Walnut Tree Workshops - Christmas Pudding

I am so glad I met a lady called Emma Wright.  As well as passing on my skills to her in floristry, and gaining a new friend for our flower club...I have discovered Emma's relatively new venture Walnut Tree Workshops.

I went along to the Christmas Pudding workshop yesterday which was tutored by chef Louise Eason.  As with Jo's workshop today a lot of fun and very hands on, all i needed was my pudding bowl.

After mixing lots of wonderful christmassy ingredients together I had made our christmas pudding (minus the cherries and peel for hubby). 

After that we watched Louise make some really easy but very different mince pies with the use of filo.  I also learnt that i can make mincemeat but leaving the eggs out of the pud recipe.

Well good old dad whilst i was out today and hubby at work, he steamed our pudding for 8 hours which leaves just 3 hours for me on Christmas day....however a couple of tips picked up today were if in plastic container after initial steaming you can just microwave, and someone mentioned using the slow cooker...will need to investigate as both easier than taking precious hob space off hubby on Christmas Day. 

I am now contemplating which workshop next for me.

If you want more information about Walnut Tree then visit http://walnuttreeworkshops.co.uk/

Christmas pudding fully steamed.....if you like the Pudding Basin it is available via John Lewis stores or online.

Jo Wheatley Christmas Hamper Baking Day

Do you remember my post from 4th and 5th August when I made a cheesecake and then won a Baking Day....well the day arrived.  I travelled down the M11 to take part in Jo Wheatley's Christmas Hamper Baking Day.  Jo was the British Bake Off winner of 2011. 

What an amazing day I had of baking, meeting some lovely people and rounding off an all in all wonderful birthday weekend.

After a coffee and some scrummy traybake for breakfast....well why not the day started with us making cupcakes, chocolate stirrers, and shortbread.  We broke for lunch which was an extremely yummy Thai Butternut Squash curry.  We then resumed the afternoon session chopping apples and squeezing oranges for the cranberry sauce, then decorated our cupcakes and made a mincemeat loaf (i did laugh when on the way home I told my husband what I had made and his response was "ooo lovely we can have that with mash and veg tonight"....then met with a silence when i said not mince beef, but mince pie mincemeat...bless him).

To round off the day Jo signed my book.  I had a wonderful day, and am mulling over which class i can enrol on for next year.  Jo is a lovely lady and someone where fame has not seemed to change her which is so refreshing. 

I will say as a home baker and I am not just saying this, but the recipes i have so far completed from Jo's Book "Home Baking" have never gone wrong, they are cooked to the correct time in the book....and if you want a failsafe Victoria Sponge don't use another recipe.

Here are some of my creations from the day....and if you want more information on Jo's classes visit her website http://www.josblueaga.com/p/2014-classes.html with Christmas coming an ideal christmas present.

Jamsmith

Whilst i was away on one of our caravanning holidays I came across an article in Country Living magazine regarding a small business called Jamsmith.  Run by a lady called Vicky, she has set up membership to a club where for either a one month subscription of £10 or a three month subscription of £27 you will receive 2 x handmade quality seasonal preserves each month.

I signed up for a one month and received this recently containing Bramble and Fruit Jam and Bramble and Cassis Jelly.  Each month you get a tasting notes and recipe idea sheet too.  The jars come packaged in a country styley.

The jams are quality and definitely for foodies amongst us out there.  I think these subscriptions would make an ideal gift with Christmas coming up to buy one for a friend, relative etc if they are always a struggle to buy for.

If you would like more information or to purchase a subscription then go to the website at www.jamsmith.co.uk

I have used a dollop of my jam in a cupcake today (as i ran out of the Lindt chocs) and amazingly yummy too.  Fantastic idea Vicky and will be signing up shortly for another batch once i have got through my jars of stuff i made earlier in the year.

Lindt D'Or Cupcakes

You know those little bundles of Lindt D'Or joy in a red wrapper, well they are going to become a bundle of gooey joy in a cupcake.

Make a basic cupcake mix as below:-

4 oz (100g) butter (soft)
2 beaten eggs
6 oz (175g) caster sugar
8oz (225g) self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons milk
Lindt D'Or chocs

Preheat oven 180 C/160 C fan/Gas 4.

Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases. Mix butter, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder and milk in a bowl until smooth. Spoon the mix into the paper cases and in each one push in (unwrapped) a Lindt D'Or choc. Bake for about 25 minutes until well risen, golden brown and shrinking away from the cases. Remove cases from tin and cool on a baking tray.

Enjoy!!

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Whilst i still have a few home grown tomatoes and the English Vine ripe ones are still in my local supermarket I am going to make this wonderful soup again.

Just a tip I made this for a dinner party a few weeks ago and lovely sieved the lumps out, but we like the chunky lumpy element so am not going this far this time.

It was very well complemented on.  The recipe is from the book Mary Berry and Lucy Young at Home published by the Random House Group ISBN 978-1-849-90480-3

6 large red peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 chopped large onion
2 finely chopped garlic cloves (i use smoked garlic which is amazing)
6 quartered tomatoes
900 ml (1.5 pints) of chicken stock (i use ready made but if you have the book refer to page 248)
1.5 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1.5 tablespoons of brown sugar
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 220 C/200 C fan/Gas mark 7.

Slice each pepper in half and remove stalk and seeds.  Place cut side down on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes till tinged brown.

While peppers are cooking heat oil in a large pan, add onion and garlic, cover and fry gently until softened but not coloured.

When the peppers are ready add to the pan along with the tomatoes, stock, balsamic vinegar and sugar and stir.  Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the onions are completely soft.

Process soup until smooth.  (if you wish to sieve do so at this point).

Season with salt and pepper or thin with a little water or stock.

Today i used a mixed bag of peppers as they were cheaper and the result is below.

Storm in a Flower Vase

With my love of floral art, my blog and demo title including a tribute to Constance Spry, how could i not go to see the new play by Anton Burge called Storm in a Flower Vase.  I had also been to see Mig Kimpton who was the associate producer in his floral art show at the Corby Cube last year so knew I would be in for a treat.

With my birthday looming it seemed fitting to have a trip to London with mum and two of my friends Judy and Sarah whom all share the interest of floral art.

After reading reviews, the play I knew was not going to be a couple of hours of how to arrange flowers, but it was a fascinating and enjoyable insight into the life of Constance Spry.    The play is based around the biography by Sue Shepherd called "The Surprising Life of Constance Spry" which i have read and enjoyed.

The main part of the play was concentrated around the relationship between Constance, her husband Shav, his mistress Val Pirie and a painter who was known only as Gluck.  It ends around the time of late 1930's when her relationship with Gluck comes to an end...a shame that it never took the play to her final days including her finding and creating the well known dish Coronation Chicken.

We saw the play on the last matinee performance, and I so hope that this play may go on tour as I feel with many NAFAS ladies out there (and of an age where they may have attended one of Mrs Spry's classes - one of my friends on Saturday had), will go and enjoy this.  I too would certainly enjoy watching the play again.

Just of note the tea room at the Arts Theatre in the West End is very quaint and the chocolate torte and carrot cake on offer that day was amazing.  All very reasonably priced too for London so all in all a pleasant trip.

Burghley House Flower Festival - October 2013

To commemorate the 200 year anniversary of the publication of Pride & Prejudice the theme for the Burghley House Flower Festival was the classics of literature.

Corby Flower Club of which I am chair were one of 8 clubs who took part in the festival. The chosen book was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and the exhibit depicted Chapter 8 - The Queen's Croquet Lawn. The room that was decorated was the Black & Yellow Bedroom and the book was chosen to link into the them of the Grotesque's as the room held two Soho 'Grotesque' tapestries.  A team of five including myself staged the exhibit on the day, however on the last club night every member of the club made or assisted with something that formed part of the exhibit so it was truly a club effort.

Much hilarity surrounded the Cheshire Cat who was much loved by the end of the day and the festival by many who visited.

Here are some pictures:-

Chicken a la Alexandra

Me, hubby and the woof are caravanning on the Welsh border so whilst hubby surveys other caravanners in their habitat I last night spied on twitter a little recipe that took my fancy by @Hollywood_wife

Very kindly after a few exchanged tweets I have the recipe to try in the caravan tonight.  The lady in Gerard's bakery in Chirk let me have all her breadcrumbs today a lovely lady apologised for lack of crummage due to not many customers wanting sliced bread and in the second shop the local butchers where I purchased some very lovely chicken thighs I received another apology this time for having to pay 5p for every carrier bag.  Yes over the border in Wales shopkeepers have to charge 5p a bag and are quite embarrassed to do so.  I did tell them that down South it happens and depending on the quality of the shopping bag what used to be known as the St of the famous supermarket charges 5p or 10p.

Now in the local village garlic salt was not available I could have had Malaysian Pink salt or a blue salt so I opted for garlic mayonnaise as mayo was one of the ingredients.  So skin off my thighs (I wish although did walk 3 miles yesterday) I marinaded in garlic mayo, paprika and whole grain mustard.

Rolled in the Gerard's bakery fresh bread crummage seasoned with normal run of the mill salt we baked. I had mine with mushroom rice, hubby had his with Chinese rice....well the convenience store had variations of the microwaveable stuff on offer £1 a pack and since we have upgraded the home on wheels we have a microwave a novelty and useful when you wake up in the night it's digital display tells me if morning is nigh.

Back to the chicken very yummy in fact could bbq it if eating alfresco, not quite warm enough! Thank you Alexandra for the recipe we enjoyed very much. Xx

Horticultural show results

This weekend I supported the Wellingborough and District Horticultural Show by entering the cookery and floral art...results as follows:-

Cookery

Blackberry and strawberry jam with a hint of rosé water - 3rd place
Lemon curd - 2nd place
Gooseberry chutney - 1st place

Victoria sponge - 2nd place (used Jo Wheatleys recipe from Home Baking) - I lost 1st due to the quality of my jam!

Flower arranging

I gained a 1st, 2nd and 2 x3rd places.

My last competition this year is the Malvern Autumn show much sadness that the WI bakery competition has been cancelled still floral art bring it on....my category Dazzling.

And the Winner is....

Me.  Imagine my surprise when I was announced the winner of Jo Wheatley's Cheesecake competition.  I have been so excited, even my ward manager renamed the last bits of the cheesecake (Amanda's Award Winning Lavender and Honey with peach cheesecake).  Its all gone and was very yummy.

I have my prize I am all booked onto a class in November now (thank you Jo for repriving myself with husband as the class was originally on my 1st wedding anniversary). 

I cannot wait to go to Jo's Kitchen and make lots of lovely things.

If you would like more information about Jo's classes then visit www.josblueaga.com

Now for this week, well I am making rosewater meringues to take camping this weekend.  With some whipped cream and strawberries who could ask for more....picture later in the week.

Honey and Lavender Baked Cheesecake a la Jo Wheatley

I am in baking and jam making mode at the moment.  I was given a couple of pounds of gooseberries and redcurrants at the beginning of the week, and so after topping and tailing all the gooseberries (I am not the most patient person in the world!) i made a batch of Gooseberry and Redcurrant Jam and also Gooseberry Chutney....thank goodness mother cried as she had used all the Blackberry Chutney up....not sure using it as an accompaniment to shepherds pie works, but my mothers taste in food has always been a bit off the wall.

Now to today, Jo Wheatley won the 2011 Great British Bake Off (Hail Queen Mary and Mr H....cannot wait till it reappears).  I have been following Jo on twitter and I liked what I read so went out and got one of her books.  Jo's book "Home Baking" published by Constable & Robinson ISBN 978-1-47210-935-4 is full of wonderful bakes, with easy to follow recipes and using ingredients that won't break the bank.

I have decided to enter Jo's Baked Cheesecake competition  http://www.josblueaga.com/2013/07/a-passion-for-baking-home-baking.html  I used the recipe on page 74. As I am allergic to ginger I replaced the ginger, so added into the main cheesecake recipe 3 tablespoons of organic honey; replaced 75g of the 175g of caster sugar with lavender sugar and added a few bits of fresh lavender flowers.  I replaced the ginger nuts with digestive biscuits....but aside from that I followed the recipe to the letter although i did nearly forget to put the sour cream and sugar on but speedily noticed as I took from the oven.  I then drizzled with dark fairtrade 70% melted chocolate, decorated with segments of flat peaches (which have a white flesh and delicious), and garnished with a few little sprigs of lavender.  The cheesecake is amazing, in fact I knew the flavours worked well when I licked the bowl out (has to be done)....so here is my finished product.  It serves 8 and glad to say they would be 8 generous portions, thats also what is fab looking at other recipes they are generous not mean portions...after all when its good home cooked food you want to enjoy it.

If you have been watching Masterchef this week well as Janet Street Porter I am not usually the best at presentation, my husband always says the food tastes good but presentation is to be desired....well I think the girl didn't do too bad on this occasion.

A NAFAS Area Demonstrator

Well finallyI retook my NAFAS Area Demonstrator test.  I trundled up to the Mercia and North Wales Area on what was the start of the warm July weather with mum.  Nervous - yes.  Four days later I learnt I had passed, and done the best ever in the plant material ID that i had ever done.  So now I am available for demonstrations to flower clubs.  I am based in the South Midlands area, but happily go out to North Midlands; East of England; BB & O and also further afield.

Here is my first piece from my demo Music

What do you do with a frozen blackberry or two.....

As the new crop of blackberries is well on its way, we still had a tub full frozen from last year.  As this year I will be taking part in also the cookery section of a local horticultural show, I thought lets make some blackberry orientated entries.  Unfortunately there weren't enough blackberries to fill my blackberry chutney pots, so will have to enjoy that on our own, however i did have my first entry ready Blackberry and Strawberry jam with a hint of rosewater.

Recipe

800g of blackberries and strawberries
800g of preserving sugar
3-4 tablespoons of rosewater
juice of one lemon

Prepare the fruit with the lemon and rosewater, and cook to soften in a large saucepan.  Add the sugar to dissolve and bring to a rolling boil for approx 10 mins.  Leave for 15 mins to cool and skim off the skin.  Sterilise your jars and put in oven to make hot and decant and immediately seal.

A short leave of absence

Sorry to all of you who were following me but i am about to return after a hectic few months of demos, floral art competitions and weddings. I have lots to share and also the exciting news that I passed my Area Demonstrator exam a couple of weeks  ago.To whet your appetite for all things food and flowers here are two pics from my trip to Gardeners World live in June. I won an RHS bronze award for my floral art entry and me and mum had the pleasure of taking tea with the one and only Mary Berry. I have some fab recipes and floral pieces over the next few months. Also in September some very exciting wedding flowers. Amanda x

Honeycomb - a treat for hubby

Yesterday after the workshop Jenny handed me some goodies which included chocolate covered honeycomb....I woofed the lot except one piece so to keep hubby happy I made him some today its an amazing thing to make this and watch the magic, bit like a chemistry experiment.

3oz butter
3oz golden syrup
8oz caster sugar
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

Melt the butter, golden syrup, caster sugar in a deep based saucepan.  Once melted boil rapidly for 5 minutes until it turns a golden colour.  Take off the heat and stir in the bicarbonate of soda.  Put into a 8in square tin greased with oil and cool, then break into pieces and enjoy.

Monkfish and Prawn Curry

Earlier this week it arrived signed by Lucy Young and Mary Berry the new cookery book - At Home...oh my goodness filled with much delights for me.

So I got hubby to pick our first meal....Monkfish and Prawn Curry....now I will say that next time it will be with a cheaper cut of fish...but I also have to say that it was divine.

Serves 6 (however we adjusted to serve just 2 with boiled rice)

1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 chopped onions
1 red deseeded and finely chopped chilli
1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger (I used dried ginger and worked just as well)
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground coriander
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 x 400g tin/carton chopped tomatoes
300 ml (1/2 pint) fish stock
1 teaspoon runny honey
Juice of 1/2 lime
750g (1 1/2lb) of monkfish, cut into 5cm cubes
250g (9oz) peeled raw prawns
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

Heat the oil in a frying pan.  Add the onion and fry for about 5 mins until it starts to soften.  Add the chilli and ginger and fry for 1 minute.  Sprinkle in the other spices and fry for one more minute.

Add the tomatoes, fish stock, honey and lime juice.  Stir until combined and bring to the boil.

Add the cubed fish and prawns, lower the heat and gently simmer for about 5 minutes until the prawns are pink and the fish is cooked through - be careful not to overcook it, otherwise the fish will break up.

Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle over the coriander and serve....now you thought Mary was just good at baking...think again!  Buy Lucy and Mary's new book AT HOME you will be forever cooking.  To order a signed book visit www.lucyyoung.co.uk

Bay Tree Cottage Wedding Workshop

A wedding workshop covered by Image Magazine took place at Bay Tree Cottage.  Everyone was taught how to make a very country style handtied bouquet, a corsage and a couple of simple table centrepieces.

Everyone was treated to Jenny's wonderful homemade sweets and cakes.

For more details of the Bay Tree Cottage Workshops visit www.btcworkshops.co.uk

Peterborough Flower Club Demo

It has been a bit of a very down sort of couple of weeks, but finally I am settling into my new temporary post on another ward at work.  I work at Springhill which is very apt at this time of year, a beautiful old school building with a fantastic garden...as I arrived I was very excited about the surrounding foliage...lots of tree ivy and holly and much much more, then I thought I should do some work.  But yes Spring I thought last week was just around the corner then the snow came last night, thank goodness there is not much settling.

On Thursday I took my loyal fan club of Mother to Peterborough to watch my demo entitled Music.  Mother in Law also joined along with her friend....they were very well behaved and both mothers won something in the raffle...not a fix I didn't draw the tickets!  The lady who supplied my refreshments how did she know I had this thing about marzipan I love it so my two mini battenburgs didnt stay on the plate that long.

My loyal woof brought me a huge box of chocolates this morning for Mothers Day....he knows me so well! 

Well here some pictures from Peterborough, I will cook soon I promise got lots of lovely things up my sleeve.  This week I have a family funeral for which I am making a lovely wreath...please let the lilies come out by tomorrow the most temperamental flower in the world they come out when you don't want them and don't when you do.  Off to the South Midlands Area Council meeting on Wednesday to ask that Corby Flower Club be voted in to affiliate, and an exciting local project is underway as well as doing a workshop at Harborough Flower Club on Wednesday, they are calling my piece a Spring Cake, don't know where that name come from but I won't argue the name!

If you are local and want to know all about wedding flowers book into Bay Tree Cottage for the workshop next Saturday click on the link at the homepage of the blog. 

Enjoy these flowers in the meantime.... i think i should bake a cake next weekend....what do you think?

Marinated loin of pork

This recipe is adapted from Mary Berry's marinated loin of pork with pineapple which is in Mary Berry's Complete Cookbook

1.5lb (0.75kg) pork tenderloin

Marinade

250ml (8fl oz) pineapple juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 crushed cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of fresh thyme
1 teaspoon of chinese five spice

Make the marinade in a flat glass dish.  Combine the pineapple juice, honey, soy sauce, garlic, thyme and five spice together.   Add the pork, cover with cling film and marinate in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.

Remove the pork from the marinade reserving the marinade.  Put the pork flat fat side up in a small roasting tin.  Cover loosely with foil and cook in a preheated oven at 220c (200c fan, gas mark 7) for 40 minutes.

Remove the foil and pour the marinade over the pork.  Return to the oven for approx 20-25 minutes or until the marinade has darkened and the juices run clear.  Once cooked, carve the pork cover with foil and leave to stand for 10 minutes.  Strain the cooking juices and remove the fat, then reheat.  Serve the pork sliced with the juices poured over.

I served with roasted vegetables and new potatoes which were just drizzled with oil and cooked alongside the pork.

Mary Berry's chocolate cup cakes (add coconut) and a message to Mr Postman

Hi all, well this week I have been slack on the baking front and slack on the floral regalia, something to do with long days at work, and we were entertained by our friends Steve and Jan last night.  Don't despair Jan gave us a recipe which we had for starter but which we are going to do for a main meal this week, and we talked Daffodils so does that count?

The past two days have reminded me that Spring is just around the corner, and today with the help of my dad we planted the holly bush and marvelled at the hellebores in the front garden.  I also made a sign which has been positioned on the front grass as Mr Postman well he delivers our mail, but he insists on walking across the front garden and the snowdrops are being crushed....basically my sign says don't walk on the grass and crush the snowdrops....I will let the window cleaner off he is providing a service. 

The daffodils, tulips and muscari bulbs are poking their heads through, in fact on the way to my training course yesterday I saw daffodils in a garden full bloom.

Well I am going to share my baking treat earlier in the week which were Mary Berry's Recipe for Chocolate Cup Cakes, I added my own twist with adding coconut to the icing.  They were well received by my work colleagues..how am i going to break the news in the morning I was too tired to bake this weekend.....

I watched Mary Berry's appearance on Food and Drink last week and I must say they had to choose between two victoria sponges one made with butter and the other with baking spread...Mary's one with baking spread won.  I will say of every cake recipe i try Mary's come out on time and just light and perfect.

Makes 24   198 cals each

40g (1 1/2 oz) cocoa powder
about 4 tablespoons of boiling water
3 eggs
175g (6oz) baking margarine
175g (6oz) caster sugar
115g (4 1/2oz) self raising flour
1 rounded teaspoon baking powder

Icing

60g (2oz) butter
30g (1oz) icing sugar
about 3 tablespoons milk
250g (8oz) icing sugar

2 x 12 hole muffin tins and 24 paper cases

Line the two 12 hole muffin tins with paper cases.  Sift the cocoa powder into a bowl, pour in the boiling water, and mix into a thick paste.  Add the remaining cake ingredients and mix with an electric hand whisk (or beat well with a wooden spoon).

Divide the mix equally amongst the 24 paper cases.  Bake in a preheated oven at 200c (180c fan, gas mark 6) for about 10 minutes until well risen and springy to the touch.  Cool in the cases on a wire rack.

Make the icing.  Melt the butter then pour into a bowl.  Sift in the cocoa powder and stir to mix.  Stir in the milk and then sift in the icing sugar a little at a time to make a glossy, spreadable icing.  Spread the icing over the cakes and leave to set before serving.

I added 3 tablespoons of dessicated coconut to the icing for a twist.

Taken from the book Mary Berry's Complete Cookbook published by Dorling Kindersley.

Lucy Young's Treacle glazed chicken

Lucy Young has been working with Mary Berry for 22 years and worked together at the famous Aga Workshops.  Lucy is in her own right a great cook and this recipe is from Lucy's book Secrets from a Country Kitchen published by Ebury Press.

This recipe Serves 4, although tonight I halved the quantities to Serve 2.

(Preparation time 5 minutes, cooking time 20 minutes - not suitable for freezing)

4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
salt and pepper

Sauce
2 tablespoons black treacle
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly
3 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat the oven to 180°c/350°f/Gas mark 4

Arrange the chicken breasts snugly in a small roasting tin and season with salt and pepper.  Mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, season with salt and pepper and pour over the chicken breasts.  Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked.  Serve hot.

To cook in the Aga - slide the roasting tin on to the second set of runners in the roasting oven for about 15-20 minutes until the chicken breasts are just tender.

Tip - you do not need to use freshly squeezed orange juice - use the type that you have for breakfast.  When a skinless chicken breast is cooked, it lacks the brown crispy top you get with a skin on breast.  Here, however the glaze makes the breasts look very attractive, with a lovely brown shine.

I served our breasts with new potatoes, carrots and spring greens.

Mary Berry New Book Out tomorrow

Mary Berry and Lucy Young have a new book released tomorrow Mary Berry at Home.

Send this link to a loved one and ask for a Valentine's treat to cook them up a treat!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1849904804/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d10_i5?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0H8689MVXDADGYAS2AJN&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=358549207&pf_rd_i=468294

Paul Hollywood's Crusty Dinner Rolls

I have been toying with the idea of making rolls now for the past couple of weeks, so today I took the task in hand.  Made the dough, let rise for 3 hours whilst I went out for a coffee with a friend, and then left to prove whilst my Date and Walnut Loaf was in the oven.

I am an inpatient cook so this is why I am not a fan of making bread, and love the simplicity of soda bread as you can just make that and put it in the oven and within the hour you have nice bread.

I am pleased with my patience today and love my results if not perfectly round.

For details of how to make Crusty Dinner Rolls it can be found in Paul Hollywood's How to Bake book which is published by Bloomsbury.

Mary Berry's Date and Walnut Loaf

Did you see the second episode of the Mary Berry Story on BBC2 this week?  What an amazing lady, and a bit of a sad episode this week.  Loved Mary's cooking through the story though, the Bread and Butter Pudding and that icing she put on the cake this week....truly indulgent.  I looked at our cooker window today and thought Mary keeps her a lot cleaner than we do!  I also had to tell my husband off I brought some chopped walnuts and he ate them in the week.

Another exciting instalment for the blog is that I have been granted permission from Nigel Slater to use some of his recipes and I have had back the Canadian permission for the Nigella recipes I want to use, just got to get the last one from America to give me worldwide permission so i can publish on the blog....looking forward to that as I cannot wait to cook one of my chosen recipes.

Anyway today I am cooking Mary Berry's Date and Walnut Loaf......now I am doing two and unfortunately only had one loaf tin so did a round one for the other.

Here is the recipe.

3oz (90g) soft butter or margarine, plus extra for greasing
8oz (250g) dates, stoned and roughly chopped
1/4 pint (150ml) boiling water
3oz (90g) caster sugar
1 egg
8oz (250g) self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3oz (90g) walnuts roughly chopped

2lb (1kg) loaf tin

Lightly grease the loaf tin with butter and line with greaseproof paper*.  Put the dates into a bowl and pour over the measured boiling water, and leave for about 15 minutes.  Combine the butter, sugar, egg, flour and baking powder in a large bowl and beat until well blended.  Add the walnuts and dates, plus the soaking liquid and stir to mix.

Spoon into the prepared loaf tin and bake in a preheated oven at 180°c, (160°c fan, Gas mark 4) for 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours until well risen and firm to the touch.  A fine skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean. 

Leave to cool in the loaf tin for a few minutes, then turn out to a wire rack and peel off the lining paper.  Leave to cool completely.  Serve sliced and buttered if wished.

* I find the presized loaf tin liners good for this.

Mary's recipe is one of a large collection from her book Mary Berry's Complete Cookbook published by Dorling Kindersley.

Olive's Kitchen

My friend Debbie has started a new business venture Olive's Kitchen.  I met Debbie just over a year ago she asked me to do flowers for her wedding and she is also now the secretary of our flower club in Corby so a lovely friendship has formed.

Debbie told me about her venture a couple of weeks ago and so I ordered some of her homemade Cottage Pie and some soup for my lunches this week.

After a good natter and a coffee yesterday afternoon I brought home my order.  Last night we had Olive's Kitchen's Cottage Pie with some veg.

The pie was gorgeous authentically a homemade cottage pie so different to the ones you buy premade in the supermarkets.  It feels like I have made it and got it out of the oven, and would be proud to serve that up at a dinner party too.  If you get the opportunity get some of Olive's Kitchen's cheese scones these are the best scones I have had.

Some of the things available from Olive's Kitchen:-

• Delicious home cooked meals and desserts
• Sunday Roast (cooked and ready to serve or prepared ready to cook yourself)
• Cakes, Pies and Scones
• Breakfast
• Packed Lunches

Olive's Kitchen also offers a cleaning and ironing service.

Also Learn Basic cookery skills at home - individually or with a friend.  Fun, relaxed and affordable.

Gluten Free and Vegetarian catered for

If you are local to the Corby, Northamptonshire area, contact oliveshomekitchen@hotmail.co.uk or 07806 554565 for more information.

Floral Demonstrating

Well this is what I do outside of work along with my freelancing at floristry.  I do flower demos for flower clubs and WI's.  The flower club ones are worked on a larger scale whilst the WI demos are more "this is what you can do at home" type of thing.

This is some work from my latest flower demo.  I am a trainee area demonstrator for the South Midlands Area of NAFAS.