I love all the colours of summer, especially when in the form of gorgeous fruit and veg. These tomatoes are some of my Mum’s homegrown beauties, the very last of the season. So vivid and totally delicious served with fresh basil and torn mozzarella.

We had a little night away recently to celebrate my birthday. For one reason or another, we were’t able to venture too far afield so we settled on the nearby Ram Inn in Firle.

Street Diner, Brighton’s street food market has only been going for a couple of months but it’s already causing quite a stir amongst Brightonians.

A few photos from a recent visit to

The stalls vary from week-to-week, and on my first visit the food on offer ranged from burgers, to Indian and Thai cuisine, paella and homemade cakes.

I opted for a Halloumi and Chorizo bap from Hallo Chorizo, cooked on the BBQ while you wait and served in a homemade ciabatta roll with a choice of sauces (one spicy and one nutty) and a generous handful of fresh rocket (shown in the photos).

So that was my Friday lunchtime sorted, sitting in the sunshine munching away happily. Thoroughly delicious.

Street Diner is open from 11 til 3, but it’s best to arrive early if you want to beat the queues.

All photography © Heather Elizabeth Wilkinson 2013

Simple frozen yogurt, using some lovely seasonal berries. Click ‘more’ for the recipe.

I used an ice cream machine for this one, 1 punnet of seasonal berries (around 350g), washed and whizzed to a pulp in a blender (put a small amount aside to use as a topping). Add 200ml of natural yogurt, 100ml of skimmed milk and 50g of caster sugar. Add to an icecream machine and churn for around 30/40 mins. Serve with whole seasonal berries of your choice or some of the blitzed fruit puree.

All photography copyright 2013 Heather Elizabeth Wilkinson

 

I’ve lost my cooking mojo a bit recently. That’s not to say I’ve lost my appetite though, far from it in fact! I’ve been eating out for more than my bank balance (and belly) would like. But do you know what? I’ve been having a great time and I don’t feel guilty in the slightest. So I think the excitement of enjoying other people’s cooking might have something to do with my lack of enthusiasm in the kitchen.

Be prepared to get messy when you’re eating them though – acquiring a ‘mozzarella chin beard’ comes as standard, so eat among good friends!

Here’s the link the Sarah’s recipe. Perfect for summer BBQ’s, and sure to satisfy any veggies you have round for dinner.

All photography © Heather Elizabeth Wilkinson 2013

Have I mentioned that I moved house recently? Well that’s why things have been a bit quiet on the blog recently. It’s well-known that moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do, and I can confirm this is very much the case.

You never realise how much ‘stuff’ you have until it comes to packing it all up in boxes. I harbour a desire to be a minimalist but quite frankly I’m really kidding myself here. I’m a complete hoarder and the majority of my hobbies involve having physical ‘stuff’. Photography, craft, art, cooking, books – you get the picture. If I were to list the amount of handbags I have any minimalists out there would probably break into a panic-induced sweat.

So anyway, moving house has meant getting used to a new oven. My old house had a fan-assisted gas oven, which would cook most things a lot quicker than any recipe suggested. It also seemed to be hotter on the right of the oven, which meant you had to turn sponge cakes at regular intervals or they’d be lopsided.  And no one wants a lopsided sponge cake.

The new place has a slick electric oven, which, as I’ve found, provides a nice even heat. It’s taken a bit of getting used to, making sure I don’t undercook things, but so far cooking with electric has made me a very happy camper.

I had an abundance of carrots in the cupboard this week so I decided to use them in a quick fruity loaf cake. What’s nice about this recipe is that it doesn’t contain any butter – all the moisture comes from the carrots and sultanas. And it’s light and fluffy because you fold in whipped egg whites. A very yummy moist cake and I always feel a bit less guilty eating it because it contains carrots.

You will need:

Butter or sunflower oil for greasing your tin
200g golden caster sugar
4 large eggs, separated
200g finely grated raw carrot
Finely grated zest and juice of half lemon
Finely grated zest of an orange and half its juice 
100g of raisins or sultanas
100g ground almonds
200g of self-raising flour
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

1. ) Preheat the oven to 170oC/Gas Mark 3. Lightly grease a loaf tin, about 20 x 10 cm, and line with baking paper.

2.) Beat the sugar and egg yolks with a whisk for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is pale and creamy. Lightly stir in the grated carrot, lemon and orange zest and juice, raisins and ground almonds. Sift the flour, salt and spices together over the mixture and then fold them in, using a large metal spoon.

3.) In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Stir a heaped teaspoonful of the egg white into the cake mixture to loosen it a little, and then fold in the rest as lightly as you can.

4.) Pour the mixture into your loaf tin and gently tap the tin on the worksurface to level the mixture.

5.) Bake for about an 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

6.) Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

All photography © Heather Elizabeth Wilkinson 2013

Are we allowed to admit that summer is officially over now? Yes? Ok, phew, so I hope you won’t mind if a share a suitably autumnal post with you.

I haven’t been that lucky with blackberries this year. Normally I manage to collect enough for stock up the freezer for months. However, I think foraging seems to be much more popular of late and all my usual hedgerow spots had been relieved of most of their fruit by the time I arrived with my Tupperware pot.

The great thing about blackberries is that they freeze really well and don’t turn into mush like most other berries do. So you can pot up a load to save up for when the weather gets colder. Alternatively you could take your freezing antics to a new level by turning your blackberries into ice-cream!

This recipe is pretty simple but it works a treat as an accompaniment to apple pie and crumble – such a pretty colour too.

You will need

350g blackberries (washed)
200ml double cream
100ml semi skimmed milk
50g caster sugar

1.)Put your blackberries into a blender, blitz until smooth, and then pass the mixture through a sieve to extract all the pips.
2.)Mix your milk, cream and sugar together and then add the blackberry mixture.
3.)Add the mixture into an ice-cream machine and churn for around 30/40 mins.
4.)You can add your finished ice-cream mixture a plastic container and freeze until you’re ready to eat it.

All photography © Heather Elizabeth Wilkinson 2012

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This recipe has become a fav recently, though it has taken me a little time to get the balance of taste and texture just right. The distinctive flavour of the crab, combined with the subtle sweetness of apple. It might sound a bit crazy but the two really do work well together.

I went through a fair bit of trial and error before settling on the final recipe for these crab cakes. My main concern was that the flavour of the apple would be lost when combined with the crab, but, as I discovered, provided the apple you use has a real depth of flavour, such as Cox’s Orange Pippin, you will be able to taste it, albeit subtly.

As luck would have it, Cox’s Orange Pippins are in season this month! If you can’t get hold of the Orange Pippins then any other variety of apple with a firm texture (not floury) and a good strength of flavour will suffice.

The other important point to note is that it’s crucial to remove as much juice from the grated apples as possible or your mixture will just be too wet to form successful fishcakes. Once I’d grated my apples I used a muslin bag to squeeze out as much juice as I could.

You will need
500g crabmeat
500g potatoes
A handful of finely chopped fresh coriander
1 lime
Half a tsp of dried chilli flakes
3 medium-sized apples (Cox are best), grated
Olive oil
Sea salt & black pepper
Serves 4 – 6 

Ideally you should make the crab cakes the day before you plan to eat them – they will hold together better if they’ve been left to chill in the fridge over night.

1.) Peel and chop the potatoes, add to a pan of salted boiling water and cook for about 15 to 20 mins, or until tender.
2.) Drain the water from the potatoes and then add back to the pan, add a pinch of salt and pepper and mash.
3.) Add the mashed potato to a large bowl with the crabmeat, grated apple, the grated zest of the lime and half its juice, the chilli and the coriander. Mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
4.) Line a couple of baking trays with greaseproof paper or tin foil and set to one side.
5.) Divide your mixture into portions, shape into patties in the palm of your hand and then place on the lined baking trays. (Dust your hands lightly with flour if the mixture is sticking.)
6.) Chill the fishcakes in the fridge overnight.
7.) When you’re ready to cook, add a tablespoon of olive oil to a frying pan and place on a high heat. 8.) Add the fishcakes to the pan in batches, frying each for about 6-8 minutes, turning halfway, or until they have lightly browned on both sides. Because of the apple, these fishcakes are moister than a lot of recipes so they won’t go ultra crispy. Try to resist the temptation of repeatedly turning your fishcakes; they’ll hold together better and develop a richer brown colour if you’re brave and turn them just the once!

All photography © Heather Elizabeth Wilkinson 2012