Archive for July, 2010

A question of likes…

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

My mother-in-law has been staying with us while in the middle of a house move. The day after we had had roast lamb for dinner, we got around to talking about mint. She said she always had fresh mint jelly with lamb and fresh mint with new potatoes and fresh peas – more or less what we had eaten for dinner the previous evening. Except for one vital ingredient. The mint.

There are just a couple of things that I will never eat and unfortunately one of them is mint. I won’t even have a jar of the disgusting mint jelly in the kitchen cupboard, ready to present in a little bowl for discerning diners. No, no, no.

No one can convince me how the overpowering taste of mint will add to a gorgeous roast leg of lamb. Obviously, my husband has been missing out on this delicacy for many years and, wonder of wonders, he’s never complained… Too late now mate, don’t even think about it!

For lots of lamb recipes with or without mint, have a browse through the BBC’s recipe finder here, you’re bound to find one you like.

Another dislike, and mint related too, is chocolate with mint. I totally blame the makers of “After Eights” for this (Rowntree until purchased by Nestle) and – horror of horrors – more than a billion of these are made annually! I once came across a recipe for barbecued bananas involving “After Eights” – all you had to do was split the banana lengthwise (still in its skin), open up slightly and insert After Eights, wrap in tin foil and place on the barbecue for about 10 minutes. Voila, you now have a simple dessert of mint chocolate banana, I suppose you could serve it with mint ice cream. Eh, no, not for me, thank you!

Let me know if you have any particular dislikes? Have a good weekend and remember that today’s the last day to sign up for the Kiss The Cook newsletter and a chance to win the lovely apron shown in my previous post.

Want one of these?

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Sparkle in your kitchen

Time is running out – if you don’t already receive our newsletter, sign up before the end of July – only a few days left – and you could be the lucky winner of this gorgeous apron… All you need to do is add your email address to the sign up panel in the banner above. I will choose, with the aid of a random number generator, one new newsletter subscriber from all those signed up by 31st July. For full details see here.

The apron we have chosen is petite size and is ready and waiting to be sent to the winner as soon as possible after the draw has taken place. You will love this apron – it’s our take on the pre-WWII poster.  The applique fabric is Cloud 9′s totally organic cotton in a duck egg blue speckle spot and we’ve filled in the crown with lots of sparkling diamante crystals – each one applied by hand!!

Can’t wait for the draw? Then go and buy one here!

Of course, it’s a blog this week…

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

How cute is this?


The Kiss The Cook blog site officially opened today and while that may not be the most exciting event of your day, it is in mine! It’s been a busy few weeks at Kiss The Cook - the latest newsletter has been sent, there are new products (check out our tee shirts here) and now a blog. If you like all things food-related, then please check in from time to time.

I promise not to bore you with mundane events like when I make a cuppa, embroider an apron or rush off to the post office. You have better things to do – so don’t worry. Maybe we can swap our favourite recipes – nothing complicated - not many of us have hours to spend preparing dinner, I’ll pass on some things I love – websites and other blogs - and some behind-the-scenes snapshots of what goes on at Kiss The Cook… Above all, let’s have a laugh.

Oh, of course, there will be the occasional freebie to encourage you to join in and leave a comment. (Please do, I’d love to hear from you.) And while we’re on the subject of freebies, if you don’t already receive the Kiss The Cook newsletter then sign up (click on the box in the banner above) and at the end of July, I’ll randomly choose one lucky person to win a free apron. Full information is available from this News link on the website.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Swedish Chef welcomes you to Kiss The Cook!

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
Swedish Chef

Bork bork bork

Thanks for checking out our new blog.
Here we will be featuring all the latest news and stories about all things Kiss The Cook; from what goes on behind the scenes, to any particular topics we find interesting!

Check back often for updates!
Thanks for visiting, Kiss The Cook Team (and the Swedish chef!)