Rose petal & orange shortbread

England's in for a fight today, and I was wondering what should I cook for today's World Cup culinary challenge. My first thought was to make a batch of Welsh cakes with Cheddar and chives, then I suddenly realised the name kind of says it all: they are not English, and I don't want a wrath of my blog readers descending on me for mixing up the two entities. What then: Eton Mess or Chelsea buns? Shepherd's pie or bangers & mash? Jam roly-poly or a Victoria sandwich? What about some lovely shortbread? Now that for me is quintessentially English and quaint. Very ladylike. Unlike football.
My garden is beautiful right now, with the old fashioned roses cascading down on branches. So be it, I'll add some rose petals to the dough, and maybe the orange zest. While oranges are not native to England, they have been imported here for ages, think of the orange girls in Drury Lane or going even further in history, candied oranges at the court of Henry VIII.

Rose petal & orange shortbread
Ingredients:
1 orange, zest only
50g caster sugar
150g plain flour
100g butter, softened
2tsp finely chopped rose petals, dried

In a mixing bowl mix the orange zest with caster sugar and finely chopped rose petals (snip with scissors), add the flour and butter and start mixing, using your hands. It will first look like crumble, but keep working the dough until it binds together.
Press the dough into the base of a tart tin. Actually I couldn't find where I put my tart tin, so I just used a Pyrex dish lid, slightly sprayed with the oil spray. Using the back of a spoon, smooth the top.
Bake in the oven at 180C for 20 minutes until golden.
Take the tin out, and carefully cut into triangles, while still warm.

Let it cool in the tin, then take out of the tin.

It is lovely with fresh strawberries on top, or just sprinkled with a bit of icing sugar.

Chris from Cooking Around the World has challenged the foodies to take part in a culinary-football-themed game this month. Read all about the rules of the game in his linky Bloggers Around the World.

• Adding my recipe to Teatime Treats, hosted this month by Karen at Lavender and Lovage and co-hosted by Janie at The Hedgecombers.

Elderflower cordial & prosecco jelly with raspberries and rose petals

A couple of years ago I came across an idea of a prosecco jelly with lilac flowers, and I kept promising myself I would do it one day. Yet two Mays passed by, and by the time I finally got a bottle of prosecco for the recipe, the lilac blooms were all dried and brown. Roses are glorious at the moment, so I decided roses would probably be as nice in a jelly. I also had a bottle of an elderflower cordial, and the recipe for Elderflower cordial and prosecco jelly with raspberries and rose petals was born.

It's the season of elderflower now, but my own garden has just a few blooms, I would need to go foraging to get enough for the syrup.

Elderflower cordial and prosecco jelly
Ingredients:
250ml elderflower cordial
1 sachet of Dr Oetker gelatine
320ml prosecco
a handful of fresh raspberries
a few rose petals (not sprayed with any chemicals, so the shop roses won't be any good)

Heat up the cordial in a medium pan. Add a sachet of gelatine (add the gelatine to hot water or cordial, never the other way around). Stir briskly until all the gelatine is dissolved.

Add the cold prosecco, stir well again. Place the rose petals and raspberries in sundae glasses or jelly moulds. Pour the cordial mix over the berries.
Let it cool, then put in the fridge overnight, covered with a cling film.

What can I say? It is a pure delight, sweet, tart, zingy, in one word, excellent. I really loved it. It looks very classy and sophisticated, yet it is so easy to make. Skip the rose petals if you don't have or don't fancy any. Now, next spring I really must try it with the lilac.

I have used an Elderflower cordial from Belvoir Fruit Farms in this recipe. This signature drink is refreshing and delicious, and makes a classic ingredient in aperitifs and cocktails. Just the other day I saw a recipe for an Elderflower & prosecco refresher made with fizzy water and gin. Such an aperitif screams Party time! and brings thoughts of the Ladies's day at Ascot.
Let's hope we'll get a good summer when we could leisurely sip our cocktails in the garden.

Disclosure: I received a bottle of cordial for the purposes of creating a recipe with it.

Adding my recipe to #TeaTimeTreats linky hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage and Janie from The HedgeCombers...

... and to #FridayFoodie linky run by Otilia from Romanian Mummy Blog.

All Things Nice tea (Bluebird Tea Co)

Here I am again, admiring the rosebuds on a plate and thinking of the lovely summer days and elegant roses, cascading in my garden. Wishful thinking, of course, as it has been raining non-stop for weeks, and our garden looks sodden and uninviting, even with a sprinkling of snowdrops like a patterned carpet. I close my eyes and breathe in deeply.  All Things Nice from Bluebird Tea Co looks luxurious and smells like a mini-garden.
All Things Nice refers to the nursery rhyme about little girls, who are made of sugar and spice.
This lovely blend contains such ingredients as Jasmine white tea, rosebuds, lemongrass, cinnamon and liquorice.

All Thins Nice has been created by tea mixologists and experts from Bluebird Tea Co. They are passionate about tea, and their creations have scooped a lot of awards. They even run tea mixology masterclasses. the next one is taking place in Brighton on 28 February, which actually happens to be my birthday. But hopping on a train for a late masterclass would be quite tricky. Maybe one day I will treat myself to a trip to a tea mixing class.

When brewed, this tea is light golden in colour. It is a delicate floral tea, with a beautiful scent of rose and jasmine. Cinnamon adds a touch of warmth to the brew, and liquorice makes it naturally sweet. Very refreshing and aromatic.
I would imagine it will be lovely as iced tea in summer (will we ever get summer?!).
You might be too late to order it for Valentine's Day but nothing stops you from enjoying it any day of the year.

This blend is a kind of a Marie-Antoinette of the tea world, in her bucolic pastoral phase, all pretty rose buds and delicate hues.

Disclosure: I received a sample of tea for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.

Last minute Valentine's Day gift ideas

This month love is all around... or so they say. I'm not in the over-enthusiastic camp but not in the Valentine-bashers' community either. I appreciate little gifts and gestures all year round, but for some unfathomable reason my heart goes aflutter at the sight of a Valentine's card or a simple note in the morning on the big day.
Does it make me a hopeless romantic? It probably does.
I am partial to chocolate and will never say No to a box of chocolate, be it my favourite Belgian chocolates or a nice new All You Need is Love box from Thorntons (which I hasten to say I bought as a treat for myself, as I couldn't resist the chocolate batons with funny names like Totally Nuts and Fruity Nutcase).

If chocolates and flowers are too unimaginative and too old-fashioned to your taste, how about a quirky gift like a bunch of pink mushrooms as a statement of affection?

When I opened an email newsletter from Espresso Mushroom Company, I totally fell in love with this unique gift - Hot Pinks Kitchen Garden- which is as pretty as any bouquet of flowers. This amazing growing kit comes with green credentials, as it uses upcycled coffee grounds collected from the local cafes. Beautiful exotic coral mushrooms are a perfect gift for any foodie. Very tempted to order one for myself, I bet my kitchen would look more cheerful.

Photo courtesy of Espresso Mushroom company

I'm a tea lover, and love exploring new flavours. If your partner enjoys floral teas, All Things Nice from Bluebird Tea Co might be just the right gift for them. This blend of white tea with rose buds, cinnamon, liquorice and lemongrass  is very delicate, floral, aromatic and delicious. It is naturally sweet, a perfect tea for Valentine's day.

A beautiful heirloom cannot be beaten. I am a big fan of Sophie Bruen Ceramics. Her glorious pieces are inspired by wonders of the natural world. This stunning bowl with colourful moths will surely be much loved and cherished for years to come.

Photo courtesy of Sophie Bruen

Back to foodie gifts, L'Epicurien Rose Petal Confit looks splendid. This delicate jelly made of fresh rose petals could work wonderfully with soft ripe cheeses like brie or camembert, and I would imagine tastes heavenly in a hot croissant (breakfast in bed anyone?!). Or mixed with ricotta to fill in freshly baked choux pastries.

Photo courtesy of Sous Chef

I've seen Dell' Ugo Devilish Chocolate Fiorelli in Waitrose. As a foodie blogger, I am in two minds about it. On one hand, I am very curious to try it, on the other, I think it sounds plain wrong. As a novelty foodie gift for Valentine's Day it might be funky, and it will definitely develop an interesting talking point. I'm probably showing my age, but might it be one of the props for recreating a scene from "Nine 1/2 Weeks"? Was't Mickey Rourke gorgeous in his heyday?

Back from dreams of young Mickey Rourke to reality. If romancing your sweetheart with desserts doesn't rock your boat, spice it up with Wild Rose el Hanout spice mix from Forage Fine Foods. It is a brilliant blend of spices with rose petals, I have used it and recommend highly. It is believed to be an aphrodisiac (cannot say I noticed my passion levels grow higher but it definitely a spice mix to fall in love with).

You might have seen a variety of heart-shaped cheeses in the shops nowadays. Just the other day I saw some super-cute mini-Neufchatel cheese hearts. I got one big heart-shaped brie to make a starter of brie in shortcrust pastry on Valentine's day, always a big hit in our house. Abel & Cole has a selection of heart-shaped cheeses as well including a Godminster Heart Shaped Cheddar which is a lovely crumbly vintage cheddar with a personality.

And even if you don't care for Valentine's Day, just treat yourself!

Say it with roses... in a tea cup

I first came across Bluebird Tea Co. when Eddie and I visited the Feastival back in August. I was admiring their stand with a superb selection of flavoured teas and almost having a mini-tantrum, as I couldn't make up my mind which tea to choose. I felt like a tot on the point of a meltdown, as I wanted them all.
I love rose petal teas, and was delighted to have a chance to sample Love Potion tea.

What is Love Potion?
It is a unique blend of Ceylon black tea with freeze-dried strawberry pieces, rose petals, jasmine, calendula, cocoa, vanilla, papaya, lime and candy hearts (have I forgotten anything?!).
It looks pretty and the fragrance is delightful. It reminds me of a stylish pot-pourri (without any artificial flavourings). I could happily walk around the house with my nose in the bag, sniffing the contents of Love Potion, but it might look odd.
Rose petals are well known for their health benefits, they are a source of vitamins A, C, D, E and even antioxidants. They also work as a gentle detoxing agent.

If your partner is a tea lover, this might be a great idea for a Valentine's gift (or any other occasion). Say it with roses - in a cup.

Krisi from Bluebird Tea Co (why do I always want to say Bluebeard tea? maybe because their tea flavours remind me of fairy tales and princesses in towers?) told me that I shouldn't steep it for longer than 3 minutes or it might turn bitter. I followed her advice. It is a fragrant flavourful tea, with all components singing in a polyphony. Beautiful unadorned with any sugar or sweetener.

Typically I wouldn't add any milk to a rose-flavoured tea but I was intrigued by Krisi's suggestion to add some, she said that it reminded her of Cadbury's strawberry creams in the Roses boxes. It does actually work well, though I think I still prefer it without milk, as a fruity-flowery infusion.
If you love floral teas, it's a delightful tea for an afternoon cuppa.

If you liked this review, you might be interested to read a review of another Bluebird Tea Co.'s creation, Earl's Paradise.

To find out more about Bluebird tea co's selection, visit their website Bluebird Tea Co.

Disclosure: I received a bag of Love Potion tea for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.

Elderflower and rose petal cordial

I love the elderflower cordial, and was wondering if it is difficult to make your own. We have an elderflower bush in the garden, but it is pretty young, and doesn't sport more than 3 heads of blossom this year, so I let it be. While returning from my older son's school, I noticed heaps and heaps of the white lace, and decided to do a bit of foraging. And as the roses in my garden have gone amok this year, I thought I'd make an Elderflower and Rose Petal Cordial, to combine the two quintessentially English favours.

Elderflower and Rose Petal Cordial
Ingredients:

15 heads of elderflower              
1kg granulated sugar     
1litre water
zest of 1 unwaxed lemon, cut into strips
1 lemon, sliced
20+ mixed roses

I went for the mix of roses, as I wanted for the cordial to turn pink. But I suppose the pure white roses would produce a lovely colourless cordial.
Pick the flowers, divide the rose petals and shake the elderflowers to get rid of any tiny bugs. Place in a big bowl and pour the cold water over them. Drain the water.
Place the sugar into a pan with the water, bring up to the boil, keep stirring until the sugar dissolved completely.
Using a paring knife, peel off the lemon zest in strips, add to the sugar.
Slice the lemon and add to the pan with the sugar.
Add the rose petals and elderflower heads to the sugar syrup, bring to the boil and cook for about 5 minutes.

Leave in the pan overnight under the lid. The next day strain the cordial and pour into the glass bottle.

To serve, dilute the cordial with sparkling or still water and add a slice of lemon.

I have strained the cordial into the bottles, but also left some rose petals in (the elderflower heads were discarded) for a couple of small jars. I just like to add a couple of teaspoons of rose petals in sugar syrup to my tea. It is so fragrant and flavourful. And very pretty too. I can imagine it would go nicely with champagne.
It was dead easy and cost me almost nothing (I only bought the sugar).

Roll up your sleeves: Kids Grow Wild challenge

Our garden at the moment is the kingdom of roses. You open the door in the garden, and almost drown in the perfume of the white cascading roses which managed to climb on top of the big plum tree and fall down like a luxurious waterfall of the white petals.

We also have the other varieties of roses, including some yellow, red and salmon pink.

But having a garden requires a great amount of dedication. You really need to work on it daily. Thankfully, my younger son loves our garden as much as I do, and is happily digging along, or running around, watering the plants (even those which don't need it), the path and his shoes.
Eddie was delighted to receive a new gardening starter kit (see the photo below). He already has one, but in his opinion, there's never enough of digging tools. He relishes his time in the garden, and is proud of his own tools collection.
We planted the sunflower seeds recently, and hopefully we'll have some beautiful flowers to admire.

Here is Eddie telling me what he plans to do with the new tools.

Happily digging in his designated area. I do not let him dig in the strawberry patch, as he is over-enthusiastic.

This year we are growing tomatoes, cucumbers and chili peppers in the greenhouse. The grafted cucumber in a pot is doing really well. We check on it daily to see how it grows. We even had a couple of cucumbers to eat. Here is my very proud mini gardener with the first cucumber of the season. And you bet it tasted delicious.

And as we recently discovered, it's not only berries, fruit and veg that are growing in our garden. A silly mummy bird has done a nest on top of the flower pot in the basket on the wall. It is well hidden, and you really need to know where to look. Now Eddie tells everyone who would listen that Mummy bird needs to keep the eggs warm so we should not scare her.

This post is an entry for BritMums' #KidsGrowWild Challenge which is sponsored by Moneysupermarket.
We received a children's gardening kit to take part in this challenge.