Filling the Cookie Jar

I have a confession to make. I am a soft hearted, romantic fool.

I love to watch Nick as he lets go into sleep after a day spent grafting, long black lashes laid upon his cheek. All these long years have not dimmed the joy I feel when I see him unexpectedly in the street - like an unlooked for date - a chance for some public hand holding.

If there is time, I'll often write a poem for Valentine's day. Searching in the furnace of my heart for words, smelted into the image of our unbreakable bond. The long, long, silver thread that ties our hearts together, however far apart we may be.

I like to mark Valentine's with delicious food, nesting warmth, unexpected celebrations of unity and a hand made card. Flowers and chocolates are for other people - let them celebrate how they will. My valentine will know that those gifts come from my own hand, crafted in my heart, wrapped in salvaged tissue. Hallmark doesn't get much of a chance in our house.

This Valentine's day Nick found that he had just too much to do to come home for the evening. We are almost ready with our new house, and there are so many last minute jobs before all the final tests can be ticked off. Our newly minted blackboard wall shines with chalky lists of things to do. Nearly all of them crossed through with a satisfied chalk finality. Almost done.

Ok thought I. Valentine's day is just one of many. It's for newly weds and courting couples, folks who don't say I love you enough and those who like a big flowery trophy to show off. I don't need to spend the evening with Nick to know that I love him. We just don't have time this year for all that hand made love stuff ok?

So Finn and I had supper and I tucked him into bed with a long rose scented hug.

Later, kicking my heels a little, I flicked on the TV and found You've Got Mail!. As Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks reworked my favourite romantic novel (Pride and Prejudice), I found that I was feeling pretty glum. In fact - not at all ok with the lack of romance and flowers on my Valentine's eve. Without Nick my emotional cookie jar was plain empty.

I was fast asleep when he returned home, starfished across the bed.

A week later Finley asked me what I was going to make for this month's Go Ahead Honey? (hosted by Heather of Gluten Free Cat). The theme of course being romance (Hot, Spicy and Heart Shaped). 'Humph!', I replied in an Eyore-ish way and changed the subject.

But then I got to thinking about my cookie jar and realised that it was actually pretty full. I imagined that a romantic meal, a hand made card and some candles would make me feel more cherished - more of a woman, a confirmation of my romantic worth. Yet I knew in my heart that all these late nights were for me, for us. All the rainy weekends when Nick had laboured at the building site, the meals I had unfailingly put on the table, the fresh sheets on beds (and all on top of our day jobs) were all about building a future for us, our little family of three.

I wanted to celebrate the fact that here we still are, through the hardest of times. Longing for a chance to hold hands in the street. Watching sleep steal in. Laughing at each other's jokes.

So I made cookies and put them in a real jar. Heart shaped and spicy with ginger. Just opening it gives me a Proustian sense of that moment I remembered how lucky I am, and how loved.

When Nick came home that evening from a couple of days away. I handed him a little heart shaped ginger snap and folded him into my arms.

x x x

Grain Free Ginger Snaps

You can make these two ways - thin and crispy or a lovely chewy ginger cookie with a crisper exterior and gooey centre. They're both great. If you want to make them SCD or GAPS complaint then use honey - but be aware that they will only stay crisp for a day at best as honey is humectant.


150g Ground Almonds (almond flour USA)
40g Dried Dates - chopped fine
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
Large Thumb Sized Piece of Peeled Fresh Ginger - chopped roughly
2 tsp Ground Dried Ginger
Pinch Sea Salt

Put everything except maple syrup in a food processor and process until date and ginger root are incorporated well - but don't let the nuts become oily.

Add maple syrup and pulse until it forms a rough ball of dough.

Scrape onto a piece of baking parchment and flatten into a disk with your palm. Top with another sheet of paper and freeze for 1 hour.

Set the oven to 140ºC

Roll out as thin as you can between the two sheets of paper (3mm / 1/8 inch). Stamp out cookie shapes with a cutter - this is a sticky dough, so take care and keep the cookie cutter clean with the odd rinse in hot water. Put the shapes onto the spare sheet on baking parchment on a cookie sheet.

Roll up all the scraps and make walnut sized balls. Flatten with your fingers or a fork dipped in water.

Bake for 10 mins at 140ºC and then reduce the heat to 120ºC for another 20-30 minutes. The cookies may take even longer.

Don't let them get too dark - a light nut brown is all you want. They will crisp up on cooling. If they're not crisp enough, just return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Cool on a rack and then fill your cookie jar.

Shrove Tuesday! Pancake heaven... (Gluten Free, SCD, GAPS, Primal and WAPF)

Finn reminded me as we walked to school, that I had forgotten to make pancakes this morning. Gah! I slapped my head and promised that a plate of the good stuff would grace the table at supper (because in our book - pancakes are acceptable all day fare.

Pancakes needn't be a waist expanding, sugar filled guilty treat. Made with whole grains, nuts or vegetables, soaked with probiotic yogurt or wild yeasts and rich with eggs, flax seed and milk - they can be a wholesome and delicious addition to any meal.

Make your pancakes with any wholemeal flour - I like buckwheat or chestnut, but if you don't need to avoid gluten then spelt, rye, barley and stoneground wholemeal wheat work just fine.

You can add rolled oats, cooked rice, sprouted grains, ground almonds, mashed potato, squash or peas - banana for a sweet pancake. Whizz it all smooth in a blender, or leave it nubbly and interesting - it's your pancake, and with any luck you need never eat exactly the same one twice!

I like to set down a plate of pancakes (blinis or crépes) and a smörgåsbord of toppings: butter, liver paté, dripped yogurt, ripe banana, avocado, pesto, hummus (I make a paleo version with courgette and macadamia but no chickpeas), maple syrup, fresh lemons, molasses, ground cinnamon, tahini... You name it! Then folks can pile up their own combination of sticky topping to order. Always accompanied with a bowl of salad and lots of crisp cruditées.

If you'd like to try a pancake supper - Shrove Tuesday or not - here are a few of my recipes to try out. All gluten free of course. x x x

Fluffy Almond Pancakes (SCD, GAPS, Paleo, WAPF)

Overnight Buckwheat Blinis (WAPF)

Whole Rice Pancakes (WAPF)

Egg Crépes (SCD, GAPS, Paleo, Nut Free)

Pea Pikelets (SCD, GAPS, Paleo)

Grain Free Carrot Cake Muffins (Gluten Free, SCD, GAPS, Paleo)

When Maggie suggested, 'Foods That Heal' as her theme for Go Ahead Honey this month, I could hardly wait for January to arrive! Food as medicine is my mantra, so I spend much of my life exhorting people to embrace butter and eggs, add a little more liver to their lives, make bone broth, beet kvass, kefir and enjoy the amazing vegetables that emerge from the ground season after season.

But where to start? A recipe for probiotic ginger beer? My very special caramelised onion and chicken liver paté? A superfood melee of broccoli, ginger, flax oil, miso and sesame? What with the busyness of house building, teaching and work - time just ran out on these grand schemes and nothing got photographed or recorded - although we ate healing foods every single day.

So I give you a recipe that I wrote for my River Cottage Gluten Free Day. A grain free carrot muffin, filled with ingredients that heal. A cinch to make and very easy to gobble up too! I'll tell you a little bit about all the ingredients so that when you sink your teeth into the moist carroty, almond crumb and nibble on a little morsel of walnut or flax seed - you can feel that lovely warm smugness that comes from eating something that is 100% good for you.

1. Almond flour (ground almonds UK)
Whilst many gluten free muffins rely on grains, almond flour can be used as a grain free alternative. Anyone with yeast issues, IBD, coeliac disease, or autism would do well to eat as little grain carbohydrate as possible as it can remain undigested in the gut and cause inflammation and dysbiosis. Almonds are a low carb source of fibre, vitamin E, monounsaturated fats and some B vitamins.

2. Carrots
Of course we all know that carrots are good for us, but why? Well that old wives tale about helping you see in the dark is not so far fetched, as carrots contain betacarotene - converted in the body into vitamin A (which helps eyesight amongst other crucial functions). Like most brightly coloured vegetables, carrots are rich in antioxidants - which help fight free radical damage and keep us young. They're also a great source of fibre.

3. Butter or Coconut Oil
Butter and coconut oil both contain short and medium chain fatty acids, which have been shown to offer an antimicrobal, immune supporting effect. Both fats are digested in the stomach and therefore easy to assimilate and use for energy - just what you want from your breakfast muffin! Coconut oil is reputed to stimulate metabolism and butter has a perfect ratio of omega 3 to 6 and reasonable quantities of vitamins A and D. Both contain a good amount of dietary cholesterol, which is believed to support adrenal function -  often needed by anyone with allergies, diabetes, thyroid disorder, asthma, yeast overgrowth and chronic fatigue syndrome.

4. Eggs
Eggs are one of nature's miracle foods. A perfect balance of proteins, fats, essential fatty acids, amino acids, trace elements, cholesterol and those all important vitamins A,  D and some Bs. Eggs are an ideal food to start the day with - slowing down the digestion of carbohydrate and thus ensuring a steady stream of glucose to the brain and muscles. Eat as many as you like - they will not give you high cholesterol!

5. Date Syrup
Now this is not what I'd call a health food, but dates are a preferred sweetener for me because they come complete with many of the elements that are used in digestion of carbohydrates - magnesium and B vitamins especially. They also provide manganese,  phosphorus, potassium and iron. In Ayurvedic/Eastern medicine, dates are said to support the spleen, or warm the body. This is especially important in winter when we can become spleen deficient due to the lack of sun and social/physical contact that cold weather brings. A few dates, or a little date syrup can be medicinal - a lot of it will spike your blood sugar and exhaust your adrenals and pancreas. Treat with respect!

6. Flax Seeds
High in omega 3 fatty acids and dietary fibre, flax seeds are reputed to help lower (LDL) cholesterol and keep your bowels moving in a pleasingly regular way.

7. Cinnamon
Even without any health benefits, cinnamon brings a comforting scented warmth to any baking - sweetening the flavour without adding more sugar. The extra wonder of it, is that it has been shown to help lower blood sugar by slowing down the rate at which carbohydrate is digested and increasing the receptiveness of insulin receptors. It has been shown to have antiviral properties and warms the body in Ayurvedic/Eastern Medicine.

8. Walnuts
Although consuming walnuts raw is the best way to take advantage of their high omega 3 and antioxidant benefits - they still pack a great nutritional punch when baked into a muffin.

9. Clementines
Whilst indulging in too much citrus fruit is not a great idea - as it can be mucous forming - a little citrus can do wonders. Clementines (or oranges) are a good source of vitamin C - although this is heat sensitive, so don't eat these muffins hoping to get your vitamin C quota! The best part of the clementine in these muffins is the zest, which contains bioflavanoids such as Quercetin and Rutin that are believed to have antioxidant qualities, help blood flow, vein strength and increase the body's ability to use vitamin C. It also brings a little summery citrus scent into your winter kitchen, lifting your heart on the greyest of days.

So what are you waiting for? Bake up a batch of these muffins, comforted by the knowledge that they are a treat that nourishes, both the body and spirit. Simple enough for a child to throw together - your kitchen will radiate homeliness whilst they bake.

Grain Free Carrot-Cake Muffins Makes 12-14


If you do make these with coconut flour, I would suggest adding another 10-20g of fat and some extra clementine juice to get the right consistency. It should be a soft cake batter consistency, not a stiff dough. I haven't tried coconut yet, so if you do - please let me know how you get on in the comments.

120g Salted Organic Butter (or coconut oil and large pinch sea salt)

4 Large Free Range Eggs

Zest and Juice of 2 Clementines (or small oranges)

¾ cup (185ml) of Date Syrup

2 Heaped tsp Cinnamon

1 ½  tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

200g Grated Carrot (peeled weight)

350g Ground Almonds (or coconut flour)

4 tsp flax seeds ground in a pestle and mortar/spice grinder

Optional – large handful of chopped walnuts and a few raisins or chopped dried apricots/dates

Set the oven to 160ºC and fill a muffin tray with 12 paper cases.

Melt butter and set aside to cool.

Peel and grate carrot finely. Zest and juice clementines.

Beat together; eggs, clementine zest and juice, syrup, cinnamon and bicarb.

Beat in butter – scraping pan with a spatula to get everything in - fill to about 6mm (1/4 inch) from the top of the case. (Any left over can be baked after the first batch come out of the tray)

Beat in carrot, flax seed and ground almonds (coconut). Add optional walnuts.

Spoon evenly into the cases and bake for 30- 35 mins – until they are golden brown, risen and firm.

Cool for 5 mins in the tins and then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight box and eat within two days or freeze and defrost for 8 hours.

All About the Journey

Chesil Beach

500 followers today! I couldn't resist taking a moment to thank you all and write a little something too. Thanks guys! Your support means the world to me.

We're in the last throes of house-building. I'll post some photos as soon as things start to take shape inside. I (as the least skilled of all the team), am honoured with the task of gofer - running here and there to fetch the bits and pieces that are needed to finish the house.

I greeted Finn at the school gates with the proposal that we drive half an hour to pick up some bolts and then half an hour back to deliver them to site. His eyes rolled up, shoulders slumped and a huge sigh escaped loudly as he trudged behind me to the car. I tensed myself for a sullen journey.

Soon we were speeding along the coast road in the golden winter afternoon light. The long, grey, pebbly shore on one side and on the other, fields stretched out into the creamy distance. Finn grumbled (in a fingernails on black-board tone) about all the things he wanted to do after school at home and how it just wasn't fair, while I tried to encourage him to make the best of a bad lot - live in the moment, enjoy just being, maybe?

I set my jaw a little firmer and focussed on the road ahead, hoping that it would be over soon.

In a box at Finn's feet was the last of Nick's birthday brownies - studded with espresso chocolate chunks and gooey with muscovado and almond. I drew his attention to the box and enjoyed the shriek of delight when Finn realised that this journey might not be so bad after all.

On the ipod we had a podcast of our favourite radio show - Adam and Joe. Finn ate the brownie as slowly as possible - saving all the chunks till last. Face painted with amber sunlight, he looked completely serene as he savoured the brownie, the radio, the view, the journey.

500 feet below us all along Chesil beach, the sea shone like a piece of old mirror. As the sky bloomed with the apricot melba colours of early sunset, we chuckled and listened, letting the scenery smooth our brows into contentment.

In barely a blink, we were suddenly there, pocketing the bolts and turning the wheel home for Bridport. The light had faded fast whilst we shopped and now the sky was a riot of orange and red - the deeper blue, blanket of evening, creeping ever closer to the horizon. Black silhouettes of trees crowded at the side of the road, jostling each other with their spindly twig fingers, huddled up against the oncoming night.

Each turn of the road revealed a new sight to be marveled at - a streak of orange across the sea, a field of sheep - all turned towards the setting sun, marmalade faced, trance like, bewitched by day passing into night.

Ahead, all the little towns along the coast twinkled their fairy light warning to passing ships and hungry travelers. A double decker bus with steamy lighted windows rose up from a blind dip, like an apartment block on wheels, all eyes turned towards the sea, papers unread, phones unheeded.

We swung into our road and Finn turned to me with a look of deep relaxation in his countenance.

'That was the best journey ever! Lets do that again some time, ok?' he said, and skipped into the new house to hand over the bolts and regale Nick with something Adam or Joe had said.

Me, I was simply glad to be reminded that there is always something unexpected and joyful out there - if you just let it happen.

x x x

Gluten Free Cheese Crackers - Go Ahead Honey its Gluten Free!

Tracee Gunter of Mrs Ed's Reasearch & Recipes is hosting Go Ahead Honey this month. Her theme? Dips and Dippers. The staple of cocktail parties, festive get-togethers and movie nights the world over. 

Of course, the dip may vary between something cool and creamy, hot and piquant or deeply savoury and the dipper can be as humble as a carrot stick or as fancy as some nigella flecked flatbread, soused in garlic butter.

I'm short of time as usual, so I'm going to share with you a simple cheese cracker that takes only 15 minutes from starting blocks, to biting into a crisp, cheesy, and delicately moreish cracker. If a Christmas entertaining emergency arises - this is your cracker paramedic, on the scene before you can break a sweat.

I wouldn't really use these for dipping as they are likely to crumble, but they're a great accompaniment to an espresso shot of soup, or made tiny as the base of a delicious canape - maybe a deconstructed melanzane parmigiana? You could smear some herbed Greek yogurt on for a crisp and creamy mouthful, or dollop on a little slow cooked tomato ragout for a little pizza mouthful.

I made  a quick batch of these and was photographing them before supper when Finn's hand shot into view. It's virtually a blur - as the hand arrived, I screamed, 'NO!' and the hand withdrew instantly as though it had been burnt. Fellow bloggers and children of the same - you know what I'm talking about. Don't touch the food until after the shoot ok? Grrr...

It does however serve as a testament to the kerb appeal of these crackers - they are hard to resist. Most people who like cheese just love them - so give them a go!

Lacy Cheese Crackers (Gluten, Grain and Nut free)

Allow 2oz (50g) cheddar cheese per person.

Line a few trays with non stick baking parchment and set the oven to 180ºC.

Grate the cheese on a fine grater - but not a zester.

Make flattish piles of grated cheese on the baking sheets - about 2" (5cm) across, with 1" (2.5cm) gap between.

Pop in the oven for 10-12 minutes - until starting to turn golden around the edges and lacy, bubbling in the centre.

Cool on the tray for a few minutes and then transfer to a rack. Don't drain the oil that comes out - it's good for you! Full of vitamin A and D from the butterfat and a great catalyst for the calcium in the cheese.

If they're not completely crispy then pop them back in the oven for another 5 minutes - but don't overcook or they will taste burnt. They won't keep long, so just make enough for one sitting.

Gluten Free Christmas Cake - suitable for diabetics! Light, apple, prune and almond scented...

In 2006 I wrote a few recipes for the You magazine supplement of the Daily Mail. I'm a Guardian reader myself, but I like to share recipes with whoever needs them and the response from readers was amazing. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, I was inundated with calls and emails from folks asking about the recipe and then letting me know how pleased they were with the way it turned out. Little did I think that I would still be receiving calls from people almost five years later, unfurling their tattered copy of the recipe and asking me where to find rice bran!

So I thought I'd republish the recipe, for anyone who would like a light, low GI, Gluten Free Christmas cake, that can be made 48 hours before Christmas day with no fuss what-so-ever! When I make my own this year I'll update with a picture.

This recipe is also suitable for Diabetic Coeliacs, that rare and special breed. As most of these people already realise, most of the gluten free substitutes available are packed with sugars and quick releasing grains that are totally unsuitable for Diabetics. To be honest, the rest of us could do with as little of these products as possible too to avoid developing insulin resistance in the future.

So I thought I would put it up here for those of you who would like to try it too. A couple of points first though: It is best to keep it only a few days to a week to mature - it doesn't have all the sugar, dried vine fruits and booze that would preserve most Christmas cakes long enough to leave as heirlooms. This is the type of cake that you whip up quickly (after soaking the fruit overnight), cooks in only a couple of hours and fills the house with a delicious smell of apples and spice. Don't cover it in marzipan and ice it, unless you're confident that your blood sugar levels are nice and stable - definitely not if you are Diabetic!

If you have trouble finding rice bran in your health food shop you can order it from Goodness Direct. If you would prefer not to use rice bran, you could substitute another whole grain gluten free flour (not Doves Farm Gluten free flour or a similar high GI mix). I would try one of the following; chestnut flour,  buckwheat flour or Teff flour. Alternatively try adding some cooked quinoa grains instead.

If you think it might take you longer than a few days to eat, slice it up and freeze on a parchment covered tray - lifting once during freezing to prevent it sticking. Then just take a piece out as you need and let it defrost for a couple of hours - or warm and serve with cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon (reputed to help lower blood sugar levels)....mmmmm!

Gluten Free Christmas Cake – suitable for diabetics

GL stands for glycaemic load. Those with diabetes or trying to lose weight should try to limit their GL per meal to 15 GLs maximum. Remember to include any carbohydrate that you eat within a couple of hours of eating this cake in your GL total. This will help stabilise blood sugar levels.

Made with palm sugar and cut into 8 slices = 11 GLs per slice or 10 slices 8.8 GLs per slice. It will be significantly higher made with honey or maple syrup.

170g (6oz) pitted prunes
115g (4oz) dried apple rings
115g (4oz) dried apricots
1 small apple grated
85g (3oz) palm sugar or ground up dates, (or date syrup, maple syrup or honey plus a dessert spoonful of ground almonds)

170g (6oz) soft butter
3 large eggs (4 medium)
85g(3oz) ground almonds
85g (3oz) rice bran or buckwheat flour or cooked quinoa grains
50ml (double measure) brandy
1-2 oranges
Desertspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp baking powder (or ½ tsp bicarb and 2 tsp vinegar or lemon juice)
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp fresh grated nutmeg or mace
2 cloves ground to a powder with a pinch of salt (or 1/2 tsp allspice or mixed spice)

The day before you intend to make the cake, chop the dried fruit roughly in a food processor – or by hand. Put into a bowl and pour over the brandy – it will not cover the fruit. Leave to soak overnight, giving it a little stir when you are passing.

Line a deep 20cm (8 inch) diameter cake tin with a double layer of brown paper, bottom and sides. Finish this with a layer of greaseproof paper. Alternatively, double line the inside of the tin with greaseproof paper and tie a few sheets of carefully folded newspaper around the outside with ovenproof string. Do not let any of the paper touch the sides of the oven though!

Set the oven to 150ºC (gas mark 2) or 160ºC if your oven is not fan assisted.

Cream the butter and sugar (or honey etc) and stir in the chopped fruit, zest from 1 orange, grated apple, vanilla and spices. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs together until they are well mixed and stir them into the mixture a bit at a time. Don’t worry if it looks a bit curdled – it will be fine!

Stir in the ground almonds, rice bran (buckwheat flour or quinoa), and baking powder until a smoothish mixture is formed. Finally, squeeze the juice from half the orange and stir into the mixture to make a soft dropping consistency (add more if it seems stiff at all – you may need up to 2 oranges). Pour into the prepared tin and level the surface lightly.

Bake for 1 ½ - 2 hours until a skewer comes out clean. Cover with foil if it seems to be browning too much after 40 minutes. As soon as the tin is cool enough to touch, replace the piece of foil tightly over the top and leave till completely cold (this softens the top of the cake). Un-mould and wrap in greaseproof paper and a double layer of foil.

Eat immediately or keep it for up to a week in an airtight tin, in a cool place, before eating - but not longer or it will start to go off. Do not ice this cake, but instead enjoy it with some thick double cream or Greek yoghurt for an indulgent guilt free treat.

Gluten Free at River Cottage - A Weekend in the Westcountry

For anyone wondering about whether they should head off to River Cottage in Devon to bake up some gluten free goodness, on a Thursday in November - I'm here to tell you yes!

Take the weekend off and start your Devon odyssey with my course at River Cottage on Thursday 17th November. We'll be baking Cheaty Chestnut Sourdough, buttery almond pastry and the best coconut brownies ever! Whilst your gluten free treats are baking you can fill your lungs with delicious Devon air, enjoy a two course River Cottage lunch and say hello to the sheep, cows and chickens on the farm.

On Saturday you could potter through Bridport's lovely street market, have lunch at the Bull Hotel (who are very good at catering for gluten free diets) before heading over to Poole for the Festival of Massed Voices.

Sunday should always be lazy, so maybe you could take a leisurely walk in the lovely dunes at Studland Nature Reserve and enjoy a Sunday Roast at the Knoll Beach Cafe?

Sounds like a great reason for a long weekend to me!

x x x