Fish Chowder

This is a really delicious and hearty, thick and fragrant soup - or chowder as it is made with milk and cream. 

You can use a selection of fish here but I think a mixture of both smoked and unsmoked gives such good flavour and prawns are another great addition. I tend to portion up my 'mixed fish' and put into bags in the freezer which will include salmon, cod and smoked haddock - I then defrost and use for this Fish Chowder for my Healthy Fish Pie or even my Simple Fish Stew. 

With the herbs - you can use parsley, tarragon or chives - I like the oniony taste of chives personally but they all work and bring something else to this dish.

The below serves x4 - recommend serving with a ton of fresh, crusty, buttered bread.

Fish Chowder

Here's how:

• 1 salmon fillet 
• 1 cod fillet (approx 200g)
• 1 smoked haddock fillet (approx 200g)
• 1 pack frozen prawns (I use the Lidl Deluxe ones which can be cooked from frozen)
• 2 rashers smoked bacon
• 1 tbsp flour
• 250g potatoes (when peeled)
• 650ml fish stock 
• 300ml whole milk (you can use semi skimmed or skimmed but the final chowder will be thinner)
• 2 tbsp cream (single or double)
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch nutmeg
• Black pepper
• 1 red onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 5-6 chives
• Drizzle olive oil

Firstly drizzle the olive oil into a large saucepan and place on a low heat.

Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the pan.

Chop the bacon into small squares and add to the pan.

Chop the peeled potatoes into small diced cubes of approximately 1cm2 and give a good rinse. 

Once the bacon is cooking away and you've turned over, add the potato to the pan and allow it to cook for a few minutes, moving around with a spatula. 

After a few minutes, add the plain flour and mix around - this will act to thicken the soup later on.

Pour over the fish stock, season with black pepper, a pinch of cayenne pepper and a pinch or a little grating of nutmeg. Give a good stir and allow to cook for 15 minutes. 

In the meantime, chop the fish into small, bite-sized chunks and set aside. 

Chop the chives and set aside too. 

After fifteen minutes, test a potato cube, it should be just about cooked through. 

Now add the milk, stir through and leave to cook for a further five minutes. 

Now add the salmon, cod, smoked haddock and prawns and cook for 4 minutes, then stir through the cream and move off of the heat. 

Add half the chopped chives and stir through before ladling into four bowls and then finishing with a few more chives. Enjoy!

Healthy Coleslaw

This is a great side dish for any table and can be served alongside meats, sandwich platters, BBQ and a variety of other salads.

It's pretty guilt-free too - made with Fat Free Greek Yoghurt instead of mayonnaise but pepped up with English mustard and white wine vinegar, so it still has plenty of flavour.

Rather than faffing around with graters too - I prefer a much chunkier texture so cut everything by hand.

The below serves four people and each portion comes in at around 50 calories.

Healthy Slaw

Here's how:

• 2 large carrots
• 1/4 red cabbage
• 4 spring onions
• 3-4 tbsp Fat Free Greek Yoghurt (I use Lidl's Milbonna)
• 1 tsp English mustard (I use Colman's)
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar (I use Aspall)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Firstly peel the carrots and take off the ends, and then cut into two or three lengths. Then with each piece, slice it into lengths, and then finely slice into long rectangular pieces then place into a mixing or salad bowl.

Now remove the outer leaves of the cabbage, and cut off a quarter of it - or a half if it's a particularly small red cabbage. Slice into similarly sized pieces as the carrot.

Prepare the spring into the same sized long slithers and add all to the bowl.

Now add the yoghurt - try 3 tablespoons to start, and then when you've added everything else and mixed well check if you are happy with the consistency - if not add one more.

Add the English mustard and white wine vinegar and then season to your taste. I like to add a pinch of salt and go generous with the black pepper.

Mix really well and serve with your choice of accompaniments. 

Creamy Chocolate and Nut Porridge

This seems like an apt post for a Saturday morning, it has an indulgent feel to it from the chocolate and yoghurt that make it super creamy; but it is still packed with goodness, from the fibrous slow-release energy from the porridge oats, to the good fats and numerous health qualities of pecans. I add just a little dark chocolate to each portion to make it feel like a real luxurious treat, but you can always omit that.

This is a crowd-pleaser in my house, and if you've been training hard all week, I can assure it feels like such a reward breakfast. The below makes enough for x5-6 portions.

Creamy Chocolate and Nut Porridge

Here's how:

• 200g porridge oats (I use the Lidl Simply range)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 150ml milk (I use semi-skimmed)
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder (Green & Black's or the Cadbury's Bournville one are great quality)
• 2 tbsp fat free natural yoghurt
• 80g pecan nuts
• 2 squares of dark chocolate per portion

First pour the porridge oats into a heavy-bottomed pan, and pour on the milk. Place on a low heat and stir with a wooden spoon. Allow to cook at a low heat for three to four minutes, until the oats absorb the milk well.

In the meantime, take half of the pecans, and roughly chop and set aside.

Now remove the porridge from the heat and add the yoghurt and stir well. The porridge should take on a creamy texture now, and be cooled enough for little ones to eat right away.

Divide into bowls and scatter over the chopped nuts, and a few halved pecans.

Finally add the chocolate into the middle and allow each recipient to stir the chocolate through their bowl of porridge to add that final flourish of luxury. Enjoy!

Baby Bites: Sweet Potato, Spinach and Pea Puree

Beatrice is six months old this week, and we are well established on the weaning front; she's been enjoying a range of homemade purees, and I will slowly start to introduce a wider selection of foods, meat, fish and different textures over the coming weeks.

In the meantime I will share some of the purees and meal ideas here, as I did with Bridget. Once again, I'm not anti-shop-bought when it comes to feeding babies and weaning, and am actually using the Aptamil Baby Porridge at the moment, for example, as the super soft texture is perfect for babies and I'm a huge fan of the Ella's Kitchen and Hipp Organic ranges too.

Recently we've been using the Lidl fruit pouches too, which are excellent and super convenient. In the main part, I do try to prepare most of the weaning dishes myself, because I can, and enjoy the knowledge that I know every ingredient that my baby is having, but having said that, I've found, like many parents before me from what I've heard, that second time around, I'm a lot more laid back around the whole weaning situation. I'm less neurotic over panicking if Beatrice has a taste of something that she shouldn't have at her age, she was in Crete last week, boiling and had a few licks of a frozen yoghurt - something I would never have done when Bridget was a baby, but she enjoyed it, didn't get a sore tummy, and it cooled her down into the bargain.

I stick by my original weaning 'tools' and say, that you can get by with a simple potato masher if that's all you have, it's what I used first time around and, still do for some of the meals. I'm so reliant on my Nutribullet these days though for myself, I use it at least once a day and it's excellent to help quickly blitz up a meal into a puree for weaning.

This puree is super simple; sweet potato, baked, and scooped out of the shell, a handful of washed, blanched spinach and a handful of boiled or steamed peas. Either mash all together with a little water or baby milk (breast or formula works) or pop into the Nutribullet, allow to cool a bit first, then blitz for 10 seconds.

Sweet Potato, Spinach and Pea Puree



You'll be left with a glorious, green coloured puree that doesn't look very appetising, but is full of goodness, and Beatrice has been wolfing it down.

Beatrice enjoying her Sweet Potato, Spinach and Pea Puree



If you use 1 medium sweet potato, one handful of spinach and the same of peas, this should make a good 3 portions. May your littles ones enjoy! 

Cooking with Children: Chocolate, Cornflake and Marshmallow Cakes

I'm a very firm believer in encouraging children to cook from a young age, and Bridget has been making cakes and 'helping' me in the kitchen since before she was able to walk and would just 'stir' cake ingredients from the comfort of her high chair. She absolutely loves to help Mummy, and her favourite job of all is to 'make cakes' - a really fun activity for children of most ages, especially with the added bonus of eating them afterwards and handing them out proudly to various family members. Bridget has her own little apron and loves going to fetch it if I invite her to do some cooking in the kitchen.

These Chocolate Cornflake Marshmallow Cakes are a slight step up from the ones I made myself as a child and are absolutely delicious, rich with milk chocolate, crisp from the cornflakes but gooey from the marshmallow - just gorgeous and very tempting for children and adults of all age. They are easy to make, take very little time and are a great way of spending quality time with your little one in the kitchen.

For these particular cakes, I bought all of the ingredients from Lidl too for less than £3.00 so it's an inexpensive family activity.

The below makes 12 cakes.

Chocolate, Cornflake and Marshmallow Cakes

Here's how:

• 80g butter (unsalted)
• 1 pack mini marshmallows
• 1 large bar milk chocolate
• 80g raisins
• 250g cornflakes

Firstly get your little one to wash their hands with you and get them into this habit before doing any tasks in the kitchen and then help them tie their apron.

Now little one can be in charge of breaking up the chocolate into a crack and melt-proof bowl (without eating any if possible!) while Mum or Dad (or whoever is cooking with little one) boils the kettle and places a small saucepan on the hob with some just boiled water.

Excitedly breaking up and sneaking in a few bites of chocolate

Once all the chocolate is broken up and placed into the ceramic dish, add the butter and two thirds of the pack of marshmallows and place the bowl over the boiling water. Obviously if allowing little ones to help at this stage, be extremely careful and be on hand at all times - Bridget knows that this step is 'burnies'. 

Chocolate, butter and marshmallows melting

Chocolate, butter and marshmallows melting

Now get little one to pour the Cornflakes into a mixing bowl, then you pour over the melted chocolate and marshmallow mix and allow little one to stir. Add the raisins now too and stir well.

Mummy's little helper

Get your toddler or child to line a cupcake tin with 12 cake cases and then help her to spoon a generous spoonful into each - it doesn't matter if this is a little messy, this is all part of the fun.

Adding the finishing touches

Once the mixture is evenly distributed allow your little one to scatter or place a few marshmallows over the top and set aside to set for an hour or so. Enjoy!

Creamy Mushroom and Danish Blue Cheese Risotto

I made this out of a severe blue cheese pregnancy craving - as I'm only allowed it when cooked through and it was a definite winner. Rich, creamy and unctuous with that perfect blue cheese tang - it's sure to become a regular and is a great Meat Free Monday option if you stick to vegetable stock - of which we have been neglecting grossly in recent months.

This makes enough for three portions.

Creamy Mushroom and Danish Blue Cheese Risotto

Here's how:

• 250g arborio rice
• Handful spring onions
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Carton of chestnut or field mushrooms, thoroughly washed 100g Danish Blue (I used the Lidl Milbona) 
• Pinch salt 
• Pinch black pepper 
• Pinch dried thyme
• 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon crème fraiche

Firstly add a tablespoon of the olive oil to a non-stick pan and place on a medium heat.

In the meantime finely dice the onions and mince the garlic and add to the pan to sauté gently.

Wash and dry the mushrooms, and chop into small pieces, set aside for the moment.

Once the onion and garlic have softened add the arborio rice to the pan and quickly move around with a wooden spoon to ensure all the rice is in touch with the base and the oil. Allow to cook for five minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, and not allowing to burn.

Now add the mushrooms and allow to cook for a minute before adding a ladleful of the stock plus a pinch of salt and pepper.

Stir and allow the rice and mushrooms to absorb the stock fully, and keep stirring to prevent any sticking at the bottom. Continue by adding a ladleful more at a time and the same process of stirring etc. until the rice has puffed right up and absorbed most of the stock. Taste the rice to check if it has the consistency you prefer and once happy, allow all the stock to be absorbed then add the crème fraiche to thicken the risotto and add a delicious creaminess to the texture and flavour.

Once the cream has been absorbed crumble in the Danish Blue cheese, and allow to fully melt, continuing to stir all the while. Finish with seasoning to taste and dish up on a bed of rocket, spinach leaves or watercress for a delicious mid-week meal.