Nibbles in Norfolk

Its has recently been team meeting time again for our lovely consultants.  Around the country our teams of pasionate and friendly foodies have been gathering to swop business tips and of course share a tasty nibble or two.  This month we have showcased a recipe from Terri Rhind (our team leader in Wiltshire) with Juliette Kidd and her team in Norfolk.

Jumping Jack & Potato Bread Puddings may sound a little unusual but I can assure you they had us all coming back for more at our recent recipe testing session. They feature one of our best selling yummy products Jumping Jack Chilli Jam and the individual savoury bread puddings make a great addition to lunch boxes (they freeze brilliantly too). The recipe also uses our extremely versatile Beer Bread Mixes and with wintery chills in the air and the darker nights, a little homely and wholesome bread baking is just what the oven ordered. You can find the full recipe here and no doubt you can come up with your own ingenious twists on this recipe. 
Happy baking!

Clare
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Coffee Monster

Its no secret that I am the coffee equivalent of the cookie monster when it comes to my morning brew. Don't even think about talking to me until the kettle is on and I do not share. Yes I also take my own coffee pot and coffee wherever I go.

As a cooking flavour, coffee is more of an acquired taste. Enter My Secret Kitchen Mochaccino Cookie Mix. It is a brilliant cookie mix bringing coffee together with chunks of white and dark chocolate.  It was developed orignially as a biscotti mix (and you can still make fabulous biscotti with it - find the recipe and here) but in a simpler fashion it also makes fabulous soft bake cookies - amazing warm and gooey straight from the oven as well as chunky scones and to-die-for mini pecan pie coffee cookies
 
So I thought I would try to create a coffee cup cake with one of our most versatile products.  The results - the Caramel Latte Cup Cake.

Its a coffee and chocolate cup cake, doused in coffee liqueur and topped with maple caramel buttercream, sprinkled with cocoa and a coffee bean.  You can find the full recipe here and try your hand at any of the gorgeous recipes using our Mochaccino Cookie Mix.

Enjoy!

Clare
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Mango Melba Magic

Here's the second of our adventures in cup cake land. Our Mango Melba cup cake is a creative fusion of a raspberry and white chocolate cup cake (thanks to our Chocaberry Cheese Ball Mix and Original Beer Bread Mix) with a mango glaze and topped with a velvety smooth mango cream cheese buttercream (courtesy of our Mango Mojito Dessert Sauce).  To complete the look, it is garnished with a fresh raspberry, a piece of dried mango, mint leaves and a final flourish of Mango Mojito Dessert sauce.  This is not a cup cake to be scoffed lightly, serve on your best tea plates with a little cake fork and slowly devour every mouthful.  You can find the full recipe here, Enjoy!

Clare
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Sugar and spice and all things nice

Autumn is in the air and as we say goodbye to the last few warm days of the season and drag out our woollies, here's a little something to look forward to from our kitchen - cup cakes.  This is our first cup cake recipe as we celebrate all that is sugary, sweet, plus a little spice and of course always nice.

Thanks to our client Lisa Lovell for the inspiration for the Apple Cup Cake with Canella Buttercream.  It not only features our Beer Bread Mix and Maple Caramel Sauce but a debut recipe for our new Vanilla Pudding Spices.  I promise you, baking with this new sweet spice will fill your home and your heart with the comforts of vanilla, cinnamon and our new bff, roasted cassia.

You can find the full recipe here

Next week with the expert help from 'Cup Cake Katie' we'll be turning our hands to another cup cake sensation.

Happy baking!

Clare
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Saving the best for last

Do you sometimes fnd yourself scraping the barrel....well ok the jar?!

We love our square jars but like you, we often find ourselves trying to reach the last elusive tasty bits that get stuck in the corners. Well here are a few recipes & tips to make sure that you get the most out of our jars!  

Our Tapenade with Smoked Garlic & Jumping Jack Chilli Jam (& even a little Fig Pudding Pickle) are great added to Bolognese, casseroles & soups so when it's not possible to get a spoonful out, add a little hot water from the kettle, give the jar a shake & then tip into your recipe. 

For super speedy and simple dressings, add the extra ingredients needed for these fab recipes straight into the jar and give it all a shake. 

Fig Balsamic & Walnut Dressing 

Tapenade Vinaigrette 

 

How about adding a secret extra to your hot drinks? A Maple Caramel Latte is a yummy treat that if you haven't enjoyed before is definitely a must for the end of the jar - just add your hot coffee to the jar & shake it into the corners to free those last bits of Maple Caramel Sauce then pour into a mug of heated/frothed milk.   Instead of coffee you could use cocoa & enjoy a decadent hot chocolate!  

Hot chocolate is another drink that we enjoy with our Chocolate Peppermint Fondue so at the end of the jar just add in some of the hot milk & shake to melt the last bits of fondue.  

Maple Caramel Sauce is also delicious with apples & pears so if you are stewing or poaching these then add some hot water to the jar to free the sauce & then add to your pan of fruit.  

We hope these tips & ideas help you to enjoy our products right down to the last drop and maybe you'd agree that we save the best for last?!

 

- Laura Virgoe

Feeling hungry? It must be launchtime!

Today is one of the days of the year we love the most – it’s the time when we launch our new goodies for the autumn/winter season! As well as some cracking new products, we’ve news of some amazing new gift packs. Christmas may be three months away, but it pays to be prepared! And on that note, as things get busier and busier for us, we’re looking for more lovely people to come and join the team. Read on to learn more!

• Fire-up the flavour of your favourite foods
• Savour our new sweet and spicy innovation
• Get the lowdown on our great new gift packs
• Come on – let’s help each other out!

Secret Firecracker
Chilli Spices

After the success of our Secret Wild Garlic Spices, the ?rst product in our Secret Spices range, we’re excited to bring you another – Firecracker Chilli. This sensational seasoning is simply bursting with fiery flavours thanks to our blend of Mexico’s ‘holy trinity’ of chillies.

This includes the sweet and mild ancho, the dark and liquorice-like pasilla, and the red and fruity guajillo. Together with the flavours and spicy heat of cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic and Mexican oregano, this Secret Spice is so much easier to use than fresh chillies – just 1/4 tsp will replace one small red chilli!

To put our Secret Firecracker Chilli Spices through its paces, you could:

• Serve onion rings (or steak and chips) with a creamy Firecracker Chill dip
• Make you own salsa by stirring 2 tsp Secret Firecracker Chilli Spices into 400g of chopped tomatoes, onions and fresh coriander (or your own favourite combination of salsa ingredients – tropical fruits, avocado or black beans all work well)
• Add some to natural yogurt to use to give wraps and pitta bread fillings a cheeky kick. 

• More about Secret Firecracker Chilli Spices

Secret Vanilla
Pudding Spices

We’re proud to be the first people in the market with the concept of a sweet seasoning.

Secret Vanilla Pudding Spices cleverly combines voluptuous vanilla with cinnamon, ground coriander seed, ginger and the secret ingredient, roasted cassia.

Cassia – also known as Chinese cinnamon – has a similar appearance to cinnamon bark but with a stronger flavour.  

Roasting it also gives a wonderfully unique toasted flavour, and helps to make our Secret Vanilla Pudding Spices a must-have ingredient for autumn and winter comfort baking. It will add a tasty twist to puddings and desserts – and is especially awesome in a traditional English apple pie.

To savour our Secret Vanilla Pudding Spices you could:

• Use it as a sweet topping for warming drinks, stirring it into hot chocolate or mixing some with sugar and using as the edging for cocktail glasses.
• Use some as the dusting for warm donuts, French toast or for churros,
• Serve it alongside My Secret Kitchen Chocolate Peppermint Fondue
• Add some to custard or try some in a vanilla, rum and raisin sauce
• Sprinkle it onto popcorn or onto marshmallows for Halloween parties
• Use it in the buttercream for a carrot cake – or try it with apple cupcakes with canella buttercream

• More about Secret Vanilla Pudding Spices

Our great new gift packs and hampers 

We’ve been hard at work creating a new gift pack range. From perfect stocking fillers such as our £10 Bread & Jam gift box, through to our sumptuous £180 Ultimate Hamper (which comprises a gorgeous 24” wicker hamper and every single one of our products) it’s our biggest and most varied selection ever.

So if you are looking for a present for a food-loving friend, or your business would like to give slightly tastier corporate gifts this year, you’ll be sure to find something that ticks all the right boxes. For more details, simply speak to your local consultant – or for corporate gift enquiries, just contact us directly.

Let’s help each other out! 

We get so busy in the run up to Christmas, so now is a terrific time to join us as a consultant. With the coming demands of next few months, we would really welcome more help.

If the idea of some extra income appeals to you, give us a call on 0845 094 5319 or send us an email to find out more and see whether being a My Secret Kitchen Consultant could work for you.

Simple Pleasures

It may not be the best summer for sunshine but there is still joy to be had from garden flavours this year - thanks to the greenhouse or in our case, conservatory-come-gym-come-greenhouse.

What can be sweeter than a plate of tomatoes drizzled with Balsamic Reduction, a touch of Oak Smoked Rapeseed Oil and a sprinkling of Lemon & Chipotle Spiced Sea Salt.  Borage flowers complete the look and who knows, a diet of summer tomatoes *may* help with that bikini body count down!  (What an inspiration the Olympian athletes are too although I'll set my sights a little lower with eating healthier and more fresh air this summer regardless of the weather!).  Simple pleasures are the best.

Happy summer everyone,

Clare
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