If it’s got Bran in it, it’s a Health Food. Fact.

The fact that these ‘health’ muffins have been laced with sugar, eggs and oil is neither here nor there. Surely the raisins counteract some of the other less waistline friendly ingredients . . . Maybe even count towards one of your 5 a day?? Wishful thinking. Despite their digestion aiding qualities, these muffins are actually pretty good. This recipe is not dissimilar to those I’ve come across claiming to be ’30 day muffins’ where you supposedly keep the batter, uncooked, in your fridge for up to a month and use as and when. With a bowl full of batter in my fridge where are all my collection of half empty milk cartons and countless jars of out-of-date condiments? The ingredients go something like this, but they can be and often are tampered with depending on the preferences of the eaters in question.

1 Cup of Bran (you can buy enough to sink a ship from Holland and Barrett for under 2 quid)
1 Cup Whole-wheat Flour
1 ½ Cups Plain Flour
1 ½ Cups Light Brown Sugar
2 Cups Milk (Skimmed or Whole, I find it doesn’t make any difference)
½ Cup of Oil
2 Large Eggs
2 Apples – Grated
2 Cups Raisins
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Tsp Each of Baking Powder and Bicarbonate of Soda
2 Tsp Cinnamon
½ Tsp Mixed Spice



I’d like to say that I go on to sieve all of the dry ingredients in a big bowl, but I don’t, I just incorporate them with a spoon, while the oven is pre-heating at Gas Mark 4 or 180, beat the eggs with the milk, oil and sugar, then add your apple, raisins and vanilla. Pour the wet onto the dry and mix as little as possible until everything has come together, just. I’ve tried using one fork, two forks, a wooden spoon and various other tools around and about to figure out the best implement to avoid over mixing (produces a tough muffin) but uninterestingly, the old metal tablespoon does the trick. Bake for about twenty minutes and there you have it - Health and virtue, in the cunning disguise of a muffin.

Ox Braai

Just a casual weekend 'Braai' for South Africans...



A somewhat extreme display of unadulterated carnivorism to you and I.
This picture of Ox Legs is enough to turn vegetarianism into virtue, immediately. In South Africa they don't mess about with pots and pans, or compete over who likes their steak well done, medium or still moo-ing, they just chuck it all on the Braai..or forest fire in this case and tuck in.
Unlike our quaint 'Bring and Buy' Sales in school playgrounds with Victoria Sponges and Battenburgs, 'Bring and Braai's' are a different kettle of fish altogether. Everyone just brings as much meat as they can possibly carry, shove it all on the fire and prepare themselves for the meat sweats!
A free pass to high cholesterol and heart attack? Maybe.
Worth it? Definitely.

Pesto Please

Fresh Pesto, Toasted Pine Nuts, Parmesan...

You can't go wrong really, can you?

This green 'salad' ALWAYS goes down a treat and is a perfect side dish to well, anything

I normally use a variety of small green veg, sugar snap peas, mange tout, green beans and tenderstem broccoli. I steam the whole lot and adorn in fresh pesto, i find Carluccio's do the best as i find the supermarket ones tend to be a bit bitter, whether this is because of them substituting pine nuts for cashews or just not using good olive oil, Carluccio's have hit the nail on the head. Cover the whole lot in toasted pine nuts and shavings of good parmesan.