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.

Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread and Butter Pudding with Nutella®

 

Date: 14/12/12

Background: Basically, because I cannot get back to Rugby for Christmas Day, my parents decided to come up to Brum to visit, and to deliver and return presents for extended family, friends and loved ones. I cooked them a yummy Roast Chicken Dinner, and to accompany it, a very Winter Warming dessert. The general principle is from the delightful Mary Berry, but the additions and adjustments are my own .

What: Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread and Butter Pudding with Nutella®

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Ingredients:

• 6 Chocolate Chip Brioche buns
• 2 tbsp. Nutella®
• Handful/30g dried mixed fruit
• 2 eggs
• 600mls milk
• Half tsp. Cinnamon
• Butter for greasing
• Ice cream/Cream to serve

Method:

1. Pre heat oven to 200C, Gas Mark 5
2. Grease a 10inch/Equivalent ovenproof dish with butter
3. Slice each Brioche bun horizontally in half
4. Melt the Nutella® in the microwave for 10secs to make it easy to spread
5. Spread a thin layer of Nutella® onto each brioche bun half
6. Layer the bun bases onto the bottom of the dish, Nutella® side up
7. Top the bun bases with the Brioche tops, Nutella® side down, slightly off centre to the bases, so that all gaps to the dish are covered
8. In between the layers and on top, scatter the mixed fruit
9. Mix together the eggs and milk
10. Pour the custard mixture over the Brioche buns
11. Sprinkle the cinnamon of the top of the pudding and leave to stand for at least an hour to allow the bread to soak up some of the custard mixture
12. Cook in the pre-heated oven for 40minutes, or until the pudding is golden on top, and the custard mixture is set completely
13. Serve immediately with cream/ice cream

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What was Good: Oh my days. It was so satisfying and warm! With the weather being anywhere between –4 and 6C, a cockle-warming dessert is just what the metaphorical doctor ordered! I am not normally a massive bread and butter fan, but with the flavour of the warm brioche, and melted Nutella®, oozing throughout the pudding, this was a definite winner for me. Served with the cold ice cream, the hot and cold combo was as always a box ticker in my eyes! The fruit was a bread and butter pudding must have, and because they had had around 2 hours to soak up the custard mixture, they had become plump and juicy. It was also surprisingly light, it was not overly cloy-y and it did not stick to my stomach lining like some traditional puds. I would happily make this dessert again, and I look forward to eating the cold left overs tomorrow!

Enjoyment VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

What was Bad: There is something about the texture of a bread and butter pudding that does not float my boat… But the flavour of this particular confection made it a winner despite this!

Would I Make It Again?: Yes I would!

Waffle-O-Meter:

^Reference:

^{Berry, M (2012) Mary Berry’s Complete Cookbook. 3rd ed. London: Covent Garden Books. P399}

Frankfurt Christmas Market. Waffles. I’M THERE!

 

Date: 15th November-22nd December 2012. We visited on 16/11/12

Background: Basically, when the Frankfurt Christmas Market comes to Birmingham, Me and Stacey NEED to be there! So be there we most certainly were!

What: Hot Nutella Waffle

Where: Broad Street, Victoria Square, Chamberlain Square and New Street, Birmingham

How Much?: £4.00

What was Good: It was hot, fresh and cooked right in front of me! I actually physically watched the stall holders pouring the gloopy batter right onto the piping hot waffle iron! WITH MY OWN EYES! Aaaaaaand, there was a wide selection of toppings to choose from, sprinkles, chocolate, Nutella, sugar, the list goes on! So when they handed me my fluffy soft prize smothered in my choice of topping, Nutella, I knew that I was in for a very festive treat! So stood in the Frankfurt Christmas Market with a festive pint in one hand, and my lovely pudding in a another, I sank my teeth into the piping hot waffle, and I felt instantly Christmassy. The texture and reminded me of a soft and squishy Yorkshire pudding, which was beautiful, and the hot melted Nutella in the waffley grooves was simply divine!

What was Bad: I cannot honestly think of anything to  improve this pudding, especially when combined with the atmosphere of the market, the music, the smells, the cold air with hats and gloves, and general happiness. I suppose it was just a little bit expensive.. Even still, honestly, you MUST GO to the Frankfurt Christmas Market and indulge in the wonderfulness that sits within the stalls there!

Would I Go There Again: YES, YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES!

Waffle-O-Meter (LOL):

Spur of the Moment, I NEED pudding [HOW TO MAKE]

Date: 2/9/12
Background: Basically, I NEEDED pudding. Sometimes, especially after an emotionally draining 3 night shifts, pudding is the only thing that can comfort you. So I thought of a cheap, non-classy, no-bells-and-whistles, thrown together dessert, to fill my pudding void.

What: Cheap Chocolate Cake, Mars Bar & Nutella Sauce and Vanilla Ice cream

How much?: approx £1 per portion

Ingredients:

• 1/3 of a cheap chocolate loaf cake
• 100mls semi skimmed milk
• 1 Mars bar
• 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons of Nutella
• Squeeze of golden syrup
• Vanilla Ice cream

Method:

1. Heat milk on a stove on a medium heat
2. Chop Mars Bar into small chunks
3. When milk is simmering add Mars Bar chunks
4. Stir continuously to prevent sticking/burning
5. Stir the cocoa powder with a little of the warm milk into a paste
6. Add the cocoa powder paste golden syrup and Nutella to sauce
7. Bring to the boil, still stirring continuously
8. Keep stirring until sauce thickens
9. Pour some of the sauce into bottom of the bowl
10. Top with the cake, more sauce and Ice cream

What was good:
It did exactly what it said on the tin. Yes it was cheap, but it was cheerful and quite comforting. It is definitely more of an eat in secret pudding, to have on your own, a bit Nigella-esque. Certainly not one to impress people. The cocoa powder, Nutella and golden syrup were last minute additions to try and thicken the sauce as I had added a little more milk than stated here and was too runny- therefore the volumes in the above list are ones which will be better when you lovely people try it. Best thing about the pudding was that it was a hot pudding and cold ice cream. The ultimate comfort.
What was bad:
The sauce I made was a bit runny as this was an improvised recipe without a written guide. But hopefully with the above volumes you will get a better result . TOP TIP: make sure that you stir the cocoa powder into a paste first, otherwise you will get bitter cocoa-powdery lumps at the bottom of the saucepan.


(Apologies for Poor Quality )
Waffleometer: