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Spring is here

So we’re now in mid Spring. The weather is warming up, and sunny days are with us for a few weeks at least. Flowers are springing up in the garden and everything starting to look glorious.

What do you want to eat for dinner? You don’t just want salad, salad, salad. You don’t want anything too heavy. Why not look to the Italians for ideas?

Pasta is incredibly versatile in its various forms. We all know a lasagne can be meaty or made with vegetables, and served with a salad is a great Spring and Summer main dinner meal.

Pasta can make a lovely salad dish – a tomato-based cold pasta salad, simple cooked pasta and pesto, a pasta cheese salad; there are numerous options.

One dinner dish I love is a creamy chicken and mushroom tagliatelle – you can of course adjust to taste by swapping chicken for more mushrooms or paneer, swap the tagliatelle for linguini, spaghetti, penne or other pasta, leave out the wine, use a different stock. But the basic recipe is the same.

I use my own home-made chicken stock (frozen in ice cubes) but do use any stock cubes or fresh stock you prefer.

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts (one per person) sliced into strips
Generous handful of halved or quartered mushrooms
Small onion, chopped fairly finely
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
1 teaspoon cornflour
Glass of dry white wine
Approx. 100ml chicken stock
375ml double cream
Pinch of Rosemary (or other preferred herbs)
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper

Method:

Fry the chicken in a little oil until golden but not fully cooked. Remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, cook the onions and mushrooms in a little oil, for a couple of minutes with some salt and pepper. Add the garlic.

Stir in the cornflour, then the wine. Stir the pan well, scraping all the browned bits until the pan is clear (deglazing the pan).

Return the chicken to the pan (with any juices released by resting), and add the chicken stock then the cream and stir while bringing to the boil. Once boiling, add the rosemary and nutmeg and turn the heat down to a simmer while you cook the pasta. Taste your sauce and add any more seasoning you like.

Once all cooked, spoon the pasta into the sauce – never sauce to pasta! If you find the sauce has over-thickened, add a little of the pasta water until it reaches the consistency you like.

Serve with some grated Italian hard cheese and lovely buttered crusty bread!

We all know, living in the UK, that weather can be turbulent. Unlike other countries, we can experience all 4 seasons in one day! Our bodies aren’t as used to the heat as others, so be sensible.

Sunscreen and a hat is essential for young children, but also remember your pets. If you have white cats, the hair on their ears can be very thin and cats have been known to get skin cancer. Using a dab of sun block can help (no they won’t like you doing it!). Ensure there’s easily-accessible fresh water daily for them to drink. If you serve your pets wet food, remove any uneaten food or it will very quickly get slimy and begin to smell – and attract pests. If you go out and leave your pets – eg to go to work, do ensure they have shade to shelter under as well as water available. Consider closing curtains if a room is particularly sunny.

Dogs might love lying in the sun, but do bear in mind how hot it gets and the type of dog you have. Generally, they will be OK if under 25°c, but the flat-faced breeds such as Pugs, overweight dogs, elderly dogs or those with health conditions, all may not fare as well in the heat as they appear to. Look out for over-panting and if too hot to go for a walk, it really won’t harm them to miss out. Never, ever, leave a dog in a car on a hot day! Not even to nip into a shop. A car heats up very quickly and is significantly hotter inside than outside.

Well that’s enough nagging from me. Let’s all enjoy the sunshine now while we have it. Go for picnics, enjoy eating out in the garden. Let the kids, and animals, splash in a pool. It will be wet and cold again before we know it!

For picnic ideas, or having a gathering, my book ‘Picnics, Parties and Drinks’ is available on Amazon for just £2.99. https://tinyurl.com/ym2v7eb3

love

Maggie x

Sunday lunch

Although I no longer go to work, my days are so very busy. I mind my toddler grandson 3 days a week, which is incredibly fulfilling but wipes out the whole day. Fitting in socialising and hobbies, walking the dog and days out, I don’t know how I ever found time to go to work. Yes, I’ve turned into that annoying chirpy retiree that will tell everyone it’s the best thing I ever did. Which is true.

As a result of all this busyness, Sundays are an essential chill-out day. We try not to make commitments if possible, but instead simply relax. Once a month on average, we trek out on the train to one of our favourite towns for a pootle around the shops, a very leisurely Sunday roast in a superb restaurant followed by a drink in our preferred watering hole before trotting back home. On the Sundays we don’t treat ourselves with a day out, we will have a slow day and a hot main meal for lunch and spend the day pottering in the garden, binging TV shows and basically doing not very much.

Sometimes I don’t want to cook a full Sunday lunch with a roasting joint. Roasting meat joints have become so ridiculously expensive – and you don’t want the more affordable chicken every single Sunday. When we eat out, I tend to go for a beef roast as, whilst expensive, it’s not all that much more these days than buying the joint and vegetables and cooking it myself. We rarely have lamb because the price has risen so much – just for the two of us a small leg of lamb would be over £12. But I really fancied it for today.

Instead of a joint, I bought a couple of fairly chunky lamb steaks, selecting a pack with the smallest amount of fat as lamb can be pretty fatty.

I do like mint sauce, and the sweeter mint jelly too, but one of my favourite flavours with lamb is rosemary. Today’s menu of lamb steaks with fried potatoes, seared courgettes, broccoli and root vegetable mash took less than half an hour from prep to table – most of that time spent boiling the potatoes.

Recipes –

Fried potatoes.

2 baking potatoes (or 3 medium sized potatoes), peeled and cut into chunks
Garlic infused oil *
Dried rosemary

Boil the potatoes until cooked. In a large frying pan, drizzle some of the oil and sprinkle in a small handful of the dried rosemary. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and fry over a medium heat for a good 10 minutes or so, turning regularly. You want the potatoes to be browned and crispy but not burned.

*you can buy ready to use infused oil, but it’s easy to make at home. Simply place a peeled clove or two into a small bottle of standard vegetable cooking oil. The longer this infuses for, the greater the garlic flavour.

Lamb steaks.

2 lamb steaks
Garlic infused oil
One garlic clove, finely chopped (or pressed), alternatively 1 teaspoon of ‘easy garlic’
2 teaspoons of dried rosemary
1 teaspoon of Cranberry or redcurrant jelly

Brush the lamb steaks with the garlic oil, just lightly, on each side. In a bowl, mix the chopped garlic, rosemary and cranberry jelly and stir until combined. Spoon the mixture over one side of the lamb steaks and spread to cover them evenly.

Once the potatoes are put into the frying pan, pop the lamb steaks in a tray under a medium grill. Although it feels counter intuitive, start grilling with the topped side upwards. After about 3 minutes, turn them over – the sauce mix will have mostly melted into the steaks. After another 3 minutes, turn them back and continue grilling until cooked to your preference – for medium rare reduce these times by a minute each side. Approximately 9-10 minutes in total should result in a medium cooked lamb steak. Once cooked, set aside to rest for 5-10 minutes.

This meal is flavoursome but not overpowering and gives you that ‘Sunday roast’ feeling without even putting the oven on. And it’s a good excuse to open that decent bottle of wine.

I hope you all enjoy your Sunday and find time to relax and recoup before Monday raises its head again tomorrow.

Love

Maggie x

Children’s packed lunches for nursery and school

A few days ago, I read an article in a mainstream media newspaper about a mum who challenged her child’s primary school concerning the packed lunch she’d made him.

The school demanded the child ate his lunch in a certain order, resulting in him having nothing to eat at all as he’d refused and wasn’t allowed to eat the ‘pudding’ course of his lunch. As you’d expect, the comments were a mixed bag – parents agreeing with the school, parents disagreeing with the school, and teachers clarifying ‘their responsibility’ to teach children nutrition. In my personal view, they should offer advice and encouragement but not blanket rigid enforcement.

Mealtimes should never be a battle. It’s simply a stressful lose:lose situation. Young children, toddlers in particular, can be the most stubborn little brick walls. Parents understandably want the child to eat, but, unless there’s medical reasons that the child absolutely must eat, it’s not going to hurt them to miss a meal if they refuse. They’ll come back when they’re hungry.

Food is something you learn to like. Tastes develop as you grow. Just like adults, children ‘eat with their eyes’. This is the very reason food corporations produce dinosaur chicken pieces, fishy shaped fish ‘fingers’, yoghurts with cartoons on them etc.

When parents and grandparents, like me, are feeding their little darlings, they’ll know the favourite ‘go to’ to make the child eat. When they go on to nursery or school, if they’re taking a packed lunch, you want to ensure that they actually eat something in the middle of the day and not be a grouchy hungry little beast all afternoon. In an ideal world, this packed lunch will be perfectly nutritious and healthy. But, kiddies don’t understand the concept of an ideal world! So you pack what you know they will eat.

One of my children had the exact same lunch every single day of primary school – a completely plain ham sandwich – nothing added, not even butter on the bread! Goodness knows what the school thought of me, but it meant he ate. As a baby and toddler he just hated chewing. Everything had to be soft and sloppy – he pretty much lived off fromage frais for a year! I’d already had 2 children before him and learned the hard way what trying to force a toddler to eat results in – plenty of bolognaise stains on the carpet to prove it. So, I had a much more relaxed attitude the 3^rd time round. And guess what, none of the children ended up under-nourished or under-fed. As an adult, the child in question will now try absolutely any food and is probably the most adventurous eater of the 3.

So, getting back to the beginning, my view is that schools should back off a bit. There is nothing wrong with a bit of encouragement – explain to the child that eating their sandwich/pie/savoury protein portion first is a good thing. But, if they want to begin with their yoghurt pud then let them. It’s all food, it’s all going to the same place. The parent/caregiver who’s packed the lunch has selected items the child will eat. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating that Little Johnny gets away with having nothing but a bar of chocolate and salty crisps every day – it’s up to the parent to ensure that their choices are better selected. Schools can feed back to parents if a child is consistently disregarding the ‘better’ foods in their lunch or assist parents if they appear to be solely providing sugary, fatty, processed food. Not everyone has the knowledge to produce a healthy meal.

A perfect lunchbox would include each of the 5 food groups – Protein, Carbohydrates, Dairy, Fruit and Veg, and Fats and Sugars. Usually, these will be combined – a ham sandwich covering both protein and carbohydrates, for example. A bag of crisps may not be healthy, but alongside a sandwich it makes the lunch more appetising. This doesn’t have to be a commercially produced over-salted bag of fake flavourings and preservatives. You can very easily make your own.

Home made crisps

Potatoes (skin on or off as preferred)
Olive oil

Pre heat your oven to 200°.

Scrub the potatoes, peel if preferred, pat dry.
Slice the potatoes thinly – a mandolin is ideal, or the slicing side of your grater. But if good with a sharp knife you can slice them manually – but no more than about 3mm thick.
Pop the slices into a bowl with a little olive oil and toss them so each slice is lightly coated.
Spread the slices onto a lined baking tray, without overlapping them, and bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. Then turn them and continue baking for another 8-10 minutes. Check them after about 6 minutes as they can overcook easily, especially if very thin.

If you want to add any seasoning, do so as soon as you remove them from the oven while still hot. They can be eaten plain without any added seasoning, but good sea salt and pepper, herbs such as rosemary or sage, paprika or chilli, or even a sprinkle of parmesan are all lovely.

You can make crisps out of many vegetables – beetroot, parsnips, sweet potato, carrots – in exactly the same way.

My grandson can be extremely picky over food one day and eat absolutely anything the next (sadly this includes Playdough!) but one failsafe is cheese. He adores cheese. He’s been known to have pretty much nothing but cheese for meals. If taking him out for the day and needing to take a lunch along, I might add in a sandwich (cheese of course) but he’s more likely to eat chopped up cheese cubes, some raisins, a cheese straw, mini cheesy biscuits and a fromage frais. He will eat strawberries too, but there’s many fruits he still isn’t fond of. I would love to produce a beautiful box with raw vegetables, fruits and super healthy proteins, but when out of the house you don’t have the time or frankly the strength for trial and error, you just want them to eat something and not be hungry.

If your child prefers to ignore the sandwich, you may find it helps to make it more attractive – learn from the food companies. Use biscuit cutters to produce shaped sandwiches for example. If your child dislikes bread, why not make wraps instead or roll a filled tortilla and slice it up into pinwheels.

Don’t be overly fancy with fillings – they’re more likely to eat a simple cheese spread sandwich than a salmon and cucumber. A variety of small things is better than just one or two larger items.

When your child goes to nursery or school, it’s worth checking out what their philosophy is for packed lunches. If it feels too strict for you, have a chat with them. Explain your own personal view and any peculiarities your child has. If you have a very picky eater, and just want to ensure they eat something rather than nothing, tell the school you will add multiple items into the lunchbox with the intention that the child will find something they want to eat. But, explain that you aren’t expecting them to eat every single thing so they don’t force them to sit until their lunchbox is empty. It may even be worth adding a little note in the box every day stating that the box is over-filled and you expect some to come home again but you want the child to choose. You can help the situation by limiting items such as chocolate bars and over-processed food or snacks.

Have some fun when preparing a child’s lunchbox – see it through their eyes. Enjoy playing with shapes, and have everything bite-sized for easy grazing. The odd sliced strawberry cut into a heart shape is cute.

Love

Maggie x

Eating to improve stress levels

I have noticed an increase in people being angry, stressed and intolerant at the moment. People are reacting strongly to news, politics, social media updates to name just a few issues. We’re all suffering a bit more financially at the moment, with the cost of living rising steeply over a short space of time. But, I also believe the Covid lockdowns have had a negative impact on people. By being cooped up indoors, quarantined away from friends and family, let alone being able to interact with strangers, I believe that people’s existing stresses and negative feelings simply became more entrenched and they became very angry at being forced into the situation. But whilst this may be understandable, it isn’t healthy.

We all know that stress is bad for us; indeed, it has some very serious health impacts. So, it’s important that we learn how to control our stress levels and de-stress. There are many methods to aid with this including hobbies, meditation, physical exercise and mindfulness.

But, did you know you can also look to your diet to improve your stress levels?

We’ve always referred to certain foods as ‘comfort foods’ because eating them makes us feel better. This is normally because the food in question triggers a memory – often from childhood. They’re often high-calorie, high-carbohydrate foods which in reality just make you feel better temporarily. This includes chocolate, which peaks your serotonin levels. Chocolate does have positive features, it contains antioxidents that lower blood pressure, increases blood circulation, lowers risk of strokes and heart disease. But, only if eaten sensibly. It also contains fats and sugars, which we know isn’t good, so if you crave chocolate as a de-stresser do look at darker chocolate and consume in lower quantities. We also know alcohol is turned to as a de-stressing crutch but the reality is that alcohol is a depressive, so whilst you may feel better initially, it isn’t actually doing anything to improve your mood. The likelihood is that you’re having a drink with friends or a partner, and the reality is that this interaction will have more benefit than the consumption itself.

There are, however, foods which can reduce stress levels positively.

Unrefined carbohydrates – such as sweet potatoes.
Whole grains.
Fibre rich greens.
Calcium from dairy products.
Vitamin C from citrus fruits.
Omega 3 – for example from oily fish.
Nuts.

Incorporate some of these into your diet regularly, to aid a healthy lifestyle and limit the impact of daily stress. Below I include some recipes as an example.

Sweet Potato Soup.

Not only do the unrefined carbohydrates boost your serotonin levels, the sheer experience of holding and consuming a warming soup reduces stress levels and increases happy feelings. In this particular version, we include some spice which adds to the warming and de-stressing qualities but if you don’t like added spice, simply leave them out.

700ml vegetable stock
2 medium sweet potatoes, cored and the flesh cubed
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
1 teaspoon cumin
Large pinch of salt
Ground black pepper
Oil for frying

Begin by frying the chopped onion in a little oil. When translucent, add the garlic and sweet potatoes. Fry for a few minutes then add the stock. Incorporate the spices, salt and pepper, and bring to the boil. Once it reaches a rolling boil, reduce the heat and simmer for around 45 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are completely cooked and soft.

If you prefer, you may add further spices such as garam masala in the final few moments or indeed break some of the spice with a squeeze of lime.

Use a hand blender to carefully whizz the soup to your preferred consistency.

If you want something lighter than a soup, why not consider a fresh salad full of vitamin C as an alternative. The following salad is a bright, light, sunny salad full of vitamins and potassium to aid depression.

Avocado and Strawberry Salad

A couple of handfuls of your favourite salad leaves
Handful of fresh strawberries, quartered
½ avocado, diced
1 orange, peeled and segmented
Handful of feta or goats’ cheese, crumbled
A few sliced almonds, toasted
Salad dressing*

In a bowl, add your salad leaves, strawberries and orange segments plus salad dressing if using, then toss to mix well. Top with the avocado and cheese, and finish with the toasted almonds.

*Salad dressing

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon wholegrain or Dijon mustard

Add all ingredients together in a bowl and whisk well to combine – or a short blitz in a blender.

For a quick boost, why not make your own oaty snacks with emotion-boosting ingredients.

Oat Squares.

Handful of rolled oats
Pinch of salt
Little olive oil
tablespoon maple syrup
Handful of your preferred nuts, or mix of – almonds, shelled pistachios, hazlenuts, coconut etc
Small quantity of chocolate chips and/or dried fruits

Using a food processor or blender, blitz the oats and salt with most of the nuts for around 30 seconds until it comes together. Drizzle in the oil and syrup and continue to blend into a dough.

By hand, incorporate any chocolate or fruits, plus the remaining nuts, then press the dough mixture into a baking tin. If you wish, you may sprinkle some more fruit or nuts on the top. Indeed, you can drizzle on a little of the syrup if you would like some extra sweetness.

Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350° F/176° C until golden but still a little soft.

Cut into squares before fully cooled.

I hope these recipes give you a little taste of what’s possible without the need for too much skill or effort.

Your physical health is of course important, but your mental health is too. If you find life overwhelming sometimes, realise that you’re not alone. Everyone feels like this from time to time.

As we come out of Winter and into Spring, the weather will improve. Daylight hours will lengthen, and you’re likely to feel more like going out for walks or socialising with friends, all of which help raise low moods. For some people, this is all they need. But if you find you’re experiencing more low moods than happy moods, increased levels of anxiety, a quick temper or even anger without sound reason, then seek the appropriate help. This could be as simple as talking to a friend, exercising some mindfulness and escape from the immediate situation, or you may need to consult with your GP or other medical practitioner for professional help. Even then, the assistance you can be given may range from counselling to medication, whichever is best for you.

I hope, as a nation, we can see less anger and more positivity come to the fore. Take care of yourself first, to help you take care of other loved ones.

I wish each and every one of you the very best health and happiness.

Love

Maggie x

Vegetarian alternatives – try meat-free

Some of you already know that my best friend and housemate is a Vegetarian. As a consequence, unless having a takeaway, meals at home are always meat free. This does mean that I have to use my imagination a little more, especially to avoid boredom.

Eating a meat free diet doesn’t have to mean bland or repetitive. Nor does it mean cutting out all your favourite meals; just find a suitable alternative. These days you can find plant-based alternatives for just about every meat. Some are better than others. Personally, I’m not a lover of the processed alternatives for bacon or chilled sandwich meats, and I don’t like chickpeas (cardboard balls!). But, being creative with vegetables and use of the likes of Quorn or Soya means you can pretty much emulate all your favourites. The mince alternatives are so much better now than they used to be. My preference is for the soy mince, but there are others if you don’t like that one. This ensures that you don’t have to miss out on your chilli, spaghetti bolognaise, lasagne etc. In fact, it’s much higher in protein and lower in fat than standard beef mince, and the quantity you begin with raw is the same quantity you end up with cooked. No losing half the mince when frying – which is down to the fat and water content in minced meat.

I thought today I’d share some of our recent meals, as an example of how you can replace meat in day-to-day eating. Continue reading “Vegetarian alternatives – try meat-free”

Eating for mental health

Good mental health is important for all of us. We know ways to improve our mental health by taking breaks, going for walks, taking on hobbies etc. But, what you eat also has a significant affect on your mental strength.

We know the ‘go to’ mood boosters when you feel low – chocolate, booze, ice-cream etc. Whilst these may give you a temporary lift, the properties that uplift your mood can actually damage you long-term.

Sugar is a prime culprit. You get a short-term mood lift, but sugar causes an imbalance in chemicals in your brain. These chemical imbalances can lead to depression or cause mood swings and raise feelings of anxiety. On top, excess consumption of sugar can of course cause obesity and tooth decay – in themselves these cause you to dislike your own appearance and can even result in quite serious clinical depression.

Other culprits of mood-altering consumables include processed foods, additives, fried food and caffeine. It makes sense to cut down your consumption of these.

I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. But, how do you wean yourself off the convenience of processed and fast food and cut out the addictive fats and sugars?

Firstly, increase your consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables. Fresh is best, but tinned and frozen fruit and vegetables are much better now than they used to be, and still contain the vitamins and minerals essential for your health. So if you can’t stretch to fresh, tinned and frozen is a good second-best.

If you’re a fish eater, eat more Omega 3 rich fish such as sardines, trout, salmon and mackerel. For non-fish eaters, other foods high in Omega 3 include walnuts, chia seeds, soybean oil, plus foods specifically fortified with Omega 3 (this will be declared on the food packaging). Dietary supplements are also available.

Increase your consumption of green leafy vegetables, beans and lentils, brazil nuts, eggs and yes dark chocolate, but not milk chocolate.

Protein is essential to keep your brain regulated and helps you to feel fuller for longer. Ideally, look for low-fat proteins including vegetarian versions. Protein doesn’t have to mean meat. Quorn and soya foods are high in protein, low in fat and available anywhere these days.

It’s important to maintain your blood sugar levels, as a drop causes you to feel irritable, tired and can cause depression. To avoid blood sugar drops, eat regularly but also choose slow-release energy foods such as rice, pasta, wholegrain breads, cereals, nuts and seeds. Avoid sugary food and drink, to avoid blood sugar fluctuations.

Breakfast is an often missed meal but it’s actually one of the most important. Take time to eat something at the start of your day. This kick-starts your metabolism and helps your brain function as well as staving off a blood sugar drop, which often results in poor snacking mid-morning.

So, we know what we should be eating. But, we’re not angels and so let’s also be practical. Lives are busy. We want warming comfort foods that are healthy and quick to make. Preferably also cheap to purchase ingredients.

Have a think of the meals you eat now, and how you can replace the unhealthy with comparable but healthy alternatives.

Takeaway burgers – in the time it takes for you to order and receive (or collect) your burger, you could easily have made one at home, usually cheaper too. Making your own burgers is simple, and you know exactly what’s going into them.

Basic burger recipe:

500g mince (your choice of beef, pork, turkey or vegi)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 egg
Salt & pepper (plus any herbs or spices you would like)

Method:

In a bowl, add the onion, egg and seasonings into the mince and mix to blend them together – it’s best to just use your hands to do this.

Scoop a quarter of the mixture* and roll into a ball in the palm of your hand. Then flatten to a patty of the depth you want. *This mince quantity will make 4 chunky burgers or make thinner/smaller burgers and achieve 6 or even 8 burger patties.

Once you’ve made your patties, lay them on a plate or tray and rest them in the fridge to firm for around half an hour. Once sufficiently rested, fry, grill or barbeque your burger. Oil the burger rather than the pan for the best results. For an inch-deep burger, cook for around 5 minutes on each side.

Once cooked, allow the burgers to rest for a minute or two for the juices to settle.

Choose your burger roll – wholemeal, white, brioche buns. Some people like to gently toast the roll, others prefer them softer.

Build your burger to your own taste – suggestions include lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, pickles, sauce (ketchup, mayonnaise, BBQ, curry, burger relish etc).

Once you begin making your own burgers, and play with the seasonings you like, you’ll notice the difference. They’re much better for you, and more filling than the ‘fast food’ takeaways.

Curries – there are so many curry recipes online now, from the simplest to complex, there’s almost no excuse. You can make a curry with your favourite protein – any meat, fresh vegetables, fish or vegetarian proteins. Whilst buying a jar of sauce is quick and simple, it’s very easy and far healthier to make your own. I previously provided an Aloo Muttar recipe in my blog https://scottishfarmhousekitchen.com/lockdown-2020/

I recommend keeping a basic stock of spices to hand ready. A little pestle and mortar means you can create your own curry powder/paste for your own signature dish. A simple spice mix would be equal quantities of brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nigella seeds, turmeric, cumin, coriander, cardamom and garam masala. Grind any non-powdered spice (eg cumin seeds) to a powder with a pestle and mortar, and mix all the powders together. When using your home-made curry powder, you can add heat by including fresh chopped chillies, or dried chilli powder. You can use a tinned tomato base or a creamy one with coconut milk. Ensure you cook the spices for a minute or two in oil to release the aromas, but don’t allow them to burn before you add in your chosen liquid.

An added bonus – if you buy some pretty little jars (or save from chutneys and jams) you can make up your own curry spice mixes as gifts – eg carefully layering each spice, insert a cinnamon stick and sprinkle on top with some thinly sliced fresh chilli. Add a ribbon and home-made label confirming the ingredients. You could even attach a hand-written recipe as an extra touch.

As well as the health improvements of selecting suitable ingredients, avoiding or reducing your intake of processed foods and additives, and saving yourself some money, the mindful act of cooking helps promote positive mental health.

Don’t forget to drink plenty water throughout the day too. Keeping hydrated aids concentration and helps you think clearly. Try to avoid all your water intake being coffee and tea, although decaffeinated versions can help.

My healthy eating advice isn’t a replacement for professional medical treatment, but a guide to easy steps you can take to help yourself. If you have any concerns about your own mental or physical well-being please consult your GP.

Here’s to a healthy 2022; stay safe, stay healthy and enjoy your cooking experience.

Love

Maggie x

Setting up a basic pantry

So it’s a wet and windy, supposedly summer, day today. Perfect for doing a bit of spring cleaning. Why not sort out, or start, a basic pantry? Or, in my case, write about how to do one!

Having a pantry, or a couple of cupboards, holding basic ingredients is perfect to enable spontaneity in your cooking and baking. It’s worth taking the time and trouble to set one up rather than simply buy ingredients as you go for one recipe at a time. Which basics you need, depends entirely on your taste and dietary preferences. But, there are some basics that almost everyone should hold:

Flour – plain and self raising
Baking powder
Sugar – white granulated
Icing sugar
Cocoa powder
Table salt and ground pepper
Tinned tomatoes
Tinned baked beans
Tinned kidney beans
Dried pasta
Rice
Eggs
Butter
Onions
Potatoes
Cooking oil
Vinegar

On top of the basics, a number of items can top up and personalise your stock:

Specialist flour – ciabatta, white bread, brown bread, barley flour, gluten free flour etc
Cream of tartar
Baking soda
Cornflour
Dried yeast
Sugar – white castor, light brown, dark brown
Sugar substitute
Dried milk powder
Dried herbs – basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley, dill etc
Fresh herbs – as above
Dried spices – paprika, chilli, chinese five spice, various curry spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, garlic salt, cardamom etc
Fresh ginger root
Fresh garlic bulb
Sea salt
Black peppercorns
Tomato paste
Coconut milk
Tinned water chestnuts
Pasta – shells, quills, spirals, spaghetti, linguini, lasagne sheets etc
Rice – long grain, basmati, etc
Tinned beans and pulses
Dried pulses
Jam – to taste
Chutney and pickles – to taste
Chocolate
Dried parmesan cheese
Tinned fruits
Tinned vegetables
Tinned soups
Olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil
White vinegar
Porridge oats
Maple syrup
Treacle
Dried fruits – sultanas, raisins etc
Nuts – walnuts, peanuts, cashew nuts, brazil nuts etc
Peanut butter

It doesn’t matter if you have a walk-in pantry, a standalone pantry cupboard, or just a standard kitchen cupboard or two. What matters is that you set up a stock of basics that reflect your standard day-to-day cooking style. If you never cook curries, then holding a vast array of fragrant Indian spices would be wasteful.

Be aware of items that have a short, or relatively short, lifespan – such as any fresh items. Aim to rotate items when you buy new. Although very tempting to fill a pantry immediately, unless you cook a lot and often, it’s better to only buy small amounts that won’t simply go off and be wasted.

Some people decant items into glass storage jars such as Kilner jars, and in baskets, but this is purely for aesthetic purposes. There’s no real need to. What I would suggest, although it still could be considered cosmetic, is to line the shelves before you fill them. It doesn’t matter what you use, whether it be beautifully intricate lace, oil cloth, old newspaper, or anything in between. It simply helps to keep the cupboard clean especially when something is spilt. Having had to wash out a cupboard following a treacle ‘incident’, this is something I’d always recommend.

Once you have a number of pantry staples, you’ll find it so much easier to be spontaneous with your cooking. Grab that bargain item, knowing you don’t have to think on the spot for something to do with it and spend more than you’ve saved in buying the basics to cook with it.

If nothing else, a good spring clean is very therapeutic. So maybe I should stop procrastinating and go and get on with clearing out my own cupboards.

Love

Maggie x