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December 8, 2016

Ren Loves: Christmas Gifts for Foodies 2016

17 sleeps till Christmas! Apologies if this sends you into a mild panic…

Trying to think of ideas for presents for friends and family can often feel like the hardest task in the run-up to Christmas, so I’m here to help on the festive inspiration front!

All these items are hand-picked by me and have either been received as review products, or I have purchased them myself to give as gifts.

Luxury Finds

First things first – my ultimate Christmas gift hamper this year is The Sweet Life Hamper by Harvey Nichols. It is the ultimate gift for a hostess or as a house warming present – with many of these items finding themselves very much at home in our house as I unpacked the hamper just as we moved back in after 14 months of renovations! It’s perfect for stocking up a Christmas pantry with special treats like Pink Chocolate Marc de Champagne Truffles and Brut Rosé Champagne. There’s also tea, cake, a selection of candles and a Starskin Hand Mask (for hands that do dishes) all presented in an elegant black wicker hamper. A little drop of the Mozart Premium Chocolate Liqueur into some hot chocolate topped with whipped cream makes for a delicious festive treat and I won’t tell anyone if you happen to dunk a Harvey Nichols Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Biscuit in there too…

Price: £110 (Item gratefully received for review)

Find it here

For Gin Lovers

If you’re tasked with buying a gift for the gin aficionado, then this Dartington Crystal Gintuition Gift Set from John Lewis is a fantastic find – and a steal at £22 in a lovely box. It features a selection of three glasses with three unique shapes to allow the best gin-tasting experience and a little book of cocktail recipes. It includes a classic highball, an on-trend copa stem and an ever-stylish martini glass. The gin cocktail possibilities are endless…

Price: £22 (own gift purchase)

Find it here

Whilst gin is having its moment (and whilst I set up my Christmas gin bar) you can’t go wrong with a bottle of Plymouth Gin (Original) made in the Black Friars Distillery, a former monastery and the oldest working gin distillery in England. A favourite of the British Royal Navy, Plymouth Gin has been distilled using the same blend of seven botanicals, soft Dartmoor water and pure grain alcohol since 1793 – a modern classic. It retails for around £22.95 for 70cl but Tesco have it for £20 at the moment.

Plymouth Gin & Rivington Shoreditch Experience

If you’re London-bound or in the vicinity of trendy Shoreditch, make sure you schedule some time for a bespoke winter cocktail experience. From now until the New Year, Plymouth Gin (the world’s first spirit to be called ‘dry gin’) and the Rivington Shoreditch are giving guests the chance to treat themselves to a series of specially created gin cocktails – with all ingredients specially hand selected by Rivington Shoreditch Bar Manager Piotr Jedrzejewski – inspired by naval traditions. Once you’ve enjoyed your cocktail, you can pick a message in a bottle off the Christmas tree for a chance of a Christmas miracle.

My favourite cocktail there is one called Absent Friends made with Plymouth Navy Strength gin, homemade Christmas vermouth, Maraschino liqueur and Angostura bitters (aged in oak barrel for 14 days) – £10

More info:

@PlymouthGinUk
@RivingtonBarGrill
#PlymouthGin
#RiviGinTime

For Chocolate Lovers

Who should you turn to for your chocoholic family member’s gift needs? Hotel Chocolat naturally! Their ‘All I Want For Christmas’ ribbon-tied chocolate hamper should keep them smiling. It’s stashed full of treats including a Penguin Snowed Under Slab, Ho Ho Ho, Reindeer Lick, Milk & Cookies Slab, Champagne Truffles, Salted Caramel Snowflakes and Classic Christmas H-Box. The burning question is will they share any of it with you?!

Price: £35 (Item received for review)

Find it here

For a delicious little stocking filler you should also check out the Hotel Chocolate Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. It’s a cosy mix of grated mellow chocolate and caramel, with a tiny pinch of salt for a sophisticated take on the classic comfort drink.

Price: £9

Find it here

I absolutely adore the stunning packaging of these boxes of Godiva chocolates, and have bought them as gifts for a few of my family members. I think it’s the ultimate treat to receive a box of luxury chocolates like this that you would never normally buy for yourself.

Price: £28, for a box of 20

Find it here

Stocking Fillers

Paperchase is one of those shops I always make a beeline for, and I especially love their super cute Cookie Cutter Fairy Lights. The copper cookie cutter lights come in three fun shapes, including a gingerbread man, tree and star. Each is made from metal and has a cut-out dot design to let the light through when you flick the switch. The set is battery powered so you can use it anywhere you like. A great accessory for adorning kitchen shelves over the festive season.

Price: £12

Find them here

I also love these Festive Food Trays from Paperchase with adorable illustrations. My toddler and niece will both be eating their Christmas dinner from these super-cute trays! They are very parent-friendly as they’re made from melamine, so they can be chucked both on the floor, and then in the dishwasher!

Price: £6.00

Find them here

Local Foodies and Businesses

A festive shout out to my foodie friend Kavita for starting her first Etsy ceramics shop Studio Favelle! Her handmade decorative plates make for wonderfully unique and affordable gifts (top image).

Find them here

Congratulations also to my two friends for recently making it onto Not on the High Street – woop!

Chai Spices Indian Shortbread Gift Sets by Chin’s Kitchen, an artisan home-based bakery started by Chintal Kakaya, specialising in creating handmade cakes and treats with a unique Indian twist (bottom left).

Price: £25

Find them here

And Holy Lama Naturals with their incredible Spice Drops created from natural extracts. You can find out more about the series of recipes I created using them last month in my blog post Cooking with Holy Lama Spice Drops (bottom right).

Price: from £15

Find them here

St Albans Shout Out!

As well as traditional Christmas high street shopping, I also love supporting local businesses and friends and a good number of my Christmas gifts will also come from the St Albans farmers market or from Raindrops on Roses, St Albans who stock some of the most beautiful gifts, all locally sourced and who donate 100% of the profits to charity. Do pop in if you are ever in St Albans – they are by the Cathedral Gate – incidentally we also have a fabulous Christmas Market in the Abbey Cathedral Gardens (they run until 18th December)

That’s all for now – hope I’ve helped you out with a few festive bits. I’m sitting down now to pen some Christmas cards.

P.S If you’re sensing a gin and chocolate theme this year for me you’d be on the money! With thanks to Harvey Nichols, Hotel Chocolate and Plymouth Gin for the review items. All other items purchased independently.

April 25, 2016

Tala Stoneware Giveaway

I’m aware that things have been quiet on the blog recently (for a very good reason which I’ll be sharing with you soon!) So today I’m running a giveaway in association with Tala to say thank you for bearing with me – I promise I’ll be back up to full speed shortly.

As you know, I am a huge fan of good quality kitchenware and a love of both baking and quick-to-the table one pot meals means that I rely on a good selection bakeware and stoneware that lasts. Recently, Tala sent me a gorgeous pie dish to try out from their new Stoneware range, which turned out to be the vehicle for a speedy and family-friendly Spring Vegetable and Chicken Pie.

One of Britain’s oldest and best loved kitchenware brands, Tala began manufacturing products in 1899 and now their wares are a staple in kitchens all around the world.

The Stoneware range from Portugal is a new addition to the brand. Complementing Tala’s already popular blue stoneware bowls, this new colourful range includes shades and tones used in the traditional Tala pastel colour spectrum.

There are some fantastic everyday pieces in the Tala Stoneware range including pie dishes, roasters, gratin dishes, mixing bowls, mini cocottes and ramekins. All of the pieces are oven safe, microwave safe, freezer safe, fridge safe and extremely durable. They are also stronger than Earthenware which most everyday cooking products are typically made of. This means that they are less porous and so are less likely to crack than other products on the market.

The pie dish I used in this recipe came in a pistachio colour. It withstood the heat of the oven really well and it was also very easy to clean afterwards.

Tala have kindly offered a giveaway to my readers. They are offering the products in the below image and adding in a mixing bowl to match. The products are also available in pistachio, cream and red which the winner can choose from.

If you’d like to win this lovely selection of Tala Stoneware, simply follow the instructions in the entry box below and then keep everything crossed!

This prize will be posted out to the winner by Tala directly.

For more Stoneware Products take a look at the full range here

With many thanks to Tala for providing the prize in this giveaway.

UK Entrants only. Closes on Monday 16th May 2016.

The winner will be chosen by random generator and has 4 weeks to respond with address.

I’ll be back soon with more news!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

December 13, 2014

Review: Winter Dining at Pizza Express, Westfield London

The mention of a new Carbonara Pizza on the Autumn/Winter menu at Pizza Express caught my attention in an email recently. The merging of two of my favourte things – Carbonara and pizza on one plate. Why was this not something I’d tasted before? A marriage made in heaven in my books and one that didn’t disappoint on flavour when I tried it at Pizza Express in Westfield, London.

Of course, there is always more on the menu to tempt you at Pizza Express than pizza, not least their signature Dough balls – available in a sweet form (Snowball dough balls) this Christmas. Founded in 1965 by Peter Boizot, Pizza Express was the first to bring pizza to the UK high street. It’s always a great option for a bite to eat with a friend, or with the children and the service is usually friendly and efficient.

…

November 25, 2014

10 Ways to Spice Up Your Christmas by Just Ingredients

Today I’m sharing a lovely infographic that caught my attention this week, by the lovely folks at Just Ingredients, who have focused on ten ‘festive ingredients’ and how to use them. I’m very tempted by their recipe idea for sticky plum and star anise ham, which I’d pair with a plum and star anise vodka cocktail…and I love the idea of making my own basil salt, or honeyed thyme carrots. I hope you like it as much as I do and that it inspires you to get creative with some herbs and spices in your Christmas kitchen this year.

If you haven’t heard of Just Ingredients before, I’d encourage you to take a look at their site. It’s a treasure trove of superfoods, nuts, herbs and spices. They also have organic ingredients, fairtrade options, tinctures, botanical herbs, wholefoods and oils. Their ‘Secret Ingredients’ blog is very lovely, too – I love the idea of these Crêpes with spiced pear, pecan and cranberry compote, which would make an amazing Thanksgiving dessert if you are celebrating this week.

With many thanks to Just Ingredients for creating this handy infographic and for inviting me to share it with my readers.

This post is sponsored by Just Ingredients.

November 3, 2014

Keeping Healthy with the Froothie Optimum 9400

This week, I’ve been road-testing the Froothie Optimum 9400 Power Blender – perfect for making winter soups, smoothies, nut butters, instant sauces and much more.

With a new baby in the house, I’ve been really keen to try and keep the winter bugs and germs at bay. This has been particularly tricky with two older school-aged children, though I think it’s helped that we’ve had such a mild autumn. Even so, usually by this point in the school term, the children will have had a couple of days off sick, but this year, so far, we’ve had no time off and no trips to the doctor. So what have we done differently? Well, firstly, ordering a fruit and veg box once a week has really helped, as it has meant always having a selection of seasonal vegetables on hand to throw into a big pan for a soup or to pad out a casserole or stew, with fruit to snack on or to turn into a lovely crumble. My second secret bug-fighting weapon has been my Froothie Optimum 9400 – a power blender that I’ve been trying out recently to make blended soups, smoothies and homemade raw dips and nut butters.

I’ve definitely found in the past that if you store kitchen gadgets away in the cupboard, you use them much less than if you keep them out on the countertop. As I’ve mentioned before, space in my kitchen is at a premium, so when my Froothie Optimum 9400 arrived for me to road-test, I decided to take the bread bin to the charity shop to make room for the blender to stay out permanently. This turned out to be a really good move – it means we’ve been eating less bread (typically there would be white bread, crumpets and croissants on the go) and any bread that I do now buy is bought fresh, or stored in the freezer. Replacing the bread bin with a blender has also meant less grazing on hot buttered toast throughout the day!

I’ve also found that since the Froothie Optimum 9400 can handle raw ingredients, including vegetables, nuts, seeds and all kinds of fruit, you are literally only ever a few minutes away from a cup of something tasty and nutritious in the form of a soup or smoothie. My little girl has discovered a love of soy milk (which she calls soil milk!) so I’ve also been making lots of milkshakes and smoothies with frozen bananas and a pinch of cinnamon or cocoa. The next few weeks and months will see me weaning our youngest, and so the Froothie Optimum 9400 will be used even more often for those ‘first tastes’ of pureed fruit and veg.

As a family, we also love blended vegetable soups in the winter months. They are warming and nourishing and so simple to make. As soon as the kids get home from school, they head straight for the kitchen to find out what soup I’ve made. Within minutes, they can be sitting down and tucking into a warming bowl or even a cup of soup – the perfect bridge to dinner time.

As power-blenders go, I’ve now tried two ‘domestic’ models – the Vitamix (mentioned here in my Healthy Hot Chocolate Breakfast Smoothie post) and now the Optimum 9400 – the best-selling model by Australian-owned company Froothie. You can see a comparison here of power-blenders here including the Optimum, Vitamix, BlendTec, Ninja and Nutribullet. Of note, is the fact that the Optimum 9400 has the most powerful motor – 2,238 watts compared with 1,492 on the Vitamix 5200 model. It also has a slightly higher speed (RPM) – 44,000 rpm for the Optimum 9400, versus 37,000 rpm on the Vitamix 5200. The Optimum 9400 also has 6 blades, whereas the Vitamix 5200 has 4. Both offer a BPA certified and BPA free 2 litre jug. The Froothie Optimum 9400 is also cheaper, at £329 (including a 5 year international warranty) on the Froothie website, whereas a Vitamix model can cost between £459.95 and £529.95.

So, I’m very happy with my Optimum 9400 and there are still many more recipes to try. It’s easy to clean (once I’ve blended, I simply pour a little washing up liquid into the jug along with some warm water and then pop the lid back on and give it a quick whizz, followed by a quick rinse with clean water).

Buying a power-blender is an investment, but once you have one you can make your own nut milks, blend your own flour, make nut butters, smoothies, ice-cream and sorbet from frozen fruit, custard, instant cheese sauce, and hot soups – so it’s a great asset in the kitchen. The pulse function will also finely chop onions, grate cheese and grind coffee beans.

I’ve also joined the Froothie Ambassador team which means that I’ll keep a badge up on my site (in the sidebar on the right hand side) that you can buy your product through and you can also ask me any questions you like within the comment box and I’ll make sure that they are answered.

Froothie also have lots of You Tube videos you can watch to get an idea of what the Optimum 9400 can do.

Although you can make raw soups – that is to say you don’t have to pre-cook any of the ingredients as the power of the motor will also heat and cook the ingredients – I tend to cook my base of onions, carrots and celery in a little olive oil, before adding any other vegetables and a little stock. However, I’m also going to experiment soon with a soup made entirely from raw ingredients in my Optimum 9400 so I’ll let you know how I get on. Using the Optimum 9400 means you get a silky smooth result – add a touch of soy milk for a creamier finish.

Easy Winter Vegetable Soup

Author Ren Behan

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled
1 stick celery
3 carrots, peeled
1 potato, peeled
1/2 head cabbage,
2 tomatoes, deseeded
1 litre/4 cups vegetable stock
Sea salt and black pepper
2 teaspoons dried marjoram
125ml/1/2 cup soy milk
Fresh herbs to serve

Instructions

Finely chop the onion, celery and carrots - you can do this in the Froothie Optimum 9400 if using. Tip the chopped vegetables into a large pan or stock pot. Put the pan onto a medium heat, add the oil and cook the vegetables until soft - around ten minutes. Chop the potato into cubes and add to the pan. Add in the tomato and shredded cabbage. Pour over the stock, season with sea salt and pepper and add the marjoram or other dried herbs. Cook for ten minutes then leave to cool slightly. Carefully pour the soup into the Optimum 9400 and blend on high for one to two minutes, until the soup is silky smooth. Add a splash of soy milk for a creamier finish.

For a variation of this soup, use four or five potatoes, instead of carrots, and leave out the tomato. Add one cup of soy milk when blending.

I’m linking up my Winter Vegetable Soup with Simple and in Season over on Feeding Boys and a Firefighter this month.

Finally, I’m also sending this to Lisa’s Kitchen hosting No Croutons Required on behalf of Jac at Tinned Tomatoes.

Disclosure: Froothie UK sent me an Optimum 9400 Power Blender to use and review at home. I have not been paid for this post and was not required to give the blender a positive write up. All opinions are my own. Affiliate links included.

October 25, 2014

Autumn Reviews – Cru Kafe, Supermilk and Doughnuts!

A round up of a few items that have caught my attention recently…

Cru Kafe Coffee Pods

Let’s start with the coffee…I’m a huge fan of a good cup of coffee. At home, we have a Nespresso coffee machine, I’m pretty sure it’s the Nespresso U model and it’s the second one we’ve had having upgraded our model last Christmas. It used to be the case that you had to buy your Nespresso-compatible pods directly through the ‘Nespresso Club’ and whilst they have lots to offer, it’s good to see other pods coming onto the market. I was pleased to try a brand new range of Nespresso-compatible coffee pods from Cru Kafe, a British company who win bonus points for producing eco-friendly pods, filled with Fairtrade, organic, 100% Arabica bean coffee. The Cru Kafe team select beans sourced from a high altitude and their artisanal blends result in coffee that is extremely smooth and velvety. I’m happy to have have swapped my morning cup of coffee for a morning cup of ‘Cru’ and I was also delighted to try their new decaf version, which is just as flavourful as their stronger blends. You can buy Cru Kafe pods easily online – my first order (after finishing the samples too quickly!) was delivered the next working day and arrived in a neat cardboard box with no excess packaging.

Cru Kafe pods are priced at 0.29p a capsule and are available in decaf, light roast, dark roast and intense strengths. You can place a one-off order or sign up to a subscription service.

Try Cru Kafe’s Pumpkin Spiced latte – the recipe is here.

Follow @CruKafe on Twitter

Hotel Chocolat Supermilk

Now, as well as a good cup of coffee, I also like a slab or two of chocolate and British grower Hotel Chocolat never disappoint. I was excited to be one of the first to receive a sample of their very latest blend of chocolate – Supermilk – described as “the most comforting, creamy milk chocolate, with less sugar than a dark.” I’ve devoured quite a bit of this Supermilk chocolate now, first as a sample, and then again when I bought a stash at my local store in St Albans. It has the same hit as dark chocolate, but it is smooth and certainly not bitter. It’s perfect on it’s own (or even with a good cup of coffee) and with 65% of pure cocoa – it’s a wonderful blend for baking. With their new blend of Supermilk, Hotel Chocolat are trying to rebalance the percentage of sugar to cocoa in milk chocolate blends – given that most ‘milk chocolate’ on the market is made with twice as much sugar as cocoa. Supermilk still has a sugar content of 20% along with a splash of milk, but the cocoa content is akin to a darker blend; the idea being that with a higher cocoa content, you can satisfy a chocolate craving with a smaller amount of chocolate…I’m still working on that concept!

Look out for The Supermilk Collection (3 packets) for £9.45. Individual 110g bars (65%, hazelnut or popcorn) are £3.75, whilst Supermilk 65% Chocolate Puddles are £5.50 for 110g. Buy online or instore now

Follow @HotelChocolat on Twitter #Supermilk

Bread, Cake, Doughnut, Pudding by Justin Gellatly

So we’ve had the coffee and the chocolate and now it’s time to move onto the doughnuts! The doughnuts on the front cover of this book certainly caught my attention. They happen to be the doughnuts of Justin Gellatly, who was the Head Baker and Pastry Chef at St John for twelve years and who now owns his own bakery in Borough Market. In actual fact, more than just doughnuts, this book is packed with some fantastic recipes – you’ll certainly be keeping those Bake Off contestants on their toes with this repertoire. With 150 recipes it’s hard to know where to begin – in it you’ll find Breakfast, Baking and Bread, Savoury Baking, Cakes and Teatime Treats, Biscuits, Doughnuts, Warm to Hot Puddings, Cold Puddings, Ice Cream and a slightly eclectic chapter at the back called The Store Cupboard.

Three recipes that stood out the most to me were – The Chocolate Brownie (Justin’s recipe from St John), Spiced Pepper Plum Tart (an amazing recipe with seasonal plums, black pepper, ginger, star anise and cinnamon) and the Deep-Fried Jam Sandwich – Justin says “If you don’t have time to make doughnuts, this is a very good substitute.”

Bread, Cake, Doughnut, Pudding by Justin Piers Gellatly, Published by Fig Tree (Penguin Group) priced at £25 Hardback – currently £17 on Amazon.

My Mini Doughnuts!

Paid Recipe Commission

Now that I’ve got you thinking about doughnuts, why not pop over to the Good Food Channel and have a go at my recipe for Mini Doughnuts with Chocolate Sauce? Warning: they are extremely moreish!

With thanks for the samples of CRU Kafe, Hotel Chocolat Supermilk and for the copy of Bread, Cake, Doughnut, Pudding – I have not been paid to write about any of these products and have chosen to highlight things I think you’d enjoy.

June 12, 2014

A Mini Blog Break and Hello World Cup!

We’re very close to welcoming baby number three, so it seems an appropriate time to thank you for all your lovely comments of support, particularly on May’s Simple and in Season round up and more generally on social media. The blog may seem a bit quiet, but I’ll still be keeping up with a few freelance commissions. This week has also been an especially exciting week for new opportunities, so I’ll definitely be back soon to keep you up to date. In the meantime, the World Cup in Brazil kicks off today. I’ve been experimenting with these Croatian Mini Doughnuts, called Fritule (or boozy doughnuts as JamieOliver.com named them!) I hope you have time to pop over to have a read of my post and hopefully be inspired to try them over the weekend. Keep an eye on my feed, too, for recipes from Russia and Bosnia over the coming weeks.

Let me know what you are snacking on as the Summer of Sport picks up momentum – I’m looking forward to strawberries and cream and a nice drink of Pimm’s for Wimbledon!

Other ‘Sporting Snacks’ you might like –

3 Quick Cheese Snacks for the Good Food Channel

No Churn Ice Cream (White Chocolate and Blackberry)

Salted Caramel Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

And not forgetting Dad on Father’s Day!

The Big Daddy Salted Caramel Fudge Cake

May 8, 2014

Simple and in Season Spring – Now Open!

Spring has finally arrived, although today’s rain may be trying to convince us otherwise. We’re firmly into British asparagus season and I’ve seen plenty of it about. I’ve already been enjoying visiting some of your posts and recipes and coming up with some recipes of my own, including this simple British Asparagus and Westcombe Cheddar Tart now up on JamieOliver.com. I bought some gorgeous Lincolnshire asparagus today from my local deli and am thinking about what to make for tonight’s dinner as I type. There are also plenty of freshly picked Jersey Royals about, wild garlic, and I’ve started to spot some British summer fruits, too. Don’t forget though that you can share whatever is in season where you live!

A big thank you to Michelle over at Utterly Scrummy for hosting April’s Simple and in Season. So many of you entered and Michelle did a sterling job of rounding up all of the recipes here. I’m launching May’s round today – open until the end of May. Although since baby number three is due to make an appearance early in June, I may be extending the deadline into June! In the meantime, it’s business as usual and I’ll be popping over and read any posts that you link up. Don’t forget to also share your posts on Twitter/Facebook using the hashtag #SimpleandinSeason and I’ll share any that I see.

HERE’S A QUICK RE-CAP ON THE GUIDELINES:

All you have to do is come up with a dish using any seasonal produce you like (savoury or sweet) post it on your blog, add a link to this post mentioning Simple and in Season and linking to www.renbehan.com and then manually add the link to your post in the box below (via the Linky Tools form below)
This round will run up until 30th May 2014. I will publish a round-up post including everyone who has entered.
You can take inspiration from anywhere – adapt a recipe from your favourite cookbook, try something from a magazine, make up your own creation or share a family favourite. The usual rules apply when using someone else’s recipe, please either get permission from the author to post it or adapt it in some way stating how/why you’ve changed it.
Include any seasonal produce you fancy including fruit, veg, herbs, meat or fish.
Link as many recipes as you like. You can link posts entered into other blog events or carnivals as long as it involves a seasonal food item (and fits in with their rules).
The linky-up is open to anyone, anywhere. I’m happy to post prizes abroad and although it will be nice to feature as much British produce as possible, it will be interesting to see what’s in season elsewhere.
By entering your link, you are giving me permission to add your photograph to the round-up. I will link back directly to your post when I include you.
If you have questions or problems, email me or leave me a comment in the comment box at the bottom of the post.
If you are on Twitter, tweet your link adding the hashtag #simpleandinseason or add me @RenBehan and I will re-tweet it.

ADD YOUR RECIPE LINK HERE:

Looking forward to seeing all of your seasonal entries.

Don’t forget to visit the Food Blog Diary, too for details of other events you can link up to at the same time.

April 14, 2014

Review: Hotel Chocolat Easter 2014 Range

Every year, I look forward to receiving at least a little bit of the Hotel Chocolat range for Easter and there’s always so much to look forward to. I also try to pop into one of their high street shops just after the holidays, too, to scoop up some special offers, since, you know, all the chocolate over Easter isn’t enough. I’ve tried many different types of chocolate over the years and though some chocolate connoisseurs may profess dark chocolate to be the best, I’m more of a fan of good-quality milk chocolate and believe that a little bit can go a very long way to satisfying a sweet tooth. This year, the Hotel Chocolat Easter 2014 range starts at £2.00 for their solid 40% milk chocolate lolly, called an Egg on Toast Lick, stretching to the more luxurious end of the budget, £75.00, for a giant Easter egg called The Classic Ostrich Egg. At the lower to middle end of the range sit some of my favourites of this year – the All Milk Alcohol Free Easter Collection (£28.00) would go some way to satisfying my third-trimester pregnancy cravings, whilst the Goose Eggs (£13.00) in caramel and white chocolate vied for my attention, too. I’m also a big fan of Hotel Chocolat’s caramel milk chocolate, and so The Splat Caramel Chocolate Easter Egg (£12.50) makes it onto my wish-list as well.

HC_Easter — Hotel Chocolat Easter 2014 Selection

For anyone not so keen on an actual chocolate egg, The Easter Sleekster Selection (£24.00) would make a good alternative – filled with pralines, ganaches and caramels. And, if you are looking for something for a family, perhaps to send in the post, go for the Hotel Chocolat Easter Hamper (£39.00) which offers a selection of bow tie bunnies, milk & white eggs and soldiers, a dozen quail egglets, milk tiddly chicks and two of the egg on toast licks. If you order online and spend over £35.00, you’ll also receive a free gift yourself from the Easter bunny.

Current giveaway

Don’t forget that I’ve got a giveaway up and running until Wednesday 16th April 2014 for the Hotel Chocolat Rocky Road to Caramel Extra Thick Easter Egg (£28.00) so pop over and enter here now.

The full range of Hotel Chocolat Easter Eggs and Gifts can be found online here or within any of their high street stores.

With many thanks to Hotel Chocolat for sending me a selection of their Easter range for review. I was not required to post a review, nor have I been paid to do so. Images my own.

August 30, 2013

Mini Pasta Bakes (Proware Kitchen)

Mini Bacon and Pea Pasta Bakes:
A simple pasta dish, livened up with melted cheese and crispy bacon. If you don’t have mini pans, use one larger oven-proof pan or baking dish.

July 14, 2013

Formaggio e Miele, Burrata and a Baked Camembert

I’m craving simplicity. Food doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, the simpler a meal is, the more likely I am to enjoy it. Time is short and when we’re under pressure, cooking can seem like a chore. It’s probably why so few of us hold dinner parties any more. We think it will cost too much, or that we’ll have to somehow pull off a spectacular and unforgettable meal. It’s such a shame, as good friends and good food are two of the finest things in life and yet somehow, we complicate. During our recent holiday in Italy, one of the most memorable yet simplest of meals was in a small bar or Osteria called Cantina Diva on a back street in Bagno di Romagna. As we sat down, a big, round board arrived with some salami, bread, local cheese and local honey – “Formaggio e Miele” was just about all I understood. There was no menu and the wine had no label. It sort of just appeared, and we ate. I so wish this was my local place to hang-out…Eating cheese with a spoonful of honey was also a revelation.

Our visit to Cantina Diva, Bagno di Romagna, Italy

I often wonder, how much easier it would be to lay out a board of cheese, olives, and perhaps some cured meats, or even to bake a Brie or a Camembert and to serve it with a baguette, rather than leaning over hot coals, burning cheap sausages on a barbeque? I wonder why, in Britain, we don’t have more of an ‘antipasti’ culture or more of a ‘fromage et baguette’ habit. Perhaps we will catch on, particularly as we’re seeing more and more British artisan charcuterie and cheese producers springing up. Perhaps our equivalent is a picnic – although I don’t ever seem to get as excited over a Scotch egg or a ham sandwich.

My good friend Jessica and I simplified things recently. We baked some cheese, dipped in some bread and drank some red wine. She introduced me to her way of baking a Camembert (with fresh herbs from the garden, garlic, walnuts and honey) whilst I introduced her to my Italian friend; fresh Buratta. Burrata is a cheese made in Puglia, made with mozzarella on the outside and cream on the inside. I found some at my local Italian deli whilst pining for Italy. Jessica and I put the world to rights that afternoon, and all it took was some cheese. And Jessica knew about the cheese and honey thing.

A recipe I also like is Jamie Oliver’s Beautiful Baked Camembert – with the added touch of spiking some bread onto rosemary sprigs and finely chopping some dried cranberries and mixed nuts to sprinkle over the top. The Antipasti of Mozzarella, Chilli and Lemon Crostini and the Grilled Marinated Mozzarella both look good, too. My sister wraps her Camembert or Brie in filo pastry, with garlic and herbs, and bakes it that way – that’s next on my list of ‘ways to try eating oozing cheese’…Yes, I have such a list.

My cool and creamy Burrata was a nice contrast and also simple – just a drizzle of olive oil, some fresh mint and some grated lemon zest. The word “Burrata” actually means “buttered” in Italy – so get spreading!

If you spot some Buratta, buy it, or try it, hopefully you won’t have to travel to Italy to find it. Or rather, hopefully one day, you will.

What do you crave when you want simplicity?

Ingredients, travel, thoughts my own.

Post-note – a few people have asked me where to buy Burrata in the UK. I’d always say check at your local deli, but Waitrose now have a version, also sold through Ocado, as do Laverstoke Park – handmade using fresh Buffalo Milk.

July 12, 2013

Simple and in Season June Event Round Up (Part Two)

Here I am back with Part Two of June’s Simple and in Season – you can see the first 27 entries here. I’ll jump straight in as there are so many lovely posts and recipes to share.

The winner of June’s round who will receive a copy of The Green Kitchen is Alida at My Little Italian Kitchen for her Apricot Tarte Tatin – scroll down to see!

Simple and in Season is taking a little summer break. I will be stepping back a little, too, so that we can all rest a little and enjoy the sunshine and the school holidays. I hope to start it up again in September. Many thanks for your support!

28. At the halfway mark, Cooking Up a Storm in a Teacup sent across her Jersey Royal, Asparagus and Fennel Salad with a Herby Dressing.

29. Dancing Veggies sent across a ruby red Beet Risotto.

30. Susie at Fold in the Flour made a Classic Victoria Sponge with Rhubarb and Custard.

31. Janet at The Taste Space sent across her Creamy Mushroom Tomato Pasta.

32. Choclette over at the Chocolate Log Blog made some White Chocolate and Raspberry Tarts.

33. My Cupcake Habit made Lemon and Blueberry Cupcakes.

34. A savoury entry from Louisa at Chez Foti who made a Spinach and Feta Filo Pie.

35. Alida at My Little Italian Kitchen made a super-bright Apricot Tart Tatin – winning herself a copy of The Green Kitchen!

36. Nicole at Nicole Bremner made a Blueberry Lemon Loaf Cake, inspired by The Naughtiest Vegan Cupcakes In Town.

37. Camilla at Fab Food 4 All made three pots of Rhubarb, Vanilla and Lemon Jam.

38. Anna May, Everyday made some easy Raspberry and Lemon Tarts.

39. Whilst Michelle over at Utterly Scrummy made some equally lovely Summer Berry Tarts.

40. Mummy Makes Cakes discovered her own Elderflower shrub and so made some Homegrown Elderflower Cordial.

41. It’s a Fine, Fine Life made a Summer Chicken Casserole in her slow cooker.

42. Andrea at Shabby Chick made a Rhubarb and Rose Cake with Rhubarb and Rose Jam and Mascarpone.

43. A second tarte tatin this month, this time from Jen at Blue Kitchen Bakes who made a Rhubarb and Ginger Tarte Tatin.

44. Gill at Tales at Pigling Bland joined in this month (hurrah) with her Make-Ahead Simple Strawberry and Vanilla Layer Cake made for her garden party.

45. Mummy Makes Cakes came back to us with her Chargrilled Turkey and Nectarine Salad.

46. A Girl in Her Kitchen made some Classic French Peach Tarts.

47. Alida over at My Little Italian Kitchen made Green and yellow Crepes with Rocket and Bresaola Salad – stunning!

48. Scrumptious Sally made Easy Strawberry Shortbread Sandwiches.

49. Galina at Chez Maximka made a very pretty Mango Salad with Edible Flowers.

50. Dancing Veggies came back to us again with a Vegetable Lasagne.

51. Luisa at Chez Foti made another summer dish, this time a Roasted Tomato and Feta Risotto.

52. Fromage Homage (fab name) made a Fennel Goat’s Cheese, Samphire and Tomato Tart.

53. H is for Home also joined in again with this Elderflower Crunch Cake – so beautiful.

54. And last but by no means least (and the last Simple and in Season post for the whole summer!) was Camilla at Fab Food 4 All with her Strawberry and Vanilla Ice Milk.

A huge thank you to everyone who has supported Simple and in Season over the last TWO years! I hope to bring it back in September.

May 24, 2013

Giveaway: ASK Italian Cookbook and £20 ASK Vouchers

A little while ago I mentioned the new ASK Italian cookbook, with recipes by Theo Randall and Carla Capalbo. I had made the Spaghetti Carbonara – a winning family recipe in our household always met with smiles. We also recently ate at ASK and we were really impressed by their new 2013 menu, showcasing Italian inspired dishes created by Theo Randall and Head of Food, Jeena Rodrigues.

We loved the seasonal ‘spring specials’ on offer; asparagus wrapped in prosciutto or Fettucine Primavera Con Prosciutto – a spring pasta dish with asparagus, peas, courgettes and a creamy pecorino sauce. The children were quick to start colouring and to tuck into their pizza with fresh vegetables to nibble on and garlic bread, too. ASK have come a long way since I worked as a waitress in their Tottenham Court Road branch back in 2000! They now have 118 restaurants and endeavour to source high quality Italian ingredients from local growers in Italy, with Theo and the chefs taking regular trips to Italy for menu inspiration. If you have an ASK near you, try the Panzerottini – baked dough balls with Pancetta and cheese and chilli, a classic Bolognese is served with the more authentic fetuccine, rather than spaghetti. Puddings are tasty too – especially the dessert sharing board…

For a chance to win a copy of the ASK Italian Cookbook and a £20 voucher to put towards a nice meal out enter the rafflecopter giveaway below –

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

With thanks to ASK Italian for the cookbook and vouchers as a prize for one of my readers.

March 8, 2013

Feature: Handpicked Gift Ideas Via Inkling

Finding the perfect gift can be tricky, particularly when much of what we visibly see in the shops is over-commercialised. Cue a new company called Inking, who have come up of the clever idea of handpicking a selection of gifts from all over the Internet. Some of the ideas are tested favourites, whilst others are bespoke picks. You can find pamper days, gift experiences, luxury items and plenty of other gift inspiration ideas. I was invited to be a Guest Editor recently for some of the Food & Drink items on the new site and it’s certainly nice to see some more unusual ideas for gifts all in one place. On the home page, there is a simple box which says ‘I’m looking for a gift for…’ followed by ‘He/She is…’ and then ‘A Student/Young Adult/A Senior…’ etc which helps you find the perfect gift in different price ranges to suit your gift profile and budget.

For example, I spotted this lovely cook book holder by Laura Ashley

Photo Credit: Laura Ashley

And this gorgeous Pip Studio cake stand (definitely on my wish list!)

Photo Credit: John Lewis

Whilst another Editor spotted these pretty and colourful French Macarons via Not on the High Street

Photo Credit: Not on the High Street

It’s a simple concept, but I hope it takes off as it certainly helps to have suggestions from lots of different places around the web. You can also save ideas for a later date or click ‘Buy Gift’ which then takes you directly to the site the gift was originally found on.

Pop over and see if you can find some unusual, handpicked gift ideas for Mother’s Day or any occassion ahead or follow @An_Inkling for gift ideas by tweet.

Disclosure: Guest Editing at Inkling is an unpaid role although there is a small commission for any click through on my Editorial picks. I have not received any remuneration for writing this post.

December 21, 2012

Mini Christmas Cakes and a Merry Christmas!

Do you make your own Christmas pudding or cakes? I have to say, it has never been part of my family tradition to make a Christmas pudding and I’m pretty sure that this is the first time I’ve made my own Christmas cakes. Our usual tradition is to make Pierniczki or Polish Spiced Christmas Cookies, to decorate and hang on the tree, which I made this year, in addition to these sweet little Mini Christmas Cakes, for good measure.

If you are super-organised and have finished your Christmas shopping, you may have set aside some time for baking over the weekend. I hope that if you make my Polish Christmas Cookies, or perhaps some Mini Christmas Cakes of your own, you’ll let me know how you get on.

These mini cakes were made in a tin, sent to me by Lakeland to try. I made them according to the Mini Christmas Cakes recipe on the Lakeland website, soaking my fruit in the Rumtopf I made earlier in the year, rather than orange juice. The recipe was extremely easy and quick to prepare. I sprayed the tin with a cake release spray, just be sure they came out easily. I’ve also made some mini cheesecakes, and the tin behaved perfectly for them, too. These mini cakes are cakey, rather than fruity, which I like.

Discloure: I received a My Kitchen 12-Cup Mini Sandwich Tin for review along with a cake pan for a Chrismas Pud cake. I was not required to write a positive post about any Lakeland products. The cake ribbon and decoarations were my own purchase from the local garden centre. The cake toppers are made by Birchcraft, UK. With many thanks to the team at Lakeland.

Find my Pierniczki recipe here

My favourite Christmas Recipes and Posts

Time is short for everybody, but I wanted to leave you with a round-up of some of my favourite festive recipes and posts. Thank you so much to everyone who has made this blog such a pleasure to write.

Things We Make – Pierniczki – This is a post from last year, but it is so beautful that I’ve enjoyed re-visiting it again. Claire made my Polish Spiced Christmas Biscuits and they were a big family hit.

Chocolate Log Blog – Christmas Cinnamon and Honey Stars – Choclette made her version of my Pierniczki this year, and wrapped them up to sell them at the market – a Fabulicious Food! recipe market premiere!

My Custard Pie – The Ultimate Champagne Cocktail – Sally dedicates a post to the Champagne cocktail – how I would love to join her for a drink at the Burj al Arab. This post is decadent and full of fun and facts.

Food to Glow – Chocolate Chestnut Truffle Cake – Kellie shares photos and a recipe for her flourless chocolate cake, which is simply stunning.

Fuss Free Helen shares a recipe and beautiful photos for her Christmas Pudding and Spiced Orange Pavlova – a perfect use for Christmas pudding leftovers.

Lavender and Lovage – Rudolph the Red Nosed Potato – Mini Potato Dauphinoise Muffins – Karen is this month’s Simple and in Season host and has shared some lovely Christmas recipes within her Rudolph post!

Finally, I’m linking my original Polish Spiced Cookies up to Sarah at Maison Cupcakes Christmas Tree Cookie Parade!

Have you left yourself with any time to bake over the weekend?!

October 30, 2012

Roasted Squash with Tahini and Za’atar from ‘Jerusalem’

There is an abundance of winter squash available at the moment; classic Butternut squash, sweeter Coquina squash, round squash and from the same family, pumpkins, delightful munchkins, marrows and globe courgettes. I like experimenting with different varieties and as soon as I bought these home I knew that I wanted to try a recipe from Yotam Ottoleghi and Sami Tamimi’s new book Jerusalem for roasted squash with tahini and za’atar. There is plenty more for me to explore inside the latest addition to my cookery book shelf and you can find lots of Ottoleghi recipes to try over at The Guardian, too.

First, the squash is roasted in the oven with olive oil, onions, salt and pepper

Next, you make a tahini sauce with tahini paste, lemon garlic and salt. Then you sprinkle over some of the Middle Eastern spice za’atar.

I’m missing toasted pine nuts and parsley!

I hope I’m in time to link this post up to the October One Ingredient Challenge co-hosted by Nazima at her new blog Franglais Kitchen and Laura at How to Cook Good Food. By coincidence, Nazima made this dish, too, adding grilled halloumi and polenta.

Nazima will also be rounding up October’s Simple and in Season event and in a couple of days, Simple and in Season will be back home at Fabulicious Food! for November – I hope you’ll join in!

October 27, 2012

Giveaway: Boeuf Bourguignon Dinner Kit

As the dark nights draw in, the slow cooker and ‘one-pot’ pans are put to work in my kitchen. The season for comfort food is upon us. The classic French dish of Boeuf Bourguignon made with good quality beef, bacon, a deep red wine and rich gravy is the ultimate winter warming supper.

A little while ago I joined Marco Pierre White in his kitchen with the Knorr UK team, to learn a few tricks for cooking one-pot meals such as a sweet pumpkin soup, a Parmesan-laced risotto and a quick chicken casserole.

This week, I’ll be trying out Marco’s recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon with Wild Mushrooms (you can see a video here) using seasonal ingredients from Forman and Field.

Beef Bourguignon is also sometimes known as Beef Burgundy, because it originates form the French region of Burgundy or Bourgogne. Julia Child famously described the dish as “certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man.”

To test Julia Child’s theory alongside Marco Pierre White’s recipe, I have a second box of ingredients to offer one lucky reader.

The contents of the winner’s box will include:

800g beef brisket
200g pearl onions
200g wild mushrooms
unsmoked bacon
125ml port
leek and celery
thyme and parsley
Bolney Estate Lychgate Red Wine
Knorr Rich Beef Stock Pot

Please note, you will have to be in to sign for your parcel containing fresh ingredients on Friday 16th November – UK delivery only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bonne chance!

August 24, 2012

Giveaway: Forman and Field and Knorr Gourmet Food Box (Closed)

This week I’ve been cooking again with some delicious produce from online retailers Forman and Field and with some stock pots from Knorr. For dinner last night, we had baby chickens baked with chipolatas and rice. From my own store cupboard, I added a sprinkle of Middle Eastern spice called za’atar. Check back next week for my recipe. In the meantime, here’s a giveaway for you to win the ingredients for this recipe for Spatchcooked Baby Chicken with Rosemary by Knorr, perfect for a barbecue, along with some summertime extras.

Your gourmet box will include:

2 x Oven Ready Poussin/Baby Chickens

Musk’s Traditional Chipolatas

2 x Pure Beef Burgers

2 x Traditional Scotch Eggs

2 x White Onion Tartlets

Rosemary, Parsely, Fresh Lemon

Knorr Chicken Stock Pots

Please note, you must be in to receive your box on Friday 31st August 2012 if you win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

July 2, 2012

Giveaway: Chicken Chasseur Seasonal Box (Knorr and Forman and Field)

A few weeks ago I attended a second masterclass with top British chef Marco Pierre White, this time all about One Pot cooking. You may remember me writing about meeting Marco Pierre White the first time round last year. Marco has been working with Knorr UK for some time time and wholeheartedly advocates the use of stock cubes or stock pots for home cooking. Stock cubes are for when time is too short to faff around with making a stock from scratch, and particularly for when you don’t have a sous chef or a surplus of bones on hand!

The most interesting thing I learnt, was based on Marco’s suggestion for using a stock pot or cube along with fruit juice – to add an extra layer of flavour – as chefs do – to your food in a quick and easy way. So, for example, Marco told us that he might use a beef cube or stock pot mixed with prune juice when making a beef stew, or a vegetable stock cube with fresh carrot juice when making pumpkin soup. In this recipe, Marco uses a chicken stock pot and tomato juice to make a quick and easy Chicken Chasseur. If you flour your chicken before frying it, you’ll get a thicker sauce, too.

Whilst I gather my notes and my thoughts together, I have been trying out Marco’s recipe for myself at home based on a box of goodies from Forman and Field and Knorr. I also have a second box of goodies to giveaway so that one of you can try the recipe at home, too. It was a bit of a treat to use brandy as well as white wine, but you could really tell in the finished dish. It was also the first time I had used tomato juice in my cooking and I thought it was a great trick, particularly when mixed with a Knorr chicken stock pot.

The winner’s box will be delivered on Friday 13th July 2012 (so you will have to be in on that day to sign for it) and will contain –

·         1 small chicken

·         2 shallots

·         brandy

·         white wine

·         1 Knorr Chicken Stock Pot

·         tomato juice

·         button mushrooms

·         chopped tarragon

·         chopped parsley

·         tomatoes

Come back tomorrow to find out everything I learnt from Marco Pierre White in the kitchen of his Chelsea restaurant…

GIVEWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NB This is a short competition and closes on Monday 9th July at midnight.

You can find plenty of home cooking inspiration and recipes from Marco and Knorr here including his Chicken Chasseur with an easy to follow video here.

With many thanks to Knorr UK and Forman and Field for the chicken chasseur box and the giveaway prize.

May 19, 2012

Waitrose ‘Best of British’ Jubilee Street Party Hamper

Quick update! Thanks to your votes and RT’s the English Strawberries won against @BigSpud’s Asparagus and made it into the hamper! Even better, I had also chosen a Welsh Sparkling wine called Glyndwr, which went into battle against Katie’s Pommery Pop Union Jack Champage and the Welsh bubbles won, too! So, both will feature in Waitrose Best of British hamper, which you have a chance of winning via the Waitrose social media pages. Thank you!

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee weekend is getting nearer and I am starting to get excited. I didn’t think I would at first, but I have to say, the patriotic displays filling our shops and supermarkets is quite inspiring. I love seeing the rows and rowns of bunting and it makes me really happy to see British produce being celebrated and showcased on such a grand scale. I have also been lured in by one or two pretty plates and cakes stands and have already been practicing my jubilee bakes…

I was asked by the British supermarket Waitrose – suppliers to the Royal Household “By Appointment” – to chose my ‘Best of British’ Jubilee street party item to be part of a Jubilee hamper. My selected item will go into battle against another street party item live this morning at 9.30am on Twitter. My battle will last for 8 hours and I am up against @BigSpud (Gary Fenn) who has chosen the mighty asparagus.

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May 9, 2012

Review and Giveaway: Bluebasil Gourmet Brownies

They say that good things come in small packages and in this particular case, a very good thing, or two, arrived in the post and practically knocked my socks off. Bluebasil gourmet brownies. A little box, small, but perfectly formed. Tied with string with a pretty label. It wasn’t Christmas day, but it could have been. They made my day.

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April 27, 2012

Giveaway: 2 x £50 Sainsbury’s Gift Cards

Fabulicious Food! was recently contacted by the Sainsbury’s team and asked to be a part of the Sainsbury’s Bank Family Blogger Network, as well as being highlighted in a feature on 20 Fantastic Family Food Blogs. The Sainsbury’s team liked my angle on family food, seasonal recipes and using locally produced food, as well as my blog events for other bloggers to join in with. So, thank you to Sainsbury’s for visiting my blog and enjoying it. I am looking forward to submitting some of my ideas and recipes to their Money Matters blog, too.

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April 23, 2012

Review and Giveaway: Eat London 2 – All About Food (Book RRP £20)

With less than 100 days to go until the 2012 London Olympics and even fewer until the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, all eyes will soon be on London.

Food is a huge part of any celebratory occassion and (hopefully) visitors to London will be seeking out the very best places to eat, including cafés, restaurants, bakeries, food markets, as well as artisanal delis and pop-ups. London is fast becoming one of the most important food destinations in the world. We are certainly keeping up with culinary trends and in some cases, doing a very good job of setting them.

This week I received a review copy of a book called Eat London 2, All About Food. This is the second edition of the book, the first having been published in 2007. Since then, much has changed on the capital’s food scene and the publication of the second edition is clearly very timely.

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April 7, 2012

Happy Easter from Fabulicious Food!

I just wanted to wish you all a very Happy Easter. We are having a quiet family Easter, involving Easter baking, egg hunts around the garden and gathering together to celebrate. Easter and spring also introduce some of my very favourite ingredients, and of course, tons of left over chocolate. I’ve already made my first mistake of ordering a giant bag of Mini Eggs online…so to get the Easter egg rolling I’ve baked Nigella’s Everyday Brownies to use (some of them) up!

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What do you crave when you want simplicity?

A huge thank you to everyone who has supported Simple and in Season over the last TWO years! I hope to bring it back in September.

My favourite Christmas Recipes and Posts

Have you left yourself with any time to bake over the weekend?!

Good Luck!

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