tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42455409177837899332024-02-07T02:40:27.768+00:00All That I'm EatingTo me, the best food is simple and with quality, seasonal, local ingredients. With cooking experimenting is essential and variety is vital.Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.comBlogger335125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-82287922052476105912014-09-04T18:37:00.001+01:002014-09-04T18:37:27.987+01:00Review: Stokes Sauces<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It may be slightly gloomier outside than we've become accustomed to over the last few months but that doesn't mean BBQ season is over. At least not as far as I'm concerned! There's not much weather that will stop my family from cooking alfresco; indeed one memorable snowy day saw us making gravy outside as the roasting tray was too big for the hob. <a href="http://www.stokessauces.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stokes </a>sent me some yummy sounding products to try which lend themselves to a BBQ really well: Ketchup, Bloody Mary Ketchup and BBQ Sauce. So it was time (but certainly not the last time this year) to fire up the coals and get cooking.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwW6G4j-VFRTDRSaBnQ_AE89qGyt8MaGM2VDmQo3b4Gg1s7_SWALvizYbi3R_JZv2OxD6198kq8LKhjJxtE1k4i9awVCZt9q55Q1SftfpDDZ7pGxp7j_JP1HoQ8ytgAVd9I3Er2229RgI/s1600/Stokes+Sauces+-+All+That+I'm%2BEating%2B(1%2Bof%2B1)%2B(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwW6G4j-VFRTDRSaBnQ_AE89qGyt8MaGM2VDmQo3b4Gg1s7_SWALvizYbi3R_JZv2OxD6198kq8LKhjJxtE1k4i9awVCZt9q55Q1SftfpDDZ7pGxp7j_JP1HoQ8ytgAVd9I3Er2229RgI/s1600/Stokes+Sauces+-+All+That+I'm%2BEating%2B(1%2Bof%2B1)%2B(2).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We had some fab local 'Brazilian' sausages filled with chilli, tomato and pepper with some simple chicken and onion kebabs marinated in five spice. The rest of the table was covered with salad, boiled new potatoes and buttery corn-on-the-cob. Of the three Stokes sauces I think the Ketchup was probably my favourite but the Bloody Mary and BBQ were favourites of others round the table. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I found the Ketchup to have a nice balance of spices, a good deep red colour and a nice thick texture. I liked the different tastes in the Bloody Mary Ketchup, you could really taste the celery, and I was surprised how hot (in chilli) it was. The BBQ Sauce had a lovely level of smokiness and was a great purple/brown colour with a really thick texture. My Mum is an avid ketchup avoider but it was hard to prize the Bloody Mary bottle off her after she'd tried it! I thought all the products were good quality, tasty and certainly something I'd like to keep in my fridge.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Thank you to Stokes for the sauces. All opinions expressed are my own.</span></div>
Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-86069592447970690262014-08-31T18:17:00.000+01:002014-08-31T18:17:24.847+01:00Pulled Duck Ramen with Gressingham Duck<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;">I really like duck; usually in a pancake with plenty of spring onion, cucumber and hoisin sauce. If it's on a menu in a restaurant I will normally order it because I love the flavour. <a href="http://www.gressinghamduck.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gressingham</a> (the remarkable duck people) got in touch to see if I'd like to come up with a recipe with some of their duck and I thought it was a great opportunity to have a go at cooking something I enjoy eating but don't cook that often. Ramen is something that I find both cleansing and filling and love that you can add whatever you like to it. This pulled duck ramen is a great way to use leftover duck and is really quick and easy to make.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZK9V38CJfSMt_eIcGoueHBvnHtkeRBydEbuo3QC_uBI2NfMlw-F9k9ocICmju-BxdVpxMGskfk4dYv7XwfkB4wDOrveOB9OFMq0QgGoIq8PlYDswAV_Ha1oOduWVTOaJdble_J8GuS0/s1600/Pulled+Duck+Ramen+-+All+That+I'm%2BEating%2B(2%2Bof%2B3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZK9V38CJfSMt_eIcGoueHBvnHtkeRBydEbuo3QC_uBI2NfMlw-F9k9ocICmju-BxdVpxMGskfk4dYv7XwfkB4wDOrveOB9OFMq0QgGoIq8PlYDswAV_Ha1oOduWVTOaJdble_J8GuS0/s1600/Pulled+Duck+Ramen+-+All+That+I'm%2BEating%2B(2%2Bof%2B3).jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;">You will need:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;">1 duck</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;">Five spice mix</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;">Salt and pepper</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;">For the ramen:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;">Reserved shredded duck</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;">2 garlic cloves</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;">2 tbsp soy sauce</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;">750ml chicken stock</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;">250g dried noodles</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;">Sesame oil</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;">5 spring onions, sliced</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;">1 small chilli, finely sliced</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;">Large handful coriander, roughly chopped</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMLwkLDgkDeWK_Zhl1CXrBemQJr_h92R1vn6UEvr3r34jiJKEO9yg4xDFWc7QI3pacora3neZpaAsSJUKxKi3RzOqFxITUQHLqBjZ3s2FaCX9W3CP2uR2aSsolVSE6D1TtublOZTgNt4/s1600/Pulled+Duck+Ramen+-+All+That+I'm%2BEating%2B(1%2Bof%2B3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMLwkLDgkDeWK_Zhl1CXrBemQJr_h92R1vn6UEvr3r34jiJKEO9yg4xDFWc7QI3pacora3neZpaAsSJUKxKi3RzOqFxITUQHLqBjZ3s2FaCX9W3CP2uR2aSsolVSE6D1TtublOZTgNt4/s1600/Pulled+Duck+Ramen+-+All+That+I'm%2BEating%2B(1%2Bof%2B3).jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Start by roasting the duck. Preheat an oven to 200C and remove the giblets from your duck if it has them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Weigh the duck then calculate the roasting time; 20 minutes for every 500g plus an extra 20 minutes. Gressingham have a guide to roasting <a href="http://www.gressinghamduck.co.uk/how-to/how-to-roast-a-duck" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rub the duck all over with salt, pepper and the five spice then put the duck onto a roasting rack over a tray and into the oven for the required time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Remove from the oven and carve up as normal for a roast (leaving some meat for leftovers for the ramen) or leave to cool and shred the meat. I found it really easy to shred as it pretty much fell apart after it was roasted.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I roasted the duck the evening before and used half to accompany a mini roast dinner before shredding the other half for the ramen the next day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the ramen get a large saucepan out and add the chicken stock, garlic and soy sauce. Bring the broth to a boil then</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> simmer gently for a few minutes. Taste and add plenty of pepper and extra soy sauce if needed. Keep on a low heat while you make the rest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cook the noodles according to packet instructions then drain and drizzle with a little sesame oil to stop the noodles from sticking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chop up the onions, chilli and coriander.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Arrange the noodles in a bowl with the duck and vegetables on top then ladle in the hot stock.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjei-AqFUd7PZBp2Z6WXJrKHtX2PNQv-X3ZIaYY60bwDDwIUAGUgDvHR1Xa5vxPjlJGN2zr7UdBGQXvmXbmixwSp8ExR5611ssWopqvGHizgqLTCdPUIkJPRCqBZ6LHkgj-g_asElMbAUw/s1600/Pulled+Duck+Ramen+-+All+That+I'm%2BEating%2B(3%2Bof%2B3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjei-AqFUd7PZBp2Z6WXJrKHtX2PNQv-X3ZIaYY60bwDDwIUAGUgDvHR1Xa5vxPjlJGN2zr7UdBGQXvmXbmixwSp8ExR5611ssWopqvGHizgqLTCdPUIkJPRCqBZ6LHkgj-g_asElMbAUw/s1600/Pulled+Duck+Ramen+-+All+That+I'm%2BEating%2B(3%2Bof%2B3).jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px;">I think the colours in this ramen are fantastic; it's so vibrant in appearance that you know it's going to taste good before you even start. I like how people can add their own amount of onion, chilli, coriander or whatever you like so that everyone has a slight variation of the same dish. I also like that I can arrange the vegetables just so on my chopping board! The pulled duck in this was so full of flavour and worked so well with the fresh vegetables and salty, garlicky broth. For something quick and easy to make, this is one of my favourite dinners. I think this would work equally well if you used a duck breast rather than leftover duck; just fry it so the skin is really crispy. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 14px;">This is a featured post and I was reimbursed for my time and ingredients. All opinions expressed are my own.</span>Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-3527897478895592652014-08-26T20:14:00.000+01:002014-08-26T20:14:48.270+01:00Feed 2 for £3: Sweetcorn Chowder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I always like seeing sweetcorn growing in the fields near where I live; it's one of my absolute favourite vegetables. The only thing that is a little irritating is the inevitable corn-stuck-in-the-teeth situation which ensues after consuming corn from the cob. Particularly irksome if surrounded by unfamiliar company. Worth it though; especially if you're lucky enough to have a 50:50 butter to corn ratio. If you're looking for something different to try with your cobs, this sweetcorn chowder is my most favourite soup ever.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lOIIEmw3Hw0dvXY6pJPocKgCGgh2G5w6rhnDQKQH09eOTPCC2WOspRzdvM44krOa0AFPQB_rBVYZJw1y-l41R1qkXg7g6JUXDv3bopFwZSGl0FkS8tzhRDbfPAK7VLB1LGQX1ZSwcKw/s1600/Sweetcorn+Chowder+-+All+That+I'm%2BEating%2B(1%2Bof%2B2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lOIIEmw3Hw0dvXY6pJPocKgCGgh2G5w6rhnDQKQH09eOTPCC2WOspRzdvM44krOa0AFPQB_rBVYZJw1y-l41R1qkXg7g6JUXDv3bopFwZSGl0FkS8tzhRDbfPAK7VLB1LGQX1ZSwcKw/s1600/Sweetcorn+Chowder+-+All+That+I'm%2BEating%2B(1%2Bof%2B2).jpg" height="225" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You will need:</span><br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 320px;">
<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 9362; mso-width-source: userset; width: 192pt;" width="256"></col>
<col style="width: 48pt;" width="64"></col>
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;">
<td class="xl63" height="19" style="height: 14.25pt; width: 192pt;" width="256"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1
medium onion, finely chopped</span></td>
<td class="xl64" style="width: 48pt;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £
0.10 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;">
<td class="xl63" height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">100g smoked bacon lardons</span></td>
<td class="xl64"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £ 0.65 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;">
<td class="xl63" height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Large knob of butter</span></td>
<td class="xl64"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £ 0.15 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;">
<td class="xl63" height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 large potatoes, peeled and
chopped</span></td>
<td class="xl64"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £ 0.50 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;">
<td class="xl63" height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">250ml vegetable stock</span></td>
<td class="xl64"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £ 0.10 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;">
<td class="xl63" height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">400ml milk</span></td>
<td class="xl64"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £ 0.35 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;">
<td class="xl63" height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cob sweetcorn, kernels
removed</span></td>
<td class="xl64"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £ 0.25 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;">
<td class="xl63" height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Small handful chives, chopped</span></td>
<td class="xl64"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £ 0.25 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;">
<td class="xl63" height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 bay leaf</span></td>
<td class="xl64"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £ 0.05 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;">
<td class="xl63" height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt and pepper</span></td>
<td class="xl64"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £ 0.02 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;">
<td class="xl63" height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;"></td>
<td class="xl63"></td>
</tr>
<tr height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;">
<td class="xl63" height="19" style="height: 14.25pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Total</span></td>
<td class="xl64"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £ 2.42 </span></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Melt the butter in a large saucepan and fry the bacon and onion together until the onion is soft and the bacon turning brown at the edges.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the potatoes, bay leaf, stock, milk and salt and pepper and simmer until the potatoes are almost soft, around 10 minutes.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the sweetcorn and simmer for a further 5 minutes.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Check the seasoning, remove the bay leaf and stir in the chives before serving in warmed bowls.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBE5nGSXUkzh0AJzjA1S4-6nq0erlOdapcWnE6P6iXIOBFYp_w_XeAAdHh8u0Q0sM-oa2muUSmvs-bnb_seg6V10TP3YWyZWKb6WxCsW_j0kC-RneLCJftHvp6phdi8h2AFppMPgoXf-U/s1600/Sweetcorn+Chowder+-+All+That+I'm%2BEating%2B(2%2Bof%2B2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBE5nGSXUkzh0AJzjA1S4-6nq0erlOdapcWnE6P6iXIOBFYp_w_XeAAdHh8u0Q0sM-oa2muUSmvs-bnb_seg6V10TP3YWyZWKb6WxCsW_j0kC-RneLCJftHvp6phdi8h2AFppMPgoXf-U/s1600/Sweetcorn+Chowder+-+All+That+I'm%2BEating%2B(2%2Bof%2B2).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This soup has chunky bits, soft bits, crunchy bits and a full flavoured liquid bit. It's got sweet, smoky, savoury, salty and soupy. Earthy, fresh, homely and new. What I'm trying to say is that as a bowl of food goes it's got it all. Not only that but it's inexpensive too. What more do you need? I think I could eat this for lunch every day and never tire of it. And that's pretty much what I do as long as the cobs keep coming. Happy days.</span></div>
Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-44210886894030665352014-08-21T17:39:00.000+01:002014-08-21T17:39:47.653+01:00Basil Lime and Lemonade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If I had to choose I reckon I would choose a lime over a lemon anytime. They just seem a bit more special somehow. I've seen plenty of recipes for homemade lemonade but not that many for homemade limeade. I actually ended up using a mixture of lemon and lime juice to make this, mostly because I ran out of limes. If you give your limes a quick blast in the microwave before squeezing them you'll get much more juice out than if you squeeze them cold. Who knew I gave out useful life tips? You're welcome.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1scXn3PG1hNnF7D-0rKEdBsCRXIDkloDksE5e92sZextrMfR7DYazMbPHZ0jB6TkIX7UJxOBTpzjVykSNX-wz_0pPeCNbmf3zXofejAeRDDkGljxbYIejArxxCon51jvzwEZjwZZrcmk/s1600/Basil+Lemonade+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1scXn3PG1hNnF7D-0rKEdBsCRXIDkloDksE5e92sZextrMfR7DYazMbPHZ0jB6TkIX7UJxOBTpzjVykSNX-wz_0pPeCNbmf3zXofejAeRDDkGljxbYIejArxxCon51jvzwEZjwZZrcmk/s1600/Basil+Lemonade+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You will need:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Small handful basil leaves</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3 tbsp sugar</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">750ml sparkling water</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">125ml freshly squeezed lime and lemon juice (I used three limes and one lemon)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ice to serve</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Put the basil and sugar into a jug and bash it together with a rolling pin or muddler until the basil is well bruised and it smells lovely.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the water and lime/lemon juice and stir it all together until the sugar is dissolved.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add some ice to the jug and glasses and serve.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42vAbv5fHMOi8fJELiJxxDVRhjZRlMURSRRKmy9Vwtoep2jaJcScdiDesGEcdj6W4fs1lZUIF4LHVC293L-yfgmgJ-XXg6tzsSzeY7J6FVyes6CqNne070QASjYdIfka7_FTvSRGjWdA/s1600/Basil+Lemonade+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42vAbv5fHMOi8fJELiJxxDVRhjZRlMURSRRKmy9Vwtoep2jaJcScdiDesGEcdj6W4fs1lZUIF4LHVC293L-yfgmgJ-XXg6tzsSzeY7J6FVyes6CqNne070QASjYdIfka7_FTvSRGjWdA/s1600/Basil+Lemonade+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Trust me on the basil for this, it gives the drink a really interesting flavour; sort of floral and quite earthy. I made this quite strong as I prefer a mouth puckering, not too sweet lemonade but you could add more or less sugar and juice to suit your taste. I have made this with flat water but I do think that the sparkling is slightly better. It's really refreshing and ideal for a warm evening but I will definitely make it later on in the year as a citrus pick-me-up.</span>Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-40863679273707868272014-08-16T11:36:00.001+01:002014-08-16T11:37:43.076+01:00White Chocolate and Blackcurrant Blondies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's been a while since I made anything really indulgent and full of butter. Sometimes you just need to make something you know is 'bad' for you although I think anything you make yourself can never be bad and will certainly be better (for you and in taste) than something you can buy. These white chocolate chip and blackcurrant blondies are sumptuous enough to keep the crave away but the added blackcurrants add some acidity and freshness. And fruit, which we all know is good for you.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtChMyfbRtZT4Sb0o5snbNNebbyjn9kE2woNcB83KUBJX3NNTMc2NpwrJ1_pt6OtoAdnBWON6h2NSdh-eUM1xKASDOp12UXSpwCaD05D5CVUaDkyDKZk3Qq2iWuvldwXGunzCwsYOVydg/s1600/White+Chocolate+and+Blackcurrant+Blondies+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtChMyfbRtZT4Sb0o5snbNNebbyjn9kE2woNcB83KUBJX3NNTMc2NpwrJ1_pt6OtoAdnBWON6h2NSdh-eUM1xKASDOp12UXSpwCaD05D5CVUaDkyDKZk3Qq2iWuvldwXGunzCwsYOVydg/s1600/White+Chocolate+and+Blackcurrant+Blondies+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+3).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">You will need:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">200g caster sugar</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3 eggs</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">200g butter, melted</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">150g plain flour</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/2 tsp baking powder</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">200g white chocolate buttons or chips</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">100g blackcurrants, tops and tails removed</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 tsp vanilla extract</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMuQlaGODkQQ0d9FR1mI-FVYCvbAyYzXwA6O9WXjhdwhrSwvTiVpl7CyTZ6uEdSqcqOsB4HVh-jMy3QeYwisKmTLQ5oWXtgsNezB9M5kouIHnQk9F7LnKGzBZ8VSYfyMIJMJ1Srh5kcY/s1600/White+Chocolate+and+Blackcurrant+Blondies+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(3+of+3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMuQlaGODkQQ0d9FR1mI-FVYCvbAyYzXwA6O9WXjhdwhrSwvTiVpl7CyTZ6uEdSqcqOsB4HVh-jMy3QeYwisKmTLQ5oWXtgsNezB9M5kouIHnQk9F7LnKGzBZ8VSYfyMIJMJ1Srh5kcY/s1600/White+Chocolate+and+Blackcurrant+Blondies+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(3+of+3).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Preheat an oven to 180C and grease a 20cm square baking tin.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract together until fluffy then beat in the melted butter.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sieve the flour and baking powder together then fold this into the egg mixture.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Gently fold in the chocolate buttons and blackcurrants and bake for 30-35 minutes.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBG1gBXTojvj-L4w_hU1SGqkbF-XS66tl3UN1bhh8Hjq4ehQcxMYxFv8GBVMzCivtCz8Ae0CJT0myDLzVis8YYTTRPb-weWh5dUUByT_j3y5YFUOaA49BbL_W3mauvCJB6oT9SzOmGks/s1600/White+Chocolate+and+Blackcurrant+Blondies+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBG1gBXTojvj-L4w_hU1SGqkbF-XS66tl3UN1bhh8Hjq4ehQcxMYxFv8GBVMzCivtCz8Ae0CJT0myDLzVis8YYTTRPb-weWh5dUUByT_j3y5YFUOaA49BbL_W3mauvCJB6oT9SzOmGks/s1600/White+Chocolate+and+Blackcurrant+Blondies+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+3).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As it has been so warm recently it did feel a bit odd baking and eating these in the sunshine but they were so good. The soft, squidgy, cakey blondie mix I was really pleased with. The added white chocolate chips, some of which got caramelised in the oven, gave some texture and were a real treat. I loved using the blackcurrants in this as they gave such a distinctive flavour and wonderful colour. Next time you get your cake craving I very much recommend you try these.</span>Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-40176919116424347142014-08-12T18:10:00.000+01:002014-09-05T16:02:19.592+01:00Broad Bean and Feta Smash with Cucumber, Lettuce and Dill Salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's all about green beans and peas at the moment and a veg box delivery last week left me with beans coming out of my ears! I wanted to put them on toast to make them go as far as possible. I like the slightly odd bitterness from broad beans and it goes so well with salty feta cheese. The cucumber and dill salad on the side adds real sweetness and freshness to the meal. It's super quick to make too so you won't be stuck in the kitchen when you want to be outside; perfect for summer.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCeOogx0R8983AMehSe0D3K9uqsxrsd40kSCBiqCRGmc6DKY1_N3LbOL_x_KmWxvCSYdz1-kortlHJ5hLGL3DfT3puYKbFvu_qw28KC_wB1vgaHN5gQ_qFKU2B_Y8kFfbrsuSY4jBuWM/s1600/Broad+Bean+and+Feta+Smash+with+Cucumber+Dill+Salad+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCeOogx0R8983AMehSe0D3K9uqsxrsd40kSCBiqCRGmc6DKY1_N3LbOL_x_KmWxvCSYdz1-kortlHJ5hLGL3DfT3puYKbFvu_qw28KC_wB1vgaHN5gQ_qFKU2B_Y8kFfbrsuSY4jBuWM/s1600/Broad+Bean+and+Feta+Smash+with+Cucumber+Dill+Salad+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You will need (for two):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Large handful broad beans, podded</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">100g feta, cubed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Extra virgin olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 small garlic clove, crushed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt and pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Small handful mint leaves, finely chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 ciabatta</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 small cucumber, sliced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 lettuce, shredded</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Small handful dill, finely chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tsp white wine vinegar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt and pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Start by adding the broad beans to a pan of lightly salted boiling water and cooking them for 3-4 minutes. Drain the beans and rinse under cold water before peeling off the grey skins on the outside.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Put the broad beans into a bowl with the feta, a drizzle of olive oil, the garlic, salt, pepper and mint. Mash it all together so it is slightly combined but still chunky. Put to one side.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bake the ciabatta according to packet instructions then cut into slices.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Put the cucumber and lettuce into a serving bowl.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix together the olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper then stir through the dill. You want the dressing to be really full of dill.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dress the salad just before serving with the broad beans and ciabatta.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbSXVZwNIFCwDBZir8RGC-62KqHo4FWTrQxD9Im35JhXK8zUh8wneie5DYJAEIss2RfMOopPOhvUu4VIKdj9fgaOizX9Z-mlGlu3EpPVKbUgm0-_T5cN08yrdDPdGWXbOaq5kgwVXbnc/s1600/Broad+Bean+and+Feta+Smash+with+Cucumber+Dill+Salad+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbSXVZwNIFCwDBZir8RGC-62KqHo4FWTrQxD9Im35JhXK8zUh8wneie5DYJAEIss2RfMOopPOhvUu4VIKdj9fgaOizX9Z-mlGlu3EpPVKbUgm0-_T5cN08yrdDPdGWXbOaq5kgwVXbnc/s1600/Broad+Bean+and+Feta+Smash+with+Cucumber+Dill+Salad+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I loved that this dinner was almost entirely green; it made me feel healthy and also rather pleased with myself for using up a load of veg I had in the fridge. It was really filling but also very fresh. The broad bean smash was great with the small amount of garlic to give it a bit of lift. Dill and cucumber are classic companions and the mint in with the broad beans went so well with the cucumber to bring it all together. The smash on top of the warm ciabatta makes a sort of crostini; the sort that I could happily eat all year round.</span>Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-60807356575506137942014-08-08T12:12:00.001+01:002014-08-08T12:12:29.359+01:00Elderflower and Blackcurrant Gin and Tonic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My idea of a perfect evening when it's raining is to eat something filling then settle down to watch a film (preferably a funny one). On a sunny evening however I always try to be outside; we've been spoilt for sunny evenings recently. Sitting in the garden watching the world go by and the sun go down is improved if you accompany it with a refreshing home made drink. My home made elderflower cordial has made plenty of appearances this year and this time it's with fresh blackcurrants in a gin and tonic.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAM9wyW2tiDyHtqXRWig7FoqKdsE6f5DgP7yvVfS4GDMmsRyfVVv3W38PAoFEf0XvEgHkUYfK86_-M5i_h5wOOTXIqZ-oBhBokLKZ0fodnspWUlTaVwU1QTgGjqh2Q5fDPK94dEzEcZTA/s1600/Elderflower+and+Blackcurrant+Gin+and+Tonic+-+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25283+of+3%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAM9wyW2tiDyHtqXRWig7FoqKdsE6f5DgP7yvVfS4GDMmsRyfVVv3W38PAoFEf0XvEgHkUYfK86_-M5i_h5wOOTXIqZ-oBhBokLKZ0fodnspWUlTaVwU1QTgGjqh2Q5fDPK94dEzEcZTA/s1600/Elderflower+and+Blackcurrant+Gin+and+Tonic+-+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25283+of+3%2529.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You will need (per drink):</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">50ml gin</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6-7 fresh ripe blackcurrants</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">15ml <a href="http://allthatimeating.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/homemade-elderflower-cordial.html" target="_blank">elderflower cordial</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ice cubes</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Slice of lemon</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tonic water</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3rT8zXFKxRPxnrIUWAiODyb1U1vUzh7sKlxl508UT8QtcMpZnebPiyN5tMfiMlhGdH26faTLTqAUBSB_ZIHM6gfbi_No4qIVmeMOU_O8RowG03HYVk1vT-pTiTa71AteLvfZomYHvqA/s1600/Elderflower+and+Blackcurrant+Gin+and+Tonic+-+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25281+of+3%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3rT8zXFKxRPxnrIUWAiODyb1U1vUzh7sKlxl508UT8QtcMpZnebPiyN5tMfiMlhGdH26faTLTqAUBSB_ZIHM6gfbi_No4qIVmeMOU_O8RowG03HYVk1vT-pTiTa71AteLvfZomYHvqA/s1600/Elderflower+and+Blackcurrant+Gin+and+Tonic+-+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25281+of+3%2529.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Put the blackcurrants into a glass and crush them with the end of a rolling pin (or use a muddler if you have one).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the gin, elderflower cordial, lemon and ice cubes and give it all a mix.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Top up with the tonic.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpB5wKUL5xo3sNBL8nXNuVzIwtVGL5FzTPK-6jxs7NCQTl8TLfKPir-u7C0nJGR9WihuCL4BxTxGXXde8islB9aNPf-0eXMWpzRgpWhzFWD5-Tp1Ad-BB9Rtl2j41797LBER84ouKDpYI/s1600/Elderflower+and+Blackcurrant+Gin+and+Tonic+-+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25282+of+3%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpB5wKUL5xo3sNBL8nXNuVzIwtVGL5FzTPK-6jxs7NCQTl8TLfKPir-u7C0nJGR9WihuCL4BxTxGXXde8islB9aNPf-0eXMWpzRgpWhzFWD5-Tp1Ad-BB9Rtl2j41797LBER84ouKDpYI/s1600/Elderflower+and+Blackcurrant+Gin+and+Tonic+-+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25282+of+3%2529.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Summer is my favourite time of year and what a great way to enjoy all my favourite things at the same time: sunshine, gin, elderflower and British berries. This drink is so refreshing with the gin and tonic backbone, a little sweetness from the elderflower cordial and colour, flavour and sharpness from the blackcurrants. It looks like a sunset too.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIKLXMCnpcipTOCUxgKzrXI5sL18pF-CIMSRyv8rePQCdE0SNtbGlEQF_64359swQNmYaeIcocCLHMFxlsXVPjG1WEfFCmPcU8mJb5t8-fklb_aivT3nw1qYYKk_gwUc-PuYniux__Tw/s1600/Elderflower+Champagne+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1%2Bof%2B1).jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" width="320" /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">P.S. As another lovely idea do try adding some cordial to a bit of fizz, it's delicious. And just to let you know, I didn't drink both of these on the same evening!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cheers!</span></div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIKLXMCnpcipTOCUxgKzrXI5sL18pF-CIMSRyv8rePQCdE0SNtbGlEQF_64359swQNmYaeIcocCLHMFxlsXVPjG1WEfFCmPcU8mJb5t8-fklb_aivT3nw1qYYKk_gwUc-PuYniux__Tw/s1600/Elderflower+Champagne+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIKLXMCnpcipTOCUxgKzrXI5sL18pF-CIMSRyv8rePQCdE0SNtbGlEQF_64359swQNmYaeIcocCLHMFxlsXVPjG1WEfFCmPcU8mJb5t8-fklb_aivT3nw1qYYKk_gwUc-PuYniux__Tw/s1600/Elderflower+Champagne+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+" -->
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIKLXMCnpcipTOCUxgKzrXI5sL18pF-CIMSRyv8rePQCdE0SNtbGlEQF_64359swQNmYaeIcocCLHMFxlsXVPjG1WEfFCmPcU8mJb5t8-fklb_aivT3nw1qYYKk_gwUc-PuYniux__Tw/s1600/Elderflower+Champagne+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIKLXMCnpcipTOCUxgKzrXI5sL18pF-CIMSRyv8rePQCdE0SNtbGlEQF_64359swQNmYaeIcocCLHMFxlsXVPjG1WEfFCmPcU8mJb5t8-fklb_aivT3nw1qYYKk_gwUc-PuYniux__Tw/s1600/Elderflower+Champagne+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+" -->
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIKLXMCnpcipTOCUxgKzrXI5sL18pF-CIMSRyv8rePQCdE0SNtbGlEQF_64359swQNmYaeIcocCLHMFxlsXVPjG1WEfFCmPcU8mJb5t8-fklb_aivT3nw1qYYKk_gwUc-PuYniux__Tw/s1600/Elderflower+Champagne+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIKLXMCnpcipTOCUxgKzrXI5sL18pF-CIMSRyv8rePQCdE0SNtbGlEQF_64359swQNmYaeIcocCLHMFxlsXVPjG1WEfFCmPcU8mJb5t8-fklb_aivT3nw1qYYKk_gwUc-PuYniux__Tw/s1600/Elderflower+Champagne+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+" -->
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIKLXMCnpcipTOCUxgKzrXI5sL18pF-CIMSRyv8rePQCdE0SNtbGlEQF_64359swQNmYaeIcocCLHMFxlsXVPjG1WEfFCmPcU8mJb5t8-fklb_aivT3nw1qYYKk_gwUc-PuYniux__Tw/s1600/Elderflower+Champagne+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIKLXMCnpcipTOCUxgKzrXI5sL18pF-CIMSRyv8rePQCdE0SNtbGlEQF_64359swQNmYaeIcocCLHMFxlsXVPjG1WEfFCmPcU8mJb5t8-fklb_aivT3nw1qYYKk_gwUc-PuYniux__Tw/s1600/Elderflower+Champagne+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+" -->
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-9RJsbVhV1QM%2FU8AH5RsN0rI%2FAAAAAAAADmw%2F7WR-eV7MXIw%2Fs1600%2FElderflower%2BChampagne%2B-%2BAll%2BThat%2BI%27m%2BEating%2B" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIKLXMCnpcipTOCUxgKzrXI5sL18pF-CIMSRyv8rePQCdE0SNtbGlEQF_64359swQNmYaeIcocCLHMFxlsXVPjG1WEfFCmPcU8mJb5t8-fklb_aivT3nw1qYYKk_gwUc-PuYniux__Tw/s1600/Elderflower+Champagne+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+" -->
Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-27912978230315676802014-08-02T13:05:00.000+01:002014-08-02T13:05:00.113+01:00Sal's Smokehouse Bar-B-Q<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You may have seen a little while ago that I attempted to make some <a href="http://www.allthatimeating.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/pulled-pork-ribs-with-carrot-and-ginger.html" target="_blank">pulled pork ribs</a> and an Asian style coleslaw. The coleslaw was very successful but the pulled ribs not so much. The inspiration behind having a bash at this was because of a recent discovery (followed by a lengthy conversation) with Steve from Sal's Smokehouse Bar-B-Q. I am a fan of anything pulled and/or barbecued so it's great to have an American style Bar-B-Q enthusiast on my doorstep.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEvGUTqPINJiCUsI3hifjdEAIQqr08laXZ7xALuNf8f1g6COyBgFb-LCUyXZuNN0-bB1O4xaLQQ_1dw7Eq1UE5noenjMV8_ZKBh0jSYKjKTqJ9seM7Q44vlVmMCh6pgt7jUuyxhVPEgo/s1600/Sal's+Smokehouse+BBQ+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEvGUTqPINJiCUsI3hifjdEAIQqr08laXZ7xALuNf8f1g6COyBgFb-LCUyXZuNN0-bB1O4xaLQQ_1dw7Eq1UE5noenjMV8_ZKBh0jSYKjKTqJ9seM7Q44vlVmMCh6pgt7jUuyxhVPEgo/s1600/Sal's+Smokehouse+BBQ+(1).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4uvo4-pCBG425QM9KUf1TIExc0kLV0O8uU7nTr5sPfgoZNigZyUwmntqrrjF9R4PtpwtWpI-5QDZCVfPd6Q9m2OWT2z0lBUEw0jcBBphGgZvegZSh9s7q9IntyUk7jn53wBhCptIRKQ/s1600/Sal's+Smokehouse+BBQ+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4uvo4-pCBG425QM9KUf1TIExc0kLV0O8uU7nTr5sPfgoZNigZyUwmntqrrjF9R4PtpwtWpI-5QDZCVfPd6Q9m2OWT2z0lBUEw0jcBBphGgZvegZSh9s7q9IntyUk7jn53wBhCptIRKQ/s1600/Sal's+Smokehouse+BBQ+(4).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you tried The Lion in Newbury you may have tried Steve's delicious grub before. He now concentrates on going to events and selling his barbecue goodies so you're bound to bump into him if you go to any local food events. On Steve's stand you're likely to find: pulled pork baps, slow cooked ribs, Texas hot link sausages and ABTs (jalape<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">ños filled with cheese, wrapped in bacon and served with BBQ sauce).</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdsZBTvFjgVnMfFQK1tmtnVT_uF1OHEdsM4ZH7d2o_tuEYYsDvIPjYiLiQIt6I0ABAVtxGe13gyh3RmGE20jITjKZ6pZ83AknNHZeMnmOtplr4UYhcL-c7wYLdU-oP63alTdKpyBQd0o/s1600/Sal's+Smokehouse+BBQ+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdsZBTvFjgVnMfFQK1tmtnVT_uF1OHEdsM4ZH7d2o_tuEYYsDvIPjYiLiQIt6I0ABAVtxGe13gyh3RmGE20jITjKZ6pZ83AknNHZeMnmOtplr4UYhcL-c7wYLdU-oP63alTdKpyBQd0o/s1600/Sal's+Smokehouse+BBQ+(2).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm a big fan of what Steve is doing; he's cooking food that he loves that he's worked hard to perfect and he really enjoys it. It's great to have someone so local doing something interesting. Not content with making hot food Steve also makes his own sauces; Original Bar-B-Q and Bar-B-Q Peach and Jalape</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">ño. I have enjoyed dipping all sorts of things in the sauces and mixing the Original into some baked beans.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCEUKvYLE0vOUy9cZViBMHJjSetQ6YUy6qv0dsqGqIqls2FhhJdw7XlnSlP7vd6SoeAKyuB-qrcdmUEoISjnzaJccSE9K7HhlQYVLdng1pifg9Pe7xi4Z4Bsyt1Y3P77uXgn9jwsC74CE/s1600/Sal's+Smokehouse+BBQ+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCEUKvYLE0vOUy9cZViBMHJjSetQ6YUy6qv0dsqGqIqls2FhhJdw7XlnSlP7vd6SoeAKyuB-qrcdmUEoISjnzaJccSE9K7HhlQYVLdng1pifg9Pe7xi4Z4Bsyt1Y3P77uXgn9jwsC74CE/s1600/Sal's+Smokehouse+BBQ+(3).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To be able to produce the authentic stuff as Steve does has taken him a long time! We met up for a coffee and he told me how it has taken him nine months to get his rubs right and twelve months to get his sauces spot on. He also says there are no shortcuts (damn!) to be able to make the good stuff; you can't rush it. The type of wood you use for cooking, the marinating time and cooking temperatures are all important to get everything just right. You may already know this but I'm not the most patient person in the world so thank goodness Steve's done the hard work for us!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you'd like to find out more about Steve and where you can get your hands on his stuff, check out his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sals-Smokehouse-Barbq/148103168682737" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page.</span>Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-29514642504739715952014-07-29T16:50:00.000+01:002014-07-29T16:50:00.023+01:00Israeli Pop Up Dinner Reading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love the idea of a pop up dinner in someone's dining room, probably because I'm a nosey parker. I'd love to open up my living room to see what it would be like but my lounge/dining room is about the size of a telephone box. Laura, Anu and I started talking on Twitter and as it turns out they host pop up dinners at their house in Reading. The meal I went for was Israeli themed; having no knowledge of Israeli food I couldn't wait to find out more about it.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40jWOkgdX_2pwSZ2UCMVx8UNtqEGz-s3gty3HpWBBQkn3o8ZOe5B6oiMMiZCh5B_lUOrpCsgb2DAPbee99DADPo7VOVE2-ZZD23MZnf6DuxfyNAHImDYsvjHD1lvGPbUxVyzRjGvhT58/s1600/Israeli+Pop+Up+Dinner+Reading++(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40jWOkgdX_2pwSZ2UCMVx8UNtqEGz-s3gty3HpWBBQkn3o8ZOe5B6oiMMiZCh5B_lUOrpCsgb2DAPbee99DADPo7VOVE2-ZZD23MZnf6DuxfyNAHImDYsvjHD1lvGPbUxVyzRjGvhT58/s1600/Israeli+Pop+Up+Dinner+Reading++(3).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Traditional Turkish coffee with cardamom and iced Turkish delight sweets</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSgWdr54AYtLijeycFJil_x96oaz7S5EgUCyIGxJ_dBzlaLr_2Iq_iBiJhpjObFFtg3IlOoljv4OufL-zQrDNhkHlGC_TEwrftxJSQ2ugBIPoJiaUAM4B64-0wH8g-rSIVUf7UZulP7fo/s1600/Israeli+Pop+Up+Dinner+Reading++(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSgWdr54AYtLijeycFJil_x96oaz7S5EgUCyIGxJ_dBzlaLr_2Iq_iBiJhpjObFFtg3IlOoljv4OufL-zQrDNhkHlGC_TEwrftxJSQ2ugBIPoJiaUAM4B64-0wH8g-rSIVUf7UZulP7fo/s1600/Israeli+Pop+Up+Dinner+Reading++(5).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We started outside with the chilled Turkish coffee. I really liked the flavour of the coffee with the sweets and the spices and thought it was a great way to kick off the meal. It was also a good opportunity to have a chat and get to know the other diners. </span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tomato festival galette with garlicky goat's cheese</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cELDDYWfJZ3YKzwdf1ZPEfb9GeT28E3Zej6BLzDGVcjhIdDUb15DNu-GKwReMggLrcHbi5FfSOHbrmPMGiH_Qu8eVhG_RHjRG_CH6R-QR-IOxmBP0BRsvXm_hjp29nPKdxPIVp3kPSo/s1600/Israeli+Pop+Up+Dinner+Reading++(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cELDDYWfJZ3YKzwdf1ZPEfb9GeT28E3Zej6BLzDGVcjhIdDUb15DNu-GKwReMggLrcHbi5FfSOHbrmPMGiH_Qu8eVhG_RHjRG_CH6R-QR-IOxmBP0BRsvXm_hjp29nPKdxPIVp3kPSo/s1600/Israeli+Pop+Up+Dinner+Reading++(7).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We sat down to our first course, the tomato festival galette. They had used a fantastic selection of tomatoes; some from the farmers' market and others they had brought back from travels afar. I was amazed at how intense the tomatoes were and really loved this dish.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lavash (crackers; cumin, fennel and sesame), pistachio and feta dip, beetroot dip with za'atar, goat's cheese and hazelnuts, homemade labneh</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW04DxEJUpFBWw8spUgQwirlkvaP_3UQHrsB2VLEjkgYQHSsUwmXiR5z82yzIIvfEKwUE6U9HYPFP3nvs7inJtDf23NKBs_YDZ7rvcWhfgSQsc4asWasqGgJEuSpDkENfYMsk9N3DhMiQ/s1600/Israeli+Pop+Up+Dinner+Reading++%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW04DxEJUpFBWw8spUgQwirlkvaP_3UQHrsB2VLEjkgYQHSsUwmXiR5z82yzIIvfEKwUE6U9HYPFP3nvs7inJtDf23NKBs_YDZ7rvcWhfgSQsc4asWasqGgJEuSpDkENfYMsk9N3DhMiQ/s1600/Israeli+Pop+Up+Dinner+Reading++%25281%2529.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After this we had various different crackers in all sorts of shapes and they were so good. These came with three fantastic dips, I don't think I could choose a favourite, very different to your normal 'chips and dips'!</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Roasted vegetables and salad with hummus and kuku sabzi (a Persian fritter with fresh herbs and walnuts)</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7c-rJyVcNQNDaX8gkEjHT3B0WW9rGGJKAd9bKGWFMXWUHHTu9Fq3zAhbwXTFg5g_OJCHK82IUC-7Xoy-wsGhnGsleMd-3y14j4BUSkDuv1MSA-QciLlpKfsfuzbbDw_-rqGYOA6zJhyphenhyphenY/s1600/Israeli+Pop+Up+Dinner+Reading++%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7c-rJyVcNQNDaX8gkEjHT3B0WW9rGGJKAd9bKGWFMXWUHHTu9Fq3zAhbwXTFg5g_OJCHK82IUC-7Xoy-wsGhnGsleMd-3y14j4BUSkDuv1MSA-QciLlpKfsfuzbbDw_-rqGYOA6zJhyphenhyphenY/s1600/Israeli+Pop+Up+Dinner+Reading++%25282%2529.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A short while later a big bowl of roasted vegetables, including heritage carrots and beetroot, and salad arrived with the best hummus I have ever tasted. The kuku sabzi was sort of like an omelette; so full of fresh herbs and flavour it was almost entirely green.</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pistachio and turkey meatballs with pomegranate molasses</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkXdOTexqMHS__1XUKwE1j7kZ5IXWFkWs76ITl53z0OJmC93N6HPxx3iBMMY2ZJFhsU-2GTSx9xGHt04piYQWBZrl93Gx9Tx1dux2SyiZrgDTaRl_y5GOpNSCoKMd7Bxik4Fuk-e7mR0/s1600/Israeli+Pop+Up+Dinner+Reading++%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkXdOTexqMHS__1XUKwE1j7kZ5IXWFkWs76ITl53z0OJmC93N6HPxx3iBMMY2ZJFhsU-2GTSx9xGHt04piYQWBZrl93Gx9Tx1dux2SyiZrgDTaRl_y5GOpNSCoKMd7Bxik4Fuk-e7mR0/s1600/Israeli+Pop+Up+Dinner+Reading++%25284%2529.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The turkey and pistachio meatballs were really good. It was the first dish that included meat but with all the flavours and different vegetables I didn't even notice its absence. They were surprisingly spicy and the pomegranate molasses gave a lovely sour sweetness.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Shakshuka; traditional Israeli breakfast (onions caramelised in cinnamon butter with mint and fried soft yolk eggs)</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGsmjhHP4iliiLTsuAJxTNtY-iHZgLs7C38SN0LBasCWGnDW5Su3qN-U_a2TP3UnlmUII7RJKKImsYpPcqkxviWBULiGIPJZkCc2rCIoH2M7X0YjktdCehgRhvF1wpn2AJeo3tC3hPVY/s1600/Israeli+Pop+Up+Dinner+Reading++%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGsmjhHP4iliiLTsuAJxTNtY-iHZgLs7C38SN0LBasCWGnDW5Su3qN-U_a2TP3UnlmUII7RJKKImsYpPcqkxviWBULiGIPJZkCc2rCIoH2M7X0YjktdCehgRhvF1wpn2AJeo3tC3hPVY/s1600/Israeli+Pop+Up+Dinner+Reading++%25286%2529.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After all this was cleared away we were served the shakshuka. I was a bit sceptical of eggs and cinnamon but this was probably my favourite dish of the meal; not like anything I've ever had before.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Unfortunately at this point I had to abandon the dinner and rush off for a family emergency (all ok now) but I'm told the next courses were aubergine parcels with pepper sauce followed by three different flavours of ice cream.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I really enjoyed this meal. Laura and Anu are so enthusiastic about what they do and I loved trying so many new things. They were so generous with their food, time and stories and have such a rich background of family and countries between them it's no wonder they can cook such interesting food. They also try to use as many local ingredients as possible and use the farmers' market meaning they can showcase great local food in a new light. The cost of the meal I had (including the courses I didn't have!) is £25 per person.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You can find out more about Laura and Anu and what they do on their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Popupreading" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Laura and Anu got in touch to let me know about what they were doing but I paid for the meal myself and was not asked to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.</span>Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-1556400062695868422014-07-25T13:55:00.000+01:002014-07-25T13:55:24.385+01:00Swedish Style Burgers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You would have thought that a burger lends itself well to good photo-ability. For some reason when it comes to taking a picture of a burger it never looks quite how I imagine it will. No matter what I try the burgers always shrink leaving even the smallest buns looking far too big. There is either too much or not enough salad so although I make them sort of regularly I rarely blog about them or take a picture. However, when the below recipe came through for Swedish burgers with <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><a href="http://vasterbottensost.com/en/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Västerbottensost</a> cheese I couldn't resist.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; white-space: nowrap;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mt6sPcZDd0wRtYbtRKKbHMGMwX_hc5fbDJBppAhIkyeLE5NyDknb8FMUtjbOxxC5tmM7WSVHEFtrrjuybORexnoubhPynQiwl8OG6eIeN1_-1-dESjTunh1gIUDEAUrqOYMXv2Ir1nM/s1600/Swedish+Style+Burgers+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mt6sPcZDd0wRtYbtRKKbHMGMwX_hc5fbDJBppAhIkyeLE5NyDknb8FMUtjbOxxC5tmM7WSVHEFtrrjuybORexnoubhPynQiwl8OG6eIeN1_-1-dESjTunh1gIUDEAUrqOYMXv2Ir1nM/s1600/Swedish+Style+Burgers+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+1).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Recipe from V<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">ästerbottensost cheese as part of their 'Swedish summer to remember'.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You will need (for two):</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">350g minced venison (or beef)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 rasher fried bacon, chopped</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp crushed juniper berries</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt and pepper</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">V<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">ästerbottensost cheese, grated</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Buns of your choice and salad and condiments to serve</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Put the venison mince into a bowl and add the chopped bacon, juniper berries and salt and pepper.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Give everything a really good mix then form into four burger shapes (I made quite small ones).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Heat a pan to high and add a little oil to the pan. Fry the burgers until lovely and brown on the outside and cooked through. For the last few minutes of cooking add the grated </span>V<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">ästerbottensost and allow to melt.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Serve the burgers with your favourite burger toppings.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I loved the bacon chopped up inside the burger as it gave the lean venison some fat. The juniper berries added a great undertone too. As usual the burgers shrank when I cooked them but the bun to burger ratio was still pretty good. A few slices of raw onion was all I added as they were really flavourful. The </span>V<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">ästerbottensost is sort of like Parmesan but not as crumbly and has more sourness than some of the 'sweeter' cheeses you can get. If you're going Swedish this summer, it's well worth a try.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Thank you to </span>V<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">ästerbottensost for the sample. All opinions expressed are my own.</span></span>Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-56455238977329839972014-07-21T21:18:00.000+01:002014-07-21T21:18:31.161+01:00Caramelised Fennel and Salami Pizza<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Does it get much better than homemade pizza? If you can get the base crispy enough that is. I have been working on my dough and tomato sauce recipe for some time and I think I have finally cracked it. I make the dough fresh then divide it up and freeze in individual bags so I can have pizza whenever. The tomato sauce is made from obscenely ripe tomatoes and just trust me on the fennel and salami combo.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFkUaD_w5g46WryNJfLBmXUgE2o5Qk1WwJNuuvki-7KFNZ2IL6wazoQp4WcM_jv0FHpg1Pn0LMVWttT4KNti1jU7XY9jnwwy0ORQ1Ib9KsEv8yXYKEBMrVxpb6ae1G3o36ZcBN2QANJg/s1600/Caramelised+Fennel+and+Salami+Pizza+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFkUaD_w5g46WryNJfLBmXUgE2o5Qk1WwJNuuvki-7KFNZ2IL6wazoQp4WcM_jv0FHpg1Pn0LMVWttT4KNti1jU7XY9jnwwy0ORQ1Ib9KsEv8yXYKEBMrVxpb6ae1G3o36ZcBN2QANJg/s1600/Caramelised+Fennel+and+Salami+Pizza+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You will need:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the dough:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">400g strong white flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp sea salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 sachet fast action yeast</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">250ml warm water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the tomato sauce:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4 large, very ripe tomatoes, seeds removed and diced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 small onion, finely chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 small garlic cloves, crushed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt and pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 ball mozzarella, sliced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 fennel bulb, sliced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tbsp sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salami</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Make the dough by mixing together the flour, salt, yeast and sugar. Pour in the olive oil then add the warm water.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Knead for 10 minutes then leave for an hour or so until doubled in size. Divide into four, you can freeze what you don't use.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Next make the tomato sauce. Add the onion with a little olive oil to a frying pan over a low to medium heat and leave to soften for around 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes more then stir in the diced tomatoes. Put a lid on the pan and leave to cook for about 10 minutes then remove the lid, turn the heat up and continue cooking until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste then blend the sauce.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the fennel with a good glug of olive oil to a small lidded pan and leave over a low heat for at least 30 minutes or until well softened. Stir occasionally. Remove the lid from the pan and stir in the sugar. Continue to stir until evenly coated and caramelised.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Preheat an oven to 240C. Roll the pizza dough out on a floured surface so that it fits a large baking tray. Lightly flour the baking tray and put the dough on top.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Spread the tomato sauce over the base before covering with the sliced mozzarella, fennel and salami.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the edges and base are crispy.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JmxoYvEm588TIMzqoy1CXXCKo-c6NbBDZv3quok34xJq_Z9Mh3Ra_h6C85-MTVGLoX8JzHyfZafg1OdAD1jsVEa4rHyRHcxQOajcAWcXzY0_YOLBT21wCNFG18irAlpSxdCUfkBQU38/s1600/Caramelised+Fennel+and+Salami+Pizza+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JmxoYvEm588TIMzqoy1CXXCKo-c6NbBDZv3quok34xJq_Z9Mh3Ra_h6C85-MTVGLoX8JzHyfZafg1OdAD1jsVEa4rHyRHcxQOajcAWcXzY0_YOLBT21wCNFG18irAlpSxdCUfkBQU38/s1600/Caramelised+Fennel+and+Salami+Pizza+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wish I had the space to make batches of this tomato sauce and freeze it with the pizza bases but a bag of peas and three bags of dough is all I can manage.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The sweetness and freshness of the sauce is divine and if you get the base lovely and crispy the textures are fantastic together. I like the milkiness that comes from the mozzarella and that some bits are stringy while others are crisp. The salami I used for this was from a brilliant local curer who used green peppercorns and white wine. The fennel was soft and sticky and gave a faint aniseed flavour without being overpowering. The best pizza I've ever made.</span></div>
Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-54198833670483046142014-07-17T20:33:00.000+01:002014-07-17T20:33:30.026+01:00Feed 4 for £6: Greek Salad, Hummus and Pitta Bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I don't know about you but I find it difficult to know what to cook when it's hot. I don't want to be hanging around the oven or hob making unnecessary heat but I also don't want to eat cold food all the time. The worst thing about it is having to do the washing up (no dishwasher in my house!) when all you really want to do is sit outside. I think this meal of Greek salad with hummus and pitta bread is a great compromise; there isn't too much clearing up afterwards and the toasted pitta bread means that it's not an entirely cold meal.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoTUQdxrqCLRptzucDhPaBlzCBNeW9VZ56ZzzidqNq4VBtLHVtUe53B2Xv5gXLCPBlzOjXBFkParc3eMn_vu_UECU1fOzfMKFGJH3faW9-AGMx6m20Ddsx_9nLqEARPRU4I40ot09Zyc/s1600/Greek+Salad,+Hummus+and+Pitta+Bread+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoTUQdxrqCLRptzucDhPaBlzCBNeW9VZ56ZzzidqNq4VBtLHVtUe53B2Xv5gXLCPBlzOjXBFkParc3eMn_vu_UECU1fOzfMKFGJH3faW9-AGMx6m20Ddsx_9nLqEARPRU4I40ot09Zyc/s1600/Greek+Salad,+Hummus+and+Pitta+Bread+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You will need:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pitta breads £0.50</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the hummus:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 can chickpeas £0.65</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 garlic clove £0.03</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil £0.10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp peanut butter £0.10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt and pepper £0.10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cucumber, sliced £0.30</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3-4 tomatoes, sliced £0.50</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 small onion, sliced £0.10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 small lettuce, chopped £0.40</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 pack mixed olives and feta £2.20</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil £0.10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp dried oregano £0.05</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Total £5.13</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Start by adding all the ingredients for the hummus to a food processor and blending until smooth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix all the ingredients for the salad together, except the olives, then top with the olive and feta mix.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Heat up the pitta breads according to packet instructions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pour a little extra virgin olive oil over the salad and sprinkle over the chopped oregano.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzW2mXaAAaMYrY-tMH2N2BaU3dvTR9D7hPeJPFRYI06FreK2DBdM0R58sE4TAcwjIaFhk3dBrR5JkgG4IypFQW-cysxE39HuEAOmcQ0es6eBPlZ7ZuBQ1Tan1FcoS-boLcK9NiBj71W8A/s1600/Greek+Salad,+Hummus+and+Pitta+Bread+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzW2mXaAAaMYrY-tMH2N2BaU3dvTR9D7hPeJPFRYI06FreK2DBdM0R58sE4TAcwjIaFhk3dBrR5JkgG4IypFQW-cysxE39HuEAOmcQ0es6eBPlZ7ZuBQ1Tan1FcoS-boLcK9NiBj71W8A/s1600/Greek+Salad,+Hummus+and+Pitta+Bread+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Perfect for a warm evening and with so many flavours and textures I think the salad itself is really filling. To keep everyone happy the pitta bread and hummus adds extra filling potential. If you're extra clever (which I'm not) then make double and have it for lunch the next day. Anything that minimises effort, tastes good and doesn't take too long is fine by me!</span>Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-82091618130085814292014-07-13T17:16:00.000+01:002014-07-13T17:16:13.102+01:00Summer Vegetable Minestrone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm not sure you can ever have too many vegetables in the house at once but at this time of year with the peas in the garden, the veg box and whatever looks tempting at the farmers' market I can find it a little challenging to close the fridge door. You know it's got a bit excessive when your carrot fronds are getting in the way of the door seal. If you find yourself fighting some spinach to reach the butter or battling beans to get to the mayonnaise there's only one thing for it: make a minestrone.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxunpg5Xmj94e1X5mJoMl_KjjmyGi6NCxWzBEYBnqB5-VInrI3e0JFHV2QlR9KShbaoeBN7gaBl27mEG5Z8pW5MD8SlJQ1pRgafxO4v8DwXA0-W6CR7B3SxHGKBeZSPkOa24nUvikT44Q/s1600/Summer+Vegetable+Minestrone+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxunpg5Xmj94e1X5mJoMl_KjjmyGi6NCxWzBEYBnqB5-VInrI3e0JFHV2QlR9KShbaoeBN7gaBl27mEG5Z8pW5MD8SlJQ1pRgafxO4v8DwXA0-W6CR7B3SxHGKBeZSPkOa24nUvikT44Q/s1600/Summer+Vegetable+Minestrone+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You will need (for two to four):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tbsp olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 garlic cloves, sliced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 small carrots, peeled and chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 small onion, finely diced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 small courgette, diced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 large tomato, diced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 handful summer greens, shredded</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 handful broad beans, podded</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 handful fresh peas, podded</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 litre hot vegetable stock</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">90g small pasta</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt and pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Prepare the broad beans by adding the beans to a pan of lightly salted boiling water. Cook for 3-4 minutes before removing, running under cold water and then squeezing the beans out of their grey skins. Set aside.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Put a large pan on a low heat and add the olive oil, garlic, carrot, onion and courgette. Put a lid on and leave to soften for around 10 minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Remove the lid and add the tomato, summer greens and peas then pour in the hot stock.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bring to the boil then add the pasta and a little salt and pepper. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Reduce the heat to a simmer and put on a loose fitting lid. Simmer for 8 minutes then add the prepared broad beans and continue to simmer for a further 2 minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Check the seasoning before serving.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Lhtonh9XNvwyjBJkUnRR9SVGFVLeyRFJ7kyGan6Yx5nD1nHovJBzJpOb6h7Z4rtCiMB0X-AI_oAkGLpt53JUOrm4pQZFd0iphyphenhyphenho1JnopxgETkYsNuEw2sOoRPiNfnmrPdMJ_AhNe-E/s1600/Summer+Vegetable+Minestrone+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Lhtonh9XNvwyjBJkUnRR9SVGFVLeyRFJ7kyGan6Yx5nD1nHovJBzJpOb6h7Z4rtCiMB0X-AI_oAkGLpt53JUOrm4pQZFd0iphyphenhyphenho1JnopxgETkYsNuEw2sOoRPiNfnmrPdMJ_AhNe-E/s1600/Summer+Vegetable+Minestrone+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love mini pasta, I know it's normal pasta just much smaller, I do think it's somehow more enjoyable that way. This made enough for two large portions or for two smaller portions with enough for a generous lunch the next day. The colours of this soup are so vibrant at this time of year and the varied shapes and textures of the vegetables make it interesting. This minestrone is clean, fresh and delicious and most importantly frees up some room in the vegetable drawer.</span>Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-66598943539182294822014-07-09T19:25:00.001+01:002014-07-09T19:25:47.772+01:00Elderflower and Lemon Ice Lollies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We've been so lucky with the weather recently, fingers crossed it continues! Sat outside in the sun on a lovely day there's nothing quite as refreshing as an ice lolly; especially one you can slurp enthusiastically at being ever so proud that you've made it yourself. I find that adding cordial to an ice lolly inevitably results in much stronger concentrations of cordial at the bottom and faint flavour at the top. The added lemon zest in these elderflower lollies means they have flavour throughout.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsjlTpdzWMJirr_mKCXEcoQVdcE1VNnftqoJtEyBe_03BkjBDYKQ638_XxRFrMobQ5X2KGrln25MDKpwRIoSfy9aFs8teWex3eVJztJC-xMgAjLmOVPmd3wzR7-v3neNGytdQ2B_w6YQ/s1600/Elderflower+and+Lemon+Ice+Lollies+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsjlTpdzWMJirr_mKCXEcoQVdcE1VNnftqoJtEyBe_03BkjBDYKQ638_XxRFrMobQ5X2KGrln25MDKpwRIoSfy9aFs8teWex3eVJztJC-xMgAjLmOVPmd3wzR7-v3neNGytdQ2B_w6YQ/s1600/Elderflower+and+Lemon+Ice+Lollies+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You will need:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ice lolly mould</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Elderflower cordial (recipe <a href="http://www.allthatimeating.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/homemade-elderflower-cordial.html" target="_blank">here</a> but the season is over now so you could use shop bought)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Zest of 1 lemon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Make up the elderflower cordial a little stronger than you would if you were drinking it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Put the lemon zest into the bottom of each mould and top up with the diluted cordial.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Freeze, wait and enjoy!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zyzpFbytbMVQvwwEPg8JNIYQGBY1p2i7Wr14G3GJd9iTJNIecAOEeVAfKxJwDT4wHfg_jkkUbx0z5AsC1gecgYrdnbH4MP7gUTGjv6LePhF7KpO5XqsvyLLvEI2C1CCJ5qILwPj4fsI/s1600/Elderflower+and+Lemon+Ice+Lollies+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zyzpFbytbMVQvwwEPg8JNIYQGBY1p2i7Wr14G3GJd9iTJNIecAOEeVAfKxJwDT4wHfg_jkkUbx0z5AsC1gecgYrdnbH4MP7gUTGjv6LePhF7KpO5XqsvyLLvEI2C1CCJ5qILwPj4fsI/s1600/Elderflower+and+Lemon+Ice+Lollies+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You might have to try and convince people that it's not just water you've frozen but as soon as they try them they'll be glad they did! Elderflower is so distinctive and the lemon and lemongrass already in the cordial work so well with the added lemon zest. Floral, easy, zesty and refreshing, like a little piece of frozen summer.</span>Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-52951945957907630362014-07-04T08:10:00.000+01:002014-07-04T08:10:03.628+01:00Smörgåsbord with Swedish Salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Scandinavian food interests me; cured salmon, pickles and dark rye are the things that immediately spring to mind. By coincidence I was sent two different crispbreads to try; some from <a href="http://www.finncrisp.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Finn Crisp</a> and some from <a href="http://www.plaintasty.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Plain Tasty</a> so it seemed the perfect opportunity to try and make a Smörgåsbord with a Swedish style salad. Something very different for dinner in the ATIE household.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSgKx5REKuik0567nuTjvlV69oJFdGOgQ_9skJIlCW0EhzpRsC1ljSNgsOWajLzNZx2gqvSmRqOsvGDC1biqngvQ2wWlx_43gs0Tbkv3-U9q91KCr-l5tJses1r8SgLdFwvZ-Awzt84s/s1600/Swedish+Salad+with+Smorgasbord+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSgKx5REKuik0567nuTjvlV69oJFdGOgQ_9skJIlCW0EhzpRsC1ljSNgsOWajLzNZx2gqvSmRqOsvGDC1biqngvQ2wWlx_43gs0Tbkv3-U9q91KCr-l5tJses1r8SgLdFwvZ-Awzt84s/s1600/Swedish+Salad+with+Smorgasbord+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+3).jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You will need: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pickles</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cheese and cream cheese</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Crispbreads</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the salad:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cucumber, diced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 small fennel, sliced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 carrot, peeled into ribbons</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Handful fresh dill and parsley, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3-4 spring onions, sliced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3 tbsp olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp Dijon mustard</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt and pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I took inspiration for the salad from the Jamie Does book. Put all the prepared salad vegetables into a bowl and mix it together. Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard and salt and pepper together then dress the salad.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Get a big plate or platter out and arrange everything ready to dig in. On mine there was: pickled beetroot, cream cheese, cheddar, the salad and the different crispbreads but you could add all sorts of other things that you like.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzoQDq7AISS9xqLzalFC-lX0rMePt8sc9_pHEZ-HReEoBYOLx1WgCDoGYiI_f22iaQVUdT10CCsF1ONTh0cbzJXZsrWp-Vf0OZPmZVnZRl1xcQtwE1Hr9THPUiEa9fc5LYWAWiVcdQuLI/s1600/Swedish+Salad+with+Smorgasbord+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzoQDq7AISS9xqLzalFC-lX0rMePt8sc9_pHEZ-HReEoBYOLx1WgCDoGYiI_f22iaQVUdT10CCsF1ONTh0cbzJXZsrWp-Vf0OZPmZVnZRl1xcQtwE1Hr9THPUiEa9fc5LYWAWiVcdQuLI/s1600/Swedish+Salad+with+Smorgasbord+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+3).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Finn Crisp crackers were a great base for whatever you want to put on top of them, they have a subtle flavour that I think would go with almost anything. They are a good size to hold and most importantly they don't fall apart when you bite them. My favourite topping for these was cream cheese topped with some of the crunchy salad. RRP £1.19 for 200g from larger retailers.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQubDhXtEuE-J2_4dyHWxiQ7-TaiVHWfcJ7SkKgAt5a_NhDZxOPWfUrkMK1pZpLnz5u7qPnfy1TmILa9o5CgMVNBVjSQlLFs0uSz3jgSOWvstPk4ihAVs5RHirncrCGb2cZW2G_atSnE/s1600/original-200-g-208x223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQubDhXtEuE-J2_4dyHWxiQ7-TaiVHWfcJ7SkKgAt5a_NhDZxOPWfUrkMK1pZpLnz5u7qPnfy1TmILa9o5CgMVNBVjSQlLFs0uSz3jgSOWvstPk4ihAVs5RHirncrCGb2cZW2G_atSnE/s1600/original-200-g-208x223.jpg" height="146" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Rysp (Plain Tasty) crisps come in three flavours: Garlic and Rosemary, Caraway and Black Pepper and Dulse and Sesame. I liked all the flavours and the crisp texture but my favourite was the garlic and rosemary. I'd happily snack on these as the come in place of crisps. The topping I enjoyed most (on the garlic crisp) was a chunk of cheddar with pickled beetroot. RRP £14.40 for 12 x 30g from independent retailers or online.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcaFMYz_fW4VlD6cNTIrDfPL0LI93dbyyzxf4UvH9dJ-jEWdXjZC-vB3zrkqRPuTGMW7MbSgWxJJqm2hyi5zd3atuH6CrigKGnsAASnIxfd2HKaUg0NMiglw62Bi_8Jt5RqQW-GlIFLpI/s1600/Swedish+Salad+with+Smorgasbord+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(3+of+3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcaFMYz_fW4VlD6cNTIrDfPL0LI93dbyyzxf4UvH9dJ-jEWdXjZC-vB3zrkqRPuTGMW7MbSgWxJJqm2hyi5zd3atuH6CrigKGnsAASnIxfd2HKaUg0NMiglw62Bi_8Jt5RqQW-GlIFLpI/s1600/Swedish+Salad+with+Smorgasbord+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(3+of+3).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All together this was a fresh and vibrant dinner which left me full but mostly full of salad and beetroot (and a little cheese of course!). The fresh herbs in the salad really lifted it and the dill added a great aniseed flavour. The thing I most enjoyed was picking what you fancied and constructing your own little crackers; it keeps everyone happy and they are different every time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Thank you to Finn Crisp and Plain Tasty for the crackers and crisps. All opinions expressed are my own.</span>Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-43292564299272430772014-06-29T18:58:00.000+01:002014-06-29T18:58:12.044+01:00Elderflower and Blueberry Jelly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I do like a jelly; easy to make, it doesn't need many ingredients, it looks lovely and it makes for great entertainment when trying to serve it into smaller bowls. You might have seen I made some <a href="http://allthatimeating.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/homemade-elderflower-cordial.html" target="_blank">elderflower cordial</a> recently and other than trying it with sparkling water in the evenings this elderflower and blueberry jelly was what I rustled up to take to a Sunday evening BBQ with my parents. A fantastic dessert to make in advance and forget about in the fridge.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RSX-_z6mKVTBmaJPR7nEuFPFcLJR5KDqRqfStN0tbWrm_aS3HEQ1nC8AQjP6-tjX8afmocpa0oa_fkyGpp9cCZd9tjlJYHYzHLZVu0arPONUy6ZQjDtYgFnVdhsdEP9UG6h9i9Arl9Y/s1600/Elderflower+and+Blueberry+Jelly+-+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25281+of+2%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RSX-_z6mKVTBmaJPR7nEuFPFcLJR5KDqRqfStN0tbWrm_aS3HEQ1nC8AQjP6-tjX8afmocpa0oa_fkyGpp9cCZd9tjlJYHYzHLZVu0arPONUy6ZQjDtYgFnVdhsdEP9UG6h9i9Arl9Y/s1600/Elderflower+and+Blueberry+Jelly+-+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25281+of+2%2529.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To make enough for four generous servings:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">150g blueberries</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 pint water and elderflower cordial, mix it slightly stronger than you would to drink</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 sachet powdered gelatine</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">8 tbsp boiling water (or whatever your gelatine says!)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiySYTicuESnEvW2pw6v1ObTDRcmpRk_MqLx-9-5y9a85dW_w9DGANwLzNtCM1oIBmWrgzrwiuKwqRtOy2VLMorVNHJxAY7enVmyJfHG_oAtKB8GbWqXN_l7QTh9GR6yXgXan6BEHkwJk/s1600/Homemade+Elderflower+Cordial+-+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiySYTicuESnEvW2pw6v1ObTDRcmpRk_MqLx-9-5y9a85dW_w9DGANwLzNtCM1oIBmWrgzrwiuKwqRtOy2VLMorVNHJxAY7enVmyJfHG_oAtKB8GbWqXN_l7QTh9GR6yXgXan6BEHkwJk/s1600/Homemade+Elderflower+Cordial+-+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25282%2529.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Put the blueberries into the bowl you will serve the jelly in.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the hot water to a large measuring jug and sprinkle the gelatine on top. Stir to make sure the gelatine is well mixed in and fully dissolved. I ended up adding a little more water to help the gelatine along.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pour in the elderflower cordial mix and stir together well.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the elderflower mix to the blueberries and refrigerate until set.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDoUlvV-2s9i6vBAi-uy-2ehNgPP85Z7TmfuQ2AHbN_RdArxx0WyngXt6MLl0gDyjp_Dg5Mwg0I2RXPWUE9Yq5nJ2kEn9m96nrH1CE-1Iinb4wLHQJZmNU4TXGyeptltNF3oyduWeQ3xE/s1600/Elderflower+and+Blueberry+Jelly+-+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25282+of+2%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDoUlvV-2s9i6vBAi-uy-2ehNgPP85Z7TmfuQ2AHbN_RdArxx0WyngXt6MLl0gDyjp_Dg5Mwg0I2RXPWUE9Yq5nJ2kEn9m96nrH1CE-1Iinb4wLHQJZmNU4TXGyeptltNF3oyduWeQ3xE/s1600/Elderflower+and+Blueberry+Jelly+-+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25282+of+2%2529.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm not sure why some of the blueberries sank but the majority floated; it didn't matter at all, if anything it added a slight curiosity to the dessert. A large serving spoon is your friend when serving this up lest it wobble its way off a smaller spoon onto the table or floor. I made it in a bowl as I thought it looked pretty but you could divide it between glasses or jars as I did for my <a href="http://allthatimeating.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/blackberry-and-perry-jelly.html" target="_blank">blackberry and perry jelly</a> previously. I love the delicate colour of the elderflower jelly broken up with the little blueberries. The flavours worked really nicely together too; a light bowl of summer perfect for the warm evenings.</span>Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-70077350683190614942014-06-25T13:14:00.000+01:002014-06-25T13:14:14.906+01:00Homemade Elderflower Cordial<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you've been reading my blog over the years you'll know I love anything elderflower. This year I was invited to go foraging in the grounds at Audley Inglewood, home to restaurant <a href="http://www.walmesleyrestaurant.co.uk/location" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Walmesley</a>, and to knock up a batch of homemade elderflower cordial with their head chef Gert Pienaar. It was great to go out to the fields, pick the elderflowers and have a good old chat about food at the same time. I've not made elderflower cordial before; <a href="http://www.allthatimeating.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/elderflower-syrup.html" target="_blank">syrup</a> and <a href="http://www.allthatimeating.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/miniature-elderflower-cakes.html" target="_blank">sugar</a> yes but this was my first cordial attempt.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEMoF-BkvFcgAu3NdCZEoLmvddFbC4CxfRmeYj2yffLDFWTT8AUVZm3Hy5NLQHobZVdmFqZ7-SWs6Qt7b-FVZNDHDmB4E7jMGHXBl74br29SScfKc1cXG4YH-Lt5uffNgLhJVkGH30kg/s1600/photo+1+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEMoF-BkvFcgAu3NdCZEoLmvddFbC4CxfRmeYj2yffLDFWTT8AUVZm3Hy5NLQHobZVdmFqZ7-SWs6Qt7b-FVZNDHDmB4E7jMGHXBl74br29SScfKc1cXG4YH-Lt5uffNgLhJVkGH30kg/s1600/photo+1+(2).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The recipe we used was written down in Gert's secret black book but it was very similar to <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/531660/homemade-elderflower-cordial" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this one</a> on the BBC Good Food site. Apart from the added ingredients below:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">20 elderflower heads</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sugar - all the recipes I've seen vary so much in sugar quantity so it's how sweet you like it</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1.5 litres boiling water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 lemons, zest and juice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">50g citric acid</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 stalk lemongrass</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ23rrj097eTamDZwXIdRHZM2xR22KmuOKP87ezSSDNhhjeVS_BfxyLHJaonCx2KFeWhN2bilc-9J42JwdkGIrhujtlfJfVErOhkJGoIQdtm8-oIyUrACuQqOvQnj1aAhtlCQHaqv2pTM/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ23rrj097eTamDZwXIdRHZM2xR22KmuOKP87ezSSDNhhjeVS_BfxyLHJaonCx2KFeWhN2bilc-9J42JwdkGIrhujtlfJfVErOhkJGoIQdtm8-oIyUrACuQqOvQnj1aAhtlCQHaqv2pTM/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tap the elderflower heads on the side of a bowl to get rid of any insects then put them into a bowl with the sugar, lemon zest and juice and citric acid. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pour over the boiling water and whisk everything together well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add everything to a sterilised jar, whack the lemongrass with a knife and add this to the jar too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Put the lid onto the jar and leave to steep overnight.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next day strain the cordial through a muslin into a sterilised container and enjoy. You should end up with around two litres.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDB6roX_6teMBgbF8Y6ot7FjkzJUzQemouTHUINJFxBMWA9uidw_npM5QR7CFMGXMDfs1wfFsxCG8wr1okXn76q5pQN_S74tSGzo7M0jvD9IsAJOS7tfOCBTvp-zEMb7Jz3v6RM96f3SU/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDB6roX_6teMBgbF8Y6ot7FjkzJUzQemouTHUINJFxBMWA9uidw_npM5QR7CFMGXMDfs1wfFsxCG8wr1okXn76q5pQN_S74tSGzo7M0jvD9IsAJOS7tfOCBTvp-zEMb7Jz3v6RM96f3SU/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I even got to wear a chefs' jacket and apron while making this in the kitchen. Being a professional kitchen meant there were endless supplies of bowls, scales, whisks and all sorts available so it was really quick and easy to make. There was even an oven set up to 'steam' so sterilising the jars was fuss free. If I'd made it at home it would have made much more mess!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxj_XnrFN6BQRlPYhXXXIFvWYwCwN8C7AkloiAgy7ACQBIPEM3QYMx1-KmEKHq1xJCNWeeLXMuo8d4lMQRg91iPHqtfk29fq3Fy_NXszJOWD4LXIYRy2WkVt0vCvJAsOZlNl3Oz273Ag/s1600/Homemade+Elderflower+Cordial+-+All+That+I'm+Eating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxj_XnrFN6BQRlPYhXXXIFvWYwCwN8C7AkloiAgy7ACQBIPEM3QYMx1-KmEKHq1xJCNWeeLXMuo8d4lMQRg91iPHqtfk29fq3Fy_NXszJOWD4LXIYRy2WkVt0vCvJAsOZlNl3Oz273Ag/s1600/Homemade+Elderflower+Cordial+-+All+That+I'm+Eating.jpg" height="207" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The smell at every stage is just fantastic; fresh elderflowers, lemon zest and juice, the steam that comes off when it's hot is full of flavour. I have a healthy amount of cordial to use in every varying ways so keep your eyes peeled for recipe and drink ideas coming up!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you've not been foraging before, check out my quick guide <a href="http://www.allthatimeating.blogspot.co.uk/p/blog-page_9057.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Thank you to Gert and Inglewood for letting me come and pilfer your hedgerows and for making the cordial with me!</span>Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-23918938841405234382014-06-22T11:12:00.000+01:002014-06-22T11:12:02.172+01:00A Trip to Madrid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last week I jetted off to Madrid in search of churros, tapas and sunshine. I managed to get three out of three so no complaints from me. Around a two hour flight from London it's far enough to be 'away' but not too far stuck on a plane. Before I went I knew next to no Spanish other than what I had learnt from watching Fawlty Towers so you can imagine my delight when, on arrival at the hotel, the receptionist's name was Manuel. We landed late afternoon, had a quick glass of vino tinto and then got some rest ready to explore the next day.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qywn6RIwcr7I9-IQo6fV8g6uOGVJ9Yh7yfpH7ohXnpzQ10C-qejmOQGxJunVhjX4fH-qHN3hwpY1DOZOZwpSkIjnYWbAXFnAm7ObkDMHg0ksgIvN7SkR4KVCb_KpcIGn1UcsOhhh2x8/s1600/A+trip+to+Madrid+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(4+of+19).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qywn6RIwcr7I9-IQo6fV8g6uOGVJ9Yh7yfpH7ohXnpzQ10C-qejmOQGxJunVhjX4fH-qHN3hwpY1DOZOZwpSkIjnYWbAXFnAm7ObkDMHg0ksgIvN7SkR4KVCb_KpcIGn1UcsOhhh2x8/s1600/A+trip+to+Madrid+-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(4+of+19).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Madrid itself is a mixture of old grand buildings and modern ones in between. It's easy to walk around and explore central Madrid but on the outskirts the helpful maps disappear so the guide book was indispensable. The weather was fantastic for the four days and I found it very easy to get into the relaxed way of dining which basically involved eating all day.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusIYeA0OS7cV47xuWMNEtlu2DU39t-3t9qqdD9KikIlveGOYnBHrOgATg3DuTndmY_oRRo0rQQmDejWXHau5wAuZJQ-B667JRwkk9otUkoxsKG8q083gqCiBIZebfqud1hUMT81NuaSk/s1600/A+trip+to+Madrid+Churros+-+All+That+I%2527m+Eating.jpg" height="236" width="640" /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the things I wanted to try was chocolate con churros; deep fried batter (not sweet or savoury) which you dip in thick, bitter dark chocolate. You can also have cafe con churros and dip the batter in coffee. The first morning, with incredibly rusty language skills, we ordered churros in a very local cafe; one chocolate and one coffee. It cost €4.20 for both of them. The churros were slightly greasy and the chocolate very bitter, a great way to start the day. The next morning we made a long trip over to the Chocolateria de la Puerta del Sol (above right) where the churros were a slightly different shape and less greasy. The chocolate was slightly sweeter. Both good places but I prefer the more bitter chocolate.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdaLU_4TcOWHAWNfAH4EjjFtQg30xzYwN89viUq3ZvpiyBpm96qsYOYs0Roj5ZX-OkTdGIXPX5Tn3IuJ4wcA-O6DIupk2-wQnPpod_q3eREHpAAiXug7LzjpfhqyBWJpHIuc5VB9DXkE/s1600/A+trip+to+Madrid+beer+-+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25285+of+19%2529.jpg" height="238" width="640" /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On a walk back to the hotel we stopped off at a local beer bar, really modern and simple inside, and sampled some Spanish <a href="https://www.brabantecervezas.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brabante</a> beer. I loved that everything always came with crisps. The lager and gold beers were very nice and the carta de cervezas was full of information about the brewery and beers.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4INfMjFy9SzVnILIOFTP4KNMzx_ND5vP1ZTG5fW-5lVGvZuI3wTuLV9d0CfQsJ7PSSnboDC1tVGDqgUZ6Eqa4Ha0hwOMGCECBLqR_L6HbAtQCLdg5cDteJiZL-SwxbyR8JoRhzR-xXRQ/s1600/A+trip+to+Madrid+Tapas+-+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25282+of+19%2529.jpg" height="236" width="640" />Walking around the central area of Madrid it's hard to know where to stop for food; there are so many places and it's hard to tell which are authentic or tourist orientated. I chose the above restaurant (La Marmita Taberna) because of the fabulous carved wooden exterior. We ordered albondigas (meatballs) and chorizo salchichones (chorizo from a particular area of Spain) which was a bit milder than the chorizo I've had before. Of course we also had a side of patatas alioli; the sauce for which was more like a garlicky ranch dressing than the mayonnaise I was expecting and was delicious. The jug of sangria was so good; loads of fruit and ice which made it very easy to drink but was very welcome at a particularly hot lunch time.<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8_Z3lTr0_CVQnDH_rPXufj2CxgEStNG6m2o5HD8RXXOUgWo52KfzLz2T9RncShfhYZ_joXA5gLBIdkwoeIGBltCXZRICO9WDeMH7uxFEuyOzgzSDZKI2OJpQnuET_XpqDmam2jPeU1Y/s1600/A+trip+to+Madrid+Tapas+-+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25287+of+19%2529.jpg" height="148" width="640" />For dinner we went to <a href="http://www.tabernadelvolapie.com/noticias_ver.php?id=37" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Taberna del Volapie</a> which I think is a chain but everything we tried was wonderful. The gazpacho had grated boiled egg and chunks of jamon iberico on top and there was a very soft sheep's cheese full of herbs at the same time. The croquettes had a ragu in white sauce inside which melted on the first bite. There was also a chickpea stew which I think was my favourite dish of the whole holiday; full of celery, chorizo and pork belly. I ordered dessert which was a big slightly sweet cracker with honey and fennel seeds served with cheese ice cream. I thought it was a bad translation and they meant cheesecake ice cream. No, they meant sheep's cheese ice cream; it was actually a great combination.<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4qZVplK1Mk7x_FDbqDtZN8NdXGd2P2BJj_GdBCbbxkPsyJORPKgOfjPwFJmv-LOn5CbYpREEODKw9jIbRs1VyDla0dsdMDndBLAbviOB9dgk-ZPidvDcXByJiVnPKyvNsQv8Q5mT9w0/s1600/A+trip+to+Madrid+glass+market+-+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%252813+of+19%2529.jpg" height="164" width="640" />The next day we went to the Plaza Major to find the glass market nearby. I loved the market; you wander round picking things you fancy trying then find some room at the tables to eat what you've got. It was bustling, busy and full of tapas, paella, cheese, cured meats, beer, wine, juices, cakes, fruit, everything really! I had a lovely piece of manchego drizzled with honey and fresh oregano.<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfgsrLYCeJ8nJ2y_PVQecN3FI_y6qdMw9oA6KHKQcky-opX3wSR9JjrKuYFxBkEo_i-Z0bmrGyelIUpsuApTWkPXOrm2KwRiZZs9nOGzN7S28JBc7BRMtqiOc7tLa14I6pseNCPVEnp24/s1600/A+trip+to+Madrid+outdoor+dining-+All+That+I'm+Eating+(16+of+19).jpg" height="178" width="640" />For the last night we treated ourselves and went to a fancy restaurant (<a href="http://www.joseluis.es/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jose Luis</a>) to try what the locals actually eat. We ordered a fantastic bottle of rioja to accompany the meal and the waiter even complimented my Spanish, at least that's what I think he said. We shared mushrooms to start which came with a thick white sauce on top which had been grilled until brown in patches. The mushrooms were drizzled with honey then the white sauce, so heavy with raw garlic it was almost spicy, was served on top. The best mushroom dish I have ever had. I followed this with hake, steamed potatoes, parsley and a wedge of lemon. There was nothing else on the plate and it was so simple and so tasty. Chocolate cake for pudding which was surprisingly light. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I really enjoyed going to Madrid, I'm not sure I'll go back as I feel I've seen everything there is to see! However now I've brushed up on my Spanish I'd like to try somewhere else.</span></div>
Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-69083992915118408802014-06-18T13:27:00.001+01:002014-06-18T13:27:22.765+01:00Pulled Pork Ribs with Carrot and Ginger Slaw<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'm often a bit slow on the uptake. Pulled food, more specifically pulled pork, has been doing the rounds for some time now and it's not something that I had attempted. Yet. I wanted to make an Asian coleslaw that used some spring carrots (I demoed this at Eat Reading Live) but wasn't too sure what to serve it with. It seemed an ideal time to attempt some sort of pulled pork. If, like me, you can't be bothered with pulling anything I think this would be fantastic with some leftover roast pork or chicken in a nice soft roll.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWL0XOQLoyBQa_jLsS3fuMnffTSxtiun53S-KNzpbKoYoDxrAiZPfvybcbEnyHv6wKdLr25ky_Z0YVjXcgNYW-a9E8TPYG0OE02-K-TvHc331HJ4Ur5Sb84B4fsJXJlC8-6YeoMFjS3iU/s1600/Pulled+Ribs+with+Carrot+and+Ginger+Slaw+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWL0XOQLoyBQa_jLsS3fuMnffTSxtiun53S-KNzpbKoYoDxrAiZPfvybcbEnyHv6wKdLr25ky_Z0YVjXcgNYW-a9E8TPYG0OE02-K-TvHc331HJ4Ur5Sb84B4fsJXJlC8-6YeoMFjS3iU/s1600/Pulled+Ribs+with+Carrot+and+Ginger+Slaw+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">You will need (for two buns):</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Handful spring carrots, peeled and grated</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, finely grated</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 tbsp mayonnaise</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 tbsp crème fraîche</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Juice 1/2 lime</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Salt and pepper</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">6-8 baby back pork ribs (preferably in some sort of spicy/Asian marinade)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Buns to serve</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Start by roasting your ribs. I chose to use ribs because they are cheap and if you get good ones they have a nice amount of meat and fat on. I got mine from the farmers' market and threw on some piri piri marinade that was hanging around in the cupboard. The lady at the market said that 160C for 45-50 minutes would be about right. Check what your butcher recommends.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Remove the meat from the ribs. It's not the neatest task in the world; I found a fork, knife and hands all very useful. Put the meat to one side.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Make the coleslaw by mixing together the grated carrot and ginger then add the mayonnaise, crème fraiche, lime juice, coriander and some salt and pepper.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Fill the buns with the coleslaw and meat and tuck in.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFAllGa-lX8agzXbkE-F6bdVEnB6T4OJuRf5fS8mNnd0NvFbaOW_m7bqa4h3Hy7HiAgeNgeUsn64GIm1E5dqTKrCPDbHPFWX4mEYBLTFxVIfO4eIXUr70Y2xH-dZVt8de1d1nzWcBM26k/s1600/Pulled+Ribs+with+Carrot+and+Ginger+Slaw+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFAllGa-lX8agzXbkE-F6bdVEnB6T4OJuRf5fS8mNnd0NvFbaOW_m7bqa4h3Hy7HiAgeNgeUsn64GIm1E5dqTKrCPDbHPFWX4mEYBLTFxVIfO4eIXUr70Y2xH-dZVt8de1d1nzWcBM26k/s1600/Pulled+Ribs+with+Carrot+and+Ginger+Slaw+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The rib meat wasn't as tender and juicy as I'd envisaged and I think this was because the ribs were roasted more than slow roasted. I'm not sure I'm patient enough to wait for slow roasting! There was a surprising amount of meat that came off the ribs though so the proportions of meat to coleslaw to bun were perfect. The coleslaw was fresh and crisp (I can't eat enough coriander) and is a great way to use up sweet spring carrots by doing something different.</span></div>
<br />Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-33028101688197924362014-06-12T18:15:00.000+01:002014-06-12T18:15:29.652+01:00Barber's Cheese Toastie-Off at The Bath and West Show<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last year I went to the BBC Good Food Show courtesy of
<a href="http://www.barbers1833.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Barber’s Cheese</a> and got to try their lovely cheese for the first time. This
year, things got a bit more serious and I was invited to The Bath and West Show
to take part in a cheese toastie off (as well as having a good nose around the
show). For my toastie recipe I wanted to keep it simple so I went for a sort of
croque-monsieur; smoked ham, Barber’s Cheese, English mustard and plenty of
butter on both sides of the bread. You can’t go wrong with butter.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlv5TyFZDZsk2E0q8jKdLlpUKVnRGkDWrAHyv6c_NZf3Rw3XhNOEF29Pyi1858ZsTBEwoUBzDenk34Ltzy1z13AQ8BNcPJslc-k1r_Er0x5_nYYwQK7UJ8tdhe6kNav7R284TIwjIMIq8/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlv5TyFZDZsk2E0q8jKdLlpUKVnRGkDWrAHyv6c_NZf3Rw3XhNOEF29Pyi1858ZsTBEwoUBzDenk34Ltzy1z13AQ8BNcPJslc-k1r_Er0x5_nYYwQK7UJ8tdhe6kNav7R284TIwjIMIq8/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I didn’t win the toastie competition but I did get to have a
catch up with Urvashi (the Botanical Baker), meet some fellow bloggers and also
have a chat with one of the original Barber’s about their cheese. The recipe
that won was from Fromage Homage who used Barber’s cheese, bacon lardons and
caramelised onion relish; it sounded amazing so I have to try it soon.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT40x5RCbzTCiTzt-KVjkuXojkhSI76sqc4tBdLWU6JJNZPyAgf_EBHwsnXvC4K0gGyOujJJMDyFXXEypwg2WvjkUiYJS8fTv8eRTSxQRoN0biXw7z-15g7y27CWiLv3lMpXWzzfeIens/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT40x5RCbzTCiTzt-KVjkuXojkhSI76sqc4tBdLWU6JJNZPyAgf_EBHwsnXvC4K0gGyOujJJMDyFXXEypwg2WvjkUiYJS8fTv8eRTSxQRoN0biXw7z-15g7y27CWiLv3lMpXWzzfeIens/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s always nice to get out and have a roam around these
shows. The Barber’s stall was right outside the British Cheese Awards room and
we got to sample some great British cheeses; crumbly Lancashire, the winning
rosary goat’s cheese with herbs and a lovely herb and garlic cheddar. The one
which caught my eye was the Cornish Yarg wrapped in wild garlic leaves as
opposed to the normal nettle leaves. I’ll be on the lookout for that!</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Lb8I5lbF-m_ZkNScK7Cs1QbGUH0_OHZ2HAjPbdeug1WWJrmbq1C1W_55FW6h70SMX3KGWpTKMtaPe0paGSQtCzDKcW1Qds_ReMOpf1fQY6nvMip_O1ZJriKaYHYJ7pk2LjTm8aBC6oQ/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Lb8I5lbF-m_ZkNScK7Cs1QbGUH0_OHZ2HAjPbdeug1WWJrmbq1C1W_55FW6h70SMX3KGWpTKMtaPe0paGSQtCzDKcW1Qds_ReMOpf1fQY6nvMip_O1ZJriKaYHYJ7pk2LjTm8aBC6oQ/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We were sent home with a few tasty lumps of Barber’s to get
cooking with ourselves. I have to say I prefer my cheese as it comes over being
cooked (unless it’s on a pizza or in a toastie!) but when I found their recipe
for pastichio I had to try it. I had pastichio when I went to Greece a few
years ago and I’ve always wanted to try it at home but, as with most of these
recipes, I never found the time.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4niuH2FlhQbmMgikaKX4e0Y2c5-gS-L9hkiLQbYi3nrNYesGm6wWNQxRi6NBjjADi3_agDpo5k0Y9d8ZsaDClEJX9z4H-F_cnMYf7hJ2dB7QxHl3ih22TU2sjEUSZF6BxaIxwibg33s/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4niuH2FlhQbmMgikaKX4e0Y2c5-gS-L9hkiLQbYi3nrNYesGm6wWNQxRi6NBjjADi3_agDpo5k0Y9d8ZsaDClEJX9z4H-F_cnMYf7hJ2dB7QxHl3ih22TU2sjEUSZF6BxaIxwibg33s/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This Pastichio recipe is from the recipe booklet from Barber’s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You will need (for 4-6):</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the meat sauce -</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tbsp olive oil</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 onion, finely chopped</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 garlic cloves, finely chopped</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">500g minced beef</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp ground cinnamon</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">200ml red wine</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">400g canned chopped tomatoes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tbsp chopped fresh mint</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt and pepper</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the macaroni - </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">250g macaroni</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">55g butter</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">55g plain flour</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">600ml milk</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">175g Barber's 1833 Cheddar, grated</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp grated nutmeg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 egg, beaten</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the meat sauce heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic and cook gently for 10 minutes or until the onion is soft but not browned. Add the mince and stir until browned.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stir in the cinnamon then add the red wine and allow it to bubble for a minute. Add the tomatoes and mint and season. Simmer very gently for 40 minutes until thickened.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Meanwhile cook the macaroni as directed on the packet but take care not to overcook. Drain well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Heat an oven to 180C. In a saucepan melt the butter then stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Gradually add the milk and cook for 5 more minutes. Add half the cheese and the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Add the macaroni and egg into the sauce.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Spread half the macaroni in the bottom of an oven proof dish, cover with the meat sauce then top with the remaining macaroni. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipf1Ahx9R8u4a_iZufU7CRZ1CYrzz0YQLB5HbfAjBwljR-w6vErlPjA7D-HEH2XAPvu0YLuydXxI_qakGgQBzD1hJYPQq5VKnAV5vY0q9iwIiAdbCq1deELKaFlMxKzr_wFrsn5ghwujc/s1600/Pastichio+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25281+of+1%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipf1Ahx9R8u4a_iZufU7CRZ1CYrzz0YQLB5HbfAjBwljR-w6vErlPjA7D-HEH2XAPvu0YLuydXxI_qakGgQBzD1hJYPQq5VKnAV5vY0q9iwIiAdbCq1deELKaFlMxKzr_wFrsn5ghwujc/s1600/Pastichio+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25281+of+1%2529.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was surprised to find this was made with minced beef; I
think the one I tried before was with minced pork. The pasta I had this with in
Greece was like a very long macaroni tube rather than the shorter macaroni I
used. I really enjoyed this. Although it feels like quite a wintry dish the
cinnamon and mint really lift the beef to make it light and aromatic. It was
sort of moussaka crossed with Bolognese and macaroni cheese; a new favourite I
reckon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">Thanks to Barber’s for the invite and the cheese. All
opinions expressed are my own.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-14749719714213061192014-06-08T19:01:00.000+01:002014-06-08T19:01:00.278+01:00Spring Carrots with Crème Fraîche and Herbs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Carrots seem to be in my fridge no matter what time of year it is. Earlier in the year and around this time they are skinny spring carrots bought or delivered with their huge green fronds still attached. In the autumn and winter months they are the sturdier, larger carrots which are essential for roasting, stewing and making into a hot soup. I do sometimes find myself at a loss for what to do with spring carrots; other than nibbling on them as they are or serving simply with butter. I needed to find something new to try, something to cut through but complement their sweetness: spring carrots with crème fraîche and herbs. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSoo1nA7EV5Yx3Huv0ESPzFag1HBp0rXffg0OKUim9s45FAq4mPOyQs6cQ2ERekSbop9e2Dh1oZywm1lJnN0Gj8hLs4rX2O-nusFW9meK2xKfrW1-dY0CWxhEgAaMMSkK6dekkU4Qrgo/s1600/Spring+Carrots+with+Creme+Fraiche+and+Herbs+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSoo1nA7EV5Yx3Huv0ESPzFag1HBp0rXffg0OKUim9s45FAq4mPOyQs6cQ2ERekSbop9e2Dh1oZywm1lJnN0Gj8hLs4rX2O-nusFW9meK2xKfrW1-dY0CWxhEgAaMMSkK6dekkU4Qrgo/s1600/Spring+Carrots+with+Creme+Fraiche+and+Herbs+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You will need (as a side dish for two):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 small bunch spring carrots</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3-4 spring onions</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Few sprigs fresh oregano, dill and parsley</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Olive oil for cooking</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Juice 1/2 lemon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">100ml crème fraîche</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt and pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Scrub the carrots. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the carrots. Boil for around 10 minutes or until soft but still with a little bite.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While the carrots are cooking, slice the spring onions finely and then gently fry in a small frying pan in a little olive oil until softened but not brown.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Drain the carrots and put to one side.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the lemon juice, herbs and salt and pepper to the spring onions, keeping it on a low heat, then mix in the crème fraîche. Allow it to warm through a little.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix the crème fraîche and herbs into the carrots and serve.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIW1menMYgAZrk1-dg1rKwSjJUPgDNMWRvwUgwgaSTzQZCAYm7LLOGgYcdSDVOgsAaCNNWgNBSck82nIQhZf5aq15wTzO1dQyMJTsy0f2v0B3W7qS_GCrh6mnSBLVHnrTDr9c_SzTMQIo/s1600/Spring+Carrots+with+Creme+Fraiche+and+Herbs+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIW1menMYgAZrk1-dg1rKwSjJUPgDNMWRvwUgwgaSTzQZCAYm7LLOGgYcdSDVOgsAaCNNWgNBSck82nIQhZf5aq15wTzO1dQyMJTsy0f2v0B3W7qS_GCrh6mnSBLVHnrTDr9c_SzTMQIo/s1600/Spring+Carrots+with+Creme+Fraiche+and+Herbs+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is perhaps a little more effort than I would normally go to for a side dish. I had these alongside some leftover risotto and the sweet sharpness worked really well against the stodgy risotto. The sweet carrots are so full of flavour, the lemon juice and crème fraîche add acidity, the hum of spring onions in the background and the characteristic herbs all round this off into one very wonderful side dish. It was actually better than my leftover risotto! This was one of the dishes I recently demonstrated at Eat Reading, the other one I did will be up soon.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-43162300066386621412014-06-04T21:06:00.000+01:002014-06-04T21:06:20.900+01:00Dark Chocolate, Orange and Hazelnut Brownies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I sit at home sometimes, nothing unusual there, and things pop into my head and then I can't get them out. If I have a hankering for a particular food, place to go or thing to do nothing else will suffice until I lay my hands on that thing. One evening last week I really needed some chocolate. I didn't want wishy washy unsatisfying chocolate I wanted full on, one slice is enough, complete chocolate indulgence. The kind where you feel like you have a chocolate hangover when you're halfway through the first bite. My dark chocolate, orange and hazelnut brownies were created out of desire and the need to use up some hazelnuts in the back of the cupboard. I've been practising my brownie recipe for some years now so I thought I'd try a variation on my plain recipe.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKyL-PoYiFM7I2CmJBuQdXIxDCUIfJn-8ewmRnw71xMQmkrVuLZ0hV5oDoLnzdYpr1s6SzWkmrTfJCvewjOGtwkng98ZmxKdSAWya4sSvCEXixo9zNqUTIWncp50vEkBWcfocpcglNOk/s1600/Chocolate+Orange+and+Hazelnut+Brownies+All+That+I'm+Eating+(3+of+3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKyL-PoYiFM7I2CmJBuQdXIxDCUIfJn-8ewmRnw71xMQmkrVuLZ0hV5oDoLnzdYpr1s6SzWkmrTfJCvewjOGtwkng98ZmxKdSAWya4sSvCEXixo9zNqUTIWncp50vEkBWcfocpcglNOk/s1600/Chocolate+Orange+and+Hazelnut+Brownies+All+That+I'm+Eating+(3+of+3).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You will need:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">100g salted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">180g golden caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">70g light muscovado sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">120g dark chocolate with orange (the stuff I used had caramelised orange peel in)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tbsp golden syrup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Splash vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">100g plain flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp baking powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">50g roughly chopped hazelnuts (mine were blanched)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmZzcGTgs3q_4Dig2Qfu9GSb1mE4oVP9q2tVIeK3al_7_hpr0gEsbEbC2aT1EXlrUrPqT2HCOWrOw3q-5BjgxtaZHQl3zzp8FqwIHSSjpLWVqIgHBUcHMNU1v_rwfZRF8J4VdNAgm2nI/s1600/Chocolate+Orange+and+Hazelnut+Brownies+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25281+of+3%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmZzcGTgs3q_4Dig2Qfu9GSb1mE4oVP9q2tVIeK3al_7_hpr0gEsbEbC2aT1EXlrUrPqT2HCOWrOw3q-5BjgxtaZHQl3zzp8FqwIHSSjpLWVqIgHBUcHMNU1v_rwfZRF8J4VdNAgm2nI/s1600/Chocolate+Orange+and+Hazelnut+Brownies+All+That+I%2527m+Eating+%25281+of+3%2529.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Line a (roughly) 20cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper. You could grease the tin but anything for a life of easier washing up.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Melt the butter, sugars, chocolate and golden syrup together in a pan over a low heat until melted and well combined. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Beat the eggs and vanilla extract together then whisk in the cooled chocolate mixture.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder together then fold this into the chocolate mix. Gently mix in the hazelnuts.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pour the brownie mix into the tin then bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 25-30 minutes.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mark into pieces while still hot.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLJ87epFFKBICuMjTMYnulRSbi0ypJdbu04VIWi1nMWcQhfAA6PMk4fc557elvHzoH605jDqlLr9iXlWXUI-aJ94EUdyYP-g7W_r86QzCfSyKQEzQsxHLouM-0av_4YKRgsoKplHjp8E/s1600/Chocolate+Orange+and+Hazelnut+Brownies+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLJ87epFFKBICuMjTMYnulRSbi0ypJdbu04VIWi1nMWcQhfAA6PMk4fc557elvHzoH605jDqlLr9iXlWXUI-aJ94EUdyYP-g7W_r86QzCfSyKQEzQsxHLouM-0av_4YKRgsoKplHjp8E/s1600/Chocolate+Orange+and+Hazelnut+Brownies+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+3).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I think everyone likes their brownies differently; some prefer them cakier, some want them still gooey and others will have them like fudge. The thing I like about this recipe is the corner pieces are cakier than the edge pieces which are fudgier and the (best) centre brownie which is still slightly liquid. The middle piece is my favourite and I try to take it out when it's fresh from the oven to enjoy hot. This of course is somewhat awkward as you need all manner of kitchen implements to try and extract it; it's like culinary Operation but well worth the effort. The chocolate is just intense enough, the orange is more of a whisper and the hazelnuts add a welcome texture. Exactly what I wanted.</span>Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-89940868839294791612014-05-31T08:30:00.000+01:002014-05-31T08:30:02.018+01:00Feed 4 for £6: Pea, Carrot and Paneer Pilaf<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I hadn't done a vegetarian option for my Feed 4 for £6 series for a little while so I thought it was about time I did. I am a big fan of recipes which involve putting ingredients into a pan, putting a lid on and leaving it to its own devices and this is one of those. If you can't find paneer for this recipe you can use halloumi but it's saltier. All you need otherwise is onions, carrots, peas, curry powder and rice. Sorted.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyY6Pt_RvO1PP-3Fx1-9k7TtH4xJFn-wU1OTVjYi_lqInFdJzNWMIyeXBwBqQH3E5AKEV_LeES4R1nSDWjm6tt1VsfDcXawPVEeFs8QanAabxXgWdthTDKsiUJYKD6Ru0NsSoMmMhpDc4/s1600/Pea+Carrot+and+Paneer+Pilaf+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyY6Pt_RvO1PP-3Fx1-9k7TtH4xJFn-wU1OTVjYi_lqInFdJzNWMIyeXBwBqQH3E5AKEV_LeES4R1nSDWjm6tt1VsfDcXawPVEeFs8QanAabxXgWdthTDKsiUJYKD6Ru0NsSoMmMhpDc4/s1600/Pea+Carrot+and+Paneer+Pilaf+All+That+I'm+Eating+(2+of+2).jpg" height="203" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 275px;">
<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 7716; mso-width-source: userset; width: 158pt;" width="211"></col>
<col style="width: 48pt;" width="64"></col>
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt; width: 158pt;" width="211"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You will
need (for 4):</span></td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 48pt;" width="64"></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rapeseed oil for frying</span></td>
<td class="xl67"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £0.02 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 medium onion, diced</span></td>
<td class="xl67"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £0.10 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 medium carrots, diced</span></td>
<td class="xl67"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £0.18 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">200g frozen peas</span></td>
<td class="xl67"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £0.25 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">250g basmati rice</span></td>
<td class="xl67"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £0.45 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 cloves garlic, finely
chopped</span></td>
<td class="xl67"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £0.05 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 heaped tsp curry powder</span></td>
<td class="xl67"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £0.05 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">700ml hot vegetable stock</span></td>
<td class="xl67"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £0.10 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt and pepper</span></td>
<td class="xl67"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £0.02 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">225g paneer, cubed</span></td>
<td class="xl67"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £1.54 </span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"></td>
<td class="xl67"></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Total</span></td>
<td class="xl67"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> £2.76 </span></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Heat around 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat and add the onion, carrot and garlic. Fry for around 10 minutes or until softened. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the curry powder and rice and cook for a further minute.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the frozen peas and pour in the hot stock. Bring the pan to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer, put on a loose fitting lid. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Simmer the rice for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the stock has been absorbed. Check on the level of stock while it's cooking and top up a little if needed.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While the pilaf cooks heat a pan up on a medium heat and add a little bit of oil. Season the paneer all over with salt and plenty of pepper before adding it to the pan. Fry the paneer until golden brown.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Check the seasoning before dishing up the pilaf and divide the cheese between the plates.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXojJDESLWDFvNxB5mcrXhU5QPlYGUcvKXoRynlH1hKjrdpLXEup_ZDk7MEks6VW5xjxOqz0GWNGKpveB70FAgEzz6w6UPP16Cz9HYQxk2CDFLfzhULjsAsS9nFBEOpVXtTjeOPl_kvIM/s1600/Pea+Carrot+and+Paneer+Pilaf+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXojJDESLWDFvNxB5mcrXhU5QPlYGUcvKXoRynlH1hKjrdpLXEup_ZDk7MEks6VW5xjxOqz0GWNGKpveB70FAgEzz6w6UPP16Cz9HYQxk2CDFLfzhULjsAsS9nFBEOpVXtTjeOPl_kvIM/s1600/Pea+Carrot+and+Paneer+Pilaf+All+That+I'm+Eating+(1+of+2).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rice is always welcome on my table in whatever form it comes. In this it's got a lovely curried flavour along with the sweet carrot, peas and onion and the peppery slightly salted cheese. My favourite bits are the golden edges of the paneer. I have to say that this has to be one of the most filling things I have ever made, I almost couldn't eat it all (but I had just had some cake!). This costs less than £3 for four, is very satisfying and is easy to make. Ideal weeknight grub.</span>Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-39191094871055305732014-05-28T18:53:00.000+01:002014-05-28T19:38:02.554+01:00Matsuri at St James, London<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's been all go in London for me this month; I also managed to squeeze in a dinner at </span><a href="http://www.matsuri-restaurant.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Matsuri St James</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">. This was a meal of firsts for me: sushi, teppanyaki, sake and plum wine were all new to me and what a great way to be introduced to them. (I had tried sushi before but I don't really think it counts as it came in a plastic tray from a well-known high street chain). As restaurant meals go this has to be one of the most fun places I've been to. I loved the buzz (about the place and from the other bloggers and writers there), the drama (there was flaming ice cream) and the venue. Oh, and the food.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAVXwd-If0yo6TZDObDqAYMcr-xW1FFeVPok8J_t-y7_WYT06CoGtUry1j3bKa9k5Rr81F1DjkNN7y7oJwFr6pRbXHYPKX6nGxMsRCMcZcU8kIIzBjeUkxgJTE0_39kzQXZmN3DGvJhc/s1600/Chef+and+Me+at+Matsuri+St+James+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAVXwd-If0yo6TZDObDqAYMcr-xW1FFeVPok8J_t-y7_WYT06CoGtUry1j3bKa9k5Rr81F1DjkNN7y7oJwFr6pRbXHYPKX6nGxMsRCMcZcU8kIIzBjeUkxgJTE0_39kzQXZmN3DGvJhc/s1600/Chef+and+Me+at+Matsuri+St+James+(3).jpg" height="266" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Teppanyaki is something I've always wanted to try; I love the idea and the theatre of watching your meal get cooked in front of you. And yes, that's me having a go at cooking the black cod for the other guys on our table; I hoped I didn't ruin it but everyone was very polite either way! Matsuri St James is a joint venture with Kikkoman, the soy sauce company, and they have been running in London for 20 years.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkG1JQbdpDqd0vESwxPAsWBI_KTG9SLidDhqRKQ21v01-yVw8oQAFvhf9rs3WyLyuNIUd9AqSQKBDHnf7tzMjE4PFGElOMgjXuG0RBfnrvby8kNb0sZjZP-Fhs-yE5P0oTYznEY5QnF4/s1600/Sushi+and+Tempura+at+Matsuri+St+James+(6).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkG1JQbdpDqd0vESwxPAsWBI_KTG9SLidDhqRKQ21v01-yVw8oQAFvhf9rs3WyLyuNIUd9AqSQKBDHnf7tzMjE4PFGElOMgjXuG0RBfnrvby8kNb0sZjZP-Fhs-yE5P0oTYznEY5QnF4/s1600/Sushi+and+Tempura+at+Matsuri+St+James+(6).jpg" height="266" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">You might have noticed a lack of fish and shellfish recipes on my blog. The reason being I am intolerant to shellfish and the OH isn't a fan of fish. While everyone else tucked in to their sushi, it looked lovely, we had the above vegetable sushi with soy sauce to dip. I liked that they looked like mini gardens surrounded by rice and they tasted honest, clean and fresh. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">We then had tempura vegetables which were light and crisp. I loved the salt and spices that came with it to dip in. I was enjoying a fresh and slightly syrupy chilled sake (Houraisen - WA, Aichi Prefecture, Junmai Ginjo) with this course.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHZbdJOzcPtiF6_sdnldcN3yKuFJ60KwpuEfLKOkp3FojgTTjeqjWEpunABSWwUL8vuUQz-_9rQRvtwoy8nsIxqA6A87Uf_9AFkKbljLMscfVhhQL2aRsF0epOl1n_MxeMxQjRyx1yv4/s1600/Duck+and+Liver+at+Matsuri+St+James.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHZbdJOzcPtiF6_sdnldcN3yKuFJ60KwpuEfLKOkp3FojgTTjeqjWEpunABSWwUL8vuUQz-_9rQRvtwoy8nsIxqA6A87Uf_9AFkKbljLMscfVhhQL2aRsF0epOl1n_MxeMxQjRyx1yv4/s1600/Duck+and+Liver+at+Matsuri+St+James.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">While the other guys were tucking into their black cod our chef started to prepare some sumptuous duck breast with duck liver, mushrooms and asparagus. The duck was perfectly cooked and juicy, the liver was meltingly soft and so punchy, the mushrooms were earthy and savoury and it was a treat to try white asparagus which was sweet and crunchy. I loved the flavours of this and I could have eaten it all evening. This was served with a 2011 Chablis which I really liked.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEAWzNEBZQ4_Eg8WL2ESzrgkYBp9pM8uWQDczpEvPAXczqqHJccJ1j2nggTFMdBEH6Guyq8s7nQ6It8CBJlbLn8tTqlSQ3-XZHN0WSQB4tSCeYuIk3t1IAw-EW7FXExoBI__PItyTcv0/s1600/Galacian+Beef+at+Matsuri+St+James+(7).jpg" height="232" width="640" /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Luckily I didn't fill up on the previous courses as our main was a gargantuan piece of Galacian beef; it looked brilliant before it was cooked and irresistible when it was ready to eat. The fat on the beef was so yellow. The steak was fried on one side, flipped over and covered with salt (on the cooked side) and then left to brown on the other side. The salt was scraped off, the fat was removed and the steak sliced up. The fat was then sliced and served with the beef and there was nothing else needed; it tasted fantastic. The red wine with this course (Etna Red, I Vigneri Salvo Foti, 2011) was really good.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrmQ4bombCmSubmcjnMY33_FsVfOyPENQl7ZjQ0HwUxqN_JZEd0EeSdP87VhSpB57U4m2oOZAODzCvwVPGt5mumtRSnqtDHiYK5TRW187SLVkfL9UmzrSUVQm0mSZfh0XSUaNuWSDLXw/s1600/Vegetable+and+Egg+Rice+at+Matsuri+St+James+(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrmQ4bombCmSubmcjnMY33_FsVfOyPENQl7ZjQ0HwUxqN_JZEd0EeSdP87VhSpB57U4m2oOZAODzCvwVPGt5mumtRSnqtDHiYK5TRW187SLVkfL9UmzrSUVQm0mSZfh0XSUaNuWSDLXw/s1600/Vegetable+and+Egg+Rice+at+Matsuri+St+James+(5).jpg" height="198" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The rice was cooked on the hot plate after the beef was removed. It was a humble mix of rice, eggs and tiny chopped garlic and vegetables. I like rice, I love egg fried rice, and this was delicious. Simple, yes, but you can't improve on perfection.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdmmQg-q9pP9Vvo0D8tZ3323dsWYZn7at9OGs_1-fwYtVO1_a4F9-lGXQAOBywc1MiL-iurACywCZlignX5W34UPuGmbzVdtoeiF1Pl5i8-YdEgAfPtdrBVyea3r76AGcOqtiol9WoYM/s1600/Flaming+Ice+Cream+at+Matsuri+St+James+(11).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdmmQg-q9pP9Vvo0D8tZ3323dsWYZn7at9OGs_1-fwYtVO1_a4F9-lGXQAOBywc1MiL-iurACywCZlignX5W34UPuGmbzVdtoeiF1Pl5i8-YdEgAfPtdrBVyea3r76AGcOqtiol9WoYM/s1600/Flaming+Ice+Cream+at+Matsuri+St+James+(11).jpg" height="266" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I was looking forward to pudding as I don't know anything at all about Japanese desserts. We had pancakes with pineapple and ice cream (which was flambéed). It was nice, the pineapple being the best bit with nice chargrilled edges but it would have been nice to try something a bit different. The plum wine we had with this was beautiful, very strong, and I liked that it was unfiltered so there were bits of plum in the glass and it was cloudy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I really enjoyed this meal: the food was great, the atmosphere was fun and the drinks that were chosen were interesting too. Matsuri do a range of menus, starting with the Matsuri course menu at £65 pp for five courses.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;">Thank you to Matsuri for the invite. All opinions expressed are my own.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/52/566771/restaurant/St-Jamess/Matsuri-London"><img alt="Matsuri on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/566771/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a></span><br />
<a href="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/london/view/80870/Matsuri?utm_source=Blog&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=Link" target="_top" title="Read Square Meal's review of Matsuri"><img alt="Square Meal" height="15" src="http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/80870/get-blog-review/image/mini.png" width="104" /></a>Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245540917783789933.post-36047349414944246872014-05-25T20:28:00.001+01:002014-05-26T09:43:19.325+01:00An afternoon with Twinings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As you know I quite like tea. As part of this tea appreciation I have become a fan of the more unusual teas and seek to try as many different types as I can. I was invited to spend some time with <a href="http://twinings.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twinings</a> and meet Mr Stephen Twining himself. Their shop on The Strand is long and thin and you could spend a long time smelling the different teas on the shelves. We were sat at the back of the shop; it was great to see Fiona again (from the blog <a href="http://www.london-unattached.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">London Unattached</a>) and to meet Choclette (from the <a href="http://choclogblog.blogspot.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chocolate Log blog</a>) and we settled ourselves in to sample and learn more about Twinings.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8d6MGoXfgcA3fBThrp_qqOfltq-HxasqCFFTm9wwiaMcdT4rJCYo_pXTGhlwsDzsTSh8hCn4QiZiVmMWa0XPHAgm5QEsA1Bkl_CjNtVZygTONoBm53v-nI_9pdV3eCHtyz6rBkA-esO4/s1600/Stephen+Twining+at+Twinings+The+Strand+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8d6MGoXfgcA3fBThrp_qqOfltq-HxasqCFFTm9wwiaMcdT4rJCYo_pXTGhlwsDzsTSh8hCn4QiZiVmMWa0XPHAgm5QEsA1Bkl_CjNtVZygTONoBm53v-nI_9pdV3eCHtyz6rBkA-esO4/s1600/Stephen+Twining+at+Twinings+The+Strand+(1).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I thought I knew a bit (at least) about Twinings but I learnt so much! They have been operating out of the same shop in London since they started in 1706 and have a huge variety of tea available; all sorts of flavours and blends. It takes five years to become a master tea blender and, once qualified, you get a special teaspoon engraved with your name on (I really want one of those!). I also didn't know that Twinings originally created Earl Grey; that's why theirs is called <i>The</i> Earl Grey.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjCJ-9JmrAa2z9v5SxBeGWTGbB4qZimNy89XCGt-qIAN6v6v_0CbE6fBu_vem51tXrLD_tg2HbOYvOBkHG_f8cvm8cOr9jmwbAZ6KFbOdwlzYcLbkm24VX6xH8xMf7PNQSkb66quIt0I/s1600/Nilgiri+Loose+Leaf+at+Twinings+The+Strand+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjCJ-9JmrAa2z9v5SxBeGWTGbB4qZimNy89XCGt-qIAN6v6v_0CbE6fBu_vem51tXrLD_tg2HbOYvOBkHG_f8cvm8cOr9jmwbAZ6KFbOdwlzYcLbkm24VX6xH8xMf7PNQSkb66quIt0I/s1600/Nilgiri+Loose+Leaf+at+Twinings+The+Strand+%25282%2529.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was interesting to learn how complex it is to blend teas together for a consistent flavour and I didn't realise how involved the Twinings family still are. While we were all having a chat I was given the rare Nigiri Twist tea from the Glendale Estate to try; it was full flavoured but light at the same time, I really liked it. I know that water quality, temperature and steeping time are so important when it comes to making the perfect brew and I loved the glass teapots (below) that were used to brew up four different teas for us to try.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgl-v4eTAwDrFXz_Hvd7TdAEeWpNXPjnEMeynoTYKRwFKKZe3SPtrh5rWKFTz-Gf5AN3JUgHqNu3vr09NOoNUsmFHOju3qIjcllRMfLG16hTRJ-_xpYW-MIfYysHvtkq_kuTdBJBkeys/s1600/Tea+selection+at+Twinings+The+Strand+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgl-v4eTAwDrFXz_Hvd7TdAEeWpNXPjnEMeynoTYKRwFKKZe3SPtrh5rWKFTz-Gf5AN3JUgHqNu3vr09NOoNUsmFHOju3qIjcllRMfLG16hTRJ-_xpYW-MIfYysHvtkq_kuTdBJBkeys/s1600/Tea+selection+at+Twinings+The+Strand+(3).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The difference in colour of the teas was apparent and it was a great way to show the huge range of flavours across the tea spectrum. Out of the four that we tried my favourite was the Oolong. It's also worth noting that the loose tea leaves themselves had different shapes as well as different colours and aromas; something I've not really noticed much before.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0vX0GUlhrVymSh2kL5DyyF1QF1M-TtG5I823x0WGIcZmZ6a5YKONLICpmJocrvzEf_o3DILMCdV3uRaqQypAn3xnWgV96c2Pci0Qpsorkros3r8iBDpA8Jp9dT3urFBr7nSMf-p_wZA/s1600/Caramelised+Apple+Martini+at+Twinings+The+Strand+%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0vX0GUlhrVymSh2kL5DyyF1QF1M-TtG5I823x0WGIcZmZ6a5YKONLICpmJocrvzEf_o3DILMCdV3uRaqQypAn3xnWgV96c2Pci0Qpsorkros3r8iBDpA8Jp9dT3urFBr7nSMf-p_wZA/s1600/Caramelised+Apple+Martini+at+Twinings+The+Strand+%25285%2529.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We then tried their three new infused green teas: salted caramel, caramelised apple and gingerbread. I like green tea but (other than jasmine) hadn't tried flavoured green tea before. The caramelised apple was my favourite; good job too as this flavour was made up in to a caramelised apple green tea martini. Delicious. I really enjoyed my trip to Twinings and I now have one of those glass teapots for making tea perfectly every time at home. I'm looking forward to making my own green tea martini too!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Thanks to Twinings for the invitation and samples. All opinions expressed are my own.</span>Caroline Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17094951829911274552noreply@blogger.com12