Black Treacle Marinated Chicken and a feast of flavours on my kitchen table in May

Time for another round up of tasty treats that have arrived at my Kitchen Table in May.
Marks and Spencer are a very British company and they have introduced the Tastes of the British Isles range to celebrate all that's great about British food.  There are over 300 delicious new food and drink products including 21st century twists on UK classics the revival of historical dishes and some great nationwide exposure of regional favourites.

The selection of treats I received included lovely buttery Scottish All Butter Shortbread Rounds, and a very tasty Parkin Loaf with the proper texture of oatmeal.  The Cucumber, Gin and Mint Relish is the perfect partner for salmon and  you can snack on some West Country Cheddar, Chive and Caramelised Onion Jumbo Peanuts and Cashews or Free Range Chicken, Mustard and Worcester Sauce Crisps with your aperitif while you are waiting they are all totally delicious


However, as soon as I spied the Black Treacle and Porter Ale Sauce and Marinade in the parcel I knew I couldn't wait to use it.  I knew I would love it and I was right.  It's ideal for a quick marinade for any kind of meat.  I marinaded some chicken breasts for a couple of hours, pan fried them to blacken the skin, then baked them in the oven for 20 minutes until cooked through and tender.  The marinade added a delicious flavour, not too sweet. The chicken breasts were good served hot with some of the unused marinade heated and served as sauce.  I also served the chicken cold with salad and it was equally good.  With barbeque season upon us, this sauce would be ideal to pep up your barbie fare.

Scottish All Butter Shortbread Rounds £1.50 for 180g
Parkin Loaf  £2.00 for 235g
West Country Cheddar, Chive and Caramelised Onion Jumbo Peanuts and Cashews - £3.50 for 200g
Cucumber, Gin and Mint Relish £2.00 for 195g
Free range Chicken Mustard and Worcester Sauce Hand Cooked Crisps £2.00 for 150g (not shown)


Back in 1897, Don Santiago Camacho Roman founded a family business in Seville to produce olive oils. As with all Spaniards, Don Santiago’s home in the sunny Andalucían region of Spain was never without the humble Spanish olive. It was his passion to share Spain’s most delicious olives with others, and so, in 1925, the Fragata Spanish Olive brand was brought to life.

More than 86 years on and Fragata Spanish olives are now sold across the world and remain a firm favourite and kitchen staple for millions of Spanish families.

Fragata Spanish Olives can be used in hundreds of different ways to create authentic Mediterranean dishes and mouthwatering tapas. What better way to create a unique culinary corner of Spain in your own home – go on, Savour the Flavour of Spain!

Labels: capers, Fragata, hamper, Marks and Spencer, olives, On my Kitchen Table, peppers, Seranata Flowers, Tastes of the British Isles, Vintage Cheddar

posted by Janice @ 18:30 0 Comments

3 Super Creative Sandwiches and a Pizzette!

Have you seen the 2015 food trends hot list?  Creativity, contract and convenience are the new watch words on the food scene this year and as we are becoming a nation of grazers, quick, portable and smaller Portioned foods on the go are replacing traditional meal occasions.

Adventurous sandwiches are tipped to become a hot trend in 2015 and Warburtons have asked me to come up with three creative sandwiches made with their Sandwich Thins to share with you.

Warburtons are a family bakery established in 1876 and actively run by the fifth generation of the Warburton family.  Warburtons Sandwich Thins come in four different types: White, Half and Half, Brown and Seeded and as an extra bonus, they are only 100 Kcal per thin.


First up is a real gourmet sandwich, this would be equally good for vegetarians without the chicken as there is so much flavour in the rest of the ingredients.

Chicken, Avocado, Mozzarella, Pepper and Spinach
1 chicken breast, 2 avocados, 1 Mozzarella ball and about half a jar of peppers and a handful of baby spinach will make four sandwiches. 

1. Spread both sides of the Warburtons Sandwich Thins with mayonnaise.
2. Cover with slices of cooked chicken breast.
3. Top with slices of ripe avocado (if you are not going to eat the sandwich straight away, dip the avocado slices in lemon juice to prevent browning)
4. Add some slices of mozzarella and drizzle with a flavoured oil (optional)
5. Now add some Antipasti roasted peppers (drain most of the oil off on kitchen paper first)
6. Top with a few baby spinach leaves and cover with the top of the Warburtons Sandwich Thin


Sandwich two is ideal for children but would also make a great breakfast or post-exercise snack.  I used the Warburtons Brown Sandwich Thins for this healthy and filling snack.

Banana, Honey and Almond Butter Sandwich Thins
1. Spread one side of the Sandwich Thin with Almond Butter (peanut or other butter would also be good)
2. Top with a sliced banana, drizzle with honey and place the top of the Thin on top and cut in half.

Serve with milk and a comic!


Now for something warming, we ate these melts for lunch but they would also work for breakfast or supper, using chicken sausages means they are lower in fat, the beans add fibre and you don't need much cheese to create the 'melt' effect.

Sausage and Bean Thin Melts
Serves 3
4  cooked sausages (I used Heck Food Chicken Italia sausages), sliced
200g baked beans
50g mature cheddar

1. Heat the oven to 200C
2. Place the thicker base slice of the Sandwich Thins on a baking tray.
3. Top with sliced sausages, beans and thin slices of cheese.
4. Add the top of the thin.
5. Place another baking tray on top and put in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melting and oozing out of the sides.

My thoughts on Warburtons Sandwich Thins

• They make excellent toast, we had some Thin toast with soup
• Warburtons Sandwich Thins are handy to keep in the freezer and I was able to defrost them quickly in the microwave. They don't take long to defrost even without the microwave, if you lay them out on a wire rack. 
• I took the Chicken, Avocado etc sandwich to work for my lunch and, although the oil from the peppers had seeped through to make the base a little damp, the Thins did not disintegrate as some breads would have done.  The sandwich still tasted great, but I would recommend eating them fairly soon after making. 
• I did go a bit Sandwich Thin mad at the weekend and even turned them into 'Pizzettes', or little pizzas, usually I would use muffins (English Muffins) so these were a nice change and make a thin and crispy Pizzette.

I was supplied with Warburtons Sandwich Thins, received expenses and payment to develop these sandwich ideas. However, I was not required to give a positive review and all opinions are my own. 

Labels: almond butter, avocado, banana, Chicken, Chicken Italia, Heck Food, honey, Mozzarella, peppers, sandwich, Sandwich Thins, Warburtons

posted by Janice @ 07:00 12 Comments

Memories of Crab Cakes - recreating a Taste of Nova Scotia

In my journey through Nova Scotia in June this year, it seemed that Crab Cakes became my signature dish. On my first night in Halifax, I chose Crab Cakes (bottom left) as my starter at Stories at the Halliburton and enjoyed them very much.  The second time I had Crab Cakes was at Pictou Lodge Resort, chef chose the menu for me and it included Crab Cakes with Pineapple Carpaccio and Corn Salsa (top photo), then finally I made Northumberland Snow Crab Cakes with Dill Remoulade (bottom right) on a cooking day on the farm with the Kilted Chef.


I enjoyed all of these different Crab Cakes, although the Snow Crab Cakes were probably the best of all, simple and scrumptious.  Now back in Scotland and summer seems to have gone on it's holidays, it was 13C and pouring with rain the other day.  ​A new survey carried by International Currency Exchange (ICE) found that majority of people choose their holiday purely based on the food available at the destination. I hadn't really thought about that before, but it certainly is a factor when I'm planning my holidays.  In order to keep that holiday feeling going I decided to recreate a version of Nova Scotia Crab Cakes. I didn't have any Snow Crab, in fact I was struggling to find any crab at all in the small town where I shop as there is no fish shop and the supermarket didn't have any fresh crab.  I had the choice of tinned crab or or the not very appetising looking 'Seafood Sticks'.  In the end I decided to go with the Seafood Sticks and I'm pleased to say that they worked very well indeed, making this dish one much less expensive and still delicious.


'Crab' Cakes with Dill Remoulade
makes 24 small crab cakes

500g crab meat or seafood sticks (if you use the seafood sticks, blitz them in a food processor first)
1/2 yellow pepper, finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 a large red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp  fresh dill, chopped
60g mayonnaise
1 egg white
15g breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

2 eggs beaten
2 tbsp flour
300g fresh white breadcrumbs made from day old bread


Dill Remoulade 
2 tsp fresh dill finely chopped
2tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp shallots, finely chopped
180g Mayonnaise

Mix all the ingredients together and divide into 24 small cakes.  Dip each cake in flour, then egg and then in the breadcrumbs, place on a baking tray lined with parchment and place in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up.



Make the Dill Remoulade by mixing all the ingredients together and leave for at least 30 minutes for the flavours to blend.

Saute the crab cakes a few at a time, keeping them warm in the oven, then serve with the Dill Remoulade.

Nova Scotia 'Crab' Cakes with Dill Remoulade

Here are a few memories of my trip to Nova Scotia, I can certainly recommend it as a foodie holiday destination.


This post is my entry to the ICE competition, I received expenses for the ingredients I used but was not paid to write this post and all opinions are my own. 

Labels: breadcrumbs, Crab Cakes, mayonnaise, Nova Scotia, onions, peppers, remoulade

posted by Janice @ 20:00 12 Comments

Paella People!

I was so pleased to be invited back to La Tasca in  Renfield Street Glasgow.  I was last there in March and enjoyed tasting the tapas and meeting up with other Scottish food bloggers, you can read about it here.  This time I was invited to a Paella evening and to try the new autumn menu dishes. 

When we arrived there was the opportunity to try some of wines on offer at La Tasca, to accompany the wine we had jamon, anchovies and Manchego cheese.  The cheese was particularly good.

Our host for the evening was Executive Chef Antiono Bennetto.  Antiono started his career in restaurants and hotel kitchens, but soon moved to food development, working for food producers and supermarkets, he then moved into development for big brand restaurants.  Antonio travels frequently to Spain to meet local chefs and find out as much as possible about the traditional dishes and techniques of Spanish cookery.

His most recent visits have been to Valencia to research paella.  Paella from Valencia traditionally contains rabbit and snails,  and the paella would also be cooked in a very thin layer without much fish or meat.  However, Antonio's job is to take traditional dishes and adapt them for mainstream British tastes.  It was interesting to hear that, while 'bone in' chicken thighs would have more taste, they are higher in fat, so chicken breast is used.  La Tasca also have their own recipe chorizo which is made in Spain for them and contains less fat and less salt than the traditional recipe.

Digital Kit: Amy Stoffel, La Cucina

I had so many photographs of the paella making that I decided to make a digital layout of the process. It was interesting to see the way the paella was made,  the chicken, squid and prawns were all added before the rice and yet they did not seem to suffer from a longer cooking.  The correct type of rice is very important, La Tasca use Bomba rice, which absorbs three times the quantity of liquid as compared to twice the liquid for most other rice varieties.



I loved the way the rice was added to pan in a cross then Thomas, the chef, drew the rice into the stock evenly using the quadrants to guide him.  This ensured that the rice was distributed evenly which is very important because we then learned that you do not stir paella! 

While the paella was cooking it was time to taste the new dishes on the autumn menu.  I'm hoping that I have got them right, apologies if I have mis-named them.

CHORIZO & MORCILLA (CASTILLA Y LEÓN) £4.95

Spanish black pudding and chorizo cooked with fire roast peppers, basil and onion. 
This was probably my favourite of the new dishes, at first I thought 'what big olives'!  However when I bit into the firm, slightly rubbery skin, I was delighted to find a soft and succulent mouthful of black pudding.  A mild, rather than spicy mixture, much softer then the Scottish kind of black pudding.  The combination with the chorizo, onions and peppers really worked well.

HOME-MADE BEEF BURGERS (CATALUÑA) £4.95

Two fresh mini home-made beef burgers with all the Spanish toppings.

The mini burgers really did taste homemade, no taste of fillers.  The caramelised onions were soft and full of flavour and the little buns were reminiscent of brioche.  I wouldn't have ordered burgers in a tapas bar but they were very good and a nice addition to the menu for conservative eaters and children.

SPICY ROASTED VEGETABLE CASSOLO WITH ALMOND (CASTILE LA MANCHA) £4.75 

Butternut squash, red onion, chickpeas, celeriac and cannellini beans in a winter warming spicy tomato sauce topped with crushed almonds and parsley.

This is a new vegetarian option at La Tasca, I can't say that it jumped out at me as a highlight of the meal, it seemed to blend in with the other tomato based dishes.


CROQUETAS DE MANCHEGO (TOLEDO) £4.35

Hand-crumbed with three-month-aged-Manchego cheese and fresh spinach, served with roasted garlic mayonnaise.

The Croquetas de Manchego did not disappoint, lovely crunchy outside and soft cheesy inside,  these are a must have on any tapas table.

HUEVOS CABREAOS (CATALUÑA) £3.25

Amazing Spanish take on egg and chips, needs to be cut before eating.

Somehow I missed this dish, so am not able to comment on it, I did see someone eating it and they seemed to be enjoying it!


Sadly my rural location (last train at 8.10pm) meant that I had to leave before the paella was ready to taste, so I have had to rely on my bloggie friends to tell me just how good it was!

Elaine (nearest) and Briony concentrating on the paella demonstration

It was good to meet Elaine from Fun as a Gran and Graham from A Scots Larder. Special thanks to Briony from The Glasgow Food Blog for sharing her photographs.

I was gutted that I didn't get to try the paella, I think I will have to make a trip to La Tasca just to have some, especially as the reports I got were that the flavour was incredible.

Many thanks to Ella for inviting me to La Tasca and also for the goodie bag.

Labels: Antiono Bennetto, bomba rice, Chicken, chorizo, Croquetas, Fun as a Gran, Glasgow, green beans, La Tasca, Morcilla, paella, peas, peppers, prawns, Scots Larder, squid, Tapas, The Glasgow Food Blog, Valencia

posted by Janice @ 21:33 9 Comments

Easy Barbeque Pork Chops without a BBQ!

If you look carefully, you will see that it is a Mary Berry recipe, but unfortunately I haven't said which book it is from and as I probably wrote this out in about 1981 I certainly can't remember.  You can always tell a good recipe from the splatters on the page and of course my own 'star' system where I award recipes up to five stars and this is definitely a Five Star Recipe.

Labels: barbeque, BBQ, ketchup, mustard, peppers, Pork chops, sauce, soy sauce, tomato

posted by Janice @ 21:40 6 Comments

Pepper Steak Marinade

I served the steak with corn cobs, steamed then place in a parcel of foil with seasoning and butter and baked in the oven.  Also red pepper with tomato, garlic and basil basted with olive oil and roasted.  The field mushrooms were dotted with butter, sprayed with olive oil spray and roasted too. 

The whole dish was quite delicious, the marinade was incredibly tasty, you could not have known that there was soy sauce in it, every flavour conspired to enhance the flavour of the steak and it was butter tender.  This one is a keeper!

Labels: corn cobs, mushrooms, peppers, steak

posted by Janice @ 10:20 9 Comments

Chocolate and Sausages!

One of my colleagues at work has just returned from New York and gave me this candy bar. Beligan white chocolate with lemon peel and ginger. Check out Dylan's here .
I'm usually not that keen on white chocolate as I find it too sweet, but this was delicious. It was creamy and the little crunchy bits of lemon and ginger took away from the sweetness of the chocolate.


Remember I was telling you about all the eggs I had to get through? Well there are only two left in the basket now (another 6 will arrive tomorrow lol!) I roasted the onions and sausages in the oven in a little olive oil and then added the red and yellow peppers. Six eggs beaten with seasoning went in after the peppers had started to soften and it was a tasty supper served with a mixed salad.

I had a fairly major cook-in this morning. Big pot of Carrot & Tomato soup, Chicken Korma, Pork with rosemary and mushrooms and Arabian Lamb. I'm freezing all of these away for the time when the kitchen is out of commission, another couple of weeks before that happens yet as the joiner was round last night to say he has been held up with the job he is doing at the moment.

I also made a spinach and cottage cheese canneloni. Not pics as yet I'm afraid.

Labels: chocolate, eggs, onions, peppers, sausages

posted by Janice @ 19:04 13 Comments