Mince Beef and Stilton Mini Pies - Recipe

Fresh from the oven

I'm originally from Stilton Cheese country and these mini pies are a reminder of the shires.

When I made my cottage pie I used just half the meat mixture and with the remainder I made these mini pies. Bought shortcrust was used to make the pies on this occasion - and why not! I made one cottage pie and eight mini pies from just 500g of 10% fat Aberdeen Angus mince beef.

Packed full of flavour

To make 8 mini pies all you need is a 12 cup muffin tin - I used a loose base 12 cup individual mini sandwich tin from Lakeland - removing the pies is much easier than using a normal muffin tin.

1. 500g pack of shortcrust pastry.
2. Spray the tray with oil.
3. Roll out the pastry and with the plain side of a 11cm cutter stamp out 8 circles to line the tins. Fill the pastry cases to the top with the cooked mince beef mixture and press down with a spoon.  Top with a cube of Stilton cheese.
4. Roll out the remaining pastry and with the plain side of a 8cm cutter stamp out 8 lids. Beat an egg and brush the underside of the pastry lid with egg and press down on to the edges of the pastry bases. Pinch the edges of the pastry together. Brush the lids with beaten egg and make a large hole in the lids for the steam to escape. Place the tray in the fridge and leave to chill for 30 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Cook for 40 minutes until golden.

Cottage Pie with Roasted Vine Cherry Tomatoes - Recipe

Comfort food

Easy midweek family meals, made from a few quality ingredients, inexpensive and cooked from scratch - that's why we love cottage pie.

I'm a bit of a cheat when it comes to chopping vegetables into small pieces and use my trusted kitchen gadget. I like the way it effortlessly cuts the vegetables into precise cubes - it doesn't take much to please me. I thought it would be one of those gadgets which remained at the back of the cupboard collecting dust but it does get used on a fairly regular basis. My knife skills aren't the best and when I went on a course at the local college the lecturer always said I cut vegetables like a housewife which used to make me laugh, although he did have a point!

You will need:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion
1 celery stalk
1 carrot
750g lean mince beef
2 tsp plain flour
300ml beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato puree
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
seasoning

For the potato topping:

750g potatoes
30g butter
seasoning
Vine cherry tomatoes

1. Finely chop the onion, celery and carrot. To a large pan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cook the vegetables until the onion becomes translucent and the vegetables begin to soften. Add the mince beef and cook for 5 minutes, add the tomato puree and cook for a couple more minutes, stirring to break up the mince.
2. Stir in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes, add the stock, Worcestershire Sauce, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to the boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 45 minutes. Pour into a large casserole dish and cool.
3. Cook the potatoes, drain, add the butter to the pan and mash until smooth. Season.
4. Place dollops of potato onto the mince mixture and spread out to the edges. Place the vine cherry tomatoes on top.
5. Preheat the oven to 180oC and cook for 30 minutes until bubbling and brown.

Glazed Gammon Steaks with Pineapple Salsa

Remember Gammon and Pineapple?

This recipe is by those lovely chaps The Hairy Bikers - they make cooking fun and I love their recipes too.

Can you remember gammon, pineapple, egg and peas from the 70's? I used to eat this at the Leicester branch of Berni Inn which served British classic food, I'm surprised pubs still serve this retro classic.

The Hairy Bikers have given this classic a twist and poshed it up, they have glazed the gammon with honey and grain mustard (I used Dijon mustard), the fresh pineapple salsa takes this dish to another level.

No chips this time round but potato wedges, fried egg and of course peas.

The recipe can be found on the BBC Food Website.

Eating Places APlenty Back in the 1970's in Leicester - I have very fond memories of some of these places especially the Pancake House.

Easy Food Recipe: Stilton Beef Burgers

Making your own burgers is really easy and home made are always best. I have always made mine because I like to know exactly what goes into them. For those moments when you crave a burger this freshly made easy food from the kitchen for a stay at home Friday or Saturday evening, is perfect. The melting Stilton Cheese in the burgers is simply delicious.

I like my bacon well done for this recipe but if it looks too well done for you, then simply cook for less time. Left over Stilton Cheese and the uncooked burgers will freeze perfectly.  To take this food to another level I would make the burger buns and the coleslaw but for fast food days Marks and Spencer is my one stop shop.

Serves: 2

250g best quality lean mince beef
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
50g cubed Stilton cheese
25g fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 tsp Worcester sauce
pinch chilli powder
1/2 beaten egg
2 rashers smoked back bacon
Mayonnaise
Salad leaves
2 Burger Buns

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
2. Mix the mince beef, onion, breadcrumbs, chives, Worcester sauce, cubes of Stilton cheese and chilli powder together. Add half the beaten egg to the mixture. Season.
3. Shape into two burgers. Line a tray with clingwrap place the burgers on the lined tray and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
4. Remove the burgers from the cling wrap, grease the tray, place the burgers on the tray.
5. Grease a small tray and place the bacon rashers on.
6. Place both trays in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, turn the bacon over half way through the cooking time.
7. Cut the burger buns in half and toast one side only.
8. Spread mayonnaise over each bun half. Place a layer of salad leaves on the base, top with a cooked burger, take a bacon rasher and place on top of the burger.
9. Serve with potato wedges sprinkled with paprika.

Recipe: Chilli Con Carne - Midweek Meals

We stayed home during the Easter break but escaped every day and ate out, one of our favourite places to stop before we head to Wales is Weobley in Herefordshire. The village is part of the Black and White Villages Heritage Trail, and a gem in the village is The Gables Tea Room, the food here is amazing and it has a unique warmth and cosiness from the moment you open the door, it was bitterly cold on the day we visited and everyone made a beeline to the welcoming log burner.

At some point I had to cook over the holiday and looking through a few of my Waitrose recipes found this quick chilli con carne recipe which is taken from their November 2012 magazine.  The secret ingredient is a piece of dark chocolate added at the end of the cooking time,  it really does make a difference and gives a great depth of flavour to the finished chilli.

Chilli is a great midweek meal and can be served simply with a jacket potato and a serving of rice, well that's how we like ours.

It isn't the most attractive of dishes but served in a fabulous casserole and dressed with either coriander or parsley makes a huge difference to the eye.

Adapted recipe.

Serves: 4

2 tablespoons olive oil, 500g Aberdeen Angus mincebeef, 1 chopped onion, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 red chilli finely chopped, 1½ tsp cumin, 1 tsp mild chilli powder, 1½ tsp dried oregano, 1 tbsp tomato puree, 400g can chopped tomatoes, 400g can organic red kidney beans (rinsed), 1 piece of dark chocolate, parsley leaves to decorate.

1. Heat a tbsp of oil in a large pan and cook half the mincebeef until brown, cook the remaining mincebeef.
2. Cook the onion, chilli and garlic in the pan with the remaining olive oil.  Cook gently until the onion has softened.
3. In a pan dry fry the cumin until the seeds release their flavour, tip into a pestle and mortar and grind to a fine powder.  Add the ground cumin, chilli powder, dried oregano and tomato puree to the pan containing the onion and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Return the mincebeef to the pan, add the chopped tomatoes and 250ml of water.  Bring to the boil, simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes.
5. Stir in the rinsed beans and the chocolate, season.

Sage Sausage Rolls - Recipe

These well dressed little beauties are filled with good quality sausage meat from my trusted butcher, I then add a grated apple, a few breadcrumbs, chopped sage and parsley.  Decorate with fresh sage leaves.  The recipe is from Delicious Magazine and because I have never found a recipe to upstage this one, I use this time and again!  I use my Stellar Eazistore trays because the sausage rolls don't stick whilst cooking.

Open freeze the uncooked sausage rolls on trays and when frozen pop into ziplock freezer bags ready for cooking - easy!

Rosemary Roast Lamb Chops and Potatoes

Whilst lazily reading the newspaper at my local coffee shop the other week, I came across this recipe from BBC GoodFood in the Daily Mail.  I always look forward to seeing which recipe they have chosen from the GoodFood website because I can then buy the ingredients whilst I'm out shopping and cook the suggested recipe.  I don't know whose job it is to choose recipes from the GoodFood website for the Daily Mail readers but they always pick a winner.  I'm mostly grateful to them because it saves me thinking 'what shall I cook for dinner'.

After my disaaahhhster (disaster) with a previous meal, I thought it only fair I cooked something that looked good, tasted wonderful and is very delicious too.

The recipe is very easy to prepare and make, I used King Edward old potatoes because when roasted they are crunchy on the outside and fluffy within.  The balsamic vinegar drizzled over the roasted meal is a must and takes it to another level. I cut off some rosemary which happily grows in my garden and managed to tear off the last sprig of mint too.

The recipe is on the BBC GoodFood website. I found the oven timings suggested on their site too short and cooked the potatoes for another 20 minutes.

Chilli Con Carne Meatballs - Jamie's 15 Minute Meals

I challenged myself to make Chilli Con Carne Meatballs from Jamie's 15 Minute Meals, after seeing him on TV effortlessly produce this recipe.

Jamie has a team who do all the prep - I have just me and distractions. Everything started off well and I thought it would be a doddle, but then the washer finished, more washing to put in, next the tumble dryer to fill. Couldn't find the blender, found the blender, struggled to assemble the blender. Where is the bulgur wheat hiding?  I forgot to buy the preserved lemons. Why are there only a few cumin seeds left in the jar? It was all going wrong.......

I wasn't sure about cooking the meatballs for such a short time and cooked these for longer, I thought the quantity of bulgur wheat might not be enough and then cooked too much - I should have trusted Jamie:)

Would you like to know how long all this took me? - I lost the will, and have absolutely no idea.  The photograph tells the story........

Hubby thought the meal was very tasty and he particularly enjoyed the meatballs. He would have liked less bulgur wheat and more meatballs, not the huge plate of bulgur wheat I gave to him, and as for me, I will always prefer traditional chilli con carne.

I plan to cook a few more recipes from the book, perhaps this time I might manage to cook something without so many distractions.

The book - bursting at the seams with tasty healthy recipes, great food styling and photographs, and each recipe gives calorie, fat, sugar and saturated fat details.

Please Note:  This blog post isn't to be taken seriously - ok!

Slow Cooker Recipe: Lamb Cooked in Red Wine

Slow cooker love - simply take a half shoulder of lamb or a leg of lamb joint and brown in a large frying pan.  Add to the slow cooker.  Throw a few quartered red onions into the slow cooker, and you needn't even peel them, because you will be straining all those fabulous slow cooker juices afterwards.  Add a few cloves of crushed garlic, bay leaves, sprigs of thyme and rosemary.  This is herb love too - my pots of herbs have been very kind to me and seemed to thrive on a poor summer, well - it's good to know some things like poor summers.

Deglaze the frying pan with red wine, I used Shiraz but any full bodied red wine is ideal, bring to the boil and add to the lamb. Season with freshly ground salt and pepper.  Cook on high for 5 hours or until falling off the bone, this way you don't need to use any butchery skills but can use two spoons to pull the lamb apart into reasonably sized pieces.  Strain the slow cooker juices over a saucepan, add some redcurrant jelly to sweeten and thicken with a a few instant thickening granules, which are available from most supermarkets.

No photograph of the cooked lamb, because it never looks very photogenic when cooked, but what it lacks in looks it makes up for with taste, it is so delicious.  You can use lamb shanks and these are equally delicious.

Smoked Haddock with Bacon and Leeks

I remember going to a 'posh' restaurant and being served undyed smoked haddock. They served the fish on top of a mound of mashed potato.....I've never forgotten how dull that meal looked.  It's definitely dyed smoked haddock for me every time!

There are a lot of buttery juices after the fish has cooked, I placed my cooked new potatoes and leeks in the tray and turned them in those fabulous juices.  This is a quick and tasty fish dish with only a few ingredients, it was really delicious too.

You will need:

Serves: 4

50g softened butter, 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, few rashers streaky bacon, 4 smoked haddock fillets, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly ground pepper, 2 chopped leeks.

1. Place the butter into a bowl, add the chopped herbs, mix together.
2. Grill the bacon until crispy, drain and set aside.
3. Put the fish fillets onto a foil lined baking tray, grease the foil and spread the herb butter over the fillets.
4. Sprinkle the lemon juice over and season with black pepper.
5. Grill for 6 minutes or until the fish is cooked.
6. Cook the leeks in boiling water, drain. Add to the tray in which the fish has cooked and coat with the buttery juices.
7. Crumble over the reserved bacon.

Eddingtons Meat Thermometer/Temperature Probe - Review

The Eddingtons Meat Thermometer has a remote probe sensor, the probe lead is 110cm long and heat resistant up to 250°C.  The probe lead is inserted into the thermometer, and the probe is inserted into the meat before placing into the oven.   The thermometer can be set in either Fahrenheit or Celsius, and there is a switch on the back to set the unit from Cook to Timer mode. When the required temperature is reached an alarm will sound.

Thermometer set to the required temperature
 with the probe inserted into the middle of the Beef Wellington.

There is a magnet on the back of the unit to mount the thermometer onto your oven, a flip down stand to sit on the work top or it can be fixed onto the back of a cupboard door. Insert the probe into the centre of the meat, place in the oven, shut the door onto the cord and ensure your thermometer is set correctly to the required temperature.

Cooked Beef Wellington

Now I have used the oven temperature probe, I really don't know why I haven't used one before.  I won't have to guess if my meat is cooked, the probe can also be used for making jams, sweets, in fact for most tasks where it is necessary to know the temperature.  I tested the thermometer for boiling water and it registered 100°C.

The probe comes with full instructions, but unfortunately there isn't a temperature guide included. 1   x AAA battery is required for the temperature/timer unit.

This is a great kitchen gadget which will be used time and time again. 

Stockist: The Cooks Kitchen.  It is very affordable at £11.90 plus p&p.

Thank you Eleanor and Eddingtons for the review sample.

Lola España: Review

Lola España are Spanish food and kitchenware importers based in Salford Quays, they have been selling to the trade for over 11 years and recently launched an online one-stop shop selling amazing artisan and authentic Spanish food, earthenware and kitchen utensils to the UK public. They are passionate about Spain and Spanish produce and all the food is sourced by themselves.

Everything arrived safely and the eco-friendly insulated packaging inside my parcel ensured my products arrived in perfect condition. My parcel contained some wonderful food: suckling pig middle cut joint, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, sliced Jamón Ibérico, Chorizo, Fuet Ibérico and Manchego Cheese.

I fried the Chorizo and there was plenty of paprika to satisfy our palates, and the suckling pig is roasted for only 30 minutes to produce a very tender, moist meat.

Image taken from Lola España website

Food and recipe inspiration can be found on their website, and I chose to make Toasted Bread with Sliced Jamón Ibérico and Tomato.  Ibérico hams come from free range pigs fed on a diet of acorns and herbs to produce a unique rich deep flavour and the meat is then cured for 24 months.  Extra Virgin Olive Oil ' Flor De Espadán' is drizzled over the bread in this recipe to give another layer of flavour.  This was an easy and delicious recipe, requires only a few quality ingredients, and you are good to go.

 Manchego cheese drizzled with honey - and why not?

The Manchego cheese is made from sheep's milk and this 6 month matured cheese was creamy with a good depth of flavour and very delicious too. 

I was kindly sent the above products for review.
Thank you to Lola España for the fabulous Spanish food.

Farmer's Choice Barbecue Meat

Whether you're holding a family BBQ or a get together with friends, Farmer's Choice have all the BBQ free range meat you will ever need to enjoy some summer food in the sun.

There are many options to choose from, a Basics BBQ Pack which includes chicken drumsticks, steak burgers, lamb burgers and two types of sausages to a large BBQ Essentials Pack which also includes kebabs and Chinese ribs.  A Chicken Combo Pack, Kebab Pack or a fabulous Fish Pack which includes King Prawns, Mackerel fillets, Salmon fillets and whole Sardines.  A Mini Rotisserie Pack includes a chicken, half shoulder lamb and a belly pork joint, or to feed a crowd, there is a large Rotisserie Pack with a Forerib of Beef, Large Chicken, Whole Leg Lamb and a Spare Rib joint.  Should you wish to top up your order or choose individual items there are plenty of options available.

Farmer's Choice are an online free range butchers with over 20 years of experience and all products are high quality and traceable. British farm-reared free range barbecue food from Farmer's Choice can be delivered directly to your door. The meat is blast frozen prior to courier doorstep delivery and orders can be delivered weekdays Tuesday to Friday.

This is a sponsored post.

Review - The Silver Spoon: The New Edition

A small slice of The Silver Spoon.

Cake with Orange Icing taken from the chapter Dessert Cakes caught my attention, with an easy to follow recipe. The sponge has a moist soft crumb and although I made more icing than specified in the recipe, I felt the liquid measurement was too generous and not enough icing sugar. True to say I didn't make the icing to the recipe, and perhaps next time I make this, I will stay with the recipe!

I was delighted when asked to review the above book - memories of a magnificent display showcasing Phaidon Press in a department store at Westfield Shopping Centre London, came flooding back.

The revised edition has a fabulous new red cover and is the heaviest cookery book I have come across. In total there are 1,504 pages, 400 colour photographs, over 2,000 recipes, and chapters including First Courses, Vegetables, Meat, Fish, Desserts and Baking, just to name a few. Italy's best-selling cookery bible, The Silver Spoon, was first published in English in 2005 by celebrated publishers Phaidon Press, has sold over one million copies worldwide and is also the most successful Italian cookbook of all time. There are chef endorsements from Giorgio Locatelli to Gennaro Contaldo and praise from leading UK newspapers and magazines.

The book promises to set alight the nation's taste buds for authentic, home-cooked Italian food and is fully revised and updated for modern kitchens. The Silver Spoon is the definitive book on Italian cooking and stands alongside other culinary classics such as The Joy of Cooking and Larousse Gastronomique.

Most of the recipes are traditional and regional Italian dishes, whist others are more contemporary additions. For the English edition, the ingredients and cooking times of some recipes were updated in the light of changing tastes and lifestyles. Others have been left virtually untouched to retain their unique characteristics.

The Silver Spoon offers the opportunity to make Italian gastronomy part of your life, whether you are cooking simple family dishes or something for a special celebration.






Eating is a serious matter in Italy and as soon as the temperature falls, everyone is ready for a warming plate of Braised Beef with Barola, which is the recipe I chose to make. The beef topside was placed in a Barola, vegetable and herb marinade for 7 hours, browned all over and cooked on the hob until tender. I kept some of the cooked marinade vegetables back and pureed the remainder with the cooking liquid to make a sauce. A straightforward recipe, easy to make, a photograph to accompany the recipe and a great one pot dish.

A section in the book includes 23 Silver Spoon Celebrated International Guest chefs from around the world and their menus, including contributions from Theo Randall, Ruth Rogers and Georgio Locatelli here in the UK, Paolo Lopriore (Italy), Mario Batali (United States) and Robert Marchetti (Australia).

How did I fair in a domestic kitchen, located on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border and where to begin with a book such as this! My overall experience using the book was excellent, although to date I have only cooked two of the recipes, this is a very exciting book for lovers of Italian cuisine (and this includes me). The recipe selection is from easy, to recipes for the keen cook and gourmet. I'm not sure if I would recommend this book for a beginner because it assumes a level of cooking ability and confidence. Interestingly, I always presumed this book would be beyond my capabilities and now after studying the book, albeit over the last two weeks, it has proven me wrong.

More photographs have been added to this revised edition, but a photograph speaks a thousand words and even more photographs would be appreciated. To do justice to The Silver Spoon, I will revisit this again next year and make a few recipes, post them on the blog and give an account of how I get on.

Hopefully, the Fresh Pasta Chapter will encourage me to dust off my pasta machine, there are so many delicious recipes....maybe, next year!

Thank you to Phaidon Press and Lucy for the review copy.

Review: Tarbert Fine Foods

I have received a selection of Tarbert Fine a range of Premium Scottish cooked meats, produced from Scottish meat from animals born and reared in Scotland. The range carries the relevant Quality Meat Scotland Logos: Specially Selected Pork, Specially Selected Ham or Scotch Beef.

I have been sent Scottish Finely Sliced Heather Honey Roast Ham, Fine Mature Ham with Arran Mustard, Tarbert Fine Scottish Butter Basted Chicken, Tarbert Fine Scottish Roast Pork, Tarbert Fine Heather Honey Roast Ham and Scottish Topside of Beef.

All of the meats are excellent quality, texture and taste too. Mr W took the Scottish Topside of Beef in a bread roll to work and said it was the first time he had ever eaten precooked beef that actually tasted of beef. The meats were so tasty we ate the majority of them with a salad for our evening meal and enjoyed every pack of meat.

Available in Scottish Sainsbury's, Tesco and Asda.

About the Brand: From the humble beginnings of a small family butchers shop in Biggar 1885, Browns Food Group now supplies a vast range of chilled and frozen foods, ranging from delicatessen, pre sliced cooked meats, smoked salmon and convenience foods which are as unique and distinctive today as they were in 1885. Browns Food Group is a family run business based in the Borders of Scotland, in Kirkconnel.

Thank you Pamela and Browns Food Group.

Forman and Field Gift Hampers

An email came asking if I would like to receive for review a sample hamper courtesy of Forman and Field - the answer is always going to be, yes please.

The hamper is delivered in a sturdy heavy duty box insulated with polystyrene. The contents are kept cold whilst in transit with gel ice packs to keep everything in tip top condition until you unpack. Receiving and opening a hamper is a joyous occasion it's such a treat. The hamper was large enough for the two of us, and packed and presented superbly, which added to my delight.

I was sent a list of useful Tasting Notes regarding the contents they had selected specially for me. I knew from reading food magazines they supply their smoked salmon to the finest restaurants. I hadn't realised though they also sell online products from the finest independent producers too.


I was spoilt with Genuine Wild Smoked Scottish Salmon which needs to be savoured more or less as is to fully appreciate the taste. I served mine simply with a few peppery leaves, a squeeze of lemon and a piece of brown bread. The salmon wasn't too salty or smoky, neither was it oily and tasteless, but simply melts in the mouth. I have yet to try the London Cure Smoked Scottish Salmon but I am looking forward to another indulgent treat when I try this too (it's in the freezer waiting patiently for Christmas).


Potted Lobster is something that I had not eaten before, it came in a small reusable kilner jar. This is a gold medal winner and one of their customers' favourites. This is cooked lobster, they pick out the best bits and pot it with clarified butter. The tasting notes suggest taking it out of the fridge to come to room temperature and serving this as a starter for a posh dinner party or, as I did, serving it on toast so the butter melts into the toast - I had made bread the day before the hamper arrived so that I had some homemade bread, this bread makes fab griddled toast to go with posh potted lobster. This was one of our favourite items from the hamper.


Hand Carved Alderton Ham from a family producer in Nottinghamshire. This was sliced and prepacked ready to serve. The ham had been steamed and baked on the bone with an old fashioned marmalade glaze, we ate this with a green salad and the ham was definitely the star on the plate.

A Selection of Neal's Yard Dairy Cheeses - when I go to London I always queue up to go in here and love sampling the cheeses whilst I am waiting. The selection of cheeses arrived in waxed paper, which is how I wrap my cheese too, and this was appreciated because it stops the cheese from sweating. Beenleigh Blue is a new cheese to me and has a strong tang, in my case though, too strong a tang. The Colston Bassett on the other hand is a creamy cheese I am used to eating and this can do no wrong on my cheeseboard. There was a cheddar and also Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire, these were superb in taste and very reliable choices for the cheeseboard.

Mrs King's Pork Pie one of Borough Market's real food heroes. This is the first time I have eaten this pork pie, I originally came from Melton Mowbray and all I have ever known are the pork pies which are made in the town.


The mince pies are made by Master Chef Michael Nadell and the pastry is buttery, soft, and the contents within will please and satisfy all mince pie lovers. Both the brownie loaf and banana bread are presented in little wooden loaf boxes, wrapped in cellophane and tied with ribbon. The brownie loaf is very rich and you only need a small slice to satisfy your brownie needs, the banana loaf was a little dense for me but Mr W said he enjoyed his. Pure Indulgence Chocolates from Paul Wayne Gregory are handcrafted dark chocolates for chocolate lovers, mine were vanilla pod, salted caramel and spiced praline, they were silky, smooth and superb.


Lemon Curd presented in a small reusable kilner jar, I ate this sweet, lemony curd on toast as a breakfast treat and it certainly didn't disappoint. The Christmas Pudding - this coming weekend we will be eating the pud, and to reheat, all we have to do is put it in the microwave for 5 minutes.

The hamper was a perfect introduction to some of the delights Forman and Field have to offer and because every item is premium quality you simply can't go wrong.

Forman and Field have a Special Offer running at the moment, just £5.00 p&p for standard delivery and this runs until 30th November 2011. The amazing thing is you can order as little or as much as you like.

Cottage Pie and Review: Hungry? a book by innocent

innocent's new family recipe book, Hungry? is so much more than a recipe book, it is also a guide to healthy, tasty and quick meals for everyone.


I made the cottage pie which is bursting at the seams with meaty and vegetable goodness. The pie uses minced beef, tinned tomatoes, leeks, carrots, celery and parsnips, the 'cottage' is mashed sweet potato, carrots and potatoes.

There are over 100 delicious, simple, healthy recipes ranging from a 2-minute breakfast to a proper Sunday lunch. The aim of the book is to help you fill your family with good stuff, getting everyone involved in helping to make and prepare meals and to also enjoy mealtimes together.

There is the Good Egg Test - you may be surprised by the results!


Do you by any chance have a British Robot in your home? If so, you will definitely need the recipe for Robot Food!

innocent are best known for their drinks range and there is a whole chapter dedicated to 'Good Things to Drink'. Drinks for when you are feeling Whingy? Poorly? Slept In? Sleepy? Sneaky? Nippy Out? Healthy Milkshakes and Junior Booze (in an innocent way!).

A chapter containing Good Things to Make and Bake includes everything from useful tips from a master baker, tomato and thyme foccacia, sticky toffee pudding, to making ice lollies.

There are a wealth of hints and tips, ideas for things to do, fabulous photographs and illustrations, and the book has an amazing 352 pages.

Thank you to everyone at Fruit Towers for the lovely book.

THE BIG KNIT - Making Winter Warmer for Older People - 16-30th November

Every November for the past 8 years, millions of innocent smoothie bottles have donned little woolly hats to raise money for The Big Knit, and help keep older people warm in winter with our friends at Age UK.

This November the hats are back again - and they're more A-list than ever before!

The behatted bottles will be sold in Sainsbury's and Boots this November and for every behatted bottle sold, Innocent will donate 25p to Age UK.

JAMIE OLIVER'S SLOW ROASTED PORK BELLY

Jamie's recipe for pork belly is my favourite and one I have cooked since his book, Cook With Jamie, was released in 2006.

This is an easy, no fail recipe, and only requires the best pork you can afford. The pork in Jamie's recipe is cooked on a bed of fennel but if you don't want to use the fresh fennel then the pork will still taste fabulous.

This is the tastiest belly pork ever, it is coated in a mixture of bashed up fennel seeds and salt and after an hour or so a bottle of white wine is added to the roasting tin. Long slow cooking is also the secret to perfect belly pork and not one to be rushed, as with all good things!

I always score the pork myself because invariably the meat has never been scored very well, even though I always buy it from the butcher. We have a huge meat knife hidden away in the cupboard, which is a bit scary, but it makes easy work of scoring meat.

You will fall in love with this recipe, just as I have, and your kitchen will be full of the most beautiful aroma's. I know once tried there will be no turning back.....


Here is the original recipe, for the two of us I mostly buy a 1.5kg joint because I like to have some leftovers.

Serves: 6-8

2kg pork belly on the bone, 2 tablespoons fennel seeds, sea salt and black pepper. 4 fennel bulbs, each cut into sixths, herby tops removed and reserved, small bunch fresh thyme leaves picked, 5 unpeeled cloves of garlic, olive oil, bottle of white wine

1. Preheat the oven to its maximum temperature. Score the skin of the pork.
2. In a pestle and mortar bash up the fennel seeds with a tablespoon of salt until you have a powder, then massage into the scores of the skin.
3. In a roasting tin toss the fresh fennel with the thyme, garlic, a good splash of oil and some salt and pepper. Place the pork belly into the preheated oven. After 10 minutes turn the oven down to 170°C/325°F/Gas 3 and roast the pork for a further hour.
4. When the hour is up, take the tray out of the oven, pour away any excess fat, add the white wine and pop back in the oven for another hour.
5. Remove the fennel and keep warm whilst you put the pork back in for a final hour until the skin is golden and crisp and the meat is melt in the mouth tender. If the wine evaporates during the cooking time, add a splash more wine or water to loosen and make a light gravy.
6. Let the pork rest for 10 minutes. Carve into large chunks and serve with gravy and the fennel.

Delicious!

It's Barbecue Time!

This year, so far, the summer has been fairly kind to us - last year the barbecue was used only a few times and the majority of them, when my husband was brave enough, were cooked under a couple of parasols, to shield both him and the barbecue from torrential rain. Unfortunately on Saturday, we had a very sudden and sharp shower, it was definitely a deja vous moment, with my husband muttering something like 'I don't believe it'!!!

The BBQ Grill and Chill Selection Pack is by Pipers Farm who are located in Devon. The pack includes 4 Red Ruby Steak Burgers(440g), 4 Pork Sausages(350g), 4 Red Ruby Grilling Steaks, 4 Spicy Chicken Drumsticks(600g), 4 Pork Steaks marinaded in lime and ginger(500g) and 2 Lamb Kebab(250g)Packs(500g). For full details please click here.


For me, the lamb kebabs were the star and must be the best lamb I have ever eaten. My husband cooked the kebabs so they were still pinkish, succulent and juicy. The steak burgers were full of flavour, the Red Ruby Grilling Steaks were cut thick to help stop them drying out. The sausage was a reminder of old fashioned finely ground pork sausage which was pleasing, because I am not very keen on coarse textured sausage. Both the Spicy Chicken Drumsticks and and Pork Steaks had a tasty marinade.


The BBQ Grill and Chill Selection Pack is delivered direct from the farm in a huge box - open it up and there is a personalised signed letter greeting you as a customer, information regarding your purchase and a leaflet relating to the Pipers Farm family. Delve down into the box through the packing and you will find your meat box surrounded by ice packs. The ice packs can be re-used, and the box, paper and plastic packaging can all be recycled.



Inside the box is your meat selection, well presented and surrounded by ice packs. The meat is frozen and individually packed in free-flow vacuum bags. Each pack comes with its own set of information regarding the product, tips on defrosting and suggestions for cooking. The Lamb Kebab pack comes with lots of wooden skewers - just remember to soak them first before you use them (I forgot).

For this barbecue there was just the two of us. I couldn't possibly eat all of the selection pack, otherwise I would have to spend all week in the gym trying to use up endless calories. As the packs are free-flow you only need to take out as much, or as little as you need.

A few interesting facts about Pipers Farm:

Pipers Farm was started 20 years ago by Peter and Henrietta Greig when their sons were very young. Their goal was to produce healthy meat that as a family they could enjoy eating with complete confidence. Today, Pipers Farm helps to sustain 30 farming families who have nurtured the countryside for generations. They passionately believe in offering their customers the best and healthiest meat they can buy, always a pleasure to cook, sensational to eat and excellent value.

Pipers Farm are multi award winning - Red Ruby Steak Burgers have a Gold Taste of the West Awards 2008, BBC Best Food Producer 2007, are one of Rick Stein's Food Heroes. To see the impressive Awards list click here.

Thank you Laurel and Pipers Farm.

SMOTHERED PORK CHOPS WITH MUSTARD & THYME BUTTER. NIGEL SLATER'S - A GRATIN OF SPRING GREENS & ROASTED WALNUTS

A couple of postings ago I put out a request to ask if any of my readers would kindly email Nigel Slater's recipe for the above to me, well success, June promptly replied and sent the recipe across to me. Thank you June.

The first recipe is from a favourite cookery writer of mine, Diana Henry and comes from her recipe book Cook Simple.

It's basically an all-in-one recipe with just a few ingredients to make a delicious main meal. Potatoes, onion, an eating apple, Tamworth free range pork chops (yes, of the Tamworth two fame - can you remember the two pigs that escaped on their way to the abattoir, way back in 1998!) and dry white wine.

Nigel's Spring Green Gratin was served alongside, and this unlikely pairing was a match made in heaven!


For the Spring Green Gratin:

You will need: 500ml whole milk, 1 small onion, 2 cloves, 1 bay leaf, 6 peppercorns, 500g spring greens, 60g walnut halves, 25g butter, 25g plain flour, 100g grated Parmesan cheese.

1. Add the onion spiked with cloves, bay leaf and peppercorns to the milk, bring to the boil and then leave to infuse for at least 15 minutes.
2. Trim the spring greens, shred into wide strips then dunk into a large pot of boiling water and remove after 30 seconds and drain.
3. Toast the walnut halves in a dry frying pan until they smell warm and nutty.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas 4.
5. Make the sauce by melting the butter, adding the flour and cooking for 3-4 minutes until pale biscuit coloured. Pour in the strained warm milk, stir until it thickens over a moderate heat. Simmer over a low heat for approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the walnuts and half the Parmesan then season.
6. Put the greens in a medium size gratin dish, pour over the sauce and top with the rest of the cheese.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the crust is golden.

Not a looker this one, but extremely delicious.