I just have to tell you about this delicious pickle we have been enjoying these past few weeks from the people at English Provender!  English Provender Proper Pickle, Beetroot! Naturally delicious, crunchy and all grown up, English Provender Co.’s Proper Pickle taps into the nostalgic taste of traditional sandwich accompaniments, but with an altogether more refined flavour and texture for the more discerning palate.

I have always love LOVED beetroot in any way shape or form, and I am happy to say I am loving this Beetroot proper pickle also!

 

Packed full of flavour and having just the perfect amount of punch, earthy English Provender Beetroot Proper Pickle is made with authentic, natural ingredients that champion British produce, with no added preservatives, colours or flavours.  This is pickle as it should be.  If you’re looking to add a twist to your ploughman’s lunch or daily salad then Beetroot Proper Pickle could be the pickle for you. Rich and fruity, crunchy British beetroot is combined with a unique blend of pickle spices.  We've been enjoying it on sandwiches and with cold meats.   I've even been tucking into it with a spoon when nobody's looking.  Shhh . . .  don't tell anyone!



Other flavours are Proper Pickle Chunky, Proper Pickle Finely Chopped and Proper Pickle Pickled Onion.  If they are anything near as tasty as the Beetroot one, I am sure they are gorgeous too!   I would buy this pickle.  Many thanks to English Provender Co for sending me a jar to try.

These tasty pickles are available online in the English Provender Co online store or instore at Waitrose and ASDA.

To find out more about English Provender and their products be sure to check out their Homepage.

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Note - although I was sent a jar of pickle free of charge to try out, I was not required to write a positive review.  Simply put.  I really liked this.

We are coming into Strawberry season here in the UK now, and I will put my hand up and say that Strawberry season is one of my favourite food seasons. 

 

Eat great and feel well all week long with the Intragram star everyone is talking about!  I was recently sent a cookery book to review, entitled Elly Pear's FAST DAYS & FEAST DAYS, by Elly Curshen, foodie and proprieter of the hugely popular Pear Cafe!  Having opened this cafe in March of 2006, running a supper club and pop ups, she soon found her weight creeping up and so she tried out the 5:2 philosophy of eating, which great results.   In this new cookbook Elly shares some of her favourite, most exciting recipes fo reating well and enjoying food on both fast days and feast days.

One of my favourite things to get when we are eating out is a Chicken Sandwich or Burger.   Yes, I know  . . .  we eat chicken all the time at home, and dollars to donuts I eat it again when we are out and about.  I am just a boring person I guess!  Chicken Sandwiches or Burgers can often be very high in fat and calories however and so today I created one which is delicious and a little bit healthier than normal, well certainly healthier than those breaded deep fried ones you get in the restaurants . . .  and not only that, but it is pretty economical as well.

I do believe I have found THE perfect lemon cookie.   I love lemon anything and these cookies are just the absolute epitome of what are some beautiful lemon flavours!   

This is an oven sandwich that I used to make often for my kids when they were growing up.  They're delicious, simple to make and they use ingredients I normally have in my larder.  So they are a bit of a store cupboard meal.  Also  if you use low fat cheese and mayonnaise, they are not that unhealthy.  Especially if you serve them with some vegetable sticks or salad on the side.

You would be right in thinking that this is not something which you will see very often in this kitchen . . .  chocolate cake.  The Toddster doesn't like chocolate cakes, pies or cookies, or puddings for that matter  . . .  and with my diabetes I try very hard not to eat this stuff, but when I was having four missionary elders for dinner a week or so ago I decided that I would bake them a chocolate cake for dessert.

As I mentioned last week, I was challenged recently by the people from The Laughing Cow to come up with some recipes for the new year using their Laughing Cow Extra Light Spreadable Cheese,  and leftovers.   Last week I showed you some delicious Hot Ham and Cheese Rolls and today I am showing you a recipe I made for Turkey Monte Cristos, which you can not only make using leftovers (turkey and cranberry sauce) but which are also quite healthy in comparison to the original version!

 

I was recently asked if I would like to participate in a Challenge put forth by the People from The Laughing Cow to create some scrumptious recipes using their Extra Light low fat cheese spread triangles and leftovers!  You know me, I do love a good challenge and this recipe here today is the first which I have come up with for them.

This delicious casserole is the perfect way to use up some of the leftovers from your Christas dinner, using up some of the turkey (of course) stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, etc.   It's delicious and there is also cheese in the mix.  Oh but it is some good!

 Do you like sandwiches?   My Aunt Freda loved sandwiches and so do I. They are one of my many weaknesses!  I was really excited to receive this latest cookbook for review . . .  "Build Your Own Sandwich," by Vicki Smallwood.

Have you ever wanted to take your sandwich making to a new and higher level???  My answer is a resounding YES!  Build Your Own Sandwich promises to help you do just that!

I was sent some lovely recipes this week for Christmas Baking for the holidays from Dr Oetker.   They all look so fabulous I don't know which one I want to try first.  I think the Stollen Loaf Cake is looking pretty good from where I am sitting.  I have everything I need in the house to make it and I adore Stollen anyways.  I love anything which smacks of almonds and dried fruit!  The Spiced Lemon Cookie Wreath  also looks like a strong possibility.  In any case I am sharing all the recipes with you today.  Christmas Jumper Cookies, Stollen Loaf Cake, Spiced Lemon Cookie Wreath, Mini Chocolate Gingerbread Loaves and a Winter Forest Chocolate Cake!  There's a Merry Christmas in the "Baking!"  You know if the recipes are from Dr. Oetker, that the recipes must be great.  They are the creme de la creme of bakedom!

 

My very British Husband is quite fond of telling me that eating peanut butter and jam together is completely insane.  That didn't stop him from scarfing down three of these as soon as I had them finished though!  (Me thinks he is a bit of a porkie pie teller and that he secretly LOVES the combination as much as I do!)

I know that all of my North American friends cooked  their Thanksgiving turkeys yesterday.  I also helped to cook aThanksgiving Dinner this year for all of the Missionaries in our District.  Not too many leftovers here, but I know that many of you have refrigerators bulging with leftovers, and that some of you will be scratching your heads and trying to come up with new and interesting things to do with them.  Here are some tasty ideas this morning to help you use up some of those scrummy leftovers. Of course you could just have a reheat of the leftovers, but it's also nice to dress them up in a few different ways too!

You Brits and Canucks might want to bookmark this page as Christmas is less than a month away and you 'll be wanting to figure out what to do with your Christmas Turkey leftovers then! (And yes, this is a repeat from last year.  This stuff just never gets old.)

Bacon . . . it's something I don't eat very often . . .  but when I do, I like to make sure it's a good bacon.  After all, if I am going to splurge on a bit of a calorie bonus . . .  I want to make it worth my while!  More often than not, I will opt for a good quality, dry cured and oak smoked back bacon, cut thickly, with not too much fat on it.  It's a real treat!

Controlling how much you eat can be as large a challenge as deciding what to eat can be when you are trying to control diabetes and eat smarter.  At first it can seem a bit daunting, but with time and understanding it becomes a bit easier . . .  the changes almost become  seamless part of your life.   What to put into your shopping card . . .  how to count carbs, downsizing servings, etc.   all are steps towards becoming a healthier person.

I made the most delicious open face sandwich today.   Oh, but I died and went to heaven when I tucked into this.   The "Peat" sandwich . . .  or . ..  the Pancetta, Egg, Avocado and Tomato Sandwich.  A deliciously layered open face delight that isn't really all that bad for you!

Normally after having a turkey dinner I would be treating myself to a turkey sandwich with two slices of bread,  mayo, stuffing and cranberry sauce.   And enjoying it.   My new lifestyle means that is a no no and so today I made myself something different.   A Turkey Taco Pizza.   Sounds hedonistic, but it really isn't . . .

  

Cuting out sugary foods and high fat snacks is an important way to improve your diet and help maintain good blood glucose levels.  It helps to have alternatives available when you are feeling that urge to snack on something or when your levels dip and you just don't have time to make a meal. Having alternatives at the ready and achieving a balance are really important for long term success!  It's okay to have an occasional sweet treat, but in all reality, those need to be kept at a minimum, and it's best to develop a taste for nutritionally sound snacks.