Soda bread

Perfect served hot from the oven, smothered in butter with a bowl of soup for a pick me up on a cold day!

I bought some cream of tomato soup for lunch and wanted to make some bread to go with it, but needed a quick, easy recipe so I thought soda bread would be perfect. Soda bread uses buttermilk (or milk and lemon) and bicarbonate of soda as a raising agent, rather than yeast, so it is really simple and quick to make but has great flavour from the cheese and herbs in this recipe. 

It is quite a dense bread so is great with something runny like soup. I used my lovely mum's recipe - she always makes it and it is delicious so I wanted to give it a try. The original recipe uses half wholemeal and half plain flour but I didn't have any wholemeal so used all plain (to my mum's dismay) and it worked just as well so it is up to you what you choose to use!

I am ashamed to say that my boyfriend and I ate both the loaves I made in one sitting (it's better hot from the oven anyway...) but realistically this recipe will serve 4 as the original recipe says to divide into 4 balls of dough to bake. It's up to you if you want to separate it into just two like we did, or one big one - although remember that the bigger it is, the longer it will take to cook in the middle so cooking times may vary.

Serves 2-4

- 225g wholemeal flour

- 225g plain flour

- 1 tsp salt

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

- 50g butter

- 2 tsp dried mixed herbs

- 75g cheddar cheese, grated

- 250-300 ml milk

- 2 tsp lemon juice

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees, and grease and flour a baking tray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and soda.

3. Stir in the butter, herbs and grated cheese.

4. In a separate jug, mix together the milk and the lemon juice, then pour enough into the bowl to make a soft dough. (The original recipe said 300ml of milk and I found this too much and had to add a lot more flour to get it to the right consistency, so add less milk first as you can always add more!)

5. Knead lightly in the bowl until the correct consistency then break into 4 or 2 equal pieces and round into a ball shape.

6. Place on the baking tray and flatten the tops slightly, and cut two parallel slashes in the top of each.

7. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, then slice and serve hot with lots of butter! (Which has to be lurpak...)

Enjoy :)

Simple Scrambled Egg

I wasn't sure if this post would be condescending but if it does anything at all, it will hopefully inspire you to fill yourself up with some delicious scrambled egg in the morning! And since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it seems only fitting to add my favourite fresh herb to it to make it taste even better.

Serves two

- 4 eggs

- splash of milk

- pinch of salt

- black pepper

- handful of fresh parsley, chopped

- butter

1. In a jug, beat the 4 eggs until smooth.

2. Whisk in some milk, salt, pepper and parsley.

3. Heat a saucepan, and melt the butter. Pour in the egg mixture and stir intermittently over a low-medium heat, making sure the egg doesn't stick to the pan and turn into an omelette, but scrambles.

(don't forget to prepare the other parts of your breakfast!)

4. When scrambled (varies from person to person - I like my eggs fairly solid but still a bit soft and moist), serve with some hot, buttered toast, or a full English!

Enjoy :)

Cheddar, bacon and golden syrup muffins

'A savoury muffin!? Life is full of enough disappointments...' - a quote from Miranda which I totally disagree with. I have had a few savoury muffins in my time (cheese, pesto etc.) and all have been delicious. These muffins are sort of American pancake style since it's sweet and savoury from the bacon and syrup, a combination which I think is amazing. They are soft and moist out the oven and are smoky from the bacon with that sweet tang from the syrup - to die for! They are perfect for a brunch. I would say, however, that they tend to dry out quickly and are not so good the next day, so I recommend eating them straight from the oven, or on that same day. I froze a few of these and defrosted them in the microwave so they were warm when I ate them - not quite as good as fresh but still delicious and a good way to preserve them if you've made too many to eat at one time! I got this recipe from my lovely sister who made these for me before.

Oh, and sorry that they look burnt in the picture - my oven at uni is very strong and although they look burnt, luckily they didn't taste it!

Makes 8

- 4 rashers smoked bacon, chopped

- 175g self-raising flour

- 1 tsp baking powder

- pinch of salt

- 50g mature cheddar cheese, grated

- 75ml sunflower oil

- 1 egg

- 4 tbsp golden syrup

- 150ml milk

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees and line a muffin tin with muffin cases.

2. Fry the bacon until crisp.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl, then stir in the grated cheese and cooked bacon.

4. Pour the oil into a jug and mix in the egg, milk and half the golden syrup until just combined.

5. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake for 15 minutes until risen and golden brown. (A knife inserted in the middle of the muffin should come out clean)

6. Serve warm, with the remaining golden syrup drizzled on top.

Enjoy :)

Leek and potato soup with brie

Another wintery recipe - sorry I know it's only August! I had all the ingredients for this in the house and had never really made soup before so I was really excited to try it out. I didn't expect the texture to be so thick and smooth so was really pleased and it tasted so creamy and delicious! If you prefer a chunky soup then feel free to alter the recipe slightly - you don't have to blend it in a food processor, you could just chop the potatoes smaller to begin with. This tasted great on it's own, but once I added a few chunks of brie it just made it so much better - more creamy mm mm. I served this with a tear and share bread.

Serves 2 

- knob of butter

- 1 onion, chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, crushed

- 1 leek, sliced or chopped

- 1 large baking potato, cut into chunks

- 1 chicken stock cube with 300ml water

- dash of milk

- salt and pepper

- few slices of brie

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onions, garlic and leek. Cook for around 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the potato.

2. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Then cover with a lid, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the potato is softened.

3. Put the soup into a food processor and add some milk. Blend until smooth (a minute or two). Season to taste.

4. Return the soup to the pan to heat through, and add the slices of brie. Stir until melted, then serve!

Enjoy :)

Cheese, tomato and herb quiche

I absolutely love quiche but have never attempted to make one before because whenever I look at recipes they always seem to use so many eggs and so much cream! I also love making (and eating..) shortcrust pastry but was always afraid that turning it into a quiche would leave it with a soggy bottom. Well, today I proved my assumptions to be very wrong! I looked over a few recipes and decided to use all milk instead of cream, with a bit of light soft cheese, and only one egg. I used fresh tomatoes, lots of herbs and some cheddar and parmesan, and the flavours were amazing. The texture was absolutely perfect as well - no soggy bottom, but crisp pastry instead, hoorah! I made this for Father's day as we decided to have a buffet. This quiche is perfect party food for buffets, makes a great lunch, or even dinner - serve with a side salad and some new potatoes in parsley butter for a delicious, summer meal (suitable for vegetarians!) I can't wait to create more quiche recipes, maybe bacon and leek, and next time I make this tomato one, I want to try putting broccoli in it too (I've had one like this from Sainsbury's and it is scrummy). If you are to try out one recipe this summer, I think it should be this one! Pastry isn't as tricky as you might think to get right, just follow the steps below.

Makes 1 large quiche (4-8 people)

For the pastry:

- 175g plain flour

- pinch of salt

- 40g lard

- 40g margarine

- 1 tsp thyme, chopped (I used dried)

- 2-3 tbsp water

For the filling:

- small knob of butter

- 1 small onion, chopped

- 350g tomatoes, sliced

- pinch of salt and pepper

- handful of parsley, chopped (I used fresh)

- 1 tsp thyme (dried)

- 1 tsp basil (dried)

- 2 tbsp boiling water

- 250ml milk

- 1 egg

- 1 tbsp light soft cheese

- handful of parmesan, grated

- handful of cheddar, grated

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180 degrees. For the filling, gently fry the onion in the butter for a few minutes until softened. Add the tomatoes, herbs and salt and pepper and stir.

2. Add the boiling water and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are softened. Leave to cool.

3. Whilst this is cooling, start on the pastry. Sieve the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and add the margarine and lard.

4. Rub the fat into the flour with your fingertips 'from a height' (oo jamie oliver style...) until it resembles breadcrumbs. You can add in the thyme at this stage or the previous stage.

5. Add the water and knead gently into a soft dough. On a floured work-surface, roll out the dough until large enough to fit into a flan dish or metal case. Push down into the case, pressing into the sides.

6. To finish the filling, whisk together the milk, egg, soft cheese, parmesan and chessar until combined. Stir into the tomato and onion mixture and gently pour into the pastry case until filled to the top. Grate some more cheddar on top. I found that I had too much filling for the case, maybe because my case was too small. I put the remaining filling into little ramekin dishes and baked in the oven with the quiche so that it could be eaten anyway and not wasted.

7. Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes, or until the filling has set and is golden brown. 

Enjoy :)

Sweet scones with raspberry jam

These English treats are perfect for the Jubilee weekend - whether you're having friends and family over for afternoon tea, or having a party with a finger food buffet. I got this recipe from Lisa Faulkner's book again (I love it, I get so many recipes from there!) and they tasted yummy. However, I was cooking in a student kitchen with no mixing bowls, no scales, no sieve, and no rolling pin... You can imagine the dilemma of guessing the quantities and using a tall drinking glass to roll out the dough and cut out the round shapes. As a result of all the chaos, they didn't seem to rise well like scones usually would (only a few worked out okay) and I also forgot to brush them with milk, and I cooked them slightly too long... This meant that they were quite dense and crunchy, almost like biscuits! Delicious biscuits, nonetheless, especially with jam. I'm going to make these again soon when I'm home so I can get them right, and have them with clotted cream as well as jam. I'm sure this recipe will work perfectly well for you though, so give it a try!

Makes 16

- 375g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting

- 1 tsp salt

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 2 tbsp caster sugar

- 75g cold butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing

- 175ml milk, plus extra for brushing

- raspberry or strawberry jam, to serve

- clotted cream, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees / gas mark 6 and grease a baking tray.

2. Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder together into a mixing bowl and add the sugar and butter. Rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Mix in the milk to make a dough, and knead a little until it becomes smooth.

4. Roll the dough out onto lightly floured surface to about 1cm thick and cut about sixteen 5-6cm rounds. 

Put the dough circles onto the greased baking tray and brush with a little milk.

5. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until risen and golden.

6. Serve warm or cold with clotted cream and jam!

Enjoy :)

Peach and raspberry smoothie

 It can be really difficult to get your 5-a-day - I know that I've noticed that most days I'm only reaching 3 and some days none at all! I used to be really focussed on eating lots of fruit & veg, but recently it has slipped my mind. I was really craving a sweet, fruity drink and since we didn't have any fresh fruit in the house I had to improvise. So there was no banana, no natural yogurt, no fruit juice - all the ingredients that always make up the base of my smoothies. Instead, I used an Activia fig yogurt, some milk, frozen raspberries and tinned peaches, and I'm glad I did, because it was scrummy! Really thick and sweet. It wasn't the healthiest of smoothies, since the Activia yogurt wasn't low fat, but you can use low fat yogurt if you choose. This only contained 2 of my 5-a-day, but with sweetcorn at lunch and two different veg with dinner I am there! And I will try to keep this up, will keep you all updated...

Makes 1 large smoothie
- dash of milk
- 100-150g frozen raspberries (not entirely sure of quantities!)
- 1 Activia fig yogurt (or any flavour, any brand etc.)
- 1/3 tin of peach halves


Simply blend everything together in a food processor, and pour into a glass! Drink, or use a spoon.

You can blend the raspberries from frozen, but I let them defrost for about 20 minutes first so there weren't bits of ice in my drink. Using frozen is perfect for getting the smoothie refreshingly cold.
Taste the smoothie as you make it, and stir to check the consistency - this way you can add any other ingredients to change the flavour or texture. For example, if you have plain natural yogurt you may need to sweeten the smoothie with some honey, or if it is too thick add some water or juice!

Enjoy :)

Pesto mash

This mashed potato was deliciously creamy and rich, despite not having any cream or crème fraiche in. I decided to use pesto because I've had pesto and cheddar on a jacket potato before and it was so yummy, so I knew that it would taste good in mash as well. I served this with chicken wrapped in pancetta (see previous post) and green vegetables. It's amazing that just by adding a few dollops of green pesto, you can transform a boring mash into something delicious and luxurious! You should definitely try this if you like pesto.

Serves 2
- 450-500g potatoes (I used desiree and vivaldi)
- pinch of salt
- dash of semi-skimmed milk
- knob of butter
- 1/2 small jar of green pesto (or less, or more)
- handful of cheddar, grated


1. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 20-25 minutes, or until soft.
2. Drain and return to the pan. Add some milk and a knob of butter and mash for a couple of minutes until smooth.
3. Add the pesto and stir in, then continue to mash - adding more butter and/or milk depending on the taste/texture you desire.
4. Put the cheddar in and continue to mash. Season to taste, and serve.

Enjoy :)

Blueberry pancakes

These American-style pancakes are a perfect breakfast treat, or make a great brunch. I had never even eaten blueberry pancakes before today, so I was a little weary about making them, but everything went fine and they were delicious. The blueberries poking out of the batter in the pan makes it harder for the pancake to cook through, but if you squash them down it isn't a problem and the blueberries go warm and jam-like mmm. This recipe made about 10-12 pancakes so I heated the oven to keep them warm as the stack got higher and higher. I am ashamed to say that my boyfriend and I ate all of these between us with no struggles (food blogging is stretching my stomach!) I served them with a drizzle of honey and topped with some extra blueberries. We also had blueberry jam and crème-fraiche - the cold cream went perfectly with these warm fluffy pancakes, and it was the Sainsbury's 'be good to yourself' version yay. I definitely recommend making these! 

 Makes 10-12 pancakes
- 250g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 250ml milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 50g butter/margerine, melted - plus extra for frying
- 100g blueberries

To serve:
- honey or maple syrup
- blueberry jam
- blueberries
- crème fraiche

1. Sift the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into a mixing bowl.

2. Combine the milk, eggs and melted butter in a jug. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk together. Stir in the blueberries.

3. Heat a frying pan and add a small knob of butter. Ladle some batter into the pan and flip when the underside starts to go golden brown. 

4. Repeat until all the pancakes are done; keeping them warm on a plate in the oven until you have a huge stack of them.

5. Drizzle with honey or syrup, top with blueberries, and serve with crème fraiche.

Enjoy :)

Toad in the hole

As much as I love Italian food, nothing beats some of the classic British dishes like toad in the hole, shepherds pie, and beef wellington! This recipe worked really well for me, I had never made my own toad in the hole before so was worried the batter wouldn't rise or wouldn't be cooked in the middle, but it was perfect. I used Tesco light choices sausages because they're way less fat and taste exactly the same to me - if not better!? It would be best served with creamy mash, vegetables and onion gravy. I used meat gravy granules and added fried onion - it's not the same as freshly made but was still delicious.

(Warning: this is a really filling meal, so maybe not a good idea as part of a 3-course!)

Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs
- 125g plain flour
- 150ml milk
- 150ml cold water
- salt & pepper
- 4 sausages
- 2 tbsp oil or butter

1. Fry the sausages until browned all over (don't prick the skins), and allow to cool
2. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the milk and water, mixing well - set aside
3. Sift the flour into a large bowl and season. Make a well in the centre and gradually whisk in the liquid mixture until you have a smooth batter with no lumps - rest for 15 mins
4. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees/gas mark 6. Put the oil/butter in a deep baking tin and place in the oven
5. When the fat is sizzling, remove from the oven and pour in the batter mixture
6. Add the sausages parallel to each other and place back in the oven - bake for 30 minutes or until the batter has puffed up and is golden brown and crispy
7. Serve with potatoes of your choice (buttery, parsley mash would be best!), vegetables and onion gravy.

Enjoy :)

Cheese scones

Yes, the weather in England is turning slightly summery, but we all know the sunshine won't last for long so here is a real comfort food pick me up! Cheese scones, hot from the oven spread with butter that melts as soon as it hits the soft surface mm. And the best thing is, they are still delicious cold!

Ingredients:

- 225g self-raising flour

- pinch of salt

- 55g butter

- 25g cheddar cheese

- 150ml milk

Heat the oven to 220c / gas mark 7 and grease a baking sheet. Mix the flour and salt and rub in the butter until you are left with a breadcrumb consistency. Stir in the cheese and the milk until a soft dough. Knead lightly on a floured surface. Roll out until about 2cm thick and cut out using a round cutter. Place on the baking sheet, brush with milk, and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool briefly, and serve hot with butter.

Enjoy :)