Blog - Munchies and Munchkins

Movies, Meals & Muddling Through Life – October

October 26, 2017 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 13 Comments

Well it has been a while since I last wrote one of these posts..too long. I was really enjoying writing them and having a sort of diary entry of what had been going on in my life that month. Sometimes though life kind of takes over and the last three months have been a whirlwind of work and press trips and family time.

And if I’m honest, lately I haven’t been finding life all that easy.

We all get times like this, these dips in your mood and the times where the smallest thing can seem a little overwhelming. Sometimes this is caused by life changes and other times it just happens. And that is how things have been lately for me. I am ok, I am managing just fine but sometimes you have to take some small steps back to make big steps going forward. The difference in these days now than these kind of days two years ago is that I am kinder to myself. I see them for what they are, acknowledge that I need to take a break and more often than not at these times I crave time alone. Just to think and be without needing an excuse to do so. And that is ok.

Some nights a candle and some music in the bath is all I need. Other times a long walk or a coffee in a coffee shop by myself. Alone time is important.

Anyway I have been busy these past three months and it would be impossible to tell you everything that has been going on but here are some things of the things I’ve watched, read, loved and enjoyed:

Movies

I have watched a few movies, not a lot really and mostly old ones that I have seen before. In fact I haven’t watched a new film in a while or visited the cinema which is most unlike me. Any recommendations? The last film I watched and enjoyed was Wonder Woman, she is my new girl crush.. I need the outfit even if I have no occasion on which to wear it. I am hoping to watch the new Thor sometime soon and I know that some point I am going to be dragged to see My Little Pony.

TV

On TV, well Netflix I have recently watched Master Of None, American Vandal, Better Call Saul and also Designated Survivor which is my not so secret guilty pleasure. I have also watched Gunpowder the BBC drama created by and starring Kit Harrington, it was odd to watch him play a different role after loving him so much as Jon Snow but I thought it was a great 3 part drama and well worth a watch. Just a warning though, there are some fairly graphic torture scenes.

I must admit to re watching Gossip Girl too. I know..I know. It is just one of those easy things to watch whilst also doing something else like ironing etc.

Books

I have read a bit lately but as with movies I am mostly re reading rather than trying something new. Tell me what books you are enjoying, I need inspiration. I have been browsing cookbooks more than real books and one of my current faves is Veggie Desserts & Cakes from my blogger friend Kate Hackworthy.

Music

This last month or so I have really been enjoying Plain White T’s, Kodaline, Joshua Radin and Incubus. I have also rediscovered some old classics such as as REO Speedwagon , Billy Joel and Foreigner. John Legend is still always among my playlists but I am listening to a wider variety of music these days and as always music is a big part of my day. I’d like to plan some concerts in for next year as I miss that feeling of excitement waiting on the band to come on stage and the incredible high as you leave.

Food

I have enjoyed some incredible food over the Summer and early Autumn months. I have eaten food created by some of the best chefs in the world at Copenhagen Cooking Festival as well as enjoyed the best meal of my life ( so far ) at Sea by Kiin Kiin in Copenhagen.

I have created some recipes I am proud of and plenty of others which were just ok. I was sent a whopping chunk of Comte Cheese for a recipe post lately and I have been totally indulging in it…

Fitness & Exercise

My fitness levels are pretty good right now. I am still attending my classes and walking as much as I can. I am at a weight and shape that I am happy with and whilst I still have some way to go to feel as fit as I’d like I am getting there.

What Else?

So much. Too much to tell you it all. I have spent time in Ireland, Copenhagen, London and West Wales. I have eaten and drunk and walked and explored. Made new friends, learned new things and discovered lots about myself. I have pushed myself further with work but also moved my desk upstairs to allow me to switch off and focus on family life when I am downstairs. It has meant less work gets done but hopefully the work that is done is of a higher quality and I feel life is more balanced. I am also starting to realise that my day job ( I work half the month in an office in an customer service role ) is only as bad as I allow it to be, it pays the mortgage and allows me to write this blog without the pressure of needing it to pay the bills which is a good thing.

I am hoping to have lots of new recipes coming up soon, the ideas are there and hopefully procrastination won’t win too many of my hours. Damn you Buzzfeed.

Pumpkin And Comté Cheese Fondue

October 17, 2017 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 7 Comments

This week has been spent in the kitchen creating a whirl of Autumnal recipes, including this delicious Pumpkin and Comté Cheese Fondue. I tend to cook a lot more in these darker months, I guess the same as most people. It is a combination of wanting more home cooked comfort food whilst also having more time indoors.

Before I tell you about this recipe let’s begin by talking about cheese.. ah cheese cheese cheese. If I had to choose between chocolate and cheese it would be a hard choice but I would choose cheese. It took me a long time, maybe until my mid twenties to get out of the only eating mild to mature cheddar and well now I eat it ALL. In fact for the past few years I have even ordered a cheese board as a dessert on many occasions something I would have considered a bit crazy a while ago.

I couldn’t pick a favourite cheese, I enjoy them all from the soft and squishy to the hardest mature cheese. Cheese is definitely a comfort food for me. When Comté cheese got in touch and asked me to work on a recipe post with them I was fairly eager to say yes. I first tried Comté at a dinner some time back, was immediately hooked and was disappointed to not find it on sale locally. Since then stockists in my area have improved thankfully and it can also be ordered via Ocado and Waitrose..YAY. The cheese I am using in this recipe is a younger ( less mature ) cheese, it has a mild yet creamy taste and melts perfectly in my Pumpkin and Comté Cheese Fondue.

Want to learn a little about Comté?

For more than ten centuries, villagers of Jura Massif, Eastern France have lovingly crafted a unique and delicious cheese: Comté. This stunning region of mountains stretches between Jura and Doubs in the Franche-Comté region, and Ain in the Rhones-Alpes region, and is home to over 3,000 family farms dedicated to producing the highest quality of raw milk that is required to create Comté cheese. Today it is not only loved by millions of people in France, but all over world.

Some of my friends and fellow bloggers have been lucky enough to visit the area of France where the cheese is produced and enjoy sumptuous amounts of it. Read what Sarah from Maison Cupcake thought of the trip here and what Helen from Fuss Free Flavours thought here.

Moving onto my delicious Pumpkin and Comté Cheese Fondue. A lot of fondues use a mixture of cheese but mine was all Comté. A whopping 400g of it actually.. along with creme fraiche, herbs and some shallots and garlic with a generous slug of white wine. Baking it in the pumpkin is so simple and has many perks including no stirring, no watching the hob and most importantly no sticky fondue pan to wash up afterwards. Pumpkins are pretty much the symbol of Autumn as well as Halloween but they are worth so much more than carving and forgetting whilst they rot away. The seeds can be rubbed with spice and baked. The flesh makes incredible soups and well now this recipe. Seriously this is a MUST try.

Pumpkin Comté Cheese Fondue

You will need:

1 large pumpkin

400g grated Comté cheese

2 tbsp cornflour or plain flour

150g creme fraiche

40ml white wine

1 tbsp finely diced fresh rosemary

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 banana shallot, diced

pinch of sea salt

pinch of black pepper

To serve

Mixture of breads

Vegetables

Bacon (optional )

Preheat your oven to 180c.

Prepare your pumpkin, first carve out your lid, remove and scoop out the seeds and membrane. Reserve your seeds ( you can make some tasty healthy snacks later ). Pop the lid back on and put your pumpkin on a baking tray in the centre of the oven and bake for approximately 90 minutes.

Remove your pumpkin very carefully from the oven. Set the lid aside ( you can use the flesh from the lid in a soup ). Turn up the heat to 220c. Now add your ingredients to the Pumpkin starting with your Comté Cheese and then everything else in whichever order you prefer. Return to the oven and bake for a further 40 minutes. Whilst your fondue is bubbling away you can prepare your accompaniments. You could really use anything you like to dip in the molten cheese, small potatoes work well as does crusty bread. I used a combination of squares of focaccia to pop in on skewers and toasted artisan bread which I then spread with the fondue and served with bacon.

I’ll leave you with one final tip, if you find you have made more fondue than required or even if there is only the smallest amount remaining get a spoon and scoop any remaining fondue and pumpkin flesh, pop in a pan with vegetable stock and bring to a simmer before pureeing with a hand blender. Gorgeous cheesy pumpkin soup – the very best of leftover lunches.

Here are some more recipes that feature Comté, why not give them all a whirl?

Comte Baked Eggs from Kavey Eats

Comte Cheese and Potato Rosti from Foodie Quine

Comte Cheese And Haggis Toastie

And more pumpkin ideas here

*This post has been commissioned by Comté Cheese and I was compensated for my time.

Pumpkin And Squash Recipe Round Up

October 10, 2017 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 5 Comments

Autumn is here and Halloween is fast approaching. The shops and markets are full of varieties of squash so I thought a Pumpkin and squash recipe round up was needed. There are so many ways, both sweet and savoury to use this versatile ingredient which is full of goodness.

Read on for some recommendations from myself and fellow UK food bloggers:

Pumpkin Pasties from Foodie Quine

Squash & Goats Cheese Tart from Foodie Quine

Pumpkin Spiced Baked Doughnuts from Emily’s Recipes & Reviews

Pumpkin Pear & Amaretto Trifle from How To Cook Good Food

Pumpkin & Spice Dark Chocolate Bark from Veggie Desserts

Chocolate Pecan Pumpkin Cake from Tin & Thyme

Pumpkin & Chicken Stir Fry from Gingey Bites

Baked Brown Sugar Squash from me

Spiced Carrot, Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup from Fuss Free Flavours:

French Toast Eggs Benedict – National Egg Week

October 9, 2017 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 8 Comments

I love eggs. Such a versatile ingredient. If you have eggs at home then you have a basic meal ready to go at any time. be it an omelette or scrambled eggs or even the simple boiled egg. Perhaps though you like something a little fancier or getting a bit experimental. Then you need my French Toast Eggs Benedict. For British Egg week I was asked to retreat one of Shay Cooper’s breakfast recipe for The Goring hotel and put my own twist on it. Never neglecting an opportunity to make french toast I knew immediately that would be my twist.

Eggs are a great way to add some extra protein to your meals but did you know all of the extra goodness you get from an egg? Well they are naturally rich in vitamin D, B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B12, iodine, selenium and other essential dietary vitamins and minerals. Not bad right? The high protein makes them great for pre or post workout too.

For British Egg Week 2017 (9– 15 October) British Lion eggs have teamed up with The Goring Hotel to share six of its famous breakfast recipes. The hotel’s Michelin-starred Executive Chef, Shay Cooper, is also providing tips and tricks on how to make the perfect luxurious hotel breakfast at home.

Independent research has revealed that Brits are willing to spend 30% longer preparing breakfast at the weekend than they are during the week. The survey also revealed that the Full English is the nation’s favourite breakfast, with 42% of people saying they always order it when eating out. Also ranking within the top three egg dishes to eat at restaurants were Eggs Benedict and scrambled eggs and smoked salmon.

As well as sharing the six luxurious recipes from Shay Cooper, British Lion eggs are unscrambling Shay’s breakfast classics with simpler versions for busy weekday mornings. Bringing a little bit of luxury to breakfast every day and showing that one or two ingredients can make all the difference when it comes to making delicious breakfasts at home.

Shay Cooper, says: “From our breakfast menu, the egg dishes are certainly the most popular, with the full English being a clear favourite. The Dining Room at The Goring celebrates the best in British food and the breakfast menu is no exception. Our guests expect the highest standards of cooking, but it is also possible to try and recreate these dishes at home to celebrate the most important meal of the day.”
“What better time to celebrate the versatility of eggs than British Egg Week. The great British breakfast would be lost without eggs.”

As well as using french toast I decided to use prosciutto instead of bacon. Now this is not because I dislike bacon..because let me tell you I really LOVE bacon but I cook with it so often and I fancied a change. I also tried making my french toast in a waffle maker, out of curiosity more than anything else. It was a little difficult to remove from the waffle maker but other than it was pretty tasty and I liked how the yolk slipped into the grooves of the toast.

French Toast Eggs Benedict

You will need:
3 large British Lion eggs
2 slices of slightly stale white bread
2 slices of prosciutto or any good quality ham
40ml milk

For the sauce

150g unsalted butter
2 large British Lion egg yolks
100ml white wine vinegar reduced to 25ml

Fill a large deep pan with water and a splash of vinegar and bring to a rapid boil.Crack two of your eggs into individual small bowls. When the water comes to a boil, add in the eggs one at a time, letting them sink down to the bottom of the pan, they should form a teardrop shape. Turn the pan down to a simmer and cook the eggs for three minutes for a runny yolk or five minutes for a harder yolk. Remove each egg with a slotted spoon and drain on a kitchen towel.

Too lazy to poach eggs properly? Me too a lot of the time, so I often line a wine glass with clingfilm, rub it with a little oil and crack an egg into it. Tie the top of the clingfilm to form a small pouch and pop into boiling water, for 3 minutes for a perfectly instagram story worthy yolk.

To make the hollandaise, put the butter into a microwaveable container and heat in the microwave until the solids separate from the fat and the butter is clarified, this should take around 1 minute.
Take the two egg yolks and put them in a round bottomed bowl along with the vinegar reduction and place over a pan of simmering water, whisking the eggs continuously until they begin to become thick and aerated.
Once the eggs are light, fluffy and stable enough to hold a figure of eight pattern when stirred with a spoon, they will be ready (this is known as ribbon stage).
Slowly drizzle the clarified butter into the egg yolk mix to emulsify, take care at this stage, if you go too fast the mixture will split.

For your french toast, beat your eggs and milk together with a little salt and pepper. Now get a large frying pan over a high heat and place a dab of butter and oil in the centre. Whilst your pan is heating lightly soak your bread in the egg/milk mixture before carefully placing in the pan. Cook on both sides until bronzed.

All that is left is to assemble your dish. You could do this anyway you choose but I like the ham on top of the bread topped with the eggs and finally the sauce with a sprinkle of black pepper. Enjoy.

Is there anything more beautiful in the morning than a perfectly poached egg?

For a cheats version of Eggs Benedict including a Cheats Hollandaise check this out.

What kind of egg dishes do you like to create? As well as the above I love super creamy scrambled eggs, eggs cracked and cooked in chopped tomatoes and chilli and so many more.

* This post was commissioned by British Lion Eggs and I was compensated for my time in creating it.

Coastal Cottages – Exploring Foodie Wales

October 8, 2017 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 5 Comments

After following Coastal Cottages social media channels over the past year I was thrilled to be invited to go and check out one of there cottages for a weekend break with my family.

Coastal Cottages are a holiday cottage rental company in Pembrokeshire. Offering everything from cosy cottages for couples to large premises with onsite pools and hot tubs. They will help you find the perfect property for your needs in the most idyllic part of Wales. In low season you can grab some utter bargains with rentals from £99 for up to 4 nights for 2 people..amazing right? With over 550 properties on their books you can be sure to find somewhere special to create memories.

We stayed in Forty Winks, a large bungalow overlooking Freshwater East Bay with 3 double bedrooms and a sizeable sofa in an additional lounge area. My parents joined us for the weekend and we all fell in love with the cottage and the area. Arrival and checking in at the cottage was easy and we were soon in and exploring. The cottage was immaculate and much bigger than I expected with a gorgeous farmhouse style kitchen, two living areas as well as two bathrooms and a large foyer area which the girls had so much fun running through and playing games. There was also a welcome breakfast hamper and bottle of wine at the cottage for us which was a lovely surprise, you can add various packages and hampers to your stay via the Coastal Cottages Concierge Team.

The view from the front on a brighter day from the Coastal Cottages website:

The area of Freshwater East is about 75 minutes from where I live and although I had previously been to most of the surrounding areas such as Tenby and Manorbier I had never visited this particular area of West Wales before. It is a small village and has a beautiful stretch of bay which we had great fun exploring. The first night we snuggled into the warmth of the cottage and enjoyed a home cooked meal. It was a rather gloomy weather start to the weekend but it actually felt perfect to be enjoying a candle lit dinner.

One thing which was picked up by all of us at the cottage including the girls was that it had everything you needed. The kitchen was the most well stocked kitchen in terms of gadgets and crockery that I have stayed in, which was amazing for someone who loves to cook. Too often I have been let down at holiday rentals when essential ( and often basic ) kitchen equipment has been missing. This is definitely not the case at Forty Winks. My mother must have exclaimed at least 5 times – They have thought of everything! The girls were also thrilled by the toy cupboard which was packed to the brim with board games, toys and craft games such as fuzzy felts. It means a lot to not have to pack a suitcase full of toys to go on holiday and ideal for when the weather isn’t playing ball. They also loved the nets to go crabbing and finding exciting things in the rock pools.

On the Saturday of our visit we headed into Narberth, one of my favourite places in Wales. This town is quaint and very much a foodie town with artisan ice cream shops and delis. This particular Saturday however was Narberth Food Festival. Narberth Food Festival was one of the first food festivals I ever attended and I really enjoy it whenever I can manage to go. This year was full of Welsh food traders such as Little Valley Bakery, Pembrokeshire Wood Fired Pizza company as well as fine dining offerings from The Grove Narberth and a LOT more. We ate so many samples that we didn’t really feel the need for lunch and the girls enjoyed the craft area inside the main tent. I especially loved lingering around Gilly’s smoked garlic stall and watching The Wrapshack cook their dishes.

That evening we hit the beach with the girls whilst my mum put a roast chicken in and we then spent the night just relaxing having long chats around the kitchen table.

Munching Welsh Cakes all weekend, we even got some gluten free ones for Chloe at Wisebuys Deli in Narberth.

Playing hide and seek on the beach:

Jumping with joy!

One of the most special parts of the weekend for me was the additional time we as a family got to spend with my parents. I spend a lot of time with my parents but this uninterrupted time of breakfasts and lunch and walks on the beach meant a lot and it’s times like that that I treasure. They have done so much for me in my life and continue to do so that being able to involve them in things like this is great and I know they appreciate it.

That night we enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the back of the property:

The next morning after a turbulent night of sleep with Chloe who had a bad chest we headed to Freshwater West, another beach about 20 minutes away. There were two reasons for the trip, one was that the beach is incredibly beautiful either in the misty haze that set over West Wales that morning. The second reason was to visit Cafe Mor, an award winning street food vendor which is based in an entirely unassuming beach front car park. We tried some razor clams and the Mor burger as well as a hot chocolate with cream and a flake. It felt amazing to be eating super fresh seafood right at the seafront. Delicious. I wanted to go back and try the rest of the menu.

I even managed to squeeze in a few pages of my book while the girls went digging for treasure.

After we throughly tired ourselves out on the beach we headed into Pembroke town for the rest of the day where we enjoyed really traditional pub grub, I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the pub but it was a proper pub. Old men sat at the bar which was part of the lounge/dining area. A welcoming landlady chatted to about the various menu offerings and we all devoured our meals, especially the home made puddings. 10/10.

That afternoon was spent packing up with one more stroll around the area before heading home reluctantly that evening due to work commitments the following morning. The girls are already asking when we can return!

Thanks to Coastal Cottages for hosting us, we had a fabulous time.

Our stay at Coastal Cottages was complimentary for the purpose of a review.

Last month I set off on a trip to Denmark. I am a little in love with Denmark, well Copenhagen at least as I haven’t yet ventured outside of the capital. This was my third trip inside of 12 months but my previous trips had been all too brief, this time I felt I really got to know this wonderful city. I was invited by Copenhagen Cooking Festival to come and check out the festival and the food scene in the city and what a trip it was!

Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival is an annual food festival that celebrates the Copenhagen gastro scene and Denmark as a food country.The festival offers more than 100 unique events over the course of 10 days in August and there is something for every taste – from intimate dinners with Danish chefs to huge food events with thousands of guests. Famous chefs from all over the world featured in this years festival.

My trip started off with a super speedy check in at the perfectly instagrammable Andersen Hotel before jumping in a cab and zooming off to Israel Plads for the festival opening BBQ. The BBQ was sponsored by Jacobsen (Carlsberg) who had created a pretty pink beer in honour of the occasion, I had my fair share of it during the weekend. We had food cooked in front of us by chefs and foragers such as Thomas Laursen ( www.wildfooding.dk ), Morten Falk ( Danish participant for Bocus D’or ), Henrik Jyrk ( One of the best BBQ chefs in Denmark ) and Karlos Ponte ( former head chef of Noma ) so as you can imagine we were extremely well fed. The weather was drizzly and wet for our first evening but there was a party atmosphere in the tent and we had a wonderful night.

Image Credit:KIM LEUENBERGER

The next day began with an early start as I and fellow trip attendee Kim Leuenberger went exploring Copenhagen before the city really woke up, we walked miles along empty streets munching Cinnamon buns. We enjoyed the famous Nyhavn haven area in relative peace and glorious sunshine, if you ever visit the city I recommend getting up early to do this.

After our explorations we met up with the rest of our group and headed off for a day at Christian Puglisi’s Farm Of Ideas festival. This was a really fun experience. Christian established this farm a year ago to be able to produce organic ingredients for his restaurants, I’ll be writing about this a little more later this month so keep your eyes peeled. On arrival at the farm we collected our picnic baskets, complete with blankets, glasses, cutlery and plates and our tokens which allowed us to collect a dish from each stand at the round tent on the farm.

There was a really family vibe at the picnic on the hill, the weather was perfect and well it was a bit special. Atmosphere aside we had some amazing food on offer cooked by seriously talented and successful chefs such as Claus Meyer, Jock Zonfrillo and more. My favourite dish was the potato salad. I mean when is potato salad ever the highlight of a meal? I guess when it is cooked by Claus Meyer, the trick he told me is to cook the potatoes in beer. I am experimenting with my own version of this recipe..coming soon!

I also enjoyed watching Frank Erichsen churning THE most incredible butter to serve with the famous Mirabelle sourdough. Oh and did I mention the Mirabelle ice cream.. OH MY WORD. Raw milk ice cream served with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. An absolute taste sensation I assure you.

After the picnic Christian took us on a tour of the farm, explaining a bit more behind the ideas that made it all come together. It was incredibly interesting, I always love listening to someone who is passionate about food and where it comes from and Christian is definitely that. We also got to meet the cows who were responsible for the ice cream we ate after lunch and the mozzarella we enjoyed at our evening banquet. The time taken from when they are milked to when the cheese and ice cream is produced is generally less than 12 hours which is fairly incredible. It ensures the product you eat is as fresh as it can possibly be.

Image credit: KIM LEUENBERGER

Image Credit:KIM LEUENBERGER

The remainder of the afternoon was spent relaxing on the farm. There were talks from food influencers and chefs such as Darina Allen and Jock Zontrillo which we watched whilst enjoying some natural wine.

Our day finished with the Bæst pop up banquet, Bæst are known for their incredible pizzas ( voted amongst the top 20 pizzerias in the world) and they certainly didn’t disappoint. The fresh mozzarella and charcuterie deserve a mention too. There was such a warm, friendly atmosphere in the banquet area and we enjoyed a LOT of delicious wine and food.

Image Credit:KIM LEUENBERGER

We left the farm weary and full of good food and stories. Look out for part two of my trip coming up in a few days which includes a trip to 108 ( Noma), a Michelin food experience, dining at the top of the Culture Tower and the best hotdog in the world contest. Oh and loads more photos of course!

If you are planning a trip to Copenhagen check out my friend Anders Husa favourite food spots.