Making sure children who avoid gluten have a lunchbox which includes a good mix of nutritious and filling foods as well as a yummy treat can be quite an art, so Mrs Crimble's  - the much-loved gluten free bakery brand - has come up with some tips on how to guarantee that your children can always enjoy a healthy, fun and gluten free lunch.




Single Serve Bakewell Slice from £1.10


Treats and high-energy snacks - Identify at least five things that your child loves and then rotate them so it will be a surprise.  If your child plays a lot of sport you may want to include an extra high-energy snack.  Mrs Crumble's now has single servings of their NEW cranberry and Almond Oat Cookies, their NEW Double Choc Oat Cookies, a range of Oat Flapjacks, Choc Macaroons, Jam Rings, Bakewell Slices and Double Choc Brownies.



Buttery Oat Flapjacks from £1.10

Sandwich Substitutes - Rice or Quinaoa Salads with chopped red peppers and other crunchy vegetables are great, or try gluten free falafels.  A mini pack of hummus with a packet of Mrs Crumble's Potato Bites or some carrot sticks also go down well.



Cheese & Onion Potato Bites Multi Pack (4 bags) £1.79

Bake Your Own at Home - Mrs Crimbles home bake mixes are easy to make and can be adapted for all sorts of recipes.  Make your own fresh gluten free bread using the Mrs Crimble's Bread Mix - perfect for sandwiches at lunch time.

  

Rice Cakes - Mrs Crimbles Apple Rice Cakes are wrapped in handy five slice portion packs inside the box.  These make a delicious and nutritious snack when paired with individual cheese portions or can be enjoyed just as they are.



Calcium - For growing bones, it's good to include a yoghurt (don't forget a spoon), or a milk drink.  If your child is dairy intolerant, then some calcium enriched oat milk, cubes of cheese or some sardines (if they like them) are a good idea.  



Single Serve Jam Ring, from £1.10

Drinks - Making sure your child drinks enough is vital.  Water is best and fruit juice is also good, just be aware it can contain a surprising amount of sugar.



Cranberry & Almond Oat Cookie  RRP £1.49

Mrs Crimble's started over 30 years ago and today their products can be found in all good independent farm shops, health stores, delicatessens and supermarkets such as Sainsbury's, Asda, Waitrose, Morrisons, Co-op and Tesco.  Mrs Crimbles can also be found in he USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.  



Mrs Crimbles is the Official Free From Sponsor of England Netball, in particular supporting the Back to Netball scheme which encourages female players of all ages to get active and re-introduced to the much loved school sport.

Mrs Crimble's have also continued their support for the Breast Cancer Charity - for the first 15,000 new members who sign up to the Back to Netball Scheme during the 2013/14 season, Mrs Crimbles will donate £1 to the charity.

In response to consumer feedback, Mrs Crimble's have launched an online shop through their website providing consumers with a convenient location to access the complete range.   The website also features Mrs Crimble's blog and a regularly updated "Where to buy tab.

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I don't know why I didn't think of this before.   Making my own Turkey Subs.   I love the Turkey Subs at Sub Way back home and every time I go home I treat myself to a six inch turkey sub with all of the trimmings at least two or three times.  I guess I never thought I would be able to make one at home that would taste like theirs do, but the other day the craving got the best of me and I attempted to do just that!



I lived on these subs back in 1999 when my marriage broke up and I was living in a rented bedroom in someone else's house.  The girl I was renting the room from wasn't very nice.  Although I was supposed to have kitchen privileges, she didn't like me having any food in her cupboards or her refrigerator.  She didn't like me using the stove either, which really put a damper on my cooking mojo.  I survived by eating a lot of salads, using a kettle and microwave that I had in my room, and buying six-inch turkey subs from SubWay.  With all of the vegetables on it, I figured I was getting at least some of my five a day!



Which brings me to my topic for today . . .  how to build a perfect turkey sub sandwich.   It's not that hard but it does involve a few "must haves."

One,  you need to begin with a really good bread.  It's not necessary to have an artisan bread for these, just a good one.   I think subs need soft buns, not crisp buns.   That's a lot of sandwich. You want something that you can easily fit into your mouth once you get it stuffed with all of your meats/cheeses/toppings!

I really like the honey and oat buns that SubWay have, but you can't really buy them in the shops here.  I just bought generic fresh sub buns and they were pretty good!  You can toast them or not as you wish.  I prefer mine un-toasted.

  

You want a nice sauce to place on the base of both sides of your bun.  I like the Hellman's garlic mayo. It's really nice and it comes in a squeeze bottle and is really easy to squirt it on.  I also like the Hellman's Lemon mayo and their mustard mayo. . . .  and their roasted onion mayo is also really good.

This "Sauce" will help prevent the bread from getting soggy.  You could of course use ketchup, or a mayo/ketchup combination, mustard, etc. You can use whatever floats your boat.  You just don't want anything that will prevent you from tasting that lovely turkey you are going to put onto it.

Once you have the bun split and slathered with your chosen sauce it's time to begin building your sandwich!  



You want to use only the freshest of ingredients . . . fresh meat, vegetables, etc.

1.  Freshly sliced roast turkey from the deli counter.  Don't get that stuff that you buy already sliced and packed in those plastic packets.  I have always found it to be a bit slimy.  Yuck.  It's also pressed meat, and not actually sliced turkey breast.   I hate re-formed poultry.  Double Yuck.  Two or three slices is ample for one six inch sub.

2.  You want a nice mild cheese, something with a buttery flavour like an edam, gouda or a havarti.   Of course if you want to really kick it up you could use something a bit stronger, but I think with turkey you want a mild cheese.  One slice, cut diagonally, does the trick!

3.  You want sliced really fresh peppers (red and green if possible), some ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, mild red onions . . . all very thinly sliced.  Slice them as thin as you can.  I used my mandoline.  It did them perfectly.  You will also want some sliced gerkin/dill pickles.  I like the garlic ones myself.  These pickles add a nice touch of flavour and piquancy to the mix.  You will also want some pickled hot peppers.  In Canada they use pickled hot banana peppers, which we can't get here in the UK.    I used the Discovery sweet pickled yellow jalapeno peppers.  They are not as hot as the green ones and have a nice sweetness, which goes well with the turkey, but of course,  if you like a lot of heat, use the regular pickled green ones.  You want some finely shredded lettuce in there as well. I like to use baby gems, because they are sturdy and have a lot of flavour. They are almost bitter. Nice, nice!! 



4. I like sliced black olives on mine.  I just buy the sliced black olives in brine.   Don't pimp for fancy dried Spanish black olives.  They are too strongly flavoured.  The purpose of all of these fillings is to enhance the turkey, not overpower it.

5.  A final drizzle of some oil and vinegar (if desired) and a light dusting of salt and pepper and Bob's your uncle!  You are done.   Shut that sub, cut it in half crosswise . . . . and dig in!



Mmmm . . .  these are so good!  I am in love!  I seriously fed my craving and was a very happy camper after this and the best thing of all is . . .



I won't have to wait until I go to Canada again to indulge myself in these fabulous taste treats!  I can make myself one whenever the craving hits.  I like that idea, and I am betting you will too!

Of course you could get really fancy and add assorted meats, bacon, capers etc., but when you just want a good old fashioned turkey sub, this is the way to do it.  Manga!  Enjoy!

I have never been to Philadelphia.  I have never had a Philly Steak Sandwich.  I have seen plenty of photos of them flying around Pinterest and loads of different recipes.  They are basically a hot beef sandwich with onions and peppers and cheese on top.  They look pretty fabulous!



I had wanted to try to make some of them for a long time and yesterday I just happened to have pretty much the right ingredients in the house to make some.  I don't want any purists coming along now and telling me my version is wrong!  I am not representing this as a Philly Steak Sandwich.   Just a mighty tasty Beef and Cheese Sandwich, or Sarnie as they are lovingly referred to in some circles over here in the UK.



I was able to pick up some really nice looking rare roast beef at the deli section of the grocery store the other day at a pretty fair price.  Interestingly enough the rare roast beef cost more than the regular roast beef.  I wonder why that is?  It takes less time to cook, so you would think it would be less.   It's the same beef, pretty much.  One piece just took longer to cook. It doesn't make sense.  Anyways, I digress . . .



So I bought some of the rare roast beef and brought it home and cut it into thin slices cross wise, added it to some thinly sliced sweet onions, and green peppers that I sauteed in a pan until the onions were just beginning to caramelize and the peppers were soft.  I added some garlic.  I don't know if this is what people normally do, but it's what I did.  



I added a soupçon of Worcestershire sauce and dark soy sauce, coz that's  how I roll.  (Like how I mixed a little bit of French in there?  I know!  ☺  Thanks!) I seasoned it with a bit of black pepper and salt, scattered it generously with two kinds of cheese . . .  strong cheddar and red leiceister . . .



And then tucked it in between the buttery toasted crevices of a nice soft bun which I had already slathered with garlic mayonnaise. The rest is history.  The next half hour was filled with satisfied sounds as we both tucked into something which was quite, quite delicious . . .  and to think . .  it was quick, it was easy and it wasn't all that expensive to do.   I will be doing this again.  Maybe the next time the missionaries come for their tea.  I think they might like that.  I know we sure did!



Heat the oil in a large skillet.   Add the onions and green peppers.  Cook over medium low heat, stirring frequently to soften.  Add the garlic.  Cook, stirring until it becomes quite fragrant.  Tip in the roast beef and continue to cook, stirring to combine well and heat the beef through.  Add the Worcestershire and Soy sauces.  Season to taste with some salt and pepper.  Throw the cheese over top and cover.   Take off the heat and let stand while you toast your buns.

Split and toast the buns as desired.  I like to butter mine, but not everyone will want to do that. I toast only the insides under the grill so that the outsides remain nice and soft.   Once the buns are toasted, place one on each of four plates.  Spread the bottom halves with some garlic mayonnaise.  Top each with one fourth of the beef and cheese mixture, and the top toasted bun.  Serve immediately.

 It's National Picnic Week from the 16th to the 22nd of June  and there is no better meat for a quick and easy alfresco feast than SPAM® Chopped Pork and Ham.

 Convenient, easy to prepare and uniquely tasty, SPAM® Chopped Pork and Ham is now available in an easy-to-open and lightweight plastic tub, which is perfect for picnics, BBQs and camping.  The traditional can is also available.  




























*Spam with Mustard Mayo Sandwich*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

1 (200g) tub or can of SPAM® Chopped Pork and Ham, chopped into smallcubes
4 large hard boiled eggs, finely chopped
1 heaped TBS of mayonnaise
1 tsp wholegrain mustard (optional)
1 TBS chopped chives
1 pack of mustard cress or fresh salad leaves
8 slices of bread from a large loaf (white, 50/50 or wholegrain)

Put the chopped SPAM® and hard boiled eggs into a mixing bowl.  Add the mayonnaise, wholegrain mustard and chopped chives.  Stir well until everything is well coated with the mayonnaise.  Spread the mixture onto 4 slices of bread. Put a layer of cress or salad leaves on top of the SPAM® mixture and then place the other slice on top of the salad.  Cut into diagonals and serve.

Note - I would butter the slices of bread first with softened butter to help to keep the bread from going soggy.

The 200g tub is currently available in the UK from Tesco and Asda.  200g and 340g cans are also available from all major UK supermarkets.

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Further recipe ideas can be found at www.spam-uk.com

With Father's Day just around the corner, Dr Oetker has come up with some really lovely chocolate bakes to please Dad on his special day!



   




























Preheat the oven to 180°C, 160° Fan, Gas Mark 4. Line a 1kg loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Put the butter and Guinness in a saucepan over a low heat until the butter has melted.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder and Bicarbonate of Soda together in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, milk, egg, Vanilla Extract, Chocolate pieces and melted butter mixture and mix together well.  

I took advantage of some of the really nice weather we had this weekend and my TeFal ActiGrill to make us some really tasty grilled chicken sandwiches.   Summer food.   Bring it on!



You can pay a fortune for a chicken sandwich in those fast food places these days, and they all taste the same when it comes right down to it.  These are a bit healthier I like to think and  a hundred times more delicious!



They are also quite economical because with only two chicken breasts, you can make four sandwiches.  The chicken marinates for an hour or so in a delicious honey mustard marinade, composed of two different mustards, honey and lemon juice.   There is also bacon on them . . .



Not just any bacon however . . . candied pepper bacon that you make yourself.  So easy to do and seriously scrummy as well.    The chicken is grilled, brushed with barbecue sauce or not as you wish, and then they are put together, chicken, bacon . . . and a nice slice of cheese on top, which melts down over the hot bacon and chicken . . .

 

Serves on a toasted bun with some shredded lettuce and a mayo ranch sauce, these went down a real treat with the Toddster . . . and I confess I was also licking my chops.  Who needs to go out to get a good Chicken sandwich . . .  when you can get a tastier one at home???  Not us, that's for sure!    This is great summer time food.  I cooked mine indoors on the electric grill, but you could just as easily do them outdoors on the barbecue.   This is sure to be a real winner!



*Grilled Chicken, Bacon and Ranch Sandwiches*

British Sandwich week is running this year from the 11th to the 17th May.  To help celebrate the occasion and make the humble British sandwich just that but more special,  The English Provender Co, has come up with a few lunchtime tips and tricks.

With a number of classic chutneys including Caramelized Red Onion, Ploughman's Plum, Sweet tomato & Chilli and Moroccan Spiced Chutney. the English Provender Co. has the perfect filling for the perfect British sandwich!



CHUTNEY PAIRINGS

Match up The English Provender Co's chutneys with the following suggestions to experience them all at their best:

• Caramelized Red onion - Cheddar cheese, ham and ciabatta
• Ploughman's Plum - Mature cheddar cheese and ciabatta
• Sweet Tomato & Chilli - Goat's cheese, beef and smoked ham
• Moroccan Spiced - Mild cheddar cheese and various cold meats, including roast chicken or lamb
• Apple, Pear & Fig -  Blue Cheese and unsmoked ham  

CONDIMENT PAIRINGS

And if chutney isn't your thing - The English Provender Co. has a selection of tasty condiments, which can be added for flavoursome meat pairings:

• Bramley Apple Sauce with Calvados - A delicious sauce made from the finest apples with a hint of apple brandy.  The ultimate accompaniment for roast pork, sausages, duck or game.
• English Mint Sauce with Balsamic Vinegar - An aromatic sauce with freshly picked mint and the subtle flavour of balsamic vinegar.  A natural choice for roast lamb.
• Grated Hot Horseradish - Add kick to your roast beef with this hot sauce.  Alternatively add to crème fraiche for a hot and fiery dip.  If you're partial to a Bloody Mary add some horseradish sauce for a bit of a kick!  
• Redcurrant Sauce with Rosemary - A deliciously rich sauce with a touch of tasty rosemary.  Pair with duck or lamb.
• Seafood Sauce with Sunblush Tomatoes - A tangy sauce to add flavour to fish, prawns or crab.
• Tartare Sauce - The perfect accompaniment for a wide range of fish dishes including salmon.
• Wild Cranberry Sauce - The classic and traditional choice for turkey. 

Note:  Why not try something different instead of brown sauce.  The Caramelized Red Onion Chutney would be the perfect pairing with this!

 

And of course all of the chutneys would be perfect with the Traditional Ploughman's Lunch.   Seriously and tradtionally scrummy!  In particular I would recommend their Plum & Bramley Apple as the perfect pairing!

I am a big fan of The English Provender Co's products.  (Love LOVE their lemon curd and ginger lemon curd!)  To find out more about them and what is available do check out their home page here.  

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