Month: September 2017

Autumn windfalls and other bits – part three

Autumn windfalls and other bits – part three

At the weekend I got together with a couple of my favourite people who I’m going on an adventure with in November to Myanmar (Burma). They are both old friends of mine but hadn’t met each other before! To help this first introduction/planning meeting go 

A few little drawings…

A few little drawings…

Just over a week ago I was in Bournemouth catching up with lots of different friends but managed one day entirely to myself which turned out to be a proper treat. I spent a good chunk of it on the beach swimming and soaking up 

Endless coleslaw ideas

Endless coleslaw ideas

So… healthy coleslaw? Can it be healthy? Of course with a little imagination and no mayonnaise. I make coleslaw a lot as its easy cheap lasts for two or three days in the fridge and, in my opinion, is much tastier than the generic shop bought mayonnaise stuff and is a much nicer salad than something made with a limp lettuce.

I will take you through one recipe but the possibilities are endless. See what veg you have in the bottom of your fridge grate it add some flavouring and hey presto an interesting salad.

So for this one I am using half a cauliflower, two courgettes, a fennel bulb and a bunch of coriander. Simply grate or chop everything to a similar size and mix together in a large bowl. Then you need to add in some flavour to bring out the best in your veg selection. For this one I’ve gone for lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper. I am very fortunate to have my friends in Italy as they have an olive grove and press their own olive oil! I only have a tiny bit left as I’ve eked it out over a year or so because last year the crops failed so there was no oil…I’m hoping this year is successful might be an excuse for another visit. The last lot I swapped with 400 Yorkshire tea bags!

Add the grated rind and juice of a lemon a good glug of olive oil lots of freshly ground black pepper and some salt. Mix really well and its done. This amount serves four large portions or eight small portions.

I ate mine as part of a very easy dinner of potato wedges smothered with smoked paprika and cumin seeds and some corn on the cob. I am not a vegetarian but am very happy with meals like this and never miss the meat. It is filling and kind of healthy comfort food. You can always have a bit of mayonnaise on the side!

 

 

 

Hokusai’s beautiful prints

Hokusai’s beautiful prints

Earlier this year I had the utterly delightful opportunity to see the ‘Hokusai – Beyond the Great Wave’ exhibition at the British Museum. It left me a bit speechless. I have been to hundreds of exhibitions over the years of all sorts of art but 

Autumn windfalls and other bits – part two

Autumn windfalls and other bits – part two

Second up are blackberry muffins. These are a bit more dense than non gluten free muffins and don’t rise much but are very tasty. You could also use other fruit that is in season or rhubarb which has been lightly cooked so it hasn’t fallen 

Autumn windfalls and other bits – part one

Autumn windfalls and other bits – part one

Having been away for a while I knew I’d be coming home to a garden full of fruit. The blackberry’s had produced another round, the apples were falling off the trees and there was a crop of rhubarb. A perfect reason to get baking! I haven’t done much recently so I am actually quite excited about it. It is also a pleasure to share the baking around and bring a smile to peoples faces. First up…

Traditional Tea Cake with an Autumn twist

  1. Rub 8oz of butter (use it cold from the fridge and chop into cubes first) into 8oz of gluten free plain flour, 2tsp xanthin gum and 3tsp gluten free baking powder.
  2. When the butter is thorouly rubbed in add 6oz castor sugar, 4oz currants/sultanas, 2oz chopped walnuts and 6oz grated apple. I used the windfalls from the garden and cut out the bad bits. It is best to prepare the grated apples when you need them otherwise they’ll go brown.
  3. Mix in 2tsp cinnamon.

4. Whisk two eggs add to the mixture with enough milk to make a thick batter that drops off the spoon.

5. Spread out in a shallow baking tin lined with greaseproof paper and grate nutmeg over the top.

6. Bake at 200c for 15 to 20 mins.

When cooked leave to cool before you try to cut it or remove from the tin. It is a very moist sticky cake which would work well as a pudding with custard or ice-cream or simply with a cup of tea. Since I’ve been gluten free I have found on the most part that cake I have bought tends to be dry and extremely sweet neither of those are qualities I want in a cake! I am really pleased with this recipe as it seems to work well and is popular with everyone gluten free or not.

Warming Lentil and Sausage Casserole

Warming Lentil and Sausage Casserole

After a week of sunshine and sea swimming I am back in the north and the temperature has definitely dropped. It’s that time of year when it is cold in the morning so you put lots of clothes on but by lunchtime you are too 

Dosa’s on the Golden Mile

Dosa’s on the Golden Mile

I’m on my way back up north and have stopped off in Leicester for a night to catch up with a couple of friends. We decided to go out for a Dosa on the Golden Mile which, if you have never been to Leicester, is