Orient Express

I have become increasingly interested (or perhaps just totally obsessed) with asian inspired food of late. Not a week goes by without a stir fry or curry. I have decided that my penchant for all things oriental is for various reasons-

-an asian inspired dish is really quick and easy to make, a one pan wonder if you will

-Homemade Asian food impresses

-It’s everywhere from Jamie O’s 30minute meals to Bill Granger’s new book ‘Bill’s Everyday Asian’

-When you’re feeling in need of a bit of a healthy boost what better than a spicy stirfry with loads of chopped vegetables- the more the better and you can just bung in anything you have lurking in the depths of the fridge

Once you have a few staples in the cupboard/fridge it is so simple to turn a bit of meat and some vegetables into an everyday asian feast. Now I have built up my asian essentials I often freestyle with varying amounts of each flavour, these experimental dishes are often the best way to stumble upon a fab new recipe.

My asian essential recommendations would be: soy sauce (I like Tamari), sesame oil, lime juice (fresh or bottled), chilli (red- dried and fresh), root ginger (and lots of it, this keeps for ages in the fridge and is also amazingly warming and a great cold deterrent grated into a mug of hot water with a squeeze of lemon), palm sugar, honey, peanut butter, tamarind paste and coconut milk.

The best thing is ALL of these ingredients keep well so although the initial stock up may seem pricey- they really will last and see you through countless meals, plus you’ll only ever use little bits in most dishes. The only extra thing that really is worth buying fresh is coriander, you can buy a plant and keep it on your window sill for a constant supply of fresh leaves.

My new favourite stirfry recipe is one that I cooked last week for my Dad and I, it was after we’d spent a while bottling last years sloe gin and making up this years and needed something quick and tasty.

For two people:

1 chicken breast, chopped dipped in a little beaten egg then tossed in plain flour

2 shallots, chopped

100g mushrooms, chopped

1-2 pak choi, quartered

Juice 1 lime

1 red chilli chopped

2tsps (or a couple of squeezes) of runny honey

3 tblsp soy sauce

1tblsp sesame oil

A large thumb of peeled & grated ginger (I use LOTS of ginger to give a really good depth of flavour)

chick/veg stock to loosen (probably around 5-6tblsp but add it until you reach your desired consistency)

200g cooked egg noodles

A small bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

-Drizzle a little sunflower/groundnut oil into a wok and place over a medium heat

-Add the shallots and cook gently for around five minutes, until soft

-Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together the lime juice, chili, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil and ginger

-Add the chicken pieces to the wok and brown briefly before pouring in the soy mixture from the previous step

-Add the mushrooms, and pak choi to the wok and mix everything together well

-Pour in a little stock, bit by bit, until you have a good sauce

-Cook over a medium heat until the chicken is cooked through and the pak choi is tender

-Add the cooked noodles to the pan and mix everything together well before sprinkling with the coriander and serving. 

I have become increasingly interested (or perhaps just totally obsessed) with asian inspired food of late. Not a week goes by without a stir fry or curry. I have decided that my penchant for all things oriental is for various reasons- an asian inspired dish is often really quick and easy to make, a one pan wonder if you will Homemade Asian food impresses It’s everywhere from Jamie O’s 30minute meals to Bill Granger’s new book ‘Bill’s Everyday Asian’ When you’re feeling in need of a bit of a healthy boost what better than a spicy stirfry with loads of chopped vegetables- the more the better and you can just bung in anything you have lurking in the depths of the fridge Once you have a few staples in the cupboard/fridge it is so simple to turn a bit of meat and some vegetables into an everyday asian feast. Now I have built up my asian essentials I often freestyle with varying amounts of each flavour, these experimental dishes are often the best way to stumble upon a fab new recipe. My asian essential recommendations would be: soy sauce (I like Tamari), sesame oil, lime juice (fresh or bottled), chilli (red- dried and fresh), root ginger (and lots of it, this keeps for ages in the fridge and is also amazingly warming and a great cold deterrent grated into a mug of hot water with a squeeze of lemon), palm sugar, honey, peanut butter, tamarind paste and coconut milk. The best thing is ALL of these ingredients keep well so although the initial stock up may seem pricey- they really will last and see you through countless meals, plus you’ll only ever use little bits in most dishes. The only extra thing that really is worth buying fresh is coriander, you can buy a plant and keep it on your window sill for a constant supply of fresh leaves. My new favourite stirfry recipe is one that I cooked last week for my Dad and I, it was after we’d spent a while bottling last years sloe gin and making up this years and needed something quick and tasty. For two people: 1 chicken breast, chopped dipped in a little beaten egg then tossed in plain flour 2 shallots, chopped 100g mushrooms, chopped 1-2 pak choi, quartered Juice 1 lime 1 red chilli chopped 2tsps (or a couple of squeezes) of runny honey 3 tblsp soy sauce 1tblsp sesame oil A large thumb of peeled & grated ginger (I use LOTS of ginger to give a really good depth of flavour) chick/veg stock to loosen (probably around 5-6tblsp but add it until you reach your desired consistency) 200g cooked egg noodles A small bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped -Drizzle a little sunflower/groundnut oil into a wok and place over a medium heat -Add the shallots and cook gently for around five minutes, until soft -Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together the lime juice, chili, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil and ginger -Add the chicken pieces to the wok and brown briefly before pouring in the soy mixture from the previous step -Add the mushrooms, and pak choi to the wok and mix everything together well -Pour in a little stock, bit by bit, until you have a good sauce -Cook over a medium heat until the chicken is cooked through and the pak choi is tender -Add the cooked noodles to the pan and mix everything together well before sprinkling with the coriander and serving.

Anna del Conte in discussion with Silvana de Soissons

I recently went to an incredibly interesting talk with the culinary genius Anna del Conte, an Italian born food writer who has just released her latest book ‘Cooking with Coco’, a dedication to cooking with her 12-year-old granddaughter. Being a fan of Anna’s writing and having recently read ‘Risotto with Nettles’- her memoir with food, I was thrilled to meet her and her interviewer Silvana de Soissons, a fellow Italian and founder of The Foodie Bugle magazine. Anna spoke candidly to Silvana about her Italian roots, her upbringing, her move to the UK, and the inevitable difference in each cuisine. Her good friend Nigella Lawson often champions Anna del Conte; they both share an Italian link and the obvious love of good food, coincidently this is how I initially heard of Anna.

Italian food has become highly popular the world over. Anna puts this down to the ease of availability of ingredients- who hasn’t got a tin of tomatoes and some pasta in their cupboard- different to the exhaustive list of ingredients that a lot of other recipes require. Italian food is totally rooted in tradition, the champion dishes are the classics such as Bolognese. Recipes are passed down through the family and imbedded deep within the culture as opposed to the fads and fashion that food has often become linked with in Britain.

Anna del Conte was born into a Milanese family where the family cook Maria nurtured her initial interest in food. With the absence of entertainment for children she would rush off to the kitchen when she got home from school and help. Her mother was also a good cook, and her signature dishes were often requested at dinner parties. Anna came to England in 1949, a time when olive oil was only available in chemists, rationing was still prevalent and nobody had a clue what fennel or an aubergine was. Meat and butter were rationed, but this did not include horsemeat, which Anna would cook and serve to unsuspecting friends.

Although her dedication to her Italian roots is steadfast, she also has a love of a good shepherd’s pie or a sticky toffee pudding, dishes she has adopted into her repertoire.  Her food heroes include Margaret Costa, Jane Grigson, Katie Stewart and Elizabeth David.

Author to many a cookbook, Anna’s latest offering, ‘Cooking with Coco’ is a family cook book aimed at encouraging a child’s interest in food from a young age and based on her granddaughters interest in helping in the kitchen from a young age. The book is set out in chapters ordered by age group- relevant to what capability you can expect. It is bursting with bright, colourful photographs of food and family and regardless of who you want to share the culinary experience or just embark on a solo kitchen mission; the recipes are inspiring, delicious and suitable for anyone. 

Cooking with Coco is available on Amazon.co.uk

The Great British Bake Off

My new favourite program on the telly is the second series of The Great British Bake Off. I suppose it is a talent contest of sorts, far better than any of the usual music varieties. Judged by the infamous Mary Berry (who has written over 60 cookery books!) and Paul Hollywood and hosted by Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, the series is now onto episode three and the challenge of bread-baking. 

We've so far watched the 12 contestants bake their way through a cake round, that saw many a flavoured cupcake, coffee and walnut Batternberg, and a celebration cake round with a rather disastrous outcome for one of the baker's creations. The second round was all about tarts, with quiches galore and a technical bake of Mary Berry's very own tarte au cirtron. The most recent round was a rather grueling bread challenge with a particularly tricky focaccia. 

Being a great fan of Mary Berry's I was rather pleased when my mum bought me the Great British Bake Off book as a present last week. It's bursting with baking delights, my first accomplishment of which was a recipe for Earl Grey cupcakes. Being a true early grey drinker these immediately caught my eye- here's the recipe:
For the cakes:
200ml semi-skimmed milk
2 Early Grey teabags (I used 4 to make the earl grey taste a little more prominent)
115g unsalted butter
225g caster sugar
2 large eggs
250g plain flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder


For the icing:
75g unsalted butter, softened
grated zest and juice of 2 unwaxed lemons
350g icing sugar
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Heat the milk in a pan until hot
- Add the tea bags and leave to infuse for a couple of minutes then remove
- Measure 150ml of milk and leave to cool 
- In a bowl combine the butter with the sugar and then add the eggs one at a time
- Add a third of the flour followed by a third of the infused milk and repeat until all used
- Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes
- Cool on a wire rack
- To make the icing whizz the ingredients in the food processor until smooth, I tend to whizz the icing sugar on its own first to remove the lumps without having to sieve
- Pipe or spread the icing onto the cooled cupcakes and decorate with lemon zest

Tune into The Great British Bake Off on BBC 2 on Tuesday.

Daylesford Organic Farm

Yesterday morning I went for a delicious weekend breakfast at Daylesford Organic farm in Gloucestershire.

 It really is the most wonderful place-
an open plan converted barn; one half
serving as a farm shop and the other as
the restaurant. There's a vast array of
organic vegetables, bread, meat, fish
and even a special cheese room stocking
 their award-winning cheeses.

I could have quite easily spent hours and hundreds of pounds there but after a scrummy breakfast of sourdough toast, wild mushrooms and poached eggs topped with hollandaise, I settled on a colourful array of assorted tomatoes, some award-winning cheddar, a bunch of baby carrots and a sourdough loaf.


I will definitely be making a return trip.

Technicolour toms

www.daylesfordorganicfarm.co.uk

Mission mayonnaise

There's nothing quite like homemade mayonnaise. All you need is a steady hand, a food processor and ten minutes of your time. Still got nerve-wracking visions of an oily curdling mess? Try out this foolproof recipe:

1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk

250ml of sunflower oil and 50ml of olive oil

a squeeze of lemon

Seasoning

1/2 a clove of garlic

a teaspoon of mustard

- Pop the egg and egg yolk into the food processor along with the garlic and mustard.

- Whizz until combined.

- Now, with the food processor still running, VERY slowly start to pour in the oils, almost a drop at a time to start off with. Be patient, it will start to thicken gradually and once it does you can start pouring the oil in slightly more quickly. 

- Once all the oil is combined, stop the blade and add seasoning and a squeeze of lemon.

- I sometimes like to add a dash of vinegar to taste.

This is delicious for a potato salad and even to simply dollop along side any meat or fish. Up the garlic amount for an aioli. 

Scrumptiously Simple Apple Tart...

There's nothing quite like a good apple tart.

The simpler the better in my book, to really let the apples sing. When it comes to cooking, although I am an ardent fan of spending a day labouring over an everything-made-from-scratch complex recipe, there is also something extremely satisfying about conjuring up something delicious from few ingredients in a short space of time.

This is also a fabulous pudding to have in your repertoire, especially when you're short of time. In this vein it is perfectly acceptable, I think, to use shop bought short crust pastry here, the trick is to roll it out as thin as you can, to ensure a really crisp finish.

I use just a little added depth of flavour with the help of some sugar, butter, cloves &cinnamon, but it's a subtle spice rather than anything too heavy, again letting the apples do the work. You can, ofcourse, add as little or as much as you like to suit personal taste.

Today, I was making a smaller tart, suitable for 4 people and using an 8 inch tart tin, but whatever size you're making, you can simply adapt the recipe accordingly.

If you're making the pastry from scratch:
-Combine 200g plain flour with 80g of unsalted butter, rubbing between your fingertips to the consistency of breadcrumbs. Alternatively, blitz in the food processor.
-Stir through 50g of sugar. Then slowly add in one whisked egg yolk and add ice cold water slowly until the mixture is just wet enough to form a ball.
-Flatten the pastry, so it'll be easier to roll out later, and wrap in cling film, before putting in the fridge for at least an hour.
-Remove the chilled pastry from the fridge and leave to soften a little, before rolling out as thin as possible and lining the tin with it, leave the pastry overhang to fold over the apples later.
-Peel, core and thinly slice 3 apples of your choice, keeping them together in halves (I used Jazz this time, they needn't be cooking apples).
-Place the slice apples into the lined tin in their slice halves and fan them out slightly so the tin is quite tightly packed and then fold the overlapping pastry back into the tin over the apples
-Stir together 1.5 tablespoons of butter, half a teaspoon of ground cloves, and half a teaspoon of cinnamon and drizzle over the tart, and sprinkle over 2 teaspoon of caster sugar and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar.
-Bake in the oven for 40minutes, until the apples are soft the the pastry is golden brown and crisp.
-Delicious served with vanilla ice cream, or creme anglaise.

Elderflower extravaganza

The weather's playing havoc with us at the moment. One minute there's gale force wind and torrential downpour and the next the sun has got its hat on. We were eating outside in our t-shirts in April and lapping up those early rays, and come June the brollies are being held over the barbie whilst we dash inside to escape the chill! One thing the early heat did bring on, which the rainy weather of late can't destroy, was an early glut of elderflowers and there are still plenty around to forage for. The lace of creamy, white blossoms is covering almost every hedgerow around and they make for the perfect culinary ingredient.

So, last weekend I took to the garden, frollicking around the hedgerows plucking as many blossoms as I could find. A little recipe researching reveals an endless list of elderflower-infused creations and ideas of how to use these little floral wonders throughout the year. And even better, although the flowering period is relatively brief (some already starting to brown)- you can pop as many elderflowers as you can forage for in a plastic bag and into the freezer for a constant supply.

The first port of call is, perhaps evidently, elderflower cordial. Satisfyingly simple, deliciously tasty and so versatile:

- Pluck 25 elderflower heads, de-bug and give a good rinse/shake under the tap.
- Meanwhile, in a pan stir 1.5kg of caster sugar into 1.5 litres of water and pop onto a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
- Slice 3 lemons and place in a suitable container, I use a large tupperware box and add the elderflower heads and 50g of citric acid (available in all chemists).
- Once the sugar syrup has cooled, pour over the lemon and elderflowers.
- Leave this to macerate overnight, before straining through a muslin, into sterilised bottles.

Another elderflower-based culinary venture this weekend came in the form of elderflower lemon curd, which is great used in puddings. I combined the lemon curd with whipped cream for the filling for a pavlova, topped with blueberries and then drizzled the remaining lemon curd over. Yum!
Another elderflower venture this weekend was elderflower vodka- and it couldn't be simpler, 25 plucked elderflower heads, snipped into a large kilner jar and doused in a litre of vodka, leave in a cool dark place for around a month, strain and voila! Next on the list in this elderflower extravaganza is elderflower sorbet, I will keep you posted.

Gwynnie's Blueberry Muffins

Pessimistic though I was about the arrival of Gwyneth Paltrow's cook book (would it too easily fall into the celebrity-turned-everything-else-but-in-a-rubbish-kinda-way category?), I must say that aside from a few rather dubious sounding items, such as Vegenaise (?!!?), I am actually quite the fan, and thank you to my lovely mum for ordering it for me.

There is nothing ground-breakingly jaw dropping, but her recipes appear to be homely, balanced and tasty too. The book is grounded on a foodie family, all with a bit of context which is always nice as food does evoke certain memories and resemble certain things to certain people. Firstly, she doesn't write the book under the pretense of a professional chef; rather she declares upon the first page 'I am not a professional cook. I am an amateur and a lover of all things culinary'. Once renound for her extreme macro-biotic diet she does offer healthy options in her recipes, sometimes with a completely alternative ingredient list. You'll be glad to hear, though, there is nothing scarily extreme and for the most part you won't need to schedule a visit to some health shop or chemist, but simply your local supermarket.

My first foray into the world of cooking as guided by Gwynnie was an attempt at her blueberry muffins (the less healthy versions, incase you're wondering!). My lovely friend Lizzie and I set about making these little wonders yesterday afternoon. It was very easy and enjoyable with a short and simple ingredient list, that let the fresh blueberries speak for themselves. In a moment of culinary creativity (and also due to the fact Tesco metro had failed us) we decided to make the muffin cases ourselves from squares of baking-parchment to give the oh so deli-esque touch.

The resulting golden buns, packed with oozing, bursting blueberries were divine and I couldn't resist popping one back in the oven to re-heat for breakfast this morning... so much tastier than the bought variety that are have that synthetic 'blueberry-flavour' taste.

Here's the recipe:
125g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large free-range eggs
125ml milk
225g plain flour
175g caster sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
300g fresh blueberries

-Preheat the oven to 190 C
-Pop some muffin cases into a muffin tin, or impress and alternatively make your own (a la Lizzie!) with 14cm squares of baking parchment pressed into the muffin tin so the corners spike up at the sides
-Whisk together the eggs, milk and melted butter
-In another bowl mix the dry ingredients together (salt, flour, sugar and baking powder)
-Combine the wet ingredients into the dry, apparently 8 stirs is sufficient and ensures the muffins are not too dense
- Divide the mixture equally between 12 cases and sprinkle a little sugar on top of each before baking in the oven for around 30mins. Blueberry bliss!

Thai for Two...

Upon discovery of a rather tucked away Asian restaurant in Newcastle, my boyfriend took me out for  a lovely oriental supper at Barn Asia.

The tuk tuk outside was a taste of what was to come as we entered the fashionably decorated interior. The walls where adorned with super cool asian artwork and the feel was modern and contemporary with colourful lanterns hanging from the ceiling and ornate furniture by the bar area.

The menu was reassuringly small- something that is, in my opinion, certainly no bad thing. We begun our Asian taste experience with starters of Thai yellow rice balls with a melon, cucumber salsa and tempura prawns. These curious, deep-fried balls of rice were delicious; crispy on the outside and wonderfully spicy and aromatic within. Bursting with thai taste bud tickling curry paste with notes of lemongrass, chili, ginger, garlic and coriander and presented beautifully. The cucumber, melon salsa and micro herb adornment snuggled satisfyingly atop each orb and provided a perfect cooling and flavoursome accompaniment.

My main course was a rather delicious shitaake mushroom pad thai with chicken, with the usual rice noodles, egg, spring onions, peanut and a sticky sweet sauce and a sliced chicken breast scattered scrumptiously across the noodle bed, with perfectly crispy skin.

There was a seemingly delightful dark chocolate and peanut butter tart on the pudding menu, although after seriously over-indulging in course one and two where my eyes had certainly been bigger than my tummy, and although totally tempted,  neither of us could quite face the thought of round three.. All in all an amazing asian sensation and one that I'd thoroughly recommend-  we didn't quite make it to pudding but what better excuse to go back, I'd say.

TOO TRUE...

Captivating Cupcakes...

Last weekend was my housemate- Lucy's 21st birthday. It proved to be quite the culinary few days with delicious home-made pizzas on Thursday followed by chocolate brownies and rice-crispy cakes before a cup-cake and champagne tea party on Friday and a delicious Italian supper in Gusto (courtesy of her lovely parents).

A truly note-worthy addition to the celebrations were Lucy's Granny Margaret's beautiful cupcakes. They looked almost too good to eat, but upon eating were equally as delectable. Lovingly decorated with perfectly piped icing and topped off with sweet little sugar roses and silver balls, they were a real feast for the eyes and the tummy! Presented in a specially bought cupcake box, they were the star of the show and everyone was utterly impressed by Granny Margaret's talents.

Royal Wedding Fever...

As it’s the Royal Wedding tomorrow, and you most certainly cannot avoid the celebrations, I thought I’d get into the patriotic swing of things in the kitchen with some ‘Royal Wedding’ Cupcakes.

I found some tremendously tacky and marvelously majestic rice paper decorations online and they arrived yesterday- just in time! So today I set about making a batch of vanilla cupcakes topped with a swirl of butter icing, a perfect base for the fabulous decorations adorned with the faces of Wills and Kate.

I also crafted some sweet little crowns out of royal (aptly named!) fondant icing. I’d found this shimmery edible gold powder for decorating cakes in my local kitchen shop and thought it fit for just such a job. So after some blitzing, whipping, piping and prettifying I have 24 perfectly patriotic and really, rather royal cakes ready for tomorrow.

Vanilla cupcakes:

200g self-raising flour

200g sugar

200g butter

4 duck eggs

1tsp vanilla extract

Butter Icing:

430g icing sugar (sifted)

200g butter

Crown Decorations:

Block of Royal Fondant Icing

Edible Gold shimmer powder

- Preheat the oven to 180C

-      -  You can make these very quickly and easily in the food processor or just as well by hand.

-       - First mix the sugar and butter until pale and fluffy, it really is worth taking time to do this as it results in a light and fluffy cake.

-      - Next crack in the 4 eggs one at a time, I use duck eggs for cakes as they make a delicious, golden sponge. Whilst combining the eggs, add 1-2 tablespoons of the flour to prevent curdling.

-       - Next sift in the flour and combine everything together.

-       - Spoon the mixture equally into 24 paper cupcake cases and put into the oven for 20minutes, or until golden brown.

-       - For the butter icing, it is definitely easier to use either a hand whisk or again, the food processor as otherwise the kitchen gets engulfed by a fog of icing sugar.

-       - Mix the icing sugar and butter together until smooth.

-       - I like to pipe my icing onto the cakes but you can just as successfully spread it on with a knife.

-       - Wait until the cakes are cool before icing.

-       - For the golden crowns, roll out a block of royal fondant icing and cut into small crown shapes (you can also buy crown-shaped biscuit cutters), press the crowns into the icing on top of each cake and sprinkle over edible gold powder (available from cooking shops and Waitrose).

If you’re feeling even more adventurous and in the regal spirit why not support William and Kate’s big day with this Union Jack Battenberg cake from the BBC Food website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/union_jack_battenburg_15063 So this Royal Wedding Bank Holiday, put the bunting up and get baking.

Something a little bit different...

Today, whilst wandering around the supermarket,  I came across these delights: Pineberries!

They are strange and rather sweet little berries that look like confused strawberries. I certainly couldn't resist the charm of this fruity foreigner and bought a punnet or two of the back-to-front strawbs. They are a lot smaller than their strawberry relations and are white in colour, studded with red seeds. Pineberries were first put into supermarkets in 2010 when shoppers thought they were they were being confronted by an April Fool joke, not an exotic new fruit.

Upon doing some research, I learnt that they are supposedly akin to a pineapple in the taste department but I have to say that they do taste more like strawberries than pineapples with, I suppose, a slightly more tropical flavour. Either way, I think they are a welcome newcomer and why not make a pineberry pavlova to celebrate.

Pavlova Recipe: 
8 egg whites
500g caster sugar
2tsp white wine vinegar
1tsp vanilla extract
600ml double cream
4 passion fruit
A sprinkling of Pineberries to decorate!

- Heat the oven to 180 C
- After separating the whites and yolks, whisk the egg whites to the soft peak stage
- Whisk in the sugar gradually
- Fold in the vanilla and vinegar gently with a slotted metal spoon
- Line a baking tray with parchment and draw a circle-shape on it, roughly 25cm wide (I like to use a plate to draw around)
- Spoon the mixture onto the drawn out circle, making it dipped in the centre and risen around the edge
- Put in the oven and turn the heat down to 120 C straight away and cook for an hour
- Turn the oven off and leave the meringue in the oven until it is totally cool
- To serve peel the parchment off the bottom of the meringue and place the meringue on a serving dish
- Whip up the double cream until it just starts to thicken (take care not to overwhip), and mix in the flesh of the 4 passionfruit
- Spoon this over the meringue and decorate with the pineberries
(NB. before decorated with cream and fruit, the meringue base will keep in an airtight container or tin for a few days or in the freezer for 3-4 weeks).

Ice Cream Sundays

The sun is out, which in culinary terms, certainly means it is time for lovely things such as BBQs, Pimms, strawberries and cream and ice cream. And as with most things cooked from scratch, there certainly is nothing scrummier than home-made ice cream. You can make ice-cream in virtually any flavour you fancy; from strawberry to brown bread. Although many recipes call for the use of an ice cream maker to churn the cream, you can very happily and successfully make ice-cream without any kitchen gadgets and simply with the use of the freezer and a tupperware box! By making your own you can also ensure no nasties in your cone.

I whipped up a batch of berry ice cream using frozen blackberries and raspberries. It is deliciously simple and even better, there's no need to take it out every couple of hours to mix. It makes for a quick and easy pudding too, great served with a scattering of fresh berries and chocolate sauce.

400g of frozen raspberries and blackberries
150g of golden caster sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
285ml of double cream

- Whip the double cream until thick, be careful not to over-whip and stop when it has just got thick
- Meanwhile, blitz the berries in the blender and mix with the sugar and lemon juice
- Stir the berry mixture into the whipped cream until fully blended, alternatively just swirl in gently for a rippled effect

- Pour the mixture into a suitable tupperware container and pop in the freezer for atleast 3hours before eating. It'll make the bank-holiday sunshine even more enjoyable!

Hot Cross Buns

 After two-weeks in London, where I ate out a lot and the only meal I actually cooked was a bowl of pasta, I woke up this morning feeling that it was definitely time to regain my kitchen mojo. A quick glance through some books, magazines and online and I decided that with Easter fast approaching, what better time than to whip up a batch of hot-cross buns. This is a first for me, and I rather ashamedly have always been more than content with the shop-bought variety. Always one to want to attempt such a recipe from scratch I embarked on the mission in a fog of flour and scattering of currants. I find that the prospect of hand baking any bread-like recipes often tend to fill people with dread, a long with thoughts that it'll either be the most time-consuming of activities or it will simply, all too easily and rather disappointingly fail.

After some mixing and kneading, and some rather rustic cross-piping, out of the oven came 6 golden buns as well as a rather delicious spicy, citrus aroma. Nothing better than served with lashings of butter, straight from the oven- delicious.

Why not make a batch this Easter bank holiday:

310g strong white flour           zest of 1 lemon                    For the cross and glaze:

½ tsp salt                                 1 egg, beaten                              1 tbsp golden syrup

2tsp ground mixed spice         140ml warm milk                       2tbsp plain flour

20g melted butter                    1tsp fast-action dried yeast         1tsp sugar

50g sugar                                60g currants                               6tbsp water                       

- Sift the flour into a bowl with the salt, mixed spice, sugar, lemon and orange zest and yeast

- Make a well in the centre and pour in the melted butter, milk and egg and mix together

- When the mixture is coming together to form a dough get your hands in and transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for ten minutes.

- Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover and leave in a warm place for an hour

- After an hour the dough should have risen and you will have to knock it back and leave it in the bowl for a further 30 mins

- Split the dough into 6equal sections and roll into bun shapes and place on a greased baking tray

- For the cross mix together the flour, sugar and water to form a paste (you may need to add more water), put into a piping bag and pipe on crosses over the buns

- Bake in a 240C oven for about 15mins or until a light golden brown

- Heat the golden syrup until it is runny and as soon as the buns are out of the oven brush them with the golden syrup to give a lusciously lacquered glaze

Deli Delights...

There's nothing better than a good deli, brandishing the best of British produce. I like nothing more than trotting into a well-stocked delicatessen and gazing over the extensive range of meats, cheeses, scrumptious dressings, marinades and preserves. All the better if there happens to be a range of freshly picked fruit and vegetables- not long plucked from the ground and still bearing the earthy residue, something a supermarket cannot quite compete with.

There happens to be just such an offering nestled down the road from where I live. Although nothing beats a social trip here for a coffee and a delicious slice of homemade (and probably over-priced) cake, of a morning, it is such a treat to hand pick local produce in just such a venue when your own garden won't quite yield such delights!

Recently I wandered down to said destination with ideas for supper that night at the forefront of my mind. And what utter inspiration a well stocked deli can offer compared to the supermarket where, if I haven't been efficient enough to make a list, I seem to wander aimlessly from aisle to aisle plucking all sorts of miscellaneous items off shelves before realizing, upon my return home, that these mismatched items will not be conducive to a complete meal recipe of any kind!

The moment I walked in I saw a mouth-watering variety of quiches and tarts ahead of me, so with my initial idea of some sort of salad completely dashed and now comparatively inferior, I set my mind to a homemade quiche for supper and started out on a hunt for some delicious quiche-fillers. The cheese counter did not disappoint and after choosing a delightful goats cheese I also found a fat red onion, some oak-smoked streaky bacon (freshly sliced in front of me no less!), a box of free-range eggs from somewhere that sounded like a 5* hotel for hens, an enormous lettuce and a ripe avocado (something that pleased me an embarrassing amount, as in the supermarket I'm always left trying to find a ripe avocado but end up groping one bullet-like fruit after another!). Home I went with my laden brown paper bag.

After an hours pottering in the kitchen out of the oven came a golden quiche deeply filled with balsamic red onions, crispy bacon and crumbled goat’s cheese, that if I say so myself was a deliciously indulgent supper a long with a crisp green salad.

NB. For a scrummy quiche I believe the pastry should be blind baked for crispness, I also find that a loose bottomed metal quiche tin results in an infinitely superior quiche as opposed to one baked in a ceramic dish. The metal one conducts the heat better allowing the pastry to crisp up, whereas whenever I've used a ceramic I end up with a rather disappointingly soggy supper.

Seasonal sensations..

Last night, I suppered at my lovely friend Hen's. She is a great cook and we whipped up a delicious spring-time risotto. It was packed with goodies, such as ribbons of courgette, pesto chicken, asparagus and lots of parmesan. This was my first British asparagus of the season and it did not disappoint, it was delicious and cooked just right, still with some bite. I cannot wait for my next taste of British asparagus, a true, patriotic treat. So good that it is just as delicious on its own with a sprinkling of sea salt and some melted butter. I think I will next have it with a the good Nigella Hollandaise recipe that I've just about mastered, a great starter! So here's to the British asparagus, a truly seasonal delight.

Tea, glorious tea...

My friends and family would probably say that I have a rather weird and strange obsession with tea. I’d call it a totally healthy enthusiasm. I’m always on the look out for new teas, teacups, and pots- anything to do with tea really! Last summer I found many a gorgeous teacup in various bric-a-brac shops and car boot sales.

I have also recently stumbled across this rather lovely book ‘Ten poems about Tea’, available at www.candlestickpress.co.uk. I cannot wait to order my copy.

Istanbul Market

On my travels I am always on the look out for new teas, and found some wonderful ones in some of Istanbul’s markets last summer in Turkey, particularly lovely hibiscus and rose hip. 

When in Paris earlier this year and wandering the beautiful Parisenne streets, I was absolutely delighted to stumble across the most gorgeous 

little teashop called ‘Kusmi Tea’. I couldn’t resist and before I knew it I was being babbled at in French about every type of tea you could possibly imagine. The shop was like an Aladdin’s cave full of everything from earl-grey to green tea with orange and cinnamon to spicy chocolate tea. There were huge tins full of tealeaves that you could buy by weight, or alternatively choose from smaller, individual tins, all beautifully packaged in an array of bright colours. After wandering around the shop and sipping on several sample cups, I finally decided on (much to my boyfriend’s relief), a gift set called 'The Momens’ including five different flavoured teas in adorable coloured tins complete with a tea infuser and also a box of divine hand-made green Chinese green tea flavoured with orange, cinnamon, liquorice and sea-buckthorn muslin tea-bags. All packaged up in a colourful paper bag adorned with prints of all the tea-labels- positively frame-worthy!

Since returning I have found the kusmi tea website and am overjoyed that I can get my herbal tea fix with an online order! I have since been enjoying my delicious teas in the gorgeous teacups that I received from my lovely housemates for my birthday!

My next endeavour is to make my own tea bags, my mixing my own combination of various teas and tying them up in sweet little muslin pockets, I shall let you know how I get on.