BBC Good Food Show: Summer LIVE

 

ERMAGHERD. For two long months- since I purchased the tickets- I have been excited about this day! I enjoyed the Winter Good Food Show so much my cousin Abbie and I, along with 2 of my friends, decided that  another trip to the NEC for a celebration of everything delicious, and TV chef like was necessary.

BUT GUESS WHAT?!!?!? We got to see my ultimate all time favourite Foody Celeb, The One, The Only, Mary Berry…. Not only did we get to see her and the winner of The Great British Bake Off 2012, John Waite in the Super theatre. Oh no! I got to actually MEET her at a book signing! I tell you, I have not been this excited in a LONG time!I felt like a kid at Christmas driving along the M6 this morning! And come 10am we were in our Super theatre seats waiting for Mary and John to come on stage.

She demonstrated her deliciously fruity sounding recipe of Whole Orange Cake with Orange Mascarpone Icing for the riveted audience, and trust me, from how moorish it looked on the big screen, this will be attempted by myself in the near future, so watch this space! Whereas John demonstrated a more savoury, cheesy, oniony flatbready creation.

Following this, Mary and John had a short interview with Lotte Duncan with questions derived from the audience. And then the excitement…A book signing, with Mary Berry herself! Oh yes! A semi conversation with the Queen of Cake! By conversation I generally mean I said “I think you are wonderful.” Smooth as always. Either way, I ended up with my newly signed M.B. Cookbook, and was full of the joys of Spring! And yes, yes that is John Whaite but for only £3.50 I could be my own M.B . Best £3.50 I have ever spent. Even if it was an incredibly surreal experience for everyone involved. Lol….I honestly did not spend the entire day being some kind of crazy stalker. For the most part, my chums and I investigated, explored and enjoyed all of the gastronomical delights that the show had to offer!

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The Brownie Bar VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The Brownie Bar is a small company run by two Entrepraneurs Rachael and Sarah and is based in Northern England. They “bake a delicious selection of gorgeously gooey rich chocolate brownies and white chocolate blondies in a variety of flavours” which is taken from their <website>. And I tell you, those brownies are simply to DIE for! My choices from the vast selection this time consisted of, Raspberry and White Chocolate Blondie and a Nutella, a Malteser, and a Salted Caramel Brownie.

So when I got home, my parents and I cut each delectable into thirds, and we tasted and devoured each morsel. Some of the flavours were more detectable than others, and I admit that I was not a fan of the Salted Caramel Brownie, as it as too salty (stupid statement), but I genuinely do not think that I have eaten a nicer Brownie dessert in a long time. If they were closer to me I would DEFINATELY persist to eat my body weight in brownies on a regular basis! Cost: reasonable! £7.50 for 4! They also sell a very intriguing caramel sauce accompaniment, as well as a very clever “Make your own Brownie” in a Kilner Jar! Check out their website for yourself!!

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Fudge Kitchen VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The Fudge Kitchen was born in 1983 and they now have 7 stores all across the UK. These dashing and charming gents worked their hardest to entertain and entice the punters to their fudge stall, and 2 members of my group both succumbed to their charm and bought some of their delicious fudge. I can honestly say, out of all the fudge stalls there, and trust me, there were a fair few! I found this stalls fudge the nicest texture, and the samples I tried all had delicious flavours. Just a snippet of the flavours on offer are; Eton Mess, Maple Walnut, Mississipppi Mud Pie, Lemon Meringue and Dairy Free to name but a few! Clickity click on this linkity link to find out more about this quirky and traditional company.

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Some more tasty treats… VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Here is our loot and bounty for the day. And what a wonderful day we had! For a full list of stalls and trades who have sold their wears this weekend, see the Good Food Show Website. I would recommend this show to any dedicated foody, or even those that just like to go for the free nibbles, alcohol and atmosphere!

All images are Copyright of Amy Fellowes 14/06/13 unless stated otherwise.

Fallen Angel Bakery. Angels… In Cupcake Form…

 

My friend Sarah-Jayne and I had a date day in Solihull. A sunshiny day, free as a bird post night shift and enjoying the Saturday feeling, we came across “Fallen Angel Bakery”. Now up until today I thought that their only bakery was in Harborne (Birmingham) so I was very excited to learn otherwise!!

For those of you who have not had the joy and pleasure of visiting one of these wonderful establishments, the “Fallen Angel Bakery” serves a delicious variety of cupcakes, cakes and other sweet lovelies, in quaint quirky surroundings. And with so many different flavours of cupcakes to choose from, we were well and truly spoilt for choice!

Being spoilt for choice I asked the lovely Fallen Angel Purveyor to pick a cupcake for me to try, and she chose the special of the day, Dark Chocolate and Raspberry and Sarah-Jayne opted for the deliciously decadent Red Velvet Cake. I swear, there is something very angelic about these sweet, flavourful, cakey delights. I suppose that is why they call it the “Fallen Angel Bakery” *shocked face*.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I mean just look at these beautiful confectionary marvels! Who wouldn’t want a delicious Oreo cupcake? Or what about Vanilla, Rolo or Red Velvet! And this isn’t even the whole selection and variety available!

And to top it off, the staff there were so polite and friendly! It would seem in today’s day and age, particularly when you live in a big city, good customer service can be hard to come by. But Fallen Angel really surprised me.

So all in all, if you can spare some time to make a trip to the “Fallen Angel Bakery” it would be well worth your while!

McFlurry® Mini Moment of the Month

 

No I’m not chatting about Mini McFlurry’s®, although I kind of feel they would take off! I am going to try the promotional Limited Edition McFlurry® from Maccy-to-the-D’s (McDonalds®…) every month and give a mini review about it!

The promotional McFlurry® of the moment is Flake with Chocolate/Raspberry Sauce. I chose the Chocolate Sauce variety, as raspberry and milk chocolate would not be the first combination I would ordinarily choose.

I actually really liked it! Sometimes if there are solid chocolate pieces with the ice cream they can get really hard, but the flake pieces didn’t! Probably due to their texture. And the chocolate sauce had a really nice flavour to it, which dark but not bitter, but definitely not too sweet.

As per, Maccy’s ice cream was lovely and I love the Mr Whippy-esque softness and creaminess of it. So all in all, definitely give the promotional Flake McFlurry® a go, because for £1.39 you won’t be disappointed!

 

Now this random employee is happy in her job!

Do you know the Muffin (Wo)Man? [How to Make]

 

Date: 9/9/12

Background: Basically, I posted a poll on my Blog to see what people would like to see me make/bake and review! Out of the selection Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins won by leaps and bounds! So yeah, here is my interpretation of a nice recipe I found on Nigella Lawson’s website posted by one of her contributors- comfondida

What: Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins

How Much?: ~£5 give or take- depending on what ingredients you have in your store cupboard

Ingredients:

• 300g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 225ml milk
• 50g butter
• approx. 100g raspberries
• approx. 110g white chocolate
• (muffin cases)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 200/gas mark 6
2. Half the raspberries and chop chocolate into large chunks.
3. Sift flour and baking powder into large bowl. Stir sugar into flour mixture.
4. Melt the butter (I find this easiest in microwave for approx. 30 seconds [see attached photo])
5. In separate bowl crack the egg, whisk in the vanilla extract, milk and melted butter. Stir the liquid mixture into the dry mixture.
6. Fold in raspberries and white chocolate (Using a metal spoon is best as this avoids most damage to raspberries.) Be careful not to be too rough, as raspberries will be easily damaged.
7. Spoon the mixture into the individual muffin cases (I used silicon ones!). I used about 1.5-2 dessert spoons, to fill the cases to around 3/4s full
8. Cook for approx. 10 minutes at gas mark 6 (200) and then reduce to 150 for a further 20 minutes or until muffins are risen, firm and golden brown. 

To decorate

• Place a chocolate button on each muffin, place on a baking tray and warm in the oven (turned off and cooling) until the chocolate is melted.
• Once the chocolate is melted, place half a raspberry on top. Serve warm/cool

What was Good:

They were really pretty! Yes I sound like a proper girl, but I am a sucker for a pretty, aesthetically pleasing muffin. As a human species, we tend to to eat with our eyes. If we like the food we are about to eat, it can have a massive impact on how we enjoy the nommages we consume. They had a crispy crunchy crust, but were so so soft and fluffy on the inside. The raspberries had exploded like little sour/tart bombs within the muffin cakeyness and yet the chocolate chunks had melted and set, making a nice texture change as you bit through the confection. The muffins themselves were very moist but not soggy and were the perfect size to not overwhelm you or make you feel sick. Overall, I want to thank my readers for choosing Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins, I cannot wait for you to choose me another pudding to make in the next poll!

What was Bad:

The first batch we did we cooked at 200degrees for 10 minutes then reduced to 150degrees for a further 20mins. These were perfect and crispy and light and fluffy, just as described above. However, the next batch we cooked at 150degrees for 30minutes, and these did not have as nice a texture. There were a bit cakey and not quite as fluffy. Therefore, I advise following the recipe as given above .

Waffleometer

Hints and Tips:

- Because Vanilla Extract can be quite expensive, I bought Lindt White Chocolate with a Touch of Vanilla. I think it was just as nice! (Lindt Picture Courtesy of Friars of Keswick)

- If you like a sweeter cake, maybe use an extra 50g of caster sugar

- The temperature suggestion given in the “What was Bad” section

- Use silicon muffin cases as they are really easy to turn out after cooking and do not require a muffin tin to cook them. They are re usable, but the only problem is that you cannot keep the muffins in them- so you end up with case-less cakes!

- Try lots of different flavours! Chocolate chip, Lemon and Poppyseed, Carrot cake… The list is endless!

- If you melt the butter in the microwave for 30secs, as it suggests… Then I have found this happens (aka butter-microwave explosion!)  >>>>>>>>>

Nando’s do pudding?!

 

When: 28/8/12

Background: Me (Amy), my housemate Amy and our good friend Sarah-Jayne, made an impromptu visit to Nando’s in the Bullring, Birmingham, to celebrate my return to my fluffy-residence (I have 3 foster cats… not just shag pile carpet), and the fact we are now all qualified! 3 LONG YEARS HAVE PAST! WOO HOO! Naturally, in the pursuit of science(/my blog) we had to have pudding. I chose the main focus of this blog, and Amy chose Choc-a-lot cake, and Sarah Jayne chose White Chocolate and Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake. More on those later…

What: Carrot Cake served with Frozen Yoghurt

How much?:

What was Good: O.M.G. This carrot cake in my mind was the PERFECT carrot cake. I have never tasted a more finer carrot cake in my days! Not even my Grandma’s (don’t tell her please). The cake was so light it practically melted in my mouth, and the mixed spice was evident in a fine perfume that hit my taste buds in a sweet/scented/aromatic after note. There were chopped walnuts within that added a slight, hidden, treasure hunted crunch every now and again, and the texture of the entire confection was simply divine. There was also the PERFECT amount of cream cheese frosting. Normally when I have had carrot cake before, there has been so much cream cheese frosting that I have had to leave some scraped of disappointedly in my plate at the end. This cake was not one of those disappointments. I chose a relatively light main course to allow sufficient pudding room, and although I felt full and satiated after, I was not stodgily full or feeling sick. I would happily chose this cake again! It was an absolutely wonderful end to a wonderful meal! Thank you very much Aaron our polite and friendly waiter for light-heartedly accepting our indecisiveness(+ tipsiness I hasten to add)!

What was Bad:

The only thing I can find wrong with this dessert was the frozen yoghurt! I do not think,. sadly, that it complimented the dessert well, if anything it just made it a bit soggy, and was so cold it caught my sensitive teeth! Not good! Other than that I would happily give this dessert a 5 waffles!

Waffleometer:

My Bosom Buddies also deserve a contribution. Amy, not me, obviously, chose Choc-o-lot Cake, also with frozen yoghurt. It was similar to that experienced in Portmeirion. It was very very pretty. So pretty that Sarah Jayne actually “HAD” to taste before Amy had even returned to the table. It was rich and creamy, but the cake was moist and dense. She VERY much struggled to finish it, yes her and Stacey appear to be made of the same constitution! So me and Sarah Jayne were required to finish consuming the sweet sickly beast. She also found the frozen yoghurt an odd and unimpressive addition to the cake, and it would have benefitted from pouring cream/ice-cream much more. However, a positive of the cake was that it was rich in cocoa flavour, with the added depth and intensity that milk chocolate would have lacked. Overall she would give the over-indulgent pudding:

  

Sarah Jayne chose a White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake. Being incredibly anti-fruit this was a risky move for her, but she was reassured by the very friendly Aaron that it is in fact Raspberry sauce, not actual Raspberries. On arrival, I was a beautiful slice of cheesecake, with the contrasting colours of the burgundy raspberry sauce and creamy white of the cheesecake itself. However, sadly, for Sarah Jayne this turned out to be another disappointment. On tasting it myself I found the actual cheesecake mixture to have very little white chocolate flavour, and mainly was overrun with the taste of cream cheese. It was too rich after a deliciously comforting and filling main meal, and so sadly, will not be on my list of must have “Waffle-y Studendous” puddings. The base also was not up to standard, being slightly soggy almost in texture and consistency. Sarah Jayne was also saddened by the Raspberriness of the sauce, and so also failed to finish consuming her dessert. All in all, Sarah Jayne would give the dessert a sad:

Pudding Redemption

 

Date: 26/8/12

Background: First thing’s first, yes I (Amy) am aware that there is no cake, or in fact any complex carbohydrates involved in this pudding, which was quite a bizarre experience I can tell you! But after a week of complete over pudd-ing-dulgence it was a welcome chance to redeem myself with a light healthy fruity bowl of saintliness. As after all, what is a dinner without a pudding?!

What: Fresh British Raspberries and Strawberries with Lancashire Farms Probiotic Yoghurt

How Much?: Strawberries = 67p per serving (£2 per 454g punnet), Raspberries = 67p per serving (£2 per 200g punnet) (Tesco), Lancashire Farms Probiotic Yoghurt= 20p per serving (£1 per 1kg pot!) (Asda) Overall= £5 but only £1.54 per serving!

What was Good: It was so fresh! There certainly was no sickly stodgy cake-expansion feeling today! The raspberries were soft, melt-in-the-mouth tender, with their natural zingyness that catches your sour taste buds in a very pleasant way, but not so tart that you pull a ridiculous face like those on the Haribo Tangfastic’s advert. The strawberries were equally delicious! I don’t know about you, but when I am ambling leisurely round the supermarket, I will happily pick up a punnet of strawberries to inhale their perfume around this time of year, even if my student £1-an-item budget does not usually stretch to actually buying them. There is something about the combination of raspberries and strawberries that is a winner in my eyes. I think it is probably the texture differences- robust versus delicate. And the sinless probiotic yoghurt also meant that this is the first guilt-free pudding I have had in over a week which will also make my gut happy! The yoghurt was thick and creamy and complimented the fresh fruit well. And the price, although expensive in total for the ingredients, per serving it is a bargain!

What was Bad: Being a carbaholic I think perhaps some nice toasted granola, or even pumpkin seeds with some soft sultanas/raisins would have gone well with this pud. Mainly because that texture combo has always been a firm favourite of mine in the “healthier” pudding category! The yoghurt was nice, don’t get me wrong, but it was a bit too tangy for my liking, and I prefer the less viscous consistency of some other brands of natural rather than probiotic yoghurt. And sadly, I am not going to lie, if I saw this on a menu next to a Belgian waffle or chocolate brownie, however “saintly” I am feeling, I know my temptation would not stretch that far… But maybe that says something about me…

Waffleometer:

Although it should probably be