0 Sticky parkin - ideal for halloween or a traditional bonfire night treat

Parkin is a traditional bonfire night treat in Lancashire and this recipe unlike quite a lot of other recipes this immediately has that essential sticky quality that a good parkin needs, easily made gluten free this is also an ideal treat for those unexpected trick or treaters on Halloween.

Featuring a warming mixture of spices and lots of lovely treacly flavours and its flavour improves even further with keeping.

What you need

• 125g butter or quality margarine
• 125g dark brown sugar
• 220g treacle
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 150g plain flour (gluten free works fine)
• 2 heaped tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp of freshly ground nutmeg
• Good pinch of ground cloves
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 200g oatmeal (fine or medium - ensure gluten free if necessary)
• 60ml of skimmed milk
• 9" by 9" square tin, lined with baking parchment

What you do

• Preheat your oven to 150c (fan) or 170c (std oven)
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter, sugar and treacle, once melted add the bicarbonate of soda and allow to cool slightly.
• In a large baking bowl, place the flour, Ginger, nutmeg, cloves,oatmeal and baking powder. Mix well together and then add the melted treacle mixture
• Stir together and add the milk, mix until you have a very loose liquid cake batter.
• Pour into the prepared tin and bake for about 50 minutes or so until a cocktail stick comes out of the cake clean.
• Cool in the tin until its safe to handle (normally about 30 mins) and then cool fully on a wire rack
• Cut into squares to serve, stores well wrapped in an airtight tin.

I'm linking up to Tea Time Treats co-created by Lavender and Lovage and  this month hosts Hedgecombers, the theme this month being BONFIRE NIGHT!

                                                     

Detail: Sticky parkin - ideal for halloween or a traditional bonfire night treat

0 Ghoul-ash pies from Hollands for Halloween !

Fancy winning some limited edition tasty Ghoul-ash pies from those lovely folks at Hollands Pies find out how below.

We've been lucky enough to sample this tasty recipe and think they would make an excellent spooktacular addition to any Halloween party table. 

Legendary pie and pastries maker Holland’s Pies has launched a search to find the UK’s best Halloween creations in return for its exclusive Halloween Pie!

Whether it’s a special Halloween recipe created for those trick or treaters, a show stopping costume, party decorations or even Halloween themed crafts Holland’s wants its fans to share their wicked Halloween creations on its Facebook and Twitter pages or via email: halloween@hollandspies.co.uk

Holland’s are offering the most impressive creations a limited edition batch of its ‘Ghoul-ash Pies’ created exclusively for Holland’s, this Halloween, by celebrity chef Tom Bridge, off The Great British Bake Off. The trick is to get you’re pictures in quick, to get your treat!

To create the Ghoul-ash Pie at home, follow this recipe:

Holland’s Ghoul-ash Pie

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil

450g/ 1lb stir-fry beef strips or minute steak cut into strips

100g chestnut mushrooms, quartered

3 tsp paprika

500g potatoes, peeled and cut into smallish chunks

600ml hot beef stock

500g jar tomatoes -based cooking sauce

Handful of parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Yoghurt

450g/1lb short crust pastry

Method

Heat half the oil in a large non-stick pan and fry the beef for 2 mins, stirring once halfway through. If your pan is small, do this in two batches. Tip the meat onto a plate. Heat the remaining oil in the pan (no need to clean) and fry the mushrooms for 2-3 mins until they start to colour.

Sprinkle the paprika over the mushrooms, fry briefly, then tip in potatoes, stock and tomato sauce. Give it all a good stir, cover and simmer for 20 mins until the potatoes are tender. Return the beef to the pan along with any juices, and warm through. Stir in the parsley and a swirl of yoghurt and allow the steak to cool completely and place into a container to cool.

Pre-heat the oven to 200c / 400f gas 6

On a floured board, roll out pastry until it is 1 inch larger on all sides than top of the pie tins. Without stretching, press rolled out pasty into the pie tins with a quarter inch over lay on outside edge of pie tin. Using a knife cut remaining sheet of pastry and top the pies. Fill the pies with the beef and top with pastry lids, crimping and egg wash to seal the lids, pierce a small hole in the centre to allow the steam to disperse. Use any left over pastry to make decorative shapes. Brush one side of each piece with egg and arrange pieces, egg side down, on pastry over beef. Place the pies on a baking sheet and bake in the centre of the oven for 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the baked pies from oven and let them rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Become a fan and share your Halloween creations at facebook.com/hollandspiesofficial and on Twitter @hollandspies. For further information on the Holland’s Pie range please visit http://www.hollandspies.co.uk.

Produced in Lancashire for over 160 years, Holland’s Pies is one of the North West’s best-loved pie makers; producing a range of delicious pies, puddings and pastries for pie lovers everywhere.

Detail: Ghoul-ash pies from Hollands for Halloween !