A few days ago, Carly Talbot of gutenfreeb.com asked if anyone had a recipe for a gluten free version of a malt loaf. A malt loaf uses barley malt and barley flour, both of which are not gluten free. To get the required squidgy, stogdgy texture and the malty flavour some improvising would be required. I was keen to have a go.
If you are into malt loaf, then you will probably recognise the brand Soreen. This is a quintessential English/British brand, makers of the original malt loaf. Although I have seen it on the shelves with it's distinctive packaging, I admit, I have never actaully tried it. Apparently you slice off a thick wedge and slather it with butter and wash it down with a strong cup of tea. A very British experience and a bit of an acquired taste.
Well I tried it and I like the deep treacly flavour and the saltiness that comes from the malt. The texture is a bit rubbery and reminds me of a bread that's gone badly wrong. So whilst not a traditional copy of the original, my version has the deep caramely overtones and an earthiness similar to the original, but the texture is more like a moist tea bread.
Everyone I know is currently on 
It's all things pumpkin 'round here at the moment. These yummy muffins are savoury and just the right antidote to all those sugary treats that kids will be feasting on in a few days time. Savoury muffins are all the rage in the US and I gather in Australia too. This particular recipe adapted from 
All of last week, I have been asking people of all shapes and sizes about 'Tunis Cake'. Even the post man John has been subjected to interrogation. The thing is, I've never heard of it, but it seems a lot of people in England have a fondness for this cake, particularly around Christmas. The first attempt started out as a surprise cake for Sebastian, but unfortunately he never got to taste it. Within minutes of coming out of the oven, it was gone, which I took as a good sign. So a few days later I've put the finishing touches on my version of 'Tunis' cake- unlike the original, I have iced the whole cake and not just the top and I have sneaked in a very thin layer of homemade plum jam, which is just below the chocolate frosting. The original version has a rather thick layer of pure chocolate on top. I don't know if Trevor (he's the guy who requested it) will like these additions, my sense is that he is a traditionalist, but no doubt I shall soon find out exactly what he thinks. The thing is, the base cake is absolutely delicious, the rest , ie the chocolate topping and marzipan can easily be adjusted or even deleted according to personal preferance. I'll let you know in the morning what the girls think of it. They will be having it for breakfast!
A recent thread on the 
These are great biscuits, lowish in sugar, great with a cup of tea, just the thing for the morning school run and completely delicious served with a wedge of Cheddar cheese. You can dip them in chocolate too....but best of all, they are really easy to make. 
I've been doing some experimenting with plums at the moment and as often happens, one thing can lead to another. In this case, it has lead to a rather deep and meaningful obsession with the fruit winder. My children are no different then anyone elses, in that they are very susceptible to child oriented packaging and things that come in interesting packs or colours. I've bought lots of these fruit winder things and for the most part they all end up in the bin. In the last couple of weeks we have been inundated with plums and having used up all my spare jars and a lot of sugar I cannot face making any more plum jam. So a quick search through google and I came to a recipe for fruit leather. 
This is a great recipe for a quck easy supper. I know that warming something from a jar is the way around the problem for many, but I think this sauce is as easy as with the benefit of being truly delicious. For something which uses only four ingredients, this sauce has great flavour and is something that even the pickiest of eaters will enjoy. You can also freeze a batch so it's always on hand ready to go. The original idea for this recipe comes from 
This recipe is adapted from 
