Advertising on your Blog

This Post was written by Lynn from Lynn's Cooking Blog

I got an e-mail today. Not, I hasten to add, an unusual event, but it was an e-mail for a new advertising 'platform'. It's for something called 'ebuzzing'. I assume that others got one as well. It got me thinking.

I didn't set up my blog to make money, but to try and communicate with other foodies the joy that I get from cooking. I'm all for making money, but I wonder of allowing adverts on our blogs demeans them and makes them just another web page.

"ebuzzing allows bloggers to earn money by publicising things they actually like, and even to define their own price for doing so." That doesn't sound too painful, but when I think more about it, it seems to me that what it will allow is advertisers to pay peanuts for publicity, and also to create a doubt in readers minds - are we talking about a product because we actually like it, or because we're getting paid for it?

I'd like your views on this please.

Lynn xxx

OFM Eco Foodies

This Post was written by Jonathan from Foodari

The Observer Food Monthly always causes excitement in the Foodari household and we were particularly impressed by yesterday’s focus on the top eco foodies. Whilst I may or may not agree with their grading, and I think there was far more scope for local food heroes, it did raise the profile of one of the key issues of our time – food provenance.

Channel 4 and Hugh Fearnely-Whittingstall can take much credit for generating the latest wave of eco interest. For the past 5 years the organic and free range movement has grown in statue and importance, but coverage has generally been restricted to the middle classes. What I was delighted to see in the interview with HFW was an illustration of how easy it can be to eat quality food of proven provenance without impact on the weekly budget.

I admit that my first coverage of the Chicken Out campaign was a critic of seemingly sensationalist television, but I was wrong. HFW is worthy of his number one position in the Observer chart; he is truly passionate about reducing food miles, carbon footprints and encouraging local seasonal eating. He also demonstrates how free range chickens should not dent the weekly budget - firstly as they are extremely good value compared to any red meat and secondly because one chicken can feed a family for 2 if not 3 meals from one bird.

Keep up the good work OFM and we at Foodari hope to play a part of what will need to be a long, sustained campaign.

IYP - Blog Event

This post was written by Alex from Eating Leeds.

OK - it's International Year of the Potato, which is an excuse for a blog event. Introducing ... The Potato.

You can make it as simple or as complicated as you want. Make mash and blog about it, or find some rare-breed potato, do some research, make something new and ... blog about it.

You don't have to have a blog to participate (just email me) - but submissions need to be in by the end of February and I'll do the write up in the first week of March!

Happy potato eating!

The Marmalade Festival - February 10th Cumbria

This Post was written by Martin from Artisan-food

Artisan-food is organising the food part of the magnificent Marmalade festival, to be held at Dalemain House, Cumbria, on February the 10th this year. There will be around 24 local producers attending and we are planning to make it a real taste sensation. The Artisan food marquee and Dalemain's historic barn will be connected together and this is where all the producers will be. We have a fantastic line up with over 50 citrus themed products on offer. So if you are anywhere near the lake District, come and visit. The festival is on from 10-4. E-mail me or just come to our stand to say hello.

We are also getting some superb publicity for the event. 4 full pages in the Sunday Telegraph magazine, 4 Pages in Tastes of Britain, an article in the Field, plugs in Food and Travel, BBC Countryfile amongst others, as well as lots of great local coverage too. It seems that Orange is the new Black, well at least in a food sense. Our latest will be UKTV Food - Market Kitchen - transmitted on 31st January at 7pm.

We have some fantastic local artisan producers who will all be bringing their own citrus twist to the festival, they range from Susan Aglionby who breeds Longhorn cattle and as well as selling her beef, will be cooking some of her excellent slow grown, grass fed, traditional breed organic beef for people to taste (click here or more info).

Susan is part of the Hadrian Organics network and will also be accompanied by Eva’s organics, a fantastic local organic vegetable grower who runs an excellent local box scheme in the North of the county.

We have two local artisan cheese producers, Leonie Fairburn from Thornby Moor and Lynne Ballentyne Dykes from Wardhall Dairy who produce excellent cheeses from single-herd raw milk, they will be matching their popular hard and soft as well as goats cheeses with citrus chutneys amongst other things. To complement this we will also have a great selection of other citrus cheeses from around the UK bought to us by John Natlacen of Churchmouse Cheeses, recently voted as “the best independent cheese shop in 2007” (Click here for article)

People will be able to try cooked venison with cranberry and orange jelly as well as sample a canape of Venison Pate with Cumberland jelly, the venison is from Deer ‘n’ Dexter, (click here for article)

We have one of the countries finest stoneground organic millers attending, notably the Watermill (click here for article) and whilst on the bread theme, The Moody Bakers a local cooperative with an excellent reputation and products will have a selection of breads, marmalade cakes and lemon drizzle squares. The counties butter maker will be selling handmade butter, called Cream of Cumbria, “you may be able to whip their cream, but you can’t beat their butter”.

Jane Maggs from Wild and Fruitful will be creating the official “Festival marmalade” out of Seville oranges and locally grown quince, a fitting challenge for a producer who is known for her excellent jams, jellies and chutneys. Also present will be Lizzie Smith who has won many awards for her fabulous Cumbrian Frutta Cotta, and recently created a Mostarda version that was awarded the “best new product” at the recent NW fine food awards. (click here for article)

The Gift of Oil, described by Gordon Ramsey as having “dazzling oils and amazing vinegars” will present a variety of citrus infused oils for sampling. Our very special Lyth Valley Damsons can be sampled steeped in Gin from Cowmire Hall and there is lots more too..

Chef, Nick Martin, who we call “Cumbria’s culinary ambassador” will be cooking various dishes too, based on local produce, just in case you are not tempted by any of the food on the stalls!

I hope to see you there, come and visit the Artisan-food stall and watch me preserve some lemons, you can also buy the winning festival bread and there's lots more we plan to do.! - Martin

Who says healthy can't be tasty?

This Post was written by Jonathan from Foodari

Like most of us I had far too much to eat over the festive period and whilst Christmas is a distant memory there are certain reminders around the waistline (and the credit card!). Therefore although my New Year's resolution is starting late it is to be healthy in the mornings and start the day with a wholesome breakfast - I will see how this goes and look to progress right the way through to lunchtime and beyond.

So here's a tatsy starter to the day, named after a very small girl called Molly who quite liked it.

I hope you enjoy it as much as she and I do...

Ingredients:

Porridge Oats

Bran

A selection of nuts (any of - walnuts, hazel nuts, almonds, brazil nuts)

Currants or sultanas

Dried apricots roughly chopped

A few handfuls of oats to one handful of bran. The bran gives your muesli some depth. Add as much of the other ingredients as you feel comfortable with. The nuts must be put into a tea towel and beaten with a rolling pin. Its an experience that is worth making the muesli in the first place! The brazil nuts add a wonderful creaminess.

It keeps in an air-tight container for ages. Whenever you feel like a snack grab a handful add some fruit, milk and off you go. Personally I think banana is a must!

Homemade millefiori honey and carrot soup

This Post was written by Licia Accorsi from Del Sole

Happy New Year!

How full of hopes, dreams and lists of good things these three little words are.

We only have the chance to say them once a year so let’s make the most of them!

To get things off to a great start I am sure many of you have on your list to get healthier, perhaps to eat healthier food - maybe even to learn how to cook in this way.

Well, if you cannot come to the store on a day I make this wonderful, fragrant soup, you will need my recipe to make it for yourself. Fortunately, it’s quick, easy and has a fantastic flavour!

This soup is made with some of my favourite ingredients - carrots and millefiori honey - and is also suitable for people who need, or simply prefer, their food to be gluten-free, dairy-free and wheat-free.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

• 1 finely chopped, medium-size, golden onion
• 500g cleaned and chopped carrots
• 1 chopped celery stalk
• 700ml hot water with 1 heaped tablespoon of gluten-free or yeast-free vegetable bouillon. Alternatively use 700ml of fresh vegetarian stock.
• 3 generous tablespoons of millefiori honey
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

• Warm the oil in a medium pot over gentle heat. Add the onions and cook until golden, then add the celery.
• When the celery is cooked, stir in the chopped carrots and cook until golden on all sides for (normally about 5 minutes).
• Next add the hot water with bouillon or fresh vegetarian stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the carrots are tender throughout but not falling apart.
• Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the millefiori honey.
• Pour the soup into a blender and blend to a smooth consistency. Add extra water if too thick.
• Adjust with salt or pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

This soup is an excellent winter warmer, and is complemented beautifully by a little heart-shaped multiseeded roll.

Just the right food to nourish you and set you off on your journey to conquer the world!

At Last, a Gluten Free Food Blogging Event!

This Post was written by Naomi from Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried

Just when you thought the blogosphere couldn't handle another food event, here I am hopefully proffering another for your participation.

This one's for all you gluten free gourmets out there, all you daring bakers who fancy the extra challenge of leaving the wheat, barley and rye flour in the cupboard and anyone else who would like to support my fledgeling food event.

The very first theme is 'Teatime Treats'; those tasty little morsels we bring out when folk drop round for morning coffee, the children come home from school or a maiden Aunt is visiting. From a buttered slice of the plainest Madeira cake to the fanciest pastel coloured macaron; teatime is for settling back with a smackerel of something fresh from the oven and enjoying some pleasant conversation.

The only restriction is that your recipe is gluten free, so let your hair down (actually, tie it back) and get baking!

Post about your entry on your own blog and email me the link and a photo (if possible) to naomidevlin at f2s dot com by Feb 21st. I will post the round upat my blog on Feb 28th.

I look forward enormously to your contributions - anyone who would like to host another month, please let me know. x x x

Wholesome Lunchbox

This Post was written by Margot from Coffee and Vanilla.
Here is a post from my blog, that I thought would be of interest for some UK food bloggers.



Recently I have been looking for some lunchbox ideas for kids and I could not find that many of them. So I decided to announce this event to collect some of the recipes in one place. I don't want to limit entries to kid's lunchboxes, so even if you don't prepare lunch for children, you can enter any recipe that is good to put in a box and take as a lunch with you. I will post summary with links to all entries on the weekend 16th-17th of February.

Please send all entries by 15th of February (midnight, UK time)at:
coffeeandvanilla(at)416studios(dot)co(dot)uk with “Wholesome Lunchbox” in the subject line, including:

- link to your post
- your name
- your blog name
- location

1. Your entry has to be lunchbox food, preferably easy to prepare and healthy.

If it is a lunch for kids it should contain one item from each of five categories:
- Tummy fillers (sandwich, wrap, muffin, quiche, pizza slice, pasta salad, rice salad, couscous salad etc.),
- Five-a-day options (fresh, tinned or dried fruits, nuts, seeds, fruit salad, jelly made with fruit pieces and natural juice, raw vegetables),
- Dairy products for growing bones (yogurt, fromage frais, rice pudding, custard, cottage cheese, raita, cream cheese),
- Snacks / Treat (small piece of cake, chocolate bar, mini pastry, cookie, flapjack, crackers, bread sticks),
- Drinks (water, milkshake, smoothie, juice).

2. Your entry can be post from your blog archive, or posted especially for this event.

3. Please use event banner in your entry linking back to: http://www.coffeeandvanilla.com/?p=1429

Looking forward seeing your entries.... Margot

Banana Nut Bread - perfect with a cup of coffee, especially on rainy mornings

This Post was written by Margot from Coffee and Vanilla.

Banana Nut Bread

5 medium bananas - mashed roughly (about 700g)
200 g unsalted butter (melted)
½-⅔ cup of walnuts (chopped or not)
2 eggs (beaten)
3 tbs of vanilla sugar (30g)
1 tbs of baking powder
1 cup of soft dark brown sugar
2 pinches of salt
3 cups plain flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg

Stir everything together and place in 2 medium size buttered tins or layered with teflon sheets.
You can use also 2 medium size bread loaf tins.
Bake in 140°C (248°F) for an hour – an hour and half.

Leave to cool down before serving. Taste even better the next day.

Makes about 15 servings.

* Make sure that you don’t put too much bananas, or you don’t mash them too much because cake will not grow like on the first picture.
I use my fingers to mash bananas

** When my daughter was younger I used to chop nuts, right now I add them almost not chopped what is adding texture to the cake.

Introductory post

This Post was written by Nilmandra from Soy & Pepper.

It's great to see so many UK-based foodies and I'm looking forward to keeping up with what's going on with the food scene in the UK (and the big-wide-internet-world).

1. Where are you based?

Nottingham.

2. How long have you been blogging?

I have been blogging for years but decided to start a food blog after seeing how food posts are taking over my personal blog. It's only been a few months but I'm enjoying it a lot.

3. What's the best thing about food blogging?

The best thing for me is sharing the recipes and photos and receiving helpful comments and suggestions from like-minded folks. It also makes me think more creatively about my cooking and presentation and drives me to try out recipes from the cook books I have or dishes from childhood. It also helps me to organise my recipes and makes it easy to look something up.

4. What's the worst thing about food blogging?

Making the husband wait for his dinner while I am taking photos of the food!

5. What inspires you to cook and write?

Having somewhere dedicated to my food experiences, thoughts and photos, and sharing ideas with other foodies.

6. Where do you like to blog?

At home. I try not to do it at work, although I have the bad habit of pursuing other people's food blogs and posting comments at work!

7. What's your signature dish?

I don't really have one yet, I think. Perhaps honey and rosemary chicken? Penne with sausauge, peas in mustard cream sauce? Cottage pie? Oyako don? Wonton noodles? I'm too busy trying out different recipes to settle on one yet!

Chicken Out!

This Post was written by Scott from RealEpicurean

Hi all,
Happy New Year! Most of you might have already seen the email I'm about to post, but for those that haven't, take note please...

Dear Friend of River Cottage,

Here’s a quick reminder that our new River Cottage series, Hugh’s Chicken Run starts tonight (Monday 7th Jan) at 9pm. We are really excited over the next three days that we can really drive this campaign hard.

So far, we've got over 19,000 sign-ups before the show has even aired, so it’ll be great to see how far we can push this. We’ve got loads of celebrity support too including Rosie Boycott, Jamie Oliver, Bill Oddie, Jonathan Ross and even the Chickens of Aardman Animations ‘Chicken Run’! Who are all helping to spread the campaign to the widest possible audience. A full list can be seen here.

You may well also of seen plenty of press activity too, with major pieces in the Independent, Sunday Times and Saturday Mail. The RSPCA and Compassion In World Farming have all made their own direct pleas to get this top of the publics new years wish list.

But there’s still more you can help us with, if you’ve not already, please help...

1. Sign Up! Please.

2. Send the campaign to all your friends, family and colleagues – get them to sign up and get them to pass it on to their address list too

You can do that easily by either forwarding this mail or go to our send to a friend feature.

3. Display our campaign banner(s) and ‘pledgometer’ on your website, facebook pages or blogs, or hassle website owners to do so, or tell us where we should be putting them – the pledgometers are all linked together so they will all count into the same total, the more running the better!

Please see here for details of how to add the bannners to your site. Website suggestions to campaign@chickenout.tv.

4. Ask your local free-range poultry supplier to display one of our posters – available here and upload your free-range supplier to the list at www.freerangereview.com.

For full show details please here.

Once again, many thanks, we hope you enjoy the shows

Hugh and the River Cottage Team.

SnackShots #1: Potato

This Post was written by Michelle from Greedy Gourmet

A brand new food blog photo event for a brand new year. The theme this month is the humble Potato.

Can you prepare fabulous french fries or make the world’s greatest gratin? How do you like your potato? Baked, roasted, sautéed, fried, steamed, boiled? What’s your favourite potato dish? Aloo gobi, Bubble and Squeak, Moussaka or Shepherd’s Pie?

Your photo doesn’t need to be of a recipe you made; it can be abstract too. Maybe you went to your local farmer’s market and couldn’t resist taking a photo of a mountain of freshly dug up tubers. Maybe you planted your own and want to show off your harvest. Have you come across those funny looking purple potatoes? The possibilities are endless.

Write about your unpretentious potato dish or experience if it takes your fancy.

Give it your best shot!

What Must I Do?

Take a photo of anything potato.

Pictures should be no more than 400px in length or width.

Only one photo per person or blog is allowed.

The deadline is on 4 February 2007.

Please send an email to michelleATgreedygourmetDOTcom and include the following:

• Your name
• The name and URL of your blog
• The name of your dish OR a descriptive title of your photo
• Which camera and lens you used
• The permalink to your entry posting with a link to Snackshots’ entry details, i.e. this page.

If you don’t have a blog, you can still participate; just email us your entry with a photo attached.

Potato should be the main (50% or more) ingredient in your dish/photo.

What Happens After That?

A roundup of all entries will be posted a few days later. Readers will be able to vote for their favourite entry. A panel of judges will judge all entries and the winners will be announced soon after.

Further details can be found here.

Children and obesity...

This Post was written by (French) LaurieLorette from Yummy Homely Food



Bonne Annee 2008 to everyone on UKFBA!


On the news yesterday: The problem of obese children is rising fast...in France. Now I know it's a real issue here (you only had to watch Jamie's dinners...) but (perhaps because I don't keep in touch a lot with what's up in my country these days- 10 years here) I wasn't aware of the importance of the problem in France. That particular bit of news was all about how they tackle the problem of rising obesity in children in France: Small producers come to primary schools showing what their products look and taste like (they were having proper food tastings!). They also do that at pre schoool level getting kids to try anything from asparagus to blue cheese. Importantly, there is no mention of dieting/fat/...the approach is all about enjoying new tastes and everything in moderation. they showed kids at school at lunch time: they have a 3 course meal everyday (and this was an ordinary school, not some posh mega bucks private place). ...but the speaker said the portions were small.
I loved watching that (not the bit about children getting overweight but what people do to curb the trend) and it has got me back to thinking how I can help by doing my bit here.

I have 2 kids, a 3 year old boy and a 1 year old girl. I am not faced YET with the problem of them being fussy eaters, I know it might be coming soon.So,at the moment I try to focus on getting them to try everything and also see where food comes from. I hope that 4 or 5 years of good habits will eventually resurface once they have gone through the fussy teenage years? fingers crossed.
It does help that I only work part time and live in the countryside I agree. But even without saying that everyone who has the space should have a little vegetable patch and spend their days going to watch pigs in muddy fields, why has the matter of food become what it is? People work harder yes, have less time yes but still. I dont' think cooking fresh meal has to be a slaving chore if you get a bit organised and think about it in advance. During the week we mainly eat stews in winter (I just bang everything in a big ovenproof casserole in the evening for a few hours and reheat it the next day), soups (again, 5 minutes job, and it uses all the leftover vegetables) and pasta dishes. It doesn't cost a lot neither(you can use how much meat/fish you have, no on will be able to check but it will still taste meaty).
My husband says I don't understand because I am French and cooking is in my nature, so I have the willpower to give food an important part in our everyday life .

Really wanted to share this thought with other people. To see what you think and more importantly, what "non celebrity led" initiatives have been started by people like you and me to tackly this issue. If you know of any, especially in the South East of England, please let me know. I feel very strongly about it. I want to get involved , do SOMETHING. What? How? or why not- do you think i am looking at this the wrong way round? Do you think it's a matter of where you are born and that's it? comments eagerly awaited :)

The Great British Pudding Challenge

This Post was written by Rosie from Rosie Bakes A 'Peace' of Cake

The Great British Pudding Challenge for this month is underway. I have selected a delicious pudding called, Sussex Pond Pudding. This is a suet steamed pudding revealing in its centre, golden buttery sugar syrup that trickles out from the pudding on cutting open to form a pond! This Challenge is open to any Blogger, Wordpress etc, who wish to partake.

Please view my Blog [link here] for the recipe and details. I do hope you will pick up the gauntlet and join with me in “keeping the traditional pudding alive in our households”.

Many thanks Rosie x

Seasonal Recipes

This Post was written by Margot from Coffee and Vanilla.

Christmas and New Year's has passed so fast that I did not even realize it is already time to put all decorations back in the box for the next year. There was a time also to clean up my blog and replace Xmas recipes with some warming up dishes for the cold weather we have here in UK.

Here is a few of them...

Fruit, Cheese, Nut & Leaf Salad

very flexible winter salad where you can use ingredients that you have in your cupboard at the moment



Easy Celery Soup

very simple and delicious soup, perfect with fresh bread or mashed potatoes on a side



Green Pea Soup with Parmesan and Balsamic Vinegar

one of my favourite soups recently, originally from Running with Tweezers



Grandma Nina Pischinger (Polish wafer dessert)

delicious but easy to prepare dessert with hint of vodka



For the whole list visit my: Seasonal Specials.

Heston Blumenthal's Peking Duck

This Post was written by Pete from This Edible Life



Epic.

It's not a word to be used lightly. Ben Hur is an epic. The Iliad is an epic. Aston Villa's 4-4 draw with Chelski on Boxing Day was an epic. Epics are filled with challenges to be faced, triumphs over adversity, and occasional lessons in car waxing by wise Japanese mentors.

Heston Blumenthal's Peking Duck recipe is epic. If these were ancient times, the Oracle of Delphi may well have given Hercules the choice of capturing Cerberus alive or making Peking Duck as his twelfth labour. Deal of no deal? No deal. Cerberus was a puppy in comparison.

It's Wednesday 2nd January 2008. I'm off the saline drip and out of the Bacofoil blanket. Light beads of sweat are still clustering around my temples but the worst of the palpitations are over. They say I may never be the same again, that the nightmares may persist into old age, that I may wake up in the middle of the night screaming about ice filtration. Please Mummy, let the pain stop. Bring back yeast and puff pastry. All is forgiven.

Here is my story. Let us never speak of it again.

Happy New Year!

This Post was written by Raymond from Great British Grub!

Happy New Year!

I hope that 2008 brings lots of joy and prosperity to you all! I look forward to continuing my blogging and reading your blogs throughout the up-and-coming year!