Fantastico Rinnucini's!

There was no time for baking last weekend as my gorgeous hubby whisked me down* the country for a couple of days r&r. We were due to go a couple of weeks back but the Big Freeze of 2010 hit and sure don't you know it the whole place ground to a halt. So, we pushed it out by a week and sure wouldn't you know it the feckin' snow decided to hang around and with the salt and grit scarcer than a tan on an Irish farmers belly we had to once again postpone. We had plans for the two weekends that followed meaning last weekend was the earliest we could slip away for some time together. I swear to God, you'd mobilise a military invasion quicker than you'd get the pair of us down the road to Kilkenny! Saturday morning arrived and I jumped (crawled) out of the bed, pulled open the blinds and what did I see outside only a nice thick layer of frickin' frost on the road. Now at this stage someone up above is having a bit of a giraffe with us.

Off we set on our precarious way happily singing along to my hubby's new 'weekend away' play list thinking that we were no longer going to let the weather stand in our way, I mean this time it was just a little bit of frost and the occasional random ice patch, right. Wrong!!! When we hit the M50 it would appear the heavens were falling down around our ears as the thickest fog I can remember engulfed the car, and so we drove from Dublin to Kilkenny in a thick white cloud not able to see 6ft in front of us at any given time. We made it to the hotel in one piece despite the non existent visibility and deposited our bags pronto before heading back out (into the thick fog, fun) to do a spot of shopping and perhaps have a little bite to eat.

Kilkenny is a very lovely place, and with the construction of some new by pass roads is no distance from Dublin making it a good weekend destination. We have been at least a couple of times a year for the past few years and at this stage must have seen everything it has to offer, so you are probably wondering why bother going back now, why not try somewhere new? The answer to this is simple, Rinnucini's restaurant, that's why.

I can't remember when we first dined here but it was a few years ago now. We stumbled across it on one visit coming out of the castle and ever since it is our sole reason for visiting Kilkenny and never overlook it when down there. I think it is probably my favourite restaurant in Ireland for its combination of fantastic service, perfect bustling atmosphere and always faultless food. I have been to many restaurants with stunning decor, Michelin star food, celebrity chefs and waiting lists as long as your arm, none of which tick all of the boxes in the manner that Rinnucini's does. I have never once walked away form the restaurant with a complaint or a but which is more than I can say for any other Irish restaurant I have visited.

Saturday was no different. Instantly on entering the din of animated conversation hit us smack on the face, the glow of the table lamps melted away the cold from the fog outside and the aroma of delicious creations immediately reminded my tummy that I was STARVING. As we left the hotel too late to have a drink we arrived about 5 minutes early and were shown to our table which I wasn't very happy with. Now I know, I know that I just said I have never had a complaint with this place so bare with me. We addressed our problem with our waiter who explained that as we were slightly early our allocated table was not yet ready but if we were happy to wait he would move us asap. He did move us, and to a very nice table in one of the main areas just perfect for soaking up the lovely atmosphere.

The hubby ordered a bottle of bubbles which was only fabilis, lovely and fruity, I think moreish would be the word for this one. Then we munched away on the lovely bread brought to us while we waited for our food. I ordered Antipasto Rinnucini to start and Tortelloni al Gorgonzola for my main, both were gorgeous. Hubby ordered Capesante de Giacomo (scallops) to start and Pasta del Giorno Frutti de Mare (seafood pasta to you and me) as his main, and it pains me to say it but the bugger made better choices. Whilst all of the dishes were delicious his just had the X factor, gorgeous.

Now he may well have won rounds 1 and 2 but round 3 will always be taken by me. Rinnucini's is the place to go if you want expertly made fresh pasta but for me my visits are motivated by one thing and one thing only, dessert. Always on the dessert menu (thankfully) is the most delicious chocolate mousse. It is smooth, rich, dense, chocolatey heaven on a plate, topped off with a scrumptious dollop of homemade vanilla ice cream cradled in a brandy snap basket. I have sampled many a chocolate mousse in my time (my absolute favourite is that served up in Town Bar & Grill in Dublin) but this one is right up there and this alone makes the 3 hour round trip, the cost of a new guna and shoes and the added expense of a hotel for the night sooooooo worth it.

For that reason I think it shall remain that myself and my hubby make an excuse a couple of times a year for that trip to Kilkenny and the obligatory visit to Rinnucini's to stuff ourselves full of the truly delicious offerings of the wonderful chef and kitchen staff. (I would post some nice pics of all of the lovely things we ate but alas we were so busy scoffing and quaffing that I forgot to take some, soz!)

So Many Cakes, So Little Time!

OK, so I kinda predicted this at the start, that any grand aspirations to bake deliciously sweet delights every week, photograph and blog about them would possibly become derailed quite easily. Funnily enough I was right. Life can be a bit of a bugger though can't it, and just get in the way of all those things that we love to do. I generally have grand plans to bake some mouth watering delight on a Friday to be enjoyed over the course of the weekend. Then, the phone rings. Yep, the phone, such a wonderful invention, but by Jaysus is it incessant in our home and usually involves plans being made that put paid to my determination to don the apron.

Some of these plans are made with oodles of advance notice. But, more often than not they involve a moments notice and taking into account my inability to say no to anybody there are quite a lot of things left to balance precariously on my long finger. Now don't get me wrong, I love nothing more than spending time with family and friends and if someone is in need I will bend over backwards (not literally, I'm not that nimble) to lend a hand, so that's the chocolate brownies out the feckin' window for another week, and so the cycle begins. At this time of year I also find myself faced with the guilt of New Years resolutions and my determination to be healthy and that little voice in my head telling me I do not NEED that slice of caca milis. I knnooow I don't need it, but I feckin' well want it, right!!!

What I can try to do though, is commit to jotting down a few lines more often, even if they are not baking related. I sometimes amaze myself with the amount of random rubbish that floats into my head, most of which would be of absolutely no interest to anybody. But every now and then I am invaded by lovely thoughts that bring a smile to my face, make me chuckle out loud(these usually occur in public, when I am alone and therefore deemed crazy lady by passers by) or fill me with that lovely warm fuzzy feeling we are blessed with every now and then. So for now I shall endeavour to fill in the long lonely gaps between baking experiments with a bit of random blathering about anything and everything that happens to grab my attention.

I do hope to make some yummy cupcakes next week and am determined to follow through on this as these are my absolute favourite scrummy delight. I also wish to follow up on a cake I enjoyed in one of my favourite cafes but am struggling to perfect the base. I felt what could be a rather moreish delight was somewhat marred by a rather lacklustre Digestive base and so am on a one woman crusade to perfect this offering before I share it with others.

Let it snow, let it snow.....alright enough already!

My childhood memories of snow are few and far between an quite frankly a little hazy. I could most probably count on both hands the amount of truly snowy days that I have experienced in my whole lifetime, that is up until now. We would very occasionally be blessed with a day off school because the pipes had frozen and when I did build a snowman it was generally of the anorexic variety because if you had an inch of snow be God there must have been an all out blizzard.

Having lived only in Ireland I have only once before experienced weather similar to that of the last two weeks. My very first trip to New York was in January of 2003 and the temperatures there were a crisp -15C. Now this was my first trip stateside and New York is very obviously used to these Baltic temperatures, life functions unhindered with safe roads and pavements, the weather was seen through very romantic eyes.

Their were nine of us in total on that trip, seven of us travelled together and two more joined us a day later. We all came prepared with warm coats, hats, scarves and gloves, and sensible shoes. All apart from my sister in law who walked the snowy streets of Manhattan in 6 inch stilettos. We all grinned like Cheshire cats as we huddled in a group to have our photo taken in front of the Empire State Building, walked around the city in sub zero temperatures without complaint, marvelled at the sight of Central Park with its thick blanket of snow, giggled at the the amateur skaters on the ice in Rockefeller Centre and braved the temperatures at night in order to dress in our finery for dinner and cocktails.

On our first night we phoned home to our late arrivals to advise them of the extreme temperatures and advise them to pack for the North Pole. They took our warnings as nothing more than the Irish abroad exaggerating as we have a tendency to do and each packed a heavy 'Irish winter' coat and no accessories. They snickered when we met for pre dinner drinks the evening of their arrival and layered ourselves up before departure to the restaurant. I would say approximately 2 minutes later when we hit the streets in hunt of taxis it was the rest of us snickering as they could barely speak with the cold and looked up and down the block frantically for a street vendor from whom to purchase hats, scarves and gloves. Very stylish 'I Love NY' hats et al were soon secure on their person and remained so for the rest of the holiday without any remarks of our exaggerating prior to their arrival.

And so it was that for the remainder of the holiday we layered ourselves up like the Michelin man, tramped around the streets of New York and stopped when necessary for an alcoholic beverage to warm our cockles without a second thought and more importantly without a grumble. Fast forward 7 years and to Ireland and non holiday mindsets and it would seem that our bodies have somehow forgotten how to cope with this weather phenomenon we are faced with. I personally have not left the house except when necessary for the past two weeks, engagements have been cancelled, daily walks have been abandoned and the cupboards are almost bare.

I think some of it is rooted in our biological make up. We live in what is probably best described as a tepid climate, never too hot, never too cold just somewhere nicely balanced in the middle. For this reason our natural thermostat is thrown into a tizzy on the rare occasions that we experience a heatwave or a cold snap. Our natural response to this cold weather is therefore to slow down, eat plenty of hearty, warming comfort food and to cocoon ourselves in layers of clothing and blankets and basically hibernate. In a heatwave our bodies slow down (any excuse it would seem) we strip back the layers (hence our poor eyes are assaulted by the sight of lily white beer bellies wobbling unabashedly in public), graze on our food in an attempt to shed some unnecessary insulation and wait for the rain to return.

The common denominator of these two extremes in weather is the love that Irish people have for a good old moan. By God if moaning was an Olympic sport we'd take home gold, silver and bronze every time. At the moment everybody is moaning about being trapped inside for fear of breaking a limb stepping foot outside the door onto the icy surfaces that the government haven't bothered to grit. In hot conditions we complain that there isn't a breath to be had and that we can't function properly in the heat. And when there are no extremes but just bog standard Irish rain we complain that were sick of the cold and the wet and would love to live in a Mediterranean climate.

So there you have it, there is absolutely no pleasing us and while we may be thwarted by the weather at present it suits us just grand cos we can have a good old moan and a right go at the government for their ineptness in dealing with the situation at hand and plunging us into a state of natural emergency.

Why is it that the entire country has ground to a very frosty halt? It is fair to say that we rarely have weather so cold for longer than 2 or 3 days and snow rarely sticks to the ground for long and for this reason national and local contingency plans while effective initially have well and truly been stretched to there limits and beyond. Our belief that we had had our 3 days worth until next Christmas I'm sure delayed the ordering of fresh supplies until eventually someone in a council office somewhere probably said, 'actually lads I don't think this is actually gonna blow over in a couple of days so maybe (just maybe) we should order in a bit more salt'. Said supplies are supposedly en route and it's a good thing they are as we are said to have another 10 days of snow and frost stretched out ahead of us, this is the third consecutive day that I have heard news reports state 10 days as the duration!

To ride this out I have opted for hibernation. Apart form necessary tasks and travel I have taken to lounging on my sofa with a warm blanket, plenty of chocolate and the remote control. I am quite enjoying the excuse to divulge myself in so much guilt free inactivity. When I settle down each evening basking in the soft glow of lamplight, the flickering of deliciously fragrant candles and look out at the moon illuminating the snowy blanket, I wrap my hands around a steaming mug of hot chocolate and I must admit that I am completely and utterly intoxicated by the beauty of this fluffy, marshmallow like weather phenomenon. It has rendered my brain all but useless and for this reason I have not ventured into the kitchen to indulge in my favourite pass time of baking, but if you would like something delicious to warm you on these wintry nights I suggest one of my favourite indulgences - a Bailey's hot chocolate. The creamy liqueur transforms a humble hot chocolate into a silky, internal hot water bottle that will melt away any post Christmas blues. So enjoy (obviously in moderation, you don't want to wake up face down in the snow now do you?) and stay safe when out and about on the ice.

Bailey's Hot Chocolate

• 1 Mug of steaming hot chocolate
• 1oz Bailey's or similar cream liqueur
• Whipped Cream (optional)
• Flaked Chocolate (optional)

1. Simply make a mug of your chosen hot chocolate according to instructions.
2. Add 1 oz of Bailey's and stir to combine.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of whipped cream to the top if desired and crumble some flaked chocolate over the cream.

The Night Before Christmas

Well, the big day has come and gone and sadly we must wait a whole year now for the revelry and goodwill to envelope us all once again. The build up this year seems to me to have been a mammoth task and bar the last two days I have not had a minute to myself. Exhaustion has set in, but it is a happy kind of exhaustion coupled with backache from basting the glorious bird and paper cuts from endless gift wrapping.

I must admit that Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the season. I find that this is the day when excitement reaches its most heightened point. Santa Claus is so close that you can almost smell him and yet you are still wondering what delights he may have safely stowed away on his sleigh for you. And then the children around you are positively beside themselves with anticipation of the whole situation, not knowing what to do with their little selves. Their faces tense with a mixture of emotions, hoping that they have indeed been good enough to receive the gifts they have been dreaming of for so long now.

This Christmas Eve was no exception and did not disappoint in any way. I did panic slightly when I woke up late having slept through my alarm but a little rushing around got me back on track. First we visited my parents in law who were also playing host to my husbands sister's and their families. This was manic of course with children opening presents, children fighting over presents, children fighting over empty boxes and fifty different conversations taking place all at once.

From there it was down to my Dads local to have a drink with him and my sister, and have a look at the decorations. The landlord turns what could be viewed as a somewhat dreary, lacklustre bar into a magical Christmas Grotto each year and my Dad insists we all meet up to admire them. This was a fairly sedate hour spent colouring with my niece and watching her do ballet up and down the pub regardless of who was in her way (man in wheelchair included). Then it was a quick stop off at my Dad's to collect a pot of his mouthwatering stuffing. This batch also proved a little eye watering as he had plied it with so many chillies!

Then the hunt was on for a suitable bath for Dustin who was to be brined as per Nigella's instructions. An eleventh hour dash to the shopping centre proved fruitful and so we could relax and make our final port of call of the day. And so to the pub to meet my brother in law and his wife before we headed for our traditional Christmas Eve Indian. After stuffing our gills with food and bubbles and laughing ourselves sick it was time to head home and get to bed before the big man arrived.

At this stage my bed was calling but unfortunately there was a ham to cook, a spa bath to prepare for the turkey and last minute presents to be wrapped before I dressed in my new Christmas p.j.'s and slippers, gave the house a final once over and headed to bed for visions of sugar plums to dance round in my head.

For once I jumped out of bed as soon as the alarm sounded on Christmas morning. I was expecting my whole family for dinner and had both the dinner and dessert to prepare before making myself beautiful. With all of my rushing around over the previous few days I was unfortunately not as prepared as I would have liked to be and so had not made my desserts in advance. This called for either a miracle or some quick thinking and having prepared all of the meat and veg for the main event I had to think on my feet and so I made a 5 minute trifle and adapted an ice cream bomb to turn it into a rather delicious cake. So, if you have any further entertaining to do over this festive season and like me find you are running dangerously short on time give these a try and I am sure that neither you or your guests will be disappointed. Enjoy and may I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year.

5 Minute Trifle

1 Packet of Niece Fingers/Trifle Sponge
1 Tin of Ready Made Custard
2 Punnets of Raspberries(reserve some for decorations)
4oz of Sherry
100ml of Whipped Cream

1. In a glass bowl place a layer of Niece Biscuits/Trifle Sponge on the bottom and around the sides. Overlap where necessary to ensure there are no gaps.
2. Pour over 3oz of sherry ensuring you soak all biscuits/sponge.
3. Place a layer of raspberries onto the sponge layer.
4. Place a layer of custard on top of the raspberries.
5. Place another layer of Niece Biscuits/Trifle sponge on top of the custard.
6. Pour the remaining sherry on to the sponge layer and then repeat the raspberry and custard layers.
7. Finish of by pouring the whipped cream over the top and decorate with the reserved raspberries.
8. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.

Bailey's Bomb Cake
1 Litre Vanilla Ice Cream
3 Chocolate Covered Honeycomb Bars
2oz Baileys Irish Cream
100g good quality Plain Chocolate
100g Rice Krispies
50g Milk Chocolate Buttons (optional)

1. Remove the ice cream from the freezer to allow to soften.
2. Melt the plain chocolate over a pan of gently simmering water.
3. Crush the Honeycomb bars to large crumbs.
4. Once the plain chocolate has melted add the Rice Krispies and stir to coat. Place into the bottom of a silicone* baking tin and place in the freezer for 5 minutes to set.
5. When the ice cream has softened stir in the Baileys and crushed honeycomb bars.
6. Pour the ice cream mixture on top of the chocolate Krispie base. Decorate with the chocolate buttons and place in the freezer until ready to serve.

*If you do not have a silicone baking tin simply line a standard tin with grease proof paper. A silicone one works well in this recipe as the cake just peels away from the sides and stops the ice cream does not stick.

Ho Ho Ho

OK, I know it is still only mid November but I really can't wait any longer so, today we are talking Christmas Cake and Pudding. Wohohohohoooooo!!! These are the things I remember best from my childhood. Religiously each year these would be made at the beginning of December, without fail. I don't remember ever seeing a shop bought version in the house. No matter how busy my Mam was she would never decide she just didn't have the time to bake these treasures. Like me, my Mam was not a big lover of fruit cake and like me I don't really remember ever seeing her eat either of these creations. She would on occasion have a slice of German Pound Cake, the only fruit cake I tend to eat, and so always made one of these as a lighter alternative to the richness of the festive cake and pudding. Regardless of this fact she made them each and every year for my Dad and visitors to enjoy, and likewise since moving into my own home I have done the same for my husband and our guests.

This was the Christmas task that seemed to fill my mam with dread. She would always say "I suppose I'd better get the cakes done this weekend". I think the use of the word "suppose" indicates it wasn't her favourite task and one that she embarked upon with a feeling of some dread. Having made them for the past 3 or 4 years now I can kind of understand why. It can seem quite a daunting task with lots of ingredients to organise, mammoth stirring to ensure everything is mixed, lining tins, resting periods and then baking. Mam used to bake at least 2 or 3 of each to give to others as well as for our family which for one woman, 2 small children and a scullery kitchen is no mean feat! The key to a stress free Christmas baking fest is to be organised with your ingredients and have everything measured before you start, ready to be thrown into the mixing bowl as you need it.

I have come over with a lovely warm, fuzzy feeling as I sit and draw up memories of the Sunday afternoons myself and my sister sat cramped around the table in our small scullery kitchen helping my mam with her most arduous Christmas task. Back in the day you couldn't just pop to your local supermarket and buy bags of prepared dried fruit. No sirree Bob. That's where the child labour came into play. Our little fingers were the perfect size to pluck those wizened, shrunken stalks from the variety of fruit needed to bejewel the creations in question. So, there we sat perched on the edge of our seats, our teeny legs swinging happily below us plucking out the stalks for dumping and depositing the fruit into a bowl. Then there were the Glace cherries to be halved, slippery little beggars that leave an industrial layer of goo on you fingers. Whilst we were doing this Mam would be expertly lining baking tins with grease proof paper at a speed I have only just this year mastered and measuring out flour and margarine.

It was always lovely and cozy, all three of us sitting there with the electric fire from the sitting room sending some lovely heat our way with the day outside falling darker and darker as we worked. Mam was a great one for singing and humming away as she worked. No matter what she busied herself with she always brightened it up with a little tune as she lost herself in her task, another trait I have picked up. Even if I don't realise I am doing it I find that when some disturbance brings me back to reality I am singing something or other to myself and whomever else might be within earshot. God help them, because as my Dad would say, the only notes I carry are in my pocket.

Once we had worn our fingers raw with the minuscule stalk plucking and Mam had mixed all of the ingredients together and intoxicated us all with the smell of the booze added to the concoction the mixtures were lovingly covered and left to sit over night or poured into there baking tins and placed in the oven. It was tradition in our house that the pudding mixture could not be placed into pudding bowls and cooked until everyone had made a wish on it. We would take it in turns to swirl the wooden spoon three times in the mixture towards our heart and then make a wish. If someone was missing from the house at wishing hour the pudding would be left sitting until they made their wish and only then would it be placed into its bowl and steamed on the hob until beautifully dark in colour. As they baked or boiled every last corner of the house would be filled with magical winter aromas of Cinnamon, mixed spice and nutmeg. Smells that for me truly mean Christmas is coming.

And so it is that I hope to continue to carry this tradition down through the years and create deliciously fragrant Christmas memories for others as my Mam created for me. Memories to be savoured each year when the cold winter days leave me longing for the warmth and comfort that can only be found in looking at the magic of Christmas through the eyes of my child self.

These recipes have been tried and tested over many years so I hope that you, your family and friends enjoy them this Christmas.

Mam's Christmas Cake

• 12oz/350g Margarine (@ room temp)
• 12oz/350g Dark Brown Sugar
• 1lb/450g Currants
• 12oz/350g Sultanas
• 12oz/350g Raisins
• 5oz/150g Glace Cherries (halved)
• 5oz/150g Mixed Candied Peel
• 5oz/150g Almonds (blanched & chopped)
• Grated rind of 2 Lemons
• Grated rind of 1 Orange
• 15oz/425g Plain Flour*
• 1 1/2 level tsp Mixed Spice *
• 1/2 level tsp Ground Nutmeg*
• 3oz/75g Ground Almonds
• 7 Eggs (large)
• 3fl oz Whiskey

* Sieve these ingredients together

Optional Ingredients

• 6fl oz Whiskey
• Apricot Jam
• 1 450g pack of Ready Made Marzipan/Almond Paste
• 1 450g pack of Ready Made Icing
• (I think we've done enough hard work so unless you have oodles of time Christmas week give yourself a break and cheat a little)

1. Brush the baking tin with melted margarine and line the bottom and sides with double grease proof paper.
2. Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 2/300°F/150°C
3. Place all of the ingredients together in a very large mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until well mixed. (at least 3-4 minutes)
4. Place the mixture in the prepared tin and smooth the top with the back of a wet spoon.
5. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 3 hours. Check at this stage as ovens vary. A warm, clean skewer inserted into the centre of the cake will come out clean when the cake is cooked. Also the top centre of the cake should feel firm to the touch.
6. If the cake is not ready after 3 hours return to the oven and check after intervals of 1/2 an hour
7. To prevent the top of the cake becoming to brown a double layer of parchment or foil can be placed on the top at this stage.
8. Once removed from the oven leave the cake to cool in the tin overnight. (at this stage I pour an additional 3fl oz of whiskey over the cake)
9. The next morning when the cake has cooled and before removing it from the tin I pour another 3fl oz of whiskey over the cake and leave in the tin until it has soaked in.
10. Once the whiskey has soaked in remove the cake from the tin and wrap in a layer of parchment paper. Turn the wrapped cake upside down and rotate by 45° and wrap in another layer of parchment. Repeat this with foil. Rotating by 45° ensures that all joins in parchment and foil are covered to ensure the cake is sealed. Place in a cake tin and store n a cool place. If you do not have a cake tin to hand store in a cool dry place.
11. I store the cake in this manner until Christmas week at which stage I ice the cake. This prevents any damage occurring to icing or decorations whilst the cake is being stored.
12. To ice the cake, place onto a cake board.
13. Heat some apricot jam in a saucepan to make it easier to spread. Spoon some onto the top of the cake and spread around to cover. Use a pastry brush to spread around the side of the cake.
14. Roll the marzipan into a thin layer (approx 5mm) and place over the cake. Smooth over the cake and trim any excess from the cake board. Repeat this step with the icing.
15. Decorate the cake as you wish with miniature Christmas ornaments, ribbon. Alternatively cut shapes from icing using cookie cutters, brush the back with some water and place on the cake. use edible sugar decorations, glitter or lustre to add some glitz or colour.

Mam's Christmas Pudding

This recipe makes 2 puddings that will serve at least 12

• 6oz/175g Self Raising Flour
• 1 level tsp Mixed Spice
• 1 level tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 level tsp Ground Nutmeg
• 8oz/225g White Breadcrumbs
• 12oz/350g Dark Brown Sugar
• 1lb/450g Currants
• 8oz/225g Raisins
• 8oz/225g Sultanas
• 4oz/125g Mixed Candied Peel
• 4oz/125g Glace Cherries (halved)
• 2oz/50g Almonds (blanched & chopped)
• Finely grated rind of 1 Orange
• Finely grated rind of 1 Lemon
• 8oz/225g Margarine (melted)
• 3 Large Eggs*
• 2tbsp Brandy, Rum or Whiskey*
• 1/2 Pint/275ml Guinness*

*Beat these ingredients together

1. Grease 2 1.1lt/2 pint pudding bowls.
2. Cut large circles of double grease proof paper for the tops of the bowls and grease well. Make pleats crosswise in the paper.
3. Cut a large circle of foil for each bowl and make pleats as with the grease proof paper.
4. Sieve the flour and spices into a large mixing bowl.
5. Add the breadcrumbs*, sugar, fruit, nuts, lemon and orange rind and mix thoroughly.
6. Make a well in the centre, then pour in the melted margarine and the beaten egg mixture. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
7. Cover and leave to stand overnight to thicken.
8. The next day add the Guinness and mix thoroughly again. (It's at this stage you can make a wish of you like, it won't make any difference to the end result, but you never know it may just come true)
9. Place the mixture into the prepared bowls.
10. Place the grease proof paper over the top of the bowl and secure just under the rim of the bowl with a large elastic band (my Mam used twine which she tied in a really tight knot, the bowl must be airtight, this is a bit fiddly and when I was unable to get twine in my local store this year my hubby brought me home a pack of elastic bands which were a doddle to place on). Repeat this step with the foil. Place lid on bowl securely.
11. Place a large pot on the hob. Put an up turned saucer in the bottom of the pot. Place the pudding bowl on the saucer in the pot and pour in boiling water to come half way up the sides of the bowl. Cover with a tight fitting lid and boil for 4 1/2 - 5 hours.
12. Ensure the level of the water remains the same at all times.
13. When the pudding is ready carefully remove from the pot and allow to cool completely.
14. When cool remove the damp papers and recover with fresh double grease proof paper (not greased), replace the lid of the bowl and store in a cool dry place.

* The breadcrumbs need to be a little stale. A few hours before you start remove the bread from its pack and remove the crusts. Lay the slices down on a work surface and leave in the air to go slightly hard, turn over after a couple of hours to repeat on the other side. Once the bread is a little stale place in a food processor and pulse until you have fine breadcrumbs.

Traditional Halloween Barm Brack

Halloween can be fun. Little kids dressed in the most ridiculous outfits by their parents. Yep, they look really cute now but boy are they gonna need some major therapy in years to come! This unfortunately is not what comes to mind when I think about Halloween. No, the images I conjure up are those of me having to literally RUN from the bus stop to my house when I had finished work on Halloween night.

Why, you may ask was I running home? It wasn't with anticipation and excitement of changing into my costume to go out trick or treating. No, it was mainly to do with the little feckers lying in wait for an unsuspecting innocent like my good self to walk by so they could throw a banger at me. Not a fun task for most people, probably viewed as dangerous in the majority of minds. But for a gang of teenage boys what could be more fun than throwing a lit firework at someone and watching with amusement as it goes off almost causing a coronary, not to mention 3rd degree burns. Oh how they would chuckle at the memories the next day. Hilarious, not! Hence the Nike air max were firmly strapped to my feet and the four minute mile relived every year on the 31st of October.

As I have matured a little, bought a house of my very own and am surrounded by lots of young children the day in question has taken on a slightly sunnier glow for me. I look forward now to seeing my nieces and nephews in the cutest of costumes filling there faces full of e-number packed sweets and candy. Yesterday I was greeted by a very cute 2 year old pussy cat and 1 year old spider complete with all eight legs and googly eyes. Then there is the incessant ringing of the door bell which when answered you are greeted by chants of "Trick or treat, trick or treat, give us something nice to eat, if you don't we don't care, we'll pull down your underwear!" Charming, but when the chanters are ensconced in lady bug, padded super hero or princess costumes you can't help but smile all gooey eyed and load there bags full of scrummy treats.

So while it is fair to say that Halloween is not my favourite holiday of the year it is fast growing on me, and, as it has it's very own cake here in Ireland it is the perfect excuse for me to indulge in my favourite pass time and break out the baking tins and apron. Below you will find a recipe for a delicious Barm Brack which my husband devoured single handed in 2 days flat. The little bite I managed to prise from his hand was deliciously moist and full of flavour, so enjoy, and don't forget to hide a ring inside for someone to find! But don't worry if you don't find the ring inside, I never once got the slice containing that fateful piece of plastic but I am none the less happily married to the most wonderful of men. Awwwwww. Now go get baking. Go on, be off with you!

Barm Brack
Should serve approx 8, serves 1 in this house!

200ml/7floz Strong Tea
150g/5oz Muscovado or Soft Brown Sugar
50ml/2floz Whiskey
300g/10 1/2oz Dried Fruit (sultanas, raisins, currants, candied peel)
1 egg
150g/5oz Plain Flour
1tsp Baking Powder
2tsp Mixed Spice
1tbsp Honey

1. When the tea is warm stir in the sugar. Add the whiskey and the dried fruit and allow to sit overnight.
2. The next day, preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
3. Line a 20cm/8in round baking tin with greaseproof paper.
4. Beat the egg and add it into the fruit and tea mixture.
5. Fold in the sieved flour, baking powder and mixed spice.
6. Pour it into the prepared tin and bake for 60-70 minutes. It is cooked when a clean skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
7. While still hot brush with the honey to form a nice glaze and leave to cool in the tin.
8. Serve warm or cold with lashings of butter.

Cup of tea & a wee bit of shortbread

So there we were, all four of us sitting in the taxi, dejected, knackered and suffering the first signs of withdrawl from the mammoth food and drink fest we had just been party to. We four and three other brave souls had embarked on a little weekend break to Edinburgh and since we were only there for the three days it was vital to squeeze in as many quality establishments as is physically and geographically possible. And by Jesus did we give it a valiant effort. We are nothing if not martyrs to the cause.

We started off fairly sedately. No, no, I didn't think you would believe that and I am sorry for insulting your intelligence so. The, ahem, ladies of the party started the morning (6:15am) with teas and water, very sensible you will most probably agree. The lads on the other hand went straight in for the kill and had pints all round. Everybody exercised great restraint on the plane and decided to abstain from the demon drink and wait at least until on terra firma before continuing with the over indulgence that a mini holiday brings with it. The fact that take off and landing were only separated by five minutes or so was possibly a factor in this decision.

On checking in to the hotel our noses were bombarded with the aromas of the delicious full Scottish breakfasts emanating from the restaurant but we're not a bunch of pigs you know, lunch was booked for noon so we decided a bit of caca milis and a steaming mug of coffee would just about tide us over 'til then so we headed to the nearest coffee house and loaded the meagre table with plates of all sorts of delicious concoctions. Blueberry muffins, carrot cake, lemon cupcakes, coconut slices and low fat granary muffin.

Yes, you read it correctly LOW FAT MUFFIN, on holidays!!! Well there's one in every group isn't there, and in this happy bunch the offender is none other than my sister in law. The sense of logic is this: "we are at the first 'meal' of the day with lunch and dinner booked for later and then there are all the bars to be stopped at in between, all of which equals a lot of calories so I'll counteract all of that with a low fat muffin for breakfast". I would rather refer to this as insanity than logic but whatever floats your boat. Anyhoo, she takes one bite of said muffin and then declares in disbelief bordering on shock (honestly) that it is in fact disgusting, well now thers's a surprise, and proceeds to have a little piece of everybody elses cake to make up for it. Now I'm no nutritionist but I'm guessing that there is a false economy locked in there somewhere!!!

So with full belly's and good spirits we headed out for some sight seeing to put in the couple of hours before lunch. I use the term sight seeing quite loosely. Once we were in sight of a landmark we stopped, took a picture or two, looked at our watches and decided "We might as well head down and have a drink before hand". Sure what else was there to be doing?

Now as I have already said, we are not pigs, so lunch was only the two courses all round 'cos we decided we would save the three courses for dinner. Then we headed out to sample some of the local bars, and true to our word we did and wouldn't you know it that only left us with the one hour to get back to the hotel, smarten ourselves up and get to the restaurant for yet more culinary delights.

And so it was that we found ourselves in the drawing room of a very seluuuuubrious country house supping champagne and surveying the menu. There was plenty of "what are you having? Ooooh, yeah that sounds lovely" to be heard during the decision making process before we were seated at a beautiful round table in the most decadent of surroundings. Would you be able for us all? I tell you it was far from gold chandeliers and silver service we were all reared but sure we only love ourselves now and settle for nothing but the best! Short of licking the plates the whole scrumptious lot was devoured and then they presented us with plates of petite fours with our Barry's Gold Blend. Petite fours, be God where would you be getting it. So with our skin stretched dangerously over our heaving tummies we departed our grand surroundings for a fantabulously gorgeous cocktail bar where we cheekily nabbed some very comfy seats in which to quoff champagne and cocktails 'til the wee small hours.

I shall not bore you with any further details as we follow a fairly strict pattern for the following two days which leads us to the rather weary, forlorn bunch that now sit in the taxi wondering is it the taxi that is swaying so gracefully from side to side or is it their now mushy brains sloshing about inside their sculls. So when we had done with the whole airport security pa lava and were sitting waiting on our flight I thought to myself, "God I'd love a nice cup of tea and a bit of the aul' Walkers shortbread right now". But with all the scoffing and quoffing that had gone on there wasn't a minute to pick up a pack of the tartan wrapped biccies to aid the transition back to normality.

A couple of days later when the recovery process was well under way and normal motor functions had returned I decided to whip myself up a batch and as look would have it stumbled across a recipe for chocolate shortbread. Now what could be better than that? Not much says me to myself and the mixing bowl was out in a flash to whip up a batch of these bad boys. To my surprise the result was not a hard, dense biscuit like the shop bought variety but a rather soft biscuit that seems to melt in the mouth, not unlike Rachel Allens chocolate melting moments. Unsure as to whether I liked them or not I spread them with a very thin covering of plain chocolate on one side and sampled some more. The conclusion I came to is that I do like them, rather a lot, and they have that delicious buttery, creamy taste that shortbread should have. But don't take my word for it. Please try them for yourself and decide if you like them or will be sticking to Walker's from now on. Enjoy!

Chocolate ShortbreadMakes 20+

225g cold unsalted butter (diced)
200g plain flour
110g corn flour
110g icing sugar
25g cocoa powder
50g plain chocolate (melted)


1. Preheat the oven to 110°C/gas mark 1/4
2. Place all of the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor
3. Turn on slowly and beat until all of the ingredients are combined
4. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 1 hour
5. Roll out onto a floured surface and cut into shapes using cookie cutters
6. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 90 minutes
7. Allow to cool on a wire rack and then spread thinly with the plain chocolate (or chocolate of your choice)
8. Chill in fridge to set chocolate and then enjoy!

Big Boys Ice Cream Sandwich

So these recipes are not filled with nostalgia for me and I have no long formed happy memories of them. They were not made by my mam when I was a child, but more recently by me for my husband.

You see he is a bit of a fitness freak, not a pick of meat on his bones the fecker and he eats rings around himself, who moans every time I bake something special for him. "Ah no, you shouldn't have made that for me, I can't be eating all of those calories when I'm in training." Now don't ask what he's training for, a cake eating contest is quite possible, because despite all of his protestations I always wake the next morning to find a generous slice has disappeared. And he always throws in a little negative comment about the cake in hand - "it's a bit dry/rich/chocolaty etc. for my liking", yet he manages to scoff the majority of it proclaiming it's to prevent it going to waste. Waste! Not likely, there is always someone willing to take a slice of caca milis off my hands if it happens to be going a beggin', but he is such a little trooper he sacrifices himself for the cause and manages to squeeze in another slice.

I decided to treat him over the weekend as he is carrying a bit of an injury. I say bit, I mean he is only a breath away from passing over to the other side. Last week he mentioned to me that he had a 'twinge' in his back. Not much was said following this comment and so a few days later I asked him to bleed the rads, all shocking exciting stuff. So there he was bent over the rad in the kitchen doing the macho job to please his helpless little wife when all hell broke loose. Water started spraying up the walls drowning the place while he was writhing around howling like a banshee. After a couple of seconds in shock, speed dialling Noah and his team of Ark builders and getting the digits scalded off meself trying to get the nut (no, not the hubby) back into the rad I managed to decipher the screams coming from him and they went something like this - "aaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwww meeeeeee baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacccccccckkkkkkkkkkk, meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!" Apparently, whilst bent over the 'twinge' turned into a major spasm which lead to the very dramatic display I was now witness to.

Now when I find myself in a severe amount of back pain(which I have done in the past) I tend to stay still to avoid aggravating the situation further, but it would seem he is of the Premier League Football school of pain and quite obviously attended a masterclass with Ronaldo judging by the show he put on. If I had it on camera and put it up on You Tube I'd be shocked (seriously) if he wasn't up for an Oscar come February. Since then I have had a bit of a busy week running hot baths which always seem to be a little hot for his delicate skin (Jaysus he's an awful baby), getting heat packs, picking stuff up that he can't bend over for, running up and down the stairs for all the crap he has forgotten and moving furniture so he doesn't strain himself watching the aul' telebox! Honest to God, the carry on of him. Now obviously he's perfectly capable of all these little tasks when he thinks I'm not looking but as they say, why bark eh?

But you know how it goes when the man in your life is struck down with man flu or some such ailment, you have to lavish them with love and sympathy. So, I did what any dutiful wife would do and I made his favourite toffee sauce to go with his favourite honeycomb ice cream and as an extra special treat some scrummy chocolate chip cookies that he has been happily dunking in his tea since, sitting on the now jauntily angled sofa and grinning at me like a prize winning gurner. Well, if he's happy he's not moaning which means I'm happy, so every one's a winner baby!!!

Toffee Sauce

• 100g/4oz Butter
• 175g/6oz Brown Sugar
• 100g/4oz Caster Sugar
• 275g/10oz Golden Syrup
• 250ml/8fl oz Single cream

Place all of the ingredients into a saucepan and boil for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly until the sauce is smooth.
(Place in a sterilised jar in the fridge and it will keep for a few months, well supposedly)

Honeycomb Ice Cream

Walk to your nearest supermarket/gelateria and buy a tub. I have a lot of time on my hands but unfortunately not that much!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Will yield 2 dozen + depending on size

• 300g/12oz Butter (at room temperature)
• 1 Egg
• 375g/15oz Caster Sugar
• 450g/18oz Plain/Cream Flour (sieved)
• 1/2tsp Baking Soda
• 250g/10oz Chocolate Chips

1. Line a baking sheet with some parchment paper, preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas Mark 3.
2. Beat the butter, egg and sugar in a food mixer using the paddle attachment until combined.
3. Mix in the flour, followed by the baking soda.
4. Add in the chocolate chips.
5. Wrap the cookie dough in some cling film and pop into the fridge for 1 hour.
6. Roll out the dough onto a floured board to a depth of 5mm.
7. Cut out the cookies using a pastry cutter and place on baking sheet.
8. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden. (It is OK if the cookies are a little wobbly in the centre, they will cool with a delicious chewy texture.
9. Cool on a wire rack if you can resist the urge to eat immediately!

I combined all of the above to make a delicious ice cream sandwich drizzled with the toffee sauce (generously drizzled that is).

Chicken Soup for the Soul, Chocolate Cake for the Monday Blues

Well, I finally managed to find a spare hour that nobody hijacked this afternoon. So without haste I dusted off the apron and rooted out the baking tins to rustle up a chocolate delight to brighten up a dreary Monday. I'm not Mondays biggest fan, I would rather skip right through to Tuesday each week. But, that not being an option the next best thing to do is eat chocolate cake. Deliciously moist, with a crisp chewy shell and moreish butter cream filling chocolate cake.

I have mentioned before the cake my Mam would bake when I was a little girl, the one for which I do not possess a recipe. So I had to pop on the aul thinking cap and transport my self back to the four or five year old girl I remember enjoying said cake with such gusto.

I can still see to this day in crystal clear clarity, or HD if your a big tech freak, the bottle green floral carpet I lay outstretched, belly down, on. I can hear yis all muttering to yourselves, 'bottle green, Jaysus!' I know it was probably as horrendous as it sounds, but sure back in the 80's it was only massive. Well it must have been, cos Mam was a bit of a stylish wan, it's where I got my impeccable taste and all round general fabulousness from, well that & my gorgeous little Daddy who wouldn't be caught dead leaving the house unless his tie and handkerchief are matching. Anyways, I remember lying there as I have said, in front of the three bar electric fire scorching the left hand side of myself while the rest of me stayed shivering. Them yokes were brutal altogether for giving out heat, unless you were no more than five inches from it you may as well forget about it. The place would be like Siberia even if you splashed out and but on all three bars together, a very rare occurrence let me tell you, it was always just the two bars unless it snowed. So I'm there with my legs swinging behind me, staring from the big orangey pattern (I know, it just gets worse) on the carpet to the old Grundig tele, remember the ones with the wooden frames and the twisty knobs instead of buttons. Honest to God, you'd swear from the get up in the house that I'm ancient but I'm not, I'm only a child. I'm practising me writing at the mo for the upcoming annual correspondence with your man Santa. So back to the carpet and the 19 o splash Grundig special and the three bar electric heater. Mam is singing away in the kitchen as always, a habit I have inherited much to the protestations of all around me, and the oven is on working its magic on the muddle of ingredients inside. Oooooh, and when it was ready I'd sit myself up and fold me little legs (no change there unfortunately) in front of myself all yoga like and clutch the chunk of loveliness in my hands before devouring, delicious!!!

And so it was with these fuzzy headed memories that I set about the task of recreating this true piece of comfort food to banish the Monday blues. Where to start with no recipe to work from? It was quite a simple creation so I decided a madiera base would be as good a place as any. And would you believe, it was! The addition of some cocoa powder did just the job to produce a moist, light chocolate sponge. Now for the butter cream. This is the part I remember best from the original, but I decided to (Jesus I hope she doesn't get wind of this) aim for a minor improvement. Instead of chocolate butter cream made with cocoa powder I decided on, you'll never believe this, a bit of chocolate instead. Who'd have thought it. Nothing but the best 70% cocoa solids chocolate melted and lovingly mixed in hit the nail squarely on the head. It was only gorgeous, and when it was combined with the sponge, sure it was nothing less than a match made in heaven. At the risk of you all electromocuting yourselves sitting there salivating over your keyboard I shall divulge the recipe without further ado. Enjoy, well it's only Monday once a week after all.

Little Hands Chocolate Sponge Sandwich

Serves 6-8

• 175g/6oz Unsalted butter(softened)
• 175g/6oz Sugar(normal granulated)
• 3 eggs
• 2tbsp Cocoa Powder
• 225g/8oz Plain Flour
• 1tsp Baking Powder
• 2tbsp Milk

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas 3. Grease the sides of a 20cm/8" round, 18cm/7" square cake tin and line the bottom with a piece of grease proof/parchment paper.
2. Cream the butter in a mixing bowl. (The butter should be softened and not used straight from the fridge to ensure a light sponge)
3. Add the sugar and cream for a further minute.
4. Add the eggs one by one, beating continuously.
5. Add the cocoa powder and beat lightly to combine.
6. Sieve the flower and baking powder into the mixture and fold to combine, then add the milk.
7. Place the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes.
8. When a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean the cake is ready.

For the Butter Cream filling:

• 250g/9oz Icing Sugar
• 125g/4½oz Butter, softened
• 30g/1oz Plain Chocolate (70% cocoa solids), melted
• 1-2 tbsp Milk or Cream

1. Cream the butter and sugar together.
2. Add the melted chocolate and fold in.
3. Add the cream an stir.
4. Once the cake has cooled cut it in half and spread the bottom half with the butter cream filling. Put top half back in place and dust lightly with cocoa powder.

Pavlova (GF)

OK, so you all know how it goes. You make an executive decision to tackle that pile of ironing and the phone goes, and natch it's your sis/bezzie mate with nothing much to say really but you natter away for the obligatory hour. So the ironing, ah crap I forgot about the ironing. Are you nodding in agreement yet? Then you get yourself all set again and the doorbell rings and it's the lovely ladies calling on behalf of the parish priest. You know, to welcome you (AGAIN) and offer you a miraculous medal and have a little chat with you about how you could involve yourself more in the parish for the greater good of yourself, the community and of course the parish priest himself. You see the Sunday collections aren't quite what they used to be and sure they'll do anythin' to get you through them doors and rootin' around in your phoca for a few bob for the 'roof repairs'. Jaysus, they must make the roofs outta paper these days cos there all on their last legs. So anyway, you can't be rude and refuse the old medal on the bit of blue string and then sure you have to listen to their little spiel, and nod politely and by God keep that smile plastered across your choppers. By the end of it with all that nodding and smiling and not listening to a word of it you're signed up to meals on wheels (delivering, not receiving of course) 3 times a week, choir practice of a Tuesday and of course you'd be delighted to bring up the gifts every Sunday at 10 o'clock mass. Now you're no good for anything but a cup of tay and a chocolate Kimberley to steady the aul nerves and that ironing can feck off if it thinks it's gettin' done today. Oh no, you're not the better of all that excitement so it'll just have to wait till tomorrow. I think you get where I'm coming from now.

I had this lovely idea, I'll write this little blog and sure I'll be baking a cake a day and stick it up there for all the lovely peoples to have a good old goo at. Well, needless to say that will not be the case as I haven't had a minute to bless meself let alone bake up a storm since. So I thought I'd ease myself in with my old faithful. This is always a hit, can be adapted to any occasion and can be whipped up in a jiffy.

You know those nights when you're on the phone and you have a brainwave and say 'sure we haven't seen you in ages, why don't you come over tomorrow for your dinner and bring the seventeen kids with you'. You get up the next morning and the place looks like a bomb site, there's not a morsel in the house, the garden is like a jungle and exactly when was the last time that you waxed, plucked or dyed anything on your body. So you have three hours to go and a mammoth task to perform but sure worry not cos the dessert will be only gorgeous and it won't break a sweat to make. And what prey tell is this magic dessert? It is none other than a humble Pavlova.

A wha'? Sure you can buy a pack of them meringue nest yokes in the supermarket and call them a pavlova can't ya! Well yes you can but I always find they resemble a lump of sugary plaster of paras in a bowl and when you try to break into them you end up sculling the person sitting opposite you. Then there's all sorts of talk of concussion and law suits and while you would hope your own Dad won't actually sue you, you wouldn't put it past him either.

The homemade pavlova you see is a completely different kettle of fish. Its beautifully crisp outer shell is as delicate as a breath and you only have to look at it to break through to the sticky, wondrous cloud that lies beneath. And, then by the time you dollop on that blob of smooth whipped cream and sprinkle it generously with strawberries and raspberries sure you would be weak at the knees for the longing of that first spoonful. And then it won't be long before you here the smacking of satisfied lips and the clanging of spoons against empty bowls and them all sitting there gawping at you with a touch of the Oliver Twists about them. So I shall say no more and simply relay the recipe and hope that it brings as much pleasure to you as it has to me and all who have been lucky enough to have been on the guest list.

Pavlova
Serves 4-6
(depending on the size of the gob)

5 Egg Whites
200g/7oz Caster Sugar
1tsp Vinegar
2tsp Corn Flour*

* To ensure GF the label should not say wheaten cornflour

1. Preheat oven to 150°C/285°/Gas Mark 1. (temperatures may vary from appliance to appliance so please use temperatures provided as a guide and adjust if necessary)
2. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper and set aside.
3. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft white peaks and then gradually add the sugar whilst continuing to whisk until stiff and glossy in appearance.
4. Once they have reached this consistency I like to whisk for an extra couple of minutes until it takes a bit of effort to move the whisk through as I find it gives a delicious, chewy Pavlova.
5. Add the corn flour and vinegar and gently fold through.
6. Using two large spoons transfer to the lined baking sheet. This can be done in large dollops for individual portions, or one whole round or rectangle, this is completely down to personal preference.
7. Place in the pre heated oven and bake for half an hour (check that the bottom has cooked through after this and if not turn the oven back on for a further five minutes and check again), and then leave sitting in the hot oven for a further half an hour.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
9. Dress with the toppings of your choice immediately before serving to avoid becoming soggy.

Serving suggestions
In summer I love to eat pavlova with whipped cream, strawberries, raspberries and any other berries available.
In winter when berries are not available locally I serve it with a liqueur based whipped cream and a selection of sweets ie. maltesers, rolo, crushed crunchy bars, munchies.
These suggestions are merely my personal preference so please experiment (as I have done) and find a favourite of your very own.

By jaysus, me stomach feels like me throat has been slit with all this talk of food and not a morsel passing the lips. Happy baking and I will post a recipe again very soon, so long as those miraculous medal wielding aul wans stay away from the door that is!