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I'm back with an easy and quick weekday meal and what's easier than using ready made products to create something delicious and fast!


This broccoli and bacon cheesy bake is a 10 minute prep job and as it is cooking it gives you enough time to prep and cook the garlic bread too. It couldn't be any more simple!

Serves 2 (generous portions)

For the bake, you will need:


  • Schwartz gluten free cheese sauce
  • Milk (for the cheese sauce)
  • 1 Broccoli 
  • A pack of bacon lardons (I tend to pick the smallest available)
  • Grated cheddar (to taste)
  • Grated parmesan (to taste)
  • 100g Pasta


For the garlic bread, you will need:


  • Warburton's gluten free sourdough bread
  • Butter
  • 1 Garlic clove
  • Parsley 
  • Grated parmesan
For the bake

Start by boiling the pasta until just soft.

Then simply take a dish you would use for a pasta bake and cut the broccoli into small pieces and put into the dish.

Add the bacon and pasta. Then make the cheese sauce as per the instructions.

Once made, pour the cheese sauce on top of the contents in the dish and mix. Cover the top of the bake with cheddar and parmesan and bake for 20 minutes at 200c.

For the garlic bread

As the bake is cooking, slice two central pieces of the Warburton's loaf, roughly 1.5cm wide. Cut them in half and place on a baking tray.

Lightly butter the slices. 

Crush a clove of garlic and dice some parsley onto a chopping board. Add two generous tablespoons of butter and combine.

Spread on top of the buttered bread, add some parmesan and pop into the oven for around 10 minutes.

Both the pasta and garlic bread should be ready at the same time! It's a quick dinner which seems like you could of spent hours on it, when really there is very little time taken and minimal mess!



Hannah x

*Some products in this post were sent to me to try, all opinions are my own. 


After a long winter, I think Spring has finally sprung! Which made the perfect excuse to make the Baileys milkshake from the set my parents got me for Christmas!

It was so tasty I thought I would share the recipe with you! It actually came from the box of the gift set, but I have tweaked it to make it a bit more yummy!


You will need:
50ml Bailey's (which is the size of the mini bottles)
100ml cooled coffee
250ml milk
4 scoops of vanilla ice cream


All you need to do is pop all the ingredients in a blender, pour it into glasses and enjoy! The box says you can decorate it in any way you like, such as squirty cream, grated chocolate, marshmallows etc. but I find a final scoop of ice cream is just enough!

From trial and error I would recommend using a good quality coffee. I found that my Nespresso machine made the best coffee for this. I found the red intenso decaf capsule is intense enough to stand on its own without being overwhelming.

Having a good quality real dairy ice cream makes all the difference too. If you use a soft scoop or lower quality, it'll make the milkshake watery as they are not very dairy rich and are typically filled with ice.

I also found blending wasn't really necessary as I like a thicker shake. If you just leave the ice cream out a couple of minutes to become soft and then whisk it all together you achieve a much thicker shake, not the light milky texture I got the first time through blending.

If you give it a go, I'd love to know what you topped yours with or if you have any tweaks I could try!

Hannah x

 

Okay ... this may not be much of a recipe but more of an assembly, as the only thing needing to be cooked is the bacon. This was inspired by a starter I ate at a restaurant once, I have tried to recreate it and thought you may like to too!




For two dinner size servings, you will need:

  • Large bag of mixed leaves
  • 6 streaky bacon rashers (I used oak smoked)
  • Cashew nuts
  • 1 Pack of king tiger prawns (I used Waitrose 1)
  • Saint Agur blue cheese
  • Balsamic vinegar 
  • Olive oil

Dry fry the bacon in a non stick pan until super crispy and then blot it with paper towel. 

Put half the bag of mixed leaves on a plate and add half a pack of prawns scattered on top. 

Crumble over a quarter of the pack of Saint Agur. 

Add a handful of cashews and lightly drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

Top with three pieces of crispy bacon on top and voila! It's complete! 

The meal tastes wonderfully luxurious with all the complex flavours combined and doesn't break the bank! Let me know if you try it and what you think! 

Hannah x
When Warburton's sent me a pack of goodies in the post, in their swanky new branding and packaging, I knew I wanted to try and create some enchiladas with the wraps! My recipe makes enough filling to serve four. I typically make it for two and put the extra filling in a second dish topped with salsa and cheese and then pop it in the oven incase we fancy extra!


You will need:

  • Two chicken breasts
  • Half a red pepper
  • One small onion
  • One garlic clove
  • Passata with mixed herbs (I used the Aldi jar one!)
  • Chill powder
  • Sour cream 
  • Grated cheddar 
  • Jar of salsa
  • Warburton's Wraps (any flavour)

Firstly, pan fry the chicken breast. For the best result, as the top layer of chicken cooks, shred it off the breast with a fork until all the chicken is cooked and shredded. 

Then add the onion, garlic and pepper diced, season with salt and pepper and soften lightly. Then add the chilli powder to taste. I added about a teaspoon, which added flavour but not heat.  

Then add a cup to a cup and a half of passata, just so the mixture is lightly coated. You can always add more if you want it more saucy, but it's much harder to take it away! 

Put in a good handful of grated cheese and let it melt in the mixture. Then add four tablespoons of sour cream and stir well. 

Cut the wraps in half and fill with the mixture and wrap. Then line up in a dish until you have wrapped as many as you desire, or ran out of mixture. I use two wraps halved for two people, but this mixture will easily do four wraps. 

Smother the top in a salsa and generously cover in grated cheese before baking for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling!

Serve with a side salad, or nachos! 

Overall this recipe only takes 20 minutes and is delicious! Let me know what you think if you try it! 

Hannah x 
I was recently sent a pack of the Ibzia Ice sparkling wines to try. These claim to be the first fruit wines on the market and at only 60 calories per 100ml they are a good lower calorie option, which I think will certainly help with the wedding diet!



I decided to rope james into a taste test and filmed it so find the link below for our first impressions!



The first thing that surprised me when opening the box was that they were in cans, albeit in a bottle shape, but unmistakably a can! The cap to open was rather cool too, it was a typical 'beer' bottle top but with a pull tab like a can, truly unique.

The first bottle we tried was the white one which is called White Isle and contains lychee, lime and melon. This drink was quite sweet and light in flavour but isn't too alcohol-ly in taste, it was very easy to drink and a good option to have with dinner.

The second bottle was a pomegranate cocktail called Sunset. This is more of a party drink, it would go great with a few nibbles when the girls are around or out at a cocktail bar. Not so much your everyday drink!

I would most certainly buy the White Isle again as it was very easy to drink and I think it would be lovely over dinner. The only place I have been able to find it is on Drinkssupermarket and retail at £2.19 per bottle.

Have you seen or heard of these drinks before? I'd love to know what you think!

Hannah x

*This product was sent to me to try, all opinions are my own
Last week I received a beautiful hamper from Genius. Genius was one of the first brands I recall trying when going gluten free, 5 years later they are still a firm favourite in my bread bin! I was overwhelmed when I got home to find that it was in an actual hamper! I am totally going to re-purpose this for my wedding!



So what did I get inside?

New! Toastie Half Loaf
These are a Genius idea, see what I did there! Retailing at £1.75 these are perfect for someone like me who is the only gluten free eater in the family, they're equally as great if you like to have a variety of flavours. As they are not too over priced in comparison to a full loaf, they are a great option. It is milk free too!

Triple Seeded Farmhouse Loaf
One of my all time favourite loaves, this bread isn't too seedy to the point where the bottom of the bag is full, but there is just enough to give it flavour. I find that this is lovely toasted with yeast extract, or even toasted with garlic fry light to make it like a garlic bread! Much like the Toastie, it is milk free too!

Pancakes
These milk and gluten free pancakes are perfectly fluffy and suit a pile of raspberries and a good drizzle of honey!

Chocolate Chip Breakfast Bakes
These biscuits are perfect with a cuppa on a cold morning! The softer bake is lovely and filling for the morning as they are oaty, thick and so tasty. I find these great on a weekday when rushing around or even as a snack! I would like to note, these are not milk free!

Double Chocolate Muffins
Muffins are a true love in my life, whether as a snack or with a ton of raspberries or banana for breakfast. Muffins are a great filling indulgent treat, much like most of the range these are also milk free so a great chocolatey treat for the dairy free people in your life too!

I'm so excited to tuck into these and potentially make some new recipes from them!

Hannah x

*These products were gifted to me to try, all opinion are my own
Stuffed peppers are one of my favourite autumnal dinners. The colours of the peppers remind me of the transition in the leaves at this time of year and I find the meal to be warming and very much a comfort food. So, when Tilda  got in touch wanting help to raise awareness for their Mums Helping Mums campaign, I couldn't think of a better meal that this one! For each marked pack, Tilda will provide at least one nutritional meal to new or expectant mothers, wherever they are needed. Although I am not a mother myself, I feel this is such an important cause!



To make my stuffed peppers you will need:

500g Steak Mince
1 White Onion
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Granules
3-4 Salad Tomatoes
5 Close Cup Mushrooms
2 Teaspoon Oregano
1/2 Cup of Tilda Rice
1 Carton Passata
6 Mixed Peppers
Parmesan Block for Grating

Cut the tops off of the peppers and deseed them ready to put the filling in. Dice the left over pepper from the top to pop in the filling.

Dice the onion and soften in a pan before adding the garlic granules.

Add the mince and cook until brown. Whilst the mince is cooking, dice the tomatoes and mushrooms and add these, with the previously diced pepper into the pan. When softened, add oregano and passata, I tend to buy something like the Sainsbury's basic one, as in fact the runnier consistency works better!

Add 250ml of water and the rice and stir well. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer until the mix is no longer watery. By this point, the rice should be cooked.

On a baking tray, stuff the peppers with the mixture. With a peeler, grate strips of parmesan on top of the peppers and pop into the oven for half an our at 180.

Once out of the oven, serve as they are or with a side salad!

If you give it a go, I would love to know what you think, or if you have any tweaks which are interesting, let me know!

Hannah x

*These products were sent to me to try, all opinions are my own
Last week was James' birthday so I decided to bake a cake. I did intend to do one from scratch but I knew I had the Gluten Free Betty Crocker Devil Cake mix in the cupboard and it really needed using.


I was going to make an anti gravity cake, but the wedding James was shooting ended early and I wanted it to be done as a surprise for when he got home so I settled for this design! I would make you aware though, this is not a cheap style of cake to bake gluten free! The wafer biscuits around the edge were £6 alone! But it is super tasty!

So what did I use?

For the Mix:

  • Betty Crocker Mix
  • Vegetable Oil
  • 4 Eggs
For the decoration:
  • 3 packets of Milky Bar Buttons (no mention of gluten so I assume are safe, and I was fine)
  • 3 packets of Magic Stars (also no mention of gluten so I assume are safe, and I was fine)
  • 4 packs of Tesco Gluten Free Finger Wafers
  • 2 tubs of Betty Crocker Chocolate Frosting

First, I baked the cake mix as per the instructions. I do love this mix as it comes out perfect every time! If you ever need a quick fix this is one of the readily available mixes I would opt for! 

I then let the cakes cool before sandwiching them using the frosting. Using a pallet knife, I evenly filled and coated the cake into a more uniform shape where needed.

I then proceeded to open all the wafter biscuits and adhere them onto the side of the cake. 


The next step is to lay down the chocolate. In terms of the buttons, I always overlap them in a sort of fish scale manner, sticking the first layer down into the frosting. In terms of the stars, I lay them flat but interlocked sticking them down into the frosting. Many people recommend gluing down the other couple of layers of chocolate with melted chocolate or frosting but I find that makes it so much harder to cut as you have to work your way through a thick layer of chocolate, whereas placing means you can shuffle them around to cut it! 


That's it really! It's not tricky, just time consuming! I'd love to know how you decorate cakes as I don't like to do them too same-y!

Hannah x 
As a child Paprika Turkey was a Saturday night favourite after a busy day. Although this dish is perfect during the week for its speed, it is still one of my favourite go to options for a Saturday night. The creamy sauce certainly needs a piece or two of garlic bread to mop it up though, as you won't want to leave a drop!



You will need:

  • Turkey Mini Fillet Strips
  • Orange Pepper
  • Onion 
  • Knorr Chicken Stock
  • 100g Gluten Free Pasta
  • Paprika 
  • 150ml Soured Cream

Slice the onion and pepper and put into a hot pan to soften. 

Add the turkey and paprika (just a good sprinkle, I would say it roughly needs 1-2 tablespoons) and cook. 

Make up the chicken stock as per the instructions and add to the pan with the pasta.

Bring to the boil and then simmer until the pasta is soft and is no longer watery. But not completely dry.

Remove from the heat and stir in the soured cream.

Serve!

This super simple supper can be ready in under half an hour and is so tasty, cheap and nutritious! 

Hannah x
When Newburn Bakehouse sent me some happy mail of an orange and sultana cob, I knew that I had to make a bread and butter pudding with it! I figured that its orange twist would make this typically winter warmer a bit more summery!


You will need:

  • 1/2 Newburn Bakehouse Orange and Sultana Cob
  • 50ml Double Cream
  • 350ml Milk
  • 2 Eggs
  • 25g Sugar
  • Butter
  • Cinnamon (if desired) 

Simply slice half of the cob into slices, trim off the crusts and butter the slices.

Grease a dish and put a layer of the bread at the bottom, butter side up, sprinkle with cinnamon and add a second layer of bread. Then put to the side.

Crack the eggs into a bowl that ideally has a lip for easy pouring and whisk in with the sugar.

Warm up the milk and cream in a pan, make sure it is just warm not boiling. 

Combine the eggs and sugar mixture with the milk and cream and whisk together. 

Pour the mixture through a sieve into the dish making sure the bread is well covered.

Let sit for half an hour to an hour for the mixture to absorb into the bread.

Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and sugar and put into an oven at 180 for 40 minutes. 

Once golden remove from the oven and serve with rich custard! 

I would love to know if you give this a go and what you thought! I think where the sultanas are already in bread it makes them more plump and juicy! I also enjoyed the subtle orange hint, it really lifted the flavour! 


Hannah x

*This product was gifted to me, all recipe ideas and opinions are my own. 

Photography by James Ireland Photography Ltd
Midweek I tend to be a little short on time to cook so I tend to rely on a jar! Not the best at times I know, but I mix it up and throw in a load of extra healthy ingredients! One of our favourites is a good old Spag Bol! We tend to use the Dolmio jar for two bolognese sauce as this has no indication of gluten anywhere on the jar, and so far I have been fine! So here is what I do!



You will need:

  • 500g 5% Fat Mince
  • Small Two Person Bolognese Sauce (you could make from scratch)
  • 2 Celery Sticks
  • 1 Small Onion 
  • 1 Red Pepper
  • 1 Flat Mushroom 
  • Gluten Free Spaghetti 
  • Garlic Fry Light
  • Tomato Puree/ Ketchup

Firstly put a good few sprays of garlic Fry Light in a large pan. Add the mince and start to brown then add more fry light once browned as this is what will give the garlic flavour. 

Throw in all the veg that has been diced into small pieces. Allow to cook down. 

Put the jar of sauce in the pan, fill the empty jar with water and add to the pan. Combine them all and allow to simmer. 

Whilst simmering, cook the pasta of your choice. 

A couple of minutes before serving stir in the tomato puree or ketchup just to thicken and richen the tomato flavour. 


It's really as simple as that! It certainly seems to be a firm favourite here! You could always use a larger jar of sauce if you like a more runny, saucy meal, we prefer our Bolognese to be more dry! We also find where we use so much veg this can serve two large meals or four regular ones, so we also have left overs for lunch the next day! 

I would love to know what you add to your bolognese! Everyone seems to have a slightly different recipe! Sometimes I add chilli flakes too!

Hannah x 
Garlic bread has a special place in my heart. This buttery, crispy, carb filled side is one of my biggest downfalls, and one of the things I most long for when I see the gluten counterpart served on the table. Over the last few years, there has been such a rise in all sorts of convenience food for the gluten free market, and when all the free from garlic breads hit the shelves, I couldn't have been happier.


Unlike a lot of other garlic baguettes, the Rule of Crumb one is cut more like a sandwich which is quite enjoyable as the garlic butter doesn't all leak out as you are cooking it! I followed the instructions on the packet  and I have to say this had fantastic results. It was just baked to perfection, there has been so many times I have cooked things according to the instructions and they feel either over or underdone. I think removing these from the freezer a little early really helps it golden up.

The outside is beautifully crisp and the inside has the most light fluffy texture. The butter doesn't weigh down the dough inside. Sometimes you can find that the garlic butter itself can make a baguette quite greasy and stodgy but this one isn't. The pockets of air are well spaced to make it light and bouncy, not holely and dense like many gluten free breads in general, although many are getting so much better.

There was also a good amount of garlic on this bread, if you find the Tesco one too over powering, this maybe the garlic bread for you. If you're anything like me, the more garlic the better the bread is, but this one is better if you have to go out after eating as you get a nice garlic hit but its not left on your breath all evening, even after brushing your teeth!

This could be a suitable side for up to four people once sliced, we did share half each when we ate ours as it was the only side I made with the pasta, but I think it would be great with a side salad too!

Each baguette is around 631 calories so 315 a portion if split into two, which isn't too bad if eaten as a meal. Obviously because of the nature of the product, it is high in fat. I don't know about you but garlic bread tends to be a weekend treat rather than with every pasta dish I serve. It can be found on Ocado and retails at £2.90 but I got mine half price. There are always good offers on these products on Ocado so just keep your eyes out and stock up!

I would love to know which garlic breads you have tried and if you think there's one that I need to give a go!

Hannah x

(Photography:  James Ireland Photography Ltd)


One of my firm favourites when you want a quick, easy and cheap dinner is Chicken Chorizo Jambayla. I believe it was originally a Weight Watchers recipe as my Mum started cooking it when she joined them almost a decade ago. Either way it is quick, cheap, healthy and gluten free and only requires one pan!

This dish serves 4 so is great for a family or if you're a couple like James and I you could have the left overs for lunch!

Here's how to make it!



You will need:

  • 2 Chicken Breasts - This can be cooked or raw depending on if you have leftovers you want to use up.
  • Half a Chorizo Sausage 
  • 1 Red Pepper
  • 1 Onion 
  • 1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
  • 200g of White Rice
  • 1-3 Teaspoons of Cajun Spice
  • Chicken Stock Cube/Stock Pot

Fry off the chorizo in the pan first to give it a smokier taste.

Add the chicken (either raw or cooked), red pepper and onion and cook through.

Add the Cajun spice, I tend to add 1-2 teaspoons, but if you like spice I recommend 3.

Add the tinned tomatoes and stir through.

Add the rice to the pan with the chicken stock which is made as the instructions on the box indicate. 

Bring to the boil and then simmer and stir regularly to ensure it doesn't stick.

Once the mixture has thickened, serve. 

I can assure you that this will become a family favourite and chef's favourite too as there is minimal mess and it's a good wholesome meal made from scratch! 

Let me know what you think if you try it! 

Hannah x 




Getting bored of the usual meals we've been eating, we decided to have a good look through the Ocado website for new and interesting products. This is when the Clive's Organic Gluten Free Aloo Gobi Pie popped up! I was not too sure what to eat this with or when we would eat it, but as it was suitable for freezing I gave it a shot.


This pie retails at £2.99 and we divided it between the two of us. I think it is supposed to be a single portion but with sides it will easily do two people just fine. Like I said, I wasn't too sure on how to serve it so I decide to put it with kale and mash as I felt that this could be best suited. 

Cooked at 180 for 25 minutes, this easy dinner is done! The pie comes out the oven evenly cooked and smelling absolutely delicious! When I cut this pie in half it didn't crumble in any way, it really held up which is good to see in a gluten free pie as I have had some pastries that are unbelievably crumbly when trying to cut and serve.

Flavour wise, this pie is phenomenal! The spices bounce around the pastry and explode in your mouth. This pie isn't in any way 'spicy' in heat but has such a complex flavour palette it is really quite something else, something I have never tasted in a pie before, let alone a gluten free one! There is also so much filling in this pie it almost overflows as you cut it open. I was a little apprehensive about ordering a pie which seemed to be on the higher price range for a free from pie, but I was not disappointed, if anything I think the value for money is quite remarkable!

I found that the pastry was good and crisp all over, no soggy bottoms here! It tasted as much as a mainstream pie as I remember and James said it was a good pastry too and enjoyed it as a whole. I also found that as it is packed with great veggies this pie is only 243 calories for half, which if you are a calorie counter is great! Obviously as this is pastry there is quite a lot of carbs. 

If you are ever in any doubt to try these pies, I would completely recommend you give them a go! You certainly won't be disappointed!

Hannah x 
Crickey! It's been a while since I've posted in this little gluten free corner of the internet. James and I have been juggling him leaving uni with us working on our usual personal business projects and setting up our first joint business, so free time has been few and far between! But Hopefully I will be back in more of routine soon, as I miss blogging an awful lot!



Cooking from scratch has been on the back burner too, so to ease me in gently I decided to batter some cod using a batter I made from Wadworth 6X Gold pale ale. I was very kindly sent a few bottles of this beer to try in various ways. I have never really been a beer drinker as such, but I do enjoy using it as a component in cooking.

6X gold is Wadworth's gluten free offering to their range, which has been certified by Coeliac UK. These bottles are 500ml so are the largest bottles I've seen for gluten free as most are lager sized bottles. Although I am not a fan of beer straight from the bottle, I could appreciate that this one had a beautiful flavour, quite fresh and zesty I felt.

To make the batter I simply start with half a cup of Doves Farm plain flour and add the beer bit by bit and whisk together. I tend to make it a quite thick consistency so it covers the fish lightly but doesn't slip off! I find I don't particularly have measurements to make batter. I just add beer and flour as needed to get a consistency I feel is right. Once I have achieved this I always add a good amount of pepper, you could alway add salt and other seasonings. The great thing about batter is you can make it so different each time just by using a few herbs!

I then submerge my cod fillets in the batter and pop them straight into a hot pan of oil. I let them fry on one side for a few minutes before flipping. You could use a deep fat fryer but I do not cook with oil often so a frying pan works just fine. As a rule of thumb, for every inch thickness of fish they will need to be fried for about 10 minutes. I picked some thin fillets so they only took a couple of minutes.

I then served these with oven chips for speed and some mushy peas!

This ale worked so well for this recipe and the beer flavour was certainly present in the batter. They turned out to be beautifully coated and fried and we will definitely use this ale for batter again as it was light and crisp and cooked easily and evenly without any effort. Of course you can have more batter on your fish but when I make fish at home I prefer it to be more of a dusting of batter as I feel a lot of batter doesn't fry as well in a pan. It needs to be deep fried with more batter otherwise it can become a bit oily and stodgy!

I would love to know if you have any ale recipes! I think I am going to try making a steak and ale pie next time!

Hannah x

*This product was sent to me to try, all recipe ideas and opinions are my own 


M&S have released a whole new range of gluten free food, much to all our coeliac tummies delight! When I was browsing, I found these cheese and onion rolls. As I have a craft fair this weekend and I need to eat on the go whilst running my stall, I thought this would be a great opportunity to try!


With two in a pack for £3, this is a typical price for these types of products in the gluten free ranges. They are always a bit pricier than their gluten filled counterpart but I didn't think these were too unreasonable. Each roll is around 250 calories so are not too calorific for a lunchtime treat!

As there is two in a pack, I tried one baked in the oven and one straight out of some foil at a craft fair! Which means I can let you know what I thought of them both hot and cold!

When heating the roll, you will need to put the oven at 180 and bake for 10 minutes. The cheese and onion roll will come out golden brown and super crispy looking. I found that this pastry crisps nicely and turns so flakey and buttery, it's texture could have fooled you for a gluten filled equivalent! Taste wise, the cheese had gone warm and melty and was not too mature but had a great smooth flavour. The other thing I enjoyed about this roll is that there is not too much onion, its certainly preset when you are eating it, but it isn't on your breath all afternoon when you are talking to people if you have enjoyed it whilst out and about, unable to brush your teeth!

Cold it was just as flakey but wasn't as light. It was still enjoyable but I think eating them warm is really the way forward!

Overall I think that this new product is great and I'm happy that M&S have thought about making something suitable for veggies too. How many times have you struggled to get gluten free vegetarian snacks like this, because I know I have! They all seem to contain meat! I have seen many sausage rolls but this is the first veggie version I have seen in the gluten free market. This makes going on picnics and parties easier, as sometimes you just don't have the time to make all the snacks from scratch.

I would love to know if you have tried any new M&S products and if there are any you think I need to try!

Hannah x