Muffins a la Hollywood

Just a brief post today with the latest baking adventures - mini muffins!  I'm not normally a huge fan of shop-bought muffins as they tend to be the size of a cake for four people and get a bit much after a while. These little chaps, however, are a nice size and came out a treat - I went for apple & raisin and mixed berry ones!  The recipe is yet another one of Paul Hollywood's creations, albeit slightly adjusted as I didn't have any blueberries left - but hey, the man knows his stuff!  Next time I'll probably add more fruit but these are tasty as they are.

Muffins...

To blog or not to blog...

...that was the question! :-)  Frankly, I have not really felt like writing which is why there has been a bit of a pause but I am back again now with no doubt more food talk etc.

We had a long Bank Holiday weekend which was lovely - plenty of home cooked food and relaxing as well as some stunning long walks with the dog.  I find it so relaxing to prepare food and eat it - it's a big part of what we do.  As I write, I have a mixture of veg roasting in the oven which I will have tonight for my dinner - possibly with fried polenta strips...a new thing I have been meaning to try. 

Homemade lasagne...

Hubby made some delicious spelt pasta the other day which we turned into lasagne - served with homegrown lettuce and tomatoes!  Doesn't that look yummy?  If you are a vegetarian, please just imagine that it is quorn mince :-)  The whole thing was just soooo satisfying, especially washed down with a glass of red wine.  The cheese on top was Wyke Farm's mature cheddar - excellent for cooking with!  Now, from what I have heard and read about Wyke Farm, they are an old cheese-making business with great ethics.  They are paying their dairy suppliers more than the usual pittance which is great!  Not so great that this has meant that they have lost their contract to supply the supermarket chain Morrisons due to being priced out by cheaper cheese makers who, I dare say, are probably not doing the decent thing and paying farmers enough for their milk.  This is not just about eating a great product - it's the values behind it that count and deserve supporting! So, maybe if you shop at Morrisons it is time to change supermarkets or ask them to stock Wyke Farm cheeses again!  Climbing off my soapbox now...