ENGLISH MUM

Around the web in 20 clicks: in praise of bloggers

I love blogging.  I’ve met all manner of wonderful people (and the odd horrible one), both in real life and online, travelled, visited amazing places and made loads of friends.  Sometimes, when I’m reading the gazillions of blogs that I subscribe to, I think it would be nice to tell other people about the fantastic things my friends and fellow bloggers write about and photograph.  There are always so many amazing things on the internet: great recipes, fun stories, great photos…

So I thought I’d put together a little ‘top 20′ for you to enjoy at your leisure. Think of it as my gift to you for November.  Some are old, some are new, but all are brilliant.  Enjoy!

1. Like Mam Used To Bake went to Barcelona.  This is such an amazing piece – great photos, loads of restaurant reviews… bookmark it if you’re ever tempted to visit.

2. Laura changed the habit of a lifetime, got busy in the kitchen and made a really scrummy spicy butternut squash soup.

3. Liz sparked serious debate when she asked ‘do you support the decision to scrap child benefit for those earning over 44k?‘

4. My lovely cousin, Don’t Bug Me, taught us all about hummingbirds (and showed us some beautiful photos too).

5. The Glutton made the most gorgeous home made sausages with cider and mustard gravy.  Nomnomnom.

6. Lovely Karen got married.

7.  And so did the beautiful Miss Power (sorry, Mrs Lister!) – check out the cheese wedding cake!

8. My mate Erica ticked another thing off her ’100 things to do before I die’ list and attended a foodie festival.

9. Lu gave us all exercises for the perfect arse (squeeze that pelvic floor, people)

10. 40NotOut encouraged us to wrap up in these inspired winter knits.

11.  Rach from Tales from the Village visited the Highlands, and took some stunning photos.

12. Joanna came face to face with Take That!

13. Shit Mummy nearly suffered Death by Polyester.

14. Tara photographed possibly the cutest witch I’ve ever seen (edit: I do apologise, she was a spider).

15. The lovely chaps at Yeo Valley released their farmer rap on iTunes (with lovely Ted the Wol on the front cover).  I love Ted.

16. Liz and family over at Violet Posy did some pumpkin carving.

17.  Josie met a lean, green, fighting machine.  Well, a frog.

18. The Cornish foodie made gingerbread skeletons.

19. My fab cousin, Moon and his family slaughter their pigs (fascinating, but be warned, the pics are a bit graphic)

20. And finally, we waved goodbye to Wallop.  Victoria and her family set out on their epic adventure.  Good luck, guys! x

PS: If any bloggers would like to take up the baton and write about their 20 favourite recent blog posts, that would be fab.

Curious Matt gives us the lowdown on what Chilean miners are drinking this year, dahling

I thought it was quite interesting, when I was watching the tv programme yesterday covering the rescue of the Chilean miners from the San José mine, that the voiceover guy said:  ’in the past, Chile was only ever famous for its ‘con carne”.  Yes okay, so it made me laugh, but seriously?  I only knew about Chile because of their rather scrummy wine.

I was going to do a Chilean food post, but frankly, unless you count fabulous steaks (nope, sorry – chilli con carne is American in origin) and some rather good seafood near the coast, Chilean food is, well, a bit uninspiring (although if a nice Chilean foodie would like to guest write me some nice recipes, my door’s always open).

Happily, though, Chilean wine is altogether more exciting.  And I asked fellow foodie and wine expert, Matt, from Curious Wines to tell us more:

Chile’s wines have only arrived in the UK and Ireland in big numbers over the last decade or so, so it’s tempting to assume that Chile’s wine industry is a relatively young one. Tempting, but wrong…

Grapes have been grown in Chile since the 1500s when the conquistadors took over cuttings from Spain to grow their sacramental wine. What they were growing wasn’t, frankly, something you’d want to drink unless you had to. But the modern industry began as long ago as 1824, when the first wealthy businessman decided he wanted to grow French grape varieties.

Soon, everyone who was anyone was at it, and expensive wine estates – planted with Bordeaux grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and Burgundy grapes like Chardonnay, were springing up all over the valleys south of the capital.

By the 1980s, the industry had its second re-birth, when producers began to invest in the same sort of new technology that has boosted winemaking standards in places like Australia and California. This, combined with an even-better understanding of just what makes the country’s vineyards tick and special attention to their marketing message shot the industry to world prominence.

Currently the Chilean wine industry is looking to reform its image and with a collective concerted effort the times of cut-price deals might be coming to an end for many producers. Reports from disgruntled Chilean producers suggest that they are no longer willing just to ‘break-even’ as the capitalistic nature of the 1st world countries continue to squeeze them for silly prices, with not a care for cost in terms of product quality.

Using a similar business model to New Zealand – that is bringing wines to market that have real character and distinction, and deliver excellent value within the mid-range price bracket – Chile can compete with anyone on their own merits by producing honest wines that showcase the best of their terroir and the skills of each winemaker. Think of it as a product life cycle. These guys don’t want to see themselves in decline any time soon.

To see Curious Wines’ selection of Chilean wine, check out their website.

Oh, and check out my recipe for lamb shanks braised in Chilean Carménère over at Curious Wines’ lovely blog.

Win a year’s salary with PayPal!

The lovely chaps at PayPal have set me a little challenge.  And oh, it’s a good one.  They want to know how I’d spend £40,000.

Spend 40 grand?  SPEND it?  Of course I wouldn’t spend it.  I’d shop around, find the savings account with the best interest rate and save every penny for a rainy day.

Ahaha.

Don’t be silly.

I’d splurge.  I’d blow it.  Shop ’til I drop.  Paint the town red (well, pink).  Eat ’til I could burst, too, most likely.

Firstly, I’d have a nice holiday.  I’m thinking the  Maldives or maybe Mauritius.  I’d loll, maybe have a little swim, drink a few cocktails and eat quite a few puddings.

Then comes the splurge.  I’ve got my eye on one of those eco-conservatories for English Towers, and maybe a nice barby for the back garden.  The chooks could have a new ubercoop and even the Ninja Cat of Death could have a bit of bling.  I might buy another KitchenAid – a pink one.  And one of those fabulous Smeg fridges too.  In pink, naturally. The fellas could trick out their pits and the Hubster could get his longed-for 3DTV.

Happily, this little pipe dream isn’t an impossibility, thanks to PayPal.  They’re giving away a year’s salary (that whopping £40,000).  It’s a weekly draw so the more you shop the more chance you’ve got of winning.

Want in?  All you’ve got to do is shop.  Simples.  Check those Christmas lists (oops, C-word, it slipped out), and get buying.  How about a little shmooze around Toys R Us?  Pick up a new PS3 320GB slim for the little gamer in your life, or maybe the new Xbox Kinect (get queuing folks), or take yourself off toDell.co.uk for a gorgeous pink laptop for a lucky lady?  How about Nike trainers for the cool dude in the family, or maybe your car-mad man needs some new wheels?  Buy anything using PayPal and you’re in the draw.  The more the buy, the more chances you get!

For terms and conditions and to find out more, go to: https://www.paypal-marketing.co.uk/win/terms/ and enter now for your chance to win

What are you waiting for?  Get shopping!

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The scary spider cake (toddler styley)

Okay, so we’re clear that cake decorating is not my forté, evidenced by this hideous monstrosity that practically made my husband weep on his 44th:

I don’t know what it is.  I mean, I love cooking, love baking… but I just don’t seem to have an artistic bone in my whole body.

Still, it’s Hallowe’en and I thought ‘sod it, I’ll give it another go’.  Here, then, is my Hallowe’en scary spider cake.

The first bit’s easy.  It’s just a lovely rich chocolate cake.  You will need:

150g dark chocolate, melted

170g butter

170g soft dark brown sugar

3 eggs

145g self raising flour

25g cocoa powder

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees/gas 4, and grease and line a medium cake tin.  I use bits of Bake-o-Glide that I have already cut to shape:

Melt the 150g chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (remember not to let the bowl touch the water and turn it off as soon as the chocky starts to melt).  I used Dark Chocolate Toblerone, thinking it would look a bit ‘muddy’, but use whatever you like.

Meanwhile, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time (remember if it curdles just bung in a spoonful of the flour).  Next, sieve the flour and cocoa and stir gently into the mix, then add the cooled, melted chocolate.  Bung the mixture into the tin and bake for around 20-30 minutes (it will depend on how wide your tin is).  I always think it’s best to take it out a little earlier than you think as this keeps it more moist.

For the ganache:

150g chocolate, melted

Double cream

3 or 4 tbsp icing sugar

A little water

Now, allow your cake to cool while you melt some more chocolate (you can melt 300g in the first place and just use half for the cake if you like).  Pour in enough cream to get a smooth, quite runny ganache, and pour it all over your cake.  Allow this bit to firm up.

Then mix up the icing sugar (don’t overdo it with the water, you want it to be dribbling consistency not runny), and pipe in concentric circles on your cake.

With a cocktail stick, and starting at the middle, drag lines out through the icing to the edge of the cake to get your ‘web’ effect.

For the spider, I used fruit pastilles (who knew you could roll out a fruit pastille eh?).

I rolled out two black ones as flat as they would go, then snipped them into strips.  I then gave them a little roll with my fingers to make them ‘leggy’:

Then I used another one, with some red bits snipped off, for the head:

I know, it’s pathetic, and I sincerely hope you can do better.  In fact, I’m hoping you’ll be joining my Autumn Bakeoff. There’s a beautiful cookbook from Diana Henry to win, and a special Chef Bear from Build-a-Bear for the winner of the Hallowe’en children’s section.  There’s still a couple of weeks to go.  Go on, make me look shabby, see if I care.

Step by step quick and easy soft bread rolls

I have absolutely no idea why we calls these ‘milk rolls’.  Well, apart from the fact that they obviously contain milk, but then so do an awful lot of other bread recipes.

Anyhoo, whatever their name they’re a firm favourite here.  Their soft texture makes them ideal for breakfast, toasted with a little of our favourite Whole Earth peanut butter and a dollop of bramble jelly.  The boys also like them in their lunchboxes, stuffed with crunchy lettuce, poached chicken and zesty lemon mayo (they ignore the bits of knuckle along with the lemon zest – it’s okay, I’m gradually blunting the grater with my digits).

Anyhoo, enough of my bloody stumps and onto the bread.  You’ll need:

450g strong white bread flour

2 tsp salt

1 x 7g sachet dried yeast

150ml milk

150ml water

50g butter

So first, sieve the flour into a large bowl (or your food mixer bowl), then stir in the salt and dried yeast.

In a small saucepan, warm the milk, water and butter over a low heat until the butter has just melted, then turn off the heat.  The liquid should be at blood temperature when it’s added to the dry ingredients (which means you can stick your finger in without it feeling too warm).  You can do this in the microwave, but remove it as soon as the butter starts to melt and stir gently until it’s all combined, otherwise you’ll be waiting for ages for it to be cool enough.

Making the dough:

Pour most of the milky mixture into the dry ingredients and stir it around with a knife until you get a light dough.  Leave it as sticky as you can bear as you want your dough to be lovely and soft.  You can always add a bit of flour if you really want to, but seriously, the stickier you can manage, the better.

If you have a tiny bit of liquid left over, that’s fine – you can brush it over the rolls before they go in the oven.

Now start kneading.  If you’re using a food mixer, just bung it in for about five minutes and forget about it (great if you’re busy and need to crack on), but by hand is lovely and satisfying too – if I’ve got extra time I often do.

To hand knead:

With the heel of one hand, press and splurge the dough away from you, (imagine you’re smearing it across the work surface) then bring it back, squish it into a ball again, turn it over and then splurge it again.  As it’s quite a wet dough this is a bit messy, but that all adds to the fun.  Again, if you’re getting really messy, you can always add a bit of extra flour.  As you knead it, it will become more elastic and springy and less squelchy.

Double Proving and shaping:

So when you’ve kneaded for about 7-10 minutes and your dough is springy and pillowy-soft (I know I’ve said this before, but a lovely dough ready for proving looks like a nice, round bottom-cheek), cover it with clingfilm and leave it in the airing cupboard or somewhere else warm until it’s doubled in size.

Then, just knock it back with your fist (imagine punching someone you can’t stand – always does the trick for me) and form it into 8 balls.  Either place them on a baking tray or arrange them inside a springform cake tin like I did, then cover and rise again until they’re puffed up.

You can also just fashion the dough into an oval shaped loaf: cut it down the centre and bake it ‘free-form’, you get a nice crust by doing it this way.

Now bake for about 15-20 minutes (for rolls – a whole loaf will take a bit longer) at 180/gas 4 until you hear a hollow knock when you tap the loaf/rolls on the bottom.  You can glaze them if you like with a little leftover milky mixture, or just some plain milk.  I like to dust them with flour.

You can do tons with this dough: squish it flat into a small baking tray, get your fingers in there and squish it, then drizzle with olive oil and maybe dot some olives and rosemary about and you’ve got a bit of a knock-off foccacia.  Add seeds, use wholemeal flour… just experiment (and if you do, send me pics!).

If you want to make sticky buns, my sweet dough recipe is here.

Off to the kitchen with you!

Ten things I’m loving

Okay, so in the hassle of moving, sorting the house out, the Bloggers on Tour messy weekend, etc.  I totally forgot to do my end of month roundup.

Luckily, I’m my own boss and I decided not to fire myself.  Instead, I give you ten things that I think are blimmin’ marvellous:

1. Kidstart’s fabulous new Save a Million campaign

My lovely, scrumptious friend, Liz Jarvis from LivingwithKids has told me all about Kidstart’s fabulous ‘Save a Million for UK kids‘ campaign.  It’s such a great idea – anything that encourages us to think about ways we can save money to put aside for our kids’ futures gets my vote.  It’s got tons of fab supporters like Sophie Raworth, Barnardo’s and Kiddicare (and me!) so why wait…

2. My Blankie

These are just gorgeous.  They’re like little mini duvets – perfect for popping over your legs on a cold night, or as an extra layer on the bed.  Ninja Cat of Death rather likes mine, but happily even though they’re down and feather, they’re machine washable.  They come in fabulous colours too.  More info here: http://www.blankie.ie/

3. My Photobox canvas

When Photobox contacted me and offered me one of their lovely canvas prints, I knew exactly which photo I’d choose.  How lovely is this? Now I just need to decide where to put it (I can’t put my friends in the loo, now, can I?):

4. Samsung’s Christmas Range

Oopsy, rash use of the C word there, but seriously, I’d like the 3DTV, a Galaxy Wave, the robot vacuum cleaner, the gorgeous laptop and the microwave, please Santa!  Feast your eyes HERE.

5. Superdrug’s new ‘wonder’ Optimum Apple Serum

Lauded as beauty’s Next Big Thing, I’ve been trying it for the last month and I have to say I’m impressed.  Slathered on before bedtime (with moisturiser over the top if my skin’s extra dry), I really feel like my skin’s plumper, with less dry lines around my eyes.  It’s a snip at £9.99, and even though I got a free one (thanks Superdrug!), when it’s finished, I’ll carry on buying it.  It’s that good.

6. Simon’s Choice by Charlotte Castle

I was introduced to Charlotte Castle by my lovely friend Jane Alexander, who, as well as writing a fabulous blog: Diary of A Desperate Exmoor Woman, is an author who’s had a gazillion books published.  For her to recommend I read Charlotte’s book, then, meant it must be good.  A pre-production copy of Simon’s Choice was despatched to me, and I read it, start to finish in one bathtime, emerging, blue, freezing and somewhat tearful.  It’s a beautiful, beautiful read about parents struggling to come to terms with their daughter’s terminal illness.  It’s admittedly sad, but also uplifting.  Grab yourself a copy now.

7. My hamper from Irish Gourmet…

…bought for me by my lovely friends before their weekend.  Sadly it’s nearly all gone now, but highlights included gorgeous cupcakes, fudge, beautiful Irish cheeses, chutneys and jams.

8. Disney’s Gorgeous Princess and the Frog on Blu-Ray

I know I’m 40, but seriously, it’s really really cute, and surprisingly funny.  It could well be a contender for #2 in my fave Disney movie of all time list (it’ll take a lot to knock Toy Story off the top spot though).

9. Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam on Nintendo DS

What? I love the styling bit – ooh, and the drumming!).

10. Bake with Compassion Week, 23rd – 31st October 2010.

Bake with Compassion is Compassion in World Farming’s national fundraiser to raise vital funds and spread awareness for higher farm animal welfare.

Factory hens are stuffed into battery cages up to 4 or 5 at a time, with less  space than an A4 piece of paper to live in.  Having had my own chickens (and planning to get some more next week!), I know that they love to flap and fuss and rootle around.  It breaks my heart to hear of them suffering like this.

Happily, and mostly due to Compassion’s hard hitting ‘ban the battery cage’ campaign, legislation comes into force to make the production of battery eggs illegal from January 2012.   Their Director of Food Business, Steve McIvor says:

“Our advice to consumers is to check the ingredients on shop bought cakes, biscuits and quiches, because without knowing, you could be buying products containing eggs from hens reared in cramped factory farm systems. Download our egg guide at bakewithcompassion.org to know what to look for.”

A green half term holiday? Save me a sunbed!

So who fancies spending half term somewhere gorgeously warm and sunny, then?

Thought so. I’ll be spending half term in lovely frosty Cavan, (yup, I spent ten extra minutes of the school bus run yesterday hysterically chipping ice off the windscreen) but hey, I can dream…

As I mentioned before, I’m loving Thomson’s new Holidays Forever brand.  And just when I’m adjusting to life here, and wondering if I can get away with putting the heating on again, those rotters at Thomson sent me the info on this place, Turtle Bay Beach Club, Kenya.

My dream  half term.  Seriously.

On Monday, then, I’d pack the boys off to learn all about Turtle Bay’s ‘Save the Turtle’ campaign (how cute is that?).

Tuesday, I’d send them on a treasure hunt around the resort to find all the original art made of objects washed up on the beach, like the gorgeous mosaics made from small squares of discarded flip flops.

Wednesday, they could check out the furniture, all made from recycled canoes.

Thursday, I’d let them loose in the very gorgeous ten acres of National Marine Park surrounding the resort.

Friday, they could go for a snorkel on the stunning private beach that’s recently been voted the fifth best beach in the world

Saturday they could take part in the ‘beach clean up’, where guests are encouraged to pick up seaweed and debris, with a prize for the person who collects the most.

Sunday, I’d let them have a bit of R&R, you know, seeing as we’re on holiday and all.

And me?  You’ll find me on a sunbed, with a trashy novel and a mojito.

Cheers.  Now if you’d all  like to post me a tenner, that should just about cover it and I’ll be on my way.

Gary Barlow and me? We’re bezzies. Exclusive!!!

So my hubby’s quite a private person.  I think in all the years I’ve written this blog, he’s had no more than a few passing mentions, and never really wants his photo on here.

He works hard, and often comes into contact with famous people.  He’s the consummate professional (yes, I know he’s a silly bugger, but he’s dead serious at work).

But this time, I’m afraid, he was overruled.  He rang me on Sunday.  The conversation went something like this:

Hubby: ‘Guess who I’m flying tomorrow?’

Me: ‘Who?’

Hubby: ‘Gary Barlow’

Me: ‘Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!  Gary Sodding Barlow! *insert girly screaming here* I LOVE HIM!’

Now Hubster, being aware that I’m somewhat of a fan, did something really, really lovely.  Something that he would never, ever normally do.  I never ask him to get autographs and stuff, because I know it’s not professional, so I hadn’t even asked (well okay, that’s a total lie, I did ask but I thought he’d say no), so imagine my surprise when this landed in my inbox:

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

And for the record, he says that the lads are really, really lovely, totally unstarry, that Gary ‘Goose’ Barlow likes to sit up front next to the pilot, and that they’re a great craic too.  You can see Mark Owen in the background too – I might faint!!!

Special thanks must go, obviously to Gary, I bloody love you! xxx

PS: What also really makes me laugh is Hubby’s silly face at the end.  You can see ‘yes! brownie points!’ written all over it

Are we eating too much meat? Friends of the Earth say yes.

I’m sure I’ve told you this before, but once, in a small butcher’s shop in Cavan, I asked if their chickens were free range.

‘Free range?’ asked the butcher with a smirk, ‘they’re as free range as you’ll get round here’.

And yes, I get it, I really do. A small butcher’s shop in a normal town will probably struggle to sell free range chickens at €10 a pop. He’ll probably sell double the amount of €5 intensively farmed ones, and I can see why. We’re all feeling the pinch.

Sometimes we just have to buy the stuff that’s available, but if there’s free range in the shop, that’s what I’ll buy.  If it costs more, we deal with the problem by eating less. We’ll have pasta one day, and maybe a butternut squash risotto. And then, when we do have chicken, it’s a nice free range one that may have cost me a bit, but at least it’s not sticking in my throat, conjuring images of poor, balding, scrawny birds stuffed in their thousands into a stinking barn somewhere. And it’s the same with beef. I’d rather have one really nice meal a week, with the leftovers used carefully, and know that the meat had come from a local, high welfare source. Everyone’s different, I grant you, but for me, it’s all about respect.

Now Friends of the Earth have waded in, commissioning a survey that shows both in a health capacity, and to lessen farming’s environmental impact, that we’d be better to eat less meat.  I’m sure a by-product of that would be not only that we were healthier, as the report proves, but that maybe we’d start to care a bit more where our meat comes from.  Living where I do, in a farming community, and seeing the care and hard work that goes into rearing decent beef, it breaks my heart to think that the end result could be a plastic wrapped tray of two quid value mince.

What about you?  Do you consider the health aspects when buying your meat?  The welfare?  Or is it purely down to price?

Review: Jamie Oliver’s Kitchen Kit (and free plasters)

I am, dearest reader, nothing if not self-aware.  Yes, I’m slightly hysteria-prone, and yes, I’m rather clumsy and forgetful too.  Hey, I have my good points (I’m sure there’s a list on here somewhere).  I come as a package – what can I do?

When I was asked if I wanted to try out Jamie Oliver’s new Kitchen Kit, then, I was blimmin’ delighted, if not a little scared.  Knives were involved.  Big scary ones.  Little did I know it would cost me blood, sweat and tears…  (okay, no sweat, but certainly blood and tears).

First up, then, is the knife block.  Excuse all the crap in the picture, but I wanted you to see just how big this thing is.  It’s a really serious bit of kit.  It weighs a ton and the beautiful Beech block is really chunky.  Be warned, though, the knives are deadly.  I was chatting to fellow tester Heather, from Eggs Cream and Honey, and she admitted that she’d already cut herself twice.  I had to confess that the knives looked so scary (and knowing what a total klutz I am in the kitchen) I’d hardly used them.  I had, however, managed to cut myself on the coarse grater whilst grating Parmesan, and bleed all over my risotto (still, all adds to the flavour).

Deciding to man up, then, I used the largest chef’s knife to slice an onion (the knives are all named on the end of the handle so you don’t have to pull every one out to find the one you need).  It’s fabulous – not just incredibly sharp but beautifully weighted and a delight to use.  Plus, it makes that awesome ‘ffffwing!’ swordfight-type noise when you pull it out of the block.  The heel is deep enough to protect your knuckles from banging on the board and, apart from the fact that some chainmail gloves wouldn’t go amiss for the slightly less than competent amongst us, the entire set is great.  The bread knife is heavy and sliced effortlessly through crusty bread without pinging it everywhere, and the little paring knife is brilliant for all those little jobs like slicing tomatoes for packed lunches.

At a whopping £120.00, the knife block is a real investment piece, but it will last for years and, frankly, has made all my other knives a bit redundant.

I also tried the coarse grater (£18.00), perfect for Parmesan and chocolate (and also razor sharp, see above), the apple corer (£10.00), which is nice and long for dealing with larger apples, the garlic press (£16.00), which also has a handly garlic slicing section, the 3 in1 peeler (£12.00) – with a fantastic soft fruit attachment and a great julienne attachment for making things like courgette and carrot spaghetti (toss in a little honey and butter – nom).

All in all they’re a big 10/10 for me, although, I think as my friend Paula already mentioned when she reviewed the knives, the whole kit is slightly let down by the packaging which doesn’t really reflect the fabulous quality of the range.

The Kitchen Kit pieces are available from all good independent cook shops, Debenhams and John Lewis .  Click here for stockists: http://www.jamie-olivers-kitchen-kit.com/Where_To_Buy.aspx)