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  • Recipe: One Pot Pasta, Perfect As A Winter Warmer

    Serves 2 (with leftovers) |  Prep 10 mins |  Cook 20 mins

     

    It cannot get much easier or simpler than this. Some veg, pasta, and water all in one pot, makes a winning dinner choice for Christmas Eve, keeping prep/cook/washing up and expense down before all round and inevitable indulgence on Christmas Day. You don’t even need to drain the water with this savvy self saucing delight!

     

    INGREDIENTS.

     

    200g fusilli longhi (or spaghetti / linguine will do!)

    350g herby passata (jarred)

    100g wild mushrooms

    100g frozen petit pois

    1 medium onion, thinly sliced

    1 lemon, zest only

    15g basil, leave whole

    1 tbsp paprika

    1 tsp bouillon powder (or half a stock cube)

    500ml water

    90g ricotta cheese

    Parmesan (enough to go crazy with, it is Christmas!)

     

    METHOD

     

    1) Add all the ingredients (except for cheeses) to a large saucepan or stockpot (you may have to break your pasta in half), stir around a bit and ensure the majority of the ingredients is covered by the 500ml water.

     

    2) Stirring regularly, heat on high to reach boiling point and then reduce to a simmer.

     

    3) Test your pasta after about 10 minutes, keep testing until al dente or cooked to your liking. Remove from the heat, remove the basil stalks and discard.

     

    3) Stir in the ricotta, season with black pepper and a little salt.

     

    4) Transfer to serving bowl(s) and adorn in parmesan and freshly torn basil leaves.

    5) Served with salad and breads this meal could easily serve more people.

     

  • Devilled & Pulled Leftovers, Perfect for Leftovers on Boxing Day

    Serves 2-4 people (with salad, toasted breads)

     

    A lovely and traditional method of using up leftover chicken or turkey, pairing the dark leg and thigh meat with a spicy sauce, and the light breast meat with a cream sauce. Devilled sauce would normally call for dijon mustard but I use wholegrain, as mustard seed is a wonderful antioxidant. Curry powder is also often used but I go with turmeric for its anti-inflammatory properties, which is enhanced using coconut oil in the dish also.

     

    Pulled sauce, usually made with heavy cream, but I use half fat creme fraiche and grass-fed butter (superfood!). To plough some goodness into a usually nutrient stripped sauce I go heavy on the herbs with parsley and dill, both very good sources of vitamin C. Anti-oxidants present in parsley and dill adds to the sauce’s calcium qualities.

     

    INGREDIENTS.

    150g breast meat

    150g leg / thigh meat

     

    Devilled

    1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

    2 tbsp mango chutney

    1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

    1 tsp apple cider vinegar

    1 tsp turmeric

    1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (reserve the cayenne to stirring through after the cooking process, as cooking with cayenne actually turns its anti-inflammatory properties into inflammatory, and should always be used as a seasoning like salt or pepper)

    1 tbsp coconut oil, melted

     

    Pulled

    50g grass fed unsalted butter

    100g half fat creme fraiche

    1/2 lemon, juice of

    1 garlic clove, finely chopped

    15g parsley, finely chopped

    15g dill, finely chopped

     

     

    METHOD:

    Mix all the ingredients for the devilled sauce in a large bowl, use a fork to do this if your coconut oil is solid.

     

    Mix together the leg/thigh chicken meat with the sauce and pre-heat your grill to a medium heat.

     

    Line a baking sheet with foil and grease lightly by rubbing in a little coconut oil.

     

    Spread the chicken in its sauce out in a thin layer and grill, you’ll want to get some crispy bits on there, but keep an eye on it.

    Serve.

     

    In a deep frying or sauté pan, begin to melt the butter until it starts to bubble.

     

    Lower the heat and quickly add the creme fraiche and stir constantly for a couple of minutes.

     

    Add the chicken breast and stir into the sauce, add the garlic and herbs for the final minute and remove from the heat. Squeeze over the lemon juice, season & serve.

     

  • RECIPE: Bone Broth: A Delicious And Nourishing Boxing Day Treat

    Makes about 1 litre |  Prep 10 mins | Cook 8 hours plus! (more…)

  • RECIPE: Overnight Oats, The Inexpensive Christmas Morning Breakfast

    Serves 1 hungry person | Prep 5 mins | No Cook

     
    Simple and inexpensive. Prepare these on Christmas Eve and let these overnight oats soak in the fridge to produce a “cooked”, creamy, gorgeous fuss-free breakfast to wake up and dig straight into in the morning filling and nutritious, a great way to begin your day, and not just at Christmas! The jars I use in the image are a 500g capacity.
    INGREDIENTS.

    Basic Recipe

    50g quick cook / rolled oats

    100ml coconut milk (not tinned variety, from alpro or koko)

    3 tbsp natural yoghurt

     
    METHOD.

    Mix all ingredients in a jar / bowl / vessel of your choice.

    Stir in either of the flavour combinations below.

    Cover and chill in the fridge overnight (or minimum 3 hours), remove and serve.My favourite flavour variations;
    Berry Coconutty- In picture on right

    50g raspberries (frozen is fine)

    small handful brazil nuts, chopped

    small handful blueberries (frozen is fine)

    small handful coconut flakes

    1 tsp vanilla paste / extract (optional)
    Apple & Cinnamon (tastes like pure Christmas!)- In picture on right

    1 small apple- blitzed or finely chopped, or 2 heaped tbsp apple puree

    1 tbsp maple syrup / honey

    1 tsp cinnamon

    small handful walnuts

    small handful raisins

     

    BACK TO CHRISTMAS FOOD IDEAS

     

  • RECIPE: Bubble And Chic, The Perfect Way To Use Up Christmas Leftovers

    Makes 4 |  Prep 20 mins | Cook 50 mins

     

    Leftovers never looked so good before, right? You can make changes to this recipe dependent on what vegetables you may have leftover from Christmas. Celeriac could be swapped for the beetroot (you will lose the pinky redness of the dish though), use any kind of cabbage or brussell sprouts, standard potato instead of sweet, leek instead of onion etc.

     

    INGREDIENTS.

    1 carrot (peeled if non-organic), roughly chopped

    200g uncooked beetroot, peeled and chopped in small chunks

    200g sweet potato, skin on and roughly chopped

    225g red cabbage, chopped

     

    1 medium onion, finely chopped

    8 tbsp panko breadcrumbs

     

    goes well with;

    dollop of yoghurt

    lemon zest

    pomegranate seeds

    romanesco / cauliflower / broccoli

    raw radish slices

    parmesan

     

    METHOD.

    Pre-heat your oven to 220c / 200c (fan) / Gas Mark 7

     

    Heat a little oil in a frying pan a gently sweat out the onions for 10 minutes, once softened, set aside.

    Meanwhile you can boil the carrot, beetroot, sweet potato and red cabbage in a large saucepan and do so for 15-20 minutes.

    Drain the vegetables thoroughly and tip into a large mixing bowl. Mash the vegetables lightly, then add in the panko breadcrumbs (if your mix looks overly wet then add a couple more tablespoons), and then stir in the onion. Season heavily with black pepper, and just a wee pinch of salt.

    Once cool enough to handle, use your hands to shape into four “cakes”. Alternatively you could use a cookie cutter or ringlet as a mould for the cakes, spooning in the mixture and pressing down as you go. Set the cookie cutter aside once all cakes are shaped.

    At this point you could top each cake with a good grating of parmesan. Now, place into the oven for 30 minutes. Pop under the grill for a few minutes on high if you want them extra crispy!

    Remove from the oven and serve with a dollop of yoghurt, pomegranate jewels, grated lemon zest, and some more left over vegetables that have been lightly steamed, I used romanesco and some raw radish.

  • RECIPE: Pistachio Pavlova, Something Different For Christmas Day Pudding

    Serves 6-8 people |  Prep 30 mins |  Cook 2-2.5 hours (more…)

  • RECIPE: Figgy Lavender Pudding, The Ultimate Christmas Pudding Replacement

    Serves 10-12 |  Prep 40 mins | (plus overnight soaking, and minimum 4-5 hours chilling once assembled) No Cook
    Pretty in purple, this dessert has no added sugars, dairy, or flour and uses only natural & nutritious ingredients. If you have an aversion to lavender then leave it out, but i promise you its presence is subtle and is really lovely.

    INGREDIENTS.Base

    200g pecans

    100g hazelnuts

    210g pitted fresh dates

    4 tbsp coconut oil
    Filling

    (soak the cashews & hazelnuts for the filling over night, just covering them in a bowl with filtered water)

    250g cashews

    100g hazelnuts

    150g dried figs (fine for the packet to say “slightly rehydrated”)

    90g runny honey

    75g blueberries (frozen is fine)

    75g coconut oil, melted

    1 lemon, juice of

    2 tsp culinary lavender (optional, but lovely!)

    optional- fresh figs to serve on top

    METHOD.

    9-inch springform tin (less than 9 inch is fine but will result in a cake with more height)
    BASE- Use a food processor or high powered blender to blitz the pecans and hazelnuts, and then adding the pitted fresh dates and coconut oil next, blitzing once again until combined.
    Put the base of the cake tin down on top of greaseproof paper, use as a guide to draw a circle around it. Cut the circle out and then lay the circle on the bottom of the tin, greasing with a little oil.
    Begin to spoon in the base mixture into the tin pressing down as you go, distributing evenly. Set aside in the fridge overnight, or place in the freezer for a few hours if you want to speed things up.
    FILLING- Drain the soaked nuts thoroughly, and then place all filling ingredients in a food processor or highly powered blender and combine thoroughly. If your processor struggles to combine the filling into a uniform texture then remove some and work in smaller batches, adding extra honey to loosen it up as you go.
    Spoon the filling into the cake tin on top of the nutty base and smooth over the top with a spatula or back of a spoon.
    Place back into the fridge and I really recommend leaving it for a day, covered, for the flavours to develop, but it essentially would be ready to eat after chilling for 4-5 hours.
    Remove from fridge 10 minutes prior to serving.

  • Armed Gang Preying On Gay Men Using Hook Up App In London

    Armed Gang Preying On Gay Men Using Hook Up App In London

    A gang of thugs is attacking gay men in South London after setting up hook ups on the dating app.

    A gang of men have reportedly mugged two gay men in South London after arranging a hook up with each of them through a dating app. Although the men were not hurt they were confronted with a gang of four who robbed them at knifepoint.

    Detective constable Sheree Yates said: ‘The victims thankfully did not suffer serious physical injuries but have been left very shaken by these incidents.

    ‘We are keen to identify the suspects as soon as possible and are appealing to anyone with any information to contact the police.

    ‘We would also like to take this opportunity to reassure the LGBT community that we are doing everything we can to arrest these men.
    ‘I would urge everyone who uses online dating apps and sites to take steps to help them to stay safe whilst meeting strangers.’

    Police are warning men who use Grindr and other dating apps to take extra precautions – including keeping your personal details private, making sure you drink responsibly and let friends or family know where you are going and at what time you expect to be back.
    Their full list of tips reads:
    Please consider the following safety tips when using a dating app:

    – Don’t share personal details such as your home address until you can trust the person you are communicating with

    – If you decide to meet in person, let someone know where you are going and when you’re likely to return

    – Always meet in a public place with lots of people around

    – Plan your journey to and from the date in advance. If using a mini cab always pre-book

    – Drink responsibly and never leave your drink unattended

    – Ensure your mobile phone is fully charged and working

    – If at any time your feel uncomfortable, leave the date – you are not obliged to stay

    For further crime prevention and personal safety advice visit the Metropolitan Police website at http://content.met.police.uk/Site/victimadvice

    Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Anyone who has been the victim of crime through online dating can contact police or Victim Support on 0808 1689 111

  • Gay Stars Show Off Their Christmas Trees

    These gay stars have shared their Christmas Tree wonderness with the world.

    We’re just days away from Christmas and the stars are starting to showcase their Christmas tree prowess… Here are a few of our favourites

    Neil Patrick Harris

    Rylan Clark

    Timmy Matley and Lachie Chapman from The Overtones

    Brian Friedman Former X Factor Creative Director and star of this year’s I’m A Celebrity

    Rosie O’Donell

    Dan Savage (advice columnist and Author) and Terry Miller (Model)

    Marcus Collins

    Ollie Locke, the bisexual star shows us his fern!

    Matt Dallas and Blue Hamilton

  • THEATRE REVIEW: The Nutcracker, Leeds Grand Theatre

    Everyone has their own event which confirms to them that the festive season has arrived, and for some, Christmas isn’t Christmas until they have had their traditional trip to see Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. ★★★★

    (more…)

  • Top 10 Most Beautiful Christmas Markets In Europe

    Christmas is coming and with it comes the cold, snow, stressful last-minute-present-buying, and Christmas markets.

    You’ve probably seen some around your town or city, and if you’re in for travelling a little further afield this year, here are 10 of the best Christmas markets from around Europe.

    MADRID

    SPAIN

    The largest square in Madrid is home to a stunningly beautiful market in November and December.

    This usually summer vacation spot comes alive to celebrate Christmas during the winter months.

    VIENNA

    AUSTRIA

    Between mid-November and the end of December, Vienna’s centuries-old Christmas markets have something for everyone. One of the oldest in Europe, running since 1298 as a simple ‘December Market’, there are now over 20 Christmas market areas across the city.

    PRAGUE

    CZECH REPUBLIC

    A smaller market in Prague is coupled with the Annual International Festival of Advent and Christmas Music. The city space is home to traditional Advent markets, and open-air performances by various ensembles.

    BRUSSELS

    BELGIUM

    Running from late-November to early January, the Brussels market covers the city centre and is one of the few that includes a public ice-skating rink.

    LILLE

    FRANCE

    This cute French city springs into vibrant Christmas celebrations at the market place ‘On Place Rihour’ where visitors can find local and international treats, arts & crafts, and food. Ooh la la!

    DRESDEN

    GERMANY

    One of Germany’s largest markets, Dresden’s city area, is covered in hundreds of market stalls, and seemingly no space in the city’s vastness is left without a market. With rides, food, crafts, and gifts, as well as traditional Gluhwein, Dresden’s market is one to see to believe.

    MUNICH

    GERMANY

    A massive market in Southern Germany, the Munich market (or Kriskindlemarkt) is one of the oldest, and combines traditional southern-German food, crafts, and gifts, with modern touches. These vast markets will certainly have something to entertain everyone, no matter what your interests.

    BUDAPEST

    HUNGARY

    This market centres on the Vörösmarty Square, which houses the majority of the festivities, including an ice-rink between late-November and January.

    STOCKHOLM

    SWEDEN

     

    The Old Town in Sweden is home to this wonderful market where visitors can sample local delicacies such as elk meat and reindeer between late-November and the end of December
    STRASBOURG

    FRANCE

    One of the best markets by size, reputation and popularity, this market is the oldest official Christmas Market, beginning in 1570. Running from mid-November to late December, this market is packed with tradition and modern excitement.

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