Classics Poor Man's Cassoulet

Two things to discuss today. Firstly, Tesco are currently running ad campaigns to win customers back but they are not improving their customer services or their food standards quality.

Tesco have not apologised for the fact that there are pieces of horse etc in their meats. They simply blame their producers, rather than standing up, like the Co-operative has done, and saying yes, we made mistakes, we'll learn and it won't happen again.

To knock them further, a customer allegedly found a dead bird in their salad, according to many facebook postings. Yes, a whole, dead bird, in a salad!! This is beyond shocking and I truly hope it proves to be fake!

Rather than spending money on advertising campaigns they should be spending money complying with the Food Standards Agency and make sure they know exactly what is goin into everything on their shelves. This, to me, shows a complete lack of care for customers and for the rules governing British supermarkets!

The other thing I would liek to discuss is sourdough starters. These look complicated and long winded but are actually very easy to make. Why not have a try?

All you need to start one is an airtight container (I use a large sandwich box, big enough for a few pints liquid), flour, water and a hint of honey at the start.

mix into your container equal measures of flour and water - the back of my flour pack said 70g but measuring that out on my jug is difficult so Imeasure out 100g. On the first day, add a couple dashes honey as this will help feed the bacteria. Mix together then seal and keep somewhere warm overnight.

Then add the equal measures of flour and water each day for 7 days - keeping your starter somewhere warm.

After the 7 days it can be used in bread and can be stored in the fridge. Remember to feed it every few days and take out the night before you need to use it. It's that easy :D

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

Bread

My sister contacted me last week to tell me she had seen a tv show that talked about how they inject fat into bread, and to tell me that she was not eating supermarket bought bread any more.

The problem is that they add a load of preservatives to bread to make it last longer. As a result, the bread drys out fairly quickly. So they have come up with this 'solution' to the drying problem - add a load of fat to the bread to keep is moist for longer. We really don't know what we're eating when we opt for anything processed!

The result is that you have bread pumped full of crap that you simply should not be ingesting. Instead, try buying bread from your local bakery, who will not be doing this (if in doubt, ask them), or alternatively, make your own.

I have a fool-proof recipe for a lovely soda bread that I myself have tried out. It has few ingredients and is very simple to make.

Soda Bread

Ingredients
500g plain flour (or 250 plain and 250 wholemeal)
400ml yoghurt (live, natural full fat) Most people say buttermilk but this is as good and far easier to get a hold of.
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
Little water if yoghurt not enough
pinch sugar (optional)

Preheat over to 200C/400F/GM6

Lightly dust counter top and a baking tray

Sift flour and bicarb with salt and sugar. Make well in centre and add yoghurt. Mix together - it is quite a luxurious feeling!

Mix together until a sticky mix - dn't mix much, just until its full cme together.

Place on baking tray andtake a knife an cut a deep cross through top. (I scattered a few poppy seeds over mine here).

Put in oven and leave 40-45 mins. You know its reading when you tap base and sounds hollow.

Put on cooling rack when it comes out. It will be ready to eat around 15 mins after it comes out - nice warm.

That's it - so simple, so hassle free. It will give you the baking bug.

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

Better Choices

Many of us want to set ourselves New Years resolutions - losing weight and eating better, or going on a fad diet, getting gym membership etc. We often put a lot of pressure on ourselves to do these things and to succeed. So when we fail (and lets face it, many of us do), we feel awful, that we are failures.

This is not the way to start a new year. we need to give ourselves a break and try something different. Rather than going on a diet and getting that gym membership that we never use, we should aim to change just a few small things within our diet/routine.

Fats are a big issue. One of the first things I did a few years ago after learning that low fat items often have salt/sugar/trans fats was to stop using low fat items. I have a slight high cholesterol issue but I feel now that my body is better able to deal with that cholesterol - because my body is dealing with more natural items.

Our bodies are not meant to take in trans fats. These are present in some margarines and many biscuits etc. Anything that states it has hydrogenated vegetable oil should be avoided at all costs, as it was discovered that trans-fats cannot be absorbed by the human body and are surrounded by our body's natural fats, and stored. This becomes dangerous and in many cases is carcenogenic, and is thought to be a cause of colon, bowel and stomach cancers.

Butter, full fat yoghurt etc are by far the better choices. You simply use a little less of them than you would low fat. Yoghurt has some not-nice ingredients when it is low fat or fat free. Some companies use gelatine, which is especially not nice if you are vegetarian.

One choice I ask you to do is look at the ingredients of all your products the next time you go shopping. Butter should have 1 or 2 (if you like it salted) ingredients only. Yoghurt, 1. Make sure you look at all your processed products for hydrogenated veg oil, and any other nasties as well. You will know to avoid certain foods the next time you go to grocery shopping, so this doesn't have to be something you do every time you shop.

Our bodies require between 20-25% fat a day minimum. While animal fat is not recommended, fats from vegetarian sources is. Nuts are a wonderful source of healthy fats. I was watching the Hairy Bikers diet show the other day and cringed when they said not to have almonds in a Korma and have 2 dessert spoons of cream instead! You can have the creamy luxury with creme fraiche and have a few almonds in a korma instead and it would be far better for you.

Calorie counting can become an obsession for many a dieter. Chosing to live a healthier lifestyle is not about counting calories, it's about making healthier food choices, such as in the korma case.

Another issue I saw on a show on tv was that of vegetable nutrients. Because most of our veg comes from mass-produced origins, it means they are stripped of a lot of their nutrients. This means that the five a day recommended by the government is not only a base minimum, it's far too low. Unless you can buy from local producers who work ona small scale, or you have a garden where you grow your own, then you are not getting enough from a five a day diet of fruit/vegetables.

This is good in the sense that it will hopefully encourage people to buy more products from local providers who grow on a much smaller scale. It may also encourage us to have more than five a day, which really should be a bare minimum - Australians tend to go for seven a day and have a much healthier diet that those in the UK.

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin