If you fancy something a little further afield for your proposal, here’s some inspiration from CNN last year of their top 10 proposal locations.

From Petra (Jordan) to the Maldives or across thw water to Lismore Castle in Ireland…

Read here

We’ve had a few proposals at Ayoush over the years so please let us know if you are planning something special

Ingredients:
1 unbaked sweet pastry shell, chilled
1 1/4 cups pastry cream
5 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup apricot jam
1 tablespoon lemon juice or water

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F (200° C).

2. Spread the pastry cream across the bottom of the chilled, unbaked sweet pastry shell.

3. Mix the apple slices with the sugar and cinnamon. Arrange the slices in an overlapping pattern over the pastry cream. Dot the apples with tiny bits of butter.

4. Wrap strips of aluminum foil around the edges of the tart pan to protect the crust from burning.

5. Bake the tart in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue baking for another 10 minutes, or until the apples and crust are nicely colored. Remove the tart to a rack to cool.

6. While the tart is still warm, heat the apricot jam with the lemon juice until boiling. Use a pastry brush to apply the apricot glaze over the apples.

7. Refrigerate the tart when it has cooled completely. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Considered to be the Egyptian national dish, it consists of pasta and tomato sauce, among other items, including rice, lentils, caramelized onions, garlic and chickpeas. Having four sources of carbohydrates has made it the most popular lunch item in most common food outlets in Egypt for over 100 years. Interestingly enough, Kushari’s origins are not Egyptian at all, in fact it was a dish brought in by the British army in Egypt in the 19th century: the pasta was imported from Italy, the tomatoes are from Latin America and the rice from Asia, however the idea to mix them all together in one extremely delicious and vegetarian dish was conceived in Egypt.

A lovely letter from the Mayor this week regarding our charity fundraisers. If you have a charity fundraising event you would like to find a venue for, please do give us a call. We can arrange great menus, buffets, dancers, music and obviously an incentive for people to come and raise money for your particular cause. Speak to any of our venue teams.

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes , peeled and cut into chunks
2 tsp butter , softened
1 garlic clove , crushed
0.5-1 tsp harissa (Belazu is good)
zest 1 lemon
small handful coriander , most chopped, rest left whole
fingertip-size piece fresh root ginger , finely grated
2 skinless white fish fillets

Method

1.Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
2. Cook the sweet potatoes in boiling, salted water for about 10 mins or until just tender when pierced with a knife.
3. Meanwhile, mix together the butter with the garlic, harissa, lemon zest, chopped coriander and some seasoning.
4. When the potatoes are ready, drain thoroughly, mash with the ginger and seasoning, then keep warm.

5. Place the fish in a roasting tin, season, then spread half the flavoured butter over each fillet.
6. Roast for about 8 mins until just cooked through. Serve with the ginger mash and some green veg.

The Eden Project in Cornwall is hosting the first World Pasty Championships in March and it got us thinking that with all the delicious Moroccan spices, herbs, meats etc couldn’t there be an incredible Moroccan inspired pasty we can come up with?

The Cornish Pasty Association, which is backing the event, hopes people locally and across the world will take part. Phil Ugalde of the Association said: ‘If you know anything about Cornwall, you know that pasty-making is a very emotive subject. People feel very proud of it – this was the original fast food.’

Leave your ideas on our comments wall!

Ingredients

Stew
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch of saffron
1 cup water
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 peeled butternut squash chopped into 1-inch cubes
4 peeled carrots chopped into 1/2-inch cubes

Quinoa
1 cup quinoa
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 finely chopped onion
2 finely chopped peeled carrots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger
2 cups water
chopped fresh corrainder
chopped fresh mint

Method 

Stew
1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add onion; sauté until soft, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.
3. Add garlic; stir for 1 minute.
4. Mix in the rest of the herbs and spices
5. Add 1 cup water, tomatoes, and lemon juice. Bring to boil.
6. Add squash and carrots. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.
7. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

For quinoa:
1. Rinse quinoa; drain.
2. Melt butter with oil in large saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add onion and carrots then cover;
4. Cook until vegetables begin to brown, stirring often, for about 10 minutes.
4. Add garlic, salt, and ginger; sauté for 1 minute.
5. Add quinoa; stir 1 minute then add 2 cups water.
6. Bring to the boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender for about 15 minutes.

7. Rewarm stew. Stir in half of the corrainder and mint
8. Spoon quinoa onto platter, forming a “well” in the center. Spoon stew into well. Sprinkle the remaining herbs for presentation

It came as no suprise though for us to read an industry report today that warned restauranteurs to remain on their toes and strive harder. Something all businesses should do anyway to attract, excite and exceed expectations.  An extract is below.

“(Horizons) food service consultancy said that the country’s 260,000 eating out establishments, which generate about £42b of sales a year, will have to work harder than last year to tempt people to spend their money on eating out despite the influx of visitors expected for the London Olympic Games and the Diamond Jubilee.

“If the UK sees 10% fewer visitors this year, compared to a normal year, the UK eating out market will be £100m worse off.”

But on a more positive note, Backman praised the food service industry for its ability to reinvent itself and embrace change.

Since the downturn began, many operators boosted customer levels by extending opening hours or offering new services such as breakfast, mid-morning coffee and free Wi-Fi. Others opted for refurbishment, investment in staff training or new menu styles, such as sharing plates, smaller portions and healthier options.

“The businesses that don’t embrace change are those that will suffer this year,” added Backman. “But outlets that adapt to the demands of the new consumer by offering something different, focusing on good quality for a reasonable price, are those that will survive the year ready to focus on growth when consumer demand improves.”

We are armed and ready with our 2012 plan and hope to see you all soon

And just a few comments received this week about Christmas and New Year parties :

“We came to your Eton branch for New Years Eve and had a brilliant time. I just wanted to say how good the service and food was and thank you for a brilliant night. Many places let themselves down with service, but all your staff were very friendly, attentive and great fun which made for a brilliant night! Food was outstanding, but I wasn’t expecting anything less after having visited your Bourne End branch!”

“Thanks very much for all your efforts, a great time was had by all!”

“We had a lovely time. Thank you and all of your staff for their excellent work and great hospitality. Look forward to seeing you all again soon”

If you were there and have photos please post them on our facebook to share or tweet us @ayoushlounge

Ingredients

170g mild soft goat’s cheese, at room temperature
1 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp of fresh chopped coriander
2 sundried tomatoes, chopped
12 sheets of filo pastry
olive oil for brushing
Method

1. Pre heat the oven to 190C, gas mark 5. In a small food processor mix the goat’s cheese and the cream, then add the chopped coriander, chopped tomatoes and salt and pepper. Mix until well blended.

2. Place one sheet of filo on a dry work surface (keep the others covered with a damp tea towel to stop them drying out). Brush the sheet with oil and cut into strips about 10cm wide by 35cm long.

3. Place a heaped teaspoon of the filling at the top right corner of a strip. Fold the corner covered with the filling down to make a triangle. Continue folding the triangle down the length of the strip, to make a briouate. Brush the finished briouate with oil and set aside. Repeat the above until all the filling is used. I make half of the mixture into filo cigars, as they can be a little less fiddly. Use the same size of filo, add a heaped teaspoon of mixture at one end, roll halfway down and fold in the edges on each side and continue to roll. Brush with oil and add to tray.

4. Place the finished briouates on a lightly greased baking tray and cook in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown.

5. Serve warm. The uncooked briouates can be stored in the fridge for 24 hours or frozen for 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature before cooking.

Makes 12 briouates