Five Foodie Finds

 

Check out the top 5 fun foodie finds I have come across this week!

1. The Cottonrake Bakery, Hyndland, Glasgow
Amazing cakes, puds and tarts. I love the window display and the carrot cake I had was awesome. They also made their own gourmet sausage rolls which I didn't try but looked really yummy.

2. Red Leicster with Scotch Bonnet Chilli
Oh my god, after discovering Cornish Cruncher with Chilli at M&S I thought I had found the ultimate spicy cheese but this is even better, and it is HOT HOT HOT! Yum. I found it at the deli counter is Waitrose, you have to try it!

3. Exploring China - A Culinary Adventure
This show on BBC2 is awesome. I want to be friends with Ken Holm and Ching-He Huang, they look like they are having so much fun on their foodie journey! I love Asian food and have travelled quite a bit in South East Asia but I have never been to China. Definately want to go on day! Check this out on iplayer if you missed it.

4. Comedy Hot Sauce
He he, these Hot Sauces from the wonderful Lupe Pintos on Leven Street made me giggle. I took the picture to send to my friend Jen who loves condiments and spice.

5. Charbonnel et Walker Choccies
How cute are these handbags and heel chocs! I met up with my school friend Gillian this last week and she gave me these as a very sweet gift. She got them in Harvey Nicks which has a fantastic food department but you can also get them from John Lewis, House of Fraser or online at http://www.charbonnel.co.uk/

TWO BOWLS OF SOUPER GREEN SOUP

I love making soups,  it is probably the first thing I ever learned to cook. Both my Nana and my mum make a brilliant bowl of soup so I had good teachers. Soup is something that anyone can cook, it is so easy but you can make so many varieties and let’s face it nothing else feels quite so comforting as a good bowl of soup! Plus if you make a big batch of soup you can freeze portions to use later. My friend at work and I share an office and take turns to bring in soup  most days. Is a very cheap and tasty lunch! She makes a mean tomato and chorizo soup, I must get the recipe…..

Anyway I have feeling a tad run down at the moment so I thought on this rainy Sunday afternoon I would make some healthy, hearty and very green soup.  I decided on a slight twist on the good old favourite pea and ham and also a batch of superfood watercress. Both peas and watercress are bursting with vitamins and various other things that are good for you. Apparently Elizabeth Hurley swears by the watercress soup diet and she looks pretty damn good!

So here are the recipes and a few pics, give them a try!

Pea and Pancetta Soup with a Moroccan Twist

Ingredients

1 large potato, cubed

1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1kg of frozen peas
150g of chopped pancetta
½ glass of white wine
1.25 litre chicken/veg stock
1 level teaspoon of paprika
1 level teaspoon of cumin
Olive oil

1.       Heat large pan and add the pancetta. You don’t need oil as the fat from the pancetta will do its own thing. Cook for a couple of mins.

     2.       Add onion/garlic/potato and wine and heat for 3-4 minutes.

3.       Add stock and spices and simmer for approx 10 mins

4.       Add peas and cook for a further 4-5 mins, seasoning as necessary.

5.       Take off the heat and blend the soup.

6.       Serve in a warm bowl with a few crispy pieces of pancetta to decorate and a drizzle of olive oil.

Watercress Super Soup

Ingredients

Butter
1 large potato, cubed
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
150g of watercress
The white of  1 large leek
1.25 litres of chicken/veg stock
A splash of milk
Crème fraiche

1.       Melt a good sized knob of butter in a pan.

2.       Add potatoes/leek/onion and garlic to pan and sweat with lid on for approx 6-7 mins

3.       Roughly chop watercress, in particular any thick stalks

4.       Add stock and watercress to pan. Also add a splash of milk

5.       Leave to simmer for about 10 minutes. Check seasoning.

6.       Take off heat and blend.

7.       Serve in a warm bowl with a blob of crème fraiche

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome foodie fans,

Julia Child once said “The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook.”

I love that statement as I, like many of my friends, am obsessed with food and am firmly of the view that good food should be enjoyed and savoured. So I have decided to join the blogging community and the many other foodies talking about all things delicious! I love food whether it is cooking for friends at home, eating out, trying weird and wonderful dishes from a street stall abroad, going to markets, reading about it, just  about it! I love it all. On my blog I intend to share my food stories, recipes, tips, reviews and anything else that may come along. Please get involved!

I also love taking photographs of food, my mobile phone is full of them! I find that when you take that visual snapshot of a special dish so that you can go back, remember not only the taste sensations but also where you were, who with, the excitement of finding something devine. I think I have embarrassed friends at times by angling plates and snapping away in a restaurant! I have however discovered more and more people that have the same obsessive habit! Food Porn!!! Now, if I ever see other people slyly taking pictures of their plate, I always smile knowingly. So on my blog there will be lots of foodie photos to feast your eyes on! Hope you enjoy! xxx