Featured Post: Watch Hut - Choosing a Vegan Watch

As a Vegetarian or Vegan, often I am asked whether I follow through with my vegetarianism lifestyle and also refrain from wearing leather products. I actually do tend to wear a lot of accessories which are made of a synthetic material and do not contain leather. I also find that it can be quite hard to find accessories such as shoes, belts, wallets, bags or watches which do not contain leather, and which I actually want to wear.

Recently, I have become aware that although we have several methods of time keeping in our house such as the Ipad, the oven, the PC, and the phone, it seems that none of them actually resemble a good old fashioned analogue watch such as those available at The Watch Hut. I used to wear watches regularly, but somehow decided that watches were an unnecessary accessory. However, after the gift of a watch last year, I have come to rely on it and wonder what I would ever do without a watch again!


So if you are a vegetarian or a vegan, how do you choose a vegan watch? Well basically, for those not in the know, it just needs to be one which doesn't have a leather strap! It's as simple as that. When we think of vegan products, we often think of fabric watches which can be a little "out there" and un-stylish, however any watch without a leather strap could be classed as vegan, and there are loads of great watch choices out there to choose from. You could choose a strap made of aluminium, ceramic, stainless steel, titanium, sterling silver, gold, or even good old plastic. Then there is the choice of digital or analogue...you may want to keep with the digital trends, or celebrate the golden era of the analogue watch which actually requires you to use some brain power!

Eldest is learning about telling the time at school, so for her and for us, it's all about the analogue at the moment. She has a little pink plastic watch which she loves. I myself  have become rather attached to this Silver Accurist Ladies Bracelet Watch which is very modern and stylish. I can imagine myself wearing it - and perhaps hubby buying it for me!!

I hope I have given you some inspiration for choosing a vegan watch - unlike other aspects of veganism, it's not that difficult to find a watch which fits with your lifestyle choices and your style.

Disclosure: This is a featured post which I received payment for.

February Finds: Part Two

Today I am featuring a couple of other products which I have been sent recently for review.

First up is a new range of Great British Peas and Beans from Hodmedods. When we think of British Beans, I'm sure that Heinz beans are one of the first that come to mind, but did you know that Heinz baked beans are actually native to North America? Hodmedod fava beans are produced in the UK on British Farms and are used to make their baked beans. Did you know that fava beans have been grown in this country since the Iron Ages? They are the type of beans some of our Ancestors probably would have eaten!

Hodmedod sell split and whole fava beans, and peas - Kabuki, marrowfat dried pulses, black badger, yellow, large blue, split green and split yellow. Beans are a great source of protein for vegetarians and they are also very filling too without having too many calories in them! Unlike other beans, Split peas and fava beans don't need pre-soaking, and they are available in dried packs, and also in cans.


We were sent some Hodmedod products to sample including British Baked Beans and Vaal Dhal in a can. We were also sent dried Split Peas and Fava Beans. The British Baked Beans might be best saved for the adults, as they looked and tasted a little different to how you would expect. I guess that we all have a preconception of what we think baked beans should taste like. However, Hodmedods don't taste like other brands - which is a good thing, they are more like a gourmet baked bean. The beans are bigger and the source if richer and a little "meatier" if I am able to use that word on a vegetarian blog! We really liked them, and we ate them with vegetarian Sausages, and mashed potatoes.

We also really like the Vaal Dhal, which we served with some crunchy bread. I haven't eaten a lot of Dhal before, but I would definitely buy cans of Dhal again as it was good to be able to just buy it in a can and know it had healthy ingredients in it, rather than making it from scratch.

You can find Hodmedod products in their online store and in various health food outlets

Watch this space for a recipe using the Hodmedods dried beans in packets coming soon!

Rosehips on a Kitchen Table

Secondly, this week I also received a new publication from Frances Lincoln called Rosehips on a Kitchen Table: Seasonal Recipes for Foragers & Foodies. The recipe book is by Carolyn and Chris Caldicott - writers of the World Food Cafe Vegetarian Series which I have featured before.

This beautiful A5 sized recipe book strikes me as one of those books you leave out on your coffee table when you are entertaining to try and impress. It will be even more impressive if accompanied by a recipe from the book!

This book is very pleasing to the eye. The pictures are just delightful and so inspiring - they make you long for summer time and then the autumn harvest so that you can get foraging for goodies in the hedge rows and at local farmers markets.

Rose hips on a Kitchen Table celebrates old-fashioned recipes gleaned down through the generations, and gives practical tips on how to cook seasonal ingredients. Seasonal food also typically tends to be cheaper, so it is pleasing to the eye and the pocket!!

Although it's currently a little too cold for my liking to go out foraging, this book has given me some inspiration for once the growing season kicks in. I know we have Sloes growing near to the girls school, so I shall be waiting for those to mature, and I shall also be on the lookout for fruits and vegetables in order to make some jams and chutneys. I am collecting the jars already!

This book is fantastic if you are just getting started with foraging as it lists the possible foraging ingredients, along with a few recipes you can try cooking them with. Most of the recipes are Vegetarian and Vegan, and there is also a "grow your own" section if you don't happen to live close to many foraging opportunities.

You can buy Rose hips on a Kitchen Table: Seasonal Recipes for Foragers & Foodies in hardback for £9.99 RRP from the Frances Lincoln Website and selected retailers from March onwards.

Disclosure: Products offered in consideration for review. All opinions are my own

McCormick Flavour Challenge: Slow-Cooked Breakfast Burritos with Mexican Style Sweet Potatoes

Since 1889, McCormick and Company, the company behind the Schwartz brand has sourced spices and flavours from around the world, which have become every day staples in our kitchen cupboards and every day essentials to our meals. This year, McCormick are celebrating 125 years of flavour, and they have created an anniversary edition of their signature "Flavour Forecast", which predicts what will drive the future of flavours by analysing the insights and ingredients on the rise globally.

McComick have come up with five key Flavour Insights which reflect emerging trends and key cultural influences that are shaping the tastes of tomorrow. Essentially, each one of them tells a story of how people are choosing more diverse and exciting flavours for their cooking, and why.

The five Flavour Forecasts are:

1. Chillies Obsession: Food lovers everywhere are seeking out their next big chilli thrill.
2. Modern Masala: Indian food is finally having its moment, breaking free of its traditional confines with modern interpretations.
3. Clever Compact Cooking: Proving that big flavours can come from small spaces, cooks in urban kitchens are making the most of what’s available.
4. Mexican World Tour: Mexican flavours are making their way around the globe, with people everywhere discovering new aspects of this bright, casual cuisine.
5. Charmed by Brazil: The world’s attraction to Brazilian cuisine is heating up, thanks to its seductive mix of global and native influences.

McCormick challenged bloggers to develop a recipe which will highlight one of the new flavour forecasts for 2014. McCormick are also asking people to "share the story" of their own flavour, and the flavours which have shaped their lives.

Almost everything I cook has a story behind it, whether the story is just "I saw it and fancied giving it a go", or whether it has a deeper and more significant meaning. When I read the flavour forecasts, the "Mexican World Tour" jumped out at me as it reminded me about one of my own flavour stories.

My father lives in the USA - in Southern California, which is ajoined to Mexico and as a teenager and in my twenties, I spent quite a lot of time there. One of the great things about California is that Mexican food is part of their culture. Being so close to the border, many Mexican people have gravitated over the the USA, bringing their foods and cultures with them and integrating them into everyday society. In the city my Dad lives in, there are countless Mexican restaurants and at least three Mexican fast food takeaways, which is great for me as I absolutely love Mexican food. Being Vegetarian, Mexican food is a great option as most dishes feature veggies, beans and cheese - always a great combination, and then you get to top it off with delicious salsa, sour cream and guac, which adds a burst of flavours to the mix. Whenever I visit California (which sadly hasn't been recently thanks to having kids) I head straight for one of my favourite restaurants - Chilis, which does the most amazing Quesadillas. I always remember visiting as a teenager, and sitting and watching Monday Night Football with my Dad whilst we consumed countless amounts of Quesadillas and Nachos!

The UK has some great flavours and cuisines, sadly, Mexican food is not as predominant as other fantastic flavours such as Indian and Chinese cuisine, still I like to cook Mexican food at home to try and recreate some of the delicious flavours I experienced in California.

Herbs and spices are commonly associated with main courses and desserts but their flavours are not really associated breakfast very much.In California, I would often grab a breakfast burrito in the morning which was full of delicious spices. Although we are used to our traditional cereal, toast and fry-ups in this country, breakfast burritos also make a great breakfast option. I decided to feature Breakfast Burrito's as my flavour of Mexican Cuisine.  My breakfast burritos feature eggs, vegetables and beans and so they can be a healthy option.You could also make them with lashings of cheese, salsa and sour cream, which make them slightly more calorific.




The spices I used in the burritos were onion salt, cayenne chilli pepper, minced galic, cumin and chilli powder. I slow-cooked the bean and vegetable filling, which is great if you don't have a lot of space as it can all go into one pot - I guess that meets the "clever compact cooking" forecast too! By slow cooking the filling, it can be prepared the night before and left to slow-cook, ready for the burritos to be filled the next morning.

 If you are in a hurry before breakfast, you could grab a burrito on the go by adding the filling, and scrambling some eggs in the microwave quickly, or if you have more time, you could sit and enjoy them with the family with a wide range of toppings. You could also prepare the burritos in advance and freeze them, then thaw and re-heat on the day that you want to eat them.

Just like any good muffin needs a hash brown, with my burritos, I decided to make a potato accompaniment in the form of Mexican style Sweet Potatoes. As it's half term this week, we have had more time to sit and eat breakfast together, and we also have time at the weekends to eat at our leisure and so with the potatoes added, it makes for a slightly more filling breakfast. To add spice and flavour to the mexican-style sweet potatoes, I used oregano, onion salt, minced garlic, cumin and chilli powder to add spice and flavour.



I would thoroughly recommend being a bit more adventurous at breakfast time and giving these breakfast burritos a go, they do make a welcome change from the norm and are packed full of flavour and a punch of spices to give your taste buds a kick in the morning.

Schwartz wants you to let them know what tastes and flavours have shaped your life, by telling your own flavour story. To thank you, the company has pledged to donate $1 to United Way Worldwide and it's UK partner Focus on Food, for every story shared on the Schwartz website, Facebook page or other social media channels. You can use the #flavorstory to share your story.

Here is the recipe for Breakfast Burritos served with Mexican style Sweet Potatoes.

You can print the recipes here:
Breakfast Burritos
Mexican Style Potatoes

Do you like Mexican Food? Do you have a flavour story to tell?

Disclosure: I received complimentary herbs and spices and a shopping gift card to complete this challenge.

Breakfast Burritos Print this recipe Ingredients: For the slow cooker 200g Pearl Barley, uncooked 2 x 175g tin Pinto Beans, drained & rinsed 1 x 400g tin Chopped Tomatoes 150g Onion, chopped 140g Sweetcorn, frozen 500g Vegetable Stock 1 tbsp Lime Juice 1 tsp Ground Cumin 1 tsp Chilli Powder 1tsp Minced Garlic ½ tsp Cayenne Chilli Pepper ¼ tsp Black Salt ¼ tsp Onion Salt For the Eggs 6 Eggs Milk Cheese Salt/Pepper 6 Flour Tortilla’s to serve Directions Place all of the ingredients into the slow cooker, stir to combine them evenly and cook on low for at least four to five hours. When the filling has cooked, scramble the eggs by stirring together eggs, milk and cheese, and seasoning with salt and pepper, then cooking in the pan with a little fat. Spread the slow-cooked filling onto a tortilla, along with the eggs. Roll the tortilla up, leaving one end open. Serve immediately with some of the following optional fillings: Sour Cream, Salsa, Guacamole, Cheese, or Nachos. Mexican Style Sweet Potatoes Print this Recipe Ingredients 500g Sweet Potatoes 50g Tortilla Chips, crushed 1 tbsp Chilli Powder ½ tsp Sea Salt ½ tsp Black Pepper ½ tsp Minced Garlic ½ tsp Onion Salt ½ tsp Dried Oregano ½ tsp Paprika ½ tsp Ground Cumin ¼ tsp Onion Salt Olive Oil Method Cut the potatoes into 1cm cubed squares. Preheat the oven to 180 centigrade, placing the oven tray in the oven to heat it up. Parboil the potatoes first by placing them in a saucepan and covering with cold water. Bring to the boil and then boil for around 10 minutes. Once parboiled, remove the potatoes from the heat, drain them and then cover them once more with a saucepan lid or plate. Shake them hard for a couple of minutes to make them look a little “distressed” which will help to make them nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Place the potatoes into a bowl and add all of the seasoning, the tortillas crushed into small pieces, and a good glug of olive oil. Combine the ingredients, ensuring that the potatoes are covered evenly with the oil, spices and tortilla chips. Transfer the seasoned potatoes to the baking tray and cook them for 25 – 30 minutes, turning at least once whilst cooking. Remove from the oven and serve.

Gingerbread Biscuits - Eldest writes

Hello my name is Betsy Lou and I am using Mummy's blog today to tell you about the biscuits I made.

This week is half term and so I wanted to do some baking. I found this recipe in one of my recipe books and decided to make it. I didn't have a gingerbread man cutter, and so I used the cutters that we had. I used stars, and hearts, and circles.

I decorated my biscuits using white icing made with icing sugar and water, chocolate bits and white and pink balls.

I have taken a photo of the recipe below so that you can try them too.

I hope you like them!! Are you doing any baking for half term?

Vegetarian February Finds

How is your February going? Mine has been fairly hectic, but not too hectic that I haven't had time to sample some new fantastic Vegetarian finds which have been on my radar this February! Sit back, grab a breather, and enjoy the delicious vegetarian foods I have spotted this month:

Jelly Belly Jelly Beans 

Jelly Belly Jelly Beans were first produced in 1976, when the creators focusing on producing a Jelly Bean with a single flavour, and made using natural ingredients to produce a fabulously intense flavour. Jelly Belly Jelly Beans only contain 4 calories per bean, and best of all, they are completely Vegetarian! I'm sure that I am preaching to the converted when telling my readers how hard it is to find chewy fruity sweets which are vegetarian-friendly and don't contain any Gelatine, but to find sweets which are truly incredibly tasty too and which don't make you feel that you are missing out on flavour is an added bonus!

There are currently 50 "official" jelly bean flavours, with up to 90 flavours in circulation at any one time. Flavours range from sour tastes such as Liquorice, Cinnamon and a "sours" range, to the sweeter flavours such as Marshmallow, Bubble Gum and Strawberry Banana.


With Valentine's Day upon us, the Jelly Belly Jelly Beans I received featured an attractive Valentines day Sleeve, Hubby and I really enjoyed eating these Jelly Belly Jelly Beans together. Advertised as gourmet beans, they really are as they are to be eaten one at a time and their flavours savoured. I very much liked the packaging, and the fact that you could use the plastic packaging to keep the jelly beans fresh. Personally, my favourite flavours from those I was sent were the Lemon, Peach and Strawberry Cheesecake. My all time flavour though has to be Cherry Cola. I remember tasting it when I was younger and that sticks in my mind as a taste of my trips to the USA.

Hubby and I came up with an ingenious game to play whilst we were eating our jelly beans - trying to come up with stories or nursery rhymes which featured the names/flavours of the jelly beans! You pick the beans you want, ask your partner to guess, and give them a helping hand if they can't, and then the best bit then is that if you guess it, you get to eat the jelly beans - it's a win-win situation and provides hours of fun for all involved.

Can you guess this popular children's song/rhyme?

Having both visited the US extensively, both Hubby and I have sampled this brand before, and we are big fans of the unique delicious flavours. You can buy Jelly Belly Products in their online shop. i think that Jelly Belly Jelly Beans would make a great indulgent snack for yourself, or a fantastic gift which is more unique than chocolates, for a friend or loved one. 

Dodo Chilli Dipping Sauce 

I was sent a jar of Dodo Chilli Dipping Sauce from Mauritius Foods to sample. Mauritius Foods are a family run business, currently breaking into the UK market. I am a big fan of sweet chilli sauce - it is one of my guilty pleasures. I love it on it's own, spread on top of Cream Cheese on a cracker, or used in a variety of the dishes which I cook. Dodo Chilli Dipping Sauce is a unique sweet/hot combination, which unlike other dipping sauces, is Vegetarian and Vegan friendly. I have been using it as a dip for crudities, and tortilla's, as a spread in sandwiches, and I also used it in a Tomato Pasta Bake I cooked tonight, to give the pasta an extra kick.

I am really impressed with the flavour of Dodo Chilli Sauce as it is really sweet, but also has a fiery after taste to it, which is not too tart. It has a great taste and I would definitely recommend sampling a jar. Dodo Chilli Dipping Sauce is priced £2.49 and is available online from the Mauritius Foods website.

Teapigs Organic Matcha Tea 

Teapigs Organic Matcha Green Tea is a relatively new member of the Teapigs range - the people who bring you fantastic tea in those incredible silk-like triangular pouches which really infuse the flavour, and which I am such a big fan of. Match Green Tea is made purely from a single ingredient - 100% organic green tea leaves, ground to form a fine powder. 

Drunk in Japan for around nine hundred years, the secret to a multiple benefits for mind, body and soul is now gaining popularity in the UK. Matcha Green Tea has fifteen times the health benefits of regular tea as it is packed full of nutrients, and it's amino acids help raise energy levels whilst also aiding you in keeping calm and focused. 

Now here's the science bit: One serving of Match Green Tea has seventy times more antioxidants than orange juice, and nine times the beta carotene's of spinach, and it is also known to boost metabolism and burn fat. 

The reason that Match Green Tea is so healthy for you, is because the tea leaves grown under cover during their last two weeks of cultivation, producing lots of chlorophyll, which is the good stuff. The leaves are then dried and ground slowly to a fine powder, then packed immediately into a vacuum sealed tin to lock in all of the nutrients.

We tried Matcha Green Tea in a variety of forms. We put it in milk, which hubby wasn't too keen on, I drank it in Apple Juice, which was quite pleasant and enjoyable, and we also drank it in hot water as a more traditional tea, which again, to me, was a great way to drink it. You could also used it in baking, mixed into yoghurt or smoothies, or sprinkled over porridge.  As a tea drinker, I drink a lot of tea, and don't drink coffee, so I could see myself replacing my traditional cups of tea with cups of Matcha Green Tea instead. With all of it's claims of the health benefits, I will be persevering with this because as a working parent, higher energy levels are something I am always striving to achieve, so we will see how things go!

I would recommend trying Matcha Green Tea even if Green Tea is not really your thing, as I think that you will be pleasantly surprised and become a convert - just as I have! Teapigs Matcha Green Tea has an rrp of £25, and is available online and from retailers such as John Lewis, Selfridges and Harvey Nicholls. 

What do you think of these brands? Would you like to try any of these?

Disclosure: Products received in consideration for review. All view are my own. 

Ideas for Vegetarian Jacket Potato Fillings

Oh the humble potato! Where would we be without a potato to add to our meals?

With this cold, stormy weather we are currently experiencing, this time of year is perfect for celebrating my favourite kind of potato - the Jacket Potato! Since I was a child, I have always loved a good Jacket Potato - and the crispier the skin the better! I remember watching them cook in their foil in the oven as a child, willing them to be ready so that I could dig my fork in and get the fluffy potato loveliness out.

Someone once gave me a good tip to get a crunchy potato skin: Brush the potato with some oil and sprinkle maldon sea salt over the top for extra flavour and a crisper finish. I swear by this method now each time I cook jacket potatoes. I tend to prick them with a fork, place them in the microwave for ten minutes, and then coat them in oil and salt, and wrap them in foil. I then cook them in the oven on a low-medium temperature for 1-2 hours.

When we think of Jacket Potatoes (or baked potatoes if you are from the other side of the pond), it is really easy to get sidetracked thinking about non-veggie options to accompany Jacket Potato such as Tuna and Sweetcorn, Bacon. Chicken Tikka etc.

However, Jacket Potatoes can make a great meal for Vegetarians as they help to fill you up, whilst also providing the base for some delicious toppings. Here are some fantastic no-fail Vegetarian fillings for Jacket Potatoes:

• Cheese
• Baked Beans
• Coleslaw
• Cheese and Beans
• Cheese and Coleslaw
• Cheese and Pickle
• Cheese and Apple
• Cheese and Marmite
• Vegetarian Chilli
• Vegetarian Bolognese
• Vegetable Stew
• Sour Cream and Chives
• Cream Cheese and Chives
• Cottage Cheese (keep it old skool)
• Pizza Sauce (tomato) with Shredded Mozarella 
• Cheese and Onion
• Chickpeas & Avocado
• Cheese sauce with vegetables
• Ratatouille
• Brocolli and Cream Cheese
• Vegetarian Sausages and Beans
• Goats Cheese and Spinach
• Asparagus and Rocket 
• Tomato and Salsa
• Tex Mex - Black Bean, Sweetcorn, Salsa and Sour Cream
• Stirfried Onions, Peppers, Mushroom, Broccoli and Carrots (or any veg)
• Quorn Chicken marinated in a variety of sauces (bbq sauce, sweet chilli sauce, red wine sauce, white wine or  mushroom sauce)

Or of course, you could just have it on it's own with lashings of Butter

I'm sure that there are lots I've missed. Do you have any other Vegetarian Jacket Potato fillings you could suggest?  Feel free to add them in a comment!

Great Vegetarian Restaurants via Sainsburys Blog

This week I came across a great article on the Sainsburys Blog about Vegetarian Restaurants. Check out it out - three of the best Vegetarian Restaurants.

What is your favourite Vegetarian Restaurant?