Author Archives for Emily Davenport, Head of Dairy Diary

About Emily Davenport, Head of Dairy Diary

Head of Dairy Diary; I'm passionate about producing high quality products that our customers will cherish. I'm also a mum of three and I enjoy cooking, walking, gardening and painting with my family, as well as printmaking (when I find the time!)

All-In-One-Brunch

Hearty and delicious, the perfect weekend breakfast.

All-in-one-brunchPreparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
Calories per portion 543 Kcal
Fat per portion 43g
of which saturated 12.4g
Serves 2

Thick pork sausages 3
Vegetable oil 1 tbsp
Smoked back bacon 2 rashers, trimmed and halved
Large flat mushroom 1, peeled, wiped and thickly sliced
Large vine tomato 1, thickly sliced
Eggs 3 large, beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Slice the sausages through the middle lengthways. Heat the oil in a medium-sized frying pan and gently fry the sausages, cut side down, for 5 minutes until lightly browned.

Turn the sausages over, add the bacon and cook for a further 5 minutes, turning the bacon over after 2 minutes. Using cooking tongs or two forks, transfer to a heat-proof plate and set aside.

Add the mushroom and tomato to the same pan and cook in the meat juices, turning occasionally, for about 5 minutes until cooked through and tender.

Return the meat to the pan and arrange the contents evenly over the bottom. Then pour the beaten eggs into the pan, season well and cook gently for 3–4 minutes until the egg just sets.

Serve immediately, straight from the pan with freshly toasted bread.

Cook’s tip
Use a good non-stick frying pan so that the egg doesn’t stick to the bottom of it. Add a little wholegrain mustard to the eggs when beating.

Recipe taken from Just One Pot Dairy Cookbook

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Springwatch

Dorset is beckoning us on our annual family jaunt next week and Springwatch has been getting me particularly excited – its countryside and wildlife look just beautiful.

That was until Simon King mentioned the huge spiders – the size of the palm of his hand!! We might have to rethink our holiday destination quick.

Take a look at the Springwatch website. There are great ideas about what to make and do, and where to go in the great outdoors http://www.bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces.

Favourite Countryside BirdsOur Favourite Countryside Birds book provides the perfect guide on breeds to look out for. Explore the fascinating facts and charming folklore behind Britain’s best-loved countryside birds, in fields, moorland, woodlands and waterways.

To win a copy visit http://dairydiary.co.uk/mailinglist.html where we have ten to give away. Don’t worry if you have already joined our mailing list – you can still enter every competition!

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30 minute recipes

This morning, I responded to an email from a customer hoping to buy Quick & Easy Dairy Cookbook.

Sadly I’m afraid this book is now out of print.

Good Food, Fast. Dairy CookbookHowever! Launching in a couple of months’ time is our brand new book Good Food, Fast. It has all the same principles as Quick & Easy: recipes can be prepared in 30 minutes or less; all ingredients are readily available; all are easy, everyday food.

Try this sneak preview recipe Pea & Watercress Soup, which also makes the most of this season’s watercress.

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Pea and watercress soup with crispy pancetta

The peppery, sweet soup contrasts wonderfully with the salty pancetta.

Time 30 minutes
Calories per portion 275 Kcal
Fat per portion 12.1g
of which saturated 3.7g
Serves 6

Pea and watercress soupOlive oil 2 tbsp
Butter 15g (½oz)
Onion 1 large, chopped
Garlic 1 clove, peeled and finely chopped
Floury potato 1 large, cubed
Chicken stock 1.5 litres (2½ pints)
Frozen peas 900g (2lb)
Watercress 100g bag
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pancetta or thin rashers smoked streaky bacon 75g (3oz), chopped

Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and garlic and cook gently for 5 minutes, until beginning to soften.

Add the potato and toss with the onion and garlic, then pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer the soup for 15 minutes, until the potato is tender.Add the frozen peas and simmer for 3 minutes. Then add the watercress and stir in until wilted.

Remove from the heat, let it cool for a few minutes then purée with a hand-held electric wand or in a food processor or blender, until smooth. Return to the pan, if necessary, season to taste and keep warm over a gentle heat.Meanwhile, preheat the grill to hot.

Grill the pancetta or bacon for 2–3 minutes on each side, until crisp. Remove and drain on kitchen paper and then break up into pieces.Ladle the soup into warm bowls and top each with some of the pancetta pieces.

Cook’s Tip
Pancetta is cured pork and is usually sold ready-chopped near to the bacon in the supermarket..

Recipe taken from Good Food, Fast. Dairy Cookbook.

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Food Fairs

Sunshine, classic English rolling countryside and a wealth of fabulous food – what better way to spend your weekend?

Kedleston HallYes, last Sunday, we managed to escape the children for a day (don’t worry they weren’t left unattended!) and visit the Derbyshire Food & Drink Festival, held in the grounds of the National Trust’s Kedleston Hall.

For those of you yet to experience the joys of a food fair, I would highly recommend it. There was a huge range of local producers, selling many tempting things. We chose a small selection of finger food for our picnic – beautifully tranquil and warm by the river – and a few treats (we could have bought much more!) to take home. We finished the day with a wander through the scented bluebell woods. Bliss!

Click here for details of food festivals near you.

After sampling all of our purchases, my overall favourite was damson gin, but the small bottle is going down far too fast. So I am going to give our very own Dairy Diary fruity gin a try now I have been inspired by its sweet and subtle taste. Perfect with a splash of cava or tonic; or simply on its own with ice.

Dairy Diary Address BookWin a Dairy Diary Address & Reminder Book
Fancy a treat? For your chance to win visit the Dairy Diary website. Good luck.

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Fruity Gin

Try the sweet and subtle taste of fruity gin with a splash of cava or tonic; or simply on its own with ice.

Fruity Gin56 calories per 25ml shot
0g fat of which 0g is saturated
Serves 34
Time 45 mins plus infusing time
Suitable for vegetarians

Blueberries 450g (1lb)
or Kumquats 450g (1lb), sliced and pips removed
or Plums 500g (1lb 2oz), halved stoned and sliced
Gin 600ml (1 pint)
Soft light brown muscovado sugar 150g (5oz)
Glass jar and bottles
Muslin for straining scalded, cooled and then wrung out well

1 Choose which fruit you would like to use and then put inside a jar with a tight-fitting lid.

2 Pour gin into the jar, add muscovado sugar, stir well until the sugar is dissolved and then cover with lid and store in a cool, dark airy cupboard for 3-4 months, stirring weekly until sugar is completely dissolved.

3 When the gin has developed a good, fruity flavour, strain it through muslin, discard fruit and then pour into clean bottles for storing.

4 Store gin for at least 1 month before drinking. Serve fruity gin in shot glasses, well chilled and poured over ice cubes. The ginwill keep for several years.

TIP
Instead of the fruits suggested, try using sloes, to make sloe gin. You will need 500g (1lb 2oz). Sloes are in season in autumn.

This is a Dairy Diary recipe.

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