Made up of equal-ish volumes of potatoes, swede and carrots – cut into small pieces, then boiled together and then simmered to mashable consistency – season as you like, and that’s it.

Mash it all together and there you have a tasty lunch, especially with some thick, crusty and amply buttered bread.

I always add a good dash of mixed herbs, pepper and salt, chicken stock if there’s any to hand, and at times thrown in a vegetable oxo cube or two. A dash of marmite would work too, and pretty much anything else you want to throw in.

For those who prefer a low-carb and high-protein diet, this is really not the best recipe, but for comfort food/winter warming – this hits the spot.

Next time I’ll share another favourite which is considerably more fuss (I’m not one for over-faffing in the kitchen) but worth the effort – cauliflower cheese soup – it sounds horrible but is as tasty as the dish itself.

What is your favourite simple recipe?

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Babs

When Babs isn't supporting people with WordPress, she enjoys pottering in her garden and kitchen, having a bit of a Nigella/Kirstie/Sarah Raven thing going on.

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The post The Simplest Vegetable Soup? appeared first on Food on the Blog. Post by Babs

Just one more post though, I did want to comment on the seeming popularity of food programmes on TV. I must admit that I thought it would calm down after the cosy excitement of the Bake Offs (and we loved that Freya won – what an adorable person), even with a Celebrity Bake Off to look forward to. But perhaps this financial climate is encouraging us to get more traditional, and such programmes further entice us to roll up our sleeves and get messy in the kitchen (or is that just me? ;-))

Lorraine Pascale’s bright and cheery Baking Made Easy was a treat for Monday evenings – very bright and accessible, all the while with her wonderful smile and useful recipes that most of us can manage.

And the kids seemed to enjoy Nigel Slater’s Simple series as well as the Great British Food Revival which showed us what to do with British produce as well as encouraging us to use it (or lose it, in some instances). I’m sure the Hairy Biker chaps have been on recently too but I’m not overly keen on them – just too much hair!

Masterchef: The Professionals has even caught my attention for once. Usually I find this just too competitive and “haute” for my taste, but it has engaged me some evenings when flopping in front of the TV is all I’m fit for.

Chez Saul we’re enthusiastic about all this baking and eating and giving – so December is going to be the most delicious ever. And that, combined with some good old-fashioned making of decorations and presents may well prove to be the best festive season ever.

Next week I’ll share the things we’re going to make for presents, with recipes, having tested them out first. The mincemeat goes out next week as pre-Christmas gifts to pave the way – time to test it out this weekend – yum!

In between our festive preparations this weekend we will also watch some programme that Chris Evans will be baking on – he’s been chatting about it and the kids are keen, so…

Which are your favourite Food TV shows? And do you think it’s getting a bit out of hand now?

Babs

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Babs

When Babs isn't supporting people with WordPress, she enjoys pottering in her garden and kitchen, having a bit of a Nigella/Kirstie/Sarah Raven thing going on.

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The post Food TV round-up appeared first on Food on the Blog. Post by Babs

With the redoubtable Mary Berry and rather appealing Paul Hollywood again judging, 32 children compete, 4 at a time with two bakes – a standard recipe and then something to match a theme with one winner going through to the semi-final round. The creations have been impressive and offer some interesting ideas that “grown-ups” might not even consider.

I’m loving this for many reasons – the cute kids and their enthusiasm, something more warming to the soul than The Simpsons to watch together, Paul Hollywood (he has a baking course in Kent next year – I’m saving my buttons…) and the ideas being suggested to my two. Because they also love watching, it’s our current “must see together” at 6.20pm each week day and they are so encouraged that this weekend they will each make something on their own. My boy has his own cook book by the trendy (too much so for his liking – I think girls might appreciate this young man more!) Sam Stern and has selected some chocolate orange cookies to bake and already noted the next dozen things he wants to have a go at.  My girl wants to make some cupcakes with nice icing!  And I shall join in too with the Victoria sponge recipe with duck eggs that was featured this week on the Great British Food Revival – another surprising treat for us foodie types.

I’m not sure how much more mileage the BBC are intending with this topic – there is wind of a celebrity version, and someone suggested that a teens series would be welcome. Anything that gets us baking real food has to be a good thing, is my view.

What do you think?

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Babs

When Babs isn't supporting people with WordPress, she enjoys pottering in her garden and kitchen, having a bit of a Nigella/Kirstie/Sarah Raven thing going on.

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The post Kids Baking – The Junior Bake Off appeared first on Food on the Blog. Post by Babs

I’ve made my own mincemeat for most of my adult life; it’s one of the few things I picked up from my mother, who at one time was a great baker – souffles, pies, cakes – she was good. My main reason for making my own mincemeat is that I hate candied (or any other sort of) peel, and shop-bought mincemeat always includes peel, never mind that it does not even come close to hitting the spot.

Also I love nuts in my mince pies, these too having soaked nicely in the sherry (yes, once again my Bristol Cream is there, with just the one glass enjoyed last Christmas – I’d save my money this year but then what will I soak my fruit in next year?).

Anyway – time to get out my giant bowl, throw in the sultanas, currants, raisins, chopped walnuts, brazil nuts and some apple too, and then soak in water overnight. Then the next day I drain this, put the lot back into the bowl and drown it all in the sherry. Cover it up and leave until you just know it is plumb and succulent – give it a good couple of weeks or so – the great thing about this is that there are no set measurements – I really do throw in whatever I fancy experimenting with that year – carrot, cranberries (that reminds me that I have a bag of craisins that the girl has decided she no longer likes), and the less successful blackcurrants one year and goji berries another (they work in my muesli but nothing else, in my opinion).

So where are we – fruit soaked to its limit, drain that off then mix in some vegetable suet, or if I’m feeling posh I’ll use butter. I then put the lot into a very very low oven so that the fat melts – there wants to be sufficient to offer a nice coating for everything.

Having put the jars through the dishwasher, I’ll then load them up with the fruit mix, top each up with more sherry and seal, ready for December (or whenever takes your fancy, I suppose).

I’ve never seen the need to add sugar – this lot really is sweet enough, and if you add a nutmeggy-sugary crust to the top of your pies, well that surely is sufficient for even the sweetest – tooth.

Other things I always want to get around to but never do in good enough time is to make some flavoured spirits. Perhaps this year I’ll manage it…

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Babs

When Babs isn't supporting people with WordPress, she enjoys pottering in her garden and kitchen, having a bit of a Nigella/Kirstie/Sarah Raven thing going on.

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The post Time to soak the mincemeat fruit… appeared first on Food on the Blog. Post by Babs

Every week we’ve shared the trials and delights of the amateur bakers – people like you and me – doing the most wonderful things while also making mistakes that we would all make…

My children have both thoroughly enjoyed the show too, catching up on iPlayer and keen to have a go themselves – excellent. This year’s Blue Peter contribution to Children in Need is to Bake a Difference so they are really excited about that too.

And the winner, Jo Wheatley, well what a thoroughly lovely lady, quietly getting on with it, obviously in awe of her competitors, yet her skill shone through and won in the end – that final array of goodies was indeed the winner – we all want to bake the same and feel that we actually can if we want to.

Then we’ve had the two master class programmes, which I was not sure about bothering with but it was definitely worth it, if only for the pie case tip (roll out onto the base – how obvious is that!) from Mary Berry. And to watch Paul Hollywood just getting stuck in was  liberating for those of us also happy to just get on with it and get messy.

And there’s to be one other programme that revisits the previous series’ contestants and the winner – that will be a treat too. Whatever will we watch after that?

I thought it would be nice for fans to have a list of this year’s blogs – full of recipes and a great way to follow through with some of our favourites, perhaps:

• Jo’s Blue Aga
• Mary-Anne
• Holly
• Ben
• Yasmin
• Jae
• Simon
• Urvashi

And for those of you keen to join in, they are looking for Series 3 contestants already – you can apply here.

Me – I’m going to treat myself to my own bake off – a whole day in the kitchen baking all kinds of delights – comfortable favourites and a few new ideas, inspired by the show, in preparation for this year’s National Baking Week – how the nation will enjoy that! What did you think of the series and did it inspire you at all?

Babs

When Babs is not busy helping people to use WordPress for blogs and websites, she loves pottering in her kitchen or garden.

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Babs

When Babs isn't supporting people with WordPress, she enjoys pottering in her garden and kitchen, having a bit of a Nigella/Kirstie/Sarah Raven thing going on.

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The post The Great British Bake Off – in praise of… appeared first on Food on the Blog. Post by Babs