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Name: Ren's Goji Beetroot Blast
Yield: 1 smoothie

March 3, 2017

Super Smoothie: The Goji Beetroot Blast

Recently, I was invited along to the Waitrose Test Kitchen to create my ultimate super smoothie recipe for the John Lewis website. Images courtesy of Charlie Richards. Smoothie styling by Cynthia Blackett. Recipe by Ren for John Lewis.

Move over clean eating, the new kid on the block is wellbeing. This is good news, because it means we can move away from ruling things out, and instead, focus on the good stuff that we can put in to keep ourselves nourished, well and happy.

I was very excited to be invited along to the Waitrose Test Kitchen by the John Lewis team – cue shelves packed with colour-coded cookbooks, and a workspace filled to the brim with fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and a selection of alternative milks plus an array of mixers and blenders for us to try out.

Here are some smoothie-making tips:

Add a small amount of liquid to your chosen blender first to help everything blend well and add more at the end to get the consistency you require.
Fruit smoothies can be sweetened with fresh or frozen berries and a squeeze of honey – keep small bags of pre-prepared fruit and veg in the freezer ready to whiz up into instantly in a high-powered blender.
Creamy smoothies, such as smoothies blended with banana, go well with dates, honey and almond, coconut or oat milk.
One of my favourite smoothie secret ingredients is half an avocado, peeled and stoned which lends extra silkiness plus a boost of good fats. You’ll never know it’s in there.
Sprinkle in nuts, seeds and powders, such as spiriluna or stir in a little nut butter for an extra protein boost. If adding chia seeds, flax or spirulina – do so carefully and sparingly. A little goes a long way.
Experiment with adding organic, natural yoghurt or kefir for better digestion and gut health.
Add a variety of fruits/vegetables or greens and try and vary the textures. Dried fruit, such as goji berries, work too and add a great boost.
A cube or two of ice can help to keep your smoothie fresh and cool.
Experiment with nutritional extras such as a little bit of grated fresh ginger, mint, spinach, unsweetened cocoa powder, a pinch of cinnamon or ground turmeric powder – depending on your base ingredients. Check out our varied super charged smoothies here for more ideas.

So, our challenge was to get creative and to blend our own recipe inspired by the freshness in front of us – our signature smoothie perhaps – which was then be beautifully styled by Cynthia Blackett and professionally shot by by Charlie Richards.

And ta-dah – here is my recipe creation for John Lewis, full of goodness – beetroot, avocado, goji berries, raspberries, strawberries, a dash of almond milk and a squeeze of lime.

1 vote

Ren's Goji Beetroot Blast

Author Ren Behan

Yield 1 smoothie

A super-charged smoothie, featured by John Lewis.com

Ingredients

20 raspberries (frozen, ideally)

10-12 Waitrose LOVE life dried goji berries

5 strawberries

1 small cooked beetroot (not in vinegar)

1/2 avocado, peeled, stone removed

A squeeze of fresh lime

125ml almond milk (or more depending on thickness)

1 ice cube

Instructions

Place all the ingredients into a high-powered blender. Blend until smooth, adding a dash more almond milk if required.

With thanks to John Lewis for the invitation to this smoothie and #MyWellBeing event. I received a fee for taking part.

February 28, 2017

5 Recipes To Feed a Crowd

Whether you’re hosting family and friends at the weekend and wondering what on earth to cook, or maybe you want to get ahead with some batch cooking, here’s a collection of some of my favourite crowd-pleasing recipes that easily scale up to satisfy a hungry mob.

Busy family life can often seem relentless, so it’s very useful to have simple and nourishing meals like these up your sleeve that you can prepare well in advance. One-pot dishes give you that much-needed time to just catch your breath when you’re feeling overwhelmed.

1. Almost Spring Lamb Hotpot

This warming seasonal British one-pot wonder is something you can easily make ahead. Crispy golden slices of potato give way to tender Spring lamb and vegetables in this comforting classic. Bring the dish to the middle of the table and let everyone get stuck in.

Grab the recipe

2. Easy Stove Top Chicken Casserole

Warm everyone up after a long family walk with my super easy chicken casserole that you don’t even have to put in the oven. It’s bustling with flavour using a tasty combination of juicy chicken thighs, salty pancetta and earthy mushrooms. I’ve included baby new potatoes in the recipe so you’ve got everything you need all in one dish so there’s no faffing about making any side dishes – hurrah!

Grab the recipe

3. Slow Cooked Beef Brisket with Celeriac Mash and Wild Mushrooms

Fill your home with delicious aromas by slow cooking beef brisket in a lovely rich beef stock with vegetables and herbs – but be warned, your lunch guests will be storming the kitchen to find out what’s on the menu! Serve it up with creamy celeriac mash and wild mushrooms for a fabulous alternative to a traditional Sunday roast.

Grab the recipe

4. The Ultimate Effortless Pulled Pork

Pulled Pork is one of the ultimate crowd pleasing meals, especially when you serve it up in soft brioche buns with the juices poured over the top with heaps of salad. Helen from Fuss Free Flavours has a fantastic recipe over on her blog. She creates a tasty spice rub and brines the meat for 24-36 hours before popping it in a slow cooker for 12 hours. You’re actually only spending about 20 minutes hands-on time, so as long as you schedule the brining and slow cooking in advance, this recipe frees you up to do other things. When you’re expecting a houseful of guests that’s VERY useful!

Grab the recipe

5. Veggie Curry with Mango & Coconut

This quick and easy family-friendly curry from Katie Bryson over at Feeding Boys is brilliant if you’ve got a group of vegetarians to feed. It’s creamy, mild and packed with vegetables, so it’s great for introducing little ones to curry without blowing their heads off! It freezes beautifully, so it’s also perfect for batch cooking and freezing up in portions for super swift weeknight meals or filling the freezer of someone who’s just had a baby or recovering from illness.

Grab the recipe

What are YOUR favourite recipes for feeding a crowd? Let me know in the comments below!

February 22, 2017

The Secrets to Successful Food Blogging

This is the first post in a new series from Bloom by Ren – which I’ll be adding to a bank of resources for food bloggers.

I wanted to kick things off with a post full of really great tips. Thank you to all my food blogging friends for their words of wisdom below.

Do you have a great idea for a food blog you’ve always wanted to write, but just don’t know where to begin? Well stop dreaming and get started, as I’ve teamed up with my food blogging friends to bring you the best advice to get things moving. I wish I’d had the benefit of this kind of wisdom when I was starting out!

I’m part of a very supportive and inspiring community of food bloggers, who between us have a huge amount of experience, so here are some tips from myself as well as some of the most successful and long-standing bloggers in the UK.

1. Your blog is your brand

Ren
Ren Behan

Think of your blog as an extension of yourself – your voice needs to come through strongly from the outset, sharing your food philosophies and ideally, showcasing the kind of food you like to eat – rather than trying to emulate something else or someone else or a style of eating that isn’t sustainable. In many ways, your blog is your brand, even if you’re not ready to think of it that way – your blog is a platform created by you, showcasing what you chose to feature.

Although you need to have some idea of what you’d like to write about, I have always believed that you shouldn’t be afraid of tweaking or even of changing direction if what you are writing about no longer seems relevant. Don’t overcomplicate or procrastinate – make a start and try and write as regularly as you can, but write about what comes most naturally to you. What you don’t want to do is to jump about so much that you send out a confusing message of what your blog is about.

To grow an audience and to keep people coming back, try and work out, if you can;

Who your readers are
Why they read your blog
How you can continually help them when they visit your blog

If you can do that, and keep refining your skills, you will start to see an increase in engagement and readership.

These days, successful blogs are all about the community around them. Successful bloggers aren’t just blogging for themselves, they blog for their readers and in response to what their readers are looking for.

[bctt tweet=”These days, successful blogs are all about the community around them.” username=”@renbehan”]

As your blog grows and develops, you’re aiming to relax into a friendly writing style – imagine your reader as a friend stopping in for a coffee and a chat. Tell them about what you’ve been doing, let them in a little bit. This does not mean sharing every single detail of your private life, but rather, letting your readers know that you are real, that you’re there, that you’re reading and listening to their comments and that you’d like to connect.

2. Choose a name with longevity

Kavita
Kavey Eats

When it comes to naming your blog, stop and think about whether the name you are choosing will restrict you going forward or whether it’s one you can grow with, because for most bloggers, the nature of what they write about does change over time, even if they remain in the same broad sector. I spent all of 30 seconds thinking of Kavey Eats, and for the first several years, it worked well for me. Now that I publish a fairly equal amount of food and travel, I wish I had a name that wasn’t so squarely tied to food, but feel it’s best to stick with it. Think too about how long it is, whether it’s easy for readers to remember, and check whether there are already blogs in your niche with the same or similar names, so you can avoid confusion or claims of plagiarism.

3. Go for a simple design

Ceri Jones
Natural Kitchen Adventures

When it comes to designing your blog and logo, simplicity goes a long way. You don’t need to work with an expensive designer, if you are just starting out, but do take some time to think about what works best on all the blogs you like reading (plain white background for example). Have a play with free software like Canva to create a simple logo using your blog name, and choose one of the smart, well designed templates that you can adjust yourself. I would also suggest you use a similar colour scheme, style and vibe across all your photography, it will help to bring consistency to the look of your site. I think it’s easier now with the wealth of resources than it was, say six years ago when I started!

Check out: these beautiful themes by Feast Design Co. *

4. Have a clear niche

Katie Bryson
Feeding Boys
@cookingkt

Don’t just follow the herd. Have a clear niche that individualises your recipes and content from everyone else and try and stick to it as much as possible. Be the go-to person for that style of food, and you’ll soon grow a loyal following of people who trust what you’ve got to share. To write a successful food blog you need to have an infectious passion and enthusiasm for your niche, that not only drives you to create compelling content week in, week out, but also helps you stand out in a very crowded market. Don’t just copy what other people are doing, make your own mark and don’t be afraid to develop your own voice and visual style. Of course we all learn from each other, but don’t try to be all things to all people.

5. Get your social media organised

Helen Goldrein
Friends Family Food

Get all your social media organised and make sure you can get the same username for everything and that it’s the same as your blog name. Even if you don’t use all the channels to begin with, it’s better to get the account so that no one else gets ‘your’ name. I didn’t do this and now my twitter handle bears no relation to my blog but it’s too late to change.

6. Choose WordPress

Kevin Chambers-Paston
The Crafty Larder

Go with WordPress. Self hosted. From the beginning. Blogger may seem easier but it’ll hurt you in the long run.

7. Join the community

Laura
How to Cook Good Food

I do think that good name, blog design and photography that is attractive from the start will get you noticed in this ever increasing world of blogging. Also, definitely be committed to making friends and meeting other bloggers as it can be lonely!

If you don’t know how to join food groups, try commenting on a few blogs, or following some of your favourites on social media and ask them whether there are any food blogging groups or circles that you can join in with.

8. Stand out from the crowd

Sus Davy
Rough Measures

Make sure you have a USP! The market for blogs is so saturated you need something to stand out. In my case it was my boat which now doesn’t work as we don’t live on it anymore.

9. Value your content

Helen Best Shaw
Fuss Free Flavours

Think about whether you can add more value to your posts by offering more than a simple review in return for product. For instance, from the outset, practice saying that you offer paid recipe development work and set out a rate – even if it is modest at the start. It’s true that everyone has to start somewhere (and that most of us do start by reviewing products for free), but if you have been blogging for a length of time, have established an audience or a following, then it is fair to charge a reasonable amount for your time if you are creating a post initiated by a brand. If you do wish to include product reviews as part of what you offer your readers, try and offer short, editorial style reviews, perhaps in a round up post and always disclose to your readers when you have been sent a product for free or when you have received payment for producing a post.

10. Just do it!

Jane Sarchet
The Hedgecombers

You’ll never know if you’re going to love it until you start, so stop talking and start doing.

So what now?

As Jane says, just take that leap and get stuck in! You can really over-think things like this and never get going out of fear of doing it wrong. But actually it’s pretty liberating once you publish those first few blog posts and start finding your voice.

Further resources:

Here are some great blog posts to read if you want even more advice

http://www.lovelyappetite.com/how-to-start-a-food-blog/ (UK perspective)

http://pinchofyum.com/resources/how-to-start-a-food-blog (US perspective)

I have always used the Genesis Framework and these themes from Feast Design Co. for my self-hosted wordpress blog*

*Affiliate theme link included

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February 17, 2017

Grow Your Own Food – Sow and Grow with innocent – Getting Started

I’m working with innocent as a Sow & Grow UK Ambassador from February to April 2017. Follow the tag #sowandgrowUK for updates #sp

This week, the children have been on half term and since we’re always keen to take on a new challenge, we were delighted to be asked to take part in the Sow and Grow project with innocent. Together with the not-for-profit organisation Grow It Yourself (GIY), innocent and GIY have joined forces to encourage kids to grow their own food and in turn make healthier choices. As big fans of innocent smoothies, we knew that the Sow and Grow project would be great fun and just as half term began, we were delighted to receive a colourful package full of cups, seeds and soil to help us get going.

After 14 months of building work at home with diggers pretty much flattening our garden, and with hints of spring on the way, we are super keen to start thinking about our outdoor space again. Peering outside into the feeling-very-sorry-for-itself-garden, the children had already recently asked whether we could create a small space to start growing our own fruit and veg. Great idea – I thought to myself, but where do we begin?

I’ll be the first to admit that although I’m a dab hand in the kitchen, green-fingered I am not. In fact, other than collecting the odd windfall apple and growing a couple of pots of herbs on the kitchen windowsill, I’ve never had much success growing anything food related at home.

We’re super lucky to have a twice-weekly fresh food market in St Albans and we have a bi-monthly farmers’ market, so although the children are very familiar with trips to the market to pick up fresh fruit and veg, they haven’t really had much experience of growing their own produce at home. However, with three children aged 10, 7 and 2.5 we technically have three pairs of willing hands, so perhaps it’s time to start potting.

Getting outside, learning about nature and growing vegetables at home or in the classroom have been cited as the top ways for children to learn about eating healthily. Recent research has also identified that even the smallest food growing experiences can change the way kids think about healthy food. This is more than enough to convince me that having a go at growing our own is most definitely a worthwhile activity.

In a recent survey, innocent found that 89% of those over 50 remember their parents and grandparents growing fruit or veg when they were younger. The top five vegetables that the over 50’s remember their parents or grandparents growing are potatoes, carrots, runner beans, tomatoes and lettuce.

When I think of my own grandmother, I can remember that she grew lots of vegetables in her garden, such as runner beans, peas, lettuce, cabbage, potatoes, beetroot, chives and dill. She also kept chickens and so I remember the best dippy eggs, lots of soups and the freshest salads. Growing vegetables also fostered a strong sense of community because my grandmother used to swap produce and share seeds with her friends and neighbours. If she had too much of something, she’d simply swap it out or give it away and if she wanted to try growing something new, she’d have a chat with someone who was already growing it. She didn’t have an allotment, but she did make the most of the small space that she had and I remember it being ordered and neat and in the sunshine, the aromas of fresh garden herbs really shone through. In our own garden at home, we had an apple tree, a pear tree, a Victoria plum tree and a blackcurrant bush and so I often remember baking fruity bakes and crumbles with my mum incorporating as much of our garden produce as possible. Supermarket shops were always supplementary to what we could already grow ourselves and the summer gluts made for a winter full of preserves.

In the innocent survey, 92% of the over 50’s believed that people were healthier 50 years ago when more people grew their own – and this is a fact that I have to agree with. Our parents and grandparents simply weren’t exposed to so much processed or packaged food, there was less waste and I can’t help but wonder whether our modern issues of fussy eating have been caused, in part, by our lack of connection with the food they eat.

How to Start Growing Your Own

The key to growing your own at home, particularly when you’re a beginner, is to start with something simple.

Runner beans, cress and carrot seeds are the fastest-growing seeds so that children (and nervous adults!) can see results almost straight away, so that’s what we’re going to be starting with at home.
You don’t need a big garden or a plot or at this stage, even a raised bed. You can even start with sowing seeds in cups to watch and see how they grow.
For more tips check out the Innocent Sow and Grow tips page here

innocent are keen to encourage as many primary school aged children as possible to start growing their own vegetables. As part of this campaign, schools can sign up to get their very own growing kit (just like ours) full of seeds, information packs, stickers, cups and lesson plans to help teachers incorporate healthy eating into their lessons with everything they need to get involved. Grow-it-Yourself will be sending out 6,666 packs to schools which will reach ¼ of the UK’s primary school children.

You can ask your school to take a look here to sign up for more information.

The children were very keen to get started and I’m very much hoping that once we’re feeling a bit more confident, that we’ll progress to creating a small space in our garden to begin growing some vegetables outdoors. We love courgettes, and I am told they are easy to grow too so they’ll be next and perhaps then we’ll move onto growing some of the vegetables and herbs that that my grandmother grew.

Home Update from my 7 year-old:

“When we got the box, we got the cups out, soil, water and the seeds that we were going to plant. I looked at the packets and I saw three things that we were going to grow. They were cress, baby carrots and runner beans. First, we wrote our names on the cups and wrote what kind of seeds were going to go into each cup – even my little brother joined in! Mummy read the instructions and we put some soil into each cup. Next, we sprinkled some cress seeds into some of the cups and watered them. Then we carefully put 15 really tiny baby carrot seeds into some soil in some of the other cups and watered the seeds. Lastly, we opened the runner bean packet and we were surprised to see that they looked much bigger and they were purple. We put one runner bean into each cup that was left then we had to push it down with our fingers into the soil and added some more soil and then watered the runner bean cups. Then we put all the cups into a big wooden box and put the box near a big window. We checked on them and watered them for a few days. After two days, we could see little bits of green in the cress cups. The next day the cress had grown even bigger! We watered them a little bit each day. It is now day four and we are still waiting for the carrots and runner beans to grow. At the weekend we are going to visit my grandma’s house so we are going to pack the cups into a box and take them with us!”

I’d love for you to follow my progress at home with the children and as an ambassador of this campaign I’ll be posting about our progress regularly both here and across all my social media channels.

Look out for the hashtag #sowandgrowUK

Instagram @renbehan

Twitter @renbehan

Facebook.com/renbehanfood

#ad I have been compensated for writing this post. All opinions are my own.

January 12, 2017

5 Nourishing Cold-Weather Recipes

First of all a belated Happy New Year to you all! I’m currently working on a super-positive, goal inspired post to kickstart 2017, but in the meantime here are five nourishing cold-weather recipes that I love making in the month of January and beyond, to get you in the self-care/happy family mindset…

I’m not really a fan of depriving myself at this time of year, let’s face it January’s hard enough already! Instead I think it’s far healthier to be kind to your body and mind by feeding yourself nourishing food. To me, nourishing your body this isn’t about clean eating, but can sometimes mean upping the comfort levels while perhaps adding in some extra good stuff.

We have our first snow of the season here in St Albans so I’m planning on hibernating and keeping warm.

1. Spaghetti Carbonara

This delicious take on a traditional comfort food classic from Jamie Oliver’s latest title Everyday Super Food replaces the creamy sauce with a yogurt and pea combination. So you still get the comfort but in a much lighter, and in my view much tastier way. The swap-in of wholewheat spaghetti is a quick-win nutritionally and my kids didn’t even notice when I tried it out on them (own photo of Jamie’s recipe)

Grab the recipe

2. One Pot Cypriot Lamb

This is a warming family recipe and a real crowd pleaser at this rather chilly time of year. You can use lamb or chicken, and if you have any fresh tomatoes throw those in with some home grown mint too. Sometimes I add a creamy, British goats cheese to this instead of feta.

When it comes to home cooking, I think the emphasis should be on using the best quality produce possible. If you are going to eat meat, make sure you buy the best you can, ideally from a local butcher so you can trace the source.

Grab the recipe

3. Polish Gnocchi with Tenderstem ® Broccoli

This is proper Polish comfort food with a healthy twist using British Tenderstem ®. The Polish version of gnocchi is called ‘kopytka’ – meaning ‘little hooves’ which I’ve brightened up by adding tiny pieces of Tenderstem ® to the dough itself, and then served them with more healthy Tenderstem ®, shallots and Polish ham. It’s a really easy recipe to bring together and a fantastic way to use up any leftover mashed potato.

Expect lots more of this kind of food from me, especially with my modern Polish cookery book coming out this September – stay tuned for more info!

Grab the recipe

4. Clearspring Gluten Free Brown Rice Noodles with Spinach & Tomato

This is a really simple recipe using only five ingredients, that’s perfect for those times when you really need a re-set but still want the comfort of a steaming bowl of pasta.

The fresh and tasty combination of fresh tomatoes, garlic and spinach will lift your spirits and feel oh-so-nourishing.

Grab the recipe

5. Zucchini Boats with Bolognese Sauce

I really enjoyed following a Paleo diet last January. Dialing down on processed foods and carbs while eating plenty of lean and organic protein, fresh seasonal veg and lots of fruit was a pretty simple way to feel healthier and lose a few pounds. When I’m in this kind of mood these loaded courgette boats are my absolute go-to recipe – they make such a tasty alternative to pasta. I sprinkled the bolognese with toasted hazelnuts instead of grated cheese which is such a delicious topper.

Grab the recipe

What recipes do you turn to when you want to feel nourished? Are you making any healthy changes to your diet this year? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

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December 27, 2016

Five Ways with Christmas Leftovers

Here we are in that no-man’s land between Christmas and New Year when our fridges tend to be stuffed with a hotchpotch of leftovers in pots and bowls. From shredded turkey to the remnants of the cheese board, there’s always something that gets lost at the back!

I’m keen not to waste any of these morsels as they can so easily be transformed into another tasty meal. I don’t know about you but there’s something very satisfying about creating something from nothing. Plus when it seems like there’s always a family member or neighbour popping by, it’s handy to have something to rustle up at the last minute. I actually love leftover meals, as when I was growing up my mum would use every last thing up in her kitchen, usually in a soup or a stew.

So, if you can’t quite face another turkey sandwich or cheese and crackers buffet tea, here are five simple ideas to create a bit of magic with all those random leftovers:

1. Turkey Stronganoff With Soured Cream

This Eastern European-inspired recipe for a turkey stroganoff uses up leftover turkey (or any poultry, really) along with some red onions, mushrooms, mustard, soured cream and a few sprigs of dill.

It’s perfect for a buffet or for a quick family supper, and is in fact a firm family favourite for us all year round.

Grab the recipe

2. Polish-Style Open Turkey Sandwiches

Far more elegant than a bog-standard butty, these open sandwiches common to both Scandinavian and Eastern European cuisine, are the perfect vehicles for turkey (or other meat) leftovers.

Simply have a good loaf of rye or sourdough to hand and plenty of garnishes, such as radishes, pickles, tomatoes, cress, dill, sliced boiled eggs and kabanos (a type of smoked Polish sausage) and bingo, you’ve got a platter of loveliness to serve up to family or friends popping in for festive drinks.

Watch the video & grab the recipe

3. Wholewheat Fettuccine with Kale

This comforting supper is taken from New York-based chef Amy Chaplin’s book At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen. It’s perfect for any veggie guests you might be entertaining or if you’re just feeling like you’ve had enough meat!

Amy uses marinated goat’s cheese in her version, but I think any leftover creamy (or even crumbly) cheese can work well here. The recipe also calls for kale (cavolo nero) but you can happily use spinach in its place in this beautifully simple pasta dish.

Grab the recipe

4. French-Style Irish Beef Salad

Did you have roast beef over Christmas? Well here’s a wonderful protein-packed salad to make with the leftovers.

The tender slices of meat look stunning nestled amongst wedges of vibrant red tomatoes and yellow yolks of the boiled egg. I love the addition of lip-smacking capers, gherkins and French-style Dijon mustard dressing. All you need is a fresh baguette to serve on the side and a glass of chilled rosé.

Grab the recipe

5. Quick Risotto-Stuffed Vegetables

This recipe was born out of a virtually empty fridge and a visit from the cleverest cook in the work – aka my mum! It really does prove that you can make something out of virtually nothing.

We simply made a quick risotto using one of those two-minute pouches of rice, some vegetable stock and a tin of tomatoes. You could add some shredded turkey in with the rice before stuffing it into some pre-baked peppers. To pretty up the plates we served ours with some tiny cubed courgettes and a really good sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
Grab the recipe

What do you do with YOUR leftovers? I’d love to hear about the creations you’ve been rustling up, so share your ideas below!

December 24, 2016

Open Sandwiches with Turkey [Recipe Video]

A cracking recipe to make with leftover turkey, but you can use chicken, too.

If you’re after some cocktail inspiration you can watch our second festive video here on You Tube too. And for dessert, why not have a go at baking my Lemon, Rose and Poppy Seed Cheesecake, find the recipe here.

December 17, 2016

10 Festive Makes and Bakes

From Christmas gifts for teachers and local friends, to canapés and cocktails for all those parties, I’ve pulled together a cracker of a round-up of my absolute favourite makes and bakes for the festive season. So grab a glass of mulled wine, blast out those cheesy Christmas tunes and plan your shopping list!

Gifts

1. CHRISTMAS SPICED CRANBERRY & PLUM CHUTNEY

It only takes twenty minutes to make this delicious chutney, and it goes with a whole host of Christmas goodies like your Christmas day roast, cold cuts or how about a baked Camembert? Jar it up, add a pretty label and you’ll have another present ticked off your list. This recipe makes two jars, so one to give and one to keep – perfect!

Grab the recipe

2. CREAMY SEA SALTED FUDGE

Another quick and easy option for gifting is a batch of indulgent creamy fudge, packaged up in smart boxes or popped into cellophane bags tied with pretty ribbon. My version is flavoured with vanilla and sea salt, which always transports me right back to British seaside holidays. Your friends and family will delighted when you hand them a little bag of these sweet treats.

This recipe is featured on JamieOliver.com.

Grab the recipe

Canapes

3. COD, CHORIZO AND PEA PUREE BITES

These elegant canapés should impress your party guests this season. Combining fluffy white chunks of cod with a feisty slice of chorizo on a bed of buttery pea puree, this is a one-bite experience not to be missed!

Grab the recipe

4. MAKE AHEAD LEEK & POPPY SEED SAUSAGE ROLLS

Once you make your own sausage rolls, there really is no going back! Gorgeous flaky pastry and top notch quality sausage meat makes for an exceedingly crowd-pleasing party canapé. Crucially, you can get them ready in advance and just bake as needed, so it’ll save you faffing about in the kitchen when you could be enjoying yourself!

Grab the recipe

Christmas Baking

5. RICE KRISPIE HOUSE

This cute little rice krispie house is a great project for little people (and big people) and it’s a great alternative when you feel like making something, but don’t quite have the energy for full-on baking. Let’s face it, we’re all exhausted at this time of year!

Grab the recipe

6. MINCE PIE CUPCAKES

If you’re looking for a festive twist on a batch of Christmas cupcakes, then you should check out my Mince Pie Cupcakes – made with a vanilla sponge, mincemeat and a luxurious brandy butter icing. You can decorate them with sprinkles, coloured sugar or some retro-picks.

7. WHITE CHOCOLATE MALTESER CAKE

Or how about this simple but spectacular White Chocolate Malteser Cake? It makes a wonderful centrepiece for a party spread, and is a great swap-in for a fruit-cake if your family aren’t fans.

Find both recipes here

Cocktails

8. APEROL SPRITZ

Let’s kick off with a round of Aperol Spritz cocktails – I think the jewel-bright orange colour of these 19050’s inspired drinks are perfect for the holiday season!

Grab the recipe

9. GIN & RHUBARB FIZZ

What better way to get your New Year’s Eve party started than welcoming your guests with a glass of Gin & Rhubarb Fizz. It’s fruity, classy and fun – just like all the perfect party hosts should be!

Grab the recipe

10. POMEGRANATE & VANILLA VODKA

I love how achievable this recipe is! You could make this and give it as a gift, but you could quite easily keep it to share at parties this Christmas. It’s also brilliant for defrosting the grown ups when they’ve got back in from all those frosty family walks or trips around the park with the kids test-driving their new bikes and scooters!

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Hope some of these recipes appeal to you! Let me know if you make any by tagging them with #renbehanfood

I’ll be back soon to share a couple of festive recipes from my new You Tube channel.

December 15, 2016

Lemon & Poppy Seed Baked Cheesecake

A light and airy baked cheesecake, perfect with a cup of lemon tea .

1 vote

Lemon, Rose and Poppy Seed Baked Cheesecake

Prep 25 mins

Cook 60 mins

Total 85 mins

Yield 8

A baked cheesecake, flavoured with lemon zest, rose, cardamom and vanilla, dotted with poppy seeds.

Ingredients

For the flavoured sugar:

200g caster sugar
1 tsp dried rose petals
2 whole cardamom pods
2 tbsp lemon zest
1 whole vanilla pod, optional

For the cheesecake:

200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g flavoured sugar (as above) or use caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean extract or the seeds from one pod
6 eggs, separated
500g curd cheese (or Polish white cheese, Twaróg)
500g ricotta cheese
3 tsp cornflour or potato flour
25g poppy seeds

Instructions

To make the flavoured sugar, mix the caster sugar with the rose petals, cardamom pods and lemon zest. Tip it out onto a tray lined with baking to allow the lemon zest to dry out. Leave for a couple of hours at room temperature and then transfer to a sealed container. You can also add a whole vanilla pod. This can be made up to a week in advance. Remove the two whole cardamom pods and vanilla pod before using.
Pre-heat the oven to bake the cheesecake to 180C.
Using an electric beater or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for five minutes until it is pale and creamy. Remove the cardamom and vanilla pods from the flavoured sugar and slowly add the sugar to the butter, beating until incorporated. Add the vanilla bean seeds from the pod, or one teaspoon vanilla extract and beat again.
Add in the egg yolks, one by one and mix until incorporated.
Add the curd cheese and ricotta cheese. Beat well until smooth.
In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peak stage. Once stiff, using a metal spoon, gently fold the egg whites into the creamy cheese mixture. Stir in the cornflour or potato flour and the poppy seeds.
Take a 20cm round spring-form cake tin, grease the bottom and sides and line the bottom with a circle of baking paper. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the tin. Wrap tin foil around the outside and bottom of the tin to protect any water from seeping in when baking in a bain-marie.
Take a large roasting tin and half fill it with water to create a bain-marie. Gently lower the foil wrapped tin into the water and bake for one hour. The top should be golden and the centre a little wobbly but not too much. Leave the cheesecake to cool completely before releasing it from the tin and chill in the refrigerator, preferably overnight before cutting and serving.

Notes

Keep any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Courses Dessert

Cuisine Polish Inspired

With thanks to Waitrose for this commission.

November 28, 2016

Easy Christmas Cake with Crunchy Apple Frosting

A light and easy Christmas cake, infused with crunchy apple, sultanas, dates, cinnamon and brandy. Recipe commissioned by Emily Crisps.

Easy Christmas Cake with Crunchy Apple Frosting

Author Ren Behan

Ingredients

150ml warm water mixed with 2 tsp honey
60g Emily Fruit Crisps Crunchy Apple
80g pitted dates, chopped into sultana-sized pieced
200g raisins or sultanas
1 tbsp brandy
200g butter
4 eggs
100g light brown muscovado sugar
100g dark brown muscovado sugar
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract or the seeds of one vanilla pod
3 tsp cinnamon

Apple Crisp Frosting

500g icing sugar
250g unsalted butter
60g Emily Fruit Crisps Crunchy Apple (finely blitzed to a powder)

To decorate

60g Emily Fruit Crisps Crunchy Apple

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2. Line 2 x 9inch cake tins with baking parchment.
Boil a kettle, add 2 tsp runny honey to 150ml water. Pour over the fruit (apple crisps, sultanas and dates) with 1 tbsp brandy and leave to soak.
Beat the butter with the eggs and sugars. Stir in flour and baking powder. Add the vanilla and cinnamon.
Stir in the pre-soaked fruit.
Pour into the cake tins, bake for 1 hour at 150C.
Remove the cakes and leave to cool completely.
For the frosting, beat the butter until creamy and light in colour. Add the icing sugar and the powdered apple.
Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with apple pieces and other Christmas decorations.

For more festive treats with Emily Crisps try:

Katie’s Dark Chocolate, Banana and Date Fridge Cake
Helen’s Mincemeat and Banana Loaf Cake
Sarah’s Posh Cheese and Pineapple Sticks
Or Jacqueline’s Vegan Gingerbread Cupcakes with Pineapple Frosting

With thanks to Emily Crisps for this festive-inspired commission. #ad

November 14, 2016

7 Soups for Winter

It’s that time of year when all I want to do is curl up on the sofa in a toasty blanket with a delicious bowl of soup, and forget all about the wind and rain hurling itself around outside (and generally everything else!) So, let’s all get cosy while I bring you a batch of my favourite soups to warm up those winter months.

1. Slow Cooker Chicken Soup

Let’s kick off with a restorative bowl of Slow Cooker Chicken Soup, a Polish recipe I got from my mother. It’s a clear broth that uses a whole chicken cooked ultra gently in the slow cooker, so it requires very little fuss. It’s usually served with homemade egg noodles or dumplings and makes for a really decent meal.

Get the recipe

2. Chickpea, Chicken and Chorizo Soup

For a hearty meal in a bowl, try my Chickpea, Chicken and Chorizo Soup on for size. It’s packed with both texture and flavour, plus it’s a great way to use up any leftovers lurking in your fridge. I can totally recommend serving it up with some chunky slices of garlic bread for dunking. Here, I’ve used giant cous cous, but you could make this with brown rice, or a grain such as kasza, and don’t forget to add plenty of chopped kale or spinach for extra nutrients.

Get the recipe

3. Beetroot and Kale Soup

If you’re on the hunt for a super healthy and nutritious meal idea, then take a look at this vivid Beetroot and Kale Soup with tasty Almond Crumble topper. As well as being ridiculously good for you, it’s also absolutely gorgeous to look at so makes for a pretty starter if you’ve got guests round for lunch.

Get the recipe

4. Rainy Day Pizza Pasta Soup

My kids made up the name of this soup Rainy Day Pizza Pasta Soup when I served up a quick family meal stretching out some bolognese leftovers, plenty of Parmesan and fresh basil. It makes a change from the usual after-school Spag Bol and is oh-so-warming. If you’re got a gaggle of kids to feed, this is the one to bring to the table.

Get the recipe

5. Polish Wild Mushroom Soup

Another absolute winner. When I’m feeling poorly I crave either Chicken Soup or a bowl of Mushroom Soup which reminds me of home. This simple recipe really makes the most of the strong, earthy flavours of the mushrooms, with fresh cream for extra comfort.

Get the recipe

6. Chicken Soup Two Ways

A classic chicken soup is a thing of beauty, because once you’ve got it cracked you can customise it to your heart’s content. I love changing it up by adding things like coconut milk and courgetti or giving it a bit more bulk with some basmatic brown rice and spinach.

Get the recipe

7. Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup

And finally, my favourite soup from around the web is this little number from Katie Bryson at Feeding Boys. It’s a thick, creamy and intensely flavoured soup using roasted cauliflower and garlic cloves blitzed up with stock and parmesan cheese. We all love cauliflower soup in our house, and roasting it adds a wonderful depth of flavour to this soup.

Get the recipe

What’s your favourite soup for the winter? Do you have a classic recipe you always turn to when you’re feeling under the weather? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!

Also, I’ll be pulling some more round ups together over the coming week so do let me know if there is anything you’d like to see.

September 20, 2016

Lamb Steaks Wild Mushroom Sauce and Dill Mash

A comforting recipe for Eat Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef

Lamb Steaks with Wild Mushroom Sauce and Dill Mash

Prep 30 mins

Cook 15 mins

Total 45 mins

Author Ren Behan

Yield 4 servings

A creamy and comforting recipe using Welsh lamb steaks.

Instructions

Season the lamb steaks with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, on both sides. Drizzle a little oil onto the steaks and rub the oil into the meat. Set to one side.
Drain the peeled potatoes and put them into a pan of fresh cold water, cover, bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Drain into a colander and set to one side to dry.
Place a dry frying pan onto a low heat. Throw in the pine nuts and allow them to toast until they turn golden – this will take around 30 seconds. Tip the pine nuts onto a plate and set to one side.
Add a little oil to the same pan, turn up the heat to medium-high and add the lamb steak to the pan. Fry for 5 minutes on one side then flip them over. Add the mushrooms to the pan and a teaspoon of butter and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove the lamb steaks (which will be cooked rare-medium rare) and leave them to rest on a plate.
Pour the stock into the pan, swirl the stock around and allow to bubble for a minute. Add the fresh dill and double cream, stir and and bring up to the boil. Then take the pan off the heat.
Mash the cooked potatoes, or put them through a potato ricer. Add one tablespoon butter, double cream and the fresh dill. Season with salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon, stir the butter, cream and dill into the mashed potatoes, until the potatoes are creamy and smooth.
Divide the potatoes onto 4 plates. Slice each lamb steak in half and place on top of the mash. Spoon over over the creamy mushroom sauce. Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts and serve straight away.

Courses Main

Cuisine British

Cruise Notes: On Board Harmony of the Seas – the world’s largest cruise ship

You may remember a few weeks ago that I wrote about attending the ‘Dry Run’ of a brand new dining concept at sea called Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine by Royal Caribbean. Shortly after this event, I jumped on board the world’s newest and largest cruise ship and into the real Wonderland to preview Harmony of the Seas, as part of the ship’s pre-inaugural cruise season. Here’s what happened when I fell through the rabbit hole!

When Harmony of the Seas, the latest ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet, docked at Southampton in May, she caused quite a splash. She was met by onlookers and by the press with excitement, intrigue and in most cases, sheer incredulity that something quite so huge, could exist – and float. I had only ever seen cruise ships before from a distance; I don’t think I’ll ever forget observing the ‘Costa Fortuna’ (actual name) docking in Venice, although my mum, who came with me on this trip, has been on at least 20 cruises over the years covering the Med, the Caribbean and most-recently, a transatlantic cruise to New York. Despite our collective experiences, we both gasped in amazement whilst standing in the shadow of Harmony. After composing ourselves, we moved like tiny little ants, along a red carpet lined with pretty flowers, and boarded one of the most talked-about ships on earth. With the Royal Caribbean philosophy of ‘innovation and imagination’ ahead of us, we started to get the sense that we were in for a treat.

Costing £700 million/$1 billion to build, Harmony of the Seas was shiny and new and spotlessly clean; in my view one of the plus-points of joining a cruise during her inaugural season. At times, we noticed work people hanging pictures or fixing small things, but these were essentially minor details and didn’t bother us at all. It felt a little like we (or rather the ship’s captain Gus Andersson and crew) were about to take a brand new car out of the showroom for it’s very first spin. The staff were all fresh and ready for a new adventure too. Interestingly, almost every staff member that I spoke to indicated that they had worked for Royal Caribbean for more than five years on different ships and many of them had clocked up eight, nice or ten years at sea.

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As we travelled up an escalator and turned our first corner, we had our first ‘through the rabbit hole’ experience, finding ourselves in the Central Park zone, filled with real trees and shrubs and lined with restaurants and cafes. My mum asked; “Where are we? Have we gone the wrong way? Are we still on the ship?” and if I wasn’t so busy giggling and trying to get orientated myself, I probably would have been asking the same. In all her years taking cruise ship holidays with her cruise-obsessed partner, mum exclaimed that had never seen a ‘real park’ on a ship.

Credit: Royal Caribbean. Entrance to Jamie's Italian in Central Park. — Credit: Royal Caribbean. Entrance to Jamie’s Italian in Central Park.

Neighbourhood Concept

In fact, Central Park was just one of seven ‘neighbourhoods’ on board Harmony of the Seas:

Central Park (with 1200 trees and plants plus dining and shopping)
Boardwalk (an amusement park-styled area with a carousel, hot-dog stand and fast food, also the aqua-theatre is just beyond)
Royal Promenade (with boutique shops and areas for eating, drinking and late night dancing, you’ll also find the robotic Bionic Bar here)
Entertainment Place (with comedy, jazz bars and two theatres)
Youth Zone, a deck dedicated to kids including the kids’ clubs and a creche)
Vitality Sea Spa and Fitness Centre
Pool and Sports Zone, including a kids area called Splashaway Beach, five water slides and the 10-story Ultimate Abyss dry slide and FlowRiders where you can learn to surf.

Wherever we ended up we seemed to keep finding unusual features and it took us at least two days to explore the ship – even then, there were areas that we didn’t manage to visit. The ‘neighbourhood’ concept is unique to Royal Caribbean and you’ll find neighbourhoods on their Oasis Class, such as Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas. Since the Royal Caribbean fleet seems to be moving towards bigger and bigger ships, it makes sense to create specific zones within the ship to help give passengers a sense of where they actually are once on board. Thus, while cruising, you get the sense that you are in a resort, or on a small ‘floating city’ rather than a stuffy, claustrophobic boat.

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Accommodation

Our first challenge and port of call was to find our room, which we eventually found after walking along a seemingly endless corridor. The ship is 362 metres long in total, so if you find yourself at the wrong end of it, you’re in for a walk. We found our room – an Ocean-View Stateroom (top left image) and mum was thrilled to find a balcony – she had only ever stayed in an ‘internal’ cabin on board ships before. The category of our room was classed as ‘state class’ and it was spacious, with a large and comfy double bed, a bathroom with a shower, a large TV, sofa and double doors to our balcony. If cost is an issue, it’s worth noting that many of the the internal cabins on Harmony of the Seas have ‘virtual balconies’ – another unique on-board concept boasting a floor to ceiling screen displaying an image of the sea giving you the impression that you can see out. A large number of rooms on Harmony also have balconies or windows overlooking the open-spaced centre of the ship, for example, Park View rooms overlook Central Park whilst Boardwalk View Balconies overlook the Boardwalk. You can also book some of the larger rooms and suites – Star Class will get you a Royal Genie, Sky Class gives you an exclusive concierge, priority reservations and access to a private sun deck, whilst Sea Class suites give you access to an exclusive restaurant with bar called Coastal Kitchen.

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After taking a few obligatory selfies on our balcony, we headed out to explore the rest of the ship. There are 16 guest decks on board Harmony of the Seas, with 18 decks in total and 24 elevators – so it takes a little while to get your bearings. At full capacity the ship can hold 6,780 guests and a further 2,100 crew members – so yes, it is colossal. During our mini-cruise the ship was at around half capacity, and even so, there were times when we didn’t come across any other passengers at all.

Technology

Royal Caribbean are definitely leaders within the cruise industry in terms of on-board technology. Not only did we find a complete robotic ‘Bionic Bar’ – where you can order your cocktails via a touch screen device, but so too can you connect to Voom, the fastest wifi/internet at sea, as well as connecting to Royal IQ, an app available on your tablet or phone – there is an android version as well as an iPhone version. There are Royal iQ stands located around the ship to help you connect and make bookings and reservations. You can also plan your holiday with Cruise Planner which allows you to select internet packages, make dining reservations, book shore excursions, spa appointments and more.

Having challenged ourselves to drinking a cocktail in every bar (of which there are more than 16!) we got to work, whilst also sampling a selection of snacks and canapés from some of the restaurants on board. I started to get my head around the whole concept of cruising – from what’s included in a standard package ticket to all the various extras and upgrades available on board.

The key thing to keep in mind when booking a cruise holiday is that your fare will likely include (though always check) –

All your meals within the Main Dining Room, on Harmony this is split across three levels and also on Harmony, within the Windjammer Marketplace (serving global cuisine, fresh-to-order omelettes, desserts and offering a fresh bakery for sandwiches and snacks), as well as tea, coffee and some soft drinks
Additional complimentary food is available at Sorrento’s Pizza, the Boardwalk Dog House, Mini Bites, Park Café, Solarium Bistro (highly recommended for a quieter experience) and at the Vitality Cafe within the spa.
The Adventure Ocean Kids Club if you are travelling with kids (I checked and they don’t accept disorientated mothers)
Activities, such as theatre shows, mini golf, rock climbing, swimming pools, cinema, zip line, carousel, dance classes, live music, comedy, sports and fitness, sauna and steam room, table tennis, quizzes, classes and demonstrations.

Things you can pay for/add on –

Drinks Packages and Speciality Dining Packages (these also allow you to make reservations in advance)
Shore Excursions – again, bookable in advance. You can get off and explore on your own, but by booking the shore excursion via your cruise company the ship has to wait for you if you are late!
You can also pre-pay for your gratuities to save you having to tip individual waiters or staff.

Food & Drink

Standard Dining Package

We dined in the Main Dining Room (below left) during our second evening on board. Usually, you do have the option of requesting a table of your choice, but at busier times you may be seated with other people. Look out for the option of ‘My Time Dining’ which offers you more flexibility on when to eat. I would imagine that at full capacity the main dining room must get very busy; there were a couple of teething-issues with the timing of food orders during our pre-inaugural cruise. However, we enjoyed the buffet-style dining of the Windjammer Marketplace (which would have also been included as part of any package) and in reality, would probably have found ourselves eating there more, particularly if we were on a cruise as a family.

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For families, the kids club staff can either take your children to eat at the Windjammer Marketplace or your kids can dine with you and then the staff can be booked to take your kids off to watch a movie while you finish your dinner alone. There is also an in-cabin babysitting service for a fee of $20 an hour per child.

Speciality Dining

During a ‘longer than two-day cruise’ I think I would have to take up the option of a Speciality Dining Package. For an additional fee you can eat within the speciality restaurants on board – prices vary from $6.95 at a hamburger-style restaurant to $25 for dinner at Jamie’s Italian to $49 for an experience at Wonderland and to $89 for a meal at 150 Central Park. You can also look out for Royal Caribbean Dining Packages and special offers – for example, you can buy 3 dinner sitting credits for $80. One or two of the restaurants on board also offer ‘a la carte’ options – so this is worth checking ahead.

Speciality Restaurants on Harmony include:

150 Central Park (cover charge)
Jamie’s Italian (cover charge)
Jonny Rockets (cover charge)
Chops Grille (cover charge)
Wonderland (cover charge)
Chef’s Table (for up to 14 guests)
Coastal Kitchen (suite guests only)
Room Service (cover charge)
Sabor Taqueria and Tequila Bar (dinner available a la carte)
Izumi Hibachi and Sushi (lunch and dinner available a la carte)

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Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine – At Sea

As mentioned, I had already experience Wonderland on dry land at the pre-launch event in Soho. However, during our first night at sea we had a reservation at Wonderland and it ended up being one of the highlights of our trip. The menu really is imaginative, beginning with a picture frame that you have to paint with water in order to reveal the ‘elements’ of your meal, categorised by Sun, Sea, Earth, Wind, Fire and Dreams. We shared a tasting menu showcasing most of the dishes on offer, which, as you can see below, were beautifully presented and particularly well-cooked – as you would expect from any comparable fine-dining restaurant on land. As an ‘add-on’ to your standard cruise package, I would certainly recommend scheduling in a meal at Wonderland with cocktails. We tried dishes such as Baby Vegetables in the Garden, Liquid Lobster, Gazpacho Cones, Terroir Beef with River Stone Potatoes and the Arctic Equator Chocolate dessert.

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Wonderland is available on Harmony of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas as a Speciality Dining Package.

Entertainment

The entertainment on board Royal Caribbean was very impressive. We watched the opening night of the hit musical ‘Grease’ as well as the opening show on ice called 1887. Harmony also offers a production called ‘Columbus the Musical’ and ‘Harmony High’ – a rock and roll style show. There is also an aqua-theatre, which includes high-wire acts and open-aired acrobatics. Sadly, we didn’t get to experience the aqua-theatre because it rained on our second day on-board – Harmony is definitely a fair-weather ship with so much outdoor activity going on. Happily, her future home-port is to be Florida.

There was also lots of music going on around the ship, including live music within some of the bars, such as the jazz bar. There is also a karaoke bar as well as a comedy bar. There is also a Vegas-style on-board casino for all your roulette, poker and slot-machine needs. Surprisingly, the casino is an indoor smoking spot so be aware of that when you are walking through to the art gallery – I almost told someone off for smoking indoors! After a good few cocktails (keeping up with our personal challenge to have one in every bar) we joined in with a full-on “Totally Awesome 90’s street party” – again, I felt as if I had chanced upon a parallel universe. I kept asking mum whether all this partying was normal on a cruise ship, and she assured me the party atmosphere is the main reason she enjoys it so much! I think this is what surprised me so much. I was half expecting a stuffy environment with people wearing dinner jackets looking forward to attending a captain’s dinner. In fact, the demographic of people booking cruise holidays has changed so much so that ‘the captain’s dinner’ is probably no longer the highlight of the holiday.

Royal Caribbean offer so much ‘upbeat’ and modern entertainment (for example, in securing the rights to Grease from Broadway and partnering with DreamWorks) that means that cruise holidays are increasingly appealing to multi-generational families who are keen to be ‘wowed’ and entertained as well as being well-fed and watered. Despite this new edge to cruising, there most certainly are quiet areas on board. I wouldn’t quite say we were in Ibiza territory and if you are after a quieter time of things, you can easily find a place to sit away from the hustle and bustle.

Harmony of the Seas: Credit Royal Caribbean. The Perfect Storm

Family Activities

One of the main reasons that I have never been on a cruise with my family is that with three children (aged 9, 6 and 2) I feared that we would feel trapped. However, I can completely see now that this wouldn’t be the case and that they would absolutely love it. There is a whole neighbourhood on board Harmony of the Seas dedicated to kids. The activities within Adventure Ocean are included with the cost of your cruise fare and there are three categories (as well as a nursery for Royal Babies and Tots) which includes Aquanaughts for 3-5 year olds, Explorers for 6-8 year olds and Voyagers for 9-11 year olds. The ship offers everything from activities presented by their partners DreamWorks, as well as face painting, craft stations, talent contests, Xbox corners and outdoor activities such as a zip-wire and two rock-climbing walls. Teens have a bit more freedom to come and go within a speciality area on Deck 15 with chill-out areas and even a dance club with staff on hand.

Older kids (as well as adults) will love the must-try experience of shooting down the biggest slide at sea called The Ultimate Abyss, which is a 10-story slide!

There are also three water slides called The Perfect Storm as well as a gym, a running track and a learn-to-surf wave simulator called FlowRider.

Hamony of the Seas: Credit Royal Caribbean. Pool Deck

Overall Thoughts & Tips

Did I enjoy my first cruise-ship experience? Absolutely. I think there was more than enough high-quality entertainment and luxury facilities on board Harmony of the Seas to make a ‘multi-generational’ family holiday a real contender for us in the future – and I didn’t feel sea-sick at all despite a little bit of choppiness around the English Channel.

I’d want to travel to somewhere hot to make the absolute most of the outdoor spaces on the ship. There are 25 cruise ships within Royal Caribbean’s fleet and as based on my experience on board Harmony, I would recommend an Oasis Class ship which offers most of what I experienced. Given that Harmony is currently the newest and largest, there are obviously some unique features to be enjoyed, too.

Harmony of the Seas is currently sailing around Europe, from Barcelona or Rome around the Western Mediterranean, but she is due to move permanently to Fort Lauderdale in Florida where she will cruise to the Bahamas, Eastern and Western Caribbean. An all-inclusive balcony room will cost around $1500 for a 7-night cruise but do look out for deals and special offers.

When booking…

I would definitely ‘add on’ a Speciality Dining Package as you are really only paying a supplement on top of your full-board fare but in doing so will open up a wider range of more exclusive dining options on board. I would also take advantage of any Pre-Paid Drinks packages on offer to limit spending lots of extra cash on cocktails.

Having said that, my mum and partner never take up the ‘speciality dining’ options and always have a perfectly happy time – especially as they enjoy taking excursions and sampling the local food on shore. So, if budget is an issue, on balance, I would likely choose a newer/larger ship and a better room with a balcony over paying for speciality food…

Whilst on board I attended a media briefing during which the President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, Michael Bayley, praised the independent travel industry and said that they have been key to increasing cruise-holiday sales.

Following the cruise, I spoke to an Independent Travel Expert Rebecca Randall who said:

“When a client is looking for a holiday they may not consider a cruise, thinking it might be an expensive proposition compared to a ‘land’ holiday. However, in reality there may not be such a difference in prices – making a cruise a good option for the customer – and that’s where an agent is able to provide advice.

We deal with all of the major cruise companies and get all of the latest offers, so we are able to compare prices and offer the client the ideal package for them. And for clients who do not have the time to search through all of the various offers – either from the internet or from the cruise companies themselves, the one-to-one personal service ensures that all their package needs are taken care of with the minimum of fuss.”

Royal Caribbean also have plenty of offers and deals which you can receive if you subscribe to their newsletter.

3 No-Bake Desserts

Summer is here and it’s hotting up so today I’m sharing three really easy recipes that require little effort and no baking! Hope you enjoy them, you can find the recipe links below which will take you straight to them on the Good to Know site. As you can probably imagine from these images, it’s a hard life creating recipes!

PINA COLADA FREAKSHAKES

Have you ever made a Freakshake?! A ‘freakshake’ is an Australian-inspired milkshake designed to wow and this weekend might be the time to have a go. These are adult shakes, made with rum, coconut cream, fresh pineapple, coconut cream and topped with fresh cream, roasted pineapple and coconut macaroons.

Get my Pina Colada Freakshake recipe here ->

NO-BAKE CUSTARD CREAM CHEESECAKE

I love making no-bake cheesecakes as they are really just a case of combining a few ingredients, assembling them and leaving then leaving your cheesecake to set in the fridge. This cheesecake is perfect for taking along to summer BBQ’s and garden parties. Custard Cream biscuits are whizzed to make the biscuit base as an alternative to digestive biscuits and a creamy custard cheesecake filling finished with real Custard Cream biscuits on top.

Get my No-Bake Custard Cream Cheesecake recipe here ->

RAW CARROT CAKE WITH VEGAN CASHEW FROSTING

What?! A healthy carrot cake – really? Yes, these little carrot cake bites are raw, vegan and full of good things such as carrots, oats, raisins and pineapple with an alternative frosting made with just cashew nuts (soaked), almond milk, raw honey or maple syrup and a dab of coconut oil. Fear not, I have not turned into a clean-eating convert, BUT, it’s good to balance things out and try something different new every now and again! You’ll need a good food processor or a high powered blender.

Get my Raw Carrot Cake with Vegan Cashew Frosting here ->

That’s it for now, have an amazing weekend.

With thanks to Good to Know/Time Inc. for the paid recipe commissions. Food, styling and photography my own.

May 30, 2016

The New Jamie Oliver Cookery School at Westfield, London

Hello, Happy Bank Holiday Monday!

It’s hard to believe that five years have flown by since I last took a fresh pasta class. Given that it had been quite so long, I jumped at the chance recently of brushing up my fresh pasta skills with the ‘pasta master’ himself, Gennaro Contaldo, ahead of the official opening of the brand new Jamie Oliver Cookery School within Jamie’s Italian at Westfield.

As you can imagine, with Gennaro as our tutor, there were lots of laughs and the evening whizzed by with great hilarity. Some of the regular Jamie’s Italian diners were also taken by surprise as they saw Gennaro and Jamie walking through the restaurant to greet a team of instagrammers!

Gennaro and Jamie by Giulia Mulè with permission

The new school is spaciously set out within a self-contained area towards the back of the existing Jamie’s Italian restaurant – which has its own space just across from Debenhams. I had eaten at the Westfield London Jamie’s before and whilst I had been as far as the open kitchens towards the back of the restaurant for a nosey, I was quite surprised that there was even more space beyond the kitchen where the new cookery school has been established. I really like the location – it’s great that you can be out at Westfield having a bite to eat or a shop, before popping along to a cookery class for a couple of hours.

Within the cookery school, there are two main teaching areas as well as a bar and a separate seating area where students can sit after the class and eat their creations. Our lesson took place in a bright, airy room with big windows overlooking Wood Lane. The second kitchen teaching area is within the centre of the school. It is very much kitted out in trademark Jamie Oliver style with plenty of Jamie tea-towels and books on display, funky chairs and fresh flowers. All the work stations are well-equipped and fitted out with ovens and induction hobs and everything you need to take part in a class, including aprons. Lessons are ‘designed to be informative and hands on, but easy-going so you can enjoy yourself while you learn.’

PASTA MASTER

During the ‘Pasta Master’ taster we watched Gennaro make and fill some fresh pasta before knocking up some quick and tasty sauces in real-time. Then we rolled up our sleeves and had a go at making and filling pasta ourselves. We used plenty of fresh ingredients for the filling, including peas, ricotta, fresh herbs and Parmesan. To make the sauces, we used a little olive oil, garlic, fresh tomatoes and herbs and some of us made a sage and butter sauce, too. All very simple and achievable to recreate at home. Gennaro advised that fresh tomatoes should always be left out at room temperature to ripen and shouldn’t be stored in the fridge.

COOKING WITH KIDS

Since it’s half term this week and with the summer holidays only a few weeks away, you could also book a couple of places for the kids to take part in a class. Children have to be 7 -14 years old to take part and one adult is required to stay and supervise up to 2 children. The Unbeatable Pasta Class is £30 per child, the Junior Sushi Master is £35 and Pizza for Kids is just £25 for a 2-hour class.

LESSONS

Over all there is a good range of courses and all the tutors are trained chefs. Classes are really well priced (approx. £40 for a class) and I think a 2-3 hour lesson is much less daunting that signing up for a whole day course at a school that could be tricky to find or get to – although there are a couple of full-day classes, such as the Ultimate Knife Skills Masterclass if you want to get stuck in for longer. The cookery school can also host birthdays, hen parties, kids’ parties and corporate events.

There are lots more classes I’d love to take – a Mexican Street Food Feast, A Taste of Japan, and the South Indian Prawn Curry class are all on my wish-list. The Showstopping Beef Wellington Class seems to have been really popular on social media this week – gift vouchers would make for a great present…particularly as Father’s Day approaches. Who knows, perhaps we’ll see a Modern Polish cookery class amongst the lessons on offer one day!

The Jamie Oliver Cookery School
Jamie’s Italian
1078, Westfield London,
Westfield Shopping Centre, Ariel Way,
Shepherd’s Bush,
London W12 7GB
The cookery school is situated within the Jamie’s Italian Restaurant at Westfield
Follow the cookery school team on Twitter @JOCookerySchool

There are lots of fresh pasta recipes here on JamieOliver.com

I attended the class as a guest for a preview evening ahead of the official launch of the school – with many thanks for the invitation. This is an unpaid/editorial post.

March 13, 2016

Review: Wonderland on Harmony of the Seas – the Dry Run

Review: Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine – a preview, or dry run, of the restaurant to be launched on board Harmony of the Seas by Royal Caribbean.

Wonderland concept on board Harmony of the Seas ™

Cruise holidays…cool, or not cool? I have to admit, I had previously categorised cruise ship holidays as something that my mum does. I mean no offence to my mum in saying this; she is über–glamorous, able to pack light, has seen much of the world and has made many friends on board various gargantuan-sized ships. It’s just that going on a cruise holiday is not something I have ever considered for myself or my family for fear of being uncontactable, claustrophobic, or sea-sick. Enter Royal Caribbean who are about to change my perceptions by launching the world’s largest cruise ship in May 2016 – Harmony of the Seas ™

This ship is designed to offer everything you could possibly wish for, including: the fastest internet at sea, a bionic (fully robotic) bar, a 9-deck high zip line, a 10-story drop waterslide, a running track, fitness centre and spa, ‘Central Park,’ a Broadway show, an outdoor movie screen and a rock climbing wall. The scope and scale of this ship is something that really hasn’t been achieved before, although Royal Caribbean have nine-times won Best Mainstream Cruise Company, so they clearly know a thing or two about offering luxury at sea.

As to the food on board, Harmony of the Seas ™ will boast a Jamie’s Italian, 150 Central Park by Michael Schwartz, an English Pub, a Vintage Wine Bar, to mention but a few of the dining options as well as countless coffee shops and cafes. Harmony of the Seas ™ will also offer guests the very modern dining experience of ‘Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine’ – a celebrated gastronomic adventure offered exclusively by Royal Caribbean.

Wonderland – was it wonderful?

Can the food on board a cruise ship really be all that good? Well, we were reassured by Michael Gilligan, Director of Culinary for Royal Caribbean, that it absolutely can be and we invited to a dry run of Wonderland, replicated in Central London, to taste the food for ourselves.

Chef Gilligan has accrued 25 years’ worth of culinary experience during his career so far, including stints at Le Manoir Aux Quatr’ Saisons, New York’s Ritz Carlton Hotel, De Niro’s Miriad Restaurant Group and the Conrad Miami amongst many other prestigious ‘on land’ adventures. He is now overseeing all culinary operations on board the world’s biggest cruise line.

The Wonderland Menu is categorised by theme rather than course, showcasing food from across the globe grouped into elements such as Sun, Ice, Fire, Earth and Dreams. There are culinary twists, elements of surprise and the dishes are all presented with a great deal of imagination and flair.

We sampled an 8-course tasting menu at the ‘Dry Run’ event, offering a preview to some of the dishes that you can expect to experience on Harmony of the Seas ™ including;

Liquid Marzana Olives
Crispy Crab Cones
Baby Vegetables in the Garden with Black Rice
Sashimi of Red and White Tuna (with a divine Yuzu dressing)
Buffalo Chicken Eggs (which arrives under a smoking glass cloche with blue cheese and a hot sauce)
Halibut Cooked in Clear Paper (with wild mushrooms, potatoes and bacon)
Berkshire Pork Belly with Apples and Crackling (with an exceptional sauce)
Valrhona Chocolate Mousse with Dulche de Leche and Crispy Pearls

I would happily eat this menu from beginning to end again and I must also mention the service, which was highly attentive and informative right the way through. The sauces and dressings accompanying some of the courses were incredibly well executed, too. The stand-out dish for me was the Halibut cooked in clear paper, although the Valrhona chocolate mousse reminded me that I would also need to save room, in future, for dessert.

Notes

Wonderland is a speciality dining option on board Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas and will launch from May 2016 on Royal Caribbean’s brand new ship Harmony of the Seas

Interested in more on-board photos? Look out for my future posts and have a look at Sarka’s post here:

Quantum of the Seas by Cook Your Dream.

With many thanks to Royal Caribbean for the invitation to experience Wonderland at The Ice Tank in London. I was not expected to write a positive review and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Images above supplied by Royal Caribbean.

You can follow Royal Caribbean on twitter @MyRoyalUK

I dined with Helen, Urvashi and Jeanne – fun to see you, ladies. It was a welcome night out!

What are your thoughts on cruise holidays? Have you ever experienced one?

October 16, 2015

Quick-Fix Dark Chocolate Pudding (Individual)

Chocolate week or not, sometimes, you need an immediate chocolate fix. This one works! I used lime and chilli chocolate thins, but you can use any flavoured chocolate buttons, or use 4 small squares (or 2 large squares) of good quality dark chocolate.

A chocolate cake in under a minute you say?!

1 vote

Quick-Fix Dark Chocolate Pudding (Individual)

Prep 5 mins

Cook 1 min, 40 secs

Total 6 mins, 40 secs

Author Ren Behan

Yield 1

A super-quick (40-second) microwave pudding - note this makes one ramekin-sized cake.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon mild, light olive oil
3 dark chocolate thins, giant buttons or 4 squares of dark chocolate
1 tablespoon self-raising flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon light muscovado sugar
4 tablespoons whole milk

Instructions

Take a ramekin dish (or a coffee mug) and lightly grease the bottom and sides with a little olive oil. Place two chocolate thins, or 3 squares of dark chocolate into the bottom of the ramekin.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and milk.
Pour the mixture into the ramekin.
Place a chocolate thin or one square of dark chocolate onto the top.
Microwave for 20 seconds. Wait ten seconds. Microwave for a further 20 seconds.
Eat right away!

Courses Dessert

Market Experience Food Photography, Oktoberfest and the St Albans Street Finale this weekend!

If today’s news of the giant sinkhole in St Albans hasn’t caught your attention, then I hope this weekend’s St Albans and Harpenden Food Festival activities will!

As I type, there are just two spaces left on our market experience food photography workshop this Saturday – take a look at Stephanie’s site to book if you fancy joining us. If you’ve never visited St Albans before, let me entice you…

Our beautiful city is just 22 minutes by train from London St Pancras. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Ye Olde Fighting Cocks (situated in the heart of Verulamium Park) is the oldest pub in Britain. We also have more pubs per square mile than anywhere else in the country (woo hoo) and we are incredibly proud to host one of the oldest regular street markets in the UK, dating back to the 9th century.

For a real taste of what St Albans has to offer by the way of independent restaurants, cafes, delis, market stalls and street food, then this weekend is by far the best weekend to come and visit.

Here are a few treats to look forward to at the weekend:

Stephanie and Ren’s St Albans Market Experience Food Photography Course

Meeting at 9am outside Thompson@Darcy’s
2 Hatfield Road, St Albans, AL1 3RP

Click here for more details – two spaces left (as of today)

Photo credit: Stephanie Belton

Octoberfest, The Foragers at The Verulam Arms – Saturday 3 October

41 Lower Dagnall Street, St Albans, AL3 4QE
12 noon – midnight

After the workshop, I’ll be heading along to The Verulam Arms to join The Foragers for their annual Okterberfest. The Foragers are promising live ‘Oompah’ music, a special ‘festbier’ from their microbrewery and beers from Munich, as well as their ‘unique brand of wild food with a German twist’ including sausages, homemade stews and sauerkraut. Who’s with me?!

St Albans Street Finale – Sunday 4^th October

St Peter’s Street, St Albans (head for the city centre)
12pm – 6pm

On Sunday, St Albans high street will be transformed into a street food haven with a pop up village green complete with hay bales and beer from some of our best local pubs. There will also be a Kitchen Garden area with an emphasis on grow your own and locally grown produce, a City Farm, a Family Zone (including a children’s Fairtrade chocolate factory) as well as a cookery theatre and a World Food Zone. See demo times here (page 14).

St Albans Seasonal Salad

Thank you also to everyone who made the St Albans Seasonal Salad (there’s been lots of love on Twitter!) that I created especially for the food festival and the #kidscookalong this year and to Stu McLellan for illustrating it.

Happigreetings

As I’m dishing out some local love, I’d also like to thank Glen Cooper for sending me one of his happigreetings by happijar cards, featuring an image created by a local St Albans artist, Mandy Reekie and some inspirational quotes behind the little windows on the front. The really cool thing about these cards is that you can customise them and include your own quotes in each window – think of an advent calendar in a card with eight windows – six on the front and two on the back. Take a look at Glen’s Etsy store here for more versions.

If you can’t visit St Albans this weekend, then I hope you can visit the St Albans Christmas Market within the grounds of St Albans Cathedral from Thursday 26^th November to Sunday 20^th December. Find out more here.

September 10, 2015

Seattle-Style Cream Cheese Hot Dogs with a Quick Pickled Cabbage Salad

It’s been a few years since my last visit to Seattle, where my sister lives, which means too long since my first taste of a Seattle Dog – cream cheese adorned hot dogs sold by street vendors around Seattle. A little stand in Pioneer Square called ‘Dog in the Park’ sold me my best-ever Seattle Dog…in case you are ever visiting. The Seattle Dog is often made with a Polish hot dog sausage (bonus) and is usually served with cream cheese, onions, sauerkraut or cabbage and fried potatoes, oh, and mayo or chilli sauce. The cream cheese, in case you are wondering, is spread onto the inside of the toasted hot dog bun. They are not the easiest things to eat (pick up an extra large stash of napkins) but my goodness, as street food goes, they are really good.

A few little tips to make this recipe extra special: after boiling the hot dogs, split them and griddle them in a hot pan. Also, split the buns and griddle them, too to warm them up a little. You can make the Quick Pickled Cabbage Salad in advance – store in in a jar for up to three days in the fridge.

3 votes

Cream Cheese Hot Dogs with Pickled Cabbage

Prep 10 mins

Cook 10 mins

Total 20 mins

Author Ren Behan

Yield 4

A Seattle-style hot dog, with cream cheese and onions.

Ingredients

4 good quality hot dogs – all-beef, or Polish sausage preferable
4 hot dog buns
4 tbsp cream cheese
1 tbsp butter
1 medium white onion
½ head of white cabbage
1 medium carrot
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp pickling vinegar, I used Sarsons
1 tsp mild olive oil
2 tsp caster sugar

Instructions

Bring a pan of water to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, place the hot dogs into the water and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the water, place on a plate and keep to one side.
In the meantime, finely chop the onions. Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the onions to the pan. Cook for ten minutes on the heat, stirring occasionally, and cook until caramelised.
Very finely shred the cabbage and grate the carrot and tip into a large bowl. Sprinkle over the salt and mix well. Set to one side.
Heat a separate frying pan. Split the hot dogs in half lengthways and place them into the frying pan, flat-side down. Gently fry the pre-cooked hot dogs until they are a little browned. Split the hot dog buns in half and gently toast them in the griddle pan, split side down for a few seconds.
Drain some of the liquid away from the salted cabbage and pour in the Sarsons malt vinegar, olive oil and sugar. Mix well.
To assemble the dogs, spread the cream cheese onto the inside of the toasted hot dog bun. Add the griddled hot dogs, sprinkle over some of the caramelised onions and top with the quick pickled cabbage salad.

Cuisine American

What has been your best street food experience ever? I’d love to know!

With thanks to Sarsons for commissioning this recipe. Photo credit: Sarsons #ad

September 4, 2015

Pizza Pasta Soup

Think of this as a hearty soup, suitable for stretching a little leftover bolognese. You could also use a jar of tomato sauce – a good quality one and add the same amount of stock to achieve a soup consistency. On other occasions, I’ve thrown in chopped, fried pepperoni, mushrooms or shredded chicken. A good sprinkle of mozzarella is a must and a big heap of grated Parmesan cheese for the top. Fresh basil or oregano is lovely, too. Get creative!

5 votes

Rainy Day Pizza Pasta Soup

Prep 10 mins

Cook 10 mins

Total 20 mins

Author Ren Behan

Yield 4

A great way to use up leftover tomato or Bolognese sauce. Simply add a handfull of pasta and some of your favourite 'toppings' such as chopped, fried pepperoni, mushrooms, or shredded chicken. Add grated mozzarella and a good handful of Parmesan cheese on the top.

Ingredients

500g/two cups Bolognese or good quality tomato sauce (leftovers are ideal)
250ml/one cup vegetable or chicken stock
1 bay leaf
sea salt
black pepper
280g/2 cups cooked pasta
100g mozzarella, torn or grated
100g fresh Parmesan cheese
1 small bunch fresh basil, leaves and stalks separated
(optional - fried pepperoni, mushrooms or shredded chicken)

Instructions

Pour the Bolognese or tomato sauce into a large pan. On a medium heat, bring to the boil. Add in the stock and stir well. Add in the bay leaf. Stir in half a teaspoon each of sea salt and black pepper.
When hot, add in the cooked pasta and stir. Remove the bay leaf Add the optional extras, such as pepperoni, if using. Divide the soup between four bowls.
Add the torn mozzarella, and top with grated Parmesan cheese and a few basil leaves per bowl.
Serve straight away

Cuisine Italian-ish

Let me know if you make this by tagging me on Instagram or Twitter as @foodren

Or, add your recipes and ideas to our Pizza Love Pinterest board (338K followers)

Follow Ren Behan Food’s board Pizza Love! on Pinterest.

August 27, 2015

Recipe: Skinny Carbonara from {Everyday Super Food by Jamie Oliver}

Today sees the publication of Jamie Oliver’s brand new cookbook Everyday Super Food and I’ve been busy trying out some of the recipes for myself at home, beginning with Jamie’s Skinny Carbonara.

If you’ve been following Jamie on Instagram or on the You app, you’ll have noticed that this is the year he turned 40. He himself has enjoyed making some simple lifestyle changes, for example, by practicing mindfulness and by making some changes to his diet and lifestyle. Everyday Super Food is really his ultimate manifesto for helping you do the same.

I have four copies of Jamie’s new book to giveaway (see entry form below) with the recipe for Jamie’s Skinny Carbonara also shared below with the publisher’s permission.

The Skinny Carbonara was very tasty and quick to make – fifteen minutes at most. I didn’t see any instructions for juicing the lemon and I ended up adding in the juice of one whole lemon. Next time, I would use the juice of half a lemon. I had quite a lot of pea mixture left over, so blitzed it up with some chicken stock and had a an extra cup of pea soup for lunch the next day. The whole family enjoyed it and the addition of peas and ground almonds gave the dish an extra lift and a bit of texture, along with the crispy bacon. Nobody noticed the wholewheat spaghetti so that’s a permanent switch for us in the future!

I can’t wait to try the Mega Veggie Burger featured by Helen here, or the Baked Eggs with Popped Beans that Katherine tried here. I’m also looking forward to trying Jamie’s Grilled Corn and Quinoa Salad, shared by The Happy Foodie.

Skinny Carbonara Ren Behan — My version of the tasty Skinny Carbonara recipe from the book

The book ties in with a new six-part Channel 4 series, Jamie’s Super Food, due to broadcast this autumn and you can buy the book from today.

SKINNY CARBONARA SMOKY BACON, PEAS, ALMONDS & BASIL

Prep 10 mins

Cook 10 mins

Total 20 mins

Author Jamie Oliver

Yield 2

Humble little peas are a source of nine different micronutrients, and are especially high in thiamin, a B vitamin that helps our hearts to function properly

Ingredients

200g freshly podded or frozen peas
1 tablespoon flaked almonds
1 small clove of garlic
½ a bunch of fresh basil (15g)
15g Parmesan cheese
1 lemon
150g wholewheat spaghetti
1 rasher of higher-welfare smoked streaky bacon
olive oil
1 large free-range egg
100g fat-free natural yoghurt

Instructions

Put a pan of boiling salted water on the heat for your pasta, dunk a sieve containing the peas into the water for just 30 seconds, then put aside, leaving the pan on the heat.
Very lightly toast the almonds in a dry non-stick frying pan on a medium heat, then blitz until fine in a food processor. With the processor still running, peel and drop in the garlic, a pinch of sea salt, the basil leaves, the finely grated Parmesan and the lemon juice. Blitz until it comes together, then pulse in the peas, to try and keep a bit of texture.
Cook the pasta in the boiling salted water according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, very finely slice the bacon and fry slowly in the frying pan with 1 teaspoon of oil on a medium-low heat until golden and crispy, then use a slotted spoon to transfer to kitchen paper, so the flavoursome fat stays in the pan.
Scoop in three-quarters of your pea mixture to heat through.
Whisk the egg and yoghurt together well. When the pasta’s done, reserving a mugful of cooking water, drain the pasta and toss straight into the pea pan, mixing well, then take the pan off the heat (this is very important, otherwise the egg will scramble when you add it, and we don’t want that).
Pour in the egg mixture and toss until evenly coated, silky and creamy, loosening with cooking water if needed. Taste and season to perfection, and serve topped with the remaining pea mixture and the crispy bacon.
It might be skinny, but it’s beautifully light and delicious. Enjoy!

Courses Healthy

Cuisine Italian

Jamie’s Skinny Carbonara {Image from the book, taken by Jamie Oliver}

Giveway – Enter Here
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Everyday Super Food by Jamie Oliver is published by Penguin Random House

With thanks to Jamie’s PR team for the recipes, previews and review copy in the post.

August 26, 2015

{Win} A Sage by Heston No-Mess Waffle Maker (RRP £99.95)

Hello, I hope you’ve all had a good summer?

As I ease myself back into the swing of things, I’m giving away a Sage by Heston Blumenthal the No Mess Waffle maker (RRP £99.95) – perfect for making classic waffles at home. I’m going to road-testing this little baby next week and we’ve already got a whole host of toppings planned – from breakfast waffles topped with halloumi and maple syrup (trust me!) to sweet banana and toffee waffles with ice cream.

The main features of the Sage by Heston the No Mess Waffle product are:

A wide, wrap around moat to catch any mess or excess batter overflow – super easy to clean up, too
Browning controls to customise your waffles from light brown to crispy golden brown
Made by Sage by Heston Blumenthal (high-quality gadgets that are used and endorsed by Heston)

You can see my review of Heston’s Kitchen Wizz Pro here – I was super impressed with the quality and performance of this.

To be in with a chance of winning this waffle maker, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UK Entrants only. Closes on 26th September 2015. Winner will be chosen by random and has 4 weeks to respond with address.

Enter Here:

Good Luck!

August 11, 2015

How to make an Aperol Spritz Cocktail #ItStartsNow

This summer, I’ve been re-living some of my Italian holiday memories by making a simple 1950’s-inspired Italian cocktail at home called an Aperol Spritz, which is made with Aperol, Italian prosecco and a dash of soda water.

A classic Aperol Spritz made with the 3-2-1 method!

If you’ve ever visited Italy, particularly Venice or the North of Italy, then you might have tried a version of the classic Italian ‘Spritz’ cocktail – traditionally made with Aperol or Campari, white wine and soda water. I’ve certainly sampled my fair share of these, most recently, at Attilio Beach at Milano Marittima near Rimini, close to where my sister lives. In her region of Italy, my sister tells me the Aperol Spritz is considered an aperitif and a ritual. It is also often taken as an aperitivi usually with complimentary nibbles, or stuzzichini. During one sunny afternoon, we had a huge Italian pasta feast, with plenty of fresh sea food and lots of Aperol cocktails!

Given it’s simplicity as a cocktail, the Aperol Spritz makes the perfect summer cooler and it’s a great welcome drink to serve when entertaining. All you have to do is remember the 3,2,1 formula – 3 parts prosecco, 2 parts Aperol, 1 part soda – mixed with plenty of ice and a few slices of fresh orange.

Start with a big glass, with plenty of ice and some orange slices

Tasting Notes

I’m a big fan of Aperol (11% ABV) and Campari (23% ABV), both of which are described as ‘bitters,’ with Campari being slight more bitter in flavour than Aperol. Aperol is made from a secret infusion of citrus orange, rhubarb, herbs and roots and has a bright orange/red colour.

Click here for more Aperol cocktails.

You can also watch the official Aperol Spritz ‘perfect serve’ video which shows you how to make one, too.

If you are feeling particularly brave – add a shot of vodka for my ‘extra kick’ version!

2 votes

How to Make an Aperol Spritz

Prep 5 mins

Total 5 mins

Author Ren Behan

Yield 1 Spritz

An Aperol Spritz is a typical early evening drink in Italy made with Aperol, Italian Prosecco and a dash of soda water. All you have to do is remember the 3,2,1 formula – 3 parts Prosecco, 2 parts Aperol, 1 part soda – mixed with plenty of ice and a few slices of fresh orange.

Ingredients

75ml Prosecco
50ml Aperol
25ml soda
Plenty of ice
2 slices of fresh orange

Instructions

Fill a large wine glass with ice. Add the prosecco, aperol and a dash of soda.
Stir and add the orange. Serve immediately.

Courses Drink

Cuisine Italian

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 glass

Amount Per Serving
Calories 120
% Daily Value

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Holiday snap!

Our Aperol Spritz by the beach in Rimini

Disclosure: I’m joining in with the official 3-2-1 Aperol Spritz challenge and received the ingredients and glasses at home to make my own cocktails.

Share your Aperol Spritz cocktail on social media @aperolspritzuk (Instagram) or on the AperolSpritz Facebook page #ItStartsNow

July 27, 2015

Fresh Cherry Crumble Cake

We were lured by the huge crates of English cherries at St Albans Market over the weekend. By the time we arrived home, the children had eaten a whole bag of cherries between themselves – in the back of the car – and yes, there were cherry juice stains everywhere. The second bag I had earmarked for a cherry crumble cake, made to a recipe my mum had given me over the phone a few days earlier. This is an easy cake that you can either make in a rectangular tin – I’d go for a 12″ x 9″ traybake tin, or as we did, a deep round tin. It depends whether you are in the mood for a rectangular cake or a round cake. We were in the mood for a round cake. Get the kids to crack the eggs into a bowl, measure out the ingredients or make the crumble mix while you get on with stoning the cherries – mine (8 & 5) can manage the crumble mix on their own. It’s a bit messy, but messy baking is fun. If you can’t find cherries, lots of other stone fruits work in this recipe – plums or apricots chopped in half with the stones removed. You can also make this with blueberries. I love the mess that cherries make. Almost as much as the mess the children make.

I used some cardamom Spice Drops to flavour my cake in addition to a little vanilla but this flavour is entirely optional. My friend, Gouri, gave me a couple of bottles of Spice Drops to try – you can buy them on Ocado in the UK. Spice Drops are an interesting little invention – they are concentrated extracts of the natural spice and they come in lots of flavours – including cardamom, cinnamon, lemongrass, peppermint, rose and many more – you can see the full range here.

1 vote

Fresh Cherry Crumble Cake

Prep 20 mins

Cook 60 mins

Total 1 hour, 20 mins

Author Ren Behan

Yield 8

An easy cake made with fresh English cherries and a crumble topping. I used some cardamom spice drops do give an extra dimension of flavour. You can also crush some fresh cardamom pods instead or leave the cardamom out and just use vanilla extract.

Ingredients

400g fresh cherries, pitted (or other stone fruit)
For the crumble topping
50g/ 1/3 cup plain/all-purpose flour
50g/ ½ stick unsalted butter at room temperature
30g/ ¼ cup icing/confectioners’ sugar
For the cake batter
180g/1.5 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
130g/1 cup caster sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 drops cardamom Spice Drops (see notes) or the seeds of 6 green cardamom pods, crushed
200g/1.5 cups self-raising or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

Preheat the oven to fan 160C/180C/gas 4. Using a little butter, grease and line a 20cm round cake tin, about 5cm deep or a rectangular traybake tin 12" by 9"
Remove the stalks from the cherries, carefully slice each cherry in half and remove the stone. Keep the cherries to one side.
Make the crumble topping by sifting the flour into a large bowl. Add the butter and icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour and sugar to make a crumb-like mixture, then set it to one side while you make the cake batter.
Whisk the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy (around five minutes using a stand mixer or a whisk), add the eggs in, one by one, and continue to mix well. Add the vanilla extract and cardamom drops or crushed cardamom pods, if using. Mix together well again.
Sift in the flour and baking power and using a spoon, carefully stir the mixture until all the flour is incorporated.
Pour the cake batter into your lined baking tin and flatten with the back of a spoon.
Scatter the halved cherries onto the batter and press down gently.
Scatter the prepared crumble mixture over the top of the cherries.
Bake for 55-60 minutes until a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean.
Leave the crumble cake in the tin to cool and then remove and place onto a wire rack until you are ready to serve.
Before serving, dust with a little extra icing/confectioners’ sugar.
The cake will keep well in a tin for up to two days.

Courses Dessert

All you need once the cake is baked is a nice cup of tea and you’re all set for the afternoon.

If you have a go at baking this cake (and I hope you do) don’t forget to let me know.

Tag me on instagram @renbehan or on Twitter @RenBehan or on Facebook Ren BehanFood so I can see how it turned out.

I’m linking my bake up to Simple and in Season July and August.

Other fruity bakes that you may like to try:

My Poppy Seed and Plum Cake Recipe
My Cherry and Almond Traybake
Sarah’s Five Minute No Butter Chocolate Cherry Cake
Nazima’s Plum Crumble Tart
Becca’s Blueberry Shortbread Bars

Happy Baking!

Blog

Ren's Goji Beetroot Blast

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Almost Spring Lamb Hotpot

2. Easy Stove Top Chicken Casserole

3. Slow Cooked Beef Brisket with Celeriac Mash and Wild Mushrooms

4. The Ultimate Effortless Pulled Pork

5. Veggie Curry with Mango & Coconut

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9. Value your content

10. Just do it!

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How to Start Growing Your Own

Home Update from my 7 year-old:

1. Spaghetti Carbonara

2. One Pot Cypriot Lamb

3. Polish Gnocchi with Tenderstem ® Broccoli

4. Clearspring Gluten Free Brown Rice Noodles with Spinach & Tomato

5. Zucchini Boats with Bolognese Sauce

1. Turkey Stronganoff With Soured Cream

2. Polish-Style Open Turkey Sandwiches

3. Wholewheat Fettuccine with Kale

4. French-Style Irish Beef Salad

5. Quick Risotto-Stuffed Vegetables

Gifts

1. CHRISTMAS SPICED CRANBERRY & PLUM CHUTNEY

2. CREAMY SEA SALTED FUDGE

Canapes

3. COD, CHORIZO AND PEA PUREE BITES

4. MAKE AHEAD LEEK & POPPY SEED SAUSAGE ROLLS

Christmas Baking

5. RICE KRISPIE HOUSE

6. MINCE PIE CUPCAKES

7. WHITE CHOCOLATE MALTESER CAKE

Cocktails

8. APEROL SPRITZ

9. GIN & RHUBARB FIZZ

10. POMEGRANATE & VANILLA VODKA

Lemon, Rose and Poppy Seed Baked Cheesecake

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Easy Christmas Cake with Crunchy Apple Frosting

Ingredients

Instructions

For more festive treats with Emily Crisps try:

1. Slow Cooker Chicken Soup

2. Chickpea, Chicken and Chorizo Soup

3. Beetroot and Kale Soup

4. Rainy Day Pizza Pasta Soup

5. Polish Wild Mushroom Soup

6. Chicken Soup Two Ways

7. Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup

What’s your favourite soup for the winter? Do you have a classic recipe you always turn to when you’re feeling under the weather? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!

Lamb Steaks with Wild Mushroom Sauce and Dill Mash

Instructions

Neighbourhood Concept

Accommodation

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Food & Drink

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Overall Thoughts & Tips

When booking…

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PASTA MASTER

COOKING WITH KIDS

LESSONS

St Albans Street Finale – Sunday 4^th October