Clementine and mincemeat festive pastry cakey pies

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So I think I’ve told you about these little beauties before. They”re a bit of a tradition in our house - originally pinched from Hubby’s mum, who used to make ‘pastry jammy cakey things’ - basically a jam tart topped with sponge. These are just a mincemeaty version. But be warned, they’re VERY addictive.

First of all you need to make some festive, orange scented pastry:

200g cold butter

400g plain flour

Pinch salt

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 egg

1 clementine, zest and juice

1 jar mincemeat, with added booze if you like

Firstly, preheat the oven to 180/gas 4. It’s easiest to do this in the food processor but you can do it by hand, or indeed just buy your pastry. I won’t tell.

Chop the cold butter into squares and add it to the flour, salt and sugar. Process it until it looks like breadcrumbs. Grate in the clementine zest and squeeze in the juice.

Now plop in the egg and pulse slowly until it comes together, adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of water until you get a nice soft dough.

Flour the work surface and squish the mixture together into a ball. Wrap it in clingfilm and chill for about 2o minutes. Next, roll it out to about 5-6mm thick, then cut out rounds using a pastry cutter and pop each round into a muffin tin.

Take your jar of mincemeat and pop in a couple of tablespoons of booze: brandy/sherry/port - whatever you’ve got. Stir well. Place a teaspoon of mincemeat into the bottom of each pastry case.

Leave them somewhere cool while you whip up a quick sponge mix (if you’re making lots, make it 170g/3 eggs):

115g butter

115g caster sugar

115g self raising flour

1tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

Cream the butter and sugar until really light and fluffy, then add in the vanilla extract, then the eggs, beating after each one. Now gently fold in the flour. If the mixture’s a bit stiff (this’ll depend on the size of your eggs), add a splash or two of milk. So now blob a spoonful of your cake mix on top of each mince pie.

Mix a teaspoon of sugar with half a teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle a little pinch on each cake, for added festiveness, and to fill your house with the gorgeous seasonal scent of cinnamon. Then just whack them in the oven for about 20 minutes and you’ll be delighted to discover a light muffin with a pastry base and a little mincemeat surprise in the middle.

Five fab cookery books for Christmas

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Of course, regular readers will know that I have something of an obsession with Christmas books, but I’ll spare you for the time being (lots of madness to come!) and give you some great recommendations for fab pressies for Christmas.

First up is my lovely Twitter friend Genevieve Taylor’s new book Marshmallow Magic. Marshmallows are majorly trendy at the moment, but if you think they’re too difficult for you, do buy this gorgeous little book stuffed full of great recipes for gourmet marshmallows. Check out the recipe for mojito marshmallows too! A gorgeous little stocking filler. I’m also looking forward to Genevieve’s new book A Good Egg, based on her fab blog.

I remember Rachel Allen’s first TV show years ago when we lived in Ireland. I love her recipes which are always easy to follow and pretty foolproof. Her newest book, Cake, basically contains every cake recipe you could ever need. This is the perfect pressie for any cake lover.

Andy Bates’ Street Food series on Food Network UK has been absolutely amazing (see if you can catch it - well worth it if you’ve got a bit of a food obsession). This new book, called simply Andy Bates, is a mix of recipes from his company, Eat My Pies, along with some really creative ideas for eating with friends, and proper British classics like roast dinners and home made tarts. I hate to be sexist (ahaha) but I think this would make a really good man pressie. Gorgeous.

Next up is the ever scrummy Nigella. Her Christmas TV programme is my absolute fave for getting me in the Christmas spirit. I wasn’t quite so sure about the Nigellissima series, but even if you were equally nonplussed, do buy the book - there are some really great recipes - even if the ‘meatzza’ didn’t grab you. The veggie section is particularly inspiring.


Lastly, here’s some proper ‘food porn’: Gordon Ramsay 3 Star Chef is such a clever idea. The book starts with 50 classic Gordon Ramsay restaurant dishes. The second part of the book show you how to recreate these recipes at home with step by step instructions. It’s quite full on, but if you’re a serious foodie and fancy having a go at recreating gorgeous Michelin star food at home, this is the book for you. It’s also quite beautiful, making it perfect for a present.

Win: the perfect Christmas party look with Beautyland.co.uk

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I’ve recently discovered a GORGEOUS website with all sorts of really lovely brands. Beautyland.co.uk is the brainchild of the lovely Suji and sells some really great brands of make up and Glo Therapeutics skincare. I asked her a little bit more about the site and how it came into being:

‘I have worked for the last 15 years for some of the largest premium beauty companies helping them to find out what British women really want from their beauty regimes. In that time I spoke to literally hundreds of women who just felt that as they got older, their makeup routine didn’t really work for them.

‘When you have a hiatus such as having children, you pare your routine down to the absolute minimum because you just don’t really have time to think about it. Then things start to calm down a bit, you look up and find that everything’s changed and also you have changed and so what you used to do doesn’t really work anymore, but it’s hard to know where to start, especially as a lot of the looks you see in magazines are modelled on very young women and it’s hard to tell if they might be appropriate for you as you get older.

‘I did go back to work after I had my kids, but I increasingly felt I - and they - were missing out on spending time together, even though I loved putting my heels on a going into Bond street to work. So that’s why I set up Beautyland - really to try and bring back a bit of fun to people who have lost some confidence in their makeup and skincare but also so I can spend a bit more time at home with my kids.

As for the brands - I chose Becca because they have amazing technology and the complexion products are second to none both in terms of technology and also the colour range. They do tend to focus a bit more on colours that are suitable for a more everyday kind of look - and so all the colours are really wearable. Paul and Jo are a bit less about the complexion and more about the fun aspect of makeup with great colours and really fun packaging.

I recognised myself in so much of this, and thought it would be fun for one lucky reader to try out a fabulous Christmas look. Suji’s very kindly agreed to put together a special selection of items perfect for Christmas (worth nearly £100). The kit contains:

  • Paul and Joe Shimmering Pressed Powder: a luminous powder you use to add a little glow and sparkle to your cheekbones, temples, collarbone, etc
  • Paul and Joe Shimmering Body Lotion: a lightly scented moisturising body gel that adds a sensual shimmer to the skin
  • Paul and Joe Nail Varnish in 30: a metallic silver nail varnish
  • Paul and Joe Lash Macara in 01 - black
  • Paul and Joe Eye Gloss Duo - a double ended eye gloss that features two complementary colours, one in a pearl finish and one in a metallic finish that can be worn separately or together. There are 3 colour options to choose from and you will find them here
  • Becca Ultimate Colour Gloss - a long-lasting, highly pigmented gloss available in 7 shades that you can choose here
To be in for a chance to win all these gorgeous Beautyland goodies, all you have to do is leave a comment and tell me which colours you’d choose for the last two items, the Paul and Joe Eye Gloss Duo and the Becca Ultimate Colour Gloss.
The small print: the winner will be chosen at random. No cash alternative. UK only. Judge’s decision is final. Competition closes Sunday 25th November at midnight.
***THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED! THANKS FOR YOUR ENTRIES - WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY!***

How to make a Christmas pudding (gluten free if you need it to be): an easy step by step guide

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I ADORE making Christmas pudding: it’s my first real Christmas job (because I’m lazy with the Christmas cakes) and the house just smells divine. Actually, because I soak the fruit overnight, I tend to start on Stir-up Saturday (what? it’s a thing, honestly), but you could start in the morning, soak the fruit all day and make the pudding in the evening too…

Ingredients

So first things first: shopping.

Have a look at the ingredients list now so you’ve got a chance to put anything you don’t have on your shopping list before Saturday. And don’t forget the pudding basin!

The best thing about listing the dried fruit in one 500g item is that you can tweak the recipe as you see fit. I HATE dried peel, so you won’t see any of that in any of my christmas baking (it’s made of the devil’s toenail clippings, don’t you know?) but I love the glistening gold that little snipped up bits of apricot add, so I always add in some of those. You can just buy a 500g bag of mixed fruit if you’re in a rush too.

Gluten/alcohol free

Remember, if you don’t want to add booze, substitute with fruit juice - cranberry juice is lovely (or more tea), and if you need the recipe to be gluten-free I’ve added tips for that too. If you really must eat peel, though (bleurgh), I shall never speak to you again. Just saying.

Oh and quick tip: tick off the ingredients as you put them in, which will save you doing what I did last year and forgetting the spices.

Right, here we go then:

Christmas Pudding

500g dried fruit - sultanas, raisins, dried cranberries, chopped dates, dried apricots snipped into small pieces… whatever you like.

1 tbsp Maraschino cherries, halved (optional, but it’s nice to see a little glistening bit of red when you cut it open)

1 lemon

100ml black tea

100ml booze - I’ve used Pedro Jimenez sherry, Morgan’s Spiced Rum.. whatever you have.

1 cinnamon stick, snapped in half

3 eggs, beaten

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp black treacle

1 Bramley apple, grated

100g self raising flour (or rice flour for gluten free - thanks as always to the lovely Pippa for the help regarding gluten)

100g fresh white breadcrumbs (or again, ground almonds if you need to keep the recipe gluten free)

150g veggie suet

150g dark muscovado sugar

25g almonds or pistachio nuts, finely chopped

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground mixed spice

So on to the recipe then:

1. Weigh out the dried fruit, then have a good pick through and get rid of any stems, they’re yucky if you crunch on them. I let them fall through my fingers into the bowl a handful at a time. If you’re using larger dried fruit like prunes or apricots, make sure they’re stoneless and snip them into small pieces.

2. Finely grate the lemon zest, then juice it as well. Add the zest and juice to the fruit then brew up the tea (one tea bag is fine for that amount of water) and pour it over the fruit, along with the rum/brandy/whatever. Add in the cherries and the cinnamon stick and stir it all up. Cover with a plate and leave the whole shooting match to steep (make sure it’s not a metal bowl) overnight, stirring occasionally if you remember.

3. The next day, then, weigh out all the dry ingredients and combine them in a huge bowl. Don’t forget the spices! The muscovado sugar can be a bit lumpy so you might need to sift it to break up any lumps.

4. Take the steeped fruit and remove the cinnamon stick pieces. Add the eggs (give them a quick mix with a fork first), honey, treacle and grated apple (leave the peel on).

5. Stir well, then you can add all that into the dry ingredients. Give it a really good stir (get everyone to take a turn to stir and make a wish).

6. Now butter a big basin (3 pint/1.7 litre) or two smaller ones and bung in your mixture, pressing it down well and filling as near to the top as you can.

7. Cut out a circle of greaseproof paper, bigger than the top of the basin/s, then add a layer of foil. Tie the two layers tightly just under the basin rim with string, leaving lots of excess to make a handle. Now there is some weird way to loop the excess string underneath the basin to make a handle, but I’ve never managed it as I didn’t pay attention at Brownies. If you want to be extra sure no liquid gets in, add another layer of foil and tie again. Or you can use a basin with a lid, or tie it in a muslin, or use one of those special circular moulds.

And that’s it, you’ve made a Christmas pudding! Pause here a minute to give yourself a quick round of applause.

To steam it, you can use a steamer if you’re posh, but I haven’t got one so I just use a huge saucepan and balance the basin inside it on a circular metal pastry cutter so it isn’t sitting on the bottom of the pan. This will also stop it burning if you inadvertently let it boil dry. Add boiling water about halfway up the basin and put the lid on the saucepan. Steam for 5 hours, making sure you go back every so often to top up the boiling water.

I rewrap it with fresh greaseproof paper and foil, but you don’t have to. Keep it somewhere cool until Christmas day when it’ll need to steam for about another 2.5 to 3 hours (don’t worry if it gets a bit longer, it won’t ruin it). Or you could *gasp* just microwave it on Christmas day. Much easier, but possibly a little sacrilegious.

On Christmas day, just warm some booze gently, then at the last minute, pour it over the pud and set it alight.

Boxing Day turkey, ham and thyme pie

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This is my fourth Lean on Turkey challenge, supporting our fabulous British turkey farmers and showing you just how versatile turkey is. In the last three recipes, I’ve told you that turkey’s not just for Christmas,but FINALLY I can tell you that it’s for Christmas too!

This time the chaps have challenged me to create a recipe with leftovers, and it just HAD to be the Boxing Day Pie. It’s a tradition in our house to bake a MASSIVE leftover pie on Boxing Day. If you’ve got stuffing leftover, pop it in too, it tastes delicious. Served with a stir fry of leftover veggies, it’s a feast as good as the one on Christmas Day. Here’s how to do it:

You will need:

1 tablespoon rapeseed oil

1 large white onion

Lots of leftover turkey (a good couple of double handfuls, shredded, depending on how large your pie dish is)

Leftover ham: this can be from a roast ham, or just any ham you have lying around

Any leftover stuffing

Small tub of double cream

About 200-300ml chicken stock (cube is fine, or use watered down leftover gravy)

Herbs: I wanted to use tarragon, but apparently there’s a ‘shortage’ (?), so I opted for thyme out of the garden

Shortcrust pastry (bought or home made)

For the pastry

So firstly, if you’d like to make your own pastry, you’ll need:

200g cold butter

400g plain flour

Pinch salt

1 egg

Cold water

Cut the cold butter into cubes, and add it to the flour. Add in the salt, and then rub in the butter gently with just your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Keep everything as cool as you can, including your hands. Add the egg, and a couple of tablespoons of cold water, just enough to bring it together. It’s less messy initially so use a knife to just stir it around until it starts to form clumps, then, with your hands, bring it together into a dough. Don’t knead it, remember, just treat it very gently. Now just wrap it in clingfilm and pop it in the fridge to rest while you make the filling.

For the pie

So gently fry the onion in the oil until translucent and add in the shredded turkey and leftover ham (snipped into little pieces, or chopped), season well (not too much salt - the ham’s salty) and then add a generous splosh of cream. Pour in the stock and leave to bubble away and reduce a little (you don’t want too much ‘juice’ in the pie as it will make the pastry soggy). Add in the fresh herbs and allow to cool while you roll out the pastry.

This is a good time to preheat the oven to 180/gas 4.

In our house, it’s absolutely obligatory that the pie has a bottom, the boys insist upon it, but if you want, you can omit the bottom and just cover the top with pastry. So flour your work surface AND your rolling pin really well. Divide your pastry into two pieces: one about 2/3 for the base and the other 1/3 for the top.

Roll the larger piece out to about 5-6mm thick, moving the pastry around in 1/4 turns as you roll until you’ve got a rough circle. This will prevent the pastry from sticking to the work surface. Roll the pastry up around the rolling pin, then unroll it over your pie dish. Push it down gently, and use little extra bits to fill any holes or cracks.

Now spoon in your cooled filling. Don’t put hot filling into the pie as it will begin to melt the butter and you’ll get the dreaded ‘soggy bottom’!

Now do the same thing with the final third of pastry. Unroll it over your filling and crimp the edges with your fingers, or a fork so that they’re sealed together.

If you’re feeling arty, make some letters, then transfer to the eggy wash department (I use a stray child) for a brush with beaten egg or milk and pop in the oven for about half an hour.

And that’s it. Hopefully it will become a tradition in your house too!

There’s really no pricing with this as most of it is home made or leftover, but it’s definitely cost effective, and delicious.

For more information on the Lean on Turkey campaign, head to leanonturkey.co.uk

 

A new friend for the Ninja Cat of Death

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Poor Ninja, she’s just not a people person.

Our recent trip to Gran Canaria did us no favours in her affections. I blame English Dad for bumbling the initial attempt at putting her in the cat carrier (in his defence, she did plant all four paws around the edge of the little door and arch her back whilst attempting to bite him too… he had no choice but to let her go). After that we spent a good half an hour chasing her around the house until I finally squashed her, snarling and hissing, two handed against the lounge carpet, yelling ‘bring the cat box! Quick!’. In the end we had to upend the box and plop her into it, unceremoniously and from a bit of a height (it was the only way without losing several digits… As it was I suffered several scratches and a bite to the hand).

All this trauma, added to a week in the cattery (’she’s been an angel’, the cattery manager mumbled, unconvincingly, without looking me in the eye and simultaneously relieving me of 80 quid) means that she now eyes us warily from the corner of the room and manages to duck any attempt at being stroked or touched in any way unless she can actually see a sachet of cat food being opened, in which case she’ll suffer a small ear scritch, just as a small ‘food tax’.

We’ve decided she needs a friend. ‘It might bring out her mothering instincts’, someone on twitter said hopefully, while we all rolled around laughing. ‘She might kill it’ said someone else, while we nodded thoughtfully… ‘maybe we could buy it some tiny body armour?’ suggested the dude.

Anyhoo, we’ve decided on a Bengal, as we think they’ve got strong personalities, which you’d probably need, being the Ninja’s household minion… and we’ve chosen this little silver spotted girl (obviously she’s too tiny to leave her mum yet).

I want to call her Moët (properly pronounced, with the ‘t’), but I imagine she’ll end up being called Slash or Barry something if the brethren get their way. Wish her luck.

 

In which English Towers is struck down with the lurgy

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m not a natural carer. My times of wiping toddler bums are behind me and now I can share the odd drinky and a smutty snigger with my boys, I’m much happier.

I was less happy, therefore, when after spending the entire day on Saturday at the Vans Warped Tour at the Ally Pally, the Prof arrived home in the early hours, cracked my door open and croaked ‘I’m home’ in a very bunged-up manner. Of course, spending a whole day moshing (or whatever it is) and yelling along to various bands without drinking or eating much was never going to help his already-ingrained medium to bad cold, but Sunday dawned and it was obvious this was something more. Coughing gave way to the sound of puking, he was freezing cold/boiling hot/freezing cold and the poor cat eventually gave up her place at the end of the bed when she fell off about three times due to the severity of his hacking cough.

His brother decided the only thing for it was to wear his balaclava in the house at all times, giving the postman a bit of a shock when he rang the doorbell with a special delivery too.

I’m not too bad at the medical side (although I have managed to lose the thermometer - I really must clear up my desk), and I’ve been duly monitoring how much paracetamol are in various cold and flu medicines, and dispensing mugs of hot blackcurrant, teaspoons of cough medicine and lots and lots of hugs.

When I got a text from the Dude, who was at school, saying ‘I really don’t feel well’, (there’s something scientific right there: balaclavas don’t work as germ prevention - possibly why you can’t get them on prescription) things went from bad to worse, and I’ve now got two of them at home, coughing, retching, sweating and generally needing looking after. I swear as soon as my bum hits the sofa, there’s a feeble ‘muuuuuuum’ from upstairs because someone needs water/medicine/more hugs. If I carry on at this rate my entire store of hugs will be depleted, and THEN what will I do?

I’ve learned, too, that it’s unbearably sad when your sole skill becomes defunct: nobody’s eaten anything except tiny bits of toast with honey, and my shopping and cooking services haven’t been required. It’s heartbreaking, dear reader. I want my plague of locusts back, and I want them NOW!

Ninja, disgusted with all this malaise in the house, has made things twice as bad, once by attacking one of my patients, forcing him to spill his hot orange all over his clean bedlinen, and another time by stealthily parking herself on the top stair, so that in a vain attempt not to squash her I managed to drop a basket of washing back down the stairs and twist my ankle trying not to follow it.

Still, the boy managed to tweet ‘I love my Mum’, which was nice, and I’ve put the shoulder of pork I was going to surprise them with into the freezer (they’re desperate for me to make the lovely pulled pork sandwiches that we had round my sis in law’s on bonfire night). Maybe next weekend eh? That’s if I don’t come down with it first… *sniff*

Becoming James Bond: GCHQ Apprenticeships in British Intelligence

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As you know, we’ve had some ups and downs regarding education. The Mad Professor is now happily resitting the first year of his A levels, but this isn’t without some hassle, and his future is by no means certain - he wants to go into the Navy and become a pilot, like his Dad, but the armed forces are taking on less and less people these days, so other options are always good. Imagine the shock horror, then, when we discovered you can be a REAL LIFE JAMES BOND. Oh yes, GCHQ, the Government Communications Headquarters (a British Intelligence agency) has just announced for the first time that they’re going to be providing apprenticeships. I know, right? Proper, paid two year courses with the finest intelligence agency in the world - getting your mitts on some of the world’s most cutting edge technology and helping to tackle counter espionage, terrorism and organised crime. EXCITING!

This course is not just fabulous on the outside, either. There’s proper university-delivered education, work placements and full on technical training too. GCHQ is based at Cheltenham, but in the second year, who knows where the students will end up (it’s secret, after all). Plus there are proper qualifications to be had: a Foundation Degree and a level 4 Diploma in IT Professional Competence. Plus, of course, you might even get to be a real life secret agent at the end of it. Imagine the doors this would open!

Got a teenager who’d love this too? They’ll need, or be expected to gain by September 2013, three A levels (or equivalent) two of which must be at C or above in science, technology, engineering or maths related subjects. You can find out more, and register for their open days in Manchester, London and Cheltenham, at www.careersinbritishintelligence.co.uk.

 



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Giveaway: win a £100 John Lewis voucher with Richardson’s Boating

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I always find that as soon as I return from one holiday, I start planning another. Next year, we’re going to Brittany for a couple of weeks in the summer, and are also hoping to get away in the UK for a week.

I’ve been talking to Norfolk-based Richardson’s Boating about their fab self-drive boating holidays on the Norfolk Broads - my sister in law did this last year with her sister and family and absolutely loved it. Richardson’s are a lovely bunch - a family-owned company, with over 50 years’ experience and over 300 Norfolk Broads cruisers in their fleet. This means that they can provide everything from a cheerful little two bedroom boat of a big huge boat for a larger family or group of friends.

One of things I love about this sort of holiday is its low impact on the environment. Richardson’s are big on conservation and have been developing a low-wash hull, which less impact on the riverbanks, thus helping to preserve the wildlife this area is famous for. They are also introducing new, more efficient solar panels on our new boats.

So if you’re planning on a UK break, check them out - you get to go at your own pace (and yes, I asked about those of us who are slightly ‘technically challenged’ - they give you a very full and thorough demo on how to drive the boat!).

So to find out everything you need to know, check out Richardson’s Boating Norfolk Broads cruiser hire. In the meantime, Richardson’s have given me a very tidy £100 John Lewis voucher to give away, just in time for Christmas shopping.

To enter just check out Richardson’s fleet (click link then scroll down) - I quite fancy the Ibiza - and let me know which one you’d choose!

Competition is open to anyone and everyone (vouchers can be used in store at John Lewis and Waitrose and online too). Winner will be chosen at random, no cash alternative. Competition closes at Midnight on Monday 19th November 2012. Just call me Mrs Christmas!

*****This competition is now closed. Well done to the winner: Emily McMillan - vouchers on their way! *****

The Harlem Globetrotters are back in business!

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When I was little, my Dad used to regale us with stories of the time he went to see the Harlem Globetrotters. If you’re not familiar with the name, they’re a basketball team - but not just any old basketball team - an exhibition basketball team who are clever, funny and really entertaining. My Dad’s favourite was Meadowlark Lemon, the ‘Clown Prince’ of basketball, who seemed to do more messing about than actual playing… apparently he watched one game where the team the Globetrotters were playing eventually gave up trying to play by the second half and ended up just joining in the fun, which included ‘weighted’ balls, buckets of water and all sorts of other nonsense.

At some stages in their history, the team played competitively and were very good - now it’s more about the show, and they’re even more entertaining than ever. Next year, they are about to embark on an epic world tour, so grab some Harlem Globetrotters tickets and join in with the fun!

New stars include ‘TNT’ Maddox, the first female Globetrotter since 1993, and ‘Big Easy’ Lofton, weighing in at 250lb and standing 6 feet 9 inches tall!

The Globetrotters start the UK leg of their tour on March 25th at the Birmingham NEC and then perform at various stadiums, including London, Aberdeen, Sheffield and Cardiff until 2nd April. Buy tickets here.

 

Styling the M&S Christmas kidswear range: ‘Electra Loves’

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One of the best things about Christmas is the dressing up. Whatever we’re doing at Christmas, we always make a big effort (although I’ll never quite live down the reindeer jumper and mustard cords of Christmas long past). M&S have teamed up with Disney Channel’s ‘Get the Look’ stylist Electra Formosa to produce a serious of brilliant fashion videos: Styled By Electra. They’ll be broadcast on Electra’s YouTube channel, Electra Loves and will show Electra styling the M&S kidswear Christmas photoshoots, teaching all our gorgeous girls to look amazing this Christmas.

This one is all about bows: one of the biggest trends this Christmas:

Subscribe to Electra Loves at youtube.com/electraloves‘?

Chocolate and vanilla Congo brownies for English Dad’s birthday

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So you know the rules, then… every birthday person at English Towers gets to choose their own birthday cake. This time, however, we were going to dinner at Glam C’s and I needed something that would work well feeding a crowd too so the Hubster let me choose, bless him.

I looked through my recipe books and found a ‘Congo Brownie’ recipe by Flo Braker and this is an adaptation of that recipe. As far as I can work out, the Congo bar part of it is the white layer - often called blondies and made with nuts, but if any of you can shed light on the name, I’d be delighted to know more!

I’ve split the ingredients and methods up. If you want to have a go at just making the Congo bars, I’d suggest doubling up the quantities and baking for 30 mins in total.

For the Congo bar layer:

85g butter - I use salted with chocolate

225g golden caster sugar

2 free range eggs (1 whole egg, 1 white - save the yolk and bung it in with the brownie)

1 tsp vanilla

175g self raising flour

For the chocolate brownie layer:

200g dark chocolate

170g butter (again, add a pinch of salt if using unsalted)

3 free range eggs

200g soft brown sugar (caster is fine if you don’t have any)

110g plain flour

So preheat your oven to gas 4/180 and butter a square tin/lasagne dish/whatever you have.

Melt the butter gently in a pan and set aside to cool. Whisk together the sugar, egg, egg white and vanilla then stir in the cooled butter. Sift in the flour, stir gently and spread evenly in the bottom of the baking tin.

Pop it in the oven for a scant 15 minutes so that it’s just set.

Meanwhile make the chocolate brownie layer:

Melt the butter and chocolate in a bain-marie (basically, a heatproof bowl (so not a plastic one) over a saucepan of just-simmering water – don’t let the bottom of the bowl come into contact with water). Turn the water off when it’s just bubbling and stir the mixture gently until it’s combined. Take it off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and sugar together (plop in the extra yolk here) until pale, light and frothy. There is no raising agent in brownies, so the air whisked in at this stage will stop them being a big chocolate brick.

Pour in the cooled chocolate/butter mixture and stir well. Lastly, add in the flour and stir briefly until the flour disappears.

Now pour the brownie mixture over the Congo layer. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is cracked and shiny. The centre should still be slightly soft and squidgy.

Finally, I melted a small bar of milk chocolate and spread it over the top of the cake.

Sadly, there were no number 8 candles left, so for the purposes of this dinner party, Hubby had to be 49. He didn’t mind. Especially when Glam C served up the most amazing chilli and the most delicious creamy raspberry cheesecake you’ve ever seen:

 

 

Review: The Hotel Maspalomas Princess, Gran Canaria

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I had such a lovely flight to Gran Canaria. It wasn’t particularly the plane (with Thomson now launching their new 787 Dreamliners - they start flights to Mexico and Florida in May next year - I wonder if this will free up some newer planes to replace the clunky old Boeing 757-200s that are still being used on the Gatwick-Gran Canaria route?) in fact, I spent takeoff and landing being dripped with icy water from the air conditioning … No, it was that I was sitting next to a really lovely retired couple (hello Brian and Gail!) who not only came to my aid with a copy of the Financial Times to use as an impromptu umbrella, but also made a very boring flight enjoyable chatting about their travels and family.

Still, as usual the Thomson crew were gracious and smiley (and provided wodges of tissue to dry me off!) and about four hours later we touched down in Gran Canaria.

Arriving at the Hotel Maspalomas Princess we were gobsmacked at the sheer size of the place : the mirror image of its sister hotel, the Hotel Tabaiba Princess (now a Thomson all-inclusive resort) the two form an enormous w-shape with 800 rooms between them over three floors. A slightly shambolic check-in followed (large reception desk combined with no visible queuing system) but we were soon away and up to our lovely third floor room which was spotless, modern, comfortable and with a lovely balcony overlooking the pools.

We chose this hotel because my Disreputable Dad and his partner have been going there for ten years - the waiters and dining room staff greeted them like old friends - and we wanted to see what was so great about it that it keeps attracting them back. And here’s what I discovered:

The staff are fab: they work and work and work to make sure everything is perfect. Happy hour in the piano bar is 5-6pm and we often sat around playing cards and chatting with the bar staff, some of whom we became really fond of. Oh, and that brings me on to my next point:

The drinks are very good value for a big hotel too. There were cocktails for just €3 and soft drinks were good value at about €1.90 a pop - important when you have teens with you guzzling soft drinks.

The food is excellent: obviously the main restaurant is enormous and yes, you occasionally have to join a small queue to wait for a table (bear in mind it was half term too), but there is a huge amount of choice, with some dishes being cooked in a ‘show kitchen’ by chefs while you watch, a decent selection of both local and international dishes, plus the ubiquitous chicken nuggets and chips for the kids. My one gripe was a lack of decent coffee and juice in the mornings - both were served out of machines and were a bit meh.

The wine list is small but there are some great Spanish wines on there (up to about €20ish - we tried some corkers). Mexican evening was FANTASTIC with a Mariachi and a magnificent spread of authentic Mexican dishes.

The kids clubs are amazing: this is another area where Thomson excel. We often bumped into a happy band of kids with their Thomson carers. I always watch the children’s reps and they’re just SO lovely with the kids. It would drive me mental, but they’re always patient, sweet and kind - even with the more… er… challenging of their charges! They have a lovely bright playroom inside and often take small groups outside in the lovely hotel grounds too.

The lunch choices were varied and excellent: it’s important when you’re staying somewhere on a half board basis that there’s a bit of choice when it comes to grabbing lunch. There is a large range of cafés, beach shacks, etc with reasonably priced toasties, burgers (ooh and lovely crab wraps), also a lovely poolside restaurant serving salads, pizza, pasta, etc.

Around the hotel

The place is huge so there is loads to do: mini golf, table tennis, pool, etc. There is a baby pool, a heated larger pool and then a huge two-part pool on an artificial beach (let down by foot-slicing grit as opposed to sand). The hotel grounds are lush and beautiful with stunning plants and foliage.

Out and about

If you want to explore, you can easily grab a taxi from the front of the hotel and go to the bustly Playa Del’Ingles. We didn’t really bother. Just out of the back gate and across the road (the route to the beach - a good half hour walk, unfortunately) there’s also a lovely café serving toasties, salads, and a decent jug of Sangria.

If you fancy splashing out, walk the route to the stunning white beach at Maspalomas and seek out the El Senador restaurant - a gorgeous, seafront place selling the most amazing seafood. We feasted on a fantastic fish soup, fresh garlicky prawns, paella and the most amazing fish, plus my dessert - a Galician almond cake with a Pedro Ximenez reduction was TO DIE FOR. After all this exertion, waddle to the beach and plonk yourself on a lounger (it’ll cost you €7.50 for two beds, though, so don’t do it too often). If you feel more like walking off your lunch, be careful where you wander, there’s a lot of nude sunbathing areas!

I’m not a huge fan of half board (I’d rather have been all-inclusive in the Tabaiba part of the hotel) as we did spend quite a bit of money, but I can’t complain because that was our choice so that we could be with my Dad, plus you don’t really have to go and stuff your face at lunchtime like we did. There are plenty of good value options to be had within the hotel. We had a wonderful time, ate some amazing food, and although we weren’t hugely lucky with the weather, it was warm the whole time and we still came back rested, a bit browner and yes, a bit fatter than we went.

Always the sign of a very good holiday.

Oh, and Brian and Gail heartily recommended their own holiday destination, the Lopesan Villa Del Conde, which, they said, had amazing food, lovely staff and a fabulous setting.

Huge thanks, as ever, to the team at TUI UK.

 

Thomson offers seven night Platinum holidays to Gran Canaria staying at the 5T Hotel Maspalomas Princess Thomson Platinum Resort on a half board basis, from £609 per adult, first child travels from £324 and from £389 for the second. Price is based on four sharing and includes flights departing from London Gatwick airport on 7 January 2013. To find out more about this holiday or to book visit your local Thomson travel shop, thomson.co.uk or call 0871 230 2555.

Optical Express laser treatment - changing my life forever

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Me looking slightly like Jonny Depp’s Willy Wonka after my treatment

I’ve worn glasses since I was about 12. I’ve never taken to contact lenses and have spent probably thousands of pounds over the years on glasses, prescription sunglasses and goggles.

Imagine my amazement then when an email dropped into my inbox offering me laser eye surgery.

Turns out, to celebrate their 21st birthday, Optical Express have launched ‘Team 21′, which basically means they’re paying for 21 bloggers/influences, including me, and one lucky competition winner to have laser eye treatment. I’m not ashamed to say I had a little cry. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.

First step on my journey was to pop over to Milton Keynes, my nearest branch, for a consultation including various checks and to give Trevor, my very friendly Optometrist, a jolly good grilling: how many times have you seen it go wrong? (none)… How many people don’t end up with 20/20 vision? Who do you turn down? Will it hurt? What if my vision’s not perfect? All that sort of stuff. He had good answers for everything (Optical Express have great results and state of the art equipment) and, bless him, he even went to search out research that I asked for, and drew me diagrams to explain bits that I didn’t understand.

Weirdly, as I was on holiday the week before my treatment, I became very aware of my glasses: the fact that I changed from my normal glasses to my prescription sunglasses and back a hundred times a day and that I did it so often that it had become second nature (another bonus, then, is that I’ll get to choose new sunglasses too). The morning of my treatment, I put my glasses on for the last time, and really savoured the moment. I was nervous, but so excited with thoughts whirling round in my head about buying new mascara, and maybe having my hair cut into a fringe (I know, vain) now people will finally see my eyes.

The actual surgery was so quick, I found it difficult to explain to people afterwards. I have vague images of chatting away with the lovely surgeon and nurses, a milky red pulsing light and a sensation of pressure, and it was all over. I kept my eyes shut all the way home, as directed, to ease the discomfort of the anaesthetic wearing off. When it did, it was similar to chopping onions… Burny and a bit stingy and my eyes watered a little and were very sensitive to light. I had a couple of hours’ sleep and found that I was left with a mild gritty sensation. By 6pm I was watching TV and absent mindedly trying to push my imaginary glasses back up into position, as I’ve done a million times before.

This morning at my check up (you have checks at one day, one week, a month and finally three months) I had a little cry. Turns out my eyes aren’t just 20/20, but BETTER than 20/20. Already my life has changed forever… It really is wide screen, glorious technicolour and high definition… But I still have more questions: will those little dents either side of the bridge of my nose ever disappear?

Follow Team 21′s experiences on Facebook and Twitter (#team21) or click on opticalexpress.co.uk

 

Review: Boo and Boy prints

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There’s nothing better than receiving a present that really makes you smile - a present that you know someone saw and thought ‘wow, that would be perfect’. And so, I was pretty delighted to receive this:

It’s ME! I adore it, it looks amazing in my kitchen and it makes me smile every time I look at it, which is, let’s face it, the very best thing about any present. Mr and Mrs B helped me choose the very best colour frame to complement my kitchen and set off the print and I think we all did a darned good job. You don’t have to have your personalised prints framed, of course, but there are so many lovely frames to choose from it seems a shame not to.

Boo & Boy is a gorgeous new website from the fabulous duo that is Mrs B&B (aka Laura, fellow blogger and one of my very best friends), and Mr B&B, aka Andy, designer of THIS VERY BLOG! So you know that everything they do is going to be darned fantastic, creative and beautiful (not that I’m biased in any way)

Next on my wish list is the very scrummy ‘my only vice‘ print, which, I’m thinking should say ‘cake… cheese… red wine… sunshine and… more cake’

Do yourself (and all your friends and family) a huge favour and bag some gorgeous prints for everyone. There is nothing better, I can vouch, than signing for a beautiful, brown-paper wrapped parcel and seeing those googly Boo&Boy eyes peeking at you from one corner…

Oh wait, there is one thing better: a special code for English Mum readers! Just add the code: B&B/EM/10/2012 at the checkout stage and you’ll get 10% off every order plus FREE Shipping, until 31st December 2012. Just in time to buy all your Christmas presents to show all your family and friends how much you care. Oh, you’re welcome.

Review: the Littlewoods online shopping experience and the Philips GC3320 iron

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Firstly, can I say that this review is about the online shopping experience and not about the iron - although this iron has given me so much entertainment, I’ve popped a little video at the end, just for you.

When Littlewoods asked me to give their online shop a go I was a tiny bit dubious. I think probably because I’m remembering the Littlewoods catalogues my Mum had when I was a kid. Now, happily, you can buy just about anything you could possibly want, and, although you can still do that thing where you pay for things weekly, you can also pay by credit card very easily. And now, with the addition of the gorgeous Myleene fronting their adverts (check out her lingerie collection, it’s gorgeous), Littlewoods is fresh, modern, and just a little funky. Brand-wise I was really impressed: there’s all the big guns like Coast, Lipsy and Ted Baker for the ladies and stuff like Superdry, Diesel and - my teenagers’ favourite G-Star RAW for the fellas, as well as all the usual big household brands.

It also got the boys’ vote for things like the ability to pre-order games such as Halo 4 and for good value gaming bundles too.

I purchased an iron (more of this later) and was able to pay, and chose a delivery time and date all within a couple of clicks. I was also sent tracking information and was kept up to date with emails. You can also reply to the emails to easily change the delivery date if it turns out it’s not convenient after all.

Delivery was very smooth and there was no waiting - the van was waiting for me on my return from the school run on the date requested. Impressive.

All in all, I came away with a completely positive experience of shopping online with Littlewoods and will definitely be back (well, now I’ve got an account it would be rude not to) to do my Christmas shopping.

And the iron? It’s great: it has a massive 300ml water tank, a huge 3 metre cord, and is heavy enough to feel substantial whilst not breaking your wrist every time you iron a shirt. The soleplate is pointy so it’s easy to get in between buttons on school shirts and it gives a big, hefty shot of steam when you need it. There’s just one downside:

WHAT?

I SAID, I’M I R O N I N G! NOPE, I CAN’T HEAR YOU!!!

It is, quite simply, the loudest iron in the world. Now I don’t really care, as its strengths outweigh the single flaw, but if you routinely iron while you’re watching TV, or with a sleeping baby in the room? Forget it. WHAT? I SAID FORGET IT!

Many thanks to Littlewoods.