I’ll show you how to get that separation layering that makes this drink look so pretty. This drink is simply the best cocktail ever! Fantastic for sunny BBQ Weekends. Did I ever tell you how much I love this Dark ‘N’ Stormy cocktail? I think I’ve mentioned it once or twice. My old school buddy Helen introduced me to this spicy refreshing cocktail a few years ago, and now I have to order it every time we go out for a couple of drinks....
Do you ever think about cooking dinner in terms of ROI (return on investment) - or is that just me?? Well if you do, this one totally hits the spot! Lets have a look at this a little further: Meals that don’t have a good ROI: Take ages to prepare yet and either don’t taste great, or don’t taste any better than a shop bought version (homemade puff pastry would fall into this category for me) Take ages to prepare, and the kids moan and push half of it to the side of their plate (grrr) Ingredients cost a lot of money, and it tastes ok (or worse) Lots of bowls, pans and dishes used to prepare the meal, and it tastes ok (or worse) - there’s a lot to be said for tasty one-pan meals...
This post was created in partnership with PGI Welsh lamb. All opinions are my own. Last year Chris and I spent a fantastic couple of days down in south Wales, learning all about lamb. We visited the Salt Marshes at Gower Salt Marsh Lamb and made this delicious slow roast shoulder of lamb with it when we got back home. Now we’re working with Welsh lamb again!You may not notice, but we do very little brand work....
We’re having Christmas dinner at my sister’s house this year, and I’m looking forward to spending time with the family and eating lots of lovely food (best hide those Quality Street sis!). But… I’m still cooking a Christmas turkey at home. It just wouldn’t feel festive enough if I can’t spend the days after Christmas day traipsing back and forth to the kitchen to make turkey sandwiches with stuffing and cranberry sauce, or to nibble on those leftover bacon-wrapped chipolatas....
When I ask Chris to ‘just try a little bit of this mushroom’, his response is always: ‘Why would I want to eat fungus? You’re basically offering me mould ‘. …and that’s why the kids won’t eat mushrooms too. Unlike with my fungus-hating husband, I have the power to make the kids try something. We have a rule in our house. You can’t say you don’t like something unless you’ve tried it....
A really simple recipe today. I wasn’t even going to post this one – considering it’s only one ingredient – but my kids really enjoyed them, so I had to share. These are Pineapple Core Crisps made out of the core of the pineapple. Yes, the bit you normally throw away actually works great as a fruity, fibre-packed snack. I have to admit, they aren’t actually that crisp, but that’s the way I sold them to the kids, and they ate them all in front of the TV as an after school snack....
If you’ve ever struggled to get really crispy crackling then I’m going to help you today. This will be the best crackling you’ve ever eaten. Just check out Chris’s expression at the end of the video when he takes a bite. I think maybe it should have been a private moment 😄 Not forgetting a must for any roast dinner - really flavourful gravy, and lots of it! …and I’ve just published my simple apple sauce recipe too - so we’re all set for an awesome roast pork dinner!...
‘What the heck is this turmeric latte or golden milk all about? Sounds a bit weird!’ That’s what I was thinking about when I first started seeing the hype. Supposedly the next big cult drink of 2016 due to the anti-inflamatory and anti-oxidant properties of the turmeric. I wasn’t convinced. Would it be like drinking watered-down curry? Would it wake me up in the morning like my favourite first cup of coffee - despite the lack of caffeine?...
I could probably eat a hundred turkey butties in a row before I get bored. Ideally with lashings of President butter (that stuff is so good I’m only allowed to buy it at Christmas and on holiday), a pinch of salt, leftover stuffing, cranberry sauce, and maybe a touch of mayo too. Christmas day evenings wouldn’t be the same without one of those butties. Even if I’m still full from dinner, I can always find a bit of room!...
A colourful salad, perfect for any season, full of creamy crunchiness. This is the second recipe in my 20 Minute Tuesday Series - check out the video below (I have to talk and everything!!) I can’t believe it’s March already! Last week the kids were off school for two days due to the snow, and this week I’m thinking about what I’m going to grow in the garden (time to get those early seeds sown!...
Are you on the chewy cookie team or the crunchy cookie team? Personally I like my honey/coconut/butter based cookies to be crisp, and my chocolate/oat/almond cookies to be chewy. Although if you give me a crisp chocolate, oat & almond cookie, I’m really not going to complain! These cookies include a little espresso powder to bring out the taste of the chocolate. Not enough that they taste like coffee, a teaspoon is plenty to give an extra depth of flavour....
It’s so tasty, Chris didn’t even seem to notice the fact that I was serving him something without meat. Not a single suggestion for a sprinkling of bacon 🙂 This Dough Balls with Cheesy Chard Dip is a lovely one-pot meal is great for a family get together. Just plonk it on the table and let everyone dig in. The added bonus is that it’s all cooked in the same pan, so less washing up too!...
The second speedy recipe in my series of four sprout side dishes (check out the first one - 3 cheese sprout gratin). Sprouts are roasted, then tossed through warm honey and balsamic vinegar before being sprinkled with almonds. What could be easier? Check out the video below. Serving Suggestions Make your Christmas Dinner a special one: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you)....
Christmas breakfast idea? Mother’s day breakfast idea? Easter Breakfast idea? Any excuse to eat these idea? YESSS! What’s the number one thing you’d buy every time you visited a lovely bakery? Fresh bread? homemade scones? crème pâtissière-filled mille-feuille? The mille-feuille comes pretty darn close, but for me it would be a warm almond croissants. Why is it that whenever you have a hotel breakfast or buy from the shop, almonds croissants are always cold!...
Serving sandwiches for dinner always seems a bit naughty. Eating your sandwiches at the table over a large piece of baking paper, with cheese melting out the sides, onions and peppers dropping onto the paper, and rich, beefy sauce dribbling down your chin? Well that’s just downright ill-mannered. It is fun though… ..and so delicious! The fact that my kids are allowed to put their elbows on the table, lick their fingers and basically look like they’ve just dunked their heads in their dinner makes this a family favourite....
I’ve been lovingly caring for the sourdough starter I made a month or so ago. I mastered the art of general bread making - with a little help from Mr Hollywood - about a year ago (it was a happy day for me when my dough addicted husband declared my bread delicious. I’d had far too many ‘hmmm it’s okaaaay’ comments!). So I thought I’d up my game and try some artisan bread....
I love making soup. As well as feeling virtuous for making something homely and healthy, it usually gives me the opportunity to use up the wizened old pieces of veg that are knocking about. I’m sure they sit there (in my little world where I believe vegetables have feelings), thinking they’ve got no chance of being picked compared to the handsome crunchy specimens they’re sharing a shelf with. However the sad fact is, those pieces will probably sit there until they’re wrinkled and waiting to be made into soup too....
You know you’re getting old when you get excited by a good Yorkshire pudding rise. But come on - how lovely does that look! It could probably serve 6, but I want a whole corner to myself, and so does everyone else in the family, so let’s stick to a calorific 4-person toad in the hole. What is toad in the hole? It’s basically just a giant Yorkshire pudding with sausages cooked into it....
I was amazed when I first learned that the recipe called for milk and sherry. I mean eugh! Sherry? Up until the last couple of years, I think the only times I’d ever had sherry have been: Mixed with a blue WKD alcopop as a teenager (I think it was called a Cheeky Vimto – quite nice actually, but anything that’s alcoholic, full of sugar and blue in colour is going to be nice when you’re first experimenting with after college pub crawls!...
Do you ever go to a nice cafe or pub, see ‘fishfinger butty’ or fish sandwich on the menu, and be totally temped by it? It’s the easiest thing in the world to make at home, but crispy fish on bread with a squirt of ketchup or mayo just seems like the best thing ever, right in that moment that you’re looking at the menu. I love a good fish finger butty at home too, but if I want something a little more special for a treat, this chunky, crispy fish burger on a delicious Brioche Bun with a pile of salty shoestring fries is the answer....
