Christmas Cake, Part 5

Ingredients
2 egg whites
400g. icing sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. glycerine (from a chemist's)

About 23 December, put two egg whites into a spanking clean bowl. Beat till frothy then stir in the icing sugar. Beat really well until there are no lumps and the icing stands in peaks when you pull out a spoon. Beat in the lemon juice and the glycerine. The glycerine prevents the icing from becoming too brittle. I like a rough 'snow' scene and a kitschy cake and go for the same 'look' every year! If you want to copy it, get a large flat knife or palette knife and cover the cake thickly with the royal icing. Get the flat knife and lift and pull snow peaks all over the cake. Swirl the palette knife around the outside to give a flat surface. Ensure all the cake is covered evenly. Stick in all your well-loved family cake decorations. Leave it to dry overnight. The next day, get a fancy wired ribbon (about 150 cm) and tie it around the cake, finishing it with a big blousy bow. Stand back and admire!

Is it worth it?
There are lots of stages to a home baked Christmas cake, but the end result is fabulous. It's never hard work, but you do need to be organised. My six year old niece was transfixed by the 'white cake' and brought everyone in one at a time to look at it. She missed out on Christmas pudding because she couldn't wait to start on the cake.
Everyone just oohed and aahed over it and said there was no way you could buy such a nice cake. I had to divide what cake there was after Christmas amongst family members to take to their homes. You don't do that with a cake from M & S.
So, I would say, yes, it is worth it.

Enjoy!!

Christmas Cake, Part 4

The cake has matured for two months. Now it is about a week before Christmas. The cake is unwrapped and brushed with boiled apricot jam. This year, I used 400g ready-rolled marzipan by Dr. Oetker because it was on offer. Proper almond paste is not cheap to make because you need to use a large quantity of ground almonds. The best recipe I ever used was by Claire MacDonald and used orange blossom water amongst the ingredients. It was truly delicious. The Dr. Oetker marzipan had very little flavour! The point of covering the cake with marzipan a week before Christmas is that it should dry out a bit before topping with icing. Lay over cake and trim as per the photo. Leave uncovered for a few days.

Oatmeal Stuffing

Ingredients
200g coarse oatmeal
100g Atora-light vegetarian suet
1 onion, chopped finely
salt and black pepper
a pinch of dried thyme

Method
Combine the ingredients in a bowl and then use the mixture to fill the cavity of a large ready-to-roast chicken using a spoon. This is the quantity for a large chicken. When the chicken has been roasted, the oatmeal stuffing will be moist and delicious. This is a traditional Scottish stuffing, sometimes called skirlie, and can be used in turkey or pheasant as well, using the same proportions but altering quantities to suit the size of bird.

Christmas Cake, Part 3

The Christmas Cake is wrapped in greasproof paper, then aluminium foil. It has been labelled and it will be stored in an unheated cupboard (I always put it in the cupboard in the dining room) for two months. About ten days before Christmas it will get its layer of almond paste and a week later, royal icing.

More to follow!

Christmas Cake, Part 2

Following baking, the cake cools in its tin next to a freshly-baked granary loaf. It smells gorgeous!

The cake mixture is ready to bake.

The batter mixture sets rather than rise the way a Victoria Sponge would.

BAKING THE CAKE

Measure out

175g Lurpak Lighter

175g dark muscovado sugar

3 eggs

50g self-raising flour

100g plain flour

1 tablespoon black treacle (didn't have any, so used golden syrup)

1 tsp. ground mixed spice

Beat very well together in a food mixer for 3 minutes.

Stir in 50g blanched chopped almonds (this year I used walnuts instead). Stir in all the soaked fruit and sherry (see Christmas Cake, Part 1)

Grease and line an 8 inch/20 cm round cake tin (or a 7 inch/18 cm square tin). Spoon the cake mixture into the tin and level off the top. Put the cake on to a rack in the simmering oven of the Aga for 4 - 10 hours. When cooked, a warm skewer pierced through the centre of the cake will come out clean. If not cooked yet, bake for another 30 minutes or so and test again. Leave to cool in the tin.

In a conventional oven

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 1, 275°F (140°C). Wrap the tin in brown paper or newspaper and tie it with string. This is to protect the outside of the cake from burning. Bake on the lowest shelf of the oven for 4-4¾ hours. Sometimes it can take up to ½-¾ hour longer than this, but don't look until at least 4 hours have passed. A fan-assisted oven may need to be set at a slightly lower temperature.

A low fat cooked breakfast

Two lightly grilled turkey rashers, grilled mushrooms, a grilled tomato (with herbs) and a grilled hash brown. Poach an egg to accompany.

Beefburgers

Burgers are easy to make and are so much nicer home-made than bought. For each burger, use 125g minced beef, season well with salt and pepper. They can be bulked out with fresh breadcrumbs and/ or finely chopped onions and they are nice too. Form the burger shape and grill or BBQ. Serve in a burger bun with lettuce, tomato slices, onion rings, gherkins and ketchup, crisps and coke or lager.

Granny's Lentil Soup

Granny makes lovely Lentil Soup! This is how it's done.

Ask the butcher for a ham bone and add it to 3 pints of water in a large pan. If you don't have a bone, use two ham stock cubes with the 3 pints of water.

Measure out 200g red lentils and chop (roughly, if you are going to blend the finished soup; finely, if not) 200g each of onions, carrots and swede. Add a sprig of parsley if you have one. Add these to the water and ham. Grind in some black pepper, but don't add salt, because the ham bone may be salty.

Bring this to a simmer. Scum will form on the top if you have used a fresh meat bone. This can be removed, or stirred in.

Allow the soup to simmer gently for one hour.

In the meantime, find something peaceful to do - read a book!

Finally, remove the bone, liquidise the soup and check the seasoning. Finish with freshly chopped parsley.

If you are not going to blend the soup smooth, remove the bone and the parsley sprig and stir through freshly chopped parsley. (Sometimes it's nice to blend half the soup so that you get a textured soup.)

Serves 8


There are one or two things you can do with the meat from the ham bone. You can give it to the lucky dog, as I did, or you can shred it and stir it into the soup or you can use it for a sandwich or to add to a risotto. The meat today was delicious and would have made a lovely ham roll!

Leek and Potato Soup

Leek and potato soup can be as simple or as complicated as you like. Even the most basic of recipes ends up as one of the tastiest soups around. The variants include serving it smooth or chunky, or with other ingredients added. Not only is leek and potato soup extremely tasty, it is almost foolproof and you will always end up with a very edible soup. It's quick to prepare and freezes well.
Below is the quickest, simplest leek and potato soup recipe.

Serves 4 - 6
Ingredients
Four medium leeks trimmed
Two medium potatoes
Medium onion
1 litre Chicken stock, fresh or water and two stock cubes
225 ml Milk
2 tablespoons Butter
¼ teaspoon Pepper
¼ teaspoon Salt

(optional ingredients)
Fresh chopped chives or parsley.
Four tablespoons of cream or creme fraiche.
I like to add a stick of celery and ¼ teaspoon curry powder in the initial sweating of the vegetables.

Method
Wash the leeks and slice off the tough top green parts. Remove the tough outer layer. Chop the leeks finely. The best way to do this is to slice them lengthwise into three sections then gather the sections and chop them. Put the chopped leeks in a colander and rinse them thoroughly. Soil particles and grit is often present in the outer layers of the leeks.
Peel and finely chop the onion.
Peel and chop the potatoes into small cubes, roughly 2cm / ¾ in cubes.
If using stock cubes, dissolve them in boiling water.

1.Melt butter in a pan on a medium heat.
2.Turn the heat to low then add the leeks, onions and potatoes to the pan. Add seasonings. Cover the pan and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes. Stir the vegetables twice whilst cooking.
3.Add the stock to the pan and simmer for a further 20 minutes until the potatoes are softened and cooked through. Add the milk and warm through.

Your soup is now cooked and ready to serve. The texture of the soup will be chunky. If you prefer a less chunky texture, let the soup cool for 5 minutes and then either blend for 30 seconds in a food processor or mash the soup with a potato masher (it will still not be smooth).
Reheat the soup until it just starts to boil and serve.
If you want to improve the presentation then add a tablespoon of cream to the centre of each bowl of soup and swirl it round gently with a spoon.
Sprinkle the chopped parsley or chives over the top.

The Basic Beef Casserole (or Beef Stew)

First, the cut. Casseroling, or stewing, renders hard-working muscular meat tender with slow cooking. As the muscles contain marbled fat and connective tissues, the dish will be very flavoursome when cooked. You need to make sure you get the right cut. Braising steak will be too dry. Shin is excellent as it is cheap and with all its connective tissues melted down, the finished meat is very soft, but it needs to be cooked for three hours. Shoulder steak is very good. I think it is called 'chuck steak' in England. I love skirt, which you will only get from a butcher. It's particularly tasty. Don't pay more than £10 a kg. for meat you are going to cook slowly. Less, if poss!

The basic recipe is straightforward and you can adapt it to suit. You need meat, a liquid to cook it in, some vegetables, flavourings and something with which to thicken the gravy.

The liquid can be stock, wine, beer, a can of tomatoes or water. The vegetables can be onions (almost always), carrots and celery for a basic casserole, but mushrooms, bacon, red wine and garlic mimic a Boeuf Bourguignon; peppers, paprika, tomatoes and finished off with creme fraiche and you're heading towards a Goulash. Simmer it in a bottle of beer and some garlic as well as the basic vegetables and you're in Beef Carbonnade territory (see first blog entry in 2007). You can add what you like. If you've got spices or curry powder, they can be added after the initial frying of onions and garlic and then a can of tomatoes added to make a tasty curry. Experiment, but cook it long and slow for best results!

Work on 150g per person.

Serves 4

Ingredients

600g beef ( see note above)

a large onion, chopped

a couple of carrots, sliced

a stick of celery, sliced (optional, but good!)

2 tablespoons flour

salt and black pepper

beef stock, about 300 ml.+

oil

Method

You can bung everything into a casserole dish as it is, missing out the oil, bringing it to the boil, then sticking it in a low oven (150 degrees) to simmer for 2 -3 hours until it's tender (it will taste fine) but to make it more flavoursome and refined, follow the instructions below.

Brown the meat in two lots in hot oil until it is a rich mahogany colour (ie. don't crowd the meat, but let it get a good hot 'fry' to seal the outside). Remove the meat and put on to a plate. Add the onions to the oil and fry until they brown, chuck in the carrots and celery and fry for a minute or two. Put the beef back in with any juices that have accumulated and sprinkle over the flour. Stir it and let the flour soak up all the juices. It doesn't matter if it browns a little, as it will add to the colour of the final dish. Pour stock in to about half-way up the vegetables. The vegetables will release water as they cook, so if you add more stock, the final dish will be too watery. Season with salt and pepper and add any flavourings (ie. some herbs if you have some - thyme is good, and add a bay leaf if you have one). Remember that seasoning added at this stage will not taste 'too much', but will enhance the dish as it cooks with the meat, so don't leave it out. Now allow the dish to come to a good simmer, give it a stir, pop a lid on and stick it into the oven for at least two hours. The oven should be at 140 - 150 degrees.

To stew the meat instead, leave the pan with its lid on, on the hob, turn it to low so that it just plops and check it from time to time, for the same length of time.

Shoulder steak may be done after two hours. I prefer cooking for three. No hardship if you've allowed for this! Don't forget that all casseroles taste more 'rounded' if prepared a day in advance, cooled, then reheated. The flavours really develop. Never reheat more than once. Serve with ............. well, take your pick! Mashed potatoes, brown rice, basmati rice, pasta, naan bread. Remember the mustard (or mango chutney, if it's a curry). Enjoy this with.......friends.

Christmas Cake, Part 1

Started the Christmas cake today! The fruit needs to be soaked in alcohol for three days before it is baked with the rest of the ingredients. It's good to get the cake made before the end of October because to taste at its best, it needs to mature for a couple of months.

The first stage

for an 8" round tin (20 cm)

350g currants

225g sultanas

100g raisins

225g glace cherries

rind of 1 orange

rind of 1 lemon

150 ml sherry

Preparation

Chop the raisins with a damp knife and quarter the cherries. Put the fruit in a container and pour over the sherry and stir in the grated rind. Cover and leave to soak for three days, stirring daily. I also added a couple of tablespoons of Orange Muscat & Flora, left over from last Christmas (it's a dessert wine). I might have added a dash of brandy if I had had some.

More to follow in three days!

Fegato alla Veneziana (Venetian-Style Liver)

Liver and onions is elevated to a more exotic concoction when given its Italian title, Fegato alla Veneziana, one of the best loved dishes of the Veneto. Simple to prepare, the onions are cooked long and slow for sweetness. In Roman times, liver was cooked with figs, from which the word 'fegato' comes. The sweetness of the onions counteracts any slight bitterness from the liver. The liver should be cooked quickly to brown the outside but retain a slight pinkness in the middle. Served with North Italy's polenta or with pasta or mashed potatoes, this is a very economical and nutritious meal. Ask for the liver to be sliced thinly and then remove any membrane before cooking.

Ingredients (serves 2)
250 grams calf's liver (traditionally calf's liver, the most tender, but lamb's liver can be used)
250 grams onions
15 grams butter
2 tablespoons oil
salt
pepper
chopped parsley (optional)
lemon slices (optional)

Preparation

In butter and oil, slowly cook thinly sliced onion until limp but not browned. This may take up to 40 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Seasoning during cooking ensures you do not get a raw salt taste. A few minutes before serving add liver cut in thin strips, and cook over a high heat. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Minced Beef Stroganoff

You can substitute the sour cream and lemon juice for a cup of full-fat plain yogurt (room temperature). Do not allow to boil.
Ingredients
· Butter
· 500g minced beef
· Salt and pepper
· 1 onion, chopped
· 225g sliced button mushrooms
· 4 tablespoons of dry sherry, dry white wine, or water
· 3 tablespoons chopped parsley, loosely packed
· 250 ml cups sour cream (room temperature) – or yoghurt – see note
· 1 teaspoon lemon juice (not necessary with yoghurt)
· 1/4 teaspoon paprika or more to taste
· 250g pasta (it would also be good with rice)
Method
1 Put a large pot of salted water on to heat, for the pasta.
2 Heat a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in the pan and swirl it around. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan generously with salt. Working in batches as not to crowd the meat (crowding it will make it hard to brown), break up the minced beef and add it to the pan. Sprinkle the meat with salt. Do not stir the meat, as stirring will prevent browning. Once the meat is well browned on one side (a couple minutes, depending on how hot the pan), use tongs or a fork or a metal spatula to flip to the other side. Once that side is browned as well, use a slotted spoon to remove from the pan and set aside. Continue to brown the meat in batches, adding a teaspoon of butter to the pan with each batch if needed, and salting the pan and the meat, until it is all browned. Remove meat from pan. Drain excess fat from pan.
3 Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions to the pan. If you are working with very lean meat, you may not have any residual fat in the pan. If this is the case, you'll want to add in a tablespoon of olive oil or butter to the pan. Cook the onions, scraping up the meat drippings, until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove onions from the pan (add to the meat).
4 Depending on the cooking times of your particular brand of pasta, this is likely a good time to add the pasta to the (should be now) boiling, salted water.
5 While the pasta is cooking, add a tablespoon of butter to the pan, increase the heat to medium high. Add the sliced mushrooms. Sauté until nicely browned (about 4 minutes). Add the sherry (or dry white wine or water) to the pan to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Let the sherry reduce by at least a half, then lower the heat to low.
6 Remove the pan from the heat. Mix in the sour cream and paprika until smooth. Return the pan to very low heat, and not let the sour cream boil (or it may curdle). You may add a few tablespoons of water to the mixture to thin it out a bit at any time. Stir in the lemon juice, and about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of salt (taste). Stir in the meat and onions. Stir in the chopped parsley. Add more salt, pepper, and/or paprika to taste.
7 Keep the stroganoff on warm heat until the noodles are done cooking. When the pasta is ready (al dente), drain.
Serve the stroganoff on top of pasta.
Serves 4.

Tarte Tatin

This traditional French pud has always been a favourite as the sugar forms a delicious sticky toffee coating that's impossible to resist.

Ingredients

3 large French golden delicious or gala apples (sliced into 12ths)

300g puff pastry (bought frozen and defrosted)

50g unsalted butter, thinly sliced

50g soft brown sugar (with 1/2 tsp cinnamon added)

Method

Peel, core and slice the apples into 12ths. Leave them uncovered in a bowl or on a baking tray for, uncovered for 3-4 hours. You want them to turn slightly brown to give a better colour when cooked.Cut the butter into slices and lay them in the bottom of an 8inch ovenproof pan (I use a shallow cake tin). Arrange the apple 12ths neatly around the pan in a nice pattern and sprinkle over the sugar. Put the pan over medium heat until the butter and sugar have melted, dissolving the sugar and creating a light caramel. Remove the pan from the heat.Preheat the oven to 180º. Arrange the pastry (an 8 inch circle) over the apples and carefully tuck the edges down the sides of the pan. Be careful not to burn your fingers as the caramel is hot! Put the pan into the hot oven and bake for 20 minutes until the pastry is brown and crisp. Once cooked remove the tarte from the oven and place the serving plate in the pan to cover the pasty. Quickly flip the pan over. Your tarte should now be apple-side up! Reposition any stray apple pieces and cut the tarte into individual slices.

Serves 6-8

This dish is delicious served with vanilla ice-cream or crème fraiche.

Chicken tikka masala

This takeaway favourite is freezer-friendly and quick to reheat, giving you the chance to get ahead and save money.

Ingredients
4 tbsp vegetable oil
25g butter
4 onions , roughly chopped
6 tbsp chicken tikka masala paste
2 red peppers , deseeded and cut into chunks
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts , cut into 2.5cm cubes
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
4 tbsp tomato purée
2-3 tbsp mango chutney
150ml double cream
150ml natural yogurt
chopped coriander leaves, to serve


Prep 15 mins
Cook 50 mins

(Serves 10)
Method
Heat the oil and butter in a large, lidded casserole on the hob, then add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook for 15-20 mins until soft and golden. Add the paste and peppers, then cook for 5 mins more to cook out the rawness of the spices.
Add the chicken and stir well to coat in the paste. Cook for 2 mins, then tip in the tomatoes, purée and 200ml water. Cover with a lid and gently simmer for 15 mins, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the lid, stir through the mango chutney, cream and yogurt, then gently warm through. Season, then set aside whatever you want to freeze (see tips, below). Scatter the rest with coriander leaves and serve with basmati rice and naan bread.

Pot Noodles

Ingredients
1 rasher smoked back bacon , trimmed and chopped
2 spring onions , white and green separated and finely sliced
50g frozen peas
quarter tsp paprika
2 tsp cornflour
200ml vegetable stock
150g block straight-to-wok wheat noodles , or equivalent of dried, cooked
splash Worcestershire sauce

In a small non-stick pan, fry the bacon for a few mins, add the white parts of the spring onions, peas and paprika, then cook for 1 min more. Mix the cornflour with a little of the stock to get a paste, then stir this into the pan with the rest of the stock, noodles and a good splash of Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for a couple of mins until thick and saucy, then scatter with the green parts of spring onion.

Greek Potato

This makes a nice lunch!

Ingredients
1 medium-large potato
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tbsp torn basil leaves (or other herb)
3 cm, 1 1/2 inches cucumber, chopped into cubes
30g, 1 oz. feta cheese

Preheat oven to 190ºC

Bake potato until soft. Halve and scoop centre into a bowl, reserving the skin. Mash or beat the potato with the olive oil and seasoning. Add herbs, then cucumber.

Pile the mixture back into the reserved skins and cube or crumble the feta cheese over the filling. Grill until the cheese begins to melt and scorch.

Lamb Hotpot

Look out for neck fillets of lamb. They each weigh about 250g so are perfect for serving two (or for one over two meals). They are lean and tender and easy to cut up. They are also inexpensive and each one should not cost more than £2.50, much less if bought at a market. Here's how to make a very simple hotpot using one.

Ingredients
1 neck fillet of lamb, cut into slices or cubes
1 onion, sliced finely
1 large carrot, sliced
1 stick celery sliced
2 tablespoons flour, seasoned with salt and black pepper
2 medium-large potatoes, sliced
1/2 tsp. mixed herbs
1 Oxo cube
250 mls. water, boiled

Heat oven to 150ºC

Method
Dredge the slices of lamb in the seasoned flour.Using a casserole dish, layer the onion, carrot and celery with the meat. Sprinkle over the herbs and any remaining flour. Make stock with the Oxo cube and water. Pour over the meat and vegetables. It should not come more than 1/2 way up the vegetables, as they will create more juices. Arrange the slices of potato over the top neatly. You can brush a little oil on the potatoes if you like. Cover the dish with a lid or tinfoil and place in the middle of the oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Take off the lid or remove the foil for the last 1/2 hour to allow the potatoes to crisp up. Serve with a green vegetable. (Serves 2)

Cheesy Waffles

Ingredients
2 Frozen potato waffles
2 ozs. Grated Cheddar cheese

Method
Grill the waffles on both sides until golden brown. Sprinkle the grated cheese on one side and put under the grill again until melted.
Serves 1

Eggy Bread

This is a big favourite and is really super with grilled bacon and tomatoes.
Ingredients
2 slices of white bread
1 egg
1 tablespoon of milk
A pinch of salt and a grinding of pepper or ¼ teaspoon of Marmite
A little oil or butter

Method
Mix the egg, milk and seasoning or Marmite together with a fork and soak the 2 slices of bread in the mixture, preferably for 10 minutes or overnight, if you are well organised. Lightly grease the base of a small frying pan with oil or butter and heat the pan up until it is hot. Cook the bread until it is golden brown on each side and serve hot.

Serves 1

French and fruity

Ingredients
2 slices of fruit loaf
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
A little butter
½ teaspoon sugar
A pinch of cinnamon

Method
Beat the egg and milk together with a fork and pour the mixture into a shallow dish. Soak the slices of bread in the liquid. If you are really organised, you can do this before you go to bed and leave it to soak all night in the fridge. Take a little knob of butter in a piece of kitchen paper and wipe over the base of a small frying pan. Put the pan on to heat and when it is hot, but not burning, carefully (because the bread is soggy and could break) use a fish slice to lift the slices of bread into the pan. When the underneath of the bread is lightly browned, turn it over with the fish slice and cook the other side. Eat the bread hot with ½ teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of cinnamon sprinkled over.

Serves 1

Cheese on Toast

This makes a really tasty breakfast. For a bigger appetite, multiply the number of slices of bread and grate a larger quantity of cheese. Precise amounts are not important.

Ingredients
1 slice bread
About 2 ozs. Cheese (Cheddar for preference, but any hard cheese would be good), grated
A little mustard
A splash of milk
Salt and pepper (a dash of each)
A spring onion, chopped up (optional)

Method
Grill both sides of the bread until toasted, but only very lightly on one side, just enough to dry it out. Mix all the other ingredients to a paste and spread it over the lightly toasted side. Put the bread back under the grill and toast until the cheese is bubbling and turning golden. This is really nice with tomatoes, either grilled alongside, or sliced and placed on top after.

Serves 1

Porridge

If funds are limited, there is hardly anything better you can do for yourself than start the day with one of the kings of breakfast, porridge, made the old-fashioned way. It is incredibly cheap buying porridge oats loose from a meal store and you can buy the very best organic Scotch oatmeal in 500g. bags, which will make about 10 meals, for well under £1. As well as being very nutritious and lowering the blood cholesterol, it is very satisfying.

Ingredients
45g Porridge oatmeal, coarse
½ teaspoon salt
20 fl.oz water

Method
Bring the water to boil in a small pan and when it is boiling quickly, pour the oats in. Stir well and let it simmer gently for 10 minutes, then add the salt and continue to let it simmer for another 15 minutes. Pour it into a bowl, add some milk and sprinkle it with sugar, if that is to your taste.
If you have a microwave, then put the oats and water in a large microwaveable bowl and set it on full for 10 minutes. Halfway through, add the salt, stir it very well and check that there is enough water left in the bowl. If it is getting too dry, add more water, stir again and continue cooking. If you have used rolled porridge oats, it will take only 3 or 4 minutes to cook altogether and you will need less water. When you are cooking rolled oats, a good guide is to use about double the volume of water to oats.

Serves 1

The Leaving Home Cookbook

I have written this blog for my two children, Rose and Fergie, so that when they leave home and strike out on their own, they can avoid the pitfalls faced by many, including myself as a twenty year old on Voluntary Services Overseas, in Northern Nigeria, when I suddenly realised I didn’t know how to shop, didn’t know how to cook, didn’t know what to do with raw meat, etc!

I wrote to my mother in desperation and asked her to send me some recipes and I got a recipe for pancakes back. I seem to remember eating a lot of tinned pilchards and drinking bottled Coca Cola, which was safer than drinking the local water, filtered or not, but I’ve never eaten a pilchard since and I did end up being repatriated through ill health!

Necessity makes one learn to cook in time and I have become a good homely cook, more than adequately skilled in feeding my family wholesome nutritious food that is enjoyed by friends as well. It is for this reason I have compiled recipes and meals, interspersed with advice on how to shop for and time meals. In doing so, I have made the assumption that, like my children, the reader has not yet had the opportunity to build up a large collection of utensils, gadgets or ingredients as one would expect in an established domestic kitchen and that he (or she) is on a small budget, has limited cooking skills but a good healthy appetite! "