Jo's Gorgeous Ginger Bread

Jo is my boss, she also prides herself on her baking abilities and from what I've tasted so far she's pretty darn good! Today she popped a little treat on my desk and boy was it good, these gingerbread men aren't your usual tough and hard biscuit style these are soft and almost like a firm sponge but definitely won't compare to any you've ever tried before...

The measure stated is a US cup which equates to 234g or 117g for 1/2 a cup.

You will need:

1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup of molasses or black treacle
3/4 of teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2.5 cups of flour
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of crushed cloves
A dash of milk to help the mixture bind together
(1/2 a US cup = 117g)

Method:
Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in egg and molasses or treacle.
Sift flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon and cloves into wet mixture and mix together. You might need a dash of milk to help bind to make a dough mixture.
Chill for at least half an hour in fridge, making sure the bowl is covered with cling film.

The fun bit:
Roll dough out to at least 1cm thick and cut out with cutter. Place the little chaps on greased baking sheets and bake for 5 mins at 192 degrees. Remember to give them space to grow whilst in the oven, they do spread out a little bit and you wouldn’t want to have to slice them apart afterwards, ouch!!
Cool on a wire rack.

Simple Soups

Soup has to be one of my favourite things to make and eat. You can make it as complex or as simple as you like. Personally I find the simpler the better however I've written up my top three favourite soup recipe's for you to try. Please do comment and let me know what you think and always add what YOU like i.e. if you hate garlic don't put it in and if you love basil whack a load more in! Soup's are easily adaptable and once you start you just can't stop. They're fresh, healthy, thrifty and tasty.... what's not to love?

Butternut Squash Soup

This simple soup is great on a cold day as a filling lunch-time treat. It makes fantastic flask soup for long walks!

You will need:

• One Butternut Squash: pealed and diced
• One whole bulb of Garlic
• Olive Oil
• 2 Pint Vegetable stock
• 1/2 Pint of Single Cream
• Small Grating of Nutmeg

Method:

Slice the garlic bulb in half and place in a roasting tin with the squash, a slug of olive oil and a little salt and pepper at 200 degrees for roughly 30 minutes. Roast until the squash is soft and just starting to caramelise. Then squeeze the garlic bulbs to release the puree and place into a blender with the squash pieces cream and vegetable stock. Blend until smooth! Pop back over the hob on a medium heat until warmed through grating in a very small amount of nutmeg 5 minutes before serving. Serve with warm pita bread!

Classic Mushroom Soup

My Dad's favourite and a recipe that's been in my family for years. A classic that can be glammed up for a starter at a dinner party with a swirl of cream or in a mug when you fancy a cosy comforting meal for one!

You will need:

• 30 Button Mushrooms
• 30 Chestnut Mushrooms
• 10 Porchini Mushrooms
• 1 Pint Double Cream
• 2 Pint Chicken Stock
• 3 Cloves of Garlic: pealed and crushed
• 1 Rosemary Sprig
• Olive Oil

Method:

Roast all the mushrooms in a large roasting tin with the rosemary sprig, crushed garlic and a slug of olive oil in the oven at a 200 degree heat for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and throw away the rosemary sprigs. Place all the roasting tin ingredients in a blender with the stock and cream and blend. Blend this to your desired consistency, I prefer my mushroom soup slightly chunky however this is entirely upto you! Pop back over the hob on a medium heat until warmed through. Serve with a crusty bread roll!

Thai Inspired Chicken Noodle Soup

A slightly spicy light soup that can be made in half an hour. A great way to use up the remainders of a roast chicken!

You will need:

• Shredded Roast Chicken
• 1 Red Chilli: finely chopped
• 1 Stem of Lemon Grass
• 1 Small Packet of Rice Noodles
• 2 Pints of Chicken Stock
• 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp of Sesame Oil
• 1/2 Tin of Sweetcorn

Method

Bash the lemon grass with a rolling pin, tie in a knot and add to a large pan filled with the shredded chicken, stock, soy sauce, sesame oil and chilli. Heat through and allow to gently simmer for 25 minutes with a lid on. 5 minutes before serving add the rice noodles and sweetcorn. Remove the lemon grass and serve in large bowls!

From Fashion to Food!

In May this year Gok Wan will be making his cookery début for Channel 4. After being brought up in the Chinese restaurant trade Gok will be reminiscing his fathers favourite dishes.

As much as I love Gok I don't know how I'm going to find his attempt at a cookery show, I'm sure it will be amusing to watch however I'm not entirely convinced I'll be whipping out my fish-sauce in a hurry after. I have to say I'm a great believer in 'stick to what you know' however I'll be sure to report back in May and see if I'm eating my words... excuse the pun!

Fitzbillies Cambridge

Fitzbillies is a Cambridge treasure steeped in history. The 1920's bakery located on Trumpington Street in Cambridge has been recently renovated since the previous owners went bankrupt. Now owed by The Guardian food writer Tim Hayward and his wife they are putting back the tradition into Fitzbillies as well as introducing new elements to this Cambridge institution.

Even famous faces such as Stephen Fry tweeted when Fitzbillies looked as if it was dying a slow death...

"Feb 09 2011 @stephenfry No! No! Say it ain't so - not Fitzbillies? Why I tweeted a pic of one of their peerless Chelsea buns but a sixmonth ago"

They have always been famed for their sweet treats such as their world famous Chelsea buns however they have now introduced a dinner service on Friday and Saturday nights. With a small menu of reasonably priced, well cooked, regional produce they seem to have filled a much open gap in the Cambridge restaurant scene.

To start I ordered sorrel breaded mussels which where absolutely delicious, the portion was larger than I expected however I must admit I scoffed the lot as well as two slices of scrumptious brown bread with proper butter i.e. salted and delish!

For my main course both myself and my fiancée ordered the quail with mash and braised shallots. It was pleasant however I found the quail a little tricky to eat. The jus surrounding the quail was lovely and the braised shallots an usual twist! I was pleased that the quail was pink and not over cooked as so often meat is.

After meeting Tim myself at a work function last week I expected great things from my visit to Fitzbillies, I was thoroughly pleased with the food and more than happy to part with my cash however the thing I enjoyed most were the superb staff members who were more than happy to make me my favourite hot chocolate which they make with their cake granache.... it really is heaven in a mug! If you visit for anything a Chelsea bun, a mug of hot chocolate and a natter with a good friend definitely makes for a worthwhile trip to Fitzbillies!

Beautiful Banana Bread

A perfect recipe for this time of year great with a slug of tinned custard (there's nothing wrong with a cheat) or simply sliced with a large mug of tea on a cold day in front of 'Loose Women'... no just me?

You will need:

• 250g Self-Raising Flour
• 150g Brown Caster Sugar
• 100g Butter
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract (not essence, this is the work of the devil aha!)

Equipment:

• Loaf Tin
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Wooden Spoon
• Fork
• Breakfast Bowl

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.

In the mixing bowl cream together the butter and caster sugar and then in the breakfast bowl mash your banana's until they resemble a soft pulp. You still want to visibly see banana pieces i.e. don't turn the banana to something you might feed a one year old! Then add your eggs and vanilla extract to this mix and lightly whisk. Slowly add your flour to the mixing bowl and then add your banana/egg mixture slowly to the dry mixture. At this stage adding ingredients such as blue berries, crushed walnuts/pecans often produces fantastic results!

Grease your loaf tin with a little butter and pop in the batter mixture!

Pop it in the oven for roughly 45 minutes being careful to check the loaf regularly it should be a light golden brown when cooked. Be sure to pop a skewer into the middle of the loaf, it'll be ready when the skewer comes out clean!

Place onto a cooling rack and let it cool (unless your like me and you like it slightly warm!) This delicious loaf will keep moist however for best results wrap in tin foil and store in a plastic tub.

*top tip* cover the loaf with icing sugar and lemon juice that has been combined over a low heat for a delicious glazed finish!

The Fabulous Baker Brothers (Channel 4)

In a bid to evidently get young blokes into the kitchen Tom and Henry Herbert, a couple of handsome twenty something brothers use their fast paced show and simple recipes to woo over their audience. Built largely around delicious looking, wholesome food the boys (Butcher and Baker by trade) show off the kings of meat, bread and pastry dishes.

It's definitely not cooking for the faint hearted with dishes like Beef Wellington, Thai curries, Shepard's pie and lardy cake it's food for those who love to showcase beautiful, seasonal traditional and local ingredients.

The show itself is quirky, fast paced and packed with brotherly banter. At times it can be a little twee however the useful baking and cooking tips make for an interesting, watchable programme which definitely get's you reaching for your bread flour!

The Fabulous Baker Brothers is available to watch on 40D.

Long time no bake!

I firstly must make apologies for my sever lacking in blogging. It really has been far too long however with a busy year I've finally got a small amount of time to dedicate to the thing I love most (bar shopping)... BAKING! I'm definitely going to try and dedicate time to more restaurant reviews, recipes and cookery show reviews.

I'm hoping to post a couple of times today to make up for a whole host of lost time!