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Cooking with Flowers by Miche Bacher of Mali B Sweets I really love this book. The idea of eating flowers is not new to me, however it seems that there are many more flowers you can eat than I thought! Despite the fact that I have browsed through the glorious pages of pretty food several times a week since I got my review copy, I have so far failed to make anything.
Zingy Lemon Chicken I do love bread! Although we make bread regularly in our bread maker, it's always nice to try some speciality breads. Roberts Bakery offered me some samples from their new Speciality range - a collection of artisan-style breads that are perfect for giving meals cooked at home that dining-out luxury. Available as White Sourdough
Here in Farmersgirl's Kitchen, there is always lots going on. Exciting parcels have been arriving daily full of interesting products for me to review, here are some I'd like to share with you today. There are two new varieties of Laughing Cow Cheese: The Laughing Cow Light with Emmental and The Laughing Cow Light with Blue Cheese. I can't remember the last time I bought ch
If you think that you make first class jam, or even if you'd like to see just how your jam fares against other competitors, then you should enter The World Jampionships a global celebration of everyone's favourite spread. Now in its third year the competition, which invites jam entries from all over the world, has extended its categories to include team entries, the bairns’ jam, inte
I didn't set out to make cookies. It happened like this, I had made far too much buttercream for the Vanilla and Coconut Cake, there it was in the bowl, really quite a lot of butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract. What was I going to do with it? I knew if I put it in the fridge or freezer for "another time" I would end up throwing it out in a month or so. Hmmm... (scratches head) butter,
As Nigel Slater says: "there is something deeply satisfying about taking a huge, golden tart to the table, a tart we have made ourselves. A tart we can give to others knowing it will give as much pleasure to them as making it did to us" There is something even more satisfying in making a tart that includes foraged ingredients such as wild garlic and nettles, free food! Loo
White and Green Cabbage with Coconut, Chillies and Ginger In The Farm Shop Cookbook by Christine McFadden, there are a wealth of recipes celebrating the produce that is now widely available across Britain. Farm shops have become more and more popular as people choose to buy local and fresh. In the Introduction Christine tells us of her own experience of Farm Shops and how the intent
. I was incredibly pleased when I was offered the chance to review some beef from Heggies of Hereford. Heggies first opened its doors in 1956 by Charles Heggie and has grown ever since; based in the rural city of Hereford they are able to source our products from some of the very best suppliers in the county of Herefordshire. From the lush green pastures to the welsh borders
It was my mother-in-law's birthday on Sunday. I know that she loves coconut, so I made this Vanilla and Coconut Cake, a recipe by Lynn Hill, from the Clandestine Cake Club Cookbook. I reviewed The Clandestine Cake Club Cookbook in February and didn't even mention this cake! However, a quick search through the index for coconut and I came upon this simple but effective c
Many thanks to Helen at Fuss Free Flavours and Camilla at Fab Food 4 All for giving me the opportunity to host this challenge and for their unfailing support in retweeting and promoting this event. Let's start with the 'staff of life' that lovely Italian sandwich bread, so much cheaper to make than to buy, it's a Ciabatta brought to us from Utterly Scrummy A
"In 1886 Elisabeth Nietzsche, Friedrich's bigoted, imperious sister, founded a racially pure colony in Paraguay together with a band of blond haired fellow Germans. Over a century later, Ben MacIntyre sought out the survivors of Nueva Germania to discover the remains of their bizarre colony. Forgotten Fatherland vividly recounts his arduous adventure locating the survivors, whi
Dish of the Month, Cooking the recipes of Nigel Slater had fewer entries in May, however the quality of the cooking was not diminished. There are some real treats to enjoy so many thanks to you all. Sue at Heaven on a Plate hosted the challenge this month and presented this delicious looking dish of Spiced Lentils with Mint Labne from the Kitchen Diaries II. Brai
The good people at Aero HQ set out a challenge to create some wacky and wonderful flavour pairings to celebrate the two-toned bubblicious makeover of Aero with it's delicious flavour combinations of orange or mint with bubbly milk chocolate. To help me with the challenge I was sent a box full of cooking equipment, a flavour thesaurus and some bubbly Aero chocolate to help inspire me!&nb
Beef Bourguignon Pie This recipe comes from 'A Suitcase and a Spatula' by Tori Haschka, a Sydney-born food and travel writer, blogger at eatori.com and intrepid gourmet. A Suitcase and a Spatula A Suitcase and a Spatula is a quirky little book, a kind of hybrid travelogue cookbook. At first glance, it seems a bit wordy, but the words are well written, amusing a
These odd little biscuits (cookies) are called 'Chocolate Drops', they come from The Dairy Book of Home Cookery, a rather retro cookbook I used for my April Random Recipe: Treacle Bites As the Treacle Bites were such a success, I thought I'd try one of the other recipes on the same page. The Chocolate Drops were not in the same league as the Treacle Bites but they are
Foodie fans to feast at this year’s Royal Highland Show Food and drink producers are busy preparing for what many regard as the most important four days of the foodie calendar – The Royal Highland Show. My first visit to the Highland Show was with my Mum and the ladies of the Scottish Women's Rural Institute better known as 'The Rural'. I would have been about 10 years old and can remember
The letter K is a rather challenging one to bake. However, one of the main reasons I like to take part in blog challenges and events is to push myself to try recipes I wouldn't otherwise have made. I searched around for bakes starting in K and there were not very many at all, I toyed with making some Kiwi Fruit Muffins but in the end decided to attempt a Kugelhopf. Kugelhopf is a
This dish is simple but devastatingly good. Stew some rhubarb with sugar and water until tender, then remove the rhubarb to a dish, reduce the syrup and add muscovado sugar, cream and vanilla. Nigel describes it as a 'sweet sour sauce for rhubarb' in the kitchen diaries II, a sauce for rhubarb that has the same comforting vanilla flavours as custard without making custard, I served
I love cheese, I have to restrict my intake otherwise I would pile on the pounds, so when I do eat cheese I like it to be good quality and packed with flavour. I was delighted to be approached by the Truckle Cheese Company to review some of their cheeses. The Truckle Cheese Co is one of the UK’s leading producers of carefully crafted cheeses, marmalades and terrines. From its base in C
It's still Rhubarb Central here! This time I'm bringing you some Spiced Rhubarb and Lemon Muffins. This is a classic combination with the spices including cinnamon and little pieces of crystallised ginger. I decided to make these when I saw the Recipes for Life Challenge at Vanesther's Bangers and Mash blog. The rules of the Recipes for Life call for a trio of ingredients, and th
Are you fed up with rhubarb recipes yet? When I asked Twitter for suggestions of recipes using rhubarb, Vicky Saunders of Yum Yum Bubblegum replied to tell me about the Rhubarb and Orange Cake, the recipe for which she had snipped from Good Food Magazine some years ago. It sounded like just what I was looking for to create a cake which meets the requirements of this month's We Should
I am so pleased that I found the time to take part in Random Recipes this month. I love homemade bread and although I don't have a problem making it, somehow I don't get round to doing it very often, but as Dom at Belleau Kitchen has challenged us to a Random bread making challenge, it was the perfect opporutunity to try something different. First take your Bread books
For the first time since 1983, Kellogg’s is changing Special K with a new, more delicious and wholesome recipe. The new recipe contains three grains — rice, wheat and barley (previously there were two) — and is made with wholegrain, for a source of fibre as well as 8 vitamins and minerals. It gives health-conscious, weight-watching women a tastier breakfast. I enjoyed a bowl o
Here's another Credit Crunch Munch recipe. It's a simple 'Spanish Omelette' or Frittata. At this time of year, potatoes don't keep very well, they start sprouting. You can still eat them as long as they haven't gone green, but I seemed to have rather a lot and they needed to be used up before they did turn green or grow leaves! I blanched the potatoes be
Mixed Berry Jam Homemade jam, marmalade and lemon curd are something that I have been brought up on. My childhood home was in the heart of the Scottish berry fields so there were raspberries and strawberries a plenty in the jam season. I have vivid memories of my gran and my mum making jam. Rhubarb and Ginger Jam You may recall I visited the Marmal
I did warn you that rhubarb was going to feature quite frequently on the blog as 'tis the season! These jellies were inspired by the fabulous natural cordials and presses produced by Belvoir Fruit Farms a family run company based in Lincolnshire. Most of us have had a little glimpse of summer, at the weekend, when I took this photograph, although there was a cool breeze blowing, t
There's a new snack on the block! Walkers have brought out their new Wholegrain Hoops and Crosses for your 'cheeky monkeys'. Now, I'm not really a snack-eater, the occasional kettle chip may pass my lips but I don't keep them in the house or the whole bag is scarfed down before you know it. However, I was quite intrigued by the wholegrain and lower fat natu
Wild Garlic growing locally I suppose that I have been foraging most of my life, although until recently I probably wouldn't have called it that! As a child we collected rose hips which were sent off to make rose hip syrup, I think the school got paid for them. We always picked brambles (blackberries) and wild strawberries and raspberries and I remember one bumper 'field mushroom' year w
This is one of my favourite soups, it's really easy to make and very economical. You can use up all the dodgy carrots at the bottom of your fridge drawer and with a couple of cheap cans of tomatoes, an onion some stock and a little milk, you can have enough soup for 8 people. Carrot and Tomato Soup (serves 8) 1 tbsp sunflower oil (2p) 1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped (19p) App
Have you have looked at photobooks in online advertising and thought, what a great idea they are? I have, but have never quite got round to uploading my photos and purchasing a photobook. We were recently on a river cruise in the south of France so I was delighted when Vistaprint contacted me and asked me to review one of their photobooks, and even more delighted when I r
Enjoy a Great Summer Celebration with Fresh Recipe Ideas from Merrydown Merrydown cider, the premium cider made from juicy eating apples, has just launched its new Great Summer Celebrations recipes featuring nine delicious seasonal dishes. The easy-to-make recipes are designed to help us all make the most of summer entertaining as the dishes combine classic British recipes with
I am guest hosting the May Credit Crunch Munch, from Fuss Free Flavours & Fab Food 4 All Credit Crunch Munch is all about saving some money, whilst still enjoying great food.Money saving topics could be:- Dishes using cheaper ingredients – cheap cuts of meat or vegetarian Meals using leftovers Meals using up the ends of packets Substitutions of c
April has been rather a mixed month, starting very cold and, while I know it has been warm in the south of England, here in Scotland we have only had couple of dry sunny days with a high of 14C! However, in April's Dish of the Month kitchens, there has been much activity and many delicious dishes. In Elizabeth's Kitchen Aubergine Tarts were on the menu and here is what Elizabeth sa
This month Pasta Please is being hosted by Shaheen at Allotment to Kitchen and the theme is chilli! Pasta Please is a blog event whose home is with Jacqueline at Tinned Tomatoes, but it is often out and about with guest hosts which gives it a new lease of life. The Chilli theme gave me another opportunity to use my Galloway Chilli Original jam. This is a very h
As soon as I saw the Rhubarb Frangipane Tart that Dom had made at Belleau Kitchen as his entry for Dish of the Month (Cooking Nigel Slater recipes) I knew I had to make it. These are the first stalks of rhubarb I have pulled in my garden. It was slow to start this year as it's been really cold, but as soon as it started to rain and warmed up slightly, the rhubarb just burst throug
I haven't made a tea bread for some time and always find them to be really good value, as they get better after several days wrapped in foil. Dried apricots are once of my favourite things and as I was looking for an 'A' bake for AlphaBakes AND a bake suitable for a Village Fair, Fete or Show for the Calendar Cakes challenge, it was just the excuse I needed to make
Although I'm not a vegetarian, far from it, I have always enjoyed meatless meals. The Vegetarian Pantry by Chloe Coker and Jane Montgomery aims to teach you how to create stunning dishes using the best of fresh produce and a well stocked kitchen pantry. I have a number recipes bookmarked already. Chloe Coker grew up in a vegetarian household and is passionate about encouraging p
It's National Bread Week 16 - 22 April, 2013. Bread has been a part of our staple diet for over 5000 years. It all started in the stone age and has continued to evolve from unleavened breads through natural 'sourdough' yeasts, brewers yeast breads and now the sourdoughs are coming back into favour again! And I'm sure you will agree there is nothing more inviting than the smel
I don't really have a 'kitchen table' as such, I have a light oak counter/breakfast bar in the kitchen and a big dark oak table in the dining room, you will have seen both in my food photos. However, what I want to share with you today are some products I've been sent to review over the last couple of weeks. First up are a couple of new additions to the Elizabeth Shaw premium bar rang
Fresh Cherry Crumble Cake with Cherry Frozen Yogurt and Fresh Glamour Cherries What a pleasure it was to receive a box of Cherries Glamour with four little punnets of delicious dark red cherries sent all the the way from Spain! I know that's not an 'eat local' thing, but Scotland isn't a noted cherry growing country so I don't feel too bad. We ate some o
I love scallops, they are a real treat and ideal to serve when you have friends or family round for supper. I found a recipe for Seared Scallops with leeks and lemon chilli butter on the BBC Good Food website and used that as the basis for my meal. I'm eating fish twice a week for a Healthy, Happy Heart. You can find out more about how you can increase your Omega 3 levels and imp
It's such a pleasure to watch Antiono Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo in this second series of the BBC’s acclaimed food and travel documentary ‘Two Greedy Italians’ which is released on April 22nd by Fremantle Home Entertainment. Nowhere is food as much a part of everyday life as Italy, a country whose unique topography has resulted in distinct regional differences that are vi
One of the things I love about fish is how quickly it cooks. You need do very little to your fish fillets and have meal on the table in a very short time. As part of the Fish is the Dish, Healthy Happy Hearts I am eating two portions of fish a week to raise my levels of omega 3. I was looking for a quickie recipe for Hake, I searched on the Fish is the Dish recipes
It's time to 'Get Random Baby' or so Dom at Belleau Kitchen tells us. Yes, it's time for another Random Recipe, this time using the Random Recipe Generator thingummydoodah, a technical term I'm sure. It still required the dreaded counting of the cookery books as it grows every time I look, anyway my random choice was The Dairy Book of Home Cookery by Sonia Allison for the Mi
It would be a bad job if I couldn't come up with a dish for my own blog challenge! However, it's not too much of a hardship to make one of Nigel Slater's recipes for Dish of the Month. The April chapter of the Kitchen Diaries II is full of lovely recipes including quite a lot of prose from Nigel too. He waxes lyrical about olives and states that it is rare to find an olive he does
We didn't have much space in our cases to bring back many foodie items, next time I'm taking a bigger case! However here are the things I managed to squeeze in and fortunately not a single glass bottle or jar was broken in transit. The two tins on the left contain Herbes de Provence and Sel de Camargue aux 3 poivres (salt from the Camargue region with three kinds of pepper).&nbs
I've wanted a Mandoline Slicer for many years, but always been a little afraid of this super slicing machine and never got around to getting one. However, as an OXO Good Grips blogger I have had the chance to try out this classic kitchen tool and tell you all about it. OXO’s user-friendly Mandoline is the perfect tool for creating culinary sensations quickly and easily. Straig
I've recently reviewed a few books for Bloomsbury, my review of Paul Hollywood's 'Bread' has been very popular, particularly since the TV series started. However, sometimes when you are on a publisher's list you get asked if you would like to review a different type of book and that is how I received a copy of 'This is Where I Am' by Karen Campbell. Here is what the publisher says abo
I have no pre-prepared Dish of the Month to show you this month because I've been hanging out with Paul Bocuse, the famous, Lyonnais chef. Sadly, only in this amazing trompe l'oeil painting. We didn't have time to eat in one of the famous bouchon lyonnais, if you would like to find out more about them check out this article about The Bouchons of Lyon from Saveur.
There is a proliferation of luxury food 'box' schemes around at the moment. I reviewed the Flavourly tasting box in January and this time it is the turn of Deluxebite box. This box scheme costs £20 per month for a variety of gourmet foods, chosen for you by the company. As well as receiving your goodies, for every box you buy, Deluxebite will donate a meal to a hungry family
