Macadamia and cranberry chocolate squares

I made these sumptuous squares of chocolatey goodness over the weekend and they were just too good not to share! The original recipe comes from “Ottolenghi – The Cookbook” and I adapted it to use ingredients that I had to hand. In the Ottolenghi version they included chestnuts and dried figs (which sounds utterly delicious!), but I opted for creamy macadamias and tart cranberries as these also taste fantastic with white chocolate. I also used chocolate coated digestives instead of the regular ones just to up the chocolate even more – go big or go home, right?

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The ultimate chocolate cake and October cake round up

November already and it feels as though we are hurtling towards the end of the year now. Hearing Christmas jingles on the radio, seeing mince pies on the shelves and receiving school newsletters reminding us that there are only five weeks (what?!?) left of this term do nothing to help quell the hysteria!

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Lemon and pistachio cupcakes

Fresh lemon cupcakes with pistachios.
Spring seems to have settled in properly now, in fact it feels more like summer this week. Sunny skies, short sleeves and (ah-choo!) hay fever – happy days! Except for that last point, hay fever – feel free to be on your way any time now. That biting morning chill that we became accustomed to in the winter months has all but gone and the promise of a glorious summer is quite literally in the air.

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Nutella and peach braid

I may have overdone it this time… dieters, look away now! I was recently invited to participate in a Mystery Box Challenge, and last week when I received my hamper full of tempting ingredients from the lovely folks at Today I just had to squeeze them all into my dish.

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Brie, fennel and tomato tarts

A few weeks ago I started buying a weekly fruit and veggie bag from an organic shop close to home. This is something I have been intending to try out for a very long time. Having small children has made me more aware of what we as a family are eating and this has been my main motivating factor for giving the weekly organic bag a go. I love that we are getting seasonal, locally grown produce and enjoying food without any nasties in it.

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For the love of cake: Cake round up

I feel as though CAKES have been my theme lately, with various celebrations that have happened over the last few months. So this week I thought it might be fun to share some of my recent cake creations with you. Let’s just clarify one thing out though – I looove to bake, but when it comes to cake decorating my skills are more on the rustic side. Some of the cakes worked out better than others, but all of them were made with love!

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Baby marrow, sundried tomato and chevin tart

Life feels like a bit of a blur at the moment. I am sure many of you can relate – from the moment I open my eyes in the morning to the minute I collapse into bed each evening I am on the go, moving from one pressing task to the next. Sometimes you just really need to stop and smell the pastry.. err, I mean roses. Weekends are a good time for this when things are (sometimes) a little less frantic and rushed, and there is a bit more time for some leisurely cooking. 

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Pumpkin spice cookies

While there is no denying that the arrival of summer is highly anticipated at the end of each year, I have to admit that I rather look forward to the autumn season. A welcome respite from the heat, beautiful red and brown leaves dotting the trees and an excuse to start enjoying some favourite comfort foods are just a few of the things that come to mind.

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