The Delectable Garden Food Blog

Hi all,

I hope you are all safe and well. It’s been a while since my last post. I want to reassure you I have been busy grafting and not taking an extended holiday- I wish!

I have recently started producing and selling DIY food kits locally. It all started after our holiday to Tuscany was cancelled in June due to Covid-19. To take my mind off the cancelled holiday and cheer my holiday companions up. I made a 3 course Italian meal and hand delivered it to 20 people. It included homemade bruschetta, sourdough toast with garlic butter, kilos of hand made tagliatelle pasta and the largest tiramisu you have ever seen.

The Traditional Pasta Kit

I loved making the Italian meal for my friends and family, and they really enjoyed it. My cousin then gave me the idea to create food kits for people to eat my food at home. Thats how The Delectable Garden at home was born.

The first kit I created was The Traditional Pasta kit. It was based on the successful Italian night and included a ball of pasta dough with video instructions on how to roll and cut your own tagliatelle. This time it was for 33 people and thankfully all were extremely happy with the kit.

The Sourdough Pizza Kit

I’m currently working on The Sourdough Pizza Kit. A kit designed to show people how to make Neapolitan style pizzas using a frying pan. Fancy pizza ovens are good, but aren’t always required to make delicious artisan pizzas. The first night is this Saturday and I’m hoping for another successful night. If you live in Nottinghamshire and are interested in the kits follow me on Instagram and Facebook for dates.

Make Your Own Yogurt

At the weekend I posted a picture of my new yogurt maker, I can’t tell you how excited I was. A neighbour told me that you can make your own yogurt quite easily. They thought I would be interested in the process and told me about how they regularly make it for their family. Obviously this appealed to the foodie in me and the idea of freshly yogurt stuck in my head.

My neighbour then made me a pot of homemade Greek-style yogurt and I was sold. It was the thickest most luxurious Greek-style yogurt I had ever tasted (outside of Greece obviously). I could not believe he had made it in his home and how easy he made it sound.

I was surprised by the amount of people interested in yogurt making. After receiving several messages for a follow up I decided to do an independent review of the yogurt maker I purchased from Lakeland.

The Possibilities

After I’d tasted the homemade yogurt I was excited by the possibilities…

I could make it to top my homemade honey and almond granola.

I love homemade Tzatziki but you can’t buy thick enough Greek-style yogurt to make good quality homemade Tzatziki like you get in Greece. The yogurt my neighbour made was perfect for Tzatziki.

I also really want to make my own Labneh. A Lebanese-style soft cheese made from a thick yogurt. I could make my own Greek-style yogurt to make my own Labneh.

This is how my brain works, food food food!

Gary and I visited Harrogate last week and stumble on Lakeland, I had to pop in and treat myself. The machine I bought was £24.99. It had good reviews and at that price I would soon make enough yogurt for it to pay for itself.

Yogurt Maker Review

The Good

The machine is light, compact and appears to be well made. The unit and different components are all easy to wash. It has a simple digital display and comes with a manual that contains some recipes and encourages the user to experiment. As well as natural and greek-style yogurt the machine can also make soft cheese and yogurt from plant based milks.

What could be better?

It’s a pretty good piece of kit. I used it for the first time on Sunday night and on Monday I had made Greek-style yogurt for the first time. The only thing that needs improving is the instruction manual, its a little vague . I had to call my neighbour to check I was doing it right. He also had some really good hint’s and tips that weren’t in the manual. However after using the machine once I probably won’t have to look at the manual again.

Overall

It’s seems like a good machine for the price. Some gadgets run the risk of becoming a fad but if you regularly eat soft cheese or yogurt, the machine would quickly become a staple kitchen appliance.

At The Delectable Garden I always try to make what food I can to reduce waste and to control what goes into my food. Natural yogurt is simply made from yogurt and milk, yet some store bought yogurt add additives for flavour and to increase shelf life. What appeals most to me is that I can make fresh yogurt that will last 3-4 days in the fridge and have the option to add the likes of honey and fruit for flavour and sweetness. Overall I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

This is an independent review. I have not been paid or gifted by Lakeland. It is a review of the product I purchased, not a comparison against other yogurt makers.

Yogurt Recipes

The first thing I did with the fresh Greek-style yogurt is dollop it on some Homemade Honey and Oat Granola, topped with blueberries and a drizzle of honey, delicious! I’m looking forward to playing around with the yogurt maker and sharing recipes and tips in the future.

If you make your own yogurt and have some tips and recipes for me to try get in touch on social media.

I’m currently working on some exciting new recipes and will be back soon to share.

Lee

My rich and tender Slow Cooked Beef and Mushroom Pie is easy comfort food at it’s finest.

After posting a photo of my little Slow Cooked Beef and Mushroom Pie’s on Instagram I had many requests asking me to share the recipe. A recipe that started off as my stew mix and has been developed over many winters.

Reaching Pie Perfection

Each time I made a beef stew I would add different vegetables, herbs and spices until I reached maximum rich beefy goodness. There are a lot of ingredients in my beef and mushroom pie, 20 in total. Chopped fresh herbs, spices, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, vegetables, Chestnut mushrooms and good quality beef. All measurements have been tweaked to reach pie perfection.

I love making pies, they are easy to make and never fail to put a smile on anybody’s face. As previously mentioned there are a lot of ingredients in my Slow Cooked Beef and Mushroom Pie and it does take over 9 hours to make. However they are easy to make and the long process ensures a rich gravy and super tender beef. I make the pie mixture the day before I assemble the pie as it allows the flavours to develop further. You just can’t beat good quality homemade comfort food!

Slow Cooked Beef and Mushroom Pie

Print Recipe

Slow Cooked Beef and Mushroom Pie

My rich and tender Slow Cooked Beef and Mushroom Pie is easy comfort food at it's finest.

Prep Time30mins

Cook Time8hrs30mins

Total Time9hrs

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: British

Keyword: Comfort Food, easy, Pie

Servings: 6people

Calories: 490kcal

Author: Lee

Equipment

• Slow Cooker

Ingredients

• 1 large onion sliced
• 2 Large carrots roughly chopped
• 250 g chestnut mushrooms cut into quarters, or halves if they are small
• 1 large potato cut into 1cm cubes
• 400 g diced braising beef (larger chunks are best)
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 200 ml red wine nice stuff, remember it is there for flavour not alcohol content.
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 fresh bay leaves (or 2 dried)
• 1 large sprig of fresh rosemary leaves removed and finely chopped
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves removed and finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp fennel seeds crushed
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 100 g petits pois
• 2 beef stock cubes dissolved in 200 ml boiling water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 375 g ready rolled short crust pastry (or puff pastry if you preffer)
• 1 free range egg lightly beaten
• salt and pepper to season

Instructions

• Add a drizzle of olive oil to a large frying pan and set to a low heat. When the pan is hot, tip in the onions and carrots. Stir occasionally and cook for 5-10 minutes until the onions are soft and have just started to brown a little. Then pop them into the slow cooker.
• Add another drizzle of olive oil to the frying pan and tip in the mushrooms. Stir occasionally and cook for 5-10 minutes untill they are tender and brown. Tip them into the slow cooker.
• Put the plain flour into a large bowl. Piece by piece lightly dust each chunk of beef and set to one side. When all chunks are dusted turn up the heat to medium and add another drizzle of olive oil to the pan. When the pan is hot tip in the beef and cook until all sides are sealed and have gone brown. Then tip into the slow cooker.
• Put the pan back on the heat and pour in the red wine, red wine vingar and Worcestershire sauce. Scrape all the brown sticky bits off the frying pan and allow to bubble for a minute. Then pour into the slow cooker.
• Add the potato, bay leaves, finely chopped herbs, fennel seeds, smoked paprika, petits pois and stock to the slow cooker. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper then stir all the ingredients in the slow cooker. Set on low and allow to cook for 6-8 hours (depending on the manufacturers guidance). The mixure will be watery and there may not appear to be much juice, do not be tempted to add more or thicken it up at this stage! Check on it every 1-2 hours and gently stir. Do this more frequentkly towards the end of the cooking time as it may start to stick to the bottom. Add a little water if it does dry out towards the end.
• After 6-8 hours the beef should be nice and tender and the gravy should be thicker. Carefuly ladel the contents of the slow cooker into a large bowl or pan to cool completely. At this stage you can refridgerate and make the next day, or continue to make your pies. I refrigerate mine overnight because it tastes better the day after.
• When you're ready to make the pies pre heat the oven to 200oC | 180 Fan | Gas mark 6 and remove the pastry from the refriderator. Allow the pastry to stand about 20 minute at room temperature before you unroll it. You will need 6 small dishes, (I use Le Cruset petite round casserole dishes), or a 1 litre rectangular ovenproof pie dish. Unroll the pastry and cut it slightly larger than the pie dish. Carefully drape the pastry over your pie dish and crimp the edges using the back of a fork. Use a sharpe knife to add two little cuts in the centre of your pie and trim off any excess pastry. Crimping holds the ingriedients in place and the cuts allow the steam to escape. Use any left over pastry to decorate your pies.
• Wash the tops of your pie with the beaten egg before cooking in the oven for 20-25 minutes for individual pies and 30-35 minutes for a larger pie. Ensure the pastry is golden and the pie is piping hot. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving with creamy mash and mushy peas.

Notes

Made my Pies? Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @TheDelectableGarden

If your gravy is too too thick just add a splash of water. If it’s too runny then you can thicken it up with a little cornflour. Add two table spoons of the pie liquid to a tsp of cornflour and mix into a paste, stir this through your pie mixture. Repeat as required until you have the consistency you require.

As always play around with flavours and vegetables, If you want a beef and ale pie swap the 200 ml of red wine for 200 ml of ale.

Calories are based on the ingredients I used and are for guide purposes only.

If you make any of my recipes please don’t forget to tag me in your photos and comment on social media. I love hearing from you. If you have a question or query about a recipe please send me a DM. Make sure you follow me on Instagram @TheDelectableGarden and Facebook @TDG.co.uk

Herb Chopper

A kitchen utensil that requires it’s own heading and paragraph! These make light work of herbs, seeds and nuts. Chopping them roughly or very finely. I use mine every week, it’s certainly not a fad utensil! If you need a present for a foodie you can pick up a nice board and chopper online for under £15. They will not be disappointed!

Looking for more easy and tasty slow cooker recipes? The Best Slow Cooked Pulled Chicken Recipe is a personal favourite of mine. Tender chicken slow cooked for 4 hours with a blend of herbs and spices for an authentic BBQ flavour. Give it a try, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

You can now leave comments and rate my recipes below, I’d love to know what you think.

Enjoy,

Lee