13/02/2010 Alternative Press Fair CAKES

I did a food stand at The Alternative Press fair this weekend. It's been a while since I've done a one off event and this one was savoury as well as sweet! Everything I made was vegetarian or vegan. I had the full run of the kitchen at St Aloysius social club near Euston.



The sweet clockwise from top left: Victoria sponge cake, gluten free dark chocolate brownie, vegan apple and mincemeat slices, vegan carrot cake, lemon and almond cake and Welsh cinnamon cake (see below). I made this from a recipe in English Food my Jane Grigson. There are many, many things I want to make from this book as there are so many regional and national deserts that have probably been forgotten by all but a few.



Savoury: Roast butternut squash, chickpea and feta pasties, onion bhaji, raita and mango chutney in a cumin flatbread (all hand made), and (below) vegan roast beetroot and red onion with houmous in a handmade cumin flatbread.

06/02/2010 Gateaux Basque

It was a big birthday for my biggest sister on 03/02/2010 and we all went out for a meal to celebrate. I was unsure what to cake to bake for her, as the last few times I've been home I've been forced to make a lemon and almond cake because everyone loves them so much. But I was determined not to pander to my nephew and niece too much! I have been on holiday for 4 summers now with The Jones' and my sister Claire and 3 of those have been in France. The first year we went Claire and I camped outside The Jones' static caravan. It rained a lot, we played lots of 'bullshit' and we ate lots. One time Claire and I came back with a 'Gateaux Basque'. We had no idea what we had bought, but it looked delicious and as we were in Basque country it seemed very fitting. After tea, we got it out on our little camp table and Chris said he wouldn't like it because it had cherries in. Sally, Claire and I are not the fussiest people when it comes to cake but WOW. It was a dense large crumbed cake with cherries and custard sandwiched in between. Chris had some, decided it 'wasn't that bad' and we pro ceded to eat a lot if not all of the cake. Needless to say I was very excited when I came across a recipe in Floyd on France.



The recipe I found had no fruit in but if there had been some rhubarb in my mums garden then I would have put some in. Above is the gateaux in its naked state.



I thought icing sugar on top would be good so I made an 'S' stencil and coated the top. I then used this template to put the candles in. I also made some meringue with the left over egg whites.

27/01/2010 Health buns

I am always trying to ruduce the amount of things in my baking drawer, but it never seems to go down. These muffins were an attempt to use up the odds and ends of packets, plus I was going to Sanctuary Spa with my sister Claire and I said I would make us a packed lunch. I used a recipe from a BBC cakes and bakes book that my other sister Sally had bought for me. It was very low fat, using only 2oz butter and no sugar (honey instead). It was supposed to have loads of berries in, but I still have a massive tub of mincemeat that needs using up, so I put that in for fruit, plus a few brandy soaked raisins. Delicious.

25/01/2010 Burns night

I have had a vegetarian haggis in the freezer for a few months after it was reduced at my local organic food shop. Last year we did burns night at my old house and I got no haggis, this year one was waiting! This meal was much less authentic than the one last year, and much more sloppy.


Clockwise from the top: vegatarian haggis, red cabbage with apple and balsamic vinegar, mustard mash with kale, roast parsnipsand onion gravy with peas in all over the top. The gouls below made me do it!

11/01/2010 My birthday! No.2

I always complain that no one makes me a birthday cake. I am so ungrateful! But this year my friend Claire (we used to do the Columbia Road cake stall together) made me this rat inspired bejeweled heart shaped masterpiece. It was delicious Victoria sponge with jam and buttercream. Why rat? Below is a photo of the rat mother-with-rat-babies that Claire made me for my present. Nuf said.

05/01/2010 My birthday!

This is the spread I put on for my party. The food was savoury and sweet. I made some cumin flatbread with 4 dips; houmous, beetroot, yoghurt and mustard, roast garlic, onion & yoghurt and black bean).



For the sweet stuff I made last chance mince pies. The above picture was the vegan plate which included gingernuts and below is the buttery plate where I made mincemeat and almond rolls as well as pies.



Below are some ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) biscuits. I made these for the first time a couple of months before my birthday to use up some ingredients in my too full baking drawer and thought they were so delicious that I should share them with my friends. I put walnuts in the first batch I made but these are the more traditional type.



This stolen was the triumph of the evening. I used Dan Lepards recipe with my left over home made marzipan. I had wanted to make it in time for Christmas but was too tired and lazy! So made it for the party instead. I haven't made it before, but it was well worth it and I think it should become a regular part of my Christmas baked goods package that I give my family.