Soy sauce experts Kikkoman want to know how you use their soy sauce to perk up your food.

If you love soy sauce make a quick video of how you use Kikkoman and you could be off to Japan on an exclusive trip for two!

Simply upload your video to youtube and submit all the details to the Kikkomania site.

There have been some fab funny and quirky entries so far, so why not join in the fun?

You can join if you are 18 years or older

Competition closes 4th June 2012

This is a sponsored post.

Warburtons have recently added two naan breads to their range, which they have developed alongside Michelin starred chef Atul Kochhar.   I appreciate that many people are highly skeptical of chefs working alongside brands to develop products, but I honestly believe that the majority of top chefs are not going to risk their reputation for a financial reward.   These naan breads are very good.  Pillowly soft, bubbly and delicious; they have a shelf life of a week and freeze well.   I do make naan bread, but they are tricky to get perfect in a domestic oven so it makes sense to buy them.

At the launch of the product Atul told the assembled company that he had served the breads in his restaurant once when their gas was off and they could not cook their naan from scratch.  That is pretty conclusive product endorsement in my opinion.

Because the breads are square, they are more versatile than the traditional tear drop shaped bread, and thus are great for rolling or wrapping.  I topped mine with dal and homemade paneer, baked and served with mango chutney and tzatziki for a delicious lunch.   Do not skip the wedge of lime, the squeeze of juice makes the dish; again, lime wedges can be frozen and will defrost whilst the naan pizza is cooking.

If you do not want to make your own paneer any soft mildly flavoured cheese would work well in its place.

Recipe: Naan Bread Lentil Dal Pizza

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 Large Naan bread – or plain pizza base

For the dal
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp curry powder
1 small dried chilli
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp turmeric
Seeds from 2 cardamom pods
1 tbs vegetable oil
70z / 200g / 1 cup red lentils
vegetable stock
Few sprigs of fresh coriander – mine was in the freezer

Tomato – optional
Spring onion – finely sliced

Place all the spices into a grinder and grind to a fine powder.     Heat the oil over a medium heat and fry the spices for a minute.  Add the lentils and stir well.  Add about 1 pint of vegetable stock and all to simmer until the lentils are soft and have broken down into a thick paste.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the paneer
1 pint / 550ml milk
Juice half a lemon

Mix the milk and lemon in a saucepan and heat to a simmer.  The milk will curdle.  Strain through a muslin cloth, gather the curds into a ball inside the cloth and squeeze well.  Wrap in a clean tea towel and press underr a chopping board with a few tins of beans on.

To finish

Place the naan on to a pizza stone or baking tray and spread the dal across.   If you wish top with a thinly sliced tomato and the spring onion.  Crumble the paneer over the lentils.

Bake in a pre heated oven GM6 / 200C / 400F until piping hot.    Serve with mango chutney and a wedge of lime.

Many thanks to Warburtons for asking me to the launch of their naan breads and for the samples.

Comfort food calls, and last Sunday I was craving a roast chicken for supper.   Living in central London with 24 hour shops within a 5 minute walk, I rarely menu plan as I far prefer to decide what to eat on the day.   It being Sunday my local butcher was closed and it took a few shops to find a free range chicken.    Instead of serving with roast potatoes I cooked my chicken on a bed of lentils and beans, both are packed with protein so it is a great way to eek out a smaller bird to feed more people.  As the bird roasts it is also partially steamed, with the result that the meat is wonderfully moist.

The lentil and bean mix is very rich as it absorbs all of the chicken fat, if you are feeling health conscious you could skim some of the fat off before adding them; or simply add extra so you have leftovers for another day.    I cook my own beans from dried and then freeze them, any tinned beans rinsed well would work well.  Once cooked scoop some of the beans and lentils into a pot and blitz with a stick blender before returning them to the pan and stirring in, this thickens and gives a lovely creamy consistency to them.  Delicious.

I used Rose Harissa from Steenbergs.  Their spices are top-notch quality, intensely flavoured and the range is organic and Fairtrade as far as possible.   I far prefer using a dry mix that will live happily in the cupboard once opened, rather than a paste that goes off quickly.   I also love that the Steenbergs range is in jars that are wide enough to stack well (preventing the cascade of spice jars falling from the cupboard) and designed to be able to get a spoon into.

Left over beans and lentils freeze well.  Use as a base for soups, or in a burger bun with mayo and ketchup for a very sloppy, but delicious, sloppy Joe.

Recipe: Harissa Roast Chicken with Beans & Lentils

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 medium free range chicken
1 tbs butter – softened
1-2 tsp harissa powder
1/2 lemon cut into wedges
Glug light olive oil
Salt & Pepper

1 tin of beans – drained and rinsed – I used black eyed
1 mug of green or puy lentils
1 cloves garlic – finely chopped
1 pint chicken or vegetable stock

Pop the lemon wedges into the chicken’s cavity and place in a roasting tin with a glug of oil.

Mix the butter and harissa together and rub well into the bird’s breast.   Season with salt and pepper.

Cooking time will be about 20 minutes per pound (450g), plus another half hour at GM5 / 375F / 190C.  Put the bird into the oven to cook.

40 minutes before the end of cooking time scatter the garlic, lentils and beans around the chicken and cover them with the stock.   Return to the oven.

Keep an eye on it, you may need to add more stock, or put a piece of foil over the bird to prevent the breast over-cooking.

When ready the lentils will be soft and most of the stock would have been absorbed.    Place the bird onto a carving board and cover with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes.    Pour any juices into the lentil and bean mix.   To thicken the lentils and beans simply blitz some to a paste and return to the pan and stir through.

Gok Cooks Chinese is Gok Wan’s first cookery book and is accompanied by a Channel 4 series. It contains 82 recipes under the headings: Chinese Takeaway Classics, Dim Sum, Favourite Wan Family Dishes, Chinese Classics, Street Food, Feasting, One-Pot Wonders and Modern Dishes. There are concise and clear sections to explain ingredients and essential equipment.

The recipes are straightforward and work well. Preparation and cooking times are fair – although I needed more time for careful chopping – but with over half the dishes do-able in less than 30 minutes, there are many realistic mid-week options. Photographs are simply styled and provide both incentive and guidance. In terms of ingredients, the basics are readily available and did not take up as much cupboard space as I expected. There are many recipes which would need a trip to a Chinese supermarket for authenticity, but alternatives are given and, particularly helpfully, there is advice on when it is just not worth trying to substitute.

From the perspective of someone who loves Chinese food yet somehow does not end up cooking it, Cooking with Gok was a revelation. Intensely-flavoured yet fresh dishes kept on emerging and the absence of the dreaded MSG aftertaste that usually heaps regret onto the end of a take-away evening was striking. I felt particular pride after my first attempt (Beef in Easy Tomato Sauce) which just happened to be a Saturday-night sofa meal and looked and tasted authentic, albeit without rain-sodden shoes kicked off nearby. As suggested, I paired Soy-Glazed Chicken with Spicy Cucumber and Spring Onion Salad and have found a quick, fresh and delicious meal which I will come back to again and again. I struggled with Aromatic Aubergine and Mushrooms to fit the aubergine into the sauce as it cooked, but the taste of my thinned-down version was great. Spicy Stir-Fried Prawns with Cashew Nuts was delicious and, despite the luxury of so many nuts, it was of course still cheaper than the typical take-away version. And anyone looking for a fast, delicious and truly healthy meal, the very last recipe in the book – Steamed Cod with Tenderstem Broccoli – is a must.

I have given Cooking with Gok a fuss-free rating of ****+. It delivers a broad range of accessible, straightforward and seriously tasty dishes as well as some challenges for rainy days. Gok’s popularity in other fields and the forthcoming TV series are likely to encourage those new to cooking Chinese food to have a go and if Cooking with Gok does not create a legion of happy converts, I can’t imagine what would.

Gok Cooks Chinese

Fuss Free Rating ****+

Gok Cooks Chinese is published by Michael Joseph, cover price £20

Thank you to Michael Joseph for the review copy which I gave to Fiona for the review.

My father’s favourite clue (he also does not do the cryptic crossword) is “Shiny Trousers? (15)”, the answer of course is “Notwithstanding”.   I was once very chuffed with myself when I sussed that “It’s a sad little motorcycle (5)” was “Moped”, but on the whole word games are not really my thing, although whilst cooking this I did come up with “This Asian fungus really has a laugh at your expense (8)”. 

“Shiitake” Yes – I know really not a good clue, but my thinking was that taking the shiitake was a step beyond taking the piss…   As I said word games are not my thing, and I am not expecting a glittering career as a crossword compiler on the strength of this blog post.

This dish came about last weekend when Radio 4′s Food Programme featured seaweed, which I adore, but have never really mentioned on the blog.   I suspect the nearest most people get to seaweed is as a sheet of nori around their sushi rolls and it is something that does not really feature in most diets, which is a shame.  If you have not tried seaweed then do give it a go, I am certain you will be surprised.

Seaweed or (a more digestible sounding) sea vegetables are packed with nutrients and minerals.  My favourite pick me up is a mug of miso soup sprinkled with sea vegetables and a dash of soy sauce, which I find incredibly restorative, and is just the ticket for the morning after the night before.

I get most of my Japanese ingredients from Clearspring, I find them top quality, the products are organic where they can be, and the misos and tamaris are delicious and made by Japanese artisans with centuries old methods.  They have a fairly comprehensive guide to the benefits of sea vegetables on their website too.

This dish is inspired by this tamari pasta with pak choi that I blogged almost two years ago, after having first met the Clearspring team at a food show.  I used Clearspring’s Sea Salad – a mix of dulse, sea lettuce and nori.  It rehydrates almost instantly and is also wonderful sprinkled over a green salad with a miso dressing.

Recipe: Shiitake Mushroom and Seaweed Noodles

Serves 2

10 dried shiitake mushrooms – pre soaked in boiling water for 20 minutes, drained and sliced
2 bundles of noodles – cooked as per packet instructions
1 tbs toasted sesame oil
2 spring onions sliced
1 tbs tamari or dark soy sauce
1 tbs dried seaweed flakes

In a large pan fry the sliced shiitake mushrooms and spring onions in the sesame oil.  When softened add the tamari and cooked noodles and stir until the noodles are coated.

Stir through the seaweed and serve immediately.

Season with extra soy sauce or tamari to taste.

My latest loaf is somewhat akin to a fruit and nut bar in bread form, although the chocolate is subtle and comes from cacao nibs baked into the loaf.

Cacao nibs are little pieces of unrefined chocolate, the main ingredient that is used with the addition of cacao butter, sugar and other ingredients to make bar chocolate.  They are hard, crunchy and bitter, with an intense hit of pure chocolate, my little pot came from Hotel Chocolat.  The baking somewhat softens and mellows them; I was surprised at just how well this loaf worked.

Delicious thickly spread with speculoos or a black cherry jam for breakfast or at tea time.

Recipe: Almond, Raisin and Chocolate Loaf

Makes 1 medium loaf (lasts the 2 of us 2 days)

Ingredients

300ml warm water
1 heaped tsp yeast (dried active – I used the one for hand baking)
300g strong white flour
175g strong brown bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbs oil – olive / rapeseed / hemp etc.
Generous handful raisins
Generous handful almonds – roughly chopped
Heaped tbs cacao nibs – or coursely grated chocolate

Pour the water into bowl, add the yeast and swirl to it is dissolved.  Add the other ingredients.

Knead with the dough hook attachment of your mixer on the lowest speed for about 4 minutes until a smooth stretchy dough has formed (if you knead by hand it will take longer).

Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for a few hours or  in the fridge overnight. It should more than double in size.

In the morning turn out onto a floured board and gently knock the dough back. Shape the loaf,  lace in an oiled and floured 1lb loaf tin.  Leave somewhere warm until doubled in size again.

Place in a preheated oven at GM7 / 220C / 425F and bake for about 40 minutes.   For a crustier loaf place a small dish of water in the oven under the loaf.

When it is done it should turn out of the tin and sound hollow when tapped.  It always takes longer to bake than you think it will, so my general rule of thumb is that if you are unsure give it another 5 mins.

The very pretty tea towel in the photos is from the Hope & Greenwood Homewares Collection.

Thanks to both Hotel Chocolat and Hope & Greenwood for samples.

Sending to this month’s We Should Cocoa where the theme is almonds, hosted this month by Laura at How to Cook Good Food.

And to Yeastspotting…

I rather suspect that the UK baking-blogsphere is going to go into overdrive with red, white and blue bakes for the Queen’s  forthcoming Diamond Jubilee celebrations.   I will certainly be whipping out the food colouring at some point, but here is a more natural bake, with the red, white and blue provided by raspberries, white chocolate and blueberries, and flavour from rose water.

The long Jubilee holiday and celebrations are actually marking the start of the 60th year after the actual Coronation, held in 1953, rather than the date of HM’s 60 years on the throne.    (She actually became Queen on the 6th February 1952 and the Coronation was 16 months later).

I am a huge fan of the humble, and under rated madeleine, almost invariably the ones you make at home taste far better than the ones that you buy – they are best consumed within 5 minutes of leaving the oven – they are highly photogenic (as better demonstrated in this post) and as you can make the batter in advance and leave it in the fridge for several days, it enables you to make fresh madeleines in the time it takes the oven to heat up and then to bake.

I was hoping that it would be clear which madeleines were which flavour, but of course the blueberries, raspberries and white chocolate drops sank into the batter, leading to a game of Madeleine Roulette with the finished cakes.   If you want the fillings to be visible then poke a few berries and chocolate drops onto them after 8 minutes in the oven.  If you do not have a madeleine tray then make them in fairy cake cases instead.

Due to a lack of kitchen cupboard space I “caster” my own sugar from granulated using a tip my mother taught me.   Simply put into your (clean) coffee or spice grinder and grind for the length of time it takes to say “Caster Sugar” or, I suppose, “Abracadabra”.

Recipe: Red, White and Blue Jubilee Madeleines

Makes 24

2 large eggs
90g caster sugar
100g plain flour
½ Tsp baking powder
75g butter – melted and cooled
1 tsp rose water
Pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter)

Raspberries, Blueberries and White Chocolate drops

Whisk the eggs and sugar together until they have doubled in size and are light and fluffy. Slowly fold in the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the rose water. Slowly add in the melted butter, gently folding all the time. When mixed cover the bowl and put in the fridge for at least 30 mins, the batter should be foamy and full of air.

Cover and leave in the fridge for at least an hour to chill.

Put a dollop of the mixture into a well buttered madeleine tray, each mould should be about 2/3 full.  Sprinkle with berries or white chocolate drops.

Place in an oven at 375F/ 190C/ GM 5 for around 10 – 12  minutes until risen, golden and shrinking away from the edges of the mould.

Leave for a few minutes and then turn out.

The Madeleines are best enjoyed when still warm and crisp on the outside. They can be stored for a day but will lose that just cooked crisp outside.

The fantastic I Love UK Cake Stand, place mats and bunting are all from Premier Housewares.

I am sending my red, white and blue madeleines to Fleur’s Jubilee Baking Competition (sponsored by Appliances on Line (link))

And to Tea Time Treats where this month the theme is floral, hosted by Karen.

Breakfast Club has come home to Fuss Free Flavours this month and I am belatedly getting the announcement up.

World Fairtrade Day will be held this year on the 12th May, so what better theme for Breakfast Club than Fairtrade?

I am also delighted to have a prize of some Fairtrade coffee and teas donated by Steenbergs, who sell a vast range of organic and Fairtrade spices and teas and all manner of other ethical goods.

To take part, simply make a breakfast using one of more Fairtrade items!

• Mention Breakfast Club in your post and use the logo
• Add your entry to the linkie below
• Link to this post and the Breakfast Club page
• You are welcome to send in old recipes, but please add the information above and republish
• Entries can be sent to other events, but please respect their rules
• If you tweet please tweet using #blogbreakfastclub and mention me @fussfreeflavour
• Deadline 6th June 2012

Steenbergs will choose their favourite Fairtrade breakfast and send the prize out.

I am looking for hosts for August and beyond so please give me a shout if you would like to take part (helen at fussfreeflavours dot com)

My corn was from ZaraMama – named after the Incan Goddess of Grain – they stock a dozen different types of corn, with exotic and tasty sounding names such as creamy crunch, fiery amber and pink blossom.  A 90g bag costs just over £1 which will make two huge bowls full, still a bargain.

Delicious and morerish Speculoos spread is hard to describe, I only discovered it on my last trip to France.  It is Lotus biscuit paste in a jar.   Spicy and caramalised (remarkably Lotus biscuits account for a massive 20% of biscuit consumption in their home county of Belgium).  Perfect spread on toast, pancakes in cakes or sometimes it begs to be eaten straight from the jar with a spoon standing in front the still open cupboard.

Whenever I mention Speculoos on twitter I am sent a barrage of replies extolling its virtues and deliciousness, but, bizarrely it does not seem to be stocked by any of the UK supermarkets – I think we need a twitter campaign to lobby them to get it in store, although I wonder if it will lose at least some of its allure if its scarcity value goes?   I bought back 4 pots from France last November, carefully swaddled in a fleece at the bottom of my suitcase and have been rationing them ever since.   If you crave the taste, but do not have a jar of the paste, Steenbergs have a Koekkruidden spice blend which will give you the flavour at least.

Today I opened my last jar to make the popcorn, heaven in a bowl.

Recipe: Speculoos Popcorn

Serves 2

Scant glug vegetable oil
2oz / 1/4 cup popcorn

1 heaped tbs Speculoos Spread
1 heaped tbs butter
Good pinch sea salt

Place the oil and popcorn in a pan with a well fitting lid and put on a medium / high heat.   Swirl the pan every 20 seconds or so.    When the corn starts to pop turn the heat right down.

Meanwhile, melt the Speculoos spread and butter together and stir well, adding  sea salt to taste.

When the corn is popped pour the Speculoos sauce over and mix well.

Sit down with a good film and scoff

My translation of the ingredients seem to suggest the Speculoos is both egg and diary free, so substitute a non diary spread for a vegan adaptation.

One of the most frightening books that I have ever read is John Christoper’s The Death of Grass, which describes a future world in which a new strain of virus kills off grass.    It does not sound too bad, until you realise that rice, wheat and barley are all types of grass, and with the death of grass comes famine, the complete breakdown of civilisation and survival of those willing to kill.

As part of my degree I studied crop science, and was told that a huge percentage of rice grown in the world is from just a few strains.   I am all for selective breeding of crops; drought resistance, saline resistance and shorter stems can all be desirable characteristics, but creating a monoculture also increases the risk of one variety of a crop being susceptible to, or decimated by pest or disease.

The topic could easily take up several blog posts, and is something that I would like to return to in the future, but I was reminded of The Death of Grass, and associated potential problems of monocultures when I bought a packet of Doves Farm Einkorn flour.

Doves Farm have devoted a great deal of time and resources into growing Einkorn and turning it into a commercial crop.   Einkorn was the original wheat, first developed over 20,000 years ago.   Its yield is lower than modern wheats, and consequently it costs more.  It is a golden colour, and the flour smells of fresh hay.  Who knows what properties are locked into its genome that could benefit modern wheat and farmers?   I feel we should be profoundly thankful to Doves Farm for resurrecting this grain and making it available to us.

Einkorn Flour Bag - Photo from Doves Farm

I have to confess that I did not get on that well with the einkorn the first time I made bread with it, I used 100% and the loaf was heavy and vaguely worthy.    This time I mixed it with some standard bread flour and the resulting loaf was a huge success – full of substance without being heavy, an even crumb, and a lightly nutty toasted flavour.  I am a convert and will be trying it in cakes and a pizza base.

I am rarely taken by surprise by a product, but the Natural Selection Californian raisins did just that.  On the packet I was promised “deliciously sweet jumbo raisins with a beautiful crimson colour”, and in the manner of Ronseal doing exactly what it says on the tin, they did exactly what it said on the packet and more.   These raisins really are jumbo; I would venture to say woolly mammoth sized  – most are larger than my thumbnail – and are indeed the most glorious crimson colour and totally delicious.  A handful was perfect to add to the loaf.

Recipe: Heritage Einkorn Loaf with Crimson Raisins

Makes 1 medium loaf (lasts the 2 of us 2 days)

Ingredients

300ml warm water
1 heaped tsp yeast (dried active – I used the one for hand baking)
275g strong white flour
175g einkorn flour
1 vitamin C tablet – finely ground with a spoon of the flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbs oil – olive / rapeseed / hemp etc.
Generous handful raisins

Pour the water into bowl, add the yeast and swirl to it is dissolved.  Add the other ingredients.

Knead with the dough hook attachment of your mixer on the lowest speed for about 4 minutes until a smooth stretchy dough has formed (if you knead by hand it will take longer).

Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight. It should more than double in size.

In the morning turn out onto a floured board and gently knock the dough back.  Place in an oiled and floured 1lb loaf tin.  Leave somewhere warm until doubled in size again.

Place in a preheated oven at GM7 / 220C / 425F and bake for about 40 minutes.   For a crustier loaf place a small dish of water in the oven under the loaf.

When it is done it should turn out of the tin and sound hollow when tapped.  It always takes longer to bake than you think it will, so my general rule of thumb is that if you are unsure give it another 5 mins.

Sending this to this month’s…

Bake Your Own Bread – hosted by Girlichef…

.. and to Yeastspotting.

… and this month’s Fresh From the Oven where the host is Sarah, with a challenge of Fruit Breads.

… and Alphabakes, run by Ros and Caroline, this month the letter is H (hosted by Caroline), which fits perfectly with heritage wheat

I firmly believe that if you eat a wide variety of food, which has not been mucked about with, and you heap the fruit and vegetables onto your plate, then you cannot really go far wrong with your diet?

Bit by bit for various reasons we are eating less and less animal products (this is discussion for another post) but fish is a weekly treat.   I make sure that the fish we eat is sustainable, preferably approved by the Marine Stewardship Council, for a guilt free and delicious meal.

In this easy sea bass dish, I simply fried the bass and served it on a bed of wilted greens which I had tossed in some olive oil infused with Asian spices.    Speedy, delicious and deceptively simple.  To make preparation even quicker you can make the infused oil the evening before.   I would serve this for a weekday supper, or visit the Chinese supermarket for a selection of Asian green veggies, and serve with some steamed jasmine rice and some top quality soy sauce for a slightly grander meal. Adjust spices and seasonings in the olive oil to your taste.

Like this recipe I am aiming for super speedy blog posts, so here we go.

Recipe: Sea Bass with Asian Greens

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic – smashed
Handful coriander – including the stalks*
2 dried chillies
2 star anise
Few strips of lemon zest
Slice or two of fresh ginger
Pinch cumin
1/4 cup / 60 ml light olive oil

Knob of butter
2 fillets of sea bass – mine were from the Saucy Fish company

Large pile assorted greens – cabbage, broccoli, pak choi, spring onions.

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

Place garlic, herbs and spices into a small pan and cover with the oil and gently heat.  From time to time give the solid ingredients a good bash with a wooden spoon to extract as much flavour as possible.   Once infused strain and set to one side.

Meanwhile shred your greens, place in a colander and pour a kettle of boiling water over them to wilt them.

Melt the butter and a tiny glug of oil together in a frying pan on a medium heat.  Once hot fry the sea bass skin side down for 3 minute, flip and fry for another 2 or 3 minutes.

Once the sea bass goes in the pan heat the remainder of the infused oil in a wok and add the greens.  Toss together for a few minutes.

Serve the fish on top of the greens. Garnish with a slice of lemon and some shredded spring onion.

*I often free stalks when using the leaves for something else.

Many thanks to Fish is the Dish and the Saucy Fish company for my Sea Bass.   Here is another fuss free fish recipe – Baked cod with antipasti.

Good Heavens have been making yogurt in Middlesex for over 20 years.  The drinking yogurt range has 10 flavours, 4 organic, 6 non organic.

All are probiotic, nicely sour, and the drinks are thick, but not so thick that you feel you are missing out on the remains coating the inside of the bottle.

Salted Caramel

Yum yum yum and delicious were our first reactions. Great caramel and salt, neither too intense, balanced by the sharp, slightly sour yogurt. Great flavour balance and nice length of aftertaste.

Lemon & Poppy Seed

Delicious fresh, zesty and citrus filled. Refreshing and the yogurt was nicely sour. Poppy seeds looked good but were superfluous, getting stuck in the teeth.

Apple & Pear

This did not rock my boat. Small chunks of apple and pear, that somehow tasted slightly chemical to me. I love pears, but tend to not like pear in things.

Vanilla

Fairly neutral, with a subtle flavour – maybe some flecks of vanilla seed would have improved appearance.

Strawberry

Fruity and fresh.  Tasted just as it should have natural freshly picked strawberries.

RRPs of £1.69/£2.10 respectively.  The drinks are now available in 230 Tesco Express and Metros – other stockists Selfridges; Harrods; Sourced Market (St. Pancras); Whole Foods Market; the Camden Food Company (8 London train stations, plus Birmingham and Leeds) and As Nature Intended.

Thank you to Good Heavens for my samples.

Happy St George’s Day! Have a St George’s fairy cake decorated with English glace icing.

I was going to bake “properly” for St George, but time ran out.  Happily I had “emergency” fairy cakes and the freezer and mixing up a batch of glace icing is both speedy and fuss free.   Also there are all sorts of new and exciting filters within Picasa which have gone someway to almost rescuing my photo.

The board and tea towel are samples for my planned Jubilee Food extravaganza!

Board is stocked by Top Gourmet & Mad About the Pad.

Tea Towel is one of a set of 3 from Sabichi, £6.

A plan for an afternoon in Richmond was scuppered by the dreaded planned engineering works, so we decided to check out Chiswick instead. Wandering up the High Road, we came across the second branch of Union Jacks to open, after the Covent Garden launch site. I have to admit that not being one with my ear to the restaurant grapevine, I was unaware of the launch of Jamie Oliver’s latest chain.

Union Jacks comes across as a sort of British take of a New York pizzeria: the interior features lots of plain brick walls/heavy wooden furniture/industial tiles with various nods to a studied “quirky British” vibe: colour by numbers flying ducks painted on the walls, vintage (re-screened) televisions playing British classic TV shows and so on. It feels a little as if the stylists spent a little too much time overdosing in and on a branch of Jack Wills (or whatever the new Jack Wills is) before coming up with the mood board for Union Jacks. To me, it’s all a bit too studied and trying too hard. Perhaps I’m being too cynical?  Their website is similarly styled – why is there a video for a 1980′s Shake n Vac advertisement displayed?

The Britishness thing runs over into the menu; for a first course, we shared a plate of “Bycatch fish fingers” – pieces of various fish, deep fried in batter and which came with a rich tartare sauce. The bulk of the main courses aren’t called pizzas, as they would be at any other restaurant – because that is surely what they are – but “flats”, cooked in a wood fired oven. Flavour combinations are also a step away reflect the Britishness of the whole venture – I had a fish pie flat (Smoked pollock, heritage potatoes, sweet leeks & Welsh cockles), while H went for the Old Spot (Roast shoulder of pig, quince & Bramley sauce, Cropwell Bishop Stilton, crackling & watercress). Our opinion was that of these two, the fish was the winner, but I’m not sure whether either would compare well to a more traditional Italian offering. We didn’t’ try the “Margaret” – the Union Jacks version of a Margarita.  Overall the pizzas were good, but doughy and slightly failed to live up to the big flavours promised in the menu.

We chose a couple of scoops each of ice cream for pudding; I enjoyed Earl Grey tea and biscuits, while H went for the sticky toffee, and marathon (Snickers). The tea, in particular, was good, with clear bergamot notes featuring. Our bill came to £40; we drank only water.

Clientele were mixed, couples, families, friends.  Service was friendly and keen, but slowed as the meal progressed.  Staff were unflappable even when H threw a glass on the floor whilst snapping the puds.    The loos were clean and bright, naturally housing Thomas Crapper’s finest lavatory pans.

Overall, this is an interesting venture from Jamie. It is impressive that he is launching a high street chain with a strong focus on sourcing British ingredients; details of all the suppliers are on the menu. However, I’m not sure that at the moment, Union Jacks isn’t a triumph of concept over cooking. We will watch with interest to see how the chain develops.

Union Jacks, 4 Central St. Giles Piazza & Chiswick High Road, London

Here are a few things that I have recently (and not so recently) enjoyed, which I never got round to mentioning and consequentially I am currently feeling the guilt over.

Procook

Image from Procook

To a non-cook it seems a small and unimportant thing, but to a cook the right wooden spoon is really important.  They have to feel just right, be the right weight and the right shape.    I was sent some bits from Procook earlier in the year and one item was the perfect beech wood spoon at only £1.25.    Also in the range are saucepans with clever integral drainers in the lids – fab for saving on washing up – although I thought that they had very long handles, and were too bulky for my small amount of storage space.

Serious Pig

Image from Serious Pig

British made Serious Pig snacking salami is delicious and free range.   It comes in 2 flavours, original and spiced.   Perfect on picnics or with a beer.   Stockists are listed here.

British Tilapia

Image from The Fish Company

I love the idea of sustainable British farmed Tilapia.  Sadly I did not really get on with it that well, but would quite like another go.  My top tip would be to always buy it filleted, the skin and bones are incredibly tough.   Do give it a go if you get the chance however.

Mr Trotter’s

Image from Mr Trotter's

Are the best pork scratchings I have ever had.  Salty, crunchy and perfectly porky.   The packet did not last long.   Available at Selfridges at £1.89 a packet.

Hotel Chocolat Purist Bars

Image from Hotel Chocolat

I make little secret of the fact that I rather like Hotel Chocolat.  I love the Purist bars, which are made from a variety of beans and strengths of chocolate.   They are an ideal range to start with for learning how to taste chocolate, and just how difference it can be.  Jasmine, tobacco, leather, dried fruit, vanilla and coconut can all be used to describe chocolate.  £6 a 50g bar, great value as if you think about your tasting you eat less.

World Foods Fusion of Flavours

The days of the Asian takeaway are long gone in the Fuss Free home.  World Foods do a fantastic range of authentic bottled and jarred sauces.  Simply marinade, or add to vegetables and protein and away you go.  Healthier and cheaper than a delivery, and with a microwave rice steamer (see below) supper will be on the table before the delivery arrives.

Chocolate Philadelphia

Image from Philadelphia

Delicious!  You could do all sorts of things with this; chocolate cream cheese frosting, use it in toasties with marshmallows or bananas, make a chocolate cheesecake, spread on pancakes.  I intended to cook with it, but soon ate it from the tub with a spoon whilst standing in front of the fridge.

Lakeland Microwave Rice Steamer

Image from Lakeland

This is one of my favourite bits of kitchen kit, and is the only way I ever cook rice.  Simply put rice into the inner steamer basket, pour boiling water over and microwave, then rinse by pouring a kettle of boiling water over. Easy, and brown rice only takes 14 minutes.   I think if I did not have one I would not cook rice.  Buy one! Microwave Rice Steamer, Lakeland, £10.49.

Thanks to Lakeland for replacing my previous steamer when I cracked it by slamming the cupboard door closed.

Mermaid Cake Tins

Image From Mermaid

I  love my new Mermaid cake tin made from hard anodised aluminium, it is reassuringly solid, scratch resistant and non stick.  All the range can be used in either the oven or hob.  I’ll be going to Mermaid when I replace my roasting tins.   Stay tuned for my Jubilee bake using this tin.  Stocked by Amazon, John Lewis and Lakeland.

Grain Gourmet

Image from Grain Gourmet

We love these freeze dried packs of grains, with added seeds, vegetables and stock.   Simply add water, simmer then fork through some butter or olive oil.   The range includes seeded cous cous, Basmati with chickpeas & sweet potato, Bulgar wheat with red pepper and pearled spelt with mushroom & leek.  Great introduction to grains, serve with veggies for a light meal.  Perfect for self catering weekends away, camping etc.

Many thanks for all the samples that I received that were featured in this round up.

In Somerset to see my parents, we decided on lunch at Masterchef winner Mat Follas’ Beaminster restaurant, The Wild Garlic, situated on the square right in the centre of this Dorset market town. The restaurant feels lovely and relaxed – not so laid back that you would be worried that the only thing on offer would be overcooked lentils, but not so starched that you can’t walk anywhere without tripping over hot and cold running flunkies. Simple wooden tables, half panelled walls, light and airy.  Nicely laid back – the sort of establishment which understands that a meal is best enjoyed in good company in relaxing surroundings.

The menu is short, but with plenty of variety, focussing on quality local, seasonal ingredients.  At lunch we found a choice of four starters, 6 mains and 4 puddings. The ‘lighter lunch’ choice of 2 courses for £14 or three for £17 looked to be particularly good value. I went for this option, whilst H chose from the a la carte menu.

My starter was a simple crab salad – a small portion, in a nod to the lighter theme. H had a fully flavoured ham hock terrine, followed by the days’ special of turbot. The main problem with the turbot was the mechanics of eating it – it was balanced on the accompanying potatoes, making the delicate task of separating out the bones tricky, to say the least. My confit of duck was the triumph of the day, richly flavoured, well seasoned and just delightful.  Amuse bouches of fresh buttered garlic popcorn and a soupçon of soup both went down a treat.

Puddings, sadly, were a bit of a let down, although beautifully presented, a Kandinsky on a plate (or board). A lavender pannacotta which was a little oversolid; Of H’s Pavlova, the lemon curd, roasted nuts, butterscotch and peanut butter powder was a terrific addition; the meringue itself, though, was not the best, not hitting the highs, and with the feet that had oozed during the cooking. They were wonderfully white (the result of a very long, very gentle cook), though, but H’s meringue is always better. But then she is the queen of pavlova.

Lunch was rounded off with a quick chat with Mat himself, and it was interesting to discover the differences between running restaurants in London and in the country, with a country clientele being more amenable to game, for example.

Running a restaurant is very different from the cooking skills needed to win Masterchef. Happily, though, it looks as though Mat abilities as a restaurateur fully allow his delight in cooking to shine through. We look forward to visiting the Chesil Beach Cafe, his new venture.

Lunch. £60 with one glass of wine.

The restaurant is open Wednesday – Saturday for morning tea, coffee & cakes, lunch and dinner. 

Booking is essential, call the restaurant on 01308 861446. 

There is also an apartment above the restaurant where you can stay.

I think this may become my new favourite weekday summer lunch. Delicious, fast, fuss free, adaptable and uses up the last bits in those jars of antipasti and pesto at the back of the fridge, and a slice or two of staleing bread.  The pesto dressing livens up a dull lettuce, making it a treat to eat.

The trick to griddling the bread is to both liberally coat it in olive oil and to get the griddle piping hot.

Recipe: Antipasti Bruschetta

Serves 1

Thinly sliced bread – baguette or ciabatta work well, I used the remains of day before yesterday’s white loaf
Good glug olive oil – medium quality
Tomato
Mixed Antipasti – mine were feta stuffed peppers, olives and artichokes
Salt and Pepper to taste

Firstly place your griddle pan onto the highest ring on the hob to allow it to get really hot.

Meanwhile pour the olive oil onto a plate and press both sides of the bread in it to coat.

Roughly chop the antipasti and tomato and mix well.  Season to taste.  I added chives from my window box.

When the griddle is hot really hot toast the bread on it.  Press it down well with a spatula so you get good grill marks.  Flip the bread over to toast the other side.

Serve the antipasti and tomato mix atop the toasted bread.  Liberally season with sea salt.

Recipe: Pesto Salad Dressing

This is especially good with those crisp, generally boring lettuces, like iceberg.

Simply mix equal quantities of pesto and balsamic vinegar.  Add a squeeze of lemon juice and season to taste.

Toss well with the salad.

Delicious.

Sending this to this month’s No Croutons Required hosted by Jac where the theme is antipasto!

And, as this has the potential to use up so many bits and bobs, to my event Frugal Food Fridays, hosted this month by Utterly Scrummy.

Another guest review post by Ed.

Food writer William Sitwell, editor of Waitrose Kitchen magazine has written this book; I assume the inspiration was the British Museum’s excellent History of the world in 1000 objects radio series and book.

Whilst there are 100 recipes in the book, it isn’t really a recipe book as such. It’s more a chronological meander through the history of cooking, starting with bread in ancient Egypt and ending with a simple recipe for stewed rhubarb using protected designation of origin forced fruit from the rhubarb triangle in Yorkshire.

None of the recipes are by Sitwell – sources range from the walls of an Egyptian tomb to an iphone app; the level of detail in recipe reflects the source. Each recipe is accompanied by a few pages discussing the source, and how the dish reflects a change in the way that we, as human beings, eat. So, for example, the recipe for a souffle discusses the career of Antoine Beauvilliers, the first restaurateur to offer his guests a choice of dishes from a menu, and who wrote L’Art du Cuisinier in 1816. Incidentally, it seems as though Antoine had some difficulties with his souffles, as there is apparently much discussion in the book about getting them to the table quickly, before they collapse.

The thing this book reminds me most of is Google. Not in a “do no evil” kind of way, nor in a “if you don’t know the answer, Google will be able to tell you” kind of way, but in a “it’s amazingly simple to get sidetracked” kind of way. The book is liberally cross referenced, so that, for example, you start with a recipe for apple pie, then follow a reference to turkey, and from there to hot chocolate, and so on. It’s a real delight; I particularly found the early chapters fascinating, although I have to admit that I have limited interest in Virgil’s recipe for roasting a goat.

In particular, the chapters from the 1970s hammer home the point of how lucky we are to be in an era when the importance of real food is returning, rather than ghastly frozen meals warmed up in an “unfreezer” – aka microwave. Life is so much better when olive oil is available from shops other than a chemists.

This book is essential for anybody with a passing interest in the history of food and cooking, and redefines what five stars should be. The main trouble I’ve actually had while writing this review is being disciplined enough to actually put the book down and get on with writing.

This book will solve many Christmas present problems, although I feel it would be unfair to make the recipients wait so long for a copy.

A History of Food in 100 Recipes, by William Sitwell
Fuss Free Rating *****+

A History of Food in 100 Recipes – William Sitwell.  Published by Collins, cover price £20

Fuss Free Flavours received a complimentary review copy.  Many thanks.

In the Fuss Free kitchen we are not food snobs, I have been known to eat in chain restaurants (like everything in life they vary in quality – both from chain to chain and location to location) and I shop in the supermarket – although I mainly buy the (relatively small amount of) meat I eat from the butcher.

I also frequently bake with baking margarine.   It is good enough for Mary Berry and it is good enough for me.  Some baking really is better with butter (and I always use it in buttercream), but often there is not a huge difference in taste, and regular Stork is less than half the price of butter and can be mixed straight from the fridge.

So when I was offered a sample of the new Stork Easy To Mix Baking Liquid I was curious enough to say “Yes please!” and to try it out.

The premise behind the baking liquid is that it is easy to mix, does not need softening and can be poured from the bottle to the bowl.  There is a handy measurement guide down the side so you do not even need scales.  Simply pour 100g or 110ml of Stork liquid for every 100g of butter in the original recipe.

Unlike Stork in a tub the new baking liquid is dairy free and vegan, once opened it needs to be kept in the fridge.   It is thick and yellow, like a slightly runny salad cream, and smells fairly strongly of margarine.

Cranberry & White Choc Chip Muffins

I made two batches of muffins, one with egg and one without. I strongly believe that if you cannot buy free range eggs, then simply do not buy any and adapt your baking not to need them.

Recipe: Stork Baking Liquid Cranberry and White Choc Chip Muffins

Makes 4

60g Stork Baking Liquid (or butter or baking margarine)
60g White Granulated Sugar
100g Plain Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 Egg (Free range please)
3 dsp Milk
20g Dried Cranberries
20g White Chocolate Chips

Bung all the ingredients into a bowl and stir with a spoon for about 20 seconds.

Dollop into a well greased silicone muffin pan.

Bake at GM6 / 200C for about 25 minutes

To make the egg free muffins omit the egg and add another couple of spoons of milk.

Egg Free Cranberry & White Choc Chip Muffins

Both muffins were rather good, the margarine smell of the liquid disappears and they were light and cakey, with a light crumb.  The egg containing ones rose more.  Both batches were incredibly fragile, it was really hard to get them out of the pan, despite the fact I had greased it well

Review: Stork Easy To Mix Baking Liquid

Pros

• It is so so easy to mix, literally 10 seconds with a wooden spoon, no electric mixer needed
• Baked goods taste just fine with a good texture.
• Dairy free and vegan
• Great for children to use in mixing cakes.
• Great for holidays – weigh the dry ingredients into a jar before you go and add the baking liquid (and egg).

Cons

• Cakes are very very fragile and crumble, you need to use bun cases. A beginner could find this off-putting.
• The top of the bottle gets messy, and there was some drippage.
• Costs 60% more than regular Stork – but is still cheaper than butter

On balance this is not something that I would buy for regular use, but I am pleased to have tried it and can see that it is ideal for some.

Stork Easy Mix Baking Liquid is available from major supermarkets, price £1.59 per 500ml bottle.

Many thanks for the sample of Stork Baking Liquid.

The trick with it is to make it fairly strong – weak insipid coffee is just yuck anyway – add a little just off the boil water to it, stir well then top the mug up.     Ed took some on last year’s Fastnet, where it was hugely appreciated at all hours in place of a standard instant by a tired crew, and I can see it is great for travelling, camping and trekking.

I keep a tin in the cupboard  to use in baking – it works well in cakes and buttercream – and I think is far better than using a coffee essence like Camp.

Both the Millicano and Instinct are made by the same parent company – Kraft, both are 85% instant and 15% finely ground coffee which gives the thickness that makes it different and lifts it from a standard instant.

Review: Kenco Milicano Vs Carte Noir Instinct

Very very similar.

Carte Noir Instinct

More roasted, darker almost treaclier – richer – better after a meal.

Kenco Millicano

- Brighter, acidic – more of a morning coffee.

 

Surprisingly, considering they both come from Kraft, the Kenco Millicano is Rainforest Alliance certified, where sadly the Carte Noir is not.

Ocado tells me that the Millicano sells for £3.99 for a 100g tin, and the Instinct is £4.99 (although it is currently on offer at half price).  85g refill packs are available for both products.

Kenco Millicano wins by a whisker, on price and Rainforest Alliance certification.

Now I like Kenco Millicano, I also like Carte Noir Instinct. But which is better?  There is only one way to find out … We need Harry Hill to call for a FIGHT!

Thanks to both Kenco Millicano and Carte Noir Instinct for my samples.