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Jan 20

Chocolate, hazelnut and date truffles

Chocolate, hazelnut and date truffles


Barely a day goes by when I don’t eat chocolate in one form or another. It will always be my favourite mid-afternoon pick me up, my perfect pudding, even breakfast on a bad day. I’m always looking for inspiring new ways to add a little fix to my day and with these truffles I can nearly convince myself that it’s healthy too!

chocolate, hazelnut and date truffles

I’m lucky to have a great local independent health food shop, so the inspiration for these little truffles came from a little weekend meander around the store. I often come out of there with jars of the weird and wonderful, plus bagfuls of good intentions, but I think these are one of my favourite creations yet.

The main ingredient of these truffles is dates. Their rich, toffee flavour and sticky, fudgy texture makes a great alternative base for a truffle. Add some luscious hazelnut butter and a dash of cocoa and you have a quick, easy and sort of healthy treat! I think the dates and nuts make these a lot more satisfying than regular truffles too – I’d struggle to eat more than two at a time. Read more

Jan 7

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Steamed dumpling soup

Steamed dumpling soup

Happy new year! I’m starting 2015 with one of my favourite weekday suppers – steamed dumpling soup. It’s a go-to recipe when you need something quick and easy, when you don’t have the time or energy for making anything complicated.

It’s dark and cold seemingly all of the time at the moment, so I want to eat gentle, soothing dishes which will be warm and comforting on these long dark nights. There is something magical about a chicken broth. Its deep savouriness manages to be both rich and nourishing, yet calming and light all at the same time. The addition of a stack of greens makes you feel suitably January-virtuous, plus some little asian dumplings which bring some glorious sticky stodge to the bowl.

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