BOXA Box Scheme for Northern Ireland...

 

 

 

Good, home cooked food from sustainable, traceable sources, is something we really care about here at abigail*ryan... we're both keen home cooks (sweet and savoury), and, for a long time now, have been committed to only buying free-range / outdoor reared / organic meat and as much locally grown produce as we can (I often buy the savers/everyday vegetables packs, because it's from UK farmers, and they use their out-size and unusually shaped produce which was, in the past, rejected by the supermarkets and a drain on farmers profits)...

A lot of the time, we can't afford to buy the free-range organic meat we want to (chicken, especially) so it's simple. We don't. We always buy Free-Range eggs, though, without exception. We feel quite strongly that the only way to fight the ethically devoid meat industry is to vote with your wallet... buy good meat when you can, and if you can't, then don't invest your pennies in to cheap meat and give the supermarket bosses that old excuse of 'there's a market for it!'. You don't have to eat meat every day. But that's just us, and our views!

ANYWAY - for a long time, we've been trying to find a box scheme (initially for Veg) in Northern Ireland, as we thought it would be a good way to support local growers, eat seasonally, potentially save a little money, or at least know the money we were spending was doing more good... a few weeks ago, Ryan came across the BOXA scheme, run by Rita Wild.

Rita works with Northern Irish farmers, together doing all sorts of good things to produce organic free-range and delicious meat boxes, buying and raising the animals from infancy through to slaughter in the best environment possible. The  meat is then flash frozen in to family pack bundles, of mixed cuts, and it's even insulated with wool rather than nasty polystyrene! They do all sorts of boxes, from Beef to Pork, recently adding Free-range Chicken, Fish and more... you can read all about Rita and the good work she does over on their facebook page > https://www.facebook.com/boxagoodness

Today we took a trip down to Helen's Bay near Bangor to pick up Ryan's Mum's box (she had ordered a Beef Box, with extra cuts, and a Pork Sausage Bundle - it's BBQ weather, you know!). We went along to have a nosey, and to pick up some organic Veg, which we were told was sold from the little farm shop... BOXA also deliver all over Northern Ireland, but Rita is at the farm for a pick-up window for those local enough to stop in themselves.

I couldn't help snapping some photos of the gorgeous Gardens and Crops growing everywhere, of course I got carried away with the flowers... but it was a lovely wee day out, and Ryan's Mum is very excited to try her meat! Children would love it too, as there are chickens on site, horses and lots of fruits and flowers growing to look at, and a little picnic bench too. Blogger Belfast Mummy also recently wrote about the BOXA scheme, so you can read her post too to find out a little more from another perspective! Belfast Mummy, Clare, mentions that the sausages are 85% meat, which she felt left room for a lot of fillers... however, as you struggle to find sausages in the supermarket that have much over 69% meat, we think 85% is amazing, and 'fillers' doesn't mean bad ingredients, necessarily, and certainly not in this case...we've done a bit of research, and, in fact, most top chefs recommend that sausages have a mix of breadcrumbs, herbs, seasoning, or a little fat in them, otherwise, the sausages are too dense and dry. So, for us, 85% meat sausages are something we are VERY happy with. Again, everyone is different...

REALLY glad there's something like this happening in Northern Ireland, so I wanted to give it a big shout out here! Well done Rita for all your good work with BOXA. We look forward to buying boxes from you in the future ourselves...

Abigail xo

Bubbacue, Belfast... a review!

Today, Abigail and I were lucky enough to be invited along to Bubbacue, Boojum's sister pop-up restaurant, so, along with my parent's, we aimed to sample everything on the menu- for purely journalistic purposes, of course!

Strictly a meat-lover's joint, the main focus of the menu is the pork and beef prepared in the, shipped over from America specially, smoker. Each option, except the ribs, is available as both a platter, or a sandwich- embracing the same stripped back menu style that enjoyed such success in Boojum. As manager Fiona said, by reducing the options, they can specialise, focusing their attention at being the very best at what they do.

As you can see (hopefully!) from the photo's above, prices here are slightly higher than the usual for lunch in Belfast, with sandwiches being around £6, and platters being around £10, making it a bit more of a consideration than just nipping in for a quick bite. However, in exchange, you do get to sit down, enjoy the ambience, absorb the paired back, rustic decor, and relax...which on a bustling, hectic day like today, in Belfast, was a huge perk!

So, the food?

Well, this was a very difficult review to write...I don't ever want to be in the position of not being able to get a table, so I don't really want everyone to know just how good it was!

The pulled pork was as moist, tender, flavourful and delicious as that we've seen on "Triple D", the brisket was, again, moist, tender, and served in thin, juicy slices, but with a bit more chew than the pork- for those who like their meat with a bit of bite. The other option we sampled was, in our opinion, the absolute star of the show- the Barbeque Ribs.

These were, simply, incredible. Glazed and sticky with a sweet, subtly smokey flavour, the meat just fell from the bone in moist, intensely savoury mouthfuls of deliciousness.

As a sandwich, your choice of meat comes in a soft, floury bread roll, with a mound of coleslaw, a crisp, sharp counter to the rich meat, and a slice of dill pickle. In platter form, your meat comes with coleslaw, richly spiced and moreish baked beans, intensely cheesey, creamy mac & cheese, and, our other star, some astounding corn bread...cornbread so good that, instead of dessert, one of our (rather sweet-toothed) party ordered more!

The portions aren't huge, but certainly satisfying, and for those who are extra hungry, the cornbread, mac & cheese, and coleslaw, are all available (in larger portions than those served with the platter), along with skinny-cut french fries and chicken wings, as sides.

The two options for dessert, in true american style, were pies!

The key lime was fragrant, fresh and zesty, with just the right amount of sweetness, while the Mississippi Mud was dense, creamy, and gorgeously chocolately. Either option acting as the perfect complement to what has gone before.

In all honesty, Bubbacue does what it sets out to do with great success. The atmosphere is laid-back and comfortable, and the food, all the way down to the four special sauces, is delicious. It may not be the cheapest option for lunch, but, from what we've experienced, you're ensured a fantastically tasty meal and great, helpful, service in a central location. Only guaranteed to be there for the next three months, Abi and I recommend you get down to Callender Street NOW!

r@a*r

Pavlova...

I made this Pavlova for Ryan's birthday last Saturday... as per request!

I used golden caster sugar for the meringue (5 egg whites, free-range, and 3 tbsp of sugar per egg-white), which gave us a wonderful chewy toffee-ish texture to the Pav base, but I opened the oven to peek as I wasn't working with a recipe, so it cracked - BUT, that's why you have cream, right?! Fill in those craters!

I softly whipped the cream, and combined with some Mascarpone, and a little vanilla paste and teensy bit of the custard that was left from making the icing for the poppy seed cake I also baked, just to add the slightest hint of sweet. I macerated the Summer fruits (just frozen ones I'm afraid) with some more golden caster and black pepper and mixed through the seeds of two passion fruit to enhance the fruit just before serving. It was really delicious and I am tempted to make (and EAT) another one this weekend...

A@a*r

Wednesday, so far...

An early morning today as we headed up to Carrick Enterprise to have our photograph taken for the Carrick Times... on the way home, we treated ourselves to another local 'delicacy'. Honeymoon Loaf - a rediculously bad for you treat from our bakery, large squashy bread loaf, filled with faux cream (which is really lovely, and not sickly like real cream - we think it might be almost like an italian meringue buttercream?) with icing and coconut on top... it was very tasty indeed...

In other news, I am almost finished my anemone embroidery - and will soon reveal what it will become part of! Just the middle to do today and the french knot stamens!

Happy Wednesday all,

A @ a*r

Oh Veda...

One of the best things about living in Northern Ireland (aside from Ryan!) is the amazing selection of breads you can get here that are not available on the main-land... one of my favourites is Veda - a small but rich and dark Malt bread that kind of collapses in on itself when toasted and buttered hot. AMAZING!

Ryan makes a very good home-made version which is his Treacle Bread (promise to share a recipe some time soon!)...

What's even more amazing is that everyone from here will tell you it's not as good as it used to be, as several of the old bakeries have closed down here in recent years, so I can't imagine how much better it could have been when it's already scrumptious!

Had some this morning with some lovely scrambles eggs (organic, free-range of course!) and it was a very nice start to the day...

Happy Friday everyone!

A@a*r

x

p.s. the plate was a Christmas present from Ryan, and is by the lovely Julia Smith...

Christmas Eve...

... it's finally here! After a super busy week of rushing around and tying up loose ends, it's finally Christmas Eve and almost everything is ticked off the list. It's even at that stage where you stop worrying about the tiny little parts that aren't, too. Bliss.

We have been making gorgeous home-made confectionery... INCREDIBLE Salt Caramels, two types of fudge (peanut butter and chocolate!), and apricot logs. The wrapping part is almost as fun as the eating part. Almost, but not quite!

All our presents are wrapped (I still have to do Ryan's, though, shhhh) and I had a lot of fun! Inspired by Hello Sandwich for Martha Stewart's wrapping competition this year... I decided to go origami bow-crazy and I love our silver and neon pink theme with bright accents.

FINALLY, and before we sign off for a few days, we want to take the opportunity to say a huge thank you to all our customers and followers this year for their support - we would like to wish you (and everyone!) a VERY Merry Christmas indeed... hope you have a gorgeous time with friends and family.

With festive love,

Abigail, Ryan & Angus!

xo

Hello Korean Food...

One of the things we miss most about Glasgow (aside from friends et family, of course!) is Korean food at Shilla on Argyle Street... they have a wesbite for the Edinburgh branch, but not for Glasgow - still, it was an awesome lunch which we hugely enjoyed. If I could transport this modest little restaurant to Belfast, I would. In a flash!

Ryan and I were there with our friend Helen (of the lovely farm, fame!) and we had a yummy selection of goodies.

First off, delicious complimentary pickles (gorgeous tasty cucumber, ever so slightly sharp, wilted sesame garlicky greens and then beansprouts which were very unusual and almost tasted meaty and smokey - all good)... then starters of Ddouk Bok Yi (Mochi-type dumpling in Chilli sauce), Mo Dum Twi Jim (Tempura King Prawn and Veg!) and mains of Hoe Deop Bab (Raw salmon on sticky rice with vegetables and chilli sauce, served with miso soup), Dol Sot Bi Bim Bab (Beef with boiled rice, egg and exotic vegetables in a hot stone pot) and finally Oh Jingo Uh Bokum (stir fried squid and veg in a spicy sauce with rice)...

Each and every dish was incredibly good and we had such a good time. I may cry a little to have to sail further away from this good place come Sunday. Go if you can!!

:) A@a*r

Best Banana Cake...

After a little Autumnal breakfast this morning, I have finally sat down and written up this recipe, as promised in the last post. Here goes!

Arrogant, maybe, but if there's one thing I know, it's cake and after a few refinements (i've baked this 3 times now) i'm pretty sure this might just be the BEST banana cake i've ever had...

Some have the needless frippery of chocolate chips, the unnecessary addition of chopped nuts, the superfluous augmentation of peanutbutter, cheesecake, raspberries, raisins, and any other number of things, but here we have it: pure bananananananananay goodness. Moist, rich and decadent enough to be a dessert (warm with a scoop of ice-cream, please...and maybe some hot fudge sauce), while still solid, and dare I say, healthy, enough to be great mid-morning with a cup of coffee.

Even better, it's dairy-free, egg-free and vegan...now who says I never give you anything..??!

Here goes...you can thank me later ;)

Best Banana Cake

3 medium/large Mashed Bananas

1 Cup Light flavourless oil (we use groundnut)

1 Cup Milk (whichever kind you prefer, we use Kara because I love it)

1 Cup Oats

1 Cup Sugar

2 1/2 Cups Self raising flour

2 tsp Baking powder

Preheat your oven to 180ºC.

Grease and line an 8'x8' brownie tin (one about 2-3 inches deep). We use a (wonderfully) fuchsia pink silicone one, which doesn't need greasing.

Mix everything together in a big bowl until well combined.

Scrape and pour the mixture in to your tin.

Make a loose fitting tinfoil hat to protect the cake during the first part of it's cooking time.

Bake for 50 mins, then remove the tinfoil hat and bake for another 20.

Ovens do differ, so you may find you need to keep an eye on your cake during the last 20...or, even, that it takes a little longer. Just make sure that a cake tester comes out clean and that the top, although a deep golden, isn't burning.

As soon as it's out of the oven, cover the top of the cake with clingfilm and put a clean tea-towel on top of that. This ensures the golden top stays moist and delicious. Leave to cool (as long as you can- it's pretty fantastic warm!) , then serve however you wish :)

ryan@abigail*ryan

Sunday Cake Goodness...

Oh my, it's been a busy Sunday!

Not only have I been running around doing all sorts of dull stuff like loads of washing (Ryan told me unless I did washed him some socks and be a better housewife I was totally chucked ;)) I have also been having a little bit of a refresh with the look on our blog and shop... we REALLY hope you like the new, brighter, cleaner look. We're loving it!

The Mister, wonderfully, whipped up this amazing banana cake today to take the stressful busy edge off... I'm on to my second slice right now, and sitting down to watch X-Factor with a cuppa. I think I've earned it ;)

Bon weekend to you all!

xo

p.s. the cake is vegan. Who would like the recipe?

Morning munchies!

This morning Abi and I were peckish from something a little different from our usual weetabix, so I had a flick through some recipe books (just to make sure I was along the right lines for quantities) and came up with these Breakfast Muffins.

Now, I don't want to disappoint anyone, so i'll make it clear now- these are *Proper Breakfast Muffins*, no moist, unctuous goo, no sugary-sweet treatiness, just a beautifully hefty crumb with the slight chewiness of oats and sweetly juicy bursts of dried fruit. Gorgeous warm from the oven for breakfast, possibly dripping with melted butter...maybe even some jam or lemon curd on the side, too...

Breakfast Muffins (makes 12)

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups Plain Flour

1/2 cup Oats

1 cup Sultanas or Raisins (or any dried fruit, I suppose, as long as you chop it to raisin size!)

3/4 cup Sugar

2 heaped tsps Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Bicarb of Soda

1 tsp Ground Mixed Spice

Wet Ingredients:

2 Clementines (juice of)

50ml Light Flavourless Oil (we use groundnut)

Make this up to 200ml total liquid with milk (whatever sort you like- we used soya)

2 Eggs

Preheat your oven to 200ºC

Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.

Stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl

Beat the 2 eggs in to the container with the other wet ingredients.

Add all the wet ingredients in to the bowl with the dry and combine. Try not to over mix as this can toughen the crumb, even leaving the occasional swirl of dry ingredients peeking through the mix is ok!

Divide the mix evenly between the 12 cases (they'll be about 3/4 full).

Bake in the middle of the oven for 17-20 mins.

Serve warm.

Tips:

If you don't have any clementines, use 100ml fruit juice.

To boost the citrus flavour (it's very subtle) add the zest of the clementines (or whatever other citrus fruit you may have used).

If you have time, you could soak the dried fruit in the fruit juice first to make them extra juicy- just strain the fruit into the jug before topping up the juice with the other wet ingredients, and stir the fruit in to the dry ingredients before combining the wet and dry together.

Don't let anyone tell you...

...romance is dead!

A heart-shaped tray of sweet, caramelised, just perfectly tart, roasted rhubarb transformed into a tray of heart-shaped, sweet, caramelised, just perfectly sharp, roasted rhubarb tarts...

Pretty, delicious and pretty delicious they were, too!

(and the scraps made very yummy sweet-spiced bread sticks to whet our appetites :))

ryan@abigail*ryan

There's a mousse, loose, about this hoose!

The latest recipe from our laboratory kitchen (well...it's just are plain old kitchen, but we get to wear white coats and lab glasses...) is a pretty fantastic, dairy free, Chocolate and Coconut Mousse.

This stuff is incredibly rich, but, luckily, also incredibly good...so keep your servings small and share it with more of your friends. They'll suddenly become *best* friends after a taste of this!

100g good quality dark chocolate (dairy free and, at least, 60% cocoa solids)

200g (a bag) of marshmallows

1 can full fat coconut milk*

3 Organic Free Range eggs, separated

1 pinch salt

*make sure you've bought your coconut milk a few days before you want to make this.

First, prepare your coconut milk. If you've left your can undisturbed for a few days, the contents will have separated- this is what you want! Gently turn the can upside down, and open what was the bottom. Pour away all the thick, clear liquid until you're left with only the thick, white coconut cream.

Pour and scrape this cream into a pot over a medium heat along with the chocolate and marshmallows. Mix together and stir constantly to ensure the chocolate doesn't scorch. Once all have melted together into a coconut scented, pillowy, gorgeousness, take off the heat.

Separate your eggs. Whisk the 3 whites with a pinch of salt until they have reached the firm peak stage.

With a hand-whisk, whisk the chocolate mixture for a minute or two to ensure it has cooled slightly, then whip in the 3 egg yolks. The mixture will thicken slightly.

Now, loosen the chocolate mixture by stirring in 1 large spoonful of the beaten egg whites, before folding in the rest of them. Try to be careful here, as you want to keep in as much air as possible- more bubbles= more fun! A metal spoon is a great way to cut through the mix without knocking out too much air...

Divide the mixture between 4-6 dishes (use whatever pretty little things you have lying around) and place in the fridge. In a couple of hours the mousse will be set and you can dive right in!

Serve with nothing more than a knowing grin.

ryan@abigail*ryan

p.s. As this mousse contains very lightly cooked eggs you might want to avoid giving this to pregnant ladies and very young children if you feel it would be unwise...

Cutabitch Pie

This is it. THE pie. The pie that, in fact, you would indeed cut a bitch for...

Smoother than velvet peanut butter pudding, topped with a layer of barely set chocolate gorgeousness, both contained in a crispy, crumbly, buttery biscuit shell. You don't think you'd cut a bitch for anything? Well, just wait until she gets between you and the last piece of this pie...

As a super-awesome extra greatness bonus- this can easily be made lactose free!

Base:

350(ish) grams of digestive biscuits/graham crackers, crushed to rubble (make sure to check the label if you want to keep this dairy free!)

1/2 cup melted butter/dairy free margarine

Mix both together until you have what looks like wet sand. Spread, mash and squish in to a 10" pie tin, making sure to bring it up beyond the edge, creating a kind of lip (you'll see what I mean in the photos above).

Bake this in a preheated oven (18oºC) for 10-12 minutes. Leave to cool while you make the pudding layer.

Peanut Butter Pudding:

1/2 cup plain flour

1/2 cup butter/dairy free margarine

1/2 cup caster sugar/brown sugar (either is good, brown adds a slight extra carmelly note)

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

2 cups milk (either lactose free, or other milk substitute)

Over a medium heat, beat together the flour, sugar and butter/margarine, making your roux to thicken the pudding. Stirring continually, it will go from grainy to glossy in a few minutes. Keep stirring, and, as you cook out all the floury-ness, the roux will start to pull away from the edge of the pot. Once you've reached this stage, keep stirring over the heat for a couple of minutes longer- just to make sure there is no longer any trace of flour, and to add a slightly nutty depth to the flavour.

Now add 1 cup of milk, you'll probably need a hand-whisk now to get this and the very thick roux amalgamated. Once this has been mixed in (it will still be very thick), add the second cup of milk. Again, whisk together until all is smooth and gorgeous looking. You should have a nicely velvety, thick sauce. Add the cup of peanut butter and beat in. Your sauce should immediately thicken to something dollop-able- almost like a super-smooth mashed potato. If it isn't quite thick enough, just stir over the heat for another minute or so. If it's too thick, just add a couple of tablespoons of milk to slacken it.

Dollop this in to the pie tin, then give the whole thing (carefully!) a couple of bangs on the bench to level out the pudding, and get rid of any air-bubbles.

Leave this to cool for an hour or so.

Chocolate Coating:

200g marshmallows (minus the few you'll eat straight from the bag)

100g Dark chocolate (make sure it's dairy free, as all good dark chocolate should be, and about 70% cocoa)

2 tablespoons milk (again, lactose free, or other milk substitute)

Melt the 3 ingredients together over a medium/low heat- stirring all the time to make sure the chocolate doesn't catch and scorch. Once all melted and amalgamated, pour carefully over the pudding layer. Pray for some left over.

Put the completed pie in the fridge and leave, again a few hours is enough for the chocolate to set, but this pie gets better with age, so overnight is great if possible. The whole thing will set firmer and, believe it or not, taste better.

Treat yourself to some ice-cream and left over chocolate sauce...or, my favourite, cut up a banana and pour it over. Heaven. Enjoy this cook's treat- you've worked hard, you deserve it.

Pie serves 10-12 (believe me, it really does!).

p.s. We'll upload better photos once we've made the pie again...which, believe me, will be soon!

ryan@abigail*ryan

These tasted good...

Yes, indeed they did! Savory scones made with Olives and Lacto-free milk and cheese so Ryan could eat his fair share... I wouldn't say no to some now! ;)

Snowed under piles of sewing! Bon weekend to you all!

xo