Recipes – Page 3 – Bangers & Mash

Spicy sausage chilli for #OrganicSeptember

September 19, 2016January 14, 2017Posted in Meat, Recipes, Stews and casserolesTagged #organicseptember, organic, sausagesLeave a comment

Autumn is almost upon us. We enjoyed the warmth of the sun yesterday on our bike ride under the Suspension Bridge towards Pill, but by the time we got home there was a distinct nip in the air. The blackberries are out in full force, the leaves have started to turn and we spotted conkers and acorns on the ground.

It’s a brilliant time of year. While summer is for picnics in the park and eating out, autumn marks the return of proper home cooking – making the most of the glut of glorious autumn vegetables; cooking up slow, hearty, satisfying dishes to warm the cockles.

It was good to return home from our bike ride to this spicy sausage chilli – an absolute cockle-warmer if ever there was one, and just what we needed after working up quite an appetite. I came up with the recipe to celebrate the return of #OrganicSeptember, the Soil Association’s annual campaign to encourage more people to go organic. Continue reading “Spicy sausage chilli for #OrganicSeptember” →

Healthy snacks for NSPCC’s Big Board Game Day

May 22, 2016January 14, 2017Posted in RecipesTagged avocado, Big Board Game Day, dips, NSPCC, pistachio, sunflower seeds, tomatoLeave a comment

It’s Big Board Game Day on Friday 27 May 2016, a chance for us all to unleash our inner board game demons while fundraising for the NSPCC.

Big Board Game Day is for absolutely everyone; whether you’re a Sore Loser, Rule Master, a Puzzled Player or The Lucky One. Taking part is so simple: all you need to do is get together with friends and family and play your favourite board games. It’s as easy as Connect Four! Visit www.nspcc.org.uk/boardgameday to find out more on how to get involved.

If you decide to take part, and I really hope you do, how about whipping up some tasty and healthy snacks for your games night? When the NSPCC asked if I’d contribute some snack ideas for Big Board Game Day, I couldn’t think of anything more appropriate. The tag line for my blog after all does state that it’s fun to play with your food!

In my eyes, finger foods are best for games snacks, but as I was keen to steer clear of the usual pizzas, sliders, creamy dips and crisps, I thought I’d have a go at a few healthy alternatives and tried them out on the family over a game of Trivial Pursuit.

Continue reading “Healthy snacks for NSPCC’s Big Board Game Day” →

Chilli beef pasta with Savoy cabbage and caraway for the #OrganicUnboxed Challenge

April 30, 2016April 30, 2016Posted in Competitions and challenges, Meat, RecipesTagged #organicunboxed, beef, cabbage, caraway, chilli, feather steak, organic, pasta, penne, savoy cabbage, steak3 Comments

Like many of my fellow food bloggers, I’ve been taking part in the #OrganicUnboxed challenge this last few weeks. The idea of the challenge is simple. Organic UK is sending bloggers a big mystery box of organic produce to see what easy, every day dishes they might come up with to inspire more people to switch to organic. In my excitement I failed miserably to get a picture of the organic goodies being unboxed. Which is why I’ve brought you a gratuitous shot of our cat Tango in the box instead. Now, hasn’t that brightened your day? Continue reading “Chilli beef pasta with Savoy cabbage and caraway for the #OrganicUnboxed Challenge” →

Spiced rhubarb compote with whipped ricotta and honey

April 23, 2016Posted in Puddings and desserts, RecipesTagged compote, granola, rhubarb, ricotta3 Comments

For me April is rhubarb month. I can’t get enough of the stuff. I suspect the rest of my family get rather bored of it, but not me. Rhubarb crumbles, fools, cake and salsa… I’m not quite sure what it is – the vibrant colour, that distinctive sharp flavour, its sheer Englishness, or the simple fact that something that grows in such abundance like a weed could taste so good? Friends with rhubarb in their gardens know now to bring their surplus to me. Continue reading “Spiced rhubarb compote with whipped ricotta and honey” →

Janie’s pomegranate salad dressing

February 23, 2016February 23, 2016Posted in RecipesTagged dressing, hedgecomber, pomegranate, salad2 Comments

Moving house is such hard work, isn’t it? They say it’s one of the most stressful things you ever do in life, and I couldn’t agree more. But thankfully, the stressful bit is over and our move from Somerset back to Bristol is finally complete – hurrah! Southville is our new home, albeit temporary as we’re renting while we find ourselves a house to buy, but I am absolutely adoring city life again.

The stress however has been replaced by what seems a permanent state of exhaustion as we focus on trying to sort out the new place (oh my, the never-ending unpacking!) balanced with the day job. We’ll get there soon, I’m sure, but it does mean I’m being rather distracted from the blog.

And so my fabulous blogging buddy, Janie from The Hedge Combers has come to my rescue with this impeccably timed guest post and her delicious recipe for a pomegranate salad dressing. I’m definitely trying this at the weekend with the leftovers from our Sunday roast… Enjoy! Continue reading “Janie’s pomegranate salad dressing” →

Apple, raisin and cinnamon pancakes

February 8, 2016Posted in Puddings and desserts, RecipesTagged apple, breakfast, cinnamon, flaxseed, oats, pancake, pancake day, raisins2 Comments

The world and his wife are going crazy for crepes at the moment, and we’re no exception here at Chez Bangers where pancakes are always a regular feature on our menus.

Just in time for tomorrow’s Shrove Tuesday aka Pancake Day, I thought I’d share with you my apple, cinnamon and raisin pancake recipe, which is one of our favourite weekend breakfasts and very quick and easy to rustle up. Continue reading “Apple, raisin and cinnamon pancakes” →

Oatie cookies with ginger and chocolate

January 17, 2016September 2, 2018Posted in Cakes and biscuits, RecipesTagged chocolate, cookies, ginger, oats10 Comments

Who can resist an oatie cookie, especially one that’s crammed with gooey dark chocolate and chewy chunks of crystallised ginger? I know I certainly can’t, and neither can my children. They’re the perfect biscuit for a spot of baking with the kids on a wet Saturday afternoon and an ideal snack for when they get home after school – if there any are left from the weekend that is.
Continue reading “Oatie cookies with ginger and chocolate” →

Cheddar and apple rough puff pie

January 10, 2016January 9, 2016Posted in Puddings and desserts, RecipesTagged apple, apple pie, Cheddar, cheese, pie5 Comments

It might be unseasonably mild in the UK for January, but these interminably dank, grey days still lead my body and mind to craving wholesome, hearty, warming dishes. Puddings and pastries in particular are at the top of my wish list, and what could be more wholesomely tempting than a slice of hot apple pie smothered in cream? Continue reading “Cheddar and apple rough puff pie” →

Christmas cheeseboard challenge and giveaway

December 5, 2015Posted in Competitions and challenges, RecipesTagged Cheddar, cheese, cheeseboard, Christmas, chutney, crackers, Davidstow, giveaway54 Comments

If there is one food I could never, ever, ever give up, it would be cheese. That would be a hell on earth just not worth contemplating. There are so many incredible cheeses out there waiting to be discovered and my idea of food heaven is being presented with a heavily laden cheeseboard, groaning under the weight of a carefully selected assortment of fine, artisan cheeses, partnered with tasty biscuits, fruity chutney and a good full-bodied red wine or port. Sheer bliss.

So when Davidstow invited me to take part in their Christmas Cheeseboard Challenge, I really didn’t need to be asked twice. Continue reading “Christmas cheeseboard challenge and giveaway” →

Sloe syrup drizzle cake with caraway seeds

November 30, 2015Posted in Cakes and biscuits, RecipesTagged buttermilk, cake, caraway, drizzle cake, loaf cake, sloe, sloe syrup3 Comments

Instead of bottling a batch of sloe gin this year with my haul of sloe berries from the blackthorn in our garden, I decided to try something different and created sloe syrup using a recipe from Fuss Free Flavours.

It’s wonderful stuff and extremely versatile. Delicious poured over ice cream or pancakes, it is also perfect as a mixer for cocktails or adding to sparkling wine or champagne, while my daughters like it as a cordial mixed with fizzy water or lemonade.

And it also works a treat in baking, as in this variation on a lemon drizzle cake. I took a recipe for buttermilk loaf cake from the brilliant What To Bake And How To Bake It by Jane Hornby, added a few caraway seeds (I can’t get enough of these in cakes at the moment) and liberally doused the cake, while still warm from the oven, in the sweet, sticky sloe syrup. The end result is simply gorgeous and very, very moreish. Continue reading “Sloe syrup drizzle cake with caraway seeds” →