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Make it happen...

28/2/2015

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VGirl post
Hello fellow v's of the world, I know I haven't been posted lately but can you blame me? I need you to go out and make something happen! Send me pictures and fun updates on the lives of a V. While I'm busy out and about, you could be sending all your exciting new ideas about your active V menus and social V events. Are you off to Vegfest Brighton? The very first Vegan fair of 2015. I'm sure my secret V spies behind Ananda Foods stall will be eager to see you there! Lots of Love VGirl!
E-mail me at [email protected]
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Meat, idiots and quorn

9/2/2015

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I have never liked school but one thing that really gets me ranting is those people who have an empty head with no idea that a vegetarian can actually food other than pasta, pizza and vegetables. I may not choose to eat dead animal carcasses but that doesn't mean I can't eat anything! For most people they would never have a meal without a piece of meat. It tends to be one of the only things they ever eat. Whenever I find myself at a birthday party or dinner at a friend's house there is always some meat, egg or lard smothered food. Even slight vegetarians have fish and a little bit of meat. One of the funniest things someone has ever said to me about being vegetarian is, "if you gave up meat why are you trying to replace it?" This actually got me thinking
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Introductions are in order!

24/1/2015

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VGirl is back for my second post and I think some introductions are in order! First of all, no, I am not Ananda but yes I do (sort of) work for her. I will be blogging about the world of vegans and vegetarians! I myself am a vegetarian and for the life story of a green girl in a red world just check up here! VGirl over and out!
Whoosh!
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Welcome to VGirl

24/1/2015

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Hello and I am VGirl! I will be taking over the Blog from Ananda as she is becoming extremely busy with all the orders you guys are sending her. For my first blog I wanted to share with you an amazing story from Sheffield. A group of teenagers, have created a vegan cook book for their school's business initiative and are in with a chance to win The Big Challenge! The cook book is an introduction to baking without eggs and is a brave endeavour. In order to win they have to make the most sales so I'm asking you to follow the link below and buy one, vegan or not! The challenge will end on February 15th so don't wait around and get buying!
http://www.freewebstore.org/theveganbakery/The_Vegan_Bakery,_recip/p3096956_13433882.aspx
VGirl out and stay tuned for my next posts!
Whoosh!
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Northern Vegan Fair

21/4/2013

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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!

9/10/2012

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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!

25/9/2012

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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

23/6/2012

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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

17/6/2012

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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...?

5/6/2012

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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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    VGirl

    Follower of Ananda Foods. Interests; eating, sleeping, sleeping, and eating, ridding the world of meat-eating madness.

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What our customers say.

"I recently attended the Animal Aid's Christmas Without Cruelty Fayre and I bought a box of you marshmallows from a stall. They are, to say the least, absolutely gorgeous - the best I've ever tasted. Thank you for giving me a taste of  heaven! They cannot be bettered!" Linda, Suffolk

"They're tasty, squishy, melty, yummy treats that put the more popular ones to shame. You can really tell how much hard work and love goes into each marshmallow. I am especially happy, since I've not had a marshmallow in over ten years!! Can't wait to try them in a chocolate fountain! Thanks so much for your wonderful veggie creation." Chris, Dublin
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