Inspiration & Creation

One of the most frequent questions I am asked is where do we get our inspiration from for our products and recipes. Phil likes to recount how he will put together food trends information with our insider knowledge of the industry for our internal brainstorming sessions to create a list of potential new products. And then how I will sneak off into the kitchen and ignore everything we have talked about to create something completely different!

Creativity thrives in all walks of life and how great it is that we get to work with something edible and so fun!

Take our Consultant Awards Recipe Challenge – we just love reading our consultant's innovative ways of using My Secret Kitchen products from how to spice up a slimmer’s recipe with Nacho Fiesta Cheese Ball Mix (Vicky Gatenby) and secretly spiced roast vegetables (Sarah Price). These are just some of the recipes we received and look out for the published recipes from our top 3 winners - Hazel Kerr's Salmon en Croute with Wild Garlic, Susie Medcalf's Maple Caramel & Pecan Roulade and overall winner, Anne Hale's Moqueca Soup.

Our Hibiscus & Rose Reduction was a particular favourite for some inventive recipes, Becky Boast's Raspberry & Rose Sorbet and Georgie Lovell's Hibiscus & Rose Jelly Tartlets - just a couple of ways to use our sweet and tantalisingly tasty syrup which just happens to feature in a rather fabulous host  promotion in August! :-)

Becky Boast's Raspberry & Rose Sorbet

Georgie Lovell's Hibiscus & Rose Jelly Tartlets

Recipe development is often simply what I feel like making and sharing at that particular moment. Left to my own devices I have no doubt that my diet would be atrocious - it is the desire to share good food with our children, family, friends and of course our customers that really motivates me.

Flavour inspiration can come from many sources. The obvious choices for inspiring creativity are being outside in this gorgeous weather and being aware of nature around you. Music is a huge part of our household and there is always time for a favourite song to be cooked into a recipe and a spot of kitchen dancing. Exercise too – the solitary kind – is my drug of choice. It gives my mind the freedom to wander whilst beating my body into submission!

Maybe surprisingly I don’t watch many TV cookery programmes and my magazine subscriptions have dwindled to just a few travel and home publications. However, strolling up and down supermarket aisles is a must to keep on top of what is ‘out there’ and I can spend hours hunting for a new ingredient to try.

Ultimately, trusting that your own unique ideas are always there to be discovered and unearthed is a good philosophy. The worst thing you can do is overthink it or compare your culinary work to others and don’t take yourself too seriously – believe me, laughter has saved many a situation in the My Secret Kitchen story!

I guess the key to creativity is finding your own inspiration sources and making time for them regularly in your life. I know I am a better mother, wife and business person when I have given priority to the things I need and love in my life. So thank-you for your recipe inspiration too - being the best you to inspire the best in others is the sweetest prize of all.

Sweet Heart Honey Buns

Pancake day and Valentines day in one week - aren't we lucky! Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent and pancakes originated as a way to use up ingredients that would traditional be avoided for the next 40 days and nights (butter, sugar, eggs). Valentines day has its origins in a fertility festival and feast so what better reason to make something lovely for your lovely?

Somewhere between a crumpet and a pancake, these soft fluffy buns are made with our Original Beer Bread Mix and new Secret Honeycomb Spices and then doused in our new Hibiscus and Rose Nectar.  Really easy to make, they can be whipped up in a jiffy and made to whatever shaped metal cutters you have at home.

Sweet Heart Honey Buns
Makes at least 4 buns - depending on the size of cutter used
1/2 pkt My Secret Kitchen Original Beer Bread Mix
1 tbsp My Secret Kitchen Secret Honeycomb Spices
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 large egg
1/4 pint milk
Vegetable oil / butter for frying
My Secret Kitchen Hibiscus & Rose Nectar, to serve

In a large jug, stir together the Beer Bread Mix, Secret Spices and sugar.  Add the egg and milk and whisk together to make a smooth batter.  Heat some vegetable oil (or butter) in a frying pan and place a metal cookie cutter (heart shaped if you have it) in the middle of the pan. Pour the batter into the cutter until it is half full (the batter will expand and bubble up on cooking).

Reduce the heat (watch they do not burn on the bottom) and continue to cook gently until the top of the bun looks dry and is ready to be turned over. Quickly flip and cook for a few seconds just to lightly brown the top. Whilst still warm, spoon over the Hibiscus & Rose Nectar.

And for those of you with less of a sweet tooth or if you and your lover are cheese lovers, we have some perfect partners to these mini camembert hearts - clockwise from the top, Tapenade with Smoked Garlic, Balsamic Reduction, Fig Pudding Pickle, Jumping Jack Chilli Jam.  All make great accompaniments for a range of cheeses and a hearty red wine (excuse the pun) or bubbly - lay down a rug for an oh-so-romantic indoor picnic.

So whatever the origins and meanings to the celebrations this week, Happy Pancake Valentines and here's to great reasons to love yourself and others with My Secret Kitchen.

Clare
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