Tag: Cooking

10 Reasons to Love Autumn

by  on  in Musings • 0 Comments

Trees in autumn colours

1) Cool, crisp mornings

Many people associate autumn with the start of wet winter weather. But you also get some beautiful days when the air is clear and crisp and the dew hangs on every blade of grass. It’s still light enough in the mornings to enjoy a run before work so get out and make the most these magical autumn days before winter descends.

2) Vibrant autumn colours

Spring flowers have their place but for me, the vibrant fiery hues of autumn can’t be beaten. Whether it’s the golden yellow and russet browns of deciduous woodland or the rich orange shades of bracken-covered fells, the English countryside is at its most beautiful at this time of year.

3) An extra hour in bed

By the end of October, it can be pretty hard to get up in the dark mornings. Fortunately, just when you’re losing despair, the clocks go back and the mornings get lighter. This also means you can trick your body into thinking you’re getting an extra hour in bed in the morning – a feeling which lasts for all of a week before things revert to normal. Make the most of waking up early and fit your training in before work. That way, when you get home in the dark, you won’t have to feel guilty about curling up on the sofa in front of the TV.

4) The return of comfort food

Even if summer is a washout, you still feel as if you should be eating healthy salads and cold dishes. But now, the cold weather is officially here! Which means it’s perfectly acceptable to start eating tasty warm comfort food again. Bring on the soups, stews and sponge puddings.

As there’s still a good variety of vegetables in season, there’s no excuse to equate “comfort” with “unhealthy”. Pumpkins and squashes are bright and colourful and can be used in lots of different dishes. This week, we were the recipients of a large pumpkin fresh from my mother-in-law’s garden. So far, we’ve had pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie and pumpkin chilli, and we’re planning on roasting the rest of it for dinner this week. And don’t throw away those pumpkin seeds – they’re great toasted with a bit of salt as a snack or soup garnish.

5) Roaring fires

Since the dawn of time, humans have gathered around fires. There’s nothing quite so comforting as sitting around a crackling fire gazing into the hypnotic flames. Sipping a mug of hot chocolate around a wood burning stove is the perfect way to end a day spent hiking in the cold.

If you don’t have a stove of your own, it’s not long to wait until bonfire night when you can wrap up in a warm coat and winter gloves and suck a toffee apple while basking in the warmth of the bonfire.

6) Mud!

Okay, I admit this may not be everyone’s reason to love autumn. But if you’re one of those crazy people who loves nothing more than getting covered head to toe in mud while struggling around a 10 km course, autumn is the perfect season for mud races.

And if you’re tired of slipping around on your local footpaths, I was quite excited to discover that you can buy studded wellies!

7) It’s apple season

The apples seemed to ripen rather earlier than usual this year, but I still associate autumn with apple season. From mulled cider to Dorset apple cake and apple and blackberry crumble, there are so many apple recipes, you’ll never run out. If you’re swamped with fruit, wrap the best apples in newspaper and they should keep until Christmas. Freeze the rest, either in slices or as a purée, or if you have a dehydrator create some apple rings for hiking snacks.

8) Autumn leaves

And I the only one who loves walking through rustling piles of autumn leaves, kicking them up in front of me as I go? Thought not. And dry autumn leaves are perfect for adding to the compost bin or creating leaf art.

9) Hot drinks rule

As if I needed an excuse to drink hot chocolate … But here it is! I’m always at a bit of a loss as to what to drink in hot weather. (Water gets a bit boring after a while.) But when it’s cold there are so many choices! If you’re looking for a gift for a tea-drinker or want to treat yourself, I love Kusmi teas almost as much as the tins they come up. A warm glass of mulled cider or mulled wine is one of my favourite drinks for a cold autumn evening. And if you’re starting to sniffle, head off a winter cold with a hot mug of lemon ginger and honey (whiskey or brandy optional!).

10) The smells of autumn

Smells can evoke strong memories. The smell of smoke on an autumn day instantly transports me back to childhood holidays in the Lake District. It sums up what I love most about autumn weekends. A long walk or run in the hills followed by a hot cup of tea and a hearty meal in front of a roaring log fire. Is there any better way to spend a day?

12 Delicious Blackberry Recipes

by  on  in Food • 0 Comments

Blackberry bush, chocolates and blackberry gin

Blackberry season is here! Although it feels rather early in the year, dark, juicy, plump berries are popping up in the hedgerows across West Yorkshire. Blackberries are one of my favourite fruits. Not just for their tastiness and versatility, but because they are free food! A forager’s delight.

I’m one of those people who finds it impossible to pass a packed blackberry bush without stopping to graze. Blackberry season gives me an added excuse to escape the office for half an hour. Though as my planned walks often turn into stationary blackberry-picking sessions, I’m not sure it’s helping my resolution to fit more exercise in.

Of course, blackberries are perfect eaten just as they are. A good half of all the blackberries I pick each year are eaten with porridge or muesli for breakfast or frozen to eat in fruit salads and with pancakes later in the year. But in celebration of this fabulous fruit, I’ve drawn together some of my favourite blackberry recipes. Blackberries freeze really well, so if you’re pushed for time now, just rinse and freeze the fruit then bag them up in the freezer for later consumption.

So, what are you waiting for? Find a spare tub (empty ice cream or margarine tubs are ideal) and go for a stroll to your local hedgerows.

Blackberry Gin

Blackberry gin liqueur is ridiculously easy to make. To get the most out of the berries it’s worth leaving them to seep for up to three months. This means your blackberry gin will be ready around the end of November – just in time for Christmas! I made several batches of blackberry gin last year using this recipe.

Blackberry Vodka

If you’re not a fan of gin, then blackberry vodka is just as easy to make and really tasty. In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say I actually prefer it to blackberry gin. It is dangerously drinkable. Buy (or recycle) some pretty bottles, fill them with the finished vodka and give them as Christmas gifts. If you can bear to give it away! Find the recipe here.

Blackberry Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream is a real treat. I’m definitely going to be investing some of the blackberries I pick this year to make some tubs of ice cream for the winter. Served with some homemade shortbread, it’s a special last-minute dessert for when you have friends round for dinner. Ice cream is a lot easier to make than you might think. Whip some cream, add sugar and fruit puree and that’s pretty much it! Here’s a great recipe to test out.

Blackberry and Apple Crumble

Is there a more classic British dessert than this? There’s a reason apples and blackberries come into season at the same time: they complement each other perfectly. In fact, as we’ve got some early windfalls from my parent’s apple tree, this is what we’re having for pudding tonight. Nom nom. I’m guilty of making up my own crumble recipe, but if you prefer a more structured method to follow, check out this recipe.

Blackberry and Apple Jam Or Jelly

Home jam or jelly (have a look at this article if you’re not sure of the difference) is far tastier than shop-bought alternatives. You’ll need a good amount of berries, so a jam-making session is perfect for the day after a family blackberry-picking session. If you’re a jelly person, check out this recipe and if you’re a jam fan, this one’s a winner.

Blackberry and Cardaman Pavlova

This week’s guilty confession: last week was the first time I’ve ever made pavlova. And I have NO IDEA WHY. It’s super easy, a great way to use up a glut of eggs and makes a fabulous BBQ dessert. We will definitely be having more pavlova in the future! I made a variation on this recipe (with a bit more cardamon in the base) and mixed a homemade lemon curd through the cream. Well, I needed to use up the egg yolks somehow …

Raw Vegan Blackberry Cheesecake Bars

Cheesecake is, hands down, one of my favourite desserts. And now I can have it on vegan days, with this delicious vegan recipe. Ok, so it doesn’t have actual cheese in it, but those creamy cashew nuts do a good job of tricking your taste buds. Though I suspect the yield in our household may be more like five portions rather than fifteen!

Chocolate Blackberry Pudding

This may be my new favourite blackberry pudding. It may even replace crumble and that is a BIG DEAL as crumble is basically my favourite pudding, ever. It would be in my final meal if I was ever on death row. But this, well this is pretty good. You can’t really go wrong with chocolate and blackberries and the only thing ‘wrong’ with this recipe is that I’m going to need to do a lot of running to justify eating it on a regular basis.

Blackberry Muffins

I am still recovering from the after-effects of last year’s blackberry muffins. Not because there was anything wrong with them. They were made with the leftover booze-soaked blackberries from the vodka making so were pretty tasty and we had plenty, so I froze a batch. But as a tip to the wise, if you’re heating up muffins in the microwave, remember that the fruit inside will be a lot hotter than the outside of the muffin. My burnt oesophagus is currently reminding me of this fact. Anyway, here’s the recipe and in the interests of avoiding burnt mouths, wait until they’re cool before eating.

Pork Sauteed with Blackberries

I have to admit that I’m not a huge pork fan. But I can appreciate that pork and blackberries are a great combination. And if you don’t like pork, this recipe works just as well with chicken or turkey. Quick, tasty and worthy of a listing on a restaurant menu – who’s arguing with that?!

Blackberry and Brie Grilled Cheese Sandwich

While we’re on the subject of savoury food, what is quicker and tastier as a lunchtime snack than a grilled cheese sandwich? Or as we say in the UK, a cheese toastie. Brie and fruit were meant to be together, and although the traditional combination is brie and grape, blackberries work even better. And if you’re missing your grapes, that sounds like a good excuse to open a bottle of red wine to go with it. Here’s the recipe.

Blackberry Chocolate Truffles

There’s only one way to end a meal and that’s with chocolate truffles. They are incredibly easy to make, you can freeze them and are absolutely delicious. They’re also a great foodie gift if you can bear to give them away. Here’s a recipe for blackberry truffles, but you can also substitute the fresh blackberry puree for your homemade blackberry jelly or blackberry gin or vodka.

What are your favourite blackberry recipes? Share them with me on Twitter!

How to Make Apple and Blackberry Fruit Leather

by  on  in Food • 0 Comments

apple-blackberry-fruit-leather

The one thing I miss most when backpacking for long periods is fresh fruit and vegetables. There are only so many rations of noodles, dehydrated meals and couscous I can take before I start longing for an apple and a plate of roasted veg. Or fresh blueberries. Mmmm…

My saviour in these times of need? Fruit leather. The sweet, sharp taste of real fruit in a neatly packaged, long-lasting roll. And they’re not just for backpacking – these make great snacks for kids or help grown-up kids get through a dull afternoon at the office. What’s more, they’re vegan and gluten-free.

If you live in the UK, you’ve probably noticed the brightly coloured packs of Bear Yo Yos in the snack aisle. If you’re based in the U.S. there’s a useful list of fruit leathers here. But if you’re anything like me, the price of these goodies are sometimes enough to make you wince. The good news is, they’re super easy to make at home. So if you’ve got a glut of fruit that you don’t know what to do with, read on to find out how to make your own home-made fruit leather.

apple-blackberry-fruit-leathe

What fruit to use?

You can make fruit leather out of pretty much any fruit you like! I happened to have a bag of frozen apple slices and some blackberries left over from last year’s harvest so I chose to go with this classic combination. Depending on the season, you could try some of these fun flavours:

  • Rhubarb and ginger
  • Mango and pineapple
  • Strawberry and vanilla
  • Wild blueberry
  • Raspberry and banana

The fruit you use will determine how much sugar or other sweetener you need to add. As the apples I had were quite sharp, I used a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar. Alternatively, you could use honey or agave syrup to sweeten the leather. If you’re using a sweet fruit, such as banana, you may not need to sweeten it at all.

apple-blackberry-leather-ingredients

Oven vs dehydrator?

Many fruit leather recipes recommend using a dehydrator to dry out the fruit paste and if you’re planning on making a lot of fruit leather then it may be a worthwhile investment. But if you’re making a one-off batch it’s just as easy in the oven. As we don’t have a dehydrator (yet!) the oven was the only option for me.

apple-blackberry-leather-puree

apple-blackberry-leather

Apple and Blackberry Leather recipe

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 4 – 10 hours (depending on thickness)

Ingredients:
3 cups (300g) diced apples
2 cups (200g) blackberries
2tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

  1. Place all the ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan and heat gently for around 20-30 minutes until the fruit has broken down into a thick mush.
  2. While the fruit is cooking, line a baking tray with baking parchment or a silicone liner.
  3. Let the fruit cool slightly then blitz in a food processor or blender to get rid of any lumps.
  4. Sieve the pulp mixture onto the lined baking tray and use a spatula to spread it out – it should be no thicker than a pound coin. The thicker it is, the chewier it will end up. I went for a thinner option spread over two baking trays which ended up crispier. You can also skip the sieving if you don’t mind blackberry seeds in your fruit leather.
  5. Place your tray in the oven and set it to 80°C / fan 60°C / gas mark 1/4. Leave the leather to dry out until it is slightly tacky. If you have very thin leather (like me) this will take around 4-5 hours. If you’ve opted for thicker leather this could take up to ten hours.
  6. Cut the fruit leather into strips and roll up into coils. You can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or pop them in the freezer ready for your next backpacking trip!

Going Back to School: A Wild Day out in the Woods

by  on  in Survival skills • 0 Comments
Bushcraft-day-forest-school

Mmmm, leeks roasted in the fire’s embers

This weekend I went back to school. Not to the bricks-and-mortar schools of my childhood, but to a new, different type of school. It has no walls, no ceiling and the floor is pretty muddy. This is Forest School.

The Forest School movement in the UK has steadily grown since it was brought over to the UK from Scandinavia in 1993. It offers an alternative model of education: one based on play and experiential learning that teaches self-esteem, cooperation and respect for each other and nature. There’s also evidence that a long-term Forest School programme improves children’s resilience, confidence and wellbeing.

So much for children, but what about adults? Although many Forest Schools focus primarily on the education of younger children, older children and adults can benefit from the same experience.

Keen to learn some new skills to equip us for some more microadventures this year, I booked myself and my fiance on to an Adult Bushcraft session at The CommuniTree Initiative, a social enterprise based in Ramsbottom.

We meet Danny (founder of CommuniTree and our leader for the day) and the other participants at the entrance to a small, public woodland. The CommuniTree use this space for workshops and events, but there are no barriers and members of the public (and their dogs) are free to wander through the woodlands and campfire area.

Bushcraft vs Survival

Straight up Danny tells us, “this is not a survival course”. I breathe a sigh of relief at not having to forage for – or kill – my lunch. Bushcraft, he explains, focus on developing skills which you can use to get closer to nature. That could be spending the night in a hammock in the woods, or foraging for mushrooms. Think Ray Mears rather than Bear Grylls.

After an introductory session, our first task is to build a shelter. As it’s January, Danny has a handy pile of donated Christmas Trees for this very purpose. We grab an axe each and start dragging trees over to our self-selected ‘camping’ spot.

Ten minutes later I have taken off three layers of clothing and the branches of one Christmas Tree. My hand and arm muscles are feeling the effects already. I switch to a lighter axe and keep going. After a quick lesson on lashing and knot tying, we get to work creating a shelter for two.

It’s a simple exercise, but surprisingly satisfying and absorbing. We learn from experience how best to overlap the branches to create the shell of the shelter. Sam collects armfuls of moss to plug the gaps, while I lay out a carpet of branches inside. We almost wish we’d brought our sleeping bags for the night!

Cooking on an open fire

Satisfied with our morning’s work, we return to the campfire for lunch. There’s some weird magic about eating outdoors. Whatever food you have – however meagre and basic – always tastes delicious. We make a basic bread, roll it out and place it on the campfire to cook. It’s the perfect accompaniment to mop up the tasty chilli Danny’s provided.

Stuffed full of chilli and fruit crumble (cooked in a Dutch Oven over the fire) we get back to work in the afternoon. We’re handed tarps and hammocks and shown various methods of rigging them to create an alternative quick and easy shelter for the night.

Building a fire from scratch

I always find it amazing how we are drawn to fires. I could spend hours gazing into the flickering flames, basking in their warmth and listening to its crackling and spitting. But in this class, we have to earn our fire time.

Danny gives us each a block of dried silver birch wood and shows us have to cut it into different sized pieces of wood using an axe, knife and mallet. I admit to being slightly nervous about this part of the day; my axe skills (or to be more precise, my aiming skills) being pretty much non-existent. But even I managed to split the large block on my first try and end up with a selection of thin sticks to use for my fire.

I haven’t built a fire from scratch for years, but it’s surprisingly satisfying to set a grid out and build it up using smaller and smaller sticks topped off with some natural tinder. We use a firesteel to start the fire and it takes immediately. I’d like to explore different methods of fire lighting at some point, but that’s for another day. For now, I’m happy toasting brioche and marshmallows over the flames I’ve created.

Reconnecting with nature

Throughout the day, Danny shows us parts of the wood and different trees and fungus. We learn that the Birch Polypore or Razorstrop fungus has antiseptic properties and you could cut a thin strip to use an emergency plaster. The Jelly Ear fungus, on the other hand, is surprisingly tasteless and has (as its name suggests) a jelly-like texture. Nature’s Haribo!

We’re also encouraged to explore the wood ourselves. One of the first activities is to go off, individually, and find a place to just sit for five minutes. For me, this is pretty new. Though I love and appreciate nature, and spend a lot of time outdoors, I’m always doing something. Even if it is just walking. If I do sit, it’s usually when I’m admiring a beautiful view, or resting on a long hike. Not generally in the middle of a muddy, damp winter woodland.

But when you sit and close your eyes you realise how alive the wood is. You notice the birds chattering in the trees, hear the babble of the nearby river and smell the damp, fallen leaves. You appreciate this little patch of woodland – this bit of nature, however small – for what it is.

How often in our busy lives do we actually just sit and do nothing in nature? Nothing other than appreciating the sounds, smells and sights it produces. Perhaps reconnecting with nature is not about doing anything; it’s actually about doing nothing at all.

The CommuniTree Initiative run events and workshops for children, adults, families and schools in the Bury area. In the interests of full disclosure, I traded my place on the course in exchange for doing some writing work for CommuniTree (got to love the the sharing economy!). This post was not part of the agreement; it’s based purely on my own views and awesome experience with Danny and the team – I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.

6 Quick and Easy Campervan Meals (When the Shops Are Shut)

by  on  in Food • 2 Comments

one-pot-cooking-when-camping

Who needs kitchens anyway? The best meals are eaten outdoors.


You race out of work at five on the dot. Quickly throwing a random assortment of weekend clothes into the van, you check you’re fueled up and head off for the weekend. Three hours later (after queuing with other weekend escapees on your chosen motorway) you pull up at your destination, hungry and tired. And it’s only then that you remember you forgot to shop for dinner.

You now have two options. Option 1 is the pub. Which to be fair, is a good choice. Warm room, nice food and beer. What could be better? Except if you’re on a budget, or if your chosen sleeping spot for the night is more than a mile from the nearest eatery.

If that’s the case, then option 2 is your best (and let’s face it, only) bet. Make do with what you have in the van. And because you forgot to stop at the shops, your choices may be limited. Which is why you should always have some store cupboard essentials packed away.

We’ve pulled together the best Friday-night recipes that can be made using just one hob (or stove if you’re camping or cooking outside) and ingredients you can keep in your store cupboard. Here they are, for your dining pleasure. Happy camping!

Chorizo and chickpea stew

Chorizo is an awesome store cupboard ingredient as it adds bags of flavour to anything you cook it with. Which is why you only really need four ingredients for this tasty recipe: red onion, dry chorizo, tinned tomatoes and tinned chickpeas. The recipe below adds in a few more optional ingredients (because really, who would believe a four-ingredient recipe could taste so good?).
Get the recipe: BBC Good Food’s chorizo & chickpea stew
Make it go further: Throw in some couscous to bulk out the stew into a hearty meal. Fresh (or frozen) spinach adds a nice bit of green, and some extra minerals.
Note of caution: different types of chorizo require different storage – some are ok out of the fridge, others need to be kept chilled. Check which type you’re buying and how long it will keep for before squirreling it away in the van!

Pasta, pesto and peas

The ultimate simple meal. Four store cupboard ingredients, ready in fifteen minutes. Substitute tinned peas for the frozen peas in the recipe and keep a tub of long-life parmesan in the cupboard.
Get the recipe: Celebrating Sweets’ One-Pot Pasta with Pesto and Peas
Jazz it up: This recipe is endlessly adaptable. If you’ve got some fresh greens, chuck ‘em in. Add a grating of lemon zest to lift the pesto and a scattering of chilli flakes for a bit of spice.

Three bean chilli

Ok, so this recipe involves a lot of tins and jars. (It also uses dried beans, but just sub tinned ones. Ditto for the mushrooms and peppers.) But it’s totally flexible depending on what you’ve got in. Baked beans? Yup, chuck them in. No mushrooms but you do have tinned peas? Yeah, they’ll do. Just whack everything in a pan and bubble until you can’t wait any longer.
Get the recipe: Simply Being Mum’s Simple Slow Cooked Three Bean & Vegetable Chilli Recipe
Make it go further: If you happen to have some flour and baking powder (or self-raising flour at a push), then make some quick dumplings to add to the pan. Or add some extra stock and have it as a soup!

Spaghetti alla puttanesca (kind of)

One of my favourite recipes from the awesome Jack Monroe, spaghetti is the ultimate comfort food. You can either heat the sauce first, then cook the pasta, or just add all the sauce ingredients when the pasta’s partly cooked to heat through. Substitute dried chilli flakes for the fresh chilli and keep a bulb of garlic in the cupboard for moments like this. Nom, nom.
Get the recipe: Jack Monroe’s Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca
Make it even better: Parmesan. Mmmmm.

Spicy peanut butter noodles

Peanut butter is one of the most versatile store cupboard ingredients. You can spread it on bread, bake with it or toss with noodles as in this recipe. (Or eat straight out of the jar. Not that I’d ever do that. Ever.) If you don’t have rice wine vinegar in this recipe, just use red or white wine vinegar or even lime juice. (Or actual wine at a push. I mean you need an excuse to open that bottle right?). You can substitute the fresh chilli and chilli oil for chili flakes.
Get the recipe: Donal Skehan’s Hot and Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles
Jazz it up: Any quick-cooking veg works well with this. Cook the noodles first then set aside whilst you stir-fry the veg. Then mix everything together and serve.

Beetroot risotto

Now I have to admit, this is better with goats cheese. Or feta cheese. Or halloumi. But beggers can’t be choosers right? And really, this recipe is just fine on its own. If you don’t have / can’t be bother cooking pearl barley, just use risotto rice. Or normal rice. Really, it all works just fine.
Get the recipe: Veggie Runners’ Beetroot Barlotto for Pre-Race Carb-Loading
Jazz it up: Add cheese! You can mash the beetroot up if you prefer to have a smoother risotto.

what’s your favourite campervan dinner? Let me know in the comments below!