Autumn in a jar; my first foray into chutney

I love making homemade gifts for friends and family. Handing over a sweetly wrapped cellophane parcel of homemade chocolate macarons, or a hand-wrapped box of homemade truffles is so much more satisfying than the ready-wrapped toiletry gift or hurriedly-chosen scarf (with matching socks – sorry dad).

I borrowed a copy of Annie Rigg’s beautiful book, Gifts from the Kitchen, from my local library in the summer and couldn’t bear to take it back. I renewed it so many times I could renew it no more, and consequently ended up with hefty fines (oops!). It’s choc full of delicious gift ideas – from homemade marshmallows to turkish delight, jams and luxurious cookies. I was eager to try making jam over the summer, but the sterilising process was a bit scary, and I just never got round to it.

This rainy autumn weekend, however, was the perfect opportunity to bite the bullet and get to know jam’s slightly weightier – and let’s face it, more interesting – cousin: chutney. Frankly – and forgive me if I sound like a massive geek/middle-aged, but I don’t care – I loved it! Particularly satisfying was scooping up enormous cooking apples neighbours had left outside their houses to go to a good home and turning them into something that will bring a smile to a loved one on Christmas day.

I’ve tried and tested three different recipes so far: sunshine-in-a-jar Pineapple Chutney (from this month’s BBC Good Food mag), Spiced Apple Chutney (another BBC Good Food!) and Tomato and Sweet Chilli Jam (from Gifts From the Kitchen). All will, I’m sure, be even more delicious once they’ve matured for a couple of months in a cardboard box under my bed, but my favourite so far has to be the spiced apple.

I think that’s partially because it was the cheapest, with foraged apples, a few raisins, spices and cheap as chips (and perfect with chips) malt vinegar. But it’s also because making it filled my kitchen with the most wonderful and nostalgic smells of Christmas; cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ground ginger, drifting from the stove and tapping me on the shoulder if I turned my back on the pan for too long.

I’ll be wrapping each jar in my own higgledy-piggledly special way, with mismatched ribbons, homemade paper luggage tags, and a sprinkle of love.

Pineapple chutney

Makes 3x 330ml or 2x 500ml jars

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 3 red onions
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp black onion seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 pineapples (I used almost  one ‘giant’ one courtesy of Morrisons)
• 1 red chilli – deseeded and finely chopped
• thumb-sized piece ginger, finely chopped
• 250g soft light brown
• 175 ml cider vinegar

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan/stock pot. Tip in the onions & spices and cook for 5 mins until fragrant.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients plus 1 tsp of salt and simmer for 1 hour until dark golden and thick.
3. Pour into sterilised jars and allow to cool before sealing/covering.

Spiced apple chutney

Makes 3-4 jars

Ingredients

• 225g onions, finely chopped
• 900g apples
• 110g raisins/sultanas
• 15g coriander
• 15g paprika
• 15g mixed spice
• 15g salt
• 340g granulated sugar (I used golden caster)
• 42ml malt vinegar

Method

1. Put all the ingredients into a preserving pan. Slowly bring to the boil until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Simmer for 1½-2 hours, stirring from time to time to stop the chutney sticking to the pan.
3. When it is very thick and you can draw a wooden spoon across the base of the pan so that it leaves a channel behind it that does not immediately fill with liquid, the chutney is ready.
4. Turn into sterilised jars, seal and cool.
5. Store in a cool, dark cupboard for two to three months before eating.

How to sterilise jars

I don’t claim to be an expert at this in the slightest, but this is the method I used

1. Wash jars and lids (if using) in very hot, soapy water and rinse.
2. Pop them on a baking tray in a low oven (around 100 degrees)
3. Leave for 5-10 minutes until completely dry
4. While the jars are still hot, pour in the chutney and seal with either a tight lid, or a wax disc and cellophone cirle, secured with an elastic band. If using lids, check them the next day
5. Store your chutney in a cool, dark place for a couple of months to mature the flavour.

Epic win: Banana Bread and Peanut Butter Cake wich

The sandwich is a modest little thing. If it were a person, I imagine he would stand with his hands in his pockets, scuffing the floor with his shoe and trying not to make eye contact.

But this unassuming chameleon has a lot to be proud of; he can take on anything – from fish fingers to fillet steak, marmite to ham and mustard. Done properly, with delicious, fresh bread, a hearty filling and those crucial condiments to add ‘je ne sais quoi’, it is truly one of my favourite simple pleasures. In its versatility, you might say it’s a little like my absolute favourite pleasure – CAKE!

So when the lovely people over at find-me-a-gift.co.uk gave me the opportunity to bring these two pleasures together, it’s safe to say I was more than a little bit excited. Ladies and gentleman, let me introduce the latest addition to my bakeware family – the CAKEWICH:

The cakewich mould is made from high-quality  silicone, which means it’s super easy to get the cake out, super easy to clean, and makes super cool-looking cake. What more can you want?

The wonderful Christine over at Angrycherry.com recently created a heart-achingly amazing recipe for a peanut butter and jelly cakewich that had me trying to lick the screen, so I knew I peanut butter just had to be involved. Prepare yourself for the finger-licking-good luxury of peanut butter frosting. Never one to turn down an opportunity for extravagance and to indulge my sweet tooth, I also adapted my easy peasy banana muffin recipe to form the gooey, moist ‘bread’ of the cakewich.

Banana Bread and Peanut Butter Cakewich

Ingredients

For the banana bread

300g plain flour

2 large eggs (I used duck eggs for added ‘phwoar’)

150g caster sugar

100g light muscovado sugar

3/4 large ripe bananas (the riper the better!)

125g margarine, melted

1tsp baking powder

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the frosting

110g smooth peanut butter

55g unsalted butter, softened

125g icing sufar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

tbsp of milk, if needed, to combine.

Method

For the banana bread

1. preheat your oven to 180 c, and lightly grease the silicone mould
2. Mash the bananas in a large bowl until nicely mushed up. Add the eggs, sugar, and melted butter and mix until smooth and well combined.
3. Sift in the flour, bicarb and baking powder, and fold in until well combined.
4. Bake in the centre of the oven for aound 60 minutes. Check after 45 minutes. It’s ready when a skewer comes out clean. Be careful with this one – the top may look ready, but the insides can still be gooey.
5. The nature of the tin means you should get a slight dome on the top. This is exactly what you want so you can slice it off, leaving yourself with the look of sliced bread. Tada!
6. One the cake has cooled, slice it in half to add your ‘filling’.

For the frosting

1. Put the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer for several minutes until combined.
2. Gradually mix in the sugar to combine, adding milk if necessary. Add the vanilla and beat until fluffy.

It’s safe to say that this cake isn’t for the faint-hearted. Though deliciously simple to make, it’s sweet, moist, gooey, unapologetically indulgent, and undoubtedly a whopper in terms of calories. This, of course, translates to a mouth full of awesome that just keeps on giving. If it makes you feel better, eat it with some fresh banana sliced on the top and tell yourself you’re getting one of your five a day.

The humble sandwich will never be the same again.

An autumnal feast for the senses: lamb tagine

Though the summer we all waited so patiently for never materialised, autumn is already creeping in. The mornings are crisp, the nights are drawing in, and last night I wistfully put on a pair of socks for bed.

Though a good summer undoubtedly shakes off the cobwebs and gives me back my spark, I feel strangely reassured by the passage into autumn. Perhaps that’s because – as green leaves turn golden, and golden skin returns to fairer hue – I’ll finally know what to expect of each day. I’ll certainly be able to dress appropriately for the weather, at least. No more heading out to a blue-skied harbourside in shorts and sandals only to return a soaked sailor thanks to surprise, bulging rainclouds.

Of course, easing the transition into autumn is food that goes hand-in-hand with the colder seasons. Rich, red wine stews, warming soups, bramble-filled crumbles, chunky meat pies, and hearty puddings drowned in steaming hot custard.

Yesterday, as a chill crept into my living room, I wrapped myself in up in a blanket and lost myself in Isabel Allende’s Aphrodite; a beautifully-written, tantalising, and luxurious account of aphrodisiacs through the ages, peppered with anecdotes of love and lust – all punctuated with food. Allende’s pen dances like a prima ballerina from sensual Spanish sauces to saucy romantic encounters, and her passion is infectious. It’s a real feast for the senses.

With all the talk of exotic spices, slowly and lovingly crafted into meals that make the heart leap and the tastebuds tingle, I found myself craving one of my favourite dishes – lamb tagine.

I first made this about 18 months ago while I was going through something of a lamb obssession; an expensive habit, but one which brought me endless, unadulterated, succulent joy. Each bubbling cauldron I remove from the oven after 3 impatiently-passed hours is slightly different, depending on what I have in the cupboards and which spices I’ve inevitably failed to replenish. One thing’s for sure, though; every time I take that first bite, I know it was well worth the wait.

Lamb Tagine

Serves 4.

Ingredients

4-6 lamb leg steaks or 400-600g lamb neck fillet

1 medium onion

2 large cloves of garlic

1 & 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 can cherry tomatoes

1 large courgette, cut into chunks

1 medium butternut squash or sweet potato, cut into chunks

1 pint of lamb or chicken stock

50g dried apricots

1 tbsp ground almonds

2 tsp harissa

(alternatively, add smoked paprika, chilli, and 1 tbsp tomato puree)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground coriander

Cous cous and/or a hunk of fresh bread or your choosing to serve.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
   
2. Dice the onion and garlic. Chop the lamb into good-sized chunks, leaving all the lovely, flavoursome fat on.
3. Brown the lamb in half of the olive oil on a high heat for around 30 seconds, before transferring to a casserole dish/tagine.
4. Using the same pan, brown the onions and garlic in the rest of the oil with the spices for around five minutes until softened.
5. Add to the casserole dish. Stir in the cherry tomatoes, stock, and chop up the apricots and throw them in.
6. Pop it in the oven for at least 1 hr 30, preferably 2 hours.
7. Remove and add the chopped vegetables, ground almonds and a little water if needed.
8. Pop back into the oven for at least 30 mins, preferably 1 hour.

Pour yourself a glass of red wine, dunk something doughy and delicious, and enjoy an autumnal feast for the senses.

The Bake List no. 1: Tarte au Citron

When I first saw The Great British Bake Off advertised last year, I almost burst with excitement. My new-found obsession with baking meant I watched in awe every week,  simultaneously wishing I was competing and realising I was nowhere near good enough.

 

As I watched the contestants take on challenge after challenge – from bread, to pastries, macarons, celebration cakes, and pies, I decided to do something I’d been meaning to do for months: write The Bake List. Everyone’s got to have ambitions, right?

Like a jollier, cake-ier Bucket List, The Bake List is a list of all those things I want to take on, experiment, and challenge myself with in the near future. I know it’ll grow as time goes on, and I pore obsessively over recipes online and in my ever-growing mountain of books, but for now, here it is:

The Bake List

1. Tart au citron

2. Key lime pie

3. Bakewell pudding

4. Custard tart (my last attempt went disastrously wrong due to using a springform tin – silly girl!)

5. Hummingbird Brooklyn Blackout cake

6. Courgette bread

7. Rainbow layer cake

8. Bread: sourdough, sodabread, focaccia and a good white loaf

9. Whoopie pies

10. A cracking, hearty, homemade pie

11. Salted caramel cupcakes/macarons

12. Peanut butter cupcakes

The girl who bakes the boy who bakes

Last week, I got to work ticking off number one – Tarte au Citron.

I remembered seeing a picture perfect version of this on the website of last year’s Great British Bake-Off winner Edd Kimber (also know as ‘The Boy who Bakes’) a little while ago, so when the time came, his recipe (click here!) was my first port of call.

I haven’t played with pastry very much, apart from very simple mince pies last Christmas, so I was a little apprehensive. Thankfully, the whole point of The Bake List is to expand my horizons and boost my baking confidence!

After whipping up the pastry in my food processor (it’s as easy as pie, but don’t worry if you don’t have one, it just takes a little longer!), I blind-baked it. If you’re like me and grew up devoid of baked good, blind-baking is where the pastry is baked without filling to get a bit of a headstart and cook properly. You can buy special baking beans to lie on top of the pastry to stop it bubbling up in the oven, but I went down the simple route of covering in baking parchment and rice – does exactly the same job. Save the rice to use another time to avoid waste!

While the pastry was cooling, I gently whipped up the filling – a divine mixture of lemon juice and zest, caster sugar and double cream – before pouring into the cooled pastry case.

Thankfully, as I was simultaneously making macarons that night, I was so utterly exhausted I managed to keep myself horrifically busy – busy enough not to try a slice until it was almost cold.

I fell in lemony love. I was momentarily transported to a balcony overlooking an italian vineyard, the sunshine kissing my skin. The crumbly, almondy pastry, filled with zesty, silky smooth filling. It was heaven.

And then – as quick as the last mouthful disappeared – I was back on my sofa, frazzled, surrounded by beautiful, agonizingly small and time-consuming, macaron shells, waiting to be filled and united with their partners.

I took it into work and it was as big a hit there as it was for me. Sadly, the unusually full-house of staff meant we were left mourning the consequential lack of seconds.

As I embarked on a five hour drive home for the weekend, my mourning quickly came to an end. I was heading home with a box of 30 macarons

Cor limey! Coconut and lime cupcakes

Limes are just glorious, aren’t they? They’re so versatile. They can go with almost every drink under the sun, with fruit, with vegetables, with meat or fish. They seem to have a wonderful knack of making you feel a little bit livelier and of bringing the sunsine with them.

Naturally, they’re right at home making a zesty impression on a good dessert.

My boyfriend loves a bit of lime, and as we celebrated five years together this week, I thought I’d show my love by getting creative with these little green fellas. He’s been badgering me to make a key lime pie for weeks now, but after checking a couple of recipes and realising I’d probably gain half a stone just from weighing the ingredients, I decided to go another way.

I also had a pack of sugarpaste that was calling me from the cupboard. So follows my first attempt at working with sugarpaste for cupcakes. Next time, I’d probably roll it out a little thinner, as I’m not a huge lover of the taste of icing and I think cosmetically, it could be a little neater. But generally, I’m pleased, and I think they look rather cute!

Not so cute was my attempt at making a teddy bear with my leftover scraps. Evil dictator teddy bear birthday cake, anyone?

Yeah. Keep practicing, Laura.

Anyway! These cupcakes are zesty, lively and lovely. I added a few drops of green colouring for cosmetic value, but they’d be just as delicious without it.If I wasn’t a Weight Watcher, I’d have added a tablespoon or two of coconut milk to the frosting and played around with the quantities – one to try for yourself!

The base is adapted from the basic Hummingbird vanilla cupcakes, and they’re topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting and fondant icing toppers.

Coconut and lime cupcakes

Serves 8

For the base

135g plain flour

140g caster sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

40g unsalted butter, at room temperature

120ml whole milk

1 egg

Zest and juice of 1 lime

Coconut and lime frosting

115 g cream cheese

45g butter

100g icing sugar

Juice and zest of 1/2 a lime

2 tablespoons of dessicated coconut

1 or 2 tablespoons coconut milk (optional)

Method

1.  preheat the oven to 170 C (325 F)/Gas 32
2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lime zest and butter and beat slowly until you have a sandy texture. Beat in half of the milk until just incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, lime juice and and remaining milk, before pouring into the flour mixture and beating until incorporated. Give it a couple more minutes until smooth, but don’t overmix.
4. Spoon into paper cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the sponge springs back to your finger.
5. While they’re in the oven, crack on with the frosting. Cream together your cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Add lime juice and coconut milk (if using), before folding in the icing sugar and dessicated coconut. You can also add green food colouring if you like – a couple of drops will do.
6. Chill before using and make sure the cakes are completely cold before icing, or it will run straight off and make a gooey mess – I speak from experience!

A sweet surprise

I came back to Bristol this week from a short break in London after managing to bag a £1 room at the rather lovely Hoxton hotel in their pound sale (did I mention that I hold the title of Queen of Bargains?).

LOVED these cushions!

Exploring the local area, we headed for boutiquey, hipster-esque Spitalfields Market, perusing the cute dresses, jewellery and some rather fetching, uncannily similar, Cath Kidston-esque floral messenger bags (one of which I sadly didn’t nab and am now mourning). The eternal tourists, since we were in the area we wandered toward Brick Lane. I loved taking in the air, infused with a vast array of aromatic spices that seem to wrap around you and pull you toward windows, filled with everything from pakoras to beautiful pistachio-sprinkled pastries and over-the-top tier cakes with extravagent coloured piped frosting. With achey feet, we wandered towards the hotel and I spotted something that instantly brought a huge smile to my face – a sign pointing to The Hummingbird Bakery. If it’s possible, I felt a bit cake-struck (like being starstruck, but by amazing cakes). I, like many, have the book and dip into it regularly with yummy results. I was desperate to try the real thing and compare it to my own efforts. I loved the styling, layout, and feel of the place. It’s classy, colourful and chic – the perfect atmosphere for indulging a sweet tooth. And I’ve got a whole mouth of them. After much to-ing and fro-ing, we went for a rather large slice of the Red Velvet cake (always good to try out a contemporary classic) and a carrot cake cupcake – mainly because you have to spend £5 on a card, and a slice is £4.60 to take out, very crafty! The Red Velvet was a generous, beautifully burgundy, triple-layered slice, with fluffy, moist sponge, topped with a super-sweet cream cheese frosting, typifying the classic American style of baking. The frosting was possibly a little too sweet for me, but I wholeheartedly (and quickly) enjoyed it. The carrot cake cupcake arrived in the cutest little box I think I’ve ever seen, complete with tiny metal carry-handle. Not very environmentally-friendly, but it certainly added to the premium feel (and no doubt partially explained the premium price tag). Again, it was beautifully moist and light, with hints of cinnamon, a perfectly matched frosting, and an individual walnut to finish. A great thing that I took away from my visit – aside from two gorgeous pieces of cake – was a reassurance that the book was actually pretty true to the real thing, and that the cakes I’ve made myself weren’t far off the quality and taste of those produced at Hummingbird. A really wonderful feeling. So I’m off to peruse the book, drool a little, and figure out what treats I’ll be whisking up in the near future. If you’re a Hummingbird fan too, what have been your favourite things to bake?

Low-fat, low-sugar, lemony and…lovely?

I’m writing this to the soul-destroying background of Emmerdale, which will be followed by a torturous visit to Coronation Street.

This can mean only one thing; my darling motherbear is visiting. She’s also a recently-diagnosed diabetic, which posed an interesting challenge to a bake-aholic who likes nothing more than to welcome guests with a (large) slab of sugar-laden cake.

I tried searching for diabetic recipes, and I did find a few – some with granulated sweeteners, and others with honey or other substitutes. Some just had plain weird lists of ingredients. I’m not keen on the concept of artificial sweeteners – I get hideous images of gargantuan brain tumours just thinking about them – so I had a look on the Weight Watchers website instead, and found this low-sugar cake with only 4 propoints (160 cals) per serving; double win!

It’s definitely not the most delicious cake I’ve ever made, but for one with essentially a meringue base with a bit of flour, it’s pretty tasty – and quite light, too. Of course, a (low-fat) lemon cream-cheese frosting and tangy raspberries can hide a multitude of sins. Nevertheless, a rather lovely treat if you’re watching the waistline – and with only 75g of sugar, it could be a viable option for diabetics.

I would always recommend checking with the individual, though, as every diabetic is different in what they can and can’t eat.

Lemon and Raspberry cake

serves 9
Ingredients

• 75g caster sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 75g plain flour
• Zest of two lemons, squeeze of lemon juice
• 200g low-fat cream cheese
• 2 tbsp low-fat Greek Yogurt
• 2 tbsp lemon curd (this can be substituted for a good squeeze of lemon for less sugar)
• 75g raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 190/170 fan/Gas mark 5/and line a 9 inch square baking tin.
2. Whisk the eggs, sugar, salt, lemon juice and half of the lemon zest with an electric whisk for 5 minutes until thick, light and fluffy (just before they become meringue-like). I did this in a food processor with whisk attachments as my handheld is broken
3. Gently fold in the flour with a metal spoon and spoon into the tin.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes until firm but springy.
5. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese, yogurt, lemon curd and remaining lemon zest until smooth. Chill in the fridge until the cake has cooled.
6. Spoon over the frosting, smooth with a spatula, and decorate with the raspberries, pushing them down a little.

Very blackberry delicious – Blackberry and Hazelnut Brownies

I’m a sucker for a freebie; this week I drove to 4 different shops to buy a copy of a magazine with a voucher for a free Ikea double duvet cover in it, only to get the cover home and realise I have a king size duvet. *facepalm*

So when I pulled up outside my Weight Watchers meeting and spotted rich purple  clots of ripe blackberries, I knew I had to have ‘em. I even had an empty, freshly-washed tupperware box with my from my lunch at work. It was clearly meant to be.

Plucking the juicy berries from the brambles – trying (and failing) to avoid the nettles – brought back wonderful memories of going blackberry picking as a child with my parents.

Of filling up various buckets, tubs, and tins, and racing home with our crop, beaming ear-to-ear. And of squealing aswe washed them and woodlice and other creepy crawlies emerged – subdued and put out from being evicted from their plush purple homes.

The inevitable use for them at home was a crumble. That’s pretty much the only dessert my mother ever made – well, that and a packet-mix birds trifle. And don’t get me wrong, I love a crumble; I just felt such a sense of happiness at having reconnected with nature for the briefest of moments and actually foraged something that I wanted to make something a bit more special.

I scoured the web and found numerous possibilities: pies, muffins, loaf cakes, crumble cakes, and very nearly made these Blackberry and Coconut squares. But none of them really stood out for me. I also had a tiny bar of dark chocolate and a craving for something naughty. Which gave me the inspiration for these beauties.

I love the contrast of the tangy, juicy, berries, the full flavour of the dark chocolate, and the luxurious crunch added by the hazelnuts. I definitely did those berries justice – and then some!

Blackberry and Hazelnut Brownies

Yes, you did hear them right, they said 'EAT ME!'

Makes 9. Takes around 45 minutes.

8 Propoints/320 calories (approx.)

Ingredients

• 120g fresh or frozen blackberries
  
• 140g light margarine (or ideally glorious, rich, full-fat butter)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 150g plain flour
• 120 g caster sugar
• 60g light muscovado/light brown sugar
• 40g good quality dark chocolate
• 30g cocoa powder
• 40g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• 1tbsp Greek yogurt (I used low fat)
• 1tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat your oven to 190/170 fan/Gas mark 5 and line a square or rectangular tray-bake tin (I used a 9 inch square silicone tin).
2. Melt together your chocolate and butter on the hob, keeping a close eye so they don’t burn.
   

   Whisked lovingly by hand.

3. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, sugar, yogurt and vanilla in a large bowl until pale and fluffy.
4. Pour in your melted butter & chocolate and mix untilcombined.
5. Fold in your flour, cocoa, and half of the nuts and berries.
6. Pour into your tin, before dotting the rest of your berries and nuts on the top.
7. Bake for 20 minutes and check if they’re ready with a skewer – they are if it comes out clean. If not, give them another 5.

Let them cool for half an hour on a wire rack (if you can last that long),pour yourself a glass of cold milk, and enjoy.

My big fat Greek feast

I’ve just got back from a wonderfully relaxing week in Crete. Upon landing, I pretty much immediately missed the place; I missed the idyllic views, the crystal blue sea, and the glorious sunshine. But most of all, I missed the food.

With views like this, it's hard not to fall in love

Oh, the food. Mouthwatering salads with creamy, zingy, tzatziki. Sweetly spiced moussaka that seemed to be topped with clouds. Halloumi grilled to perfection and served with a drizzle of olive oil that tasted like it was squeezed between the thighs of Greek goddesses.

What I particularly love about Greek food is its simplicity; the focus on beautifully fresh ingredients, complimented by a handful of herbs and (usually) a good squeeze of lemon.

After a traumatizing flight that landed at 6.30am, I decided needed a feta fix. I headed off to the supermarket and happened to pick up some reduced lamb steaks, some feta, and two large pots of Greek yogurt. I popped to the grocers and got more fruit and vegetables than you can shake a stick at. And I went about creating my big fat Greek feast.

Since Greek food is so simple, there’s no real need for a recipe – just use your eyes and your nose (and a lick of the finger, when no one’s watching). But if you’d like a bit of inspiration, here’s my take on how to transport yourself to Hellenic heaven.

Mixed souvlaki

Makes 4 generous kebabs to serve 2 people. 

Simple, sexy souvlaki

• 2 lamb leg steaks
• 1 large chicken breast
• 2-3tbsp good quality extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tbsp oregano
• Salt & black pepper
• half of one fresh or pinch of dried chilli flakes – if you like it hot!

1. Slice the meat into generous strips or chunks, and layer them in separate dishes
2. drizzle with olive oil. Season generously.
3. Finely chop garlic, and add to the meat along with the herbs and chilli – I  added thisjust  to the chicken ’cause we’re a chilli fanatic household.
4. Leave to marinate for as long as you can hold off – ideally 3-4 hours or – even better – overnight.
5. Grill on a medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes on each side or until cooked through

While your meat is marinating, get stuck into preparing your quick, easy, and essential accompaniments

Tzatziki

• 200g Greek yoghurt
• Half a cucumber
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil.
• 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• sprinkle of paprika
• 1 clove finely-grated garlic
• 1 tsp dill

1. Peel and finely grate your cucumber. Wrap in a muslin cloth to drain off the water, or press down hard on it in the bottom of a bowl. Season with sea salt and black pepper to help remove excess water and avoid watery tzatziki.
2. Leave it for a few minutes, before adding to the yogurt. Throw in your olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, dill, and mix.
3. Sprinkle over your paprika, et voila!

And don’t forget your beautful, fresh Greek salad – toss together fresh tomatoes, cucumber, thinly-sliced peppers, lettuce if you fancy it. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, crumble over some feta cheese and squeeze over a tablespoon or two of lemon juice.

Who knew a simple salad could taste so good?

And there you have it; an easy, delicious Greek feast, fit for the gods. I can’t promise that it’ll come with a spectacular view, or even a glimmer of sunshine, but it’s almost certain to make you feel sunshiney inside. Yiamas!

Ripe for the baking

Any number of things can inspire me to get my baking hat  on. A special occasion, a special friend, a risky peruse of my many cookbooks, or just a dreary Sunday.

This time it was the sight of three very ripe bananas.

Forget peas and carrots, it's all about tea and cake

Suitably revolted by them sitting on their desks looking dejected, my colleagues were about to throw ‘em. The old saying ‘waste not, want not’ popped into my head – my mother’s favourite and undoubtedly one that’s helped to make me bootylicious over the years -  and I scooped them up and saved them from the bin.

Despite being very ripe – and I’m talking almost completely black – these kept fine in the fridge for another couple of days until I was ready to use them for a Sunday afternoon treat for a friend who was popping round. You can also freeze them, if you’re that way inclined.

This recipe is quick and easy peasy banana squeezy. It’s also positively angelic at just 4 propoints each (around 150 calories). Which is why, yesterday, I ate three of these bad boys.

It’s not my fault; they’re just so moreish. Squishy, sweet and light all rolled into one.

Don’t believe me? Give them a whirl and see if you can refuse seconds…

I got a lotta love for these beauties

Easy Peasy Banana Muffins

Makes 12 – takes 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 200g plain flour
• 100g caster sugar
• 50g light muscovado sugar (or light brown sugar)
• 1 egg
• 3 large ripe bananas (blacker the better!)
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• 75g light margarine, melted

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180/Gas 4/150 fan & line a 12-hole muffin tin
2. Mash up your bananas in a mixing bowl – should be easy if they’re nice and ripe.
3. Add your egg, sugar and melted butter to the mashed banana
4. Sift your flour, baking powder and bicarb into the mixture and then fold it in until smooth.
5. Spoon evenly into baking cases (around 4/5 full).
6. Pop into the oven and check after 15 minutes – they should be light and spring back when touched. If too soft, pop in for another 5-10 minutes, keeping a close eye on them.

Et voila! A super-easy, low-fat treat that’s great for breakfast or snuggled on the sofa with a cup of tea.