Pot Au Chocolat

This is a super simple recipe for little chocolate pots that will rival anything you can buy on the desert aisle in the supermarket.

It’s no-bake, no-hassle and uses only 4 ingredients.

Make 8 when using ordinary sized ramekins as pictured.

1 standard pack of Oreos (154g)
Unsalted Butter (50g)
2 packs of Dark Chocolate (300g)
1 tub of double (heavy) cream (300ml)

Step 1) Blitz the Oreos in a blender.

Step 2) Melt/soften the Butter and add this to the Oreo-mix in the blender. Blitz again.

Step 3) Using a teaspoon, line the bottom of your pots with the Oreo mixture (approx 4 teaspoons worth) and compress it.

Step 4) Warm the cream in a saucepan until it just bubbles.

Step 5) Break up the chocolate and put in a heat-proof jug. Pour the cream over the chocolate and allow to sit for 30 seconds.

You’ll need to work quickly for this next bit…

Step 6) Stir the chocolate/cream mixture until all the pieces have disolved.

Step 7) Once you have a smooth creamy mix it will begin setting so quickly pour it into each of the pots – distributing evenly so that you have at least the same amount of cream as biscuit base.

Step 8) Smooth out the surface then leave to set in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

If you prefer a softer, less rich mixture add more cream in or decrease the amount of chocolate. Alternatively, leave the deserts to stand for 5-10 minutes at room-temperature before serving and the ‘set’ will loosed up slightly.

Something for the Weekend: Harewood House Food Festival

Yesterday, Cali and I ventured to Harewood House to sample the delights of their food festival.

Cali had such a great time and we’ve both decided we’d like to move in – she has expensive taste! (Having Cali is somewhat like I imagine having a child would be – she’s into everything and very sociable. I’ve started walking her on a harness so I don’t lose her!)

I’m not going to waffle on with this post because Cali and I are heading out for our next big adventure today and we can’t wait to make the most of the bank holiday sunshine!

Details of the food festival here. It runs today and tomorrow. Entry is £10 (seems a little steep but you do get access to the gardens and grounds included in that.)

Dress: Tallgirls.co.uk (bought from their pop-up shop and seemingly not available online)
Shoes: Primark
Sunglasses: F&F

Something for the (Bank Holiday) Weekend: Food Festival

Monday is a national holiday in the UK so I am currently in the midst of a lovely and relaxing long weekend. Today I ventured out to Cannon Hall Farm to see what was on offer at their food festival.

There were tents as far as the eye could see selling all kinds of food, lots of it local to Yorkshire. I did a lap before settling for a Caribbean lunch and some homemade ice cream for pudding (and I’ll be dining on all the yummy extras I bought tonight!)

It runs until tomorrow evening so if you are in the area I would recommend a visit. There are also cookery classes and workshops on offer – and live music in the evening.

Cookies & Cream Chocolate Brownies

Brownies are something I consider myself to be a bit of an expert on. I’ve been experimenting with different recipes for a long time and this has to be one of my all-time favourites.

Lorraine Pascale’s cookery show was addictive viewing for me and I couldn’t wait to buy her books afterwards. These brownies seemed a little fiddly at first, but it was surprisingly easy once I got going. They came out perfectly textured and full of fudgey goodness – perfect for a chocoholic like me!

You can find the recipe here and you can buy Lorraine’s book here.

Castlefield Market

Last weekend when the rain was pouring down and my stomach was rumbling, I headed into Manchester in search of something to eat. I’ve wanted to visit Castlefield Market for ages but it’s only held on the first weekend of the month and for one reason or another I’ve never been able to make it before. And I have been missing out!

The indoor market is full of handmade crafts and homemade produce. With plenty of street food stalls providing sustenance along the way. I loved the relaxed vibe – a DJ was playing music in the corner and everyone ate along big communal dining tables while making new friends. 

It was a hard decision, choosing where to buy lunch from, but in the end I went for a jerk chicken sandwich with the most amazing mango salsa from The Blackbird Pantry. Followed by what has to be the best brownie I’ve ever eaten. The stall holders were all enthusiastic and happy to chat about their products. There were lots of ‘tasters’ on offer too – an added bonus!

Outfit: Blazer – Zara | Top – Warehouse | Jeggings – M&S (exact ones here) Shoes – Primark | Clutch – Dorothy Perkins
(Note to self – take a bigger bag next time!)

Jewellery – Handmade by Emma
Cards, etc – Mint to Be
Bread – Hunters Artisan Bread
Cakes – Glamarang

(For a full list of stalls appearing each month see the Castlefield Market Website)

Vienna: A Walk Around Town

There is so much to see in Vienna that we could never have hoped to fit it all in with just 4 days there. So here are a few snapshots of things we saw while walking around town. We took in the up-market shopping district (where I did much window-gazing), followed by some beautiful gardens. Then the Rathaus (town hall), the Austrian Parliament building and the slightly controversial Liberation Monument. We tried to fit in the Belvedere as well, but sadly ran out of time.

After all that walking we were pretty hungry so we headed to Cafe Diglas for dinner. Tucked away down a side street near to Stephansdom it wasn’t as busy as other eateries, but I would definitely recommend a visit. The cafe dates back to the fifties and we noticed many locals visiting for a slice of cake and a natter. We ate traditional Austrian dishes and relaxed while the pianist played some of my favourite songs. (One thing to note if you are lucky enough to visit – they don’t take card payments, only cash.)

Top: F&F (previously seen here)
Vest: Primark
Shorts: ASOS Tall
Sunglasses F&F

(Side note: Any photos of me were very kindly taken by my lovely travel-buddy.)