Are you asking… chilli?

Out this Friday night for the first time in ages , brought some people back for desperately needed chilli .

It reminded me of a good friend and ex wing-man of mine a brilliant seducer of women .Pre the explosion of Jamie Oliver style cooking, he would woo women back to his flat with the promise of a “here’s one I made earlier” bowl of home made chilli and faced with a huge kebab van cue many a cocktail soaked girly would succumb.

He taught me a great deal about the world and the kind of person I was and I will always be grateful , but damn it my chilli recipe is better.

Beef Chilli

Gently fry off onions and garlic add fresh red chilli , paprika and ground coriander seeds
Add beef mince and brown
Add tinned tomatoes and tinned kidney beans
Simmer gently for 30 minutes
Either eat or head out for some drinks with freinds leaving the lid on the pot
Return from drinks warms through
Stir in fresh coriander and serve with toasted pitta, wraps and limes

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Flapjack and Peacocks

Since the weather was massively unpredictable this weekend so in the tradition of Brits everywhere we hit a stately home run by the National Trust , Dyrham Park

The weekend guest and I have succumbed to joint membership ( under intense pressure to make a commitment by the NT Membership officers ) However it does mean you can move straight to the front of the queue,past families taking an inordinate amount of time trying to count up exactly how many children they have with them .

Even got to skip the queues for the tea shop since having forgotten to take the flapjack to the campsite last weekend , have a mountain of it to get through so we took a couple of chunk and a flask of tea and enjoyed the breif sun spells in the garden ,the mix was a little crumbly this time but all good for an overly friendly peacock

Flapjack Recipe

made with oats cranberries hemp seeds , pumpkin seeds , sunflower seed goji berries.

* 250g oats
* 250g soft light brown sugar
* 225g butter
6 tbsp of golden syrup
* 100g of the cranberries hemp seeds , pumpkin seeds , sunflower seed goji berries.

1. Melt the butter add sugar and golden syrup
2. stir in the oats cranberries hemp seeds , pumpkin seeds , sunflower seed goji berries.
3. place in a non stick baking tray lined with greaseproof paper 18cmX20
4. Baked at 175degC for 30 mins , I found it best to then leave overnight and cut the next day

Cooking and Camping…..

The first camping trip of the year…. reminded me that for camping a Le Crueset is just a dream ( I am of course referring to camping on a site , not suggesting anyone is going to lug a cast iron pot around in a backpack )

Chillis and currys can be made on a camping stove a night before required, leaving the food in the pot overnight gives it tenderness and the flavour diffuses throughout . Warming it through after a long days walking is a dream

Otherwise a good sized saucepan for cooking hearty breakfasts I have a fantastic camping stove , with two rings it is powered by unleaded petrol no need to track down pesky gas canisters and its very economical.

I like to fill up the tiffin carrier with tasty bits like parma ham , cheese and pate as well as having a large jar of sundried tomatoes and olives, these make great snacking material with some red wine in the evening and fillings for sandwiches for day packs.