Cillet Bang and a Giveaway

I was recently sent the neatest thing to test out. The Cillit Bang All in 1 is the latest cleaner in the Cillit Bang arsenal of cleaning products. The All in 1 comes in a very handy pump dispenser that means every bottle is tough on dirt and economical to use.

I am quite familiar with all of the Cillit Bang products and use them in my home often . . . I use the stuff for in the laundry to make my whites whiter (and it works) and I use the spray cleaner for the bath and also for the kitchen. All of their products work quite well in my opinion and deliver what they promise . . . but could this???



The starter kit comes with one bottle of the all in one surface cleaner, an automatic dispenser and the batteries needed. The dispenser under the tap activitates automatically delivering the exact amount when you wave your sponge beneath it. It's quite neat to watch.

The first thing I did with it was try to tackle the baked on mess on my hob top.



Umm . . . I am almost embarassed to show you this. But . . . well for the purposes of illustrating just how good this stuff is I will! You can see that there is quite a bit of cooked on grime there! Yuck!! It's not hard to tell which burners I use the most!



I simply waved my damp sponge beneath the nozzle and then I applied it all over the top of my hob. I let it sit for about 10 minutes, and then I scrubbed it all off. It took very little elbow grease and this is what I ended up with:



It's not perfect, but it is a vast improvement on what I started out with! I expect it will take more than a few passes to get all of the grime, but I was quite impressed.

Do you remember those tasty oats I cooked ???



Here is the pot after cooking. I even let it sit overnight so that it would dry on even more. You can even see a scorch on the side of the pot due to the gas flame licking up the sides of the pot, from an earlier cooking session. I could never get it to disappear.



I waved the pot beneath the dispenser and got one squirt and then I filled the pot with warm water and let it sit for about 15 minutes . . .



Presto Chango! It looks like a new pot! Even the scorch mark is gone!

All in One has been specially formulated for use on dishes AND surfaces. Its intelligent cleaning agents react to different surfaces, giving you a versatile solution to tackle stains and food residues all over the kitchen.

The result? Sparkling dishes and gleaming surfaces from one product. Gentle enough on your hands for everyday washing up and wiping down, but powerful enough to cut through grease and baked on stains. Even pure oil is no match for All in One Dish & Surface cleaner.

Plus it's concentrated liquid promises to be 2 X more efficient than regular washing up liquid, so you use less.

The All in One Dish and Surface cleaner comes with a clever dispenser which senses your sponge and automatically delivers just the right amount in a measured dose – so no more wastage due to over-squirting. And because the dispenser can be used again and again, all you need to do is order refills once it runs out. Each contains up to another 160 doses.

On surfaces the product cut through dirt just as well as it did on my dishes but 1 pump was enough to clean and any more meant that you were spending time rinsing the lather off. A little goes a long way and as each refill dispenses up to 160 doses the retail price of currently £7.99 for 3 refills it looks like an economical alternative to buying several separate products for your cleaning needs.

All in all I would call this handy product a winner, hands down!

Would you like to be able to try the Cillit Bang All in 1 yourself??? I will be giving one away to one lucky reader who comments on this post. Unfortnately, the UK only. In order to be in on the giveaway all you have to do is leave a comment at the end of this post and on Monday, March 5th, 2012, I will draw one lucky winner using a random number generator. Good luck everyone!

Many thanks to Rachel and Cillit Bang for affording me this opportunity!

I am giving away one Cillit Bang All in One Starter Kit to one lucky person who comments on this entry.

Pizzas and Salads

As I mentioned last week in this post, the people at cooks&Co recently sent me a lovely assortment of their newest oils to try out. I've been very busy over the past week or two trying them out in a myriad of ways and enjoying myself quite a lot in the process!
I've long been a great fan of the cooks&Co products, having used their condiments and peppers etc quite often over the past few years and always with great results. I do believe that cooks&Co have become synonymous with quality products in my estimation!

They sent me a lovely assortment including the following:

Cooks & Co Virgin Sesame Oil (RSP: £2.99, 250ml) is a high quality virgin oil, Cold pressed from selected sesame seeds which is delicious in salad dressings and vinaigrettes, as well as in stir fry and oriental dishes.

Cooks & Co Walnut Infused Oil (RSP: £2.85, 250ml) is made using high quality walnuts and has a delicate nutty flavour that is excellent drizzled over salad and as an ingredient in cakes and Cookies.

Cooks & Co Hazelnut Oil (RSP: £3.99, 250ml) is a great tasting oil made using only the highest quality hazelnuts. It has a fantastic nutty aroma and is perfect for use in cakes, Cookies and salads.

Cooks & Co Roast Peanut Oil (RSP: £3.39, 250ml) is made from selected roasted peanuts and is excellent in dressings as well as homemade mayonnaise and dips.

Cooks & Co Grapeseed Oil (RSP: 3.99, 500ml) is very versatile due to its delicate flavour and is ideal for all types of Cooking, including for use in stir fries, fondues and sauces thanks to its higher burning point than other oils.

Cooks & Co’s Olive Oil with Chilli (RSP: £2.99, 250ml) is the classic Condiment, which will add a kick of heat from whole Birds Eye Chillies, which infuse this delicious olive oil, to homemade pizzas, pasta, dressings and grilled meat.



Last week I used some of the lovely Grapeseed Oil in this beautiful Treacle Gingerbread Loaf, and it was gorgeous. The original recipe had called for olive oil, but the grapeseed oil worked perfectly well, the end result being a very moist and moreish loaf cake.

Since then I have been putting the oils through their paces in a variety of ways!

Today I used some of the chilli oil and made some delicious Ciabatta Pizzas, drizzling some of the oil over the finished pizzas. It added a lovely depth of heat without overpowering the pizzas.



*Ciabatta Pizzas*
Multiply to create as many or as few as you want
Printable Recipe

Delicious and quick! Amounts will be given for one serving. You can easily adapt to more.

1 ciabatta bun, sliced in half horizontally
2 TBS good quality Basil Pesto
3 full sices of gouda cheese, cut into halves diagonally
2 TBS grated parmesn cheese
2 cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 roasted pepper (from a jar) torn into bits
4 dry cured pitted black olives, halved
4 dry cured pitted green olives, halved
a few basil leaves torn
Chili oil to drizzle on the finished pizzas

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.

Place the two ciabatta halves onto a baking tray. Spread each with 1 TBs of the pesto. Top each with 3 half slices of the gouda cheese, placing on diagonally. Sprinkle each with 1 TBS of the Parmesan Cheese. Divide the cherry tomatoes, roasted pepper and olives between the two. Scatter the basil leaves over top. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the pizzas are heated through and crispy on the edges. Remove from the oven, drizzle with the chili oil and serve.

Another day I used some of the Virgin Sesame Oil to make a delicious dressing for a Thai Beef Salad. Oh my but it was some good. Sometimes Sesame Oil can be quite strong, but this was just right.



*Thai Beef and Sprout Salad*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Serve some lime wedges with this refreshing salad to squeeze over top and some rice crackers on the side. Delicious!

8 ounces thinly sliced deli roast beef, torn (1/2 pound)
1 200g bag of fresh beansprouts, washed well and drained (About 2 cups)
1 bunch of spring onions, sliced on the diagonal
50g of sugar snap peas, sliced (1 small package, about 1 cup sliced)
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into match sticks

For the Dressing:
2 TBS crunchy peanut butter
1 TBS rice wine vinegar
2 TBS sesame oil
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp runny clear honey
the zest and juice of one lime
2 TBS chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

Fresh lime wedges to serve

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl to combine. Set aside.

Place the beef, sprouts, spring onions, carrots and snap peas in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Drizzle with the dressing and serve.

Another day it was a delicious Supper Pizza, which I shared with the Toddster . . . just to show I'm not totally selfish. I know he doesn't like pizza, or he says he doesn't anyways, but he did eat what I gave him, so can't complain . . .



*Pizza Fiorentina*
Serves 1
Printable Recipe

A hearty pizza supper for one, but if you are feeling generous, break two eggs on top instead of one and share it with your partner.

one 9 inch ready made pizza base (or make and bake your own)
5 TBS tomato passata (North American tomato sauce)
2 ounces spinach, cooked and drained (1 1/2 cups packed leaves)
3 wafer thin slices of deli ham, halved
2 ounces mozzarella cheese diced (1/2 cup)
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (2 1/2 TBS)
chili oil to drizzle (to taste)
1 to 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced (to taste)
1/2 tsp oregano flakes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large free range egg

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/gas mark 7. Cover the pizza base with passata and then top with the spinach and ham, scattering it over top. Sprinkle over the mozzarella chunks along with the grated Parmesan cheese, the chili oil, garlic and oregano flakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and make a well in the centre of the pizza. Break in the egg. Return to the oven and cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes, until the egg is cooked through. If desired drizzle with some additional chili oil or basil oil and serve.

Other than that I have been using the grapeseed oil for the small amount of browning etc that I do from time to time, the walnut oil and peanut oil have both been used in vinaigrette salad dressings and I've been really impressed with each of the oils. The only down side of any of them would be that nut oil can turn rancid very quickly once opened and one has to be prepared to use them up within a short period of time. If anyone knows any different than this, let me know, also if you have any information on how you can store them safely for longer periods of time. Would freezing work?

I'm still looking for a cookie recipe that I can use some of either the walnut or peanut oil in so if anyone has one let me know!

Many thanks to cooks&Co for affording me this wonderful opportunity and also Simon for sending them to me.

Noodles and Cabbage

I had a real craving for pasta today and so I decided to cook myself up a mess of noodles and cabbage.



This was a dish I used to cook often for my family when they were growing up. Sometimes we had it as a side dish along with pork chops . . . and sometimes it was the whole dish, served with sour cream and lotsa cheese.



It was a real favourite of everyone. I always made a double batch because the leftovers were always fabulous the day after heated up in a little bit of butter in a hot skillet. The noodles got some brown scrummy bits and it was just wonderful. We liked fried leftover spag bol too.



Todd is not a fan of pasta anything, (as you know only too well), so it's something that I only rarely indulge in these days. I love this recipe because I always, always have what I need to make it in the cupboard. It's quick and it's easy.



You don't have to use white cabbage all the time. Today I had a small head of dark Green Savoy Cabbage and so I used that. I just cooked the cabbage for a shorter time than the white cabbage, and as you can clearly see it gave a nice bright green colour to the dish. Very pretty.

I also added a bit of zip with a light drizzle of cooks&Co Olive Oil with Chillies which I was sent to try out the other day. (Remember the grapeseed oil that I used the other day to make that Treacle Gingerbread Loaf that was so nice?? Same company!)It added a wonderful kick to the dish. Hot chillies are added to this olive oil to help to create a classic condiment for pizza's, pasta dishes, dressings sauces and grilled meats. I really thought it added a lovely depth of flavour. This is great olive oil . . . and a little drizzle goes a long way!



In any case, Todd sat there enjoying his ham sandwich and I sat there enjoying my bowl of Noodles and Cabbage. Everybody was content and happy. ☺ Just as it should be.



*Noodles and Cabbage*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is a lovely dish that goes well with most meats, and I have even been known to eat a big plate of it all on it's own. My family always used to love it when I made this. I most often use flat egg noodles such as Fettuccini, but Tagliatele and Farfelle works really well also. I don't think that it is suited to the rounder types of pasta. You can top it with sour cream if you like, but we have always loved to have ours with a dusting of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.

2 cups egg noodles, or other pasta
(Uncooked)
1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, peled and thinly sliced
1 small head of white cabbage, quartered, core trimmed away, and thinly sliced
2 tsp brown sugar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Sour Cream or freshly grated Parmesan Cheese for serving (optional)

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the noodles and cook according to the package directions. When done, drain well, rinse in warm water and then keep warm until they are needed. (Tossing them with just a touch of vegetable oil helps to keep them from sticking together.)

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter and once it is foaming add the onion. Cook, stirring until the onion begins to soften. Add the cabbage and sprinkle it all with the brown sugar. Cook, stirring and tossing until the cabbage begins to wilt and brown in a few placed, and the onion and cabbage are well mixed together.

Turn the heat to low, pop a lid on top, and cook for five to ten minutes, giving it a stir every few minutes, until the cabbage and onion are nicely softened and beginning to caramelize a bit. Remove the lid and toss in the noodles, mixing all together well. Heat through and season to taste with some salt and black pepper. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream on top of a light dusting of Parmesan Cheese. Delicious!!



Cooking in The Cottage today, Cheater's Apple and Cherry Crumble.

Treacle Gingerbread Loaf

One of the perks of having a food blog is that on occasion you get sent something really nice to try out. Sometimes, it's food . . . other times some new piece of equipment to play with . . . and best of all, sometimes it's a new cookery book!!



Now my husband would argue somewhat with that being the best . . . as he is nuts mistakingly thinks I have far too many cookbooks already . . . but as any cooking aficionado knows. YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY COOKBOOKS!! There . . . it just had to be said.



The people at FW Media recently sent me over a few to try out and I thought I would give the first one a go today. It's called Teashop Treats and is by the Reader's Digest.



I have a few Reader's Digest Cookery books that I've collected through the years. They've always been really good books, and I have to say that, despite it's lack of food photos, this has not disappointed me thus far. It's a small book, only about 8 by 6 inches in size, about the size of a pocket book novel, but don't let it's size fool you. It is chock full of lovely delights.



Tasty goodies such as Strawberry Shortcake or Bath Buns, Blueberry Muffins, Chocolate Cake, Scones . . . and little savouries such as Souffled Salmon Tartlettes. I really should be waiting a few weeks to let you know about this, but after baking this fabulous Ginger Loaf that I baked out of the book today, I just couldn't wait.



This may be the bestest and tastiest Gingerbread Loaf I have ever baked! It's rich, it's spicy . . . it's moist and best of all . . .it's absolutely delicious! I kid you not!! I have fallen in love with this recipe. That's why I couldn't wait to show you.



If this recipe is any indication of the quality of the other recipes in the book, I just know I won't be disappointed . . . because, food photos or not, I give this recipe a resounding 10+ stars with a few rosettes thrown in for good measure!



I do love the quaint little illustrations throughout, which are really very pretty, and I love the size. It has a wonderful combination of what look to be beautiful recipes covering just about anything you might want to serve at an afternoon tea . . . so break out the teapot and get baking . . . coz you are really going to enjoy this one!



I had mine warm . . . spread with cold butter a la Canadienne . . . with a hot cuppa. (Don't you just love that cup! I got it at Gordale Nurseries.)



*Treacle Gingerbread Loaf*
makes one large loaf

This has to be one of the tastiest gingerbread loaves I have ever made! Just be sure to use a large enough pan!

butter for greasing
185g plain flour (1 3/4 cup)
110g self raising flour (1 cup, plus 2 TBS)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 TBS ground ginger
3 tsp ground mixed spice (see my recipe in the
side bar on the right hand side of the page)
140g soft light brown sugar (scant 3/4 cup)
260g black treacle (3/4 cup) (In North America, use molasses)
185ml milk (12 1/2 TBS)
80ml olive oil (5 1/2 TBS)
2 large free range eggs

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 450g loaf tin with butter and line with baking parchment, ensuring that the paper extends 3 cm above the tin.

Sift the flours, soda, ginger and mixed spice into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar until well combines. Whisk together the treacle, milk, olive oil and eggs. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.

Spoon into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to stand in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Store tightly wrapped and it will stay lovely and moist for days and days.



Oh and in the spirit of always keeping it real . . . do be sure to use the proper sized pan for this. My pan was a bit on the small side and I kinda thought so when I poured the batter into the pan . . . but I ignored the niggling doubt in my mind and went with it anyways . . . now I have a bit of a mess to clean up in my oven . . . but I do have to say, those crunchy bits that were hanging over the sides . . . just as delicious as the rest of it. Yep!! Scrummy deliciousness with the added joy of crunch!

Many thanks to Crystal and the people at FW Media . . . and the Reader's Digest of course!



As you can see from the recipe, it calls for Olive Oil, which is really unsual in a loaf recipe, but which I think gives this tasty loaf all of it's rich moist texture. I was recently sent an assortment of oils to try out from Cooks & Co.uk. I am no stranger to their line of products, having used their real quality olives, roasted peppers and sundried tomatoes in the past. (I just love their roasted Red Peppers Stuffed with Feta Cheese. Beautiful.)

Anyways, they sent me a lovely assortment of oils to try out, including this beautiful bottle of Grapeseed Oil. I thought it was just perfect to use in this recipe and I was not wrong. The flavour is delicate and not at all overpowering, which makes it an excellent choice for using in baked goods, salad dressings and stir fries. It also has a higher burning temperature than most oils, which is a bonus as well. (I also have bottles of a few of their other oils to try out, so look for my opinions on them soon.) In the meantime, this one gets two thumbs up! (RSP: £3.99, 500ml) Many thanks to Simon and the people at cooks&CO!

And now to tackle the mess of spill over in my oven . . . sigh. There is no rest for the wicked.



Cooking in The Cottage today, a delicious Chicken Enchilada Casserole!

Marzipan & Mincemeat Tea Loaf

You probably recall that the people at Dr Oetker sent me a few things to do some Christmas Baking with. One of them was a packet of their 36% Almond Marzipan, premium recipe. We love marzipan in this house, so trying it was not a hardship in any way!

Foil wrapped, their 36% Almond Marzipan uses a premium recipe to give it a superb distinctive almond flavour. The almonds are carefully ground and mixed to create a beautifully smooth, soft textured marzipan to help you mould easily and achieve a smooth surface on your cakes. It has the natural pale almond nut colour of almonds and contains no added colouring. Natural is always a big bonus in my books. I'm a natural gal all the way.



I decided to bake our all time favourite Mincemeat & Marzipan Tea Loaf. This is a recipe that I have adapted from one of those little BBC Good Food Books, "101 Cakes and Bakes." It is a cake I make fairly often because it contains two of my absolute favourite ingredients . . . Mincemeat and Marzipan!



The end result is a deliciously moist tea loaf, filled with spice and fruit and fudgy little pockets of scrummy marzipan! Oh so good . . . and we love the toasted flaked almonds on the top too.



Just perfect for tucking into with a nice hot cuppa in the afternoon! And whilst I am talking about hot cuppa's . . . here's a wonderful idea for a last minute Christmas Gift for that Britophile of yours!



The people from Eddingtons sent me a lovely Aerolatte Union Jack Milk Frother to try out. This small, lightweight frother prepares foamed milk for cappucinos, lattes, hot chocolate and milkshakes in less than half a minute. Plus it's really cute. I love the look of it's Union Jack exterior! It's easy to clean with a removeable frother attachment which you can wash by hand, and also comes with it's own sturdy slim line carry case. I know a few people on my Christmas List who would appreciate one of these. Available at most kitchen stockists in the UK and also John Lewis (£20). It worked a charm . . . most impressive.



It helped to make the hot chocolate that I enjoyed with my afternoon slice of cake a real frothy pleasure indeed.



Bake the cake. You won't be sorry you did. Scrumdiddlyumptious! Many thanks to Dr Oetker and to Eddingtons!



*Mincemeat and Marzipan Tea Loaf*
Makes one 2 pound loaf, serving 12
Printable Recipe

A deliciously moist, spiced and fruity teabread, filled with little pockets of Marzipan and topped with flaked almonds. Delicious for munching with a hot cuppa in the afternoon.

200g self raising flour (2 cups0
4 ounces cold butter, cut into pieces (1/2 cup)
85g of light muscovado sugar (Scant half cup packed)
85g marzipan, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (a scant 1/4 pound, about 3/4 cup, loose)
300g of prepared mincemeat (1 1/4 cups)
2 large free range eggs
2 TBS flaked almonds
sifted icing sugar for dusting once baked and cooled

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 2 pound loaf tin and line it with baking paper. Set aside.

Sift the flour into a bowl. Drop in the butter pieces and rub them into the flour using your fingertips, until you have a mixture resembling fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar and the marzipan cubes, trying to keep the cubes separated.

Beat together the eggs and the mincemeat. Stir this into the flour mixture until evenly combined. Spoon into the prepared loaf tin, smoothing over the top. Sprinkle the almonds over all.

Bake for about 1 hour until the loaf is risen and golden brown on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar once cooled if desired.

Cut into slices to serve at room temperature, buttered or not.





Over in the Cottage today, some scrummy Butterscotch Mallow Squares!

Some tasty Casseroles and a few Vegetarian Options for Christmas Day

As you all know I'm a really big fan of Piper's Farm, so much so that I have entrusted my entire Christmas Feast to them this year. I know! That takes a lot of faith . . . but I have a lot of faith in Piper's Farm. I've never had a dud from them yet!

As you may recall they recently sent me a lovely assortment of things to test from their Christmas Range, including a delicious Haunch of Venison and their tasty Goose Breast. I also reviewed their ready meal Daube of Beef. So delicious.

In the past few days I've been able to cook and taste three more of their ready meal range, a very delicious enterprise indeed!

First up Pork with Orange & Juniper



We both really enjoyed this. Rolled Shoulder of Pork, seared and then casseroled in a delicious sauce using warmed Brandy, milk, lemon juice & our their homemade Chicken stock. It's finished with fresh bay leaves, crushed juniper berries and slices and segments of fresh oranges. The pork was fork tender and the sauce rich and beautifully flavoured. We both gave it 9 out of 10 and would be very comfortable serving it to a guest.

Next was their Coq au Vin.



I am no stranger to Coq au Vin. This was a dish I prepared regularly when I worked as a personal Chef down South. It was a dinner party favourite. How would this ready meal compare to what I used to make . . .

Tender pieces of chicken . . . legs and thighs . . . simmered in chicken stock (again their own) until fork tender . . . with the addition of smoky bacon lardons (their own bacon), sweet shallots, scrummy mushrooms and a deliciously rich sauce of reduced red wine, homemade chicken stock, jus, bay leaves & rosemary. This was hand's down my favourite. We loved this. I would absolutely buy this and serve it to a guest. I give this a whopping 10 out of 10! Great praise indeed coming from someone who knows great Coq au Vin when I taste it.

Finally we tested the Chicken Cacciatore.



Once again chicken drumsticks and bonless thighs, browned in butter and simmered until fork tender in chicken stock (their own). Next a delicious sauce which is made by sauteeing onions & garlic in a little butter until soft, before adding white wine, mushrooms, chopped tomatoes, more homemade chicken stock & sugar. We both enjoyed, although I have to say I was not really fond of the chicken skin in this, so that was discarded. The sauce however was rich and wonderfully flavoured. I could have eaten the sauce alone on buttered pasta and been very, very happy!

We gave this a 7 out of 10, but only because of the skin on the chicken, in every other way it was perfect.

All of these dishes were very easy to reheat. Packed in single portion sizes and vacumn sealed, you simply pop however many portions you are wanting to heat into a pot of water which is at a rolling simmer, then heat at a gentle simmer for 20 minutes. The hardest part is cutting the bags open when you are ready to serve, but with a good pair of tongs and some fine kitchen shears we were "in-like-Flyn!"

Another thing we like about Piper's Farm is their provenance and rearing of all their own meats and poultry in the most natural of ways to their use of pure and natural ingredients without preservatives, enhancers, or artificial flavours. These meals are frozen within minutes of their preparation and delivered quickly to your door so that you can pop them into your own freezer and then reheat to your own requirements. They are as fresh as if you had made them yourself. And I can vouch for the delivery service. It's excellent. Everything comes in quality packaging and then packed again in ice packs, shredded papers etc. so that everything arrives still frozen and intact. Very impressive indeed. Pipers Farm . . . meat the natural way. Check them out. You won't be sorry you did. Thanks Piper's Farm for all this lovely tastiness!!

And now on to my Vegetarian Options for your Christmas Feast. Which I agree, seems a little strange where I've just been talking about beautiful meat, but there ya go! I've never been boring or predictable!

First up we have a delicious Nut Roast, which is easy and comes with a scrummy Cranberry Sauce!



*Mixed Nut Roast with Cranberry Sauce*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

It's worth buying fresh nuts for the vegetarian festive treat!

For the cranberry sauce:
175g fresh cranberries (6 ounces)
100g of caster sugar (1/2 cup)
300ml of red wine (1 1/4 cups)
1 cinnamon stick

For the roast:
2 TBS butter, plus extra for greasing
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
50g of pine nuts, toasted (1 3/4 ounce)
75g of hazelnuts, toasted (2 3/4 ounce)
50g of walnuts, ground (1 3/4 ounce)
50g cashew nuts, ground (1 3/4 ounce)
100g of fresh whole wheat bread crumbs (3 1/2 ounces)
1 large free range egg, beaten
2 TBS chopped fresh thyme
250ml of vegetable stock (8 fluid ounces)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh thyme springs to garnish

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.

Butter a loaf tin and line it with greaseproof paper. Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan over medium head. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes, until softened but not browned. Remove from the heat. Grind the pinenuts and hazelnuts. Stir all of the nuts into the saucepan and add the breadcrumbs, egg, thyme and stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper and mix all together well.

Spoon the mixture into the buttered loaf tin, smoothing over the top. Cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. The loaf is cooked when a skewer inserted in the centrre comes out clean.

Halfway through the cooking time make the cranberry sauce. Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes.

To serve, remove the sauce from the heat, discarding the cinnamon stick. Remove the nut roast from the oven and turn out onto a warmed serving dish. Garnish with thyme sprigs. Cut into slices to serve along with the sauce.

How about some scrummy crisp Mushroom Filo Parcels? Delicious with a crisp filo pastry and a lovely Madeira and Creme Fraich Sauce.



*Wild Mushroom Filo Parcels*
Makes 6
Printable Recipe

Tasty little vegetarian pies filled with mushrooms and rice and served with a delicious creamy sauce.

30g dried porcini mushrooms (1 ounce)
70g butter (2 1/2 ounces a generous 1/4 cup)
1 shallot, peeled and minced
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
100g chestnut mushrooms, sliced (3 1/2 ounces)
100g white cap mushrooms, sliced (3 1/2 ounces)
200g of wile mushrooms, roughly chopped (about 1/2 pound)
150g basamati rice, cooked and cooled (5 1/2 ounces)
2 TBS dry sherry
1 TBS of soy sauce
1 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
18 sheets of filo pastry, thawed if frozen
vegetable oil for brushing
350ml of creme fraiche (1 1/2 cups)
50ml of Madeira (1/4 cup)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put the dried mushrooms into a heatproof bowl and just cover with some boiling water. Leave to soak for 30 minutes.

Melt half the butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add the shallot and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 8 minutes until they are softened without colouring. Add all the fresh mushrooms and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Drain the dried mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid. Roughly chop and add to the frying pan along with the rice, sherry, soysauce and parsley. Season well with salt and pepper and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan. lay 1 sheet of the filo pastry on a work surface and brush with melted butter. Put another sheet on top and brush with more butter. Top with third sheet.. Spoon 1/6 of the mushroom mixture into the centre and then fold in the edges to form a parcel, using a little more of the butter to help the edges to stick together. Repeat to make six parcels.

Place the parcels onto a lightly oiled baking sheet and brush with the remaining butter. Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.

While they are baking make a sauce by heating the reserved soaking liquid in a saucepan. Whisk in the creme fraiche and Madeira. Stir over low heat until heated through. Season to taste with some salt and pepper.

Serve the parcels on heated plates with a portion of sauce spooned over top.

Finally a delicious Vegetarian Crumble of Mushrooms and Cheese with a nutty crumble topping!



*Taleggio, Tarragon and Mushroom Crumble*
Serves 6 to 9
Printable Recipe

A delicious Vegetarian Crumble to please all the veggies in your home!

For the Crumble Topping:
280g fresh breadcrumbs (3 1/4 cups) use a sturdy bread such as a hearty
sourdough loaf
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
180g of unsalted butter, melted (2/3 cup)
50g freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (1/2 cup)
50g flaked almonds (1/2 cup)

For the filling:
12g of unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
4 banana shallots, peeled and finely chopped
700g field mushrooms, trimmed and quartered (1 3/4 pound)
2 TBS finely chopped tarragon
6 TBS creme fraiche
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g taleggio cheese, rind removed (7 ounces)

First make the crumble topping. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the shallots and cook over medium heat for two minutes, just until softened, without browning. Stir in the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes longer, just until the mushrooms are slightly wilted. Remove from the heat and stir in the tarragon and creme fraiche. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Spread the mushroom mixture in a single layer in two 1 litre (4 cup) casserole dishes. Dot small pieces of the tal;eggio cheese over top. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over both casseroles.

Bake for 20 minutes until the topping is crisp and golden brown and the casseroles are heated through.

Next up . . . Tasty Side Dishes guaranteed to make every taste bud tingle with anticipation! (Sounds good eh?) Stay tuned!



Over at The Cottage today, a delicious Lemon Meringue Cake!