Recipe: Mince Pie Brownies

I can't believe its taken this long to crack out the festive brownies. Flick and I had attempted some gingerbread chai ones, but we had a little too much prosecco to be baking and they flopped. And so, since I've been eating a lot of mince pies of late, I decided to combine the two in the most simple way. No fussing with pastry, just buy ready rolled shortcrust from the supermarket, take a one...

Recipe: Spiced Christmas Jam

Each year I attempt to make some edible treats for gifts. Last year was the year for mulled wine kits and homemade giant scotch eggs. This year, something a little more simple and perfect to make in batches. Make a big stash of Christmas jam and you're all set to spread some festive jammy cheer to everyone you know! Cranberries, berries, orange, cinnamon and cloves make this a real winter...

Recipe: Caramel and Pecan Tart

I have a love hate relationship with pastry. I love eating it, but I don't necessarily enjoy making it. Fool-proof biscuit bases are my bag. Crush some biscuits, stir in butter and squidge into a tin. Easy as pie tart.  This caramel tart is made with a Digestive biscuit base and topped with a generous swirl of chocolate and a few pecans. I'm already planning different variations...

Cook it Forward with Hello Fresh

The best way to anyone's heart is through their stomach, or so I've found. In the run up to turkey day its the present buying, boozing and preparations that take centre stage. There's so much time spent on the 25th itself, stockpiling goose fat, finding perfect sausages for pigs in blankets and the best way to cook sprouts. We tend to forget about the rest of the month and my favourite part of...

Recipe: Lindt Chocolate Gingerbread Forest Cake

I'm not usually one for decorating cakes with icing and figures, but when these cute little Santa's Helpers from Lindt dropped through my door I couldn't wait to bake with them. Guessing it was too cruel to melt them down for brownies, I figured it best to make them a little gingerbread forest home. Albeit before reaching their inevitable end, because cakes are made for eating after all! This...

Food in November

The month before Christmas means that if you're a self-confessed elf like me then you don't have to restrain yourself any longer. Now is the time to test every shop's mince pies just to find which ones best and to start up a plan for Christmas gifts. And if you're Scrooge? Then you'll be the one grumbling that you always have to carry an umbrella and that you've already heard Mariah Carey playing...

Food Photography Tips

If you hadn't figured by now, I love food. I guess my whole blog would be a sham if I didn't..."Sophie kind of, sort of, sometimes Loves Food" isn't quite the same. One of the key parts of featuring recipes and reviews on this corner of the Internet is ensuring that I try, to the best of my ability, to include a selection of bright, clear and simple images. As with anyone's, these will improve...

Recipe: Dairy & Gluten Free Salted Chocolate Brownies

In a bid to expand my brownie repertoire, here's some dairy and gluten free ones I've been working on.  For me, the most important thing is fudge and goo. Its essential for brownies to have plenty of fudge and plenty of goo. I'd put off making this kind of variation for a while thinking they just wouldn't cut the mustard. But you know what, its totally possible.  Ground almonds...

Recipe: Roasted Pear Cake with Browned Butter Glaze

All cakes made with fruit and vegetables are healthy, right? Ripe pears are roasted and then mashed before adding to a spiced cake mix. A browned butter glaze has a completely different dimension to regular glazes. Rich and nutty, and only minutes to make. This cake is great to make ahead, it'll last you through the week too if you're good at self-control. Although if that's you then why are...

An Idiots Guide to Stir Up Sunday

Stir up Sunday is coming so you'd best get your wooden spoons and brandy at the ready. On Sunday, the last one before advent, heady scents of cinnamon, cloves, citrus and dried fruits waft around the kitchen. British tradition is to make a Christmas pudding, but I generally tend to opt for a Christmas cake with plenty of time to soak in booze ahead of Christmas day. Dating back to Victorian times...

12 Instagram Feeds to Follow for Foodies

Instagram is probably one of my most favourite, and most visited apps. I like to flick through my feed and the explore tab approximately eleventy million times a day. Its great for productivity...who am I kidding? Its great for ideas and inspiration. Most of the accounts I follow are food related so I thought I'd share some of my favourites, the ones that get the most double taps from me! The...

Cooking with the Tefal Cook4Me

Today I'm not saving the best until last. Especially when it includes a steamed pudding from scratch in just 35 minutes. A chocolate croissant pudding with salted caramel to be exact. No bread and butter pudding can trump this. How, you might ask? Tefal's Cook4Me is an intelligent gadget that takes the stress out of cooking and speeds everything up. Think of a slow cooker, but quicker, you...