Hotel chocolat valentines day chocolates review

Can you believe it’s nearly february already? and with February almost here it means valentines day is not too far behind. Hotel chocolat have yet again got a fantastic looking selection of valentines day gifts with something for every budget. From the signature cabinet at £160 down to the valentines choco-o-gram at £4.50.

I was sent one of their mid price options to review. The sleekster love selection retails at £22 and contains 26 chocolates. There are 13 different chocolates in the box (2 of each flavour so perfect for sharing). As ever not only do the chocolates taste divine they look stunning too.

We really enjoyed there christmas sleekster collection so had high hopes for their valentines box. However when I read the description on the website which talks about fruity little numbers with blackcurrent and strawberry I was a little disappointed as I am not usually a fan of fruity chocolates.  I should have trusted Hotel chocolat more though as apart from the strawberry and black pepper one, I did enjoy the fruit flavours. In fact buck’s fizz (with a hint of orange flavour), raspberry rapture and blackcurrant truffles were some of my favorites in the box. Other flavours that stood out were the soft chilli carmel (with a serious chilli kick) and the vanilla truffle. My husband loved the Bison grass vodka chocolate and also the cherry bombe (he also enjoyed the strawberry and black pepper the only one I didn’t particularly enjoy). All in all a delicious box of chocolates.Thank you to Hotel chocolat for sending me The sleekster love selection for this review.

Review of 2011

So it’s that time of year again when we look back and reflect on the year we’ve had and look forward to the next. I’ve just spent an enjoyable afternoon looking through my photography blog reviewing 2011 on there (you can read it here) and what a year 2011 was. The big highlight for me was obviously our wedding in Tuscany. It’s now time for me to take a look at my foodie highlights of 2011. I’ve written 67 posts this year, a big improvements on last years low of 30 (due to studying) so plenty to choose from.

Bread baking

Bread baking continues to play a big part of the time I spend in my kitchen & blogging. I still try to bake as much of our bread as possible. I’ve also continued to co-run and participate in Fresh from the oven.

Favorite bread baking recipe book - River Cottage handbook number 3 bread. I started the year by setting myself the challenge to bake my way through this book. Although I have not baked every recipe in there, I have baked a lot of different breads this year (mostly from this book) so the challenge did what I wanted it to (which was mainly to get out of the habit of baking basic white or wholemeal bread all the time). I still love this book and it is definitely my most used recipe book.I can not recommend this book enough to anyone thinking about learning to bake their own bread. Favorite recipes from this book include pikelets (I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve made these), oaty wholemeal bread, wholemeal spelt bread and flat breads.

Favorite bread recipe (not from River Cottage) – either Paul Hollywood’s foccacia recipe from this years Great British bake off (a recipe I have yet to blog about but this focaccia is the closest I have had to the truly delicious foccacia’s we ate in Italy) or for when time is short this Irish soda bread recipe (I’m quiet picky about soda bread and this one is a favorite of mine).

2012 bread baking – I look forward to baking more different types of bread in 2012. I got a copy of how to make bread by Emmanuel Hadjiandreou out of the library which is full of recipes I want to try. A lot of them use a sourdough starter which I have not had a lot of success with but this book is making me want to try again. Now this one is going to surprise a lot of you, for Christmas I got a copy of Italian home baking by Gino D’acampo. I’ve never picked up any of his books before but I noticed this one in the library and at first I didn’t notice the author. The first section of the book is full of really delicious sounding breads so I took it home and baked two of the loves and loved them both (a fennel seed flavoured loaf and a slightly spicy loaf with chilli flakes in it). I’m looking forward to trying more recipes from this book. Finally I did some recipe testing for a book coming out in early 2012 Bread revolution by the thoughtful bread company.

Baking

I have baked quiet a lot of cakes this year (well for me anyway). Most notably I baked 7 cakes over the August bank holiday weekend for our wedding celebration. I also went on a chocolate making course that I won earlier in the year and I ate the best lemon meringue pie at Chester’s by the River in Ambleside.

Favorite cake recipe – Either Lorraine Pascale’s I can’t believe you made that cake which I’ve baked twice this year or this James Martin recipe for white chocolate cake.

Favorite baking book – The boy who Bakes – Edd Kimber. Not a book I have blogged about but I picked this book up in September and fell in love with it. It’s a beautiful book, full of stunning photos and inspiring recipes. I baked the salted caramel, pecan and chocolate tart for my husbands birthday, a truly to die for dessert.

Cooking

I’ve continued to enjoy cooking and trying new recipes, I try to cook from scratch using seasonal ingredients as much as possible. I look forward to cooking and eating the recipes below next year but also trying more new recipes and even perhaps creating a few of my own too.

Favorite meat recipe – Beetroot, lamb and feta burgers. These burgers were delicious and the beetroot helped them to stay lovely and moist, working really well with the salty flavour of the feta in the middle.

Favorite fish recipe – Mussels, spinach and bacon gratin, a delicious recipe from a great app - Hugh’s fish fight.

Favorite pasta recipe – Aubergine polpette. I made this recipe a lot over the summer, often making more polpette than we needed and freezing them for later.

Favorite vegetable recipe – Ottolenghi’s sweetcorn polenta. The perfect balance of salty feta and sweet sweetcorn make this a dish to cook again and again.

Favorite salad recipe - Peach, feta, proscuitto and rocket salad. I loved this salad and could have eaten it all summer, perhaps I will next year!

2011 was also the first time I met up with another food blogger. In November I went to bite’n'write and learnt lots and met lots of fabulous food blogger and had a nice meal at Jamie’s Italian. I won’t list names as I’m bound to forget someone but it was a real foodie highlight of 2011.

I better be off, I have focaccia to bake, an anti-pasti platter to prepare and steaks to cook. I hope you all have a fabulous new year. Happy new year!

Chocolate and almond biscotti

It’s been a bit quiet round here this month hasn’t it? During November and early December I seemed to pick up every cough and cold going round and started to feel a bit run down. Just working and keeping up with the basics at home was enough so as a result I didn’t have much to blog about. I’m pleased to say I’ve been feeling a lot better these last couple of weeks but have been busy getting ready for Christmas.

The tree is now up and decorated, the cards written and sent and the presents are wrapped and sat under the tree ready for Christmas day. We’ve even had a bit of snow.

Last weekend I made the most of a snowy day and baked some biscotti (recipe at the end of the post) for gifts. This is a recipe adapted from a Bill Granger recipe for pistachio and chocolate biscotti (also delicious). I’ve baked biscotti a few times with this recipe, the only thing I would change next time would be to add more almonds.

I also decorate the chutney I made back in October for gifts, using this recipe I shared with you last year.

So all that’s left for me to do is wish you all a merry christmas.

Makes 20-30 biscuits

160g caster sugar
2 medium eggs
150g plain flour
60g good quality cocoa powder
80g almonds (next time I will increase this though as biscotti should be packed with nuts)

• Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
• Using electric beaters, beat the eggs and sugar together until thick, pale and the mixture has increased in volume.
• Sift in the flour and cocoa. Stir with a wood spoon to combine.
• Add the almonds and mix until well combined.
• Divide the mixture in half and shape in to 2 logs, about 15cm long on the baking tray. Flatten them slightly so they are approximately 2cm thick.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until firm. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• Turn the oven down to 120C/gas 1/2.
• Cut the cool logs into slices approximately 1cm thick (I like to cut my logs on the diagonal). Spread the slices out in a single layer on baking trays and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the biscuits over and cook for a further 10 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to a month (I doubt they’ll last that long though).

Hotel chocolat giveaway – winner

I am pleased to announce that the winner of the Hotel chocolat christmas giveaway is Baking addict. Congratulations and I hope you enjoy your gift bag as much as I did.

Roast figs sugar snow – book review

Originally published in 2005, roast figs and sugar snow is a beautiful collection of winter recipes by Diana Henry. The book is a collection of recipes perfect for the colder months with recipes from Diana’s travels to the chillier parts of the world. There are dishes from Russia, Scandinavia, Northern Italy, France, New England, Quebec, Britain and Ireland.

Each chapter has a beautifully written introduction which can not fail to inspire you to try the recipes or at least get in the kitchen and cook with the featured ingredient. Each chapter is based around a specific ingredient or group of ingredients. For example ‘Gathering in’ is recipes using chestnuts, hazel nuts, walnuts and pecans. There are also chapters on cheese, winter vegetables, game and wild mushrooms, pork, smoked food, groups of winter fruits (apples, pears, damsons, figs etc) and maple syrup (sugar snow).

So far I have cooked Tartiflette and smoked haddock and leek risotto from the book (both recipes were easy to follow and the end dish delicious). There are many more recipes I want to try this winter including Italian Christmas chocolate cake (a pudding using the flavours of panforte), roast squash salad with lentils and goat’s cheese, roast beetroot salad with orange and goat’s cheese, tagliatelle with roast pumpkin, sage, ricotta and smoked cheese, Swedish hash and snow biscuits.The book is full of stunning inspiring photos of the ingredients, the dishes and autumn/winter scenes. This is a cookbook to read snuggled up on a snowy day, to inspire you to get in the kitchen and cook with all the beautiful ingredients winter has to offer.

Tartiflette

Serves 6

1.3kg waxy potatoes (no need to peel)
Salt and pepper
75g unsalted butter
2tbsp olive oil
250g chunky bacon lardons
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 reblochon (about 350g)
75g creme fraiche

• Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until just tender. Drain. When they are cool enough to handle, slice the potatoes. Heat half the butter and oil together in a saute pan and cook the potatoes until they are golden. Season with salt and pepper and put them into a shallow ovenproof dish.
• preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas 5. Heat the rest of the butter and oil in the same saute pan and cook the lardons over a fairly high heat to colour them well. Turn the heat down, add the onion and cook it until soft and just beginning to colour. Throw in the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Add this to the ovenproof dish and gently combine with the potatoes.
• Cut the reblochon into slices and trim the rind. Dot spoonfuls of creme fraiche all over the potatoes and cover with the slices of Reblochon. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. The cheese should be melted and bubbling. Serve immediately.

Thank you to Octopus books for my review copy and allowing me to share this recipe with you.

Chorizo, pepper and mozzarella pasta bake

This dish came about last friday night, when after spending too long trying to come up with ideas for a fancy dress costume for the following night (unsuccessfully I might add), I went to prepare dinner, only to discover that the fridge was empty. Lurking at the back of the fridge I discovered a chorizo sausage and knew this would have to be the star of the dish. I no doubt bought it to use in paella or perhaps chorizo and pea risotto. Paella obviously wasn’t an option, tonight was definitely a store cupboard dish. The risotto was an option but we had a risotto the night before. My next thought was a fritatta but it turned out we had no eggs. Finally I settled on a pasta bake.

I searched the cupboards/fridge and discovered we had red onions, a well stocked herb and spice cupboard, a jar of griddled peppers, tinned tomatoes and a ball of mozzarella. The resulting dish was delicious, packed with flavour and a dish I have since cooked again already. Perhaps next time I would use a fresh pepper if I planned this dish in advance, adding it with the corizo. So here it is, a very rare recipe I came up with myself.

Hotel chocolat Christmas gifts review and a giveaway

This giveaway is now closed, thank you to everyone who took part.

When I was asked to take part in Hotel chocolat’s christmas blogger campaign I was thrilled. They very kindly sent me their Christmas collection gift bag to review which is part of their fabulous selection of christmas gifts. Not only that but they are giving me the opportunity to give one lucky reader the same gift bag too.

The Christmas collection gift bag includes the Classic Christmas Sleekster Selection, Christmas Gift Slab with milk chocolate and dark cookie pieces, Gingerbread Truffles and Orange Nice Spice Puddles. Over the last couple of weeks myself and my husband have tested these chocolates and here’s what we thought of them.

November & December food events in Manchester and Cheshire

I can’t believe we are in November already. November is a busy month for me with various family events and I will be attending bite n write and also a chocolate making workshop with Green and Blacks that I won via a giveaway on Tinned tomatoes. FOR this reason (and as some of the events are spread over the two months) this is a combined calendar of events for November and December. I for one can not wait for a day at the Manchester Christmas markets (but I’m saving it until mid December).

Chesters by the river, Ambleside

A couple of weeks ago we spent a long weekend in the Lake district to celebrate my 30th birthday. We stayed in a camping pod on the shores of lake Windermere (you can read more about it and see plenty of photos from the trip on my photography blog here, here and here). I’ve shared some of my favorite cafes and restaurants in Ambleside before (here) and we went back to a couple of them this time round and enjoyed them just as much as we remembered (Zeffirellis and The Glass house). We did try a couple of new cafes, one of which I really want to tell you all about (not that they need the publicity though as they were packed). The cafe is Chesters by the river which is located a short drive from the centre of Ambleside. It is owned by the same people as The drunken duck inn.

Chesters by the river is set in a beautiful location (as you might imagine from the name it is right by the river) and it is a fantastic cafe and beautiful gift shop selling lots of unique gifts (including some food related). There is a large outdoor seating area overlooking the river and plenty of seating indoors for when it rains (which being the Lake district happens a lot). It was a glorious sunny day when we visited so all the outside seats were taken. We weren’t too disappointed as inside the cafe is beautifully designed and laid out (perhaps a bit too pink and girly for my husbands taste!).

A week in my kitchen – veg box cooking

In case you wondering what I cooked with the products I received last week here is a quick round-up.The photos are just quick snapshots I’m afraid.