The very lovely people in Odlums sent me a parcel recently jam packed with products from their 'Quick' range. The range is made up of bread, scone, cookie, brownie and muffin mixes and are ideal for anybody with limited time or lacking in confidence when it comes to baking. I have actually used some of these mixes many times before and usually have one knocking about in the press for surprise dinner guests or on those days when I am just too lazy to measure out all of the ingredients myself but fancy something freshly baked.
There is practically no effort required to make any of these, I would say from start to finish it took me no longer than 3 minutes to mix them up and get them into the oven. I know some might say that this is cheating, I disagree, I like to think of it as delegating. Why have a dog and bark yourself? If the very lovely people in Odlums would like to measure out the dry ingredients on our behalf to save us time and energy then who are we to spoil their fun? I am all for the short cuts if it gets you into the kitchen and baking. I don't always have the time to go through all of the stages myself but that doesn't mean I want to forego the luxury of freshly baked bread or cakes on a week day.
So far I have made the Multi Grain Bread Mix, still hot from the oven this was perfect with a steaming bowl of homemade seafood chowder.
The White Scone Mix provided a nice quick fix for me last week when I used the scones to accompany my homemade blackberry jam as part of the latest Irish Foodies cookalong.
Last night I mixed up the Tomato and Herb Bread Mix to accompany my butternut squash soup, this made for some scrummy comfort food as the evenings have turned slightly chillier!
Now, a little health warning for all of you. Do not, I repeat DO NOT make the same mistake as me and bake the Chocolate Brownie Mix while you are alone in the house. I had to pretend to my husband that I had given half of them to the neighbours, I hadn't, not unless the neighbours now live in my tummy. They were completely moreish with a deliciously chewy crust and a soft, moist centre.
So if like me you don't always have enough hours in the day or you feel that baking is a little bit scary, you might want to try out Odlum's Quick range. They are great when time is short and would also be an ideal stepping stone to help build your confidence in the kitchen. Another great way to use them is when baking with children. My sister uses them all of the time to bake with her 3 year old daughter as they are quick and easy and they only leave her one bowl to wash up. Pssst, if you are making them for guests don't tell them Odlum's made them, take all of the credit yourself, they'll never know, trust me!
Odlum's Quick range is available from Tesco, Dunnes, Super Valu, Superquinn, Centra, Spar, Londis and most small town stores. The average retail price is €1.29-€1.59 for breads and scones, and up to €2.99 for brownies and cookies.
