There are a range of great wicker picnic hampers around containg plates, cups, knives, forks etc all you need for a perfect picnic. Mine goes everywhere with me its not only been on nearly every day trip I can thing of but it attends music concerts, outdoor theatres, plays, ascot, wimbledon you name it.

 I love this 6 person Sandringham wicker basket picnic hamper, this one comes complete with:

Another thing is if you looking for a great gift for a wedding or anniversary these wicker hampers are ideal and they will use it over and over again! Check out my previous blog Ascot Food Frollicks or Top British Cheese is and you could try these great sundae’s in my blog Its very Sundae for your picnics. Why not send in one of your favourite picnic recipes?

Its easy to make and ideal for serving at a barbeque, or while eatting alfresco, or just after playing in the park or a nice long walk with the dog!

If you store this fruit barley in a fridge it will keep for around 5 days, but do remember to shake the bottle and dilute the barley water before drinking.

For our Fruit Barley Water you are going to need: 50g pearl barley, 50g sugar, juice of 2 oranges and juice of 1 lemon (all this makes a pint).

First put the barley in a large pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, empty into a sieve and rinse the barley under cold water. Return the barley to the pan and add 600ml water ( use filtered but you can use tap or bottled as you prefer), cover the pan with a lid and simmer gently for 1 hour. Then strain the liquid into a bowl stir in the sugar and leave to cool. When cold stir in the orange and lemon juice and then pour into a clean sterilised bottle of your choice, using a funnel and store in the fridge. To serve your fruit barley water, add  some fruit barley water & fresh cold water or sparkling mineral water and ice (to dilute) into a tall tumbler glass, for a long, thirst quenching drink.

For serving your Fruit Barley Water your going to need some stylish Tall Tumbler glasses and I love these Dartington Glassware Laurence Llewelyn Bowen Ember Pair of Tall Tumbler Glasses with a superb design and at a great price, they are  145 mm heigh to to really serve your long drinks to your guest in style.

Have you any recipe for homemade summer drinks or even cocktails send in your ideas.

Why not get yourself a drinks fountain as in my previous blog the big dipper their great to parties and get togethers! Have a look at previous blog take your drinks outside in style for some great melanine ware for your summer parties too. Finally make sure you take a look at my previous blog edible sunshine for a great juicer idea and drink to go with it.

Watch out for future blogs to cover some great party cocktail ideas where my friends and I put together our favourite cocktails!

What am I talking about, well its sunny yellow colour and oh so sweet flavour its British sweetcorn of course. Sweetcorn provides us with useful amounts of vitamins A, B3 and C plus Fibre and Folic Acid too.

Busrting with juicy sweetness you will find British corn on the cobs on stall at our markets etc. Simply boil whole and serve with butter melting over them or you could wrap them up in foil and cook them on your barbeque.

For serving corn on the cob make sure you have some corn on the farringdon cob skewers, this pack of 6 wooden handles skewers is great value and a must set of kitchen equipment for your summer barbecues.

One of our favourites is a Mexican Corn on the Cob: You will need :3 tblsp butter, 1 tsp lime zest, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp finely cracked black pepper and 4 ear(s) corn, in husks.

In a small bowl, combine butter, zest, chili powder, garlic, salt, and pepper, and set aside. Carefully peel back husk from ear, without detaching from the bottom, remove silk from corn, fold the husk back around the ears, and soak in water for 30 to 45 minutes. Make sure to weigh down the ears so that they are fully submerged. Preheat a BBQ to medium, indirect heat. Remove ears from water, drain, open husk, dry ears with paper towels, and spread butter mixture evenly on corn. Fold husk back over corn and grill for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Take a look at my previous blogs on barbeques like bar-b-q fun time and great hot bbq’s for some great barbeques.

This evening supper is one of my personal favourites. Its so simple to cook but bursting not only with nutritional must haves for all of us, but full to the seams with flavour.

Why not try my Pan Fried Cod with cabbage and remember you can use a alternative fish.

You are going to need: 4 x 150g cod fillets, 1 small savoy cabbage, 4 slices of local streaky bacon cut into small pieces, a punnet of local oyster mushrooms (i’m lucky enough to have a local mushroom farm but check out the seasonal mushrooms depending when your cooking this dish, same with the cabbage), 80g butter, 1 tsp thyme, 50 ml olive oil and cracked black pepper and sea salt to season to taste.

Firstly quater, core and finely slice your cabbage and cook in boiling water until tender around 15 minutes ( you could also steam, see one of my previous blogs why people are going organic regarding steaming foods), then drain and cool under a running tap. Heat a non-stick frying pan and when hot add your olive oil and cook the cod fillets for 3 minutes on each side then remove and set aside. Wipe your pan clean and add 50g butter, when brown put in the chopped bacon and cook for around 2 minutes. Then add the cabbage and thyme and saute for a further 1 to 2 minutes to reheat. Add salt & pepper to you taste and set aside in a serving dish. Wipe your pan again and add the remaining butter and quickly cook your mushrooms which have been cut into strips and season.  For serving spoon a quarter of your cabbage into the centre of a warm plate, placing a cod fillet on top and mushrooms on top of the fish and serve with Wine of your choice. Simple, full of flavour and delicious!!!

Check out some of my previous blogs for fish advice and recipes like, savour the flavour of home cooked food on friday nights or finest fish supper or eat traditionally on good friday for a great fish pie recipe.

Have you tried Cod alternatives?, which fishes have you been recommended and enjoyed?

One of my favourites is Marmalade Duck, I remember like yesterday the very first time I tried this when my grandmother cooked it for me. I was at that age where I fed the ducks but didn’t want to think I was eatting them too. But being brought up on a farm meant it didn’t take long before I appreciated everymeal laid before me, and that everything on the farm from the land be it, crop or meat, eventually would be taken to market or eatten. This dish was divine and I in turn have made it many times for my family and today I was cooking for my dear friend Tracy.

For this scrumptious of dishes your are going to need: a duck cut into 6 or 4 large duck legs (so talk to your local butcher), 1/2 tsp sea salt, 2 tblsp groundnut oil, 3 medium onions, 100g fresh ginger, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 heaped tablsp flour, 1.5ltr stock, 3 tblsp rice wine (dry sherry or even vermouth), 4 star anise, 100g dried apricots, juice of 1 lemon and 4 tblsp quality marmalade (homemade if possible).

Start by preheating youroven to gas 4 or 180 c. Rub the pieces of duck all over with the sea salt. Warm the oil in a deep heavy pan or cast iron pan and lower the duck legs or pieces in to brown (be careful they will spit at you!). Turn them using tongues and brown the other side too. Lift them out and set aside on a plate. Peel the onions and slice, then stir into your casserole dish and leave to soften stirring occasionally. Peel the ginger and cut into matchsticks and stir in with the onion. Flatten the garlic cloves, remove the skin and put the flesh in to the casserole dish with the onions and ginger. When the onion is soft sprinkle with the flour then pour in the stock and stir throughly while bringing to the boil. Return the duck to the casserole dish and pour in the rice wine (sherry or vermouth), the star anise and dried apricots and leave to bubble for 15 minutes then cover with a lid and place in the oven. After 35 minutes remove and stir in 3 tblsp of marmalade and return to the oven without the lid. After a further 30 minutes of cooking lift the duck out and cover again with the lid. Leave this to cool a little as any fat will come to the surface so you can ladle this off. Check your sauce for seasoning and add the remaining marmalade and juice of a lemon. Now bring the sauce back to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes then return your duck peices to the sauce bringing it back to the boil before serving with a rich mash of potato and sweet potato.

Look at my previous blog confit away other duck recipes can be found in my previous blog walking recipe encore

For a cast iron casserole dish which is versatile for your cookery try this  Vogue cast iron 2.5 litre cast iron casserole dish.  This casserole is Black. 2.25 litre dish with lid. Being Cast iron ensures even heat distribution. When properly seasoned, provides long life non-stick and rust free pan. This casserole works with all heat sources; gas, electric, induction and ceramic top ranges. Also, attributes of cast iron means food stays hot for longer, providing greater energy efficiency. The recipes which use such a dish are endless, so make sure you buy a good one, such as this to add to your kitchen equipment for many years of great cookery.

Everyone knows how important it is to eat 3 good meals a day. Enjoying seasonal nutritious foods that are a pleasure to eat, meals which keep you feeling full and satisfied and stop you nibbling on modern sugar packed snacks. However, in an ideal world we would all sit down to share our day in the evening over dinner, or plan out our days together over breakfast in the morning. This is something I have always insisted on, but this scenario is not always possible. Especially with children now with various hobbies and attending various clubs, which you need a whole dedicated diary for on their own now adays. Then you have adult members of the family being held up at work (as we work some of the longest hours in Europe now), stuck on public transport or even in the never ending traffic jams upon our roads today. Fewer and fewer families can get to do this.

So I make one rule in our house, to make at least one healthy meal that can be tucked into as and when all the family can sit together; and if this can’t be in the evening, as I must admit our evening meals seem to get later and later due to all of our commitments.  I like us all to catch up with each other, so we can support each other, sort out whose going where and whose taking them etc so we always make breakfast together. Just as our grandparents would of done, they ate 3 good meals, at regular times throughout the day and ate together.

So try to plan say a evening meals together and make sure to minimise those distractions insisting on no mobiles or TV, so you can catch up with each other and enjoy your food too.  I know you may find this hard to start with but it will be worth it in the end.

One supper which will always bring my son Ed and his mates out of the wood work is my Sesame chicken noodles.

For serving you sesame chicken noodles check out this swift spice chinese serving set. The  Swift Chinese Serving Set Includes: -Four ceramic bowls. -Four ceramic spoons. -Four bamboo placemats. -Four pairs chopsticks and rests, and can make serving and eatting a chinese meal alot more fun and its great for entertaining too.

To serve 4 people your going to need: 1 tblsp sesame oil, 1 tabls sesame seeds, 3 free range local chicken breasts, 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, a knob of root ginger peeled and shredded, 2 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced, 200g oyster mushrooms halved and quartered, 200g dried edd noodles, 6 spring onions trimmed and sliced on the angle, 150g sugar snap peas, 100g peas (fresh or frozen), 1 tblsp cornflour, 1 tsp five-spice powder, 2 tblsp rice wine or dry sherry, 1 tsp caster sugar and 2 handfuls of spinach.

Slice your chicken breasts into long narrow strips, heat a wok and toast the sesame seeds in it for about 20 seconds then tip into a bowl. Heat the pil and when sizzling add the ginger, garlic and cook stirring for 1 minute then transfer to a plate. Add the mushrroms and stir fry to 2 minutes then scoop out and put these on the plate too. Add the chicken to the wok and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until cooked through then tip in to a heatproof dish and keep warm in a preheated oven on a low setting. Bring a pan of water to boil on the hob & boil the noodles takes about 4 minutes or as shown on packet. Add the spring onions, sugar snap peas & peas to your wok with 2 tablespoons of water. Stir these over a medium heat for 3 minutes then return the ginger, garlic and mushrooms. Drain the noodles and toss with the sesame oil. Blend the cornflour with the five-spice, rice wine (or dry sherry), sugar and 3 tablespoons of water. Add this mixture to the wok and toss everything together over the heat for 1 minute. Toss the warmed chicken in the oven with the toasted sesame seeds and serve the noodles in bowls topped with strips of chicken and stir fried vegetables. You can drizzle with a little extra sesame oil before serving if you wish.

Take a look at my previous blog flexible spring cookery to cope with the great british weather for further recipes and my blog chinese new year - the year of the Ox. 

Whats your families favourite meals to eat together? have you got a favourite chinese recipe? Let me know its always great to hear from you all!

Check out my previous blog Traditional Soda Bread Recipe for some great silicone baking sheets which you can use for this recipe rather than tin baking sheets.

So here we go for my fantastic Raspberry Roulade you are going to need:

350g raspberries, 1/2 tsp mixed spice, 50g ground toasted hazelnuts, 2 tblsp chestnut puree ( you can use the remaining puree in soups, breads or even in stuffings with your Sunday Roast), 4 large free range eggs, 225g caster sugar, 150g pot of greek yogurt (or homemade see my previous blog yogurt recipe depends on milk used), and 2 tsp icing sugard to dust with.

Firstly preheat the oven to 180 c/ gas 4 and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper. Whisk your egg whites for 4 minutes until it forms firm peaks. Add the sugar and whisk again until stiff. Mix the chestnut puree with the ground hazelnuts and mixed spice to form a paste and fold this into your meringue mixture. Spread your meringue mixture on to the baking sheet to form a large rectangle and cook for 25 minutes. Leave this to cool. Meanwhile puree 150g of your raspberries in a blender and ass sweetner to taste and pour into a serving jug. Then crush the remaining raspberries into the yogurt. Dust a clean surface with icing sugar and place meringue topside down on to the dusted icing sugar and spread your meringue with your raspberry cream before rolling up. Placing your meringue roulade on a serving plate scatter with remaining raspberries and serve with your raspberry coulis you prepared earlier in a jug.

Have you got a favourite dessert recipe you would like to share with us?

Wanting to make her birthday extra special we were looking to serve her a great birthday breakfast as a real treat.

Other breakfast recipes can be found in my previous blog ‘yogurt recipe depends on milk used’. You could also look at my previous blog ‘perfect omelettes’ too.

I knew exactly the breakfast Mum loves and headed for Red Hill Farm for fresh farm eggs straight from the field from their free range hens. Heading back Ed had already started to put together a tray fit for a queen together with a vase of flowers from the garden.

What were we preparing for this very special lady well one of her favourites scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. While Ed set about preparing his grandmother a cup of the best earl grey I got together the ingredients.

You will need: 4 Large free range eggs, pinch of cayenne pepper, 2 tsp butter, 2 small bunches of cherry tomatoes on the vine, 2 thick slices of homebaked bread, 50g fresh smoked scottish salmon cut into strips and fresh dill.

Start by preheating your grill and line your grill pan with foil. Place your beaten eggs, cayenne pepper and butter in a nonstick pan and cook on a low heat. Make sure you stir gently and constantly with a wooden spoon for about 10 minutes until the egg is softly set. While cooking your eggs, grill your vine cherry tomatoes for about 5 minutes until softened and they are starting to split. Toast your bread, butter and cut in half (like triangles).  Placing 2 triangles of toast on a plate, then top with scrambled egg, pile on the smoked scottish salmon strips and snip some fresh dill over the top using scissors. Serve with you extra toast triangles and grilled tomatoes.

Putting together our tray complete with tea, toast, flowers & birthday breakfast, not forgetting the birthday cards we headed for the bedroom with a chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’. To say she was delighted and enjoyed her breakfast was a understatement she loved it.

What would you serve that special someone for breakfast in bed, why not send in your recipes for a tasty special breakfast!

If your planning a birthday party check out my previous blog ‘The Big Dipper’.

For a great toaster with great functions for full use in your kitchen try this Morphy Richards accents polished stainless steel pause and check toaster. With its great function to Pause and Check your toast without interrupting the toasting cycle for perfect toast and removable crumb tray to keep your toaster clean and tidy, the crumb tray can be removed to clean. This toaster also has a hi lift facility to remove smaller items from your toaster such as crumpets etc. you can use this lift on the lever to safety remove these; along with a variable browning control allows you to set the browning of your toast so you can have your toast just the way you like it. One of the best functions is the deep vari-width toasting chamber - thick doorsteps or thin wafers, whatever your choice of bread the variable bread width function can cater for your needs, so you can toast homemade bread too, which some toasters just cannot accomodate.
 

Have the little ones been busy making cards for their special dads & grandpa’s. I had a lovely conversation in my local butchers this week, when the youngman was telling me how much he was looking forward to Fathers day, then proud as punch he showed me this beautiful picture of his little girl literally 2 weeks out. ‘This is my first fathers day’, he said, ‘and I have been told I am going to be spoilt’. It was lovely and I sincerely hope Danielle that you had a super Fathers day!

I always find fathers day very hard, as my father passed away, god bless him. He was a great inspiration and I miss him dearly, as do my children and mother too. So its one of those days when you need to take time out, (and like mothers day) and make sure you honour those special loved ones in our lifes; and in the process have fun too, to build many happy memories as we did and continue to do.

In my oven now is a roast of local pork. I had a large pork loin joint with a large piece of fat not only to cook with it but to crackle of course. I have made some homemade stuffed apples with onion sauce, chateau potatoes, roasted carrots & parsnips and broad beans. All served with a rich traditional homemade gravy.  For dessert I have made a superb apple and strawberry pie, which I am serving with cream or custard, as some of my guests do not like cream.  The smell from the kitchen is enough to make you want to eat the newspaper, and there are rumbling tummies everywhere. Meanwhile too if you want to check our some of my apple pie recipes why not start with this, back in the kitchen we celebrate apple day blog.

All the man are busy sunbathing, while the women have joined me in the kitchen with wine in hand, (although this time I have hidden the tequilla from Aidy!  read my previous blog bbq grills for the sunshine)

For a great Roast Pork Loin: Your going to need -  2-2.25kg/4lb 8oz-5lb loin of pork on the bone, rind removed, 1 garlic clove, crushed, 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus a few extra whole sprigs, 1 large onion, thickly sliced, 2 tbsp cider vinegar , plus extra for gravy, 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly, plus extra for gravy and 500ml vegetable stock. For the apples to go with your pork you will need 50g butter, 1 small onion , finely chopped,1 small lemon , grated zest, 50g fresh white breadcrumbs, 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary needles and 6 good-sized apples , preferably Golden Delicious

Start by making some deep incisions in the pork, close to the bone. Mix together the garlic, chopped rosemary and 1 teaspoon salt. Rub this into the cuts, spreading any extra over the meat. Set aside for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 220C/gas 7/fan 200C. Scatter the onion and a few sprigs of rosemary into a roasting tin. 

Like this great Casa large non stock roasting tray with handles. It is a large non stick roaster with handles made form carbon steel, with 3 layers of non stick spray on this product. The tin is 37 x 29 x 7cm, Dishwasher safe, Weighing 900 grams and comes with a Lifetime warranty. So its perfect for all of those Sunday Roasts your going to treat everyone too!

Put the pork on top, skinned side up, cover tightly with foil and roast with the rind for 30 minutes. Then turn down your oven to 190C/gas 5/fan 170C and cook the rind for a further 30 minutes and the roast joint for a further hour. Now remove the foil and roast uncovered for 20 minutes. Start preparing your apples, by placing the butter in a pan to  melt, then cook the onion gently until soft but not browned, about 10 minutes. Take this off the heat and add the lemon zest, breadcrumbs and rosemary. The season well to your taste. Core your apples, then cut a line through the skin all round the waist of each. Fill each apple with onion stuffing. Mix the vinegar and redcurrant jelly for the glaze. Remove the pork from the oven. Turn the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Stand your apples around the pork, brush the pork with a little of your glaze too and drizzle a little over the apples. Return to the oven and roast with the rind also in the oven, uncovered, for a further 20-25 minutes. Baste the pork twice with the juices and brush once with any remaining glaze that you have. Test the pork by piercing in the centre with a skewer. The juices should run clear, not pink. If in doubt, remove the apples, keep warm, cover the pork with foil and cook for 10-15 minutes more. Put the pork and apples on a warmed plate, cover with foil and leave in a warm place for 15 minutes. Spoon off the excess fat from the tin and put the tin on the stove over a medium-high heat, before pouring in your stock. Boil vigorously for 5-6 minutes. Taste and season, adding a little redcurrant jelly and/or cider vinegar to taste. Strain into a gravy boat. Serve the pork and apples with the crackling, garnished with rosemary, with a selection of vegetables of your choice. Delicious!

Take a look at my previous blogs including Sunday lunch best roast pork for more pork roast recipes.

This picnic has a silk tablecloth and table, candles, even full barbecues, waiters and enough bubbly to sink the titanic. But it dosen’t stop with the highlights of the days horse racing and meeting the celebraties and royal family in the flesh as afterwards the picnics start, the music turned up and the partying truely begins.

I remember one year when we had been having alot of rain and the buses park a distance from the race course, they placed straw down for all of us to walk on and provided shoe cleaners to clean our shoes when we arrived at the race track, how funny to see people tottering around in shoes worth more than a family holiday in mud, dolled up to the eye balls, not forgetting the hat. The things we do hey!!

Tell me about your trips to ascot and the food you enjoyed, we took everything. Bubbly, crab, salmon, trifles no luxury was spared.  Check out my previous picnic blogs like greatfood, great style and don’t forget the wine Take a look at the great picnic items available including blankets and hampers, I love this Spey De Luxe Hamper it has everything ready for you to go just grab this and your bubbly and food and your away. This spacious and quality hamper (shown right) for four. With plates, cutlery, condiment set and wine glasses and integral bottle compartment for three bottles. The ‘wash’ willow hamper has twin opening flaps cream tones for cutlery, plate and wine glass straps and clasp and hinges to add to the style presentation. Also included is a cream tablecloth and matching cream napkins for the perfect picnic!

Some great pinic ideas include:

Salmon - Mix Salmon (fresh or tinned) with cannellini beans, chopped tomato, diced shallot, chopped black or green olives, chopped parsley and basil. Dress with olive oil and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Serve with bread or salad of your choice.

Trout - Combine a bunch of watercress or rocket with thinly sliced radishes and red onion; add flaked smoked trout. Dress at the last minute with olive oil, sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper (which you pop in your picnic hamper!)

Local Lamb - One of my favourite is Local Lamb thinly sliced, then toss with cherry tomatoes, olive oil, mint, feta and chopped red onion, serve with a rustic bread and a beautiful  rich red wine (Yummy!)

Come on ladies whats your picnic going to have, tell me all about it!!