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It’s been a busy morning here at FGH HQ, with a whole load of cooking going on ready for trick or treating tonight. I decided to eschew the easy option of the bags of multi coloured goo and sugar from the supermarket, and go for homemade versions.

This has involved MGG poring over the pages of Ghoulish Goodies, one of the books I featured in the Friday Five about cookbooks dedicated to Halloween. I really love it, and there are great ideas for everything for chocolate treats to cookies and full on cakes. Sadly, the whistling past the graveyard cake will have to wait for another day!

First up, Zombie Eyeballs (they’re monsters in the book, but we took a little creative licence). Perfect to make with kids as no cooking involved, although I would probably melt the butter and possibly warm the peanut butter next time, as these were a little crumbly to put together. But MGG was not to be defeated:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These need an hour or so in the fridge before the final step: a roll in chocolate, leaving enough space for a cornea and a mini Smartie for an iris!

Next up, Funny Bones. These were fun and games, as we are obviously not as fond of pretzel sticks as they are in the US. I thought I might be in luck and they’d be in the Christmas snack section, but sadly not. We had to make do with a box of Mikado biscuits, but of course this meant the chocolate has taken on a slighly marbled effect. I did think about nibbling all the milk chocolate off first, but thought that probably contravened several health and safety regs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once dipped, these just need a few hours in the fridge to firm up. What are the joints? Well, there are uses for mini marshmallows other than for sprinkling on hot chocolate!

Next up, eye of lizard. To be fair, these started out as monster toes, but they spread a lot during cooking, and also the M&Ms split their casings. This gives them a slighly surreal eye look, so we have renamed them into that classic cauldron ingredient!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So next up we just need some paper cones, a Halloween menu and we’re ready to go. Unless Dr T has taken the batteries out the doorbell again! But after all that, this is what they have in store:

 

Zombie eyeballs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eye of dragon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funny bones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Halloween, may all your treats be tasty!

 

 

Not sure if this belongs here, but it does involve both food and a gift, so sort of fits. If nothing else it might give you a laugh.

For some reason, Grandma Pat decided to buy us a family photo experience from Boots last Christmas. And as this Christmas rapidly approaches we decided we best get our rears into gear and get booked in. But no longer do you just roll up, try not to grimace and go home to await the awful result. Oh no, now we’ve been asked to bring props, and changes of wardrobes.

Food has emerged as a theme. Not sure how helpfully though. The family brainstorm last weekend seemed to take us on a naked chef route. Really, can you imagine? All of us in just our aprons and pants? Well, memorable I suppose. I suggested the rolling pin, Dr T looked pale. I think cookbooks may be involved on my behalf, the others can take their own favourite book.

But then one major problem has emerged in the last 48 hours….Dr T is sporting an amazing black eye. His story goes that it involves the cutting of fresh chilli for the salmon stir fry, an unfortunate/forgetful rub of the eye, a dollop of yoghurt and then an incident with an overly enthusiastic door handle. It’s a fabulous fib if it’s not true!

So right now we’re facing into my skill with concealer or just shooting him from one side.

Well, that or a pirate theme.

So, about those naked chefs…..

Just a very quick note to say the team at Funky Hampers are getting ready to help those with family in the forces overseas get ready for Christmas. They will be doing free shipping for all BFPO addresses from now on, so you can send something like a sweet hamper or a  movie box.

Jez from Funky Hamper says that it is always something they have wanted to do but it is worth stating that Royal Mail do charge them full price to send to these addresses. They promote it as being free but this is only for friends and family who actually take the package to a post office. So a good gesture from them to help support those families who will be separated this festive season.

Oh, and want to send a salami? Best check out Katz’s Deli in NYC , who started this. And yes, it can go to any of the armed forces!

I think if you’ve ready any of my posts you’ll have the distinct impression that I love, nay adore, my food. You may not have got my great love of food, but for me the two things go hand in hand, as great recipes in both are based on great ingredients. So in my mind great food lovers should adore great fragrances. A slight variation on my usual ideas on gifts for food lovers, but here’s some suggestions on fragrant gifts for foodies this winter.

1. For a bit of zing, and for lovers of Asian food, then I would recommend Origins Ginger. Rich, warm but not overpowering, this is the real stuff, freshly cut, rather than the dried, powdered stuff going into baking. I’d go full out and order the Ginger Treats Gift Set which would give you top to toe ginger gorgeousness.

2. For those who like a bit of the sweet stuff, then I would try Laura Mercier’s Marron Glaces. Not too sticky, you’ll find notes of mirabelle and hazelnut leaves (unusual but gorgeous in my book) plus vanilla and amber. It’s going to be  a warm, rich and comforting smell without being sickly sweet. If you need more sweetness, then Laura also does some great products in Creme Brulee and the new Creme de Pistache is smelling good too.

3. A tough one, what to recommend in vanilla? I love vanilla, but we’re talking about great vanilla and not vanilla essence. As in cooking, in fragrance there are some really cheap and nasty things masquerading as vanilla. That said, when I’m in France I always pick up Lait de Vanille shower gel from Le Petit Marseillais, which is a lovely creamy vanilla scent. I think if there was only one, then you could do a lot worse than Vanilia from L’Artisan Parfumeur. This is a loud fragrance, not given over to subtlety but quite something for a vanilla lover!

4. For spice lovers, then I would recommend Noir Epices from Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle. I love this whole collection of fragrances by some of the greatest perfumers alive, and this one is a masterpiece by Michel Roudnitska. It’s like a trip through a spice market in the Orient, with notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and pepper. More raw spice than baked goods, it works for a man or a woman, and is distinctive and memorable. It’s also not available everywhere, so could become a real signature fragrance.

5. For something a bit fresher but not sweet, then I’m going for a classic that’s been reissued, and that’s Gin Fizz from Lubin. With notes of bergamot and lemon tempered with juniper, you’ll smell fresh and summery. As opposed to like someone has thrown a G and T over you! Great for summoning up summer days, even in the midst of winter!

6. For something just rich, lush, slightly dirty but with sweetness (and mainly because this is on my wishlist) it has to be Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford. Preferably hand delivered by Tom please. The name is slightly misleading, in that it has notes of dried fruits, honey and spices with the sweetness and earthiness of fresh tobacco leaf, all with a bit of pure vanilla thrown in. Whenever I pass by a Tom Ford counter, I always have a spritz of this. It’s not subtle, but it is gorgeous.

So, half a dozen choices that combine beautiful food notes, without straying over into sticky sweetness. If you want that, then I would go through the Philosophy range. And if you want something spicy and vanilla based, then I could also recommend the wonder that is Girard’s Bouquet D’Orient. But then I’m biased on this one, I launched it back into the market! But a foodie will plunder its notes to work out what is going on in there!

I was intrigued to suddenly receive a catalogue from Forman & Field. I always seem to get a very random selection of catalogues, but this one ticked a lot of the right boxes for me.

And I did a bit of research on Twitter to see what the reaction was, and what other people’s experiences had been. I only got positive experiences back, which may mean it’s all good. Or those who have had bad experiences aren’t on Twitter.

If, like me, you’re not familiar with them, the starting point appears to be in smoked salmon, with the parent company H Forman & Son having been in the stuff for over 100 years. They are most famous for the London cure, which is a much lighter process, as it is cured with rock salt first and then given just a very light smoke. You can buy a few slices, or a whole side plus all the kit you would need to do it properly yourself.

The three cure gravadlax got a thumbs ups, which is certainly unusual and tasty sounding. Not everywhere will you come across dill, beetroot and wasabi cures! Looks very nice too, and at just over £5 is a nice indulgent treat for any foodie, either for yourself or as a gift. Or for even more indulgent cues, then the potted lobster also got some very good feedback. This is really good looking, and perhaps less difficult for someone to work out as a gift, but definitely with a hint of luxury. A recipient of a Great Taste Award, the lobster is potted in lobster infused butter and chives, so you’re definitely guaranteed a full on flavour.

But it’s certainly not all about the fish. There were positive comments for the poussins, and you’ll also find unusual things like porchetta, suckling pig and mutton, or unusual cuts like a three bird roast and game roulade. Got a sweet tooth? Thumbs up went to the Tunisian puddings, Christmas Panettone and Butter Pudding, and Nadell’s Macaroons, which were favourably compared to Laduree.

There are some great British suppliers pulled together here. From this neck of the woods there is Lincolnshire plum loaf from Myers, Colston Bassett Stilton and Mrs King’s pork pies. If they’ve selected that quality from our local produce, that gives me great confidence in the suppliers they have chosen to work with. So if you wanted to put together a meal wtih good ingredients from around the UK, this looks like a good one stop shop as an alternative to a local supplier.

These are also wonderful choices for gifts for food lovers, whether you buy single ingredients or some of their interesting choices of hampers. The Smokehouse Crate has a great selection to work through: smoked salmon, smoked salmon pate, the aforementioned potted lobster, smoked tuna, sweet mustard and dill sauce, and keta caviar. All this in a handsome wooden crate for just under £80. Not cheap, but would you really want cheap versions of these products? For under £30, I would also have a look at the Perfect Parfait set, good choice for a very reasonable price.

So, this seems like a great source of great British produce, and for that reason I would most definitely consider shopping with them. Worth adding to your favourites I would say. Should you be in the neighbourhood, they also have opened a restaurant at their HQ, check out the review over on the Dos Hermanos blog. I’d go!

I have to say that I have fallen well short of baking time during National Baking Week so far this week! Writing about it has been about as far as I have got! That, and reading about stuff I could be baking, so it only seems right that this week’s Friday Five should all be about baking. So here are 5 that I would want to have to take baking up to the next level.

1. Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionises Home Baking – I’ve already written about baking bread at home this week and I would add this book to your bookshelf if you’re thinking of expanding your breadmaking. This apparently is a very simple way to create fabulous tasting bread every day, for no more effort than it takes to bake a potato. Apparently!

2. Cake Chic by Peggy Porschen – this really is cake decorating at the next level. To be honest, I am not sure I have the patience for this level of decoration, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to look at glorious creations! This is a great book for dedicated cupcake queens or eager cake decorators, or just aspiration for those of us who have not yet got past buttercream and hundreds and thousands!

3. The Lost Art of Pie Making Made Easy - I would choose this to help me make one of MGG’s favourite foods: chicken pie. And, lets face it, is there any better comfort food than a piping hot pie served straight from the oven? I would think there is something quite comforting and relaxing about making a pie, so this would be therapy and food all at the same time!

4. How to Be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking - still one of my favourite baking books of all time, and I think it should be on every bookshelf of every kitchen. I think I have baked the lemon and cherry loaf about 30 times, not to mention how many batches of the birthday biscuits I’ve knocked up.

5. Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistible Playful Creations Anyone Can Make - this has the cutest looking cover, and I would love to be able to turn out cupcakes like these. And it does say anyone can make them, so it might be worth giving them a go, and buying this for everyone from amateur to hugely experienced baker.

There are a few aromas that you cannot beat when you open your front door, and baking bread has to be one of them. Beloved trick of estate agents I know, but just such an amazing smell. So, as it’s National Baking Week, maybe bread is a great gift to give.

If you don’t have one already, I cannot recommend the Panasonic SD255 Breadmaker highly enough. I would say it goes on at least once a day, it makes every loaf of bread we need plus dough for pizza. It is so simple to use, and there is such a huge variety of things you can produce from it in the bread and dough department. It even works for producing gluten free breads, although I imagine if you are very sensitive to gluten you’ll have to have one of your own.

There’s a reasonable recipe book comes with it, but I would recommend two others. My first choice is Fresh Bread in the Morning from Your Bread Machine, which pretty much does what it says on the tin. Useful, compact and so far I’ve always had pretty delicious results from the recipes I’ve tried. My other favourite is Dough by Richard Bertinet. You definitely don’t need a bread maker for this one, and it does always make me rue my gluten intolerance. This is a perfect book for beginners or for enthusiasts, and the photography is beautiful.

Of course, the ideal would be to go to Richard’s bread school in Bath. The Bertinet Kitchen offers a range of courses, everything from beginners and kids sessions, through to more specialist stuff like slow doughs and sourdoughs as well as non bread courses as well such as Mediterranean Festive Entertaining. A day’s course starts from £135, with demonstrations starting at £15. Sounds like a perfect way to brush up your baking skills. For those of you a bit further North, then check out the courses at the School of Artisan Food in Nottinghamshire. If you’re really serious about your breadmaking, then they have a 5 day Artisan Breadmaking Fundamentals course, which should give you an awful lot of experience in a short space of time.

For a bread-themed gift, then have a look at the vintage Hovis tins that Pedlars have. I am not sure if they’re not too beautiful to use in the oven, but then that is what they were made for. They do look lovely as planters though! And then you’ll be needing a good selection of flour, for which I would highly recommend The Flourbin, who have more flours than I thought there were in the world!

So, may your dough always rise, when you want it to, and may your daily bread be a good one! Can there be any better foodie gift?

Wandering through the twitterverse early on Sunday morning, I saw a tweet from Dom Burch, who is head of Corporate Communications at Asda, about a wine that they had created with The Sun. Now, I’ll be honest, my immediate reaction was that this probably wasn’t going to be wine I would love. Dom offered to send me a bottle to try, but I turned it down, on the basis that I was willing to give it a try but on my terms.

So Dr T was dispatched to Asda to buy the new Vin du Soleil, and then similar grape blends at the same price, one from France and one from the New World. He was in charge of making sure they were all chilled to the same temperature and all disguised from the rest of us with layers of newspaper. Given that his sense of taste has gone at the moment, he wasn’t one of my guinea pigs, which comprised Best Foodie Friend and her boyfriend, and an old friend of hers as well, who definitely knew his way around a glass of wine.

And how did we get on?

Wine A – This had floral notes, quite smooth in spite of being quite acidic. One of us thought it was lacking in depth but that it was, and I quote, very quaffable. Perfect sunny afternoon drinking wine, BFF is making a note to buy this next summer.

Wine B – Very light, no bouquet and no depth. Really not much going on and not much taste. It would not trouble those with palates not used to drinking wine, and it wouldn’t make a bad base for a kir, although you wouldn’t need much cassis was our conclusion. None of us finished our small glassful.

Wine C – BFF’s BF said this had good refraction, but he may have had more than the rest of us of the other two. This one was more of a white wine to be had with a meal, more subtle flavours than the first one but with the same floral notes. We all changed our minds having originally thought the first one was French, that actually this was French and the first one was New World.

And the names behind the paper? Well, they were all just under £5 a bottle in Asda Grantham yesterday and they were all blends of Viognier grapes. Wine A was Jacobs Creek Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Viognier, Wine B was the Vin du Soleil and Wine C was La Chasse Du Pape Chardonnay Viognier.

To be honest, I was disappointed. I’d read the piece about how it’d been developed, and I can’t for the life of me work out how you could have come up with such a tasteless wine. And, given that Asda is all about value, it really doesn’t feel worth £4.98. Even they stock much better quality wine for the same price, as either of the other two we drank would testify. So why waste £4.98 on a tasteless bottle, where you think it must be okay because your daily newspaper and a big supermarket chain has developed it.

In these days of huge amounts of choice, people are looking for shortcuts to help them make a choice, which is often what people use brands for. With a combination of the Asda and Sun brands, people would have an element of trust. Sadly, I think on this occasion it is somewhat misplaced. Philippa Carr, Asda’s Master of Wine is quoted as saying it’s a deliciously crisp white of a quality which you would never expect to find for under £5. Whilst she is eminently more qualified on the subject than me, I can only tell you what we liked, and we didn’t like this at all.

The joy never end! Coming straight on the back of British Chocolate Week we have National Baking Week. And if you’ve been reading the blog a while, you’ll know I love baking!

I wrote about baking earlier in the summer, the places you need to get to know if you’ve got a baking foodie to by for. And even if you haven’t, then perhaps this week is a great week to get them into trying it. Maybe they are big on the savoury stuff, so they could try and expand out into baking.

And there is so much variety, it’s not all about cakes, cookies and cupcakes. Think bread, pastry, tarts…endless possibilities! I’ll be doing more over the course of the week, once I’ve got a blind wine tasting out the way. More to follow on that, and the baking front.

By a happy clash of events, I seem to have done a lot of eating out this week, which is no bad thing. So this is a quick review of the recipes of the week, and the venues that served them up.

First up, Monday lunch was at The Betjeman Arms at St Pancras. Now, this is about as far from the average railway station pub as it’s possible to get: no sticky carpet, no crowd of guys who look like they missed the last train home about five years ago and definitely no curling at the edges sandwiches with a limp lettuce garnish.

Knowing I was facing into a three course dinner, I went for something light, and went with the smoked haddock and spinach gratin. Great tasting fish, properly smoked and not dyed, and a good dose of cheese, but not heavy and greasy. It was served with two slices of toast, decent bread dotted through with caraway seeds. A perfect light lunch or supper dish, this would take so little to knock up, it’s practically fast food.

A quick dash back North, and it was off to Langar Hall for dinner. I had American friends staying there, who were just charmed by it, as I thought they would be. Langar is the perfect example of an eccentric English country house hotel, but with charming service and a fabulous menu. That said, a tough menu for those from LA who don’t perhaps have the same connection to the land and food production. The lamb was off, as they do look very pretty when you drive up the approach to the use. And the game, well, not even coming close to being considered!

No such issue from me, I had roast pheasant and really enjoyed it. Whilst it can often be quite rich, the portion was just right and the accompanying red cabbage was perfect. However, the promised bread sauce, such a traditional accompaniment, failed to materialise. The poached pear for dessert was great, as was the tiny creme brulee and liquorice ice cream. Each flavour was exquisite and clean, it was just a pity they didn’t all work together. But I’ll forgive them that. Langar is a perfect small country hotel getaway, I highly recommend it.

A day of very light eating followed, in preparation for dinner at the Red Lion Inn. From what Olive magazine this month called the dream team comes an incredibly well priced Early Doors menu, with 2 course at £12 and I think the 3 courses is about £16. The pub hot smoked salmon is a great choice even for those who don’t think they like smoked salmon, and the blade of beef always seems really popular with the menfolk, and very on trend.

Of course, for those fabulous friends in from LA, it would only be right to order off menu! Given this was Kim’s first visit to a village pub, we thought it best for her to try something traditional, and she had the joy that is the Red Lion’s fish and chips. I love their fish and chips: perfect batter, homemade tartare sauce and what it says are mushy peas but are more like a crushed pea, which is just fine by me. Kim, on the other hand, is the only person I’ve ever met who doesn’t like peas. Don’t hate her, she’s adorable in every other way.

And I’d hate you to think Mini Gourmet Girl missed out. She is a connoisseur of the Red Lion’s children’s menu, but it’s the one place in the world where she is pretty unadventurous. But when the sausage, mash and onion gravy is that good, is it really problem? She has been known to send the sticky toffee pudding back though, the week they decided to experiment with mint in the recipe for her. Just the once!

So, for me, that’s a huge amount of eating out in one week, and there’s more to come over the weekend. No sign at all of a pop up restaurant, but only some very decent, British, seasonal food. And that’s a recipe for some good eating!