I picked up some beautiful little blueberries yesterday at my local shop that were quite tiny in size and for once they didn't come from Poland! Not that I am against Poland per se, but I do like to use British Ingredients whenever I can. These ones came from Surrey.



They were almost as small as the wild blueberries from back home and I knew just the perfect thing to make with them.



My delicious Blueberry scones.

They went down fabulous with this lovely green tea.



*Blueberry Scones with Lemon Drizzle Icing*
Makes 8
Printable Recipe

These lovely scones are tender and moist and oh so very delicious. Chock full of blueberries and covered with a lucious lemon drizzle icing these are pleasing on all levels. Use only fresh blueberries in these as frozen ones will bleed and spoil the look of this lovely scone.

225g plain flour (1 3/4 cups)
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS caster sugar
5 TBS cold, unsalted butter
250ml of double cream (1 cup plus 2 TBS)
8 ounces fresh blueberries, toss with 1 TBS flour (1/2 pound berries)
Lemon Drizzle:
4 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 cup)
280g of icing sugar, sifted (2 cups)
1 TBS unsalted butter



Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into a bowl. Whisk together to combine. Add the cold butter and using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it forms coarse crumbs. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and dump in the cream all at once. Stir with a fork just to combine, without overworking the dough. You may need a bit more cream. The dough should be soft, but not sticky, nor crumbly. Fold in the blueberries, leaving any excess flour out. Gently mix them in without crushing them.

Pat the dough out onto a lightly floured surface into a 12 by 3 1/2 inch rectangle, about 1 inch thick. Cut into 4 equal squares, and then cut each square diagonally into even triangles. You should have 8. Place onto a lightly greased baking tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool somewhat before glazing.

To make the glaze, sift the icing sugar into a microwave proof bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice and stir to melt the sugar. Add the butter and place in the microwave. heat for 30 to 45 seconds on high. Whisk again to smooth out any lumps and then drizzle decoratively over the warm scones. Let set before serving. Delicious!!

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.

Rice was not something that my mother ever cooked for us when I was growing up. I think it was because my dad liked meat and potatoes. I was an adult before I ever tasted rice, and that was at a chinese restaurant! (and to be honest, I was a bit afraid that I wouldn't like it, or how it felt in my mouth) I was totally wrong. I fell in love with it.



High in nutrients, rice is a great source of insoluable fibre. Rich in carbohydrates and low in fat, it's a pretty healthy choice. (as long as you aren't on a low carb diet that is) Rice is an extremely healthy food for a number of reasons. Rice is a complex carbohydrate, which means that it contains starch and fiber. Complex carbohydrates are digested slowly, allowing the body to utilize the energy released over a longer period which is nutritionally efficient. It's low in sodium and gluten free. With only trace amounts of fat and no cholesterol at all, it's pretty good for people on diets, and it's not surprising that most of the world relies on rice as a major part of it's diet.



I love Basamati rice most of all. I could just sit and eat a bowl of it and nothing else.

I especially love this particular recipe of mine where I combine it with rich coconut milk, ginger, red chili flakes and nuts.

It's mmm . . . mmm . . . good.



*Ginger Spiced Coconut Rice*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is my absolute favourite rice recipe. It has a bit of heat from the candied ginger and the red pepper flakes, but this goes very well with the coconut flavour. This goes great with most Asian dishes.

200g of basamati rice (1 cup)
1 400ml tin of coconut milk
2 ounces water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp tumeric
1 tsp grated fresh ginger-root
finely chopped crystallized ginger (a heaped dessertspoon)
toasted sliced almonds (a small handful)



Rinse the rice under running cold water. Drain and place in a saucepan along with the coconut milk, water, salt, sugar, red pepper flakes, tumeric and fresh ginger-root. Stir well to combine. Cook over medium high heat until the mixture just begins to come to the boil. Reduce heat immediately to low, cover, and cook on low for about 18 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Cover again and let sit for 5 miore minutes. Garnish the finished rice with the candied ginger and the toasted nut flakes. Delicious!

Note - Don't forget that it's really important to cool cooked rice down quickly before storing, and to reheat it thoroughly to a high temperature before using again. Uncooked rice can contain spores of Bacillus cereus, bacteria that can cause food poisoning. When the rice is cooked, the spores can survive. Then, if the rice is left standing at room temperature, the spores will germinate into bacteria. These bacteria will multiply and may produce toxins (poisons) that cause vomiting or diarrhoea. Reheating the rice won't get rid of these toxins. The longer cooked rice is left at room temperature, the more likely it is that bacteria, or the toxins they produce, could stop the rice being safe to eat. It's best to serve rice when it has just been cooked. If that isn't possible, cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within one hour) and keep it in the fridge for no more than one day until reheating.

Remember that when you reheat any food, you should always check that it's steaming hot all the way through, and avoid reheating more than once.

I think Chicken Kievs have to be one of the most popular foods with children over here in the UK. The freezer section of most grocery stores are well stocked with little cartons of the same, and you can buy fresh and ready to cook versions as well.

But how really tasty is a piece of ground up chicken that has been reformed around a dab of garlic flavoured fat (is it really butter?) and then rolled in some egg and bread crumbs and fried??? Most end up dry and tasting of nothing but garlic . . . any semblance to the real thing having been somehow lost in the translation from, what was once a delicious entree, into a pop culture fast food!



Making them from scratch is not really all that hard, and doesn't really take that long. Boned and skinned chicken breasts are wrapped around a delicious pat of frozen seasoned butter and then coated with egg and crumbs.



Fried just until golden brown, these bear no resemblance whatsoever to those pale imitations in the shops. By the time the chicken is done the butter is just melted and will gush out when you cut into it, bathing your noodles or rice, or whatever with a delicious buttery and herby sauce.

It's the real thing . . . Why settle for anything less . . .



*Chicken Kiev*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

This delicious dish hails from Russia back in the time of the great Czars. Chicken breasts wrapped around a delicious garlic butter and then breaded and fried, it is a real family favourite.

Herb Butter:
4 ounces butter, softened
1 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tsp dried tarragon leaves
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast portions
1/2 cup of seasoned flour
2 large eggs, beaten
8 ounces of seasoned dry bread crumbs
oil for frying



In a small bowl, with a rubber scraper, thoroughly mix the butter, parsleyk tarragon, garlic, salt and pepper together. Lay out a piece of foil. Shape the butter mixture into a 3 inch square. Wrap up and freeze until firm.

In the meantime, trim the chicken breasts of any fat and sinew. Place each piece,one at a time, smooth side down on a sheet of cling film. Cover with a second sheet. Very carefully pound the chicken out until it is 1/4 inch thick, being very careful not to break the meat. Cut the frozen butter into 6 equal pats. Place a pat of herb butter in the centre of each piece of chicken. Bring the long sides of the chicken over to cover the butt, folding the ends over and making sure that no butter is showing. Fasten with a toothpick to keep shut.

Roll each chicken piece in some seasoned flour, then dip into the beaten eggs. Roll into the dried bread crumbs, coating evenly. Place on a tray, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for an hour.

Heat some oil in a large heavy skillet. Once it is hot add the chicken pieces, 3 at a time and cook, turning with tongs, until browned all over. Drain and then place into a warm oven in a large pan that has been lined with some paper towels. Cook the remaining 3 kievs in the same way. Serve hot with some rice or noodles.

So, this is the season of apples and blackberries and the two placed together create the most wonderful marriage of flavours. It's classic.

The hedgerows that surround our cottage are just drooping with blackberries, likewise the apple trees are full of apples that are being picked daily. We are lucky that we can help ourselves to the drops. Back home they would have used the drops to make apple juice . . .



The air rings with the sound of Polish as that is where most of the pickers come from and is filled with the smell of fermenting apples . . . there are tons laying beneath the trees, far too many to use and a lot are decaying now, hence the smell. Back home the deer would be snuffling them up.



Apples and cheese are a pretty formidable combination as well. My mom always served up her homemade apple pies with a tasty slab of cheddar on the side. What happens when you combine the lovely flavours of apples, blackberries and cheese??? Why . . .

You get a fabulously tasty autumnal torte!! You can use Raspberry preserves if you can't get the blackberry. Apricot goes very well also.



Who wouldn't love a sweet cake-like crust, spread with jam and encasing a delicious cheesecake filling topped with sweetly spiced and sliced apples . . .

It's pretty hard to resist!



*Apple and Cheese Torte*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

This so good and is delicious warm or cold. It's a great brunch item as well as a fabulous coffee break treat, not to mention dessert!
Base:4 ounces butter, softened
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 cup flour
1/3 cup of blackberry jam
Filling:
1 - 250g package of cream cheese
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
Topping:
3 cups peeled and thinly sliced apples
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon



Pre-heat the oven to 230*C/450*F. Cream the butter and sugar for the base together thoroughly. Blend in the flour. Press the mixture evenly onto the bottom and 1 1/2 inch up the sides of an 8 1/2 inch wide spring form pan.

Warm the blackberry jam a bit and then spread it over the base of the tart.

Beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla paste together until smooth and fluffy. Spoon this over top of the jam in the crust.

Toss the apples, sugar and cinnamon for the topping together and arrange on top of the cream cheese mixture.Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 200*C/400*F. and bake for a further 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set and the apples are tender.

Cool slightly before removing the pan rim. Serve warm or cold.

(Photo courtesy of deliciousmagazine.co.uk)

I think it was sometime last year that Todd and I decided that we weren't going to eat pork anymore. Don't ask me why . . . it was just one of those silly ideas you get, that really don't go anywhere.

We didn't last very long at it. The idea of perfectly roasted pork or grilled chops was far too tempting for us.

I once lived next door to a lady that decided to raise her own pork one year and whom had 5 pigs living in an enclosure not much larger than most people's bathrooms. They were really cute at first, but as time went on and they got larger, they also got smellier, and we just happened to be downwind. Nevermind . . . that's a whole 'nother tale. I digress . . .



I think the most delicious and succulent pork chops come from a rack of pork. You get the tender loin meat along with some tasty rib bits that are just yum yum yum!

I happened to be in the grocery store the other day picking up a rib roast for work, when I noticed the meatman cutting up a rack of pork into chops and they were just so darned good looking I had to pick up a couple for Todd and myself.

You know how it goes . . .



Anyways, these were absolutely wonderful. I cooked them up yesterday, all panfried and nicely browned, with crispy bits of fat clinging to the edges, and then finally roasted with some lightly sauteed apples laid out on top and crumbly bits of stilton.

Fabulous, darlings . . . just fabulous. A marriage made in heaven . . .




*Perfect Pork Chops with Apples, Sage and Stilton*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is simple but impressive and gives you perfectly cooked pork chops every time. I like to use a good porkchop, like a rack pork chop. Delicious!

4 8-ounce pork chops, preferably free range
sea salt (I like to use smoked)
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and sliced into thick wedges
1 TBS butter
fresh sage leaves
3 1/2 ounces of good Stilton cheese, crumbled



Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Slash the pork fat along the edge of the chops all the way to the meat. Fan open. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add some olive oil and allow it to heat while you season your chops well on both sides. Cook the chops in the hot oil until they are golden brown on both sides and the fat is crispy, some 3 to 4 minutes. I always hold them up with a pair of tongs fat side down to make sure the fat gets really crispy. Remove them to a shallow metal baking dish. Add the butter to the pan and then add the apples. Fry gently until golden, but still fairly solid. Fan these out on top of each pork chop. Scatter some sage leaves over top. Place into the oven and roast for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the oven, scatter the stilton over top. Pop back into the oven long enough to melt the cheese.



I like to fry some tender sage heads in the pan drippings until crispy and garnish the finished dish with them.

One of the more popular pub lunches over here in the UK is the delicious Ploughman's Lunch. Generally comprised of a buttered crusty loaf, accompanied with Pickle (usually Branstons or a Chutney) slabs of cheddar cheese, and generally some salad leaves on the side, it has become somewhat of a cultural icon over here.

It is really rather good.



Cheese and crusty buttered bread . . . yummy.

Cheese and pickle . . . delicious



Cheese and crusty buttered bread and pickle together . . . scrumdiddlyumptious!!!

I thought I would go a bit further and combine all the tasty flavours in one delightful little muffin.

I was feeling rather inspired.



My pickle of choice . . . a tasty Apricot and Ginger chutney. These rock! (If I don't say so myself!)



*Ploughman's Muffins*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

I just love ordering a ploughman's lunch when we go to the pub. A tasty hunk of good cheese, along with some chutney or pickle and salad leaves . . . simple and yet extremely delicious. Here is a tasty muffin that combines all the wonderful flavours of a ploughman's lunch into one scrumptious little parcel. Perfect for a packed lunch!

2 ounces butter, melted
1 large egg
250ml of milk
1 tsp English Mustard
3 TBS chutney or French mustard
( I like to use an apricot and ginger chutney)
6 ounces strong cheddar cheese, grated and divided
1 TBS baking powder
11 ounces plain flour
pinch salt



Pre-heat the oven to 190*C/375*F. Butter a 12 hole muffin tin very well. Set aside.

Combine the butter, egg, milk, mustard and chutney in a beaker. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Stir in the 5 ounces of the cheese. Add the wet ingredients all at once. Combine only until just mixed. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the remaining ounce of cheese evenly over top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until well risen and firm. Leave in the pan to cool for several minutes before loosening and placing on a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve warm for a real taste treat. These are also very good cold for lunch.

I am all for small indulgences. Not all the time, but once in a while it is good to tempt the tummy with something that is totally scrummy and delicious.

I'm afraid for me that means chocolate . . . good chocolate. The BEST chocolate.



Organic Dark milk chocolate by Green and Blacks is usually what pleases me the most.

I can't help it. I just love the stuff. All dark . . . and yet totally milky and creamy, and no . . . once again I am not being paid to tell you this.



It's the truth. I just love Green and Black's Organic Milk chocolate bars. . . plain, or the tasty one that contains fruit and nuts. I am crazy about chocolate filled with either raisins or nuts . . . or both. I keep a tiny personal sized bar in my purse for just such an indulgence. And it's for me . . . all for me. (Any man worth his salt will tell you, never get between a woman and her chocolate indulgence . . . it's dangerous business.)



I'm also crazy about these tasty bars, and I don't mind sharing them. In fact . . . they were meant to be totally shared.



mmmm . . . dangerous. Scrummily dangerous. Not to be trifled with . . .

Moreish even.



*Butterscotch Blondies*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

These bars are lovely and chewy and full of wonderful butterscotch flavour. I try to use the best milk chocolate possible and that is Green and Black’s organic (in my opinion). They small fantastic when baking and the taste, well, it’s out of this world! Bet you can’t eat just one, which also makes them very dangerous to have around!


140g butter, plus more to grease the pan (9 3/4 TBS)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
Pinch salt
350g light muscovado sugar (1 3/4 cup)
2 tsp pure vanilla essence
250g self rising flour (2 1/4 cup)
100g milk chocolate, cut into big chunks (3 1/2 ounces, or a generous 1/2 cup)
100g macadamia nuts or pecan nuts, coarsely chopped ( a very scant cup)
Icing sugar to dust over the tops when done



Pre-heat the oven to 160*C/350*F. Butter a shallow pan, about 20 X 21 cm in size and set aside.

Melt the butter in a small bowl and set aside to cool. In the meantime chop up your chocolate.
Beat the eggs until frothy in another bowl. Add the melted butter along with the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Tip in the flour and mix only until combined. Stir in the chocolate and ¾ of the nuts. Try not to over mix the batter, you'll end up with tough brownies if you do.

Spread the batter into the prepared tin and scatter the remaining nuts on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until done. Don’t overbake. You want them dry on the top with a slight resistance to the touch of a fingertip, but you also want them to be fudgy and moist.
Let cool, then cut into bars and dust with the icing sugar.

I just love the flavour of ginger . . . all spicy and warm and oh-so-comforting. I know . . . I say that about a lot of things. I guess the truth is . . . I just love food!

I do have my favourite flavours though, and ginger happens to be one of them.



I love it dried and ground and baked into lovely cakes, cookies, and puddings.



I love it fresh and grated and added raw to salads, dressings and marinades.



I love it chopped and added to cooked dishes. A slice of it pounded and mixed with a piece of lemon and then steeped in some boiling water makes a marvelously healing tea when you are down with the sniffles . . . trust me.



I especially love it preserved . . . little round nuggets of ginger, preserved in a delicious syrup. It's delicious chopped and added to all sorts of baked goods. The syrup is fantastic when combined with butter and used to glaze carrots. I also love candied ginger, which is similar, but dry and coated in sugar. I just adore that plain and then dipped into dark chocolate . . . a once a year Christmas Treat just for me . . . okay, I'll share . . . I promise.



This fabulous cake uses it in two forms . . . both dried and ground, as well as preserved in syrup. This is easily one of our favourite cakes, and I hope it will become one of your favourites as well.



Don't you just love the autumn!!! That is when food like this comes into it's own. Ginger cake just suits autumn, no matter which way you cut it. (no pun intended)



*Spicy Ginger Traybake*
Makes 20 squares
Printable Recipe

We just love the warm and spicy flavours of this delicious cake. It is one of those one bowl, one step, wonderful cakes that tastes even better as the days go by. This is one of Todd's favourites! (He's just an old fashioned guy with old fashioned tastes!)

230g butter, softened (1 cup)
170g light muscovado sugar (13 1/2 TBS)
 200g dark treacle (9 TBS)
312g self raising flour (2 3/4 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
4 large free range eggs
4 TBS milk
3 bulbs of preserved stem ginger, chopped finely

For the Icing:
130g icing sugar, sifted (1 cup)
3 TBS ginger syrup from the stem ginger jar
3 bulbs of preserved stem ginger, chopped coarsely
a bit of milk if necessary



Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter a 12 by 9 inch traybake tin and line with parchment paper.

Weigh out all the cake ingredients and place into a large bowl. Beat together with an electric mixer until well blended. Spoon into the prepared baking sheet, smoothing the top over with a plastic spatula. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until risen, lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, and the top springs back when gently touched. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool in the pan for several minutes before lifting out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the ginger syrup. Beat with the mixer, adding milk as necessary until the icing is smooth and has a good spreading consistency. Spread over the cake, covering the top completely. Sprinkle the chopped stem ginger over top. Allow the icing to set completely before cutting into squares.