www.amandagrant.com

Lola's Rose Water Cakes

Thu, 10 May 2012 22:06:44 +0100

I am really excited about this recipe. I made the cakes a few times before I worked out how to get the jam in the middle. When you make them for your mum she will be surprised when she bites them and finds jam inside. If you don't have rose water you can add vanilla, but I think the cakes taste better with a rose flavour.

Ingredients

200 g unsalted butter
200 g golden caster sugar
1 teaspoon rose water
4 free range eggs
200 g self raising flour
12 teaspoon raspberry jam , about
for the butter icing:
50 g unsalted butter
200 g icing sugar
½ teaspoon rose water
½ teaspoon raspberry jam
12 sugar flowers , for the top of the cakes

Method

1.Turn the oven on to 180C/160 fan. Put 24 paper cases into fairy cake tins. Weigh all of the ingredients

2.Put the butter, sugar and rose water together in a bowl and beat with a wooden spoon (or electric hand whisk) until pale in colour and creamy

3.Crack an egg and add to the butter mixture, beat well to mix everything together.

4.Add the other eggs one at a time, add a spoonful of the flour with the last egg and the sieve the rest on the flour on top and fold together.

5.Spoon the mixture into the paper cases - I find it easier to use 2 teaspoons to do this - I scraping the mixture of the spoons as I move along the cases

6.Dollop a about half a teaspoon of jam on the top of the cake mixture in each paper case

7.Bake for 10-13 minutes or until the cakes are cooked and the mixture has risen.

8.Leave the cakes to cool and then put onto a cooling rack - don't eat the cakes when they are still warm as the jam will be really HOT!

9.Make the icing - put the butter, icing sugar, rose water and jam into a bowl and beat with a spoon until creamy. I love this bit - now you can either fill a piping bag or spoon the icing onto the cakes by hand. By the way you can add more jam if you want your icing to be more pink

10.Decorate the cakes with sugar flowers or sweets

Preparing my vegetable beds

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:24:45 +0000

Just spent a sunny afternoon digging in compost from my own compost cone into my vegatable beds. Very statisfying! It never ceases to amaze me how quickly vegatable matter can turn to compost. Now need to plan my planting for the season ahead - how exciting!

Digital version of the Co-operative food magazine

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:09:51 +0000

Online version of The co-operative food magazine. Click on the image below to see the online version of the new Co-operative Food Magazine. Not only does this include all the information from the in store version but also videos showing you how to make some of the recipes. The children will love the children's video showing them how to make Easter nests. Please let me know what you think! Click here

Editor of the Co-operative food magazine

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:47:06 +0000

The new magazine is in store from 14th March and there is a digi mag version too with videos. See it here

Salt dough

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:34:20 +0000

The children have just made a salt dough and cut out Christmas shapes for decorations for the tree. Mix together 2 cups of plain flour with 1 cup of salt, 1 cup of water and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Once you have mixed everything together knead the dough for about 10 minutes and then roll out and cut out Christmas shapes. You can either leave them to air dry for at least 2 days or bake them in the oven for 3-4 hours at about 90C. When they are dry they can be painted and decorated with glitter.

Christmas Gingerbread

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:01:11 +0100

Gingerbread Christmas Biscuits

Biscuits and decorations by Ella, Lola & Finley

It is tradition to bake these biscuits in December in many European countries and this is the recipe that we turn to each year in recognition that, yes, Christmas is coming! While the biscuits bake in the oven the whole house is filled with an amazing spicy scent and the children start rumaging through the cupboards for icing and sweets.

This mixture makes a lot of biscuits so that you can give some as presents to teachers, hang a few on the tree and still have plenty to eat. Happy Christmas !

You will make about 30 biscuits depending on the size of the cutters that you use

Ingredients

350 g plain flour

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

2-3 teaspoons ground ginger (depending on how spicy you want them to be)

2 teaspoons mixed spice

100 g butter

2 free range eggs

150 g light soft brown sugar

2 tablespoons black treacle

1 orange

the children used writing icing pens this year, but you could make up some icing with icing sugar and water instead,

little sweets like white chocolate chips, chocolate beans, silver balls and edible glitter (rainbow dust), to decorate

Method

1. Turn the oven on to 190C/fan 170C/gas mark 5. Cut 3 sheets of baking paper and put on 3 baking trays

2. Weigh the flour and put into a bowl with the ground ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda.

3. Cut the butter into little pieces, rub the butter into the flour using the tips of your fingers to turn the mixture into fine breadcrumbs.

4.Crack the eggs into a jug, add the sugar and treacle. Carefully grate the skin of the orange for the zest and add this to the egg mixture and stir with a fork.

5. Pour the egg and sugar mixture into the bowl of flour and mix everything together

6. Cover your hands with flour and put your hands into the bowl and mix everything together. Take about a quarter of the mixture and put it onto a floured table.

7. Sprinkle flour on a rolling pin and roll the pastry until it is about the same thickness as a pound coin. Cut out with Christmas cutters and put onto the baking trays. Poke a hole in each biscuit if you want to hang them on the tree. Repeat with the rest of the mixture, rolling about a quarter at a time.

8. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just slightly golden. Use a spatula to move the biscuits onto a cooling rack, the biscuits will harden as they cool.

9. Decorate with icing and sweets and tie ribbons through the holes.

Sainsbury's Little Ones food expert

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:42:30 +0100

If you haven't already had a look at the Sainsbury's Little Ones website take a look for some inspirational ways to feed the whole family. The recipes that I write each month are suitable for your baby and toddler and so delicious that you and your partner will enjoy tucking in too. I strongly believe that you only need to only cook one evening meal that everyone can enjoy, even if you are not all eating it at the same time.

Grow it, Cook it with Kids

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:19:34 +0100

My book 'Grow it Cook it with Kids' Ryland, Peters and Small, teaches children some basic gardening and cooking skills.

The aim of my book is to show children how to grow a few basic plants and then how to pick them and prepare them to eat. I have written about the things that I grow with my children in our garden.

Most children love spending time in the garden, helping to dig, sow seeds and water their plants. They are particularly excited when the produce is ready for picking. You don't need a lot of space. A windowsill can be enough for growing a few herbs and you only need a big bucket or bin to grow some potatoes!

Now is the ideal time to start sowing a few seeds. So take a look at the book and get planting. Do email me if you have any questions about the book or want to tell me what you and your children have grown or cooked and I will try to post updates on my website. ENJOY

Cook School

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:10:06 +0100

I'm really excited about my new book 'Cook School' which is published on 11th August - a copy of the Press Release is shown below - for a PDF version please click here:

Dampers

Tue, 10 May 2011 11:56:56 +0100

I have been making these since I was a girl guide and now my children make them every time we go camping. To make dampers you mix together a quick and easy no yeast dough and then wrap it around foil covered sticks and cook slowly over the fire (or a bbq). When it is cooked you pull the damper off your stick and fill the middle with jam or chocolate spread. To make savoury dampers, add half the sugar and a handful of chopped fresh herbs and then fill with cooked sausages & tomato ketchup or herby cream cheese and ham.

Before you start cooking you will need to head off to find sticks - they need to be long enough to hold over the fire without your hands being near the flames.

Makes: about 8

Ingredients

2 1/2 mugs (500 g) self-raising flour
5 tablespoons (80 g) golden caster sugar
200 ml water
8 long sticks
tin foil
strawberry jam or chocolate spread for the middle

Method

You will need to find a handful of sticks before you begin. Cover at least half of the stick with foil.
Weigh the flour into a big bowl. Add the sugar and mix together. Pour the water onto the flour and mix together until you have a dough.
Knead lightly until the dough is smooth and then put to one side for 10 minutes.
Divide the mixture in half and then break each half into 4 equal pieces so that you have 8 pieces of dough.
Take one lump of dough and wrap or squash it around the stick to make a thin sausage shape (try not to make it too fat or it will take a long time to cook through to the middle).
Cook over the fire – keep turning it so that it turns golden brown all over, it will take about 10 minutes to cook. Wrap a napkin or kitchen paper around the damper and pull off the stick.
Fill the middle of the damper with your chosen filling and enjoy!

Easy pasties

Tue, 10 May 2011 11:54:57 +0100

Granny, who lives in Cornwall, has taught our children how to make proper beef pasties and they love making them. But they also like making up their own fillings and they wanted me to share two of their favourites with you. These are quick and easy to make and are a great alternative to a sandwich for lunch.

Makes: 4 pasties

Preparation time: about 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients

375 g packet shortcrust pastry
1 egg, beaten with a fork

tuna and sweetcorn filling:

2 x 185 g tins tuna, drained
200 g tinned sweetcorn, drained
1 tbsp mayonnaise

for the cheese filling:

100 g feta
80 g ricotta
large handful grated Parmesan
handful fresh chopped mint or dried oregano, chopped
good pinch sweet paprika

Method

For the tuna and sweetcorn filling - drain the tuna and put into a bowl. Add the sweetcorn and mayonnaise and mix everything together. For the cheese filling; put the feta in a bowl with the ricotta, Parmesan, herbs and paprika and mix together.
Sprinkle a little flour over the work surface. Roll out the pastry to about 3 mm thickness. Using a side plate cut out 4 circles, or use a saucer and make 6 smaller pasties.
Spoon the filling onto half of each circle. Brush a little beaten egg around the outside of the pastry circles (this will help it stick together). Fold the other half of pastry over the filling and squeeze the edges firmly together.
Now for the fun bit – crimp the pastry together using your first finger and thumb and turn the edge over to form a crimp – keep doing this all the way along the pastry to help seal the pastry together. The crimping will come with practice. The important thing is that the pasties stick together.
Brush the pasty with the beaten egg (to help it go golden) and bake for about 25 minutes until golden and cooked.

Mini scotch eggs

Mon, 09 May 2011 22:15:52 +0100

Have you ever seen quails? They are very small birds that lay tasty little eggs. My friend Nik keeps them. You can see his birds at www.gardenquails.com. Quails eggs are great for turning into scotch eggs. You hard boil the eggs, which only takes 2 ½ minutes because they are so small and then cover them in a good quality sausage meat and a coating of breadcrumbs. You might like to also try adding chopped fresh herbs to the breadcrumbs to make them green.

These scotch eggs are ideal for packed lunches or picnics. Frank Richards butchers at the top of town sell a really good sausagemeat and Waitrose sell quails eggs.

You can also make bigger scotch eggs using eggs from free range hens.

Makes: 12 quail scotch eggs (or 6 hen scotch eggs)

Ingredients

a little vegetable oil or olive oil
450 g good quality sausagemeat
12 quail eggs (or 6 medium free range hen eggs)
2 tbsp plain flour
1 free range hen egg
100 g fresh breadcrumbs (about xx slices bread)

Method

Turn the oven on to 180C/350 F/ gas mark 5. Drizzle a little vegetable or olive oil over a baking tray.
Hard boil the eggs – put the eggs into a small pan, pour enough cold water into the pan to just cover the eggs. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 ½ minutes (set the timer!)(hen eggs will take 7 minutes) .Then carefully drain the eggs in a colander and then sit the eggs in a bowl of cold water to stop them from cooking any more.
Divide the meat into 12 equal portions (or 6 if using hen eggs)
Take a piece of the sausagemeat and flatten it in the palm of your hand. Place one of the quail eggs in the centre and stretch the sausagemeat around to cover the egg completely, then roll between your hands to make an even-shaped ball. Repeat with the remaining eggs and sausagemeat to make 12 balls.
Put the flour in a small bowl. Crack the hen egg into a bowl and beat with a fork. Put the breadcrumbs into a bowl.
Dip an egg covered in sausagemeat first in the flour to lightly coat, then in the beaten egg, and finally in the herby breadcrumbs and then onto the oiled tray.
Put your oven gloves on and put them into the oven for 25 minutes until golden brown – you might like to turn the eggs over once during cooking so they turn brown all over

Rose water & lime cake

Mon, 09 May 2011 22:07:20 +0100

Instead of giving mum a bunch of flowers, make her a rose scented cake for tea - she will love it! This is my version of a recipe that a friend gave to me and it is very easy to make. All you need to do is mix the ‘dry’ ingredients with the ‘wet’ ingredients and bake. However you will need to ask an adult or older child to help you make the syrup to go over the cake as it is very hot! If you have time make some crystallised rose petals to decorate.

Dry Ingredients

200 g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
100 g ground almonds
150 g golden caster sugar
zest of 1 lime

Wet Ingredients

250 g natural yogurt
150 ml sunflower oil
2 large free range eggs

for syrup:

300 ml water
150 g caster sugar
juice of 2 limes (use the lime from above)
1 tbsp rose-water

Method

Turn the oven to 180C/ 350F/ gas mark 4. Rub a little butter all over an 8 inch cake tin and cut some greaseproof and baking paper to fit the bottom or use a pretty white paper liner (Steamer Trading Cook shop sells them)
Weigh the dry ingredients and put into a big bowl. Using the small holes on the grater, grate the lime to make fine zest and add to the bowl (keep your fingers away from the sharp teeth on the grater)
Measure the yogurt in a measuring jug, add the oil. Crack the eggs and add to the jug and mix everything together with a fork.
Pour the yogurt mixture (the wet ingredients) into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix together.
Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for about 30 minutes, cover with greaseproof paper and bake for another 15 – 20 minutes (carefully poke the cake with a skewer, it should come out clean)
While the cake is cooking ask an adult or older child to help you make the syrup – put the water and sugar into a pan. Squeeze the juice out of the limes and add to the pan. Heat gently stirring to help melt the sugar. When you can’t see any sugar in the pan, bring the mixture to the boil and then leave it to gently bubble away for 10 minutes (don’t touch!). Leave to cool and then add the rosewater
Poke holes in the cake with a skewer and pour syrup over the cake. Sieve a little icing sugar over the cake.

To make crystalised rose petals, brush a little egg white over rose petals and then sprinkle with caster sugar. Leave somewhere warm to dry for at least a day, ideally longer. Sprinkle over the cake. Mum is going to love it!

Mini fruit & vanilla pancakes

Mon, 09 May 2011 21:52:06 +0100

We make these pancakes most Sundays when we don’t have to rush breakfast. Sometimes my children like to make them small and we top them with different toppings. Other times we make them bigger and stack a few on a plate and just top with fresh fruit and maple syrup.

Either way, they are easy to make and taste delicious. If you have some berries in the freezer add these to the mix, if not try grating a couple of apples into the batter.

Makes: lots, enough for a family of 4-5

Ingredients

250 ml natural yogurt
2 tablespoons milk
few drops vanilla extract
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 free range egg
125g self raising flour
2 handfuls frozen berries e.g. raspberries, blueberries or blackberries or a mixture of berries – whatever you have in your freezer
OR 2 grated apples (skin left on)
a little sunflower oil and a tiny piece of butter, for frying

for the toppings:

Fruit jams and yogurt
Or maple syrup and chopped banana

Method

Measure the yogurt in a measuring jug, add the milk, vanilla and oil.
Crack the egg into the jug and whisk everything together with a fork.
Sieve the flour into a big bowl and make a well (hole) in the middle.
Pour the egg mixture into the well and using a hand whisk keep stirring the liquid, gradually bringing the flour into the liquid. Don’t worry if the batter is slightly lumpy. Add the fruit and stir with a spoon.
Heat the oil and butter in a heavy based frying pan.For small pancakes drop teaspoonfuls of the batter into the pan (for slightly bigger use a dessertspoon).
Leave some space around the pancakes in the pan so that they don’t stick together and it is easier for you to turn them over. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until you start to see bubbles on the surface of the pancakes Carefully slide the palette knife under each pancake and quickly flip it over.
Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until cooked and light golden and then carefully lift the pancakes out onto a plate using your palette knife.Cook the remaining batter in the same way until you have lots of little pancakes.Dot each pancake with a little yogurt and jam or sliced banana and maple syrup.

Pruning soft fruit

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:56:38 +0000

December is a good time for pruning soft fruit – gooseberries, raspberries, blackcurrants and vines. I have a couple of rows of Autumn Bliss raspberries that, amazingly, still have a few fruits on them, even after all this snow. All advice on late cropping fruit is to cut them back to the ground in late winter, however, last year I left some canes that produced fruit earlier – giving me a longer picking season. I will probably try this again this year.

I also have a couple of vines which need heavy pruning each winter, a couple of years ago these vines took over the tree outside my young son’s window – he is now convinced that grapes grow in birch trees!

For blackcurrants I remove about a third of all stems, starting with the oldest first, this seems to encourage growth for the following year.

To stop my gooseberries becoming too unruly I tend to cut back all dead and diseased stems and all new growth to about a half just above a young shoot. That reminds me I have 1 last bag of gooseberries in the freezer to make a last gooseberry crumble of the year.

Chocolate & biscuit fridge cake

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 09:44:00 +0000

This delicious chocolate and biscuit cake is the ideal Christmas gift. It doesn’t even need baking; it sets in the fridge. Pick up some pretty boxes or old jars from your local flea market or at the local car boot sale, or make your own cardboard box and cover it with festive paper. Scrunch up some tissue paper and place inside, then fill with the chocolate squares.

Makes: about 30 small pieces

Preparation time: about 25 minutes, plus at least 5 hours in the fridge

Ingredients

a 900 g loaf tin and baking paper
100 g unsalted butter plus a little extra for rubbing over the tin
10 biscuits e.g. digestives, ginger nuts
100 g dried fruit e.g. dried cranberries, apricots, mango, raisins etc – anything that you have in the cupboard
100 g chopped nuts, any kind will do*
100 g milk chocolate (or white or dark)
4 tbsp golden syrup

Method

Using a small piece of the butter wrapper or a little kitchen paper rub a little butter over a 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin and then cut a piece of baking paper to go along the middle and up both ends of the tin.
Break the biscuits into small pieces and put into a bowl. Add the dried fruit - if you have any big pieces of fruit like dried apricots, cut the fruit into small pieces using scissors. Add the chopped nuts and mix with your hands.
Break the chocolate into pieces and put into a saucepan. Add the syrup and butter and put on the hob. Turn the heat on very low and heat gently until the butter and chocolate have melted. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix everything together.
Carefully pour the melted chocolate over the biscuits and mix together.
Spoon the mixture into the tin and put into the fridge for at least 5 hours or until set hard.
Pull the refrigerator cake out of the tin using the baking paper – you may need to run a knife along the sides of the cake to help release it from the tin. Cut into small pieces.

*if you can’t eat nuts add 100 g of a mixture of biscuits and dried fruit instead

Energy bars

Sun, 05 Dec 2010 20:36:25 +0000

These bars are a great snack if you like to play sport after school or at the weekends. Also don’t forget to drink lots of water as you must keep hydrated if you want to make sure that your energy levels stay up.

As well as munching on these at football and netball matches my children like to make these bars to take on bike rides or for munching after school to keep them going until dinner.

You can make your own flavour combination by adding a variety of dried fruits, nuts and seeds, depending on what is in the cupboard.

Makes: 14-16 bars

Ingredients

100 g sunflower oil
1 heaped tablespoon light soft brown sugar
5 tablespoons golden syrup
250 g oats
100 g mixture of seeds e.g. sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
100 g mixture of dried fruits e.g. raisins, dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, chopped dreid mango

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/gas mark 4.
Grease a rectangular tin about 20 cm x 30 cm. It is also a good idea to put some greaseproof paper along the bottom of the tin to help take the bars out when they are cooked.Put the oil, sugar and syrup into a pan and heat very gently to dissolve the sugar and syrup, stir every now and then with a wooden spoon until everything has dissolved.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Tip into the greased tin, cook for 20 minutes until the bars have set and they are a light golden colour.Leave to cool for about 10 minutes and then using a table knife cut the mixture in half lengthways and then cut each half into 8 bars.
Carefully lift the bars out of the tin and store in a biscuit tin.

Photo: Susan Bell

Glynde Food & English Wine Festival 16th & 17th July 2011

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 17:11:33 +0000

I am busy preparing for my children's marquee at the wonderful Glynde Food & English Wine Festival on July 16th and 17th. I am delighted that I will be joined by some of the best local food producers, who will be coming into the marquee to share their story of how they produce their food and fun ways for children to cook with it. So if you find yourselves in the East Sussex area in July please do come along and join in with the foodie fun.

Take a look at this press release for more info or click here to find out more

...

I look forward to seeing you there!

Autumn planting - garlic

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 13:08:20 +0000

I spent yesterday at Charleston House in Sussex running a children’s Halloween cookery workshop. The children really enjoyed making Witches Fingers and pumpkin sweets. In the garden they had the chance to carve pumpkins and also plant plots with garlic to take home. Garlic likes a period of cold weather to establish its self so now is the time to plant before the first frosts.

Buy some bulbs from your local garden centre, remove the outer skin from the bulb and then and gentle break off the individual cloves. Plant each clove upright 2-3 cms below the soil surface about 10cm apart.

Bonfire night - Sticky toffee apple cakes

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 11:49:29 +0000

Strictly speaking these are sticky ‘fudge’ cakes, but the fudge inside the apple cake mixture melts in the oven to give the cakes a yummy ‘toffee apple’ flavour.

These are perfect for packing a Tupperware pot and taking with you to watch the fireworks, enjoy!

Makes: approx 18 cakes

Ingredients

200 g fudge
175 g butter
175 g light soft brown sugar
a few drops vanilla extract
3 medium free range eggs
3 small British eating apples
175 g self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

for the topping:

75 g butter
75 g light soft brown sugar
(plus half of the fudge*)

Method

Turn the oven on to 180C/350F/gas 5. Put 18 paper cake cases into your cake tins.
Using a table knife cut the fudge into small pieces (my son just piped up – don’t forget to take them out of their wrappers first). Put halfin a bowl and put to one side for the topping*
To make the cakes, find a big bowl for the butter, sugar and vanilla and beat together until really creamy.
Crack the eggs into the mixture one at a time and keep mixing until all the eggs are mixed in.
Add half of the chopped fudge. Grate the apples, no need to peel or core them - just grate around the core and add to the mixture (add it straight away so that it doesn’t have a chance to turn brown).
Add the flour and baking powder (you don’t need to sieve it) and mix with a big spoon.
Using 2 teaspoons spoon the mixture into your cake cases and bake for about 13-15 minutes or until pale golden and cooked. Leave to cool in the tins and then put onto a cooling rack.
You will need to ask an adult to help you with the topping – put the butter and sugar in a small saucepan and put on the hob over a low heat until gently melted, stirring until you have a smooth toffee sauce.
Leave the sauce to cool a little so that it thickens slightly and then spoon on to the cooled cakes. Sprinkle the fudge pieces over the top and leave to set.

Cheese and herb crumble

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 11:33:41 +0000

Surprise your friends and family by making a delicious cheese and herb crumble with vegetables instead of the usual blackberries and apples. The great thing about this supper is that it is all in one pot, which means very little washing up. If you haven’t made a white sauce using flour and butter before now, this is the time to have a go. I have added leeks to the sauce to make sure it has lots of yummy flavour. You can then add pretty much any vegetables that you like. If you want to add some meat, chicken or ham is particularly good. The crumble topping is easy to make and I am sure that by now you can easily rub butter into flour. To add flavour and texture to the crumble mix in some grated cheese, oats and chopped herbs. Finley my youngest says rosemary tastes best. Enjoy!

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

2 medium leeks, trimmed and washed
50 g butter
50 g plain flour
500 ml full fat milk
1 tsp English mustard
1 broccoli head & 200 g green beans (OR small pieces of courgettes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, peas etc)

for the topping:

100 g butter – chilled and cut into small pieces
150 g plain flour
2 big handfuls fresh chopped herbs e.g. a mixture of rosemary & parsley is good
50 g grated cheddar cheese
handful oats (optional)

Method

Turn the oven on to 190C/375 F/ gas mark 5.
Cut the leeks into thin circles.
Put the leeks and butter in a pan and heat gently to soften, this will take about 10 minutes.
Add the flour and cook for a few minutes. Add the milk and cook gently, stirring. Add the milk and keep stirring until it has thickened and then leave to simmer for a few minutes. Add the mustard.
Cut the broccoli into small florets and trim the beans. Put the vegetables (and any meat like chicken or ham) into ovenproof dishes. Spoon the sauce over the top.
Make the crumble topping; put the butter and flour into a big bowl. Using your finger tips rub the butter in a big bowl. Add the chopped herbs, cheese and oats if using and mix together.
Spoon the crumble over the sauce and veg and bake for 25-30 minutes until the topping is golden and the sauce is hot and bubbling.

Witches fingers & slime

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 20:24:14 +0100

This Halloween dip your witches fingers into the slime and you will have a spooky time..

You can make these cheesey witches fingers as scary and knobbly as you like. You might like ‘the blood oozing out from under the nails’ or if you are like my girls, you may prefer to paint the nails red. The good news is that however you decide to make them - they taste better than they look!

Makes: about 16 depending on how fat or thin you make them!

Takes about 15 minutes to cook

Ingredients

80g plain flour, plus a little extra for the table & your hands
40 g very cold butter – it must be cold so that it doesn’t melt when you rub it into the flour
40 g cheddar cheese, grated
1 free range egg (although you only use the orange yolk – see below) about 16 almonds
red food colouring

for the slime:

2 ripe avocadoes
1 spring onion, trimmed and very finely chopped
2 small ripe tomatoes
1 small clove garlic, peeled and crushed
juice of 1/2 lime

Method

Turn the oven on to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Cut baking paper to fit 2 baking sheets.
Put the flour and butter into a big bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour so that the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
Add the cheese and mix with your hands.
You only need the orange yolk from the egg – if you add the whole egg the mixture will be too sticky and wet. To separate the yolk from the white - crack the egg onto a saucer and then put a round cutter over the yolk and pour the white into another bowl.
Add the yolk to the bowl with the flour mixture and mix with your fingers until you have big ball of pastry.
Break the mixture in half, then quarters and then break each quarter into about 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a thin sausage shape. Squish them in different places to give them a ‘knobbly finger’ effect.
Stick an almond in the end of the finger and then take it out and paint some red food colouring in and around the hole and then stick the almond back. Alternatively paint the almonds red.
Using oven gloves put the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 10 -13 minutes (or more if they are fat!), until golden.
For the slime: cut the avocadoes in half, take out the stone, scoop the flesh into a bowl, add the everything else and mash together with a potato masher.

Your photos

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:36:02 +0100

Thank you for your photos

It looks like you had fun Nathan making these fairy cakes – mummy said that you made them all on your own – that’s brilliant!

Thank you to William, Jonathan, Kirsty and Alexandra for this photo taken whilst you were on holiday in Italy. I am delighted that you enjoyed making (and eating!) your own pizzas following the recipe in the Silver Spoon for Children. They look fantastic! Keep cooking!

Whilst on a family holiday Aunt Doreen and Granny Anne borrowed the ‘Silver Spoon for Children’ from the children one afternoon and had great fun making the beans with sausages for everyone. Anne’s youngest grandson said ‘it was my best meal of the holiday!’

Love heart cakes

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:50:16 +0100

Show a little love for your family and friends and bake them some heart cakes. To make the love hearts for the top of the cakes you just need to buy a block of white regal ice, divide it into four, keep a piece white and colour the other three with a few drops of your favourite food colourings.

My children chose to match the icing to the same colours as their favourite love heart sweets but you may prefer to be bold and dye all of the icing red. Cut out icing hearts using small cutters and leave them to dry on a plate covered in greaseproof paper. Now you can bake the cakes.

You will need:

180 g golden caster sugar
180 g unsalted butter
few drops good quality vanilla extract
3 large free range eggs
180 g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder

To decorate:

Regal ice icing, food colourings, small love heart cutters, paper cake cases, box of royal icing sugar, edible glitter (optional)

Method

Turn the oven on to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Put the soft butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat together until pale and fluffy – see above.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat together with a fork. Add a little egg and beat, continue to add the egg a little at a time. Add 2 tbsp of the flour – this will help stop the mixture from curdling (when it looks as though the mixture is separating).
When you have added all the beaten egg you can then sieve the remaining flour and baking powder on top.
Carefully stir (this is called folding) the mixture together using a large spoon until all the flour is mixed through the mixture. Don’t beat it or you will beat out all the air!
Spoon the mixture into the paper cases. Using oven gloves put the trays into the oven and bake for about 12-15 minutes until the mixture has risen and is golden and the cakes feel slightly springy when you touch them. Leave to cool.
Make the royal icing following the packet instructions and spoon some icing onto the cakes and then decorate with the love hearts and if you have some edible glitter sprinkle that over the top too.

Harvesting Courgettes

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:49:39 +0100

You should get another couple of weeks from your Courgettes, possibly until the end of September. Remember to keep watering them especially during dry spells and if you have planted them in bags or pots. When they are about 10cm long cut them with a sharp knife and if you do not cook them immediately, they will last for about three days in the fridge.

I love them shredded and then fried with a little butter, add a little cream and serve with spaghetti.

Halloween at Charleston House

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:46:50 +0100

I went to Charleston House in Sussex on Sunday 30^th October last year to run a series of children’s workshops. Inspired by my book Grow It, Cook It, the children cooked spooky edibles to take home. There was also pumpkin carving, seed planting, competitions and spooky walks on the Old Coach Road to spot the blue and grey ladies who are said to haunt nearby Firle Place. It was a great way to start Halloween!

Grow it, Cook it with Kids - The Times on Saturday

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:42:44 +0100

There's more to cooking with kids then fairy cakes and pizza. With a little help they'll be cooking food that everyone wants to eat.

Click on the image to read the article:

Salad leaves

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:42:57 +0100

I've just planted my latest crop of Salad leaves, which should be ready to eat in 4 weeks. I try to plant a new row about 20cm from the last, every 2-3 weeks. As long as you remember to water them during the dry spells, not an issue at present!, they should provide you with a continuous supply of tasty salads. You can plant salad leaves outside from April to August.

Healthy Lunchboxes for Kids

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 13:55:44 +0100

The new school year is approaching - make sure you buy a copy of Healthy lunchboxes for Kids - it will give you lots of quick and tasty ideas to spice up you children's lunch.

Click here for some recent coverage:

Hannah Murray has just interviewed me about my new Healthy Lunchboxes for Kids paperback book on her show on the radio station Talk Europe. Please do have a look at Hannah's website for more information.http://www.talkradioeurope.com where you can order the book.

Fresh berry lollies

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:33:09 +0100

Have you ever made anything that needs to be frozen before you can eat it, like ice cream or ice lollies? It is exciting seeing a liquid change into a solid once it is frozen. Or at least my children certainly think so as they are making fruit ice lollies at least once a week at the moment. They pick soft fruits from the garden, mash them and mix with juices or yogurts and freeze in lolly moulds. If you don’t have any moulds try using egg cups or clean empty yogurt pots with plastic spoons or wooden lolly sticks. Avoid using metal spoons as these will be too cold to hold when you take them out of the freezer.

When you have your moulds you will need to measure them. Pour water into your moulds, pour this water into a measuring jug and make a note of the amount on the side of the jug. You can then mix together juice or yogurt with mashed fresh fruit to make the right amount. We think the best mix is about half fruit to half liquid.

e.g. for 400 ml you could try:

Ingredients

200 g raspberries with 200 ml raspberry yogurt
200 g berries e.g. raspberries; strawberries (hulled) or mixed berries (like raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and blackberries) with 200ml fresh juice e.g. apple, orange or cranberry juice
200 g strawberries with 200 g strawberry yogurt

Method

Put the fruits into a big jug and mash with a potato masher until smooth, add the juice or yogurt and really mix together. Alternatively put the ingredients into a blender or processor and blend until smooth (this gives you a better texture). Remember to always check with an adult before you use a blender or processor.

Pour the fruit mixture into lolly moulds. Fill the moulds almost to the top – the liquid will expand (get bigger) when it freezes.

Put into the freezer and leave for about 4 hours until frozen.

You may need to dip the bottom of the mould into a little hot water for just a minute to help the lolly slide out – don’t leave it sitting in hot water for very long or the lolly will melt!

Pictures by Susan Bell

Planting spuds

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:51:59 +0000

Now the soil is warming up I going to plant my first potatoes of the year. I have been 'chitting' my potatoes for about 6 weeks and the shoots are about 2.5cm long and ready to plant. I plant them about 30cm apart, 10cm deep in rows about 50cm apart.

Chocolate Easter Nests

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:30:46 +0000

Choose a 200 g bar of your favourite chocolate - milk, plain or white - and then have fun making these Easter nests. They are a great treat for tea on Easter Sunday.

My daughter Lola had the idea to add crushed shredded wheat instead of the more commonly used cornflakes, she thought they looked more 'nest like' and I would definitely agree.

Once you have made the nests keep them in an airtight container or in the fridge.

Happy Easter!

Cute photo taken by Susan Bell

Makes about 10 nests

Ingredients

200 g milk (or plain or white) chocolate, whichever you prefer
50 g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
100 g shredded wheat
about 30 mini chocolate eggs (3 in each nest)
10 paper cases

Put 10 paper cases into a fairy cake baking tray.
Crumble the shredded wheat into a bowl to break it into small pieces.
Break the chocolate into small pieces and put into a saucepan.
Add the butter and syrup.
Heat the pan very gently, keep the heat on the lowest setting, you don't want the chocolate to get too hot. Stir the ingredients with a wooden spoon until the chocolate and butter have melted. If the mixture starts to go solid, don't panic, just keep stirring until it has melted together and is smooth.
Carefully put the saucepan on a mat on the table.
Quickly add the shredded wheat to the chocolate mixture and stir to coat the shredded wheat in the chocolate mixture.
Using two spoons spoon the mixture into the paper cases.
Using the back of a teaspoon push the middle of each nest down to make a little 'hollow' or 'nest'.
Leave to cool. Then put 3 little eggs in each nest.

Ella’s favourite pasta

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:29:54 +0000

This sausage pasta sauce is easy to make and the fennel seeds add a lovely slightly sweet aniseed flavour that I my children love.

My eldest Ella cooks this when she wants to make pasta for tea. When you are cooking pasta it is a good idea to use a big pan so the pasta doesn't stick together.

Makes enough for 4-5 people

Ingredients

6 good quality pork sausages (about 400g sausagemeat)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 heaped teaspoon fennel seeds
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary
100 ml vegetable stock (or if your parents have any red wine open ask if you can add some to the sauce - it will add flavour and don't worry the alcohol will evaporate)
400 g tin chopped tomatoes
sprig of fresh rosemary (or a tablespoon of chopped thyme if your prefer)
350 g penne
handful Parmesan, grated

Using scissors snip the sausage skin and peel the sausages. Put the sausage meat into a heavy based pan and cook until browned - use a wooden spoon to help break it up into small pieces as it cooks. Spoon onto a plate.
Put the oil in the same saucepan and fry the onion for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the fennel seeds and garlic and cook for another few minutes.
Add the stock (or wine), let it bubble for a minute, keep stirring to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the tomatoes and rosemary and stir. Lower the heat so that the sauce just bubbles very gently for 20 minutes until the sauce is thick.
Cook the pasta. Three quarters fill a large saucepan with water. Cover and bring to the boil. Ask an adult to put the pasta into the pan, give it a good stir.
Put a lid on to partly cover the pan and lower the heat slightly, if you cover it totally the water will boil over. Look at the pasta packet for the cooking time and set the timer. This will vary depending on the pasta's thickness and shape.
Ask an adult to help you drain the pasta and put it back into the pan. Add the sauce and mix everything together. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle Parmesan over the top.

grow it, cook it with kids

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:21:20 +0000

I was interviewed by Hannah Murray on the radio station Talk Europe about my latest book grow it cook it for children. Hannah loved the book and particularly liked the '5 ways with' chapters that give children quick and easy ways to prepare or cook the produce that they gave grown.
Here's a review of grow it, cook it in the lastest Junior magazine. Click on the image to view the full article
Grow it, cook it hits the USA. San Diego Family Magazine - March 2010 click here
*Parents Magazine* is the top parenting magazine in the US with a circulation of over 2 million readers and they loved grow it, cook it with kids.

Falafel

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:16:10 +0000

Falafel are little fluffy chickpea fritters that are cooked and sold on the streets of the Middle East. Traditionally they are made into balls and deep-fried in hot fat. I prefer to squash the mixture slightly and fry the patties in a little oil, it is safer and healthier and they taste just as good.

They make a great sandwich filling, and are delicious in a warm pitta with some crunchy salad. Alternatively, serve them with a baked sweet potato and vegetables for supper. My children love them with a spoonful of mango chutney.

Makes: 12

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp of each ground cumin, ground coriander
2 x 400g chickpeas, drained
1 tbsp mango chutney
a little plain flour
pitta bread, salad & extra mango chutney - for a healthy delicious sandwich

Pour the olive oil in a frying pan, add the onion and garlic and fry over a gentle heat until soft, this will take about 5 minutes. Add the spices and stir until the spices are cooked.
Carefully spoon the cooked onion mixture into a food processor. Add the chickpeas (washed and drained) and whiz together until roughly mashed up. The mixture can still be lumpy - you don't want it too smooth.
Carefully spoon the mixture into a big bowl (remember that there is a sharp blade in the bottom of the blender). Add a handful of chopped fresh coriander or mint, 1tbsp mango chutney and season with freshly ground black pepper.
Divide the mixture in half and then divide each half into 6 so that you have 12 small mounds. Shape each mound into a flat patty shape.
Put the flour onto a plate and dip each patty in flour to lightly coat.
To cook, heat 1tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and fry the falafels on a medium heat for 3 minutes. Using a spatula turn the falafel over and cook on the other side until golden brown.
Toast some pitta bread, ask an adult to cut them open for you to make 'a pocket'. Leave the falafel to cool slightly and then pop into pitta breads with shredded lettuce, slices of tomato and extra mango chutney if you fancy.

Always ask an adult to help you when you are using a food processor- and if you don't have a food processor - mash the chickpeas with a potato masher.

Get digging!

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:15:37 +0000

At long last the weather looks fair this weekend and the family have agreed to help me dig over two of my raised beds. We have plenty of compost to dig in. I planted some early onions in the third bed and I'm still waiting for growth to show - hopefully the warmer weather should speed things along.

The tomatoes we grew last year were a great hit. I have to confess that my mother-in-law gave them to me as well established seedlings. She grows her own from seed collected from last years crop and has just started planting this year's crop in her greenhouse. I'm hoping that she can spare a handful of plants for me again this year!

Sainsbury's Little Ones Food Expert

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:54:51 +0000

As a busy mum I am always thinking of quick and easy ways to feed a family a good diet. I am delighted that I will now be able to share some of these ideas with you on the Sainsbury's Little Ones website. The recipes will be suitable for the whole family, this includes recipes for during pregnancy, breastfeeding and for babies and toddlers.

When my children were babies and toddlers (which wasn't very long ago) I cooked food for them that the rest of the family could also eat. For example, if I made vegetable soup I would puree some of the vegetables for the baby before adding more stock for the rest of the family. This way cooking can be fun and enjoyable and you don't have to spend hours in the kitchen making different things for everyone. The recipes that I develop for the Little Ones site will be created with these same principles in mind.

I hope you enjoy my page on the site and please do email with me any feedback so that I can make sure that I am providing you with the best, most useful information.

Feeding your Children

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:13:52 +0000

How to feed your pre-school child a healthy diet

If you watched Panorama investigate toddler's food on Monday 25th January and you are worried about how to make sure your pre-school child is being fed the right diet and nutrients you may find my 'baby & toddler healthy eating planner' useful. It contains over 350 easy recipes, meal planners, charts and nutrition guides explaining how to include all the key nutrients in your family's diet using everyday produce. Click here for more information.

We all know how important it is to feed our children good food. However recent research shows that lots of parents are still putting rubbish into their children's packed lunchboxes. I have written a basic guide for good packed lunchboxes so that you can see quickly and clearly just what your children need to eat at lunchtime. Click here to take a look Easy Lunchbox Ideas.

Quiet time on the vegetable patch

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:57:35 +0000

I have to confess to doing very little on my vegetable patch since the begining of December! I did plant a bed with 4 rows of early onions but no sign of growth yet. Looking forward to some warmer weather when I can get outside with the children and dig in some manure.

Easy Lunchbox Ideas

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:07:57 +0000

We need to take the lead when it comes to choosing what goes into our child's packed lunch. Schools can help by banning certain foods like crisps and chocolate, but it is a partnership, as parents we need to take control of what we feed our children. We make the decisions about other important areas in our child's life whether it is suitable bedtimes, homework etc, so why do we let children tell us what they will or won't eat? This is too important to compromise over, children need to eat good food!

Top tips for good packed lunches

Try to include a variety of fresh, unprocessed (or minimally processed) real food like fresh and dried fruit, vegetables, bread, cheese, yogurt, meat etc

Variety: if you are making sandwiches vary the breads and vary the fillings. We all get bored if we eat the same food each day and we need to eat a variety of food to make sure that we are getting the right number of nutrients.

Drink: children need to drink water - if they drink enough water they are more likely to be able to concentrate at school and they are less likely to have problems like headaches. Fruit juice, smoothies and milk are also good.

Something sweet: we all know that is nice to have something sweet after the sandwich, but try to choose a cereal bar (without too much added sugar), plain biscuits like digestives or rich tea or better still something homemade like a cookie or a fruit bun. Ideally encourage your children to help you make something for their packed lunch at the weekend that they can then take to school the following week.

Keep the cost down: You can provide good food without having to spend too much money. A big bag of local apples can be less expensive that lots of individually wrapped fruit strings and will provide your child with more nutrients.

Involve your child: Talk to your children about what their friends take in their packed lunches and see which of those healthy options your child may like to try.

Involve children when you put the packed lunch together - they are more likely to eat it if they know what is inside. This may mean putting some of it together before they go to bed so that it is not too stressful in the morning rush before school

Prepare packed lunches at the same time as you make the evening meal - this way it is less stressful for you and keeps time spent in the kitchen to a minimum. For example cook extra pasta and then mix some cold pasta with vegetables and left over roast meat to make a pasta salad. Fill a roll with left over roast meat or wrap up some slices of cold pizza.

Keep it cool: Freeze cartons of juice and put into the packed lunch to help keep the lunch cool and to give your child a cool drink. It will have defrosted by lunchtime.

Cut down on junk. Avoid too many processed foods as they tend to contain few nutrients and too much salt, sugar, additives and saturated fat. If you do have some processed food in your child's packed lunch also give them foods that are high in potassium such as bananas and dried apricots helps balance the effect of salt in the body

Something warm: Include something hot in a lunchbox, particularly when the weather is cold. A wide-mouthed mini-Thermos flask would be ideal for serving up a delicious cup of homemade or good-quality bought soup that's both warming and nutritious. Or wrap up a small pasty in foil. It can make a change to sandwich when the weather is cold.

The Silver Spoon for Children

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:38:22 +0000

Take a look at this exciting press coverage from my latest book - The Silver Spoon for Children.

The Canberra Times [17th March 2010]
The Financial Times [11th October 2009]
The Independent on Sunday [25th October 2009]
Waitrose Food Illustrated [October 2009] Silver Spoon featured in 'what to read now' section. See article here
Australian coverage [December 2009/January 2010] Click on the link or photo to see coverage in a couple of the Australian daily broadsheets: Brisbane Times - How to get your kids to eat well

True, but parents' instinct to send their children to bed full is a tough one to fight. And it's troubling when you're constantly desperate to concoct a delicious, nutrition-packed dish that will bring them around. Full article here

Article in the Melbourne Age		Sydney Morning Herald

Click on image for article		Click on image for article

Junior Magazine [March 2010]

Silver Spoon for Children

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:33:28 +0000

The Silver Spoon For Children

'The Silver Spoon for Children' is a great book to help teach children how to cook some of their favourite Italian recipes and learn essential life skills along the way. For example, how to hold a knife properly and how to crack eggs. I have written the recipes so that they are easy for children to follow and I involved children in the recipe testing. My eldest daughter and her friends helped edit the book before I sent it back to Phaidon, making sure that 10 years olds can follow the instructions clearly.

I love Italy, my father lived in Italy for some time and I was fortunate enough to visit frequently. I also have great friends with a home in Umbria and I love to visit whenever I can. Each time I am there I am always struck by Italian children's passion for good food. I do hope that The Silver Spoon for Children will excite children in many countries and encourage them to cook some of their favourite recipes. The book is also beautifully illustrated with pictures that will capture children's imagination. "Children's cookbooks need to be fun and practical and this book works on both levels. It would make a good Christmas or birthday present for a budding -or reluctant - young cook." Financial Times October 09

For press coverage click here

Pumpkin Scones

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:33:34 +0100

Have you ever wondered what to do with the inside of the pumpkin after you have hollowed it out to make a lantern? Cook the flesh until soft and then use the puree to make some pumpkin scones. They taste good with a little cheese and herbs mixed into the mixture or if you want to make them sweet add a little brown sugar and a pinch of ginger instead.

Makes: about 8-10

Ingredients

200g pumpkin flesh (or butternut squash)
225 g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
40 g butter
3 or 4 tablespoons milk

for savoury scones add:

handful grated cheddar cheese
handful fresh chopped coriander or parsley

OR for sweet scones add a pinch of ground ginger or cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar

Turn the oven on to 200C/400F/Gas mark 7. Grease a baking sheet by rubbing it with a little butter or cut a piece of baking paper to fit.
Cut the pumpkin flesh into small pieces and put into a saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer until just tender - poke a fork into the pumpkin - it should go in easily.
Sieve the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the butter and using just your finger TIPS rub the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. (If you use your whole hands you may melt the butter and end up in a sticky mess)
Use a table knife to mix the pumpkin puree into the flour mixture. Then add enough milk to make a dough - not too much or it will be too wet
Sprinkle a little flour on the table and onto your hands and very lightly knead the mixture for half a minute until it is smooth.
Pat the dough or roll with a rolling pin until it is about 3 cm thick. Dip a round cutter into a little flour and cut out scones from the dough. Put the scones onto the baking tray, spaced a little apart. You will need to keep gathering up bits of dough and roll them out again until you have made about 8-10 scones.
Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk and using oven gloves put the scones into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until risen and golden. Use oven gloves to remove the tray from the oven and cool the scones on a wire rack.

Blackberry muffins

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:12:36 +0100

Encourage the children into the kitchen to make some blackberry and honey muffins to take to school to keep their energy levels up while they are working. They are great for their mid morning snack or packed lunch or for munching when they come in after school starving! Before you can start cooking you will need to go out looking for blackberries. Take a pot with you to put the berries in and keep an eye out for the sharp thorns on the bushes!

When you get home it is a good idea to scatter the blackberries across a tray and pick out any insects or leaves. If you want to give them a rinse put them in a colander and dip the colander of berries into a basin of cold water and then take out and leave to drain.

This recipe makes 12, they only keep fresh for a few days so you could put 6 into a freezer bag and freeze. Just take one out of the freezer in the morning and it will have thawed by the time you want to eat it.

Makes: 12

12 paper muffin cases or butter to grease the tins

Ingredients

50 g butter (or sunflower oil)

2 free range eggs

110 ml natural yogurt

110 ml milk

a few drops vanilla extract

300 g self raising flour / Spelt

2 tsp baking powder

80 g golden caster sugar

2 big handfuls blackberries (or frozen berries like raspberries or blueberries if you haven't had a chance to go blackberry picking)

a little honey to drizzle over the top if you like

Method

Turn the oven on to 180C/ 350F/ gas mark 5. Line 12 muffin tins with paper cases - if you don't have any muffin cases use a little piece of greaseproof paper and rub some butter all over the tins.
Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small pan. Leave to cool slightly.
Crack the eggs into a small bowl - have you ever cracked an egg before? The easiest way to crack the egg is to hold the egg in one hand almost cupping the egg - hold it over a small bowl and hit the middle of the egg with a table knife to crack it. Put the knife down and then put your thumbs into the slit and pull the shell apart and let the egg drop into the bowl. Do the same with the other egg. Using a fork beat the eggs together to mix the yolk and the white together.
Measure the yogurt in a measuring jug, add the milk, vanilla extract and melted butter. Add the eggs and mix everything together with a fork.
Sieve the flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the sugar to the flour.
Pour the yogurt mixture over the flour and quickly and gently mix everything together - this should not take long, don't over mix or your muffins will not be light. Add the berries and quickly mix together.
Using two spoons dollop the mixture into the cases
Using oven gloves put the tray into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until well risen and golden brown. Take the cases out of the tin and leave to cool on a cooling rack. Using a teaspoon drizzle a little runny honey over the top and leave to cool.

The Silver Spoon for Children

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:08:53 +0100

I am proud to tell you about my latest project which is a great cookery book for children - The Silver Spoon For Children. It really is a lovely book with an inspiring collection of recipes that will help to teach children the basics of cooking and Italian cuisine. I have included some essential life skills like how to hold a knife properly and how to crack eggs.

The recipes come from the renowned The Silver Spoon, a cookery book found in alomost every Italian home. I have adapted, re-written and tested (with the help of many children) a selection of recipes from The Silver Spoon to make them suitable for children to cook. These recipes are accompanied by brief, lively text providing young cooks with fascinating facts about the dish and its' ingredients.

The book features popular favourites such as Margherita pizza, lasagna and ice cream. Each recipe has simple step-by-step instructions, and is illustrated with specially commissioned drawings by Harriet Russell.

Based on an abundance of simple ingredients, such as meat, fish, pasta, cheese, vegetables, and of course olive oil, the Italian diet offers a cost effective, easy way of preparing healthy dishes as part of a balanced diet. It is therefore extremely relevant to today's children and parents.

The launch of The Silver Spoon for Children also coincides with the cooking in schools campaign spearheaded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. With practical cookery lessons in schools to become compulsory from 2011, The Silver Spoon for Children will give many youngsters a head start.

Publication Information
The Silver Spoon for Children

Published by Phaidon Press
Publication Date: October 2009
ISBN 9780714857466
£12.95
Hardcover
40+ Recipes
100 Colour Photographs

For press enquiries please contact:

Hannah Kent at Sauce Communications
Tel: 020 8600 3617
E-mail: hannahk@saucecommunications.com

Glynde Food Festival

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:42:30 +0100

I ran a children's cookery marqueee at the last Glynde Food Festival in 2009 and I will be back there again this year in July. It is a lovely spot not far from Brighton. I love running cookery workshops for children at this festival, it is a great chance for children to meet and listen to some of the best food producers in the area.

Take a look at this article by Emma Chaplin for Viva Lewes to learn more about the event and my children's workshops......

Glynde Place is hosting its annual food and drink festival again mid-September. It is a most conducive environment for lounging about nibbling delicious bits of this and that, and sipping some excellent English wine. Foodies can expect to derive a great deal of gastronomic pleasure from the event, because the organisers, including Eleanor and David of Say Cheese (still going strong, though no longer in the Riverside), have such a passionate commitment to making sure that the best local produce and food producers are represented. A popular feature of the festival is the cookery demonstrations, so I've been talking to two people involved in them about what they have planned: local cookery writer and journalist, Amanda Grant, and 2006 Masterchef winner, Peter Bayless, who lives in Chalvington.

Lewes dweller Amanda Grant's involvement with the Festival began with hands-on cooking demonstrations for children in the café, "teaching how to cook and encouraging enjoyment of eating". They proved so successful that her Children's Kitchen now takes place in a large marquee. "I believe it's really important for children to enjoy going to food festivals and not see it as a chore. If they become interested in cooking and where food comes from, that passion stays with them as they grow." Last year, she brought in local producers, like Louise from Barcombe Nurseries, and local shepherd Tom, with his sheep. Louise talked to the young people about how fruit and vegetables are grown, and Tom discussed how sheep are looked after to produce the lamb we eat. "I realise this is controversial for some people, but I think it's helpful for children to understand where food comes from, and make a connection between what's on their plate and the sheep they see grazing on the Downs." Whole legs of lamb were marinated, chopped up and threaded onto five-foot willow sticks with courgettes and peppers, then cooked by the children over an open fire. All ages enjoy it, and Amanda encourages the teenagers to help the little ones. She hopes to do something similar this year. "It's a fantastic place to learn about good quality local produce."

Emma Chaplin, VIVA LEWES

Glynde Food Festival, Glynde Place, 19th and 20th

September, 10.30-5pm.

www.glyndefoodfestival.co.

Pre-book the demonstrations when you arrive.

Fruit Rocks

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:43:11 +0100

The really exciting thing about these fruit rocks is that once you have asked an adult if you can make them you can do everything else yourself until you need to ask for help to put them into the oven. You will be practicing some great skills along the way - weighing ingredients, rubbing butter into flour (great for crumbles, pastry & scones too!), cracking eggs and chopping with scissors. These fruit rocks are ideal for packed lunches or as a snack - have a look at my book ‘Healthy lunchboxes for Kids' for more ideas.

Makes: about 8-12 (depending on how big you make them!)

Ingredients

125 g wholemeal self-raising flour & 125 g white self-raising flour OR 250 g white self-raising flour
90 g light soft brown sugar
90 g unsalted butter
125 g of any dried fruit you choose - for example raisins, dried mango, cranberries, sultanas, papaya etc
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
1 free range egg

Method

Turn the oven on to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 5. Weigh the flour in a bowl. Cut baking paper to fit on two baking trays or lightly grease them by rubbing a little butter over the trays.
Put the butter onto a chopping board and using a table knife (a knife you eat with - not a sharp knife) cut the butter into small pieces. Try not to touch the butter too much as you don't want it to go soft. You may find it easier to put the butter into the flour and cut the butter once it is in the bowl.
Using your finger tips (if you use your whole fingers you will melt the butter) gently rub the pieces of butter between the tips of your thumbs and fingers so they flatten and mix into the flour. As you are doing this lift your fingertips above the bowl as this will let air get to the flour and help keep the mixture cool. Keep rubbing until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
Using scissors cut any big pieces of dried fruit into small pieces and add to the flour with the sugar and mixed spice.
Crack the egg - have you ever cracked an egg before? Hold the egg in your left hand over a small bowl. Hold a table knife with your other hand and use the knife to crack the egg in the middle. Put the knife down, holding the egg over a bowl, put your thumbs into the crack and pull the egg shell apart, let your egg fall into a bowl. Whisk the egg with a fork and then pour into the flour mixture.
Now for the messy bit - put your hands into the bowl and bring everything together with your fingers.
Using the table knife that you used for your butter cut the mixture in half and then cut each half into 6 even pieces so that you make 12 fruit rocks (or cut in half and then cut each half into four to make 8 bigger rocks)
Mould them into rock shapes and put them onto the tray. Put your oven gloves on and ask an adult to help you put them into the oven and bake them for 12-15 minutes. They will be light golden in colour and they should have risen slightly. Leave to cool.

Childrens' Food Festival

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:42:15 +0100

The Children's Food Festival 2009 was a huge success with 14,000 families flocking to the site over June 27th and 28th. Once again I was running the Kids' Kitchen marquee where children were able to work with Chefs, Food Writers and Cookery Schools to prepare and cook a wide range of different foods.

"When I walked into your marquee it hit me just how good it was - lots of happy children with hands in bowls making good food - it was marvellous. I also loved watching you teach children how to make sausage rolls, it was great, every day talking, you stuck to the basics which is what we need to be teaching. Well done".
Nora Sands, from Jamie's School Dinners

We were so over subscribed that we could have run 10 times as many workshops. I also ran a session in the Celebrity Theatre talking to children and parents about quick, easy food for the family on the move using a number of recipes from my book Healthy Lunchboxes for Kids.

I was joined on stage by one of my Delicious ‘Junior Food Heroes' Billy Wyatt and another of my Junior Food heroes Emma was also there talking about life as the youngest pig farmer in Britain.

Sausage and Apple Rolls

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:54:51 +0100

This is just one of the recipes that I cooked at the Children’s Food Festival in June, taken from my latest book Healthy Lunchboxes for Kids. If you try these sausage rolls please let me know what you think of them and come back and have a look at this recipe page again - I will keep updating new and interesting things to try.

Red peppers contain fantastic vitamins like beta-carotene and vitamin C – both essential for helping boost immature immune systems. Try as often as possible to add vegetables to children's favourite foods.

Makes: about 10

Ingredients

plain flour, for dusting
375 g pack puff pastry
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 apple, cored and finely chopped
450 g good quality pork sausagemeat (or sausages)
1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg, beaten

Alternative filling – chicken mince, honey, wholegrain mustard

Method

Preheat oven to 200C/ 400F/ gas mark 6. Lightly grease 2 large baking trays. Dust a work-surface with a little flour and roll the pastry (even if you have bought a ready rolled sheet of pastry you will need to roll it thinner) until it is approx 30cm x 28 cm and then cut in half lengthways.
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and pepper and sauté for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the chopped apple and cook for 1 minute. Leave to cool.
Put the sausagemeat (if using sausages snip the skins and peel) into a bowl, add the onion mixture and parsley (if using) and season with a little freshly ground black pepper.
Divide the sausagemeat mixture into two and shape each into a long sausage shape on top of the pastry. Brush one edge with beaten egg and then roll up. Seal and turn the rolls over so that the seam is underneath.
Cut each roll into 2.5 cm lengths. Cut a small slit in the top of each roll, brush with beaten egg and pop onto the baking tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool.