Cinnamon and Date Buttermilk Scones

It was on a day out with my children at a lakeside café that I came across these scones. It is a strange thing when something as harmonious as dates and cinnamon are combined, it takes you by surprise...now why didn't I think of that - it's so obvious! 

Chocolate Muffins

The only warning I can give you is, don't burn your mouth when eating these straight from the oven, yeah they're that good.

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

Smooth white chocolate the perfect companion for tart dried cranberries, to further my pleasure it's all wrapped up in a light crisp cookie!

Easter Speckled Egg Truffles

These tasty no bake treats are just the perfect size for your cuppa on Easter morning. Who says that your egg has to come from a cardboard box!

No Bake Chocolate Nests

An Easter treat that all the family can help make (and eat!!). These beautifully simple rice krispie treats are the perfect reminder to spend some family time together in the kitchen. 

Spinach and Beetroot Smoothie

This is a healthy and surprisingly tasty smoothie is well worth a try. With the sweet baby spinach leaves adding to your Iron intake in the day and the earthy beetroot giving the smoothie it's distinctive deep scarlet colour this is a healthy treat in a glass. 

Lego Movie Cake (Design Creative Cakes by Sharon)

This is just a short post to let you know about a brilliant YouTube channel I found while searching for some inspiration for my son's birthday cake.

I stumbled upon this very detailed tutorial on YouTube from the very talented  Creative Cakes by Sharon. Sharon made it look so doable (that's a word... right!!!) That I just couldn't resist.

Chunky Black Bean and Chicken Soup

This recipe came about after I had some leftover chicken and stock from my previous post - Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker - so I decided that I could put both to good use in this warming nourishing soup. 

Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker

One of the first dishes I cooked in my slow cooker was a whole chicken - I was so happy with how it turned out that I have stuck to the recipe ever since. This means that with little or no effort on my part (perfect eh!!) I have a beautiful chicken waiting for me when I get home.

How to Make Bagels at Home

My children are well used to me taking photographs of food - usually their dinner or dessert- all without bothering to interfere with my set up. But I'm afraid the temptation of bagels warm from the oven proved to be too much for my daughter!

How to Make a Merida Doll Cake

My daughter fell in love with the film Brave -since that the book has been read over and over again -so much so that she can rhyme it off by heart. It was the feisty Merida that really caught her attention -the bow and arrow wielding princess that rides bareback through the wilds of Scotland shooting at targets and climbing sheer rock faces!

Porridge with Frozen Summer Berries

It took me thirty seven years to fall in love with porridge - to be honest I wasn't sure I even wanted to - childhood memories of grey gloopy stuff in a bowl was not my thing. Don't get me wrong my parents never forced it on me - but they are my memories of it all the same.

Oven Baked Asparagus

I overheard two young mothers talking at the vegetable section recently "I'd buy them but I wouldn't know how to cook them!" and so they both moved on leaving behind one of my favourite vegetables.

4 Ingredient Red Velvet Cookies

Over the school mid term the children and I spent some time in the kitchen, we baked a couple of cakes and by total accident we discovered this recipe for cookies!

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

I have been working on my photography recently, trying to improve my composition and the overall feel of the title shots. Tricky work and like any food blogger I wanted a certain look for my blog and most importantly do the food justice.  

Last last year I joined my local camera club with the sole intention of getting a better understanding of how my camera worked. It had that nasty habit of doing exactly as it pleased - I wanted to have more control of the finished image. I had these great ideas in my head about how the finished shot should look, but I couldn't translate them into workable photos- very frustrating.  

Crock Pot Brown Tin Loaf

I made this Brown Tin Loaf a couple of years ago and I really liked it, especially when it is toasted with real butter dripping down the sides.. yum. It is also the ideal bread for toasted sandwiches. With that in mind I thought I should perhaps update the recipe adding a new twist - cooking it in my slow cooker!

Chocolate and Vanilla Tart

As chocolate plays an intricate part of romance and being wooed in general I thought that this was the perfect dessert for a romantic meal for two. Last year I posted this recipe and a vegetarian meal of Butternut Squash and Feta Filo Parcels as the main course. I thought that I should spruce up the photography for this decilate and fingerlicking of dessert in order to it justice. I think that no romantic meal is complete without chocolate and this is my pièce de résistance for any meal..... a dark chocolate and vanilla pie served with soft whipped cream and a dusting of icing sugar....perfect!

Slow Cooker Bread

I was a total skeptic too, how is it that for years I have been preheating my fan oven almost to the point of melting the metal racks! Only to discover that my humble, hard working slow cooker can do the job albeit with one major advantage, both raising and baking the bread and all without any interference from me...score!

Pizza Dough Recipe

It is a weakness of mine, I try to resist but alas it calls to me....Pizza time! I have two real favourites when it comes to pizza, order out or make my own. The frozen variety never really appealed to me, they have always seemed more cardboard than pizza! 

Mini Baked Doughnuts

"Good, goods in small parcels" and these are really good goods!  I love doughnuts they are my Achilles heel, I can't help myself when they present themselves beside the coffee machines at petrol stations, the shiny chocolate glaze and those colourful sprinkles....all too much for my self control!