Zingy lemon squares

When life gives you lemons… bake something fresh and tasty!!

Ingredients (base)

• 175g plain flour

• 50g ground almonds

• 85g golden caster sugar

• 140g cold butter, diced

• 1tbsp milk

Ingredients (lemon topping)

• Zest 3 lemons, plus 200ml lemon juice (about 4 lemons)

• 3 eggs

• 200g golden caster sugar

• 25g self raising flour

Making the base:

1) Heat oven to 200c (180c fan/gas 6)

2) Line a square tin, ideally 21-22cm, with baking paper

3) Put the flour, ground almond and sugar in a bowl with the diced butter and rub with your hands until it resembles fine crumbs

4) Stir in the milk with a cutlery knife

5) Tip into the tin and press down evenly

6) Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until golden

Making the lemon topping:

1) Remove the tin and lower the oven to 180c (160c fan/gas 4)

2) Sieve the lemon juice into a bowl and add the eggs, sugar, flour and lemon zest. Whisk to combine

3 Pour over the base and then pop back in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until the top is set

4) Allow it to cool in the tin before removing and slicing into squares

5) Then make your favourite drink, tea, coffee or even a G&T and sit back and enjoy!!

Wild garlic hummus

Hummus is so easy to make from scratch and there are endless flavours to choose from.

If you love the taste and smell of garlic, you’ll be sure to enjoy making this recipe.

Wild garlic is in season right now and it’s so easy to forage; its vibrant, fresh and tastes amazing! You’ll find it in many British woodlands and whilst its smell will give it away, look for the long pointed green leaves and the white, star-shaped flowers. When picking, try to pull it right out of the ground without breaking off the small white bulbs. You can eat both the leaves and the bulbs but together they give great flavour.

It makes for a great afternoon snack, a tasty starter or a perfect dip to have with your tapas.

Ingredients

• 1 small handful of wild garlic

• 1 can of chickpeas

• 2 heaped tablespoons of tahini (or 1/4 cup olive oil)

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 2 tbsp water

• 2 tbsp olive oil (if using tahini)

Hummus can be made with or without tahini, a paste made from toasted, ground sesame seeds. It will give your hummus a slightly nutty flavour and also adds smoothness to the texture. 

Hummus can be made just as easily without it though by using olive oil in its place. This recipe has the measurements for both. I very rarely have tahini in the cupboard and so I substitute with olive oil and its equally delicious!

Method

1) Wash your wild garlic well and let it drain

2) Chop the garlic finely, leaves and all

3) Add the chickpeas, tahini (or olive oil) lemon juice, salt, cumin, wild garlic and water to a food processor

4) Blend until smooth

5) If using tahini, add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and blend again until creamy

6) Serve with your favourite bits like chopped carrot and toasted pitta, and try not to eat the whole lot in one go!

Old skool jam & coconut cake

Anyone else remembers the highlight of the school day being dinnertime, in particular the puddings? They were definitely my favourite and this one was the best of all - light, fluffy coconut cake topped with jam, sprinkles of coconut and served with lashings of custard?

This quick, easy recipe will hopefully bring back some nice memories, and even if not, it’ll give you a very nice cake to eat!

Ingredients (cake)

• 8oz caster sugar

• 8oz softened butter

• 8oz self-raising flour

• 4 large eggs

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2oz desiccated coconut

• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

Ingredients (for the topping)

• Raspberry jam

• 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

Method:

1) Cream together the sugar and butter

2) Add the eggs one by one and mix well

3) Add the vanilla

4) Add the coconut and gently fold in the flour

5) Grease/line a baking tin (approx 9x9 inches) add the cake mixture

6) Bake at 350f (180c/160c fan) for 40-45 minutes until an inserted knife comes out clear

7) Let the cake cool slightly, then spread the top with jam and sprinkle with the remaining coconut

8) Serve with lashings of hot custard!!

Lou's favourite - carrot cake

Whenever we’re out and about on an adventure - a walk or a bike ride, and we stop for tea and cake, it’s always a good bet that Lou will choose carrot cake if it’s on the menu. Turns out, she makes a pretty awesome one herself too, so here’s the recipe…

Ingredients (cake)

• 2 eggs

• 3/4 of a cup of oil (any type you prefer)

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

• 1 cup of granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 cups of plain flour

• 1 teaspoon of baking powder

• 1 teaspoon of baking soda

• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon of ginger

• 1 1/2 cups of grated carrot

• 1/4 cup of walnuts (finely chopped)

Ingredients (lemon butter cream frosting)

• 1/3 cup of butter (at room temperature)

• 3 cups of icing sugar

• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
  1 tsp grated lemon zest

Making the cake:

1) Add eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar to a large bowl, mix together and put to one side

2) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon,
nutmeg and ginger then give it a stir
3) Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture along with the grated carrots and mix until just
combined
4) Fold in the walnuts
5) Pour batter into a greased/floured round cake tin (9 inches by inches approx.)
6) Bake at 350f (180c/160c fan) for 40-45 minutes until an inserted knife comes out clean
8) Allow the cake to cool completely, then spread the frosting (see instructions below)
10) Slice and enjoy with a cuppa 🙂

Making the buttercream frosting:

1) Beat the butter, lemon zest and juice in a bowl
2) Gradually beat in the icing sugar until light and fluffy
3) Let it cool then spread on the cake

Chewy ginger oat biscuits

Looks like the mice got to this one before we could take a photo! ;-)

Here’s a simple, tasty recipe that Lou baked up this week. I can confirm that they are absolutely delicious and go very well with a cup of tea. I cannot however confirm who was responsible for the bite taken out of the biscuit in the picture above.

They’re by no means a health food but eaten sensibly we all know there’s always room for something tasty in a balanced diet. Happy baking!

Ingredients:

• 85 grams of porridge oats

• 100 grams of plain flour

• 100 grams of caster sugar

• 100 grams of melted butter

• 50 grams of chopped, crystallised ginger (you can use coconut instead if you prefer the flavour or just fancy some variety)

• 1 tablespoon of golden syrup

• 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

 Nutritional info (one biscuit):

• Calories - 118

• Carbs - 13g

•  Sugar - 6g

• Fat - 7g (from saturates 5g)

• Protein - 1g

• Fibre - 1g

How to bake:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c (fan oven 160c)/gas mark 4/

2. Put the oats, ginger (or coconut), flour and sugar into a bowl.

3.  Melt the butter in a pan or a microwave, then add the golden syrup

4. Add the bicarbonate of soda to the dry mix

5. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, then pour in the butter and syrup; stir gently to incorporate all the ingredients

6. Scoop out a dessertspoonful of the mixture and place on a buttered baking sheet; repeat ensuring they are around 2.5cm/1inch apart to allow room for spreading.

7. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown

Prepare for plenty more recipes soon with the launch of balance club this week.

Flipping brilliant pancake ideas

Here’s a whole load of inspiration for your pancake day…we’ve got something for every meal, savoury, desserts, gluten free, vegan and even boozy! A nice balance of healthy and tasty, so enjoy.

Breakfast ideas

• The North American Contintental - straightforward thick pancakes topped with bacon, maple syrup and blueberries

• Expresso pancakes with Nutella - mix an espresso shot (you can use normal ground coffee with water if you prefer) into the pancake batter mix, then top with Nutella once ready

• Eggs Benedict pancakes - top plain pancakes with thick-cut ham, spinach, a poached egg and readymade Hollandaise sauce (or you can make your own in about ten minutes)

Vegan and gluten free options

You can swap out traditional flour for buckwheat flour to make your pancakes gluten free. For a vegan option, use coconut oil and almond milk (there are loads of other oils you can use - olive, avocado or any vegetable or seed oils, and you can swap almond milk for soya, oat or rice). Try topping your pancakes with banana, maple syrup, berries, vegan chocolate chips or plant-based yoghurt.

How do you like yours? Thin and crispy crepes…

or thick and fluffy American style?

Lunchtime pancakes

• Tuna mayo and spinach - make thin pancakes and fill with the tuna mayo and spinach before rolling up

• Cheese and ham - the pancake equivalent of a toastie, perfect for days when the weather is horrid

• Vege protein pancakes - buckwheat is a good source of protein, so after you’ve made your pancakes, fill with the buckwheat, some rocket and some sliced cherry tomatoes (or salsa for added zing).

Savoury options

• Parsnip pancakes - roast some parsnips, mash them thoroughly and add to the batter mix. Serve with a honey and mustard dressing

• Quesadilla pancakes - fill plain pancakes with either mince or soya, roll up, cover with grated cheese then bake in the oven until the cheese is golden brown

• Butternut squash, goats cheese and rosemary pancakes - dice and sprinkle the squash with rosemary then roast for 20 minutes; you can crumble on the goats cheese for the last few minutes to warm it or add cold to the pancakes

Dessert options

For something a little more luxurious, why not try…

• Blueberry cheesecake pancakes - mix cream cheese into your batter mix and then serve topped with blueberries

• Cinammon crepes - stir the cinnamon into your batter and then make them thin and crispy before serving with the nut butter of your choice, some sliced banana and raspberries

• Lemon and sugar - no pancake list is complete without the ultimate traditional pancakes; you can use real lemons or Jif!

Boozy alternatives

Last but not least, here’s some inspiration if you fancy a pancake nightcap…

• Espresso Martini pancakes - mix espresso, sugar and coffee liqueur to make a syrup, whilst separately mixing vodka, mascarpone, yoghurt and icing sugar to form a cream. Dollop the cream onto plain pancakes and drizzle on the syrup

• Baileys Cream pancakes - mix Baileys and some thick double cream and whisk together thoroughly; once served top with a little more Baileys for good measure

• G&T pancakes - make a syrup by mixing a G&T, lemon juice and sugar, reducing down until nice and sticky. Pour another G&T into your batter mix and whisk until smooth. Once served, grate lemon zest over the top for an added touch.

Whatever you choose; healthy, tasty, main or dessert, make them with love and enjoy.

The best afternoon tea recipes on the web

Photo courtesy of Angello Lopez on Unsplash

The tradition of afternoon tea first began in the mid-19th century, when Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford found herself always hungry between her mid-day lunch and fashionably late dinners. She began to request sandwiches and cakes as a late afternoon snack and then started to invite friends to join her for this novel event. The idea spread through fashionable society, a new meal was born and its popularity has continued to grow to the present day.

In honour of this great British tradition, it's National Afternoon Tea week this week, so we thought we'd share a nice selection of recipes from the web to help you enjoy it to the full. Just remember to only do it once in a while; stopping work for an hour at 4pm every day for sandwiches, cakes, scones and tea probably isn't going to go down too well with your boss, and it'll likely be even worse for your waistline.

Tasty recipes

The ever wonderful Jamie Oliver has a host of recipes for afternoon tea here. Everything from cakes, buns, muffins and biscuits through to savoury treats like scotch eggs and breads.

This selection of recipes will leave you drooling, with a wide range of interesting ingredients, flavours and textures on offer to really mix up your diet.

And for those of you with a sweet tooth, why not try these Pimms scones from BBC Good Food, or this chunky apple, raisin, walnut and cider cake from delicious magazine.

Healthy options

If you fancy a more savoury scone, this cheese and pickled celery option from Great British Chefs may be more your thing.

You may of course want to put on a fancy spread, maybe the queen is coming to visit, or your mother-in-law! Whoever it is you're keen to impress, here are a few options fit for royalty:

• try these fancy salmon sandwich stacks from Good Housekeeping magazine

• or this range of healthy afternoon tea recipes designed for a queen from Body and Soul

Twinings tea also have some helpful tips on how to stay balanced whilst indulging in a few of your favourite treats.

Whatever you choose, remember the golden rules, keep it balanced and enjoy it to the full!