Lately I have been really astounded at the rate that the cost of my weekly shop is going up.   When I first moved over here 12 years ago, I had a weekly budget of £50 for the two of us and two cats . . . that seemingly paltry amount gave me a grocery cart filled with all that I needed to keep us going for a week.  These days, I am lucky if I can get away with spending any less than £100, and most weeks that doesn't even include such basics as  meat.  I am relying more and more on my food storage, and even then my grocery costs have virtually doubled.  I  just don't know how family's are doing it.

Something's got to give . . . there are only two of us in this house, but we live on a fixed income and there just isn't a lot of extra funds in the budget for all of these increases in costs.  The cost of our heating and electric has gone up, petrol for the car.  These are things we haven't got really a lot of play with . . . kind of out of our control . . . it's become quite evident that the only way I can manage to try to make ends meet is to try to trim my grocery bills . . . not an easy task, in today's economic times.  Everyone is feeling the pinch.


This means a lot more planning on my part.  I need to make up weekly menus now, compile grocery lists and then stick to both . . . the menus and the shopping list.  I can't allow myself to be swayed by two for one offers, or "bargain deals" for things I wasn't going to buy in the first place.  I need to find the best deal for all of the ingredients which I use every day, vital staples and toiletries . . . and also for those little extras . . . because we all need a little treat once in a while.

I recently discovered a site called My Supermarket, which is an online supermarket comparison site.  IT's a great place to find the best supermarket deals here in the UK, and I've been using it lately to help me find the best prices for all of my needs.

My Supermarket  is the UK’s leading independent food & grocery shopping and comparison site. By using it you can find the cheapest prices at the top supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, Waitrose and Ocado. What's more, it's a completely FREE and easy to use service.

They allow you to search the database and find the cheapest prices for food and groceries. You add all the products you need to the basket and My Supermarket will transfer your basket to the relevant supermarkets website to process payment.

In short . . . they do all the legwork so you don't have to.   It’s a great tool to compare prices across the big supermarkets. They display all the latest special offers like buy 1 get 1 free or discounted products, making it easier to save money in one of the few areas we are able to make differences and savings.

I have taken several of my recipes here this morning and I will show you how I was able to economize, not only in the choices I have made for my weekly meals . . . but in how and where I do my shopping. 



For my purposes I will show you the results of one of the ingredients of  the first recipe which I wanted to cook.  Macaroni with Bacon Sauce.  The above slide show shows you all of the options for bacon and the prices which I was able to find at each of the shops.  I was able to see which shop had the bacon I needed at the cheapest price.



*Macaroni with Bacon Sauce*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

This is one of those old fashioned dishes that just never go out of style. Economical and easy to put together, it uses ingredients I always have in my larder, and best of all, it’s delicious! It’s also a good way to get some vegetables into kids that balk at eating vegetables, I’ve never had one turn their nose up at this yet! I like to serve it with a salad and some crusty rolls for mopping up all the sauce. I make short work of all the mincing by using my food processor. It works a treat!

¼ pound of lean bacon, cut into 1 inch squares
3 medium carrots, peeled and finely minced
3 medium onions, peeled and finely minced
1 large green pepper, de-seeded and finely minced
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
¼ cup of tomato paste (puree)
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1- 1 ½ cups of hot vegetable stock
1 pound of macaroni
Grated parmesan cheese*

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the bacon and cook, until it starts to crisp up a bit and the fat begins to run. Add all the vegetables, mushrooms and the garlic and cook, stirring from time to time, until quite tender. Drain off any fat, if present. Add the tomato paste, seasonings and enough of the hot vegetable stock just to make a sauce that is thick enough to coat the pasta, but not runny. Let simmer for about ten minutes.

In the meantime bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook your macaroni according to package directions. Drain well when done and stir the hot macaroni into the sauce, mixing well to coat. Let stand a few minutes before serving. Serve hot with a healthy dusting of grated parmesan cheese on top.

*Note: if you are not fond of Parmesan Cheese, a nice cheddar goes very well also.

 

This screen shot shows you the results of price comparisons at each of the shops for all of the ingredients I added to my shopping basket.  Note:  I chose the store brand ingredients, and did not opt for special offers, as I could certainly have done, saving even more money.  I kept it simple though so that I could show you how very well this site works.  From the price comparisons on this recipe alone, there was a vast difference in prices for the whole list of ingredients, from as low as £11.20 at Sainsbury's to £12.74 at Waitrose.

 

*Cheese and Onion Soup*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This may be quick and easy but it's not short on flavour. Proof positive that you don't need complicated or expensive ingredients to make something quite, quite tasty!

4 medium sized onions, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
16 ounces boiling water (2 cups)
16 ounces whole milk (2 cups)
a knob of butter
a couple of handfuls of grated strong cheddar cheese (I like to use a good Farmhouse cheddar)
4 slices of buttered toast (I like a hearty whole wheat)
seasalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
a pinch of grated nutmeg
2 spring onions, finely chopped for garnish

Place the chopped onions into a large saucepan along with the boiling water and some salt. Simmer until tender. The onions should be quite translucent and very tender. This should take about 20 minutes. Add the milk and bring back just to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for a further 15 minutes. Add the knob of butter and season to taste with some salt, pepper and a p9inch of nutmeg.

Put a slice of buttered toast into the bottom of each of four heated soup plates. Top each with some of the cheese. Ladle the hot soup over top and sprinkle each with a garnish of chopped spring onions. Serve immediately.





*Tomato Dumplings*
Serves 4 - 6
Printable Recipe

Light and fluffy, and wonderfully savoury, these dumplings float on a delicious sea of a robust and tasty tomato sauce. What’s not to like about these lovely taste tempting babies?

½ cup peeled and finely chopped onion
¼ cup finely chopped green pepper
¼ cup finely chopped celery
¼ cup butter
1 bay leaf, broken in half
28 ounces of tinned chopped tomatoes, in their juices, undrained
1 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the Dumplings:
1 cup plain flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp of Italian garlic seasoning
1 TBS cold butter
1 TBS snipped fresh parsley
2/3 cup of milk

Melt the butter in a large skillet (with a lid) over medium high heat. Whenit begins to sizzle add the onion, pepper and celery. Cook, stirring, until they are tender. Add the bay leaf, tomatoes, brown sugar, basil, salt and pepper. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Make the dumplings as follows.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and garlic seasoning together in a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Stir in the parsley and then finally stir in the milk, mixing it only until mixed together and all the dry ingredients are uniformly moist.

Remove the lid from the simmering tomato mixture and drop the dumpling batter onto the top of the simmer liquid by tablespoonfuls. Cover tightly with a lid and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes without peeking, until a toothpick inserted into one of the dumplings comes out clean and they look set and somewhat dry on top. Serve immediately, spooned out onto warm plates.



*Spicy Pork Chops With Peaches*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Oh my but these are some tasty. I just love peaches and pork is a meat that goes so very well with fruit. Tender, juicy and spicy these chops please on many levels. I simply served them with rice and a vegetable and it was a meal fit for a king!

2 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS, plus 1/3 cup orange juice
2 TBS soy sauce
3/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp mild curry powder
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless pork chops
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cups peeled and thickly sliced peaches

Combine the brown sugar, 2 TBS of orange juice, soy sauce, cardamom, curry powder and pepper in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

Trim all the fat off of your pork chops. Place them into a heavy plastic bag or between two sheets of cling film and bash them with a rolling pin (gently) until they are about 1/3 of an inch thick and uniform in size. (this also helps to tenderize them) Place them into a shallow glass dish and pour the spice mixture over top. Allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes, or cover and place in the fridge to marinate for up to 2 hours.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Shake off any excess marinade (reserving marinade) and cook the chops in the heated pan, browning well on both sides. This should take about 2 minutes per side. While the chops are browning, add the peaches to the marinade, turning them to coat them all over.

Add the remaining 1/3 cup of orange juice to the pan and bring to a simmer, stirring. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer the chops, turning occasionally,until the chops are cooked through, some 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the chops from the pan to a plate and cover loosely with foil. Keep warm.

Add the peaches and the reserved marinade to the pan. Increase the pan heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid is reduced to a light sauce. Stir any juices from the resting pork chops. To serve, spoon the sauce and peaches over the chops.



*Gingered Shortbread Biscuits*
Makes 5 dozen ( or so)
Printable Recipe

These wonderful biscuits are perfection personified. Buttery. Short. Crumbly. Melt In Your Mouth. Spicy . . . perfection. Three little bites of heaven.

1 cup of butter, room temperature (225g)
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted (65g)
3 TBS finely chopped candied ginger
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups flour, sifted (200g)

Pre-heat the oven to 300*F/150*C.

Place the butter into a bowl and cream it together with the sugar until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the ginger and the salt. Gradually work in the flour until it is all incorporated.

Divide the dough into thirds and working with one third at a time, shape into a round and roll it out 1/4 inch thick in between two sheets of wax or baking paper. Cut into shapes as desired. Place on baking sheets. Repeat until you have used all the dough, re-rolling the scraps as need be.

Bake for 17 to 20 minutes until light golden and set. Remove to a wire rack to cool

Optional: Melt about 2 ounces of dark chocolate by breaking it up and placing it into a bowl. Heat in the microwave for 20 second intervals, until completely melted. Using a fork or a small spoon drizzle the melted chocolate over the cooled biscuits. Allow to set and dry before storing in air tight containers.

 

I put into my shopping cart all of the ingredients which I would need to buy, that I didn't already have in my store cupboard for all of these recipes here on this page today.  (I didn't add spices which I had in my spice rack already, or salt and pepper, small amounts of sugar, etc. which I would already have as a matter of course.)  I didn't have to switch pages from one grocery store to the other.  Supermarket.co.uk automatically added my choices to the cart in each grocery store and by that I was able to compare the end total from all of the shops and therefore determine which would give me the best prices for these particular recipes, which I feel are a fair sampling of what I would be cooking for the most part in a week.  Of course I would need to add other essentials to the list, but for this comparison of only these particular recipes I could easily see which supermarket was going to give me the best prices.

I have to say I think this is a brilliant tool and I am going to use it from now on!  They claim you can save up to 35% on your grocery bills and by my comparison shop, I was able to see just that.  The total cost of my shopping was only £31.14 at ASDA, as compared to the most expensive which was Tesco at £36.60 (even higher than the premium shop Waitrose!)

It was easy to use.  I could swap from one store to another with ease. It showed a comparison price total for all of the major shops, and the checkout was a breeze.

So, what's my end opinion of all of this??  I think it's a great site, and even if I don't actually order my groceries online for delivery, I will still be able to compare the prices and then drive to the shop which is going to give me the best all round value for my money, and in this day and age, that is something which is worth it's weight in gold.  I give My Supermarket two thumbs up and a 10 out of 10 for what they offer.

We are terribly fond of chicken here in The English Kitchen. I think it is the one protein that we eat the most of and we probably have it at least twice a week.  We may have a red meat once a week, or even less than that . . . and we always have fish at least once as well . . . but chicken, well, it's a real mainstay in our kitchen.



More often than not, I will serve Chicken Breasts.  Chicken was not something we had very often when I was growing up.  Occasionally my mother would do a Roast Chicken as a treat . . . and every once in a Blue Moon she would cook Maryland Fried Chicken, which we loved.  It was Chicken Breasts, dipped in egg and cracker crumbs and then fried.  When that was on the menu, we knew were in for a real treat!  Chicken used to be a lot more expensive in the olden days.



Nowadays it's fairly affordable, depending on which type you buy.  If you are not bothered as to it's source or the ethics of responsible rearing, well then you could probably eat chicken every night of the week, coz that kind of chicken is cheap as chips.  I am a bit more bothered about these things.  The Toddster worked on a Battery Chicken Egg Farm in Germany when he as younger for a short time and it was more than he could stomach . . . I have a real heart for animal cruelty and so I don't have a stomach for eating any kind of meat that's not raised according to high standards of animal welfare . . . so we eat chicken about twice of three times a week, and it's always free range.



I know if I had a large family to feed it might be different, but for now it's just us two here,  and I can afford to pay a bit more.  I know not everyone has that option. I love chicken breasts because they are like a blank canvas just waiting to be written upon.   They take to so many different flavours and styles of cooking . . . and as long as you don't overcook them, they make a pretty good basis for a delicious supper.



Today I cooked them a la Cordon Bleu.  I know . . . which interestingly enough is not to be confused with the French Cooking School of the same name.  Cordon Bleu actually originated in Switzerland . . . and was done using veal cutlets, stuffed with cheese and ham.  Chicken Cordon Bleu is, I believe . . . an American invention.    Cordon Bleu merely means Blue Ribbon . . . and this is my blue ribbon chicken!



I broke all the rules of course.  But I think I have made it better.  I rolled the ham around the cheese, a good Swiss Emmenthal in this case, and then I cut a pocket into the chicken breast and stuffed it inside.  No risk of the cheese oozing out because it's inside the ham.  I also happen to believe that if you can cut through the fibres of a chicken breast like that . . . you are going to have one very tender chicken breast.  I could be wrong, don't quote me on that . . . I only know for sure that it seems to work.



That was the only rule I broke though.  I then floured, egged and crumbed it as per normal, or pane (pan-aaaa) as it was called in Culinary School.  I added butter to the crumbs ahead of time so that I wouldn't have to fry them, and then I baked them for a few minutes at a high temperature, and then finished them off at a lower temperature.



The end result . . . perfectly cooked Chicken Cordon Bleu . . . crisply crumbed on the outside, moist and tender on the insides and chock full of oozing cheese and ham.



In short.  Fabulous.  But don't take my word for it.  Try them out yourself and see if I'm not telling the truth.  ☺



  *Simple Chicken Cordon Bleu*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

A traditionally complicated dish, simplified.  Delicious and quite easy really!

25 buttery round crackers
4 slices of sourdough bread
6 TBS butter, melted
8 thin slices of deli ham
8 ounces of emmenthaler cheese, grated (about 2 cups, Swiss)
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I like to use free range chicken)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large free range eggs
2 TBS Dijon mustard
100g of plain flour (about 1 cup)

Preheat the oven 225*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.  Have ready a large baking tray with a lip.  Stir together about 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of black pepper in a small bowl.

Put the crackers into a food processor and blitz until they are coarsely ground.  Dump into a bowl.  Do the same with the bread, dumping it into the same bowl.  Pour the melted butter over all and toss together.  Spread the crumb mixture out over the baking tray.  Bake them in the hot oven, stirring them from time to time, until golden brown.  This can take anywhere between 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove from the oven and place in a shallow bowl.  Set the tray aside.

Wash your chicken breasts, pat dry and then cut a deep pocket in the thickest part of the breast, with a sharp knife, making an opening of about 3 inches, sliding the knife carefully inside to create the cavity without cutting through the meat to the back or the bottom.  Lay your slices of ham out on a board.  Top each slice with 1/8th of the grated cheese (about 1/4 cup), then roll the ham tightly around it to cover the cheese completely.  Stuff two of these ham rolls in each cavity of the chicken.

Beat the eggs, together with the mustard,  in a shallow bowl.  Place the flour in another shallow bowl.  You should have three shallow bowls laid out.  Place them in this order:  Flour, Eggs and then finally bread crumbs.  Season each chicken breast all over with some of the salt and pepper mix.  Roll each in the flour, then dip into the egg to coat, finally rolling each in the toasted crumbs, pressing the crumbs on to help them adhere.  Place them onto a clean baking sheet, when done, leaving a bit of space between each.  (At this point you could refrigerate them until you are ready to bake them  if you wished.)

Place them into the heated oven and bake for 10 minutes at the higher temperature.  Reduce the oven heat to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6, and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and the chicken juices run clear when it is pierced with a fork.  Transfer to a platter and tent with foil.  Allow to rest for five minutes before serving.

I try to take a list with me whenever I go grocery shopping, and I try really hard to stick to it . . . but I always inevitably come home with a few things that weren't on my list.  And it's not normally something like biscuits or other naughty bits . . . it's more than likely to be a fruit or a vegetable that's just caught my eye and created a craving.



The other day I came upon some Cavolo Nero Cabbage, and it looked really tasty . . . really nice,  dark green and very fresh looking . . . it's leaves all tightly crinkled.  Flavorsome and mildly astringent, it is a lovely brassica that is a real favourite of mine.  It's chock full of vitamins and good things.   It's also known as Black Cabbage, Tuscan Cabbage and Black or Dinosaur Kale, due to it's upright and extremely wrinkled black green leaves.  Of course I had to bring some home with me.



It's just lovely shredded and added to vegetable soups, and is lovely when braised.  You can even toss it with some olive oil and seasonings and then bake it in the oven until it is crispy like Kale Chips.  Today I decided to just make a simple gratin with it, using up some things in my fridge that needed using up. I had some pancetta cubes that were coming close to their sell by date and a pot of double cream . . . just perfect for using up in this  delicious dish.  Very easy to make . . . I like easy to make as I am rather lazy at times.  I put my hand up and admit it.



You will want to wash it really well as, with all of those little crinkles . . . it has a tendency to hold in grit and dirt.  Just wash it under some running water and shake it dry.  I always cut the middle stems out of the Cavolo as it can be a bit stringy and fibrous, and I am not all that fond of the texture.  Then I just simply slice it crosswise coarsely, and steam.



Bacon and cabbage are perfect partners and so I sauteed the pancetta until it was just beginning to crisp and let out it's juices and then I added a chopped onion, and cooked it all until it was golden and soft.  Then I dumped in the pot of cream and a tablespoon of Dijon mustard.



I put the steamed cabbage into a shallow baking dish and then I poured the delicious cream mixture over top, sprinkled with come crisp and buttery crumbs and then banged it into the oven until the whole thing was bubbly and the crumbs were turning a nice golden brown.



The sauce was rich, but not overly so . . . with smokey undertones from the bacon and a bit of sharpness from the mustard . . . and then of course there was that golden sweetness of the onions . . . all going very well with those dark green, slightly bitter and astringent leaves.

 

It made a fabulous simple supper tonight, along with a crusty loaf and a few slices of cheddar cheese.  A simple supper for a cool Monday evening . . . warming and satisfying. 



*A Tasty Gratin of Cavolo Nero*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Simple and delicious.

300g of Cavolo Nero
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
140g of diced pancetta (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
375ml of cream
1 heaped TBS of Dijon mustard
buttered crumbs

Wash the Cavolo Nero well.  Trim out and discard the thick ribs in the center, and coarsely chop.  Fill a large skillet half full of water.  Season generously with salt and bring to the boil.  Add the Cavolo Nero and cover.  Steam for about 5 minutes, then drain well.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/gas mark 4.

Add the diced pancetta to the skillet and cook until it begins to release it's fat.  Add the onion.  Cook and stir until the pancetta is lightly crisped and the onion has softened.  Add the Dijon mustard and cream, whisking all together.  Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat.  Taste and adjust seasoning as required with salt and pepper.

Butter a gratin dish.  Place half of the steamed cabbage in the dish. Drizzle with half of the cream mixture.  Add the remaining cabbage mixture, piling it up slightly in the centre.  Pour the remainder of the cream over top and sprinkle with buttered crumbs. 

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until bubbling and the top has nicely browned.  Serve warm.

 

Thanks so much to all of you who purchased my Christmas Cook-booklet yesterday.  I do hope that you are enjoying it!  If you happened to miss it and are interested, you will find all of the information about it up on the right hand side of my page. I think it's a real fun little book.

 

I was recently asked to participate in the Sunvil Supper Club for the month of October. For this month’s Sunvil Supper Club, they teamed up with the Swedish Tourist board to use one of their recipes to celebrate one of Sweden’s most famous culinary exports . . . the cinnamon bun.  

 

I have a confession to make.  I am not a great yeast bread baker. In fact, I would be the first one to tell you that I make great doorstops . . . but I do not make great bread.  This recipe did look however, like something I could rise to.  (Every pun intended!)

 

I realized when I first began to work through the recipe though . . . 25g of yeast . . . it was far too much, it was almost half the tin of my granulated yeast.  I decided that the recipe must be referring to fresh yeast, which obviously would be quite different.  And so I measured out 1 1/2 tsp of yeast which is what is in most packets of  dried yeast, or 7g.  I also added a bit of sugar to the milk and warmed it a bit so that it would get started properly.

 

Then when I was kneading it together, the dough was very, very stiff . . . and so I decided to add a bit more milk to it until I had a dough which I felt was the right consistency.  Firm, but not too solid . . . and neither too sticky.  Firm and smooth.

 

It took my dough roughly twice the recommended time in the original recipe to rise to what I thought it should in the first rising.  I was very nervous about this, wondering if I had done something wrong . . . it was a nail biting, on the edge moment, but I persevered.

 

Rolled it out as required, spread it with butter, yada, yada, yada  . . . I had severe doubts if I would be very successful with these buns, but in for a penny in for a pound.

 

For the second rising, I put them into my oven on the dough rise program.  I still wasn't sure if these were going to turn out.  Call it a lack of faith in my yeast baking prowess . . . call it whatever you want.  I am not very confident when it comes to baking with yeast.

 

Brushed with egg and sprinkled with some candy pearl cake sprinkles . . . I baked them and wowsa, wowsa . . . I was so surprised.  These turned out really nicely!  Perhaps not quite as light and fluffy as the ones you buy in the shops . . . but quite, quite edible.

 

Todd ate three while they were still warm with his mid-afternoon cuppa . . . I feel a lot more confident about my yeast bread baking prowess.



I wonder what they will be baking in November??? Hmmm . . . the Sunvil Supper Club.  I'll have to check back to see what they are doing.  Fingers cross no yeast is involved!



*Swedish Cinnamon Buns*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

A Swedish national favourite!  Fabulous!

Wheat Dough:
25g yeast (I am assuming this is fresh yeast.  I used
1 1/2 tsp of dried yeast)
75g butter (5 1/4 TBS)
250ml of milk (1 cup)
50g of granulated sugar (generous 4 TBS)
pinch salt
1 tsp ground  cardamom
600g wheat flour (6 cups)

Filling:
100g butter, softened (scant 1/2 cup)
100g sugar (generous 1/2 cup)
4 tsp cinnamon

Glaze:
1 free range egg
2 TBS water
pearl sugar (I used sugar crystals)

In a bowl, mix the yeast and a few tablespoons of the milk.  Leave for a few moments, whilst you melt the butter and combine with the remainder of the milk.  Add in the yeast mixture, and then the sugar, salt, cardamom and flour.  Knead the mixture until the dough is firm and smooth.  (either in a machine using a bread hook or by hand)  Cover the dough with a tea towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes at room temperature.  (I had to add more milk to make the mixture of the right consistency.  I shaped it into a smooth ball after kneading and placed it into a greased bowl, turning it to grease the top before covering it and leaving it in a warm place.  Mine was left for one hour to rise.)

Once risen, briefly knead the dough again and then roll it out to a rectangle around 3mm thick. (1/2 inch).  Carefully spread the dough with the softened butter.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it all over the top of the butter.  Roll the dough up tightly along the longest edge to create a long sausage.  Slice into approximately 25 rounds, 1/2 inch thick. 

Place the rounds into paper muffin cases, with the cut edge facing upwards.  Place onto a large baking sheet.  Cover with a tea towel and allow to raise again for another hour, in a warm place until doubled in size.

Once risen, beat together the egg and water and brush the tops of the buns carefully with this mixture.  Sprinkle with the pearl sugar (or more cinnamon) and bake in a 225*C/425*F/ gas mark 7 oven for around 10 minutes.

This humble sweet treat, more commonly known as kanelbulle in Sweden is a national favourite, and one that has been copied across many parts of the world. They have been covered with a layer of icing in Belgium and the United States, and filled with raisins in the UK, but those with a simple scattering of sugar on the top are the original Swedish favourite. Often made when guests are expected over for coffee, they have become so popular that in recent years it has been given its very own day – kanelbulle dag. Literally translated as ‘cinnamon bun day’, it is now celebrated in Sweden and around much of northern Europe each year on the 4th October.





On a more Festive note, it may only be the beginning of November, but Christmas will be here before we know it and once again, I have created a lovely little Christmas Cook-booklet just in time for the holidays, entitled Christmas In The English Kitchen. Larger than my previous booklets, this one is 47 pages, filled with lots of tasty recipes for everything from soup to nuts, lots of recipes to take you through the Holiday Season.

 

 Gifts From the Kitchen. Delicious Starters, Mains, Sides and Desserts from my very own holiday kitchen. English Folklore and Traditions for the Holidays. Interspersed throughout are twinklings of my own artwork and this one even has several photographs of the food included. Inspiring Quotes, Free Printables and everything you need to know about  the Christmas Celebrations in an English Kitchen.

Available for the same low price as my previous cook-booklets at only £5, this delightful little booklet will be delivered within 24 hours of receipt of your payment as a downloadable PDF, printable booklet.  All who have purchased my past booklets, and this one have been well pleased, and when my readers are happy . . .  that makes me happy too!!

 

For more information and a buy now button, please look HERE.

 

My sister has been on a doughnut baking kick lately.  My mother sent her a doughnut pan and she's been baking doughnuts since, or at least talking about it, looking up recipes, etc. and sharing her thoughts with me.



I was so inspired by her talk that I went out and got myself a doughnut baking tin and decided to bake us some doughnuts too.  Baked doughnuts have to be much, much better for you than fried ones . . .

 

Of course, if you were looking for doughnuts which have the texture of yeast doughnuts . . . you would be disappointed.   These are not them.  They are not fried, nor are they yeasty. If you baked a yeast doughnut you would probably end up with something like a Bagel . . . except sweeter and not as chewy, but I seriously doubt at the end of the day that  it would be like a real yeast doughnut.



These are kind of like a cake doughnut . . . except without the frying.  In other words, very similar to a muffin . . . but with a hole in the middle of it.   And therefore, like a muffin you wouldn't want to over mix the dough . . . or you would end up with a tough doughnut/muffin.  Not quite the same as a fried doughnut . . . but a somewhat healthy substitute.



I was looking through a doughnut book and saw a recipe for some yeasted  and fried ones that were spiced with a chai mixture of spices.  I was intrigued.  I quite like the flavour of chai spice . . .

 

And so I took the recipe which I found for vanilla baked doughnuts here  which looked rather good.  I spiced them up with chair spices and created a chai glaze to spoon over top.



They were actually rather scrummy . . . and I felt good about them because they weren't deep fat fried.  No, they are not quite like a real doughnut . . . but when you're watching the calories, they are a fair substitute!



*Baked Chai Spiced Doughnuts*
Makes 6
Printable Recipe

Spiced just right and much lower in fat than traditional fried donuts!  Moreishly delish.

140g of plain flour (1 cup)
6 TBS golden caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
pinch ground cloves
6 TBS buttermilk
1 large free range egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla essence
1 TBS melted butter

For the glaze:
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 to 2 TBS milk
70g of sifted icing sugar
1 tsp powdered Chai Spice Tea mix
Sprinkles to decorate (optional)

Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.  Spray a 6 cup sized non-stick doughnut baking tin with some low fat cooking spray.  Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and all of the spices.  Whisk together the egg, buttermilk, vanilla and melted butter.  Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just mixed and no dry areas remain.  Pipe or spoon the batter into the prepared doughnut baking tray, filling the indentations 2/3 full.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the centre of one comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan for several minutes before carefully turning them out onto a wire rack.

Whisk the glaze ingredients together until smooth.  Spoon this glaze over the doughnuts while they are still warm, sprinkling with sprinkles as desired.  Store in an air-tight container.