Marmalade Days

Believe it or not, after all the  years I have been cooking, this is the first time I have attempted to make marmalade!  It always seemed a bit pointless when you could buy such great marmalade.  But then, every year my friends would all start to discuss the merits of different ways of making it - do you cut the oranges before you cook them or after, is caster sugar as good as granulated, do you keep it pure, or add limes or even grapefruit?  And even before the Seville oranges were available there was talk on the radio as to when they may arrive - a bit like the Beaujolia run - who can get them here first!
So, as a complete novice I felt I should follow the direction of somebody else, and started searching through my hundreds of cookery books to find who had written what I thought may be the tastiest recipe.  But as always in this instance, I started to go 'off-piste', dreaming up my own ideas (the problem with being a recipe writer is that you never want to follow a recipe written by somebody else!).
And not content with that, I also decided half-way through the process to try two versions!  Both are equally delicious.







Joy's Marmalade!
This makes both types - straight marmalade and ginger marmalade.


2kg Seville oranges
5 litres water
approx 3kg sugar
6 knobs stem ginger, diced


1.  Slice the oranges as thickly as you like them, remove the pips and pithy bit from the middle of the orange then place the slices in very large pan.  cover with water and simmer for 2 hours (until the orange rind is tender).
2.  Ladle the mixture into two non-metallic bowls and leave to cool, covered, overnight.
3.  Ladle the mixture into two separate large pans, adding a ladle of sugar for every ladle of fruit and liquid.  In one of the pans add the diced stem ginger.
4.  Bring to the boil and simmer again for around 1 hour, or until it has reached setting point.  To test for this spoon a little onto a plate and leave it for one minute.  If it wrinkles when you push it gently with your finger it is ready.
5.  Pour into sterilised jars and cover with wax paper until cool.

Hugh's Fish Fight

I think it would be impossible not to have noticed the fuss about fish that has been going on in the media this week.  But if you have been too busy doing other things, get on the internet this minute and watch Hugh's Fish Fight that has been screened every night this week on Channel 4.
If you didn't feel passionate about our fish stocks before, hopefully this will make you think a lot more seriously about it.
And to give you more inspiration to cook fish that is not endangered, here is a great recipe for mackerel that is also super healthy.   Rich in omega-3 essential fats, mackerel is not only healthy but also extremely tasty and hugely inexpensive - two large fillets from my local fishmonger, Sandys in Twickenham, cost a mere £3.50.

Mackerel with Horseradish, Fennel and Beetroot.

Serves 2

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced, tops reserved
1/2 small Savoy cabbage, shredded
2-3 tsp creamed horseradish
2 cooked beetroot, diced
2 mackerel fillets

1.  Heat the oil in a pan and saute the sliced fennel for 3-4 minutes.  Stir in the cabbage, then reduce the heat, cover the pan and let the vegetables sweat for 5-6 minutes.
2.  Finely chop the fennel tops and mix with the diced beetroot.
3.  Stir the creamed horseradish into the vegetables then cover again and leave to cook while you grill the fish.
4.  Place the mackerel skin side up under a hot grill and cook for 5-6 minutes, then turn and cook the other side for another 4-5 minutes - do not over cook it.
5.  Divide the horseradish vegetables between two plates, top with the mackerel then spoon over the diced beetroot.  Squeeze over some lemon juice, a sprinkling of olive oil and a grinding of black pepper and enjoy!

A great start............

It's that time of year again - all the newspapers, magazines, TV and radio programmes are full of talk about diets - can they not think up something original for once?  And how sensible do they think it really is to start dieting and cutting out complete food groups, when everyone is suffering with coughs and colds due to their immune systems being shot to pieces after a stressful Christmas?!
So, needless to say, I will not be dieting!  But what I may be doing is thinking about how I can help my body to remain healthy throughout the cold months of winter, whilst not relying on comfort foods that may add on the pounds!
As far as detoxing is concerned, our bodies are doing this constantly, every waking hour and, impressively, even when we are sleeping!  So rather than cutting out huge amounts of food, just cut out those things that cause the liver to be over-worked (alcohol, caffeine and processed foods), and feed it lots of nutrients that may help it to support it to work better (sulphur-rich foods such as eggs and onions, the brassicas - cabbage, sprouts and broccoli, and good sources of protein - eggs, fish).
Drinking lots of water also helps to flush out toxins, and generally try to incorporate as much fresh, organic food into your diet as possible.











Cabbage Soup


Serves 4


1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 stick celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 cabbage, shredded
1.5 litres vegetable stock
freshly milled black pepper
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp flaked almonds


1.  Heat the olive oil in a medium pan and saute the onion, carrot and celery for 2-3 minutes.
2.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute before stirring in the shredded cabbage.
3.  Pour in the stock, season, bring to a simmer and cook for 12-15 minutes.
4.  Toast the seeds and flaked almonds and sprinkle over the soup to serve.


This is also great served topped with a poached egg.

An Egyptian Christmas

Each year the build-up to Christmas is such an exciting time, with lots of parties, getting together with friends you haven't seen all year, and the excuse to go out and try new restaurants that normally you don't think you have time for.
This year was no exception, although the one restaurant I tried that I will not be re-visiting was Jamie's Italian in Westfield shopping centre.  It was as I had anticipated - a chain restaurant with very average food.  I have never understood the concept of eating in a restaurant that has a celebrity chef's name on it, unless of course you know he is cooking there at the time, and in this case I doubt he has ever even set foot in the place!
And, as with past years, as the great event of Christmas got ever nearer, I started hating all the consumerism that comes with it and just wanted to be away from it all.  So that's exactly what I did - I headed off to Egypt to sail down The Nile.
I had hoped that being away from all the festivities may also help me to be a little healthier than most at this time, but unfortunately with three meals a day being served buffet-style there was no chance of any weight loss, or indeed even maintaining the same weight!



It was interesting the reaction I got from practically everyone I spoke to when I mentioned where I was going - beware of getting the Egyptian equivalent of Deli Belly!  It was also interesting to hear of so many people falling ill over Christmas back in the UK.
When your body is under stress (Christmas cards, presents, shopping, parties, relatives visiting, office parties etc., etc.), your  immune system fails to work as it should, as it is busy making stress hormones to keep you going.  Then comes Christmas, and you relax, but the immune system hasn't got back on track yet and the first little bug you come into contact with knocks you down.  And if you are in a foreign country there are likely to be more little bugs your immune system does not recognise that may cause problems.

To ensure you can party through the whole festive season, or travel to remote places without falling ill, help keep your immune system healthy by eating a diet rich in good protein, high in antioxidants and B vitamins and by taking a probiotic supplement in anticipation!

Needless to say I have returned in good health, and amazingly all my clothes still fit.

The training never stops!

I am constantly asked, when is the off-season for rowing?  For some unknown reason whoever started this mad sport decided that an off-season was not required!  So the summers are spent racing short distances (1000-2000 metres), whereas the winter gives you time to explore your surroundings a little more, with distances of around 5km to contend with, normally on bendy rivers that require a little more concentration.
Which means that I don't get a chance to lay in bed whilst the beautiful snow flakes are falling outside - I am out there enjoying its' full glory!
Obviously training in such harsh conditions does require a little more energy, and that's where the good bit comes in - I can eat a little more than normal without having to worry about it!  So, purely in the interest of keeping my energy levels up (and the fact that I have lots of homemade sloe gin to use up), I have come up with a great cake recipe (which is also dairy free in case you are that way inclined!).

Sloe Gin Fruit & Nut Cake

225g pecan nuts
340g dates, stoned
155g glace cherries
75g mixed peel
50g dried apricots
155g glace pineapple
4 tbsp sloe gin
200g light muscovado sugar
140g wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs, beaten
large pinch grated nutmeg
More sloe gin for soaking

1.  Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas mark 3.  Grease and line a 23 cm tin with greaseproof paper.
2.  Place the pecan nuts and dried fruit in a large bowl then pour over 3 tbsp of the sloe gin.
3.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix together really well.
4.  Spoon into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 1 1/2  hours (or when a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean).
5.  Remove from the oven, pour over the remaining 1 tbsp of sloe gin, then leave to cool a little before removing the paper and cooling completely.
6.  Wrap in greaseproof paper and foil.  Each day for 3-4 days pour over another tbsp of sloe gin.

If you haven't made your own Christmas Cake and the shops have now sold out this would make a great substitute.

Edible Christmas Gift Ideas

It's getting to the time now, when I start to realise that I have no idea what to give friends as a small gift for Christmas.  I hate shopping at the best of times, and fighting my way through the rushing crowds of London is definitely not my idea of a fun day out, especially when it's so cold too.
So, what better way to spend the cold days than to be at home making wonderful food stuffs for friends instead.  This was all a bit of a revelation to me as, having been cooking for a living for years, I had never really got into the whole preserves thing, until now!  I've also found that people are so delighted to receive something that you have taken lots of time and care over, and obviously if you know what they love you can tailor the gift totally to their taste.
There are also so many options - jams, pickles, herb vinegars or oils, fruit liqueurs, chocolate truffles (always a favourite!) or even great cakes (one of which I will give a recipe for in the next blog).
The recipe here is for a Panforte di Siena, and for once I have used a recipe developed by somebody else - when it comes to all things Italian I figured Antonio Carluccio would know better than me!







Panforte di Siena
(Taken from 'Italia" by Antonio Carluccio, published by Quadrille Publishing Antonio Carluccio's Italia)


240g figs or pitted dates
50g honey
100g soft brown sugar
1/2 tsp each of ground cinnamon, cardamom, cloves,
       nutmeg and black pepper
250g candied fruit, such as cherries, lemon and orange rind
50g blanched almonds
50g pine nuts
50g shelled hazelnuts, toasted
3-4 tbsp plain flour, sifted
50ml Vin Santo
icing sugar to dust

Heat the oven to 150C/Gas mark 2.  Line a shallow 25cm round cake tin, or 20cm square tin, with rice paper.
Mince the figs or dates and put them in a pan with enough water just to cover.  Add the honey, brown sugar and all the spices.  Cook gently for about 10 minutes, then tip into a bowl.  The mixture should be sticky but not wet.
Add the candied fruit and nuts and mix well, then add the flour and Vin Santo and mix to a sticky mass.  Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin.  sprinkle generously with icing sugar and serve cut into wedges.

If you like this you will also love his Salame di Noci - Chocolate and Walnut Salami with Candied Fruits (also in 'Italia').

The latest Fashion......in wellies and cake.

At last, enough snow to give me a reason to walk into Richmond with my rather sporty new wellies from Hunter!  Who would have thought, not so many years ago, that even this simple, durable footwear would one day become fashionable - it took me quite a while to decide between the practical yet pretty Royal Horticultural Society design (seen here), and the rather less practical but obviously more 'street smart' Jimmy Choos!  Being a practical girl it had to be the RHS, if only to remind me that once in a while I should wear them for what they are intended!
The other fantastic thing about being snowed in, is the excuse to bake cakes.  Not that I really ever need an excuse, but it's great to walk to the neighbours with something cheering when the weather is so grey, and cake normally fits the bill with most (homemade hot toddy tends to go down quite well too, especially on the really cold days!).
And as with fashionable wellies, it appears that cakes go through fashion phases too.  For the last few years it has been cup cakes wherever you look, but now it looks like there is a leaning towards the Whoopie Pie!  It has to be a fun cake, if only because of it's name, but luckily they also taste pretty good.  I tried to make a healthy option by using butternut, but to be perfectly honest, Whoopie Pies don't really lend themselves to being healthy, and at the moment we are all using up so many calories keeping warm I don't think it will matter too much!

Butternut and Passion Fruit Whoopie Pies

110g butter, at room temperature
200g dark muscovado sugar
3 eggs, beaten
250g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
large pinch ground cloves
250g cooked and mashed butternut
150g cream cheese
1 passion fruit, juice only
200-225g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4.  Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper.
Cream together the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy.  Add the beaten eggs, a little at a time to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Sift in the flour, baking powder, Bicarb and spices, then fold in gently before folding in the butternut puree.
Drop spoonfuls of the mixture on the baking sheets, making sure to leave enough space for them to spread.  Cook for 10-12 minutes, until they feel 'springy' to the touch.  Cool on a cooling rack.
Cream together the cream cheese, passion fruit juice and icing sugar to make the filling.   Spread a little onto one pie, then top with another.