Raspberry and Blackcurrant Curd

After the hubby built the fruit frame a couple of years ago each year we have had more and more berries to harvest. This year is no exception. I do normally make jam but this year wanted to make something different and something a bit more versatile. So I decided to make a curd. We all love the creamier texture of a curd and it is perfect spread on hot toast, warm, fresh bread, scones and it ideal for a meringue pie!

Next week I have got a summer meringue pie recipe to share but before I do I thought that I would share with you how to make the basic curd. This curd can be the basis of so many different bakes and recipes. So expect to see more recipes that use this curd as I am sure that we will get a lot more berries over the season!

This is what I did...

Calsway Snacks Review - Plus Dessert Recipe!

Eating right just got a lot easier with the new health brand Calsway. Calsway have recently announced the launch of their Eat Right® (#EatRight) range of snacks.

Like the majority of busy people finding a healthy snack for on the go can be hard. But Calsway have created a range of naturally delicious snacks that finally solve this problem. Trying to follow a healthy eating plan you are bombarded by what you can and cannot eat, the amount of calories to consume, weighing foods, following a 'diet' can be exhausting. These Calsway snacks come pre packed in resealable pouches that come in 100, 150 and 200 calorie packets with both paleo and vegan options available. When Calsway contacted me to ask if we would like to try one of their variety boxes I knew that they could solve both my snacking problems and finding healthy snacks for the children.

National Multi Tasking Day with Nature's Finest Plus a Healthy, Quick and Easy Dessert!

Wednesday 24th May 2017 is National Multi Tasking Day. Being a busy working mum to three children, wife to the hubby and caring after animals multi tasking is something that you need to do to maintain sanity! I never truly knew what multi tasking was until the twins arrived and the hubby returned to work after his paternity leave. Having two babies needing you, often at the same time, makes you look at what you do and try to make life as easy as possible.

Nature's Finest is celebrating National Multi Tasking Day and making preparing fruit one less job to do! Their pre prepared fruit contains no added sugar and is preserved in natural juice. The fruit in Nature's Finest has been picked and packed at its peak ripeness to ensure all of the goodness is retained.

It has been identified that 24th May is the country's busiest day. People are starting to plan their summer holidays, the children are getting ready for yet another half term holiday, work that needs doing, like all families, the list goes on. So to make the busiest day a little easier I am going to share with you my top tips for multi tasking and how to survive the busy day! Plus a deliciously quick and easy recipe that is perfect for the days when you are not prepared for the question "what's for pudding mum?".

Sugar Free Stewed Rhubarb and Ginger Compote

I love rhubarb season and having three mature rhubarb plants in the garden there is always plenty to go round. We always enjoy stewed rhubarb, it is such an easy way to use up a great harvest. But I am not keen on the amount of refined sugar that is used. Rhubarb has quite a bitter taste when it is cooked without the sugar. This got me thinking as to how I could stew rhubarb using only natural sweeteners. It took quite a few tastes, adding more ingredients but I finally got a balance between the sweet and sour flavours and have got a healthier stewed rhubarb.

This is what I did...

#SimplySeasonal - March 2017

Welcome to a new month of #SimplySeasonal.

We are now in March and it is lovely to see the signs of spring finally beginning to show. With spring on the horizon we have also been buying seeds for our vegetable patch and greenhouse. We are looking forward to being able to get outside more and have got plenty of ideas for what we are going to grow this year. Now that we are in March our chickens are now out of quarantine for avian flu so they have, at long last, started to lay eggs again which means I will be baking more!

Last month 19 deliciously seasonal recipes were shared and selecting which to feature was extremely difficult so they all get a mention! But my favourite 4 recipes from February's Simply Seasonal will definitely make you hungry for more!

Gluten and Dairy Free Banana Pancakes (Low FODMAP and Low Syn)

If there is one foodie event that we all love it has to be pancake day. What is there not to love? It is the one day that you can have as many pancakes that you want without feeling guilty! But with me following the Slimming World eating plan and the hubby having so much success with the FODMAP eating plan we really do not want to undo the hard work. This got me thinking as to how I can adapt the classic pancake into one that is not just healthier but also one that is going to keep everybody's tummies happy.

When I saw that this week Aldi had included bananas in their fantastic Super6 offer I got stocked up. Everyone loves bananas here so I knew that if I used them as the base for this years pancakes they would go down well and priced at just 69p I can buy plenty as once you have tried these pancakes you will need to make more!

This is what I did...

#SimplySeasonal February 2017

Welcome to February's #SimplySeasonal!

Last month I started this new monthly feature and blog party to celebrate all seasonal ingredients. Following Mother Nature and using the fruits and vegetables that are at their best is not only a delicious way to cook throughout the year but can also be a more economical way of cooking. Fruit and vegetables that are in season tend to be cheaper in the shops and if you have enough room you can even have some of them growing in the garden.

Before I tell you what fruit and vegetables are at their best this month let me show you what tasty recipes were shared in January.

I love kale at this time of year and the Pesto Kale Salad that I added to the linky has become a favourite dish. Since making this I have been adding kale more and more to salads.

Basement Bakehouse shared an easy way to transform a high calorie pizza into a vegetable, healthy based pizza. This Easy Peasy 30 Minute Cauliflower Pizza is a must try!

Soups are perfect for this time of year. Dragons and Fairy Dust shared this deliciously seasonal Parsnip and Cauliflower Soup and reasons why they are also eating with the seasons!

The second recipe that I shared featured more kale. This Naked Coleslaw is both syn free for anyone following the Slimming World plan and contains only low FODMAP foods so you know that it is going to be packed with goodness!

#SimplySeasonal - January 2017

Welcome to the first ever #SimplySeasonal!

SimplySeasonal is a new, monthly linky dedicated to the foods that are at their best this month. This year I want to pay more attention to mother nature and use as many in season fruits and vegetables in my cooking as possible. Foods that are in season can often be cheaper and it is a great timetable to follow if you have a vegetable garden.

Each month I will give you a list of the fruits and vegetables that are in season. I am sure that you will be surprised by how big the lists are going to be, I know that I was! To join in simply create a recipe using at least one of the seasonal ingredients, blog about it and share it. The recipes can be vegetarian, vegan, contain meat, be sweet, anything goes as long it contains seasonal ingredients! 

So lets celebrate produce that is at its best!

Cranberry, Coconut and Chia Seeds Oat Bites

One food that I love most at this time of year has to be the cranberry. I adore the sharpness of the fresh berries and they go perfectly in bakes.

This bake has evolved from the healthier Slimming World Baked Oats recipe. But when I made them, both the hubby and I agreed that there was something missing. So I reduced the milk, increased the oats and added some sweet extras. They may not be SW friendly but they are so moreish! You will not be able to stop at just one piece!

This is what I did...

Peachy Giant Couscous Salad with Del Monte

We all love fruit. It is the one food which the children have free run of. We keep the fresh fruit in baskets in the fridge so that it is easily accessible. This is great for their health but the amount of times I have gone to the fridge for some fruit to find that the kids have eaten it all are endless. That is why we always keep some tins of fruit in the cupboard. So when Del Monte asked me if I would like to create an easy recipe using some of their fruit I could not wait to get started.

To get my ideas flowing they sent me a lovely hamper full of Del Monte goodies.  The hamper included some of their new kids Squeezie pouches. As soon as the children saw the Minnie and Mickey design they could not wait to try them. The pouches are 100% fruit based and are aimed at children aged 3 - 9 years old but even my 12 year old wanted to try them! The children got to try two of the new flavours, apple and mango and apple, strawberry and blueberry. Both flavours were a huge success and we will definitely be keeping an eye out for them on our next shopping trip. They are perfect to pop in the bag for days out or for the children's lunch box.

For today's recipe I have used some of Del Monte's tinned fruit. Did you know that tinned fruit can be more nutritious than fresh fruit? This is because the fruit is picked when it is fully ripe and is processed immediately. This locks in the goodness that can deteriorate over time. A recent study actually found that when they compared fresh, frozen and canned foods the nutrients were surprisingly similar. Plus when the fruit is kept in a can it has a longer shelf life. Inevitably this reduces food waste and saves us valuable money!

This recipe is a deliciously healthy salad recipe that contains fresh vegetables, chicken and the star of the dish, Del Monte peaches.

This is what I did..

Great Bloggers Bake Off - Savarin

As much as I love the Great British Bake Off I will admit that this year I have been a little disappointed with the themes *sorry* and I have found that on a number of weeks I have not been inspired to bake along. However as soon as I saw the technical from patisserie week I knew I had to have a go. I have never made a savarin before or, if I am honest, ever heard of it before. But I love yeast, sweet bread style cakes so knew that it would go down well here.

As always I was able to source all of the ingredients from my local Aldi. The ingredients are great and are low in price which is an added bonus! At the moment Aldi have got a lot of baking product that are on special buy and it was there I found a lovely non stick, premium bundt tin and an icing bag and nozzle set at a bargain price!

I will warn you that the savarin is a long bake. I started mine in the morning and it was finished in the evening. But it is a great bake and well worth the extra effort. As it needed a lot of time between steps I was able to do a bit, leave it and get on with other jobs and keep returning to the bake.

This is how I got on...

*UPDATE* Look what I received for my savarin!!!

Yes! I got a star baker award which I am over the moon about especially as I have never made one before and it was the technical challenge! Thank you Jenny for selecting my bake and for hosting the Great Bloggers Bake Off!

Fruit Layered Porridge Breakfast Bowl

Last week I joined a local Slimming World group. Recently I have been eating and drinking what I want without much thought to what it was doing to me health. This has caused my weight to naturally go up which is starting to effect my health and well being. So now my meals are all about using as many "free" foods as possible to ensure that I am full, but full of good, healthy foods. Normally I am not a breakfast person but this last week I have been looking forward to my breakfast. This has been my favourite breakfast. It does take a little effort but is so worth it and that is why I am sharing it with you today!

Oats are a deliciously filling fibre rich food that are the perfect way to start the day. Porridge oats should be classed as a super food. They are packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre but they also help reduce high blood pressure, reduce bad cholesterol, keeping blood sugar levels steady and they give you enough energy to keep you going until lunch time! The best part is that you do not need to eat a lot to gain the health benefits. This breakfast, with the oats combined with fruit, is the ideal way to start the day.

This is what I did...

 

Mary Berry's Bakewell Tart

Last weeks Great British Bake Off was all about pastry. The technical challenge was a Bakewell tart. I love traditional Bakewell tarts so could not resist making one.

So I found Mary's recipe on BBC Good Food and got baking!

For this weeks Bake Off post I have used some great ingredients from Aldi. Like other produce from Aldi they are all at prices which you simply cannot go wrong with. There are also many baking products that are available at Aldi on their Special Buys. Their The Pantry range consists of various different flours, sugars, food colourings, nuts, dried fruit, baking chocolate and many other items to help you bake. Baking is such an enjoyable pastime and one that does not need to cost a great deal. Last week I even found some jam sugar which has come in handy as we have got a lot of raspberries to harvest!

This is how I got on making Mary Berry's Bakewell Tart...

Raspberry Cheesecake Pancakes with Genius Gluten Free

When the people at Genius Gluten Free asked me if I would like to try some of their products I could not wait. Regular readers will know that the hubby is gluten free and I also eat gluten free bread as a lifestyle choice.

When the hamper arrived I was excited to try the new products. In the past we have tried Genius gluten free bread but none of the products that came in the lovely hamper that they sent to me.

The hubby and J love crumpets and they went straight for them, whereas the pancakes, blueberry muffins and fruit loaf were off limits until I had decided which product I wanted to feature in a recipe. After a lot of thinking I decided to focus on the Genius light, fluffy and golden pancakes. When I tasted their pancakes I really did not notice any difference from regular, gluten pancakes and Genius pancakes. They were everything that you expect a pancake to be.

The Spicy Fruit Loaf followed suit. This is another favourite bake of mine. There is nothing more satisfying than sitting and enjoying a piece of freshly toasted fruit loaf smothered in butter. The loaf was packed with juicy raisins, sultanas and currants it has been finished off with cinnamon and, as with the pancakes, it was just as good as a regular loaf. Gone are the days that gluten free bakes are inferior to traditional bakes. They have come so far and are simply as good as regular flour products. As you can see from the picture below the muffin, which in my mind, had the toughest job. But this blueberry muffin was so moist, light and fluffy with the crispy top that you want from a muffin.

When I sat and looked that the wide range of products that Genius now have to offer I was astounding by the amount and variety of  products. Their array of products goes so much further than just bread. They also make pizza bases, croissants, bagels, sausage rolls, pies, pastry and quiche! After seeing what is now available has left me brimming with ideas for how to incorporate these much loved foods back into our diets! But first let me tell you all about what recipe I have created using the Genius pancakes.

This is what I did...

#CookBlogShare Week 36 - The Fruity Round Up

Welcome to my round up of week 36 of the CookBlogShare linky. This is my first round up since our holiday. I will admit to finding it hard to get back into the swing of work after such a relaxing break. Last week the twins started full time school and I spent the week catching up on jobs around the house that had been neglected. But now I am finally catching up it will be back to normal again.

I hope you all had a great summer and are looking forward to autumn. I do love autumn, it is a time of year when we have more root vegetables as we anticipate colder weather. This month is a busy one. On Thursday I am attending a Knorr event in London, then at the end of the month I will be returning to London for a lunch meeting with the lovely ladies from Carnival Cruise Lines. I am also so excited about November. I was over the moon to discover that I have been selected to visit River Cottage with Foodies100. So it is going to be a busy few months!

Now back to the round up. Last week the linky was hosted by Eb at Easy Peasy Foodie. You can tell that Great British Bake Off is back, everyone has the baking bug! There were so many delicious meals and bakes linked up so thank you for sharing and thank you to Eb for hosting. My four favourite recipes this week are all fruity ones and I want to try each and every one of them!

Here are my four favourite recipes from week 36 of #CookBlogShare...

Blueberry and Coconut Pancakes with Team GB and Aldi

I am sure that you will agree that Team GB are doing an amazing job in Rio and are certainly raking in the medals! When you are needing to sustain your energy levels, whether you are an Olympic athlete or just a busy parent, eating the right foods is essential!

Over the last two weeks I have been sharing with you some recipes that have been created by Aldi and the English Institute of Sport. So far I have shared with you Chilli Turkey Burgers and some Classically Sweet Oat Bars. This week I am telling you all about a truly delicious way to start the day with some fruity pancakes. We all love pancakes here so these pancakes went down a treat and I found them to be a great way to get the kids to eat some extra fruit. The recipe uses blueberries, but, if like mine, your children do not like blueberries, you can simply substitute them with some berries that they do like. This recipe is so versatile and can be adjusted to taste. Aldi have some more great recipes on their website so pop over and take a look!

Bananas are a fantastic source of energy and really are one of the best natural sources of rapid energy sugars. They are also high in vitamin B6 and rich in potassium and fibre. So if you are looking for a breakfast or even a snack which is going to give you some get up and go then these are for you!

This is what I did...

Swiss Style Muesli Cake and Degustabox July Contents

It is Degustabox time again! With some of the contents from this months surprise box I have made a
delicious cake. But before I tell you about my cake let me tell you what came in July's Degustabox.

• Seabrook Crisps Limited - Seabrook have released some limited edition flavours. I received a bag of their Lattice Food Heroes with chorizo flavours created in collaboration with Three Little Pigs.
• Jordan's - Swiss Style Muesli is so much more than just a breakfast. I have used this muesli in today's recipe.
• Bahlsen - Choco Leibniz milk chocolate snack packs are lovely little treats that are perfect to pop in your bag when going out!
• Brookside - These Acai and Blueberry flavoured dark chocolate treat were a new product for me and one that I love! The dark chocolate balls contain a lovely fruity centre. They are good for you as well as a treat!
• Itsu - Edible seaweed is an Asian delicacy and one that I am keen to try. These crispy seaweed thins can be eaten as they are or added to a dish for extra flavour and texture.
• Sarsons - Sarsons, the vinegar experts, have recently released their very own Balsamic vinegar. This vinegar is lovely paired with extra virgin olive oil for dipping sour dough.
• Orkla Foods Sweden - These sweet pickled Swedish gherkins are so good! I love pickles and gherkins and was not disappointed with these. You can see them being used in my recent Team GB post.
• Cracker Drinks Co - Cracker Drinks' Pineapple, Coconut and Lime drink is made with natural fruit juices and contains no added sugar or artificial sweeteners. This juice goes perfectly with gin to create a quick and easy summer cocktail style drink!
• Nestle Rowntree - Rowntree have given the classic fruit pastilles a make over with their new Infusions. They have three new delicious infusions of orange and grapefruit, raspberry and pomegranate and apple and elderflower. This bag of sweets has been hidden away from the kids, they are mine!
• Alo - I recently tried an Aloe Vera drink while I was in London and really enjoyed it so I was pleased to see this drink. Aloe Vera has so many health benefits, the list goes on and on. You can read more about this drink here.
• Qcumber - The hubby recently tried Qcumber drink when we were eating out and we both loved the cool refreshing taste of this drink.
• Rejuvenation - In the past I have received other flavours of the amino acid enriched spring water, Rejuvenation. So I was pleased to see a new flavour arrive this month. The Spanish Orange flavour is so refreshing and perfect for a hot summers day.
• Berrywhite Ltd - Each can of Berrywhite organic drink counts as one of your five a day. All ingredients are natural and they add no artificial preservatives, no added sugar or fruit extracts.

Now onto the cake! This is what I did...

Summer Berry, Mint and Arbikie Kirsty's Gin Jam

Over the last few weeks berries have been a huge part of our daily diets. This is all thanks to the bumper harvest of soft fruits that we are having. So far we have enjoyed fresh strawberry and mint porridge, homemade cordial, berries with meringues and plenty of berry topped cakes! Having the extra berries this year has even got me making preserves again so as to not waste any.

I recently made a softer jam to what I usually make. This was inspired by a River Cottage Fridge Jam recipe that I had found in my trusty River Cottage Handbook about Preserves. These are a treasured collection of books that I have found to be full of information about preserving foods, growing vegetables, using herbs, keeping chickens and of course contain some fantastic recipes!

I decided to make a fridge jam as they contain about half the sugar of regular, thick set jam. So it is simply a healthier option for a jam. But fridge jams are also fantastic additions to bakes and desserts like trifle! Yes, I will be using some in a cake, so keep an eye out for a future fridge jam cake recipe!

This jam also has an optional added extra. This recipe made three jars of jam. I made two plain summer berry and mint jam but with the final jar I added something special to give the jam an added kick of flavour. I added some of the deliciously floral Arbikie Kirsty's Gin that we found while on our last holiday in Aviemore, Scotland.

On one of our journeys we discovered a quaint little shop that has whiskey and gin from floor to ceiling. The Whiskey Castle at Tomintoul became a favourite shop to stop by. It is like no other shop, you immediately feel at home and in the company of friends it is so welcoming. While you are there if there are any drinks that you would like to taste, and they have a bottle open, you are welcomed to try it. It was here that I spotted Kirsty's Gin from Arbikie. It was a new distillery to me and as it had my name I just had to taste it. I immediately fell in love with the floral notes of lavender that come through. All of the botanics that are used in Arbikie Kirsty's Gin have been grown on the estate. It is grown, distilled and bottled on the one estate and is a true farm to bottle product. Even the water that they used is mountain filtered water that has come directly from their underground lagoon! We love finding products that are more unique and away from the mass produced products that you can find anywhere and everywhere and Arbikie is just that. Arbikie also produce Potato Vodka which is Scotland's first potato vodka, Chilli Vodka and they even have some Arbikie Whiskey that is currently sleeping in a variety of bourbon, sherry and red wine casks!

Back to my jam recipe with an added kick. The gin goes perfectly with the soft, summer fruits and makes this homegrown jam extra special!

This is what I did...

#CookBlogShare Week 29 Round Up - It's All About The Berries!

Following on from last weeks round up of homegrown recipes I am still attracted to the recipes that use what we have in our garden. As we are harvesting a lot of berries at the moment I was certainly drawn to the recipes that use them.

Before I tell you all about my favourite recipes from week 29 of CookBlogShare I want to say thank you to Mandy from Sneaky Veg for hosting, commenting and sharing all of the posts last week.

Now on to my berry round up. Here are my four favourite recipes from week 29 of CookBlogShare...

Fresh Strawberry and Mint Porridge

As you will probably know we are having a bumper harvest this year of soft fruits. So I am using them in as many different dishes as I can. Today's recipe is now a favourite of mine. There is nothing more satisfying than going down the garden in the morning to pick fresh berries and mint for breakfast.

This is what I did...