I found the original recipe very rich and the treacle was a bit too much for me, especially when the loaf matured after one day, it was very strong. Nevertheless it’s a superb recipe and I love Dans reference to  this recipe being the original British “energy bar”.

We particularly enjoyed it toasted for breakfast with a thin scraping of slightly salted butter and a cup of ‘builders’ tea. It’s the perfect loaf to start my busy and hectic day.

When I first read the recipe I was baffled about malt extract as I had neither heard of  nor used it, so I was slightly unnerved as I did not no where to get it  or what I could use instead. I was determined to make this recipe as it was meant to be, so after a bit of internet research I realised it’s a normal regularly used ingredient. I found that the Julian Graves stores stock malt extract so I trotted off to our tiny town centre and to my sheer delight  I found a jar.

Dan’s recipe says that you can use raisins or prunes, I decided on prunes as I’m not a great fan of raisins. I also chose to use St Peters golden ale and Woodbridge Mills whole meal flour that I had bought from the Snape farmers market last month. I could nearly call this loaf a Suffolk Power loaf, I wonder if Dan would approve ?

I liked the tip of lining the loaf tin with oats, I thought it gave my loaf the perfect professional touch. It looked well rounded off and also added to the final taste.

I feel less guilty about indulging in this loaf as it’s got all the makings of a healthy product, shall we just turn a blind eye to the butter and golden syrup!?

As I found this loaf keeps well and after a day or two it’s even more delicious. I have frozen a few leftover slices and it comes in very handy to be toasted for breakfast.

This malted prune loaf will be lovely in a picnic basket at the seaside as it gives everyone extra energy to enjoy a swim in the sea.

As you know by now I’m not quite normal and find it hard to do things the standard way, there has to be a twist somewhere along the line. Perhaps I’m putting too much pressure on myself to be slightly different or perhaps it just comes naturally.

Mr.P and I enjoy eating a good chicken Caesar salad as it is satisfying and has lots of different textures and does not leave you feeling heavy and bloated.

I made this particular dish into a portion big enough for a main coarse but if you wish you can  make a smaller amount and serve  as a starter.

It’s not always about the gimmicks and twists  that make a great dish but it’s also about good quality ingredients that are to be enjoyed when in season. These baby gem lettuces are from my small kitchen garden and this year I had better success as I introduced kolhrabi, a member of the brassicas. This was planted next to the lettuces and this helped to minimise  the pest problems which allowed us to enjoy a lovely harvest of baby gems. The chicken is from a farm near Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, I go specially to the Snape farmers market to buy these chickens as they are plump and delicious.

These Sutton Hoo Chickens are very big, the average weight is 2kg. This is enough to make stock from the bones and at least two meals for the two of us from the legs and breast or alternatively its sufficient for four people. I roasted the legs, flaked the meat down and then made the small pots of chicken. It’s fun and adds that extra texture and enjoyment into eating the dish. The Caesar dressing and Parmesan cheese also found itself revamped into a mousse textured foam, I served that in a small glass jar on the plate.

It’s great fun, gets a wow at the dinner table and would also make a great dish to take along on a picnic.

At first I thought it would be a quick cook like the wonder couscous, where you add hot water  and it is ready in a flash, but no you must boil it as you do with pasta. I’m not sure if I am disappointed as the preparation is not snappy, however cooking it for 15 – 20 minutes is not that time consuming and it gives me enough time to prepare the rest of the ingredients and make a delicious vinaigrette.

If you cook quinoa it’s got a fairly pale and un-appetising look so I add a teaspoon of turmeric to the boiling water to stain the quinoa a bright yellow colour, perfect for summer.

What is Quinoa? It originated from South America and from the goosefoot specie, a grain like crop mainly grown for its seeds. Quinoa is closely related to beetroot and spinach and has great nutritional value and can be eaten either hot or cold in salads or as part of a main meal or in soups. It’s also makes a delicious high power breakfast mixed with honey, almonds and berries.

This salad is one high powered meal suitable for lunch time, packed with the high protein quinoa, chickpeas and haricot beans along with the crisp celery and peppers. Quinoa has a nutty taste and for that reason I added this lemon tahini vinaigrette. The lemon lifts the nutty taste and the tahini gives the salad that roasted sesame flavour.

This salad is one of those that matures well, I like to make a large quantity and take some to work the following day. It  goes a long way and is perfect for large number of people at a BBQ or a picnic.

Granddad only knew farming and  how to drive a bus, but due to severe diabetes he had to give them up and consequently the illness took him away from us. He was a firm man with very strong morals and beliefs, however he had a heart made of one giant marshmallow.

They had a half an acre of land to the side of the house and granddad tried to grow nearly everything. From paw paws, mangoes, avocados, pecan nuts, tomatoes, cucumbers, plums, peaches, physalis also know as Cape Gooseberries, he tried them all. The house bordered onto a river and amazingly there was enough space on the bank for nasturtiums to grow in abundance. I remember visiting during the summer school holidays and picking these pretty little flowers and putting them in a vase for my gran.

These are the fantastic memories I have of my grandparents, amazingly one does not realise how fortunate you are when your actually living the dream but how invaluable those memories are today.

What is Borage? Borage is a edible plant and both it’s flowers and leaves are enjoyed throughout Europe and the Mediterranean. The flowers are traditionally used in Pimms drinks as it has a ‘cucumber’ taste which can  be substituted with fresh cucumber and mint. The leaves are commonly used in Germany for making a green sauce. In Liguria ,the northern region of Italy, its  used to fill raviolis. Borage is also known for it’s medicinal and cosmetic uses.

I have a bit of everything in my garden and the main aim is to have a large percentage of plants that are edible or have edible fruits. It’s not all successful, however gardening gives me great pleasure. I was suprised when the horseradish re-appeared this year, it’s going wild alongside the lemon balm under the olive tree, which  also bore fruits last year. I planted the borage and nastirtium into pots to liven the patio up and to disguise the very ordinary wooden panel fence.

Last year I also grew carrots but this year I simply ran out of time and did not get round to sow the seeds. So I have to do with carrots from our local farmers market. This dish is made up of two elements, the recipe is mainly about the pickled carrots and the use of the borage flowers and not so much about the gravalax, so I would not be offended at the slightest if you  substituted the gravalax  with smoked salmon.

I’m a pickling and jam making fan, so I  pop anything into a jar which is good for me to keep. These pickled carrots are great, the chillies provide  a bite, which means it’s spicy but nice. It keeps for a long time and comes in ever so handy when you are short of time and need to rustle up an amazing lunch in minutes. I even used the pickled carrots to spice up a stir fry which is unusual but it adds that absolute unexpected and exciting element to the dish.

My motto is ‘make the most of the season’…… happy pickling and jam making!

A few of my other favourtie pickled recipes:

• Sweet & Sour Pickled Green Beans
• Star Anise and Cinnamon Pickled Beetroot
• Cauliflower and Shallot Piccalilli

Upon arrival at Richardson’s smokehouse you are greeted by the smoke  that hangs in a pleasant and welcoming cloud, the grill is laden with fresh fish and ready to go into the smokehouse. Inside the shop you are greeted by Steve and Veronica who are both knowledgeable hard working individuals who can definitely teach me a thing or two about smoking fish, ham and other delicacies.

Steve is an interesting character who does not mince his words and in his own charming manner makes small talk and if you are lucky he might crack a smile but that only happens when pretty ladies walk through the door. His face tells a million stories and he’s the kind of person I would love to listen to on a cold stormy evening, sitting next to a roaring fire in the village pub with a pint of bitter. I bet he has some marvelous stories of the sea and life in general.

The delicacies on display makes my heart pound even faster, I came to buy a smoked ham hock because they are super delicious cured in treacle and cider but I cannot  make up my mind as there are so many wonderful items on display. The super size smoked mackerel with it’s golden silvery skin, glistening rainbow trout, kippers, smoked chorizo sausages and other British bangers, smoked cheddar and blue cheese, woodpigeons, cod roe, smoked garlic and plenty of other interesting goodies fit for a foodies feast and delight.

I walked away with two bags filled with Richardson’s Smokehouse delights. Mulling over his customer service techniques,  it made me smile and I would not have changed a thing as he was charming in his own way and I shall find it hard to forget Richardson’s Smokehouse.

Once we arrived back home with a cool box filled to the brim with Suffolk’s finest from a plump Sutton Hoo chicken, Richardson’s Smokehouse delights, Orford-landed sea bass, sea purslane, asparagus, apple juice, Woodbridge mill’s whole meal flour, St.Peters Honey Porter, Suffolk Gold cheese, to chicken carcasses  from the Sutton Hoo people to make fresh chicken stock.There were plenty of other yummy goodies so  it was time to lay it all out onto the kitchen table and decide what I’m going to cook.

The first thing that came to my mind was to make this delicious smoked mackerel spring salad with smoked ham and rocket cakes and dill crème fraiche served with a chilled glass of the St.Peters Honey Porter.’ Mm’ perfect food to help the thought process on what to do with the rest of the ingredients from my day’s find. This dish plates up beautifully but after lunch and careful consideration I toyed with the concept and realised it would plate up just as beautifully on a serving platter, placed in the middle of the table for diners to help themselves, either way it’s tasty and delicious.

The culinary world has gone into a macaron frenzy. It’s macarons wherever you turn your head. So it’s time that I jumped on the macaron band wagon and give it a whirl.

My recent visit to Pierre Hermé’s exclusive macaron boutique at Selfridges confirmed what a true master he is with funky flavour combination’s. My favourite must be the wasabi and strawberry.

I am also addicted to all pretty things in life, so my aim is not only to make my macarons as pretty as possible but also give it the professional look.

I achieved this with my macarons by using a garnish of  freeze dried raspberries, black sesame seeds and chopped pistachio nuts. I made one batch of macaron mixture, coloured it with one colour, used different garnishes and flavoured fillings. I made my own version of wasabi and white chocolate butter cream as well as a toasted black sesame seed butter cream and for the third flavour combination I used a strawberry and rose jam as a filling.

Click here to view the embedded video.

You might think that the wasabi flavouring is a weird combination, honestly I though the same but all I can say is WOW! The wasabi has acidic and citrus undertones and combined with a really good quality white chocolate, I chose one with floral notes,to provide an  absolute dream flavour explosion. It surpassed all my expectations. I even think it tasted more fragrant than the wasabi and strawberry one I bought at Selfridges. (Hope no one takes any offence to me saying that.)  You have to add the wasabi to suit your taste, I suggest you start with a little  and mix it very well. I used a butter cream made from unsalted butter as my carrier for the wasabi. I also used wasabi paste and not powder, it’s entirely your choice. If you only have powder then I suggest that you should first make it into a paste and then add, to taste, to the butter cream.

To add a bit of glamour and sparkle to your baked macarons dust with edible glitter. You can get all sorts of funky shades and colours.

What I love  most about macarons is that you can make as many interesting colour and flavour combination’s as you wish. I have listed only a very few in the recipe below. I hope this short video will also give every macaron lover the confidence to give it a go and crack the art of making macarons.

This time of the year when the days are getting longer and there is more light I feel more alive and have more energy to do lots.  Easter is approaching and I have had my fair share of Easter buns  but then I can never get enough of these.

Last month I bought two freshly baked Chelsea buns at Great Garnets farmers market from an old lady and gent who bake bread and buns in their kitchen at home. I was gobsmacked as they were both of  retiring age and I could not believe that they were baking so much for a farmers market. Once we arrived back home we enjoyed the Chelsea buns, slightly warmed, with a cup of tea. When I took the first bite I gasped as it was the most delicious Chelsea bun that I have ever tasted. It was feather light, moist, the glaze was just right not too sweet and just simply memorably delicious.

I analysed the buns and was wondering if she had used suet as they where incredibly light. I was on a mission looking for the perfect recipe and must have paged through at least 18 bakery cookbooks and scoured the web but not even Dan Lepard’s bun recipe came close. Not one suggested using suet so I set off working on my own recipe, trying to recreate the taste and feather lightness of those Great Garnets buns.

So I have been pondering for a month on how to replicate these incredibly delicious Chelsea buns, and yes it took a month before I felt I had the right ammunition and knowledge to attempt the baking challenge.

Well the results were absolutely fantastic!!! Feather light, moist and simply delicious!!!

I had to add my own twist and as I love both cinnamon and Chelsea buns I thought I should combine the two and add my own addition of orange and blossom honey. Even though this is not close to the traditional hot cross bun it makes a well deserved alternative, perfect for breakfast and the spring picnic basket.

After paying the friendly delivery driver and placing my birds in the fridge, it was back to bed for a  while. Well so I hoped but my brain started to work overtime as I considered what I could do with these plump seasonal birds. I must have gone back to sleep  because when I woke up I realised I had been dreaming about WD50 and eating pastrami on our visit to New York.

Our New York gourmet extravaganza was pretty good and it’s a trip neither of us will forget.  We tried everything from upmarket restaurants such as WD50 all the way to Carnegie Deli with their giant pastrami sandwiches. Eating was  the order of the day and so were the various pastrami techniques. Wylie Dufresne served us a duck pastrami dish and it obviously made an impression on me as I was dreaming about making a Woodpigeon Pastrami. Thanks to Wylie for the inspiration even though it came two years later. Shakespeare said wonders never cease, well there is definitely truth in that!

Making pastrami is a tried and tested old technique. There is nothing new or inventive in the method but I have taken the idea and applied it by using my modern equipment and  voila!  we have a pretty good looking tasty dish. It’s a time consuming process, first you must cure the meat in a spice blend for eight hours then it requires smoking and finally the woodpigeon pastrami is ready to serve.

Woodpigeons might be annoying this time of the year in the garden and freshly sown fields but they eat incredibly well with their rich, dark meat. It’s great to see that they are more regularly available and being sold at most farmers markets and quality butchers. Woodpigeon requires very little cooking and is well paired with other earthy flavours such as the curing spices of juniper berries, coriander seeds and pink peppercorns.

For me the perfect sandwich consists of good quality fresh bread, tasty meat and somthing crisp, fresh and complimentiary. The watercress is the perfect leafy accompaniment to cut through the rich dark pigeon meat, along with the fresh crisp radishes, another seasonal best.

However it can be an embarrassing time carrying them home. It happened to me once, when without regard I bought some weird and wonderful smelly cheeses in London and then had to make my way home on the train. Well all I need to say is that I had the seat all to myself for the whole journey. It was a bit of an embarrassing situation however once I tucked in this was soon forgotten as the pleasure and enjoyment took over.

There are plenty of cheese shops around but only a few that are run with passion and plenty of’ ‘cheesy’ knowledge. Two of my favourties cheesy establishments in London are Paxton and Whitfield and La Fromagerie. They both stock a wide selection of cheeses from mainland Europe and the United Kingdom. They are definitely the people in the know and are super passionate about cheese. They both have  maturing rooms and dedicated cheese mongers who turn the cheeses daily and they would not release any products for sale unless they are absolutely perfect.

We consume a lot of cheese at home. I love cooking with it and sometimes it’s the perfect partner in crime when I’m simply in the need of doing nothing but relaxing and nibbling something savoury.

My mother used to have this thing about having bread in the house as she always says that if there is not a fresh loaf of bread in the bread bin, then there is no food to eat. I feel the same about cheese. My fridge can be bare but if I have some cheese, then I have food and I can create a wonderful filling and nutritious meal,  a strange superstition!?

Serving cheese as an actual course sometimes is an after thought and some people might think that placing some cheese from the fridge on a plate with a few “tuc” crackers from the cupboard is a problem solved. Well I feel  strongly about giving it plenty of thought. Planning the perfect cheese course to compliment your meal is not to be taken lightly. It’s important to choose the right accompaniments for your chosen cheese. Letting the cheese breathe and come to room temperature is another element in serving the perfect cheese course. Award-winning author Fiona Beckett wrote this wonderful book Fiona Beckett’s Cheese Course in which she tells you how to serve and enjoy all the various cheeses.

I think that the way a cheese course is put together says a million words about a host. For example if you plate the individual slithers of cheese, it could mean that the host is either in a rush to get rid of you or they are counting the pennies.If there is plenty of cheese and is presented on sharing plates it means that the host wants their guests to mingle, chat and be relaxed for hours to come.
Well then there is the debate about when to serve the cheese, before the pudding or after. My personal preference is after the pudding as I like to ponder over the cheese, relax and nibble at leisure.

This sight is not rare and by no means am I saying that it’s wrong, my theory is that if we mix the “old” with the “new” we end up with spectacular individual and rather wonderful dishes. I loved the way the stall holder marked all his produce, especially where it came from, so I knew exactly that the broccoli was grown locally. Armed with two plump heads of broccoli, round shallots and chillies I wondered off to the next stall.

To be entirely honest it was actually the smell of Colin’s mushrooms, in a good helping of butter,  sizzling in a pan on a tiny camp stove. As it was freezing cold I “snuggled up” to Colin and we started talking about how he grows his mushrooms a few miles up the road. Coldham Wood Mushrooms are grown organically, herbicide and pesticide free. Colin continued to explain how he had grown mushrooms all his life and was still loving it enough to get up at the crack of dawn to stand in front of me to tell me all about it. They grow chestnut, flat cap, oyster and shiitake mushrooms all in his  unique manner. What I liked the most about this conversation was that he is committed to deliver his mushrooms to local businesses, restaurants, pubs, schools and farmers markets. It must be a good thing and certainly I bagged a couple of punnets of Colin’s fresh mushrooms.

As I have sourced local organic mushrooms and broccoli, I need to use as much of it as possible. At home we work really hard to limit the amount of food waste, well there are a few nibbles for the wormery in the garden but we try to minimise  the  contributions to the landfill sites. Hence the use of nearly the whole head of broccoli, florets, stalk and all. It’s interesting to know how delicious the stalk is and it certainly adds an extra  dimension to your final dish.They do not even need to be cooked as it  tastes  just as good raw. The best part is that you end up with nearly a quarter more, in volume, than  if you had only used the florets, a bonus in my eyes.

This dish is versatile and perfect for nearly every occasion; we enjoyed it warm as a side dish to go with slow roasted belly of pork, the left overs were just as delicious for lunch the following day. This recipe will definitely feature at my BBQ table this summer and will be neatly packed into my picnic baskets.