.

When I got the invitation to the pop-up restaurant, Afghan Kitchen in Harrogate, I knew I was in for a treat. I was excited to taste the authentic version from people who have cooked and eaten this dish their entire lives.

The Afghan Kitchen is the vision of Nahid Hamidi, a wife and mother who had to flee Afghanistan with her family, leaving behind a successful charitable organisation she had built and everything else they owned.

She and some other refugee families now live in the Harrogate district – working hard to rebuild their lives. Nahid’s desire to help her fellow women led to this venture; she wanted to help them settle into their new environment and earn some income.

The women get a chance to use their skills and share their food, with the added benefit of meeting people in the community.

Yemi enjoyed Afghanistan’s national dish Kabuli Pulao.

The dining experience started when we were welcomed at the door with sugared almonds that looked wintery and tasted delicious.

The starter was crispy Afghan rolls. The filling included shredded carrots, onions and other vegetables served with a hot dipping sauce made from tomato, garlic, lemon juice and chilli – which added a lovely hint of sweetness.

The anticipated main course was fragrant rice steamed in a vegetable stock with onions, julienne carrots, and plump raisins. This dish is the main attraction of any dining table. The rice was fluffy and tasty, and although it looked oily, it didn’t taste oily. I surprisingly enjoyed the raisins and carrots that brought an extra sweetness.

It was a dish that could be enjoyed on its own, but it was served with a choice of chicken dopiaza or qorma-e-lubia for vegetarians. The chicken — spiced with garlic, cumin, turmeric, and lemon juice — was made with twice-cooked braised onions, peppers and tomatoes. The golden yellow broth was beautifully seasoned and I enjoyed mopping it up with flatbread.

The vegetarian qorma-e-lubia reminded me of a bean dish we cook in Nigeria – using brown or black-eyed beans. The Afghan version is made by cooking kidney beans with fried onions, tomatoes, turmeric, coriander and garlic. This was comforting and delicious, and was the perfect accompaniment for the flatbread and rice.

Side dishes included sabzi — a vegan dish made from chopped spinach, leeks and spring onions — Afghan naan, which was freshly baked, and a fresh salad which included cucumber and red onions dressed with lemon juice.

When I was told the dessert was a cold milk pudding called Firni (also spelt Ferini), I wasn’t too excited as I’m not a huge fan of milk. However, I was blown away by how delicious it was. I tasted it and kept going back for more until it was finished.

This Afghan delight was flavoured with cardamon and finished with chopped pistachios and almonds. The dessert is served hot or cold across many parts of the Middle East, but the Afghan version is always served cold.

Green tea flavoured with cardamom and baklava were served to end the heartwarming and indulgent experience.

Nahid and her team will continue running the pop-up kitchen in Knaresborough and Harrogate whilst looking at other locations.

The price for this experience is £25 per person.

The team can be contacted via email: theafghankitchenyorkshire@gmail.com

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Yemi’s Food Stories: Exploring Harrogate with Yorkshire Appetite Food Tours

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.

I’ve lived in Harrogate for over 10 years, so when I got the invite to join the Yorkshire Appetite Food Tour team on a tour of Harrogate, I was certain we would visit some familiar places – but I was wrong.

There is something to be said about being a tourist in your own town, as you get to see it through a fresh pair of eyes — especially when it’s through the eyes of someone who knows and appreciates the history.

I learnt about Harrogate and enjoyed many stories that Jill, our guide, told us about William Slingsby, the soldier who discovered Harrogate, and why we see street names like ‘Montpellier’ and ‘Parliament’.

The tour started at Starling Beer & Coffee House on Oxford Street. I have walked past this road before but never noticed the venue. It is a popular brunch spot in town that serves pizza throughout the evening, as well as unique dishes like poutine – a Canadian reputed hangover-cure!

Our first dish was eggs florentine. It included locally sourced poached eggs with spinach and mushrooms, served with a hollandaise sauce and micro herbs.

We then had another history lesson on the town centre, including the significance of the war memorial, how the town got its name and even some background into the Harrogate institution that is Bettys.

After this, the tour took us to Yorkshire Tapas. Chef Dane champions local produce and creates tapas-style dishes from Yorkshire staples, such as fish and chips, Yorkshire puddings and roast dinners.

Here we enjoyed a generous portion of Yorkshire pudding with pulled pork, shoestring fries, and crackling powder.

Yemi and her fellow food tour members at Vanilli’s and Yorkshire Tapas (R)

The next stop was Cold Bath Deli where we enjoyed a delicious sausage roll served with a leafy salad and French dressing. The mixed beans and roasted cauliflower were both delicious, and I never thought I’d see the day I would be like Oliver Twist asking for more broccoli!

There were lots of other things to try here, so I must visit again to sample other menu items.

Chocolate ice cream at Vanilli’s

Next up was Vanilli’s – an ice cream parlour on Cold Bath Road that has been running for 12 years.

We tasted a variety of lovely ice creams, including some gluten free ones.

Alex, the owner, is passionate about making great ice cream with no artificial flavourings, and I could certainly taste the difference. I have never ordered a chocolate ice cream but was an instant convert when I tasted Alex’s.

I am heading back for his Christmas flavours, so look out for my post on that – I might even save you a job of looking for a quality dessert.

Before heading to Hales Bar – the final leg of the tour – we ventured through Valley Gardens to learn about the town’s rich spa history. We finished the tour with a drink, a slice of parkin and Farrah’s sweets.

The tour is designed to give insight into Harrogate and its history, as well as enjoying a four-course meal from local businesses. I found it eye-opening and discovered lots of new places I’d like to try.

If you’re like me, you can lose sight of what is around you because you are a creature of habit. It’s time to see our gorgeous town through a fresh pair of eyes and to look at both sides of the road.

We need to walk through doors to see the foodie jewels that are lurking behind them.

I am certainly going to be more present as I continue to explore the vibrant food scene across Harrogate and the rest of Yorkshire.

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Yemi’s Food Stories: Let’s ‘mise en place’ this Christmas

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.

This summer, I did many demos at food festivals across Yorkshire and Manchester. At every food festival, there is a scramble for ingredients because a chef has left a key item at home or forgotten a gadget; this happens to everyone which means we sometimes have to improvise or hope that another chef or food vendor can bail us out.

For one cook, I forgot my oil by the door as I packed all the ingredients and equipment into the car and this happened on the day when what I was cooking needed to be fried. Thankfully a food vendor came to my rescue.

If you’ve ever watched a cookery show, you will be familiar with the term ‘mise en place’, which is a French term for getting things ready or putting things in place before you start cooking to make it a speedy and stress-free experience.

The concept helps you to organise and prepare the ingredients and all the other components needed before cooking, but ultimately it helps you to also get your space ready to support you.

You will need to anticipate what is needed for all your dishes and get them ready, which will save time and ensure that no ingredient or seasoning is forgotten when cooking. As part of mise en place, you must consider kitchen utensils, cookware, tools for plating, and ingredients.

As home cooks, we don’t always think of mise en place because most things are within reach. However, there are some dishes that can be easily destroyed if we overlook the prep – like an omelette, soufflé and desserts.

Pancakes can get cold while we are faffing about sorting out the toppings, and a self saucing chocolate pudding will keep cooking and turn into a cake if we forget to take the ice cream out at the right time. Sticky toffee pudding batter will have to wait until we have soaked the dates, so knowing the order to prep our ingredients and cook our dishes matters.

I do my food prep in two stages: firstly I get out all the ingredients I need and set them out, then I move onto the ones that need to be prepped, like peeling or chopping onions for example, or grating the garlic and ginger, or whipping the cream. This improves my chance of cooking the dish I set out to make.

Christmas is a time when there is a lot going on in the kitchen with Christmas dinner having many components. There is a reason some shops open on Christmas day for the last minute dash for cream, butter, milk and spices. The season is already stressful enough for most people – we need to find ways to make it less so.

Also, good planning helps us to reduce overspending and food wastes during the season.

We need to ‘mise en place’ our Christmas by putting things in place to ensure we have a stressless celebration with family and friends.

Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing ideas for Christmas hampers, cheese boards, gadgets I can’t do without and tips that get me through the Christmas season when I am mostly confined to the kitchen.

There will be restaurant recommendations if you prefer to dine out for Christmas and, if like me you are not super keen on sprouts, Christmas pudding or mince pies, I will recommend alternatives for you.

And what about those leftovers? They either get used or buried in the freezer until they get freezer burn. So, in the lead up to Christmas, I will share some recipes that might even prove to be more popular than the dinner itself.

Look out for tips from the region’s chefs about how to make your celebration a tad more special.

This Saturday, I will be joining  Yorkshire Appetite Food Tours for a Harrogate Food tour. You can also join me at the Afghan Kitchen Pop up in Harrogate on Saturday 21 October. I will be at Fodder on Friday 27 at 3pm; come say hi if you’re in the area.

More importantly please share your own tips, wine and cheeses that you want me to consider for my recommended lists, hamper ideas, alternative roast ideas and venues you want me to check out.

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Yemi’s Food Stories: Three’s a Crowd pleaser in Harrogate

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.

 

I finally got a chance to visit Three’s A Crowd in Harrogate and for a weekday evening, the venue was buzzing with diners having a great time. People popped in for quick meals with friends and family; it was obvious the venue is popular with locals.

I started with Bonne Maman cocktail which had sea buckthorn – a new flavour for me – apple juice, lemon juice and strawberry jam. This was a delicious surprise with the slight bitter edge perfectly balancing the sweetness of the strawberry jam. This is definitely a mocktail to check out.

With two menus to choose from and the daily special which included beef wellington, crispy pork tonkatsu and Ramsden house made sausages with pomme puree, red onion gravy and bacon jam cabbage, there were enough options for all.

My starter was braised pork cheeks which was tender as can be, Bury black pudding, pearl barley stew and confit egg yolk with pickled shallots to cut through the dish.

This is a welcome autumn dish that is generously portioned with a good balance of richness, umami and sharpness from the rich dark sauce and pickled shallots which had some sweetness. The vegetables in the stew still had the right bite to them.

My main was the wild stone bass, chargrilled courgette, pickled mussels, fennel, and roast shellfish espuma. This dish had great smokiness to it that was reminiscent of cooking on open fire which I love. The char from the fish skin and courgette was beautiful; on the fish, you had the slightest bitterness and from the courgettes, you got the juices bursting with sweetness. The shellfish espuma was light and had the sweetness you would expect from it.

Wild stone bass, chargrilled courgette, pickled mussels, fennel, and roast shellfish espuma

This was a dish with character and imagination with the slow roasted caramelised tomatoes bringing in sweetness and tartness.

The lamb Henry would be right up the street of those who love classical cuisine with delicately sweet and juicy hispi cabbage, goats cheese croquettes with tang and crunchiness, rich dark sauce, smoky piquillo peppers and a sweet red pepper puree.

The lamb was tender with the fat well rendered and the exterior was crispy in a good way. The whole experience was reminiscent of eating a barbecue dish paired with classical flavours and techniques.

Dessert is meant to be the highlight of a meal as it is often the final and lingering memory the diner has and the saffron and wildflower honey crème brulee with malt crumble and Raspberry sorbet was a true highlight.

The sorbet was refreshing with malty notes that reminded me of the malt drinks of my childhood. I couldn’t resist sniffing the aroma of saffron coming from the crème brûlée and the taste of the wild flower honey could only be matched by the vibrant yellow colour. With a hint of bitterness, this is a dessert I can’t wait to eat again and attempt to recreate.

Saffron and wild honey creme brûlée

The restaurant features crowd pleasing menus such as fish and chips which was popular with diners and desserts including choux bun, sticky toffee puddings, panna cotta, chocolate mousse and cheese boards.

Three’s a Crowd was welcoming and I had a great time there. The manager on duty, Karol and his team offered prompt and friendly service and all hands were on deck as they made sure everyone was looked after.

Want a good value meal out? Restaurants across the Harrogate district will be offering discount deals this coming week, when Visit Harrogate Restaurant Week returns.   The deals run from Monday, October 9, to Sunday, October 15. 

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Yemi’s Food Stories: The Harrogate coffee shop that puts quality and community first

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.

If you’re looking for a friendly and welcoming coffee shop, Folk Coffee House in Harrogate is the place for you.

As the name implies, it is designed to be the heart of the community. Whether you prefer outside seating for (rare) sunny days or a cosy interior, it is a perfect hang out space for friends, colleagues, or families.

When my boys were growing up, one of the things I looked forward to each day was meeting up with other mums for coffee. This coffee shop took me right back to that time; I could see myself unwinding there with friends and sharing ideas.

Folk Coffee House serves great coffee, homemade cakes, and light bites.

I ordered the carrot cake – as it was apparently the best cake a customer had ever had — and with such endorsement, I had to give it a go. The cake was packed full of nuts with a comforting toasty-ness and lovely plump raisins. The topping, which was made from a mixture of cream cheese, whipped cream, and icing sugar, was delightfully light.

It’s safe to say I was not disappointed!

There is also wide range of delicious gluten free options available, including a Bakewell blondie, double chocolate brownies and sugar free breakfast muffins.

Owner Sally proudly told me she focusses on balancing the cost and the quality of the in-house baked goods. She added she is passionate about zero waste and uses a daily ordering system to support this.

Folk Coffee House is proudly Yorkshire; it patronises local businesses for their produce and serves award-winning teas and coffees.

When it comes to tea, nothing but Canton Tea will do! The tea is served at many high-end venues including The Savoy, The Ritz, and The Mandarin Oriental. Now, it’s available to you right here in Harrogate! I had the berry and hibiscus tea with notes of rose hip which was delightful.

Local artists also display their work on the walls, and a new artist is featured every month. It creates a gallery-like space and no doubt contributes to the community feel.

Customers were also keen to recommend their favourites on the menu, so I will be heading back to check them out.

Folk Coffee House embraces the local community and wants people to feel welcome with a coffee in hand.

The tag line – ‘a place for all folk to meet, eat, drink, and create’ — says it all.

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Yemi’s Food Stories: A ‘sweet day’ at Bettys Cookery School

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

 

‘Push, push, push; stop and twist’ was the mantra at the end of my day at Bettys Cookery School. Let’s get back to the start of my day so you know how I ended up with a mantra and a tip that you will find useful.

Bettys is a Harrogate institution and thousands of people are welcomed each year for the Bettys experience. As a local, I am not surprised that every guest we have wants to visit Bettys and some repeatedly so.

For lingering memories of your Bettys experience, you can shop at the end of your meal, order Bettys products for home delivery or better still, sign up for their cookery school so you can take that knowledge home with you. 

I signed up for the pastry class which I knew would give me different skills. 

Lisa Bennison, the chef tutor, joined Bettys to gain work experience as part of her training from York Cookery School and never left. She has spent 37 years in different roles with the past 20 years at the cookery school.

She loves teaching basic principles, sharing fail-proof tips on how to get the perfect results whilst encouraging everyone to embrace and learn from any mistakes. 

Our day started with warm chocolate pastries with a choice of coffee or tea before we moved on to the first demo.

The pastry class includes making Bettys signature lemon tart and profiteroles. You learn how to make sweet tart pastry, perfectly roll out your dough, line your tart tin and create your tart cases without any cracks or accidents. You then move on to making the lemon filling before learning about the importance of timing and temperature control to correctly manage all elements. 

Salmon salad

Whilst our tarts were baking, we sat down to a gorgeous meal of salmon salad with garlic roasted potatoes with choice of wine or non alcoholic drinks. The strawberry cheesecake dessert was divine and went well with a hot drink. 

And we were off to the second half of the day after proudly checking out and taking pictures of our lemon tarts. 

Next we learnt how to make a choux pastry, knowing what to look for to ensure we get the perfect glossy consistency to ensure a perfect rise. 

Then came the mantra of ‘push, push, push; stop and twist’. This is how to perfectly pipe out your profiteroles to get the even round shape. Hold your nuzzle down directly on the baking tray and pipe gently moving up whilst thinking of the mantra. 

This easily became a song in my head and we all had a laugh knowing we would be reciting it every time we pipe our choux. 

Off we went to make our choux pastry and then came the piping and mantra with many still a bit scared they would pipe it wrong. My first few attempts were hit and miss but Lisa gave me some tips and using them, I decided to re-pipe all my choux and I was happy with them.

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The crème patisserie and the chocolate ganache were the last two elements that we learnt how to make whilst the choux buns were baking. Other tips include looking for the v-drop of your choux pastry for the right consistency and don’t be afraid to let the choux make contact with the pan when cooking. We are tempted to constantly stir but we don’t need to do that and once it starts to leave a film on the pan base, it’s cooked. 

A great idea for couples

As with all things Bettys, the experience is well crafted starting with a team of people that made you feel welcome, a knowledgeable tutor who loves her job, stunning cutleries for your drinks and meals; plus table setting and food that made you feel like you were in Bettys tea room.

The facilities were top notch with enviable range cookers and adequate work surfaces for all participants. It was obvious they didn’t cut any corners in creating a cookery school to be proud of. 

Participants were across all age ranges, careers, had limited to good knowledge of food and came from as far as London. It was a day to make new friends, learn new skills, surprise yourself with your creations to wow friends and family, enjoy the Bettys experience beyond dining in the restaurant and most importantly take home the skill to occasionally recreate some Bettys signature creations.

A Bettys cookery school experience is a great idea for couples, hanging out with friends or co-workers, a gift for the budding or hesitant cooks in your life and would be perfect alternatives to hen-dos with everyone learning a skill for life. 

The icing on the cake was taking home all your creations after eating the ones made by the chef tutor. 

With classes including three-course meal, chocolate and bread making, patisserie and macarons, there is something to learn. The classes fill up quickly so get booking for a fabulous foodie day. 

Yemi’s Food Stories: A visit to Rudding Park’s kitchen garden

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

 

If you are looking for recommendations for a place to go for a special occasion, spa or golf days or an amazing meal, Rudding Park hotel always makes the list and quite often is at the top of the list. It’s the reason my 49th birthday celebration was there.

Multi award winning Rudding Park, set amongst 300 acres of beautiful landscaped gardens and woodland with stunning sculptural pieces, is one of the most beautiful hotels in Harrogate offering 90 stylish bedrooms, award winning spa, three AA Rosette Horto Restaurant, and two AA Rosette Clocktower Restaurant, kitchen garden, gym, private cinema, golf course and events venue.

With a Best Fine Dining Restaurant amongst its many awards, I was intrigued by the kitchen garden, which plays a key role in making great dishes happen.

Horto Restaurant offers contemporary fine dining using ingredients from Rudding Park Kitchen Garden with the menu prescribed by nature, the creativity of the chef and the skill of the gardener.

Spending the day with Emma Pugh, kitchen gardener, was eye opening. I was impressed by the pivot from her previous career as a physiotherapist to becoming a gardener, from lifting limbs to lifting plant pots and helping them to grow or recover. Her passion for nurturing and growing things shone through.

Working closely with the chefs, the gardeners influence their dishes by supplying them with in-season produces or growing new plants for fresh ideas and they reward their hard work by creating stunning dishes for the guests who enjoy the results of this collaboration.

There was so much to learn about the different plants that were in season with my mind blown by many varieties of produces that are out there. There were plants that Emma was still learning about and some she was growing for the first time.

I loved tasting the different plants to identify the flavours, notes and coming up with ideas on how they might be used for a sweet or savoury dish with some drawing raised eyebrows and different facial expressions from Emma.

Yemi and Emma Pugh at Rudding ParkYemi and Emma exploring the kitchen garden

I discovered Orach which reminded me of Swiss chard but with a slightly salty taste, and can be used to replace spinach in recipes or stuffed like cabbage leaves. I love cooking coarsely blended red peppers, onions, chilli and garlic with olive oil and seasonings until all the water is evaporated and the sauce is well fried releasing all the oils before adding my spinach.

Spinach releases a lot of water when cooked so to reduce this, I rub the leaves with some coarse sea salt to draw out the moisture before rinsing and squeezing out the juices. Orach would work really well in this recipe.

I was introduced to ying-yang beans, and red and green borlotti beans which I had only ever seen the canned versions before.

Sweet Sicily was an interesting herb to taste with the seeds, leaves, flowers, and roots all edible. The young leaves would bring a fresh taste to a salad and can be added to sauces whilst the root can be used as a sweetener. The flavour profile reminded me of fennel, anise seed and liquorice.

This plant would make for a nourishing cup of tea with health properties that are said to help with asthma, breathing problems, digestion issues, cough, chest and throat infections and urinary tract infections.

Sea Kale and Okahijiki (land sea weed) were plants that I had never used before and found them eye-opening. Okahijiki is often used for sushi, and can be added to a salad to introduce pops of saltiness and it would pair well with fish and white meat. I would suggest adding them to sauces just before serving so the crisp texture is retained. I reckon the pops of light saltiness they provide would provide contrast and relief from overly rich and sweet sauces.

I love showcasing colours in my food and cooking with chillies and peppers in many of my sweet and savoury dishes so I was particularly excited to see Hungarian black and purple peppers. I will definitely attempt to grow some of these to elevate the colour and flavour profiles of my dishes.

I left Rudding Kitchen Garden with my head full of new ideas for sweet and savoury dishes, herbs and garnishes. From blue Kuri squashes, butterfly sorrel, purple sage, blackcurrant sage and apple marigold which I think would make great dessert flavours to the weird and wacky looking ice plant.

Nature and great produces inspire chefs to curate new, exciting and delicious menus creating award winning dining experiences. This and so much more is what is waiting for you at Rudding Park hotel.

Next week, I will be writing about my day at Betty’s Cookery School.

I’m also checking out Samira Effa’s new menu at Bar & Restaurant EightyEight at Grantley Hall and going behind the scenes at Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka, so look out for these posts in the coming weeks.

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Yemi’s Food Stories: Memorable weddings with Blossom Tree Cake Company

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

 

It was love at ‘hello’ when Kean Ong opened the door to the Harrogate-based kitchen design studio which immediately transported me into a timeless, elegant, classic and stunning space that set the perfect scene for what was to come.

Kean grew up in Malaysia and worked in Singapore as a chef before relocating to the UK where he continued to hone his skills working in pan Asian, French and modern European kitchens including the Marriot Group, where he discovered a love and passion for pastry.

Picking up a best-in-year award for the advanced diploma in culinary arts patisserie and confectionary at Westminster Kingsway College was the beginning of a truly amazing career at some of London’s finest restaurants including Albert Roux’s The Brasserie at Sofitel St James, Quo Vadis in Soho, Inamo at Wardour Street and St James near Piccadilly.

At Blossom Tree Cake Company He is half of a brilliant duo with Stephen, who I can only describe as the heartwarming ‘behind the scenes yet keeping the show on the road’ main man, and Kean credits Stephen for being a key enabler to their success story.

The name Blossom Tree was inspired by a tree in their front garden and the oriental influences of Kean’s background.

Despite having had an enviable career, Kean says making wedding cakes is what he loves the most. He considers being a part of a couple’s big day a privilege that he pays back by creating the most beautiful, elegant, contemporary and delicious cakes to match their important occasion.

He makes cakes that look as good as they taste on the inside and he wants couples to look back years later still happy with their timeless cake design.

As a food lover, Kean is driven by passion and quality which have translated into him making quality, ethical and traceability choices including growing his own fruits and herbs and moving from fresh flowers to hand crafting life-like flowers for his cakes.

The flavours in his cakes are created using the freshest ingredients, with every element homemade, minimal use of food colouring and the cakes are infused with his signature syrups that keep them moist and light without being overly sweet.

For the tasting, Kean made me three flavours including a new one which he will be unveiling for the next wedding season.

The Chocolate Salted-Caramel cake was a delight with the lightest chocolate sponge perfectly balanced with the salted caramel buttercream. As a non-chocolate cake lover, I was an easy convert by the delicate flavour which didn’t smack me in the face with chocolate.

Kean explained that he kept the flavour light because people would have been eating all day and wouldn’t want a cake that is heavy or overly sweet.

Yemi meets Kean Ong of the Blossom Tree Cake CompanyYemi and Kean Ong with some of his creations

I moved on to the most popular flavour of Passion Fruit curd, Vanilla buttercream and White Chocolate sponge and could immediately see why this is popular, with most couples asking for a layer. The passion fruit curd was sublime cutting through the white chocolate sponge making me want to go for yet another bite.

My favourite all time cake remains a well made Victoria sponge cake and the new flavour that I tasted took it to another level. We are often told the classics are classic for a reason and should be untouched, but I counter that by saying sometimes a classic needs a facelift in the hands of a craftsman.

That’s exactly what Kean has done with his twist on this well loved classic featuring quintessentially British ingredients, capturing the smells of summer and champagne.

Each flavour was the front runner until I tasted the next one; I left without being able to decide my favourite but I remain partial to his latest creation.

Kean puts his heart and soul into his work; his artistic flair, skill, experience and training as a pastry chef was rewarded with four Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Awards in 2022 for his Elderflower & Blackcurrant, Raspberry velvet, zesty Lime, and Pistachio & Plum flavours.

Another three awards were added in 2023 for Zesty lemon, Chocolate & Cherry and Lychee, Raspberry & Rose flavours.

Blossom Tree Cake Company’s creations have been featured in many magazines and is the preferred partner for many venues including Goldsborough Hall, Grantley Hall, Ripley Castle and Rudding Park  in Harrogate.

Bookings are taken a year in advance with tastings done over the winter period. Tailored consultations result in your wedding cake complimenting and being a talking point on your big day.

With a warm welcome, cakes that look like artworks and creatively delicious flavour profiles, I left Blossom Tree Cakes still in love and armed with tips and inspirations to take my own baking to the next level. Kudos to this dynamic duo.

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Yemi’s Food Stories: The perfect day out at Yolk Farm

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

What are the makings of a perfect day out?

Everyone has their own idea of what this looks like but for me a perfect day out would start with a sunny day, being outdoors and close to nature, a spot of idyllic shopping, discovering new ideas and having access to stressless parking, great food and drink.

This experience is what Yolk farm, Minskip farm shop and the farm kitchen have to offer to everyone. Yolk farm, which claims to be the world’s first egg restaurant on a real egg farm, is the perfect location for children’s day out where they can feed the pigs and goats and hang out with alpacas before heading in for a bite.

The kitchen offers a lovely, welcoming space and employees who serve you with a smile whilst paying attention to the details. From the egg crates that have been repurposed as the perfect light fixtures to the swinging chairs that take you back to eating on park swings, there’s a lot to desire.

Freshly laid eggs from the farm are used in the kitchen and sold in the farm shop; with eggs collected twice a day, you can’t get fresher than what they have to offer.

After a brief wander in the farm shop we went into the farm kitchen for a bite to eat working our way through three of their amazing dishes. The banoffee buttermilk pancake topped with fresh bananas, candied nuts, whipped cream and toffee sauce was delicious and perfect for banana lovers.

The Get Fresh featuring one of my favourite ingredients, sweetcorn, was sweetcorn fritters seasoned with lime and coriander topped with poached eggs, red pepper, sweetcorn and courgette salsa and a salsa verde that smacked you in the face with the right amount of sharpness. This was topped with ribbons of courgette noodles and a herb salad which brought extra freshness to the dish. With the fritter held together by the barest amount of batter, it felt like ‘health on a plate’ earning the well deserved name – ‘Get Fresh’.

Banoffee Buttermilk Pancakes, ‘What came first’ chicken and Get fresh

The dish I was obsessing over finally came out and it is their signature ‘what came first – chicken or egg?’ dish. The description of the dish reads like a food poem – crispy fried chicken, hot sauce hollandaise, smoked bacon, maple syrup, house pickles and fried eggs.

The chicken was crispy without being oily and the chicken had the softness, juiciness and melt in the mouth quality of sous vide chicken. Intrigued by how chef Iain Wilkinson (@igwhospitality) got the chicken to be so tender, he shared a few tips with me which included the chicken being marinaded in butter milk and other ingredients for 24 hours as part of the cooking process.

Every bite was unique as it depends on what makes it on to your fork. From crispy fried onions, crispy bacon, chicken, fried eggs, tangy pickles, maple syrup and hot sauce hollandaise, there was no end to customising each bite. The pancakes were the perfect base to carry all the other flavours.

I don’t know what came first but I am definitely glad that both the chicken and the egg ended up on the same plate in their signature dish. I enjoyed the glowing goddess tea – hibiscus, orange and fenugreek – with my food.

I finished my visit with shopping for some of the finest Yorkshire produces you can imagine. The farm shop offers Christmas and bespoke  hampers and gift vouchers to use in the shop, kitchen or for their alpaca experience.

Yolk farm is the vision of people who have a passion for people of all ages to enjoy a revitalising and enjoyable day out.

Nathan George, the general manager was hands-on, pulling out all the stops to make sure all diners had a great experience.

Be sure to try their signature dish when you go and prepare to stock up on the best ingredients and produces.

Thanks for reading my food story; the next one will be on Lavender tea room in Knaresborough.

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Yemi’s Food Stories: Cooking the perfect steak

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

One of my favourite things to eat is a rib eye steak which has to be tasty, juicy and tender; topped with a sauce like chimichurri or flavoured butter.

Growing up in Nigeria, meat was broiled with spices and seasoning before frying and adding to a pepper and tomato based sauce, boiled in a soup, slow cooked to make stews, roasted or grilled over open fire.

Our cooking methods meant that I grew up with meat cooked well done.

Decades ago on a work trip to London, I ordered a well done steak; I was warned that it would be tough to eat and it was. It was my first appreciation of how different cuts of meat react to heat and different cooking methods.

I started to ask for my steak as medium well and slowly began to work my way to medium. I love cooking steak but I’m always tempted to leave it slightly longer than it needs to be.

It’s no surprise that learning how to cook a perfect steak remained high on my wish list next to making great sauces. A few years ago, I watched a steak cooking masterclass by Heston Blumenthal on the Australian MasterChef competition.

He suggested using a heavy-bottomed frying pan over a high heat, with a thin layer of oil that is heated until the oil is smoking hot. Cooking the steak involved seasoning it with a little salt before placing in the hot pan for 15–20 seconds. The steak is turned over and cooked for 15 – 20 seconds and this process is repeated for 2 – 3 minutes before it is removed and rested over a wire rack.

Letting the pan heat up between each turn results in a good caramelisation and juicy steak.

During the Yorkshire Dales Food and Drinks Festival, I signed up for the Tomahawk cooking class (main image) as I was eager to pick some pointers for steak cooking.

Yemi’s tips on cooking steak:

  1. Choose the right cut: opt for well-marbled cuts like ribeye or filet mignon for the best flavour and tenderness
  2. Let it come to room temperature: take the steak out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking to ensure even cooking. If you’re short on time, leave steak in original water tight packaging and place in slightly warm water to quickly bring the temperature up.
  3. Season generously: remove excess moisture and generously season the steak with salt and pepper or your favourite dry rub to enhance its natural flavours
  4. Preheat the cooking surface: make sure your grill or pan is preheated to a high temperature before placing the steak on it.
  5. Get a good sear: sear the steak over high heat to lock in the juices and create a flavourful crust. Depending on the thickness of the steak, sear each side for 1-3 minutes. Turn every minute.
  6. Sear all the edges of the steak to kill off any bacteria which can be on the surface. Add some butter or oil with garlic and fresh herbs; baste the meat for extra flavour
  7. Always use a meat thermometer: for precise cooking, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. For medium-rare, aim for 130-135°F (54-57°C), medium 140-145°F (60-63°C), and medium-well 150-155°F (66-68°C).
  8. Let it rest: once cooked to your desired doneness, remove the steak from the heat and let it rest for as long as possible. This allows the juices to redistribute and keeps the meat juicy and tender.
  9. Add flavoured butter or finishing sauce: for an extra touch of richness and flavour, add some melted butter or your favourite finishing sauce to the steak while it’s resting.

My most important takeaway is to always use my meat thermometer.  I use Thermapen gifted to me by the company during my MasterChef UK competition.

No one should call the shots on how your steak should be cooked, so eat your steak the way you like it. Remember to use the right cuts of meat and a well done steak needs longer resting time.

I am at Yolk Farm and Minskip Farm shop today. Drop by and come say hi if you’re in the area.

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For more stories on food and drink locally why not check out our Lifestyle section.