Foodie Parcels in the Post - August 2015

Monday 31 August 2015
The last day of the month means that its time once again for my regular review roundup. August brought an interesting assortment of food, drink and kitchenware for me to try. Cereal, Charcuterie, Cookies, Cheese, Crisps, Codlo, Cider. There were also Oven Gloves. Try as I might I couldn't find a way to make them start with 'C'.





A couple of years ago I won a runner up prize in a competition for a blog post I wrote which celebrated 30 years of Special K. A six month supply of the cereal duly arrived on my doorstep. That's a lot of boxes! Not so many in the package I received from Special K this time but plenty of new additions to the range including porridge, protein cereal, cereal bars and Nutri K flakes. Strictly presenter Tess Daly has backed the Live in Colour campaign with a recipe she chose herself. Red Apple, Almond and Vanilla. I was immediately attracted to the Chocolate and Hazelnut Granola, delicious curls of dark chocolate, 5 whole grains and 30% less fat than the average granola. The porridge sachets contain a nutritious mix of barley, oats, rye, wheat and spelt combined with seeds, fruits and nuts. Even the classic Special K flake has undergone a makeover to become Nutri K with nine vitamins and minerals. Not sure I'm ever going to manage the red swimsuit look as the recommended portion sizes are way less that I normally put in the bowl, same goes for the porridge sachets. As such I've been bulking them out with fresh fruit which also helps with my five a day.
All products available in major supermarkets.


Oreo have launched two new limited edition flavours and I received a sneak preview of both for a recipe development commission. The Peanut Butter Oreo combines the iconic chocolate cookie with a smooth peanut butter cream filling whilst a second new flavour - Golden Oreo - keeps the original white creme but swaps chocolate cookie for vanilla. I'm a big peanut butter fan so for me the PB flavour is absolutely spot on although it would be even better as a double stuffed variant. The Golden Oreo are almost Custard Cream like in taste but with a much crunchier biscuit.
Check out my recipe for Peanut Butter Oreo Milkshake. Guaranteed to bring all the boys to the yard.
The new flavours are available in all major supermarkets at an RRP of £1.08. 


I'd been a wee bit disappointed with my first Carnivore Club box which featured in last months review roundup however this months box certainly redeemed itself. Carnivore Club UK is a monthly delivery service of British Artisan Charcuterie. The meats in the box change every month and the featured supplier this months box was Forest Pig. In my parcel was Pancetta, Truffle Salame, Coppa, Wild Boar Salame and Hazelnut & Champagne Salame. They all tasted fantastic and I'd struggle to pic a favourite although if pushed it would be the Truffle Salame. The contents of the box disappeared very quickly and it required great restraint not to nibble a slice every time I opened the fridge. I also used some to make a frittatta, risotto and stirred through pasta.
Get 20% off your first purchase at www.carnivoreclub.co with code Foodiequine20
£32 for one box or £29 if you commit to the monthly subscription 


The Codlo ia a nifty wee gadget which enables you to sous vide in your slow cooker by using it as a water bath and regulating the temperature. Much less expensive that a stand alone sous vide and no problem of finding somewhere to store yet another bulky kitchen appliance. A sensor on the Codlo is submerged into the water in your Slow Cooker (or rice cooker), you set the temperature and time and you're ready to go. So far I've only tried it with eggs and it produced the most perfectly textured gooey consistency. Full review to come in a dedicated blog post when I've put it through its paces.
£119 at www.codlo.com


Cheese is up there with my all time favourite foods. I even had a cake made of it for my 40th birthday. I was delighted to be asked by Barber's 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar to create a cheesy recipe for them. Its still in development but meantime I've been sampling the goods. Matured for 24 month the cheddar has a fantastically rich and creamy taste. Perfect as part of a cheeseboard or as a recipe ingredient. Look out for my Cheesy Spinach & Mushroom Potato Crust pie recipe on the blog very soon.
Available online, from the deli counters in good farm shops, and Sainsbury's, Waitrose & Morrison's stores.


Its a good month when I get to sample so many of my favourite things. I'm a huge crisp lover and hand cooked are my absolute favourite. Kettle Chips are the original and best in my opinion. Fantastically crunch and a amazing range of flavours with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives used. They have recently launched two new flavours. Thai Sweet Chilli, Lemongrass & Coriander and Crispy Bacon & Maple Syrup Seasoning. The Crispy Bacon is produced with real meat seasoning from Norfolk pigs and the sweet/savoury combo with maple syrup works fantastically well. Thai Sweet Chilli is a seasonal edition for summer, spicy but fresh.




Festival goers as The Big Feastival which took place over the weekend were treated to a bountiful selection of Cider's at the Weston's Cider Teepee right next to the main stage. I got to sample the three that were being offered under the "Westons Crafted Cider" banner. Henry Westons, Old Rosie and Organic Wyld Wood. My favourite was the crisp and clean Henry Westons. The others certainly didn't go to waste as after I'd settled on supping my preference they were used as a base for Chicken in Cider. So my vote goes to #TeamHenry However I also really liked the sound of a limited edition festival flavor. Old Rosie Cloudy Cider with Rhubarb sounds right up my street combining the best crumble flavours in a bottle.




Oven gloves are an absolute kitchen essential in my book. I just can't make do with using tea towels as a substitute and always struggle in a holiday cottage if there aren't any. I tend to go for the double gloves rather than single mitts as I find they are less stiff but even then it can sometimes be tricky to manipulate shelves and hot trays. On the last series of Bake Off I spotted that Norman was wearing oven gloves with fingers. This was a bit of a revelation for me and as such I was delighted to take up the offer of a pair of Tio Tina premium oven gauntlets. I have been really impressed with their performance. Long cuffs protect your wrists, silicone stripes give a good grip and they fit either hand so no fumbling for the correct one. They are much more flexible and less restrictive than traditional padded versions and you can turn skewers, lift lids and juggle trays with ease. The only downside is their looks. In comparison with the range of patterns and prints available for conventional gloves these are definitely substance over style and I'm doubtful they will stay creamy clean for long. 
£19.85 at Amazon.


Disclosure : Thanks to Special K, Oreo, Carnivore Club, Codlo, Barber's, Kettle Chips, Westons and Tio Tina for providing the above products. I was not obliged to review positively in return. All views expressed are my own. This is not a paid post. 
If you're a brand who'd like to have your product featured here, please do get in touch claire@foodiequine.co.uk

8

Chicken Tikka Masala in the Tefal Actifry

Wednesday 26 August 2015
I've been aware of the existence of the Tefal ActiFry for some time. A magical machine that cooks chips with very little oil. That's pretty much all that I knew. However as intrigued as I was by the concept I didn't think it would be worth the cost or worktop space purely for cooking chips. This was until Tefal got in touch and asked me if I'd like to take part in their #ActiFryDay challenge and replace a Friday night takeaway with a healthier ActiFried alternative. I was surprised to learn that in addition to chips I'd be able to cook up a whole range of takeaway favourites. Sweet and Sour Pork, Lamb Kebab, Chicken Tikka and Beef and Vegetable Stir-fry were among the surprising variety of ActiFry recipes at my disposal.




The Tefal Actifry Express XL duly arrived (rrp £249.99). It's a bit of a monster and looks somewhat like an alien spaceship. The first couple of times I used it I diligently put it back in its box, however this has now been binned and it sits on a shelf in the utility room. Much too big to have out on the worktop at all times in my opinion. Of course the first thing I had to make was chips. I used Scottish Rooster potatoes as that's what was under the sink. I excitedly tweeted a photo of them cooking only to be told that they were no good. I'd normally take such a disparaging comment with a pinch of salt (and lots of vinegar) but it came from Calum Richardson, owner of the award winning The Bay Fish & Chips in Stonehaven. He explained that unfortunately Scottish tatties don't make good chips as they have too high starch and sugar content. He also advised me to thoroughly wash them once chopped and that the varieties to look out for were English Maris Piper or Markies. Armed with this insider information I went shopping and tracked down some Maris Pipers. 


With the right variety of potatoes my next batch were much more successful and I've since experimented with chips, wedges, sweet potato wedges and patatas bravas. My first impressions of the ActiFry were as follows: 
  • not as quick for chips as I thought. Time taken is comparable to cooking in an oven as opposed to a deep fat fryer 
  • noisy and bulky 
  • constantly stirs so nothing sticks to the bottom, however the constant stirring can break up some foods 
  • only requires one spoonful of oil to cook 1kg of perfect crispy chips
  • very easy to clean - removable parts can go in the dishwasher
  • can be opened and closed throughout the cooking cycle 
  • easy to operate 
  • no preheating required
  • hands free cooking
  • transparent lid lets you see whats going on
  • doesn't keep cooked food hot so you need to watch your timings to ensure your whole meal ready at same time 
  • for best results you need the right variety of potatoes 

Having mastered the basics it was time to push the potatoes aside, take up the #ActiFryDay challenge and create a healthier takeaway. A survey by Tefal revealed that Brits are consuming well over half a billion takeaways a year. Based on the nations favourite takeaway dishes, this suggests we could collectively be eating up to 12,400 tonnes of saturated fat. 1 in 7 of us are eating 2,900 calories per takeaway at least once a week. Scary statistics! By cooking Chicken Tikka Masala in a Tefal Actifry the saturated fat content is reduced from 17.4g in a typical takeaway portion to just 1g per serving.

ACTIFRY CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

Ingredients
500g boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 2cm pieces
100g Tikka Masala curry paste
2 pots (150g size) natural low fat yoghurt
1 ActiFry spoon of vegetable Oil
1 Large finely chopped onion
390g canned premium chopped tomatoes
150ml of water
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
2 teaspoons on lemon juice

Method
1. In a large bowl mix the Tikka Masala paste with 4 tablespoons of yougurt. Add the chicken in the coat then cover. Leave the marinate in the fridge for two hour or overnight.
2.Heat oil in ActiFry for 2 minutes. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the marinated Chicken and cook for a another 10 minutes.
3.Add the chopped tomatoes and water cook for another 10 minutes. Add the yogurt, sugar and lemon juice. Serve with basmati rice and naan bread.




I was really impressed with how my curry turned out. The hot air and oil combination gives some delicious charring on the edges of the chicken and being able to get on with other things in the kitchen whilst the curry took care of itself was a real bonus. I used rapeseed oil which worked really well and added in half a bag of spinach that was lurking at the bottom of the fridge for the final couple of minutes. Completely forgot about the sugar and lemon juice! Photo here is from before the yoghurt was added so that's why it's so dark in colour. I've still got lots of experimenting to do and from a quick Google search it seems that I can cook pretty much anything in an ActiFry. Still to be tried are sausages, frozen oven chips, risotto, stir fry and on the menu for later this week are these Parmesan Crusted Chicken bites from Sarah at Taming Twins. This will be my first attempt at making something without the paddle. If you are an ActiFry aficionado please do leave any hints, tips or meal suggestions in the comments as I'd love to try them. Happy FryDay!



Disclosure - I was provided with a Tefal Actifry Express XL for the purpose of this post. I was not obliged to review positively in return. All views expressed are my own. This is not a paid post.


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12

Gingerbread Biscotti

Thursday 20 August 2015
Bake Off is back along with all the gossip, scandal, soggy bottoms and inuendo that goes with it. I've been a fan of the programme from the very start and its always exciting to see a new series come to air and get to know the contestants. Don't think I've got a favourite baker as yet. Still too many of them for me to remember who's who at the moment! During the last series a group of Aberdeen based fans of the show started meeting up on a weekly basis at each others houses to watch the programme and indulge in a cuppa, a bit of baking chat and lots of cake. Much fun was had and friendships formed. Then we did it all over again for Comic Relief (I made Rainbow Cakes and Stamped Biscuits). Series 6 has once more given us a valid excuse to get together on a Wednesday night for hilarity and cake. This week it was my turn to be the hostess with the mostess.


Week 2 had been biscuit week so I decided to tackle the signature bake of Biscotti. With week 3 being Bread I opted for Cheese & Chilli Monkey Bread and for my final bake I went for Series 4 contestant Beca Lyne-Pirkis Banoffee Bread. I drew Beca from the hat in the Pinnies & Petticoats GBBO Sweepstake and I've followed her on Twitter ever since (and she now follows me as does last years winner Nancy Birtwhistle!). When Beca tweeted her recipe for Banoffee Bread I just knew I had to try it. Banana combined with butterscotch pieces is pure genius. Why didn't I think of that?! 


Alas after trying 3 supermarkets I couldn't track down the required butterscotch pieces so I substituted with chopped up fudge. Even as I was doing it I kinda knew that it wouldn't work as well. I was proved right when the fudge chunks on the top melted and left craters in the surface. I'd spotted the slices of banana on top of a banana bread on Pinterest and they worked really well. The reason that there's only a before picture is that the after didn't look nearly so good. After 45 minutes I reckoned my loaf still needed another couple of minutes. Made the schoolgirl error of not setting a timer. Ten minutes later... a somewhat overdone bake! Still tasted amazing and I tracked down some butterscotch pieces at the fourth supermarket so I'll be making it again very soon with correct ingredients and timer set. 


Back to the Biscotti and I made a batch of a recipe that I developed two years ago for a piece on BBC Radio Scotland Kitchen Cafe. The subject was Edible Gifts for Christmas and over a period of three weeks pre-records of me making Candy Cane Bark, Christmas Pudding Vodka and Gingerbread Biscotti were broadcast. I reckon Gingerbread is for life not just for Christmas. Not sure Mr Hollywood would have agreed. 


GINGERBREAD BISCOTTI

300g Plain Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
250g Golden Caster Sugar
2 Tablespoons Ginger
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 a Nutmeg freshly ground
1 Tablespoon Treacle
3 Free Range Eggs
200g Hazelnuts
100g Sultanas

To Decorate
250g Royal Icing Sugar
50ml water
Gingerbread Men Sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 150C
Sieve together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and sugar into a bowl. 
Add the eggs and treacle to make a dough.
Mix through the sultanas and chopped Hazelnuts
Knead the mixture gently and divide into thirds. 
Roll into a flattened sausage shape, place on a lined baking tray and bake for 25 minutes.
Cool slightly and cut into 1-2cm thick slices.
Lay the biscotti flat on the baking sheet and return to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, turn over and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes on the second side.
Allow to cool on a wire rack.
Dip or pipe one end of each biscotti in Icing and decorate with gingerbread man sprinkles


For my bread I opted to make Cheese & Chilli Monkey Bread. I'd previously made this for a cake club fromage feast where it went down a storm. I decided that it would be a good idea to be taking my bread out of the oven just as my guests arrived. Big Mistake. It was still far too warm to come out of the tin and started to disintegrate as I attempted to dislodge it with a knife. In retrospect I should have wafted it. Or tried not to be clever and just put it in the oven earlier. Thankfully I managed to hold my emotions together and resist throwing it in the bin. 


Once it had cooled down I managed to slice the end that hadn't disintegrated and it tasted great. Perfect topped with a slice of cheese and some chilli jam. Recipe comes from The Great British Bake Off How To Bake book from series 2. Was really inspired by watching bread week and have dug out James Morton's (Series 3 Finalist - Fairisle Jumpers/Gingerbread Barn ) Brilliant Bread book and bookmarked some recipes to try. Final GGBO namedrop for this post. Check out what happened when Foodie Quine met Baking James. Now if only I could get Aberdeenshire Loon Norman to follow me on twitter my GBBO ambitions would be complete. 



For further biscotti inspiration here are a selection of recipes from fellow food bloggers.

Orange Biscotti with Cardamom & Walnuts - Little Sunny Kitchen
Kale & Almond Biscotti - Veggie Deserts
Almond Biscotti with Chocolate Orange Drizzle - Emily's Recipes & Reviews
Biscotti - Utterly Scrummy Food for Families
Hazelnut Mocha Biscotti - Penne For Your Thoughts
Chocolate Orange Almond and Macadamia Nut Biscotti - Made With Pink
Chocolate, Hazelnut & Orange Biscotti - Tin & Thyme
Mango, Lime & Pistachio Biscotti - Baking Queen 74
Hazelnut & Sour Cherry Biscotti - Foodie Quine





Charlotte's Lively Kitchen - Food Year Linkup
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30

End Summer 2015 in Style at North Hop Festival Inverness

Sunday 16 August 2015
A guest post on the blog today from my friend Michelle Russell, owner of Snow Marketing and organiser of North Hop. Over to you Michelle... but don't forget to save me a bottle of North Hop Strawberry & Rhubarb Festival Gin. It sounds amazing! 


End Summer 2015 in Style at North Hop Festival Inverness

End Summer 2015 in Style at North Hop Festival Inverness

As North Hop 2015 draws closer we thought we’d give all you Foodie Quine followers a short guide to what it’s all about, what’s on offer, and what not to miss…

What is North Hop 2015?
North Hop 2015, the Highlands and Islands’ largest craft beer festival offers festival go’ers some of the finest Scottish produce and best music acts the country has to offer. With over 60 craft beers and ciders, a selection of artisan gins and creative cocktails, as well as an abundance of street food from all over the region, and to top it all off, 24 live music acts, the festival has something for everyone.

When is it happening?
It is taking place on the 21st & 22nd August 2015, at Eden Court Inverness across three festival sessions. Tickets (individual sessions or weekend passes) are on sale via the Eden Court Box Office. More information can be found at www.northhop.co.uk

What makes North Hop different?
With so many festivals and events taking place across Scotland these days we wanted to create something that not only appealed to everyone, but also gave people the chance to meet the actual brewers behind the beers and ciders, distillers behind the gins, and the opportunity to discover new products and businesses.

End Summer 2015 in Style at North Hop Festival Inverness

North Hop is all about creating an outdoor festival vibe without the need for ponchos, wellies and midge repellent, as all the festival venues are predominately indoors, something which has proved to be a complete bonus this ‘summer’ in Scotland!  We love festival go’ers to have fun so photo booths, selfie stations, market traders and live art are just some of the extra activities on offer at the festivals. North Hop does a pretty nifty job of combining a traditional ‘Beer Hall’ set up, and a ‘Cocktail Lounge’ with cosmopolitan vibes into one awesome festival.

End Summer 2015 in Style at North Hop Festival Inverness

Food/Drink Highlights not to be missed…

Limited Edition Festival Brew and Festival Gin
For North Hop 2015 collaboration is key and we have teamed up with two fantastic Highland businesses to bring something a little bit different to this years festival! First up we have our Festival Brew in the form of a fruity, session IPA with raspberries from Cromarty Brewing Co, with unique artwork designed by Rebel Tattoo. And then, a new concept to this year’s festival, our Festival Gin, which has been hand crafted by Dunnet Bay Distillers (Rock Rose Gin), an exquisite strawberry and rhubarb creation, which will be available to sample and buy at the festival. Both products are limited edition though so make sure you get in there quick!

End Summer 2015 in Style at North Hop Festival Inverness

• Introducing the oldest brewery in the world…
The oldest brewery in the world will be the festival’s official first guest brewery. Weihenstephan, a German brewery, which is just under 1000 years old, will be offering festivalgoers a real taste of German beer, and will be the only exhibitor at the festival who isn’t Scottish.

• Creative Brewing…
Glasgow’s very own creative craft beer enthusiasts, Drygate Brewing Co, the UK’s first experimental craft brewery, will be at the festival for the first time this year, as well as all female brewery, WooHa Brewing Company with their exciting new range of bottle conditioned ales and lagers. Go visit their bars, chat to the brewers, and most importantly sample their excellent beers!

• Cider Galore
Thistly Cross Cider will be once again returning to North Hop with some of the freshest, flavoursome ciders Scotland has ever seen. Their exciting flavours include elderflower, strawberry, jaggy thistle, whisky cask and ginger. Cairn O Mohr will also be joining us this year from their winery in Perthshire with their fruity range of wines, sparkling wines and ciders.

End Summer 2015 in Style at North Hop Festival Inverness

• Crafty Cocktails
If you like your cocktails made with craft spirits and a bit of flair then be sure to pay the guys at 10 Dollar Shake a visit. These guys have pushed the boundaries in the industry, and will be offering up some interesting new cocktails, gins and craft spirits at North Hop 2015.

• Scotland’s very first Limoncello…available at North Hop 2015!
Caithness Scottish fruit infused spirits business, Berry Good, has created Scotland’s very first Limoncello. This exclusive product, which is brand new to the drinks market, will be available for festival go’ers to get their hands on, along with a fantastic selection of their Scottish fruit infused spirits served with mixers or as prosecco cocktails at their colourful bar in the Cocktail Lounge.

End Summer 2015 in Style at North Hop Festival Inverness

• For those with a sweet tooth…
Fancy indulging in something sweet? Well this craft beer festival has got you covered with a few delights that simply can’t be missed. Chocolatier Stacy Hannah will have a delicious selection of handmade chocolates and marshmallows, don’t miss Poporopo gourmet popcorn with their weird and wonderful flavours, and visit Highland baker Bad Girl Bakery for some gourmet brownies and cocktail cupcakes.

• No dirty dishes with this dirty cooking!
If you don’t already know about these guys then you’ll definitely want to check out Adelphi Kitchen and their unique style of cooking, dirty cooking at North Hop 2015! Teaming up with AK are hot sauce demons, Angus and Oink, and we can guarantee you’ll be dying to sample these seriously hot street food delights!

• Giant Paella
La Tortilla Asesina, one of Scotland’s oldest tapas bars, will be serving up some monstrously delicious paella on the festivals outside terrace bringing the spirit of Spain to festival goers. This tapas bar is one of Inverness’ most popular restaurants to date and is passionate about bringing the very best of the Spanish tapas culture to the area. 

• Delightfully Artisan
How about some fresh, artisan coffee from Ovenbird Artisan Coffee Roasters, or maybe some rare breed, free-range Scotch eggs from Aye Love Real Food? Or perhaps you fancy taking some artisan gins home with you from our friends at The Storehouse at their pop-up bottle shop. Or if that wasn’t enough how about cocktails to your door from the craft cocktail box legends Tipple Box? We love artisan producers and think you should too!

End Summer 2015 in Style at North Hop Festival Inverness

So now that you’ve seen what will be on offer at North Hop 2015 what you waiting for? Go grab those tickets and get ready to end your summer in style…

See you there!
Michelle Russell, Festival Organiser

End Summer 2015 in Style at North Hop Festival Inverness
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Peanut Butter Oreo Milkshake

Thursday 13 August 2015
A wonderfilled Peanut Butter Oreo Milkshake Recipe to celebrate the launch of limited edition Peanut Butter Oreo and Golden Oreo


Foodie Quine - Peanut Butter Oreo Milkshake



If truth be know my kids are bigger fans of the whole Oreo phenomenon than me, however when I heard they were launching a limited edition Peanut Butter flavour my ears pricked up in excitement. Regular blog readers will know that I absolutely love all things Peanut Butter. The PB Oreo combines the iconic chocolate cookie with a smooth peanut butter cream filling whilst a second new flavour - Golden Oreo - keeps the original white creme but swaps chocolate cookie for vanilla.



Foodie Quine - Peanut Butter Oreo Milkshake



Tastewise the Peanut Butter Flavour is absolutely spot on although it would be even better as a double stuffed variant. The Golden Oreo are almost Custard Cream like in flavour but with a much crunchier biscuit. To celebrate the new product launches, Foodies 100 and Oreo commissioned me to come up with a wonderfilled recipe with either of both of the variants. There was no contest as to which one I'd choose to use. Taking inspiration from the classic Milk & Cookies combo I opted to create a quick and easy Peanut Butter Oreo Milkshake. You just know this is going to taste as good as it looks and will be loved by little and big kids alike. Guaranteed to bring all the boys to the yard. 



Foodie Quine - Peanut Butter Oreo Milkshake


PEANUT BUTTER OREO MILKSHAKE
Serves 2

Ingredients
6 Peanut Butter Oreo
4 Scoops Vanilla Ice Cream
4 Tbsp Peanut Butter
300ml Milk
Topping
Whipped or Squirty Cream
Smashed Peanut Butter Oreo
Chopped Salted Peanuts

Method
To keep your milkshake from melting too quickly pre-chill the serving glasses in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Blitz the Peanut Butter Oreo's in a blender until they turn to crumbs.
Add the Ice Cream, Peanut Butter and Milk and whiz until combined. (use less milk if you prefer a thicker shake)
Pour into two glasses and top with cream, crumbled Oreo and chopped peanuts.


Foodie Quine - Peanut Butter Oreo Milkshake


Plenty more Oreo recipe inspiration from fellow food bloggers

Peanut Butter & Golden Oreo Pudding + a Peanut Butter & Jelly Oreo S’more - Fab Food 4 All
Oreo Nutella Ice Cream Cake – Kerry Cooks
Peanut Butter Oreo Crumble Cake – Anne’s Kitchen
Oreo Chocolate Tiffin - Tinned Tomatoes
Slow Cooker White Chocolate Oreo Blondies – BakingQueen74
Hidden Oreo Cupcakes – Sophie Loves Food
White Chocolate Oreo Blondie Brownie – Ellie Bee Bakes
Peanut Butter Oreo Moon Rocks – Utterly Scrummy Food for Families
Oreo & Caramel Cheesecake - Tinned Tomatoes

Oreo Brownies - Little Sunny Kitchen


Foodie Quine - Peanut Butter Oreo Milkshake

Disclosure - I have received product and payment from Oreo for this post. It is an entry to the Foodies100 Wonderfilled recipe challenge sponsored by Oreo, which marks the launch of two exciting new flavours: Peanut Butter and Golden. The delicious new flavours are available in all major supermarkets at an RRP of £1.08. To find out more, visit www.facebook.com/oreo

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Food Playground Cookery School, Singapore

Tuesday 11 August 2015
Apologies for the radio silence on the blog. I've been off gallivanting in Singapore. The idea was that rather than schedule posts for when I was away I'd keep up my blogging from overseas, but best laid plans and all that meant it simply didn't happen. I had the most amazing time in Singapore and felt very privileged to be there as they celebrated their 50th Anniversary as an independent nation. One of the main things I was excited about for my trip was the food. For me travel and food absolutely goes hand in hand. I did a wee bit of research online to track down a cookery class to attend and signed up for a morning at Food Playground



Located in a heritage shophouse in Chinatown cooking at Food Playground provided a brilliant cultural introduction for my first full day in Singapore. The class for the morning was small but perfectly formed. Emily and Marie from Australia and me from Scotland. We started by learning useful snippets about Singapore’s food culture and heritage and how food has played such a huge part in bringing together a multi-racial society. Our tutor Lesley explained all about the local street food and hawker centre culture and gave us top tips on how to reserve a seat with a packet of tissues or a whole table with an umbrella. She shared her knowledge and expertise about what typical Singaporean foods we should try during our stay and which markets and particular dishes to look out for. There is no such thing as the western dish "Singapore Noodles".


Time to get hands on and start the cooking with Lesley leading and Auntie (Singaporean term of affection and respect for an OAP) keeping on top of the prep and clean up operation. Our menu for the day was - Nyonya Laksa (Peranakan style curry based noodles), Deep Fried Spring Rolls and Kueh Dadar – (Pandan coconut crepe with palm sugar coconut filling) First we had to make our laksa paste. No grinding allowed with the pestle & mortar. Only pounding to turn chilli, candlenuts, shallots, gangal (Asian ginger), shrimps and spices into a smooth paste. A great workout for the arm muscles. This was fried off and combined with prawn stock and coconut milk to make an aromatic broth. Salt and sugar to season before it was poured over laksa noodles and topped with prawns, sliced fish cake, tau pok (tofu puff) and shredded cucumber.


For the spring rolls we made a filling from finely shredded carrots, turnip (yam bean) and cabbage. This was fried in sesame oil and seasoned with garlic, sugar, soy and oyster sauce. The mixture was left to drain before we made our rolls using ready made spring roll skins. A wee bit fiddly to begin with and important to make sure they are tight and there are no bursts. A cornflower and water mixture was used to seal the rolls before they were deep fried in a wok until golden brown.


Last dish was Kueh Dadar – pandan pancakes with a coconut filling. These are bright green crepes with the colour coming from the juice of pandan leaves. The flavour of pandan is reminiscent to vanilla and the batter is made with egg, flour and coconut milk. The filling is an irresistible sticky brown mixture of coconut and palm sugar. The tricky bit was trying to get each roll the same shape and size. 


Time to sit down and enjoy the fruits of our labour. All three dishes looked and tasted fantastic but the laska was probably my favourite. I'm definitely going to try and recreate them all at home although I may have to substitute some ingredients if I can't track them all down in the UK. The recipes arrived by email following the class along with a link to an album of photos on the Food Playground Facebook Page


The social mission behind Food Playground is to create meaningful and dignified employment opportunities for seniors and stay-home mothers by hiring them as cooking instructors and helpers. By doing this, we effectively help them monetize their knowledge and passion in cooking for sustainable income and better social engagement which is becoming increasingly relevant given our rapidly ageing population and challenges in getting mothers back into the workforce.


If you are ever in Singapore I would highly recommend signing up for a class at Food Playground. If I'm lucky enough to visit again it will absolutely be the first thing I book. Educational, fun, hands on, total cultural immersion and a fantastic ethos. www.foodplayground.com.sg
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