Tag: DIY

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St Kitts Bhaji Mix Recipe

We don’t have any of our bhaji mix on the shelf at the moment, but we don’t want to leave you without – so by popular request, here’s how you can make it at home!

 

Bhaji mix ingredients:

200g gram flour

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp baking powder

water

 

Method:

Mix dry ingredients together and add enough water to make a batter – you want it thicker than for pancakes, but not stiff.

My favourite bhaji is cauliflower, so I’ll give you the instructions for that. Break cauliflower into florets and put them into boiling water, bring back to the boil then remove from the heat straight away and strain. They will feel like they are too firm, but trust me this will make them perfect. Drop the cauliflower florets into the batter and coat thoroughly. Heat about an inch of oil in a deep frying pan, once it is hot drop the coated cauliflower in and fry, turning regularly, until a golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and give a sprinkle of salt before serving. Best served hot with a yoghurt dip, or as a side with a curry.

 

You can also use peas, chopped onions, partially cooked sweet potato… anything you fancy really! They’re also great with salad, if the sun finally comes out and you fancy a quick bite…

 

Photo credit: mdid via Foter.com / CC BY

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Stuffed Mushroom Burger Recipe – Summer in a Bun…

We had an amazing time at our Summer Party this Saturday – great food, great company and incredible music from the very talented ‘Dog With No Name’. We got through a fair bit of Pimms too! As always, a huge thank you to everyone who came! For those that missed it, here is the recipe for our stuffed mushrooms, which we served in burger buns with a bit of roast sweet potato and pepper for flavour contrast.

Ingredients:

– 4 Large flat mushrooms

– 250g Cream cheese

– couple of slices of bread

– 100g strong cheddar, grated

– pinch of dried sage or chives

– salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  • Remove and save the mushroom stalks, scoop out the dark gills with a spoon.
  • Put both of these into a food processor with the bread and herbs and pulse for a few seconds, until crumbed. Mix this with the grated cheese.
  • Generously fill the scooped out mushrooms with cream cheese, top with the breadcrumb mixture, pressing into shape as you go.
  • Bake in the oven at about 170C for 20 minutes, until mushroom is soft and top is crispy. Serve with salad; in a bun or pitta bread; or (my favourite) with some crispy roast parsnips.

If you really want to recreate our evening, you’ll have to check out some of the fab music from Dog With No Name!

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Taste of Summer!

We love a glass of pimms – it makes it feel like summer no matter what the weather! Here’s our twist on the fabulous classic… We’ve made a special basket of plants, just for this purpose (not that we drink a lot *cough*)

Ingredients:

1 part Pimms No. 1

3 parts Sparkling Sicilian Lemonade

Fresh Apple Mint Leaves

Fresh Lemon Verbena Leaves

Fresh (Wild) Strawberry Halves

Fresh Cucumber Slices

Lemon Slices

Ice

Just pop your ice in a jug and pour over the Pimms. Add your fruit and leaves to taste and top up with lemonade. Find yourself a pretty straw and a nice spot in the garden and enjoy!

If you’re just not a fan of pimms (sacrilegious though it is) here’s a few more summer drink recipes – so you can get your practice in while it’s still spring!

 

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Susan’s Lentil Dahl Recipe

So we had to cancel last week’s meal (booo…) due to illness, but to try and make up for it, we thought we’d give you our recipe so you can try it at home. To me, this meal is Indian comfort food at its best – a real winter warmer, or just as fabulous cold the next day. I recommend eating whilst in your pyjamas!

If Indian food is your thing, take a look at Manjulas Kitchen, for some fabulous recipes (and great watching!).

 Susan’s Lentil Dahl

1 onion finely chopped

1 carrot cut into thin slices

2 large potatoes cut into small cubes

couple of large handfuls of red lentils

½ block of creamed coconut (not milk and not a carton)

1 tsp black or brown mustard seed

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp turmeric

½ tsp black pepper

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 inch piece of fresh ginger – peeled and finely grated

1 clove garlic crushed (totally optional, I don’t use this at all, but if you like garlic knock yourself out!)

ghee or oil – about two tablespoons

handful of fresh coriander leaves – chopped

 

Heat the oil or ghee in a large saucepan, when hot drop in the mustard seeds and leave until they start to pop, add the onion and cook until it starts to brown. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, pepper, cardamom, fresh ginger and the garlic if using. Cook the spices for a moment or two before adding in the carrots, potatoes and lentils and cook for a few seconds. Add enough water to completely cover everything and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until everything is soft, adding boiling water if it needs it. When it is cooked there should still be a good amount of liquid in the pot, now add the block of coconut and stir until it’s is completely dissolved, cook on for a minute or two until it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the most of the fresh coriander, reserving a little for garnishing. Serve with yoghurt, mango chutney and a chapatti.

We recommend serving with onion (or cauliflower if you’re feeling adventurous) bhajis – check out our easy bhaji mix here.

Photo credit: srqpix via Foter.com / CC BY

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Sage and Thyme Steaming Treatment

We’ve given ourselves a productive new year’s resolution this year – we’re finally going to get the hang of this blogging business! No more getting distracted, you’re going to be hearing a lot more from us… So to start on the right note (halfway through January, but close enough!) here’s our first ‘make your own’ of the year.

It’s the time of year for dry skin and blocked noses, but we’ve got a super easy, very relaxing way to combat both at the same time. A sage and thyme steaming treatment will open and unclog your pores, whilst clearing your sinuses for easier breathing.

Ingredients:

Handful fresh sage

Handful fresh thyme

Bowl of boiled water

Towel

jan.17.blog.3

It really is as easy as it sounds like it’s going to be! Just pop the herbs into a bowl of freshly boiled water, then lean your face over (not so close that you scald yourself…), lay the towel over your head and breathe deeply. You can stay here for 5 to 10 minutes, before wiping your face off with a cold, damp cloth to close up those pores again. For best results, follow up with a refreshing, toning spritzer and moisturiser.

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Make your own – Bath Bombs (again!)

We know you’ve probably seen this before, but in honour of Christmas we thought we’d share our most popular gift making idea ever. These bath bombs are so easy to make, and are a fantastic, home made gift. They’re also great for relaxing after a hard day’s Christmas shopping!

Ingredients:

Witch Hazel Water

Bicarbonate of Soda

Citric Acid

Essential Oil (we like lavender for an extra soothing bath, but anything you like will work!)

Dried herbs, petals, flowers or food colouring  (again, lavender flowers are it for us)

 

Moulds:

We’ve got the kind of house that always has kids running around, and of course that means kids toys everywhere – so we used a plastic ball pit ball, cut in half (ingenious, we know) as our mould. But you can use anything that has the shape you like – ice cube trays, cupcake tins, whatever you’ve got lying around.

Bath.Bomb.how.to.image

Directions:

  1. Combine equal amounts of citric acid and bicarbonate of soda.
  2. Add a few drops of the essential oil of your choice, plus any flowers or colouring you’re using & mix thoroughly.
  3. Sparingly add Witch Hazel Water (a few drops at a time) until the mixture is just damp enough to hold its shape when compressed. Go easy on adding the liquid- if you add too much the mixture will do all its fizzing in your bowl instead of your bath!
  4. Pack the mixture firmly into both halves of your mould, then push together to join. (If using an ice cube tray or similar, just make sure to compress the mixture into the mould so it doesn’t all fall apart when you take it out).
  5. Allow to set for at least 2 hours before removing from the mould.
  6. If your bomb falls apart when you remove it from your mould, it’s probably too dry- put the mixture back in a bowl and add a few more drops of Witch Hazel water.
  7. Package in some cellophane with ribbon as a gorgeous home made gift – or spoil yourself and get that bath running!
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Make your own – Hair Shine Treatment

I don’t know about you but the miserable winter we’ve been having has left my hair in a complete mess. Luckily, this super easy to make hair shine treatment is great for split ends, brittle hair or even just a bit of a pick me up on a girly night in.

Ingredients:

10g rosemary leaves

10g dried chamomile flowers

100ml fractionated coconut oil

This makes enough for one treatment for very long hair or several if you’re rocking a pixie cut! You’ll have to make it up a bit in advance – just pop all of the ingredients into a jar or bottle and leave to infuse (I only left it overnight but if you can manage a week then even better). When you’re ready to use it, strain through a sieve to get rid of the herbs and work the oil into your scalp and hair. Wrap your hair in clingfilm (or a hot towel if you’re feeling fancy) and leave for a minimum of 30 minutes. If your hair is particularly dry then it can be left in overnight, but be warned – this is not a good idea if your hair leans toward being greasy! Wash the oil out with shampoo; you might need to do this a couple of times to get all of the oil out. Voila! Enjoy your soft, shiny, revived hair. If you’d like to know more about why this works, check out this article about the benefits of coconut oil for your hair.

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Make your own – Bath Bombs

A great gift idea for all occasions (and our most popular blog post ever!), our bath bombs dissolve in a hot bath for silky smooth, fragrant bath water. Bonus – they’re exceedingly easy to make!

Ingredients:

Witch Hazel Water

Bicarbonate of Soda

Citric Acid

Essential Oil (we like lavender for an extra soothing bath, but anything you like will work!)

Dried herbs, petals, flowers or food colouring  (again, lavender flowers are it for us)

 

Moulds:

We’ve got the kind of house that always has kids running around, and of course that means kids toys everywhere – so we used a plastic ball pit ball, cut in half (ingenious, we know) as our mould. But you can use anything that has the shape you like – ice cube trays, cupcake tins, whatever you’ve got lying around.

Bath.Bomb.how.to.image

Directions:

  1. Combine equal amounts of citric acid and bicarbonate of soda.
  2. Add a few drops of the essential oil of your choice, plus any flowers or colouring you’re using & mix thoroughly.
  3. Sparingly add Witch Hazel Water (a few drops at a time) until the mixture is just damp enough to hold its shape when compressed. Go easy on adding the liquid- if you add too much the mixture will do all its fizzing in your bowl instead of your bath!
  4. Pack the mixture firmly into both halves of your mould, then push together to join. (If using an ice cube tray or similar, just make sure to compress the mixture into the mould so it doesn’t all fall apart when you take it out).
  5. Allow to set for at least 2 hours before removing from the mould.
  6. If your bomb falls apart when you remove it from your mould, it’s probably too dry- put the mixture back in a bowl and add a few more drops of Witch Hazel water.
  7. Package in some cellophane with ribbon as a gorgeous home made gift – or spoil yourself and get that bath running!
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Make Your Own Christmas Compilation

I don’t know where the time keeps going, but it’s definitely happening a bit too fast for my liking! Christmas is just around the corner now and the money spent is already adding up – so here is our compilation of all things ‘make your own’ to keep Christmas cheap and still beautiful!

We’ll start with the all important gifts – some of these are our very own recipes and some come from some very clever people with more time on their hands than I have! Have a gander and give some a go yourself:

It’s a scarf, but with pockets!

This one takes a bit more time, but it’s so beautiful – a leather messenger bag.

Ministry of silly walks, in clock form.

Bath milk bags.

Soothing hand balm.

Bath salts – so easy and they can come in any smell you fancy!

Bath vinegars – a nice jar or bottle can really make a difference to this one.

Lightbulb terrarium, does it get much more creative?

Beautiful wood burned boxes. If you’ve got the tools and the time, these make the most gorgeous, unique gift.

This elegant, delicate votive candle holder is just so beautiful, I want a room full of them!

 

It’s all well and good having gifts sorted, but it never really feels like Christmas until the decorations are up! Here are our favourite DIY decorations:

Double lattice ornaments

Christmas tatting patterns

We used this video to make the decorations for our shop this year – they’re rather stunning!

Super intricate, ever so delicate, paper snowflakes

If you’re looking for more ideas, here’s 17 easy peasy decorations you could give a go

 

And of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas without a drink or two! Have a go at some of these Chrimbo cocktails:

Still our favourite, the Chocolate Alexander

A classic with a twist, Appleberry Mulled Wine

We love a bit of cardamom, but we’d never have thought to put it in a martini! This bitter orange and cardamom martini is just to die for.

Cranberry mojito, tastes as good as it looks!

It’s Christmas, of course that means there has to be eggnog…

And in case you need something a bit more warming, hot chocolate and baileys – enough said.

 

There you go – everything you could possibly need to get you through another Christmas (or at least get you tipsy enough to not care!)

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Make your own – Bath Bombs

A great gift idea for all occasions (and our most popular blog post ever!), our bath bombs dissolve in a hot bath for silky smooth, fragrant bath water. Bonus – they’re exceedingly easy to make!

Ingredients:

Witch Hazel Water

Bicarbonate of Soda

Citric Acid

Essential Oil (we like lavender for an extra soothing bath, but anything you like will work!)

Dried herbs, petals, flowers or food colouring  (again, lavender flowers are it for us)

 

Moulds:

We’ve got the kind of house that always has kids running around, and of course that means kids toys everywhere – so we used a plastic ball pit ball, cut in half (ingenious, we know) as our mould. But you can use anything that has the shape you like – ice cube trays, cupcake tins, whatever you’ve got lying around.

Bath.Bomb.how.to.image

Directions:

  1. Combine equal amounts of citric acid and bicarbonate of soda.
  2. Add a few drops of the essential oil of your choice, plus any flowers or colouring you’re using & mix thoroughly.
  3. Sparingly add Witch Hazel Water (a few drops at a time) until the mixture is just damp enough to hold its shape when compressed. Go easy on adding the liquid- if you add too much the mixture will do all its fizzing in your bowl instead of your bath!
  4. Pack the mixture firmly into both halves of your mould, then push together to join. (If using an ice cube tray or similar, just make sure to compress the mixture into the mould so it doesn’t all fall apart when you take it out).
  5. Allow to set for at least 2 hours before removing from the mould.
  6. If your bomb falls apart when you remove it from your mould, it’s probably too dry- put the mixture back in a bowl and add a few more drops of Witch Hazel water.
  7. Package in some cellophane with ribbon as a gorgeous home made gift – or spoil yourself and get that bath running!