Chocolate is … Luscious Decadent Divine Seductive Heavenly and tastes good with… Almonds Walnuts Hazelnuts Pecans Peanuts Ice-cream Strawberries It’s also … Velvety Dark Rewarding Delicate Exciting And it makes the world go round ! and so say all of us CHOCAHOLICS…
Author: Treeca
National BBQ Week returns for a 20th time and will once again be looking to encourage even more Grill Thrills and Gastro Grilling, by ensuring that everyone; friends & families, retailers, pubs & clubs, streets & hotels fully embrace BBQ culture and really go for the grill! Consisting of a hi-profile media and social-media campaign with supporting mobile apps, promotions and in-store activity, the 21st National BBQ Week, one of the UK’s leading awareness weeks, will kick-start summer and the prime BBQ season and offers brands a brilliant Barbie opportunity to get involved in what has been the outstanding engine for…
My usual box of tea’s to taste came from the Tea Tourist who deliver surprise selections of loose leaf teas from some of the hottest artisan tea companies each month. They are supplied in taster-sized portions for you to try. In this month’s choice was one called ‘White Bellini’ from a tea company based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire called ‘The Tea Experience’. Their company started in 2010 as a way to bring affordable high-quality teas to teal lovers and is run by owners Paul and Ann ad offers a range of orthodox teas, flowering tea blooms and a collection of beautiful glass…
Ingredients 225g seedless raisins (or other dried fruit) 100g soft brown sugar 1 cup of cold fruit or chamomile tea 225g self raising flour ½ level teaspoon mixed spice 1 x Orange 1 Medium Egg Method Preheat oven to 325F 160C Gas 3 Line or grease loaf tin Grate the rind of the orange Put the dried fruit and sugar into a large basin Add the orange rind Pour over the cold tea and leave overnight or for 12 hours Gently mix the egg Add the sifted flour, mixed spice and egg to the mixture Pour into loaf tin Bake…
I have to say I would find it hard to say which was my favourite gadget of the 70’s as there were so many iconic devices that I would still us them now. Can you remember the Breville toasted sandwich maker, the Swan Teasmade and the Soda Stream. Hostess trolleys, the pressure cooker and the stand mixer? I Â loved the toasted sandwich maker put I do remember it being a bit of a beast to clean and as for the Swan Teasmade well, I am not ashamed to say that I still have a Teasmade but not the original 1970’s…
According to an article today in the Daily Mail’s health section Aduna’s Super-Cacao uses a type of cacao bean which contains eight times the flavanols (thought to maintain elasticity of blood vessels, reducing the risk of cardiovascular problems) of a normal cacao powder. It’s heart health claims have been approved by the European Food Safety Authority. The Mail’s verdict – sprinkle over porridge or make into a drink with milk – another thing that is useful for helping your heart. However if you use as an ingredient in a brownie, then the heart health benefits aren’t going to negate the fact…
    In 737 B.C. the second emperor of China, Shen Nung, discovers tea when tea leaves blow into his cup of hot water or so the story goes. In 350A.D. a Chinese dictionary cites tea for the first time as Erh Ya. In 400-600 demand for tea as a medicinal beverage rises in China and cultivation processes are developed. Many tea drinkers add onion, ginger, spices, or orange to their teas. In 400 tea was called  Kuang Ya in the Chinese dictionary, tea and its detailed infusion and preparation steps are defined. In 479 Turkish traders bargain for…
If you don’t have a skewer or something similar to check your cake try using a piece of dried spaghetti instead. Before putting your cake mixture into the oven, tap the cake tin on a counter to release any large air bubbles in the mixture. Never open the oven door in the first half hour of baking as the cold air will interfere with the rising of your cake. For a moister fruit cake in electric ovens or Aga’s, place a dish of water on the floor of the oven when baking. ‘Always’ turn Your oven on before you start,…
Tea Tourist UK – I have their subscription and have written a few reviews on their teas. Their subscription is a bit different as Tea Tourist is not actually a tea supplier but they source exciting teas from specialist tea companies and deliver a tasting selection direct to your door each month -Tea Tourist is your passport to the wonderful world of loose leaf tea. They package them in taster-sized portions which each sample providing enough for 3-4 cups. It’s a rolling monthly subscription, so no contract, and you can cancel anytime. Bluebird Tea Company – As a VIP member of their tea Tasting…
Sift your flour and baking powder together 2 – 3 times when making a cake, as it will give your cake a very light and even texture and stop air pockets from forming. Try to store flour in an airtight container as it keeps better that way. Flour in baking, a high gluten flour would be used for bread and a low gluten flour for cakes Use plain flour which has a low protein content for baking cakes, pastries and biscuits and also for thickening sauces. Always stir flour to loosen before measuring. Use cocoa instead of flour for dusting…
I have written before that I receive the Tea Tourist tea box’s which come with a surprise selection of loose teas from some of the hottest artisan tea companies each month. They are sent in taster size portions for you to try. In this month’s box I had yet another amazing selection to try from and after sampling the Thieves Brew from Bev’s Tea Company, I decided to try and bake with it as well. I turned out rather tasty to say the least. THIEVES BREW AND PISTACHIO SCONES… Makes 14 to 16 scones Working time: 35 mins Resting time: 2…
When buying loose-leaf tea, make sure it smells fresh and vibrant. Check the packet labels to check whether you’re buying a blend or single variety. If buying flavoured tea, check whether the flavouring is natural or a ‘nature-identical’ synthetic. For example, Earl Grey tea flavoured with bergamot oil is far superior to Earl Grey tea with bergamot flavouring. Black teas are graded by their leaf size, from whole leaf, to ‘broken’ and ‘fannings’, down to ‘dust’. The leaf grade will determine the tea’s brewing time: the smallest leaves are used in teabags because they brew very quickly. All grades…
1.If you add a beaten egg slowly to your batter mix it prevents the batter from becoming too stiff. 2.Always use eggs at room temperature when baking with them. 3.Eggs will whip more easily if left for 10 minutes in cold water before breaking. 4.Place the egg in a bowl of water, if it sinks and lies on its side, it’s fresh.If it sinks and stands large-end up, it’s on the turn so use within a couple of days. If it floats, bin it, as it’s gone off. 5.When making your cake, leave the eggs and fat our overnight so…
I was clearing out some of my books recently and came across my GCSE Cookery Book. It all came flooding back when I started looking through my recipes but one that stood out from the others was Rock Buns which I seemed to bake whenever I could. I even had some old photos of the first ones I made. You don’t hear of them nowadays but I thought I would share the old style recipe with you, in old style measurements. Enjoy … Rock Buns Ingredients 6oz Flour, 2-3oz Margarine, 2oz Currants or sultanas, 2-3oz Caster Surgar, 1 small tsp baking powder, 1/2 oz candied…