5:2 hero products

So far this year I have managed to finish each calendar month lighter than I started. Admittedly, in February the difference was less than a pound (whoops!) but the point still (just about) stands.  5:2 works.

While there's no denying that fast days themselves are rubbish, I have found one of the keys to getting through them so far is sticking to a fairly limited routine of foodstuffs. Variety and experimentation are for the rest of the week.

Picture taken from thelaughingcow.co.uk

I have always had a sneaky fondness for plastic cheese triangles and find these great for fast days. They're only 25 calories each but the texture and mouth-feel definitely make them seem more indulgent.  The cheese flavour is not pronounced but it is definitely there. They can be eaten alone in a pinch, but if I have calories to spare, I like them on an oatcake or similarly low calorie cracker for a bit of crunch.

Picture taken from wikipedia.org

It goes without saying that fruit and veg are low in calories and high in bulk but it's these little beauties I find myself reaching for the most. Essential fast day fodder. Chop 'em and sprinkle with salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar.

OBVIOUSLY in an ideal world I would make a proper packed lunch every single day but, while I'm better about this than I used to be, I'm still capable of being ridiculously lazy. When I need to buy lunch on the go, this salad is what I reach for. It's a smidge over 200 calories but the Marie Rose sauce is pleasingly rich for such a meagre amount. I also like the fact that, although it is primarily veg, it contains a layer of pasta which (for me, a carb monster) gives it an additional satisfaction factor.

Picture taken from waitrose.com

Popcorn is a staple in our house at the moment. One of the things I miss when I'm fasting is the act of eating itself - actually chewing. Popcorn helps with this because you can have a decent portion for not very many calories and it takes a while to chomp through. And it's scrummy and feels like a treat (cinema / going out associations assist with this).
Have I missed anything blindingly obvious? Is there a product out there that will help make fast days more bearable? If there are any 5:2-ers out there who have other hero products to share then please...well, share

Book review: "The North Yorkshire Cook Book"

A shamefully long time ago, on arriving back from our Scottish trip, this was waiting on my doorstep.

Not literally, you understand, Postie had managed to get it through the letterbox. But what better way to celebrate being back in Yorkshire than by reading about its lovely food?

The recipes contained within its pages have been provided by restaurants and specialist food shops from across the region (a full directory is included in the back). Because these venues range from high end dining to smaller cafes and delis, so too do the recipes vary massively in style. Personally, I like that - the book is a treasure trove of unexpected delights - but those who prefer their recipes books to focus on one particular ingredient or style may not be so keen.

Some of the places featured in the book are well loved haunts of ours: Norse, in Harrogate, have submitted a delicious sounding mackerel tartare recipe, while Rafi's, the spice shop that we used to frequent in our York days, offer up an intriguing Moghul style roast lamb dish that I'm very keen to try. There are also some nice bakes to be found - the Ye Olde Sun Inn bread flavoured with honey is definitely on my to-make list.

Some of the recipes are for restaurant style dishes (presumably because they have been written by, er, restaurants) and thus not for everyday - the plate of Yorkshire pork designed by Guisborough Hall sounds amazing but is not something that I'm going to knock out for a weeknight supper (although it would be perfect for a posh Sunday lunch party). Again, I like that - I'm a confident cook and not averse to spending a bit of time in the kitchen for something truly special, but it won't be for everybody.

What's really lovely about this book is that it shines a spotlight on some really special little corners of North Yorkshire - most of the recipes come with a little introductory page with some history and information about the venues which is a nice touch, as are the lovely accompanying photographs. If you were a foodie paying a visit to York or Malton, the directory would give you a pretty good idea of the places to check out (assuming you are like us and basically spend your holidays lurching from meal to snack to meal).

As a celebration of our little corner of the world, this is an absolute treasure of a book. It costs just 14.95 of your English pounds and can be found on Amazon - so you don't even have to come up to North Yorkshire to buy it, although who wouldn't want to visit this most beautiful part of the world? And, to whet your tastebuds still further, I hope to be sharing a recipe from the book with you in the next week or so (assuming I pull my increasingly lazy blogging finger out). Stay tuned!

(PS I was sent a free copy of this book to review. You know the drill - yes, I like free stuff but I try and be honest because if I can't be honest with you, dear blog readers then with whom can I be?)

Slow cooker recipe corner: "Pulled” pig cheeks with sherry, saffron and olives

There are certain dishes that are never going to be particularly photogenic.  And, as readers of this blog know, I have a way of making even the photogenic ones look like piles of pallid mush.  So rather than attempt to photograph pulled pork, here is a photograph of a pig ornament.  And my cat. 

So a few weeks ago, a lovely man called Chris emailed me and asked me if I’d like some meat and some alcohol.  I attempted to be cool but my reaction was probably more along the lines of SQUEEEEEEEEEEE.  Chris, bless him, didn’t seem fazed by the over enthusiasm and duly sent along some pig cheeks and a bottle of Fino sherry.  Chris, you see, works for a company called Grey’s Fine Foods.

I’ll fully admit, not a site that was on my radar at all which is extremely sad because I have been missing out on some real treats.  They specialise in all things Spanish – and the charcuterie selection, in particular, is a thing of beauty and absolute joy forever.  Plus it is a Yorkshire based company and I love to bang the drum for all things Yorkshire.  So do, please, go along and have a little look.  Several of my family members may well be getting Spanish foodie treats for Christmas.

We’ve cooked with pig cheeks before but these were a class apart – thick, a nice marbling of fat (obviously very jowly pigs) and full of deep, almost gamey flavour.  After an overnight sojourn in the slow cooker they fell apart as the prod of a fork.  Perfect for a slightly Spanish twist on pulled pork.

I served the below in a boccadillo – which is basically a Spanish sandwich, traditionally served in a sub-type roll.  I made a delicious loaf of rustic Spanish bread from this Hairy Bikers recipe and then smeared it with tomato and aioli and stacked up the warm pork and thin, crispy slices of chorizo.  It was all kinds of messy wonderful.  But this recipe would also be great with mashed potato, or patatas bravas, or a Spanish-ey mac and cheese or (and this has only just occurred to me) a veggie paella-type rice thing. 

One pack of cheeks, at £16.50 made six extremely generous portions.  But obviously this recipe could be scaled up or down to suit.

Ingredients

10-12 (about 1.5 kg) pig cheeks

Flour, for dusting

Tbsp. olive oil

200ml Fino sherry

Hefty pinch of saffron

Tsp. smoked paprika

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

Tbsp. tomato puree

2 onions, roughly quartered

2 carrots, roughly quartered

2 sticks of celery, roughly quartered

4-5 fat garlic cloves (no need to peel)

Several sprigs of fresh thyme

100ml chicken stock

Handful of black olives, chopped

Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Serves 6, 10 pro points per portion

Measure out your sherry and add the saffron to infuse.

In the bottom of your slow cooker (or in a casserole dish if making in the oven), make a trivet of the roughly chopped vegetables and the fresh thyme.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan.  Dust the cheeks with flour and a good whack of salt and pepper.  Then cook in the oil for a couple of minutes on each side until they have started to colour.  You may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan.  As they are browned off, transfer them to the slow cooker (or casserole dish).

Turn the heat down and pour the saffron-coloured sherry into the pan to deglaze, using a wooden spoon to make sure you get up all the tasty, crusty bits.  Add the paprika, cayenne, and tomato puree and bubble together for about five minutes to reduce.  Now pour in the chicken stock, and again reduce slightly before transferring to the slow cooker.  Cook, on a low heat, for at least 8 hours – overnight is fine (probably about 120-150 if doing in the oven).

When the cheeks are cooked and cooled, remove from the dish with a slotted spoon and shred.  They should be tender as anything at this stage.  Strain the remaining juices through a sieve over the shredded pork, making sure to squish all the vegetables to get every drop of flavour.

Stir through the balsamic vinegar and the chopped olives, and adjust the seasoning as desired.

Amelia Rope chocolate (being a little of what you fancy)

I am a fully paid up, card carrying, unashamed chocoholic. Let's just get that out of the way first, shall we?  If there is a pudding on the menu that involves chocolate in any shape or form, you can be 99% sure that I will order it.  If there are two, then I'll be trying to convince D to order the other one.

This has been going on for a long time.  My mother claims to still remember the look of bliss that passed across my face the very first time that I was given a chocolate button. And I'm sure that there is a story in the family annals about me as a toddler managing to steal and eat my way through an entire box of chocolates (and it does sound like the kind of thing that I would do - moderation and I are not regular bedfellows).

Mind you, I'm not a chocolate snob.  A four finger Kit Kat is a thing of beauty and a joy forever.  As is a bar of Dairy Milk, cold from the fridge and eaten with a cup of coffee.  But on the days when I don't have many points to spare yet need a chocolate hit, I tend to find myself turning towards the more expensive end of the market where you find greater intensity and complexity of flavour and thus can satisfy yourself with a smaller amount (theoretically).

And so it is that I wanted to commend to your attention the wonderful products produced by Amelia Rope.  If you're a chocolate fan - particularly a salted chocolate fan - then you need to give these a whirl because in terms of balancing flavours this woman is on a par with Willy Wonka himself.  The chocolate itself is superlative but factor in a dusting of sea salt and a few drops of one of Ms Rope's beautiful flavoured oils and you have an absolute masterpiece.  If I had to pick a favourite, I'd probably come down on the side of pale lemon and sea salt simply because it is a slightly unusual pairing and utterly, compellingly delicious.  If portion control is your issue, then follow the example of  D, who got me a box of salted chocolate cubes instead of an Easter egg; these are an absolutely perfect way for me to get a sweet fix at the end of the day and still feel relatively virtuous.

This is not a cheap product by any means, and the fixed £5 delivery charge means that you are better off buying a number of bars at a time - although this is no very great hardship.  If you are a fellow chocolate lover and you do give it a try then I'd love to hear what you think - or alternatively, get your own recommendations.

NB:  Sadly, this is not a sponsored post.  It is just bloody lovely chocolate.
NB2: If you are a Weight Watcher, both milk and dark chocolate are 1pp per 7g square.

Product review: Bannisters' Farm Littl'uns

I don’t write a blog to get free stuff, which is a good job as I don’t tend to get any. So imagine my surprise and delight when someone contacted me out of the blue and offered me a product to try! Oh, the excitement – I probably squealed a little bit. I am not cool, my friends.
It is very hard to be honest when you’re feeling pathetically grateful that a) someone has noticed your little blog and b) they think that your opinion might be worthwhile enough to send you their product. But a good journalist has to try and maintain a veneer of impartiality. So, in the spirit of full disclosure, I am going to admit that I got open sneers from the husband when I told him that we were getting microwaveable potatoes. We have both long been somewhat cynical of these, being of the firm opinion that if you’re going to have a jacket potato you should just, y’know, buy a potato and bake it. It is neither difficult nor time consuming, assuming you remember to put said potato in the oven a good hour or so before you intend to eat.

Where I do think these really come into their own though, is the office based lunch. Although the packet states to microwave from frozen, I found that if I took them out of the freezer in the morning and wrapped them in a bit of foil, they still stood up well come noon. Much as I am a devotee of sandwiches, sometimes a hot option is welcome – especially when the weather is as profoundly miserable as we have been experiencing recently. The Littl’uns, at 2 pro points or 85 calories each, are a really diet friendly option for anyone following WW or a similar calorie controlled plan. The low points count is obviously due to the size rather than any jiggery pokery on the part of the manufacturers, but I always find jacket potatoes pretty filling anyway, and although I ate two at a time you could probably get away with one plus salad and topping if you were more birdlike of appetite. Two potatoes, a can of tuna with some light mayo and a good helping of salad worked out at 8 pro points – that is lower than most packet sandwiches and proved both filling and tasty. Boxes being ticked all over the place.

Personally, I don’t think a potato cooked in the microwave can ever measure up 100% to one slow cooked from scratch – the skin will never get quite as satisfying crispy. But these were really not a bad attempt and I would happily repurchase for the sake of lunchboxes. A spoonful of baked beans or a sprinkle of cheese (or both) would also prove quick and easy desk based repasts.

In addition, there are some full sized filled potatoes in the range, two of which I was sent to try. These I also liked as a handy lunch option – although they were heftier in the points department (13pp for the one I tried the other week). They are cheesy though, and nothing with cheese can ever be bad.

In summary – I am not cool. Bannisters’ Farm are cool for sending me stuff to review (thank you and sorry this has taken a while to see the light of day!) Littl’uns potatoes are a) cute, b) low in points and c) make good, quick and tasty lunches for the office based drone. They cost £2.20 for a pack of six and are available at Morrisons, Tesco, Waitrose (hurrah!) and Ocado. Oh, and they’re gluten free too so excellent for any of you looking for something that isn’t bread.