Posted by Becky
Due to open on the 31st March, Chocolate – York’s Sweet Story is the perfect day out for the whole family. Set in the heart of York city centre York’s Sweet Story celebrates the city’s close connection to the manufacture and production of chocolate and offers a fascinating insight into the heritage that it has left behind.
York is renowned for its chocolate connection, with Terry’s, Rowntree’s and Nestle all calling it home. The Terry’s chocolate factory was closed in 2005 but its history dates back to the 1800s while Rowntree’s was founded in York in 1862 and taken over by the Nestle company in 1988. The Rowntree’s brand is still used to date on products such as Fruit Pastilles, Randoms and Fruit Gums and the Terry’s name remains on the famous Terry’s Chocolate Orange.
If you are a chocolate lover then York is a fantastic destination for your next short break. With a host of history to explore, stories to discover and a fantastic chocolate bar serving the best hot Chocolate, York’s Sweet Story has it all.
Set in Kings Square close to the Shambles and just a short walk from the Minster, Chocolate – York’s Sweet Story is within easy reach of a great range of York hotels.
For your chance to win a family ticket to Chocolate – York’s Sweet Story simply complete our short questionnaire and you will be entered into the draw. The competition closes on the 30th March so get your entries in quick!
March 29, 2012
Yes, it’s true! We love food! Especially as the winter seems to have finally stepped in… The cold weather is here as well as the long dark nights and what better way to beat the winter blues than a good hearty meal! Most of us here at Superbreak towers enjoy cooking and we all enjoy sharing a meal with our loved ones. We love nothing more than to find inspiration for new dishes, and even classics (in between selling fabulous short breaks, that is!). Everyone has their own top secret ingredients that make the difference between creating a culinary masterpiece or a kitchen nightmare. This is why we have made a selection of our favourite food blogs, who share great recipes and thanks to whom we have enjoyed some great meals. Together we will beat the winter blues
Now when it comes to an organised blog this one is a great example! Michelle at Greedy Gourmet has her recipes sorted by dish, cuisine, courses, cooking times and dietary requirements. I found this as I was in a hurry and found myself looking for inspiration on the web as I do! And this is how I found one of my new favourite starters or appetisers the ham and cheese tartlets. This is so simple and so quick, impress without stress! And I got some great feedback on them from friends who I have forwarded the recipe to and who have equally good feedback. A great recipe on a great blog!
http://www.greedygourmet.com/2011/03/10/ham-cheese-puff-pastry-tartlets/
Thanks to Goddessonabudget, you can make great food without having to spend too much. Thanks to Vanessa, a red haired, half Italian professional chef, make the most of some delicious recipes which, as she states, go along with her ‘champagne taste and beer money’ as her mother qualifies it! We very much enjoyed the Blue cheese and Broccoli quiche, a recipe you can find on her website, along with many others, a mixture of sweet and savoury. This is a simple but great recipe which comes with facts about all the different cheese varieties which are produced in the UK.
http://writingacookerybook.blogspot.com/2011/02/simple-blue-cheese-broccoli-quiche.html
What is better than a good old pie on those cold nights? A pie? Yes you are right! We found a great pie recipe thanks to Katie at Feeding Two Boys and A Firefighter – tell us what you make of this sausage, cider and potato pie… I think the only thing that will come to mind is ‘YUM!”. I think, when you see the picture of this pie (which is what convinced me) you will happily (and rightfully) trust Katie, who is a freelance food writer and who has two boys and a fire fighter husband! I certainly did, and I don’t regret it.
http://feedingboys.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/while-the-vegetarians-away-sausage-cider-and-potato-pie/
A pie is a good old English culinary tradition but don’t push aside the delicious tarts that can be made! I found a good tart recipe thanks to Sarah at Maison Cupcake. It does make for a great meal on a cold winter evening, and although I haven’t yet tried this tart, it is next on my ‘to cook’ list. The picture Sarah has taken and shared of this pie makes it look simply delicious! Tarts are so quick to make and so easy to have either hot or cold with a salad or vegetables. This blog is another great one for inspiration and has recipes stored by categories, which makes it easy to navigate.
http://blog.maisoncupcake.com/leek-goats-cheese-tart/
We like cheese. One night browsing around for a new macaroni cheese recipe, I found this great and easy macaroni cheese with baby leeks on Ren’s Fabulicious Food! blog. This recipe is so simple and so tasty I have made this a few times! And yes I have tried it with Salmon and Peas. Ren has a load of great recipes shared on her blog, which has now been going for just over a year! If you are a Mum, Ren has a very helpful tab called ‘fab food for kids’ which lists a few wonderful recipes that children will like!
http://www.renbehan.com/2011/01/easy-macaroni-cheese-with-baby-leeks.html
What better to beat the blues than cheese and booze?! How about combining these into a three cheese fondue with champagne no less!? Well thanks to Cook Sister’s recipe you can! This is one I have yet to try, but my love of cheese and fondues has been nudging me to get myself a fondue set. I mean it will be made profitable over the winter months with cheese, oil and even chocolate fondues! This is also a great form of meal to get everyone together for a fun meal, which always entailed dares for those who lost their bread or meat at the end of the fondue fork… It makes for very entertaining evenings and great memories.
http://cooksister.typepad.com/cook_sister/2004/09/imbb_8_waiter_w.html
This Risi and Bisi recipe which I found on Helen’s Fuss Free Flavours blog was a great success. Did I mention that I love Italian food?! Well I do! And most of us at Superbreak do! This is a ‘risotto-eque’ as Helen calls it, dish which is simple to make and tastes delicious! It comprises two of my favourite Italian ingredients (parma ham and parmesan) in one of my favourite Italian dishes (Risotto)! What more could I ask for?! This blog is again full of wonderful recipes, and offers a price category for the recipes, which is very useful.
http://fussfreeflavours.com/2011/07/recipe-risi-bisi/
Who said booze is bad!? Thanks to Helen of helengraves for this great spice rum apple cake recipe. This cake went down a treat when my sister popped round for a cup of tea and a good chat. There is nothing like a feast with booze and with this cake you get them both, and not in excess!! Thumbs up for this website, which again has numerous recipes, but Helen is also sharing the spots that need to be visited. http://helengraves.co.uk/2011/08/spiced-rum-and-apple-cake/
What best to beat the long and cold winter nights than a good brownie to enjoy with a nice cup of Yorkshire tea! Well we have found a killer recipe thanks to Craig at Lyons Made. The bravo Brownies made my day a few weeks ago, when I was down and the early darkness was just starting and made a batch of these delicious brownies, some hot chocolate and sat in front of a good romcom and it made it all feel so much better! Try it, this is only one recipe amongst a lot of numerous good looking others, but I am sure you will find something for you on this site of pure foodie goodness!!
http://lyonsmade.blogspot.com/2011/01/bravo-brownies.html
Now when it comes to Chocolate, Chele at Chocolate Teapot has a few tricks up her sleeve! Whether you are looking for your favourite hotels’ or restaurants’ chocolate Christmas inspiration or simply a new recipe, I would recommend having a browse at this site. Most of these recipes are for sweet dishes, mainly desert or great tea time cakes! She makes everything seem very easy, like these white chocolate and strawberry centre Muffins, which I tried and failed since I forgot them in the over and got sidetracked. Have not tried again since, but I will. I really enjoyed this site and use it to find inspiration.
http://thechocolatepot.blogspot.com/2011/08/white-chocolate-and-strawberry-centre.html
So here are a few of our favourite food blogs, which we hope you will enjoy and we are sure you will find it as difficult as us to choose from one to another. Have a browse through all of them and make sure you organise a dinner party a week for the next few years! Thanks again to all the bloggers mentioned for sharing these recipes and please keep them coming!
January 5, 2012
If you are looking at a theatre break to start 2012 then don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity as part of our Winter Offers. As well as money saving deals, free night offers and by one get one free attractions we are offering all our theatre bookers the chance to enjoy 2 for 1 dining with every theatre break booked directly with Superbreak, over £300!
The 2 for 1 Hi-Life Diners cards are perfect for couples who like to enjoy the finer things in life. The card lasts for 12 months and gives you incredible savings in over 3,500 restaurants across the UK allowing you to enjoy the benefits long after you return home from your short break. You can choose from your favourite high street restaurants or your favourite Michelin starred celebrity chefs including Gary Rhodes, Chris Horridge and Marco Pierre White just to name a few, but hurry this offer is only available to bookings made until 31st January.
So what are you waiting for! Enjoy a break in London with a trip to the theatre and 2 for 1 dining all year. The only question is, which restaurant will you visit first?
January 4, 2012
Whether enjoying a meal in your local pub or dining out at a Michelin starred restaurant we all love enjoying the experience of eating out. From Spanish Tapas to superbly flavoured Thai food or a simple pasta dish there are plenty of fantastic restaurants to suit all tastes. The 2011 list of best fifty restaurants in the world includes establishments across the UK, Europe, Australasia and the Americas so to get the best you may have to take a short break away.
At the top of the list is the Norwegian restaurant Noma, set in the heart of Copenhagen Noma embraces the Norwegian tradition of sharing food. Using local produce and traditional cooking methods the chefs at Noma create original dishes by adding innovative twists onto customary recipes. Serving elaborate 7 course meals from crab and caramelized sweetbreads to dill and cabbages and Gammel dansk and wood sorrel Noma combines it’s Nordic heritage with fine craftsmanship.
The second and third restaurants, El Celler de Can Roca and Mugaritz, in the top 50 are both in Spain, while the first UK restaurant appears fifth. Heston Blumenthal’s world-famous Fat Duck is set in the small village of Bray in Berkshire and serves an imaginative menu to tantalise the taste buds. This exciting restaurant won the Best Restaurant in the world in 2005 and has been awarded three Michelin stars.
Other restaurants on the list include Le Chateaubriand in France, with its five course fixed price menu, Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York and Les Creations de Narisawa the first Japanese restaurant to make this list.
Will you be trying any of the top 50 restaurants? What’s your favourite food to dine out on?
December 22, 2011