Ren Behan - Author Wild Honey and Rye

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Review: Winter Dining at Pizza Express, Westfield London

Pizza Express Pizza Carbonara

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

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

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Review: The Samsung Food Showcase Fridge Freezer – Our favourite features

Samsung Food Showcase

So, after taking off the doors to fit it into the house and then re-fitting them, I’m pleased to say that our Samsung Food Showcase Fridge Freezer has settled in well and is behaving itself very nicely. My intended ‘first impressions’ post ended up being a lengthy look at all the various features that the Food Showcase offers. In this post, I just wanted to highlight a couple of our favourite features from a family perspective. Of course, for me, a decent-sized fridge freezer has proven to be a real asset. I’m getting into the habit of freezing more and seem to be keeping everything well organised so that there’s now minimal waste. The ‘ShowCase’ element of this latest Samsung fridge freezer model is the dual door to the fridge side, which allows a thinner front door section to be opened to reveal the items you’re most likely to grab, with the inner door allowing access into the main body, or InnerCase, of the fridge. This clever feature has meant that we’ve had some very happy snackers….who are able to access their own snack drawers, accessible directly from the Show Case front section.

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Make-Ahead Leek and Poppy Seed Sausage Rolls

Sausage Rolls

We’ve only recently started making our own sausage rolls at home, but now that we’ve tried them, there’s no going back to the shop-bought variety. The homemade version is altogether a different thing – flaky pastry, good quality sausage meat of your choice (I get mine from Hedges Farm in St Albans) and a few optional extras, like some softly cooked leeks (there was a lone leek in my veg box), or caramelised onions, and a sparkling of poppy seeds, or even sesame seeds. We look forward to having these as an after-school snack (they are super-quick to whisk out of the freezer) or as party food and they’d certainly be great for serving up as a homemade canapé to Christmas visitors. Here’s my recipe, hope you get to try them….

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Simple and in Season – December

How is it December already?! Seriously, I don’t know where the time goes. I’ve just been reading through the round up for November’s Simple and in Season, hosted beautifully by Katie over at Feeding Boys and a Firefighter. Thank you Katie. 34 stunning seasonal recipes – honestly, it’s like a cook book! Soups, starters, sharing plates, winter salads, cakes, crumbles, home made liqueurs…I can’t wait for December’s entries now. The link up is below. I’ll be rounding up as early in January as I can.

Froothie Optimum 9400

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Cod, Chorizo and Pea Puree Bites

It’s almost time to start thinking about Christmas food. I say almost, because traditionally, I don’t really start thinking about Christmas food until December. However, the folks at Lurpak have invited me to take part in their Lurpak Christmas Menu this year and I’ve been tasked with creating an ‘amuse bouche’ or a ‘one bite wonder’ to get the party started. Happily, most of the thinking has been done for me, by Lurpak’s Facebook fans, who have been sending in their suggestions for their ultimate festive canapés. It was hard to pick just one recipe to recreate as there was so many great suggestions, but I was drawn to an idea by Lou Sharp who said that her one bite wonder would be a “Lurpak buttery pea puree topped with a chunk of cod and finished with a slice of chorizo.” So, here is my recreation of that idea – my Cod, Chorizo and Pea Purée Bites.

cod, chorizo and pea puree bites

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10 Ways to Spice Up Your Christmas by Just Ingredients

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

Just-Ingredients-Christmas-Ideas

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

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

This post is sponsored by Just Ingredients. 

Giveaway: Hotel Chocolat – The Christmas Wreath (RRP £40)

All I want for Christmas (literally) is this giant box of Christmas chocolates by Hotel Chocolat – called The Christmas Wreath. Hotel Chocolat tell me that this is,

A show-stopping festive centrepiece to gather round and share this Christmas. Filled with 40 delicious Christmas truffles, a chunky cookie wreath and two large chocolate snowflakes, one cast in gorgeous salted caramel and the other in luscious Peru Pichanaki 75% Milk.

The Christmas Wreath
Image : Hotel Chocolat

The truffles include simple milk truffles, blackcurrant bombes, white champagne truffles, gin truffles, Christmas pudding truffles, a salted caramel snowflake, Christmas gianduja and more. I would actually be in chocolate heaven.

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This prize will be posted out to one lucky reader in the UK in time for Christmas by the lovely folks at Hotel Chocolat.

For more chocolate-inspired gifts, take a look at the full range here.

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

Giveaway: MrSite Pro Website in a Box RRP £119.99

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, but the New Year could be even better because it could see you launching a brand new exciting blog, business or professional website! I’m giving away a really great prize to one lucky winner just in time for you to get your ideas up and running over the Christmas holidays – a MrSite Pro Website in a Box.

MrSite Pro includes everything you need to get a professional looking, mobile-ready website for your business online. Simple to use, Pro comes with essential optimisation tools to help you get higher up Google, a sales-winning online shop and your own dot com. And should you need it, there’s support from the MrSite Team, too. 

Mr Site Pro

To create your own professional website, simply select your template from a selection of modern website designs, drop in text, images and videos and customise with unique features. 

In case you’re interested in adding this to your Christmas list, the standard and pro versions are available to buy at MrSite.com, Dixons, PC World and other good retailers.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please note – I have not built a website using this package, yet, so all queries must be directed to MrSite if you win this prize. 

You are the registered legal owner of your domain name. MrSite simply hosts your domain name on its servers.

 

With many thanks to MrSite for facilitating this giveaway. Open to UK readers. 

 

Review: Samsung Food ShowCase Fridge Freezer

It comes to something when you have to knock down cupboards and take off doors in order to review a kitchen appliance – but the latest addition to our kitchen, the Samsung Food ShowCase Fridge Freezer was a very welcome, new arrival!

Samsung 2

Choosing a new fridge freezer can be a daunting task; there are so many models on the market, promising different features, at varying cost. There’s no doubt, that in our house at least, the fridge freezer is the most used appliance in the kitchen. Earlier this year, our existing fridge freezer (of just over three years) stopped working, and unfortunately, it was just out of warranty. Aside from the fact that this was a hassle, with multiple engineers coming out to try and repair it to no avail, this has made me very wary of investing in large appliances that offer a limited or short warranty. Enter the hero of the story – the Samsung Food ShowCase Fridge Freezer – imagine my relief when this new baby arrived at the same time as our actual new baby!

Samsung Food Showcase
Image from JohnLewis.com

ShowCase and InnerCase

The Samsung Food ShowCase has tons of new and improved features on existing Samsung American-style fridge freezer models. The main feature, and the explanation behind the ‘showcase’ name, is a dual-door system on the fridge side. The inside of the fridge, is called the ‘innercase’ and this part, too, is designed to make food organisation more convenient whilst maintaining optimum freshness inside. Basically, what you have is a ‘fridge within a fridge.’

Digital Inverter Technology + Warranty

This model also uses Samsung’s Digital Inverter Technology, which means that the compressor automatically adjusts to temperature changes (for example, when the door is opened to fill the fridge with a weekly shop or to open the fridge for a pint of milk) to offer optimum cooling and an A+ energy efficiency rating. The really excellent thing is that the Digital Inverter Technology comes with a 10-year warranty and a 5 year manufacturer’s warranty.

Samsung Food ShowCase

Food Freshness

I’m particularly impressed by the way that Samsung have addressed the issue of food freshness and food waste by improving the technology within their latest model the Food Showcase. Firstly, the fridge freezer has a metal cooling feature – stainless steel panelling inside helps to maintain a more consistent temperature within. It also locks in the cold and seals in freshness. The high-efficiency LED lights emit less heat than conventional lighting, whilst keeping the inside of the fridge freezer nice and bright once the door is opened. The separate vegetable drawers keep your food fresh, too and it’s great to be able to organise all your food into categories for ease of access.

Samsung Food Showcase-8

All-Round Cooling

The Food ShowCase model also offers ‘All Round Cooling’ – Samsung say:

Samsung’s All Round Cooling evenly cools every inch of the fridge as well as the freezer. Cold air is blown out through multiple outlets at every level. As a result, the refrigerator area keeps fruit and vegetables fresher for longer and the freezer reduces freezer burn, and as a result better maintains the quality of frozen food.

Samsung Food ShowCase

Dual-door system

The really clever feature of this fridge freezer is the dual-door system on the fridge size, to the right. The door itself is made of two parts. A thinner part at the front opens to give quick and speedy access to the most-used items in your fridge. This is described as the ‘exterior showcase’ in which you can store items such as milk, drinks, condiments and snacks that you’ll want to grab quickly. Then there is a second part to the door, which, when opened, let’s you access the innercase, which stores all your main items of food, such as fruit and vegetables in the drawers, meat, and other general food items.

We particularly like the showcase as two of the shelves (the blue ones) in the showcase part slide out – so I put all the kids’ snacks in these trays, so that they have easy and instant access to the things they like, rather than them having to go rummaging within the main fridge itself.

Samsung3

Fridge Freezer Features  & Capacity

The left hand side – housing the freezer part, is a little bit smaller than the fridge side, but it offers an automatic in-door ice maker to maximise the freezer space, leaving more room for frozen foods. When I say smaller, I mean that the Samsung Food ShowCase offers a 70/30 fridge freezer split, with net storage in the freezer section of 174L and net storage on the fridge side of 396L. Needless to say, there is ample storage for the needs of a large family.

You can access the ice either from the inside, or via the front panel, where you can also get filtered, cooled water. The LED display can be switched on or off, and the dispenser itself offers a tall opening, so that even large glasses can be filled up with ice cubes, crushed ice or water.

Samsung Food Showcase

Overall impressions

The ShowCase door initially took a little getting used to, but not that we have it, we wouldn’t be without it. I love that the inner door has 6 separate compartments – it’s very flexible in the way that it allows you to store and easily access your most-used cold food items. It’s great to be able to grab condiments, which are visible either from through the showcase door or from the innercase.

Inside, the ‘innercase’ also offers great flexibility – deep drawers and shelves that fold away, depending on what you need to store.

The wine rack is useful and yet compact, it doesn’t take over the fridge, but it allows you to store wine and other bottles neatly. The all-around cooling system seems to really keep all the items within the fridge at precisely the right temperature – we’ve definitely noticed that food is staying fresher and that therefore, we are throwing less away.

The freezer offers a fast-freeze option, a removable ice draw – handy if you want to serve ice away from the main freezer itself.

Despite its size (H177.4 x W91.2 x D72.1cm) the sleek finished and the brushed stainless steel exterior is elegant and unimposing.

We’re upgrading our very old kitchen next year and so I can’t wait for my Samsung Food Showcase to take pride of place in our redesigned kitchen.

Samsung Food ShowCase
Time to party!

You can read other reviews online here –

Gizzi Eskerne reviews the Samsung Food ShowCase in her test kitchen for The Times

Janie at The Hedgcombers also welcomes a Samsung Food ShowCase into her kitchen.

With many thanks to Samsung for sending me the Samsung American Style Food Showcase Fridge Freezer for review. All opinions are my own.

40 Seasonal Recipes (October’s Simple and in Season Round Up)

October was a great month for Simple and in Season, with over 40 seasonal recipes and pumpkins aplenty!

This month, Katie at Feeding Boys and a Firefighter is hosting, with plenty of entries already flooding in.

In the meantime, here are Octobers recipes.

Seasonal Recipes October

Above

  1. Sausage and Sweet Potato Skillet Supper by Feeding Boys and a Firefighter
  2. Pumpkin, Ginger and Orange Traybake by Feeding Boys and a Firefighter
  3. Iranian-style Sweet and Sour Olives by My Custard Pie
  4. Roasted Beetroot and Butterbean Soup  by Nutritious Deliciousness
  5. Pumpkin Spice Latte with Pumpkin Seed Milk by Veggie Desserts
  6. Creamy Butternut Squash and Tomato Soup by Tinned Tomatoes
  7. Chocolate and Pear Quesadillas by Food to Glow
  8. Chunky Guacamole by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary

Seasonal Recipes October

Above

  1. Rhubarb, Blueberry and Honey No Churn Ice Cream by The Gluten Free Alchemist
  2. Roasted Cauliflower Salad by The Taste Space
  3. Spiced Pumpkin Blondies by How to Cook Good Food
  4. Roasted Squash, Red Onion and Goats Cheese Pave Bread Rolls Franglais Kitchen
  5. Apple Fritters by My Little Italian Kitchen
  6. White Chocolate, Beetroot and Cardamom Mousse by Bangers & Mash
  7. Patty Pan, Purple Carrot, Pine Nut and Cheese Savoury Muffins by The Gluten Free Alchemist
  8. Welly Boot Crumble (Apple, Blackberry & Walnut) by Family Friends Food

Seasonal Recipes 3

Above

  1. Parsnip Soup with Pears. Ginger and Coconut by Food Family Friends
  2. Simple and Sweet Spiced Apple and Yoghurt Cake by The Teal Tadjine
  3. Roasted Butternut Squash, Apple and Pecan Bundt Cake by The More than Occasional Baker
  4. Guernsey Gâche Melée by Tales from The Kitchen Shed
  5. Risotto-Stuffed Vegetables by RenBehan.com
  6. Halloween Chocolate Apples by Fab Food 4 All
  7. Pear and Stilton Toast by Food Friends Family
  8. Kale, Brown Rice and Red Quinoa Salad by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary

Seasonal Recipes 4

Above

  1. Halloween Spider Pumpkin Mini Pies by My Little Italian Kitchen
  2. Squash Walnut and Goats Cheese Pizza by Chocolate Log Blog
  3. Greek Potato and Courgette Bake  (Boureki) by We Don’t Eat Anything With a Face
  4. Butternut Squash, Black Garlic and Blue Cheese Bake by Kavey Eats
  5. Rustic Courgette Bake by Lancashire Food
  6. Vegetable-Stuffed Baked Squash by Eat Live Travel Write
  7. Vegetable Chilli Stuffed Marrow by Searching for Spice
  8. Healthier Trick or Treats for Halloween by The School of Balance

Seasonal Recipes

Above

  1. Nigel Slater’s Chocolate Beet Cake by The Lass in the Apron
  2. Barley Veggie Rainbow Salad by Eat Well Feel Good
  3. Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables by Fab Food 4 All
  4. Bavarian Apple Tart by Fenton Eats
  5. Poblanos with Puy Lentils, Vegetables and Cheese by The Gluten Free Alchemist
  6. Italian Style Roast Pork by The School of Balance
  7. Halloween Pumpkin Cookies by How to Cook Good Food
  8. Easy Winter Vegetable Soup by RenBehan.com

So that’s the round up for October. Thank you for all these wonderful entries. They’ll all been pinned onto my Simple and in Season board which has over 36,000 followers! So keep pinning :-))
Follow Ren Behan Food’s board Simple and in Season on Pinterest.

Simple and in Season Badge

Keeping Healthy with the Froothie Optimum 9400

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

Froothie Optimum 9400

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

Froothie Optimum 9400

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

Froothie Optimum 9400

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

Froothie Optimum 9400

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

Froothie Optimum 9400

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

Froothie Optimum 9400

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

Froothie Optimum 9400

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

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

Froothie Optimum 9400

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

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

Print

Easy Winter Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

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

Instructions

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

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

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

Simple and in Season Badge

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

Froothie Optimum 9400

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

Autumn Reviews – Cru Kafe, Supermilk and Doughnuts!

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

Cru Kafe

Cru Kafe Coffee Pods

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

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

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

Follow @CruKafe on Twitter

Supermilk

Hotel Chocolat Supermilk

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

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

Follow @HotelChocolat on Twitter #Supermilk

Bread, Cake, Doughnut, Pudding

Bread, Cake, Doughnut, Pudding by Justin Gellatly

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

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

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

Mini Doughnuts Ren Behan

My Mini Doughnuts!

Paid Recipe Commission

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

 

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

Quick Risotto-Stuffed Vegetables

My mother (who is an amazing cook) can always make ‘something out of nothing’ and I’m hoping that this recipe will always remind me of that.

Vegetables

Last week, when my mum came to stay, I was completely on the back foot. I hadn’t managed a big shop and the fridge was uncharacteristically empty. We found a few red and green (bell) peppers, two courgettes, a plum tomato, a stick of celery, a carrot and a cup of leftover peas. There was also a chunk of Parmesan cheese. The obvious solution would have been to make a pan of soup, but I fancied something a bit more substantial than that. “We”ll stuff the veg!” declared my mum, and after a quick whizz of my cupboards she found some vegetable stock, a tin of tomatoes and one of those two-minute pouches of rice. Yes, I have those in my cupboard.

Stuffed Vegetables

Within minutes the kitchen was filled with the aroma of a bubbling ‘quick’ risotto and after a sprinkle of some sea salt and fresh pepper, the vegetables began baking in the oven.

Cooking with Kids

The pre-cooked rice was really the key to the speediness in this recipe – you can shave off a good ten minutes. If you had some leftover risotto, it would be quicker, still and you could just use that to stuff the vegetables with instead. You can also buy a quicker cook ‘pronto’ version of risotto now in pouches, too, though I haven’t tried those. You can even make it with ‘easy cook rice’ – you’ll just need to simmer it a little longer. The rice should be ‘almost’ cooked before you stuff your vegetables with it.

Risotto Stuffed Veg

Once you know how to stuff veggies (always pre-bake them for at least ten minutes before stuffing just to get them going a bit) you can make all kinds of fillings. You can even stuff them with a bolognese ragu like this one.

And look what you end up with – Risotto-Stuffed Vegetables – fit for a King or Queen.

Risotto Stuffed Veg

We serve ours with some tiny cubed courgettes and a really good sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Risotto Stuffed Veg

My mother might just be the cleverest cook in the world. She’s always an inspiration to me.

 

I hope you’re enjoying the (slightly blustery) autumnal weather! If you are not, make these instead, then stay inside and keep warm and happy.

Risotto Stuffed Veg

Print

Quick Risotto-Stuffed Veggies

Ingredients

  • Olive oil
  • Sea Salt and pepper
  • 2-3 bell peppers
  • 1 large (beef or plum) tomato
  • 2 courgettes/zucchini
  • 1 sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 stick celery, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, peeled and chopped into cubes
  • A cupful of frozen peas
  • 1 packet quick-to-cook rice, or 250g leftover cooked rice
  • 250ml/one cup vegetable stock
  • 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
  • To garnish - half a courgette and some Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
  2. Chop the tops off the peppers and scoop out any seeds. Do the same with the tomato. Cut one of the courgettes in half and using a teaspoon, scoop out the centre. Dice the second courgette for the garnish, keep to one side. Place the prepared veggies in a foil lined baking tin, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for ten minutes. Alongside those, spread the diced courgette onto a flat baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and bake for ten minutes, too.
  3. In the meantime, drizzle some olive oil into a frying pan. Fry the onions for three to four minutes, then add in the celery and carrot and cook for a further few minutes.Throw in the peas and the rice, pour in the stock and add the tinned tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for around five minutes. If you are not using pre-cooked rice, you''ll need to cover and simmer the rice until it is cooked - around ten minutes.
  4. Take the vegetables out of the oven and carefully fill the peppers, tomato and courgettes with the rice mixture. Put the stuffed vegetables back in the oven and bake for a further ten minutes.The vegetables should be soft, take them out and set to one side.
  5. Serve the baked, stuffed veggies with some of the courgette cubes and a grating of fresh Parmesan cheese.

Love you, Mama!

Ooh, if you wanted to stuff your veggies with a traditional risotto – follow my tips over on JamieOliver.com here.

Read all about my trip to Lombardy and Piedmont, with Riso Gallo, who produce one of Italy’s best brands of rice.

Simple Risotto

10 Amazing Chocolate Cakes – Chocolate Week 2014

It’s Chocolate Week 2014, which is a good thing, as I’m in the mood for chocolate. So to mark the occasion, here are five of my favourite show-stopping chocolate cakes. Click on the arrows to scroll through the slider.

Easy-Rolo-Cake

Easy-Rolo-Cake

A triple layer chocolate and caramel cake - pure indulgence in every slice!

Easy-Rolo-Cake
Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake

A four-layered chocolate cake with salted caramel buttercream - the essential show-stopping cake!

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake
Affinities Chocolate Cake (Vegan)

Affinities Chocolate Cake (Vegan)

A tempting vegan chocolate cake from the Rococo Chocolate Cook Book

Affinities Chocolate Cake (Vegan)
Chocolate Brownie Cake

Chocolate Brownie Cake

A delicious chocolate brownie-inspired cake topped with almonds

Chocolate Brownie Cake
White Chocolate Malteser Cake

White Chocolate Malteser Cake

White chocolate fan? Try this luscious white choclate Malteser cake - why not bookmark it or practice it before Christmas?

White Chocolate Malteser Cake

 

Hungry for more?

I’ve selected some more of my favourites from around the web –

  1. A classic Chocolate Guinness Cake (firefighter approved!) by Katie at Feeding Boys and a Firefighter
  2. A sumptuous Rich Chocolate Loaf Cake by Helen at The Crazy Kitchen
  3. This simply stunning Chocolate Courgette Cake by Elizabeth at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
  4. Sarah’s decadent Strawberry Chocolate Cake with Rose Tea Ganache over on Maison Cupcake
  5. And for a Gluten Free and less cakey treat try Nazima’s Gluten Free Chocolate and Chestnut Torte from Franglais Kitchen

Five Chocolate Cakes

Any of these inspiring you to bake with chocolate this week for Chocolate Week 2014? Let me know if they do!

Simple and in Season October Now Open!

We’re running slightly late this month with our community blog event Simple and in Season, but in case you have any seasonal recipe you’ve blogged and would like to link up, you can find the linky for October below. A round up will also be posted at the beginning of November.

I have a new Simple and in Season Page with guidelines here – pop over and have a read if you are joining us for the first time.

We also have a growing Simple and in Season Pinterest Community Board. Let me know if you’d like an invite to pin! It has over 10,000 followers so it’s a great way to get your posts seen.

Thank you also to my recent hosts –

September’s Simple and in Season Round Up by Nazima at Franglais Kitchen can be found here – 24 Simple and Seasonal Recipes to see you into fall.

It’s officially autumn/fall in the UK. It’s raining today and it’s very blowy. It’s the perfect day for a risotto with roasted seasonal vegetables. Pop over and have a read of my feature on JamieOliver.com on how to cook a basic risotto here amd get stirring!

Simple Risotto - Ren's Blog JO WM-3

 ADD YOUR OCTOBER POSTS HERE.




If it’s cold where you are, I hope you are managing to stay toasty and warm!

St Albans and Harpenden Food and Drink Festival 2014 Highlights

Our seventh annual St Albans and Harpenden Food and Drink Festival, organised by the St Albans City and District Council, came to a close this week, ending with an awards ceremony held at the lovely Lakeside Restaurant in St Michael’s Manor Hotel. The Festival brought together and showcased some of our very best restaurants, cafés, bars, local producers, pubs, takeaways and family-friendly venues – and also welcomed some of the district’s newcomers into the vibrant and ever-growing food and drink-filled local landscape. The Festival event calendar was packed, with events ranging from delicious wine and beer tastings, a paella afternoon in a Harpenden pub, and charity events galore thanks to a Mayoral Tasting Evening supported by many local chefs, and a very relaxed Macmillan Tea Party.

St Albans Food and Drink Festival 2014
The St Albans and Harpenden Food & Drink Festival 2014 Finale

Sunday saw many of our local foodie businesses, as part of the twelve day-long Festival, take over St Peter’s Street for the Festival Finale, offering hungry crowds a taste of some of the very good things on offer around the City. The sun was shining and the centre of St Albans packed with families.

Some of my favourites from the day included lobster rolls from newcomer Phil Thompson at Thompson@Darcy’s, the ‘St Albans Burger’ by The Snug Bar, and pulled pork rolls courtesy of Kashu Street Food. Cupcakes and sweet treats a plenty were on show, too, from local favourites including Heaven is a Cupcake, The Bakehouse and more. I loved the focal point of the live kitchen, with food demonstrations taking place throughout the day, and the fully seated ‘pop-up’ in the city centre enthusiastically hosted by local restaurateur Andrei Lussmann and his team from Lussmanns Fish and Grill – find out more about the Best Local Restaurant category winner in my piece, here.  Neighbouring Harpenden, too, enjoyed its share of the spotlight, with a very entertaining and lively ‘street food’ festival the Sunday before, with their own Godfrey’s Fish and Chips taking home the Best Takeaway award for 2014.

Here’s a full list of the Food Festival 2014 Awards Winners with links to their websites so you can explore them for yourselves. Hopefully they will inspire you to visit here soon!

St Albans and Harpenden Food and Drink Festival Award Winners 2014

Best Bar 

Best Independent Food/Drink Shop

Best Café 

Best Newcomer

Best Local Producer

Best Local Restaurant

Best Pub

Best Takeaway

Most Family Friendly Venue

Coming Up!

Festival brochure in hand, I enjoyed visiting some of my favourite places to eat within St Albans and there are also plenty of new places to explore, which I’ll be writing about very soon in my new series Lunch@ – watch this space!

St_Albans
Above Burger at Relish, Hot Dog at The Snug, Tea at The Beech House

The beautiful Roman city of St Albans is always worth a visit, but if you’re looking for a specific reason, I’d highly recommend a visit to our growing Christmas Markets, held for their second year in the grounds of the Cathedral and Abbey of St Albans, from 27th November to 21st December. I’ll be there with my rum hot chocolate in hand!

Giveaway – Omlet Kitchen Accessories RRP £50

Lots of people are keeping chickens again and it’s always a lovely ‘update’ too see photos of friends and family collecting eggs from no further than the bottom of their own garden. My grandmother used to keep chickens and a highlight of any visit would be collecting some fresh eggs for breakfast.  These days, there is lots of help and guidance on keeping chickens (and indeed, other animals, such as rabbits) at home. Have a read here if you are thinking of adding a chicken to your family, or perhaps you’d like some help with bee-keeping?

The clever folks at Omlet, a company whose products I first became aware of when visiting a friend who owned a very cool-looking Omlet Eglu chicken house, have designed lots of new products around the concept of chicken-keeping and I have a few of those products to giveaway to one lucky reader.

Omlet_egg_ramp

Image source: Omlet website, with permission 

You could win:

  • An Omlet Egg Ramp (cream, as above) –  holds 12 medium eggs and keep them in date order RRP £14.99
  • An Omlet Eglu Eggcup breakfast set (purple) – includes Eglu Eggcup, salt and pepper chickens and a toast rack RRP £19.99
  • An Omlet Rollabowl (black) – the fun way to store and keep your fruit RRP £19.99

You can find these products here in the kitchen section of the Omlet website. Some of these products might find their way onto your Christmas lists if you have chicken-keeping friends!

My kids really love their Eglu Eggcup breakfast sets – designed to mark the 10th anniversary of the Eglu chicken coop.

Enter the giveaway here via Rafflecopter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For great competition karma like their Facebook page here.

With many thanks to Omlet for sending me these products to review/giveaway.  

This giveaway closes on 31st October 2014. A winner will be selected randomly and will be announced on the Rafflecofter widget on this page.  

Good luck!

Easy Stove Top Chicken Casserole

As we ease ourselves into autumn, there is plenty to encourage us into the kitchen. Perhaps we might be inspired to preserve some of those late summer gluts, or try a recipe from an ‘up and coming’ cuisine, or to simply dig out those slow-cookers and cast-iron pans to get a nice, warming stew or casserole on the go. There are lots of recipes that have caught my attention already in the various food magazines that I subscribe to popping through the door, in particular, the classic, stove top chicken casserole I’ve shared below. I’ve also noticed a number of new cookery related supplements and magazines recently, which is a good thing, as it means larger brands and retailers are continuing to see an upwards trend in home cooking. Pinterest is another wonderful place to gather some autumnal cooking ideas together, too. This week I’ve bookmarked a lasagne soup to try as it pretty much ticks every box on my comfort food hit-list.

Cook Edition
Images taken from JohnLewis.com with permission

One of the latest, free, foodie publications that you might spot is ‘Cook Edition’ at John Lewis. I had a good flick through – very much admiring the food photography within it. I was very tempted by Trine Hahnemann’s sticky, sweet and perfectly spiced cinnamon rolls (featured on page 2 of the Autumn supplement) but in the end, I decided on a family favourite instead; a classic chicken casserole (featured on page 10, alongside some one-pot tips). If you have an ipad, you can also find Cook Edition for free via iTunes. 

Aside from my slow cooker making a reappearance, autumn cooking is also brilliantly suited to more robust pans and stew-pots. I was recently sent a 24cm lidded casserole pan in a new shade of cotton, which although takes up a bit of kitchen cupboard space, means that you can comfortably cook a casserole, or a stew for a family of four with minimum fuss. I’ve also used the pan this week to make a generous risotto. It’s also ideal for soup and can also go into the oven (with its lid) when making a roast chicken, for example, or an oven-baked casserole or pasta bake.

Le Creuset

Le Creuset is a brand that has become very well known in the UK for classic, durable and long-lasting cookware; it is made in France, each piece is hand crafted and it is guaranteed for the lifetime of the original owner, whether a self purchase or a gift. Note, the guarantee doesn’t cover wear and tear or misuse, so you do have to show your pans a little bit of love. I do put mine into the dishwasher, but in fact, they are very, very easy to clean with liquid soap and water, too. I’ve never had any issues with my Le Creuset pans or cookware – I also own a square griddle pan and two 18cm round casseroles. The diametre of the pan is etched into the lid – in case you ever want to know! I always remember my sister using Le Creuset and in fact, when she read this post, she confirmed she had owned her 24cm casserole for 24 years and that it is most often used for making a ragu al bolognese.

Classic Chicken Casserole

Print

Easy Stove Top Chicken Casserole

Prep

Cook

Total

A classic stove top chicken casserole made with sweet onions, pancetta, mushrooms and baby potatoes.

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 8 pieces of high welfare chicken, e.g thighs, legs
  • 250g cubed pancetta
  • 1 large, sweet white onion
  • 200g baby chestnut button mushrooms
  • 1 litre hot chicken stock
  • 500g baby potatoes
  • 2 tbsp cornflour mixed with 3-4 tbsp cold water
  • Fresh herbs, such as parsley, to flavour

Instructions

  1. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a stove top safe casserole pan. Add the cubed pancetta and cook on a medium heat until the pancetta starts to become crispy and any fat renders. Add the chopped onions and cook for ten minutes on a very low heat, until translucent. Add the button mushrooms and cook for a further few minutes. Remove the pancetta, onions and mushrooms from the pan and set aside.
  2. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and place the chicken pieces, skin side down, into the pan. Sear them until golden brown, then carefully flip the pieces over and cook for a further few minutes.
  3. Pour in the chicken stock and add in the baby potatoes - the potatoes and chicken should be covered. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer on a gentle heat for twenty minutes.
  4. Add the pancetta, onions and mushrooms back in and cook with the lid off for a further ten minutes. The sauce should reduce slightly. Stir in the cornflour mixed with water and bring the casserole back up to the boil. The sauce should thicken.Take the casserole off the heat and leave it to sit on the stove for ten minutes before serving. Add any fresh herbs just before serving.

Notes

You can use a whole chicken and chop it into eight pieces instead if your prefer. Be careful when using poultry shears or a sharp knife to chop the chicken.

So, this week I’ve made a lasagne, risotto, a chicken casserole and a Victoria plum fruit bowl cake – what should be next on our comfort food cook list?

Here are some other recipes I have bookmarked –

Slow Cooked Beef Brisket with Celeriac Mash and Wild Mushrooms – own recipe

Veggie Packed Lasagne by Katie at Feeding Boys and a Firefighter

Healthier S’mores Smoothie – by Helen at Fuss Free Flavours

Cinnamon Apple Meringue Tartlets by Nazima at Franglais Kitchen

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of Cook Edition to review and cook from, as well as a 24cm Le Creuset Casserole and some vouchers to pay for the ingredients I used. 

Crowd-Pleasing Pasta Recipes

Things may have admittedly been a bit quiet over here on the blog owing to a certain little person’s arrival, but that doesn’t mean to say that I haven’t been squirreling away in the background on some other projects over the summer. I managed (just about) to keep up with my regular feature and recipe writing for JamieOliver.com – always a great source of inspiration with the themes on the site changing regularly. Following lots of unusual and intriguing World Cup recipes, we moved on to outdoor eating. My summery Polish cucumber salad was a big hit, as was this orzo, courgette and prawn pasta dish – perfect to feed a crowd with whilst the sun was shining and a great recipe to bookmark  for pescatarian friends.

Prawn and Courgette Pasta

We’re now into a season of sharing recipes for anyone who follows a specialist diet – be it dairy free, gluten free or wheat free.  I contributed one of my quickest weeknight suppers; a gluten free pasta carbonara made with organic brown rice pasta. This is such a great recipe to have up your sleeve if you have to avoid gluten, or like me, you simply want to make a few healthier swaps for your families lifestyle.

Carbonara

I always look forward to the autumn as lots of new cookery books are released, which means that I get to cram my shelves with even more books. September saw the release of Jamie’s sixteenth book – Comfort Food. I’m pleased to see calorie counting temporarily suspended to welcome some delicious heart-warming treats, including a recipe for my kind of comfort food – Polish Pierogi. I’ll be giving those a go next week and reporting back!

In the meantime, I also shared a recipe for a ham, courgette and mushroom lasagne made with fresh pasta sheets and an easy white sauce, which certainly counts as comfort food. As the days start to get shorter and the nights grow darker, this is the perfect cheese-topped, oven-baked crowd-pleaser.

Ham lasagne

Ham Lasagne

Having a few clever and adaptable pasta recipes up your sleeve can help you out whether you are looking to feed a large family, or have friends coming over for supper. Here are some more of my favourites gathered from the web.

More Crowd-Pleasers

From Amuse Your Bouche – Becca’s Spaghetti alla Puttanesca – (Vegan)

From Kavey Eats – Kavey’s Chicken, Bacon, Mushroom and Creme Fraiche Pasta  (Weeknight winner)

From Maison Cupcake – Sarah’s Giant Pasta Shells with Asparagus and Bacon (and a Vitamix Pesto) (Great for a dinner party)

From Feeding Boys and a Firefighter – Katie’s Lemon and Mint Pesto with Tagliatelle (Vegetarian)

From Cook Sister – Jeanne’s Easy Crab, Chilli and Rocket Pasta (Pescatarian)

I hope you get to try some of these recipes – let me know if you do.

Time to put my feet up again I think!

Ren Behan is a freelance contributor to JamieOliver.Com

Utterly Scrummy’s Fruit Bowl Cake

The summer holidays with a newborn and two primary-aged children were always going to be busy. In fact, I completely underestimated just how busy we would all be and suddenly, somehow, we are now in September. We enjoyed some time away; a short trip to Cheshire, a couple of weeks in North Wales and a visit to Somerset. I discovered that if you put me in a farmhouse with a farm shop within walking distance I am a very happy girl. I managed to write one blog post – June’s Simple and in Season round up, which captured the very best of what the summertime had to offer us in terms of seasonal produce and just about kept up with a few summer features and recipes for JamieOliver.com.

I’m so grateful to my blogging friends for helping me out and for keeping me awake during night feeds – the perfect time to play catch up with some of my favourite blogs. Simple and in Season went for a little holiday, too. Sally at My Custard Pie collected some tasty recipes throughout July and then Elizabeth at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary put together a stunning collection of even more brilliant recipes to round off August. Nazima is currently hosting a new round for September – I hope you’ll be able to pop over.

Fruit Bowl Cake

One of the recipes I stumbled across earlier on in the summer and immediately set about making was a simple and tasty Fruit Bowl Cake by fellow blogger Michelle at Utterly Scrummy Food For Families. Early days with a newborn hasn’t afforded me much time for baking, but this is a recipe I’ve rustled up with ease a couple of times now and it really is a lovely way to use up any fruit in your fruit bowl that is perhaps softening or passed its best. I’ve also made it with Victoria plums more recently and damsons from a neighbour’s garden, along with anything left in the fruit bowl to use up.  Michelle is also very close to welcoming her little baby boy to the world – if I lived a little closer to her I’d be baking her this cake and taking it round. Good luck, Michelle!

Fruit Bowl Cake

Some other fruity/plummy recipes you might like to try in September –

Fruit Bowl Cake

There are also some lovely food blog challenges going on at the moment.

1. As mentioned above, Nazima is hosting Simple and in Season September so I’ll be linking this up to her as I used British pears, nectarines and plums in this particular cake.

2. Michelle originally made the Fruit Bowl Cake for Elizabeth’s No Waste Food Challenge , so I’m entering mine to this month’s event hosted by Chef Mireille.

3. Sarah is hosting Credit Crunch Munch this month for Helen and Camilla – I love the fact that you could make this cake at pretty much any time with whatever you have to hand to use up in the fruit bowl.

Fruit Bowl Cake

Print

Utterly Scrummy’s Fruit Bowl Cake (Adapted)

Prep

Cook

Total

A simple Fruit Bowl Cake (adapted from a recipe by Michelle at Utterly Scrummy Food for Families) made with leftover fruit from the fruit bowl.

Ingredients

  • 500g of fruit, chopped (I used nectarines, pears and plums)
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 200g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 200g soft, light brown sugar
  • 3 free range eggs, beaten
  • 100ml vegetable oil, or mild, light olive oil

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C/160C Fan.
  2. Grease and line (with baking paper) a 23cm round cake tin.
  3. Remove any stones from the fruit, roughly chop into small chunks.
  4. In a separate bowl, sift the flour and cinnamon and add the sugar. Pour in the beaten eggs and the oil and mix together well.
  5. Stir the fruit into the cake batter and pour into the prepared tin.
  6. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a cake tester or skewer comes out clean.
  7. Serve with a little dusting of icing sugar, or store in a tin and serve with warm custard the next day.

Fruit Bowl Cake

Now that the children have gone back to school, I hope I’ll be able to get back to blogging a little more regularly – in as much as my napping newborn allows!

Simple and in Season Summer Round Up (June Entries)

Hello! Yes, this post comes with the biggest apology. My summertime blogging-with-a-newborn-and-two-children-on-school-holidays plan ground completely to a halt. I had totally forgotten how all-consuming new motherhood is – even the third time round. Luckily, the lovely Sally at My Custard Pie stepped in to help me out, hosting Simple and in Season July with 50 entries, and this month, Simple and in Season August is being hosted by Elizabeth at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary. Elizabeth is also doing a fantastic job of populating the Simple and in Season Pinterest board as she goes along. So, I’ll focus on the positive with a massive thank you to both Sally and Elizabeth, along with an even bigger thank you to our Simple and in Season June entrants who have waited so patiently for this recipe round up. Normal service will be resumed shortly…

June’s Simple and in Season recipes

1. Firstly, a real surprise as Meagan, a blogger who I met at IFBC in Seattle, joined in with her Rhubarb Crisp over on The Curried Nut – thank you Meagan!

2. Camilla at Fab Food 4 All also used seasonal rhubarb to make a Rhubarb and Marzipan Cake.

3. Whilst Michell at Utterly Scrummy (soon to be in for some newborn baby adventures herself!) made a stunning Lavender and Strawberry Victoria Sponge.

4. Laura at How to Cook Good Food made some very pretty Elderflower Madeleines

5. Alida at My Little Italian Kitchen made a beautifully presented Chargrilled Vegetable Summer Salad.

6. Linza over at Lancashire Food made a Gluten Free Rhubarb and Rose Cake.

7. Caroline at Caroline Makes made some Queen Cakes or Blueberry Muffins

8. Shaheen at Allotment 2 Kitchen made a vegetarian Garam Masala Radish Quiche with Radish Tops and Brie.

9. Corina at Searching for Spice made an Asparagus and Lemon Risotto 

10. Laura at How to Cook Cook Food came back with another seasonal recipe, this time, Raspberry Cranachan Ice Cream.

11. Gayathri at Spices Galore made some summery Grilled Indian Style Corn.

12. And our current host, Elizabeth at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary made a beautiful Chocolate Strawberry Pavlova.

13. Janet at The Taste Space joined in with her recipe for Strawberry Balsamic Vanilla Steel Cut Oats – a very tasty looking recipe, indeed.

14. Janice at Farmers Girl Kitchen made a lovely Italian pasta dish of Papardelle al Pomodori Secchi with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives and Feta.

15. And Alida at My Little Italian Kitchen came back to us with a wonderful Cherry Clafoutis in celebration of being a finalist (and then winning) a recipe competition with Michael Caines.

16. Even more strawberries – this time, Ness at Jibber Jabber UK made a Strawberry and Mint Meringue with Elderflower Cream.

17. Sarah at Maison Cupcake made me chuckle with her Kermit-the-Frog inspired super-healthy Spicy Cavolo Nero Raw Green Soup made in her Vitamix blender.

18. Whilst Kellie at Food to Glow continued with the healthy theme by making a Rose and Summer Berry Skinni-Fredo, which I loved.

19. Ros at The More Than Occasional Baker made a delicious White Chocolate and Cardamom Cake with Rose Strawberry and Yoghurt.

20. Sarah at Tales from the Kitchen Shed sent across a recipe she had made earlier for Strawberry Jelly and Strawberry Glaze for her Strawberry Tart – great use of a glut!

21.  Whilst the team at ProWare Kitchen made a Fresh Tomato Pasta dish – perfect for Simple and in Season.

22. Louisa at Eat Your Veg made a tasty and interesting dish of New Potatoes with a Lettuce Pesto Dressing.

23. Karen and Lavender and Lovage joined in with a bright and colourful Tabbouleh Salad.

24. And the lovely Kavey at Kavey Eats made a Home Made White Cherry Rum Liqueur.

25. Sarah at Tales from the Kitchen Shed came back with a recipe that was a huge hit on Twitter for her Peach Melba Rice Delight. 

26. Jenny at Mummy Mishaps made a Strawberry and Elderflower Eton Mess Cake.

27. Kate at The Gluten Free Alchemist joined in with her Gluten Free Cherry Pancake.

28. Helen at Family Friends and Food made Baked Gooseberry and Elderflower Custards – lovely!

29. Whilst Helen at Good Life Mum made a batch of Elderflower and Lemon Cordial.

30. And with her cordial, Helen made an Elderflower and Lemon Sorbet.

31. Inspired by the start of the Great British Bake Off Helen at Good Life Mum made a showstopping Elderflower Angel Cake.

32. Having saved a few cherries, Sally at My Custard Pie made some Cherry Almond Spelt Muffins.

33. And Sarah at Maison Cupcakes came back to us with a No Churn Dairy Free Vegan Raspberry Ice Cream.

34. Bintu at Recipes from a Pantry sent across her Herbed Cauliflower Rice with Tahini Yoghurt – bookmarked!

35. Nazima at Franglais Kitchen impressed with her Blueberry, Vanilla and Mascarpone Ice Cream Terrine.

36.Andrea at Shabby Chic made the most of the wild strawberries, redcurrants and raspberries in her garden to make Shaken Berries.

37. Camilla at Fab Food 4 All made a tasty looking Roasted Tomato, Red Pepper and Chorizo Soup.

38. Katie at Feeding Boys and a Firefighter made a speedy Lemon and Mint Pesto with Tagliatelle.

39. Vanesther at Bangers and Mash made her own Elderflower Cordial, too, perfect for a summer tipple.

40. And for our final three recipes, we had entries from Selma at Selma’s Table who made a Broad Bean, Pea and Ricotta Crostini with Mint.

41. An entry from Sudha at Spicy, Quirky and Serendipitous who made a Corn and Shrimp Chowder. 

42. And last but by no means least, Vohn from Vohn’s Vittles closes our June round up with a recipe for Brazilian Spring Greens.

Thank you so much for bearing with me whilst I posted this round-up!

The current round (August) can be found over at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary here.

I hope you are enjoying the summer!

Breville Blend-Active – Review & Giveaway

Our kitchen at home has seen a variety of full-sized blenders over the years, and as the number of blender attachments and features increases, so does the counter space required. I was keen to buy a smaller blender, ideally one that would be perfect for the children’s increased consumption of blended fruit smoothies over the school holidays!

After hearing good things from friends about the Breville Blend-Active blender (also known as the Breville Blend-Active Personal Blender) we purchased one at 10% off the £29.99 RRP (update: at the time of posting this review, they are available at 25% off here). It came with a one-year guarantee, and the bottles are certified BPA-free.

Breville Blend-Active Blender

Included by Breville in the Blend-Active box were the 300W blender motor base, the removable blade unit, and two 600ml bottles with sports-style lockable lids. Extra 600ml bottles for the Blend-Active are available from Breville direct and cost £10 each. As advised in the manual – and you would anyway! – I used soapy water to wash the parts of the Blend-Active where food would make contact, and I wiped down the base with a damp cloth to clean. Useful to know was that the Blend-Active bottles are made of a odour-, taste- and stain-resistant material and are suitable for the dishwasher.

The Blend-Active has a single push button to blend and is incredibly straightforward to use.

1) Add the ingredients to be blended into the bottle in one go – remember not to go above the 600ml mark (or the 300ml mark if you are using the smaller bottles).
2) Screw the blade unit tightly to the top of the bottle.
3) Turn the bottle upside down so that the blade unit is at the bottom, line up the marks on the bottle and the blender, and push the bottle down and clockwise to lock in place.
4) You can either push and hold the blend button for as long as required or use short pulses to blend with better control.
5) Twist the bottle anti-clockwise to unlock and lift, then turn the bottle so the blade unit is at the top before removing the blade unit and fitting the resealable lid.

Importantly, Breville included a safety feature to prevent the Blend-Active’s blade from spinning unless the bottle is locked safely into place.

In the UK, there are twelve drinks recipes included by Breville in the manual for the Blend-Active.

– Protein Rich Shake
– Berry Blitz Protein Shake
– Good Morning Protein Shake
– Chocolate and Banana Protein Shake
– Super Thick Berry Smoothie
– Raspberry Crush Smoothie
– Tropical Fruit Smoothie
– Kiwi and Berry Bliss Smoothie
– Berry Blitz Dairy-Free Smoothie
– Soya Dairy-Free Smoothie
– Vanilla Milkshake
– Carrot, Orange and Ginger Juice

We’ve been using the Blend-Active regularly with fruits (including frozen berries), ice, nuts and vegetables, and I can pass on these tips:

1) Remember you have to add all the ingredients in one go, before blending starts.
2) If you are using the Blend-Active to blend ice or hard vegetables, ensure that you include liquid in the bottle as well to help protect the blades and motor.
3) The cap of the resealable lid that Breville provides is a good size, and copes with thicker drinks very well. But beware – a loose cap will mean a large leakage!
4) The dimensions of the Blend-Active bottles mean they fit well in the bottle-holders on most bikes.
5) This is not a full-size, jet-powered kitchen blender.  Friends who attempted to use the Blend-Active as such learnt this the hard way.

For our family, the Breville Blend-Active was an excellent alternative to using – and cleaning! – a full-size blender to make drinks that were going to be taken out in the garden, on a picnic or out with us on the bike. The blender is well made and has done everything we’ve asked of it – the two bottles supplied were perfect for two young children, and additional (or replacement) bottles are easy enough to get hold of from Breville, if required. The Blend-Active is light enough and has been easy enough to take with us on self-catering weekends away in the UK.

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For your chance to win a brand new Breville Blend-Active blender (£29.99 RRP) complete with a one-year Breville guarantee, please enter telling me whether you will most use your blender for vegetable or fruit smoothies with bonus entries via the Rafflecopter widget above.

Disclosure: Own purchase, I was not asked to write a review, nor offered any incentive. Giveaway sponsored by Ren Behan. Affiliate links included. Giveaway featured on sites including loquax.co.uk and ThePrizeFinder.com

Healthy Packed Lunch Ideas

I recently reviewed a Robbie the Robot lunch box, made by the British company Pink Lining, who also offer other beautifully designed children’s lunch boxes, satchels, bags and holdall bags, as well as baby changing bags and accessories. With the summer holidays approaching, there will be plenty of trips to the park and opportunities for outdoor eating. The start of the new school term will also, no doubt, be here in no time at all. With this in mind, I’ve been challenged to create a healthy packed lunch or lunch box recipe, incorporating plenty of fruit and veg.

Pink Lining Lunch Box

Children can quickly get bored of ham or egg mayo sandwiches, so to ‘liven up our lunch’ boxes, I very often make a new potato-based salad or a pasta salad, which can be portioned up into smaller containers ready to go. Our favourite is a miniature new potato salad, with cooked salmon flakes, topped with brightly coloured pomegranate seeds and cubes of fresh cucumber. Other healthy packed lunch ideas include small pieces of cold quiche or tartlets with seasonal vegetables, wraps, homemade fruity banana bread, cheese and marmite swirls and dips, such as hummus, with pita slices, carrot and cucumber sticks. I always add in plenty of fresh fruit, such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, or a large piece of fruit such as a ripe peach or pear. My children also like chocolate coated rice cakes as a sweet treat and a drink of either whole milk or oat milk.

Healthy Packed Lunch

You can buy lots of different types of lunch box containers these days, I like the ones with separate compartments, but little pots or plastic cups with lids will also do the trick. Most of my containers are baby weaning pots, perfect for little people’s lunch boxes, too.

Pink Lining Packed Lunch

Pink Lining Lunch Box

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You can read a full review of the Robbie the Robot Lunch Box by British-brand Pink Lining, here.

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This is a paid recipe commission on behalf of Pink Lining. Lunch box – Robbie the Robot RRP £15

More healthy packed lunch ideas

Review: Pink Lining Children’s Lunch Box

So, in my dream life, whilst on maternity leave, I’d be running a gorgeous and useful website, offering pretty baby changing bags with matching bottle holders, children’s satchels and lunch boxes and handy holdall bags for chic weekends away. As I said, in my dream life…instead, I’m lusting over such websites, whilst trying to keep up with the demands of organising a busy household and a newborn baby! Happily, Pink Lining (one such website with a range of goodies designed by Charlotte Pearl for PL Child) have sent me a distinctive children’s lunch box to review. When I have a few extra minutes spare, I’m looking forward to browsing the rest of their website (and pretending) that I need yet another changing bag.

Pink Lining Lunch Box

The packed lunch debate is currently highly active in our house. My junior school-aged son has decided he no longer likes school dinners and instead wants to take in a packed lunch. My daughter, who currently takes a packed lunch into nursery, starts big-school in September and will benefit from the Government’s new free school meals scheme. If truth be told, I was quite looking forward to not having to get up and make any packed lunches at all and I’m still trying to convince my seven-year old that school dinners are the way forward. In the meantime, there is still a week or so of school to get through, with a couple of school trips to cater for. So, in comes this lovely Robbie the Robot lunch box. He’ll also come in handy for our summer holiday to Wales too, as we like to take easily transportable lunch boxes, rather that clumpy picnic baskets, with us on the beach.Pink Lining Lunch Box

At £15, the Robbie the Robot lunch box isn’t cheap, but it is well made and very sturdy. It is thermo-insulated, with a zip open front. Inside there is a blue mesh pocket to keep cutlery or food separate, such as packets of dried fruit, and an elastic loop to store a water bottle or drink. It’s a good size, so you can pack in quite a big container. Inside, it’s wipe clean and outside it is made of a laminated cotton canvas. There’s also a handle and a clip on top – handy to attach to a buggy whilst walking to school.

Pink Lining Lunch Box

There are a few designs to chose from –  Little Lady (with a ladybird design), Robbie the Robot (shown in my photos), Dinosaur Walk, Damsels and Unicorns, and Knights and Dragons. The designs and character repeat throughout the range so you can buy matching mini and large rucksacks, picture satchels which are classic yet unique, as well as larger sports bags and duffle bags. I really love the fact that this range is a little bit different, and a little quirky – not everyone likes Disney Characters or Spiderman! These unique lunch bags would be very easy for a small child or toddler to spot in an amongst other lunch boxes in the pile.

Pink Lining are a British-based company, who have been featured in Vogue and Tatler. Their PL Child children’s bags and lunch boxes are also stocked at Mamas and Papas. Pink Lining changing bags are stocked in John Lewis, as well as online at PinkLining.com in the USA.

With many thanks to Pink Lining/PL Child for sending me the Robbie the Robot lunch box for review. All opinions my own, links editorially given, the review is unpaid.  

Do school dinners or packed lunches rule in your house?