munchiesandmunchkins, Author at Munchies and Munchkins

A Day Inside River Cottage

October 8, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 3 Comments

Last month I had one of my favourite ever blog experiences – a day at River Cottage in Devon.

I love the River Cottage TV shows and books, I regularly cook from my favourite one – Everyday Cooking – especially the flatbreads which are just perfect.

When Foodies100 invited me to join them on this dream trip I was ridiculously excited and it lived up to all of my expectations.

The day was full of discovery, learning and many enjoyable experiences.

One of my favourite parts of the day was meeting fellow bloggers who I had only ever chatted with online. It was so nice to put faces to names and make new connections too.

The food was.. well some of the nicest food I’ve tasted. I’m a bit of an ice cream expert ( or so I like to think as we own our own ice cream business ) and I can assure you that the coffee ice cream with salted caramel throughout was amazing and the fennel meringue…I can’t even describe how good it was.

We made soda bread and butter from scratch, rolling edible flowers into our butter logs to make some of the prettiest butter you have ever seen. I only wish I had the River Cottage gardens to delve into whenever I create new dishes.

On the subject of the gardens we spent some time with the Head Gardener looking around the various plants and herbs, sampling some golden raspberries ( tasty ) and getting to know the pigs and chickens too.

How cute is the runt of the litter?

We spent time with blogger and photographer Lucy Heath of Capture By Lucy learning some food styling skills, it was a really useful session and I picked up some great tips.

Thanks to Foodies100 and River Cottage, all of your staff made us feel so welcome and you truly spoilt us.

Read about some of the other bloggers experiences here:

Rough Measures
Foodie Quine
Annes Kitchen
Tin & Thyme

Creating A Calm Space

October 7, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

Did you know it’s National Wallpaper Week?

A few months ago we started trying to create a calm space in our slightly rundown wooden conservatory. Typically we use it as a utility room and occasionally I use it for photo shoots for the blog to get some natural light in my foodie shots but we thought it would be nice to use it as a room to escape to.

However we were on a bit of a limited budget and couldn’t afford to replace the cheap white units which currently house a washing machine and under counter freezer so we had a moment of inspiration and decided to wallpaper them instead – well actually Andrew did so I can’t take responsibility for that idea!

We were sent some gorgeous wallpapers and paints from Graham & Brown and we used this especially pretty floral one to cover the sides and doors of the units. We then used a bright throw which I had to cover the front of the washing machine and freezer.

We used some blue and green paints to complete our calm space in the conservatory and brighten up the dark wood. We still need some finishing touches but so far we have this ethnic panel from G&B too and its really unusual and gets lots of comments plus it’s actually very lightweight despite looking like a hefty piece so I don’t have to worry about the kids pulling it down onto their heads! Always a possibility in our home.

* We were gifted these items.

A Kitchen Revamp With British Ceramic Tile

October 7, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

Our kitchen is a little small, dark and poky. Or at least it was.

We had tiny black tiles, a dark grey slate effect floor and the whole room felt a bit like a box. Add to this far too many kitchen gadgets ( according to my other half – I don’t believe you can have too many ) and well..it needed a change.

British Ceramic Tile got in touch and asked if we would like some tiles to restyle the room and we got to work. Having two small children and depending entirely on Andrew and his Dad to do the work after their day jobs it took a fair while to complete but it’s finally ( almost ) done.

We chose these cookhouse character tiles in sage green, cream and chocolate brown for the walls and it’s made such a dramatic difference to the room. It instantly seemed bigger, lighter and generally a nicer place to be. The tiles are incredibly good quality and look really stylish whilst also avoiding the too modern feel which I didn’t want in my kitchen.

For the floor we chose these Fabulous tiles in ash. It created the feel of a wooden floor but in a ceramic tiles which are easy to clean and fit. Again they are of a very high quality and look impressive. The light floor brightened the room even more and whilst fitting it my father in law realised we could increase the space in the kitchen by taking the wall back slightly into our large living room meaning it almost feels like a total renovation. We have so much more space to play with and it feels like a homey yet new room. The next job is to fit shelves to create a walk in pantry/larder and use my extra pantry cupboard to store my blenders, pressure cookers etc… Surely mean I can invest in more products..yes?

Overall from start to finish I can recommend using British Ceramic Tile, the delivery process was flawless and the product itself is excellent. Go check out some other room inspiration.

Chai Latte Ice Cream

October 5, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 7 Comments

I’ve been wanting to make a Chai Latte ice cream for ages. As most of you know we make a LOT of ice cream at home for our new business but sometimes I still like to experiment with small batches at home for us to enjoy. This is certainly one of the ones we have enjoyed the most in a long time. It’s insanely creamy and packed full of spicy flavours.

It would be perfect served alongside a slice of apple or pumpkin pie this autumn.

You need to allow about 24 hours to make this ice cream before you want to eat it for the maximum taste explosion.

Chai Latte Ice Cream

You will need:

5 large free range egg yolks
420ml Double Cream
180ml Semi Skimmed Milk
100g Sugar
A pinch of salt
5 good quality Chai Tea bags
4 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
1 star anise

Whisk half of your sugar into your egg yolks in a small bowl, cover and set aside.

Toast your spices (cardamom, cinnamon and star anise) lightly in a large pan to release their aroma and flavour for a few minutes, then add the remaining sugar, milk, cream, teabags and salt. Bring to a slow simmer and then remove from heat, cover and allow to steep for about 45 minutes.

Uncover and return to a medium/high heat. Uncover your eggs and sugar mixture. When it reaches a simmer scoop some the liquid ( about 1/2 a small cup) and pour slowly into the eggs/sugar and whisk quickly, repeat 3 times before pouring all of the egg/sugar mix into the pan and stirring continuously with a spatula. Keep stirring over the heat until the mixture thickened – this should take no more than 3-5 minutes.

Now pour the mixture through a sieve into a clean container, squeeze as much liquid as possible from the teabags before discarding. Allow to cool before placing in the fridge for minimum of 6 hours ( preferably overnight ) then churn using an ice cream machine and freeze until ready to use.

* Note if you are trying to take a hundred photos of your ice cream and your camera breaks so you have to use your phone, your ice cream will melt a lot while you do so!

This is such an indulgent dessert. You could serve sprinkled with cinnamon and a cinnamon stick poking out the top like I did or perhaps a little brown sugar.

Why not try these other Chai recipes?

Chai Courgette Muffins
Pumpkin Tarts With Chai
Chocolate Chai Marsala Cakes
Chai Concentrate

Silent Sunday

October 4, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 9 Comments

Even Better Baking – With Dr. Oetker

October 1, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

When Dr. Oetker got in touch and asked if I would like to recreate one of their recipes on the blog I didn’t have to be asked twice.

I use Dr. Oetker products regularly at home, I love their Fine Cooks 72% Extra Dark cooking chocolate ( good enough to nibble on while you bake ) plus they make excellent bits and bobs for decorating. As much as I love to bake and my cakes always turn out well, my decoration skills are…let’s say not quite as good although they are improving a bit with time and considerable effort.

I recently made this Elsa cake for my daughters fourth birthday:

I made the cake from scratch but the added extras including the blue frosting and the shimmer you can see across the cake came from Dr. Oetker products.

The recipe I was asked to create was for Macaroons. Now I have never made Macaroons before and here are some tips for making the process easier for yourself:

1. You NEED a piping bag. Don’t underestimate the importance of this.

2. You also NEED greaseproof paper or they WILL ALL stick to each and every baking tray you try.

3. Do not have small children running around poking their fingers in or generally messing everything up. As fun as it is…good Macaroons need patience and attention.

Want some more tips before you go any further? Check out this video:

Anyway….

We (myself and Izzy ) made these soft pink Macaroons with a purple buttercream liberally sprayed with shimmer. The twist here is that the purple buttercream is infused with lavender which tastes more than a bit awesome but more on that in a separate post.

These were slightly more rustic than I originally wanted but they worked and tasted great.

We also made these “princess” Macaroons which we simply filled with normal buttercream and rolled in some of the edible sugar decorations from the Dr. Oetker range. Don’t they look pretty?

And at the very last minute when the final batch were in the oven I realised that without the buttercream these are both gluten and dairy free so I filled some with the Dr. Oetker readymade blue frosting which is also conveniently dairy and gluten free which made them the perfect treat for Chloe. I can’t tell you how excited she was by them!

You can find the recipe on the Dr. Oetker site here.

Now who wants to win some prizes?

Bake with Dr. Oetker to win!

Send your bakes that you have made using Dr. Oetker products and tell them what inspired you to make it with #Evenbetterbaking.

Each week Dr. Oetker will pick a Star Baker who will win a goodie bag, and entry into their prize draw to win an Ultimate Baking Hamper worth £500.

To keep up to date with all the latest Even Better Baking news, follow @droetkerbakes on Twitter,DrOetkerBaking on YouTube or likewww.facebook.com/DrOetkerBaking

*I was compensated for my time in recreating this recipe.

Sisters – Autumn 2015

September 30, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

Every now and again I like to take a little look at how the girls are growing alongside each other. At how they are bonding and just loving life as only young children can.

They are both as busy as ever, Izzy just turned 4 and is full of ideas and questions about life. Some are funny..others a little odd and well some I’m not ready to answer yet.

Chloe is doing a little better lately, she’s still not quite where we would like her to be but compared to 3 months ago it’s a major improvement. If she just slept a little better then that would be great. Just look at how much healthier she looks!

They drive each other crazy at times, Chloe is becoming a little tease and loves to taunt Izzy but mostly they are great together. They are really starting to play well and their little conversations make me laugh every day. Each morning they cuddle up on the settee, still sleepy and oh so loving.

Luckily they both still want hugs with me too. Since I’ve returned to work both girls have become slightly clingier and Izzy especially gets a little upset when I leave but I know that she is also enjoying the extra time with both sets of grandparents. I’m finding it hard too and I always wish that I could be able to be at home full time with them but life isn’t that easy so we get on with things. I’m trying hard to focus on them as much as possible when I’m not in work and actually find I’m getting more organised with my time as a result. My family are the most important part of my life and I let nothing get in the way of that.

Life is crazy and chaotic with two young girls but it’s wonderful and fun and full of love.

Food Blogger Of The Fortnight – Gingey Bites

September 28, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 2 Comments

Name of blog: Gingey Bites

I first met Alex at a blogger event last year as we are both Official Bloggers for The BBC Good Food Show. We spent a day at Brompton Cookery School and it was lovely to meet a fellow blogger who was full of joy about food. I love Gingey Bites for it’s “proper” food – food I can easily picture myself both making and eating. I also enjoy her reviews which are always thorough and make you feel as if you were there enjoying the sumptuous meals she tries.

A bit about Gingey Bites:

I started my blog in the summer of 2012 shortly before I was made redundant. I loved cooking and eating out and realised I was turning into one of those strange people who take pics of their dinner! I wanted to do something creative whilst I was off work and Gingey Bites was born! Here I am still going strong and loving every minute.

Your most popular recipe:

It’s not a recipe so much as a review. This is by far my most read post – I took the challenge to cook one of Jamie Olivers 30 minute meals within 30 minutes.

Jamie Oliver Asian Style Broth

Your personal favourite recipe:

I absolutely love one pot recipes, anything in a sauce. So, curry, stew, chilli and casseroles! Like this recipe here

Where can we find you?
www.gingeybites.com
www.twitter.com/gingeybites
www.instagram.com/gingeybites

Silent Sunday

September 27, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

A Day Inside River Cottage

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Creating A Calm Space

Like this:

A Kitchen Revamp With British Ceramic Tile

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Chai Latte Ice Cream

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Silent Sunday

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Even Better Baking – With Dr. Oetker

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Sisters – Autumn 2015

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Food Blogger Of The Fortnight – Gingey Bites

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Silent Sunday

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