Cottage Cheese Loaf

I am moving so want to catalogue some food stained recipe notes.

I'm looking forward to writing these up.

Soda bread

Are you making a soup this autumn?  This soda bread is a perfect accompaniment.

This is so incredibly easy to make.  I am really surprised about how quickly you can turn around an impressive and delicious loaf.  Thanks to Riverford for inspiration.

250g (9oz) plain flour

250g (9oz) wholemeal flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

5 grated carrots

a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans

a few sprigs of thyme

300ml plain yoghurt with a little yoghurt

125 ml whole milk

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1.  If you are using a mixer, whizz up dry ingredients.

2.  Add a grater to the mixer, and grate in carrots.  Add nuts and thyme.

3.  Mix in the yoghurt and milk until a good consistency formed for pressing into a dough.  Don't overmix or knead.  Shape into a circle and cut a deep cross (1 inch) through the middle.

4.  Cook in a 200 degree oven for 25 minutes (on a pre-heated baking tray).  You may need to cook for a little longer.  Just check by taping the bottom and listening for the hollow sound.

Cheese snack shapes

Cheese straws are mouthwatering and delicious.  That's all I can say about them, apart from using wholemeal flour in this recipe and some smoked paprika (one of my favourite spices).  There's enough salt in the cheese, so no need to add any.

115g (4oz) wholemeal flour

50g (2oz) margarine/butter (I prefer stork marg)

50g (2oz) mature cheddar

1 egg yolk

3-4 tsp water

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

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1.  Put the marg and flour in a mixture and mix together.  Or, if you are feeling energetic, do it by hand.

2.  Add the egg, cheese and paprika and mix.

3.  Add water until it is a good pastry texture.

4.  Store in a fridge for 30 minutes.

5.  Roll out and cut into straws/shapes or make balls, but make them a similar size so that they bake evenly.

6.  Cook in a hot (200 degrees C) oven for 7-12 minutes or until golden.

Roasted pumpkin seeds

The whole family love to nibble on these pumpkin seeds.  They don't last long!  I often serve them with a pot of berries or other fruit.  Watch them as they roast, though.  I have burnt them numerous times!

a packet of pumpkin seeds

a drizzle of low salt soy sauce

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1.  Preheat an oven to about 180 degrees C.

2.  Spread the pumpkin seeds on a baking tray and drizzle over the soy sauce (just a little).  I mix with my hands.

3.  Roast for 5-7 minutes.  You will hear the seeds pop.

Wholemeal Bread for Bread Machine

We love 'grandpa's bread'.  Thank you, Dad, for introducing is to this great bread.  The girls devour it.  I have kept the metric measurements for accuracy.  Let me know if I should write out the imperial.


1 tsp dried yeast
400g strong wholemeal flour
100g strong white flour
3/4 tbsp caster sugar (or less)
1 tbsp milk powder
1 and a bit tsp salt
1/4 tsp vitamin C powder (source from pharmacists or health food shops)
25 ml sunflower oil
360ml water

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After measuring out ingredients in the order listed above into the bread maker pan, set the bread machine to wholemeal and large loaf.  I often put it on timer overnight.

Carrot flapjacks

Bake an alternative treat to sweet flapjacks and play around with the ingredients. I'm going to try out some beetroot and also add some Lynwoods seeds next time. The littlest one had these as a

snack lunch today and devoured them.

.150g rolled oats
 175g grated carrot (about 3 medium size carrots)
 175g grated cheese (a small block) I used medium cheddar
 1 egg beaten
 pinch of mixed herbs
 knobs of butter according to taste


 Mix all ingredients together apart from butter. Line and grease any sort of (20cm) baking tray. Press into tray and add knobs of butter to the top.  Bake for 20-30 minutes.  The butter melts deliciously into the flapjack. How about that for superfood oats, protein filled cheese and much needed energy on a cold winter's day. We loved it. (I humbly acknowledge Riverford for the base recipe)