Swaledale Butchers – Review
Swaledale Butchers sent me the products below for the purpose of this review.
When I was looking on the Swaledale website to choose some of their meat to try I found it very difficult to choose, it all sounded so good. The story of Swaledale working with small farms in the Yorkshire Dales conjured up images of dry stone walls and fluffy sheep. Reading a bit more about their history I found out that they exclusively use native breeds, everything is prepared fresh and they even grind their own spices for their sausages.
Paprika Pepper Pasta
Life is busy. I have a toddler. Dinner that can be ready in a flash is what it’s all about in my house. This paprika pepper pasta is a dish I keep coming back to, and variations of it, because it’s so quick and simple. The ingredients are easy to get hold of and inexpensive: exactly my kind of weeknight cooking. And, with three portions of veg in one meal everyone’s happy!
A smoky, sweet and savoury pasta sauce it is also delicious served with baked potatoes. The fresh basil really lifts the dish and parsley would work just as nicely.
Review: The Crown and Anchor at Ham
This was a gifted meal.
At the centre of the beautiful village of Ham, The Crown and Anchor is a pub worth taking a trip to. It has featured in The Times in their ‘good walk’ piece and also voted Muddy Stilettos best Sunday Lunch across the counties (one of only two in Wiltshire). Considering it’s just over the hill from where I live, it was about time I went to try it for myself.
The bar at the front of the pub is full of comfy chairs, bar stools and small tables. The sofas and roaring fire made it feel relaxed and informal. It was rammed with locals on a Friday night. The restaurant is two steps up from the bar and stretches along the length of the building. We could see through the pass into the kitchen from our table as well as earwigging the latest local news from the residents.
Salmon Nicoise Quiche
This quiche is full of vegetables and that is a great way to disguise the fact it’s actually got double carbs in. Potatoes AND pastry; who doesn’t love that? My salmon nicoise quiche is a great way to take leftovers to another level. I made the nicoise salad, so everything was prepped and cooked, and then assembled the quiche the next day. Served alongside some mustard flecked dressed lettuce, this is a perfect lunch for me.
Delicious served warm from the oven you can slice this nicoise quiche into portions and freeze them individually, ready to be defrosted and warmed up another day.
Thai Vegetable Noodle Soup
I am still making an effort to have interesting lunches. Soup is perfect at this time of year as it freezes well and just needs heating through for an (almost) instant lunch. This is my Thai Vegetable Noodle Soup and I make it with plenty of chilli. I love the heat of the chilli with the creaminess of the coconut but you can make it as hot as you like.
This is a great recipe for using up any vegetables you have in the house. I like to use a few different colours if I can to brighten up the soup a little. The lime and coriander really lift the flavours and give it a zing and freshness which is just what I want from this soup.
Five Minute Salmon Noodles
I blinked and it is the end of January! I can’t believe this is my first post of 2021. But these five minute salmon noodles are quite an apt recipe for now. I’ve been working from home and the appeal of toast and sandwiches has worn pretty thin. However, I don’t want to be making a time consuming lunch each day. So I started to think about food I could make in a few minutes; a few basic recipes which will add variety to my working week and be a doddle to make.
I used some sweet chilli hot smoked salmon for these noodles. It was reduced and I used it for two lunches (the other of which I’ll tell you about below). A handful of fresh vegetables, dried noodles and a soy dressing made from store cupboard ingredients are all you need for a delicious lunch in minutes.
My Favourite Recipes To Use Up Leftovers
At the end of the year and the beginning of the next I like to have a big clear out of my fridge, freezer and cupboards. For two reasons. First, and I think this is true for many people in December, there’s plenty of leftovers. Second, I like to take stock of what I have ready for the next year. These are the dishes I cook which I come back to again and again: my favourite recipes for using up leftovers.
Dried Fruit and Nuts
There always seems to be a packet or two of nuts, fruits and seeds in the cupboard. Half used in a cake or something. A great way to use up lots of dried fruit and nuts is to make some granola. Whatever combination of leftovers you have, just stick to the proportions in my recipe and voila!
Smoked Salmon and Broccoli Quiche
I used to think of quiche as a dull, beige pastry which got wheeled out from old cookery books from time to time and no one was particularly fussed about it. Turns out I was wrong. It’s a most excellent pastry. I cooked my smoked salmon and broccoli quiche a few weeks ago, divided it up and froze it in wedges. Now I’m working from home I love to have something interesting for lunch. When it’s quiche day, it’s the best day of the week.
The freshness of the broccoli and spinach combined with the flavourful smoked salmon is a winning combination. It feels rather luxurious to have it for lunch.
Baked Eggs with Spinach and Cheddar
Also known as eggs en cocotte this is a classic recipe and one I can’t believe I’ve never made before! My baked eggs with spinach and cheddar take no time at all to make; it’s on the table in under 15 minutes. Don’t be fooled though, this simple recipe is seriously luxurious and packed with comforting flavours.
Once your fork (or spoon!) hits that runny yolk it mixes with the soft spinach, melted cheese and double cream and it is truly a joy to eat. The egg white should be just set and the yolk still runny. They are delicious served on their own but served with some crusty bread for dipping you really can’t go wrong.
Nduja and Broccoli Pizza
There were two things I discovered I loved when I was in Italy. The first was nduja (if it was on a menu, I was having it) and the second was broccoli on pizza. It seemed, to me, a very good idea to combine the two in a nduja and broccoli pizza. With cooler evenings starting now a seriously spicy, warming pizza made from my favourite ingredients is my idea of the perfect dinner.
Nduja is a Sicilian spreadable salami with an unbelievable amount of chilli in. It almost glows red when you see it. As the nduja is used in the sauce here, rather than as a topping, it gives a warmth and depth of flavour to the whole pizza. The creamy mozzarella does quieten the powerful nduja down a little and the freshness of the broccoli finishes everything off so well. Served with a fresh salad I think this is one of the finest pizzas I have ever made. This is enough pizza for four but we eat it between two. Because we’re greedy.
Most Recent Posts
Swaledale Butchers – Review
Swaledale Butchers sent me the products below for the purpose of this review. When I was looking on the Swaledale website to choose some of their meat to try I found it very difficult to choose, it
Paprika Pepper Pasta
Life is busy. I have a toddler. Dinner that can be ready in a flash is what it's all about in my house. This paprika pepper pasta is a dish I keep coming back to, and variations of it, because it's so
Review: The Crown and Anchor at Ham
This was a gifted meal. At the centre of the beautiful village of Ham, The Crown and Anchor is a pub worth taking a trip to. It has featured in The Times in their ‘good walk’ piece and also voted
Salmon Nicoise Quiche
This quiche is full of vegetables and that is a great way to disguise the fact it's actually got double carbs in. Potatoes AND pastry; who doesn't love that? My salmon nicoise quiche is a great way to
Thai Vegetable Noodle Soup
I am still making an effort to have interesting lunches. Soup is perfect at this time of year as it freezes well and just needs heating through for an (almost) instant lunch. This is my Thai Vegetable
Five Minute Salmon Noodles
I blinked and it is the end of January! I can't believe this is my first post of 2021. But these five minute salmon noodles are quite an apt recipe for now. I've been working from home and the appeal
My Favourite Recipes To Use Up Leftovers
At the end of the year and the beginning of the next I like to have a big clear out of my fridge, freezer and cupboards. For two reasons. First, and I think this is true for many people in December,
Smoked Salmon and Broccoli Quiche
I used to think of quiche as a dull, beige pastry which got wheeled out from old cookery books from time to time and no one was particularly fussed about it. Turns out I was wrong. It's a most
Easy Vegetable Lasagne...
There's a very good reason why this is an easy vegetable lasagne: there's no béchamel! One of the things I love most about lasagne is how comforting it is, all those layers of pasta and sauce, so I didn't want to miss any of that by cutting out a few … [Read More...]
Chard and Kohlrabi Stir Fry
I can't begin to tell you how many versions of this stir fry I have made over the years. This particular chard and kohlrabi stir fry was a combination of leftover veg from the veg box and a few items I had in the cupboards. It's really a recipe where … [Read More...]