Ingredients
10 sticks of rhubarb
4 tbsp water
8 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp powdered ginger
110g/4oz butter, softened
110g/4oz demerara sugar
180-200g/6-7oz flourTo serve:
ice cream or double cream

By Louise Robinson

Scott’s offers traditional batches or rolls with ham, tuna or cheese with an amazing salad with tomatoes, egg, cucumber and mayonnaise for around £1.80. An infinite number of options are available on different types and sizes of bread. Also, to ease a hangover there are hot sandwiches of egg, bacon, sausage on offer which are just the job after a 9 o’clock! Scott’s makes yummy fresh cakes which I cannot resist especially the double chocolate slice. Name a hangover cure and Scott’s has it including hot drinks of tea, coffee and hot chocolate. The staff are always smiling and very fast at making those sandwiches. I visit Scott’s at least three times a week and despite the queue, which is that bad, I have never been disappointed. The sandwich shop has even been reviewed by the guardian and is a bit of a legend in Sheffield sandwich providers!

By Louise Robinson

Firstly, why not try tapas on valentines day and avoid the embarrassing act of attempting to eat spag bol on a romantic date! Cubana’s tapas bar offers hot and cold Cuban specialties and is located just off West Street. The atmosphere in Cubanas is full of Latin rhythms from a live band which eases you into your tapas experience. Tapas is a wonderful alternative to the usual three course valentines meal as you can experience the taste of lots of different dishes. At Cubana’s you can sample tortilla tricolour which is a traditional spanish omelette, mariscos con vino blanco which is hake fillet pieces, mussels and prawns cooked with fresh leeks, potatoes, white wine and cream. Cuban specialties like paella can also be ordered in a small taps portion. Of course the desserts are homemade, the helado (ice cream) is amazing and the flavors include Havana rum and raisin and Cuban coffees. At Cubana’s you can also sample Cuban beer and wine and last but no means least Cuban cigars. The valentines menu can be found at

http://www.cubanabar.co.uk/pdf/Valentines-Day.pdf

By Louise Robinson

Ingredients
For the chocolate and raspberry cheesecake
butter, for greasing
2 tbsp porridge oats
50g/1¾oz fresh raspberries
75g/2½oz cream cheese
75ml/2½fl oz double cream
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp dark chocolate, grated
icing sugar

For the chocolate sauce
75ml/2½fl oz boiling water
100g/3½oz caster sugar
50g/1¾oz cocoa powder
75g/2½oz dark chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Method
1. For the chocolate and raspberry cheesecake, lightly grease a 5cm/2in chefs’ ring and place it onto a serving plate. Place half of the oats into the ring, then top with half the raspberries.
2. Place the cream cheese, cream and sugar into a bowl and mix well. Spoon this mixture on top of the raspberries, then top with the remaining oats and the grated chocolate.
3. Heat the outside of the chefs’ ring with a mini-blowtorch to loosen it, then carefully slide it off. Place the remaining raspberries on top of the cheesecake and garnish with a sprig of mint.
4. For the chocolate sauce, place all the chocolate sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and heat gently, stirring until the chocolate has melted and the sauce has thickened.
5. To serve, drizzle the chocolate sauce over the cheesecake.

By Louise Robinson

Cut the butter into cubes. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the icing sugar. Make a well in the centre, stir in the egg yolk and about 3-4 tbsp iced water to make a soft but not sticky dough. Knead lightly to form a smooth dough (if there is time - chill for 30 minutes). Preheat oven to mark 400F or gas mark 6.

Re-roll remaining pastry and trimmings and cut out circles using a 2 in cutter. Dampen edges of circle and place on pies. Seal edges, brush tops with beaten egg and cook for 20 minutes.

By Louise Robinson

As a couple heading out for the afternoon, chilling out in Chiquito was easy, the staff were really sociable and quickly took our orders down without intruding on our conversation. We decided to splash out on a meal here as it was reading week, so bare in mind that on top of the tram fare you will need a good £30.00 to spare on a decent meal for 2. We ourselves had been advised to try a starter by another satisfied customer so we ordered the ‘tear and share’ garlic bread with cheese which was so delicious it set our tummies rumbling for more. Luckily, our mains arrived promptly, my boyfriend tried the BBQ chicken at £10.45, we originally thought this sounded a little overpriced but the meal was so big he couldn’t finish it! He did describe the plate as unoriginal however, it really was just chicken with BBQ sauce as the title implies, but the BBQ sauce was a little too over-powering. I tried the tacos with vegetable chilli (£8.95) which had to be bought out on a plate almost the size of our table. Both meals were fantastic sizes and overall both tasted superb, on keep warm surfaces you were able to take a breather from all the food without it going cold, and I especially liked my meal as the chilli, rice and 3 dipping sauces all came separate from the tacos so you could mix your own fillings.

Lastly, despite feeling really full, we sat and chatted for half and hour or so before ordering some deserts. After seeing someone else with fried ice cream, we couldn’t resist trying some of the delicious yet strange sounding puddings. The Mexican edge given to them, like the addition of cinnamon made them sound absolutely mouth-watering, so my boyfriend opted for the Waffle Crunch with toffee pieces and I for the Chocolate Fudge and Brownie Sundae. Again our portions were rather large but perhaps what you would expect for your money at £3.95, rather a pricey pudding! The Waffle Crunch looked yummy but could have been made so simply for probably less than a pound at home, which was a little disappointing, whilst the sundae looked and tasted rather impressive. The glass just seemed endless! The bill ended up totaling £32.00 which isn’t too bad for a one off, although we didn’t drink any wine and had shared a starter! This price was literally only for our food as we drank a jug of water, however we ate at around 2 o clock in the afternoon on a Tuesday and definitely couldn’t have faced eating again that day. Ultimately, we had a huge banquet of scrumptious food for around £15 each, the atmosphere was cosy and with quirky décor quite interesting. And although we visited after the lunch rush when you’d expect staff to wait your table more efficiently, we felt the need to tip a couple of pounds still as they were just so welcoming and helpful, even if you’re a beginner when it comes to Mexican food and have to ask ‘what’s a burrito?’ like me!

By Lisa Etherington

            On entering the restaurant a very welcoming waiter attended the 4 of us and directed us to a table decorated with candles and a jug of water to begin. Inside seemed to cater for all families, there were tables with younger children, parties of adults and some older couples all enjoying the friendly ambience and warm interior, looking out into the darkness of approaching winter feeling very cosy indeed. We were then given the option of a starter, we opted for a small bowl of olives and some warm ciabatta which was bought out as if straight from the oven. However, as we all greedily tucked in a man leaving the restaurant held the door open for his wife and any heat felt previously within the building, left immediately. We weren’t situated particularly close to the door but afterwards  the room resisted to heat up again and I spent the remainder of my meal wearing my jacket.

            Nevertheless, my main course ‘Risotto Verde’ arrived and could not have been more delicious. I would strongly recommend this dish to any vegetarian eating here, especially if they wanted to try something a bit more impressive than the ‘Margarita Pizza‘. For vegetarians there are fewer dishes to choose from but enough to keep you happy for a visit or two here, and the ones they did have sounded delicious, from a range of other pasta dishes to a variety of wraps which can be ordered exactly as you’d prefer them. My boyfriend chose a simple burger meal and for a cheaper option his portion was still quite large including a side of chips and a selection of sauces. His parents, who had brought us out for the meal then chose a steak dish and a pasta dish. All the meals were very filling, however as it isn’t often we all go out we also each decided on a dessert and the dessert menu is to die for. Each sounded scrumptious and ranging from £2.95 for a selection of ice cream swirls to £4.50 for a large slice of cheesecake we thought they weren’t badly priced. Between us we tried the lemon tart with raspberry coulis and mascarpone, the tiramisu and the tartufo; a chocolate ice cream bomb with hazelnuts and a separate shot of espresso. Even though we were all packed with food we couldn’t resist finishing all of the sweets.    Overall, the staff couldn’t have been more welcoming, and despite my boyfriend’s accusations that he was just after a large tip one waiter in particular made every effort to amuse us, taking our orders without writing them down but remembering exactly who had asked for what which in my opinion made the meal seem more personal and us, valued customers. Finally, after paying the bill we were given some after-dinner mints, and let’s face it, when your given mints that in itself is normally the sign of a good quality restaurant.

The roast was quite a disappointment with the vegetables definitely not fresh which meant they lacked flavour. The absence of mash potato was a real shame and the gravy was too watery unlike the beef which was drier than Oscar Wilde. Even though the portion size was more than generous and the service was excellent the lack of flavour in the gravy really let down the whole meal. Interval should look to using fresh produce instead of heating up ingredients from frozen. I am sure students would pay that extra bit more to enjoy a really delicious meal rather than a cheap average one.

Serves 6

1 medium pumpkin

2 tablespoon soft butter

1 medium onion finely sliced

50g long grain rice

900ml chicken stock

Method

Cut a lid from the stalk end of the pumpkin. Remove the seeds and fibers with your hands, pretty messy but worth it.

Rub the inside walls with butter, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put the sliced onion in the pumpkin with the uncooked rice.

Put the pumpkin in a baking tin or oven proof dish. Bring the stock to the boil and pour into the pumpkin, replace the lid.

Bake for two hours at 190°C/Gas 5

Remove from the oven and serve scraping the flesh from the walls into the soup – delicious!

2 eggs

125g plain flour

150ml milk mixed with 150ml cold water

6 thick pork sausages or herby ones if you’re splashing out!

3 tablespoons olive oil

For the gravy:

75g butter

2 large red onions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon plain flour

250ml stock

75ml red wine

Worcestershire sauce to taste

Method

To make the batter mix the eggs, flour, milk and water together with a whisk. The constancy should be like double cream

Put the oil in a 28 x 21cm baking tray and place in a preheated oven 220ºC/ Gas 7 until steaming. Take out after 3 – 4 minutes and pour in the batter.

Arrange the sausages in the batter and bake for 20 – 25 minutes until the batter is puffed and golden.

To make the gravy melt the butter, add the onions and cook over a low heat until golden and soft

Add the flour and continue cooking for a few minted until it has lightly browned, then pour on the stock and red wine. Season and add the Worcestershire sauce and bring to the boil.

Turn the heat down and leave for 15 minted stirring from time to time.