#4 We rise by lifting others

Hello, how are we?

I’m back on the weather again but gawd did I realise how much it effects my mood this week - admittedly Monday is always a bit Monday-ish, but the weather was GRIM, it was cold, dark, raining, and I just felt pants. Fast forward to Wednesday; we had bright blue skies, sunshine, it was warmer, and I felt much more alive.

One thing rubbish weather did encourage me to do was clean the kitchen - which, frankly, was long overdue! Cleaning must be simultaneously one of the most hateful yet rewarding tasks - it always feels like such a mammoth effort; it takes AGES, you find food in places you didn’t know were possible, and your hands resemble prunes by the end of it, but oh wow, the reward when you have finished? EPIC! Please tell me I’m not the only one who finds a clean kitchen pretty satisfying? Bathroom also rates high and a full house clean - well, I think we should get medals for this sort of achievement!

Aside from the weather, this week has felt a bit… well, bitty, and all over the place. I’ve spent the whole week not knowing what day it is or what I should be doing, which I find mildly disconcerting to say the least; as mentioned previously, control is my (somewhat toxic) comfort! Nevertheless the general mood has been one of joy and celebration… which has been blooming lovely.

Obviously I have to mention the Jubilee. I consider the Queen to be like my other Grandma; I’m proud of her, I love her – her manner and her humour is infectious, she always looks RADIANT, she makes me feel safe… and I reckon she gives a really good hug. Not only that, I’m truly inspired by her; her approach to life - to take work seriously but never to take herself too seriously, she spreads a message of unity and positivity, and she looks forward to the future with confidence and enthusiasm - all values I think we should adopt in our day-to-day lives.
With all the wonderful British, summery bakes flying around, I couldn’t help but create a few of my own too… with a heavy focus on strawberries. I whipped up a classic little Victoria sponge cake filled with Bonne Maman strawberry conserve, a scattering of fresh strawberries and whipped fresh cream - disclaimer: I slightly over whipped the cream - see pic - but shhhh - I also made some plain scones to have with cream and jam - no brainer, and a delightful strawberry & lime cheesecake - recipe further down. Truthfully, I’m a bit useless at getting involved with the party-vibe, but I have LOVED seeing all of the celebrations, bakes and people coming together to commemorate such an incredible lady.

I think I could waffle on endlessly about the completely irrelevant moments of my week - like the power cut we had that lasted a could couple of hours and made me realise how reliant I am on electricity - but I will control myself a bit because there are some VERY important comfort related highlights you *need* to be aware of… so let’s get cracking.

MY NEW BOOK - Bake Yourself Happy!

I WROTE ANOTHER BOOK - obviously I didn’t write the actual book this week, but I announced it over on my Instagram. To be honest, I find it SO scary to talk about my work, it all comes back down to having no confidence in myself I guess, but when you put your work out into the world, you have to really embrace being vulnerable… which I’m not that good at - I just don’t like the thought of disappointing people or letting people down, or people judging me and my work - all things I can’t really control.

However, as I mentioned over on my Instagram, I have realised that it really isn't just about me, it’s a huge team effort; from everyone at the publishers (and there are many), to the photographer, stylist and props person, my Mum, my sister, and at the time, my Dad too; my agent, friends for being guinea pigs and others for testing recipes for me… it’s the sum of many parts and therefore I really should shout about it a bit more, so I will try to.

First off, I’ll give you a bit more info: the book comprises some of my favourite sweet & savoury bakes; it’s flavours I love, and things I find calming and rewarding to bake. I don’t add miso to everything - don’t buy this book if that’s what you’re after (FYI I think miso is great, but I am yet to involve it in my bakes), and I probably don’t revolutionise baking as such, but I have combined flavours that work (in my opinion), and developed recipes based on concepts we all love - there are doughnuts, brownies, blondies, biscuits, focaccia, oatmeal cookies, cakes, a custard tart, savoury rolls (epic), a no churn ice cream… the list goes on.

All of the recipes are achievable, some things a little more challenging than others. I have shared as many tips and tricks as possible, and provided as much insight into possible pitfalls as I can, I have also been slightly excessive in terms of accuracy at times. Essentially, I have done my absolute best to limit the potential of baking disaster for you, but my best piece of baking advice to anyone is to get things wrong, because when you really epically mess up, you learn the most, and as we learn, we get better - fact. Ultimately, I hope that this book and the recipes in it can provide you (if you buy it) with a little happiness from start to finish.

When can you get your hands on it you ask? The book is out in September and there are a limited number of signed copies available to pre order via this link . It is also available on amazon and book depository - who I think offer free worldwide delivery. I will try to share a bit more exclusive info over on here, so keep your eyes peeled. In the meantime, I can’t thank you enough for the support, I know how much I must sound like a broken record when I say that, but I mean it, every kind word/message of encouragement and love, brings me SO much comfort and joy - THANK YOU.

Tomatoes: A series

If you follow me on Instagram, you will know I was lucky enough to receive a GLUT of the most incredible Tomatoes from British Tomatoes to celebrate British Tomato fortnight, they didn’t ask me to tell you all about them, but I am because when I love something, I want you to know about it.

I buy tomatoes year-round from the supermarket - usually the Piccolo variety because I find them the most reliable in terms of flavour etc, but fresh, in season British tomatoes are something else!

I realise that, for some, tomatoes may not exactly be a topic of huge excitement but having received so many this week, a few things struck me.

1. The versatility of a tomato… it is be the basis of so many of our FAVOURITE meals, I’m thinking: Bolognese (although strictly speaking I don’t think Bolognese always includes tomatoes… but they do in my house), pizza, tomato soup (including Heinz tinned), ratatouille, moussaka, puttanesca, parmigiana, tomato salsa, simple tomato pasta, baked beans, greek salad, ketchup?? Tomatoes can enliven a somewhat ‘one note’ dish, they can be cooked slow and low to yield rich, warm & comforting sauces or can stand alone, fresh and vibrant… ok maybe not entirely alone, salt, olive oil, maybe a few herbs or some balsamic vinegar, and you have yourself a magical thing!

2. Some nostalgia - I realised (probably for the millionth time) how evocative certain foods can be. As I sliced through one of the big beefy tomatoes, it took me back to when I was a kid. My late Grandpa use to eat them with just a sprinkle of ‘low salt’, usually alongside a crusty bread roll from the local baker, spread liberally with butter, and stuffed with ham from the butchers - usually with a hefty smear of English Mustard - enough to make your nose tingle a bit! I’m not sure about anyone else but the comfort of food memories like this is something so personal, but also unrivalled - you can’t help but smile.

3. How creative you can be when you have an abundance of one ingredient… it’s also quite fun to explore the endless possibilities when you are almost forced to do so (do I sound like a complete loser? I’ll answer that myself, I DO!).

Anyway, this week has been Tomato-y and I’m not one bit sorry about it, for those wondering, this is what how my week unfolded in tomato based dishes:

• Roasted and stirred through my ‘go-to’ work pasta salad - with the broccoli pesto sauce from last weeks newsletter.

• 3 large tomatoes were cooked down into a Tarka Dal I made on Monday - if you’ve been around my Instagram for a while, you will know my love for a Dal!

• I used 500g of the bigger tomatoes in place of tinned tomatoes for a lentil ragù that I made in the week and good grief was it good - I let the sauce simmer away for around an hour and a half - the flavour was sensational.

• I roasted a bunch of the cherry variety - called ‘Emily’ - with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and served them on top of creamy ricotta thickly spread onto oily griddled sourdough toast.

• I used my favourite Piccolo tomatoes chopped into a Mexican Black bean & avocado salad - recipe below, it’s a goodie.

• And I snacked on the odd Tommy here and there because they’re so good that they taste like fruit!

So… my conclusions are as follows:

• I take for granted how blooming fabulous tomatoes are, fresher, in season and locally sourced/homegrown are best.

• They have more flavour when stored OUT of the fridge - more science for you - whilst refrigeration extends their shelf life by slowing the ripening process, it also reduces levels of flavour and fragrance chemicals known as ‘volatiles’ which contribute to a tomatoes sweeter, more complex flavour… so, if you intend to eat your tomatoes fairly quickly, keep them out of the fridge!

• Food is astonishing; it helps us recall fond memories, it nourishes us, it brings us huge comfort, it allows us to express our creativity and obviously it tastes good, is sociable and has the power to make us incredibly happy.

Mexican Black Bean & Avocado salad

This salad is the kind of wholesome, fresh, vibrant comfort you crave in the summer. It’s really quick to prepare, full of flavour, packed with nutrients & a great little lunchbox option… a winning meal in my opinion!

Ingredients
Serves: 2-3

Salad base
1x 400g tin Black beans drained
100g Piccolo tomatoes (about 10) chopped
100g red pepper (approx 1 small) chopped
1 Shallot finely chopped
10g (Large handful) fresh coriander
Handful fresh spinach leaves

Dressing
30g Olive oil just over 2tbsp
Juice of 1 lime - about 20ml
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 small garlic clove
1/2 - 1 small red chilli depending on how spicy you like things - I’m a bit of a spice wimp so I go for 1/2.
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 avocado - chopped

Method

Combine the black beans, tomatoes, pepper, shallot, coriander and roughly chopped spinach leaves in a large bowl - mix together well.

Prepare the dressing by combining all of the ingredients.

If you want to make sure your salad stays looking vibrant - the aesthetic vibe - add the dressing just before serving, however, I quite like to chuck it over straight away and let everything infuse a bit- admittedly it’s not quite so ‘poppy’ in colour but tastes GREAT.

Stir through chunks of avocado just before serving.

I like mine either with a portion of grains or stuffed into a pitta bread/flatbread, and served with a dollop of rich greek yoghurt, some sriracha - this spicy sauce I can handle!! - & a little grated cheddar or crumbled feta to top it all off!

A V.moorish nutty, seedy snack

Savoury snacks are synonymous with comfort, come rain or shine, year round, they’re an absolutely essential feature of day to day living; I always have a bag of roasted nuts lurking at the bottom of my handbag - for emergency purposes - our cupboard is always stocked with a premium selection of either homemade or shop bought savoury snacks and a dinner party is only a dinner party if small bowls of nuts and crisps feature - correct? This week Mum and I polished off a bag of really addictive smoked, roasted almonds and I was somewhat excessively devastated so went on a mission to create my own - In actual fact, these are quite different but… they’re really… REALLY good… so if you like a savoury nut… put this on your to-do list.

Ingredients

190g Nuts - a combo of almonds, cashews, pecans and hazelnuts.
45g Mixed pumpkin and sunflower seeds
1.5 Tbsp (~15g) mixed sesame seeds - black & white
1 tbsp Nigella seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1.5 Tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan. Line a baking tray with parchment. Combine the nuts and seeds in a medium sized bowl. In a separate small bowl measure out the olive oil, maple syrup & salt, mix to combine. Pour the oily mixture over the mixed nuts and seeds and stir thoroughly to coat. Dump out onto the baking tray and bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes or until golden and fragrant. Once baked, remove from the oven, stir in the smoked paprika and cayenne pepper and leave to cool on the tray. Store in an airtight container… or just gobble them all up!

Strawberry and lime cheesecake pots

Admittedly I prepared this with a view to it being jubilee themed… and as I send this out, the moment has somewhat passed, however, it’s really good so you still need to try it, it’s fresh, summery, indulgent but not heavy, it’s incredibly simple to prepare and it looks super cute because you serve it in little ramekins/pots which are adorable. I actually made it last Sunday whilst watching (and stressing) through the Monaco Grand prix – it was a perfect cathartic, minimal effort ‘bake’ (not strictly a bake but who’s judging?) that provided some much needed comfort during the tension of the race.

Ingredients

90g Digestive biscuits approx 6 biscuits
35g Unsalted butter melted

150g Cream cheese
150ml Double cream
35g Icing sugar sifted
2 limes - zest and juice (40ml juice)

200g Fresh Strawberries
40g Caster sugar
Juice of 1/2 a lime - about 10ml or 2 tsp

4 Ramekins/pots AT LEAST 150ml capacity - some of mine were this size and the filling only just fit, so I recommend this size or a bit bigger if poss.

Method

Bash up the biscuits into fine crumbs and pop into a bowl, pour over the melted butter and stir to fully combine. Evenly distribute amongst 4 ramekins, press down firmly then pop into the fridge for 1 hour, to set firmly.

Next combine the cream cheese and lime juice/zest in a bowl with the sifted icing sugar, beat together with an electric hand whisk until smooth. Next pour the cream into a separate bowl and whisk to medium/soft peaks. Add the whipped double cream to the cream cheese and briefly whisk until just combined and thick - don’t over whisk.

Grab your ramekins out of the fridge and evenly distribute the cheesecake mix, and smooth the top with the back of a palette knife/spoon. Return to the fridge to set firm overnight.

Meanwhile prepare the strawberry compote. Combine the strawberries, lime juice and sugar in a saucepan - leave the strawberries to macerate for a minimum of half an hour if you have time. Once macerated, place over a low to medium heat until the sugar has fully melted - mash up the strawberries with a fork while it heats up. Then turn up the heat a little and simmer for around 7-10 mins - stir periodically to stop it from sticking to the bottom of the pan - or until thickened. Pass through a sieve (I mash it through a bit). Leave to cool fully.

Once the cheesecake pots have set, spoon a teaspoon or so of the strawberry compote on top, gently spreading it evenly in a thin layer - I use all of the compote up, but any extra is a PERFECT yoghurt topper. Finally garnish with a few chopped strawbs/lime zest and some greek basil leaves are a great little aesthetic addition!

Notes: If you don’t know already, I write a monthly column (including a recipe) for Cheshire Life magazine - this months was obviously jubilee themed, and another cheesecake rendition. It was somewhat ‘Bakewell’ inspired, featuring raspberry, almond and white chocolate - if you can still get your hands on the June issue, you can find it there!

THE VITAL EXTRAS

• An early morning cup of coffee/tea outside in the sunshine - I wish I could do this every day - its the epitome of comfort, calm and zen.

• Peoples’ kindness - I cannot tell you how powerful an act or message of positivity/kindness is… I’ve received the most lovely, supportive messages over the past couple of weeks; in response to this newsletter, my book & my health situation, and I swear it has been the biggest lift. It struck me how many times I think things about others: ‘they look radiant, I love their work, they’re so brave/kind/lovely’, and fail to mention it. Being on the receiving end of the loveliness made me acknowledge that I should spread more love myself, so, quote of the week:

“When you see something beautiful or good in someone, tell them. It may take seconds to say, but for them, it could last a lifetime”

• Dragon Fly tea - Dragon fly have released a new selection of large leaf pyramid teas… and I’m really hooked, ok they’re quite pricey, but I find I can get more than one cup of tea out of a bag, they’re FAR superior in terms of flavour, and I just love the ethics, and values behind the brand. I thoroughly recommend popping them on your shopping list… pick your favourite flavour of tea to begin with and then explore the others - I love the minty one, the camomile and the oolong… oh and the green tea… ok I love them all!

• My friend Georgie alerted me to the fact that ‘She’s all that’ (the film) is available to watch on Netflix - in her words - AN ICONIC film! It’s a little dated now but bought back so many wonderful memories from my childhood - I SO wanted to be as geeky as Laney Boggs when I was younger… and for Zack Siler to be my ‘prince charming’. Laney also really inspired my love of art at school - pretty sure I tried to copy so many of her pieces… and paint my shoes because that also looked cool. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, please go and find this film, watch it and be transported back to your youth!

• Seeing you bake my recipes - it’s a truly wonderful feeling to see people bake, and hopefully enjoy, my little concoctions - Thank you; keep your pictures (and feedback) coming!

OK people, Substack is, (alarmingly, but unsurprisingly), telling me that I am near the email length limit… didn’t even know that was a thing… so I need to SNAPPILY round this up - sorry (again) if I’ve gone a bit overboard here, hopefully there are a few nuggets of wisdom and comfort you can draw from this tome.

Hope you have all had a wonderful week! lots of love xxx