The other day I was contacted by CSN Stores and asked if I would like to review one of their products. I once again jumped at the chance and was given a gift certificate to choose anything from the wide range of products that they offer.

It was not so easy to pick this time. There are a lot of nice things in their shop, everything from cookware and lighting to furniture . . . but you know me . . . it was the cookware section that got the heavy perusal!

I know you may find this hard to believe, but I have never had a decent set of pots and pans since I moved over here to the UK. When we first started our our life together, we didn't have a lot of money (still don't!) and so we have had to make do with the cheapest set we could find. ( Before our married life Todd made do with a tin opener, a cheap aluminum pot and an old beat up frying pan! Needless to say I changed that . . . um . . . quite a bit!)

When I worked at the Manor House I got to work with the best equipment any cook could ever want to use. I got rather spoiled there . . . I had a lovely Kitchen aid stand mixer and everything. It was really nice to be able to use nice things to cook with, I'll tell you!

Anyways, after devouring almost everything on CSN's store site, I decided I wanted to get myself a nice set of pots and pans and I found a fabulous deal!!



Raymond Blanc by Anolon - Anodized Clad Cookware
The new Anodized Clad range has a different construction from the Advanced range it replaces, with a stainless steel interior and hard anodized exterior bonded to an aluminium core.

• Clad construction guarantees fast, even heating, even up the sides of the pan
• Stainless steel and aluminium base further enhances heat conductivity
• Suitable for all hob types, including induction hobs
• Lifetime guarantee

The set includes a milk pan (always wanted one of those!) three saucepans (16cm, 18cm, and 20cm) and a frying pan (22cm). There are tempered glass lids for 3 of the saucepans with polished stainless steel rims, which allow you to see through cooking whilst keeping all the flavour and nutrients locked in. They also have nice and sturdy riveted stainless steel handles, and what I really like is that the largest saucepan has an extra handle on the oppposite side to the longer handle, which makes it a lot easier and safer to carry, especially when you have it filled! That is something these old arthritic hands and wrists of mine really appreciate!



Apparently it is safe to use with metal tools. A bonus!! This meant I didn't have to go out and buy all new tools to use with it. (A fact that made the Toddster happy!) The hard anodized exterior also will not scratch or chip, and they are suitable for all hobs, as well as being oven safe up to 180*C/350*F/gas mark 4 (with lid).

The set normally retails for £215, but you can get them at CSN Stores for a mere £97.15, with free delivery right now. I am not going to tell you how much my gift certificate was for, but I will say that I got a very good deal on these pots and pans and I am well pleased, very well pleased.

They were delivered by courier, less than 2 days after I ordered them, and were in perfect condition when they arrived. Two thumbs up all around!



I have been using them for several days now and I am well impressed with their quality and value for money spent. It goes without saying that the next time I need something for the kitchen or otherwise I will certainly be checking out CSN stores first. This is the second time I have gotten something from them and I am well impressed with their service rendered.

Quick delivery which is free on almost everything over £40. Why not click on over now and take a look for yourself. Click here for CSN Stores UK and here for CSN Stores USA and Canada.

Many thanks to Kate and CSN Stores for having given me this wonderful opportunity. Tune in tomorrow for a tasty pudding that you are absolutely going to love, Love, LOVE!

I'm sure you all remember the Baked and Delicious post I did last month. If not, you can refresh your memories here. I was so impressed with the issue that I got to try out for free that I signed up to receive the remainder of them.



Issues two and three arrived in my post box today and I have to say that I am very impressed. So impressed that after drooling my way through all of the pages poste haste . . . I immediately went into the kitchen and started baking!



What a lovely assortment of recipes and hints. Anglesey Cakes, Tart Tatin, Lemon Drizzle Cake, Sacher Torte, Pizza, Scones, Millefeuille are just a few of the recipes . . . which also included this fantastic Olive, Herb and Parmesan Loaf.



I had all the ingredients in my larder and I could not wait to get started on it. The picture in the magazine looked fabulous! It was so easy to put together and I have to say . . . it smelled gorgeous when it was baking. Wowser, wowser! I could hardly wait to get it out of the oven.



Imagine a savoury quick bread just stogged full of stuffed olives, roasted peppers, herbs and cheese. Each bite was oh so delicious! Kinda like Pizza, except better! I think I may try it with some chopped chorizo or pepperoni in it, or maybe even ham. Oh oh . . . my tastebuds are tingling again! Watch out!



*Savoury Olive, Herb and Parmesan Loaf*
Makes one 2 pound loaf
Printable Recipe

Just the smell of this baking is enough to start your taste buds tingling. A beautiful crusty quick bread, stogged full of stuffed olives, roasted peppers, cheese and herbs. DEEEElicious!!

3 ounces stuffed olives, sliced (3/4 cup)
(You can use a mixture of black and green, or those dried garlic olives, or lemon stuffed, etc.
let your taste buds guide you on this)
3 ounces roasted peppers (about 3/4 cup, drained and sliced)
(you could also use an equal amount of sundried tomatoes, packed
in oil, drained well and slivered)
1 TBS fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 TBS minced fresh chives
4 ounces grated Parmesan Cheese (1 cup)
12 ounces of plain flour (2 3/4 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp fine ground black pepper (yes, this is correct)
1 tsp dry mustard powder
2 large free range eggs, beaten
300ml of buttermilk (1 1/4 cups)
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil

for the egg wash:
1 medium free range egg, beaten with a drop of water
to decorate:
slivers of roasted peppers
or sun dried tomatoes, sprigs of fresh thyme
Flakes of sea salt



Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 2 pound loaf tin and line lengthwise with some parchment paper that overhangs the ends so as to ease lifting it out when done.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, soda, sea salt, dry mustard powder, black pepper, herbs and cheese together in a bowl. Stir in the sliced olives and peppers. Beat together the buttermilk, eggs and olive oil. Add all at once to the dry mixture and then mix together just to combine without overmixing. There should be no dry areas, but it is ok if it seems a bit lumpy. That is actually a good thing. Scrape the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and then smooth the top over. Brush with the egg wash and then sprinkle with a few sprigs of fresh thyme, some flakes of sea salt and some slivered roasted pepper.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until well risen and golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before lifting out and onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

Note: This goes wonderfully with soups and salads. Should it not all get eaten on the day, try the leftovers toasted and spread with butter. Oh so scrummy!! (It is doubtful that you will have any left over but should you, you can keep it for several days wrapped tightly in foil.) I do not recommend freezing.

There is nothing my Todd loves more than a good old fashioned Custard Tart. I think it is his favourite all time dessert. He loves it chilled, served ice cold from the fridge, with just a little wobble, but still oh so scrummy.



Stogged full of lots of nutmeg and vanilla . . . all rich and eggy and covered with lashings of more freshly grated nutmeg just prior to baking.



It needs no more adornment, as it sits there all chilled and proud on the plate . . . screaming to all within hearing distance . . . I am an English Tart . . . a Custard Tart . . . take me in your mouth and feel the rich wobble of my deliciousness, all silky and smooth . . .



Custard is a favourite dessert. Custard in a tart?? Double favourite dessert.

I do confess . . . I prefer mine warm . . . but in defference to my much beloved hubster, I chill it and we has it that way. Oh the sacrifices we make for love eh?



In truth, it is not really much of a hardship. Note: if you don't like nutmeg . . . this isn't the dessert for you!



*A Traditional Custard Tart*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

A good old fashioned tart, rich and creamy with a wobbly filling and lots of nutmeg. This is Todd's favourite dessert.

For the filling:
3 large free range eggs, plus 2 large free range egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 pint of single cream (2 cups)
2 ounces caster sugar (a scant 1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 whole nutmegs, grated
1 tsp of softened butter

For the pastry:
5 ounces of plain flour, plus more for dusting (a scant cup)
pinch of salt
1 ounce of softened lard (1/8 cup)
1 1/2 ounces of softened butter (1/8 cup plus a heaped TBS)
1 TBS cold water

Sift the flour for the pastry into a large bowl along with the salt. Drop in the lard and butter. Rub the fat into the flour, using your fingertips and working quickly, until it is nice and crumbly. Sprinkle over the water and then work it in with a fork, adding a few drops more water if needed, until you have a smooth dough that leaves the side of the bowl clean. Shape into a flat disk. Wrap in cling film and then place into the refrigerator to chill and rest for about half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Pop a tray into the oven to heat. Roll the pastry out into a circle on a surface lightly dusted with flour. You will want a round about inch wider than the pie dish. Transfer it to the pie dish, dropping it in and pressing it lightly but firmly around the base sides and rim. Trim off any excess, and press decoratively using the tines of a fork all around the edge.Prick all over with a fork on the base and place the crust onto the heated baking tray. Bake for abput 20 minutes on the centre shelf of the oven until crisp and golden brown, checking after it has been in the oven about 5 minutes to make sure the centre of the pastry isn't rising. If it is knock it back down and give it a few more pricks with the fork. At the end of 20 minutes, remove the crust, still on the baking tray from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.

Place the cream and vanilla into a saucepan and bring it up to a simmer. Whisk the beaten eggs and sugar together in a large heatproof jug. Slowly pour the hot cream over the beaten eggs, whisking continuously. Whisk in half of the nutmeg. Carefully pour the whisked mixture into the pastry case and scatter the rest of the nutmeg over top. Dot with the softened butter. Place the tray with the tart on top back into the oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is golden brown, firm in the centre and slightly puffed. Serve either warm or chilled. (Todd likes it completely chilled.)

One of the flavours I love most about Easter is the tasty flavour of a Hot Cross Bun. They have been in the grocery shops over here since Christmas practically, but I like to savour them closer to the holiday. I find it makes them just that much more special! I hate overkill and that's what the shops do . . .



Last year I made Hot Cross Scones, which were fabulous. You can find that recipe HERE. I know you will enjoy them and I plan on making them at least once during the coming weeks.



I also made the traditional Hot Cross Buns. OH so scrummy. Oh, they try to dress them up with all sorts in the shops . . . apples, dates, etc. . . . I am afraid I love the good old fashioned mixed fruit ones best of all. You can find that recipe HERE.



This year I thought I would bake some deliciously different Hot Cross Muffins. All the flavours of a hot cross bun, except in a muffin. Moist and scrummy and on the table in about half an hour's time, including the mixing up!



You can't beat that for almost instant gratification! Stogged full of dried fruit and spiced with the warm flavours of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, these are real winners! I hope you'll give them a try!



Only a couple of days until spring officially arrives people!! Yipee!!



*Hot Cross Muffins*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

All the flavours of a hot cross bun, except a lot quicker and easier to make! Scrummy!

8.5 ounces of plain flour (2 cups)
5 ounces mixed dried fruit (1 cup)
3.5 ounces caster sugar (1/2 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 large free range eggs
8 fluid ounces of milk (1 cup)
2 ounces of butter, melted (1/4 cup)
2 TBS grated orange rind
4 ounces sifted icing sugar (1 cup)
4 tsp milk (approximately)

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.

Measure the flour, dried fruit, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves,soda and orange rind into a bowl, whisking all well together. Beat together the milk, eggs, and butter. Add all at once to the dry ingredients. Mix together only to moisten. Spoon the batter into the muffin cases.

Bake for 25 minutes, until risen and lightly browned. Remove from the oven. Tip out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

Whisk together the icing sugar ane enough water to make a creamy drizzle. Spoon over top of the cooled muffins in the shape of a cross. Enjoy!

So today we splurged on Boiled Bacon and Cabbage . . . well, actually a boiled gammon slipper joint and cabbage. It went down a real treat along side of peeled potatoes I had cooked in the pot liqueur along with the cabbage and some whole peeled carrots.

I hardy missed having Corned Beef at all. ☺



The vegetables were really tasty, scooped onto our plates and spread with a bit of butter and a grinding of pepper.



The gammon was oh so tender and pink . . . and delicious with this onion and mustard sauce I made to go along with it. Silky and rich, and filled with soft as butter onions bits and a light mustard tang . . . it went perfectly with the slight saltiness of the gammon.

It would also go very well with a mild favoured fish such cod or haddock.



The trick is to cook the onions until they are pratically melting, without colouring them. You will want to cook them on the lowest heat possible and stir them frequently. Your reward for all this attention will be a deliciously rich and tangy sauce!




*Onion and Mustard Sauce*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

A delicious sauce to serve with gammon or bacon, or even fish.

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 rounded teaspoon of dry mustard powder
1 rounded teaspoon of grainy mustard
1 1/2 ounces of butter (3 TBS)
1 ounce plain flour (2 TBS)
6 fluid ounces of milk
6 ounces of ham stock
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Melt 2 TBS of the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion. Cook over the lowest heat possible, for about 20 minutes without colouring, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the flour and mustard powder, and cook over low heat for about a minute. Whisk in the milk a little bit at a time. Whisk in the ham stock in the same way. Cook and whisk until the mixture bubbles and thickens somewhat. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. Whisk in the remaining butter and the grainy mustard. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper to taste. (You probably won't need any salt, depending on your tastes.) Pour into a sauceboat and serve warm at the table.

A few days ago I was contacted and asked me if I would like to try out a few products. I was quite happy to oblidge.

I opted for the Giant Cupcake Pan from Eddingtons and a really cute little Retro Milk and Sugar set from Make My Day.



They arrived this morning and I could wait to get stuck in to using them. I have always wanted a cupcake cake tin and I was pretty excited about it. It came with expert instruction on how to use it and how much batter to use.



It suggested you use a 6 egg cake batter and so I decided to use Mary Berry's Victorian Sandwich Cake recipe, doubled, as it is one of our favourites. The cake tin is all in one piece, which includes the cupcake base section and the cupbake top section. One down side of this is that the bottom takes longer to bake than the top and so you have to put the tin into the oven with just the bottom filled and then take it out about halfway through the cooking time and fill the top part. Anyone who is a baker knows that messing around with taking cakes in and out of ovens during the baking process is a risky business, and prone to failure and sure nuff . . . my cake ended up sunk a bit in the middle and heavy. I would say that this is a major hiccup in anotherwise beautiful pan, and I'm not sure how to get around it.



I also decided to use all butter in the cake recipe this time, as someone had suggested in the comments section the last time I baked it that you should always use all butter in a Victorian Sponge, and I have to say we are not very happy with the texture of the cake, and have found it to be far too rich. I will definitely go back to using half butter and half marg. When Mary Berry says to use half and half, I would think she definitely knows what she is talking about. I should have listened to her. ( I would have to say that the cake is almost greasy and that is not good in my books. I like butter, but too much is too much!)



Nevertheless the cake was quite cute when completed and decorated and looked just adorable sitting on my table with that sweet little milk and sugar set. I am in love with that. It is not too big and not too small. The milk container resembles an old fashioned pint milk bottle, complete with a rubber cover to keep it fresh. I collect milk and sugar containers so this is a lovely addition to my collection.



I was able to use my Tovolo Utensils again, that they had sent me previously and I have to say that I am very impressed with the. Sturdy and brightly coloured they have become my favourite utensils. Knowing that I have something to use that is heat resistant, sturdy and that won't scrape my pans is a blessing! I am especially enamoured with the slotted mixing spoon. It has a lovely stainless steel handle and is very strong and able to handle the thickest of batters with ease. The scraper is also very good and sturdy. These are lifetime tools as I cannot see them ever breaking or melting, and after several months of constant use have remained as new looking as the day I received them. I highly recommend.



Thanks very much to Eddingtons and Tovolo, for having sent me these handy little gadgets. I will work at finding a way to make the cake tin work out a bit better. Perhaps a different recipe for the batter and if I bake the layers separately. It will take longer, as it will be like baking two cakes, but for a special occasion it would be well worth the trouble, as it is really cute!!



Nevertheless I did enjoy my little tea for one . . . a tiny sliver of cake and a delicious cup of Cranberry and Pomegranate Herbal tea . . . very refreshing. Sometimes it's nice to spoil yourself just that tiny bit.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone! we'll be enjoying our boiled bacon and cabbage today, how about you?


*Traditional Victorian Sandwich Cake*
Makes one 7 inch cake
Printable Recipe

Popular during the reign of Queen Victoria, this cake remains popular to this day, which is a huge testament to it's taste and ease of baking! Don't be tempted to use all butter. This is one recipe that is better for the use of a mixture of butter and margarine.

3 ounces of butter, softened (6 TBS)
3 ounces soft margarine (6 TBS)
6 ounces caster sugar (1 cup)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs, beaten
6 ounces self raising flour (a scant 1 1/2 cups)

To finish:
3 TBS raspberry jam
buttercream to fill (optional)
icing sugar or caster sugar to dust the top

Butter and base line two 7 inch sandwich tins. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.

Cream the butter, margarine, sugar and vanilla together until light in colour and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. If the mixture begins to curdle, add a spoonful of the flour.

Fold in the flour with a metal spoon, taking care to use a cutting motion so as not to knock out too much of the air that you have beaten into the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake tins, leveling off the surface. Make a slight dip in the centre of each.

Bake on a centre rack of the oven for about 25 minutes, or until the sponges have risen well, are golden brown, and spring back when lightly touched. Allow to cool in the pan for five minutes before running a knife carefully around the edges and turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cooled, place one layer on a cake plate. Spread with raspberry jam and buttercream (if using). Place the other cake on top, pressing down lightly. Dust with icing or caster sugar and serve.