Double Chocolate Drop Biscuits

An organic recipe from Doves Farm's recipe book - Double Chocolate Drop Biscuits. Ingredients: 100g butter, 100g caster sugar, 1 x free range egg, half a teaspoonful of vanilla extract, one teaspoonful of baking powder, 2 teaspoonfuls of Green & Black's organic, fairtrade cocoa, 150g plain white, organic Dove Farm's flour, 25g of Montezuma's very dark, organic, fairtrade chocolate (chopped into small pieces).
Method: 1. beat together the butter and sugar 2. beat in the egg, vanilla & baking powder 3. mix in the cocoa, flour & chocolate pieces  4. place 12/14 teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto an oiled baking tray (leaving room for the biscuits to expand) 5. bake in a pre-heated oven (fan 160 celsius) for 10/12 minutes 6. Cool biscuits on a wire rack.

When you need a little 'pick me up' nothing can beat a homemade chocolate biscuit accompanied by a fresh and flavoursome cup of jasmine green tea! I made these biscuits yesterday using plain white organic flour from Doves Farm and Montezuma's 73% cocoa, very dark organic chocolate. Both companies are family owned and passionate about what they do - read their stories using the links below. 

Neatly stored away in a Kilner airtight jar. A perfect gift for a biscuit lover and I have just the person in mind!

Two key ingredients that go into making a superb double chocolate drop biscuit - Doves Farm organic flour (read here) and Montezuma's organic chocolate (read here).

Longueville Manor, St Saviour, Jersey, Channel Islands

Borage - its cucumber flavoured leaves are excellent for tea and other beverages; its blue flowers can be used to decorate salads and other vegetarian dishes.

Longueville Manor, an eighteen acre estate, located in the parish of St Saviour is reputed to be one of Jersey's finest hotels. Its fully restored Victorian kitchen garden is lovingly cared for and is, "at the heart of everything that happens in the Manor's kitchens". For more information click here

Enjoy my memories of Longueville's kitchen garden!

Beetroot is low in fat and high in vitamins and minerals - drinking its juice after exercise can allegedly reduce soreness and help your muscles recover. Delicious roasted accompanied by feta cheese.

Rhubarb - can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes.  Try cooking it with mackerel (in season at the moment) or pork.

Red onion - mild, sweet flavour - can be used raw in salads. Stores very well at room temperature.

Jersey strawberries - so sweet - tastes of summer!

Jerusalem artichokes - cook these in the same way as potatoes or parsnips - brilliant roasted!

Jersey, Channel Islands

If you haven't taken a trip to Jersey yet then you must definitely put this on your 'to do list' straightaway!

Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands, between England and France - just 14 km (9 miles) from end to end and 8 km (5 miles) wide. It is an independent, English-speaking territory with a mix of British and French cultures. Here you will enjoy exceptional food, numerous beach activities, cycling, walking and learn about the island's history during its 5 year German occupation in World War II.

I hope my photographs will give you an appetite for Jersey!

St Aubin's Bay - ice-cream made from Jersey cattle; a breed popular for its high butterfat content and protein. 

Joe Freire Strawberries - Central Market, St Helier. Joe is the Island's largest commercial grower of summer fruit.

Fudge from Chocolate Express - Central Market, St Helier (click here)

Jersey Black Butter - Central Market, St Helier (click here)

Famous Jersey Royal potatoes - Central Market, St Helier (click here)

Quintessential Shere, Surrey

The Bakery

Yesterday I visited the quintessential surrey village of Shere, I hope you'll enjoy the images I captured on a perfect summer's day! For more information about Shere, its history and why so many film makers favour this village for 'location shooting' please click here.

The Greengrocer

Get involved, join the Shere Street Party on Sunday 12 June!

St. James Church used in the film Bridget Jones starring Renee Zellweger

A cottage garden

The film 'The Holiday' in 2006 starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black was shot on location in Shere 

A pretty row of cottages opposite the Shere Gift Shop

Strawberry Chia Jam

Strawberry Chia Jam

I've just made the most delicious strawberry chia jam using a recipe from Sarah Britton's book, 'My New Roots' (please click here for more information). I've used a variety of strawberry called Eve's Delight which has a reputation for being very aromatic and flavoursome; my local supermarket sells punnets from a grower in Berkshire. However, the piece de resistance with this easy recipe is the superfood, chia - its seeds are packed with many nutritional benefits (click here). 

As the strawberry season has begun why not enjoy a day out at your local PYO farm, I would recommend a trip to Garsons in Esher, Surrey (click here). Happy picking!

Marvellous Chia Seeds!

Watercress - Alresford, Hampshire

Watercress has always grown wild in the chalk streams and ditches in and around Alresford, Hampshire; today Alresford is regarded as the main producer of watercress in the country. To celebrate its watercress, Alresford stages an annual festival (click here).

If you would like to visit Alresford or New Alresford, I can highly recommend a stay at The Lodge, Arle Cottage owned by the delightful Clare Ashman (for further information please click here). I enjoyed a stay here during September 2014 when I attended the Alresford Agricultural Show (click here).

Watercress is actually part of the cruciferous (also know as brassica) family of vegetables along with kale, arugula and Brussels sprouts. Packed with vitamins and minerals, this peppery little leaf is one of our natural superfoods and tastes delicious too! A simple puree of peas, mint, watercress, lemon juice and creme fraiche makes a delicious accompaniment to salmon or river/sea trout.

Here we go!

Watercress - a little superfood!

A delicious and nutritious pea and watercress puree.