The Kitchen Diaries II

Autumn Blackberries 

Sunday morning and it’s my radio day. It’s a packed show with a prerecord of Rose Prince opening The Weston and Lois Weedon Horticultural Society's Annual Produce and Flower Show. It’s a nightmare title and despite saying it out loud as I am driving to the show and yet as I go on air  I get it wrong.  Suddenly I get a jab of nerves.  I am unable to say it properly.  Of course Kevin is amused and picks up on it creating second chance for me to get it wrong again.  I determine to say it correctly.  I can feel the people in Weston and Lois Weedon rolling their eyes. Maybe I’ll get it right next year.  

The horticultural show is in it is 72^nd year and was a fabulous afternoon. The audio with Rose Prince was made all the better by the chatter and noise of people in the background.  There is atmosphere and  I enjoy chatting with a genuinely lovely lady.  We move out of the tent to get a second audio about her pop up bakery and find a quiet spot by a gate.  As we are talking she spots a mop of black glossy elderberries.  I catch a look of intention and smile as she worries that the farmer will mind.  I like her all the more for thinking about the farmer. 

Having a crumble cake for dessert makes a change from just the usual crumble and custard

I tweet during a record to @RealNigelSlater that I am going to chat about his new book, and read a random paragraph out loud.  His words are poetry and I am thrilled as Nigel tweets back that he was listening in.  I am so glad that I didn’t know beforehand.  I think that there is an assumption that bubbly people don’t get nervous.  We do.  We just hide it really well behind a big smile.

Nigel's new book is an absolute treat to read. The style is consistent with the previous diary, but this book is closer in design to the Tender volumes.  It is a work of art, with an exquisite font, textured cover and heavy paper.  It is in every sense beautiful, but I don't want to to just sit on the bookshelf   ...  I want to bring it to life by cooking lunch from it so I head home via Waitrose. 

As the rain pours down we pop buckets about the garden room to catch the drips and the children get under my feet. We can’t repair the roof until some other work is done ..  I won’t bore you .. but a comforting chicken and parsley pie from The Kitchen Diaries II and a favorite Blackberry Hazelnut and Cinnamon crumble cake from Tender II is exactly what’s needed. 

 When I get home I brave the rain and run into the garden to pick some parsley, but the weather and slugs have got the better of my poor plant and the paltry amount I have left is not worth using. It seems unfair to send my husband out in this rain.  Not having parsley is not the end of the world though when it comes to cooking pie and Nigel’s recipes have a structure, a simplicity, if you like of using uncomplicated delicious combinations and so if like me you run out of a key ingredient you can often substitute without loosing the main characteristics of the recipe. I peer into my fridge and am relived to spot some dill.  It’s remarkably fresh considering it is a few days old. 

The eggs my chickens lay have such yellow yolks they make the pastry golden.

With the crumble cake I have to swap two ingredients because William is allergic to apples and oats. I substitute apple for a conference pear and scatter chopped hazelnuts over the crumble to add texture, but the cake is in essence the same. Nigel suggests that the cake is better the next day ..  but despite making this cake a dozen times I’ve yet to find that out.

It's a perfect rainy Sunday afternoon. There is a constant pitter patter on the roof and the kitchen gets steamy. As I roll out the pastry Isobel asks why it is Nigel’s pie.  She insists that the pie is mine.  I show her the book and explain that the recipe was not by me and so with a five year olds logic she decides to mark it with a pastry N for Nigel and I leave her to it as the phone rings.  It is my sister. I ask if she wants to join us for lunch.  There is no hesitation. She heads straight over with a friend arriving as I am serving up.  She ignores my husbands begrudging welcome as he remarks that now there be no leftovers. There is laugher, rain, a bottle of white wine from my brother’s vineyard and pie. Delicious warming chicken pie, with golden pastry, bay leaf infused gravy and soft leeks. 

My husband was right.  There were no leftovers.  Not a scrap.

Chicken, leek and parsley pie - from page 347 The Kitchen Diaries II

A big, informal pie for a family gathering. Use cooked roast chicken if you wish, but this is something worth roasting your chicken pieces for. By all means crimp and primp your pastry, but I prefer the simpler approach of laying a ready-made pastry sheet over the top, brushing it with seasoned egg and milk for a good shine.

chicken pieces: 800g, on the bone

leeks: 4

butter: a thick slice

plain flour: 3 heaped tablespoons

hot stock: 650ml

bay leaves: 3

parsley: a small handful

all-butter puff pastry: a 375g sheet

beaten egg and milk, seasoned,

for brushing

Set the oven at 200°C/Gas 6. Put the chicken pieces in a roasting tin and

bake for thirty minutes, till golden. Remove from the oven, leave to cool a

little, then remove the flesh from the bones in large, bite-sized pieces and

set aside.

Thinly slice the leeks, wash them thoroughly, then cook them with the

butter and about 100ml of water till soft and brightly coloured. It is essential

not to let them colour, so keep a lid on and don’t have the heat too high.

When they are soft, stir in the flour, leave to cook for a few minutes, then

gradually pour in the hot stock, stirring as you go. Continue to cook, letting

the leek mixture simmer for ten minutes or so, till you have a thickish sauce.

Add the cooked chicken, bay leaves, chopped parsley and some salt and

pepper and continue cooking for a good five minutes. Try not to let the

chicken break up too much.

Spoon the chicken and leek filling into a pie dish. Unroll the pastry and

place it over the top of the dish, letting it overhang the sides. Brush the

pastry with the seasoned beaten egg and milk, cut  small slits in the top to

let out the steam and bake for twenty-five minutes or until the pastry is

crisp and golden.

  Enough for 6

*Please note that this recipe was reproduced with kind permission from Nigel Slater and Forth Estate.

Rose Prince at The Weston & Lois Weedon Horticultural Society's Annual Produce and Flower Show

The fun of the competition 

I took a superb photo of a terrier at the show.  When I got home and sorted through the photos I took a good long look at this one and it confirmed what I have been considering for weeks.  A fourth child is out of the question so I decide that I need a terrier to make my life complete.  Watch this space .. 

listen to ‘Rose prince’ on Audioboo

The Big Fair Bake

Fairtrade Sugar

Today is the Vanilla gift swap  .. we are all taking part in The Big Fair Bake  and I am nervous  .. about 40 bloggers are taking part.   I was on  LBC Radio at 7am this morning to talk about it and a survey from the Fairtrade foundation that came up with some fascinating information about Cookbooks having their place and the start of The Big Fair Bake. There wan't much chance to talk about it in any details so I've added in some of the information here. 

The statistics show that when it comes to baking, mum is still the best teacher. The results are from a survey commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation in partnership with AllRecipes.com, and it says that more than half of us say that we learnt our baking skills from our mothers, with 33% claiming that their favourite tried-and- tested baking recipes were handed down from their mother or grandmother .. so I am wondering today which of the recipe will be family recipes?

The Survey shows that more than half of people stick exactly to their mum’s recipe, especially in the North (67%), and they are generally proud to tell people that it is a family recipe (Scotland 70%) although there are also many adventurous cooks who adapt old recipes and give them a modern twist. People in the South, Midlands and Wales are the happiest to adapt.

It seems that using Fairtrade ingredients when they bake is also really important to many people. Some 62% say they choose Fairtrade products sometimes, and 14% say they choose Fairtrade products whenever they can.  Both men and women are as likely to always try to buy Fairtrade, with people at the younger and older ends of the age scale more likely to choose Fairtrade than those in the middle.

There is such allot of baking ingredients that can be used in baking sugar, cocoa, vanilla, cardamom, raisins, brazil nuts, almonds and many more. I’ve seen first hand how Fairtrade offers farmers a minimum price .. and a sustainable livelihood,  and how that additional Fairtrade Premium for investment in community adds to education, clean water, healthcare and housing .. it’s an amazing thing too see first hand..

So if you want to make a delicious difference join in The Big Fair Bake today click here and maybe cook one of your family favorites.

Party Size Strawberry, Vanilla and White Chocolate Jubilee Cake

 The Perfect Cake for The Children To Make

Light vanilla sponge, sandwiched together with lashings of strawberry jam and cream, topped off with fresh strawberries, blueberries and white chocolate.  Oh this is a seriously glorious cake indeed!  I know that using strawberries and blueberries to make a union jack is quite a well known idea, and I loved this one in particular in the Telegraph .. so I'll make no claims to this being my original idea, but my twist is in the addition of white chocolate Maltesers because I wanted to add a but of texture and fun for my children.   

Of course not everyone is a monarchist, however the jubilee is a day where you meet your neighbours, chat, laugh eat and drink with people in your community and I think that it's a good thing to celebrate all that is best about being British, including our food and this cake is perfect for a street party - it's delicious and is really very simple to make and serves 20  ... and if ever there was a time to make the extra afford to make a cake special then if you can use the very best British strawberries, fairtrade vanilla and free range eggs.  Enjoy the celebration!

Serves 20

Prep time 30

Cooking time 30 minutes

Suitable for freezing? Yes before filling or decorating

For the cake

500g butter or margarine (suitable for baking)

500g Cardamom Sugar

500g self-raising flour

9 large eggs

For the filling

400g of cream cheese

800ml double cream

8 drops of Ndali vanilla essence

175g icing sugar (sifted)

1 pot of strawberry Jam

To decorate

A large punnet of strawberries

60g of white chocolate buttons

100g of white chocolate maltesers 

a large punnet of blueberries

1 Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4.

2 Using a food mixer, cream together the butter or margarine and Sugar Beat well until white and fluffy.

3 Add 3–4 tablespoons of flour to the mixture, then add the eggs. Adding the flour like this prevents the mixture from curdling. If it does, just keep adding flour a little at a time, beating the mixture to ensure it is evenly distributed. Continue mixing and add the rest of the flour,

4 Divide the mixture between 28cm x 22cm x 6cm rectangular cake tins and bake in the oven for 30 – 35 minutes, until firm to the touch. Cool on a wire rack.

5 Once fully cooled you can carefully cut the slight dome off each cake to make the cake top flat using a large bread knife. Then make the filling. Whip the cream cheese, cream, vanilla essence and icing sugar until thick.  Spread the jam on the base of one cake and the cream on the other and sandwich together using just over half of this mix.

 

6 Sandwich the two halves together and spread the rest of the cream on the top of the cake.  Using a reference to the Union jack decorate the top in the shape of the flag, using the strawberries, chocolate and blueberries to represent each colour.

TIPS Use the leftover sponge, from cutting off the dome and make summer fruit trifles with the spare blueberries and strawberries for your party.

 There are lots of other wonderful Jubilee cakes .. here are some more!


Ren has some beautiful Jubilee cupcakes on her site ! 


Edd Kimber has this gorgeous Jubilee cake .. in layers. 

Peggy Porchen Jubilee Cake by Made with Pink 


Fit for a Queen

Pebble Soup Jubilee Cake


I Love Helen's Jelly Bean Jubilee cake 


The BBC have a  simple Jubilee cake to make

Cardamon Rose and Rhubarb Cake fit for a Queen !

Last year  .. youngest daughter snapped picking off the chocolate curls. 

The rhubarb is coming up in the garden and since the rain it's been going a little crazy.  For those of you who have bought my recipes book Prepped you might recognise this recipe .. and I have to admit it is one of my absolute favourite cakes to bake and to eat and one of the very first recipes I developed for Prepped.  I am planning on making this for my first ever clandestine cake meeting in Northampton next week and I shall be making it for the jubilee celebrations for my village. 

I think that there is something whimsical about this cake. Soft, feminine and pink, with floral notes and flower petals. It’s the centrepiece for a summer’s day tea party. It’s really quite simple to make. It’s the combination of flavours that really sets this one apart. The rhubarb jam adds the sour that tempers the sweetness, whilst the cardamom and rose entwine like tangles of roses on your taste buds.  A small slice with a cup of earl grey tea in a dainty china cup -  how perfectly English can you get?

Serves 8 - 10

Prep time 30

Cooking time 25 minutes

Suitable for freezing? Yes before filling or decorating

For the cake

250g butter or margarine (suitable for baking)

250g Cardamom Sugar ( this is sugar that has been infused with Cardamon for about 6 weeks just like vanilla) 

250g self-raising flour

4 large eggs

For the filling

400ml double cream

3 drops of rose essence

80 g icing sugar (sifted)

200g of rhubarb Jam

To decorate

150g Icing sugar (sifted)

50g of White chocolate curls

Edible rose / geranium petals

NB if you don't have cardamon sugar to hand add one level teaspoon of freshly ground cardamon. (No more as it is pretty strong!)

1 Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4.

2 Using a hand mixer or food mixer, cream together the butter or margarine and Cardamom Sugar Beat well until white and fluffy.

3 Add 3–4 tablespoons of flour to the mixture, then add the eggs. Adding the flour like this prevents the mixture from curdling. If it does, just keep adding flour a little at a time, beating the mixture to ensure it is evenly distributed. Continue mixing and add the rest of the flour,

4 Divide the mixture between 23 cm round cake tins and bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes, until firm to the touch. Cool on a wire rack.

5 Once fully cooled you can make the filling. Whip the cream and rose essence and icing sugar until thick.  Spread the jam on the base of one cake and the cream on the other and sandwich together. Mix the icing sugar for the topping and make into a viscous mix about the consistency of custard.  Pour this over the top of the cake and sprinkle the top with the white chocolate curls before decorating with edible flowers.

TIPS & USES

• Keep your eggs at room temperature. They get more air in them and you get a lighter batter.
• If you don’t have Cardamom Sugar to hand, grind about 10 cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar to release the good seeds inside. Discard the green husk and grind the seeds well into a fine powder.
• Oven temperatures vary, so after 20 minutes take a peek. Don’t do it before, though, or the blast of cold air can deflate your cake!
• Whenever you grease your tins use a piece of kitchen roll to spread a fine layer of margarine around the edge. To prevent a greasy film from forming on the cake, put a tablespoon of flour in the greased tin and proceed to tap it around surface.

William Sitwell’s Book A History of Food in 100 Recipes - Interview

I predict that within six months no self respecting foodies bookshelf will be without William Sitwell’s Book A History of Food in 100 Recipes sitting in a prominent position on their book shelf  .. having been well thumbed ..  Why?  Because it is fabulous, witty, informative, unique and incredibly readable as well as being a really beautiful object in it’s own right.

Descended  from a long line of writers William is acknowledged as one of the UK’s best food writers and as the editor of Waitrose Kitchen, there is not much he doesn’t know about the British food scene. 

He is A list. 

He is also local and in Northamptonshire he is known as a genuinely approachable chap. I’ve heard first hand about the invlauable support and advice William gave to village entrepreneurs as they set up a local food market and that William helped the school recently to get their recipe book project off the ground. I’ve been out and about on numerous occasions as William has been there supporting his local food scene and a neighbour I was chatting with just last week enthused that “William is  just so passionate about local food  he is always going out of his way to help wherever possible .. he is very much  be part of our community” she said adding “we are so proud of him!”

I think it is fair to say that he is one of our local food hero’s. So I was really truly delighted when I was sent a review copy of the book by the publishers, Harper Collins and William asked if I would like to catch up with him at home for the BBC Kitchen Garden Show.

Isobel deciding she was peckish halfway through our interview!

From the moment I got my copy of The History of Food in 100 Recipes I couldn’t put it down.  I sat up in bed reading until my eyeballs could take no more, making notes in the margin.  From bread making in ancient Egypt, cheesecakes in ancient Greece all the way to to the invention of the Kenwood chef and Nigella’s cupcakes each chapter is a story in it’s own right.  I had so many questions and I was very much looking forward to catching up with William to ask about how it all came together.

Of course things never go according to plan and my childcare arrangements fell through at the last minute.  I was so disappointed  ..  I reluctantly  spoke to William expecting to have to rearrange.. but he laughed and said bring the children  along .. really it was ok .. even the dog.

I wondered if he had any idea of the utter chaos he was inviting in?  On the way over I pulled over and give my three children and the poor dog a really stern talking to.  They had better be on the VERY best behaviour I said. Or else.

As it was the children fitted straight in.  William's gorgeous children are the same age as mine and before we knew it the girls were tacking up the pony and off they all went to play. 

It turned out to be one of the most interesting interviews I have ever done  ….  if you listen to the Interviews below you will smile  (- it is unedited on Audio boo). Between chickens, phone calls, the dogs, my daughter ringing the church bell, ponies, burning tomatoes in the aga, and the house being decorated we did actually get in a really great conversation about this brilliant book, and the radio show is on this Sunday at 10am on BBC radio Northampton.

Certainly the challenges of interviewing William alongside five children under the age of 10 and two rowdy dogs means that I can confirm that William is really everything a food hero should be. Taking life in his stride William is a genuine champion of local, British and seasonal food, is passionate about his community: he is also hard working dad who was genuinely devastated to burn his tomatoes he forgot about and took the time to feed my hungry five year old halfway through the interview and has written a brilliantly different recipe book. 

This History of Food in 100 Recipes is a seriously lovely looking book, meticulously researched, full of the most interesting stories about passionate foodies . Whilst I'll admit that I have always found history to be a somewhat dry and dusty subject William brings it all to life.  It is colorful, delicious, funny in places, easy to read and yet there is serious depth to it .. I love it .. so I’ll say just one last thing.  It really is absolutely the best book I’ve read in years  so if you only buy one recipe book this year make it this one and keep it at the front of your bookcase.

listen to ‘William Sitwell interrupted !’ on Audioboo

The original Books William bought at the auction at Sothebys

listen to ‘William Sitwell ’ on Audioboo

The first copy!

Most Marvellous Chocolate Cake Bake Off !

Every Domestic Goddess should have a favorite chocolate cake recipe, however for a long time I have been wondering what the price per slice difference is in cost from each supermarket?  Is the price between say Waitrose and Aldi huge?  Double?  Or perhaps Tesco and Sainsbury prices are more similar than I think. More importantly perhaps is which ones taste better?  Do more expensive ingredients mean a better tasting cake?  Or are we simply paying for the experience of shopping in a lovely environment?

I am certain a chocolate cake would show up the best quality ingredients. .. the freshest eggs, the creamiest butter and the richest chocolate!

Well I’ve decided  we should answer theses questions on 1^st April LIVE on the BBC Radio Kitchen Garden show at 10am at 22-36 Kettering Road Abington Square northampton NN1 4AH

Eight cakes are being made, each one from the own brand ingredients from all the major Supermarkets Waitrose, Sainsbury, Tesco’s, Morrisons, Asda, The co-op, Lidl and Aldi and Marks and Spencer.

The cakes will be judged independently at Most Marvellous on the  Kettering Road in Northampton by William Sitwell, the editor of Waitrose Kitchen with some help from Helen from Fuss Free Flavours .. it’s tough job  .. but someone has to do it !


Take Part

Four of the cakes have been signed up for  .. but there are 5 still left  .. If you would like to participate please let me know by emailing me recipes@vanessakimbell.com and indicating which supermarket’s own brand you would be willing to bake. .. it is important that you don;t let on which supermarket you are baking from as the judges will have no idea as they taste the cakes ! 

Places are very limited so please let me know ASAP.

The cakes must be made using stand mixer ..  so they are all made in the same way and presented on a white plate, with the receipt in an envelope stuck on under the plate, with the full cost of the cake and a price per cake.. so we can make quick comparison at the end.

 There will tea and coffee and lots of wonderful things to see and buy in this retro emporium  & café, and we’ll have a definitive answer live next Sunday for the Most Marvellous Chocolate Cake bake off !


Or simple come along anyway  ... 

Chocolate & Raspberry Cake

Now I’m guessing vinegar, cream cheese and sea salt aren’t the kind of ingredients most people expect to find in a chocolate cake. You have to trust me on this one – I don’t do sickly sweet chocolate. Instead, this cake is deep, rich and resonating with dark chocolate and fruity raspberry tones. It’s straightforward to make and a real showpiece, so if you have people to impress, this dessert will do just that.

Serves 10

Prep time 20 minutes

Cooking time 1 hour

Suitable for freezing Yes before decorating

For the cake

250ml milk

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

160g dark chocolate,

100g butter

30g cocoa powder

300g self-raising flour, sifted

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, sifted

125g dark muscovado sugar

100g caster sugar

2 eggs

Pinch of sea salt

For the icing

125g dark cocoa chocolate (minimum 60% cocoa solids)

50g butter

75ml double cream

For the filling

150ml double cream

70g cream cheese

1 medium punnet of fresh raspberries

1 Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4. Grease a 24cm round, deep cake tin and line it with baking paper.

2 Mix the milk and vinegar together.

3 Melt the chocolate  and butter using a bain-marie or a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, then pour into a large mixing bowl. Add all the other ingredients  and mix well.

4 Pour in the milk mixture and beat with an electric hand whisk until it is well-mixed and forms a smooth batter.

5 Pour into the cake tin and bake for 1 hour, or until it is firm in the centre. Test for doneness by inserting a knife in the centre; it comes out clean, it’s ready; if not, then return the cake to the oven for 5 – 10 minutes and repeat the test.

6 Cool for 10–15 minutes in the tin, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

7 Meanwhile, make the icing. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bain-marie or in a heatproof bowl placed over a pan of simmering water. Stir well until smooth, then beat in the cream. Allow this to cool a little, but not completely; it should be thick and yet still viscous.

8 Whip the cream and cream cheese together for the filling, taking care not to be too thick.

9 Cut the cake in half through the middle, place the bottom half on a cake stand or plate and cover it with the cream cheese mixture.  Arrange the raspberries on top of this, then place the top half of the cake on the raspberries. Pour the icing over the top. 

Love food Hate Waste

I couldn't put it better myself. I love food and hate to see waste, so I was delighted to be asked to head up the Northamptonshire  Love Food hate waste campaign.  The time has just flown by and it's been seriously fun taking the road show campaign out and talking to the people of Northamptonshire.

Sara, Rebecca and the team have been out all over the county giving out advice, leaflets, recipes and the perfect measuring scoops for rice and pasta. Of course being half term the children helped out on the market square, not allowing a single person to go past with out a leaflet  .. it was great fun to get people to think about changing their habits.



Here are three facts that really made me sit up and think

An average family throws away up to a quarter of all the food they buy, which equates to up to £50 a month

If everyone in the country stopped throwing away food that could have been eaten, it would have the same carbon impact as taking 1 in 4 cars off the road in the UK

Nationally, we throw away 8.3 million tonnes of food every year, most of which could have been eaten.

So if you'd like chance to win a copy of Prepped the county council are giving 10 copies away  .. .enter the competition here: 

and please  think about the way you use food.  We cal all make a difference. 

St Giles Cheese in Northampton

St Giles Cheese stocks over 80 different varieties of cheese - but it's not just cheese. 

As well as all manner of other artisan delights, there’s fresh sourdough, delicate French patisseries, fresh olives, smoked salmon, locally made quiches and the best anchovies I’ve ever eaten. Not forgetting exquisite hand made chocolates and local award winning bubbly from Fleurfields vineyard in Brixworth.  

That said .. they do stock the most fabulous cheese and have just come runner up in the British Cheese awards as one of the best  new cheese retailer of the year.

Located at the top end of St Giles Street Northampton I think that this is an absolute gem of a delicatessens.  Steve and Caroline, the owners, are always on hand to give you expert advice on any of the products and I especially like that they always have something new out to try each time I pop in, which I have to admit is at least once a week these days.

So if you find yourself in Northampton then pop in and see for yourself or get in touch with them directly here. 

Afternoon Tea

I've been about and about fetching strawberries from Mr Troops to have for afternoon tea.. I love it - is just so easy and yet it has quaintness to it. Rose patterned china cups, cupcakes, dainty egg and cress sandwiches, Battenberg cake of course fresh scones with clotted cream, a large dollop of strawberry jam and a steaming pot of fresh tea. I love throwing my red checked tablecloth on the table and having the children come in from school to sit and tell me about their day whilst tucking in to this very British spread. The recipe doubles easily to make more ( I use it for my the topping to my plum cobbler recipe.) You can swap out the flavour at a moments notice, leave out the sugar and add 70g of parmesan for a savory cheese scone, thrown I a handful of sultana’s or add a teaspoon of fresh lavender for a delicious twist and serve with plum jam and a pot earl grey tea instead.

Makes 8
Prep time 5 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
Freeze Yes

Ingredients

225g self-raising flour
75g butter, chilled, cut in small pieces
50g Vanilla Sugar
¼ tsp salt
125ml buttermilk mixed with 2 tbs of freshly squeezed lemon juice ( ordinary milk will do)
3–4 tbsp milk
Extra flour, for dusting
Vanilla Sugar, for sprinkling
1 free range egg, beaten, for the glaze

Method
Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4.
Put the flour, butter, salt and sugar into a bowl. Mix well. Make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk. Bring the mixture together to form a dough. If the dough seems a bit too dry, add a little more buttermilk, a teaspoon at a time.
Turn out onto a floured work surface and use your hands to form a 2.5cm round. Cut out shapes from this, depending on your preference, and put them on a baking tray.
Glaze the scones with the beaten egg and bake for 18–20 minutes and sprinkle with sugar.
Cool on a wire rack. If you want to freeze these scones do so as soon as they are cool.
Note: Scones are best enjoyed the same day.


Linked recipe
You can turn an every day scone into something really special by replacing the Vanilla sugar in the recipe for Lavender sugar. 

The power of Twitter

For those of you who are fortunate enough to live in the east of England there is a fabulous evening show that covers the whole of the region and it rocks .. it's the Sue Marchant show and she is one fabulous lady I can tell you!

Sue asked me to do a regular slot on her show called NOT THE FRIDAY NIGHT FRY UP and I cook up something yummy to get you in the kitchen at the weekend. I love it !

So last night I was invited to chat for an hour with Douglas Blyde about fine dinning and wine.. as well as to tell everyone that I am signing books in Waterstones in Cambridge this Saturday 25th from 3pm .. which of course I clean forgot to mention until the very last minute as I was having so much fun !

Well on the way to the show Douglas tweeted .. I'm not 100% sure what he said but when he arrived in the studio there was a hot from the oven cake waiting for him for one of his twitter followers @bunnybanter - Raspberry and Mulberry jam filled sponge overlaid with sweet orange - it was delicious and you can read more about it here.

Needless to say that this was a perfect demonstration of the power of twitter.. one tweet and there is cake .. and now I'm wondering about all manner of other things I might request for next time I am the radio ... !

See the full gallery on Posterous

Cakepops with some famous ladies!

Make the best use of your time - if you are going to make cake, make a spare. They freeze. It makes sense, especially when you can make cake pops with the 2^nd cake, and they are really fast to make. If you are wondering what cakepops are they are a cross between a lollypop and a cake. Vanilla sticks makes some fabulous ones you can buy!

Well this is exactly what we decided to do after testing out the Kenwood Vs Kitchen aid live radio the Kitchen Garden show a couple of weeks ago. The extra cakes we made were turned into cakepops. I was joined by the lovely Helen of FussFreeFlavour, superbly talented Sarah of Maison Cupcake and award winning Julie Elliot of Angelina cupcake. What a fabulous combination! - it was always going to be delicious ! To find out what flavours they were listen to us developing the cake pop recipe here.

( Interestingly as I was browsing from one link to another today I came across this post by Working London Mummy. She takes part in Masoncupcake's Forever Nigella monthly and has also written a super cakepops post worth reading here. )

Note - Many of the sprinkles was Julie's own, but I also used the Watirose essentials range for making the cakes and several of the sprinkles.