Hooray for autumn and all those lovely apples that are now being offered at road stands and in the produce departments of the local shops.  Not French Apples either, but beautiful, sweet delicious fresh British Apples.  Perfect for eating out of hand, cooking into sauces and chutnies . . .  and for baking into lovely pies, tarts, muffins and cakes.  Cakes like this beautiful one I am showcasing here today.

This is a deliciously different cake, baked from an old traditional  recipe which is Irish in origin.  What makes it different you ask???  Well . . . this is a cake that is  a cross between a cake and a scone . . .



The method used to make the cake batter is very similar to the same method you would use when making traditional scones . . . rubbing the butter into the flour with your fingertips until crumbly. Stirring in the wet ingredients with a round bladed knife to make a soft dough . . . but that is where the similarity ends.  It bakes up into a deliciously moist cake . . . not a sturdy scone.



I guess you could say that is is also similar to a pie, because you have both a top and a bottom crust, with a delicious apple filling sandwiched in the middle . . . the top and bottom crusts melting together at the edges, and then baking in and around the apples, to form one of  the tastiest cakes ever!!



At one time this cake would have been placed into an iron pot oven, with burning coals topping the pot . . . the pot situated close to the open fire on a rustic Irish cottage hearth . . .



Oh what a romantic image that inspires . . .  I can almost  see it now . . . the flames from the open fire licking up and down the walls . . . the light flickering on the dark cottage walls . . . the smell of smoke mingled with that beautiful smell of baking cakes . . . apples . . .  and spice . . .



Alas, we have no open hearth . . . simply an electric oven and a deep flan tin but nevermind . . . it still tastes pretty darn good!!!

Served warm with lashings of warm custard . . . this was the perfect rainy day teatime treat.



*Irish Apple Cake*
Serves 6 to 8
 Printable Recipe

A delicous version of an apple cake, baked with tasty apple slices sandwiched in the centre. Serve warm with or without custard.

225g self raising flour (generous 2 cups)
(You may need extra
so don't put the flour away just yet)
115g  butter (1/2 cup)
1 large free range egg, lightly beaten
115g caster sugar (9 1/2 TBS)
3 fluid ounces milk

Filling:
2 cooking apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp cinnamon
57g soft light brown sugar (4 1/2 TBS)

Topping:
a little beaten egg
1 level TBS of caster sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter a deep flan tin, with a loose bottom, roughly 9 inches in diameter. set aside.

Place the flour and butter into a large bowl. Rub the butter in with your fingertips to form a breadcrumb texture. Stir in the sugar. Add the beaten egg and milk and mix together with a round bladed knife. If the dough seems a bit too sticky add a bit more flour. You want a soft dough, but not a sticky one. Turn out onto a floured board and cut the dough in half. Place half of the dough into the flan tin, pressing it in with floured fingers to evenly cover the bottom of the dish. Spread the apple slices evenly over the base, leaving a bit of an edge all the way around. Sprinkle with the soft light brown sugar and the cinnamon. Carefully roll out the remaining half of the dough into a circle roughly the same size as the dish. Place on top of the apples, pressing the edges together with the bottom crust. Cut several slits in the top of the cake for ventilation.

Brush with a little beaten egg and sprinkle the TBS of caster sugar evenly over top. Bake for 35 minutes, until well risen and golden brown.

Place the tin on top of a jar and push the sides of the pan down and remove. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool to warm before cutting into wedges to serve.



If there's anything else that goes very well on a rainy day with a cake such as this, it is a nice hot cup of herbal tea.  Today we were supping on beautiful cups of Fruit Medley Tea which was sent to us from Adagio Teas.  A delicious herbal blend of rose hips, hibiscus, apple pieces, natural strawberry flavour and strawberries, orange peel and natural wild cherry . . . soooo good, almost addictive and soooo good for you!  A wonderfully aromatic and flavourful blend which contains nothing artificial, no sweeteners, and totally caffeine free.

Adagio Teas recently sent me a lovely assortment of their herbal tea range . . . all lovely. We've really been enjoying these lovely blends . . .

Lemon Grass . . . with a delicate Meyer lemon taste, as well as a slight hint of sweet ginger, and very aromatic floral fragrance. Smooth and fragrant. It felt very soft in the mouth, not astringent at all with a lovely clean finish. Very Thai . . . an uplifting, yet naturally caffeine free tea.

Blood Orange . . . another favourite with a deep vibrant colour and sweet tangy flavour . . . and yet without sugar.  It's a combination of orange peels, hibiscus flowers, rose hips and natural orange flavour.  Very, very rich and tangy . . . just lovely.  (I used to love Constant Comment tea when I drank black teas . . . and this really reminded me of that.)

Rooibos Vanilla . . . this lovely rooibos tea combines that beautiful and rich  sugary scent of vanilla, combined with the fruity juiciness from the rooibos, altogether almost dessert-like . . . but without the calories.  A cookie you can drink, and not gain an ounce on your hips.

White Blueberry . . . you know how much I love Blueberries . . . a premium white tea, combined with the taste of juicy blueberries.  The Canuck in me loved this both warm as a hot drink . . . but also cold as an iced tea.  It had a clean refreshing taste . . . most delectable.



You would think that all those lovely herbal blends would be enough . . . but no, they also sent me a beautiful little gift  set of "Love Petals." This is a sweetly presented set of three delicious sounding teas in gorgeously romantic looking  rose printed tins . . . Ripe for Romance (a mix of black tea, cocoa nibs, raspberry leaves, raspberry pieces, and natural chocolate and raspberry flavours.  Sounds nummy.)  Sweet Nothings (a mix of white tea, sunflower petals, lavender buds, apricot bits, and natural peach flavour) Hugs and Kisses (A mix or rooibos, rose petals, cornflowers, and natural vanilla, almond, cream and caramel flavours.)  I have not tried these yet, but they do sound delicious and those tins are just beautiful.  I think these would be a lovely gift for someone special.

Wow, nice . . . I can hear you thinking that.  But that is not all . . .



They also sent me this really neat little tea steeper!  The ingenuiTEA is a really nice looking piece of kit which promises to be the  most convenient tea pot you will ever find anywhere.

From their page:  The most convenient teapot you will find anywhere - we guarantee it. When tea is ready, simply place it atop your cup. This will cause a valve at the bottom to release: crystal-clear tea flows down, while the mesh filter retains all the leaves with one of the best infusers on the market. Super easy to clean and dishwasher safe - perfect for the office or the road. You will wonder how you got along without one. 

Can it live up to it's promise??



Very simple, easy to read and great instructions on it's use clearly printed on the side
of the box.



Boiled water added to the tea.



Steep for the required time.



Placed over the cup, it empties itself into the cup.  Just make sure your cup is large enough to take the amount of liquid in the teapot . . . or else it will over flow!  (That happened to me the first time I used it!  DUH!)



A beautiful, well steeped, delicious flavoured cup, of hot, warming, comforting tea.

What more could you want??

Many thanks to Stepas and Adagio Teas for affording me this lovely chance.
What can I say . . . I'm hooked.  These herbal blends are quite, quite fabulous!

I was recently contacted by The York Coffee Emporium and asked if I would like to try out some teas and coffees. I said yes of course . . . I know, I am a Latter Day Saint . . . and we do not drink tea and coffee for health reasons, but that does not preclude me from using it to cook with . . . nor does it preclude me from drinking caffiene free options. I agreed try out some of their teas, but refused coffees.

About the company: (from their site)

The York Coffee Emporium are committed to providing you with the perfect cup. Their coffee is roasted daily in small batches at their artisan roastery in York and their speciality loose leaf teas are selected from the best estates from around the world to suit all manner of tastes.

Each of their distinctive coffees comes with a recommended brew guide and strength indicator, to help you choose the right coffee for your enjoyment. Their coffees are ethically sourced from green coffee buyers who are committed to excellent coffee, excellent standards and paying their farmers an excellent price. They source, roast, blend and pack the coffee ourselves, to ensure that the coffee makes as few journeys as possible once it has left the farm.



York Coffee Emporium is also a UK distributor for Metropolitan Tea, a large Canadian Tea merchant with direct trade links to tea producing areas. (Go Canada!)



I was sent three different varieties of tea to try out along with a nifty packet of 100 t-sac tea filters. (Note, I did not try out the tea filters as I don't have a full sized teapot. I only have a nifty two cup one, which has it's own built in infuser.)



Their luxury teas are sourced from the Metropolitan Tea Company, whose passion is to provide the finest loose tea, premium tea and accessories the world has to offer. The company stocks a large and varied selection of superb loose leaf tea, including Black and Oolong, Green and White, Fruit and herbal Infusions, Flavoured Tea or Wellness Teas. Most of their teas contain either Fair Trade or Ethical Tea partnership accredited tea.

Ethical Tea Partnership(ETP) - monitor and regulate the living and working conditions on tea estates around the world. Teas showing this sign contain either 50% or 98% ETP content.

Fair Trade (FT) - Promotes increased standards of living for labourers in developing countries. Teas showing this sign contain at least 50% FT content.

Note: I invited a tea-drinking non-mormon neighbour around to help me test these teas out. She didn't want her picture taken, but I will give you her honest opinion, plus my own of that which I tried.



The first tea was the

Yorkshire Harrogate Breakfast Tea (ETP 98% FT 50%)

(I want to apologize ahead of time today for the quality of the pictures . . . my camera seems to be packing in. I've had it for about 5 years now and it's been used every day, so I think it may be time to buy a new one. Sigh . . . )



Said to be a traditional Yorkshire blend of China, Kenya and Indian Tea, and proposed to be a bright and full breakfast tea.

Although it was not first thing in the day Brenda thought that this was a full bodied tea, with a rich flavour that she thought would be the perfect morning cuppa.

Tea Grade: Yumman - Flowery Tippy Orange Pekoe; Kiambu - Broken Pekoe1; Assam - Broken Orange Pekoe

It's all Greek to me, but if Brenda liked it, then that's good enough for me!



The Second Tea was

Rhubarb and Cream (98%ETP)

Said to have an exquisite flavour reminiscent of fresh rhubarb pie. This tea contains luxury black tea, Safflower + Sunflower petals, Jasmine Petals, Blackberry + Lime Leaves and Natural Flavours.

I confess I did taste this one myself, thinking it was an herbal infusion, without knowing that there was black tea in the mix. I thought it was delicious though, with a definite rhubarb flavour that was quite pleasant, and truly not much unlike that of a Rhubarb Pie!! (Except a lot easier on the waistline!) It was almost sweet and most definitely creamy! Refreshing even! I liked! Brenda liked!

Tea Grade: Orange Pekoe



The final tea was

Raspberry Leaf

This was a caffeine free tea, said to known to be a great drink during pregnancy, in particular esing discomfort during childbirth! (Who knew!) Archaeologosts discovered evidence that this health benefit was first taken advantage of by native American Indians. Infusions of raspberry leaf tea have also been used for health benefits ranging from the soothing of throat infections to easing leg cramps. Raspberry leaf contains high quantities of Vitamins A, B Comples, C, and E, as well as many essential minerals.



We both found this to be a very robust and full bodied tea, much similar in flavour to traditional black tea. It looked like dried herbs and sticks actually . . . kind of like reeboos tea. Brenda said that she would have a difficult time telling the difference between this tea and her regular cuppa. This would make a great caffeine alternative to regular tea in our opinion, especially if you are looking for a caffeine free choice.

Our Todd has not been feeling well . . . with a sore throat actually. I think I'm going to brew him some of this when he gets up. It might be just the ticket!

Many thanks to Ben and York Coffee Emporium for sending me this lovely mix of teas!



Now, you don't think I'd have someone over for tea and not offer them some sustenance along with their cuppa do you??? Of course not!! I baked some Jam Filled Scones!



These scones are lovely. They can be a bit fiddly to make and they seldom stay together when they are baking . . .



You may even think they're a tiny bit ugly . . . but I can promise you the taste is anything but . . . ugly that is. Perfect for elevensies or afternoon coffee break! (See those bubbles??? There's money in that cup of tea. My mom always says those bubbles meant money, so it must be true!)



*Jam Filled Scones*
Makes 10

A scone with an unusual twist . . . jam in the middle. Perfect with your afternoon cuppa.

300g self raising flour (2 cups)
pinch salt
2 TBS caster sugar
30g of chilled butter, chopped (1 ounce)
200ml of milk, plus extra to glaze (7 fluid ounces)
2 1/2 TBS jam (I used raspberry and blueberry)
Sifted icing sugar to dust



Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper, or lightly grease.

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Whisk in the sugar. Drop in the butter and rub it into the flour mixture using your fingertips until you have a mixture which resembles fine dry breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre.

Add almost all of the milk and mix to a soft dough, using a fork, and adding remaining milk if necessary. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead briefly to bring it together into a smooth ball. Roll out with a floured rollin gpin to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 3 inch rounds with a sharp round cutter, using a direct up and down motion, without twisting the cutter. Pat out a bit and make a hollow indentation in each, about 1/2 inch from the edge along one side. Spoon a little bit of jam into each indentation. Brush the edges with some milk and carefully fold the dough in half to make a semi-circle, covering the jam and pinching the edges to seal. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking tray. Brush the tops with a bit more milk.

Bake for 12 minutes until well risen, golden brown on top and on the bottoms. Serve warm, dusted with some icing sugar.



*How To Brew The Perfect Cup of Tea*
It's not really all that hard if you follow a few rules of thumb . . .

1. Use a good quality loose leaf or bagged tea
2. This must be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature
3. Always use freshly drawn boiling water
4. In order to draw the best flavour out of the tea the water must contain oxygen, this is reduced if the water is boiled more than once.
5. Measure the tea carefully
6. Use 1 tea bag or 1 rounded teaspoon of loose tea for each cup to be served, plus one for the pot.
7. Allow the tea to brew for the recommended time before pouring
8. Brewing tea from a bag in a mug? Milk in last is best

 

Sigh . . . the sun did not shine . . . it was too wet to play . . . so we stayed in the house . . . all that cold, cold . . . wet day . . .  (Thank you Dr Seuss!) 

The perfect day to bake scones. An English scone recipe is  the epitome of the perfect scone recipe.  There are many other scone recipes that are just as tasty however, and these wonerful scones are what I consider to be one of my best, if not the best scone recipe I have in my portfolio.

 

Boy, oh boy, have we ever had a wet week!  I think it's probably safe to say that drought conditions will soon be lifted in this country . . . we've had more rain in this past week than we had all winter!  

This is the kind of weather than can get you down if you let it . . . really and truly.

 

The grass is really green though!  And the roses are blooming profusely. You have never seen roses til you hav seen an English Rose. 

 Tis something you can really appreciate and admire  from  the comfort of a dry and warm armchair . . . through the window. With a hot cuppa in one hand and a tasty scrummy scone in the other.

 

Yep . . . nothing tastes better on a rainy day.  Well, that's my opinion anyways! 

I adore scones.  Any day really. Dry. Wet and inbetween.  They are just one of those things that get my tastebuds to tingling overtime!

 

You all know how much I love blueberries . . . they are one of my favourite things, hands down!  Mmmm . .. des bluets . . . c'est le monde de mon coeur.  C'est magnfique!!  C'est si si si bon!!  Bien sur . . .




Today I decided to switch out my favourite Strawberry and Mint Scones . . . and change them to  Spiced Blueberry Scones . . . coz . . . one, I love these scones . . . and two, I love blueberries. 

You may want to check out the strawberry version of these as well. They are tres magnifique! And I don't say that lightly.



But for now blueberry and here they are! Ta da!!  

Beautifully buttery and short, with just the faintest hint of spice . . . cardamom and cinnamon . . . and topped with sweet wild blueberry preserves . . .then baked until crisp and brown on the edges.

I like to use Bonne Maman preserves. They are my favourite and have the best flavour as well as having a high ratio of fruit in them. I hate jam that is all sauce and no fruit.



Once cooled, these scrumptious babies are then drizzled with a lightly spiced lemon drizzle icing.

These always, ALWAYS turn out fabulously delicious!  Moreishly Scrummy!!!  Nom Nom Nummy!!!!

 

I bet YOU can't eat just one. If you can, you are a much better person than I am. 

I find it impossible to stop at one, but then again  . . .  it is like that with most things.  I am so naughty. These also freeze well without glazing, just so you know!

Makes 14
Printable Recipe

Crisp on the outsides, soft and buttery on the insides and scrummily moreishly good. 'Nuff said.

280g of plain flour (2 cups) plus more for dusting
95g caster sugar (1/2 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
6 TBS unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
240ml of double cream (1 cup heavy cream)
wild blueberry preserves (I like Bon Maman)

For the drizzle:
130g of icing sugar, sifted (1 cup)
pinch ground cardamom
1 TBS lemon juice
hot water as needed

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.  Line two baking sheets with baking parchment paper.  Set aside.

Sift the flour into the bowl of a  food processor.  Add the sugar, baking powder and salt.  Blitz a couple of seconds to mix.  Drop in the butter cubes.  Blitz until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Transfer to a medium sized bowl.  Stir in the cream with a fork, mixing it in until the mixture forms a soft dough.  Knead several times to bring it all together.  Lightly dust the countertop.  Tip out the dough.  Pat out to a large circle (about 10 inches in diameter) and 1/2 inch thick.  Cut out with a sharp 3 inch round fluted cutter.  Place onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving soem space in between each for spreading.  Reroll any scraps and repeat until you have used up all the dough.

Gently make an indentation in the centure of each with your thumb.  Spoon about half a teaspoonful of blueberry preserves into the centre of each.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are golden brown and they are dry and golden brown on the bottoms.  Remove from the oven and let stand for about five minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Sift the icing sugar into a small bowl together with the ground cardamom.  Whisk in the lemon juice and enough water to give you a smooth and drizzable consistency.  Drizzle this icing across the cooled scones.    Let set for 30 minutes before serving or storing.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. 

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again! 

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I was recently asked if I would like to road test a fab product in The English Kitchen.  As you know I get sent things from time to time and I always enjoy trying them out and letting you know what I think of them.

The people from Vitamix recently sent me their Vitamix TNC Black to try out and I have spent the last little week or so really putting it through it's paces!

First a little bit about the machine itself . . .

The Vitamix machine is more than just a blender, it's actually a fabulous machine which can create healthy meals in a very quick and easy way.  The Vitamix Total Nutrition Center® lets you perform more than 50 kitchen tasks easier, faster and with better results than you can achieve any other way.

	VARIABLE SPEED CONTROL & HIGH SPEED SETTING The Variable Speed Control allows for flexibility and creativity; fine chop, grind or fully blend ingredients, all in one container. The High Speed Setting allows for maximum processing, especially for thicker ingredients and larger recipes.
	POWERFUL - 2 PEAK OUTPUT HORSEPOWER MOTOR Propels the blade tip speed up to 386 km/h to blend even the toughest ingredients.
	SHATTER-PROOF 2-LITRE CONTAINER With 2 litres of true blending capacity and specially designed to create a powerful vortex for thorough processing.
	SPILL-PROOF LID WITH REMOVABLE LID PLUG Seals securely allowing ingredients to be added while processing.
	METAL-TO-METAL, CONTAINER-TO-BASE COUPLING For maximum durability and long life.
	UNIQUE TAMPER Allows for processing thick, dense ingredients and prevents air pockets from forming.
	EASY-GRIP HANDLE AND SOFT-TOUCH CONTROLS Ergonomically designed for comfort and control.
	PLUS "LET'S GET STARTED!" DVD, "GETTING STARTED GUIDE" and "WHOLE FOODS RECIPES"COOKBOOK Will have you on your way to creating the most delicious and nutritious meals in no time.
	FULL 7-YEAR WARRANTY An impressive warranty that speaks to the reliability and performance of a Vitamix machine.

I've been taking the "Getting Started Guide" and the "Whole Foods Recipes" cookbook that came with it to bed with me for a week now and studying it up really well.  I wanted to give this impressive piece of kit the best workout possible and I also wanted to be able to give each of you an honest opinion of what it can or cannot do.

 

Today I made a hot soup in it, using a recipe from the cookbook that came with it.    "Harvest Cheddar Soup."    The recipe promised a delicious nutitious soup in with about 10 minutes prep time, and 6 to 7 minutes processing time.  You can see all of the ingredients lined up here, ready to go.

 
(here is everything in the machine, just waiting for me to press the on button!)

I wanted to really give the recipe the best chance possible and so I made sure to have all my "mise en place!"  I didn't want to risk leaving anything out.



I boo booed though.  I got the variable speed wrong.  I thought it said variable speed 4 to 5 for 10 minutes, but it really said variable speed 10 for 4 to 5 minutes!  And so . . .  the first thing I did was to overload my machine!!  The Automatic overload Protection option is a built in feature which is designed to protect the machine from overheating!  I'm happy to say that this option works like a charm.  So my 7 minute soup took me a lot longer than 7 minutes because I had to let the  motor cool down.

 

Nevertheless I persevered and after the motor cooled down, I proceeded as per the recipe instructions (always read a recipe a few times first folks, so you don't mess up!) and I ended up with a beautiful thick and delicious soup in . . . I kid you not . . . just a few minutes!  I was amazed at how how it was.  It was steaming hot!  I tried to get a picture of the steam, but I couldn't.  You will just have to take my word for that.



Doesn't that look good???  It sure does, and let me tell you it was amazingly scalding hot!





It was also amazingly delicious and most importantly very healthy!  There is everything in there, as the recipe used all of two already baked potatoes, skin and all, two whole unpeeled granny smith apples, celery, onion, etc.  Only the potatoes were cooked before adding.  Everything else was added raw and it was absolutely amazing to me that it all ended up as a hot soup!

This is a whole foods machine.  It purpotes to  make light work of tearing down the cell walls of fruits and vegetables, making vital nutrients more readily available for your body to absorb. With a Vitamix machine, even the nutrient-packed peels, pulp and seeds can be pulverised and blended into recipes for some of the most health-protecting, disease-preventing dishes and drinks you've ever had.




And after tasting this delicious soup, I can attest that it did just that.

 *Harvest Cheddar Soup*
Makes 6 cups
Printable Recipe

This recipe can be reduced by half and made in smaller containers.  Garnish with sour cream and diced apple. (From the Vitamix Whole Food Recipes book)

2 cups chicken broth (480ml)
2 TBs white wine
1/4 medium onion, peeled
1 stalk celery, cut in half
2 Granny Smith apples, quartered
2 potatoes, baked and quartered
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch white pepper
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (115g)

 

Place all of the ingredients, except the cheese into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure the lid.

Select variable 1.

Turn the machine on and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High.

Blend for 6 to 7 minutes or until heavy steam escapes from the vented lid.

Reduce the speed to Variable 4 and remove the lid plug.

Drop in the cheese through the lid plug opening.  Blend for an additional 15 seconds.

Per cup (240ml) serving:  224 cal; 10g protein; 8g Tot fat; 28g Carb

Of course, you know I wouldn't serve a bowl of soup all on it's own, would I?



Of course not!  I baked some tasty Cheddar and Marmite Scones to have along with it!They went down a real treat.  Made from a mixture of whole meal and self raising flours, a sharp cheddar cheese . . . and filled with a subtle flavour of marmite, these were fabulous!



*Cheddar and Marmite Scones*
Makes 8
Printable Recipe

The perfect savoury scone to have with a hot bowl of soup, or with some cold sliced meats and cheese.  Perfect for in the lunch box too!  Healthy and whole meal.

140g self raising flour (1 1/4 cup)
140g wholemeal flour (generous cup)
1 tsp baking powder
50g cold butter, cut into small cubes (3 1/2 TBS)
85g mature cheddar cheese (scant cup)
1 large free range egg
1 TBS Marmite
2 TBS Greek yogurt
3 TBS milk, plus more to glaze

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas 5.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.

Whisk together the self raising flour, wholemeal flour, and baking powder  in a large bowl.  Drop in the butter and quickly rub it into the flour mixture using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.  Stir in half of the cheese.  Make a well in the centre.

Whisk together the egg, marmite, yogurt and milk.  Pour this all at once into the well in the centre of the flour mixture.  Stir together with a fork to make a soft dough.  If you think the dough is too dry, you may add a bit more milk.  You want a soft, but not sticky dough.

Turn out onto a floured surface,  Pat out to about 1 inch thick.  Cut into rounds with a 2 1/2 inch round cutter, stamping it straight down and lifting it straight up, re-rolling the scraps as necessary, until you have 8 rounds..  Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet.  Brush the tops with some more milk and then sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.  Remove to a wire rack to cool..

The machine is very easy to clean.  You just half fill it with warm water, add a few drops of dish soap and blend for about 2 minutes.  Easy peasy lemon squeasy!



Next, I decided to make the Custard Sauce recipe from the book.  The Toddster loves his puddings, and he always loves them with custard.  The recipe in the Vitamix Cookbook promised to make this sauce in 6 minutes.  This time I had cottoned on to how exactly to use it, so I had no mishaps and true to it's word in about 6 minutes I had a delicious Vanilla Custard Sauce.  I did a video of that too, but somehow I lost it.  (I've never claimed to be a techno genius!)  Of course. . . I didn't serve that all on it's own either.  I made Todd a delicious Steamed Apple Pudding to have along with it.  Yes, I know, he is one very spoilt man!  You'll have to come back tomorrow for that recipe, as I am pooped now and ready to take a rest!

The Vitamix also makes delicious ice cream in only 2 minutes, which I will also show you at another time!

In the meantime I have to say that all told I am very impressed with this beautiful machine.  It is soooooo much more than a blender.  It promises to do the work of 10 kitchen appliances and let you perform more than 50 kitchen tasks easier, faster and with better results than you can achieve any other way.

• Blend fresh fruits and vegetables into tasty, fibre-rich whole food juice in 1 minute
• Cook steaming hot soup from fresh vegetables in under 5 minutes
• Create delicious healthy ice cream in only 30 seconds
• Dice, chop or blend ingredients into healthy, preservative-free salsas, dips and more

And . . . I believe it can.  I do, I do, I do, I do . . . I do. Whether you want to elevate your expertise and creativity in the kitchen, or you're just searching for a simple way to feed your family more nutritious meals, the Vitamix machine is an unbeatable value. From breakfast to dinner and from appetizers to desserts, it is destined to become one of the most indispensible kitchen tools you've ever owned.  I wouldn't be without mine now.  In fact, I am going to be ordering the dry container and blade when I get back from my holidays so that I can make my own icing sugar and grind  my own wheat!

 The Vitamix Total Nutrition Centre® is backed by full 7 year warranty and comes complete with a Getting Started DVD, Getting Started Guide Manual and a Whole Foods Cookbook which all go a long ways towards getting you stuck right into healthy cooking quickly and effortlessly.

Many thanks to Aaron at Publicacity, and to the Vitamix people for affording me this fabulous opportunity!

Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!!