All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

Damson Gin with Lemon and Lime

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damson gin

It’s nice to have a cupboard full of foraged wares. Currently I am housing sloe port made with sloes that were steeping in gin for two years, a nine month damson gin and I am now using the gin soaked damsons to kick off a batch of damson port. I’ve been busy. As nice as it is to sip the damson gin like a thin fruity syrup it’s also nice to be able to jazz it up sometimes.

After nine months of steeping the damson gin has come out a glorious, deep, rich red colour and it is asking to be made into a long drink. This is my perfect summer evening tipple. If I don’t have lemonade in the house it is just as good with a bit of tonic. It doesn’t look fancy, it’s not got any frills but when it tastes this good and fresh it doesn’t need any. read more

Strawberry, Mint and Elderflower Mini Crumbles

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strawberry and elderflower crumble
A crumble to me has a whiff of autumn about it. Apple crumble is a classic pudding but a while ago I tried a strawberry crumble and it was so good I couldn’t wait to give it a try myself. This is a pudding form of my previous cocktail post; a mixture of strawberries, mint and elderflower syrup but under a biscuity crust. The ingredients in this crumble scream of summer and the smell of cooking strawberries and buttery crumble is irresistible.

Ingredients

You will need (for two mini crumbles):

  • 200g strawberries
  • A few sprigs of mint
  • Elderflower syrup
  • 75g butter
  • 175g flour
  • 50g golden caster sugar and a little extra

Method

Start by chopping the strawberries up into halves, quarters, slices and all sizes so that you have a varied texture when the crumble is cooked. Put the strawberries into a little dish or ramekin, until it’s just over three quarters full, then sprinkle over a few chopped mint leaves. Drizzle over a little elderflower syrup; I used around a tablespoon for each ramekin. 

In another bowl mix together the flour and butter with your hands until you have a mix that resembles breadcrumbs. Then stir in the sugar. Top each little strawberry filled dish with the crumble and then sprinkle over a little extra sugar on top.
Put the dishes onto a baking tray and then into a preheat oven at 180C for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown on top. read more

Strawberry, Mint, Elderflower and Gin Cocktail

By 11 Comments

strawberry elderflower gin cocktail
There is a bit of an elderflower theme going on at the moment on here but I do like to make the most of something while it’s around. Having the elderflower syrup present in my kitchen means I am forever thinking up new ways of using it. I adore strawberries and mint and they are heavenly together so I felt like being brave, getting my muddler out and knocking up a summery cocktail. With all this glorious sunshine it would be rude not to.

Ingredients

You will need (for two long cocktails):

  • Around 150g strawberries
  • A few mint leaves
  • 100ml gin
  • 50ml elderflower syrup
  • Tonic or soda to top up

Method

Remove the green bits of your strawberries and put them into a large glass or jug with the mint leaves. Bash, bruise and beat the strawberries and mint together until well muddled. I thought it looked and smelled pretty good at this stage without anything else added. I was surprised how much juice came out of the strawberries.

Add the elderflower syrup and gin and mix together. Pour this into two tall glasses and top up with tonic or soda. Be careful when you top the glass up as when I topped up with tonic the slushy fruity bit started to froth out over the top. Slowly but surely was my friend for topping this up. Add a few fresh mint leaves and a strawberry to the glass if you’re feeling adventurous. read more

Summer Berry and Elderflower Pavlova

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elderflower berry pavlova
There is a guilt associated with serving up a berry laden pudding. Someone is always going to end up with more fruit or more of one kind of fruit than everyone else. You could of course try making a coulis to atop your dessert of choice but sometimes it’s not the most attractive option; or the most sensible, no one wants a soggy shortbread stack. To counteract any unfair fruit distribution I scatter a few fruits onto the pudding and then serve the rest up on the side so everyone gets their fair share. This berry and elderflower pavlova is the epitome of summer and a great way to use some elderflower syrup.

Ingredients

You will need (for one pavlova, to serve 6-8 people):

  • 3 egg whites
  • 180g caster sugar
  • 150ml whipping cream
  • Elderflower syrup
  • Berries of your choice, I used strawberries, raspberries and blueberries
This was my first ever attempt at a pavlova; indeed my first attempt of any form of egg white whipping since the unfortunate incident about ten years ago. I shan’t go in to details but the finished meringue was far from white and the baking tray ended up in the bin. Anyway, it turns out that meringue is a doddle if you are just brave. Put the egg whites into a mixer or use an electric hand whisk; whisk them until soft peaks form. Then add the sugar a spoon at a time until shiny firm peaks appear. Honestly, it’s that easy. I was most surprised.

Spoon, smear or pipe the egg white onto some greaseproof paper and then bake at 140C for one hour. Turn the oven off and then leave the meringue in the oven for another half an hour before removing and leaving to cool.
While the meringue is cooling whip the cream with a tbsp of the elderflower syrup. I ended up putting about three tbsp of syrup in but it depends on the strength of your syrup. Whip it all together until you’ve got firm peaks. Spoon the cream onto the meringue and top with berries. read more

Rhubarb, Honeycomb and Hazelnut Fool

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rhubarb honeycomb and hazelnut fool
It’s that rhubarb time of year. A little later than last year but it’s finally arrived and I am exceptionally pleased as it’s one of my absolute favourite ingredients. I love the smell, texture, flavour and sourness and the fact that it can be pink, white, stripy, green, tall or stumpy. To me it’s also a sign of changing seasons; its appearance in the garden and on market stalls tells me that there’s plenty more to look forward to in the coming months.

Ingredients

You will need (for two fools):

  • 2 sticks rhubarb
  • 1 tsp honey (runny or set)
  • 1 tsp water
  • 150ml double cream
  • 1 tbsp runny honey
  • Small handful chopped hazelnuts
  • A few pieces of honeycomb 

Method

Chop the rhubarb into inch sized chunks and put into a saucepan with the tsp honey and water. Cook on a medium heat until the rhubarb is soft and most of the water has gone. You do need to make sure it’s quite thick otherwise your fool will be more like a soup. Set the rhubarb aside to cool.

Put a small dry pan over a medium heat and toast the hazelnuts, watching that they don’t catch, then set aside.

In a large bowl whip together the double cream and runny honey until firm. Fold in two thirds of the rhubarb with the hazelnuts and crush in a few bits of honeycomb. Divide the fool into glasses and top with the remaining rhubarb and a few more hazelnuts and honeycomb. read more

Gin and Tonic Mini Jellies

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gin and tonic jelly
I was never a fan of jelly and ice cream. I’m afraid that even when I was five I had standards and high expectations of jelly and ice cream that a children’s party just could not match. I went off jelly after several wobbly strawberry attempts for many years. I tried it in trifle too (not for me) and it wasn’t until I decided to make my own jelly that I appreciated just what a marvel it can be. Now I’m a grown up and I like jelly I’ve also realised I quite like gin. It’s about time these two met each other. Welcome to my gin and tonic mini jellies.

Ingredients

You will need (for around 12 mini jellies):
  • 30g sugar
  • 50ml water
  • 120ml pre-mixed gin and tonic
  • 3 sheets gelatine
  • Decorations of your choice (e.g. herbs or zests)

You may have noticed that I have three different coloured jellies. Indeed, not only was this an excuse to get out my calculator and work out gin to tonic to gelatine proportions but also a good reason to try out my new jelly mould and gins. The proportions above are for 12 jellies in total of around 10g each; feel free to mix up whatever spirits you have just divide the total gin and tonic amount by the amount of flavours you want to try and make different batches.

Method

Best to get the mathematics out of the way before you start your jelly making just in case you feel the need to make and drink a G&T at the same time. Not that I did of course. First of all put your decorations of choice into the jelly mould and go about selecting your gin. I went for: Sloe Gin and Mint, Saffron Gin and Cucumber and Gin and Lime Zest. 

Put the sugar and water into a pan to dissolve the sugar and then bring to the boil. While the sugar and water are heating put the gelatine into cold water. Once the sugar syrup has boiled remove from the heat, squeeze the excess water from the gelatine and stir the gelatine into the syrup until dissolved. Pour in the pre-mixed gin and tonic and stir gently so that you retain some of the fizz. Pour the jelly mix into your jelly mould and refrigerate until set. I like knowing that if you dissolve five sheets of gelatine into 500ml of liquid it will set to a decent quiver so I upped my gelatine to liquid ratio to make these thicker and more like adult gummy bears. read more

Caramelised Rhubarb Galette des Rois

By 25 Comments

rhubarb galette
Oh rhubarb. Not only the choice swear word for the less potty mouthed among us but also a rather delectable vegetable. I know it’s sort of a fruit but as it doesn’t have any seeds I will class it as a vegetable. I acquired my most recent handful of stalks after spending a lovely morning at a local farm shop (more about that in a separate post). I was even allowed to pull this straight out of the ground myself which was a rewarding, if somewhat exhausting, activity.

I have wanted to attempt this classic French ‘King of Tarts’ for so long; the rhubarb seemed like a perfect addition. I have made many frangipanes in the past so just halved what I would normally put in my large fluted tart tin for this recipe.

Ingredients

You will need (for one finished galette des rois):

  • 1 pack ready rolled puff pastry
  • 3 large sticks of rhubarb cut into inch sized pieces
  • 2 tbsp demerara sugar
  • 75g unsalted butter, very soft
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 75g ground almonds
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp milk and 1 egg beaten together (for glazing)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C and put the rhubarb onto a baking tray in a single layer. Sprinkle over the demerara sugar and then toss the rhubarb in the sugar so it all gets nicely coated. Put this in the oven for 15 minutes to roast. When it’s done the rhubarb should have softened but retained its shape and be gently caramelised. Put the rhubarb to one side to cool. Leave the oven on after you remove the rhubarb as you’ll need it at 180C to bake the tart. read more

Rhubarb, Rosehip and Lime Fizz

By 20 Comments

I’m not sure if you’ve ever been in the designated driver situation where you end up at a soiree and the host assumes that the only guests not drinking alcohol are children? As much as I like Um Bongo it’s always a little embarrassing to reach the end of the carton and make that loud, conspicuous slurping noise while in the middle of a conversation. Down with this I say and hooray for the now bursting market that is adult soft drinks and cordials. I’m not sure why but all the ready-made ‘adult’ soft drinks available used to be either apple orientated or have grape juice in. I am really not a fan of grape juice; maybe because it tastes artificial to me and not at all like grapes. Not to worry though as this Rhubarb, Rosehip and Lime Fizz is a corker of a soft drink.  read more

Blackcurrant and Liquorice Lemonade

By 12 Comments

blackcurrant liquorice and lemonade
The next beverage in my adventures with Mr Fitzpatricks cordials is Blackcurrant and Liquorice Lemonade. The smell of this cordial makes me think of old sweet shops. I love blackcurrant; it’s my flavour of choice for the last sweet in the bag. Liquorice I’m pretty unfussy about as I don’t mind if it’s there and I don’t mind if it’s not. The cordial smells rich, dark and mysterious so I thought it would be an idea to mix it with something sharp and fizzy.

Ingredients

You will need (per glass):

  • Mr Fitzpatricks Blackcurrant and Liquorice Cordial
  • Lemonade
  • Fresh lemon juice

Method

This isn’t a complicated one to make but again it’s all about personal preferences. Add some cordial to the glass as much or as little as you like then top up with lemonade. Squeeze in a few drops fresh lemon juice to give it some tang.

I think the colour is fantastic; a lovely dark purpley brown. The fresh lemon juice added a freshness to cut through the rich liquorice and distinctive blackcurrant. I am a fan of a bit of fizz too so I really liked this flavour combination. This is very much an evening drink; a long one to have with a book or a good film.
Thanks to Mr Fitzpatricks for the samples. All opinions expressed are my own. read more

Sloe Gin and Tonic with Elderflower and Apple

By 16 Comments

sloe gin and elderflower
Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while will know about my penchant for sloe gin. I’m not sure what it is about infusing your own alcohol that I like so much. Perhaps it’s the romantic idea of foraging for food, connecting with the land and being able to puff out your chest in pride when you’ve picked a kilo of berries. It could be to do with the fact that I like gin. Either way, my second post about drinks looks at mixing up sloe gin with some classic British flavours.

Ingredients

You will need (per glass):

  • 50ml sloe gin (to make your own see recipe here)
  • 1/2 cap full Mr Fitzpatricks Elderflower and Bramley Apple Cordial
  • Tonic
  • Juice 1 lime
  • Caster sugar

Method

I was going the whole hog with this one, sugar crusting on the edge and everything. It’s easier to make the cocktail in another receptacle and then pour it into the sugar encrusted glass; much less risk of dribbling and dissolving. Start by squeezing the lime juice onto a small plate and putting a thin layer of caster sugar on another plate. Dip the rim of each glass into the lime juice and then into the sugar so you form a rather pretty (sweet and sour) edge to the glass. Mix together the sloe gin, cordial and tonic in a jug and then pour into the prepared glasses. read more

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