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Eat Out In: March

Celebrate Mothering Sunday with a decadent afternoon tea

Now I love my mum to bits, but she’s not a foodie. It’s a running joke in our house that whenever she eats out it will always be a cheese sandwich (Cheddar of course!)

Don’t get me wrong, I love a Cheddar and tomato sandwich but not really as my Mother’s Day treat! Now here’s where my cunning comes into play; I have decided to host an afternoon tea party. Mum can enjoy her cheese sandwich but also an array of other little delicacies as well.  And I can feel as though it’s been a little bit special.

I’m going to dust down
the best china, locate the
teapot and make her a
Mother’s Day tea to remember.

Why not try a few of these recipes yourself and don’t forget to enter the competition to win an Ashley Thomas designer tea set.

Cornish splits

Preparation time – 10 minutes plus 30-40 minutes proving
Cooking time – 15 minutes
Calories per split – 187 Kcal
Fat per split – 4g of which saturated – 2.5g
Makes – 12
Suitable for vegetarians
Suitable for freezing

Strong plain flour 500g (1lb 2oz)
Butter 50g (2oz)
Salt 1 tsp
Caster sugar 1 tsp
Fast-acting dried yeast 7g sachet
Milk 300ml (1⁄2 pint), warmed
Jam or syrup and clotted cream to serve
Icing sugar to dust

1 Tip the flour into a bowl, add the butter and rub it in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the salt, sugar and dried yeast and then add the warm milk and mix to bind the ingredients into a soft dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5–7 minutes until it’s smooth and elastic.

2 Divide the dough into 12 and shape each into a round ball with a smooth surface and flatten them slightly. Place the balls on a buttered and floured baking sheet in three rows of four with about 2cm (1⁄2in) between them so that when they rise they will touch each other. Cover the baking tray with an oiled freezer bag or with a clean dry tea towel. Leave the splits in a warm place for 30–40 minutes or until they have doubled in size.

3 Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7. Bake the splits in the centre of the oven for about 15 minutes or until they are a light golden colour and sound hollow when tapped underneath. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve the splits warm or cold, filled with jam or syrup and clotted cream and dusted with a little sifted icing sugar.

Recipe taken from Around Britain cookbook.

Mother’s Day Cupcakes

Makes 9
Time 45 mins
Calories 485 Fat 27g of which 16.9g is saturated
Suitable for vegetarians
Suitable for freezing

Butter, at room temperature and very soft 110g (4oz)
Caster sugar 110g (4oz)
Lemon extract 1 tsp
Eggs 2 large, beaten
Self-raising flour 110g (4oz)
Baking powder 1 tsp
Milk 1 tbsp

For the topping
Butter, softened 175g (6oz)
Icing sugar 300g (11oz), sifted
Lemon extract 1 tsp
Sugar flowers and sugar sprinkles (glimmer) to decorate

1 Preheat oven to 180ºC/Gas 4 and place cupcake cases in a muffin tin. Put butter and sugar in an electric mixer. Add lemon extract with eggs, flour, baking powder and milk. Using beater attachment, mix batter well until you have a smooth pale cake mixture.

2 Divide mixture between cupcake cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and firm to touch. Leave in the tin to cool.

3 Beat butter, using an electric whisk, until pale then add icing sugar and mix on lowest setting until blended. Then blend on full speed for a minute. Add lemon extract and beat again. Spoon buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe swirls onto cupcakes. Decorate with sugar flowers and glimmer.

Sumptuous Sandwiches

Smoked salmon pin wheels

Butter 50g (2oz), softened
Lemon 1, finely zested rind and juice of half
Watercress 110g (4oz), chopped
White or brown bread 5 slices, crusts removed
Smoked salmon 200g packet, minimum 5 slices
Freshly ground black pepper

1 In a small bowl, mix together the butter, lemon rind and watercress. With a rolling pin, roll each slice of bread until it is about 3mm (1⁄8in) thick. Cut five sheets of greaseproof or non-stick baking paper, a little larger than the bread, then dampen with cold water – shaking off the excess.

2 Spread the slices of bread right up to the edges with the watercress butter, and then place each one on a sheet of the damp paper.

3 Cover the butter with the smoked salmon slices, trimming them to fit. Sprinkle with lemon juice, season with pepper and then, with the aid of the paper, roll up the bread and salmon together.

4 Wrap the rolls in the paper and twist the ends to seal, then chill well in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours, or overnight. Just before serving, cut the salmon rolls into slices, diagonally, approximately 1.5cm (½in) thick.

Cucumber sandwiches

Cucumber ½ large (about 225g/8oz)
Butter 75g (3oz)
Finely shredded mint 2 tbsp
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
White or brown bread 6 slices

1 With a vegetable peeler, remove the skin from the cucumber, and then cut it into very thin slices, using the oblong cutting blade on a grater, or with a knife. Place the sliced cumber in a bowl, sprinkle with ½ tsp salt, cover and leave to stand for 10–15 minutes.

2 Blend together the butter and mint and season well with pepper.

3 Transfer the salted cucumber to a sieve, rinse under cold running water, and then drain well on kitchen paper.

4 Spread each slice of bread with the mint butter. Arrange the drained cucumber on half of the slices and then cover with the rest. Stack the sandwiches, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1–2 hours.

5 To serve, remove the crusts from the sandwiches and then cut into triangles, squares or oblongs as wished.

Curried egg mayonnaise sandwiches

Eggs 3 large, hard-boiled and shelled
Mayonnaise 3 rounded tbsp
Curry paste, medium or hot 1–2 tsp
White or brown bread 6–8 thin slices
Mustard and cress 1 punnet

1 On a board, finely chop the eggs and then place them in a bowl. Add the mayonnaise and curry paste and mix together well.

2 Spread half of the bread with the egg mixture, add the mustard and cress, and then cover with the remaining slices of bread. Stack the sandwiches, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1–2 hours.

3 To serve, remove the crusts from the sandwiches and cut into triangles, squares or fingers as wished.

Crab mayonnaise sandwiches

Crabmeat 175g (6oz)
Mayonnaise 1-2 tbsp
Root ginger 1–2 tsp, finely grated
Freshly ground black pepper
White or brown bread 8 slices
Butter 50g (2oz), softened
Crisp lettuce leaves 4–6

1 Place the crabmeat in a bowl and remove any pieces of shell, if necessary. Add the mayonnaise and ginger, season with pepper and mix well.

2 Spread each slice of bread with butter, and then spread half of the slices with the crabmeat and cover with the lettuce.

3 Cover the lettuce with the remaining slices and press well together. Stack the sandwiches, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1–2 hours.

4 To serve, remove the crusts from the sandwiches and then cut into quarters diagonally, or cut into three to make oblongs.

Cream cheese and prawn sandwiches

Fresh or frozen prawns 175g (6oz), thawed and drained
Cream cheese 150g (5oz)
Finely snipped chives 3 tbsp
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Freshly ground black pepper
Brown or white bread 8 thin slices
Butter 50g (2oz), softened
Crisp lettuce leaves 3–4, finely shredded

1 Finely chop the prawns and mix with the cream cheese, chives and lemon juice. Season with pepper.

2 Very thinly spread the bread with butter, and then spread half of the slices with the prawn mixture. Cover with the shredded lettuce, and then cover with the remaining bread. Stack the sandwiches, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1–2 hours.

3 To serve, remove the crusts from the sandwiches, and then cut into quarters diagonally or into four squares. Or, cut in half and then cut each half into fingers.

Recipes taken from Around Britain Dairy Cookbook.

Win an Ashley Thomas designer tea set

You too can take tea in style. Enter this month’s competition to win this gorgeous designer ‘tea set’ from Ashley Thomas.

Enter now.

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