Eat food you love that loves you back
With the kids back at school and more people at their place of work rather than at home, packed lunches are back in focus. It can be hard to know what to put in that’s healthy, unprocessed and, of course, tasty. It’s even more challenging if you are creating packed lunches for a nut free environment, particularly schools. Continue reading “Savoury carrot flapjacks”
Spring has finally arrived in all her glory; it seems to have been a very long winter this year! Gorgeous Spring blossom and buds are everywhere, like this gorgeous magnolia coming into bloom near my house.
As it’s only a few days now until Easter, baking is at the forefront of my mind. Even though the Easter holidays are going to be much quieter than normal this year, there’s still something lovely about a toasted hot cross bun (did you see my sourdough hot cross bun recipe?) or a slice of cake – like this Simnel cake.
Simnel cake has been made at this time of year since Medieval times. Originally it was just for Mother’s Day, but then became associated with Easter. If you’re not too sure what Simnel cake is, it’s a light fruit cake with a layer of marzipan in the middle and/or on top, decorated with 11 marzipan balls to represent the disciples (Judas being the twelfth one who’s missing). To finish it off, the marzipan can be lightly browned using a blow torch or under the grill – if you dare!
Apart from the fruit element, there’s not that much that’s traditional about my version of Simnel cake! It’s egg free, dairy free and works well with gluten free flour. It’s low in sugar and refined oil (and you can miss it out completely if you like). And the marzipan is vegan too. The only thing I can’t make it is nut free. Although you could just make the fruit cake and forget about the marzipan. In fact, if you just want a tasty, plain fruit cake then do just that. It’s lovely!
This recipe includes glacé cherries. I’m always torn by these as they do contain a lot of sugar plus they bring back memories of my childhood of some horrid tasting ones. You can substitute more dried fruit for the cherries if you prefer. One top tip is to rinse the glacé cherries under a running tap to wash off some of the sugar syrup before using them – this helps to stop them dropping to the bottom of the cake as well as reducing the sugar content.
As you can see, I’ve not gone in for traditional decoration (no surprise there!). The mini eggs on top come from a company called Doisy and Dam who make chocolate products without animal ingredients or highly processed ingredients. Sadly they still contain lots of saturated fat from the cocoa butter so are not suitable for anyone follow a very low fat diet like Overcoming MS, but if you’re not, then check them out as apparently they’re a bit good.
If you enjoy fruit cake, then you will love this Simnel cake. Do let me know if you make it and how you get on. Wishing you a very Happy Easter!
I am a big fan of all vegetables. Well, most of them! There is still the odd one or two I’m not keen on. Globe artichokes is one mainly because they just seem to be a bit too complicated! The other is celery. Continue reading “Celery soup”
As its St David’s Day today (1st March), it seemed only right that I share something connected to Wales. Apart from stunning scenery and lush green countryside, the three things that spring to my mind are daffodils, sheep and leeks. And there’s only one of those that can feature in one of my recipes, so leeks it is! Continue reading “Quick leek, mushroom and broccoli pasta sauce”
It’s nearly a year since the Covid19 Pandemic forced us into a series of lockdowns. With many of our normal every day activities taken away, there’s been a surge in home activities. Ranging from gardening, home exercise classes, learning a language to an increase in baking. One of the most prominent ones – certainly on social media – has been bread making. Continue reading “Your daily bread”
Having an intolerance to yeast means that most bread items are off the menu for me. Yeast pops up everywhere in most cuisines, so finding an alternative can be a challenge – and rather restrictive. Continue reading “Sweet potato flatbread”
It’s Shrove Tuesday – Pancake Day. Of course, pancakes are not just for one day of the year – that would be too sad – but it’s a good day to post about them! In fact, it’s only now that I realised I haven’t shared my favourite pancake recipe – it’s time to remedy that!
February is a funny month. Spring is on the way but the weather can be so harsh, as if winter doesn’t want to let you go just yet. The icy cold winds of the last few days here in the UK are the perfect example of this! Continue reading “Barley and roasted squash stew”
This is the time of year when we could all do with a bit of sunshine – certainly for those of us in 
Northern Europe! Grey cloudy days mixed with showers and the odd downpour mean we don’t get to see much blue sky and sun. We know it’s there, that sunny days are on the horizon (hopefully!), and it’s a joyous treat on those occasions when the clouds clear and golden beams shine through. Continue reading “Spicy squash rice”
I do love a vegetable that’s adaptable, something that can be used in all sorts of dishes both sweet and savoury. And sometimes in surprising ways. Pumpkins and squash definitely hit that criteria. In beautiful shades of orange, these lovely gourds maybe be harvested in autumn, but can last all through the long winter. Continue reading “Sweet pumpkin pie”