Escape for the Night - My Dream Wedding Menu

I don't do a lot of competition posts but I've been tempted by the prospect of a night in at Stanley House, a luxury hotel in the North West of England, with breakfast, dinner and spa treatments included.  Anyone who knows me, knows I love an overnight in a hotel with spa treatments. 
Brian and I have been married for 32 years, the photo above is from 2011 which was our 30th Wedding Anniversary and is taken outside the hotel where we had our wedding reception.

To enter this competition you have to write about your dream wedding menu which really got me thinking.  At our wedding, so long ago, I went for simplicity.  As it was June, I chose traditional Scottish summer dishes: a whole side of poached salmon served cold with a buffet, followed by Scottish strawberries and cream, to be honest I can't remember much else about the food.  I didn't want a big wedding, just family and a few close friends, it was all very informal.


For my Dream Wedding Menu, I would still choose beautiful fresh Scottish produce, but this time it would be a slightly more formal dinner, for a slightly different group of family and friends as many of those invited to our wedding are no longer with us. 

Labels: Iced Cranachan, langoustines, Menu, raspberries, Scotland, Scottish, Sirloin Steak, Spa, Stanley House Hotel, Tablet, wedding

posted by Janice @ 21:29 5 Comments

Fully Loaded Jacket Potatoes

There are some dishes that you just think "why would I buy that as a ready meal, when it's not that difficult to make?'  On the face of it I would have said that frozen jacket potatoes came into this category.  However,  I had to eat my words, and jolly tasty they were too, because Bannisters' Farm have a range of frozen British potato dishes that really impressed me.

The Fully Loaded Jacket Potatoes are large potatoes filled to the brim with a range of different fillings.  I tried the Fully Loaded Broccoli and Cauliflower Cheese Jacket Potato at home, cooked in the microwave straight from the freezer.

I took the Fully Loaded Chicken and Mushroom to work, it was semi-thawed by the time I cooked it at lunch time so took a bit less time to cook.  Both tasted very good and very homemade.  That isn't really surprising when you look at the list of ingredients, no fillers just real ingredients like broccoli, cauliflower, cream and cheese.  In the Chicken and Mushroom: British Potato, British chicken, mushrooms - everything that is listed is an ingredient you recognise and would use yourself. They are also traditionally oven baked and gluten free.  The Fully Loaded potatoes are not low in calories with the Chicken and Mushroom weighing in with 460 calories, the Broccoli and Cauliflower Cheese a whopping 482 calories.  However, they are designed to be a whole meal and are very filling.  Fully Loaded Jackets also come in Cheddar Cheese, Cheese and Beans and Chicken Tikka flavours.

Bannisters' Farm also produce some amazing Baked and Filled Potato Skins, the photograph above drew a lot of attention when I posted it on Twitter and Facebook.  These potato skins are filled with cheese and smokey bacon and made a really tasty lunch with some homemade coleslaw.   I think these would make great party food as well as great accompaniments to many main meals.



●       Bannisters’ Farm Fully Loaded Jackets (375g) retail from £2.00 to £2.50 and are available at Tesco Metro from 07.10.13  and in Nisa stores from 27.10.13 nationwide

●        The complete Bannisters’ Farm Range includes: Four Ready Baked Potatoes/ Two Ready Baked Potatoes/ Filled Baked Potato Halves: Mature Cheddar Cheese, Roasted Pepper and Mozzarella / Potato Crush / Potato Skins: Cheese and Smokey Bacon, Cheese and Roasted Onion, Cheese and Jalapeno/  Littl’uns – 6 Small Baked Jacket Potatoes/ Farmer’s Roasting Potatoes/ Fully Loaded Jackets: Mature Cheddar, Chicken & Mushroom, Chicken Tikka, Broccoli & Cauliflower Cheese, Cheese & Beans

●       RRP: Products from the Bannisters’ Farm range retail between £1.39 - £2.50

●       Stockists: The Bannisters’ Farm range is available nationwide from Morrisons, Tesco, Ocado, Waitrose, Iceland, Booths, Nisa, Farmfoods and selected Sainsburys’ Local stores

●       For further information please visit: www.bannistersfarm.co.uk
I was provided with a range of Bannisters' Farm British Potato products to review, I was not paid for this post and all opinions are my own.

Labels: Baked and Filled Potato Skins, Bannisters' Farm, Broccoli and Cauliflower Cheese, Chicken and Mushroom, Fully Loaded, Jacket Potato

posted by Janice @ 20:39 0 Comments

Smoked Haddock Bake for St Andrews Day 'Night In'

On the day that Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, launched the SNP's independence blueprint, which argues the nation would prosper should there be a "Yes" vote in next September's referendum, I thought it was rather appropriate to post a recipe for  St Andrew's Day 'Night In'  Whatever your views on Scotland's Independence debate, you can't deny that there is some fabulous produce in Scotland or that Scots know how to celebrate!



Seafood Scotland's Young Chef of the Year, Adam Newth, has created a couple of fish dishes for Scotland.org, the Gateway to Scotland.  I made the Smoked Haddock Bake after a long day preparing for a pre-Christmas family feast.  It was so quick easy to make and pop into the oven, everything is in one dish, we really enjoyed it.  There are lovely contrasting textures of salty, smoky fish, creamy but sharp creme fraiche, tender pieces of potato and the crispy breadcrumb and parmesan mix on top.  The dish also contains broadbeans and peas making it a great one pot meal.

Check out the rest of the St Andrew's Day menu and maybe you could have a St Andrews Night In this Saturday?







I was not paid to write this post and all opinions are my own.

Labels: fish, Scotland, Smoked Haddock Bake, St Andrew, St Andrews Day

posted by Janice @ 20:22 4 Comments

Homemade Christmas Gifts - Sloe Cordial

Sloe Gin is very popular, but I've made it in the past and it just lurks in my drinks cabinet and ends up getting thrown out.  So this year I decided to make Sloe Cordial a non-alcoholic cordial that can be topped up either with alcohol i.e. Gin, Vodka, Prosecco, dry white wine or with non-alcholic mixers like tonic water, soda water or lemonade.

I froze my sloes after picking, mainly because I didn't have time to make the cordial, but the freezing also helps break down the sloes and mimics the frost you are supposed to have had before picking them.  I was rather pleased that I had because I was contacted by Pattesons Glass with the offer of some jars or bottles to review.  I decided to go for the bottles and make some gifts for Christmas.

Pattesons have a fantastic range of glass bottles and jars which are ideal for those of us obsessed with keen on preserving in all it's forms, they are also great for styling in food photography and I'm sure you will be seeing more of these bottles in future posts.   Jars are not too difficult to get hold of, but a great range of interesting bottles like the ones in the photograph above are much less widely available.   I have plans for some flavoured vinegar for the larger bottles.  The only drawback with these bottles is that they are only available in fairly large quantities.  You can order a sample set of three different bottles or jars for £10.  If you want to order bottles, then you may wish to get together with a group of friends and share the bottles between you, as 50 is the minimum order.  Pattesons also sell Le Parfait jars in smaller quantities which are ideal for preserving.

Sloe Cordial

1kg Sloes
1 litre water
Juice of 1 lemon
Granulated Sugar (80g per 100ml liquid)

1. Bring the sloes, water and lemon juice to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Break up the cooked sloes with a wooden spoon or potato masher, don't bother about the stones as they will be sieved out later.
3. Simmer for a further 10 minutes.
4. Pour the mixture through a sieve.  If you want your cordial to be clear you should line your sieve with a muslin and don't push the pulp through.  I didn't do that and although the cordial is perfectly fine it isn't clear.
5. Clean the pan and pour the juice back in, add the sugar and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.
6. Bring to the boil an simmer for another 10 minutes.  Cool and bottle in sterilised bottles.

To drink, add 10 parts water to one part cordial. 

 I received a range of glass bottles from Patteson's Glass, I was not paid for this review and all opinions are my own.

Labels: bottles, Christmas, cordial, gifts, glass bottles, glass jars, homemade gifts, jars, non-alcoholic, Pattesons Glass, Sloe Cordial, Sloes

posted by Janice @ 20:41 10 Comments

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

300g (10oz) plain flour
100g ( 4oz) caster sugar
200g (8oz) butter
100g chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
caster (superfine) sugar for dredging

1. Sift the flour into a bowl and add the sugar. Work in the butter with your fingertips - keep it in one piece and gradually work in the dry ingredients. Knead well adding in the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate once the dough has come together.
2. Pat down on a work surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to about 1/2 cm (1/8 in) and cut out with a cookie cutter. You will probably have to keep pushing the dough back together again as it is very crumbly.
3. Slide the cut biscuits off the work surface with a knife and onto a baking sheet.
4. Bake in the oven at 170C (325F) Mark 3 for about 8 minutes until firm and pale golden brown.
5. Lift onto a cooling tray with a spatula and dredge with caster (superfine) sugar.

  Butter, sugar, flour, chocolate, what more do I need to say?  Delicious! 

I am entering these cookies for We Should Cocoa, the blog challenge run by Choclette of Chocolate Log Blog and this month hosted by Rebecca at BakeNQuilt.

Labels: chocolate, chocolate chip, cookies, shortbread, We should Cocoa

posted by Janice @ 16:03 10 Comments

Chipotle Chilli Potato Wedges

Just Ingredients  have one of the largest ranges of ingredients online, much larger than you will find on the high street or in your local supermarket.

From turmeric to oregano, carob to ashwagandha, they stock herbs, spices, powders, oils and tinctures. Their product range is exciting and diverse and with a quick search, you will be able to come across some interesting finds.
All their products are non-irradiated and GMO free. They also supply a number of products suitable for vegan, vegetarian, nut-free and wheat-free diets and have an organic range.  They sent me a parcel of samples to try including this pack of Chipotle Chillies and I turned some everyday potatoes into superstar Chipotle Chilli Wedges.


Chipotle Chilli Potato Wedges

4 medium potatoes, cut into wedges
2 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
1/2 tsp Just Ingredients Chipotle Chillies

Heat the oven to 200C/400F.  Put the potato wedges and oil in a roasting tray and mix thoroughly, sprinkle over the Chipotle Chillies and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and crispy.

The smoky chilli worked really well with the potato, not too spicy and  a lovely smoky flavour, the wedges would be lovely served with a soured cream dip or with grilled meats, burgers or sausages.


What are Chipotle Chillies?
Chipotle chillies are in fact, fully ripened jalapeno peppers that are smoke dried, they are dark reddish brown to black in colour and bursting with a delightful smokey, slightly chocolaty flavour with a medium heat, registering on the Scoville scale as have 15, 000-25, 000 SHU’s. Just Ingredients chipotle chillies have been heat treated to preserve their freshness and their unique flavour and have been pre-cut to 3-6mm for ease of use. Handle with caution! 

100g Chipotle Chillies from Just Ingredients - £3.50

I was provided with a hamper of  spice samples from Just Ingredients to review, I was not paid for this post and all opinions are my own.




More spicy recipes coming soon!

Labels: chilli, Chipotle Chilli, chips, dips, Just Ingredients, Potato Wedges, snacks

posted by Janice @ 20:55 0 Comments

Hot 'n' Smoky Cheese and Tomato Wraps

This recipe is easy peasy Applewood Cheesey!  The Hot n Smoky Cheese and Tomato Wraps are easy to put together and full of flavour.  You could vary the recipe in all sorts of ways as long as it includes cheese.

This is my third recipe for the Applewood Spreadable Blogger Competition, check out the Kale, Pumpkin and Smoked Cheese Tart and Smoky Celeriac and Apple Remoulade.


Hot 'n' Smoky Cheese and Tomato Wraps
6 large tortillas or wraps
350g/12oz Applewood Smoked or mild cheddar, grated
100g/6oz Applewood Spreadable 
200g chorizo
15g fresh coriander, chopped
2 spring onions
3 large vine ripened tomatoes
1 red chilli

First make the salsa
1. Deseed and chop the tomatoes and place in a bowl.  Finely chop the spring onions, deseed and finely chop the chilli, add to the tomatoes and set aside.


2. Skin and chop the chorizo, fry it gently in a non-stick pan without oil until the sausage pieces start to char at the edges and the oil starts to run.
3. Lay out the tortillas and spread with the Applewood Spreadable, divide the chorizo between the 6 tortillas, laying it in a line down the middle.
4. Top the chorizo with the salsa, grateed Applewood Smoked Cheese (keeping some aside to top the finished dish) and chopped coriander.

5. Roll up the Tortillas, cut in half and layer them up in an ovenproof dish.  Top with the remaining grated cheese.



6. Bake at 200C/400F for 15 minutes until heated through and the cheese has melted.  Serve hot with salad.


I was provided with samples of Applewood Spreadable, Applewood Smoked Cheese and a hamper of other ingredients.  I was not paid for this review and all opinions are my own.

Labels: Applewood Smoked Spreadable, cheese, chilli, salsa, tomato, tortilla, wraps

posted by Janice @ 20:11 5 Comments

Slow Baked Sausages - Dish of the Month

In the November chapter of Nigel Slater's the kitchen diaries II there are all kinds of warming dishes for those cold damp days as autumn draws to a close and winter begins.  One of these is Slow-Baked Sausages, pork butcher's sausages cooked with dark beer, onions and brown sugar.

Nigel suggests serving the sausages with mashed potatoes, but I served my sausage dish with roasted and mashed butternut squash and some fresh green broccoli as a bit of a contrast.  The rich beery gravy worked really well with the sweet butternut squash and the sausages were tender and meaty.   Another big success from Mr Nigel Slater!  I'm really looking forward to watching him with Countryfile favourite, Adam Henson,  on BBC 1 from 20th November for Nigel and Adam's Farm Kitchen.

If you would like to take part in Dish of the Month, then please:

• Make a Dish of the Month from ANY recipe by Nigel Slater
• Link to Farmersgirl Kitchen or A Little Bit of Heaven on a Plate
• Use the Dish of the Month logo in your post
• If you use twitter, tweet your post with @FarmersgirlCook or @Heavenona_plate and #DishoftheMonth and we will re-tweet it to our followers.

Rules:

• If you own The kitchen diaries II please do not publish the recipes on your blog without permission, they are copyright.
• If you are using recipes from the BBC Food website, please link to the recipe on BBC Food rather than publishing the recipe. Likewise recipes on the Guardian Lifestyle website.
• One entry per blog.
• Recipes must be added to the linky by the 28th of each month.

Labels: Dish of the Month, Nigel Slater, sausages, slow cooked

posted by Janice @ 22:23 2 Comments

Celeriac and Apple Remoulade with Smoked Cheese Dressing

This is the second of my recipes using Applewood Spreadable, be sure and have a look at the Kale, Pumpkin and Smoked Cheese Tart .

I received a lovely hamper of ingredients along with some samples of Applewood Spreadable and one of the things in the hamper was a celeriac.  Celeriac is a root vegetable with a slight celery flavour, it's delicious raw or cooked, but it's one of those vegetables I often forget to look for and buy.

Remoulade is a classic way to serve celeriac, it's usually a mix of mayonnaise and mustard but I have adapted it to incorporate Applewood Spreadable and I found that the mild smoky flavour worked really well with in the dressing for the remoulade.

Celeriac and Apple Remoulade
1/2 a medium celeriac, peeled and cut into julienne strips

1 large sharp apple, peeled and cut into julienne strips
juice of 1/2 a lemon
50g Applewood Spreadable
1tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp Greek yogurt
salt & freshly ground black pepper
a little chopped dill

1. Mix together the celeriac and apple julienne strips with the lemon juice.
2. Make the dressing by mixing the Applewood Spreadable, mayonnaise and Greek yogurt, season to taste.
3. Mix together the julienne strips and the dressing, add about tsp of chopped dill and stir through.
4. Serve with cold meats, such as ham or cold roast beef or with any other dish where you would usually serve coleslaw.



I received samples of Applewood Spreadable Cheese and a hamper of food products to use in the competition, I have not been paid for this post and all opinions are my own.

Labels: Apple, Applewood Smoked Spreadable, celeriac, Celeriac and Apple Remoulade, remoulade, salad.

posted by Janice @ 18:27 5 Comments

Guilt-free Snacks, Skinny Soup, Chocolate and Rapeseed oil on my Kitchen Table

Mmm, chocolate!  Lovely Cadbury Chocolate, there really is nothing quite like it.  I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to my Cadbury flavours, I tend to go for Fruit and Nut or plain Dairy Milk.  I would never have picked up these two flavours, but I surely wasn't going to refuse them when they were offered for review!


The Cadbury Dairy Milk with Daim was the bar I preferred, I enjoyed the contrast of the smooth melting Dairy Milk and the crisp, crunchy pieces of Daim bar.  I've never really understood the appeal of the Oreo, I can see that they are the cookies of childhood for our US cousins, but we have prefectly good sandwich cookies in the UK. Anyway, I found the Dairy Milk with Oreo a bit too sweet for me and the filling had no contrast, being soft.  I scoffed it down anyway, but I wouldn't choose it. Everyone has their own favourites and Cadbury have plenty of new flavour combinations to choose from, something for everyone.  Personally the Dairy Milk Crunchie is calling to me....

The New Covent Garden Soup Co. are well known for their delicious chilled soups and they have introduced some new Skinny Soups,  I was sent Skinny Souper Green with Italian Basil Pesto


New Covent Garden Soup Co. Pulled Pork and Bean Soup is Soup of the Month for November and a substantial spicy meat and bean combination.  I served it with Quesadillas for a tasty and filling lunch.

It's always a particular pleasure for me to review Scottish products like this Scottish Rapeseed Oil from Borderfields.  Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil  is a home grown substitute for olive oil with a healthy balance of omega 3, 6 and 9.  It also has half the saturated fat of olive oil and no additives.

Borderfields' Cold Pressed Scottish Rapeseed Oil is ideal for all kinds of cooking, baking, stir frying and drizzling.  I used it to roast some pumpkin chunks for a Kale, Pumpkin and Smoked Cheese Tart the oil has a lovely creamy flavour but it doesn't overpower the flavours of the food you cook in it.  I also roasted some the pumpkin seeds with spices to make a tasty snack.


Borderfields Cold Press Rapeseed Oil is available across the UK at Asda, Sainsburys, Aldi and Morrisons and at Tesco in the North and Scotland.
RRP of £3.99 for 500ml bottles:

I picked up this pack of Extremely Chocolately Honeycomb Crispies at Marks and Spencer, I didn't realise that they were designed to be low calorie for the Count on Us menu planner, when I chose them, but I have to say I was quite impressed.  Each square is individually wrapped (ideal for lunchboxes) and they are 120 calories per crispie.  They are nice an crunchy and you can really taste the honeycomb.

I was supplied with the following products for review:  Cadbury Dairy Milk with Daim, Cadbury Dairy Milk with Oreo; Covent Garden Soup Co. Pulled Pork and Bean and Skinny Souper Green with Italian Basil Pesto; Borderfields Scottish Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil.  

I purchased the Extremely Chocolatey Honeycomb Crispies and am sharing my review because I enjoyed them and thought you might too.

I was not paid for any of these reviews and all opinions are my own.

Labels: Cadbury Chocolate, Chocolate Crispies, Covent Garden Soup Co. Borderfields Scottish Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil

posted by Janice @ 19:58 1 Comments