Farmersgirl Kitchen

Farmersgirl Kitchen has a new home - come on over and visit.

2015-10-06T21:03:00.001+01:00

Farmersgirl Kitchen has moved!

Come on over to the new Farmersgirl Kitchen

at www.farmersgirlkitchen.co.uk

Here's a sneak preview:

Come on what are you waiting for? Join me for more recipes, reviews and giveaways in my new home.

The Slow Cooked Challenge September Round Up

2015-09-29T20:00:00.000+01:00

September turned out to be full of sunshine and, in Scotland, we had better weather than we had had all summer! In saying all that, it has been chilly in the mornings and evenings so coming home to a slow cooked warming supper is definitely the order of the day.

We have a range of dishes to choose from in this month's Slow Cooked Challenge starting with Blackberry Pulled Pork with Blackberry BBQ Sauce.

This unusual and creative dish comes to us from the heart of rural France, from the blog of De Tout Coeur Limousin, that sauce looks so good!

Next up a hearty plate of Slow Cooker Chipotle Chilli Beans provided by Sarah at Tales from the Kitchen Shed. I'm a sucker for chipotle chillies, so will be filling my slow cooker with these beans very soon.

Another vegetarian dish and one I think I may be making this week, as I have some portobello mushrooms that I didn't use at the weekend. This dish of Slow Cooked Portobello Mushroom Stew with Herb Dumplings comes from the lovely Dominic who cooks up all kinds of treat at Belleau Kitchen.

Back to Tales from the Kitchen Shed for some more tasty treats. This time Sarah is serving up Spicy Courgette Chutney made in her Slow Cooker with a glut of courgettes.

This is real comfort food, a Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole from Lucy at Baking Queen 74 and my co-host for the Slow Cooked Challenge. I hope you will join Lucy for the October Slow Cooked Challenge when it goes live on 1st October.

Go to the Slow Cooked Challenge page for full details of the challenge and to find the current challenge.

A Feast of Blackberries - The Great British Blackberry Recipe Round Up

2015-09-25T19:26:00.001+01:00

A huge thank you to all the lovely cooks, bakers and bloggers who joined The Great British Blackberry Recipe Round Up. There are so many delicious recipes and they are really varied, everything from Spiced Blackberry Pulled Pork to Blackberry Lollipops and of course cakes, desserts and preserves. Don't take my word for it, here they all are below:

1. Blackberry Frozen Yogurt and Granola Breakfast Pops - Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary
2. Blackberry and Clotted Cream Ripple - Sudden Lunch
3. Blackberry and Apple Swirl Buns - Mint Custard
4. Blackberry Gin - Mint Custard

5. Blackberry Pear Crisp - A Palatable Pastime
6.Wild Blackberry Jam - I'd much rather bake than
7. Bramble Blackwells - Foodie Quine
8. Spiced Blackberry Jam - Farmersgirl Kitchen

9. Peach and Blackberry Galette with Lavender and Thyme Honey - A Girl and her Home
10. Blackberry and Oat Muffins - Rough Measures
11. Blackberry and Lemon Bake - Food Jam

12. Blackforest Chocolate Brownies - Sew White
13. Summer Burst Berry Cake - Belleau Kitchen
14. Simple Seasonal Blackberry Cake - Lancashire Food

15. Autumnal Blackberry and Lavender Cobbler - Lancashire Food
16. Blackberries and Rose Geranium Crumble - Lancashire Food
17. Bramble and Vanilla Cordial - Farmersgirl Kitchen
18. Baked Nectarines and Blackberry Surprise - The Peachicks Bakery

19. Summer Fruit Traybake - Sew White
20. Blackberry and Hazelnut Polenta Cake - Mainly Baking
21. Blackberry Lollipops - The Hedgecombers

22. Apple and Blackberry Chia Seed Preserve - Nutricious Deliciousness
23. Blackberry and Apple Pie - Chez Maximka
24. Spiced Blackberry Pulled Pork - De Tout Coeur Limousin

25. Double Blackberry Chocolate Gallette - Tin and Thyme
26. Blackberry, Garlic and Bay - De Tout Coeur Limousin
27. Blackberry and Apple Geranium Swirl -Lancashire Food
28. Self-Saucing Blackberry and Apple Pudding - Tales from the Kitchen Shed

29. Blackberry and Apple Cupcakes - Tin and Thyme
30. Blackberry, Lemon and White Chocolate Scones - Baking Queen 74
31.Blackberry and White Chocolate Cheesecake Cups - The Veg Space
32. Blackberry and Hazelnut Flapjacks - Chardonnay and Samphire

33. Blackberry and Apple Cake - Eco-Gites of Lenault
34. Blackberry Fairy Cake Buns (Muffins) - Lavender and Lovage
35. Blackberry, Elderberry and Damson Jelly - JibberJabber UK

I hope this inspires you to make some of these recipes, do let me know if you do.

Sweet Potato Mash with Crisp Sage Leaves, Ricotta and Pecan Nuts from Sally Clarke: 30 Ingredients

2015-09-21T19:42:00.001+01:00

It's book review time and 30 Ingredients by Sally Clarke is a real treat, chef style food explained in clear and simple recipes for you to make at home.

About the book

30 Ingredients encapsulates Sally's innovative and uncomplicated approach to food At its heart lies her simple concept of cooking with the freshest and best, produce the vision that has ensured Sally's success for the last thirty years. Sally's philosophy is simple: fresh in-season ingredients used not only to suit every plate but also to please the eye. Sally has chosen a handful of recipes for each of her favourite 30 ingredients,

About the author
It is 30 years since Sally Clarke founded her now legendary Notting Hill restaurant Clarke's and become the pioneer of seasonal fine dining in British cuisine. To celebrate this significant anniversary, the award-winning chef, restaurateur and author has now written and irresistible cookery book, 30 Ingredients.

The Ingredients and the Recipes
1. Apricot - this is one of my favourites too and I'll definitely be making Apricots baked with vanilla, cinnamon and lavender.
2. Asparagus - always popular in its season and Asparagus risotto with spelt, goat cheese and Prosecco is bound to prove popular too.
3. Aubergine - Sally prefers the paler aubergines/eggplants but the purple ones will do just as well in her Baba Ganoush and Caponata recipes.
4.. Basil - that tarts of summer in a herb features in a surprising Basil ice ream with sugared basil leaves, lemon and black pepper wafers.
5. Beetroot - another of my faves, that rich sweet earthy flavour will blend perfectly with the carrots in Baked beetroot and carrots with new season garlic.
6. Broad Bean - best picked fresh from the garden and a real star in the recipe for Cracked wheat salad with broad beans, courgettes and peas.
7. Cep - these flavourful fungi are served finely sliced with Parmesan, lemon. olive oil and parsley toasts a simple dish that I can almost taste.
8. Cherry - bursting with sweet juice, cherries go well with many flavours but just so well with chocolate that your mouth will be watering at Sally's Dark Chocolate souffle cake with Kirsch and cherries.
9. Chicory - not a vegetable I have cooked with but I do like the sound of a Chicory Tarte Tatin.
10. Clementine - my favourite of the easy peel oranges and as they start to come into the shops soon, I will be serving the Salad of clementines, feta, pine nuts and pomegranate dressing.
11. Cobnuts - I've tried cobnuts once, their availability tends to be localised to the south east of England, worth sourcing them to make the Cobnut salad with figs and peaches or, I guess, substituting the more common hazelnuts.
12. Fennel- Not everyone likes the aniseed overtones in a lovely Florence Fennel, I love it, and Sea bass baked with potato and fennel sounds heavenly to me.
13. Fig - I'm beginning to think that Sally has been looking at my list of favourite foods! Fig is certainly a favourite of mine and every recipe in this section sounds good to me, Figs with balsamic vinegar, chives blossoms and shaved Parmesan served with Spiced seeded flat bread sounds like a feast to me.
14. Landcress - this is a new one on me, and Sally does admit that it is not so easy to find, it is more peppery than watercress and she suggests that it is used with care. Crab Cakes with Landcress, Chilli, Creme Fraiche and Lime is bound to pack a punch, just what I like.
15. Leeks - a little more available, Sally uses leeks at every stage of their growth for different types of recipe. Smoked Haddock and Leek Pasties would be great as a starter or to eat on a picnic.
16. Lemon and Lime - two for the price of one here, so I'm going to give you two recipes too. Lemon and Lime Icecream sounds delicious as does Lemon and brown sugar shortbread.
17. Olive - I would eat olives everyday if I could and I would love to eat the gutsy Black olive tapenade toasts with anchovies and capers, a taste explosion!
18. Blood Orange - also known as Ruby Oranges, always lovely and sweet, a Salad of Blood Oranges, Beetroot and Pomegranate would be well worth making and eating.
19. Pea - another star vegetable and one that I love in soup. Sally's Chilled pea soup with mint, spring onion and yoghurt sounds like a real treat.
20. Peach - Cheers! Sally has whizzed up a White Peach Bellini for our delight.
21. Pine Nut - of course without pine nuts there would be no Pesto but Sally also brings us Sicilian-style ricotta and pin nut torta.
22. Potato - so versatile, the perfect ingredient and Sally shows us how to make perfect roast potatoes, the epitome of potato deliciousness.
23. Quince - I once managed to get some quince from a neighbour's tree but conditions for good quince do not seem to have returned. If you can get hold of some then Sally's Quince and Rosemary Tarte Tatin sounds worth making.
24. Raspberry - nothing beats raspberries, that combination of sweet and sharp and bursting with deep pink juice. Sally creates a Raspberry Jelly which also contains blackcurrants and strawberries creating a lovely red fruit jelly.
25.Rocket - Sally comments on the dramatic rise in popularity of rocket and extols it's peppery virtues, which are beautifully shown off in her recipe for Rocket wrapped in rare roasted beef, with mustard mayonnaise on toast.
26.Sage - the herb that just cries out for some pork! Sally does not disappoint and her Pork, Onion and Sage Pie is on my list to make.
27. Squash and Pumpkin - those colourful gourds are so versatile, it's nearly the time of year when pumpkins are in abundance and a plate full of this rustic Spiced Pumpkin, Tomato and Chickpea Stew would go down a treat on a cooler day.
28.Strawberry- in season there is nothing quite like the taste of a strawberry and they herald the start of summer proper to me. Sally treats the strawberries simply but adds layers of flavour in her Strawberry Cannoli recipe, these are not tube shaped cannoli, more like little baskets to scoop up the ricotta and strawberries before popping in your mouth.
29. Sweetcorn - in this chapter Sally creates a Baked Sweetcorn and Polenta Pudding with Ricotta, maybe it's because we are heading towards autumn and winter that I find this so attractive, comfort food with a difference.
30. and finally Tomato - imagine that smell of ripe tomatoes straight off the vine, combined with sweet nectarines, feta and onions and decorated with nasturtium, marigold and rocket blossoms, that's one of the ways that Sally showcases tomatoes in Tomato Salad with Nectarines and Feta

So there we are, 30 ingredients and, although I have only picked out one recipe per ingredient, there are at least two and sometimes three for each.

Who is it for?
I would say this is a book for people with a passion for food who want to make the most of every ingredient they use. Although the 30 ingredients are all vegetables, fruits, herbs and nuts , this is not a vegetarian cookbook, there are non-meat recipes, as well as those with meat, fish and poultry. It would make a beautiful gift for anyone who loves to cook.

Pros
The photographs are stunning, there is not a photo for every recipe, but the quality of the photos is very high. The whole book is beautifully produced and could sit quite happily on that 'coffee table' to be picked up and oohed and aahed over. Each ingredient is given a page of text, which is easy to read and the recipes are clear and well written with a couple of paragraphs of 'story' where appropriate.

Cons
It's quite a big book, however it does stay open so you can read the recipes - hurrah! At £25 it's not cheap but I think this is justified by the quality of the production and the excellence of the recipes.

The Verdict
Add it to your wish list for birthday or Christmas, then you too can spend hours drooling over the exciting recipe ideas and the beautiful pictures.

Sweet Potato Mash with Crisp Sage Leaves, Ricotta and Pecan Nuts
Serves 6

1.5kg sweet potatoes
2tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp light olive oil
100g butter, plus a little extra for buttering the dish
1 bunch sage, small leaves picked, large leaves chopped finely
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed to a cream
salt
50g pecans, medium-finely chopped
250g ricotta or fresh goat cheese

Peel the sweet potatoes and place in a large pan of boiling slated water, cover and simmer until tender to the centre. Drain in a colander and when cool enough to handle, cut roughly into smallish pieces.

Toast the cumin seeds in a small pan over a medium heat until they are fragrant - do not allow to burn. Crush using a pestle and mortar or in a spice grinder.

Meanwhile heat the olive oil and half the butter in a pan until foaming. Fry the small sage leaves until crisp (though not too dark), remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Add the remaining butter to the pan and add the ground cumin, chopped chilli and chopped sage, and cook until fragrant (approximately one minute). Remove from the heat, add the garlic and stir well.

Place the sweet potato in a large bowl and beat with a hand whisk or electric whisk until smooth (I put the sweet potato through the potato ricer). Little by little add almost all the seasoned butter ingredients until well amalgamated. Add salt to taste.

Preheat the oven to 175C
Brush an oven-proof dish with butter and spoon the potato mash in, levelling the top a little. Drizzle over any remaining melted butter and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and scatter the pecans with crumbled ricotta or goat cheese on the top, and continue to bake for a further 3-4 minutes or until piping hot.

Garnish with fried sage leaves and serve alongside a crisp green and bitter leaf salad or with roasted pork, turkey or chicken.

You really need to add lots of chopped sage for the flavour to come through, hard to judge 'a bunch' and I probably underplayed it, will be trying again with more sage. Pecans and sweet potatoes is a marriage made in heaven though and the cumin and chilli add a nice spicy lift without overpowering the sweet potato.

Sally Clarke: 30 Ingredients
Published by Frances Lincoln Limited Publishers
RRP Hardback £25

Langoustines, Gin and More Chocolate in Fife - Part Two

2015-09-17T19:38:00.001+01:00

After our feast of chocolate at the Pittenweem Chocolate Company, it was er...time for lunch! We headed just along the coast to St Monans, one of the quieter East Neuk villages, well it used to be quieter but it seems to be emerging from it's sleepy image and starting to challenge the tourist packed Crail, Anstruther and Pittenweem. The focus of our visit and lunch was the East Pier Smokehouse.

I had been to the East Pier Smokehouse about four years ago when my Mum and I bought some smoked langoustines, at that time there was only the shop and it was pretty basic, however things have changed and the East Pier Smokehouse now boasts it's own restaurant as well as selling seafood to take away.

I think you will agree that the views from the restaurant are absolutely stunning and Claire from Foodie Quine and I were treated to an absolute feast, starting with a rich and creamy courgette and goats cheese soup and a box of smoked langoustines, the meat in Scottish seafood is really sweet which is down to the cold water around our shores! We also tried the smoked salmon and cranberry Quiche with a turmeric pastry, which was the special of the day, very good indeed.

This was followed by the arrival of a range of the dishes that are served at the East Pier Smokehouse, lobster, crab cakes, salad and smoked salmon all served in cardboard boxes, it's a bit like going for a picnic on the deck of a ship! All of the seafood was totally delicious and next time I'm in Fife, I'll be making a reservation for an evening meal.

We were quite taken aback when owner, James Robb, opened the door of he smokehouse and we saw just how small it was and really just a cupboard in the wall, but the smell of the cold smoked salmon was incredibly enticing. It's well worth a visit to the East Pier Smokehouse, but get there early for lunch as you can't book.

Claire and I were now completely stuffed, as we jumped back into our luxury mini-bus, complete with water bottle holders, and were ably driven by Andy through St Andrews and on to the Eden Mill distillery and brewery at Guardbridge.

The Eden Mill is Scotland's only distillery and brewery on a single site, based on the site of a former Haig distillery, it produces award-winning beer and gin as well as small batch single malt whisky.

We started with a taste of a new Chilli Ginger Porter which Eden Mill expect to have on sale for Christmas. I'll certainly be looking for a few bottles of this brew in my stocking, it was smooth, not bitter at all, but with a lovely warm kick.

We then had a tour of the brewery and distillery with Kathryn Baker, where we learned about the gin basket which holds the botanicals during distilling, and saw the private casks of whisky, one signed by a former First Minister of Scotland. We then moved on to our task for the day; Gin and Chocolate matching, it was a hard job, but someone had to do it!

Eden Mill have five different types of gin and the chocolates we tasted with the matched gin came from Iain Burnett, The Highland Chocolatier who uses a unique single origin cocoa from the volcanic Island of Sao Tome. This intense cocoa is carefully selected for its exceptional range of fruity aromatic and spicy characteristics and painstakingly matched with unblended fresh Scottish cream from a particular herd of cows in Perthshire.

Original Eden Gin - the interaction between Seabucktorn berries, lemon balm, and bitter citrus results in a light yet complex spirit. The Eden Gin is classic, crisp, refershing heavily citrus flavoured gin (and my favourite)
This was paired with White Lime and hint of Chilli Velvet Truffle "Fresh notes of the Lime and sharp citrus of the gin are well matched, with the subtle heat of the cayenne highlighting a similar dryness in the Eden." Gorgeous combination, the chocolate seemed to bring out the gin flavour and vice versa, suddenly I'm convinced that matching chocolate and gin is a good idea.

Hop Gin - A logical progression from brewing into distilling, using Galaxy hops to craft this first gin, This unique creation has a zesty freshness, and slight bitterness on the finish. The unusual colouring is as result of he hops, and persists once tonic is added. I quite liked the Hop Gin, although it is an acquired taste and I think would be good with something like ginger ale. This gin was paired with a Blonde White Langue de Chat "the simplicity of the creamy Madagascan vanilla which let's all the fruity flavours of he gin take centre stage" I didn't think the white chocolate added much to the gin and felt that the gin overpowered the chocolate.

Love Gin - Bringing together an outstanding blend of local botanicals, Love Gin is also infused with rose petals and whole hibiscus flowers to give it a subtle pink colour. Rhubarb root and raspberry leaf ensure a delicate sweet finish. This is one of the most popular of the Eden Mill gins, it is very smooth without the 'edge' that I associate with gin. Paired with a White Raspberry and heather honey Velvet Truffle "an excellent match of both sweet fruit and Madagascan vanilla in the white chocolate play along with the summer fruits and even the honey doesn't dissipate the sweetness of this gin" The chocolate was lush, but I found the overall effect of the sweeter gin and the sweet chocolate just a bit much for my palate, the honey seemed to dominate the after-taste.

Oak Gin - matured in oak-aged beer casks, this gin carries hints of vanilla and toasted caramel. With a warmth and spice reminiscent of whisky, this gin can easily be enjoyed neat. Paired with Ginger Velvet Truffle "the warm ginger is reminiscent of the warm spices of the gin and its gentle oak woodiness is as subtle as the oak notes which follow at the end of the dark Sao Tome chocolate." This combination certainly delivered on the warm flavours.

Golf Gin - flavoured with hickory (reminiscent of the hickory shafted golf clubs made by the St Andrews Golf Company) this gin is described as a modern classic with notes of sweet lemongrass with a burst of mild pepperiness, strong hints of lime, coriander and aromatic spice.
We had two different chocolates to try with the Golf Gin, Garden Mint Velvet Truffle, what a chocolate, it tasted just like fresh mint, I've never experienced anything like this in a chocolate and I would definitely recommend it. Tasted with the Golf Gin the story is that "this fresh light herb is the perfect segue to the aromatic gin in a ply of pepper and menthol", personally, much though I loved the chocolate, I felt that the strong mint flavour overwhelmed the gin.
The second chocolate was a Lemongrass and hint of Lime Velvet Praline "a strong and heavy introduction to the grass and spices of the Golf" oh yes, now this was more like it. Again the freshness of the lemongrass was outstanding but, for me, a better compliment to the gin, of course lemon and lime are very much a traditional match for gin.

The truffles had the most incredible intense flavours, a fresh and fruity explosion in your mouth, they went remarkably well with the different gins they had been matched to, something I wouldn't have imagined.

The Visitor Centre is well laid out with plenty of space for large groups and these amazing stained glass windows. You can drop in, but if you'd like to have a tour and tasting it's worth booking ahead.

BREWERY TOUR - £7.50 per person (£5 for students/concessions) - 7 days a week - 11am, 1pm, 3pm & 5pm
GIN EXPERIENCE - £10 per person (£7.50 for students/concessions) - 7 days a week - 12pm, 2pm & 4pm
Subject to availability

Chillies and Chocolate in Fife - Part One

Coming in Part Three - Courses for Cooks

Disclaimer: I was the guest of Welcome to Fife and I'd like to thank them and the host organisations who made this a truly memorable trip.

Chillies and Chocolate in Fife - Part One

2015-09-04T07:00:00.000+01:00

So where do you think Claire, Foodie Quine, and I are posing? Are we on a cruise the Med or the Norwegian Fjords? Well, no actually, we are in the Kingdom of Fife in Scotland on a Chilli-Chocolate Food Trip with Welcome to Fife. More about where this sunny photo was taken in part two.

We started our chilli-chocolate tour of Fife in Ceres and travelled a few miles to visit Chillilicious, Scotland's first chilli farm. I met with Patricia Galfskiy at the chilli farm where she and her daughter have developed this family run food and art venture cretaing homemade chilli food and gift items. The new visitor's centre provided an opportunity to taste some of the Chilli chutney that Patricia makes, I tried them all, well it would be rude not to, and they were all very good. Most memorable for me was the Monkey Punch Chilli Chutney which contains banana, kiwi, lime and jalapeno chillies. I loved this combination of flavours really unusual.

Possibly my favourite thing in the Chillilicous shop was the Pimento Ginger Beer. I love ginger beer and this has the most amazing chilli kick, right at the back of your throat, a must for all chilli lovers.

We then moved on to the chilli tunnel where you can pick your own chillies or buy plants. Chillilicious grow approximately 4,000 chilli plants per ear and their speciality is the wide and varied range of rare and super-hot chillies, growing between 50-75 different varieties every year. Last year the talk of the chilli world was the Carolina Reaper and this year it's all about the Chocolate Bhutlah, both of these chillies are grown at Chillilicious.

These are the chillies that I picked, unfortunately I can't remember the name of them all. What I did learn is that the more crinkly the chilli, the hotter is going to be! I'm hoping to cook up some recipes with these chillies soon.

I've put a little route on this map of Fife, Ceres is around the centre of the map, we then travelled towards the coast to the area known as the East Neuk of Fife and the fishing village of Pittenweem to meet Sophie Latinis at the Pittenweem Chocolate Company.

This is Sophie in the chocolate boutique where this artisan and family run choclatier, sources fine speciality chocolates as well as making a bespoke, handmade chocolate range in Pittenweem. Sophie welcomed us and took us upstairs to the working kitchen to tell us about the process of chocolate making and to introduce us to some of the most remarkable chocolate I've ever tasted.

The drinking chocolate was quite incredible. I am not a fan of drinking chocolate, but this was an altogether different experience. It was like drinking liquid chocolate, rich and dark and not too sweet, it would make a fabulous dessert. You can see how much I enjoyed it as I scraped out every last drop with that lovely apostle spoon. The wrapped chocolates on the tray are malt whisky liqueurs, these ones were filled with Laphroig, my favourite whisky. You had to put the chocolate right into your mouth as the liquid just exploded out as you bit into the chocolate, another best, the best liqueur chocolate I've ever tasted. It really was a shot of whisky inside a chocolate not a flavoured sugar syrup.

Sophie had made a tray of Chocolate Chilli Truffles for us to try and she cut them and coated with cocoa powder, the chilli heat was subtle although I have to say that Sophie kindly gave us some to take away and when I tried them again at home, I felt that there was more heat, it may have been that my palate had been blunted by too much chocolate and whisky!

Behind the chocolate boutique there is a quirky cafe, The Cocoa Tree Cafe. Here you can enjoy a relaxed lunch, coffee, afternoon tea or one of those gorgeous hot chocolate drinks. There is plenty of reading material in the cafe, some of it under the glass on the table tops, but also a range of chocolate themed books to read. The staff were delightful and it is clear that Sophie's passion and high standards pervade the whole establishment. I would highly recommend a visit to the cafe and chocolate boutique.

Coming in part two of Chillies and Chocolate in Fife - Seafood and Gin!

Disclaimer: I was the guest of Welcome to Fife and I'd like to thank them and the host organisations who made this a truly memorable trip.

Spicy Tomato Pork Tenderloin and the Slow Cooked Challenge is back!

2015-09-01T07:00:00.000+01:00

It's been a pretty miserable summer here in Scotland and I've been making many more Slow Cooked dishes than I would usually. The Slow Cooked Challenge has had a bit of a break over the summer, but as we head into September, it's time think about slowly cooked stews, soups, curries and cakes.

I'm delighted to announce that I have a new co-host for this challenge, the very talented Lucy of Baking Queen 74. Lucy is the queen of baking in her Slow Cooker and will be hosting the Slow Cooked Challenge every other month.

If you are not familiar with the Slow Cooked Challenge, it is a monthly blog challenge dedicated to making recipes using a Slow Cooker/Crockpot or by slow cooking in the oven, aga or other slow method of cooking. Each month there will be a theme e.g. soup, dessert, vegetarian or an open challenge.

This month it's an OPEN challenge, so you can enter any Slow Cooked recipe.

If you would like to take part, then please:

Make your recipe in your Slow Cooker or other slow cooking method and post a photograph and the recipe, or a link to a recipe, on your blog
Link to Farmersgirl Kitchen and Baking Queen 74
Use the Slow Cooked Challenge logo in your post
If you use twitter, tweet your post with @FarmersgirlCook @BakingQueen74 and use #SlowCookedChallenge and we will re-tweet it to our followers AND post your picture on the dedicated Pinterest Board.
A round up of all the entries will be posted on the host's blog.

Rules:

Please do not publish recipes from cookbooks on your blog without permission, they are copyright.
If you are using recipes from another website, please link to the recipe on the website rather than publishing the recipe.
One entry per blog.
Recipes must be added to the linky by the 28th of each month and a round up will be posted on the host blog.

Spicy Tomato Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
450g pork tenderloin (fillet)
Salt and pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
400g can of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 clove garlic crushed

Place pork tenderloin in bottom of slow cooker
Season with salt and pepper.
Stir together the canned tomatoes, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, chilli powder and garlic in a small bowl and pour over the sauce.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
Check seasoning before serving.

An InLinkz Link-up

Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts from China Towns

2015-08-25T20:44:00.000+01:00

Now this may not be the prettiest photograph I've ever taken, but it is one of the best Chinese dishes I've ever cooked. I made this while I was having my kitchen floor replaced, the final part of the work we have had to do as a result of dry rot at the front of our home. So there I was cooking on a single electric ring in my back kitchen (utility room), with the joiner working away in the kitchen sawing and hammering. It's perfectly possible to cook good food in this limited space but not all that great for food styling and photography!

In Western countries, the Chinese food eaten in restaurants is often a far cry from the dishes prepared and served by the Chinese themselves. This is because the Asian communities that have settled in so-called ‘China Towns’ around the world, in cities such as New York, San Francisco, London and Paris, have mastered the art of adapting their cuisine to suit local tastes. Added to which, this cuisine is often influenced by other Asian dishes, so much so that food served in one city’s China Town may be heavily influenced by other Asian dishes, so much so that food served in one city's China Town may be heavily influenced by Vietnamese dishes whereas in another it may resemble closely Thai cuisine.

In this visually stunning cookbook, author Jean-François Mallet goes behind the scenes in Chinese communities around the world in order to understand how and why the food changes so much depending on location. As well as intimate portraits of these fascinating communities, this stunning book contains, 100 delicious recipes capturing the essence of China Towns from across the world and their various geographical influences.

About the Chef: A trained professional chef as well as a talented photographer, JEAN-FRANÇOIS MALLET naturally transitioned from cooking to pursue his passion for images. He has worked for some of the biggest names in French Cuisine, such as Jöel Robuchon, Michel

The Introduction
This is a fascinating read, where you learn about the different culinary families of China and the influence of Asian immigration on what we know as 'chinese' cuisine.

The Contents
This is a very large book containing information, photographs and recipes for Starters; Chinese Dumplings; Soups and Broths; Chicken and Quail; Beef; Pork; Duck; Fish and Seafood; Weird and Wonderful; Vegetable, Rice and Side Dishes; Noodles; Tea, Drinks and Desserts.

The recipes reads like the menu of a very eclectic Chinese restaurant, here is what I would choose... well I might not manage all of these dishes, but they were too good to leave off the menu!

Vietnamese Prawn Salad

Juicy Pork Dumplings

Broth with won-ton dumplings

Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts

Fried Beef with Basil

Cantonese Pork Spare rib

Glazed Peking Duck to make at home

Chinese Steamed Fish

Salt and Pepper Prawns

Tofu with 100 year old eggs

Fragrant Rice with Pork

Kimchi Fermented Cabbage

Pad Thai

Egg Noodles with spring onions

Chilled Jasmine Tea with Lemongrass

Toffee Apples

Who is it for?
It is certainly not for the faint hearted as it contains recipes for chicken feet and there are not very many vegetarian recipes. It's also not for purists who are looking for original recipes from the country, these are unashamedly adaptations of the originals to suit the ingredients and tastes of the people around the world. So if you would like to cook a dish that would be served in China Towns across the world, then it's for you.

Pros
The stories and information preceding the recipes are as interesting as the recipes themselves. There are lots of interesting photographs of the China Towns as well as of the recipes. I found the recipes well written, many are quite short and don't require unusual ingredients. I loved 'How to eat with chopsticks and what you should never do with chopsticks'.

Cons
This is one big book, it doesn't sit open very well for cooking, I had to weigh it down to keep it open. Although there are lots of photographs, the photos for the finished dish are not always beside the recipe, which I prefer.

The Verdict
I was certainly impressed with the recipe I cooked, but I felt you could have condensed the content into a slimmer volume which was less expensive and easier to use in the kitchen. I am quite keen to try some of the other recipes after the success of the Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts, so overall a bit of a mixed verdict.

Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts
Serves 4
Preparation: 25 min
Marinating time 2hrs
Cooking time 20 min

2 garlic cloves
1 onion
4 chicken breasts
2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
6 tbsp soy sauce
1 bunch Thai basil
2 tbsp groundnut (peanut) oil
150g (5 1/2 oz or 1 cup) cashew nuts

Peel and chop the garlic and onion, then cut the chicken into small pieces. In a bowl, mix the chicken, garlic, onion, cornflour (cornstarch) and soy sauce together, then leave to marinate at room temperature for 2 hours.

Strip, rinse and dry the basil. About 20 minutes before serving, heat the oil in a large wok over a high heat. Add the cashews and stir-fry for a few minutes then add the chicken and marinade and cook for 10 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked, add the basil leaves, stir and turn off the heat. Serve immediately with fragrant rice.

Such a simple recipe, but the flavour was really close to what you would eat at in a Chinese restaurant and the chicken is super tender and tasty.

China Towns Asian Cooking from Around the World in 100 Recipes by Jean-François Mallet Hardback RRP £30.00
Published by Jacqui Small Publishing

To order China Towns at the discounted price of £24 including p&p* (RRP: £30), telephone 01903 828503 or email mailorders@lbsltd.co.uk and quote the offer code APG358.

*UK ONLY - Please add £2.50 if ordering from overseas.

Bramble and Vanilla Cordial

2015-08-15T20:50:00.003+01:00

The blackberries have only just flowered here in Scotland, little berries are starting to form but I certainly haven't seen any fully ripened berries in the hedgerow yet. However, I always freeze some berries and my freezer harvest is perfect for making this delicious fruity cordial which is delicious served with water, sparkling water or including in alcoholic cocktails. It's also really easy to make and much less expensive than the high end fruit cordials that I often buy.

Bramble and Vanilla Cordial
makes just over a litre

1kg blackberries
1.5l cold water
500g sugar
1 vanilla pod

Rinse the blackberries in a colander, then place in a large pan (I use my pressure cooker, without the lid) with the water.
Bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes.
Use a jelly bag, muslin or a clean tea towel and strain the fruit over a clean bowl. Do not squeeze the bag as it will make the cordial cloudy.
While the juice is straining, sterilise your bottles. Either rinse thoroughly in cold water then place in a low oven for 30 minutes, or use a proprietary sterilising solution and follow the instructions.
Return the juice to the cleaned pan and add the sugar and the vanilla pod, unopened as you don't want the seeds in the cordial, heat gently stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil. Skim off any froth on the top and simmer vigorously for 10 minutes.
Remove the vanilla pod, rinse and dry for future use, and pour the cordial into sterilised bottles.
The cordial will keep for up to three months.

What I really like about this cordial, is that there is still a little sharpness from the blackberries and the vanilla just tempers it, without the cordial needing to be further sweetened.

If you are looking for more blackberry recipes or would like to share your own recipes, then join me and Karen from Lavender and Lovage for:

The Great British Blackberry Recipe Round Up

You don't have to be British to join in and you can use fresh, frozen, canned or any other kind of blackberries that you can get your hands on. It's very simple, here is what to do:

Post your recipe on your blog with a link to Farmersgirl Kitchen and Lavender and Lovage and attach the Great British Blackberry Recipe Round-Up logo as shown above.
If you put your post on twitter please mention @FarmersgirlCook @KarenBurnsBooth and #GBBR in your message and we will retweet all those we see.
By entering you are agreeing to let us use an image from your entry on this site, and to pin to Pinterest.
Please be respectful of other people's copyright and give credit where it is due.
Add your recipe link to the live Linky posted at the bottom of this page.
Closing date 18th September 2015

An InLinkz Link-up

Chocolate Caramel Malteser Cake

2015-08-13T13:02:00.003+01:00

Chocolate cake is the usual request for celebration cakes in our house and I've made quite a few different kinds of chocolate cakes over the years. I'm easily bored, so always like to use or create a new recipe and I found my inspiration at Lavender and Lovage, where my friend, Karen had posted a Salted Caramel and Chocolate Fudge Birthday Cake, many thanks to Karen for allowing me to post her recipe here with my minor variations.

Salted Caramel is very on trend and we love it, but as this cake had to be eaten by family with ages ranging from 2 years old to 90+ years old, I needed to keep the flavours a little more traditional, so I took out the salt but kept the caramel.

Maltesers make a really effective and simple decoration and they certainly went down well with everyone.

Chocolate Caramel Malteser Cake

For the cake

140g crème fraiche
125g butter
200g soft light brown sugar
2 drops vanilla extract
4 free-range eggs
170g plain flour
50g cocoa powder (not hot chocolate)
1 teaspoon baking powder

for the caramel spread

3 tbsp caramel sauce or dulce de leche

for the buttercream icing

125g soft butter
2 drops vanilla extract
250g icing sugar

for the caramel buttercream

6 tbsp caramel sauce or dulce de leche

for the chocolate buttercream

60g dark chocolate

for the decoration

121g share bag of Maltesers

To make the cake

Pre-heat the oven to 180C and grease and line two 20cm sandwich cake tins.
Put all the cake ingredients into a large mixing bowl and beat well for 3 to 4 minutes with an electric hand whisk, or 5-6 minutes by hand.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tins and level the tops, leaving a slight dip in the middle of the cakes so they rise evenly. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and shrinking away from the sides of the cake tins. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tins for about 10 minutes, before removing them from the tins and cooling completely on wire racks.

To make the two kinds of buttercream icing

First make the basic buttercream, beat the butter with an electric hand whisk until it is well blended.
Sift the icing sugar and the vanilla extract into the butter and gently mix together, then using the electric mixer beat until the mixture is fully blended and fluffy.
Remove a third of the mixture and place in another bowl, add 3 tbsp of caramel sauce or dulce de leche to the buttercream and mix again. If the mixture seems a little too stiff, then add a little milk.
Place the chocolate in a bowl and either melt over a pan of hot water, or melt in the microwave in blasts of 30 seconds to make sure you don't over heat it. Cool the chocolate for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add to the remaining buttercream and beat with the electric whisk.

To assemble the cake

Place one of the cake layers on a serving plate, spread 3 tbsp of caramel sauce over the base (it will sink in). Now spread the caramel buttercream over the base and place the second sponge on top.
Cover the top and sides of the sandwich cake with the chocolate buttercream and cover the top with Maltesers, starting at the outside and making concentric circles of the chocolates.

If you like the idea of pairing chocolate with other flavours, here are a few ideas for great combinations from popular UK Food Blogs:

Slow Cooker Chocolate Mint Aero Bubble Cake - Baking Queen 74
Triple Layer Chocolate Mud Cake - Made with Pink
Chocolate Orange Cake - The Foodie Couple Blog
Jelly Tots Chocolate Cake - Planet Veggie
Moist Chocolate After Eight Cake - Tinned Tomatoes
Chocadoodledoo Cake (with minted strawberry cream) - Tin and Thyme
Chocolate and Porter Cake - Kavey Eats

I'm entering this for Bake of the Week run by Casa Costello and hosted this week by Jen's Food

This is my first entry for Cake Club at Kerry Cooks. Kerry is also featuring a Chocolate Malteser cake, they are obviously popular!

Anything goes at We Should Cocoa this month as long as it contains chocolate which this surely does! We Should Cocoa is a long standing blog challenge run by Choclette at Tin and Thyme.

The Great British Blackberry Recipe Round Up

2015-08-10T07:00:00.000+01:00

After the success of the Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round Up in the spring, Karen at Lavender and Lovage and I are launching a new Linky Party to celebrate the blackberry harvest. As Karen is in SW France and I am in SW Scotland, the blackberry season starts and finishes at different times for us, so the Linky will remain open until the 18th of September so everyone has plenty of time to forage in the hedgerows and make delicious recipes with the blackberries you pick.

The Great British Blackberry Recipe Round Up

You don't have to be British to join in and you can use fresh, frozen, canned or any other kind of blackberries that you can get your hands on. It's very simple, here is what to do:

Post your recipe on your blog with a link to Farmersgirl Kitchen and Lavender and Lovage and attach the Great British Blackberry Recipe Round-Up logo as shown below

If you put your post on twitter please mention @FarmersgirlCook @KarenBurnsBooth and #GBBR in your message and we will retweet all those we see.
By entering you are agreeing to let us use an image from your entry on this site, and to pin to Pinterest.
Please be respectful of other people's copyright and give credit where it is due.
Add your recipe link to the live Linky posted at the bottom of this page.
Closing date 18th September 2015

An InLinkz Link-up

My top tips for the Edinburgh Foodies Festival

2015-08-08T20:51:00.000+01:00

It was a lovely sunny and warm day today in Edinburgh for the 10th Anniversary of the Foodies Festival. Here are a few highlights, the festival continues tomorrow and is well worth a visit.

I was delighted to see the lovely Jillian McEwan of Fresh Food Express was attending. Make sure you visit for lovely fresh fruit and Walter Gregory's Tonic Water from Summerhouse Drinks.

So now you have your tonic water, you need some Gin to go with it. There are a number of purveyors of gin at the festival, but Daffy's Gin was particularly good and the staff were very helpful.

Too much booze early in the morning! Time for some lunch, we enjoyed the chicken fajita wraps, substantial and at £5 very good value. There are lots of different types of foods available at the festival, something for everyone and more vegetarian options than when I was there two years ago, although it is still heavily dominated by burgers and roast meats. I was really disappointed to see that the Arbroath Smokies stall wasn't there and heard that it had been banned for health and safety reasons, although the BBQ stalls were creating plenty of smoke!

We only managed to one of the demos in the Aga Rangemaster Chefs Theatre, Michelle McManus was an able host for the show, asking appropriate questions and keeping the show moving along. The chef here is Marcello Tully from Kinloch Lodge in Skye. The food he made was excellent although he is obviously not used to demonstrating and was also handicapped by domestic equipment rather than a chef standard food processor. However, he created a fabulous salmon mousse which he served in different ways including made into a roulade in a spinach pancake (see below). He also made a clever strawberry dessert which I think I may try to recreate.

Back to the producers stalls and we were very impressed by the cheeses at The Devenick Dairy from Banchory, Aberdeenshire. An excellent deal of £10 for three pieces of cheese and a pack of oatcakes, how could I resist!

Be sure to visit Summer Harvest to try their delicious Scottish cold-pressed rapeseed oils, salad dressings and vinegars. The staff are helpful and knowledgeable, and once you taste the products you will want to have them in your kitchen.

We were impressed by the scallops at The Hebridean Food Co, not impressed by the price of the macarons! Nice to say hello to Chris at Perthshire Oatcakes.

Last but by no means least, do not miss a visit to The Brownie Bar, these gooey brownies are £2 each but half of one is almost too much they are so rich and delicious, so we felt they were really good value and well made. The good news is, that you can also buy them online.

My tips for a great trip to Foodies Festival:

It gets much busier in the afternoon, arrive early.
Go to registration as soon as you arrive and register for the theatre sessions.
Take a picnic blanket, so you can sit comfortably on the grass.
There are long queues at the ladies toilets - use the gents!
Take a rucksack, those bottles of gin and oil are heavy to carry.

Many thanks to Foodies Festival for inviting me to the festival.

White Currant Jelly-Jam

2015-08-07T22:20:00.000+01:00

One of my work colleagues brought some bags of white currants into work for us to help ourselves to. Well, it would be rude not to, so I brought home a little bag marked 8oz White Currants. As it was such a small amount currants I wanted to do something that would make the best of them so I did what I usually do and had a search on the internet and found this recipe for White Currant Jam from The Well Seasoned Cook.

It's a strange one, not quite jam, because you sieve the berries, and not quite jelly as it has a slight thickness from the white currant flesh. Mine looks more like jelly than the picture on The Well Seasoned Cook, so I decided to call it White Currant Jelly-Jam. It tastes similar to red currant jelly although I think it is a little sweeter, I love the peachy colour which develops as the berries cook and it sets really easily.

Here are some other ideas for fruit jellies that you might like to try

Kavey's Apple Lemon Verbena Jelly - Kavey Eats
Crab Apple Jelly - Fuss Free Flavours
Rochelle's Grape Jelly - It's Not Easy Being Greedy
Spiced Apple Jelly - Foodie Quine
Plum Jelly: Sunshine in a Jar - Kavey Eats

I'm entering this recipe for the No Waste Food Challenge at Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary

And also for Shop Local also run and hosted by Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Scones

2015-08-03T21:27:00.000+01:00

I spent Sunday afternoon in the kitchen. That's not unusual, but I hadn't been able to use my oven for a couple of weeks due to the installation of a wooden floor. Regular readers will know that I've been having a bit of a time of it over the last 18 months or so, with dry rot treatment and rebuilding half our farm house. We are on the home stretch now and the kitchen floor is the final major disruption.

Anyway, back to the baking, I wanted to make something relatively quick and easy but also satisfying, so scones were what came to mind. I'm always looking to fit in my kitchen exploits with one or other of the linky challenges run on other food blogs. I haven't entered We Should Cocoa for far too long and for August, Choclette at Tin and Thyme has given us free rein with an 'Anything Goes' theme, so throw in a bit of chocolate and voila!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Scones
Makes 12-16 scones depending on how you cut them

400g spelt or wholemeal flour
100g oatbran (if you don't have any, then substitute flour)
4 level tsp baking powder
100g soft butter
3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
50g soft brown sugar
100g dark chocolate chips
2 eggs, beaten
milk
2 tbsp dark chocolate spread

Heat the oven to 200C
Place the flour, oatbran and baking powder in a large bowl and mix together
Rub in the butter and peanut butter until you have fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Stir in the eggs and enough milk to make a soft dough, reserving a little milk to glaze.
Add the chocolate spread in teaspoonfuls and swirl through the dough with a knife, do not overwork or your scones will be tough.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Press the dough onto the tray in a rough circle about 1.25cm thick, mark lightly into wedges with a knife. Brush with milk.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown, leave to cool slightly then slide onto a cooling tray.

And the result...a huge success. The scones are so full of good things, they are not too sweet with just enough of a crunch of peanuts and swirls of chocolate to make them a great alternative to richer cakes.

Why not link up your chocolate recipe to We Should Cocoa?

The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook Review and a Giveaway

2015-08-01T22:53:00.002+01:00

The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Amy Riolo is not so much a diet cook book as a way of life, unleashing the power of one of the world's healthiest diets. It integrates the latest research and clinical findings with 100 delicious, authentic, easy recipes and Mediterranean lifestyle tips while dispelling any myths and misinformation. Gluten free variations of recipes are also included.

About the Author
AMY RIOLO is an award-winning author, chef, television personality, cuisine and culture expert
and educator. She is a Culinary Advisor for The Mediterranean Food Alliance and her work has
appeared in numerous print media including USA Today, Cooking Light, The Washington Post, The
Wall Street Journal and CNN.com. Amy’s most recent book, The Mediterranean Diabetes
Cookbook, won the 2011 Nautilus Book Award. She also won the World Gourmand Award for
"Best Arab Cuisine Book" in the United States for her book Nile Style: Egyptian Cuisine and Culture
(Hippocrene Books). She is also the author of a noted culinary/cultural blog amyriolo.blogspot.com

The Review
Introduction and Welcome to the Mediterranean Diet
As I said this isn't just a recipe book, Amy Riolo gives a comprehensive introduction to the principles of the Mediterranean diet. with the science behind the diet and how the lifestyle is as important as the actual food. Using the Mediterranean Pyramid as a guide, Amy gets to the core of the Mediterranean lifestyle, and explains what is eaten, when to eat it, and why. Each recipe in The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook contains a cultural tip from the Mediterranean region. Fun historical facts, legend, and lore, as well as nutritional information accompany each recipe.

Each recipe chapter begins with a useful introductory essay on the appropriate foodstuffs. Here are a few of my favourite recipes by chapter:

Plant Based Foods - the foundation of the Mediterranean diet
Wholegrains: Gooey Mediterranean-Style Cornbread which contains sundried tomatoes and mozzarella; North African Spice-Dusted Sweet Potatoes; Libyan Lamb Couscous and Turkish Eggplant and Herbed Rice Pilaf.
Fruits: Apricot and Orange Blossom Pudding with Pistachios; Roasted Plums with Basil-Yogurt Cream.
Vegetables: Quick Italian Pickles; Provencal Bistro Carrot Salad; Lebanese Fattoush
Legumes and Nuts: Herb Infused Falafel Pomegranate, Roasted Red Pepper, and Walnut Dip and Moroccan Harira Soup
Olive Oil: Kale and Almond Pesto Sauce, Olive Oil cured Eggplant; Provencal Herb Tapenade and Sweet Olive Oil, Cherry and Almond Cake

Fish and Seafood - the bounty of the Mediterranean sea
Sicilian Swordfish Bundles; Citrus Marinated Salmon with Fennel Cream and Sizzling Rosemary Shrimp over Polenta.

Dairy and Poultry - Farm fresh flavors
Dairy: Herb Marinated Mozzarella, Cypriot Greengrocer's Salad with Feta (see recipe below);
Poultry: Chicken Skillet-Style Shwarma with Tahini Sauce; Jerusalem-Style Chicken with Rice, Golden Raisins, and Pine Nuts.

Meat and Sweets - Mediterranean Indulgences
Southern Italian Goat and Herb Stew; Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb and Corsican-Style, Almond-Stuffed Figs in Chocolate Sauce, Sweet Carrot and Cardamom Torte.

Mediterranean Cooking Basics covers everything you need to know about how to choose and cook the staples of the Mediterranean diet such as beans, polenta and stock.

The Mediterranean Pantry is an alphabetical list of ingredients used in the book with information about what it is, where it comes from and how it is used in cooking.

Who is it for? This is an ideal book for anyone who wants to eat a healthy diet and is looking for information and recipes to help them achieve and sustain a healthful way of life. It's also for anyone who loves good food, never mind whether it's healthy, as there are lots of really mouthwatering recipes.

Pros
Lots of good healthy recipes, plenty for vegetarians and vegans too. I loved the comprehensive introductory chapter information and the Mediterranean Traditions with each recipe.

Cons
The only thing I would say is that the book doesn't stay open very well, so you need a book stand or have to bend back the spine, which would break it (I simply can't bear to do that!).

The Verdict
This would be a useful book to have in your collection if you would like to understand more about eating well. The recipes are easily achievable, although I have to say that they are more attractive to eat in the summer when we have a chance of at least some more Mediterranean weather, than in the cold days of winter when comfort food is more attractive.

The Recipe

CYPRIOT GREENGROCER'S SALAD WITH FETA /CHORIATIKI SALATA
serves 6

1 head Romaine lettuce, washed, dried and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 baby (Persian) cucumber, or 1/3 English cucumber, slice thinly on the diagonal
1/4 lb (115g) feta, cubed or crumbled
1/4 cup Greek Olives, pitted
1 yellow onion, sliced into rings
1 small green bell pepper, cut into rings
3 tablespoons (45ml) red wine vinegar or lemon juice
unrefined sea salt or salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (120ml) extra-virgin olive oil (preferably unfiltered)

Place the lettuce in a large salad bowl. add the tomatoes and cucumber, and toss to combine.
Scatter the feta, olives, onion and pepper over the top in an attractive pattern. Pour wine vinegar or lemon juice into a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking vigorously. Once the dressing is emulsified, pour it over the salad and serve immediately.

The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook
by Amy Riolo
Published by Fair Winds Press
RRP £14.99 Paperback

I have one copy of The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook to GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Garlic Bread and Tomato Bake

2015-07-24T19:45:00.001+01:00

You know how it is on a Saturday when you haven't really planned what to eat for lunch? Then suddenly you find that everyone is at home and looking expectantly for you to come up with something tasty for them to enjoy.

Well that's what happened to me last Saturday. What could I make? What did I have in the larder and fridge?

Garlic Bread and Tomato Bake
Serves 4

A single garlic baguette
6 tomatoes
4 eggs
100 ml milk
2 tbsp red pesto
75g grated cheddar
freshly ground pepper
A few basil leaves (optional)

Pre - heat the oven to 180C
Slice up the garlic bread and place in a buttered oven proof dish.
Thickly slice the tomatoes and layer over the bread.
Cover with 2 tablespoons of pesto.
Beat the eggs and add the milk, pour it over the bread and tomatoes.
Season with freshly ground pepper and cover with the grated cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until risen and golden.
Tear up a few basil leaves and scatter over the top.
Serve with salad.

This is the ideal dish for the No Waste Food Challenge run by Elizabeth's Kitchen.

And of course Credit Crunch Munch as this is a thrifty dish which will fill up the family at very little cost. Credit Crunch Munch is run by Helen at Fuss Free Flavours and Camilla at Fab Food 4 All

Come to a Barbeque at my Kitchen Table

2015-07-22T00:00:00.000+01:00

It's Barbeque season and, although the weather has been rather variable, when the sun shines we love to cook and eat outside. Some hardy souls even brave the rain and wind and carry on regardless. Here are a few of the products that have arrived on my kitchen table for review and how I think they can be served as part of al fresco eating.

Let's start with some soup! "Soup at a Barbeque!" I hear you cry, well yes... ideal for those days that are not quite warm enough and also perfect to keep hunger pangs at bay while the barbie is heating up and the main event is cooking. This healthy Glorious Skinnylicious Soup is perfect to start your party. The San Antonio Fiesta is a hearty chilli sin carne with Black eye beans, Haricot beans, Black Turtle beans, and Red kidney beans. Also carrot, red pepper, basmati rice, a smoky Chipotle chilli paste, a pinch of peering at colourful floats parading past and ending the night shamelessly line-dancing in an old dancehall.

For those who prefer something a little smoother and sweeter there is New England in Autumn and it certainly doesn't taste like it has less than 1% fat. Made from roasted butternut squash with a hint of warming cumin, this soup reminds us of happening upon honesty stalls full of autumn harvests and strolling under colourful tree canopies. Kids will love this too.

Now, you can't have a barbeque without burgers. These are a little different, they are haggis burgers which I made by combining 500g of beef mince and 450g Macsween Haggis, then forming into patties. Chill and then cook in the usual way on the barbeque or fry them, cook under the grill or bake in the oven. Serve with salad, homemade coleslaw and homemade potato wedges.

To dress up your burgers, sausages or steaks you need some spicy sauce or a tasty marinade. Encona Taste Explorers have a great range of sauces and marinades provide something a little different, how often do you taste Jamaica, Korea or Morocco on the grill?

With Encona’s new marinade range, you can spice up your barbeque and bring flavour to the fire. You have a choice immersing your food in Jamaican Jerk, Korean BBQ or Moroccan Harissa.

Each marinade has been inspired by its origin, combining authentic ingredients to create three mouth-watering marinades that will make you feel like you are sunning in the Caribbean, riding a camel in North Africa or wandering through Gwangjang market.

A spicy and fragrant Moroccan paste made with a blend of chilli puree, herbs and spices; the harissa marinade adds the perfect kick to a lamb skewer.

For those who feel taste travelling to Morocco isn’t far enough, you can take your taste buds all the way to Korea. The BBQ marinade is made with a blend of gochujang spices, which can be enjoyed on beef, chicken, pork or grilled vegetables.

Alternatively, you could virtually hop across the pond to the sandy beaches of Jamaica, and enjoy a beach BBQ with a mild jerk marinade blended with scallions, hot pepper and pimento spices.

Each marinade is suitable for vegetarians and two are gluten free.

Time to get saucy with Encona Peruvian Amarillo Sauce, a blend of authentic Peruvian Amarillo chillies, roasted onion, spices and herbs creating a sweet, subtle chilli flavour with a hint of garlic – the perfect way for eager taste explorers to get their taste buds tingling without the cost of a plane ticket.

Grab your maracas and sombreros, Encona are taking us to Mexico too. Launching alongside their Peruvian sauce, they have created a Mexican Smokey Jalapeno Sauce. A delicious blend of chillies and spices gives the rich sauce a subtle smokey flavour and a warm and fruity taste to compliment your Mexican meals.

These are really versatile sauces, not just for the barbeque. I added the Moroccan Harissa Marinade to some lamb steaks and cooked for 8 hours on low in the slow cooker, throwing in a drained can of chickpeas about an hour before serving. The result was a delicious spicy tagine-style casserole served with lemon zest couscous. A big pot of this would go down well with fans of spicy food.

I have a hamper of Encona goodies including the full new range and a cute handmade World Map apron to GIVEAWAY, see bottom of this page.

And for the vegetarians attending the barbeque, I would recommend this delicious Grilled Halloumi, Red Pepper and Rocket with Wholegrain, Pearl Wheat and Quinoa, using one of the new range of Rice and Grains pouches from Uncle Ben's. They are so quick and easy, ideal when you are pushed for time and still full of flavour.

Grilled Halloumi, Red pepper and Rocket with Wholegrain, Pearl Wheat and Quinoa

Serves 2

• 1 pouch Wholegrain, Pearl Wheat and Quinoa

• A bag of rocket Salad

• Half a pack of Halloumi Cheese

• 1 Red Pepper

• Some Olive Oil

• Some Pine nuts

Heat a non-stick frying pan or griddle pan. Cut halloumi into 6-8 slices and cook quickly on each side for 2 mins until lightly tinged brown. Squeeze Wholegrain, Pearl Wheat and Quinoa pouch to separate the rice, tear 3 cms to vent, then microwave on full power for 90 seconds. Arrange rice, halloumi and salad on plate. Garnish with slices of red pepper and a few pine nuts.

This is the full range of Uncle Ben’s wholesome, great-tasting Rice and Grain varieties Perfect as a base for a healthy summer meal, each pack blends the goodness of wholegrain rice with added grains such as quinoa, wild rice or pearl wheat.

Everyone will all enjoy this Mixed Bean and 5 Wholegrains Salad and there are plenty more quick and healthy recipes on the Uncle Ben's website.

And for dessert here are a few ideas, from previous posts at Farmersgirl Kitchen, that will definitely please your guests:

1. Double Chocolate Tartlets
2. Sensational Strawberry Pavlova
3. Salted Caramel Peach Sundae
4. Chilli Lime Cupcakes

These Moose Maple Butter shortbreads are the perfect grab and go dessert, they are made to a simple shortbread recipe, the Moose Maple Butter gives them a slightly chewy,cookie texture rather than the usual crisp shortbread, the flavour of maple comes shining through, not overpowering but deliciously rich and sweet.

Moose Maple Butter contains nothing more than Pure No.1 Canadian Maple Syrup and fresh British Butter and a pinch of salt, it's great spread on toast, it's a great alternative to other sweet spreads, we loved it.

Finally treat your guests to the traditional Elizabeth Shaw Mint Crisps. This timeless recipe is made with quality dark chocolate, infused with mint oil and blended with a unique, melt-in-the-mouth honeycomb crisp.

Or you could introduce the latest mint creation from Elizabeth Shaw: Dark Chocolate Mint Thins. Delicate layers of quality dark chocolate infused with a sumptuous mint flavour, luxuriously decorated with crunchy mint sprinkles. The lightness of the chocolate with the crunchy sprinkles makes them very moreish indeed and although these are great to share with friends over a coffee, you may find you want to keep these all to yourself!

I hope you've enjoyed this little barbeque round up and remember to enter the competition (UK only) to WIN a hamper of Encona sauce and marinade goodies by completing the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was provided with samples to review, all opinions are my own.

Salted Caramel Peach Sundae for National Ice Cream Day

2015-07-16T18:00:00.000+01:00

It's National Ice Cream Day on 19th July, there are so many different flavours of ice cream and different ways to serve it, but nothing beats a sundae on a hot day. There’s something magical that happens when ice cream and sauce and fruit and crunchy stuff come together. From classic fruit, nut and sauce combos, to more extravagant creations involving cookies, meringues and alcoholic sauces (for adults only!), there are many delicious possibilities.

Anatomy of a Salted Caramel Peach Sundae (from the bottom up)
Serves 4

Layer 1 - The Fruit
Roasted Caramelised Peaches
4 ripe but firm peaches
50g soft brown sugar
25g butter (I used Moose Maple Butter)

Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Skin the peaches by covering with boiling water, removing after a couple of minutes and slip off the skins. Slice the peaches and place in an ovenproof tray, cover with the sugar and dot with butter. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the sugar and butter melts and the peaches start to brown and caramelise. Leave to cool, then lift the peaches from the caramel and Set both aside.

Layer 2 - The Ice Cream
2 scoops per person Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Try Kelly's of Cornwall Clotted Cream and Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Place two scoops of ice cream per person on tray or dish and place back into the freezer until ready to assemble the sundaes.

Layer 3 - The Sauce
Salted Caramel Chocolate Sauce
100g salted caramel chocolate, chopped or use Hotel Chocolat salted caramel puddles
caramel from the roasted peaches
20g butter
2 tbsp water
Place all the ingredients in a small pan and gently heat, stirring, until the chocolate has melted and formed a sauce, you may need a little more water to get it to the correct consistency for pouring.

Layer 4 - The Crunch

Caramelised Almond Granola Crunch
100g granola (I used one without dried fruit)
20g flaked almonds
50g soft brown sugar
25g butter

Heat the oven to 180C. Place the butter in a frying pan and heat gently until the butter has melted add the granola, almonds and sugar, mix the dry ingredients with the butter stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a baking tray and spread evenly. Place in the oven and bake for 5-6 minutes. Watch the Granola Crunch carefully as it burns quite quickly. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Once cool, break up the mixture, it will keep well in a jar if you have any left over.

To assemble the Sundae
Place the roasted peaches in the base of the sundae dish or bowl, top with two scoops of salted caramel ice cream, pour over the salted caramel sauce and sprinkle Caramelised Almond Granola Crunch over the sauce, eat and enjoy!

Easy like Sundae morning (with apologies to Lionel Ritchie!)
While this is a really rich and luxurious Sundae, it does require a bit of time and preparation to make the various layers, if you want to create something much quicker, simply use fresh fruit without roasting, use a ready made Dessert Sauce like the new squeezable range from Clarks (the honey and maple syrup people) the sauces are made with carob syrup, a low calorie, low gi alternative to refined sugar, flavours include tempting chocolate and tantalising caramel, either of which would work well in this Sundae, as well as scrumptious strawberry. For a quick and easy topping, try chopped up fudge, fudge pieces or chocolate chips, or simply sprinkle over some granola without caramelising it.

Quinoa with Summer Roasted Vegetables and Harissa Marinade and a Giveaway

2015-07-14T20:26:00.000+01:00

I thought quinoa was going to be the grain that finally defeated me. I have tried to cook with it several times and never managed to get rid of the soapy taste. When I saw this recipe in "At home in the wholefood kitchen- celebrating the art of eating well" I thought I'd give it another chance and I'm so glad that I did as this recipe for Quinoa with Summer Roasted Vegetables and Harissa Marinade was packed with flavours and none of them were soap!

The Blurb
With her love of whole food and expertise as a chef, Amy Chaplin has written a book to entice everyone to eat well every meal, every day. She provides all the know how for creating delicious, healthy dishes based on unprocessed, unrefined food - from the basics of good eating to preparing seasonal feasts all year round.

About the Author: Amy Chaplin has worked as a vegetarian chef for over twenty years. She is the former executive chef of New York’s renowned vegan restaurant Angelica Kitchen, a recipe developer, a teacher, and a private chef whose clients include Natalie Portman and Liv Tyler. Amy’s delicious vegan and vegetarian cuisine has appeared in numerous publications, including Martha Stewart Living, Vogue, the Wall Street Journal, New York magazine, the Guardian, the Vegetarian Times, Oprah magazine and the Washington Post. A native of Australia, over the last two decades Chaplin has worked as a chef in Amsterdam, London, Sydney, and New York. She currently resides in New York City. Find more of her original recipes at amychaplin.com.

What's in the book?
This is a large book and something of a wholefood primer. My own introduction to wholefoods came about in the late 1970s and it was Gail Duff who influenced my interest in whole and healthy foods. Amy Chaplin had the benefit of growing up on a community farm by parents who cooked and ate the food that they grew there. After Amy's introduction and biography, you move on to The Pantry, which for Amy includes vegetables and fruits that sit out on the kitchen worktop. Amy introduces us to whole grains, beans and pulses, nuts and seeds, superfoods such as goji berries and help seeds; oils, vinegars, seasoning and condiments. But it doesn't stop there, we learn about seaweeds, spices, pantry vegetables and a feast of ingredients for the fridge and freezer. Natural sweeteners, bottled and canned items and I doubt if the pantry door will close!

Amy then gives us a run down on equipment we should aim to have in our kitchen, although she does recommend slowly collecting good-quality pans to last a lifetime. Two luxury items are included which Amy uses daily, a pressure cooker and a Vitamix blender.

Cooking from the Pantry, this section is divided into Grains, Beans, Nuts and Seeds and Roasting Vegetables. Before you start cooking any of the recipes, each chapter has detailed instructions on how to prepare and the ingredients. Here are a few of the recipes I liked: Simple Quinoa (this was the basic recipe I followed for the featured recipe), Lemony Marinated Lentils sounds delicious, Tamari Toasted Seeds are bound to be a hit for snacking or sprinkling on salads. The Roasted Vegetables are prepared with coconut oil and fresh herbs.

Pantry Recipes takes these basics a little further with a range of creative dishes such as Steamed Greens with zesty flaxseed dressing, Wholewheat fettucine with kale, caramelised onions and marinated goat's cheese, Dijon mustard marinated tempeh and garlic tamari-braised tofu. There are some really great Make-Ahead Condiments including the harissa, I made for my recipe, tahini sauce and toasted almond butter.

We are just about half way through 'At home in the whole food kitchen' and we are just starting with breakfast. I wouldn't refuse spelt almond waffles, blackberry cornmeal muffins or pumpkin bread with toasted walnut cinnamon swirl or coconut and quinoa pancakes.

Soup is easy to make and easy to keep healthy and whole food, I really must make pea and courgette (zuchinni) soup with dill. Miso soup was one of our 70's stand bys, Amy makes a hearty winter miso soup with adzuki beans, squash and ginger and I love the sound of the luscious spicy carrot soup with Kaffir lime leaves and coconut.

Salads doesn't herbed spelt berry salad with peas and feta sound good? As does shaved fennel beetroot salad with blood orange and crushed hazelnuts and, of course, the quinoa with roasted summer vegtables and harissa marinade (recipe below).

Everyone loves snacks, nibbles and drinks and this chapter doesn't disappoint, rustic pea spread, roasted red pepper macadamia pate, black sesame rice crackers and to wash it down rhubarb rose infusion or turmeric lemonade.

We are by no means finished yet, Whole Meals serves up dill roasted plum tomato tart with pine nut crust, tempeh portobello burgers, butternut squash lasagne with wholewheat noodles and sage tofu ricotta and heirloom bean bourguignon with celeriac mash.

Desserts can be whole food too, there is a range of tarts including fresh peach with walnut crust, coconut custard tart with toasted coconut crust, date pistachio praline tart and dark chocolate truffle tart with Brazil nut crust. Other sweet treats include apricot coconut bars, pistachio sultana cookies with cardamom and earl grey fruit cake.

At home in the whole food kitchen finishes with a little essay on tea, in all it's forms, Amy's thoughts on cleansing and healing with whole foods, some guidelines and menu suggestions and finally why we should eat organic foods.

Who is it for?
This book would suit both the novice whole foodie and experienced vegetarian and vegan cooks. The extensive information about ingredients, and how to prepare them, is well written and, so far, the recipes have worked for me. The recipes themselves are interesting and varied, with some rather different combinations of ingredients to satisfy the most adventurous cook.

Pros
Well written recipes including instructions on how to prepare various pantry ingredients. Lots of well styled clear photographs.

Cons
It is a big heavy tome of a book, certainly not for reading in bed! When I first looked at the recipes I was a bit put off by some of the ingredients, but on closer inspection most are easily available and there are only a few that I would struggle to source.

The Verdict
If you want to eat more healthily or simply explore some different recipes, then this is a great place to start. You will learn the how and why of whole foods as well as having recipes to follow, allowing you to create your own healthy vegetarian and vegan recipes. I was so impressed by the recipe, not only was the quinoa perfectly cooked, the harissa was the best I've ever tasted with the combination of the ingredients making a fabulous meal.

Quinoa with Summer Roasted Vegetables and Harissa Marinade
Serves 4 - 6

2 courgettes (zucchinis), roll cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
2 red peppers (capsicums), deseeded and cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
300g (10 1/2 oz/2cups) cherry tomatoes, large ones cut in half
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea Salt
1 red onion cut into 1.2 com (1/2 in) wedges
720g (1lb 9oz/4 cups) cooked quinoa, cooled (see below)
80ml (3fl oz/1/2 cup) homemade harissa (see below)
40g (1 1/2 oz/1 cup) chopped flat-leaf parsley
140g (5oz) goat's milk feta, drained and crumbled
Olives, to garnish

Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment. Place courgette (zucchini), peppers (capsicum) and cherry tomatoes in a bowl and toss with 3 tbsp of the olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt. Divide vegetables between baking trays and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 25 minutes. Gently stir vegetables, rotate trays and roast 10 minutes more or until browning, Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Warm remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add red onion and saute for 5 minutes. Lower heat a little and cook for 15 minutes longer, stirring every minute or so, until soft and caramelised. Stir in a pinch of salt remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Transfer quinoa to a large bowl, fluff with a fork, add harissa and mix well. Add roasted vegetables, caramelised onions and parsley; toss gently to combine and season to taste with additional salt. Crumble feta over top and serve garnished with olives.

Harissa
Makes about 80ml (3fl oz/1/3 cup)

1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/8 tsp sea salt
60ml (2 fl oz/1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Warm a small to medium frying pan over medium heat. Add cumin, coriander and caraway seeds, toast seeds, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Transfer to an electric spice grinder and grind until fine. Place ground spices in a bowl then add paprika, cayenne, garlic, salt, olive oil and lemon juice. Stir until smooth. Store in a sealed glass jar in the fridge for up to two months, or as mentioned above leave out the lemon for storing indefinitely.

Simple Quinoa
Makes 720g (1lb 9oz/4 cups) cooked quinoa

170g (6oz/1 cup) quinoa
240ml (8fl oz/ 1 cup) filtered water, plus more for soaking
pinch of sea salt

Wash and soak the quinoa in at least 720ml (24fl oz /3 cups) water for 8 to 24 hours. Drain and rinse the quinoa. Place in a 2 litre (3 1/2 pint) pan and add filtered water and salt. Bring to the boil over high heat, cover pan, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside, covered, for 5 - 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork and serving. Once cool, quinoa can be stored n the fridge for up to four days.

At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen Celebrating the Art of Eating Well by Amy Chaplin

Published by Jacqui Small Publishing
Hardback RRP £25.00

I have a copy of At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well to GIVEAWAY, simply follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Strawberry Mousse and Whipped Cream

2015-07-09T20:00:00.000+01:00

In case you’re not familiar with the strange looking white gadget behind the strawberry mousse, it's a Cream Whipper. It makes delicious whipped cream, mousses, flavoured toppings, garnishes or foams in seconds. Perfect for topping cakes, coffees, milkshakes and desserts. You can create the lightest, fluffiest whipped cream in an instant – leave it plain or add flavourings, from simple vanilla to whatever else you fancy! You can even make a dairy-free, healthier alternative to whipped cream using coconut milk.

You can also use a cream whipper to infuse alcohol with all kinds of flavours and herbs – ideal for cocktails!

Strawberry Mousse
Serves 3-4 depending on the size of the glasses

400g strawberries
75g icing (powdered) sugar
150ml double cream

Hull the strawberries and set aside 6-8 to decorate the mousse.
Whizz the rest of the strawberries in a blender or use a stick blender until you have a liquid strawberry puree. Sieve the puree to remove the seeds.
Add the sieved icing sugar and whizz again to blend.
Add the cream and stir together gently (do not blend)
Pour the mixture into the Cream Whipper, closing the top firmly, screw on the nozzle of your choice, then apply the gas as per the instructions that come with the whipper.
Shake the mixture gently and fill glasses or bowls with the mousse by compressing the lever.
Top with the remaining strawberries.

Strawberries with whipped cream

N2O also acts as a natural anti-biotic so the cream stays fresh in the whipper for up to 10 days if kept in a fridge. The Cream Whipper is only suitable for making whipped cream, if you want to make Espumas or hot sauces, Discount Cream also sell commercial grade Stainless Steel whippers.

I was surprised just how easy and fun it was to use the Cream Dispenser and the cream does keep well in the fridge. Adding air to the cream makes it go a lot further, so you actually eat less! There is no artificial flavour and the strawberry mousse was so light and tasted only of strawberries and cream.

Cream Whipper - RRP £24.99, Discount Cream price £17.49

I was supplied with a Cream Dispenser to review by Discount Cream.

Bloomsbury Bookshelf Round Up

2015-07-07T20:01:00.003+01:00

Sophie and The Sibyl by Patricia Dunker
Published by Bloomsbury
Hardback £16.99
eBook £14.99

The blurb
A Victorian Romance, in which the Reader will be transported to 1870s Berlin, to meet George Eliot, observe her relationship with her publisher, and learn of the surprising and knotty entanglements of Our Hero Max
The Duncker brothers, Max and Wolfgang, own a thriving publishing business. When Max’s fondness for gambling and brothels gets out of hand, the older, wiser Wolfgang sends him to Homburg, to dance attendance on a special celebrity author – the enigmatic Sibyl, otherwise known as George Eliot. The most feted writer in Europe has scandalised English society by living with a married man, the biographer and philosopher George Henry Lewes, and the couple are enjoying a rapturous welcome in liberal Berlin. As enthralling and intelligent as her books, the Sibyl soon has Max bewitched.
But Wolfgang has an ulterior motive for the trip: to find Max a wife, in the daughter of a family friend, Countess Sophie von Hahn. At first, Max is lured by Sophie’s beauty and his affectionate memories of their shared childhood. But Sophie proves to be nothing like the vision of angelic domesticity he was expecting. Mischievous, wilful and daring, she gambles recklessly and rides horses like a man. Furthermore, as George Eliot’s most ardent fan, she is determined to meet her idol.
Both Sophie and the Sibyl have Max in thrall and he is soon out of his depth, torn between his worship of these two unconventional women – whose eventual meeting will have unexpected and gloriously amusing consequences.

From a virtuoso musician by the name of Herr Klesmer to a talented painter called Meyrick, the pages of Sophie and the Sibyl are peopled with characters and scenes the Reader may recognise from the works of Eliot herself. Embodying the spirit of the age, it explores the issues of the day: Darwinian ideas, education for women, the arts and artistry, reputation and celebrity – as well as the role of the narrator in fiction. Portraying the author-publisher relationship with wonderful subtlety and humour, it confirms Patricia Duncker’s reputation as a writer’s writer. Playful, audacious and as dazzlingly witty as its protagonists, Sophie and the Sibyl is a literary masterpiece from the author of Hallucinating Foucault and James.

My thoughts
I very nearly gave up on this book. I found part I rather dull, not in the least bit funny or gripping as described by the reviewers in the press release. However I did persevere and part II was much better and definitely worth hanging on for. This is an odd little book, to me the characters were rather one dimensional, as if the author didn't really know them and was standing behind a glass window watching them but not really hearing or understanding their nature. What it did do was pique my interest in George Eliot and her novels. She is not an author I have read and I feel that I probably should, so if nothing else this book may widen my knowledge of Victorian literature!

The Pleasure of Reading, Edited by Antiona Fraser, preface by Victoria Gray
Published by Bloomsbury
Paperback £9.99

The blurb
In this delightful collection forty acclaimed writers explain what first made them interested in literature, what inspired them to read and what makes them continue to do so. First published in 1992 in hardback only, original contributors include Margaret Atwood, J.G. Ballard, Melvyn Bragg, A.s. ByaS, Caroll Ann Duffy, Simon Gray, Germaine Greer, Doris Lessing Tom Stoppard, Sue Townsend and Jeanette Winterson. The new edition also includes essays from five new writers, Emily Berry, Kamila Shamsie Rory Stewart, Katie Waldegrave and Tom Wells.

Royalties generated from this project will to go to Give a Book a charity set up in 2011 that seeks to get books to places where they will be of particular benefit. Give a Book works in conjunction with Age UK, Prison Reading Groups, Maggie's Centres which help people affect by cancer and various schools and literacy projects such as Beanstalk, where many pupils have never had a boo of their own in their lives.

My thoughts
This is an interesting book, not surprisingly a lot of the authors have read and been influenced by the same books and authors. What I enjoyed were the stories told by the contributors about why the books they chose were important to them. I'm sure if you read this book then, like me, you will start to think about the books which have influenced you, books which punctuate chapters in your life. As a child I devoured books of all kinds, the Enid Blyton section in the local library was my treasure trove. At 12 I discovered The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart in the school library and my adult reading career had begun, inevitably I found Jane Austen totally enchanting and her books are amongst the few that I have re-read, along with Doris Lessing's Martha Quest, another key novel in my reading journey. Like the contributors to The Pleasure of Reading, I could go on, and would find it just as difficult as they have done to limit my choices. A great reminder of just how important reading can be in developing an enquiring mind.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
Published by Bloomsbury
Hardback £12.99
eBook £10.99

The Blurb
In 1883, Thaniel Steepleton returns to his tiny flat to find a gold pocketwatch on his pillow. But he has worse fears than generous burglars; he is a telegraphist at the Home Office, which has just received a threat for what could be the largest-scale Fenian bombing in history.

When the watch saves Thaniel's life in a blast that destroys Scotland Yard, he goes in search of its maker, Keita Mori – a kind, lonely immigrant who sweeps him into a new world of clockwork and music. Although Mori seems harmless at first, a chain of unexpected slips soon proves that he must be hiding something.

Meanwhile, Grace Carrow is sneaking into an Oxford library dressed as a man. A theoretical physicist, she is desperate to prove the existence of the luminiferous ether before her mother can force her to marry.

As the lives of these three characters become entwined, events spiral out of control until Thaniel is torn between loyalties, futures and opposing geniuses.

My thoughts
What an interesting novel. I enjoyed reading this combination of historical novel and fantasy thriller. The characters are intriguing, Thaniel is a sort of everyman to the mysterious Mori and blue stocking Grace. Throw in the dandified Matsumoto and add some Japanese nationalism to the Fenian bombing and it makes for a rarified mxiture, you are never quite sure what is going to happen next! The final chapters are pure thriller and keep you glued to the page to find out what happened, who dunnit and why, all round a very good read.

Roasted Carrot Hummus and the One Pot Gourmet Gardener Review

2015-07-02T20:27:00.000+01:00

I can't recommend this Roasted Carrot Hummus highly enough, it is so good.
It's one of the recipes in the One-Pot Gourmet Gardener by Cinead McTernan, delicious container recipes to grow together and cook together. If you have been following my blog then you'll know that I'm growing vegetables in containers this year, so this book is right up my street.

Author CINEAD McTERNAN is a horticulturally trained writer and gardening editor of The Simple Things magazine. She was previously editor of The Edible Garden magazine and worked on The English Garden and BBC Gardeners’ World magazines. Her previous book Kitchen Garden Experts was published by Frances Lincoln in 2014.

Award-winning photographer JASON INGRAM has worked on numerous garden and food magazines. His published books include The Ethicurean Cookbook and Kitchen Garden Experts

The Blurb
With these exciting container recipes, you can grow all the ingredients you need for a single dish in a single pot. One-Pot Gourmet Gardener presents 25 carefully devised container recipes grouped into soups and salads, delicious main courses, handy picnics, quick suppers and divine drinks and puddings, including gazpacho, garden pizza, ratatouille, smoothies, sauces and tarts. Each one-pot recipe provides every step from sowing to serving. And after being guided through an introductory masterclass on how to grow crops in pots, readers will have the confidence and skills to devise their own one-pot recipes. With a little planning you can prepare the food for a one-pot celebration, when you sow the crops in spring!

My thoughts
The concept of this book is simple, plant up a container with a variety of herb and vegetable plants, then when they have grown, you are ready to make the recipe. All of this is explained in the Introduction which tells you how to get started and encourages everyone with even the smallest patio balcony or roof garden to give growing your own a go. Everything from choosing a pot, tools and equipment to compost, positioning your pot, watering, pests and diseases, harvesting and storage is covered at the start of the book .

The Recipes
For each recipe there is a 'Grow Me' section and an 'Eat Me' section. Here are some of the recipes which I found attractive: Courgette and Fennel Tart, Hummus Three Ways (including Carrot Hummus), Honey and Thyme Blackberries with Thyme Shortbreads. Kale and Celery Soup, Rainbow Chard Pesto, Radish and Shallot Pickle and Pimms Jelly.

Who is it for?
Anyone who wants to grow vegetables in containers, but also cooks who would like to try making something a bit different with produce. Whether you grow your own vegetables or not, you can still enjoy the produce from farmers markets or greengrocers or even the supermarket.

Pros
Everything you need to learn how to grow vegetables and herbs in containers. A variety of interesting, well written recipes, good photographs and clear instructions for sowing and growing.

Cons
For those of us living a bit further north, some of the containers would be unlikely to thrive. I know this because I have been gardening for many years, however not everyone would be aware that tomatoes and aubergines are unlikely to thrive outside in Scotland and might be disappointed, especially in a summer like this one, where even my courgettes have failed to thrive. Some information on regional differences would have been helpful.

The Verdict
A fun book which would be a good gift for a gardening cook or a cooking gardener! The containers looks as attractive as containers of flowers with the variety of plants really complementing each other. As you will see below, I was impressed by the Carrot Hummus, and I'm sure many of the other recipes will be well worth making too.

Roasted Carrot Hummus
200g/7oz carrots
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 x 440g/15oz tin cooked chickpeas
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 heaped tsp tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.
Place the carrots on a baking sheet, drizzle with oilive il an season. Roast in the oven until soft - about 30 minutes.
When the carrots have cooked, place them adn the remainder of the ingredients into amixer and blitz until blended and smooth. Spoon into a bowl and level to remove any air pockets.
Serve immediately, with warm pitta bread, or cover with a film of olive oil to preserve it and store in the refrigerator.

As I said at the beginning of this post, this is a truly delightful recipe, roasting the carrots brings out the sweetness and combined with the other ingredients it makes a delicious spread or dip.

One-pot Gourmet Gardener by Cinead McTernan

Photographs by Jason Ingram

Published by Frances Lincoln

DISCOUNT

To order One-Pot Gourmet Gardener at the discounted price of £12.99 including p&p* (RRP: £16.99), telephone 01903 828503 or email mailorders@lbsltd.co.uk and quote the offer code APG311. *UK ONLY - Please add £2.50 if ordering from overseas.

There is no end to the creative ways to make Hummus, here are some to get you started:

Roasted Butternut Squash Hummus - Recipes from a Pantry
Aubergine and Red Pepper Houmous - Penelope's Pantry
Easy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus - Hungry, Healthy, Happy
Wild Garlic Hummus - Farmersgirl Kitchen
Kale, Coriander and Hemp Hummus - Tinned Tomatoes
Sweet Potato and Lime Hummus - Maison Cupcake
Huomous with Peanut Butter - Fab Food 4 All
Courgette and Preserved Lemon Hummus - Natural Kitchen Adventures

An Interview with Chef Mark Greenaway and WIN tickets to the Foodies Festival, Edinburgh

2015-06-28T18:47:00.001+01:00

If Mark Greenaway was a stick of rock, then written all the way through, it would say "Scottish Produce". I had the pleasure of speaking with Mark and asking him a few questions about food and his style.

About Mark Greenaway
Mark Greenaway is an award-winning chef and restaurateur in Edinburgh, who received the coveted three AA Rosettes following the opening of his first signature restaurant; No.12 Picardy Place, Edinburgh in 2011. He has continued his success at Restaurant Mark Greenaway in North Castle Street, and also appeared on The Great British Menu. Mark has received fantastic reviews across the board and been featured in some of the industry’s top publications and newspapers. With confident and assured cooking, using superb local produce, Mark’s menus are intriguing and his presentation is clean, modern and as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate.

Restaurant Mark Greenaway

Who or what has been the biggest influence on your careers as a chef?
It has to be the produce that I use, seasonal produce in Scotland is so varied, from the first summer strawberries to Gartmorn Farm duck. When I get such good produce I just want to start experimenting.

What is your favourite Scottish ingredient and why?
Berries in the summer. It's all about the quality and size of Scottish berries, strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants and brambles I use them all in my recipes,

What restaurant trends do you think will transfer to home cooking in the next couple of years?
I think the use of water baths will move into the home, they provide a level of consistency. If you water bath a fillet of beef then caramelise it underneath you get a something really special. The prices of water baths are coming down, so they will be more accessible for home cooks.

Do you think competitions like Masterchef have a positive or negative effect on the industry?
Masterchef, Great British Menu, (Mark has been a contestant in the Great British Menu) all have a positive effect on dining out. They allow people to see the standard that restaurants should be providing, many of them are simply not good enough. Customers are becoming more discerning and looking for quality produce. We need to support local producers like Natalie at Hebridean Sea Salt our Scottish products are as good if not better than others, as chefs we need to support locally sourced products, aim to cook with 100% Scottish produce.

If you were offered your own TV series, which country or countries would you like to visit and what kind of cuisine would you like to learn more about?
That's easy, I would make a series about Scotland, show people our amazing produce and learn more about Scottish produce. I'd show the diver on the Isle of Skye who dives for scallops and Scotland's own chocolate company IQ Superfood Chocolate based in Stirling who supply chocolate to Selfridges and Harvey Nichols. Why shouldn't Scotland be a high quality chocolate producer? It's no further from the source of cocoa than Belgium or Switzerland! We have to believe in our produce and promote it to the rest of the world.

Do you see what I mean? A champion of Scotland's larder through and through! Mark Greenaway is just one of the top Chefs who will be at the Foodies Festival in Edinburgh, here's a little more information about the Festival and don't forget to enter the competition to win a pair of tickets.

The Foodies Festival Edinburgh

Inverleith Park 7, 8, 9th August

Foodies Festival’s flagship event returns to Edinburgh Inverleith Park 7,8,9th August, celebrating its 10th anniversary with a three-day showcase of Scotland’s finest culinary talents and regional produce as part of the Year of Food and Drink Scotland.

Following the success of last year’s Edinburgh Foodies Festival - which welcomed 34,000 foodies - organisers are expanding the festival site by 50%, making room for new food and drink theatres, an extended Producers Market and a huge selection of street food for visitors to feast on.

Bee Keeping, Oyster Shucking, Sushi Making and Foraging are just a few of the hands-on masterclasses festival-goers can try in the new Tasting Theatre. Chocolate addicts can get an instant hit of coco with ‘How to Sniff Chocolate like a Rockstar’ lessons from Coeur de Xocolat in the Cake and Bake Theatre, which also hosts local bakers offering 3D cake modelling, Chocolate Making and Sugar-Craft masterclasses. A complementing Chocolate, Cake and Bake Village is a paradise for home bakers filled with the latest gadgets and baking essentials – a haven for Great British Bake Off fans.

A new Wine, Champagne and Craft Beer Theatre invites foodies to take food and drink matching masterclasses with experts Charles Metcalfe, Neil Phillips and beer expert Melissa Cole. Gin and Whisky masterclasses are also available, with a daily cocktail-making competition between local bars to find Edinburgh’s Best Mixologist.

Jamie Scott

The Aga Rangemaster Chefs Theatre welcomes Michelin-star, celebrity and top local chefs who will cook their favourite summer recipes, inspiring visitors to recreate these dishes at home and experiment with new flavours and ingredients. Chefs confirmed include:

Michelin-star Marcello Tully - Kinloch Lodge
Jamie Scott - MasterChef: The Professionals 2014 winner
Adam Handling - Adam Handling at Caxton voted Scotland’s Chef of the Year
Mark Greenaway – Restaurant Mark Greenaway and Bistro Moderne
Tony Singh - TV Chef and food Author
Paul Wedgwood – Wedgwoods
Neil Forbes – Cafe St Honore
Jian Wang - Chop Chop
Graeme Pallister – 63 Tay Street
Colin Findlay - Melville Castle
Kim Atcharahorn Kaewkraikhot - Chaophraya
Ian McAndrew - Blackaddie

In celebration of the Year of Food and Drink Scotland, the Producers Market has been extended to showcase Scotland’s natural larder and abundance of quality produce. With over 200 artisan producers selling award winning cheeses and condiments, jams and bakes, confectionery, cured meats and more, visitors will be spoilt for choice for what to buy to take home and enjoy.

An extended Street Food Avenue at the heart of the festival serves up a huge selection of hot and cold dishes from around the world. Japanese, Thai, Brazilian, Argentinian, Indian, Mexican, French and African are just some of the cuisines visitors can tuck into in the Feasting Tent.

The BBQ Arena is perfect for fans of outdoor cooking with daily ‘King of the Grill’ cook-offs. Or for those brave enough, the famous Chilli Eating Competition challenges entrants to try and break last year’s record of 14 varieties of chillies eaten without a drink to win the Chilli Eating Crown.

After a day of feasting and fun, foodies can relax with a spot on the grass and soak in the atmosphere with live music from the entertainment stage and a refreshing cocktail, glass of bubbly or a Pimm’s from the Giant Pimm’s Teapot and Galleon Mojito bars.

Little foodies can explore their taste buds and learn basic cooking skills with Picnic in the Park themed masterclasses in the Childrens Cookery Theatre, where Kiddy Cook will show them how to make finger sandwiches, jellies and chocolate bugs.

Tickets:
Tickets are on sale now at www.foodiesfestival.com or by calling 0844 995 1111

Friday adult day ticket £10.00 (£8.00 concession)
Saturday or Sunday adult day ticket £13.00 (£11.00 concession)
3-day adult ticket £20.00 (£16.00 concession)

Friday VIP ticket £35.00
Saturday or Sunday VIP ticket £38.00
VIP tickets include a welcome glass of bubbly, access to the VIP tent with private bar and refreshments throughout the day, priority entry to food and drink masterclasses, a goody bag and a showguide.

All children aged 12 and under go free to all Foodies Festivals when accompanied by an adult.

Open times:
Friday 7th August: 11am – 7pm
Saturday 8th August: 10am – 8pm
Sunday 9th August: 10am – 7pm

Sponsors: Wines of Rioja, Baxters, Mackie’s of Scotland and Magnum Scotch Liqueur.

I have two pairs of tickets, with show guides, worth £19 to give away for entry to the Foodies Festival, Edinburgh. Simply follow the directions on the Rafflecopter to enter and remember if you don't win, you can use the code 'Foodies' to get a discount on tickets from Foodies Festival

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Foodies Festival:
Foodies Festivals launched in 2005 with a single event at an Edinburgh hotel after founder Sue Hitchen noticed a gap in the Edinburgh market for a food festival. Following its successful launch, which welcomed 5000 visitors, the festival expanded to Brighton and Hampton Court Palace in 2006 and continued to introduce festivals across the UK including Bristol, Tatton Park, Clapham Common, Battersea Park, Oxford, Marble Hill and Kenwood House. To date Foodies has welcomed over 2 million visitors and helped launch hundreds of new businesses and supported thousands of small producers.

2015 Foodies Festivals:
Brighton, Hove Lawns: May 2,3,4
Birmingham, Cannon Hill Park: May 15,16,17
London, Syon Park: May 23,24,25
Bristol, The Downs: June 26,27,28
London, Alexandra Palace: July 3,4,5
Cheshire, Tatton Park: July 17,18,19
London, Clapham Common: July 24,25,26
Edinburgh, Inverleith Park: August 7,8,9
Harrogate, Ripley Castle: August 21,22,23
Oxford, South Parks: August 29,30,31

Salmon, Coffee, a Lazy Arm and Golden Kiwis on my Kitchen Table

2015-06-26T21:41:00.000+01:00

Big Fish Brand Salmon Fillets are frozen salmon fillet marinated with a variety of fantastic flavours: Piri Piri, Lemon and Pepper, Sweet Chilli. Garden Mint, Eastern Thai, Sticky Maple, BBQ Sauce. They come in packs of two fillets and cost £5,89 per pack.

We really enjoyed every single flavour, the fillets are ideal for a quick dinner to pull out of the freezer. They have become a Friday night staple in our house and I will definitely be buying them in future. I think the price point is right too, as two salmon fillets without any flavouring can be around £4.00.
Rating 10/10

Customised coffee machines are here - introducing the new Nespresso Pixie Clips

A new ‘capsule wardrobe’ for the Pixie range

Okay, I know this does sound rather pretentious! a wardrobe for your coffee machine, but if you are one of those people who like everything in your kitchen to match, it's good to know that won't have to buy a new machine when you redecorate your kitchen you can change the side panels and voila your coffee machine looks like new and is totally co-ordinated for your look.

Here's what the people at Nespresso say:

This machine will be a popular choice for both coffee aficionados and style devotees as it features interchangeable side panels that can be adapted to suit any style or the latest kitchen design trends.

With an extensive range of colour contrasting side panels and a simple clipping system, changing the style of the machine to suit the occasion or mood, couldn’t be easier. This newest addition to the Pixie range will not only create the perfect coffee at the touch of a button, time and time again, it will also allow the user to reflect their individuality as they can change the colour to match their mood, their kitchen or even their favourite Grand Cru capsule.

Pixie Clips comes complete with two pairs of exchangeable side panels but the fun doesn’t stop there - 12 other pairs of clips will be available including Pop, Arty, Elegant or High-Tech making it easy and exciting to change the style – the possibilities are endless.

The Pixie machine features two programmable cup size buttons to deliver the perfect serving size of an espresso or lungo coffee. Furthermore, the foldable drip tray support accommodates differing cups for espresso and milk coffee lovers alike. Purchasing an Aeroccino milk frother with the Pixie Clips machine ensures the perfect latté can also be created, time after time.

I was a bit of a sceptic about coffee pod machines so was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the coffee, however be careful which coffee pod machine you buy. The Pixie will provide a great Espresso and stretch to a Lungo, but if you are a full on Americano girl like me, then you'll find you need three Espressos in your mug before you can top it up and have it strong enough. There are lots of different Nespresso machines so sure to be one to meet your preferences. I still prefer a big jug of filter coffee and do have concerns about the use of pods in terms of the environment, but I appreciate that they are useful in certain situations and for particularly for an individuals.

Priced at £139 (or £179 with an Aeroccino) the newest Pixie machine comes with two pairs of clips, additional decorative panels can be bought separately - prices range from £15 to £30 a pair, depending on the finish. Pixie Clips and panels are available from Nespresso boutiques, or online at www.nespresso.com.

Rating 8/10

Ooh I love a gadget, have you noticed? The Lazy Arm is designed to give you a helping hand, it's a flexible Smartphone holder can be clipped onto most surfaces. Perfect for watching cooking techniques on YouTube, read online recipes from your favourite blogs or websites or simply listening to music and making hands free calls,

The only thing negative thing I would say about the Lazy Arm is that you need to be strong to use the clip and the flexible arm has to be firm or it would fall down, but it does take a bit of manoeuvring into place. However other than that it is a really useful gadget and I found that you can also use it to film yourself preparing food, so there may be some of that coming to Farmersgirl Kitchen in future.

The Lazy Arm is compatible with most Smartphones. To use, clip onto desired surface, attach your Smartphone and enjoy the comforts of The Lazy Arm!

The Lazy Arm is available from Genie Gadgets at £8.95 which is pretty reasonable.

Rating 8/10

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from these Zespri SunGold kiwifruit, billed as a new super-fruit packed with nutrients and high in Vitamin C (three times more than oranges!). However, I was really pleasantly surprised, they were super-delicious, way nicer than the green kiwis. Sweet and with a real flavour almost like a very sweet gooseberry, although they are said to have flavours of mango and melon.

There are lots of recipes on the Zespri website for juices and smoothies but I simply paired them with some Scottish raspberries and served them with greek yogurt. I can highly recommend these golden kiwis and will be looking out for them in the shops.

Rating 9/10

I was provided with products to review and I was not paid for these reviews and all opinions are my own.

Grow your own and a Rocket Gardens Salad

2015-06-19T21:00:00.000+01:00

Long ago and far away, in a land of shoulder pads and big hair (1984) we had an allotment. I loved that allotment, we had been on the waiting list for so long that we only had one summer there before we moved from our flat to a house with it's own garden. The garden was low on the priority list in our new home as we spent all our time on home improvements and a year later circumstances changed and we moved to the farm.

I also had a fairly extensive garden when we first moved to the farm and grew all sorts including celery and kohl rabi. When I returned to full time work, I found the garden was difficult to manage and one Easter holiday, after spending all my time digging over the ground for potatoes and I decided that I'd had enough and we put in a lawn. I've had a few pots or grow bags since then, mostly growing mange tout peas or courgettes. Some years they are successful, other years not. The weather is the deciding factor as we get late frosts, rain and are exposed to strong south westerly winds, so it can be a bit soul destroying sometimes.

Recently, I've been thinking about creating some raised beds so that I can grow veg again, but with some control over the weeds and less digging! Family matters meant that didn't happen this year, but I was delighted to be contacted by Rocket Gardens to try out their neat concept of a garden in a box.

A Rocket Garden is a box full of baby plants already given the very best start in life, lovingly reared on a Cornish farm in a fully organic regime. They aren't sent to their new home until they are ready to flourish, saving time, effort and disappointment.

There are a range of different types of gardens so you can select a Rocket Garden that suits your requirements and once your delivery arrives, all you have to do is pop the plants in their new home and enjoy all the organic goodies they produce.

Here are some of the Rocket Garden options:

Want to grow your own, but don’t know where to start? Try the Small Vegetable Garden (£39.99). There are enough plants in this garden to seriously cut down on your weekly food bills and keep you in fresh produce from spring though until the autumn. It can be grown in a veg patch or allotment, or even in pots and containers.

Know what you want to grow but nervous about giving it a go? Take all the hassle out of a gourmet kitchen garden by selecting Gourmet Vegetables (From £3.99). The plants in the range were selected because they are tasty, unusual and hard to find in shops, including Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Pak Choi, Asparagus Peas, Chinese Kale and Minipop Sweetcorn.

Serious about living the good life, but want a complete solution? Try the Small Constant Garden (£199). You’ll receive a series of five deliveries during 2015 to ensure your garden is the envy of all your friends. Each delivery is packed full of organic plants that are raring to grow so you’ll have a constant supply of seasonal produce and enjoy living the good life all year long.

And what about my Rocket Garden? I chose the Patio Container Garden (£36.99) which contains the following baby plants:

Tomatoes x 5 (I didn't get tomatoes but some extra Chard)
Courgettes x 4
Mixed lettuce x 30
Dwarf French Beans x 10
Runner Beans x 5
Mizuna x 20
Rainbow Chard x 5
Rocket x 20
Garden peas x 12
Strawberries x 6
Spinach x 10

You order your garden on the website, it's a pretty straightforward online shopping process, however it doesn't arrive until the plants are ready to be planted out. I really liked that you get lots of warning via email and a definite arrival day too. Unfortunately I had to be away from home when the plants arrived, this was a test for my husband who duly read the instructions, unpacked the plants and made sure they were well watered until I got home the next day. He did, however, jumble up all the plants and there are a lot of them! Fortunately, there is one of each plant variety labelled and I used my own knowledge to sort them out. I then planted them up in containers according to the comprehensive instructions provided with the plants, there were so many plants I had to go out and buy a few more containers.

After a couple of weeks the various salad leaves were starting to really grow. The peas were happily climbing up the canes although the French Beans seemed to be in stasis! The poor little courgettes were none too happy either, none of this had anything to do with the quality of the plants but due to the unseasonal weather we have been having in Scotland. Heavy rain and northerly winds do not a happy courgette make.

Fast forward another two weeks and the salad leaves are ready to pick, what a glorious selection of leaves which I combined with some edible flowers to create my first Rocket Gardens Salad. It was a lovely surprise when my strawberry plants arrived and I got them potted up into little troughs.

Rocket Gardens Salad (Serves 2)
60g mixed salad leaves
2 hard boiled eggs
2 large ripe tomatoes
1/2 cucumber
1/2 red pepper, seeds removed
3 chive flowers
1 Calendula (Pot Marigold) flower

1. Arrange the leaves on two large plates alternating the different leaves.
2. Cut the cucumber into long thin slices using a mandoline, roll and place around the edge of the plates.
3. Cut the tomatoes into 1/8ths and arrange inside the circle of cucumber.
4. Finely slice the pepper and scatter the pepper slices over the centre of each plate.
4. 1/4 the eggs and place over the pepper slices in the centre of the plates.
5. Scatter petals of the chives and marigold over the salad.

Serve with the dressing of your choice.

The Review

Who is it for? There are lots of different kinds of Rocket Gardens, so you can choose whatever is suitable for your garden. In terms of level of gardening ability then I would say that a very keen beginner or a gardener with a little experience and no space or time to grow from seed.

Pros: The concept of receiving little plants in the post is not new, however Rocket Gardens have put together some really nice packages and I was impressed by the care and attention paid to communicating with their customers and the excellent instructions.

Cons: With the plants being grown in the warmer climate of Cornwall, they got a bit of a shock coming to southern Scotland. I have completely lost the runner beans, the wind battered them to death, some of the French Beans have also died and only one of the courgette plants has survived. This has happened to me many times before, even when growing from seed, so I am not too surprised, but it might be a bit off putting to beginners.

The Verdict: I will be ordering a Rocket Garden next year for my garden. Which garden will depend on whether I've managed to make the raised bed I have promised myself or if I will be sticking to the patio garden. I just love having all those vegetables on my doorstep, the salad leaves have done so well that we have been able to stop buying mixed leaves and they are so much fresher and taste better too. So Rocket Gardens are a definite hit with me.

I'll keep you posted as to how the other plants come along, the peas and strawberries have already begun to flower so I have high hopes for some more delicious fresh fruit and veg very soon.

I was provided with a Patio Container Garden from Rocket Gardens, I was not paid for this review and all opinions are my own.