Heaton House Farm looked stunning surrounded by a blanket of rich seasonal colours and inside, the venue looked spectacular! From the stylish gold charger plates to the gold trimmed glasses provided by our friends at Whitehouse Crockery, the tables looked the epitome of Autumn style.
We served a delicious pork belly dish and a crisp and golden crackling.
Add to that some gold star service and you have an event that is simply dazzling!
Brussels Sprouts. Love them or hate them?
Far from the overcooked, soggy mush you may remember from childhood, these crisp and tasty vegetables are versatile, healthy and delicious!
They are fantastic grilled and drizzled with balsamic. This recipe is perfect for a festive party and is guaranteed to impress your guests and have them coming back for more!
Ingredients
1 pound small Brussels sprouts, rinsed of any dirt
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto
1 pinch coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 400.
Slice the Brussels sprouts in half, lengthwise. Don’t trim the ends, as they’ll hold together better with them.
Toss the sprouts on a rimmed baking baking sheet with the oil and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Bake for 40 minutes total, but start checking around the 25-minute mark. Toss them around too.
In the meantime, chop up the prosciutto into small chunks. Heat a frying pan over medium-high. Add the prosciutto and saute for about 5 minutes, until nice and crispy. Set aside.
Remove the sprouts from the oven and let them cool about 5 minutes, or until you can handle them.
Using toothpicks, slide on a sprout half, followed by a slice or 3 of the ham, then bookend it with another sprout half.
Continue until you have about 32 mini skewers.
Arrange on a platter and serve immediately.
Phew! warm sunny day’s have been few this summer. This weekend looks set to be rather nice. Why not enjoy a balmy evening with some friends and some alfresco dining?
The rum in these fantastic iced lollies means that they are strictly for grown ups only, they will certainly get people in the party mood!
Watermelon Mojito Lollies
Makes 12 2.5 oz Lollies
· 8oz. watermelon juice (2 ½ cups chopped watermelon)
· 2 oz fresh lime juice
· 1 oz. simple mint syrup (recipe follows)
· 8 oz. light rum
· 14 oz. club soda
First make your Mint Syrup
(You will have more syrup than you need. Save for other cocktail uses)
· 1/2 cup water
· 1/2 cups sugar
· 1 cup mint leaves, loosely packed
Place sugar and water in a pot over heat until sugar dissolves. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature and place mint leaves in mixture and muddle. Allow mint leaves to steep for 20 minutes. Strain and discard leaves. (Depending on the fine-ness of the sieve tiny pieces may remain).
Instructions:
1. Place chopped watermelon in a food processor or blender and process until watermelon is juiced (will be slightly pulpy).
2. Combine watermelon juice, lime juice, mint syrup and rum in a shaker and shake well. Fill Lolly mold 3/4 of the way up with mixture. Fill remaining lolly mold with club soda and stir to combine.
3. Freeze for about 2 hours or until mixture starts to solidify enough to hold a lolly stick upright. Insert lolly sticks and finish freezing lollies overnight. To release lollies run hot water on the outside of the molds for a 2-3 seconds.
Last week we shared a link on our Facebook page which featured a fantastic lunch idea – a layered salad in a jar. Portable, easy, fresh and healthy. What could be better for a tasty lunch on the go?
You readers seemed to love the idea, so we looked further in to it and found some more fantastic, jar food ideas. Today we share some of our favourite recipes. Click on the links below each picture for the full recipe details.
Why not get expreimental and see what you vcan create for a delicious jar meal? Let us know how you get on!
