Vegetarian & Gelatine Free Vegan Marshmallows UK - Ananda's Blog - Ananda Foods

Northern Vegan Fair

21/04/2013

Here we are at last weekend's Vegan Fair (photo courtesy of Jane from Planet V!)
We had a fantsatic day and throughly enjoyed the experience, although we were shattered when we arrived home in the evening. I was accompanied by my daughter, whom at the age of 10, answered customers questions with confidence and allowed me to take time out. I was so impressed with her ability to hold her own. I appreciated our customers who directed their questions to my daughter, and treated her respectfully as an equal. For those of you who attended the festival, I hope you will all agree that it was a big success. It was my first festival appearance and promises a great start to our calender of events. We sold out very quickly of our new Wagon Wheels and we aim to produce many more and Marshmallow Teacakes for our second event at Vdelicious. We are also recruiting a new member of staff who will hopefully be joining us then. If you didn't manage to come along, I do urge you to come along to one of the many veggie and vegan events this year as they are a great showcase for new products, new businesses and many charities and campaign groups. In the little time I had to look around, I was sold (very quickly) on Soapnuts and have been so impressed with their performance in my washing machine, that I have order some to sell on. Availble very soon!

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We Won! Entrepreneur of the Year 2012!

09/10/2012

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Last week I attended the Sheffield Star Business Awards. I was shortlisted for Entrepreneur of the Year, but never did I think that I would actually win. The event was black tie and I felt like a fish out of water as I stepped into the champagne reception and a buzzing crowd of the business gentry dressed in tuxedos with their well practised partners. My husband stayed at home to look after the children and I was the only attendee alone. What an evening! I was presented my award by Lord Norman Lamont. I felt very emotional and very pleased. I was up against two other female entrepreneurs who ran established businesses with high turnovers. The presenter said "That although they are a young business, they show great innovation and as long as we continue to create new products, then there was great potential for growth and success!" And ladies and gentlemen, I have been hard at work in the kitchen doing exactly that. I can't wait to unveil our new products and marshmallow range. This is a job I love to do and with the support of my family and customers, I hope to keep on doing it and do it well!

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Strawberry Jam Recipe - Better late than never!

25/09/2012

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You may be surprised to be seeing a recipe for strawberry jam at the end of September. I was equally surprised to be making it! Just as I thought it was a sad farewell to our strawberry jam as we tucked in to our last jar, providence smiled on me, and I was offered a crate of strawberries at my local market for a tenner! The lovely gentlemen there do tend to call me the jam lady, so they know to look out for me if they have a good deal.

Best Strawberry Jam Recipe - Excellent texture

Ingredients:
1 kg Strawberries
500g Granulated Sugar and 450g Jam Sugar
150mls lemon juice (2 or 3 good juicy lemons; have 4 or 5 to hand in case they are thick
skinned)

First, place a saucer or small plate in the fridge. You will need this later to test for the setting point. Secondly, put your clean jam jars and lids in to a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring them to the boil, and allow to boil for 5 - 10 mins to sterilise them.
Transfer the sterilised jars to the oven on a low heat, to dry them and keep them warm for pottting. Next you want to sort and dehull your strawberries. I find the best thing to use is the end of a traditional potato peeler rather than simply cutting the tops off. It reduces waste and removes the inner stalk. Put 200g of your strawberries into a large soup pot along with 200g of the granulated sugar. (N.B. if you are making a large batch do
not use more than 3kg of fruit at a time as the pot will not be large enough to
bring the fruit to a rolling boil and setting will not be achieved!)
With a potato masher, mash the strawberries to pulp. Move them to the stove and
warm gently, stirring regularly. Once warm add the rest of the strawberries

Very gently, bring the strawberries to a simmering point, stirring regularly, to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, softening the fruit. Add the remaining granulated sugar and fruit sugar, stirring gently for 2 - 3 mins until the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon juice. Increase the heat to a full rolling boil and boil rapidly for 8 - 9 mins.

How do I know when my jam is ready? How do I test for setting?

There are three ways to see when your jam is ready. I use two, as I found relying on a thermometer often produced runny non set jam. When the jam reaches 104.5oc put a little of the jam onto the saucer that you placed in the fridge at the beginning of your jam making session. After a minute or so, push it with your finger. If it starts to crinkle then the jam has set.

How to pot jam

Once your jam is ready, remove the jars and lids from the oven and ladle the jam into the jars and seal immediately. Be careful, the jam is extremely hot! Use a cloth or your apron to aid you in tightening the lids on to the jars.If you are using screw top lids there is no need to use plastic discs or cellophane. Once cooled, store the jam in a cool place.

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How to make Elderflower Cordial

23/06/2012

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When the pretty white flowers adorn the trees, you know that summer is here and the opportunity to make elderflower cordial is not to be missed. The first time I tried elderflower cordial was many years ago at a friend's house. I was completely amazed at how good it was and that she had made it herself. I made my first batch three years ago and my family love it! It is at its absolute best served cold, with ice, and especially scrumptious with sparkling water. Once its made, I don't buy any other soft drinks for the remainder of summer, just plenty of sparkiling water. It really is the taste of summer. It is relatively simple to make and you don't need to go out and buy any special bottles. You can re-use glass bottles with screw top lids as long as you give them a good clean. If you only make a couple of bottles, you will find that it will be gone in no time at all, and as long as you keep it in the fridge, it will keep for 3-4 weeks and so sterilising may not even be necessary.

When is best to pick elderflowers?

Venture out on a sunny day when you have a couple of hours to spare. Elderflowers seem to grow everywhere. When you have spotted a good picking place, take a carrier bag and some scissors with you as pinching off the flowers with your nails can become quite painful and sore the next day. Choose heads that are beautifully creamy white and avoid any that have started to die off. It is fine to pick heads that have some flowers that have not opened as yet. If you want to make a couple of bottles you only need to pick the equivalent of 25 large heads. You will smell the beautiful elderflower scent as you are picking, hear the birds singing and be surrounded by glorious green. What a better way to spend a couple of hours off work and duties. The picture above shows about three times that much in each bowl. I find it easier to make things in large batches rather than 2 or 3 as I have done in the past when I found that the cordial was all gone already. If you want to tailor the recipe to your own liking it is best to start small. I like to give some cordial away to friends and family, and this year I also put one bottle in a hot bath process so that we can enjoy some at Christmas time (more about that later).

Elderflower Cordial Recipe

Makes just under 2 litres
You will need:
25 Large Elderflower Heads
1Large Orange
3 Lemons
750g Sugar
1 tsp citric acid
Muslin Cloth or Jelly Bag
Large Pan

Do not wash or rinse your flowers, put them stright into a large bowl. Zest the orange and lemons and add to the elderflowers and pour over 11/2 litres of boiling water, cover and leave overnight.

I don't know if its necessary to cover with a plate but I wanted to ensure that all the flowers were submersed in the water. I'm sure tht a tea cloth draped over the top wil be fine.
In the morning or afternoon when you have time to prepare the cordial, juice the lemons and orange and put in to a large pan with the sugar. Strain the liquid from the flowers using a muslin cloth draped over a colander or a jelly bag. If you want to keep the cordial for longer than 4 weeks, you should sterilise it with boiling water. .

If using a cloth, drape it over the colander and pour boiling water all over slowly trying not to knock it off. Use some tongs to rearrange it if necessary. If using a jelly bag just pour boiling water over it.
Strain the liquid and put it the pan. Heat gently dissolving the sugar, then
increase the temperature to bring the liquid to a simmer, simmering fro 2 - 3
minutes Using a jug and funnel pour the hot cordial into your bottles. Pour to the top as it will settle. Seal.

How to sterilise bottles and jam jars

If you make large amounts of cordial you will need to sterilise you bottles to increase their shelf life for up to four months. I find the easiest method is to use a microwave oven (well it has to be good for something other than defrosting!) Put a small amount of cold water in the bottom of the bottle and place in the microwave for approx. 5 mins on full power. *IMPORTANT* remember to remove the metal swing top lid before placing in the microwave. Lids can be cooked in a pan of boiling water for a few minutes.

How to extend the shelf life to 1 year using a hot water bath method

It is quite tricky to extend the shelf life of cordials as regular 1litre bottles are too tall to fit inside a large pan. A 2ltr bottle as pictured above will fit (just). *IMPORTANT* Ensure that there is at least 2 inches space between the cordial and the top of the bottle as the cordial will rise with the heating and the top will pop off, and you will experience burnt fingers trying to get the darn thing back on! Place the hot bottle of cordial on top of a metal pan trivet or a folded tea cloth to keep it off the bottom of the pan. Fill the pan with water ( I used warm water as I was concerned that using cold from the tap may crack the bottle as the bottle was hot with the cordial) Turn the heat on and bring the water to a simmer, and let it simmer for approx. 20 minutes. Voila, hopefully a fine bottle of cordial to enjoy through the dark, cold winter!

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How to plant fruit trees

17/06/2012

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Plum Tree

When we moved we had six lovely fruit trees that were just about to produce their first harvest. We bought our trees from a local man who raised his own fruit trees and bushes and helped me to plant them in. I gave him a call and told him that we were moving and he came back and helped me to dig them out again. My husband thought that I was crazy, but our property was more than likely going to be flattened to make way for a modern concrete monstrosity and if permission was sought, another property would be proposed to be built on the garden as was the trend on the road on which we lived. I witnessed a beautiful cottage a few doors down, which had the most beautiful rose bushes in the garden, probably tended for 30 years plus, pulled down and replaced with a modern four bedroom, paved monstrosity. The only greenery sat in pots with a small highly landscaped 'garden' out the back. The infuriating thing was that I had asked the new owners for permission to remove the rose bushes as I didn't want them to be bulldozed, and I received a haughty 'No', as she and her friends were taking care of it. They never were and ended up being ripped up with the house.
And so, the mission to remove all the fruit bushes, trees and plants began. It was hard work, it was cold, but now I am glad we did it. We have 3 apples; one early, one mid, one late, 1 pear and 2 plums. First we had to dig around the fruit tress to loosen them and to try and remove them with as little root damage as possible. Once out we planted them back in again in groups of three covering them with soil and lightly pressing them in. This was to prevent the roots from drying out until they were ready to be planted in to their new home. Fruit trees and bushes are best planted in February and March before the beginning of spring.

How to prepare the ground for fruit trees

When you have selected the location for your tree, using a sharp spade, mark out the square/rectangle which you are going to dig out, then shave off the top layer of turf, using your spade in a horizontal manner in a quick cutting action. Put this turf to one side. Put the top soil (the soil you dig out first) to one side also as this is better quality than the sub soil and you want to cover your tree roots with this when you are ready to plant it in.
You need to dig a big hole, large enough to accomodate the roots of the tree comfortably. It needs to be approx. 18 inches deep. When your hole is big enough you need to put in approx. 2 buckets of manure/compost and then place your tree on top. Cover with the top soil first and any large clumps of soil that may be attached to the turf, depending on how well you manage to shave it off. Then gradually add all the other soil, leaving the sub soil to last. Give your tree a gentle pull to keep it straight whilst you use you foot to to press the soil firmly in around the tree. Know you need to prune your tree, removing approx. 10 inches from each growth/branch (about half of what there is). Water. Take care to keep the soil around the tree weed free. Keep it well watered in dry spells as the roots are not established enough to reach the deep, water resources yet. It may be a good idea to put a mulch around the base, to retain moisture and keep weeds at bay.

How to care for young fruit trees

Your fruit tree wants to be pruned in late summer/early autumn, then in the early spring add some manure/compost to the base of the tree. The hardest part of planting fruit trees
is that you have to pick the blossoms off for the first two years, allowing the tree to put its energy into growing, to ensure that you get good crops.

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The best bread recipe ever...?

05/06/2012

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Am I exaggerating? Maybe not. I started making my own bed about 13 years ago shortly after I got married. I was keen to cook and bake for my husband, but my endeavours were short lived as I dropped my rising loaf into the boiler and it was a while before I tried again, years in fact. My next attempt was after we moved house, and I joined the local libray and found a wonderful book on bread making. I began my quest again, and made bread regularly, but still found my loaves not quite as good as I would have liked them to be. Then I came across the magnificent book BREAD MATTERS: The State of Modern Bread and a Definitive Guide to Baking Your Own by Andrew Whitley. It is quite a hefty book, especially if you come across the original hardback, but it is so worth reading. I am not much of a reader, but I do enjoy reading cookbooks and gardening books. I like to read books that I can learn from, books that benefit my family. Anyway, the following recipe is the only recipe I use (at the moment) as it works like a dream and has a reduced yeast content. Andrew Whitley's book is a guide through the different methods of bread making starting with the 4 hour process (which I used to use), to the overnight process (which this is) to sourdoughs. I have had one attempt at producing a sourdough and have temporarily given up on it. I am sure that I will return to it at a later date. But for now, the overnight process is the one for me. As Andrew tells us in his book, this process was originally used by bakers, before quick fermentation processes were used and bread became like it is today. If I find myself forgetting to make some bread or feel too lazy, I am always disappointed by the bread I purchase from the instore bakeries as it just isn't as good as my own. This recipe process is known as the sponge and dough method. Using a smaller amount of yeast added to flour and water, the mix is left overnight to ferment, utilising the natural yeasts within the flour. Furthermore, the recipe contains no sugar to activate the yeast as it is not necessary. One teaspoon of yeast is enough to make three large loaves, which rise beautifully.

Sponge and Dough Starter

300g Flour
1 tsp dried yeast
260mls water

In a large bowl, large enough to make your bread dough, measure out 300g of bread flour. This can be a mix of white, wholemeal, malted or spelt. The picture opposite shows loaves that are half spelt and half white. Spelt is a wonderful flour alternative. I started using spelt when my husband was attempting a wheat free diet. Spelt can be tolerated by many people who are irritated by wheat flour. It has a wonderful nutty flavour. My children do not notice any difference when I make my loaves with half spelt.
I usually begin my starter with 100g spelt or malted and 200g white. Add a teaspoon of dried yeast and 260g luke warm water. I prefer to use water warmed from the kettle to get my water to temperature rather than from the hot tap. Mix the 3 ingredients together and place plastic bag over the top of the bowl and leave on the side until morning. Do not leave your starter in a warm place. It needs to be left at ambient temperature.The starter should be left for 12 - 18 hours. If you do not have time to make your loaves the next day, you can put it in a fridge and use it the day after.

Final Bread Mix Ingredients

900g Flour
45g Olive Oil/ Butter/Margarine
1 heaped teaspoon salt
540mls Water

When you are ready to make your loaves, add 900g of bread flour to your starter (white/wholemeal/spelt/malted whatever takes your fancy) 45g of olive oil/butter/or margarine, 1 heaped teaspoon of salt and 540ml of luke warm water. Mix together to make a dough, (you may need to add extra flour) turn out and knead for 10 - 15 mins vigorously. Your dough should be fairly wet. Do not dust your work surface with flour, just sprinkle enough on to your hands to enable you to knead it without it sticking too much to you hands. When your dough is well kneaded you should feel some resistance. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover with a plastic bag and leave in a warm place to rise for 1 1/2 - 2hours. I use a 3litre bowl, and the dough is ready when it reaches the top. While waiting grease 3 loaf tins and decide how you would like your crust. If you would like a softer crust, put some flour into a bowl to coat your 'loaves/dough' with or for a seeded finish sprinkle some seeds onto a plate. When the dough is ready, knock it back (pushing it away from the sides with your knuckles) and tip it onto the work surface. Using a bread knife, cut the dough in to three equal pieces. Take one piece and stretch/roll it in to a long sausage twice as long as your tin. Then fold the sausage in on itself. Imagine it in thirds. Fold one third on to the middle third and the last third on top of that. Flatten it with you knuckles creating a rectangle, then roll it up away from you (the opposite direction to the folding), and cover it in flour and put it in the tin with the seam at the bottom, or roll it over the seeds and place it in the tin with the seam at the bottom. Repeat this for the other two pieces of dough. Place all three tins in a large plastic bag (perhaps a swing bin liner) and blow in to it until it is nicely inflated. The warmth and moisture from your breath will help it to rise. Leave for approx. 1 hour until the dough reaches the top of the tin and is nicely domed. The loaves will be fine left on the side in the kitchen to rise. The warmer the day the quicker the rise, colder longer. If you have to go out or need to slow down this process you can put them in the fridge and take them out when you're ready to resume the process. Don't let the loaves rise too much as they won't have any energy left for the final rise in the oven. When the loaves are ready for the oven heat the oven to 230oc (Gas Mark 8), the hottest setting. I now have an electric fan oven and the highest seting is 200oc and this works fine. Bake the loaves on the hottest setting for 10 mins then turn down the temperature by 20oc (2 Gas Marks) and bake for a further 20 - 25 mins. Turn out on to a cooling rack.

In our family we usually use 1 loaf a day in the week, with packed lunches and toast for breakfast. I usually freeze one of the loaves for another day and make bread twice a week.

The best breadcakes and bread roll recipe ever?

The sponge and dough recipe can also be used to make breadcakes or bread rolls depending on which part of the country you live in. These really are fantastic, and once made you won't want to buy them again. The above quantities makes 24 breadcakes. Again, I usually freeze half of them. Here is a step by step guide to making your homemade bread rolls.

To make the best breadcake or bread rolls ever, first separate the dough into 24 balls roughly the same size. Cup your hand over the top and of the dough ball and rotate it on the work surface until you acheive a nice round ball. If you want your roll to be topped with seeds, you should now roll the top over the seeds whilst the dough is still wet. Repeat for all 24 balls. If you want a flatter 'breadcake' for filled sandwiches or burgers, then leave the dough balls to rest for 5 mins then flatten with the palm of your hand. If you are coating with flour you should now dip each of the balls into the flour.

Place the bread cakes or rolls on to some baking trays lined with greaseproof paper, leaving approx. 1cm between each breadcake.

Place the trays in a large plastic bag (swing bin liner?) and inflate. The warmth and moisture from your breath will help them rise. Leave for approx. 11/2 - 2 hours. The breadcakes or rolls will be ready when they are touching.

Heat the oven as above. Bake for 5 mins, then reduce the temperature (as above) and bake for a further 7 - 10 mins.
Voila, the best bread cakes you have ever tasted!

Making homemade hotdog rolls
Its easy once you know how. Instead of rolling into balls, roll into thin sausages and place them about 1cm apart on a greaseproof lined tray. Bake for the same length of time as the bread rolls.

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Starting up the vegetable plot

29/05/2012

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We have had our hands full since moving, but I can always find a
bit of time to do a bit of digging, usually on the weekend when the children are
occupying themselves playing with their friends or pretending to be farmers or
zombies. Our new vegetable plot presented quite a challenge as it was covered
over by the previous occupier with black plastic and tons upon tons of tiny
shingle pebbles. So this first had to be removed before I could even begin the
delightful task of digging. I was quite unsure whether to start again growing
vegetables, as I dug for victory at our last house as the vegetable patches
there had been left to grow wild and I was full of determination and enthusiasm
to grow our own as it was the first time that we had a piece of land to play
with and it had been something I had long been interested in. This time with
three years experience under my belt, I knew the time commitment it represented and didn’t want to bite off more than I could chew. I didn’t want it to become a burden and another responsibility to add to my list. But after a trip to visit friends in London, and meeting avid gardeners embarking on a new allotment, my passion burst back into life and I came away with 4 courgette and 4 pumpkin plants. I knew that these would not be too demanding to grow and could soon prepare the ground for growing. I cleared a strip of land and turned it over. No matter how small I think a job will be, it always consumes more time than I anticipate. The young plants grew comfortably in the conservatory waiting for the opportunity to go out. The delay was probably a good thing as the wind and rained continued relentlessly. When the weather had settled some what and I had some time, I took to the task of planting them out.

How to plant courgettes?

Courgettes are easy to grow and once established will produce
high yields and keep you going through the summer months, which I discovered to my relief in my first year of growing my own vegetables. Becoming self reliant
is not an easy task, and in our first year we ate many courgettes, beans,
tomatoes, potatoes and kale. It is these main staples that I am planning on
growing at our new home, as they produce well and fairly easily. As I have only
just unearthed and turned the vegetable plot, I knew that courgettes and
pumpkins would be perfect to grow, as all you need to do is dig a hole, fill it
with a bucketful of muck (manure/compost), and put your plant of top. You need
to leave a big gap between each plant, approx. 24”, as they grow big and you
need good air circulation to ensure healthy growth. (Don’t be tempted to cram
more crops in. One healthy plant in the right conditions will produce more than
2 healthy plants in cramped conditions). Patience is essential in growing, as I
have learnt the hard way, and cutting corners results in crop loss. Remember,
your plants are little entities, and young plants are like little delicate
babies. You need to care for them and handle them carefully. This year I was
sensible enough to dig and dress the holes before bringing my plants out from
the conservatory. Sudden changes in temperature and air flow can have a big
impact on baby plants and can stress them out. When a plant becomes stressed it can set it back 2 or 3 weeks whilst it sorts itself out which can be a major setback in the growing cycle and still then, the plant may not reach its full
potential. I have been fortunate enough to be given some plastic domed
propagators which eliminate the process of hardening off some what, something that I am not very good at. My husband helped me to monitor them for the first week, letting them sit in in their high humidity for the first couple of days before beginning to open their air vent to slowly introduce air flow, and then waited for a nice still, warm day and uncovered them completely for a few hours at a time, increasing the time, until they were uncovered all day. I then
covered them late at night and uncovered them early in the morning. Fortunately the weather has been perfect for this with warm nights aswell as
days.

What is hardening off?

Hardening off is like toughening up. It is a transitional stage. Imagine taking your child to nursery for the first time, leaving the warmth and comfort of home
and entering a new environment full of strange people. This can be a very
stressful time for your child. The snacks and drinks may be different, the
routine different. In order to make the transition as smooth as possible, it may
be necessary to introduce your child to the new environment an hour at a
time. If they are thrown in at the deep end, they may become sick with
stress and may take a long time to take to the change, or in the worst case
scenario never at all. This is hardening off. Your young plants have come
out of their baby incubators, you have nursed and cared for them tentatively,
watering them little and often. Woken early in the mornings to check they
are not too hot or too dry. Now they are like little toddlers, ready to take on the world, but they are still young, and the more care and attention they are given when they are young, the more solid the foundations on which they grow. The time you take to harden off your plants to temper the transition from cosy, still, warm interior to open, gusty, cool exterior, will pay off in the long run. The quality of your plants at the beginning is everything. As I have learnt, you only get one shot each season, so the more time and attention you take at the beginning, the better the outcome. You will spend a lot of time and money!) weeding, watering and feeding your plants. Your best investment is the time, love and attention you give your plants at the beginning of their life.

How to harden off plants

The two main factors of hardening off is air movement and temperature. Moving from indoors to outdoors, you plants are moving from a small environment to a very large environment (unless they are moving into a green house or polytunnel) and the impact of the change can stress your plants.You need to introduce gentle changes in air movement and temperature, lengthening the time of the changes slowly but steadily. You can begin by opening windows, but try to avoid windows that are directly above your ‘babies’. When your plants are experiencing good amounts of air movement inside try introducing a more outdoor experience by placing in the exterior door way for a short time, but
be aware of windy days. Don’t put them out on a blustery day it will be too much for them. Choose a gentler day and increase the time or wind intensity slowly. If there is too much air movement, find a sheltered spot. This process may take a couple of weeks and requires patience.These two weeks are crucial to the quality of your plant which is going to produce wonderful fruits to feed you and your family. This is time well spent.

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Blooming hot!

27/05/2012

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Wow what a scorcher of a week we've had after weeks and weeks of rain and no sign of spring. We seem to to have catapulted past spring right into the heart of summer, but who knows how long for. Our family have all enjoyed a tremendous weekend, with probably too much sun. I took the opportunity of catching up with some gardening and planted out the many herbs and flowers that I managed to salvage from our old garden and bring with us to the new one. I missed out on strawberries this week from our local market as everyone wanted to enjoy the summer fruits, but I went ahead anyway and made some scones to enjoy with strawberry jam. (Alas not yet homemade, need to timetable an opportunity to go picking!) They turned out very well and were enjoyed by all, so I thought I would take some time this quiet evening to write up the recipe. I made two batches as the first only produced 6, so for the second batch I made them with half spelt flour as I tend to use it in many recipes since my husband decided to reduce the amount of wheat flour in his diet. Spelt adds a wonderful flavour to bread, biscuits and now scones and the children do not notice the difference. I think that is a good idea to use different flours instead of being wholly dependant on wheat. I also use rapadura sugar as much as I can in my baking as it has a low g.i. and I find a slower sugar release is better for my children than a full on rush. These vegan scones are easy to make and are ready in no time. Cut them big and thick. Serve with lashings of your favourite jam and spreads.

Vegan Scones Recipe

Vegan Scones - Makes 12
You will need:
300ml 'milk'
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
450g self raising flour (half white/half wholemeal of half
white/half spelt)
1/4 tsp baking powder (increase to 1/2 tsp if
using half spelt as it is not self raising)
100g margarine
100g soft brown sugar or rapadura sugar
Large baking tray lined with greaseproof paper

Pre heat the oven to 200c/Gas Mark 6
Add the lemon juice to the 'milk' and set aside. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and rub in the margarine. Mix in the sugar and add the 'milk'. Mix to a soft dough. You may need to add a handful or two of flour to get the dough to the right consistency. Turn onto a work surface, flatten down to about 1 inch thick with your hand (no need to roll out) and cut out with a 3 inch cutter. Bake in the oven for 12 - 15 mins. Voila, lovely soft scones ready for the tea table. Easy peasy.

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FAQs up and running

06/05/2012

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After a dry, warm day, digging in the garden I have compiled a FAQ page for our new Marshmallow Mix. I hope that I have thought of every question that may need to be answered. For those of you who are embarking on a marshmallow making session, it may be worth reading through the questions to give you a head start on things to avoid.
I remember the first time I made a batch of marshmallows. It was so thrilling to turn out a large slab of quivering marshmallow (although I had added way too much water) Vegetarian and vegan marshmallows were the holy grail and I was so excited that I bagged up several bags of them and handed them out to all the vegetarians that I knew, knowing that they would be really appreciated. They tasted really good and the children loved them!

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Marshmallow Mix is GO!

04/05/2012

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Wow what a week, busy, rainy, cold, but hot on the inside as we are smiling beams of sunshine at the launch of our new product Ananda's Marshmallow Mix. This has been in the pipeline a long time, we ummd and arrd whether to sell it in singles or a double pack. We almost launched last year and got cold feet as we endeavoured to do more market research, But now its here, in super budget busting double pack and we're excited and we hope you'll take the plunge and have a go at making your own scrumptious veggie and vegan marshmallows at home. This weekend I am working on a FAQ page to help with any questions you may have to make your marshmallow experience work. I have been making these for almost 5 years now and I know that together we can do it

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<< Previous

Northern Vegan Fair

We Won! Entrepreneur of the Year 2012!

Strawberry Jam Recipe - Better late than never!

Best Strawberry Jam Recipe - Excellent texture

How do I know when my jam is ready? How do I test for setting?

How to pot jam

How to make Elderflower Cordial

When is best to pick elderflowers?

Elderflower Cordial Recipe

How to sterilise bottles and jam jars

How to extend the shelf life to 1 year using a hot water bath method

How to plant fruit trees

How to prepare the ground for fruit trees

How to care for young fruit trees

The best bread recipe ever...?

The best breadcakes and bread roll recipe ever?

Starting up the vegetable plot

How to plant courgettes?

What is hardening off?

How to harden off plants

Blooming hot!

Vegan Scones Recipe

FAQs up and running

Marshmallow Mix is GO!

Ananda

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Best Strawberry Jam Recipe - Excellent texture

How do I know when my jam is ready? How do I test for setting?

How to pot jam

When is best to pick elderflowers?

Elderflower Cordial Recipe

How to sterilise bottles and jam jars

How to extend the shelf life to 1 year using a hot water bath method

How to prepare the ground for fruit trees

How to care for young fruit trees

The best breadcakes and bread roll recipe ever?

How to plant courgettes?

What is hardening off?

How to harden off plants

Vegan Scones Recipe

Ananda

Archives

RecipesPhotosVegetarian and Vegan DietsGardening TipsAnanda's Kitchen

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Recipes
Photos
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets
Gardening Tips
Ananda's Kitchen