All posts filed under: Recipes

Easy wholemeal seed and nut loaf

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This recipe is adapted from a fantastic Delia Smith recipe. It is incredibly easy and tastes delicious warm from the oven, smothered with salted butter. I made this to accompany a fantastic BBQ that we had over the ferociously hot Easter weekend. Ingredients 285g wholemeal flour, plus a little extra for the top of the bread 1 tsp salt 1 tsp light muscovado sugar 1tsp easy bake yeast (this is half of an easy bake yeast sachet) 200ml tepid water 100g mixed nuts and seeds (save some to sprinkle on the top) Method Pre-heat the oven to it’s lowest setting 1. Warm the flour in the oven for about 10 minutes, then turn the oven off. 2. Put the warm flour into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the salt, sugar and yeast over the top. Mix thoroughly. 3. Make a well in the center and pour in the tepid water. Take a wooden spoon and mix the water into the flour gradually to form a dough. 4. Mix with your hands until you have …

Royal wedding lemon curd cake

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So, the Royal Wedding. I have to say that I wasn’t overly excited and I didn’t have any plans until a couple of days before. I still wanted to watch it though – mostly to see what Kate would be wearing! I switched the TV on and something odd happened. As soon as I saw Kate climb into the car to take her to Westminster Abbey, I started balling whilst laughing at the same time. She looked beautiful and I couldn’t comprehend how she must have been feeling. We had a few friends over for a curry (not typically British I know) and I baked a Victoria sponge with a difference. Instead of jam and strawberries, I lathered on the lemon curd – I have a picky other half that won’t touch jam. I added an extra vanilla pod, which worked really well and the whole cake was demolished in a matter of minutes. Ingredients 225g butter, softened 225g golden caster sugar 4 Burford Brown eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 vanilla pod, desseded 225g …

The most AMAZING fudgey chocolate brownies

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About three and a half years ago, I found myself at a loose end so decided to try something that I had never really done before. That something was baking – chocolate brownies to be precise. Since the moment I took that gooey, chocolatey tray of naughtiness out of the oven and slid a spoonful into my mouth, I became hooked. Absolutely, totally and utterly hooked. I can’t remember ever being a massive cake fan but that was the turning point in my life. There’s only one regret I have about that batch of brownies and that is not remembering what recipe I used. Really, I am THAT stupid. Since then I have made countless trays of brownies with a different recipe each time, trying my hardest to either recreate the first batch or better them. I came close the bettering them with a pecan and caramel version but I have to say that this recipe probably tops it. The brownie debate can often get heated and seemingly everyone likes them a different way. I …

Pearl barley summer salad

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Pearl barley is simply barley with all of the bran removed. Similar to wheat in terms of nutritional value, this chewy grain is perfect in stews and soups. I have just started using it in salads as it gives a great texture and fills you up! It’s also extremely cheap (around 50p for 500g) so provides a delicious meal without breaking the bank. This recipe was inspired by my recent trip to Petersham Nurseries. The delicious salad that I had there was made with faro but I substituted for pearl barley as it is more widely available. I’m also substituting my usual olive oil for a lighter and less fruity oil, rapeseed. This adds a light nutty and earthy flavour, which I think works better in a salad. It also contains 50% less saturated fat than olive oil so better all round really. Ingredients (serves 4) 150g pearl barley 6 vine ripened tomatoes, quartered 1 tbsp sunflower seeds 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds 1 small butternut squash, cubed 6 flat mushrooms, sliced Rapeseed or olive oil …

Rhubarb cinnamon polenta cake

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Ok, it’s official. I’m now in LOVE with polenta cakes. My recent visit to Petersham Nurseries and an impulse rhubarb purchase from the supermarket spurred me on to try Nigel Slater’s rhubarb cinnamon polenta cake recipe, which I got from The Guardian online. I normally play around with recipes but wanted this to be the same, even keeping in the orange zest that I might have omitted before. The cake was a bit of a nightmare – the batter is very sticky and I used the wrong size cake tin at first. So definitely make sure you use a 20cm tin, no bigger. I also worried because I didn’t drain the rhubarb in a colander after taking it out of the roasting dish but it didn’t matter. I ended up with a delicious, moist, crunchy, course, sweet delight. Ingredients For the filling: 500g rhubarb 50g golden caster sugar 4 tbsp water For the crust: 125g coarse polenta 200g plain flour 1 tsp baking powder a pinch of ground cinnamon 150g golden caster sugar grated zest …