Dining out is back This Ox and Finch spin-off is both fun and flavoursome

and Finch I can actually book a table within my attention span limits. Albeit only at high tea time.

To the corn ribs, then, quartered cobs, seared on the grill, drenched in so much salted coconut chilli and lime we’re still dipping the husks long after the corn is gone.

A lively cucumber salad follows, all invigorated with fish sauce and crunchy peanuts, then some stir-fried greens tossed in a pan and splashed with soy and white pepper.

I have ordered us two portions of the fried chicken in caramel. These salty, sweet crispy things towering from a dish, heaped

Weirdly, lockdown has improved the feel because they have turned the previously dead-zone bar area into more sit down dining.

4/5

with marinated onion and coriander, are really just good chicken nuggets for grown ups. All eaten.

Stir-fried duck livers with basil and peppercorn next. A dish that’s both wetter and containing way more vegetable than I expected with livers consequently damper and paler than I had hoped and therefore a bit meh.

A stickily, sweetly soft pork belly with that great stir-fry green choy sum and a crunchy peanutty textured topping goes down next. Leaving us only a braised beef, potato and peanut massaman curry to ascend. Unlike just about everything else this does not make a good first impression.

We’re living in the time of masks, though only for restaurant staff, so it’s a little bit different but, hey, what isn’t?

4/5

We pretty much ate the house down with nine plates and a couple of those kitschy desserts and it was less than £66.50. Bargain.

4/5

IF we want to get fit – and get rid of some of that ‘lockdown belly’ – starting the day with an old-fashioned bowl of porridge is the best advice I can give you. Oats are one of Scotland’s iconic foods, packed with slow digesting fibre that helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Naturally rich in vitamins, B1, B6 and folic acid they also have good magnesium, helpful to reduce type 2 diabetes. Home- made muesli or simply a big bowl of fruit sprinkled with roasted oats gives a good start to the day and avoids mid-morning hunger pangs. Goldilocks had a point!

EASY PEASY COCONUT MILK PORRIDGE Ingredients

300ml coconut milk

300ml water

1 teaspoon ground cardamom 100g porridge oats

1-2 drops vanilla extract

1 ripe mango, banana, or handful fresh berries

Method

Put the coconut milk, water and ground cardamom into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir in the porridge oats.

Add the vanilla extract to taste. Simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with piles of summer berries and a drizzle of honey.

You can easily cook porridge in a microwave, 3-4 minutes, stirring halfway through. Be careful as the bowl gets hot.

SWISS BIRCHER STYLE MUESLI

Bought muesli can have a lot of added sugar. It’s cheaper and easy to make your own.

Ingredients

100g rolled oats

50g wheat flakes

50g flaked barley

2-3 tablespoons mixed nuts, whole almonds, pecans, hazelnuts

2 -3 tablespoons dried fruit: raisins, sultanas, chopped dates, figs

2 tablespoons sunflower seeds 2 tablespoons green pumpkin seeds

When ready to eat

1 apple or pear, cut into pieces Large handful raspberries and blueberries

2-3 tablespoons Greek yoghurt 1 teaspoon Scottish honey, optional

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4. Scatter the rolled oats, wheat flakes and nuts on a baking tray and roast for 10-15 minutes.

Remove and leave to cool. Mix all the dry ingredients together.

Store in a sealed jar and store in a dry place (it will stay fresh up to two months). When ready to eat add the chopped fresh fruit and berries and a big dollop of Greek yoghurt to moisten it. You can add milk or apple juice. To add sweetness, you can add a drizzle of honey.

Slice of melon

½ peach or nectarine

1/2 banana

6 soft prunes

1 orange, cut into segments Handful raspberries

Greek yoghurt

1 tablespoon roasted porridge oats

A teaspoon sunflower seeds.

Method

Prepare all the fruit, de-seed and cut into bite-size pieces. Add a dollop of Greek yoghurt.

Sprinkle with the oats and sunflower seeds and a handful of raspberries.

Serve with a pot of Valvona & Crolla Caffè Bar blend coffee.