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Simple Chicken Traybake

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I remember the first time I made a traybake. It was after watching a Jamie Oliver programme quite a few years ago before I started blogging or even cooking properly. It was such an easy, throw it all together idea and I’ve probably made something similar once every month or two since then.

It’s normally a use up all my odds and ends recipe but this time I had just done my shopping and fancied a lazy meal with minimal cleaning up afterwards so it was more of a planned meal than usual. It turned out so well that I decided to blog the recipe but bear in mind this is really easy to adapt and use up anything you have in the fridge or veg basket so don’t worry about following too closely.

You will need:

Chicken thighs & drumsticks ( or other meat pieces )
1 large carrot cut into chunks
1 handful of cherry tomatoes
1 handful of green olives
1 red onion cut into eighths
2 roasted red peppers ( I used pre roasted from a jar )
4-6 garlic cloves

To top/season:

3 tbsp of Olive Oil
1 tbsp of smokey paprika
1 large handful of fresh herbs – I used rosemary & thyme (rub in a little olive oil to stop drying/burning)
Salt and pepper

Place all your ingredients into a roasting tray, trying to evenly distribute the meat amongst your other ingredients.
Sprinkle over your herbs and pour over olive oil.

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Sprinkle over your paprika, salt and pepper and bake for about an hour. Check every 15 minutes or so and give it a shake/baste if required.

Simple chicken Traybake

Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving with a large green salad. Enjoy.

Fancy a citrus twist then try this Orange & Lemon Chicken from Foodie Quine or perhaps this Lemon Sole Traybake from Family Friends Food.

Orange & Olive Oil Ice Cream

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You know that feeling you get when you experiment in the kitchen and it pays off.. happy and possibly slightly smug face :-D. I saw a gelato which included olive oil in an American recipe book last year and since then I’ve wanted to try to create my own. I also wanted to try making an Orange flavour ice cream as I bought a huge pack of gorgeously vibrant and juicy Spanish oranges this week and they were just calling me to be used to create something delicious.

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Orange & Olive Oil Ice Cream

225gm of granulated sugar
750ml of semi skimmed milk
250ml of Double Cream
6 Egg Yolks ( Free Range – British Lion Marked )
160ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil – I used an intensely fruity version from Bertolli
1 tbsp of Vanilla Bean Paste
Zest of 2 Oranges

Beat your sugar and egg yolks together in a large bowl for about 3-4 minutes.

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I used an electric hand mixer – if using a hand whisk you will probably need to beat for longer. The mixture should be pale and creamy. Continue to beat while slowly adding your oil, mix for a few more minutes.

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The mixture should be smooth and airy. Now add your milk, cream, vanilla paste and orange zest and beat until combined.

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Slowly pour into your ice cream machine and follow your manufacturer instructions.

Remove from the freezer for at least 10 minutes to soften before scooping.

*Please be sure to use eggs stamped with the British Lion stamp or use pasteurised eggs.

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I can’t tell you how silky and delicious this was. You could taste the olive oil and it enhanced the flavour of the orange and stopped the ice cream being too rich or sweet. My Other Half was quite pessimistic about how it would turn out but was amazed at how much he enjoyed it.

Fancy trying some other unusual ice cream recipes from fellow food bloggers? Check these links below:

Red Velvet Cake Batter Ice Cream

Dairy Free Banana Ice cream

Birthday Cake Batter Ice Cream

White Chocolate Ice Cream With Turkish Delight

Milo and Ribena flavoured Ice Creams

Green Tea & Seaweed Ice Cream

Stem Ginger Ice Cream

Kale, Mint & Dark Chocolate FroYo

Strawberry & Vanilla Ice Milk

Redcurrant Ripple & White Chocolate Ice Cream

Toasted Black Sesame Frozen Yoghurt

Chicken & Chorizo Paella – Lidl Surprises

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When I was asked recently if I’d like to try the new Spanish and Iberian range in Lidl stores right now ( April 9th – 15th ) and create a recipe using some of their products I was quite excited. To me a meal in Spain would always have that hint of warmth from chorizo and paprika with perhaps a glass of red to accompany it or a jug of sangria.

Paella is a dish I really love but I’m not a huge fan of seafood so I like to make my own substituting the seafood with chicken and chorizo. Paella rice is great but standard long grain rice does the job just fine. You can add any leftover vegetables you have or other meats as it’s such a versatile dish.

Firstly I thought I’d tell you what I thought of some of the products you can currently buy in store and if you want to check out the offers for yourself you can click here:

4 Spanish Style Chicken Thighs With Chorizo:

I used these to create my paella dish below but we also tried them as a standalone dish and they were delicious and a real bargain at £2.99.

Smokey Paprika Chicken Breasts

We made these to create fajitas for lunch whilst on holiday. The chicken was extremely succulent and full of flavour. A nice kick to it too.

Jamon Serrano Gran Reserva Ham:

This was a real steal at 99p per pack and I used the ham to wrap asparagus. I baked them in a hot oven with a little olive oil, basil and seasalt for about 15 minutes and it was delicious.

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Lidl Tomato Selection

We fell in love with these over the weekend, managing to demolish two packets of them. Sweet, juicy and unusual varieties of tomatoes in a handy multipack. Here is a photo of them in the Clay Bowl which was from the frozen Tapas – the meatball version were fabulous and I love the reusable bowls.

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Fresh Chorizo Sausages:

I used these in my paella and also plan to use some in pasta dishes this week. Delicious. £2.89 for 8 sausages.

Churros:

These frozen Churros were amazing. We shallow fried, then doused in cinnamon sugar and served with the recommended dark chocolate sauce which I made using Bellarom finest dark chocolate & double cream.

Perfect dessert for the last night of our holidays:

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I think that with the sunny weather we are having you should head to your local Lidl to snap up these offers before they end on Wednesday.

Finally here is my recipe:

Easy Peasy Chicken and Chorizo Paella:

4 x chicken thighs with chorizo – I used the Lidl Packet as mentioned above and (sorry) ignored the packet instructions. You could also use normal chicken thighs but I suggest if you do that you add a tbsp of smoky paprika for flavour.
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 X chorizo sausages sliced
1/2 large red onion diced
1/2 sweet red pepper diced
1 garlic clove diced or 1 tsp of ready minced garlic from a jar
1/2 tsp of crushed black pepper
1/4 tsp of sea salt
10 green ( or black ) olives halved
12 small tomatoes halved – I used the Lidl tomato selection
2 tbsp of Olive Oil
450ml chicken stock
200g long grain rice

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Heat the oil in a large paella pan or cazuela. Add the garlic, onion, peppers, and turmeric. Soften and brown over a medium heat for a few minutes. Remove the chicken and chorizo from the packaging and pour into the pan along with the contained sauce and your additional sliced chorizo.

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Mix to combine and add your rice and 350ml of your chicken stock. Cover with foil and simmer for 10 minutes before adding your tomatoes, olives and your remaining stock. Season with your salt and pepper, cover again and simmer for 10 more minutes until the rice has absorbed the liquid.

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Serve immediately. We served ours with crusty bread and a little green salad. It’s perfectly good as a standalone dish.

Wine recommendation – We tried Tarragona Gran Reserva – wine of the week at Lidl and priced at £4.09. It was perfect.

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If you would like to check out more pics of the dishes we made it’s worth looking at the Munchies and Munchkins Instagram Feed and to find out what other people think have a look at #lidlsurprises on social media channels such as twitter.

*This recipe was commissioned by Lidl and I was compensated for my time and ingredients.

Making Your Whole Body Healthy

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The last two years I’ve probably felt more physically and mentally unwell than in the rest of my life. It’s been and still is a very difficult time. I’m trying with everything I have to beat this illness that I have and I know that one of the ways that can only help is to make my body as physically healthy as possible.

It’s very hard to explain but when you have depression it feels like everything hurts more. Your joints ache as though you have the flu and a little brush against the corner of a cupboard can make me howl. It’s as if my skin and bones are as sensitive right now as my mind is. This can make it hard to get some motivation to get up and be active but you do really have to force yourself. If not for you then for your family, your friends – but really do it FOR YOU.

I’ve just put together this guide on supplements, fitness tools and healthy foods that I’ve either sampled as blog gifts or that I’ve purchased myself over the past 6 months.

Starting with fitness tools:

I never really understood why people wore fitness monitors or pedometers. I didn’t want anything showing me just how lazy I was being. Until I started using one myself. I was sent one a little while ago which measures both your daytime activity levels and also your sleep patterns. The sleep measurements are what appealed to me as I have a big problem with sleep right now but then I idly started to use it during the day and now I use it every day. I set myself a target which roughly equates to 1.5miles of walking each day ( or running for 30 mins or swimming for 45 ) and I make sure I hit my target. As I’m hitting it every day I will probably increase it soon just slightly to challenge myself. I’m really impressed with it. This weekend I’m going to try using it while swimming as it’s also waterproof so it will be interesting to see the results from that. It’s called a Misfit Flash and retails for around £50.

Another monitor/watch you can use for running or walking is a TomTom Runner GPS sports watch – you can set distance, time or calorie goals then check your progress on a large screen set within the watch. It has about a million features and ways in which you can use it. I’m starting running next month so I’ll keep you posted on what I think. This retails for £99.99 and is perfect for fitness loving gadget fans.

Moving onto supplements, pills and powders :

Immulina (£18.95 stockist: www.vital-life.org.uk) is a completely natural health food supplement, containing the powerful plant protein and super food Spirulina. It is 100% natural and safe for the whole family, offering powerful support to give adults and children alike a boost to their body’s natural immune system and support for overall wellbeing. Immulina is scientifically proven to support the body’s immune system by maintaining the function of the immune system cells.

BIO-KULT

Bio-Kult is a unique probiotic supplement with 14 strains of beneficial probiotic bacteria, specifically formulated to help maintain a healthy digestive and immune system. Many people aren’t aware that up to 70% of our immune cells are located in the gut and that our gut bacteria play an essential role in supporting a strong immune system. This can be compromised during the winter months if busy fighting off bugs. Multi-strain probiotics such a Bio-Kult have been shown to significantly shortened common colds and reduce the severity of symptoms.

Organic Super Energy Mix

A unique and lifting all-in-one blend of organic baobab, guarana, maca, lucuma and acai.
Source of energy, high in fibre and vitamin C, source of calcium and other vitamins and minerals.
Nature’s finest top 5 energising superfoods
20p from the sale of every pouch is donated to Healthy Planet
Only the highest quality superfoods qualify for our range. Live Natural, Live Life.

Protein powders such as Deluxe Casein from Deluxe Nutrition
Deluxe 100% Protein is probably the most advanced protein formulation available. We only use the finest quality whey isolate and concentrate for faster increases in muscle size and strength.
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Efamol Brain EnvirOmega Algal Oil Efamol EnvirOmega Fish Free Algal Oil contains a pure fish-free algal oil from a renewable, specially cultivated plant source. This product has a combination of Omega-3 fatty acids from marine micro algae which are an excellent vegetarian source of DHA. EnvirOmega provides 125mg DHA and 60mg EPA per capsule. It also contains Vitamin E which contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress. This is considered a high strength formula compared to Efamol Brain Formula and ideal if you wish to take a vegetarian fish free food supplement

MegaRed Extra Strength Omega 3 Krill Oil

Our most popular krill oil supplement. MegaRed® contains oil from 100% pure Antarctic krill, tiny crustaceans that thrive in the frigid waters of the Antarctic. Just one small MegaRed® softgel provides an optimal combination of Omega-3 fatty acids and the powerful antioxidant astaxanthin to support heart health.* Research has shown that omega-3s may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.†

Supplements which make you look good..

Merumaya  Skin Brilliance:
RevitElix™Nutra (Echium Oil) is an Omega 3-6-9 rich plant source, exceptionally rich in Stearidonic Acid and helps maintain a youthful complexion. Clinical trial has shown RevitElix™Nutra to significantly increase collagen synthesis, improve skin elasticity, barrier integrity and moisture levels.

We Beautify Collagen Food Supplements from Wassen
Description

Collagen has been demonstrated scientifically to improve skin condition and appearance to achieve radiant looking skin. Collagen plays a vital role in maintaining skin elasticity and firmness. This product contains a blend of key nutrients to support skin health. Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of the skin. Manganese plus Vitamins C and E contribute to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

Collagen helps promote beautiful smooth firm-looking skin, helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and can help promote younger looking skin.

Lotions and Potions..

Phytaoil

Phytaoil is a blend of natural plant oils with the active ingredients of the whole rosehip extract and rosehip seed oil, which are used in the treatment of scarred and damaged tissue. The Phytaoil formula helps improve the appearance of scars and stretch marks, as well as moisturise and tone sun and weather damaged skin. The rosehip actives are helpful on regenerating and toning the skin, combined with vitamins A and E, and natural oils of apricot kernel, lavender, lime and geranium. Phytaoil is easily absorbed into the skin and contains no mineral oil, synthetic fragrances or colours.

Bee Good Honey & Wild Water Mint 3 in 1 cleansing fluid
This 3-in-1 cleansing water dissolves make-up, cleanses and tones the skin – no water needed!

Gentle enough to use on the delicate eye area, it leaves skin bee-autifully clean, toned and refreshed.

Foods you can feel good about..

 

Cirio:

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So surely fresh is better than tinned right? Ummm wrong actually in the case of tomatoes anyway. Because of the speed of the picking and canning process, tinned tomatoes retain 5.3mg of Lycopene per 100g whereas fresh only have 3.3mg per 100g, which diminishes with time, transport and storage in the fridge. Therefore, in terms of Lycopene, tinned tomatoes are the proven healthier option compared to fresh tomatoes.

Cirio is a brand that is a firm favourite in our house. We use their passata all the time and their double concentrate purée is awesome on homemade pizza but the tinned tomatoes are what we use the most in curries, stews or to make soups. It’s good to know I’m feeding my family dishes which are good for them.

And lastly when you plan a last minute holiday and don’t have time to diet! The Boot Camp Body Wrap:
I was a bit pessimistic but after trying it I was pleasantly suprised, my skin felt softer and firmer and I did actually lose a few inches which helped my jeans sit a little more comfortably. I’m not exactly beach body confident and doubt I will be for some time but it definitely made me feel a bit happier in my clothes.

*Some of these products were gifted for the purpose of a review.

Bluestone Wales – A Preview

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Pretty soon we are off to Bluestone National Park Resort in Pembrokeshire, West Wales to review a weekend break in one of their beautiful lodges.

Bluestone is not a typical holiday park. You won’t find dodgy cabaret or creaky caravans. The resort is spectacular, set in 500 acres of glorious Welsh countryside, it has a number of restaurants, a spa and a waterpark.. Then of course there is an enormous adventure centre for those days when the weather isn’t quite so great but this is no pokey soft play. It’s huge and includes a bouncy castle, mini golf, circus room, messy play, climbing frames and walls and more. Most importantly it has WIFI 😉

This will be our fourth visit to Bluestone although we haven’t stayed there since Chloe was born so it’s been over two years since our last break there. I’m really excited to go back and see what’s changed and enjoy it as a family of four. This time we are visiting as Bluestone Bloggers. That means we will be sharing all of the details of our stay there and lots of photos over the duration of our break.

We will be staying in a Dinas lodge:

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The Dinas lodge has 4 bedrooms, two bathrooms and plenty of space. The extra rooms mean we can invite grandparents to stay with us. The huge dining table means we can enjoy long meals together or play board games/create art if it’s rainy and we fancy an afternoon in the lodge.

While we are there I will be celebrating my blogs third birthday so I’m thinking I should definitely be treating myself to a spa visit? On all of our other visits I’ve never managed to fit it in but I’m determined to this time! The salt inhalation room looks incredible:

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Look out for tweets/photos and the review on the blog over the coming weeks…

Have you been away over the Easter break? Have you ever holidayed in Wales?

Sleep Tips For Adults

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Everywhere you look you see guides for how to get your newborn to sleep through the night, or top tips for getting toddlers to stay in bed past 5am. BUT you don’t see that much about adults who struggle to sleep..and there are a lot of us.

I have struggled massively with sleep since my first pregnancy four years ago. It’s hard to sleep properly during pregnancy for various reasons, anxiety about becoming a parent..discomfort, increased need for the toilet and lots of other issues which all contribute to a not so great night of sleep. Then you plunge into the newborn haze where a full nights sleep is a distant dream and suddenly they sleep through and yet you still aren’t. Between Izzy learning to sleep through ( around 13 months old ) and getting pregnant with Chloe about 6 months later I still barely slept. I had night terrors, I would wake up early or just not manage to get to sleep for hours at night. This continued throughout a very difficult pregnancy with Chloe and well since then sleep is always a dream away. Chloe barely sleeps and even when we get a nights break when my parents or Andrews parents have the girls for us I still don’t sleep properly but I do feel as though I’m ( very ) slowly learning about the things which help.

Here are a few of the products/gadgets/tips I’ve discovered this year:

* Decluttering and having a clear space. This is still an ongoing work in progress but it’s getting better. Our bedroom is almost complete and as it becomes more clutter free it’s definitely a calmer place to be.

* A good quality bed and mattress. A decent bed is a must. Even if you can’t sleep then if you lie down just to rest, at least do it in comfort.

* A Lumie Clock – I was gifted a Lumie clock as part of a gift guide a few months ago and I’ve been so impressed with it since then. It has an aromatherapy setting on it so I can have lavender scents drifting through the air while I try to unwind. I like the gradual sunset and sunrise. It’s become a part of my bedtime routine – YES routine…adults need this too don’t ya know.

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* Rescue Remedy Night Spray from Bach Flower Remedies – I was sent some of this a little while ago but didn’t really use it much. When my sleep habits became really difficult I took sleeping tablets some nights in order to let my body rest. This was a mistake and looking back I wish I hadn’t done it. It worked – in the sense that I did sleep but I felt almost drunk after taking it and to a certain extent hungover the following day. When I decided to get rid of any type of medication at night I started using this and maybe it’s just the action of doing it but I start feeling sleepier after I use the spray. It soothes me. I also use the daytime spray when things become a bit much but I’ll talk about that again.

* Audio Books – this was a tip my GP gave to me. Listening to audio books is incredibly relaxing. I could never give up reading an actual book as I love to read but some audio books especially one I recently bought called Mindfulness are narrated by people with incredibly soothing voices. If you use a kindle to listen you can normally check out a sample before buying.

* Go to bed earlier. It sounds so simple but if it takes you an hour to get to sleep, then if possible go up an hour earlier. Rest in bed. Read. Just chill out.

* Keep a notepad by your bed – worried about something? Write a list or a note of it then try to store it away until the next day. After all you are in bed, you can’t do anything about it. Have too many thoughts/reminders/things to do – write them down. Look at it in the morning. Chances are most of them are not important.

* Have a soothing book or image by your bed. Years ago Andrew gave me the Little Book Of Calm. I read a page or two at least once a week. Some very obvious tips, others are just calming to read. Worth a look.

* Keep a sleep diary – if you have a particularly bad or good night, write it down. Try to remember if anything helped or hindered your sleep. I have been using a Misfit Flash to record my daily activities – mostly for fitness but it also records you restful sleep periods. I find it really useful and incredibly accurate. My most restful sleep is normally at about 4am when my body and mind must be so worn out that I just lay there like a rock. It’s important not to obsess about the lack of sleep but I do find this a really useful tool.

* Exhaust yourself – obviously don’t make yourself ill but push yourself physically. As you would tire out a toddler who has eaten too many biscuits then make yourself go for a long walk. The fresh air will calm you and a tired body can help you rests more easily. Also stimulate your brain throughout the day. Challenge yourself mentally. Tire your brain out too.

* Watch what you eat and drink – it’s obvious that you should try to avoid sugar and caffeine before bed but there are other things which can stop you sleeping. Find you wake up a lot to use the bathroom? Try to stop drinking anything at a certain time. Make sure you make up for this during the day. Alcohol can relax you but also disturb your sleep and cause nightmares. Find out how it affects you and learn when to avoid it. Have a snack late evening so you aren’t hungry during the night – as you will definitely not sleep well if hungry but don’t eat a heavy meal less than 2 hours before bed.

Do you have any sleep tips? As its my blog birthday this week the best tip ( chosen by a twitter follower) will be gifted a box of chocolates from me as thank you. Just don’t eat them before bed 😉

* Some items were gifted as part of previous posts/reviews.

A Lush Hamper Giveaway With Bathrooms.com

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Did you know that over half of all Brits use the bathroom as an excuse to hide away from their partners or children??

I don’t know about you but my children will find me anywhere I go so I can’t do that but I do use my bath as a forced relaxation time. Since I’ve been unwell I’ve found it really hard to unwind and I’m retraining myself and my body to relax and bath time is my only absolute way of doing that. I HAVE to clear the bath of all bath toys – I can’t chill out with a giant turtle and 100 rubber duckies floating by and I normally like to light a candle and add some bath oils. I make myself stay in there for at least twenty minutes because apparently baths are not relaxing unless you are in for that time or more. I don’t mind a shower but typically I only shower on holiday or if we have been out somewhere muddy with the kids and I don’t want to sit in a bath of dirty water. We often share baths with the kids which they love and during pregnancy it was the only way I could find pain relief in the later stages.

Take a look at the research below from Bathrooms.com about whether people prefer showers to baths.. You may be surprised!

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I’d love it if you could share your relaxation tips with me and enter my competition below for the chance to win a £50 box of Lush Goodies.. This is one you want to win. I have this box of goodies in the house and it smells divine.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

* I was gifted with a hamper of goodies.

Slow Cooker Hot Cross Bun & Butter Pudding

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I wasn’t planning to write a blog post today but I whipped up this easy Hot Cross Bun pudding this morning and it was so good I thought I just had to share especially at this time of year when most houses have a pack or two lying about.

Slow cooker hot cross bun pudding

This recipe is made using your slow cooker and it’s so simple to prepare (10 minutes max) and then you leave it untouched in the slow cooker for 2.5 hours. And voila you have a gorgeous, warm pudding to serve after your Easter Sunday roast…or your midday snack today like me.

You will need:

250ml of semi skimmed milk
100ml of double cream
3 eggs
4 Hot Cross Buns – sliced vertically each into 4/5 slices & buttered on one side
4 tsp of dark brown soft sugar
1 tsp of vanilla paste
1/2 tsp of nutmeg

Arrange your hot cross buns slices in your slow cooker. Depending on what size/shape you have you made need to layer them creatively 😉 Now in a jug beat together your eggs, milk, cream, nutmeg and vanilla – ( this is your custard ) and pour over your hot cross bun slices. Sprinkle over your brown sugar, some should go into the custard and some can stay on top of the hot cross buns.

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Now place a tea towel under your slow cooker lid – I secure mine around the handle with a bobble and cook on high for 2.5 hours. At this point remove the lid and use a skewer or knife to check it’s thoroughly cooked – it should be moist but the knife should come away cleanly.

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You could serve this with cream but it’s perfect just on its own.

Got Beef Cardiff – Review

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Three years ago I attended a food festival in South Wales called The Welsh Menu. It was the first of its kind in my area and it was just four months after I’d started writing my food and family blog. I remember being amazed when I had an invite to the launch dinner – a pretty swanky affair where I sat with food journalists and other far more established bloggers. I felt lost and totally not one of the gang..although everyone on my table was lovely. Their stories and funny anecdotes made me feel I was a little mad for thinking I could do this. The following day I attended the actual food festival and it swallowed me up. The food, the flavours and the atmosphere. Although the festival is now probably one of the smallest I’ve been to, I look back on it fondly as that day made me realise that I could do it. Even if I only ever had 100 page views per month .. I would write it. For me.

In my review of that festival I mentioned a new ( to me ) street food type burger van called Got Beef. They had an amazingly cool van ( sadly no longer with them ) friendly staff and THE best burgers I’d tasted in .. well forever I think. I wrote about them in this post here.

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Me munching away..a good stone or two heavier here I think! Baby weight obviously…

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A lot has changed in three years. Aside from the fact that personally I have another baby now, my little old blog that I wrote just for me is viewed by tens of thousands every month. Over five thousand of you loyal people follow me on Twitter me and seem to enjoy what I do – thanks for that.

A lot has changed for Got Beef too. Three years on they aren’t just hopping in and out of food festivals in a van. They have a restaurant which has just celebrated it’s one year anniversary and we have just paid them our first ( won’t be last ) visit. The restaurant is a MUST visit if you are in the area. It’s thriving and bustling with full tables and the buzz of happy chatter on a road which is literally full of restaurants and takeaways. With a multitude of choice people are continuing to choose Got Beef and it’s easy to see why.

To find out more about the Got Beef story click here.

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Above image courtesy of Got Beef.

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Let’s start with the restaurant, it’s simple in decor but cool, hipster even. There is an open kitchen – which I always love. It’s a foodie thing I’m sure but seeing and smelling my ( always ) fresh food being cooked is a definite winner for me. The staff are friendly, chatty and eager to advise on what you should eat, I questioned one staff member on the heat of a certain burger ( Dirty South) and was answered ..”Well it didn’t make my nose run or my eyes water so you should be good” and he was right. There was heat but the right heat. They have a great selection but not an enormous menu and this is typically a good thing – a menu three pages long often means that items aren’t always fresh or are pre cooked. Here it’s cooked to order and everything from the brioche rolls to the accompanying mayos & sauces taste so good.

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This is what we ordered:

For me:

Dirty South Burger with Sweet Potato Fries & Wyldwood Pear Cider

Got beef dirty South burger

My burger contained…6oz Welsh black beef patty, Cajun Mayo, BBQ sauce, jalapeños, Cajun onions & American cheese.

For him:

Bombay Burger with Dirty Chips & Ginger Beer

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His burger contained ..

6oz Welsh beef patty, curried bacon, coriander & lime mayo with curried haystack potatoes.

For Izzy:

A Bacon & Cheese Burger served with fries & Elderflower Cordial

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Izzy of course deconstructed her burger 😉

My burger was cooked to perfection, there was hit of fire from the jalapeños but nothing I couldn’t handle and left a lovely tingle. The sweet potato fries which are so hard to get right were absolutely awesome – so awesome in fact that my three year old stole most of them. The brioche buns were soft and sheeny and just doughy goodness.

I loved that as much care and attention was put into Isabelle’s food as ours. Served just as ours was and she devoured most of it which considering her new thing is that she just doesn’t like burgers is an achievement in itself.

Andrew had a Bombay burger which was so full of flavour and left a perfect spicy taste in your month – yes I stole some. He also had dirty fries which were a revelation. I’m torn between getting these next time or asking if they could do a version of this with the sweet potato fries because they were great.. Topped with cheese, bacon, jalapeños and ..sauce. Oh My!

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Their drinks menu is another huge pull for me.. They serve Wyldwood cider which I love as well as various wines, lagers and beers..ooh and San Pellegrino which is one of my favourite soft drinks.

They also sell ice cream tortes on their dessert menu but to be honest we were a little too full and Izzy was a little too tired to attempt it. The flavours sounded great though – I definitely could have tried to squeeze a bit of cherry bakewell in.

It’s all about the burgers at Got Beef so don’t go there expecting a steak or curry. But I would say even if you don’t think burgers are your thing it’s worth a whirl. You may just be a convert.

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Above image courtesy of Got Beef.

To Cai and all the staff at Got Beef I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that you are doing so well and I see so many great things going forward for you. It was an absolute pleasure to visit and please open one a little closer to us!!

* Our meal was provided free of charge for the purpose of a review.