If you were to ask me what I would like to achieve in life, one of my answers would most probably be completing a diploma at Leiths. Ever since acquiring the Baking Bible a few years ago, I have been obsessed with the idea of training at the famous cookery school.

I’m sorry to disappoint you but I’m not going to tell you that I have enrolled but a couple of weeks ago I was invited to try out the next best thing.

For those of you that don’t know, Asda has teamed up with Leiths on the Extra Special range and I was there with a handful of fellow bloggers to cook an Easter inspired dinner with the ingredients.

We split into teams with each person responsible for a different dish.

On the menu:

Asparagus, fresh parmesan, samphire and soft boiled egg salad

Soda bread

Mustard herb crusted rack of lamb with seasonal vegetables

Strawberry tartlets

Chocolate truffle cupcakes

I wouldn’t call what we did cooking as such, all ingredients were ready measured out and prepared for us to save time. All we had to do was assemble and the dishes, which were whisked away from us to be cooked / baked. I had a great team and we were known as the slow team because none of us could stop talking to each other. What? We were having fun!

When we had finished, we all moved through to the next room and sat around a huge table to enjoy our three courses. I couldn’t fault anything – the lamb was tender and fragrant and even the strawberry filled tartlet cases were utterly morish. One of the highlights for me though was the soda bread. I’m a fan of making this unbelievably quick bake at home – simply bung everything in a bowl, mix and bake. No time is needed to rest or let it rise as there is no yeast in the mixture.

I walked away at the end of the evening with a goody bag filled to the brim with the new Extra Speical range. I’m particularly looking forward to trying the balsamic vinegar and garlic dipping oil!

Food For Think was a guest of Asda at Leiths