White chocolate and lemon swirl cheesecake

I'll keep this snappy for two reasons, 1 - cheesecakes are easy and take no baking or real skill and 2 - the dog needs a wee.

Im not spell checking this.  This ones for Darren Caldwell by the way, a twitter pal who challenged me to out do a Tesco cheesecake.

You'll need a deepish 8 inch round tin, at least 2 inches deep so its nice and thick.

Line the bottom of your tin but you dont have to grease it.

Ingredients

For the base:

200g ginger nut biscuits or digestives

65g melted butter

For the filling:

250g full fat cream cheese

250g mascarpone

80g caster sugar

100mls double cream

500g white chocolate melted

Zest of 1 lemon

2tbsp of lemon curd warmed in a pan so its loose and runny

Method

As always with a cheesecake we start with the base, smash the biscuits to a fine gravel using a food processor or in a bag with a rolling pin.  Stir the crumbs into the melted butter and press evenly into your tin.

Put the base in the fridge while you whip up the filing.

Simply add everything to the mixer and beat together except the lemon curd until smooth and thickened, this will take a couple of minutes so persevere.  It needs to be spreadable but not too loose or it might not set properly. The texture of lightly whipped cream is right.

Spoon the filling over the base and smooth out flat.

drizzle on the runny lemon curd and swirl through with a knife. 

After that not so difficult five minutes pop the cheesecake in the fridge to set for two hours.

while your waiting spin this LOUD  its my new purchase, i cant stop playing it. I cant wait to hear it out and give it a dance.

The Origins of Northern Soul

Would be interested to hear anyones thoughts....

The phenomenon known today as 'Northern Soul' was originally a mixture of many things. It has grown out of an underground youth culture, that had prevailing conditions of full employment, so was optimistic, self reliant and rebellious. They - the Mods - had money to spend on entertainment, fashion and records.  In London the Kings Road was a gathering place for the smart Mod set. Dance halls where packed with people stamping the floor to Dave Clark's 'Bits and Pieces'

Unknowns like the young David Bowie were shown on news program's epitomising the rebellious spirit and fashion conscious youth culture. Most Mods followed 'soul' music and built a clique 'In Crowd' culture around it.

In Manchester and other Northern Cities the youth followed the influences from the London scene.
The white UK groups where copying American RnB and Blues artists. Groups such as John Mayalls Blues Breakers Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames and Alexis Korners Blues Incorporated etc. were following the great Bluesmen and The Spencer Davis group were doing covers of Brenda Holloway songs (Every Little Bit Hurts) The Beatles had made many versions of Motown songs and of course Chuck Berry's too. The Rolling Stones were constantly covering USA RnB releases.

Mods being interested and very loyal to many of these bands started to read the sleeve notes and small writing on the record labels to find the original recording artists or song writers. This lead to a new movement, especially in the Manchester area where at clubs like the Twisted Wheel, pressure on the DJ's came from requests for original artists to be played.

This coincided with Roger Eagle the DJ's love of Black American music, only the original artists, were required, and the purist soul movement began.

It should be remembered that this was an active and vibrant 'scene' everything in the soul scene was happening then; the music was being released weekly. It was current and the Manchester soul scene new it and was its uk centre.

Unlike today's Northern Soul Scene, this was the originator, it was vibrant active and new, and hardly retrospective; it was just 'soul'.

Northern soul started at the end period of the Twisted Wheel's history, when DJ's such as Les Cockall predominated, the others had left.

Taking their private record collections with them.

Northern soul looks back to the 1960's seeking out 'new' unreleased or unplayed recordings. The original scene did start off the collectors and the rare record buffs, but this was because soul music in its peak period was hard to find (most 45's had to be specifically ordered, or imported from USA deleted Auction lists).

Today the 'Northern Soul' scene for the most part, can tend to only recognise rare as good. This was not so at the time. Motown and Stax and others where originals at the time and played upon merit not because they where rare. Upon The later Northern Soul Scene the mainstream records that made the original scene are hardly ever heard, the Stax the Motown the Rnb etc. The music and artists that made it all begin are virtually ignored! Is it because these are not rare enough. It would appear that rarity for its own (or the DJ's sake) is the only criteria of this current backwards facing scene. Totally unlike the one in the sixties which of course was modern at that time, as it was intrinsically linked to the Mod movement - Mods where modern, the latest the coolest the greatest.

Its annoying when 'Johnnie come lateley's say the wrong things like:-
Russ Winstanley, who stated in an article in the Manchester Evening News (2005) That, he, being the DJ at the Wigan Casino started off Northern Soul and was teaching children in the area 'their' musical heritage.

A letter in the paper the following week from Mr P. Roman a Wheel original attendee, put the record straight when he said it all began for him at the Twisted Wheel in 1964 when Roger Eagle played In The Midnight Hour by Wilson Pickett. And that Russ had it wrong the Northern Soul scene started in Manchester in the early 60's not in Wigan a decade later.

Lots of books have been coming out about  'Northern Soul' many people talking about 'then' could not have been there, or at a different time or a different 'set' within that originating 'in crowd'.
In the book Too Darn Soulful by David Nowell, someone comments that the Blue Note was only Ska and Reggae etc! It was, but in its final closing down times, after 1969, so proving that these people came on the scene long after the peak times. This book does inform about those early days and does explain the general scene and recognises Roger Eagle as the first great soul (blues) DJ but it gets lots of things wrong.

It was Roger eagle who played great tracks 1967 at the Blue Note; ie 'CHANGES' by Johnnie Taylor a 'B ' side. Other great Stax stuff, in fact the cream of soul was known to be played only at the Blue Note due to Rogers personal collection.

Other comments in the same book; like we only got USA imports in 1969 is total crap - Roger imported 45's years before! Subsequent Blue Note DJ 's followed in the same vein with 'Everybeat Of My Heart' and quite a few others.

Dave Lomas (Blue Note DJ) played 'Tainted Love' there long, long before the other soul joints had heard it.

On page 39 (Boogaloo Party) a Guy called 'Rob' supposedly found Major Lance! - when we had already found him years before (He did cut a track called I'm So lost)  but even the Manchester group Wayne Fontana and The Mind Benders, knew of him and had copied Major Lances Um Um Um Um Um) we had long before danced at the Wheel all nighters to 'Rhythm' and 'The Monkey Time', these people were simply re-discovering sounds we had danced to and played, they came into a scene that, they then re-built, cheekily, claiming originality!

Later they hyped up records to make money leading to the rise of the Wigan Casino and the rarity of newly discovered or unearthed again sixties soul recordings- a trend continuing right up to today.

The crowd at the Wheel from 63 to 68 we were the originals, those after that time started the Northern Soul Scene but it was not the same as those original days it could never have captured the feeling of spontaneous originality as it happened with weekly soul track releases.
taken from Manchestersoul.co.uk

Do i look like Tina Turner?

The wig debate rages on, so ive done a video of me taking my beehive out to show its not a wig.

here it is, enjoy, im just off to iron my "I told you so t.shirt".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cZRZRNMvYI
 

Heres a little image montage of the beehive coming out with some step by step tips to how i got it in.

Before i begin heres a few tunes i can not stop spinning at the minute.

And my new sunglasses - ive been after a pair for years, im so fussy when it comes to shades, its probably because i think ive got a funny shaped heed.

So the hair, its 34 inches, all my own, straight no layers, never get it cut, dont even wash it if im honest.  When i do though i like to use Kerestase Bain de Force, it keeps my locks in tip top condition.  I use three of the range, the shampoo, conditioner and this heat activted serum for before i blow dry. 

Right boring bit over.

So to begin, the hair goes up into a top ponytail.

A donut is slipped over the ponytail - available from Boots etc for about two quid, they are fab and allow me to stick grips into my head at random and i know they will be fixed to something.

The second stage is to take sections of my ponytail and backcomb pulling them around in a bun.  I try to backcomb each section as 'fat' as possible. pulling the strands of hair to create a 'wall' of hair.

After all of my ponytail is backcombed, which usually takes around 5 minutes, its time to smooth everything out and tuck the ends in, pretty self explanitory.

its finished with a million haircrips and a good whack of hairspray.  I use a tailcomb to tidy any little bits and im good to go.  A pair of clean knickers over my head if i want to sleep with it in and thats about it.  No wig, no conspiracy, no Marge Simpson competition.

What I bought today

Good evening.

What a week its been, what a month its been actually, Ive never stopped, literally been workin 18 hour days at the bakery but im not complaining. Ive worked so hard this last year and its starting to pay off.  Ive got a long road ahead of me but im looking forward to it.

Who would have thought entering a cooking competition would completely overhaul my life so quickly.

So as we all know you work hard and you play harder. And on the latter subject ive been making a few cheeky purchases.

The first is this original knitted Fred Perry, winter white and a brown laurel.  Its very similar to my John Smedleys i LIVE in, the style is so classic and smart.  Yes its a ladies even though the manequin looks like its is smuggling a banana in the bottom picture.

I plan on wearing it two ways.  Casually with turn ups and my bass weejun congac loafers.

Heres me in it, its just arrived:

The secons is a bit more dressy, chocolate two tone pencil skirt, fishnets and black fringe 60s penny loafers.  I love blending black and brown shades.

Im also debating whether to get a chocolate suede a line skirt with pres stud fasten down the front made.  Somewthing like the below but shorter, i love the shape.

This below one is also amazing and is in a deep plum, its from Topshop of all places.  I dont mind the high street but the thought of going out and seeing anyone dressed in something the same as me scares the crap out of me.

Ive also just bought these amazing Churches shoes.  Church are one of the most amazing shoe brands, they are famous for their brogues but these pretty 60s weaves are exactly what ive been after for years.  A bargain at £25 aswel.

Ive been after a new Breton stripe for ages. The one ive got is a little worn, I love them with simple navy chino trousers.  Ive found these and they are a snip at £15 each so ive bought 2 ha!!

My final purchase was a Britac shirt.  Britac are a Spanish firm who make the most amazing shirts, they are a true mod/skin/suede brand and although they dont do womens their xs mens fit me a treat, i got this shirt today and plan on wearing it with either trousers in chocolate brown or a navy tonic short skirt.  A snip at £45 and the detailing is outstanding.

In the bakery today I made a cake for Olympic medalist Tony Jefferies.  Hes amazing im such a boxing fan so its nice to know a Sunderland lad is doing so well.  I made it red velvet and vanilla sponge in alternating layers so when you cut into it its red and white stripes like the football club. 

You can see the cake here top row on the right.

The origin of Stacie

Ive wanted to write this blog for ages but with the bakery expanding and everything else ive got on at the minute i havent had time to do it justice. 

Im now sat drinking rum looking through old pictures.

So heres how it all happened. To quote the Stanley Unwin narrative

Are you all seated too comfortable, too square on your botty? Then I'll begin....

Once upon a time in the land of dreams,
Where the sky was silky soft
and full of coloured dreams.
Deep inside a rainbow lived Happiness Stan,
in a small pictory of a chalifan

Ok ok they are the lyrics from Happiness Stan. My story begins slightly differently, however i would love to live in a rainbow..

So one day when i was 13 i turned on the radio and was mesmerised by a song that was being played, that song was Supersonic by Oasis, i didnt know it at the time but it was about to change my life.  I began to follow Oasis whole heartedly; I didn't have much money being only 13 so I read as much as i could about them in the papers and on the internet. I found out Noel was inspired by Paul Weller and The Rolling Stones, having never heard of any of them I again sought to find out everything i could about them and why Noel was so inspired by him. From Paul Weller I picked up on the Jam, and from the Jam I discovered Northern Soul music, from the Rolling Stones i picked up on RnB, it all came togeher really beautifully.


From then on, and by this time i was around 16 i became heavily engrossed in the lifestyle, music, scooters, and of course hair styles of the 60's and most importantly the mod movement! Mod to me is about more than how i look, its how i act, my morals, my personality and how i carry myself, like a religion. Theres no such thing as a weekend mod, someone who reckons they are is a half rate excuse for a mod. It really is all or nothing.

Just got to say this before i continue.  There is a very very specific difference to someone whos into the 60's and a mod.  Beehives are NOT mod, girls wore their hair short and neat and looked pretty much androgenous not ragged to death.  I like to blend elements of both as i love icons from the 60s such as Dians Ross, Dusty Springfield and Ronnie Spketor of course, afterall im more than a beehive. People get confused with mod as post 64 when the original mod movement was starting to become popularised, anything that was hip or new or fashionalble/trendy was described as mod.  Twiggy for example, she was mod as she was cool and in the press, she wasnt an original mod though, and i very much doubt an original mod girl would be seen dead with the heavy makeup she sported.


There has been a lot of twitter debate lately about mod and someone very ignorantly said, mod wasnt about outdressing eachother to see who could be the best mod, man that is the most uneducated thing ive heard since Kerry Katona was in the jungle.  To me thats PRECISELY what mod was about, they even had a term for it "topping up" where in conversation, one mod would top another mod up with more indepth knowledge of a subject the first mod brought out.

If you want to call yourself a mod, for me personally you have to be able to hold a discussion about the music, the club scene in the late 50s and the clothing details.  Thats it for me, i love scooters and have two lambrettas of my own but there are plenty of top mods without them.

So to continue, I began to backcomb my hair, and try to copy pictures i found on the internet of girls of the 60's.  I felt that i was already living as a mod and considered myself one so i might aswel start to dress like one.  To me, not dressing like a mod was strange.  Its hard to explain but my mam always said i was getting "dressed up" when i wore my 60s or mod clothing, but it wasnt dressing up it was just dressing normal.

My wadrobe consisted of old Levi 501s from charity shops, St Michael pencil skirts, knitted polos and Fred Perry.  I gradually began to have my own money, more disposable income and naturally the tailored clothes soon followed.  Mod isnt about brands or being flash, its not about spending £200 on a shirt or a skirt, to me its about making the best out of what you have.  Presenting yourself the cleanest, sharpest and proudest you can.  Thats just my perspective anyway. My nana gave me some of her old clothes, a herringbone knee length pencil skirt and an old Littlewoods polo, i felt a million dollars in the outfit but i bet it cost a few pence when she was a kid.

Dont get my wrong i havent always got it right, ive had some horrific fashion disasters, im talking cord flares with lambretta shirt complete with mod target, god im cringing now but fashion is trial and error and ive got there in the end.

When i moved to London in 2006 i was desperate to meet fellow mods, i used to go out by mysef on weekends to meet people (ive never been shy or retiring so i didnt mind going out alone)  Ive got a good few mates in London now which is brilliant.

Clothes wise i live in Fred Perry, John Smedley, half inch swen down turn ups, pencil skirts, 60s dresses, knitted polos and tailored trousers.  Ive got a banging pair of prince of wales with a faint red line.  The detail on them is really special.  I also love The Carnaby Streak for dresses.  Angela is a legend and makes me whatever i want.  She totally gets my vision and is a mod herself.

Ive popped a few pictures below some good some bad, this one in particular is when i started to wear my hair in what i call the bun beehive, which is the beehive i wear now.  This pic must have been taken in my early twenties and its of me and my best mate Leila. Look at how small the beehive is!

 The below dress, i got off ebay for about £3 such a bargain. a 60s look not a mod look.

 This below pic was taken around 10 years ago, i look SOOOOO young.  Im rocking a parka and a little beehive with a thick white hairband.  The patch on my chest is an original Wigan Casino patch.

 The below pic was taken when i was around 18.  Just to show Ive not always got massive hair.

 The below is me now, how im most comfortable, a John Smedley, turn up jeans, loafers and a little hive, this is my every day look, i LIVE in Smedley and Fred Perry, i also love window pane check shirts with v necks and two tone pencil skirts.  They are so smart.  Britac do the best shirts.  When i wear clothes like this i love loafers, ive got a few pairs of Bass obviously, im after a pair of Grensons at the minute, they are amazing but they only do mens in the style i want! So frustrating.

 The below pic was me when i first moved to London around 2005. Again with the white hairband which i constantly wore!  The dress is another ebay bargain, ive still got it in my wadrobe, i totally love it although its the most anti mod dress in the universe haha! Its paisley with gold brockade detail on the neck bottom and cuffs. You can see how young i look in this picture, compared to the one below which was taken last year.

 Again this is me now, wearing another vintage dress.   Hair is massive in this one.

 

 

Scooters

Ive been a scooter enthusiast for about 10 years, but have only got into the models and engines properly for the last few years.  Before this my knowledge was limited to the big hitters, the GS, SX TVR, SS90's and 180s etc etc.

However since Ive been riding again i have been learning about engines and how to carry out basic maintenance, I've watched the lads from the scooter club tinker around with the carburettor and the barrel and piston eagerly taking notes on what i actually do if i break down!

Scooter rallys are a big part of my social life.  There is nothing like the feeling of a ride out with a few hundred scooters, wind in your face. 

This is the helmet i have, its illegal to ride with but i like it for photographs etc. 

Below is my mate Marks series 1. My favourite Lambretta model.

This is my old GP 200, it was an Indian import and was lovely to ride very fast, but i didnt have a full licence so we had to sell it.

This is the scooter im currently riding, a Lambretta Li 125 series 3 special. 

Below is Harry from the clubs award winning automatic.

My dream Vespa below, a sportique, the paint job on this one is stunning, not sure who it belongs to but its a show scooter, i see it all over.

My mate Puds Lambretta heinkel.

 

This is the scooter MasterChef hired for me from Oxfordshire when i filmed the Womens Institute episode, they asked me to bring mine down but a little 125 going 300 miles would have taken me a year!!

One of my favourite pictures taken at the scooter club rally in the Summer, which was held at the old aircraft museum.  The bomber in the background flew in the Cold War.

New shoes and a night out

Just won these little beauties below off EBay. £8 with postage.  Extreme happiness.  I have a few similar pairs (see the 2nd pair with silver buckle) but they have a silver detail so im always fussy about wearing them with a shade that doesnt match silver (its a mod thing)  For example i have this olive dress which i had made in the style of a Brutus trimfit shirt.  I wear a hankie in the pocket with a gold hankerchief pin, i can now wear these shoes with that dress as it will match the pin. Simple things like a gold belt buckle can now be accesoriesed properly.

As for my next  night out I will be headed to The Ham Yard held at The Brittania in EC3 where i'll be dancing to tunes like this i can not wait, im desperate for a dance!

Thinking of wearing my aforementioned Brutus style dress, fishnet tights, black loafers (not the above shoes they are no good for dancing) and a sheepskin jacket.

Anyone fancy it i'll be drinking up at The Enterprise in Camden before hand.

Font & Font(ella) Bass

Got to love this lass, It was her hit Rescue Me in '65 under Chess Records that finally gave Motown Records a run for their money in the hit making factory.  Before the release, Motown had been relatively unrivalled in the top of the charts.

But thats not what this post is about, my lovely mate Alan at Grab a Graphic (the company who did my logo) have created me a lovely font, in the style of the wriging part of my logo

heres it is i think its fab, its going to feature hevily on my new packaging, which im designing at the minute

(having problems getting the font to stay in font on this bloody blog, i'll repost tomorrow)

Confession

God i feel like Usher, except my clothes fit me and my nose is only slightly too big for my face.

When he whacked out his hit confessions a few years back i reckon everyone with a dirty secret thought they could sleep at night knowing they were not alone.  We Salute you Usher and your shit dancing.

Never the less, this is my confession, my dirty secret, every now and again theres nowt more I enjoy than some country honky blues.

I know exactly whos fault it is, The Stones, their early material was littered with American RnB and blues covers, and my Idol Brian Jones, the man to who my tattoos are dedicated (birth and death on my wrists) and the person whos grave i visit in Prestbury Cemetery, Plot: Plot V11393 (yes im that sad) was heavily influenced, some might say consumed by blues records from an early age.  He was in fact the first person to play slide guitar in the UK, chopping the top off a glass beer bottle and using the thin opening as an instrument over his finger in which to achieve the slide guitar sound...

Actually im going to go off on a quick tangent, the above (me travelling to Brian's grave) is actually refereed to as Dark Tourism and its the subject on which i wrote my dissertation at University gaining a 2:1(hons) in 2006.

Right back on track, oh and heres the grave for anyone who might be interested: Rumour has it he is buried 12 foot deep to stop looters digging up his sexy bones...


 

Here is the Stones first single release, which was a Chuck Berry cover for anyone who might not have heard it.    The track reached number #21 in the UK Singles charts in 63. Their first two albums infact only had one original Jagger/Richards song across the whole albums.  Which was Tell Me the rest were covers, as Brian Jones originally set up the Stones as a cover band.  And this ladies and gents is the reason ive got such a soft spot for country blues.  Heres a couple of my favourite tunes, click the link to go to the track.

CSNY - Ohio
The Band - The Weight and heres is Aretha covering it and doing an amazing job!
Bonnie and Delaney - Comin' home
Humble pie - Black Coffee (YES THATS STEVE MARRIOTT)


Im told Heavy Load Club is the place to be for such musical appreciation in London, Ive never managed to make it down but im promised theres a big love in at the end in the form of a acapella Lynark Skynyrd sing along...

So if i love it so much why do i feel so guilty? Well i dont REALLY i suppose but theres not much of a link up between a sharply dressed mod who would rather fight naked than get their clothes dirty, and a long haired face painted free lover.

I hope you have enjoyed the tunes in this post... comments welcome.

A man said i was marching to my own beat (and i liked it)

I know Ive mentioned her before in this blog and on twitter but Angela from The Carnaby Streak really is the best in te business for making clothes in the style of the 60's / mod eras.  Far from jumping on the 60s bandwagon thats currently being whored through the high st .  Angela posesses the greatest of skill and thats the ability to tailor 60's clothing as it would have been (think French Darts and your in the right area)

You look at her competition and they are rehashing polyester crap with lace trim and selling it for double. Far from me to judge, I'll let the wheat seperate from the chaf as it naturally has with Angela and remain a happy loyal customer for years to come.

We are currently working on a dress together, well when i say working, i mean i pick the style dress, choose from a list of fabric samples she sends me and we both work out the detail and finishes together.  That way i know 100% my dress is going to be original and finished beautifully.

So the first little number is a heavy crochet/lace number with collar and button detail to the front, its also going to have a waist belt with gold fastening. Ive picked my fabric (heavy white lace) and we are moving onto the more exciting details now.  I hope it will be ready for Easter so i can wear it for Le Beat (where you can find me annually on an Easter Sunday dancing and drinking until the small hours)

Heres another couple of dresses ive got in the pipeline, i love the simplicity and contrasting lines of the first one, its going to be really structured and sharp.  Cant decide on colour, ive already got a white one with black detail thats similar, maybe an oxblood with a white contrast?

Anyway here it is

The second one is a really structured heavy numbe with button/collar detail.  I fancy a peter pan collar though which is round and not square as in the picture.  And the centre of the collar will join, its little things like that which make all the difference, the small details which i love and which excite me, i only ever use images to get inspiration and thats the other thing i love about Angela, she makes my visons a reality.

Thats all folks, heres a little beat to say goodnight.

Music for the (Northern) soul

Music and being a mod is my everything, its WHO I am, WHAT I hold above anything else, WHY im the person i am today.  Clean living under difficult curcumstances.

Heres a little peek of me about 10 years ago, check out how little the beehive was ha!!

Im consumed by Northern Soul, RnB, Reggae and Boogaloo.  I dont much go in for Psych or 60's Garage, Ive got a lot of friends who are into it though but its a bit too Austin Powers for me, and believe me when i say there is a really specific difference between a mod and someone whos into the 60s!

For anyone who isnt into what im into its hard to explain, my hearts beating fast in my chest right now just thinking about it and thinking about how i can explain how it makes me feel.  Its the passion and excitement of that first second walking into a club and hearing that certain tune that just pins you to the wall with an intoxicating beat. 

I reckon this is probably one of the main reasons i get narked that people think i have been styled for TV, ask anyone that knows me and they'll tell you its the music that made me a mod.  When people assume Ive been styled its like they are saying i dont really march to the beat im representing, its a big slap in the face of what i love and live by. Ive always said, strip me naked and shave my head, as long as ive got the music i'll be happy, because fundementally thats what being a mod to me is all about.

Ive been an original vinyl collector for years, I paid more for my last record than i did for my last car, however my car was an old banger haha! I'm not overly fussed about original pressings, i think I'd be sick at the thought of playing a £900 record on a night out, so yeah sometimes pressings are fine! But when theres one you want, like for example the Joe Tex track below - only the original would have done, and i got it.....

Now less of the Mills and Boon, writing never was one of my strong points. Heres my top tunes, what im listening to now and what i consider all time classics.

I love artists like Kim Weston, Edwin Starr, Dean Parrish, Jackie Wilson etc etc but also have a real soft spot for Motown, Chess, Stax, Trojan - the list is endless

Click the links to go to:

Joe Tex - I wanna be free

Betty Lavette - Stand up like a man

Rita and the Tiaras - gone with the wind

Willie Mitchell - The Champion

Paris - sleepless nights

The Originals - suspicion

Little Johnny Taylor - Somewhere down the line

Jamo Thomas - I spy for the FBI

More to come, make sure you follow me and get email notifications for every time i update this post!!

Beef bourguignon

This is a totally luxurious dinner, its the kind of food you want to eat while listening to Otis Reading, actually heres a little tune for the background while your cooking...  We only have this meal it once in a while but when we do we go all out and serve it with dauphinois potatoes, which you can find under my accompaniments section.  The richness of the red wine against the beef is just perfection in a dish in my opinion!!  Give it a go you won’t be disappointed.  Its surprising how good it is considering you just throw everything in a pot and band it in the oven for a couple of hours...  It’s even better the next day heated up.

Ingredients
Serves 4-6
1kilo stewing/braising steak or shin beef
1 bottle of full bodied red wine
4 fat cloves of garlic
1 punnet of button mushrooms
6-10 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
a few handfuls of baby onions, peeled (if you can’t get these just use 2 large onions sliced)
salt and pepper
flour for dusting the beef
a sprig of fresh thyme
1tbsp of tomato puree
1 beef stock cube for richness, or around 100 mls of homemade stock.

Method
Dice the beef and season it well, coat in a little flour, which will thicken the sauce.
In a hot saucepan add a little oil and seal the meat on all sides.
Take the meat out of the pan and add the onions.
Sweat the onions gently for 5 minutes or so until soft on a medium heat.
In a separate frying pan add a knob of butter and olive oil and fry off the mushrooms (whole dont chop them)
Add the garlic to the onions and stir.
Turn the heat up, add a little more oil if the pan is dry and add the chopped bacon.
Stir until the bacon is cooked.
Add the cooked mushrooms to the pan.
Add the beef back to the pan and any juices which have collected in the bowl/plate.
Season the dish with salt and pepper and add the tomato puree.
Add a sprig of thyme to the pan.
Cover the contents of the pan with red wine (it usually takes the full bottle)
Top up with the stock cube, the meat should be just covered.
Bring the dish to the boil, let it boil for a minute or so, then put the lid on and put the pot in the oven, gas mark 2 for anything between 2 and 3 hours.  The meat will be cooked after 2 but even more tender after 3.
Works wicked in a slow cooker too.

Scones, a proper cream tea

Whack the kettle on, kick back fire up the Dansette and get  your scones out.  Who doesnt love a good scone?  Well probably those people who pap themselves if they eat cream, but thankfully thats a small minority.  Most of us enjoy them warm with jam and cream..  This recipe is for basic plain sweet scones, you can add fruit to the mix, orange zest, nuts, dried or semi dried fruits or just leave them plain, whatever you like.  If you are adding anything, add it at the sugar stage and about 50-75g should be enough.

Ingredients
Makes 8 scones
300g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
75g unsalted butter cubed
75g caster sugar
1 egg
120ml double cream or milk
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Milk, for glazing 

Method
Preheat the oven to gs mark 6 (200) and lightly grease a baking sheet.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingers until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Alternatively, do this in a food processor before transferring the mixture to a bowl.
Stir in the sugar and additional ingredients if using.
Beat the egg and cream together, with the vanilla extract too, if you’re using it.
Pour into the flour mixture and bring together lightly with your hands into a dough. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead very briefly to form a fairly smooth ball.
Pat or roll the dough out to a thickness of about 4cm.
Use a 6-7cm diameter cutter to stamp out scones from the dough. Put them on the prepared baking sheet, brush the tops with a little milk, and bake for about 15 minutes until risen and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes, then serve slightly warm.

Fill with lashings of cream and jam and a nice cuppa.

A little tune for your baking pleasure:

Lemon slice bars

Ok first things first, heres the sound track:

Barbara Mills – Queen of fools

Now, if everyones suitable entertained musically i'll begin.  This recipe was born out of a longing for a lemon tart whilst simeltaneously rendered hungoverly inable to produce pastry. 

These are perfect for afternoon tea, chill out Sundays, picnic Saturdays or gift wrapped for a friends birthday.  Make a batch and graze on them all week if they last that long…

Ingredients
(makes loads)
For the Base
225g unsalted butter, softened
55g caster sugar
240g plain flour
¼ teaspoon salt

Lemon Topping
6 large eggs
240g caster sugar
zest from 6 small lemons
juice from those lemons aprox 230ml 
120g plain flour
icing sugar, to dust

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4).
Grease and line with non-stick baking paper a 30 x 20cm tin. Allow the baking paper to overhang the sides of the tin for easy removal (you don’t want boiling hot lemon filling all over your hands when you remove it from the tin).
For the base, cream together the butter and the sugar until light.
Add the flour and salt and mix until well combined.
Tip the dough into your prepared baking tin and press it evenly into the tin then chill for 10 minutes to relax the gluten in the flour.
After 10 minutes bake the base for around 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Allow to cool (leave it in the tin) and get ready to make the topping. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C (gas mark 2/3).
Combine the eggs and sugar into a large bowl and mix well for at least 5 minutes until they are billowing and mousse like.

Add the zest. Add the flour and lemon juice alternating to make sure the lemon juice doesnt curdle the mix.

Give it a final mix to make sure there are no lumps 
Pour the filling on top of the base and bake for around 25 – 30 minutes or until it is light brown and the filling is just set.  It should still be wobbly in the middle.
Allow to cool completely.
Remove from the tin by lifting the overhanging baking parchment.
Cut into Mackam sized portions and liberally dust with icing sugar.
Store in an airtight container for 1 week.