I was recently asked if I would like to try some of the new size Cadbury Dairy Milk Tiffin Bars to try out. They didn't need to ask me twice!  We love Cadbury's Dairy Milk and we love Tiffin, the two together were bound to be gorgeously tasty!


The Cadbury Dairy Milk Tiffin, first produced in 1937, is making a permanent comeback to the UK. Originally launched in 1937, the company stopped making tiffin bars in 1972 before bringing the product back in 1985 and withdrawing it again 2003. Chocolate lovers have been “passionately campaigning” for the return of Cadbury Dairy Milk Tiffin for years.

In stores now, the new generously sized 200g bar (previously 95g) combines the delicious tastes and textures of crunchy biscuit and dried grapes smothered in Cadbury Dairy Milk for the whole family to enjoy.

Katrina Davison, Cadbury Dairy Milk Brand Manager, said “Cadbury Dairy Milk Tiffin has always been a firm favourite amongst chocolate lovers and is perfect for sharing. Last year, we released a limited edition bar in the summer and the response was incredible! With so many fans campaigning for its permanent return on social media, we just knew we had to bring it back for good this time.”

I, for one, am very pleased about this.  I love Cadbury's Fruit and Nut Bars, and I ADORE these Tiffin Bars!  I love the little crunchy biscuit bits and well, raisins/dried grapes and chocolate do it for me every time.  I colour these a resounding success!  That same delicious Cadbury's milk chocolare we enjoy filled with crunch and scrumminess!  Yes!


Cadbury Dairy Milk Tiffin is available in 200g bars, for a RRP of £2.49 at all major supermarkets.

Note - Although I was sent these free of charge to try, any and all opinions are my own. I love a tiny piece of chocolate at night while we are watching our favourite shows.  I save up all my sweetness each day for this little treat.  The trick is to hide it from Todd before he eats it all up! Thanks Cadbury!  (These bars are meant to be enjoyed by the whole family and not just one person in one go.  That would not be wise.)

I love cherry pies.  Most of my life I have just used the cherry filling for pies that you get in a tin.  I always have had a couple of tins of that in the cupboard.  Its what I use for my Chocolate Cherry Squares, and its great spooned over cheesecake, and its great in pies, of course! 



Hahaha, not sure if you would call this a pinterest fail or not!!  I have to laugh when I look at it in comparison to Liz's!   You just got to laugh at yourself dont you?  Yes, you do!  Its not healthy to take life too seriously!

I couldn't find any pie filling at the shops and I tried three.  So I decided to make my own, from scratch and it turned out really well!  I used two containers of frozen cherries that I picked up at the shops when I couldn't find any tinned filling . . . and I just winged it, and was very pleased with the results.



It turned out lovely and red, with no food colouring added and with all natural ingredients.  Just the cherries, some sugar and some cornflour, with a bit of butter and almond flavouring added at the end.


You don't need to be adding any water to the cherries at all . . .  once they thaw out while you are cooking this, they release plenty of moisture on their own. 


I actually made the filling the night before.  I packed it into a container and let it cool, then I covered it and put it into the refrigerator overnight so it was nice and cold when I went to make my pie envelopes. 


I cut my pastry squares using my fluted pastry roller cutter thingie so that the squares would have a pretty edge.  I also cut out little hearts to decorate the fronts, but I think I should have cut larger hearts as they got lost in the baking.   They may not be very purty . . . .  but they sure tasted good!  Especially with a dollop of Devon Clotted Cream spooned on top!




1/2 tsp almond extract

Whisk the cornflour and sugar together in a saucepan.  Stir in the cherries and let sit for about half an hour or so.  By this time they will have started to thaw out.  Cook, stirring constantly over medium low heat until the cherries are all thawed and the juices have been released.  Increase the heat to medium, and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the  mixture thickens and bubbles.  Cook for a further two minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and almond extract.  Let sit until cooled.  Store, covered, in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.


Note - This can also be frozen.  Pack the cold filling into a freezer container, leaving one inch of headspace, cover tightly and freeze.  You can also make this using fresh pitted cherries.

Today's recipe is a traditional one that I have adapted  from a great National Trust cookery book I have entitled, Complete Traditional Recipe Book, by Sarah Eddington. I love these old traditional recipes.  There is always a story behind them.  They are also very simple and uncomplicated as well as being very delicious!


To me they seem to be somewhat of  a cross between a cookie and a pastry . . .  nice and buttery . . .and short, but not as short as a shortbread biscuit would be  . . .



These are not studded with raisins alone  . . .  nor is there any spice  . . .instead they are studded with a mix of dried fruit  and chopped nuts.  I have used glace cherries, sultanas, currants and citrus peel, along with chopped toasted hazelnuts.




I love a good dunking biscuit don't you?  Its a bit of a comfort thing I believe . . . and these are very comforting. I do love these fabulous traditional foods of these beautiful Islands, and all of their the history and folklore behind them!


You will need additional sugar for sprinkling after baking




Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Sift together the flour and baking powder.  Stir in the dried fruit and nuts.  Add to the creamed mixture, alternating with the well beaten egg, stirring until you have a batter which is stiff enough for rolling out.  You don't want it too sticky.

Lightly flour your countertop.  Working with half of the dough at a time, roll out approximately 1/3 of an inch thick, using a lightly floured rolling pin.  Take a 3-inch fluted round cutter and stamp out rounds.  Transfer to a baking sheet, leaving about an inch of space in between each. Add the scraps to the second half of the dough and lightly knead together, roll out again as before and stamp out more rounds, again placing them onto the baking sheets.  Repeat until you have used all the dough.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown on the edges.  Sprinkle with additional caster sugar and leave on the baking sheets to cool for about 5 minutes prior to scooping off to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Store in an airtight container.  These will keep for several days.

I love the idea of sprinkling hot biscuit/cookies with fine sugar right when they come out of the oven.  The heat from the cookie makes it stick, and it adds a glorious gild to that tasty lily! Fire up the oven, you won't want to miss out on these!  Bon Appetit!

 
Now this is nothing new.  I have seen waffled grilled cheese on a variety of sites over the past few months and they have been on my bucket list to try . . . 

 
I amped them up a bit however by doing three very tasty things . . .  One, I used sour dough bread. Our local shop sells a sliced sour dough loaf that is shaped like sandwich bread.  Works a charm and is so tasty!


Two, I spread the outside of the bread with low fat mayonnaise instead of butter.  It adds a lovely taste to the sandwich.  I have been doing this to my grilled cheese sandwiches for years and years.  Lots of people like mayo in their cheese sandwiches, why not on the outside of their grilled cheese.  It grills really well!


Three,  I sprinkled a bit of Garlic Herb Seasoning on the buttered side of each slice of bread. This adds even more delicious flavour to an already tasty sandwich!



Altogether this makes for one very delicious sandwich indeed, with lots of crisp buttery flavour filled crevices and crunch . . .  lots of oozingly tasty melted cheese and a hint of garlic butter flavour, except it's not butter  . . .  its low fat mayo.  This was quite simply a winner, and great for dipping!!


(I used a mix of orange and white)

 
Heat your waffle iron.  Butter the outsides of two slices of bread with the mayonnaise and lightly sprinkle with the garlic seasoning.  Place one slice buttered side down into centre of the waffle iron.  Top with the grated cheddar and then top the grated cheddar with the slice of melting cheese. Top the whole lot with the other slice of bread, buttered side up.  Close the waffle iron and cook until golden brown and the cheese is nicely melted.   Serve immediately.

Look at that delicious ooze.  I am a bit embarassed showing you something so simple, but at the end of the day, not all meals need to be gourmet and sometimes a grilled cheese with a mug of soup and some crisp crudites does the job beautifully!  Bon Appetit!

 
Garlic and chicken are wonderful partners.  They go together beautifully.  Just think of Chicken Kiev and you will know what I am talking about. 


 
This is not chicken kiev . . .  this is tender moist chicken breast fillets, pounded and breaded with  seasoned and herbed bread crumbs, and then browned until golden brown all over and cooked through  . . .


Then napped with a lucious garlicky, cheesy sauce . . .  

 
Every mouthful bringing you a delicious mix of crispy moist and tender chicken . . .  and some of that beautifully rich and creamy sauce . . .