Perfect Roast Potatoes

These perfect roast potatoes are a necessity for the Christmas dinner. So many people struggle when trying to make their roasties lovely and crispy, when its so simple to do, and something everyone should know how to make.

Ingredients:

- 2.5Kg Potatoes

- 300ml Goose fat

- 100g Semolina

- Pre-heat the oven to its highest setting (ideally around 250-260C)

- Peel and chop the potatoes into chunks, as big or small as you like them.

- Boil the potatoes for four minutes then drain the saucepan.

- Add the goose fat to a baking tray and put in the oven to heat up.

- Add the semolina to the potatoes in the saucepan and give them a good shake to blur and roughen up the edges (these fluffy edges are what are going to give the crunch).

- Once the goose fat is hot, put the potatoes into the baking tray and put straight back into the oven.

- Cook for 25 minutes then turn over and cook for a further 25 minutes.

You should have the perfect accompaniment to your Christmas dinner. Perfect crispy roast potatoes.

Willie's Chocolate Revolution

Some of you may have seen this programme on TV a little while ago. But for those that haven't, its a programme about Willie Harcourt-Cooze - chocolate fanatic and chef - tying to show us (the British) what chocolate really is. Not the typically sweet milky 'rubbish' you will find in supermarkets, but real cacao, not refined beyond recognition. The programme shows Willie's journey to find the perfect cacao for his new chocolate bars. Once he finds the Venezuelan and Peruvian cacao beans, he goes about turning them into the perfect chocolate bars. You can watch the three episodes here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tJRhSw7L3c.

Have a look at his site dedicated to the chocolate he has made. Why not treat yourself to a bar? I'm not a big fan of dark chocolate but Willies chocolate is delicious. You can buy his chocolate on his site, http://www.williescacao.com/.

Here is Willie with his Christmas turkey recipe, a quirky take on the traditional turkey dinner.

Prawn Stir Fry

This is a great healthy recipe from Jo Pratt. So tasty and quick to make. I end up making stir fry a lot because being a student means i don't always have time to spend two hours in the kitchen slaving away. If your a stir fry lover then you will love this recipe.

Chicken Korma

I cannot even remember how many times i have made this dish. It gets better every time. I have been making tweaks to the recipe ever since i started making it when i came to university two years ago. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as i do.

Ingredients:
- 1 sachet of Patak's creamed-coconut
- 300ml Chicken stock
- 250g Creme Fraiche
- 100g flaked almonds
- 1tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Ground coriander
- 1/2 - 1tsp Chili powder (You can leave this out if you prefer your korma not spicy at all)
- 1tsp Mustard seeds
- 4 Cardamon pods
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 2 Chicken breasts (diced into 2cm chunks)
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp Olive oil

- Dry-fry the flaked almonds in a frying pan over a high heat until golden brown, and leave to one side.

- Add the olive oil, cardamon pods, cinnamon stick and mustard seeds to a saucepan over a medium-high heat. When the mustard seeds begin to sizzle add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until the onions are soft. Then add the garlic and cook for another 3 minutes.

- Add the turmeric, garam masala, ground cumin, ground coriander and chili powder to the onions (it should form a thick paste - if it is too dry add a little more oil). Cook for 30 seconds and add the diced chicken. Cook for five minutes until the chicken is almost cooked through.

- Add the chicken stock, coconut cream, creme fraiche and flaked almonds. Season with salt and pepper. Then cover and turn to a medium-low heat. Leave for one hour, stirring occasionally.


Let me know what you think. Any improvements or comments are welcome.

Sticky Lemon Chicken

Gordon Ramsay bring us another yummy recipe. Turning chicken from the standard, boring household meat into something a bit different, and so delicious. I have used this recipe so many times and friends and family all love it. Watch the video and have a go yourself.



Enjoy guys!

Top Ten Favourite Healthy Recipes

After writing the top ten favourite foods, i thought i would follow up with a top ten healthy recipes with some of the best yummy but low fat dishes.

10. Pasta with a tomato and basil sauce.
Unbelievably tasty for something so low fat. With whole wheat pasta to make you feel full for longer. You will be making this again and again once you have tried it.

9. Lime and coriander chicken kebabs.
Kebab is not something you very often associate with weight loss. Rather, fat students after a very drunk night out. Very simple to make, and another gem for healthy eating. Served over brown rice it will shed the pounds quicker than you can say 'kebab'.

8. Spicy salmon salad.
Again, really simple, but a lovely combination of flavors. Potato with rocket, cucumber and salmon, drizzled with a lovely spicy dressing.

7. Healthy Chili Con Carne.
A favourite in many households. But when using lean mince meat it turns this classic into a quick, healthy meal.

6. Leek and potato soup.
Really easy to make and so yummy. Full of healthy veg that is ideal for a lunch time meal. Hearty, filling and full of nutrients.

5. Chicken and mango salad.
Doesn't get much better than this. Check the recipe to check how to make this delicious dish.

4. Raspberry and redcurrent sorbet.
There are no words to describe it. healthy and delicious, what more can you ask for.

3. Prawn stir-fly.
Something most people will have tried and loved. With plenty of veg and whole wheat noodles its a winner for wight loss.

2. Raspberry and hazelnut tart.
Something that is so hard to believe that it might be low fat, and you might be able to eat it without the scales haunting you.

1. Thai style couscous.
Thai and Japanese seem to have the answer to staying healthy and slim. Its always so delicious and you can rest assured that your meal will contain vast amounts of vital nutrients to keep you going.

I hope everyone likes the top ten. Let me know what you think, any suggestions would be appreciated. The recipes will be up on the blog soon.

Whole Wheat is the Answer

Many people find it hard to stop snacking between meals, that's usually because your not getting enough fibre, and that's where wholewheat comes in. Whole wheat pasta, bread and rice all contain 10 times the amount of fibre of their white counterpart.

Fibre has an amazing property of making you feel fuller for longer. So sticking to whole wheat products will help you stop those hourly fridge raids. The hinges on your fridge will be thanking you, and you will be on your way to your weight loss goals.

Women and Weights

This is aimed more at women than men, as it is for some reason or another a woman's greatest fear to be seen in the weights section of a gym. Surrounded by all the giant men 'pumping iron' must be intimidating but it is something that has to be overcome.

Weight training is one of the most effective ways to lose weight quickly. Not only that, but resistance training (using free weighs or the wights machines) is an important activity to keep arthritis at bay. It increases bone density, leading to stronger bones and therefore a stronger, fitter body.

The effect that a full body weight training session has on your body when looking at weight loss goals is a 15% rise in your metabolism, which can last for up to 48 hours. Your body will be burning around 300 calories per day on its own for up the next couple of days. Not bad. (that doesn't mean you can scoff your favourite cookies by the way). That might be worth the 'embarrassment' of 30 minutes in the weights section of the gym.

Not only will you be burning fat when doing weight training, but you will be building muscle at the same time, speeding up the rate you will achieve that flat stomach. The more muscle you have, the quicker you will burn fat from your body. So remember that when you are eying up the weights section, feeling lazy.

You don't need to worry girls/ladies, women often don't have the testosterone levels necessary to build huge amounts of muscle so you wont be looking like Arnie by the time you finish.

Top Tip: If you are worried about building up too much muscle, stick to low weight, high repetitions, for example 15-25 reps at 40-50% of your personal, maximum weight (called your one rep max). If you can complete 25 repetitions with perfect form, then go up a weight.

If anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to post a comment. I would love to hear your feedback, and if any of the tips have helped your individual training and weight loss goals.

Eating five times a day will aid your weight loss

Healthy eating and weight loss obviously go hand in hand. But a lot of the time people don't know where to start. There are hundreds of weight loss programmes and routines out there, the problem is finding the one to suit your individual lifestyle.

Many people assume that the less they eat, the more weight they will lose, but in actual fact, not eating will grind your metabolism to a halt and ultimately have the opposite effect.

An easy way to lose weight, contrary to popular belief; is to eat 4-5 times a day with healthy snacks in-between. This will speed up your metabolism and ensure that your body is burning fat around the clock.

Eating a low fat breakfast in the morning (Porridge or Weetabix are ideal) will get your metabolism burning right from the start of the day. Porridge will provide you with plenty of protein and carbohydrates, which is perfect if you are planning on going to the gym that day.

Try eating an apple 15 minutes before a meal, it will ensure that your body will consume up to 185 less calories.

Many people's problems with dieting include snacking late in the evening. This is a terrible way to put weight on. During your sleep your body slows down and the food you eat late in the evening will sit in your stomach all night. You should avoid eating later than 8 at night, and avoid eating carbohydrates later than 6.

Top tip: Coffee contains - as I'm sure most of you know - caffeine, which despite what many people may think, is actually good for you in small amounts. A coffee in the morning will help boost your metabolism and get your body burning even more fat.

Beef Stew and Mustard Dumplings

This is one of my favourites. Great for a cold winter evening, to warm you up and fill your belly.

Ingredients:

For the Stew:
- 2 Onions, cut into thin strips
- 3 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
- A little thyme for seasoning
- 400g Stewing steak, cut into thick chunks
- 100g Button mushrooms
- 100g Carrots, cut into 1 cm pieces
- 2 Large leeks, cut into 1 cm pieces
- 1/2 Bottle of full bodied red wine
- 400ml Beef stock

For the Dumplings:
- 150g Self raising flour
- 100g Sewit
- 1 tbsp Finely chopped parsley
- 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- Water

- Pre-heat the oven to 150C.

- Put a little olive oil in a saucepan and add the leaks and carrots. Stir fry for 7-8 minutes.

- Add the onion to another saucepan and fry for five minutes, then add the garlic and fry for a further three minutes.

- Place the onions, garlic, carrots and leeks to a large ovenproof pot along with the mushrooms. Then add the beef to the saucepan you used to fry the carrots and leeks with a little oil, and brown the meat on all sides. Add the meat to the ovenproof pot.

- Add the red wine and stock to the pot and season with salt, pepper and thyme.

- Place in the oven with the lid on and leave for 2-3 hours.

- Half an hour before you take the stew out of the oven, make the dumplings. Add the self-raising flour, sewit, a pinch of salt, parsley and mustard to a bowl and add water, a little at a time until the ingredients combine to form a ball that is slightly sticky. Roll into balls (remember that they will grow to about twice the size when cooked). Add to the stew and cook for half an hour.

Tips: If you want your dumplings slightly crispy on top, take the lid off the pot for the last 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Britain's Disgusting Food #2

As if the last one didn't put you off enough. If anyone is a big fan of hot dogs, you will be checking the labels after reading this. Most jarred or tinned hotdogs contain MRM (mechanically recovered meat, specifically chicken). For those of you that don't know what that is, which im guessing is most of you. The bones and leftovers of a carcas, that are to difficult to remove manually, are placed in the machine that crushes the remains until a black, soggy paste is removed from the carcas.

Companies that use this method to remove the meat to use in their hot dogs keep the machine well hidden from the public eye, for obvious reasons.

This clip shows some of the show Britain's really disgusting food and has a short video of what MRM looks like when it has been recovered from the bones. Very disgusting stuff.

Duck Breast with a Cranberry and Red Wine jus

Served with a finely grated potato dauphinoise.

Ingredients:

For the Jus:
- 100g Cranberry's
- 1 Orange (juice only)
- 75g Brown sugar
- 100ml red wine
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar

For the Potato Dauphinoise:
-2 large baking potato
-250ml double cream
-2 tbsp whole milk
-2 garlic cloves,
-100g Gruyère cheese, grated
- Salt and pepper for seasoning

For the duck:
- 1/2 Duck breast
- 1tbsp Olive oil

- Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

- Add the milk, cream and garlic to a saucepan and bring to the boil, add a generous amount of salt and pepper for seasoning. Slice the potato using a mandoline and cut into thin spaghetti shaped strips.

- Add the potato strips to a small greased ovenproof dish (so the potato is at least an inch tall) and add the cream and garlic mixture, making sure that the mixture completely covers the potato. Top with the grated cheese and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until slightly brown on top.

- Add the cranberry's, orange juice, red wine, white wine vinegar and brown sugar to a saucepan over a medium heat until combined, to make a sauce.

- For the duck, heat an ovenproof frying pan, add the olive oil and duck breast and sear the duck over a high heat until brown on all sides. Transfer to the oven and cook for 3-5 minutes until cooked to your liking.

To serve: Cut a square of the dauphinoise and place in the centre of the plate. Cut the duck into 4-5 slices depending how thick you like them. Place on top of the dauphinoise and drizzle with the cranberry jus.

Enjoy everyone!

My Top 10 Favourite Foods

There are some foods that instantly get your mouth watering at the thought of them. Here is a list of my top ten favourites.

10. Crispy duck with pancakes. I'm pretty sure everyone will have had this at some point from their local Chinese, and if you haven't, then its a must! I will have a recipe up soon for a home-made version for anyone that hasn't tried it.

9. Beef stew and dumplings. I know its a simple one, but its a classic for a reason. Red wine gravy and mustard dumplings. Nothing better for a cold Winters evening at home.

8. Baked Camenbert with ciabatta with an orange and passion fruit marmalade. So amazingly simple and quick to make. Great to eat for a late supper while watching a good film.

7. Pasta Puttanesca (Or literally, whore's pasta). I'll always remember this one as Daddy's pasta. My Dad used to cook it for me all the time when i was younger and i could never pronounce the name. An Anchovy, caper, Kalamata olive, and parsley sauce with penne pasta. Yummy!

6. Homemade chicken korma. Another well known dish. But there must be something about it that the British like, it did make it to the top 10 most popular dishes in the UK.

5. Creme Brulee with a hint of orange. Time for a dessert i think, and this is one of my all time favourites. It's become a regular in my household. The crispiness of the thin sugar layer, with the soft creamy texture of the custard, melts in your mouth. One just isn't enough!

4. Mussels with a white wine and garlic sauce. A French classic, if you haven't experienced this amazing dish yet, don't worry, don't book your flights yet. Have a look at the recipe here. So simple, but so wonderfully tasty!

3. Wild mushroom risotto with Parmesan. So rich and delicious, it's hard to find the will-power to stop eating, even when your about to pop.

2. Baked chocolate orange cheesecake with homemade vanilla ice cream. I'm a massive fan of Terry's chocolate orange, so this one is something i try not to make to often because I'll end up sitting down and finishing it on my own. Not great for the figure, but a fantastic naughty treat.

1. Duck breast with a cranberry and red wine jus. Served with a finely grated potato dauphinoise. Delicious.

All of these recipe's will be up on the site soon, so if you like the sound of any of them, then you can make them for yourselves!

Add your own favourites to the page! I would like to see people's own opinions!

Britain's Disgustng Food

You don't have to go very far to find disgusting food in Britain. Wonder into your local Cash and Carry, pick up a box of 'economy burgers' and read the ingredients to realise that there isn't a great deal of beef in the beef burgers you might expect to buy from a burger van or a chip shop.

To call a burger a beef burger in Britain, it, legally has to contain 62% beef. But, if you change the name to 'economy burgers' the manufacturers can roll all the way down to 47% beef; leaving 53% for them to fill with almost anything they want to, and as i found out, its pretty much anything goes. Some economy burgers contain around 21% beef heart, with the rest being filled with chemicals to fill it out and make the burger stick together.

Another find that worried me was the content of some supermarket bought chicken kievs. Chicken kievs are not closely monitered by the food standards agency, meaning basically, that companies are free to put whatever they like in them. As long as it tastes or resembles it, they can pass it off as chicken. There is no legal limit for the minimum amount of chicken put in a chicken kiev. Obviously putting in no chicken might take the mic a little, so some companies were kind enough to put 10% chicken in there for everyone; along with alot of other things, including: Skin, water and connective tissue. Cheers Guys! :).

A great programme to watch if you want to find out any more is Britain's really disgusting food.

Here is part 1 of the episode on Meat. There are also episodes on milk and fish.