A Winter Feast at River Cottage

If you follow me on social media you will not have missed that I recently spent the evening at the iconic River Cottage in Axminster. River Cottage is a place that we, as a family, have followed since the start of their journey. From the early days when Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall left the city to live in the original River Cottage to developing Park Farm.

When we arrived at Park Farm I was amazed at the beautiful setting. We waited for the tractor at the top of a hill looking down, into the valley, where River Cottage is based. To access the cottage we were transported down in a trailer on the back of a tractor. As we made our way down the lane River Cottage gradually came into view. Nestled in the Dorset valley it really was a picturesque sight.

Christmas Gift Guide - Foodie Men

This year I thought that it would be fun to do some gift guides on the run up to Christmas. Finding the perfect gift for loved ones can be hard as we all want to find a gift that we know our loved ones will love! Today I am going to share with you my top gift for men who love dining out! Who does not love a good foodie treat or going out for a lovely meal. The whole dining experience, great food, getting dressed up. This can make a fantastic gift.

I have been looking around for great foodie gifts for men and have found the following...

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..

Home Improvements and a New Office

At last we have some news on the home improvements front. At the moment our outhouses are being transformed from a shed and coal house to a washing room/utility and a new larder. It is ridiculous how excited I am simply about having a larger utility and the opportunity to finally get a tumble drier. Then there is the larder! As we live in an older house storage is a huge problem so to have a room specifically for food storage will be a huge help. After my visit to River Cottage I am even hoping for some space to hang cured meat!

But something else that can now happen inside thanks to the building work is that I can finally have my own work space. The room that is now our small utility is to be my office. Having my own work space has got me thinking about how I will decorate the room, what will I furnish it with, as it will be my study I will need some work furniture. I already have some beautiful images for the wall which I think are fitting for my blog..

Christmas with Aldi

Yes I have mentioned the big 'C' word!

The Christmas adverts are on the television, shops are putting up the trees and the shelves are now being stocked up with Christmas goodies. Instead of my regular Aldi recipe post, this week I am going to be telling you all about the Christmas foodie posts that I have got planned, showing you this years Christmas advert from Aldi and show you some fantastic foodie gifts!

But first check out the star of the their advert this year Kevin the Carrot...

Back in July I was invited down to London to experience Aldi's Christmas in July event. At the no expense spared event Aldi showcased the best of their products this Christmas season. While I was at the event I had the opportunity to speak to some of Aldi's chief buyers. Being able to speak to them in person helped me to understand the ethos of the buyers. They clearly stated that what they look for when hunting out products is for the items to have a high end supermarket quality but one that they are able to provide for their customers at a bargain shop price. This is just what customers want. When shopping at a budget shop you do not want to compromise on quality and Aldi are able to allow us to get both!

Whilst I was at the event I was able to taste many of their outstanding Christmas products and over the next 5 weeks I am going to be showcasing my favourite high end products alongside recipes and ideas to make your Christmas table truly spectacular this year.

#CookBlogShare Week 45 Round-Up - 4 Perfect Autumnal Dishes

What a busy week it was last week. It was lovely to finally meet my fellow CookBlogShare host Eb from Easy Peasy Foodie at the River Cottage event. While we were there we were talking about how great it would be to meet more of you lovely people who join in with the linky each week. We all feel that we know each other but it would be amazing to meet in person. Hopefully in the new year we will have the opportunity to get the CookBlogShare tribe together! 

Thank you Eb for hosting last week. Tomorrow the linky is with Mandy at Sneaky Veg so do not forget to pop over and show us what you have been cooking up!

Last week there were so many autumnal recipes shared and this week my round-up is all about my favourite four.

Here are my four favourite recipes from week 45 of CookBlogShare...