0 mini nibs - where do you nibble yours ?

I know this sounds sacreligious but this week we have mostly been nibbling something thats made in Yorkshire !

Mini nibs are handy  resealable snack pots of crunchy munchy dinky cheese straws, which come in three flavours

•  Exceptional cheddar cheese 
• Exceptional cheedar and spicy chilli
• Exceptional cheddar and cheeky onion

Apparently all the cheddar cheese used in nib nibs hails from Garstang in Lancashire

The mini nibs range also includes some very moreish roasted salt and pepper jumbo peanuts (my personal favourites from the range) 

The total range is great to serve as a snack with drinks with friends and the pots are also great for popping in your rucksack whilst out on a walk. The nibnibs range is avaliable  through many quality outlets including Booths Supermarkets, nibnibs have a handy stockist finder on their website. They are also on Facebook and twitter too. 

                               

Now here's the great news we have some nibnibs to giveaway in an easy Rafflecopter giveaway, so if you'd love to try some nibnibs why not join in the fun do you own taste test.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway will run from 12pm on 15th October to 12th November.
The prize is a selection of nibnibs which will be sent direct to the winner.

Detail: mini nibs - where do you nibble yours ?

0 Chicken and vegetable pot pie - Gluten free

One of the things that you miss when you go gluten free is pastry, all types, but more especially the comforting dish that is the pie. Gluten free pastry can be very disappointing, its often hard and has little or no flavour, so I was pleased to discover a promising gluten free recipe on the BBC good food website, I decided I would combine this with a traditional creamy chicken and vegetable filling for my first foray into gluten free pastry.

Reader, I am pleased to report that the resultant pie was absolutely delicious and I would definitely make the pastry again, it was sort of a shortcrust meets suet crust type of pie crust, very savoury and very very moreish. Frankly if I didn't know it was gluten free you really couldn't tell, so this would be a great recipe for a family meal.

What you need

• 175g gluten free flour
• 85g coarsely grated chilled butter
• 50g grated mature cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp coarse mustard
• 3 tbsp cold water to bind

The pie filling

• Cooked shredded chicken
• Onion - finely sliced
• Couple of carrots - peeled and chopped into small cubes
• Frozen peas
• Mushrooms - 4 or 5 finely chopped
• Chicken stock 
• Slaked cornflour to thicken
• Fresh herbs
• Salt and pepper
• Double cream or creme fraiche
• Butter or oil

What you do

• To make the pastry mix together all the pastry ingredients except the water with a fork, add the water and combine to make a dough
• Once formed into a ball, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile make your pie filling, Cook off in a tiny amount of oil or butter the onion until starting to softenened, now add the rest of the vegetables and cook for a few minutes until again softenening, now add the chicken and the herbs, followed by enough chicken stock just to cover the mixture in the pan.
• Simmer until the vegetables are tender, add the herbs and slaked cornflour to thicken the sauce. Add a dollop of creme fraiche and taste for seasoning.
• Allow to cool and place in pie dish.

• Once cool, we are ready to top with the pastry. Roll out the pastry between two pieces of clingfilm until you have a piece of pastry large enough to cover your pie dish , remove the top piece of cling film and flip the pastry piece on top of the pie dish. Remove the other piece of cling film and make a couple of holes in the pastry top.
• Brush the pastry with a little milk or beaten egg. 

• Bake for 30 - 35 minutes at 180c until golden.

Detail: Chicken and vegetable pot pie - Gluten free

0 Botany Bay Foodhall

I paid a visit yesterday to Botany Bay for the uninitiated this is an area of Chorley (not the penal colony in Australia)  where there is a massive mill complex that now has a new life as  a multi floored retail outlet, in the last six month or so the ground floor has been transformed in a haven of foodie delights.

Its a great place for both your regular shop as you will find all the artisan producers and retailers all under one roof. There is a butcher, baker, fishmonger, cheese shop, delicatessen  wine and beer shop, ice cream parlour, chocolaterie, amongst others all creating and selling fabulous produce, a lot of it local too.

Please pay them all a visit and support your local independents, it nice to be able to chat to knowledgeable people who are passionate about they are selling and may be even sample the wares too !

Amongst others are Choc Amour , The Cheese Shop, Ye Olde Sausage Shop, All you knead ,
Delish Deli , Tootsies, Drinks Cabinet

Choc Amour

Delish Deli

All You knead bakery

Chocolate delights

The Cheese Shop

Detail: Botany Bay Foodhall

0 Haddock Gratin

We love fish here at Lancashire Food and like to experiment with different ways of cooking it. I currently have a great store of fish in my freezer (from Delish Fish) so we love to come up with new easy ways of cooking it.

 

This dish requires no great skill and is a great standby recipe made with store cupboard ingredients which is suitable for all the family, ideal if you need a quick supper dish, what's all important is the quality and freshness of the fish. Your supplier or fishmonger should be able to skin and de bone your fish for you.

Ingredients

• Fillet of fish per person, I used haddock (skinless and boneless)
• Cheddar cheese grated - 100g per fillet
• Dijon mustard - 1 tsp per fillet
• Crème fraiche - 2 tbsp. per fillet
• 6 Baby cherry tomatoes per fillet - sliced in half
• Freshly picked thyme
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

• Preheat your oven to 170c
• Very lightly oil a baking dish the appropriate size for your fish fillets
• Place the fish fillets in the bottom of the dish
• In a separate bowl, toss the tomato halves with the thyme and some freshly ground pepper
• In another bowl mix the Dijon mustard, crème fraiche and grated cheese, spoon this on top of the fillets in the baking dish and spread out
• Serve with a fresh green salad or green vegetables.

 

Detail: Haddock Gratin