Food Archives - Conversations through the middle

I’m a #Morrisons’ Mum

May 11, 2014

This is the first May bank holiday I have spent in the north east for many, many years, so I was thrilled to be selected as a Morrisons’ Mum and I turned the occasion into a bit of a family celebration.

My sister and I did the shopping at our local Morrisons’ store and then I prepared the food for all of us – Dot, Don (my sister), Becky and Laura (my nieces).

Unfortunately the temperamental northern weather let us down so the picnic I had planned went out the window – or rather we had it indoors, with lots of little dishes to tempt our tastebuds.

We enjoyed Greek salad, chicken drumsticks, which I flavoured with a smoked paprika and red pepper rub (Morrisons’ own make), outdoor reared chipolata sausages in buns, garlic bread (always goes down well with the kids) and homemade spicy potato wedges. For my sister, a committed vegetarian, I also bought a pack of frozen cheese ‘sausage’ rolls and she had Quorn hot dogs in buns in place of the chipolatas.

There were dips, houmous, cheese, French bread and mushroom pate. Finally for dessert I bought a dark chocolate and passion fruit terrine – ice cream layers with passionfruit sorbet and sauce, topped with sugar crunch and chocolate curls. Unfortunately we didn’t get that far. After bowls of fresh strawberries with cream and ice cream we didn’t have any room left! Talk about a feast.

Now I have shopped at Morrisons in the past, but what I noticed especially this time was the huge variety of product on sale. Instead of just popping in for a few things I set about my shop strategically and went in armed with a list of dishes I intended to make as well as an ingredient list. I’m particularly pleased with my spice find – there’s loads of the smoked paprika and red pepper rub left and it gave a fantastic flavour to the chicken. Another buy that has become a big favourite with me is Morrisons’ smoky chipotle BBQ sauce, which was great on the chipolatas and I suspect will be sublime on burgers. The kid’s preferred Morrisons’ tomato and chilli relish, which I liked too, but the chipotle sauce is something else.

Bargain-wise I did very well. The outdoor reared pork chipolatas were two packs for £5, saving £1.38; I bought a big bag of potatoes for spicy wedges for 69p; salad potatoes reduced to 50p, two packs of chestnut mushrooms for garlic mushrooms, down to 34p per pack, vine tomatoes for 69p and half price pizzas, £1.49 each. Needless to say there was no way we could eat everything I’d bought at one sitting, so the bank holiday has continued all week with salade tricolore, pizzas, garlic mushrooms, chiopolatas, chicken and more spicy wedges (yum).

I definitely noticed a difference in prices. Morrisons’ current campaign to lower prices is working – and they’re lowering them on things people actually buy. The fruit and veg offer (three items for £1.50) is particularly attractive and one I will be taking advantage of in future.

It’s almost six months since I became a single parent and with my daughter moved back to the north east, where I grew up. I can’t believe these past months have gone so fast; I love my new life, but I don’t think the transition would have been so pain-free had it not been for the enormous support of my family, especially my sister. Despite the Newcastle weather, we had a happy day and it felt good to be sharing it with my closest people; a family celebration to mark my almost six months’ anniversary and being back home.

My sister Donna, enjoying her veggie hot dogs in between rain showers (she will kill me for putting this up!)

Cook up a feast – book review

February 3, 2014

Mary Berry’s latest offering is a paperback version of her Cook Up a Feast, which caters specifically to large families, events and celebrations. The recipes are calculated to serve six or 12 and cover a whole range of occasions from informal lunches to swish dinner parties. The most I’ve ever catered for apart from kids’ parties (and I don’t think marmite sandwiches and fairy cakes count here really) is seven people – my family when growing up – and the thought of having to work out timings and courses preparing food for a crowd brings me out in a cold sweat. Timing is not really my forte as Dot would probably tell you if you asked her.

This book is full of helpful tips, advice on planning, creating an atmosphere, preparation and freezing food, as well as recipes covering starters, mains, desserts, drinks and of course baking. Whether it’s a stand-up buffet, sit-down dinner party, afternoon tea or picnic Mary and her co-author Lucy Young serve up recipes to help get you through them all.

I would say that a lot of the recipes include lots of ingredients, so if like me, you tend to be attracted towards the simpler the better, don’t be frightened. They all look doable as far as I can see and the instructions are all clearly laid out on the page.

I haven’t tried cooking any of the dishes yet, but I’ve got my eye on the coffee and walnut cupcakes (damn you sweet tooth), and I think I’ll try the Hot Mustard Spiced Beef in my slow cooker later this week.

Cook up a Feast is out today and costs £14.99 from Dorling Kindersley www.dk.com

A day in London town – Dot and me

October 18, 2013

During the summer holidays Dot came with me to London for a couple of product launches. We made a day of it, meeting up with her dad for dinner and eating her favourite food in her favourite food place – Chinese in China Town.

Before that we spent time at the Thorntons Christmas in July show, where she sampled lots of chocolates (I had a few too) and patted an enormous chocolate dog. I’d got the times wrong – no idea how I did that – so there was hardly anybody there when we arrived and they were starting to pack up to go home, but we still enjoyed the fake snow and seeing the goodies Thorntons are launching for Christmas 2013.

Chocolate is one of Dot’s all time favourite things, but make-up is fast becoming the must-have favourite, so she was overjoyed to attend the launch of Mary Kay at Play. Mark Kay is a beauty company that operates along the same sort of lines as Avon – it has reps and catalogues and a growing customer base in this country, though I don’t think it’s anywhere near as well known. I’ve used their products before – their True Dimensions lipstick was my favourite lipstick of last year, it’s so creamy and the bullet design is so satisfying to hold and open (it sort of pops open, unlike lipsticks generally that you twist up).

This launch was for their collection Mary Kay at Play, which includes lip crayons, baked eye shadow trios, eye shadow pencils and lip gloss, and as the name implies, it is a range designed for younger women, teens to 20s. That said, the products are lovely and I have no problem wearing them – I have a post on a few of them coming up shortly.

We started off with mocktails (she’s only 12) and she felt ever so sophisticated sipping the icy concoction through a straw. There were a couple of flavours on the menu and she sampled both of them.

We played with the products, listened to a brief talk about the collection, and then to Dot’s joy, she had her make-up done by a real live make-up artist using some of the new products! She was in her element.

Best of all, she got to leave with a good selection of make-up from the new range (or rather she commandeered most of the products I was given) and has loved messing around with them ever since.

Mary Berry’s Cookery Course – A step-by-step masterclass in home cooking – review

October 10, 2013

For fans of Mary Berry and Bake Off this book is one for the Christmas list.

Mary takes us through all kinds of dishes, from starters to mains, soups to salmon, and each recipe features lovely photographs to whet your appetite (and show you what the result should look like, handy if like me you’re not a great chef). There’s also step-by-steps, which are something I always look for in a recipe book, especially if it’s something I haven’t cooked before and I’m not sure how it should look at the different prep stages.

I love the blurb for the book, which states: “Technique Masterclasses and Secrets of Success features show you how to do things ‘the Mary way’… Find out how Mary gets her roast chicken skin so crispy and how she ensures her apple pie never has a soggy bottom…”

Crispy chicken skin – yum; soggy bottom – there’s nothing worse for chafing.

I hope to try out one or two of the recipes in the next few weeks and when I do I will post pictures of my efforts on here.

Mary Berry’s Cookery Course – A step-by-step masterclass in home cooking, is published by DK and costs £25. Mary also has a website – who knew? It’s at maryberry.co.uk