World Foods Chilli Coconut Marinade Review and Vegetarian Stir Fry

I was recently challenged by World Foods to create a vegetarian dish with their new Malaysian Chilli & Coconut Marinade and so decided to introduce this as my last dish of National Vegetarian week

Often, many of us will lack the confidence to gather the ingredients and prepare Asian-style sauces from scratch, plus many of us just do not have the time.  A recent online poll showed that over 50% of people have less than 30 minutes to prepare a meal at night.  This is where World Foods comes in, providing a range of Asian flavoured foods and pastes to help prepare tasty, quick meals.  Their range of sauces include chutneys, toppings, marinades, noodle sauces, stir-fry sauces and dipping sauces.

The Malaysian Chilli & Coconut marinade is described as “A spicy and aromatic marinade with sweet notes of coconut milk, complemented with turmeric and spicy chilli”.  The marinade is a wonderful combination of rich orange and red colours.  It is made using authentic herbs and spices and is 100% natural.  It is also free from preservatives, MSG’s, gluten and other genetically modified ingredients and is suitable for vegetarians, vegans and coeliacs.

Traditionally, the sauce is used to cook “Ayam Percik” which translates as "Chicken Splash”.  It is a dish traditionally found in the east coast peninsular of Malaysia. You could cook a vegetarian version of Ayam Percik substituting the chicken for Quorn Chicken Fillets and cooking the dish as suggested on the World Foods website. Alternatively, you could try coating Quorn Chicken Fillets with the sauce and covering them in breadcrumbs for a Chilli Chicken with a spicy kick.

As I was going away for the bank holiday weekend, I thought that a Chilli and Coconut stir-fry would be the perfect way to use up all of the left over vegetables in my fridge.   I decided to include Quorn chicken pieces in my stir fry, but the dish would work just as well without.  You could also marinade the vegetables first, for a more intense flavour, before stir frying. 

I prefer my food slightly less spicy (the sauce is described as hot), so I combined the marinade with coconut milk for a milder, creamier taste.  There is apparently a bit of a world shortage of coconut milk at the moment, so you could also tone it down with natural yogurt.  My husband however, loved the spiciness of the marinade just as it came and would have happily eaten the dish with the coconut milk omitted.  I really enjoyed the stir fry and especially loved the fusion of the coconut and chilli flavours.  I think this makes a great family meal and will definitely be exploring more of the World Foods range.

You can find the World Foods range stocked in Tescos

Ingredients

1 x 300ml bottle World Foods Malaysian Chilli & Coconut marinade/stir-fry

400ml Coconut Milk

1 300g pack Vegetarian Chicken Pieces

1 red Pepper, sliced

1 yellow Pepper, sliced

1 Onion, peeled and sliced into crescents

200g Mushrooms

1tsp Chilli Flakes

1tsp Cayenne pepper


Method:

1. Heat some oil in a large pan or wok.
2. Fry the chicken pieces for a couple of minutes until soft. 
3. Add a little of the marinade and coconut milk evenly – enough to just cover the chicken pieces and fry for a further 5 minutes.
4. Add the peppers, mushrooms and onions and fry for a further minute, stirring to combine evenly
5. Add the cayenne pepper and chilli flakes, and the rest of the marinade and coconut milk, until the mixture has reached your desired consistency and level of spiciness.   Stir fry for a further 5-6 minutes until the vegetables are cooked but still crispy.

Serve immediately with bread, noodles or rice.

Quorn Sausage, Vegetable and Bean Cobbler

Happy day four of National Vegetarian Week!  In complete contrast to my salad yesterday, today’s recipe is a dish I would generally reserve for the deep throes of winter.  However, given the awful stormy weather outside, I decided that the family were in need of something warm and hearty for tea tonight. This meal is fab as it warms you from the inside out and contains most of the main food groups in one dish. It is also a great way to get vegetables and fibre into your kids.

 I vegetarianised this recipe from the NetMums “Feeding Kids” recipe book.  I absolutely love this book as for me, it played a pivotal role in teaching me how to become a better cook, and a whizz at preparing family meals. 

When my eldest daughter was born we were living in hubby’s flat. He owned a very dated cooker and hob which never worked properly, one! saucepan and a frying pan.  We were used to eating mainly ready meals as we both dashed about so often and although I loved to cook, cooking in his kitchen was impossible. Luckily, by the time I had battled though weaning using his one saucepan and exhausted all of the baby purees in the Annabel Karmel recipe books, we had moved into a house with a shiny new cooker and hob that actually worked and acquired more kitchen paraphernalia than we knew what to do with.  So with my kitchen all set up, and my daughter wanting to eat solids, I suddenly realised that I although I knew how to cook, none of my repertoire was toddler friendly and I had no idea how to cook for a family, especially a vegetarian family. My fail-safe back-up meal substitution of a cheese sandwich used so often in my single days, simply would not make the grade.  I needed to learn how to provide a healthy balanced diet, and I needed simple, kid-proof family recipes.  Cue the NetMums “Feeding Kids” recipe book which literally saved my life. It contains chapters on nutrition, balanced diets and provides meal planners, which I still use to make meal times less stressful and cost effective.  I challenged myself for the next year to cook two new recipes in this book every week, often modifying them to make them vegetarian.  This book gave me a greater love and appreciation of food, an understanding of the basics of family cooking, and gave me the confidence to move on to more “foodie” cookery books.  Even though other recipe books now adorn my windowsill, the NetMums cookery book is still a staple recipe book that I use every week in my kitchen.  The pages are stained with food, there are notes in the margins, and the colour is fading from sun exposure, but I absolutely love this book and still have so many recipes I have not tried as there are suggestions for lots of different versions of the same recipe.

As this week is National Vegetarian Week, why not challenge yourself to cook a vegetarian recipe for the family you haven’t cooked before, or to cook one vegetarian recipe a week, or even find a recipe to modify and make vegetarian? There are lots of ideas on the National Vegetarian Week website.

(Adapted from the Netmum’s recipe book)

Quorn Sausage, Vegetable and Bean Cobbler

Ingredients

Olive Oil for brushing/frying

336g pack Quorn Sausages (about 8 sausages)

1 onion, peeled and chopped

Pinch of Maldon sea flakes

1tsp dried Oregano

1tsp dried Italian Seasoning

700g frozen mixed Veg (Broccoli, Cauliflower and baby carrots)

400ml Vegetable stock

1 x 400g can of Baked Beans in tomato sauce

For the Cobbler Topping

125g self-raising Flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of Soda

100g mature Cheddar, grated

1 Small Egg, beaten

1 tbsp olive oil

60ml milk, plus extra for brushing

Method:

      1.    Pre-heat the grill to medium hot and the oven to     180°C, gas mark 4.

2.    Brush the sausages with oil and place under the grill for 15-20 mins, turning to cook  evenly.  Once cooked, leave to cool and slice into small bite size pieces.

3.    Chop the onion. Heat the olive oil over a medium heat and add the onion to the pan, adding the sea-salt flakes to prevent burning.  Cook until transparent and just turning golden – about 8 minutes.

4.    Boil the kettle and make the vegetable stock according to packet instructions.  Once the onion is golden, add the vegetable stock, frozen veg, oregano and Italian seasoning to the pan and cook for 15 minutes.

5.    Meanwhile, make the cobbler.  Combine the flour and cheese in a bowl and add the egg, oil and milk.  Using a fork, mix to a dough.  Flour a clean surface and roll out and cut into 2cm thick circles.  I used a cookie cutter to cut the scones out, or you can use a small glass.

6.    Add the beans and sliced sausages to the vegetables, stir well and place in an ovenproof dish.  Arrange the cobbler shapes on top and brush with milk.

7.    Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the cobbler topping is golden.

Vegetarian Quorn Chicken Salad

On the third day of National Vegetarian Week, here is a delicious salad to sample.  A simple salad makes the perfect meal for a sunny day. The Quorn Chicken adds flavour to the salad and provides contrast to the Edam cheddar.

To dress this salad, I used a Balsamic Vinegar reduction which is a delicious ingredient from the My Secret Kitchen Range.  It is made using pomegranate molasses for sweetness and so provides a uniquely intense flavour.  

If you are a meat eater, why not try replacing your sandwich meat this week with a packet from the range of Quorn vegetarian deli slices?

Ingredients

1 Lettuce

½ Cucumber

200g Baby Tomatoes

1 Pack Quorn Chicken slices, sliced thinly

100g Edam Cheese sliced thinly

Grated Vegetarian Parmesan

Balsamic Vinegar Reduction (My Secret Kitchen)

Serve with warm Ciabatta Bread

Method

1)    Wash and prepare the Lettuce.  Tear into small strips and place in a bowl

2)    Slice the cucumber and position around the edge of the bowl in a circle

3)    Repeat with the tomatoes either whole or halved

4)    Slice the Quorn Chicken and Pile on top of the lettuce in the middle

5)    Slice the Edam cheese and place on top of the Quorn Chicken

6)    Sprinkle vegetarian grated Parmesan over the salad

7)    Drizzle with the Balsamic Vinegar Reduction and serve.

South Indian Vegetable Curry

Two people who influenced me very much in my twenties were my old restaurant bosses Jo and John.  For a few years, I did some waitressing to support my dance teaching and various other jobs. Whilst waitressing for a well known food chain, Jo and John were the best bosses that I ever had. At work, Jo and John treated their staff with respect and would never ask you to do something they would not do themselves. Whether it was in the kitchen, the bar, waitressing, or even cleaning the toilets., they were not afraid to get their hands dirty, muck in with the rest of the staff and do what needed to be done.  John and Jo were always the ones buying the staff drinks at the end of the night, put on breakfast for the staff at Christmas and really took care of us all.  In turn, we were happy to work hard for them.  Soon, they became not just bosses, but also friends.  We shared a love of good food, wine, musicals and also the theatre.  Oh how I remember fondly spending all day on a Sunday waitressing, with Jo, John and their assistant manager Dan whilst we sang show tunes to entertain ourselves through the shift.  Chicago was a favourite – re-enacting the cell block tango whilst the guests ate their meals.

As all good things do, eventually our time together came to an end. Jo and John managed to escape the restaurant trade and took up early retirement in Goa – a favourite holiday destination. They have been on my mind a lot lately as it has been hard to find time to keep in contact with them – the days turn into weeks and months, and all of a sudden you realise you haven’t spoken to them for a while and life is catching you unawares.  

Whilst flicking through my Nigella Kitchen book the other day, I came across this South Indian Vegetable Curry and immediately thought of Jo and John. I have always thought that curry was a really tricky dish to master, but in honour of Jo and John, an also National Vegetarian Week, I decided to take the plunge and have a go at cooking my first curry. The family and I were very pleased with the result.  I loved the coconut base and mildness of the curry sauce, followed by a spicy kick. Using the seasonal Asparagus was great too as it really soaked up the sauce well and complimented the other vegetables.

South Indian Vegetable Curry

This recipe is adapted from a Nigella recipe. I omitted the beans and broccoli and added the mange tout and asparagus.  I also added a little cinnamon to give the sauce a sweeter flavour.

Ingredients

2 x 15ml table spoons garlic oil

1 onion, peeled, halved, cut into half moon crescents

Pinch of sea salt flakes

1 green chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped

2cm chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into fine strips

¼ teaspoon crushed chilli flakes

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 x 400ml Tin of coconut milk

600ml vegetable stock

2 tsp sugar

1 x 15ml tablespoon tamarind paste

300g Cauliflower, separated into florets

150g Asparagus - Halved

125g Baby Corn – Halved

150g Mange Tout

2 x 15ml tablespoons chopped coriander

Method

1)      Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the sliced onion, sprinkled with the salt flakes until it softens.

2)      Add the chopped fresh chilli and ginger strips and stir on and off whilst cooking for about a minute

3)      Add the crushed chilli flakes, turmeric, ground cumin, ginger and cinnamon.  Stir well and cook for another minute or so, before adding the coconut milk, stock, sugar and tamarind paste.  Stir to combine.

4)      Bring the sauce to the boil.  Add the cauliflower florets and cook for about 10 minutes.  Then add the baby corn and cook for a further 3 minutes.  Next, add the asparagus and cook for a further 5 minutes. 

5)      Once the vegetables are tender, add the mange tout, season to taste and cook for a further 3 minutes

6)      Sprinkle the fresh coriander over the curry and serve immediately with rice or some naan bread

The Greek Restaurant, Hemel Hempstead - Review

The Greek restaurant is situated at the beginning of the Old Town in Hemel Hempstead and is currently rated the number one restaurant in the area according to Trip Advisor.  It is run by Yiannis and Andros who provide authentic Greek food to rival any found in their home country.  I have been to this restaurant quite a few times over the last few years and have always experienced delicious food and impeccable service.  Yiannis always remembers us and makes a big fuss of the children.  The restaurant does not cater specifically for children - they do not have high chairs, a children’s menu or changing facilities, but they are happy to accommodate children.  We always take our own booster seat and the children typically share a starter and then share our main meals as the portions are very generous.

The restaurant offers a Greek meze at £18.50 per person, as well as a range of other meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. The restaurant also serves a lunchtime menu which is cheaper than the A la carte and includes a pick your own meze.

So how well does The Greek cater for vegetarians?

Compared to other restaurants locally, The Greek caters very well for vegetarians. Where typically there are only 1 or 2 vegetarian choices on a typical restaurant menu, at The Greek, there is a wide range of dishes to choose from.  Vegetarian starters include Houmous, Tzatziki, deep fried Feta cheese, Greek salad, Halloumi, Spanhoppitta, Melon, Mushrooms and soup.  So as you can see, for starters you are spoilt for choice.   I typically tend to go for the Halloumi when I visit, but have also tried the Houmous, Tzatziki, deep fried Fetta Cheese, and Spanhoppitta which are all delicious and freshly made.  During this visit, I opted for the creamy mushroom soup which was as described – very creamy and full of mushrooms!   The starters are served with baskets of warm pitta bread, which the staff are more than happy to replenish as required.

For main course, I chose the Lasagne Verdi, which is the dish I typically opt for.  I have also tried the Vegetarian Crepe during previous visits.  Other dishes include a Chickpea Casserole and a Greek Salad.  I am not completely sure if the Lasagne was freshly made on the premises, or was pre-prepared and cooked from frozen.  The Lasagne tasted fresh and was again as described – layers of vegetables topped with béchamel sauce and cheese.  It was served with cubed fried potatoes which were perfect – crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and a generous side salad.  The Lasagne was very tasty.  The vegetables were well cooked but not too mushy and the béchamel sauce and cheese were generously layered over the pasta and vegetables.  The side salad was very colourful and contained a wide variety of salad ingredients which were actually edible, rather than provided for decoration purposes.

At present, a vegetarian choice of meze dishes exists on the lunchtime menu, but to better accommodate vegetarian diners in the evenings, and especially as I eat in this restaurant quite regularly, I would really like to see a vegetarian meze included on the A la carte menu.  I love sampling smaller versions of many dishes, and the sharing element of mezes and so would definitely opt for this is it were a menu choice.

In conclusion, this is wonderful restaurant where the food and the service are consistently excellent.  As well as the food, what really makes the restaurant is the friendliness and attentiveness of the staff.  The owner always remembers us, comes over to chat and makes a fuss of the children.  The staff are always very attentive and keen to replenish drinks or clear empty plates.  The prices may be slightly higher than other restaurants in the local area, but I believe that the friendly, personalised service makes the higher prices worthwhile.  I would always rather pay slightly more for a meal and receive great service than eat in a restaurant where the food is cheap, but the service is shocking.  All in all, this is a great restaurant for vegetarian diners to eat at.  You will be spoilt for choice and want to return again to sample other dishes on the menu.

I Don't Eat Anything With A Face

With National Vegetarian week coming up from the 23^rd to the 29^th of May, I thought I would explore what being a Vegetarian is and why people become Vegetarian.

There are so many different ideas and perceptions about what a Vegetarian is and what they eat. People commonly believe that Vegetarians will eat fish, or even white meat.

What is a Vegetarian?

The Vegetarian Society defines a Vegetarian as: "Someone who lives on a diet of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits with, or without, the use of dairy products and eggs. A Vegetarian does not eat any meat, poultry, game, fish, shellfish* or by-products of slaughter." 

Different types of Vegetarian include:

1)     Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarians – Vegetarians who eat dairy products and eggs  (usually only free range egg)

2)     Lacto-Vegetarians – Vegetarians who eat dairy products but not eggs.

3)     Vegans – this group does not eat dairy products, eggs, or any other products which are derived from animals.

It is always useful to find out what kind of Vegetarian someone is if you plan on cooking a meal for them.

Why might people become Vegetarian or Vegan?

Some people become Vegetarian for religious reasons.  Some go veggie because they don’t believe animals should be slaughtered for meat.  Being a Vegetarian is better for the environment and reduces the world’s carbon footprint.  Additionally, the Vegetarian diet is generally a healthier one.  Research suggests that Vegetarians are typically less likely to suffer ill health and diseases such as and high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, some diet related cancers and obesity. Vegetarians are also more likely to eat five portions of fruit and veg a day. 

My thoughts on Vegetarianism

When people ask me how I define my Vegetarianism, my answer is normally that “I don’t eat anything with a face”.  I became a Vegetarian mainly due to the number of shocking school dinners I had to endure over the years.  I vividly remember the fishcakes that tasted like cardboard, the corned beef hash that would invariably contain animal gristle and a token strand of the dinner lady’s hair, and the burgers, dripping with so much grease that you could feel your arteries blocking as you consumed then.  When I made the decision to become a Vegetarian, I never thought too much about the political reasons for being a Vegetarian, it was simply that I couldn’t stand the taste of the meat and fish I was consuming.  Even now that I am better educated about the political and environmental reasons for being a Vegetarian, just the thought of eating an animal still makes me feel ill.  Lately, after visiting Willows Farm and watching the chicks hatch, the thought of eating eggs has sat uneasily with me, but my love of dairy will always stop me becoming completely Vegan. 

Thankfully, it is relatively easy to be a Vegetarian in most parts of the UK, even if the Vegetarian menu is limited in some restaurants.  However, when I travel abroad, I commonly encounter restaurants with no Vegetarian options on their menu and people cannot comprehend why someone would not eat meat.  Vegetarian food can be delicious and full of flavour if as much care is taken in preparing and cooking the dish as is taken in cooking meat and fish.  Commonly though for some restaurants, the Vegetarian option is always an afterthought.

National Vegetarian week is being held from the 23^rd to the 29^th of May this year.  For ideas of recipes, visit the National Vegetarian Week website.

15 Minute Meals

I often imagine a world of uber Mummy’s clad in Cath Kidston pinnies, producing amazing creations night after night in their magnificent kitchens, complete with arga. Their home is spotless, their children are spotless and they prepare a gourmet feast for their family at every mealtime.

Unfortunately however this is not me. Uber mummy doesn’t have to compete with work, uni, after school activities, juggling family schedules, or a toddler whose one mission is to create as much chaos as possible wherever she goes.  I would love to cook fresh, delicious, food for my family from scratch every night of the week, but in my reality what with swimming, dancing and other activities, we don’t arrive home until around six and then it’s a race for tea and bed.  This dish, although not fresh or fancy, is a tasty, nutritious, filling vegetarian meal which can be conjured up in a matter of minutes when time is short.



  
Creamy Tomato Pasta

Ingredients:

1 Onion

1 tin of Sweetcorn

1 tin of chopped Tomatoes

1 tin of Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce

500g pack of spaghetti/pasta shapes

1tsp oregano

1tsp basil

Cheese to garnish

Method:

1)    Boil a kettle of water for the pasta.  Once boiled, add the boiled water to pasta and cook with a little oil to stop the pasta from sticking for 8 to 10 minutes.

2)    Peel and chop the onion and fry on a low heat for about 5 minutes.

3)    Meanwhile, empty the tin of sweetcorn into a saucepan and heat on a low heat for about 5 minutes.

4)    Once cooked, drain the onion and the sweetcorn amd set aside for a couple of minutes.

5)    Place the chopped tomatoes and creamy tomato pasta sauce in a bowl, with the oregano and basil and gently heat for about 3 minutes.  Add the onion and sweetcorn and heat for a further 3 minutes.

6)    Once cooked, drain the pasta.

7)    Gradually stir the pasta into the sauce until fully combined. Heat for one more minute, then remove from heat.

8)    Serve immediately with cheese to garnish.

Slow Cooking Veggie Style

If like me you are a busy mum, the slow cooker is a kitchen essential for cooking meals when you are short of time.  Often seen in today’s society as an unwelcome throwback to the 1970’s, the humble slow cooker has saved many a dinner time in my house.  It slowly cooks food at a low temperature consistently over a number of hours and you can leave it on low whilst you are out of the house.  The longer the food cooks, the deeper the flavours of the dish are as they intensify over time.  By just throwing a few ingredients in a pot and leaving them to cook, you can create warm hearty meals, which are especially ideal in the winter and delicious throughout the rest of the year too.

The slow cooker is a must-have appliance for meat eaters. There are lots of recipe books around to cater for meat in the slow cooker.  However, I often struggle to find or think of original vegetarian dishes which can be cooked in the slow cooker.  My most cooked fail safe slow cooker recipes include vegetarian chilli and Bolognese, along with pasta bake and apple crumble.  If anyone has any more interesting tried and tested slow cooking recipes, I would love to hear them!

One of the easiest recipes which I slow cook is vegetable stew.  Chop any vegetables you like (a stew pack is good to use in winter).  Fry the vegetables for 5-10 minutes, drain the oil and add to the pot with about 600mls of gravy, a tin of chopped tomatoes and some herbs.  Cook on a low heat for 4 – 6 hours until the vegetables are soft.  Serve with rice or crunchy bread, You could also puree the mixture to make a soup.  Once cooled, this recipe can be frozen.

The meal which I cook most often in the slow cooker is Quorn chicken and vegetables in white wine sauce. As it cooks over a long period of time, it creates such a lovely creamy flavor and ensures that the vegetables are soft and the chicken pieces are tender.  I tend to chop the vegetables quite small for my little ones.  If I was cooking this to serve immediately, I would make my own white wine and cream sauce, but in the slow cooker I have found that pre-prepared sauces fare better when cooking over long periods of time, plus they are quicker if you are short of preparation time.

Sometimes, I serve the stew with rice, or crusty bread.  However, I have also discovered that it makes a fantastic pie filling.   I just let the mixture cool for a couple of hours, or refrigerate once cool if I am not preparing the pie until the next day.  I then make the pastry, and add the pie filling. 

Vegetarian Chicken and Vegetable Pie

Ingredients:

For the Filling:

1 Onion chopped

2 Carrots chopped

2 Leeks Chopped and washed

200g Mushrooms chopped

1 Pack of vegetarian chicken pieces

Olive Oil

2 Tins/Jars of White Wine and Cream Sauce (I use Homepride white wine and cream sauce)

For the Pastry:

250g Plain Flour

100g Butter, cubed

Pinch of Salt

5-6 Tablespoons of cold water

Method:

You will need a slow cooker placed on a low heat.

1) Chop the onion, mushrooms and carrots into small pieces.  Fry in a little olive oil for 5 – 10 minutes until the onions and mushrooms are soft (the carrots and leeks will soften in the slow cooker). Drain of any oil and add to the cook pot.

2) Heat the pan again with olive oil and fry the chicken pieces until brown for 5-7 minutes. Drain the oil and add to the cook pot

3) Empty the white wine and cream sauce into the pot and cook all of the ingredients on a low heat for four to six hours.

4) Once cooked, remove from the  heat and allow to cool.

5) For the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl and add the butter and salt.  Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips and continue doing so until the flour and butter are combined and the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

6) Add 3 tbsp of cold water and using a round edge knife start bringing the dough together. Add the rest of the water gradually until the dough is formed.  Roll into a ball and refrigerate for 30 minutes before use (can be kept for 3 days in a polythene bag)

7) Grease the pie dish with a little oil.  Once ready to use, halve the dough and roll out one half of the dough thin enough to cover a pie dish.  Cover the dish completely with pastry and then go round the edge with a knife to cut off the excess mixture. 

8) Add the chicken and vegetable mixture to the pastry and smooth over

9) Take the remaining pastry, including the excess and roll out the pastry until large enough to cover the top of the pie.  Spread over the top, and join together with the pastry on the base.  Make sure that the pie is completely closed so that the filling doesn’t leak out.

The Pie can be baked from fresh for 30 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees, gas mark 6.  This particular pie will be going as part of a food package to a friend, hence why its has not yet been cooked in the photos.

 

The Real Food Festival at Earls Court

On Sunday, I went to the Real Food Festival at Earls Court with my hubby and kids.  Having kindly been given tickets by Nick Coffer from My Daddy Cooks, we embarked on the train journey (an adventure in itself for the little ones) to Earls Court.  We had been warned, through twitter, to go with empty stomachs and as we entered Earls Court and the delicious smells of different foods wafted towards us, it was soon clear to see why.  

The Real Food Festival was foodie heaven and gave us the chance to sample and buy products from a mixture of carefully selected producers.  In addition there were chef demonstrations, kitchen workshops, buffalo to interact with, dancing sheep, and a kids taste tent.  We worked our way around the festival sampling gorgeous oils, chutneys, wines, ports, chocolate, breads – you name it, it was there.  Sampling from the source gave us a chance to speak to local producers and hear how their products had been produced from the planning stages, through to the point of sale.

With numerous demonstrations and over 400 producers, it was impossible to see everything.  Many producers did seem to be selling the same products, it almost became a bit like a grand bazaar at some points -  cheese, oils, chutneys, cakes, repeat several times.  However, in amongst the repetition, there were some real gems to be found and I shall attempt to mention some of my highlights here:

Soon after entering the festival, we found a little stall being manned by two lovely ladies from Kitchen Garden Preserves.  Run by Robin and Barbara Moinet since 1989 and based in the Cotswold’s, Kitchen Garden Preserves makes high quality jams, chutneys, preserves and condiments which are sold through their website and independent retailers.  All of their products are handmade, using fresh ingredients sourced from local producers.  They don’t contain additives and are gluten and GMO free.  Most importantly for me, they are also mostly suitable for vegetarians!  We met Barbara who was so lovely and encouraged my 4 year old to try whatever she wanted (others in the festival were not so keen to let kids near their wares!).  My daughter loved the strawberry jam and it was clear to see that Barbara loved her products and telling us about them.

I myself developed a penchant for the luxuriously lemony lemon curd.  I purchased this, along with one of their new products - red onion chutney which I was assured is delicious with goats cheese.  After browsing their website when I returned home, I was also delighted to find that they offer recipe ideas for their products.  We can’t wait to try the lemon curd fairy cakes!

   

Another brand I found was the Wormersley brand which has been made in Yorkshire since 1979 and is now run by the lovely Rupert Parsons.  Wormersley make vinegars and jellies from home grown herbs and fruits.   They also have really beautiful artwork on their bottles!  I shall be displaying my bottle of Strawberry and Mint Vinegar as soon as I have consumed its contents.  I can’t wait to try the vinegar in a fruit salad or poured over some fresh British strawberries – divine!.

There were lots of chef demonstrations going on, but being with small children,  we were only allowed to watch the entertaining ones that they  would sit through.  We had a lovely time watching Nick Coffer from My Daddy Cooks  cooking with his son Archie.  Nick did a fantastic job cooking a “Mexican Lasagne” and “No Cook Pasta” from his new cookbook (soon to be released) and Archie had terrific fun using up all of his Daddy’s ingredients in a dish of his own!


  

Mid afternoon, I attended my first ever tweet-up which was excitement in itself.  It was lovely to catch up in person with Ren from Fabulicious Food,  Laura from My Secret Kitchen and food lover Working London Mummy.   

Other producers we enjoyed visiting were Adnams brewery from Southwold – a local brewer close to our hearts since Hubby has ties to Lowestoft.  We were stunned to find they also produce wines and spirits in addition to beers and we will definitely be booking in a tour of the brewery when we next visit Suffolk. 

Next, I was interested to discover Vegetarian Caviar at Caviar 4 Everyone as it’s something I haven’t come across before.  Upon sampling, I decided that it was not personally my cup of tea, but good to know that vegetarian caviar exists!  

My daughter who is mad about anything pink and sparkly found herself drawn to the glitteriest cupcakes in the world made by cupcake-a-licious.  The cupcakes all looked beautiful, but sadly, I begrudged paying extra for a box to transport these delicate treats when the cupcakes were already pretty pricey and so she just bought one to eat immediately, which she thoroughly enjoyed. 

 

Cake-wise, I myself preferred the chocolate brownies made by Kate at Gower Cottage Brownies.  Kate runs her business from Gower Cottage in Wales.  Her brownies were really fresh, light and airy, had a rich chocolate taste and melted in the mouth  - delicious!  

Another highlight was chatting with leading gardening charity Garden Organic.  Funded by private donations, grants and lottery funding, Garden Organic has launched the “One Pot Pledge” which aims to encourage 30,000 people to grow their own food for the very first time.   We came away with small rocket and lettuce plants to cultivate and we look forward to helping them grow.


My last recommendation will go to Scarlet Angel Ltd which I found just as we were leaving the festival.  Scarlet Angel based in Gwent and run by Bronwen Ramsay, make organic dressings which can be used in salads or as dips.  I sampled and purchased the sweet pepper and chilli which was really rich, sweet and tangy and the lemon and black pepper dressing which was really rich and fragrant.

In addition to wonderful food, my daughters enjoyed meeting the various farm animals at the exhibition and watching the dance sheep on stage. All in all, we had a fabulous day out and left the festival feeling very full indeed.  My thanks goes to Nick at my Daddy Cooks for the tickets.