Christmas baking

Traditional Christmas food is not something I enjoy. I am a vegetarian, so no turkey.  I don't like dried fruit so no Mince pies, no Christmas pudding, no Christmas cake.  

However, I don't miss out!  Christmas dinner for us will be Linda McCartney Rosemary and red onion sausages, loads of yummy veg and then chocolate pudding with chocolate sauce. 

I did some baking ready for Christmas and the following week and made Grantham Gingerbreads (above).  These are a sweet gingery biscuit which are slightly risen with hollow areas inside.  They are traditionally from Grantham, (a town around twenty minutes away from us) and date from 1740, made by the baker, William Egglestone.  Mum has an old family recipe for them, but there are lots of recipes available and a company in Grantham has recently starting making them again.

I also made some shortbread, just butter, sugar and flour and I really like these biscuits with a cup of tea.  (I am trying to reduce the amount of palm oil we eat, so am now making my own biscuits every week.) Biscuits made, tick!

Lavender Shortbread

 I have had some lovely blog swaps this year and you may remember I received a lavender shortbread mix in my 'From My Home to Yours' swap from Emma in Jersey. Chris not so subtly reminded me that I hadn't made the shortbread, so I thought I should get on with it.

However, I was a little nervous as I remembered Norman's lavender meringue (photo from telegraph.co.uk) from this year's Great British Bake Off and I hoped that the lavender flavouring wouldn't be quite so strident as that.  Mary Berry said she hadn't tried lavender meringue before and didn't want to again!  In the dry mix, the lavender wasn't really that evident, but once the butter was added, it showed itself!

 The biscuits were absolutely delicious, with a delicate but definite taste of lavender.

We took some to work and our colleagues agreed how lovely they were.  Many thanks to Emma for sending me the mix as I'm not sure I would have tried it otherwise and I would have been missing a treat!

'From My Home to Yours' Blog Swap - Parcel Two!

As you may know, I took part in the blog swap organised by Betty and my swap partner Emma sent me a lovely parcel.  She also told me that there were more things she had got ready for the swap, but had forgotten to post them, so to look out for them in parcel two. They arrived safe and sound this week. 

 The parcel was unwrapped with great excitement and here's what greeted me...

I set it out and there was a lavender shortbread pack, made with Jersey lavender, a map and tourist guide of Jersey, a bags of blue beads, a blue crocheted flower, a peach rose brooch, and a very pretty bead necklace (the flowers and necklace made by Emma),

 Here are the necklace, beads and flowers - so pretty!

 So, I put the two parcels of goodies together and this is what I received.

Wow - what a fantastic lot of loveliness!  I am really looking forward to making (and eating) the shortbread - I'll let you know how I get on. A HUGE thank you to Emma for all the beautiful things.  Blog swaps are so much fun!

Tea, cake, biscuits...and dahlias

I have been baking recently - above is my first attempt at a carrot cake.  Well, I say carrot, but it also has bananas and coconut in it. The recipe said walnuts, but as I don't like them, I substituted coconut instead.

It's a moist and dense cake, a little crumbly, but very delicious.  I was going to make some icing, but we felt it didn't need it.  I will definitely bake this again and maybe add in some ginger and cinnamon too...mmm!

 For the biscuits, I made shortbread and added chocolate chips.  I like shortbread on its own, but you can't go wrong by adding chocolate!  I also have some fudge pieces in the cupboard, so shortbread with fudge pieces may be next on the 'to be baked' list.

My lovely husband went to get us some milk at the weekend and came back with not just the milk, but these beautiful dahlias.  They were being sold in aid of the Salvation Army at a jumble sale-type event.  It was a lovely surprise and I am really enjoying the beautiful colours and amazing flower formations.  I have tried growing dahlias before, without much success, as the slugs and snails think I have planted them just for them.

 

 I couldn't resist some close ups because the petal formations are so amazing.

 Thanks, Chris, they are gorgeous!

This richly coloured velvety one is my favourite!