Going mad for mezze

My absolute favourite and best (God I’ve been watching too much Charlie and Lola with the kids) food has to be sharing plates of finger food.

Whether it be tapas, Asian snacks or slabs of pizza oozing with molten mozzarella, food tastes better when its shared – plus it doesn’t count on the diet if you share does it?

This week I was asked to go on a shopping expedition of our local town centre, which would culminate in me writing a DPS (double page spread) about a rewards scheme on offer.

Never one to turn down a freebie I, of course, snapped up the opportunity and spent the morning trying cheese, snacking on cake, having my hair and nails perfected and visiting one of the most fabulous grocer’s I’ve ever seen (Global Fruits at Buttermarket, Ipswich).

The day ended at The Galley in Woodbridge, where I, along with the photographer, restaurant owner Ugur and BID marketing man enjoyed fabulous authentic mezze inspired by Ugur’s Turkish heritage.

I couldn’t believe the price - £10.95 for two! What fantastic value.

Apparently the menu changes regularly, but on the day we visited all dishes were vegetarian.

We had:

Sundried tomatoes mixed with fresh tomatoes, walnuts and pomegranate molasses

Fresh chillies and tomatoes chopped with herbs

Potatoes, aubergines and courgettes cooked slowly with olive oil and seasonings until unctuous and silky

Giant beans cooked with fresh tomatoes and smoked paprika

Homemade hummus

Local beetroot crushed with yoghurt and a little garlic

Served with locally made pitta bread (nothing like the supermarket version) and a glass of rose, this was the perfect light lunch and we felt quite virtuous at having eaten most of our five a day at one sitting.

A glance at the rest of the menu (two courses for £5 for children!) homemade pasta and homemade Turkish delight ice cream has cemented a family visit in the near future.

If you’re in the area pop in for a visit – it’s fab!