Sticky Spiced Ginger Cake

Another birthday, another reason to BAKE! :D

So after 'Jamaican Ginger' had being discussed quite a lot in the office in recent months, a sticky ginger cake seemed to be the way forward. 

This recipe did not fail in hitting the spot ;) Good old BBC Good Food website, is where I found the recipe.

Ingredients

250g pack butter

250g dark brown muscovado sugar

250g black treacle

300ml milk

2 eggs

100ml glacé ginger from a jar, finely chopped (or ginger jam!)

375g plain flour

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp allspice

2 tsp ground ginger

1. Butter and line a 23cm square baking tin (or use a shallow roasting tin, approx 30 x 20cm). Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Put the butter, sugar and treacle into a saucepan and heat gently for about 5 mins until the butter and sugar have melted. Stir in the milk. The mix should be just warm to the touch; if not, leave to cool a little longer, then beat in the eggs.
2. Mix the chopped ginger and dry ingredients together in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour the melted mix into the well, then gradually draw the dry ingredients into the wet with a wooden spoon, until you have a thick, smooth batter.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, then bake for 1 hr until risen and firm to the touch. Resist taking a peek beforehand; the cake will sink if the oven temperature drops too quickly before it's cooked through. Poke a skewer into the centre to check that it's cooked - it should come out clean. If not, give it 10 mins more and check again. Leave the cake to cool in the tin. Once completely cool, turn out of the tin ready for icing, or wrap well in cling film and keep in a cool, dry place for up to a week.
4. To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the gingery syrup. Beat well until you have a smooth, runny icing. Once the cake has cooled, drizzle with icing and cut into squares. If you're planning to let the cake mature for a while, make the icing on the day you want to cut it. 

Serve warm with a blob off Creme Fraiche & enjoy!

Linzer Biscuits

So even though I made a large batch of Flapjacks for the office, they were all eaten in one day!? So as it's turned out, I did end up baking some more 'Christmas-y' biscuits (Well they have red in them).

I made these last year and I think they went down well, I was too busy eating them myself! They are individual hazelnut shortbreads with raspberry jam in the middle - a posh jammy dodger if you will.

Ooo I do like a jammy dodger and a cuppa tea (yes there is an 80yr inside trying to get out)
Anyway, my Dad very kindly made me some boxes this year - He runs a box company - makes boxes for the Queen, don't you know! ;) It's quite funny actually, recently I was near Green Park with a friend. You know near Buck Palace. It dawned on me that there might be a Buck Palace gift shop near by. So mid conversation, I yelped with excitement (I do make myself laugh)  and proceeded to drag the individual over the park into the shop. It was full to top with all my Dad's boxes!?

Now, even though I've known he's made boxes for them for a while, to see them on display in the shop, in Central London, Outside Buck Palace!!! Well was rather RUDDY exciting! Ha! It was like having a famous box making Dad!! (Took me a while to explain my sudden surge of crazy antics) LOL

(Just had re-read what I had written, cause couldn't remember how I got from biscuits to Buckingham Palace - lol) This will be down to the fact I was up till 1.30am baking last night (got a bit carried away - as I always do).

So yeah, the boxes. My Dad, originally designed me these beautifully fabric coated, bright coloured boxes, that if I wanted could be lined with fabric, so on and so forth. They were truely great! So he was a bit perplexed when I asked for basic basic boxes, just brown, no coating inside or outside. But I do love a classic brown box. There is a true beauty in the simplest of things.

Thanks for the boxes Dad ;)

I gave a couple of Boxes to one of our clients, Tim and his crew (also gave him a box of flapjacks, as he mentioned how much he liked them). A box to the Touch Crew (my work) and another to Anne at FUSS (it's her birthday this weekend).

Get such a buzz from baking these biscuits. I think it's because they look so smart when you put them together. Hmm. It's just such a great feeling that in a short period of time you can create something so delicate and pretty that will consequently be eaten and then gone forever.

Flapjack Cookies revisited

Did you know that the main reason people visit my blog is to read one of my first posts on my Mum's Flapjack Cookies recipe 239 people to be exact!?!

I haven't been home for a while and even though Christmas is on the horizon ( & tempted to make Christmas-y looking biscuits) I felt compelled to make a few home comforts. Ahh my kitchen smelt just like back-home when I was baking them. I grew up on these and will always consider them as proper flapjacks and not the slice variety that everyone else are used too.

This lovely new batch of flapjacks were for my clients and work colleagues.
Half the tin was eaten by midday!?

Victoria's Famous Flapjacks

170g Traditional whole rolled oats
140g Sugar
140g Plain flour
1 tsp bicarb of soda
2 tbsp Boiling hot water
170g block butter
1 tablespoon Syrup
(makes around 34 biscuits)

Preheat oven to 180oc

Mix the oats, sugar and flour together in bowl. In a separate bowl mix the boiling water and bicarb of soda, then mix into the oat mixture.

Melt the butter & syrup in a bowl over boiling water. once melted add to the oat mixture.
Roll into small balls and place on a baking tray covered with baking parchment, press two fingers into each blob. Make sure they are too close together as they will spread. If you're using one tray, do it in three batches.

Pop in the oven for around 12-14 mins, they won't take long.
leave to cool on the tray a bit to crisp-en up, then onto a wire rack to fully cool.
Package up and hand out to people to make yourself smile ;D

A blog called Constellations have blogged about my mum's recipe too, and it looks like they went down well. Lets just hope that the office and my clients like the oaty variety treats to the jammy linzer biscuits I made last year.

Questions is ... how should I package them?
Hmmm will post some photos once I decide.

FUSS POT to W.I.

From all my different, random hobbies that I've started & stopped, tried and tested. I've found that one in particular I have gained the most from - joining F.U.S.S.

Since going along to that first meeting, all on my own.... & even though it did take over my life, over the last couple of months, with the organising of the Christmas Fair...

....it has not only given me an outlet of making random posters, nattering on twitter and been encouraged to be just generally excited about stuff. It has also opened up a whole new world to me.

I've lived in Hither Green for over six years, but it has only been the last few months that I've actually began to feel not only part-of but also (dare I say..) a local! I've made so many friends and met so many people that the rewards I now get since joining FUSS definitely outweigh the odd late night designing another poster. 

Not to mention the momentous occasion last week, when I realised I didn't have any fresh thyme for a meal I was cooking.... I was able to pick up the phone and call my neighbor Ann if she had any. Within 5minutes I'd popped over to hers, where she gave me a large bunndle of thyme fresh from her garden!

I live in London. 

This sort of thing does NOT happen.

Well it does in Hither Green!!

Seriously, by the time I got back to my flat, you'd have thought I'd won the lottery. I was so excited that I had become part of such a friendly wonderful community. If you don't get why I'm excited - you haven't experienced what I'm on about. 

Trust me, being able to smile and say hello to people when you walk down the street is such a great feeling. It makes me feel, well, calm (calm isn't a word I use very often) and incredibly happy.

As you can tell it has had a great affect on me. To the point, that I have an urge to get out in the world, well my 'local' London, and meet more people. So I've decided that I'm going to Join the W.I.

Yes, The Woman's Institute! And NO I'm not 60, or 30...yet....

But after bumping into The Goldsmith's W.I. at a fanzine event at The Amersham Arms a month ago or so, I saw a group of young like-minded girls who get together to do Stuff.

I like to do stuff!

So I went onto their blog and had a read, went onto heir facebook page, then came across another London based W.I. and another and another....

When the first British WI meeting took place in 1915 at Llanfairpwll on Anglesey in North Wales, its aim was to revitalise rural communities and encourage women to help produce food during the First World War. Later, it campaigned for improvements in women's education, and lobbied governments on issues ranging from free access to family-planning facilities, to equal pay.

People have a preconceived idea of what the W.I. is like - Blue rinse hair, quiet, not much laughing and very serious....visually seen in black & white! But this is just not the case and now a new wave of W.I. groups are appearing in london!

The ones I've been looking at include The Shoreditch Sisters, Borough Belles and Goldsmith's W.I. The majority of the women attending these groups are in their mid + late 20's and they hold onto to the traditional learning, craft making mixed with a modern approach. The Shoreditch Sisters hold the most of their meetings at Concrete, a funky bar that's situated under Pizza Eat in the Big Tea Building.

 Now, I feel I need to mention that I am yet to go to a W.I. meeting - I'm planning on going to my first meeting in January! For just over £30 a year you go once a month to meet other people & chat, learn crafts and basically have a laugh. And if you're not too sure you can just go along to one meeting for £3 to try it out.

I shall come back and report after my first visit!!

If you're reading this and want to come along with me, just give me a shout on facebook or twitter @EatWobblyJelly

Here are a couple of articles on these new breed of W.I. groups:

• http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23762626-sushi-cocktails-and-male-escorts-the-womens-institute-inner-city-style.do
• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3636360/Womens-Institute-is-this-the-trendiest-WI-in-Britain.html
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/stuartbailie/2008/08/frock_the_casbah.shtml 

Here are the links to find your nearest W.I. group:

• England
• Wales
• as well as Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man and the Isle of Wight. 

Christmas FUSS Fair

So you might have noticed that my posts have been getting shorter and shorter and less frequent. Well it is all due to the fact that I had turned into a complete FUSS POT! Since joining FUSS just over 4 months ago, I managed to throw myself into helping out with the Christmas Fair that took place last Saturday.

And I have to say I think it was a complete success!! So much fun, so many new faces and just a generally great Christmas vibe throughout. The fair has been going for around 5 years now and usually is around 20 stalls just at the entrance to the station. This year, we had 40 stalls and closed off twice the amount of Staplehurst Road. Even though there were gail force winds and a few stalls had to batten down their goods :D the sun shone and people turned up in droves!

As well as helping out with the event itself, I managed to have a stall of my own... which I sold homemade Vintage fabric baubles and handmade Swedish stars. ( Not quite sure how I managed to make all the goods in time, help with the event organisation and have a full-time job!!???!!) Oh, mind you the odd amazing friend did give me assistance with the making - Thanks Rach! :D

I shared my stall with a friend, who came up from Welsh Wales & also has a blog - Hyfryd. She made fresh Welsh cakes (she made that morning in my kitchen - the smell was AMAZING!!) Barabrith and Individual Christmas cakes, iced beautifully.

It was SUCH great fun!! Especially cause I had some other friends who had stalls on either side of me:  Bex & V - Girl With Beads and also the Fabulous Gisela Torres! Gisela is a photographer by proffesion, but on this occasion she took on the role of 'Vintage Stall' holder!

To keep us all going and cheerful. I decided a bit of home brew Mulled Cider would do the trick!!
And I tell you what... they practically jumped on it when I came down from the flat with a giant vat of steaming hot spiced goodness. It went down a storm.

Here's the Mulled Cider recipe I used - it was delish!! And yep, it's a good old Jamie Oliver recipe.
Oh, the only difference was I was Old English Cider... and 3 liters of it!! ;D

If you've never had mulled cider.... try this one out!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

Christmas FUSS Fair Stall

Hello!!

And welcome to Never Eat Wobbly Jelly.
Did you just 'scan' the QR code on my stall?
If, YES, this is very exciting!! If, no, you have no idea what I'm on about :)

Saturday 3rd December, 2011 - NEWJ combines forces with HYFRYD at The Christmas FUSS Fair in Hither Green, SE London. Together we're holding a stall selling, my homemade Christmas decorations and Sian's delicious Welsh delicacies!

We shall be there from Noon till around 5pm. Pop down and come have a nose at the fair. There's gonna be 40 stalls this year!!

Will post photos after the event & probably be tweeting on the day too :)

Happy 1st Decemeber!

Tweet Twit Twitter

Yes I've finally made the leap to twitter.
Follow me via  @eatwobblyjelly

So Much To Do!

Fly me to the Moon
18th November

7.00pm

£5

At 8pm we will explore the moon with renowned Astrophysicist Dr Robert Massey,

who will give us a fascinating talk and answer your questions on all things intergalactic.

YDBMF

http://www.youdontbringmeflowers.co.uk/
 

Lee Green Open Studios 2011  

19 & 20 November

Lee Green Open Studios is an annual event in November based around the SE12 area.

It seeks to increase awareness of arts and artists in the immediate locality and thus encourage interest and participation in the arts.

Local residents have free access over two weekends to a broad range of arts on display and for sale including painting, prints, jewellery, textiles, sculpture, photography, cards and more.

http://www.wakelin.eclipse.co.uk/

Junk n Treasure
26th November

From 7.30pm

We will be holding a boot fair in the cafe where you can bring stuff to sell and buy stuff you like - just in time for Christmas!

And not a muddy field or a car in sight!

If you're interested in selling please email Lynne​

YDBMF

http://www.youdontbringmeflowers.co.uk/

I'm starting to realise that actually... there is quite a bit going on around Hither Green.

Trust me, I'm sure this is just the tip of the iceberg!

Why SE London is the place to be

South East London has always seemed to be an after-thought of where to go or live. However in recent times I have heard more and more people getting excited about it, even suggesting that it might be the 'New Hoxton / Shoreditch'. An up and coming creative hub. What with having Goldsmiths College on it's doorstep and a large array of affordable art studios and places to live, not to mention the new transport links, it is no wonder it's beginning to gain the reputation it deserves!

Here is a short film I came across on the Deptford Dame & Transpontine blogs.

Some interesting debates going on the video post on the Deptford Dame blog...

Ooo I do love a good debate! :)

What to do, what to do?

So what do you do when you're strapped for cash and the sun decides to go on strike, canceling the option to go sit in the park, people watch, read book & sit outside?

Hmm yes well I currently don't have the answer as such... However because I'm a bit of a curious sod who likes to attempt a challenge, I'm gonna see what I can find to do nearby for little or no money.

This immediately cancels out:
The Greenwich Picturehouse (fab little cinema)
Also going out for food (coffee is allowed & maybe a bit of cake??)
Paying for the Greenwich Observatory -this used to be free :(
(Not that I ever really went other than to show friends and family the 'line in the ground'. You can still, sort of, do this through the bars)

My aim is to try and find out about the random not so well documented things you can do in SE London. A bit like when I found out about pop-up supperclub culture - Major Excitement!

There's got to some cool underground stuff going on somewhere nearby!?


So after doing some research I have decided 'event's' are the answer. London is the epicenter for one off events, happening all the time, all over London. The best bit most are free!

So here is what I've found that is going on around SE London:

DIY DJ (entry free).
Thursday 27th Oct 8pm @ The Ravensbourne Arms, Lewisham
Everyone can be a DJ at a new South London vinyl night. The organisers of unique music night DIY DJ are asking everyone to scour their record collections and playlists for tunes with a ghostly connection. Lynne from my local cafe - 'You Don't bring me Flowers' will there DJing to!

Blackheath Fireworks (entry free).
Saturday 5th Nov 8pm, Blackheath

South East London Zine Fiest (entry free).
Saturday 12th Nov 12 - 6pm @ The Amersham Arms, New Cross
Comix, Zines, and all kinds of self published goodness! Readings, storytelling, poetry with the readhorse zine collective and exhibition upstairs. Stalls, workshops and fun and games downstairs!
If you read my blog and don't know what a zine, a fanzine is - you'd better find out ;)

Christmas FUSS Fair (entry free).
Saturday 3rd Dec 12-7pm @ Staplehurst Road, Hither Green

If you know of any other things that might be going on do let me know!
:)

Admit to being a GEEK?

This is my random post on 'geek-i-ness'.

A part of me has always been a bit of a geek. Or at least craved to be one. Which is strange, because from an early age we're taught that being a geek just doesn't get you anywhere...

My geek credentials are as follows:

• Lists, lists, lists! Seriously I can't get enough of them. I write lists for the lists I need to write. I have been told it is a family trait.

• Bags. Oh I am bag lady. Always have been always will be. If you ever see me with just one bag, it'll either be the same size as my body or the second one isn't far away.

• Third point, is a bit embarrassing... Or is it!? Since being a child I have craved the need to wear glasses. As it turns out, my whole family have worn them at some point, yet I have great eyesight!? So never had a pair, until last year, I thought 'You know, I work in Shoreditch!' So bought myself a pair. How I loved those glasses..... Until I ended up standing on them and broke them and now haven't been able to find another pair :(

• Forth point. Have been known as the Blue Peter girl for some time. began at uni, something about being excitable and over organised (this can scare people a lot) Anyway it was all strengthen when Jimbo and Jo who I didn't know that well, presented me with a Blue Peter Annual in the student bar. After that there was no going back. Since then people just presume cause u like cooking, organising, wearing glasses and smiling that you are indeed a harmless geek.

You see at one point I thought I wanted people to see me differently than just a 'geek'.
I wanted the m to respect me, be impressed by me and not go "arr bless" what a 'sweet geek'.
So certain things that I'd see that I thought looked fun to do (but perhaps were rather geeky) took a back seat...

Well wobbly jelly lovers you'll be glad to hear that I've that in! I am now embracing my geekiness with both hands! I've learnt to go ahead and do stuff I want to do, even if it means going alone. Since taking this approach, I have actually found quite a few wanting to join me in my adventures! :D


....And to continue with my new embraced geek-i-ness, NEWJ is going to attempt to make it's first FANZINE! :D

New Obsessions...

So as you've probably noted I having been blogging a lot recently.... Well to be fair, not at all! Well I'm here now :) better late than never ;D

So let me tell you what's been happening in the world off Wobbly Jelly!
I have joined a local group and am now officially a 'FUSS POT'. I live in a place called Hither Green, it's a lovely place, sort off village-esq. Anyhow this group I've joined F.U.S.S is a group of local individuals who care about it the area and want to make it a fab place to live. We sort out the plant pots on the street and organise events like the Christmas FUSS Fair ( which I have to say was one of the main reasons I joined ). It gives me reason to play around with designing posters etc as well as just getting to know people and also I get to chat.
We get together once a month for chat and... Champagne!! Oh we had won Lewisham in Bloom award, yeah we don't drink champagne at every meeting that would be crazy!? ;) hmmm maybe I suggest it at the next meeting?


It's funny really, I'm what... Twenty something? and the average age at the fuss meetings must be around 55-60? But you know they are hysterical and so much fun, with great senses of humour! Best of all, they encourage my geeky-obsessiveness! Hmm which some may believe, is not a good idea. But am loving every minute!

Some of the guys at work have been laughing at me (I think I scare them) Last year my thing was knitting (if you look back on the blog u might see it) The knitting began like everything else... With a lot of enthusiasm however it took me going on 2 yrs to complete one scarf....I soon moved from this skill realising it might not be a strength :s Then it was the general baking / cooking... Chutney making :)) Now it's FUSS.... what will be next...

This weekend I gained two brand new obsessions, and have to say I am soo excited about them both.
You know how the one thing everyone has these days is a computer,  a laptop? Well I don't have either. Last month I did quite a lot if overtime, and was thinking I'll invest in a computer, well an iPad.
But oh no! I might be twenty-something but GUESS what I got this weekend!!!??!!!? Seriously it's bloody brilliant! Some may even say Genius - Gorgeous - Stunning - Elegance at it's Best.

Yes that's right.. I now own a typewriter! Isn't it beautiful!? TRIUMPH TIPPA-S ALDER
Seriously planning to revert back to writing letters, well typing them anyho.Being vintage has never been so exciting!!

Once I got the typewriter home, I couldn't stop smiling. I was over the moon. However if I said this is the most exciting hing that has happening to me, I would be lying. If I said it was my biggest obsession so far, I would be lying. As this weekend I also gained something else...A brand new Nephew!
He's a great little fella. And I can't wait fulfill my role as the 'Crazy Auntie'.

 Sidney Joshua Follwell  

5th Oct 2011

I got him a little something for his arrival to the world. A beautiful lambs wool Baby Blanket with a boat sailing the sea on it. The boat reminded me a bit of the Blue Peter Boat, which I thought was apt, as my nickname for a while was ' The Blue Peter Girl'.

 

I couldn't help but 'go to town' on the wrapping and even decided to print my message on hessian. (my sister was a huge fan of Winnie The Pooh when she was a kid) I think it went down well.
Can't wait to see my nephew again soon....

Wobbly Jelly goes DIY!

Well not exactly DIY.... but I have aspirations to do lots of DIY in the flat :)

Whilst I have a scrap book full of great ideas, designs and styles I have also ventured into looking into ways of using the space in my flat more 'ergonomically'. Which as it turns out involves in a lot off planning and organising...
In the process I have come across a couple of websites which are genius! Great ideas for using space to it's limit and approaches I'd never thought off.

Ikea Hackers
"IkeaHackers.net is a site about modifications on and re-purposing of Ikea products. Hacks, as we call it here, may be as simple as adding an embellishment, some others may require power tools and lots of ingenuity.'

Storage Glee
"A collection of ideas for those who love to stow, and benevolent options for those that don't."

So one particular thing i've found solves the problem of my new fuse box. It's situated bang slap in the middle of the wall in the hallway - where I was planning to put up a mirror...
But look, I've found a solution:

http://storageandglee.blogspot.com/2009/11/cover-up.html

more details here:
http://www.ikeahackers.net/2009/11/philip-and-cats-home-ikea-shoe-room-and.html

This is obviously someone elses flat, I'm to do it.
Wish me luck!

Cafe of Good Hope

So after managing to get myself a two day hangover. I woke this Sunday morning with a need for coffee! After very quickly realising I had none in the house, it was decided that I should go to another Cafe off my list.

The Cafe of Good Hope is on Hither Green Lane on the other side of the tracks. It was set up by the Jimmy Mizen Foundation. The foundation was set up by Jimmy's family in his memory, with all profits from the cafe feeding back into its work. Jimmy was killed in May 2008 in the Three Cooks Bakery in Lee, around the corner from the Mizen family home. It was a terrible story and I remember it being in the news at the time, as I only live around the corner. So sad.

The two people behind the counter were really lovely and friendly. The guy was very helpful and smiley after I agreed, that I wouldn't take his photo - you see everyone wants to know what you look like now ;)  My caffè latte really hit the spot and.....  the cakes looked so fresh and so tempting I couldn't resist! Ooo a slice of that homemade Coffee and walnut cake for me, Please!
Such a delicious slice of cake. Beautifully moist, light, tasty and not too sweet. Perfect!




All the food is produced fresh. They do breakfasts, lunches, they even have a garden out back.
Will be back to try more am very impressed! And it's all for a good cause too - even better!

They also sell chutneys, preserves, coffee and loaves of fresh bread that is delivered by the 'Paul Rhodes' bakery from Greenwich, who also supply the pastries as well. The cakes however are made by the cafe and I can't say this enough - "Go try for yourself!".

It's also the small details that make a place. For example, to help encourage you to relax, let the world pass by whilst sipping on your latte, they put out a selection of papers. But what I loved even more was a small book shelf full of novels that you could borrow whilst having your coffee.

 Whilst I was there, a guy was taking advantage of this luxury and was happily sitting in the corner with his coffee and one of the many books.
On departure he placed the book back on the shelf and left. He was there before me. Wonder if is his Sunday ritual? He nips, to Good Hope has a coffee and continues with his chosen book? Or had he been there really long and is an incredibly fast reader? hmmm .... Don't you just love people watching?! :)

Facebook Page Created

So I'm slowly trying to get the blog out there a bit more. I am sill contemplating twitter, but in the meantime I've set up a Facebook page. This'll show any updates and new posts as well as extra random short posts that wouldn't usually make the blog.

I have to get at least 25 people to like page to keep it going... so if you do like my blog, it would be great if you could 'like' the NEWJ Facebook page too! Click HERE

thanks in advance :)

Brioche Summer Pud Stack

First off I have to admit that the thought of summer fruit pudding has never filled me with excitement. I mention in passing to my German friend that I was thinking of giving it a go, and her response was quite funny. "Are you crazy!? Soggy bread and squishy fruit, don't do it. It sound revolting!" LOL. Anyway this in tern, made me decide to give it a go and try and find a recipe / approach that was not only delicious but also looked really appetizing.

So Sonja, here you go. I dare you to try it and dislike. I bet you a jar off nutella (she's obsessed with Nutella) that you will not only like it, but will LOVE it!

So after doing a lot of researching, I found that Gordon Ramsay had created such a recipe and it uses Brioche instead of standard bread. Brioche, not cake not bread something in between... and perfect for such a recipe.

The next task was to find a brioche loaf of bread, now I could've made it myself. But you know, sometimes it's ok not to do it all yourself. Saying that, at some point I'll probably give it a go. Anyway it turns out that most supermarkets sell them for around £1.70, so it doesn't even break the bank. Tip: Tesco's version is quite flat and you need one that you can cut into circles. I found Sainbury's & Waitrose sell such a loaf and also the small shops in London sell St Pierre Brioche sliced loaf - which is perfect.

INGREDIENTS
Stock syrup

• 
250 grams caster sugar

• 250 ml water
• 
Juice of half a lemon

Blackcurrant coulis

• 250g ripe blackcurrants
• 100ml stock syrup
• Sprig of mint

Berry Stacks

• 100ml crème fraîche
• zest of 1 lime
• 1-2 tbsp icing sugar or lemon curd
• 200g ripe strawberries
• 100g ripe blackberries or redcurrants
• 100g ripe blueberries
• 50g caster sugar
• 100g raspberries
• Frozen raspberry sorbet

Stock Syrup Method (makes more than you need, but it'll keep in the fridge & will be useful for other recipes)
Place sugar, water and lemon juice in a pot and bring to a simmer. Remove and once cool store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Now, on the actual Berry Stacks Method:
1. First, make the blackcurrant coulis. Place the blackcurrants into a pan with the stock syrup and mint and simmer for a few minutes until the fruit has softened and starts to bleed. Remove the mint, whiz the mixture in a food processor or blender, then rub through a fine sieve. Leave to cool completely, then chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight.
2. In a bowl, mix the crème fraîche with the lime zest and a little icing sugar to taste, I used lemon curd :). Cover the bowl with cling film and chill until ready to use.
3. Cut off all the crusts from the brioche loaf then cut the loaf into eight long thin slices. (You can chill the loaf overnight to make it easier to slice). Using a 5-6cm deep round cutter, cut out 12-18 rounds from the brioche.
4. Hull and slice the strawberries crossways into rounds. Halve the blackberries and blueberries (this will enable them to lie flat between the brioche layers). Taste the fruit and dust with a little icing sugar if they are too tart.
5. Lay a small square of baking parchment on a board and place the pastry cutter on top. Quickly dip a brioche round into the blackcurrant coulis to coat all over, then place in the base of the cutter or even better, a rosti ring. Arrange a layer of strawberry slices in the cutter, then cover with another coulis-dipped brioche round. Make a layer of blueberries and blackberries on top, followed by a final piece of dipped brioche. Press down lightly to set the shape of the pudding stacks.
6. Using a palette knife, slide the stack onto a serving plate, discarding the paper. Remove the cutter and use to make the other stacks. Top each stack with a quenelle of the crème fraîche and a final drizzle of blackcurrant coulis. Garnish the plates with a few raspberries and if you're feeling extra naughty a small scoop of raspberry sorbet ;)

Now how good does this look!?! Can't tell you how excited I was about the results, to the point it could be classed as one of my fav puds!!

Adventures of a wobbly blogger!

So the new Hoxton is indeed Deptford, considering I actually work in Hoxton I can definitely see the growing similarities. A gem of south London with its cool flea market, numerous art galleries, trendy pubs and great transport links, train, overground line (old east London line) and DLR. It is situated in walking distance to Greenwich and Blackheath.

New Cross and Deptford are right next to each other and between them they have a growing number of independent shops/cafe's and restaurant's popping up. It wasn't till recently that the now, New Cross House, pub was housing the meat-wagon pop up restaurant, which had rave reviews! I was fortunate enough to sample it myself - Trust me when I say "you need to go!". Anyway I managed to locate some of the places on my list which I tell you about now and will return to try out the others another day (There's only so much coffee and
Food you can consume in one day!)

Saturday morning I woke up to sunshine beaming through the window, onto the heaps of washing that I needed to do. I thought to myself, what a perfect day to start looking the local area for the blog! So off I went, out the front door, half way to Deptford, when it actually dawned on me - "I'm on my own". Heck, I've never gone out for breakfast on my own before and have to say that I usually find it hard to chill out. But today was different I was doing it for NEWJ, there was focus to the adventure.....

My first stop was going to be the Deptford Deli, but unfortunately it was still closed. On the plus side I found two little bric-a-brac / vintage / second hand furniture shops and what looked like a really good butchers call "WellBeloved" (what a great name!) Since doing a bit off research, it turns out to be highly recommended!

As the Deptford Deli was shut and I was now rather ravenous, I continued walking (with the help of the handy iphone maps!) to The London Particular. Which as it turns out was pretty much round the corner. Very handy considering it was now 11am and I hadn't eaten! :s (The walk from Hither Green, had taken around 40mins..)

So as I walk up I see a few tables outside, that are already fully occupied by people who are delving into what looked like delicious brekkies. I pop my head in the door and am welcomed by the smell of fresh coffee, sausages and mushrooms. A girl turns round to see my face of confusion, and with giant smile asks if I'm alright ;) 'Are you still serving breakfast?' I ask. 'Yes, till 12 noon. Here's a menu'. There was four people working behind the counter, running around at lightening speed and yet all smiling - I do like people who smile :)
So me thinking I should be 'heathly', orders a bowl of granola, yogurt and fruit with a cuppa tea.
I go and pop myself up on a high stool out of the way, but with a great view of both the street and the cooks at work.

As I sat there I saw breakfast plate after breakfast bowl of beautifully looking dark mushrooms, roast tomatoes, artisan breads and sausages go past..... and started to think I'd made the wrong decision. soon after one of the guys popped over and poured me a glass of water. Then very apologetically re-asked what I had ordered. Ha!! I'd never been so happy!! :D "I had ordered a cuppa tea and the granola. But after seeing, smelling and generally drooling over the breakfasts can I change it to the 'The Particular Brunch Bowl and a Late?!" He gave me such a grin and then proceeded to go into the details of the breakfast and said there were 3 three types of sausage I could choose from (now this is where it gets a bit fuzzy, can't remember exactly what they were, but they were all spicy. one was made by the Greenwich Butcher and another by a butcher in Borough Market.) I went for the Greenwich Sausage.
My brekkie consisted off homemade baked beans, roast tomatoes, roast mushrooms (seriously these were to die for!), 2 sausages, bit of spinach and some artisan bread.

There was also a selection of things on toast like:
Roast tomatoes, smoked ham & greens organic cheddar.
Or garlic roast mushrooms, spinach & goats cheese with streaky bacon.
Or grilled mackerel fillets with a roast cherry Tom salsa.

They were also making up the salads for lunch which pretty darn good too! So not only will i be back to try some more of those mushrooms, perhaps on toast with the goats cheese :) hmmm yum! I'll also have to go back to sample one of the lunches too! No rest for the wicked!?!?!


After writing this post I am now starving!! So will have to continue about the other places I visited another day... I'm off to get myself some food!

To be continued.....
The Deptford Project/ OxJam
Art Hub Studios & Gallery
APT studios & Gallery

Some of the few places yet to visit:
The Big Red
Deptford Deli
Manze's Pie & Mash
Chaconia

Birthday Pasty

 So as you've probably gathered I like baking and making cakes. It also turns out that eating sweet stuff is a past-time loved by mainly females. So as it was a male colleagues birthday at work I decided to take the initiative ;) and make a savoury Birthday thing to put candles in.....

I chose Mini Pasties!! (I say mini, but still the size of your hand)
I found the recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Every Day. The pastry is really delicious and so quick and easy to make. I use the same recipe for my sausage rolls.

For the rough puff pastry
250g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
550g plain flour
A good pinch of salt
240-300ml iced water

METHOD (2 variations..)

How to make leftover stew pasties (use my Spiced Beef Stew Recipe here)

1. For the filling, drain off any excess juices from the stew so that the meat and veg are just lightly coated in gravy. Take any large chunks of meat or veg and chop them up roughly before stirring back together. Taste the stew and make sure it's seasoned to your liking. Leave to cool completely.
2. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to about 3mm thick. Using a plate or a cake tin as a template, cut out four 20cm circles; you may have to gather up the trimmings and re-roll them to get your fourth circle.
3. Spoon the stew on to one half of each circle. Brush the pastry edges with water, fold the other half of the pastry over the filling to form a half-moon shape and crimp well to seal.
4. Place the pasties on a lightly oiled baking sheet and brush the tops with beaten egg. Bake in an oven preheated to 190°C/Gas Mark 5 for about 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Eat warm or cold.

Squash and Lentil Pasties

Main Ingredients:

• Brown lentils
• Butternut squash
• Shortcrust pastry
• Onions, carrots and celery
• Mustard, white wine and balsamic vinegar

First one onion, one carrot and one celery stick were fried in olive oil, then simmered in white wine. Then the (rather unappetizing-looking) brown tinned lentils were added along with bay, thyme and half a pint of vegetable stock and simmered for 10 mins. I then hacked away at the squash until we had some nice cube-shaped chunks, which were chucked in and cooked for a further 20 minutes.

The resulting mixture was rather watery, so I set about it with a potato masher to help the vegetables soak up some of the juices. Finally, two teaspoons of English mustard and the same of Balsamic vinegar were added to give it a kick.

Anyway they flew off the plate, the meat ones especially!!

Edamame Avocado Dip with Spicy Wasabe

Dip 2 - Delicious, healthy and bright green!

Well it always good to add some extra colour to the table ;). This dip is amazing and what with the added kick from the wasabe it gives it that extra punch. Some may say it's the extra 'fifth' taste. Have you heard about this? I can't remember if wasabe is part of the group that has the Umami the fifth taste after bitter, salty, sour and sweet. Seriously this isn't one of my random stories, they're now selling tubes of this magic stuff in the supermarket. They say that it makes anything you putt it in taste better and tastier and generally amazing! However I have heard that there is one draw back...it's supposedly bright red, thus will make any food you put it in varying shades of pink/red.
Here have a read if you don't believe me: Telegraph has an article on it.

Anyway, that was a bit of a tangent back to the dip....

Ingredients
1 cup fresh or frozen shelled edamame beans
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
1 teaspoon wasabe
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (I cheated & used puree ginger)
1 clove minced fresh garlic (I cheated & used puree garlic)
1/4 cup water
juice of 2 fresh limes (about 3 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
cracked black pepper
2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Do a seasoning check, and add more salt, pepper, lime juice, or wasabe as needed (I like to kick it up to a tablespoon to really bring on the heat).

I have to say this is a really REALLY tasty dip. It's not guacamole, it's similar but not guacamole. Should really think of a shorter name for it.... How about WAE dip?? It's not very catchy though is it...
any ideas let me know!

Pureed ginger and garlic in the fridge is a GENIUS move! ;)

Also I have a new obsession with Warburtons Square(ish) wraps they're so versatile and work great with my dips. You chop them up into triangle and heat them up under the grill with a bit of oil and chopped herbs or spread some of tasty green dip on top with some tomato salsa and roll it up. Yum!

 Right think that's enough babbling for this post.... 

Hope you enjoy your dip as much as I did!