Black Pudding Scotch Eggs

Pin It

I have a bit of a confession to make. I only tried my first scotch egg about a year ago. Up until then I always thought they we're pretty horrid and avoided them like the plague. In my defence, the only scotch eggs I ever got exposed to were ones bought in supermarkets that looked pale and uninviting. 

My first scotch egg was with black pudding and after my first bite I was determined to have a go at making my own. When Jo and I were menu planning for the Childhood Memories Supper Club I knew we had to sneak this in. Scotch eggs are good fun to make and I think something everyone should have a go at. Because we were serving these cut into wedges we cooked the eggs for a little longer but if you would prefer a runnier yolk I'd suggest boiling them for no more than 6 minutes.

You will need-

• 6 medium eggs - plus an extra 1 or 2 for the batter
• 250g black pudding
• 125g sausage meat
• A few sprigs thyme
• 1 tsp chopped sage, preferably fresh
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• Salt & Pepper
• Plain flour
• Panko breadcrumbs
• Vegetable Oil

Begin by bringing a large pan of water to the boil and then gently lower the eggs in and simmer for 7 minutes. Once the 7 minutes are up remove to a bowl of ice cold water to stop them cooking any further. Once cool very gently peel the egg shells off and put the eggs to one side.

Put the pudding and sausage meat with the thyme, sage, paprika, cayenne, salt & pepper together in a bowl and give it a really good mix. You could, at this stage fry a little piece off to check the seasoning and add more herbs/spice if you fancy. Split the mixture off into 6 balls.

Prepare 2 squares of cling film and place one of the balls of pudding mixture in the centre. Now place the other piece on top before flattening out till its no more than 1/2cm thick. Remove the top layer of cling fim and place the egg in the centre. Bring the cling film up and around the egg. Tear off any excess meat and then using the cling film smooth over any edges or creases. Set to one side and repeat with the rest of the eggs. 

Place the sunflower oil into a large, heavy based pan and put on a medium high heat.

Set out 3 plates with the flour, beaten egg and panko breadcrumbs. Its important to keep one hand dry if you don't want to get covered in breadcrumbs and flour (like the 3rd photo down!) Firstly roll the egg in flour then dip in the egg mixture. Next cover with breadcrumbs before returning back into the egg and then finally back into the breadcrumbs.

If you have any left over meat simply roll into small balls and repeat the same instructions for the batter & frying.

To check if the oil is hot enough, drop a couple of breadcrumbs into it. They should sizzle and start to turn golden pretty quickly. Its important to only fry one egg at a time so as not to risk the oil overflowing. Gently lower the egg in and turn after a minute or when golden underneath. Continue frying till its a lovely golden colour all over then remove onto some kitchen paper to drain.

Leave to cool slightly before slicing into quarters. These should keep in an airtight box for 3 or 4 days in the fridge.

Fig & Feta Salad with a little indulgence

Pin It

They always say the simplest things are the best and when it comes to food that couldn't be more true. Don't get me wrong, I love to submerse myself in a complicated recipe that takes days of planning but when you have amazing ingredients you really don't need to do much. I recently discovered truffle honey at a new bar, 196 on Mill Road in Cambridge and ever since have been day dreaming about it... I even had a dream one night where I was attempting to make my own with terrible results. I randomly found a jar of the honey on a recent trip to Marks and Spencer and have been trying it out with different things ever since - my favourite being on crackers with some comte cheese. That was until today anyway. Only last night I was talking to Tim about how figs are my favourite fruit. I think it stems from my summers in Croatia as a child where we would steal figs straight off a tree before tearing them open and eating the insides. I digress, today whilst at the supermarket I quite surprisingly found some beautiful looking figs on offer and knew they had to be mine. I initially planned to bake with them but I also wanted to eat some fresh. After a very quick scan of the fridge I knew what had to be done. This would make a fantastic starter or side for a dinner party but would also make a very sophisticated canapé if placed onto a cracker or bruschetta.

I won't bother with an ingredients list as I'm sure you know whats in it by now but to assemble place some rocket on your plate, top with wedges of fresh figs and crumbled feta, sprinkle with a little salt and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil. Finally, drip some honey over the whole thing and there you have it. If you were wondering, the honey is currently £3.99 and I am planning to stock up before everyone else gets in there and buys the whole lot!
P.S This isn't a sponsored post, but if any truffle companies wish to send samples, my door is open.

Sweetcorn Pancakes

Pin It

This weekend saw my 27th birthday and as I am fast approaching being middle age (I joke) Tim very generously bought me an all singing, all dancing Magimix food processor. I can't tell you how over the moon/excited I am about it so first thing on Sunday morning we gave it a whirl. I should begin by saying these pancakes don't have to be made in a food processor, you can do it the old fashioned way with a whisk, but you will need to finely chop the sweetcorn to get a similar consistency.

These pancakes, served with salted butter taste just like sweetcorn from the barbeque, smokey and creamy. We had them for breakfast along with some smoked frankfurters but they would make a great alternative to rostis or latkes for dinner. I can just imagine a perfectly poached egg sitting atop a stack of these with cured meat and grilled asparagus. Ok, I'll stop daydreaming and get on with the recipe.

Makes enough for 2 (aprox 8 pancakes)
You will need-

• 60g plain flour
• Around 125g sweetcorn (defrosted if frozen)
• 2 medium eggs
• 1.5 tbsp milk
• Salt & Pepper

Heat a pan on a medium high heat and lightly oil. Place all of the ingredients in the food processor and blend for a couple of minutes. Spoon the mixture into the frying pan to make small pancakes and serve right away with a knob of butter and your favourite sides.

Indian Scrambled Eggs on Naan Bread

Pin It

I should begin by saying I am all for eating breakfast for lunch & dinner. I am also up for dinner that can be thrown together and be ready to eat in under 10 minutes. I would recommend trying to track down a good quality naan bread, I used a garlic & coriander one from Sainsbury's but you could always make your own if you fancied the challenge. I would have photographed the whole process but the meal was finished in a flash, almost as fast as we both scoffed it down!

Serves 2
You will need-

• A drizzle of olive oil
• 1/2 green or red chilli, deseeded & finely diced
• 1cm square ginger, grated or finely chopped
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander plus extra for serving
• 1 tomato, peeled and cubed
• 4 eggs, beaten lightly
• 2 Naan breads

Preheat your oven to 180C and then get a frying pan with the oil in on a medium high heat. Whilst the frying pan is heating place the naan bread in the oven. Add the chilli, ginger, spring onions, cumin, turmeric, salt & pepper to the pan and fry for a 5 minutes before adding the coriander & tomato. Give everything a good stir and cook for another minute before adding the egg. Keep stirring the egg and take off the heat as soon as they're cooked. This shouldn't take more than about 2 minutes. To serve, spoon the egg mixture onto the naan bread and top with some more coriander.
Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am!

Courgette & Mint Soup

Pin It

This soup makes a fantastic quick, healthy and tasty lunch or dinner and is so easy to make too. The mint and lime bring a lovely freshness whilst the courgette and feta bring the creaminess. Its definitely worth making a double, triple or even quadruple batch and freezing it for a rainy day. Its all done in 1 pan so the washing up is minimal and the only special kit you need is a stick blender which you can get for cheap in most supermarkets. This is the perfect summery soup, but if you're in England I recommend googling photos of sunshine and clear blue skies as I think we've all forgotten what those look like!

You will need-

• 1tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/2 red chilli, finely chopped
• 500g courgette
• Salt & Pepper
• 300ml water
• 2 wedges of lime
• Small handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped
• Feta cheese

Put a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the oil. After a few minutes add the garlic and chilli and cook for a minute. Now add the courgette and simmer for 20 minutes or till they are really soft. Add the water, half of the mint & season well. Simmer for another 10 minutes then remove from the heat and leave to stand for a minute or 2. 

Carefully blitz the soup till smooth and adjust the seasoning if needed before adding the lime to taste. Serve in bowls topped with the remaining mint and some crumbled feta cheese.

Enjoy x

Ricotta Gnocchi Part 2

Pin It

I first posted a recipe for ricotta dumplings last year (here) after seeing them on the Two Greedy Italians and fell in love with them immediately. Recently I helped out Ursula Ferringo with one of her demonstration supper clubs where she made Ricotta Gnocchi. I loved her technique of very lightly mixing the ingredients till they just came together and then spooning rough balls of them rather than rolling into perfect cylinders. This way they hold all the delicious flavours of your sauce so much better. In this recipe I use all fresh ingredients but they would be amazing served with the tomato sauce from the other gnocchi recipe. 

This is another one of those dinners that come together so quickly. The other day I got in from work and had these ready in just 5 minutes, before heading outside to enjoy them in the sun, with a nice glass of white wine.

Serves 2

You will need-

• 150g ricotta cheese
• 43g Italian 00 flour
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 large egg yolk
• Salt & Pepper
• A small pinch of grated nutmeg

And the rest...

• A handful of wild rocket
• 1 clove garlic, crushed - leave this out if you're not a fan of raw garlic
• 1/2 chilli deseeded and finely chopped
• A small handful of freshly grated parmesan
• Salt & Pepper

In a bowl mix together all of your ingredients until they just come together. Using a tea spoon scoop out small mounds onto a plate and place in the freezer for a few minutes. If you weren't in a rush then you could just place them in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes. You could of course make these in advance and just keep them in the fridge till you needed them.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and then add your gnocchi. As soon as they start rising to the top remove them onto a plate with a slotted spoon.

Mix gently with the rocket, garlic, chilli, parmesan, salt & pepper and a drizzle of olive oil then eat straight away.

Chicken & Tortilla Soup

Pin It

Sometimes the best cure for a rainy day is a big bowl of chicken soup. This soup is a more exciting take on a staple and is sure to warm you up and bring you out of the gloom a grey day can bring. Whilst eating, just close your eyes and think of Mexico. You'll soon forget all about April & its showers.

This soup is deliciously fresh whilst still being hearty and the crunchy tortilla strips are better than croutons in my opinion. If you want to make it vegetarian/vegan, just switch the shredded chicken for some cooked black beans and the stock for vegetable stock. 

Serves 2

You will need-

Adapted from Jamie Oliver

• 1 chicken breast or 4 mini fillets
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 red chilli, sliced (and deeseed if you don't want it to be too hot)
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 litre hot chicken stock
• 1 tortilla
• 1/3 cup frozen sweetcorn
• 1 avocado, stone removed, peel & sliced thinly
• Handful of coriander
• 2 lime wedges

Begin by tossing your chicken in a little olive oil, salt & pepper and place in an oven preheated at 180C for around 20 minutes.

Whilst the chicken is cooking, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large saucepan and gently saute the onion, chilli & garlic till soft. Next add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Now pour in the chicken stock, season and leave to simmer for 20 minutes.

Once your chicken is cooked, leave it to cool for a few minutes, then shred with your fingers and place in your soup bowls.

Now heat some oil in a frying pan and cut your tortilla into strips. Fry on both sides till golden and then drain on some kitchen paper.

5 minutes before the soup is ready add the sweetcorn and continue to simmer. When the 20 minutes are up spoon it into the bowls, top with the avocado, tortilla, coriander and the lime wedges. Serve straight away.

Avocado & Bacon Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Pin It

I have always been a massive fan of cheese on toast but fairly recently discovered the phenomenon that is a grilled cheese sandwich- Our friends over the pond really do get somethings very right. Up until now I haven't really delved much further than some nice mature cheddar and a bit of chilli sauce between my bread but this weekend I took it up by about 5 notches with the addition of crispy bacon and avocado.

To make a grilled cheese sandwich you need a griddle pan ideally but a frying pan will work too. 2 slices of bread, 3/4 rashers of cooked dry cured, smoked pancetta bacon, 1/2 avocado sliced, mature cheddar & chilli sauce. Heat your pan on a high heat then either butter or brush oil onto the outsides (not the sides the fillings go in) Build up your sandwich and then place onto the pan. Cook for a few minutes on each side or until the cheese starts to ooze. Placing the butter or oil on your bread ensures you get that lovely golden & crispy outside.

Some days you really have to give in to your cravings and go all out.

Creamy Avocado Pasta

Pin It

Are you ready for one of the quickest, easiest and tastiest dinners? This meal is ready pretty much ready in the time it takes to cook your pasta or noodles so its great when you're short on time. I discovered the recipe on Pinterest the other day and have already made it a few times. The creaminess of the avocado means that you don't need any cheese so its great for vegans or those who are lactose intolerant. Next time I am going to try it with noodles to see the difference. It would also be amazing with some crispy chunks of bacon for a different take on a carbonara style dinner. 

Recipe adapted from Oh She Glows

Serves 2

You will need-

• 1 ripe avocado
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil
• 200g pasta/noodles, I used Tripoline
• Fresh black pepper

Cook your pasta according to the instructions on the pack. Whilst its cooking scoop out the avocado into a food processor, add the lemon juice, garlic, salt & oil and mix until creamy- if you don't have a food processor you could use a fork to mash the avocado and then just mix it together with crushed garlic and the salt, lemon & oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed then when the pasta is ready, combine the two together and plate up. Add some freshly ground black pepper and some lemon zest if you fancy and then tuck in.

Savoury Pancake Cake with Homemade Pesto

Pin It

Well,  I should begin by saying happy Shrove Tuesday (do you wish someone a happy Shrove Tuesday?) well,  HAPPY PANCAKE DAY! I thought I would go against the norm this year and have a go at making a savoury pancake cake or crepe cake. I have seen a lot of sweet variations crop up recently and thought I would try my hand at savoury using a combination of my favourite things. I'm not a huge fan of the English traditional sugar, but I can't let Pancake Day pass without some Nutella pancakes so I will be making some of those for dessert as well as attempting a cinnamon roll filling. Who knows, perhaps I'll have a mix of the two. Hope you all have a great day and don't get too many stuck to the ceiling!

For the pancakes-

• 165g plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• 3 eggs
• 300ml milk mixed with 110ml of water

For the filling-

• 1/8 cup toasted pine nuts
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 large handful of fresh basil
• 1/8 cup freshly grated parmesan
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Beef tomato
• Buffalo mozzarella
• Salt & Pepper

Begin by making the pancakes. Heat a non-stick frying pan on a medium high heat till really hot and then add a little oil before wiping it around the pan with some kitchen paper. Whilst the pan is heating sift together the flour and salt into a large bowl then crack the eggs into a well in the middle. Start whisking and combining the flour with the eggs and then slowly add the milk and water mixture a little at a time till its all combined and there are no lumps.


Ladle just enough pancake mixture into the pan and swirl around to coat the whole pan. When the pancake begins to bubble up check the underside and then flip over. Keep going till you have used up all the batter and have a nice pile of pancakes ready to be used.

Next whip up the pesto by adding the pine nuts, garlic, basil, parmesan and salt and pepper in a food processor. Add a drizzle of the olive oil and blitz together, add more olive oil till you have your desired consistency.


Now its time to get assembling. Evenly spread some pesto on your first pancake and then top with another. For the second layer add thin slices of tomato and then season lightly with salt and pepper. Add another pancake on top and then tea off pieces of mozzarella onto it. Keep repeating till you have used up all of your pancakes/ingredients. (Of course, if you end up with leftover pancakes then you can eat those for dessert but I don't really need to tell you that!)


Once your cake is built, its time to dig in- cut into wedges and get eating! Does anyone make any variations of this? I would love to experiment with some other flavour combinations.

Enjoy x

Mexican Corn on the Cob

Pin It

Tim and I have been day dreaming a lot about going back to New York recently. One of the main reasons is to eat, eat and eat some more. The last 2 times we went we didn't venture off the beaten track too much and were a little clueless about all the amazing food on offer. The three places we did eat at a lot though were Balthazar's, Cafe Habana and John's -I think the first time round we spent half of our spending money on brunch every day at Balthazar's.


At Cafe Habana we first ate this corn/elote. Its barbecued corn rolled in butter, cheese and other goodness. We finally got round to making some of our own tonight by cooking the corn under the grill and it turned out great. Of course, it would be amazing cooked on the barbecue but considering that the England summer is about 6 months away (and lasts about 3 days) cooking it under the grill is a great alternative. This corn would be great served as a starter or side but also makes a fairly decent lunch if you eat a couple. If you can't find cotija cheese don't stress too much, parmesan makes a great replacement. If anyone does know where I can buy it in England please let me know!


Recipe adapted from All Recipes
Serves 4
You will need-

• 4 corn on the cob
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup grated cotija or parmesan
• Chilli Powder
• 4 wedges of lime

Barbeque or grill the corn for 10 minutes or until its hot and charred. Next, roll the corn in the butter and brush all over with the mayonnaise. Finally sprinkle with the cheese and the chilli powder to taste. Serve with wedges of lime and eat straight away.

Potato, Chorizo & Thyme Frittata with a Beetroot & Feta salad

Pin It

1. Please send me on holiday to Barcelona
2. If you follow me on twitter you will know that I have being going on (a little too much) about the rare breed eggs I bought the other day from the Gog Magog farm shop...all 12 eggs ended up as double yolkers which I think means that I am in for some good luck! Anyway I had initially bought the second box for my mum but being the forgetful person I am I forgot to give them to her yesterday. I have been meaning to make a frittata for a while now and saw this as the perfect opportunity. I decided to pair it with a simple salad of baby beetroot, romaine lettuce & crumbled feta. After the mac & cheese incident I didn't want anyone to   think I was a salad dodger! This frittata makes a great lunch or dinner but would also be fantastic served as tapas along with lots of other lovely Spanish delicacies. 
6. This recipe is super quick and easy to make, you just need a non stick frying pan that will go under the grill. A metal or removable handle would useful.

Serves 4

You will need-

• Approx 300g of waxy potatoes like rooster or vivaldi
• A good handful of thinly sliced chorizo
• A few stalks of thyme, leaves removed
• 1 red onion, diced
• 6 large free range eggs
• 100ml milk
• A handful of grated parmesan or similar cheese
• A salad of your choice

Peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes and then simmer in a pan of salted water for 5 minutes. Drain and put to one side.

Heat your frying pan over a medium heat and cook the chorizo for a few minutes till it starts to get a little crispy. Next add the thyme leaves and fry in the chorizo's oil for a few more minutes. Drain away the chorizo and thyme and cook the chopped onion till soft.

Crack your eggs into a bowl and add the milk and whisk. Now add the chorizo, thyme, cooked onion, potatoes and parmesan and season well with salt and pepper. Turn the heat of the pan down to low and then pour the mixture in. Stir gently to evenly disperse everything then cover and cook for 15 minutes or until it has nearly set in the middle. Heat the grill to medium and then place the pan under till the frittata sets completely and the top becomes golden brown.

Slice and serve immediately. Left overs can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and eaten cold the next day. Hello lunch time!

I should also mention the salad. I bought some baby beetroot that is infused with white wine vinegar & balsamic vinegar (Tesco finest), sliced it up finely and placed on top of chunks of romaine lettuce hearts and the crumbled some organic feta on top. If you can't find the beetroot I used just use regular and drizzle the whole salad with a little balsamic vinegar.

 Enjoy x