Lemon Meringue crumpet - Warburton Newburn Bakehouse #CrumpetChallenge

I have another Crumpet recipe today. I walked past a lemon meringue pie in M&S the other day and thought maybe I could use up a couple of nests I had left and make one. But when I got home I was missing a couple of ingredients for the pastry, which led me to raid the the freezer to see if I had another way of making one, and then the crumpets came to mind! So I experimented and this is what I came up with!

This two minute recipe takes seconds and it really hit the lemon meringue spot! 

• Hawskhead Lemon Curd
• Warburtons Newburn Bakehouse Crumpet
• Meringue nest  

Toast the crumpet in a toaster.

Add a tablespoon of Hawskhead lemon curd and spread on top on the crumpet.

Crush the meringue nest and sprinkle on top.

See it's really that simple! It is a great sweet treat! Let me know if you try it and what you think! 

Hannah x 

Hawkshead Relish - Raspberry and Vanilla Jam and Lemon Curd*

Warburton's sent me a beautiful hamper at the beginning of last month for their crumpet challenge. Within this were a couple of preserves from the Hawkshead Relish company. The packaging spoke to me instantly as I love anything that looks well presented and is handmade, this really caught my eye.

When I saw that the first jar was a Raspberry and Vanilla Flavoured jam, I thought I was in heaven! I LOVE raspberry jam and I put vanilla flavouring in almost everything as I also love a vanilla flavour, so this is completely for me! I had never thought of this combination together, but it is truly perfection! Whether it is slathered on a crumpet or sandwiching a Victoria sponge, this thick, sweet, sticky preserve has a rich raspberry taste with the creamy sweetness of vanilla.  The quality really speaks for itself, there is no expense spared in the making of this product, the raspberries are fully packed in which makes such a beautiful taste and texture. There is nothing worse than a jam that really has no flavour and looks like barely set jelly when spread on your toast and has never even seen the fruit it is meant to be! I feel that this is better than most of the luxury market leaders I have tried!

The Lemon Curd is just as high quality, with the most creamiest lemony taste I have ever tried. It is somewhat comparable to the Waitrose One range of lemon curd. Although the Waitrose One doesn't have a real jelly texture , the Hawkshead Lemon Curd is a little less jelly like and is slightly more creamy in texture in comparison. The rich flavour goes perfectly on most things, from toast to pancakes and even with soft vanilla ice-cream and meringue, this Lemon Curd's rich decadent flavour is gorgeous!

Have you ever heard of or tried a Hawkshead's preserve? I think I have been converted and I can't wait to find out what else they have in their range!

Hannah x

*These products were sent to me, all opinions are my own 

Midweek Meal - Budget Friendly Chicken Tikka Skewers

Today I am sharing one of my favourite quick midweek meals. With my wedding fast approaching and the fact I just can't rein in on all the little extras I wish to have, my budgets will have to be cut somewhere! So food is the first place I have looked.

Midweek, I tend to go for easy meals which tends to make me reach towards 'gluten free' mixes, breaded chicken, battered fish etc. But of course these make the shopping bills mount, even more when they are gluten free. So I have gone back to basics and am doing a bit more from scratch.

My favourite meal that only takes about half hour from fridge to table is my Chicken Tikka Skewers. Only needing 4 ingredients, these have been a big hit!

TO make 6 Skewers, you will need

• 1 Brown Onion -15p
• Green Pepper - 30p
• 2 Chicken Breasts  - £2
• Tikka Spice mix (check it's GF) - 3p
• 6 Skewers

Simply roughly cut the green pepper and onion and put to the side ready to add to the skewers. 

For the chicken I simply cut into chunks. Then I only use the seasoning as more of a rub than a marinade as I feel it really doesn't need any more than that. So all I do is put a pile of the spice on a baking tray and one by one, I completely cover and rub each chunk of chicken in the seasoning. I get mine in a bulk tub from Booker, if you are going to cook a lot like this I would recommend it as this tub only cost me £2.50 and it is the same size as a bag of flour. 

Once coated, put the chicken, pepper and onion on the sticks and bake on 190 for 20 minutes. It is really that simple for a dinner that everyone loves. I pair mine with some type of indian style rice and chicken tikka style salad! Simple! 

This whole meal for two costs no more than £2 per head which I think is great!

I would love to know if you have any other quick dinner ideas! 

Hannah x

Schar Gluten Free - Pain au Chocolat

When I saw that Schar had Pain au Chocolat in my new Morrsions free from aisle, I was so excited! Frozen breakfasts are perfect for me as I cannot usually eat fresh food quick enough before they go off. I also had to give them a go to compare them to the Genius ones. The first thing I noticed was that you receive 4 in a bag for the £3 mark, whereas the Genius ones are about £2.50 for two. I thought if they are just as good they would be fab, as they are a cheaper price tag and are more convenient in their frozen state as I am not sure whether you can freeze Genius and I don't tend to have more than one a week!

Straight out of the bag they are about 1/4 smaller than the Genius ones. This isn't a huge issue to me as I don't tend to like them too big as I eat them with berries and fruit anyway. But of course this is something that is to note if you are ordering them online. At 75p per Pain au Chocolat, they are not too unreasonable as this is the price of a single mainstream one in Tesco, so in terms of value, although they are smaller than mainstream, they are not as overpriced as many free from items.

I loved how much chocolate was in these, it literally oozed out! The quality of the chocolate is great too! It is rich and feels very luxurious in the morning! To cook, simply pop on a baking tray and put in the oven at 200c for 9 minutes. Once out the oven the outside is crisp and flakey, with a good crunch on the top and a fluffy inside. These are perfect for that Sunday morning brunch! I love how evenly they cook and how much they resemble a mainstream party. There is nothing worse than when these products are stodgy in the middle and that just isn't the case with these! They are very enjoyable and even James loved them!

These are certainly a weekend treat though at just over 250 calories per Pain au Chocolat! But paired with berries and banana, they are a perfect treat!

I will definitely be popping into Morrisons for some more!

Hannah x

Roots Collective Haul*

I recently received some post from Roots Collective. Roots Collective are a company who specialise in creating blends. Not something I can honestly say I have been familiar with before. I have seen many juices and smoothies but never a blend. Each blend is created with whole vegetables and has at least one of your five a day, as well as containing no more than 150 calories.

I was told that these blends can be used in recipes, warmed to have as a soup or just drunk as they are, which I thought was a cool concept for a product. Making it so versatile!

Here are the flavours I received and some ideas I have came up with to trial!

Garden Greens - Cucumber, Peas, Kale & Mint
This blend sounds perfect for drizzling over some quinoa and fresh herb salad.

Sweet Beets - Beetroot, Red Pepper, Honey & Lime
Beetroot and feta go together hand in hand so I  think this would be great mixed into crumbled feta, placed on a chicken breast and wrapped in pancetta and baked.

Asian Sling - Spinach, Coriander, Chilli & Lemongrass
Sounds perfect to throw on top of a prawn stirfry. I think I would heat this up to thicken it down a little more.

Carrot Zing - Carrot, Ginger, Honey & Lime
This one sounds like it would be great warmed up. With some extra diced veggies like celery and onion chucked in, I think this would make a great chunky soup.

Green Warrior - Cucumber, Spinach, Parsley & Chives
When I saw these ingredients baked cod came to mind, on a bed of steamed spinach, braised asparagus and tenderstem broccoli with some of this blend heated and popped on top.

Is a blend something you think you would enjoy?

Hannah x

*These products were gifted to me to try, all opinions and ideas are my own

Warburtons Newburn Bakehouse #CrumpetChallenge - Tuna Melt

I'm back with another crumpet recipe today. When I first saw the sundried tomato paste in the hamper  I thought it would go well with some tuna. That led me to think about the tuna melts that I used to love to eat in coffee shops, and so I thought why not try and translate this onto a crumpet, with a sundried tomato twist!

With only four ingredients and minimal cooking and preparing time, its perfect with some mixed leaves for lunch!

You will need:

• One Warburtons Gluten Free Crumpet
• 1/2 Tin of Tuna
• 2 Tablespoon of Sundried Tomato Puree
• 25g Grated Cheddar

Toast the Crumpet lightly.

Mix the tuna and puree in a bowl. 

Put the crumpet onto a baking tray and place the tuna mixture and grated cheese on top. 

Put in an oven at 180 for 10-15 minutes to allow the cheese to melt thoroughly.  

Serve. 

Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think! 

Hannah x