The World of Chocolate

Sticky Stem Ginger Cake

2013-04-18T19:43:00.003+01:00

Ooops!

I borrowed this recipe from the Good Food Magazine but having looked at the ingredients I made a couple of changes and substituted the black treacle with golden syrup. If you feel that there just aren't enough calories in this cake you can add lemon icing for a bit of zesty enjoyment. Having just started a strict diet I thought I would leave the topping out.

The original recipe suggests that you grate the stem ginger but I decide to chop mine into fine chunks. However, these do tend to sink to the bottom of the cake but I prefer chunky pieces of stem ginger.

Ingredients

225g self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground mixed spice
115g butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing the tin
115g dark Muscovado sugar
230g golden syrup
250ml semi-skimmed milk
85g drained stem ginger, finely chopped
1 egg

Method

Preheat the oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. Butter and line a 2 lb loaf tin, with grease-proof or parchment paper.
Put the flour, bicarbonate of soda and all the spices into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Put the sugar, syrup and milk in a medium saucepan and heat, gently stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to just below boiling point.
Add the stem ginger to the flour mixture, then pour in the treacle mixture, stirring as you go with a wooden spoon. Break in the egg and beat until the mixture is combined and it resembles a thick pancake batter. Pour this into prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until a skewer pushed into the centre of the cake comes out fairly clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin before turning cake out.

The finished cake is very light and moist and it will improve with age.

Truly Irresistible - Ghanaian Dark

2013-04-13T16:36:00.003+01:00

Today, there are just two things that concern me. No, it is not that a two year old from North Korea is about to start a global thermonuclear war. This is but a mere trifle when compared to the spectacular cost of Margaret Thatchers funeral and Hazel Irvine's hairstyle which appeared on TV a few hours ago. I have a feeling Hazel has taken Margaret's Spitting Image wig for keeps. If you don't believe me tune into The Masters tonight.

Every country in the Euro is facing economic ruin and we're spending £8 million and possibly more on the Iron Lady's funeral. Nobody in government has an idea of how much it is costing but that comes as no surprise. Somebody must have been tasked with obtaining quotes?!

Don't get me wrong she deserves some pomp and ceremony and in the eyes of the world, a ceremonial state funeral, is a must. But surely, there are better ways to remember her. I can think of many good causes that would benefit from a few extra quid and I'm sure you can. Oh, Hazel, avoid the Poodle Parlours in future.

Ok, lets talk about chocolate. The co-operative Fairtrade Ghanaian dark chocolate with spices and orange oil contains 93% Fairtrade ingredients and is suitable for vegetarians. As the years go by there is more and more information being squeezed onto our labels. It seems we can't cope without this information. Take this label for instance: Advice to Parents - Frequent eating of sweets and sugary snacks may lead to tooth decay and poor nutrition. Remember it is important to brush teeth regularly. Yikes, I must remember to clean my teeth tonight and not feed the kids chocolate on toast....thank god I read this label! Utter tosh!

40g Fairtrade Ghanaian Dark Chocolate Orange

Ok, a nicely presented bar of chocolate with a strong orange aroma. The cocoa content is not particularly strong, 51% cocoa, but then it doesn't want to be too strong as it is fighting a losing battle with the orange and spices which include Cardamom, Ginger and Cinnamon. Like a Master Chef contestant I'm having trouble picking out the individual spices even though I know they're in there somewhere.

Overall a very tasty bar of dark chocolate and orange loveliness with spicy undertones, 6/10. Well done to the CO-OP and read about their ethics here. Oh, I must remember to clean my teeth!

Posted by Richard....

Chocolate Easter Loaf

2013-03-29T15:20:00.004Z

This particular recipe was adapted from a Mowielicious recipe which was in turn adapted from a Nigel Slater dish. Be warned, you'll require several bowls and probably a spare pair of hands to assist with the various tasks. They can also help with the washing up!

Ingredients

For the loaf

200g dark chocolate (64%)
4 tbsp hot espresso
200g butter, cubed
135g plain flour
1 heaped tsp baking powder
3 tbsp cocoa powder
5 eggs, separated
200g caster sugar
250g cooked and peeled beetroot, pureed

For the chocolate butter cream

150g icing sugar
75g butter, softened
25g cocoa powder
50ml double cream

For the chocolate icing

100g dark chocolate (64%)
2 tbsp golden syrup
100 ml double cream

Method

Heat the oven to 160C/Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line two cake tins with baking paper. I used two 3 lb loaf tins - alternatively you can use two 20cm round cake tins. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Pour the espresso into the melted chocolate, stir, then add the cubes of butter and continue stirring until melted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Sift the flour with baking powder and cocoa. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks until frothy. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then add the sugar and fold into the egg whites. Pour the egg yolks and beetroot into the chocolate mixture and carefully fold in. Add the egg white mixture and fold in. Add the flour mixture and fold until just incorporated. Pour into the prepared cake tins, level and bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

For the butter-cream, sift the cocoa with the icing sugar and mix with the butter until crumbly. Add the double cream and mix until incorporated. Smooth this onto the top of one cake and cover with the other cake.

For the icing, heat the chocolate with the cream and syrup over a low heat, stirring continuously until thick and glossy. Pour over the cake, decorate as desired and serve.

I used dark chocolate truffles and white chocolate bunnies for the Easter season.

Bunnies and Truffles Optional

The cake is light and moist and trust me, you will only need a small piece!

A Perfect Sponge

2013-03-24T14:07:00.002Z

Continuing the tea-room theme I decided on making a simple but perfect sponge from a recipe that has been passed down through the generations of my family.

Making the perfect sponge may sound like the most boring of recipes but it does help to understand the basics of baking.

Top Tip: Rather than worrying about a recipe that asks for large, medium or small eggs weigh your egg (whole with shell) and then weigh out each of your ingredients to match the weight of whole eggs. Today my eggs weighed a total 280 g (shell on).

Ingredients:

280g Eggs (4 eggs) then weigh out the rest of your ingredients to match.
280g Margarine hard
280g Castor sugar
280g Self raising flour
1 tspn vanilla extract
A pinch of salt

Method:

Prepare two 20 cm/8" sandwich tins, grease each tin with margarine and place a circle of grease proof paper in the base of each.
Beat the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy and pale in colour.
Break the eggs one at a time into the mix and beat until combined.
Sieve the flour and salt into the mix and fold in gently with a large spoon.
Split evenly between two sandwich tins using a palete knife spread evenly in the tin.
Place in a pre-heated oven 160Fan/180C/Gas Mark 4 for approximately 35 minutes.
To test if cake is done lightly press the centre of each sponge which should spring back.
Place tins on cooling rack for 5 minutes then carefully remove from the tins and leave until cold.

Butter Cream Ingredients:

50g Softened butter
100g Sieved icing sugar
1 tbsp Boiling water

Method - Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until light and creamy.

Build your sponge!

Spread approx. 3 tbsp of jam (flavour and quantity entirely up to you) onto one half
Spread the butter cream on the other half.
Take the half with the butter cream and sandwich together with the jammy half.
Dust liberally with icing sugar.
Now eat it!

The Loft Tea Rooms

2013-03-23T12:18:00.001Z

In the past few years there has been a resurgence of interest in all things to do with tea, probably because as a nation we are going through a difficult patch. As we all know the British like nothing better than slurping and gulping down buckets of tea at times of trouble, "batten down the hatches and put the kettle on love, we might be here for a while!" There has also been a huge increase in retro and vintage tea cups and associated china.

One such coastal tea room, The Loft (Tea by the Sea), situated in the village of Tollesbury opened in April 2011, in a converted Sail Loft. It will come as no surprise that sail lofts were originally used by

sail-makers to spread out their sales.

Yesterday, it seemed that the whole village of Tollesbury had actually descended upon The Loft. Every nook and cranny was taken and we just managed to squeeze into a corner table. The place was rammed to the rafters with young mothers and their offspring, all very well behaved of course, chatting and enjoying speciality tea and scrumptious handmade cake.

Step back in time as you enter the tea room. The restaurant is decorated with an array of vintage china with many designs that I can remember as a child.

The light egg shell blue melamine table tops and chairs have also been chosen with care to give that retro feel. Even the owner, Sheila, is dressed in retro clothing, well, I hope she was! The whole experience is very enjoyable. It's one of those places where the volume control on the vocals just keeps going up and up. It's vibrant!

Local sourcing is important and many ingredients come from the surrounding area including fresh locally baked bread, Wicks Manor meat and Essex Birds Chicken.

Speciality teas, which are their forte, include Suffolk Special Blend; Earl Grey Blue Lady; Green Gunpowder; Egyptian Mint and Glamour which all sound very dramatic for cups of tea!

The Suffolk Special Blend was excellent with a rich full flavour. I need a tea now.....

The menu is what I would call simple, uncomplicated and well executed including freshly made sandwiches, soup and bread (£3.95); Panini (£4.95); Homemade Cakes (£2.50); Mugs of tea (£1.45); Cappuccino (£1.90) I don't think there is much time to faff in this little tea room. Gluten free cakes are also available.

We had a cake take-away!

Well, was it worth the 60 mile round trip from Chelmsford? Yes, absolutely!

The tea room is open from 10:30 am until 3 pm and interestingly only open between Tuesday to Saturday according to their blog.

The Loft, Woodrolfe Road, Maldon CM9 8SE

Hackney Bureau

2013-03-18T21:00:00.000Z

Had it not been for Sarah of Food for Think, who writes on numerous subjects including food and travel, the Hackney Bureau, would never have come up on my radar. Blogging certainly opens your eyes and leads you to hidden gems. Especially, if you're prepared to follow in their footsteps.

The Hackney Bureau is a short walk from Bethnal Green tube station, along Cambridge Heath road, located close to the Regent's Canal.

From the outside you wouldn't even know that there was a restaurant, apart from a few tables and chairs outside. I can't even remember seeing a sign advertising the restaurant. I have to say this is the first time I've actually put my trust in another blogger and stuck with the script, so to speak.

The run down, 'shabby - shabby' appearance does nothing to entice people into the place but, then they do say don't judge a book by its cover. Appearances can be deceiving and it is safe to say, Alex Polizzi would have a seizure!

Cafe Nero, it is not! The inside decor replicates the outside. Frankly, it is harsh, with white washed walls and chipboard acceccories which really conflict with my impressions of how a restaurant should look. But, then I'm a probably the oldest person in the place by several decades! Young things are typing away, seriously focused on their laptops, flipping through pages faster than I can flip an omelette and chatting about the next website or house build they're planning. So, plenty of people doing business but, you wont see any pinstripes in this part of town.

I borrowed this as my pic was rubbish!

I once met Gwilym Davies in a Shoreditch shoe shop many years ago and he made a brilliant cup of coffee. I think that may have been the first pop up coffee shop? Anyway, I'm rabbiting on!

Well, our resplendent, mustachioed, antipodean owner of the Hackney Bureau makes a truly delicious Flat White that is on a par with Gwilym.

We arrived in time for brunch and quickly selected a Big Breakfast, Salmon and Spinach Omelette, cappuccino and flat white for just under £20. Eggs were offered fried or poached and everything was cooked to order. Streaky bacon was crisp, poached eggs were soft and runny, just how I like'em, the mix of carrot, tomato and onion was just delicious. The Salmon and Spinach omelette was also excellent. We were set up for the remainder of the day.

Service was speedy and efficient and if you can get over the standard of the decor you're in for a real treat. A BIG thank you to Sarah at Food for Think. We'll be back for dinner soon!

Ham Hock Broth

2013-03-17T14:22:00.002Z

I know I promised more posts relating to chocolate but with all this awesome weather we're having I thought a hearty soup would be more in keeping with these inclement weather conditions. Rain, rain, go away!

A straight forward recipe which I borrowed from Adrian Edmondson's new TV programme, 'Ade in Britain'. Ham Hocks are from the ankle/calf region of the pig. The meat is not fatty and becomes very tender after long periods of cooking.

Use a mix of any root vegetables to make this soup. I used the following....

Ingredients: Ham Hock Broth

100g Red lentils
50g Dried haricot beans
50g Pearl barley
2 Potatoes (large)
1 Turnip (large)
6 Carrots
4 Red onions
2 Ham hocks (Local Supplier Great Garnetts)
4 Bay leaves
6 Stalks of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Water

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 Hours

Method:

Soak the haricot beans over night in a bowl of water and drain.
Chop the vegetables into small chunks and place in a large pan with the lentils, pearl barley, haricot beans, bay leaves and thyme or mixed herbs.
Wash the hocks and add to the pan.
Season with salt and pepper and cover with cold water.
Bring to the boil and simmer for three hours.
Remove the hocks and strip away the meat into large chunks. Discard any bone or remaining fat and return the meat to the pan.
Adjust the seasoning and serve with chunky bread or herby dumplings.

Remove the scum, lovely word, from the surface as it builds up.

To make this broth more of a meal serve with herby dumplings.

Herby Dumplings - add these to the soup after stage 6 and simmer for 20 minutes.

Ingredients - makes eight

6 oz Self raising flour
3 oz Suet
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Mixed dried herbs

Method - Herby Dumplings

Mix all the ingredients together and add sufficient water to make a very soft dough. Do not over mix.
Spoon eight equal size portions into the soup. Cover and simmer gently for twenty minutes.

Sorry no pictures of the final soup as it was too late! I will add at another time....but it tasted delicious.

The Easiest Chocolate and Banana Loaf Cake

2013-03-16T17:35:00.002Z

Ingredients:

4oz/125g Hard margarine (at room temperature)
4oz/125g Brown sugar
2 Eggs
8oz/250g Self raising flour
A pinch of salt
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tspn mixed spice
2 Medium chopped bananas
6oz/175g Milk chocolate chopped into large chunks

Method:

Butter a 2 lb loaf tin and line with a strip of grease proof.

Place all the ingredients except for the chocolate into a mixer and beat until smooth.

Stir in the chocolate chunks and pour mixture into prepared tin.

Bake at 350 F/160 C Fan/Gas Mark 4 for 1 hour.
Then reduce the heat to 325 F/150 Fan/Gas Mark 3 for a further 10 minutes.
Allow to cool before serving.

Turnip and Bacon Soup

2013-03-04T16:32:00.000Z

Sorry chocolate lovers......I promise the next post will be about chocolate! I can't seem to get enough soup at this time of year. This recipe produces an excellent soup and comes from the lovely Kerry at Rocket and Rhubarb.
Enjoy!

Ingredients (All vegetables supplied by Rocket and Rhubarb)

25g butter
125g rindless smoked bacon, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
400g potatoes, chopped
750g turnips, chopped
1.2 litres chicken stock
150ml milk (or you could use single cream for a creamier finish)
1 bay leaf
1 small sprig of thyme, chopped or 1tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper

Method

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan, add the bacon and cook over a moderate heat until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve leaving the lovely bacon-flavoured in a pan.

Add the onion to the bacon fat and cook gently for 5 minutes. Then add the potatoes and turnips. Cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add the stock and the bay leaf and thyme and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook for 30-35 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Two service options:

If you like a chunky soup then lightly mash to keep it chunky or.......

In a blender or food processor, blend the soup in batches until smooth, then transfer to a clean saucepan. Add the reserved bacon and the milk and reheat very gently but do not boil. Serve the soup in warm bowls and sprinkle with a little finely chopped parsley if you have some....well I didn't!

Delicious!

Ready to eat in 45 minutes

Triple Chocolate Loaf Cake

2013-02-23T15:47:00.000Z

Ingredients

175g softened butter, plus extra for greasing the tin
175g golden caster sugar
3 eggs
140g self-raising flour
85g ground almonds
1/2 tspn baking powder (level)
100ml milk
4 tbsp cocoa powder - I used dark
50g plain chocolate, chopped - I used Rainforest Alliance Certified dark chocolate from Costa Rica.
a pinch of salt

Decoration:

50g milk chocolate
50g white chocolate

Method:

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 3 and line a 2lb/900g loaf tin with two strips of baking parchment. Ensure the corners of the tin are well greased.

Beat the softened butter and sugar using an electric whisk until light and pale in colour.

Sieve the self-raising flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder and add this to the mix along with the eggs, ground almonds and milk. Beat until smooth.

Stir in the chocolate chips and then pour the mixture into the tin.

Bake for 45 - 50 minutes until cooked and well risen. To test that the cake has cooked insert a skewer into the centre of the cake. If the skewer comes out clean then your cake is cooked.

Allow to cool in the tin, then lift out, remove baking paper and place onto a wire rack over some kitchen paper.

Melt the extra milk and white chocolate separately in pans over barely simmering water.

Then use a spoon to drizzle each type of chocolate in turn over the cake.

Leave to set before slicing.

Triple Chocolate Loaf Cake - Will cut a piece later...

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 50 minutes

delicious - March 2013

2013-02-17T12:38:00.003Z

'delicious' is a magazine that has never really caught my attention when browsing the shelves especially in comparison to magazines such as BBC GoodFood. It is one of those magazines that you find in caterers reception areas, not that I hang out in many, eagerly awaiting a quick thumb through before a meeting.

The front cover is encouraging with a very tempting picture of rhubarb and apple crumble and a few headlines to grab your attention.

Ok, let's get the bad bits out of the way first....

The Ugly:

Delicious Date - An interesting idea but not really sure the article actually delivers anything of value either on the love front or for the restaurant itself. Apart from pictures of the two diners there were no pictures or really helpful information on the food being served. A complete flop in my opinion! Men cooking in the kitchen was interesting and it was good to see dads preparing meals rather than pulling something out of the freezer. However, why not focus on young people cooking and getting an understanding of food.

The Bad:

Layout - Articles have far too much text to keep the reader engaged. I enjoy reading books however, when it comes to reading a magazine I need to feel involved, enthused and blown away by the ideas that are being conveyed.
Not slowly bored to death by text!

A picture tells a thousand words!

Take the 'Champagne Luxuries on a Lemonade Budget' article, for example, a great opportunity to show off some brilliant produce with dazzling pictures you'd think.

But no we just have paragraph after paragraph of text. Obviously, the editor decided to keep in line with the article title and blow the budget on something else.

The Good:

Recipes - Firstly, top marks for all the vegetarian recipes and this is coming from a household that are strictly carnivorous. Finding good vegetarian recipe ideas is always a problem and this magazine seems to have an abundance of them.

Hot desserts, especially comfort food such as crumble, also feature highly on our weekly menus. So, Cracking Crumble by Donal Skehan, is apparently the next big star of food, But, sorry to say I've not heard of him until now. He does however make a welcome change and it's good to see somebody under the age of 50 that's not wrinkled, hairy or speaking with a heavy French accent. Oops, bring on the hate mail! I've not attempted the recipe yet but before all the rhubarb disappears off the shelves I will have to give it a go as it looks really unctuous.

Veal used to feature on my menus every month but following all the controversy back in the 80's it soon disappeared and I haven't eaten it since. However, having read the 'special report' and input from chef and 2010 Master Chef winner, Dhruv Baker, made me think that I would like to try veal again.

The 'Useful Guide' did exactly what it said on the tin. It was very useful with top tips. For some unknown reason the paper quality and texture changed at this point? How to make the perfect marmalade and expert technique were all helpful and interesting.

Overall, I enjoyed the process of reviewing this magazine and I felt I really got to know it. Recipes do not seem over complicated and there is little reference to TV/Celebrity chefs perhaps making it easier for a newbie chef to relate to.

But, would I ditch my GoodFood magazine and buy delicious? Unfortunately, I'm a die hard GoodFood devotee and I can't imagine how delicious is going to tempt me away. Priced at £3.80 per magazine delicious do have an offer on at the moment, 6 issues for £10.99, making it an affordable magazine for your kitchen table. Otherwise visit Lets Subscribe for a host of great discount opportunities!

Cherrytastic Easy Chocolate Mousse!

2013-02-16T15:53:00.002Z

Ingredients
(Serves 6)

150g Dark Chocolate (I used a 64%) - chopped
4 Eggs, separated
50g Butter
3 tbsp golden caster sugar
4-5 Whole Cherries in Kirsch per portion plus 2 tbsp of the kirsch (If you cannot source the cherries then use Cointreau or Tia Maria instead.

Method

Divide the cherries between 6 ramekin dishes.

Place the chocolate and butter in a stainless steel bowl and melt very gently together over a pan of hot water....do not boil the water!

Add the separated egg yolks and the kirsch to the mix and stir gently.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff.

Add the sugar and continue whisking until the mix is shiny and stiff.

Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mix starting initially with two large spoonfuls to slacken the mix before adding the remaining egg whites. Do not over stir the mix otherwise you will lose all the air, but make sure that all the egg whites are incorporated.

Divide the mousse between the ramekins and chill for at least two hours. Top Tip: Put the ramekins in an air tight container before placing in the fridge rather than messing up the surface of each mousse with cling film.

Serve with biscuits, see recipe.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes, plus chilling (2 hours)

Swiss Milk Chocolate with Almonds

2013-02-10T17:50:00.001Z

Lindt - Swiss milk chocolate with Bourbon Vanilla Flavouring. Today, time is short so, this is my idea of speed dating chocolate style!

Setting the scene - Chocolate reviewer meets chocolate bar.

First impressions - Smart outer packaging with gold lettering make a good impression. A bit old school, stuffy and colours not really to my liking. A cheeky transparent window is catching my attention though......a little tease of what's to come maybe. Wording is all in French so, some things may get lost in translation. This is a new bar from Lindt's Passion range using nibbed almonds and bourbon flavoured vanilla from Madagascar. In fact it is so new it isn't even featured on their website?

31% Cocoa - Swiss Milk Chocolate

Aroma - very strong vanilla with undertones of bourbon. Not always a good thing on a first date. How rude is that smelling of alcohol on a first date! The smell is very sickly sweet and a bit cloying.

Naked Chocolate - This is our first date and we're already naked.....well the chocolate is, not me. Who do you think I am! The bar is studded with nibbed almonds and dusted with vanilla seeds. The strong bourbon aroma is now actually very appealing. The mix of textures, rough nuts and creamy sweet chocolate is delicious and I'm already demolishing this bar.

Conclusion - After this little soiree I think we'll be going out on a second date! Overall slightly too sweet for me but undoubtedly enjoyable, 6/10.

Homemade Leek and Potato Soup

2013-02-03T18:46:00.002Z

Fresh vegetables from Rocket and Rhubarb

Ok, I know Leek and Potato has nothing to do with chocolate but, I could not resist making this delicious soup on such a cold day!

It is just what you need to warm you up and at no great expense. All fresh vegetables have been purchased from Rocket and Rhubarb!

This recipe is so easy even my husband can make it, and so, he has. There was even enough time for him to watch this afternoon's rugby.

Ingredients:

2 Large leeks
450g potatoes (approx. 4-5 medium size potatoes)
1 tbspn vegetable oil
50g butter
Freshly milled black pepper
2 tbspns plain flour
2-3 tspns of freshly chopped thyme or 1 tspn dried mixed herbs
1 pint semi-skimmed milk
1 chicken stock cube made up to a pint with hot water
Salt - 1 tspn

Method:

Take the leeks and remove a few of the thick, outer leaves and cut the ends off. Using a large knife slice the leek in half, length ways. Wash thoroughly and chop the leeks into slices.

Peel the potatoes and cut into large chunks, no need to be accurate with this one!

Melt the butter and oil in a large pan adding the chopped leeks and potatoes. Stir and gently fry for five minutes, add the freshly chopped thyme or dried herbs.

Keeping the pan on the heat add the plain flour to the vegetables and stir well ensuring all flour is mixed evenly throughout.

Gradually add the stock and the milk to the pan, stirring all the time. Bring this to the boil then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Stir every now and again.
At this point you can totally blend the soup, mash it lightly for a rougher texture or leave as is according to your personal preference. Do not forget to add salt to taste.
Your freshly made soup is now ready to eat or freeze for another day. Enjoy!

Preparation time: 15-20 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Framboise by Damyel

2013-01-27T16:32:00.003Z

Not a brand name that I'm familiar with but Damyel is a Kosher Salon with several outlets throughout Paris. Unfortunately, I wasn't lucky enough to be in Paris at the time and I had to rely on the kindness of a fellow chocoholic to snap up a bar for me. However, with the proviso that I left him a few morsels to taste. Sounds like a good deal to me. My O-Level French didn't set me up for translating web pages and before you ask I did try Google Translate but I couldn't cut and paste! So, I can't tell you too much about this company.

If you are fluent in French then visit their site by clicking on this link. Alternatively, follow this link to a blog called, French Kosher Cuisine. From what I can glean Damyel produce a wide range of chocolates including pralines, ganache filled chocolates, macaroons and 100g bars.

There are eight different bars including almonds, coffee, orange, hazelnuts and raspberries. Essentially, kosher chocolate must be totally free of animal products.

In terms of packaging the bar is very well presented as are the other products in their range. The bar is well made, divided up into ten equal sized rectangles for easy snapping!

Available from Yarden £2.99

A 54% dark chocolate with a lovely raspberry aroma. The pink raspberry granules are certainly not as vibrant in the 'flesh' and appear washed out, unless they've use white raspberries! Personally I'd like a bit more sharpness from a raspberry flavoured bar.

This is a fairly agreeable bar of chocolate but me for it lacks umph and charisma. Very well presented and put together but just missing a bit of extra flavour, 7/10. To buy this bar.......cross Le Channel. No, I jest! To buy this bar follow the link to Yarden, the home of fine kosher foods in the UK.

Retro Valentine Biscuits

2013-01-26T14:58:00.000Z

Ladies and gentlemen, to complete this recipe I'm assuming you have your SAWA 71, kitchen aid, languishing somewhere in a kitchen cupboard. I purchased my SAWA 71 from the Ideal Home Exhibition in the early 70's. The SAWA was originally manufactured in Lessebo, Sweden. It is a kitchen tool for baking press cookies, biscuits and cakes. It can also be used for making meringues and other thick batter pastries.

I'm sure Nigella has one tucked away in her kitchen! Amazon sell similar biscuit makers from £8.72.

Preparation time 20 minutes plus baking.

Ingredients:

250g unsalted butter
125g icing sugar sieved
375g plain flour sieved
Vanilla paste - 1/2 tspn
Pinch of salt
Milk Chocolate for decoration

Method:

Cream butter and sugar and work to soft pliable dough with the flour. I would do this part in a food processor if you have one.
Roll the dough into the shape of the biscuit maker. To ensure best results warm up the dough with your hands.
Press any selected shapes straight on to a cold and lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake at 170 in a fan oven (gas 5-6) until just turning golden brown.
Allow to cool on a cooling tray.
Once the biscuits are cool dip or drizzle each biscuit with chocolate.

Get Pressing!

Allow to cool before adding chocolate.

Gingerbread Heart - Marks and Spencer

2013-01-19T15:19:00.001Z

Firstly, I must give Simon Burns, MP for Chelmsford and Minister of State, Department of Transport, the thumbs up for making the effort to travel by train immediately it was pointed out that he was spending all our hard earned cash on a chauffeur driven car. I'm not sure if he is still taking the train on a daily basis?

From what I understand he didn't even have a seat and had to stand all the way to Liverpool Street, poor love.

Horse is now back on the menu, well not knowingly on British menus. Tesco is jumping through hoops or is that over fences to apologize for their burger error? They must be secretly be loving all this free, if rather, unfortunate publicity!

Not only is horse back on the menu but, so are other interesting creatures including crocodile, buffalo, kangaroo and springbok. The majority of these meats with the exception of horse are extremely expensive and out of reach of most shoppers. So, putting horse back on the menu in these times of recession seems like a good idea. The French must be sniggering into their croissants at the thought of Les Anglais eating their beloved horses. It is all about national identity and we are the Roast Beefs, don't you know?! And we would probably rather die than eat the winner of the 2:10 at Curragh.

Iced Gingerbread Biscuit by Marks and Spencer

Ok, back to the biscuit from Marks and Spencer! At £1.50 this little biscuit, weighing in at just 43 grams, is perhaps on the small size. Especially when you consider you could probably make a whole tray for that price. But, that would mean buying ingredients, turning on the oven, finding a recipe, getting the recipe wrong at least once and then doing all the washing up! I think £1.50 is good value, don't you?

I'm not so keen on the plastic packaging as it makes it look cheap. Once out of the packaging the biscuit has plenty of gingerbread flavour and a good buttery taste. A crisp and dry biscuit rather than a chewy one. It was quickly wolfed down by the tasters in my household. They didn't even see the biscuit's wording! Overall 5/10 for taste and novelty value.

I'm not sure how I'd feel if somebody gave me a heart shaped biscuit as a token of their endearing love....I might think they were taking the biscuit.

Chocolate Bunny - Marks & Spencer

2013-01-06T20:03:00.004Z

Its all been happening in Chelmsford this week. A deer runs through the town centre knocking a pedestrian to the floor and Simon Burns, Minister of State, Department of Transport, declares that he spends £80,000 per year on a chauffeur-driven ministerial car to and from Westminster. Surely, a First Class rail ticket to Westminster would be more cost effective? Simon defended his use of a government car by stating that he had classified papers that he needed to work on. Isn't the Minister aware that there must be hundreds, no thousands of business men and women carrying sensitive documents to and from work......Simon, they use a briefcase and it has a lock. You must try one.

It wasn't a wild rumor after all! Marks and Spencer has already started selling their Easter range of chocolate novelty items. The tins of Quality Street are still only half full and chocolate Easter eggs start appearing on the shelves!

So, having waited patiently in the 'Returns' queue at my local Marks and Spencer's for far too long I decided a little treat was in order.

Foiled Bunny

Described as a 'hollow milk chocolate bunny, weighing in at 180g. Priced at £5.00 or £2.78 per 100g. Wrapped in 'Easter' green foil, easily detachable bow and fluffy tail. All very cute! In my opinion this is Marks and Spencer's take on the famous Lindt Gold Bunny. Tesco is currently selling 3 Lindt Gold Bunnies for £1.20. At 10g each this makes them £6.00 per 100g. Alternatively, you can buy a 200g Lindt Gold Bunny for £4.49 or £2.25 per 100g plus shipping from Lindt direct and your bunny comes with a little red bell.

30% cocoa solids

Unfortunately, my bunny looks like it has met a blunt instrument head on! I was very careful with bunnykins but, alas he has sustained a bit of damage and perhaps some outer packaging would have helped. But, hey its going to be broken where its going! None of the features are highlighted so the overall presentation is a bit plain and flat. Interestingly, the chocolate is made in the UK but ribbon and fluffy tail are made in China. Can't we make anything in our own country anymore?

The figure is well made with an even spread of chocolate throughout. Whilst the chocolate is sweet it is not overly sickly sweet and cloying. Made with dried whole milk it has a smooth and velvety feel with an enjoyable caramel flavour. An tasty piece of chocolate but, perhaps slightly expensive for what it is. Some hidden chocolate treasures hidden within the bunny would have made its £5.00 price tag more attractive. Overall 6/10.

Posted by Richard.

New Year's Day walk. No, I mean Yomp!

2013-01-05T09:07:00.003Z

I should have known better. Tired from the night before I was obviously caught off guard. After all these years I should have been known that when my husband, possibly soon to be ex-husband, invited me to go for a walk on New Year's day, it wasn't going to be a stroll in the park.

The fact that he'd taken a ruck sack, a GPS gizmo, two pairs of thinsulate gloves and a few pairs of waterproof socks, possibly gave the game away but, the penny still hadn't dropped. As I've mentioned in previous posts Essex does have some hidden gems and whilst this walk was longer than expected it was probably one of the best I've been on in a while.

Our walk, no I mean Yomp starts at the Bell at Woodham Walter. A lovely looking pub with lots of lucky people enjoying a pint and some wholesome food. Unfortunately, neither of us had taken any money! The Bell is where this walk starts and ends. The pub dates back to the 16th Century.

Beautiful clear blue skies with lots of great views over the Essex countryside. This view is looking out towards Ulting.

This is where we went off course. Don't head right. Continue up through the paddocks...it is much further than you think.

Dreamy looking house....if you've completed this walk before you can tell that we've gone off course and we had to walk up and down this road for several minutes until we found are way back onto the correct route.

Something from War of the Worlds or just a new washing line? This is where you are heading once you venture out of the paddock maze.

Chocolate lady walks across the not so 'giants causeway' and through the scary wibbly wobbly wood! As you can see I'm wearing jeans, not the ideal walking apparel for the amount of mud we came across. Fortunately, we had good boots!
These pictures were taken in the Danbury Ridge Nature Reserve.

The walk takes you alongside the very posh and lush Warren Golf course. Pictures of golfers are boring so you have horses instead!

Another dreamy house with magnificent views

The end is in sight!

Photographer is about to get a bashing!

The End! Ok. this is the end of the walk not me.
The church of St. Michael the Archangel was built in 1563. It is the sole Elizabethan church in Essex.
A walk of approx. 5.5 miles takes between 2 and 3 hours if you avoid getting lost. Five miles of fantastic scenery and fun.....1/2 a mile too far. Remember to take food, water and money for drinks in the pub!

A complete and thorough review of this walk can be found at Essex Walks.

Cinnamon by William Curley

2012-12-29T18:13:00.001Z

Before the onset of a serious dose of cabin fever and the imminent arrival of the next weather front, we made a hasty exit into the murk. Seriously, there is only so much Christmas TV a person can take! With more than fifty shades of grey clouds rolling in over the horizon we decided Thorndon Country Park was just a bit too far and headed for Galleywood Common instead. What an insightful decision that was to be.

I have visited Galleywood Common several times in the past and walked through and around it on several occasions. I have always been struck by the white fencing that can be seen from the road at various points. It never dawned on me that Galleywood Common was once a racecourse. Doh! How did I miss that?

Apparently, the vibrant and colourful sport of horse racing had been taking place in Galleywood for 176 years from 1759 to 1935. Allegedly, it was one of the oldest racecourses in the country probably dating back to King Charles ll (1660-1680).

Galleywood Racecourse

It must have been an extremely exciting place to visit with all types of gambling and prize fighting taking place including, cock-fighting, rat-hunts and dog-fights to name just a few. There were also special booths set up around the racecourse where visitors could part-take of food, beer, some fighting before finishing off with a spot of dancing...not Strictly I'm sure.

Thousands of people came to see the steeplechase meetings which must have had a huge economic impact on the local community.

In 1803 the English were particularly concerned about being invaded by Napoleon so, a huge star shaped Fort with artillery batteries was set atop massive earthworks to keep the French at bay should they decide to pay us a visit. Galleywood Church is the only church in the country to be built in the middle of a racecourse. Unfortunately, the money ran out and the racecourse closed and was sold to Chelmsford Borough Council in 1942. Interestingly, racing could be set to return to Essex at Great Leighs racecourse in April 2013.......I wonder if they'll have any cock-fighting?

All that walking and fact finding has given me an appetite for some chocolate. Not that I really need any after all those mince pies and slices of Stollen!

32% Milk Chocolate

This particular bar of chocolate is produced and presented in the same style as William Curley's House Bars. The outer packaging and thick gold paper is excellent providing a quality feel to the product. This bar itself is described as, 'milk chocolate hinted with cinnamon, the delicate spicing adding to the caramel notes'.

50g Milk Chocolate with a
hint of Cinnamon. £4.50

The finish of the chocolate surface looks scuffed and scratched and I'm not sure whether this is due to the packaging or whether it was due to my poor photography skills? The not overly sweet milk chocolate melts quickly with a smooth buttery mouth feel and caramel taste. Unfortunately, after several chunks more I'm still trying to find the cinnamon.....not even a hint.

Disappointingly, an indifferent bar of chocolate which didn't set the taste buds a bubbling. A hint of cinnamon is not enough....I need a nudge, nudge, wink, wink's worth of cinnamon! Overall 5/10. To buy click here.

A Mighty Christmas Stollen Ring!

2012-12-23T16:43:00.001Z

The Sunday before Christmas is probably not the most ideal time to complete this recipe especially, if like me, you're still running around trying to multi-task! Stollen originated from the City of Dresden in the 1300's. Read more on the history of Stollen by following this link.

Ingredients:

85g raisins
50g dried cranberries, plus extra to decorate
100g mixed peel
4 tbsp dark rum
50 glace cherries or pistachios if you like nuts
550g strong white bread flour
2 x 7g sachets yeast
50g golden caster sugar
Pinch nutmeg
Zest 1 lemon
85g butter, cut into pieces
250ml milk
1 egg, beaten, plus extra beaten egg to glaze
50g pistachios, peeled and chopped for decoration
250g marzipan (bought)
100g icing sugar

Method:

Mix the raisins, cranberries and mixed peel in a bowl, pour over the rum and leave to soak while making the dough.

Pour the flour into a large bowl and mix in a 1/2 tsp salt, yeast, sugar, nutmeg and lemon zest. Rub the butter in until the mix is like fine crumbs. Warm the milk to hand-hot, then mix into the egg. Pour the milk mix into the flour mix, then stir with a round-bladed knife to make a soft dough, adding a touch more milk if required.

This recipe can be completed in a food mixer with a dough hook for approximately 5 minutes, alternatively knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave until the dough has risen to double the size. This will take between 45 minutes and an hour.

Remove the dough from the bowl, knead lightly and roll out to a rectangle of about 37cm x 17cm. Stir the chopped cherries or pistachios into the soaked fruits, drain off any excess liquid from this mix. Take a 1/3 of the fruit and spread down the centre of the rectangle, fold the edges into the center overlapping slightly. Seal each end by pressing with the rolling pin. Turn the dough, roll again and repeat twice more using the remaining fruit.

Roll out to a final rectangle that is 55cm x 16cm. Roll the marzipan in to a sausage shape, so it's slightly shorter than the length of the dough. Place it down the centre. Roll the dough over the marzipan, then turn the dough over so the join is underneath. Lift onto a pre-greased baking sheet forming into a ring around a buttered 12cm cake tin (or empty large food tin) sealing both ends together with egg wash.

Place the marzipan roll down the centre of the dough

Egg wash the dough before cooking

Cover loosely with cling-film and allow to rise until doubled in size. Then brush with beaten egg and bake for 30 to 35 minutes on 190C/Fan 170C/gas 5 until golden. Cool on the baking sheet briefly transferring to a cooling rack.

I used a Kaiser Bakeware Springform with 2 bases purchased about 25 years ago! However, a baking sheet and an empty clean food tin will do the job a lot better as I discovered.

Timings: Prep 40 minutes + 1 hour 15 mins to 1 hour 45 mins for rising.

Cooking time: 30 minutes if using the baking tray method

Suitable for Vegetarians and can be frozen without icing.

Rayon by Cailler of Switzerland

2012-12-22T13:06:00.001Z

Rayon, not a word that trips off the tongue when talking chocolate. Who did the marketing sampler for that one? It sounds like something you might find in the fabric softening section of your local supermarket.

According to Wikipedia, Rayon, is described as, 'a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber'. Used in the textile industry it has a high luster quality giving it a bright sheen. Well, that description certainly applies to the packaging which is perhaps the brightest I have ever seen.

The packaging is bright and golden however the bar of chocolate has a strange orange and caramel glow about it. The chocolate is also very light in colour. I can't say I've seen anything like it before. The chocolate contains honey and little nibbles of nougat and a surface that is very sticky to the touch.

The bar is very light and is similar in texture to our home grown Aero. But, that I'm affraid is where the similarity ends. I can't actually taste any chocolate just bland sweetness with waves of honey and crunchy chunks of nougat. The airy texture is just right and the overall balance of honey and nougat is good. Unfortunately, sweetened condensed whole milk is not my thing and having demolished a few chunks I'm heading for a drink of water to wash it all away!

RAYON - 100g

From a country that brings us colourful Swatch, intricate cuckoo clocks and ingenious Swiss Pen Knives. This is possibly the worst thing to come out of Switzerland but, that is just my opinion. I did find some people in America trying to track down supplies of this bar. Well, I've found it for you and you are very welcome to it.

Not often am I lost for words when trying chocolate but this has to be a low point in my reviewing career, 4/10 and that's mostly for the packaging.

If you like your chocolate or in this case 'brown stuff' sweet then, this is just for you. I think, the initial Wikipedia description of Rayon, a 'manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber' is as close a description I can think of.

Buy online from Swissmade.com at a cost of £12.05 for a pack of 3 Rayon bars. To read about Cailler click here.

On a more festive note....look out for my Stollen recipe....I will be up at the crack of sparrows tomorrow to bring you a delicious Stollen recipe!

Meiji Milk Chocolate

2012-12-15T14:32:00.002Z

I wish I could say that I personally purchased this bar from a little corner shop in Tokyo. But, that would be telling an untruth so, I have to admit that one of my more well traveled acquaintances actually picked this up for me on a recent business trip to the mysterious land of Japan.

From what I can gather from the Company Website, thank goodness for Google Translate, they produce anything from powdered milk and baby food to chocolate bars and mouthwash! As a group the company employs just over 15,000 people and has sales revenues of one hundred million trillion Yen. My calculator just broke....Click here for more behemoth facts!

Unfortunately, this bar was damaged in transit so apologies to Meiji. I like the packaging and for a moment its dark colour makes me think I'm going to be eating a dark bar of chocolate.

Once out of its packaging the bar smells strongly of condensed milk mixed with cocoa. The bar is split up into 15 little squares each bearing the mark of Meiji. Weighing in at a mighty 55 grams this bar looks like it should weigh twice as much. However, the chocolate is extremely thin similar to Easter Egg chocolate or perhaps a bar of Lindt. You can feel the chocolate melting in your fingers as the first chunk is broken off.

The not overly sweet tasting chocolate melts quickly with a slight cloying mouth feel with a hint of bitterness at the end. In comparison to a European milk chocolate that I've just tasted it is certainly nowhere near as sweet and you don't get that overpowering 'milk powder' taste. According to the company website this product is ideal for chocolate ganache and chocolate cake.

Overall not a bad bar of chocolate but the a slightly cloying mouth feel makes you wish you'd purchased a bottle of Meiji mouthwash at the same time! 5/10. To save money on air travel you can buy direct for Amazon UK at £2.05 per bar.

Assam Tea Caramel Mou

2012-12-05T20:28:00.000Z

Essex Festive Lights!

The glitz, the glamour, the Christmas lights of New York, Paris and Chelmsford....okay maybe we need a reality check here. Chelmsford is probably not on the same page as these other cities but we do have some very festive house lights appearing. As the first snow appears so 'Essex Man', who has been dormant for most of the year, suddenly springs to life, climbing all over the outside of his house decorating furiously. This year I think they're a little understated which is a bit disappointing. In previous years the next door neighbour has tried to out shine them but I think they've moved on to Carnaby Street. I will keep my eye out for more festive 'Essex Style' decorations.

Chocolate production has gone crazy over the past few weeks hence why posts have been few and far between. So, before the onset of a champagne truffle storm I will take this opportunity to review an interesting morsel from William Curley.

Ok, Mou is French for 'soft'. They say you learn something new everyday and they're right. The presentation is similar to that of the House Bars and each piece of soft caramel is wrapped in gold paper. Very sumptuous indeed!

2 blocks are better than 1.

Each piece of caramel has been dipped in 70% dark chocolate. May I suggest that you cut each bar into thin slivers, as trying to eat big chunks just means your teeth become glued together and your fillings will need replacing by morning. This is no reflection on the caramel which is delicious. Take a piece and just gently suck and squeeze it between the roof of your mouth and your tongue and you'll be in confectionery heaven within seconds! The trick is not to bite....

Assam Tea Caramel Mou 65g £4.60

The caramel is beautifully made with just a hint of malt and toffee apple scrumptiousness. The dark chocolate is also wonderful but in short supply an extra covering would have been nice. The Assam tea provides the malty flavour which just adds to the whole experience. Certainly one for the Christmas list.

Absolutely delicious and scores 9/10! To buy on line click here!

Akesson's - 75% Single Plantation & Pepper

2012-11-17T19:32:00.004Z

Chocolate and Pepper? Surely not.

Well, Akesson's would have us believe that these two products are a match made in heaven.

Akesson's is not a brand name that probably springs to mind when talking chocolate.

They seem to be popular in Germany, Austria and Belgium but have little presence in the UK apart from a sprinkling in Paul A Young's emporiums. I first came across them at Chocolate Unwrapped a couple of years ago and enjoyed tasting their 75% Criollo bar. To find out more follow this link.

According to their website pepper and cocoa grow in the same environment and Akesson's have both in their plantations. Voatsiperifery 'wild' pepper is rare and only grows in the tropical forests of Madagascar. Only the young shoots produce the fruits and are handpicked by the locals.

Chocolate and Pepper?

Open the cellophane wrapper and your nose is met with a delicate peppery waft . A 75% dark chocolate doesn't melt quickly so there is very little 'liquid' in your mouth and for a few moments intense 'pepper' is the only flavour that just seems to fill your mouth. Eventually a fruity burst takes over from the harshness of the pepper which is a welcome relief. The texture of the chocolate is also grainy and fairly crunchy due to the pepper.

I've discovered that the best way to enjoy this bar is to take only small chunks. This means you can release the pepper and fruit at the same time which improves the overall taste. It is beginning to grow on me. The picture shown below is actually a 'Criollo' bar as the 'Trinitario' bar had some bloom.

I'm slightly mystified as to why anybody would want to mix pepper and chocolate. It is a totally different experience to that of chocolate and chili but then people probably say the same about this combo. If you ignore the pepper, which is hard to do, there is a delicious bar of chocolate lurking within. The intense fruity flavour was delicious the rest can best described as an unfortunate union. The pepper flavour is very intense and lingers on and on even after the chocolate has long gone.

The bar is beautifully made and I can't fault the quality of the ingredients but I personally dislike the combination. Overall 9/10 for ingredients and 5/10 for flavour and enjoyment factor. To find a list of retailers follow the link.