As a Latter Day Saint, I ascribe to a health law called the Word of Wisdom. This means that I do not drink tea or coffee, or alcohol. This is not a problem for me and never has been. I do enjoy a nice cup of herbal tea once in a while, but generally speaking I have never been a lover of hot drinks. Regardless to what other people may think or believe, if this is what my God wants me to do, then I do it, no questions asked. I spose it is one of the things that makes us a peculiar and a wonderful people!



I do enjoy the coffee flavour in other things though . . . back in Canada there is a really tasty candy bar called Coffee Crisp, and it is quite . . . quite good. I kinda miss them over here and a bag of the bite sized ones is on my list of must buy's when I go home this next summer.




I love coffee flavoured cakes and biscuits as well.



Especially if it is combined with the flavour and crunch of toasted walnuts.



This is quite a common and a popular teatime treat over here in the UK. A deliciously moist cake covered in a tasty buttercream icing and flavoured with coffee essence and walnuts.



I have gone one step further though, as I am wont to do . . . and added a deliciously creamy topping of a French Creme au Beurre. Moreishly good.



Scrummy even. Do be sure to give this a try. You can use Camp Chickory flavouring if you like.



*Coffee and Walnut Cake*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

A deliciously moist sandwich cake filled with a lucious buttercream icing and topped with a coffee Creme Au Beurre

3 ounces softened butter
3 ounces soft margarine
6 ounces soft light brown sugar
6 ounces self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 tsp coffee essence

For the buttercream filling:
1 1/2 ounces softened butter
3 ounces sifted icing sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 TBS milk

For the Coffee Creme Au Beurre:
3 ounces caster sugar
4 TBS water
2 egg yolks
6 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp coffee essence

To decorate:
chopped toasted walnuts

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter and base line two 7 inch sandwich tins. Set aside.

Place the butter, margarine and sugar in a bowl. Sift the flour and baking powder together and add to the bowl along with the eggs. Whisk the ingredients together, beating them for about 2 minutes with an electric whisk, stopping halfway through to scrap down the sides, ensuring that all the ingredients are combined thoroughly. Quickly whisk in the coffee essense.

Divide the batter between the two baking tins. Smooth the surface and then bake for about 25 minutes, or until the sponges are well risen and the top spring back when lightly touched.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for five minutes in the tins before turning them out onto wire racks to finish cooling.

For the buttercream, beat the butter until smooth. Gradually beat in the icing sugar, vanilla and milk until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Sandwich the two cake layers together with this.

Make theCreme au Beurre as follows. Dissolve the sugar in the water a small saucepan without boiling. Once the sugar is dissolved bring the syrup to the boil and cook steadily until it reaches the soft ball stage (120C/240*F) on a candy thermometer.

Whisk the egg yolks until foamy with an electric whisk and then gradually pour the syrup over them in a thin and steady stream, whisking the whole time. Continue to whisk for about 5 minutes, until the mixure cools and forms a thick mousse. In another bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Gradually beat in the egg yolk mixture along with the coffee essence, beating to give a light, glossy icing. spread this thickly over top of the cake. Sprinkle with the chopped toasted walnuts immediately.

Allow to set before cutting into wedges to serve. Delicious!

One of the things that Todd and I like to do in our spare time is to visit some of the National Trust Houses that are abundant in our beautiful country. There's quite a few and in the warmer months, it's really a lot of fun walking around the gardens and of course nosing through the houses . . . We just find it so very fascinating and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.

Most of the National Trust houses also have tearooms and small restaurants on the grounds. That, of course is also one of the real treats of the day . . . spending an hour in the tea rooms partaking of a delicious cake or bun (all homemade) and a drink.



And then, there is Todd's nemesis . . . the gift shop. He tries to steer me away from them, but . . . I'm on to him now . . . the gift shop is one of the highlights of my afternoon! They are filled with all sorts of treasures . . . jams and jellies, biscuits, candy rock, toys, gardening goods, tea time trinkets and . . . delicious cookery books!

On one of our visits I picked up this lovely cookerybook filled with traditional teatime recipes.

"Food is at the heart of everything the National Trust does. Our commitment to food stretches from using high quality sustainable produce in our restaurants to supporting our tenant farmers in selling direct to the public. With hundreds of tenant farms, more than 25 working kitchen gardens and farms managed by us, the Trust has an important stake in every part of the food journey." (Excerpt from inside flap of the above book)



I just adore the traditional recipes of any country I am in, but most especially the traditional ones from this beautiful country that we live in. Teatime recipes are some of my favourites of all. They hearken me back to my childhood days of reading Enid Blyton novels and dreaming about the delicous sounding teatime treats that the children in them got to gobble down, and I could only dream of . . .



This is a great baking book, chock full of delectable sounding teatime treats! Every recipe I have baked from it thus far has been just wonderful, not the least of which was this tasty banana cake that I baked this afternoon. We sat down to a piece each with a cup of herbal tea, whilst the snow blew against the glass of our kitchen windows, and dreamt of adventures and tuck boxes and . . . warm summer afternoon walks along country garden pathways . . .



Note - the filling is not really thick, but I found that by pooling most of it in the centre, it worked out just perfectly and did not squish out the sides. Also the icing is more like a glaze than a traditional frosting. It is most delicious!



*Cornish Banana Cake*
Makes one 7-inch layer cake
Printable Recipe

Just perfect for afternoon tea! A deliciously moist banana cake layered with a buttery banana filling and iced with a cocoa banana icing.

For the cake:
8 ounces very ripe banana (weight after peeling)
3 1/2 ounces caster sugar
3 1/2 ounces butter, softened
200g self raising flour, sifted
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 TBS milk

For the filling:
1 ripe banana
2 ounces butter, softened
2 ounces caster sugar

For the icing:
1 soft, very ripe banana
1 ounce cocoa powder, sifted
8 ounces icing sugar, sifted



Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter two 7-inch round sandwich tins and lightly flour, tapping any excess out. Mash the bananas and sugar together for the cake in a bowl with an electric mixer. Beat in the softened butter. Add the flour alternately with the egg. Dissolve the soda in the milk and add to the mixture. Beat to a fairly sticky batter. Divide evenly between the two tins, smooth the tops and then bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the sponge springs back when lightly touched.

Remove from the oven and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the filling, beat all the ingredients together until well mixed and use to sandwich the two layers together.

For the icing, beat all the ingredients together until dark and really smooth. Spread onto the top of the cake.

Note - If you like you can decorate the top with some blanched almonds, walnut halves or dried banana chips.

The other day when I got that tasty piece of beef from the people from Abel and Cole, they also very generously included a package of their delicious free range organic back bacon. The Ensor family have had a butcher's shop in Gloucestershire's picturesque Royal Forest of Dean for nearly a century. They currently cure outstanding bacons and gammon hams for Abel and Cole. As well as running the butcher's shop, they're also organic farmers. Much of A & C's organic bacon comes from their slowly-reared pigs. The succulent pork for their free-range bacon and gammon comes from neighbouring farmer, Richard Hazell.


I just have to ask, how could anything farmed with such care and so responsibly produced fail to be good???



And good it is. Just look at that wonderful colour. It's bright and tasty looking, not anaemic like some bacon I have seen. It also has a wonderful proportion of lean to fat, and what really made me fall in love with it, was that it isn't pumped full of water, like some are. This is a big plus in my books. I also hate it when my bacon smells like, to be perfectly blunt . . . pigs. I know bacon comes from pigs, but I don't like to smell them when I am cooking it. This smelled heavenly . . . all smoky and bacony, if you know what I mean . . .



I just love air cured, smoked back bacon and here in the UK we have some of the best. After having tried this bacon I have to say, in all honesty, it's just wonderful! I think I'll be adding it to my veg box on a once a month basis. (We try not to eat too many cured meats, but once a month, it's a real treat here at Oak Cottage.)



I know that calling this the World's Best Bacon Sarnie is pretty bold, but I'll stand by my words. It has all the ingredients that constitute a great bacon sarnie in my opinion. Great tasting pan grilled free range organic smoked bacon. Free range organic eggs, cooked in butter. Some really flavourful cheddar. Soft, fresh buttered white bread, and . . . let's not forget the lashings of brown sauce!!!



I challenge you to give this a try and then come back and tell me . . . is this not the greatest or what! It goes without saying that this is a once in a blue moon treat. There has to be a bazillion calories in it, but . . . once in a blue moon? Why not go whole hog and treat yourself! (every pun intended!)



Go on . . . dig in . . . you know you want to.



*World's Best Bacon Sarnie*
Makes 1
Printable Recipe

I am giving the quanities to make one here, but it is easily multiplied to make much more. I know this is a bold statment, calling this the World's Best . . . but just make one and try it out. I think you'll agree! This IS the best! It will be love at first bite!

4 rashers of good quality free range organic smoked back bacon
2 slices of good quality white bread (you don't want the bread to compete with the flavours here,
only to enhance)
softened butter
2 medium free range organic eggs
1 slice of cheddar cheese (I used Simply Inspired's sliced medium cheddar with Roasted Red Onions,
fabulous darling, simply fabulous!)
Lashings of Brown Sauce (optional)

Lightly spray a large nonstick skillet with some oil and heat. Once it is hot add the rashers of bacon and pan grill them, until done to your preference. It shouldn't take too long. I like the fat along the edge to be a bit crispy, so I hold it up with the tongs so that the fat is just hitting the pan and I get it really crispy that way. Place in a warm oven to keep warm, whilst you cook the eggs. Wipe your pan out and melt a bit of butter in the pan over medium heat. Once the butter begins to foam, crack in the two eggs. Cook on one side, until the edges are just beginning to crisp, then flip it over and cook the second side for about 20 seconds. Slap on a slice of cheddar cheese, dividing it between the two eggs. Allow to melt.

Butter the bread and then place one slice on a plate, buttered side up. (You don't want to toast the bread. Part of the appeal of this sarnie is the way the bread is all soft and squishy) Top with a bit of brown sauce if using. Place the bacon on top and then finally put the eggs on top of the bacon, cheese side up. Top with the other slice of bread, buttered side down. Cut in half, kick your feet up and enjoy!



mmmmm . . . now that's a great Bacon Sarnie . . .

PS - if you haven't figured it out by now . . . Sarnie is another way of saying Sandwich. You know, a rose by any other name et al . . .

Apium graveolens is a tasty plant commonly known as celery, or celeriac, depending which part of the plant is being eaten. We often eat the roots, or celeriac. We love it mashed with cream and herbs, it makes a fantastic gratin and as a soup, it's just lovely. (I make a mean Celeriac, Apple and Stilton soup that is to die for!)

The seeds are wonderful in salads. I always like to add a few to my coleslaw and they are fabulous in a vinaigrette dressing.

Dieters love celery, as it is relatively low in calories, being mostly water. It's when you add the cheese or the peanut butter topping that it ceases to be real diet food. I think because it is normally eaten by dieters that it gets a bit of a bad rap, not to mention it's also really hard to eat quietly.



I can't imagine making a soup or stew without adding at least a few chopped stalks. It adds a lovely flavour in my opinion. And a tuna fish or chicken salad sandwich just wouldn't be that good without chopped celery added in my opinion!



Today I'd like to show you a rather unique and unsual way of using it. These scone like whirls are quite, quite tasty . . .

It goes without saying that wrapping this crunchy vegetable in scone dough, rather takes away from it's fat busting qualities . . . but what the heck!



*Cheese and Celery Whirls*
Makes 10
Printable Recipe

Very pretty with a lovely green celery swirl in the centre. They make an excellent accompaniment to a soup meal and are wonderful as a tea-time savoury. Wonderfully light and very tasty!

340g self rising flour (2 1/3cup)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry English mustard powder
56g butter, softened (1/4 cup)
115g mature cheddar cheese, grated (1 cup)
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1 large free range egg, beaten
5 fluid ounces milk
3 to 4 stick of celery, trimmed and coarsely chopped



Pre-heat the oven to 220*C/425*F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, salt and mustard powder in a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add most of the grated cheese, reserving a small amount for sprinkling on top before baking. Mix together the egg, milk and garlic and then stir this into the flour mixture, mixing in well until everything is well mixed together. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly. Pat or roll out into a 12 by 9 inch rectangle. Scatter the celery over the surface. Roll up like a Swiss Roll, starting at the narrow end. Cut into 1/2 inch slices. Place flat side down on the baking tray. Sprinkle each with some of the reserved cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and well risen. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Note - I'm not sure why this happens but from time to time the flour doesn't seem to absorb as much of the liquid as it should. This could be down to the brand of flour used, the humidity etc. IN any case, only add as much of the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture as will give you the consistency of a soft dough. Sometimes you may need more of it than at other times.

When I was growing up, you could tell what night of the week it was just by what we were having for supper.

Saturday night we had comfort food. It would be either stew or baked beans or something like that. On Sunday we had a big dinner . . . probably a roast of one kind or another. Mondays was leftovers from Sunday dinner . . . Tuesdays, spaghetti . . . Wednesdays, porkchops . . . Thursdays, chicken . . . and then the piece de resistance was Friday night . . .

HOT DOG night!



My mom made the best hotdogs in the world!! All the kids in the neighborhood would vie to be invited over for hotdog night. She used to buy the hotdog buns that had soft bread sides. They were buttered and toasted in the sandwich grill, until they were buttery brown all over, just like a grilled cheese sandwich. The weiners were toasted on the grill as well. Sometimes she would even split the weiners down the middle, so that they opened out flat like a book, and the insides got all tasty and crispy too. Grilled onions and all the hot dog accompaniments were on offer of course . . . relish, mustard, ketchup.

She'd wrap each one up in paper kitchen towelling to keep them warm, and we'd each be allowed to have two of them. Let me tell you . . . they were a real treat!

Can you tell that I just love hotdogs????

That was one thing I missed a lot when I first moved over here. I couldn't find them anywhere.

Well, that's not entirely true. I lie . . .



I was able to find these. Tinned hotdogs. UGH . . . there's no other word for them, and yet they sell loads. They also sell them soaked in brine . . . in jars. DOUBLE UGH.

To a hotdog connoiseur, they just didn't cut the mustard!!! (every pun intended, tee hee) They are the 'WURST' (double tee hee)



Anyways, I have since been able to find fresh ones . . . and whilst they are still not as good as the ones back home . . . they are still loads better than the tinned or brined ones.

The best hotdogs of all, of course, are the ones back home that you get at country fairs or at ball games . . . oh and from street vendors of course . . . or the 400 Flea Market just outside of Barrie, Ontario.

Ahh . . . the smell of frying onions . . . it gets you everytime . . .



This is my take on a delicious memory, my own personal tribute to my mother's hotdog nights.

It is Friday after all . . .



*Ball Park Pizza for Two*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

If you are a fan of hotdogs, you will love this cosy little pizza. It's just the perfect size for two to share.

Dough:
110g self raising flour
25g of butter
4 TBS milk
2 ounces of grated sharp cheddar cheese
Topping:
4 smoked frankfurters, cut into 1/2 inch sliced
2 heaping dessert spoons of barbeque sauce
1/2 of a small onion, peeled and chopped
1 heaping dessertspoon of hotdog relish
1 TBS of American style yellow mustard
4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese



Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Sift the flour into a bowl. Rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the cheese. Mix well, then stir in the milk with a fork, until you have a soft dough.

Butter a large baking tray and press the dough out onto the tray to a 9 inch round, about 1/4 inch thick. (The thinner the dough the crisper your crust will be)

Mix together the sliced frankfurters, onion, barbeque sauce, hotdog relish and mustard. Sprinkle this over top of the dough, leaving a 1 inch border all the way around. Top with the shredded cheese.

Bake in the heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until crispy and brown on the bottom and the cheese is bubbling.

Note - instead of a scone type of dough, you can use regular pizza type dough, and make a larger pizza for the family. Just increase the amounts of the toppings.

I think my favourite comfort supper of all, especially on a cold and rainy day, has got to be tomato soup with a toasted cheese sandwich.

The soup all rich and full of ripe tomato flavours . . .




The Sandwich all crisp and buttery and filled with oodles of meltingly rich cheddar cheese . . .

I got to thinking about that at work today . . . the rain pelting down on the windows was so miserable and I was longing for comfort . . . and then I had the thought . . .



what if you combined the two . . .

You know . . . like onion soup . . .



the rich tomato soup laying beneath a toasted crouton covered in lucious cheese, all melted and bubbling on top.

The idea of it was all I could think about the whole morning through.



I could hardly wait to get home so that I could make it.



It was gorgeously scrumptious, comforting and . . . very . . . very . . . moreish.



*Cheese Crusted Tomato Soup*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Tomato soup and grilled cheese has to be the epitome of soulful comfort food. I have combine the two here in a delightfully delicious combination. This has real wow factor.

For the soup:
2 TBS butter
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
24 ounces chicken stock
3 ounces tomato paste
1 400g tin of chopped tomatos
1 heaped TBS dried basil
salt and black pepper to taste
For the Cheese Crouton:
2 large crusty rolls
6 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese, grated
chopped fresh parsley to garnish

First make the soup. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until very fragrant. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, tomatoes and dried basil. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add salt and black pepper to taste. It is at this point where you can blitz it with a stick blender and make it really smooth if that is what you like, or you can blitz it just a little bit so that it is still a bit chunky.

Heat the grill to high. Cut the ends off of each of your rolls and then cut the middles into two thick slices. Toast them on both sides under the grill.

Place four heavy soup bowls on an oven tray. You want bowls that will be safe under the grill. Ladle the hot soup into the bowls, dividing it equally amongst the four dishes. Float a slice of toasted bread on top of each, then sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese evenly over top, again dividing it equally amongst the four dishes.

Slide the tray with the filled soup bowls under the grill and grill until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Remove from the grill and serve immediately with a garnish of chopped fresh parsley on top of each. Enjoy!

Note - Warn your eaters that the bowls will be hot!

For the last fortnight over here in the UK , we've been celebrating all that is good about British Food in an annual event called British Food Fortnight! It is a time when we, as a nation, have been encouraged to buy and cook British produce and meat, poultry, fish, etc. Supermarkets all over the country have been promoting British Goods. Food Festivals have been held all over the nation. Schools have been celebrating and promoting it and there have even been contests where you can win big PRIZES, like £1000 in cold hard cash.



I like to think that I promote British Food and Cookery most of the time. After all, this is The English Kitchen. Each month I talk about which foods are in season here in the UK and I try to cook with those foods as much as possible. I try to use only free range British produced meats and poultry, and organic wherever possible, and I also use local produce whenever I can.



It only makes sense to source, support and use products that have been produced locally. Not only is it better for the environment, by lessening our carbon footprint, but I am a firm believer that strawberries only really taste good during Strawberry Season, and none are better than Kent Strawberries, eaten whilst the summer sun is still warm on them with straw still clinging to their leaves. A hard cold strawberry imported from another country at another time of the year just doesn't come close. And so it goes with most things.

Can anything taste any better than real British Asparagus picked in the spring right here in our own Country? How can any lamb but British lamb taste any better? Lamb that has gone right from the local farm, into the butchers and onto our plates. Does it make sense to bring it halfway around the world?



I know I am a bit late in getting the news out there. I mean . . . the event actually ends tomorrow, but then again . . . I like to think that it is British Food Fortnight here at Oak Cottage and in my English kitchen, every night of the year.

And so it goes . . .



If you're looking for a traditionally tasty, easy and economically typically British supper dish look no further. Welsh Rarebit it is. There is only one question that begs to be answered . . .

is it RAREbit . . . or is it RABbit???

I vote for the rabbit. (I used a rich and creamy Davidstow Cheddar for this, along with some tasty Poachers Ale . . . yum, yum good!!)



*Welsh Rarebit*
Serves 2 as a main course, or 4 as a starter
Printable Recipe

Moreishly cheesey and very, very tasty!

4 large thick slices of white sandwich bread
1 heaped tablespoon of finely chopped sage leaves
2 spring onions, finely chopped
6 ounces Mature cheddar cheese, grated
1 rounded teaspoon of mustard powder
4 TBS brown ale
1 large egg, beaten
few drops Tabasco sauce
pinch cayenne pepper



Pre-heat your grill to high. Place the bread onto a grill pan and toast under the heated grill on both sides, until crisp and golden brown.

Mix the cheese, sage, onion, mustard powder, ale, beaten egg and tabasco sauce together in a bowl, until very well mixed. Divide equally amongst the 4 slices of toast, spreading the mixture completely to the edges of each silce. Sprinkle each with a light dusting of cayenne pepper. Place under the heated grill again, grilling until the cheese is melted, and golden brown and bubbling. Serve immediately along with some salad on the side.

It won't be long now before they are all gone . . . beautiful English plums. Those lucious ruby coloured gems that taste so sweet and lovely.

We are fortunate enough to have trees filled with several different varieties here on the Estate actually . . . purple Italian, green gages, mirabels and lovely little ordinary ruby coloured ones, whose name escapes me right now . . . they're all lovely and free from pesticides and other chemicals. I guess you could call them organic, except that the orchards that surround us are not pesticide free so . . .



I have frozen bags and bags of them to use up in the winter months ahead. I've made cakes and pies and tarts til they've come out my ears, and lovely they have been too.

I like to keep a bowl of them on the counter and eat them fresh. I leave them until they are just about to go over . . . so soft, sweet and juicy, you need to eat them over the sink . . . that is when they taste the best and the sweetest in my opinion . . . little ruby coloured bites of heaven.



When we have had our fill of fresh, and pies and crumbles, cakes and tarts . . .

I make chutney. Delicious. Sweet. Spicy. Perfect to go with roasted meats or in a very tasty cheese sandwich. Even better in a toasted cheese sandwich, all buttery and crisp on the outside and meltingly cheese and chutney-ee on the insides. Ohh . . . yum, yum . . . I know what I'm having for lunch today . . . wish you could join me, truly I do . . .



*Spicy Plum Chutney*
Makes about 3 pounds
Printable Recipe

This is the perfect time of year to make this delicious chutney. Better do it quick before the plums are all gone!

1.5kg of ripe plums
2 pounds of bramley apples, peeled and chopped
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
450g cooking onions, peeled and chopped
200g sultana raisins
2 star anise
4 cardamom pods, bruised with knife
200g granulated sugar
400ml white wine vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
200ml port



Stone the plums and chop. Put them into a large saucepan with the garlic cloves, onions, apples, sultanas, star anise, cardamom pods, sugar and 300ml of the white wine vinegar. Season with some salt and black pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Simmer for 25-30 minutes, until tender. Add the remaining white wine vinegar and the port. Cook for a further 30 minutes, stirring often, or until thickened. If it still seems a bit runny, simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

Place into hot sterilized jars, dividing it equally amongst them. Place a disc of waxed paper directly on top of the hot chutney. (Alternately melt some paraffin wax and pour this immediately over top of the hot chutney. I bring mine over from Canada and it is for the express use of sealing jams and preserves.) Seal with airtight lids and store in a cool dark place for at least one month before using. This will keep up to six months if kept out of sunlight. Refrigerate once opened. Will keep for a further 2 months in the refrigerator.