Family food adventures – because it's fun to play with your food
Whenever I lift the lid on a jar of allspice berries, that gorgeous aroma instantly gives me a warm, Christmassy feeling. Along with cloves, allspice is pretty much synonymous with festive bakes and cakes. Yet there is so much more to allspice than Christmas cake… Continue reading “December’s Spice Trail: cooking with allspice”
There’s nothing quite like a big family feast or party to mark the season’s festivities. Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Eid, Diwali or Hanukkah, food’s at the heart of it all.
Whatever you’re celebrating, this month on the Family Foodies challenge we want to hear about your favourite family foods and drinks that are guaranteed to get your party started. Continue reading “Festive family foodies”
When I hit the ‘publish’ button on my first blog post exactly three years ago today I had absolutely no idea what I was doing nor what a brilliant adventure I was embarking on.
I did virtually no research into the world of food blogging before I got going, and in a way I’m rather thankful I didn’t, as I probably wouldn’t have plucked up the courage to do it if I had. There are so many amazing food blogs out there, I’m constantly amazed that anyone ever bothers to read mine. Whenever someone likes a post, leaves a comment or better still makes a recipe and comes back with feedback, I am absolutely thrilled and surprised. Continue reading “Awards and anniversaries”
There’s nothing finer served up with some thick, crusty bread and a big hunk of cheese than a tasty, spicy pickle. Especially when it’s of the homemade variety. Here are some delicious pickle recipes from food bloggers around the world you’ve just got to try out; all entries in last month’s Spice Trail challenge.
Last month on Family Foodies we invited food bloggers to share their ideas for fun, tasty recipes to cook with kids and you rose to the challenge brilliantly. If you’re looking for new ways to encourage your children to get active in the kitchen, this recipe round-up is just what you need… Continue reading “Cool recipes to cook with kids: the Family Foodies round-up”
Much loved by the Romans, even though it was hideously expensive – Gibbon tells us that Alaric the Goth demanded 3,000 pounds of pepper as part of his ransom for Rome in the 5th century. Pepper is ubiquitous worldwide now, and if there is a downside to its mass popularity, it is that people forget its true spice status and tend to overlook making it a star player in its own right…
So says Allegra McEvedy in Leon’s Ingredients & Recipes. And she’s right. All too often the only time pepper makes as appearance in a recipe is at the end when the cook is called to add a little salt and pepper to taste in order to ‘finish off’ their dish.
But pepper is a wonderful spice – tasty, fruity, warming, vibrant and even fiery – depending on which type you use and how much – and deserves to be celebrated in its own right. So that is our mission this month, to put the humble peppercorn on a pedestal all of its own and show just what this much-neglected spice can do!
Whether it’s black, white, green or pink (although technically pink peppercorns are a completely different species entirely but we’ll ignore that fact for the benefit of this challenge), I can’t wait to see how you incorporate peppercorns into your cooking and make them star of the show.
I look forward to seeing your entries, and keep an eye out for the round-up of October’s Pickles & Preserves challenge – coming very soon!
November’s entries
If you’re in the mood for an ‘Indian’ but fancy something a little more adventurous than your usual Saturday night chicken curry and naan bread, here is some spicy inspiration to stir up your senses from food bloggers across the globe. Continue reading “17 recipes inspired by India”
We’re already into October and I’m pleased to say it’s my turn to host the Family Foodies challenge. This month our theme is Cooking with Kids and we’re looking for your recipes and ideas to encourage little ones to get active in the kitchen.
Children are never too young to help out with the cooking – although I use the term ‘help out’ quite loosely here! Since my girls were little babies, I’ve been getting them to ‘help’ me prepare meals; from playing with pasta shapes or rolling dough sat in their high chairs to banging pots and pans on the kitchen floor as I did pretty much the same thing on the stove top. Even before they could walk, simply watching and playing alongside me has meant they were learning about where food comes from and how it is made.
As my daughters have got older, so they’ve grown more and more independent in the kitchen. When they were toddlers, their role was to put the toppings on the pizza. Next they’d be allowed to chop the ham and grate the cheese. And now, aged nine and six, they pretty much make the pizzas from scratch, from preparing the dough to popping their finished creations in the oven.
And as often as possible I encourage the girls to plan and cook their own meal for all the family. We start by leafing through children’s cookbooks to choose a main course and a pudding, before writing a shopping list and then helping me buy the ingredients. Spaghetti Bolognese and chocolate cake tend to be popular choices. I can just about let our oldest Jess get on with it alone now, although I tend to hang around in the kitchen in case she needs a hand, while I act as Mia’s ‘kitchen slave’ so that she’s in charge and I only do what she instructs me to do – within reason!
I can’t wait to hear how you involve your children or grandchildren or nieces and nephews in the kitchen. What are your favourite recipes to make with children? And do you have any tips for making sure the whole thing doesn’t turn into complete and utter mayhem? Post your recipes in the usual way and link up to this challenge by the end of the month or feel free to dig out posts from your blog archives and link those up too.
Win a gingerbread house cutter set!Our prize this month is this brilliant Lakeland cutter set to make your very own gingerbread house. With Christmas just around the corner, this could come in very handy.
The set includes a gingerbread recipe and 12 cutters to stamp out walls, roof, tree, a snowman and his gingerbread friends. You then simply mix some icing sugar to ‘cement’ the house together, before decorating with all your favourite sweeties and a dusting of icing sugar snow.
Any questions, do drop me an email at the address above.
Thanks so much to everyone that entered the August/September challenge hosted by Louisa at Eat Your Veg, where the theme was The Under Twos. Louisa will be announcing the winner of the M&S Tiny Taste Buds goodies very soon.
For the low down on other foodie challenges, competitions and giveaways, head over to The Food Blog Diary.
It’s safe to say autumn has arrived here in the UK. Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. Plus all those glorious pickles, chutneys, jams and all manner of preserves.
That’s why October’s theme for The Spice Trail simply has to be Preserves & Pickles. This month I’m looking for your pickled pears, onions or even eggs, your piccalillis and preserved lemons, chunky chutneys, fruit-laden jams, jellies and marmalades. All are welcome – just so long as they also include a healthy pinch of spice!
And what would go better with all those pickles and preserves than a tasty hunk of cheese? One lucky winner this month will receive a fabulous Cheese & Olives hamper from Serenata Hampers. Featuring a trio of beautiful cheeses (Abbots Choice Cheddar, Cropwell Bishop Blue Stilton and a Wensleydale with cranberries), specially selected garlic and chilli olives and crunchy oatcakes, this hamper offers a superb collection of delicacies for all real food lovers.
I’m really looking forward to seeing your entries, and do watch this space for the round-up of September’s A Taste of India challenge.
October’s entries
I’m loving this extended summer we’re having here in Somerset, particularly as it means we can continue having barbecues. In fact we enjoyed a teatime barbecue just yesterday when the children got home from school.
And so I don’t feel too bad about having taken so long to bring you this round-up of delicious beach barbecue recipes from August’s The Spice Trail challenge. I’m hoping there’s still time to enjoy a fair few of these dishes al fresco before the weather turns and autumn proper sets in…
Continue reading “Round-up: The Spice Trail beach barbecue challenge”
Bangers & Mash 