This Thursday 23 April marks the fourth birthday of local mobile afternoon tea emporium and baking school Room Forty.  As you’ll be aware, I have been doing weekly LIVE bake alongs for Warrington Guardian every Friday at 12.00 via the Guardian’s Coronavirus news Facebook page.

To celebrate the milestone this week the theme will be cupcakes, decorated in any style, as cheerful and tasty as you can make them. Options will be given during the class!

‘We’re really proud to have made it to our fourth year in business, and although we’re not out there doing our vintage teas at the moment we still want to bring joy to people.

I thought it would be a great idea to get people to join our celebration and send in pictures of themselves with their cake creations, with pictures in the next edition of Warrington Guardian!’

Room Forty will also bake 100 cakes and distribute them to key workers for a Friday afternoon treat to say thank you! If you wish to receive some please get in touch via email  hello@roomforty.co.uk

In this recipe I will show you how to make cupcakes and decorate them. If you have an electric whisk that’s great, but if you don’t have one you just need a strong arm!

NOTE: the recipe says 2 large eggs, but if you can’t get them just weigh the eggs you do have and then use this measurement to weigh the flour, sugar and butter! 

Equipment
Paper cases and a muffin tray
Bowl
Wooden spoon (or electric whisk)
Teaspoon
Weighing scales
Jug
Fork or whisk

Ingredients
110g softened butter or margarine
110g caster sugar
2 large eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
110g self-raising flour

Buttercream
150g softened butter
300g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp milk
food colouring paste of your choice (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)


Method

1. Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl using your wooden spoon. Mix until it is really light and fluffy

 
The eggy bit…

1. Break your eggs into a bowl and mix them up with a fork.
   • Add a bit of the egg into the butter/sugar and mix together – it may look weird.
   • Add a bit more egg and mix it in, adding a tablespoon of flour if it looks like it is curdling (separating and not smooth)
   • Add the last of the egg and give it a good mix
2. Add the vanilla extract and stir in
3. Sieve your flour into the mixture and CAREFULLY using a large spoon fold in the flour carefully
4. Grab your teaspoon and fill the cake cases about half way up. Around 2 teaspoons is enough
5. Put in the oven to bake for around 12 – 15 minutes.  They should be springy when they come out of the oven.
6. Allow to cool completely.

 
Buttercream recipe
100g butter – soft
200g icing sugar – sifted
1 tablespoon milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
Few drops vanilla or other flavour
 

1. Beat the butter until it is soft
2. Sift in half the icing sugar and mix together
3. Sift in the rest of the icing sugar, vanilla and milk and beat together
4. Separate into bowls if you wish to make a few different colours of icing
5. Colour your icing sugar carefully

 
 
 
 

Last week in lockdown I experimented with a few recipes. Things that I know I won't be looking for in the shops when my head is down and I'm buying essentials...but I know the kids will love as a treat!  And, best of all I got them to help make them :)  

This was a great recipe, and doesn't use strong bread flour, so I thought it might be one that you like too.  It does however use yeast.   (I think it would work with strong flour too!)

I do plan to try another baked doughnut recipe - for jam doughnuts. The other recipe uses strong flour but doesn't need yeast - it's one or the other! 

I cut holes out using a cutter, but in reality I think you could probably make a decent hole using a spoon in the middle and give it a good wiggle. 

NOTES: because the dough is enriched it does take some time to do the first prove and double in size. I would suggest 2 hours. 

Also, I made mine in the afternoon, knocked it back and shaped them and then put them in the fridge overnight for the second prove. It meant we could have them for breakfast. 

They DO need to be served warm - so just reheat in the microwave for 10 seconds or so. 



BAKED DOUGHNUTS
INGREDIENTS
DOUGHNUTS:
• 1 1/3 cups warm milk, 95 to 105 degrees
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• A pinch or two of nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 teaspoon salt

TOPPING:
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Place the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and sugar. Add the butter. Mix the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt. Beat the dough with the dough hook attachment (or with a wooden spoon and eventually your hands) for 2-3 minutes at medium speed. Adjust the dough texture by adding flour a few tablespoons at a time or more milk. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl and be very soft and smooth but still slightly sticky - don't overflour! Knead the dough for a few minutes (again, by mixer or by hand) and then transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for about an hour or until it has doubled in size (the exact time will depend on the temperature of your kitchen).

2. Punch down the dough and roll it out to about 1/2-inch thickness on a lightly floured counter. Using a doughnut cutter or a 2-3 inch circle cookie cutter, cut out circles in the dough. Carefully transfer the circles to a parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter. Be sure to make the holes large enough that as the doughnuts rise again and bake, they don't fill in the doughnut hole with the puffiness of the dough. Cover the tray with lightly greased plastic wrap. (At this point, you can refrigerate the doughnuts overnight or proceed with the recipe.) Let the doughnuts rise for about another 45 minutes, until they are puffed and nearly doubled.
3. Bake in a 375 degree F  190 c oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Start checking the doughnuts around minute 8. They should still be pale on top, not golden and browned, and just barely baked through.

4. Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes. Dip each one in the melted butter and toss or sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar. Serve immediately.


Thanks tohttps://www.melskitchencafe.com/baked-doughnuts/e to edit.

This is an amazing versatile and tasty flat bread recipe.  It is so quick, doesn't need any yeast and can use almost any flour that you have in your cupboards (today I will try it with gluten free flour and strong flour and update you in advance of Friday if they both work).

It is a great one to get the children in the kitchen, all you will need to do for them is the hot stuff.

The recipe below makes 6 flatbreads, as I will demonstrate LIVE on Friday at 12.00pm on the Warrington Guardian Coronavirus Facebook page.    

I'll be showing you how to make the basic flatbread and then turn it into an Indian inspired bread, a garlic bread and a pizza. Once you have the hang of it I am sure you will  be able to come up with your own inspired flavourings! 

I use butter as I like the flavour it brings to the bread, but you could substitute with olive oil, and similarly with the milk you could swap it for almond milk to make it vegan.

Ingredients
300g plain flour (plus extra for rolling)
1/2 tsp salt
50g butter 
185g milk 
A little oil for your pan

Topping ingredients
Garlic and butter to make garlic bread
Passata or tomato puree and cheese to make pizza. Some dried herbs would be good too. 
Cumin seeds and coriander for Indian inspired bread

Equipment
Weighing Scales
Frying pan
Bowl
Spoon/spatula 
Measuring jug
Rolling pin (or bottle)
Grill - if you want to heat the top of your pizza

Method for the basic bread
Melt the milk and butter in a pan or in the microwave
Mix in the flour and knead lightly for a minute
Split into six balls.  Cover the ones you're not using so they dont dry out
Roll the ball into a bread shape
Heat a tiny bit of oil, and get your pan quite hot
Put the bread in the pan and cook for around 2 minutes or until it begins to brown
Turn it over and cook the other side. 

Watch the video for the other options!  Available here after the LIVE EVENT

Click here to I have been wracking my brain for ideas for you to make when you don’t want to make (and eat) a full cake, but you want a sweet treat.  These recipes also need very few quantities of ingredients, which is great when some items are scarce!  
 
Now these are not the prettiest cakes you’ll ever bake but they are fun and fast to make. We’ve gone chocolatey with an Easter inspired chocolate cake and a vanilla cake that you could use to treat someone special.
 
You’ll need to keep an eye on them in the microwave (this is the fun bit  - watch them rise high over the mug! They do shrink back down…. usually!).
 
 
If you would like to bake along with me I will be live on Warrington Guardians Coronavirus Facebook page at 12.00 on Friday 10th April.

Or you can watch it just afterwards on our Facebook page - or here (after it has aired!)
 
 
 
Nutella Mug Cake
Serves 2 (or one hungry person)
 

• 3 tablespoons Nutella
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or sunflower oil
• 3 tablespoons plain flour (or Self Raising flour)
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder (leave out if you use SR flour)
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• Chocolate eggs to decorate and icecream or cream to serve (optional)

 
 
Equipment
Large mug or jug
Tablespoon measures
Fork, spoon or small whisk to stir
Sieve (not essential but helpful!)
 
 
Instructions
1. In a mug, add in an egg, milk, vegetable oil, and Nutella. Stir until well combined.
2. Sift in flour and cocoa powder. Add in sugar and baking powder. And stir until well mixed.
3. Microwave for 1 minute and check, repeat microwaving for 10 seconds until the cake is done and a toothpick or skewer comes out clean.
 
 
 
Birthday cake in a mug
Serves 2 (or one hungry person)
 
2tbsp butter
1 egg
2.5  tbsp milk
1tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup or 34g sugar
6 tbsp Self raising flour OR plain flour and ½ tsp baking powder
Options, Jam/sprinkles/custard/cream – be adventurous!  
Options – you could also make this coffee or lemon flavoured. Grate the zest of one lemon into the mix, or dissolve 1tsp of instant coffee in 1 tsp of water and mix in.  Add nuts, chocolate chips… experiment with your favourite flavours!
 
 
 
Equipment
 
Large mug or jug
Tablespoon measures
Fork, spoon or small whisk to stir
Sieve (not essential but helpful!)
 
 
Instructions

1. Melt the butter in your mug. Try 10 seconds in your microwave at a time
2. Add egg, stir in vanilla and milk
3. Add the flour and mix well
4. Put in the microwave for 1 min 20 seconds. Check and cook again for 10 seconds or until baked
5. I like to serve this one with some jam on the side, or you could serve with custard. Let your imagination run wild.

 
Don’t forget to send us your pictures @room_forty on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!  
 
edit.

​On Friday 3 April we made held our bake-along again with Warrington Guardian on their coronavirus update page.  You can watch the video here!


You can halve this recipe to just make six scones, or bake the whole batch and give them away/freeze them/eat them!
If you want to add fruit you will need around 85g.
Scone Recipe
Ingredients
• 450g Self raising flour
• 75g Butter - soft
• 50g caster sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• 200ml milk
Bowl, jug, (or knife), spoon, fork, pastry brush, cutter, scales and a baking tray. Oven 200 - 220 c
Are you joining us?

We know that you're all struggling to get your hands on bread, so we've teamed up with Warrington Guardian to bring you a recipe that uses any flour and no yeast, so you can make a loaf yourself. 

It is similar to the loaf you make on one of our bread classes and we've included a lot of adaptations in the recipe. 

If you'd like to bake along with us, we'll be taking over the Warrington Guardians Coronavirus update page tomorrow at 12.00pm to do a live Bake along. 

Recipe is printed in this week's Warrington Guardian. 

Soda bread
Ingredients:
·        500g flour (this doesn’t have to be bread flour, you can use any NOTE: if you use Self Raising flour add one tsp baking powder extra to the mix )


·        1 x tsp bicarbonate of soda (if you haven’t any Bicarb, use 4 x tsp of Baking Powder – see the note above if you are using Self Raising Flour just add 1 x tsp extra Baking Powder)
·        1 x tsp table salt
·        1 x tbsp sugar (it can be any sugar but dark muscovado, or preferably treacle give the loaf a richer taste)
·        40g soft butter (We prefer to use 40 ml of rapeseed oil. It’s healthier and you can just pour it in to the mix)
300 – 340ml of either plain yoghurt (the value stuff is fine), milk with an added tsp of lemon juice to sour it, milk that has gone off and is starting to smell (seriously – this actually gives it a superior creamy flavour*), or buttermilk.

Equipment:
A baking sheet
Large Mixing Bowl
Weighing scales
Knife
Spatula or spoon

Method:
Set your oven to 200 degrees.

Into the mixing bowl weigh in your flour and chuck in your salt. Carefully measure in your bicarbonate of soda or baking powder (I scrape it exactly to the top of the measuring spoon using a knife blade) and drop it into the bowl.

Give the ingredients a rub through to mix them together.

Then add in your sugar, if you decide to use treacle (and it does give a superior colour and taste so is worth it), first smear your measuring spoon with vegetable oil before you plunge it in to the treacle as it will just drop off the spoon leaving it (fairly) clear. Then take a butter knife and swirl it through the dry ingredients in the bowl to mix it in.

Then add in your soft butter or rapeseed oil. Again, swirl and cut it through the mix. Now get your hands into the bowl and rub in the butter/oil and sugar/treacle.

At this stage, if you like, you could chuck in up to three tablespoons of seeds – poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds go nicely.

You’ll need to work fairly quickly now. Check your oven is hot enough and pour a bowl of clean warm water ready for your hands. Dust some flour onto your baking sheet.

Take your liquid; yoghurt (or milk and lemon juice, or sour milk, or buttermilk) and pour it in to the mix and stir it in quickly with a butter knife. When you have stirred it in as much as you can you’ll need to get your hands in and finish it off. I haven’t specified a liquid amount as you’ll need enough to make it come together. It will be a sticky mess which you’ll need to shape into a rough ball and pace on the baking sheet.

Now plunge your hands into your bowl of water to wash off sticky the mix. While your hands are still slightly wet shape the ball some more (the water makes it easier). Dust the top with some flour then grab a knife and give the dough a cross cut across the top.

Quickly put the sheet and dough into the centre of the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes.
And that’s it. Stick the kettle on and inhale the heavenly baking aroma.

Check it after 30 minutes - oven gloves on of course - it should sound hollow or drum like on the bottom and, pressing lightly into the cross cuts these should feel firm and not soft. If the ‘cross’ is still a bit soft stick it back into the oven again for another five minutes.

Put it on a cooling rack and leave it to cool. Unlike yeasted bread soda bread is delicious slightly warm, with butter (put the kettle on again!).

Soda bread will always look rustic and authentic. It is scrumptious and will impress your friends.

It is best eaten fresh. It won’t keep much longer than a day but you can slice it or break it into chunks and it freezes well too.
 
Note:
If you prefer, you can make this in a bread tin which will give you a more controlled shape and better ability to slice it (great for when you want to freeze it or use it for sandwiches).

Prepare as before. Take a large bread tin and grease the sides with butter, pack the dough in, then take a wooden or silicone spatula to pack the dough into a loaf shape pressing the edges in.

Flour the top, then taking a wet sharp knife cut the dough length wise down to the base Then tease out the cut to make a V shaped channel along the length of the dough and put the loaf in the oven as before.

This week, my Warrington Guardian column is on a subject I am increasingly passionate about. I am driving my family crazy with my attempts to make us greener, but I think even the smallest changes and swaps contribute, so I will persevere! (what, no meat again Mum?!)
It is also a wonderful opportunity to help inform my local community of the great place Warrington is, and there are some fabulous new shops who are leading the way to sustainability Powered By Plants
Thanks Warrington Guardian for continuing to allow me the space to share regular news from the food and drink industry.
Have you picked up your copy yet?
#sustainableplanet #noplanetb #foodblog #lovewarrington

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of witnessing the resounding success of the first in a series of pop-up restaurants for Liverpool based chef Eddie Kilty.

The venue for the seven course contemporary tasting menu was a bijou 30 seat restaurant The Bagelry in China Town. Hanging plants, paper Chinese lanterns and soft candle lighting, along with a background of clearly very carefully chosen vinyl provided a convivial atmosphere that was neither simplistic or pretentious.

We were greeted with a warm welcome from Eddie himself, looking as relaxed as only someone can who’s made sure they’ve done their homework before the exam.
 
It’s hard to imagine Eddie breaking a sweat to get the service to the table, whether that was in the two days preparation at his West Allerton home, or before the guests arrived. The service was smooth, surprising for a pop up where you aren’t sure of the venue. Plating took centre stage and the team had been well briefed and were excited to be part of the event.
 
With a bag of popcorn to snack on whilst we selected our drinks – (prosecco with blackberry gin, blackberry and thyme)  we waited for the final guests to arrive, soaking up anticipation and devouring the menu.
 
The first course offered an inspired introduction to Eddies food and set the bar for the rest of the meal. Rich chicken liver pate enclosed in salty, crispy chicken skin, and tiny potato skins with truffle was entertaining and fun finger food that was certainly only for grownups.
 
Possibly the most memorable course for me was the Mackerel with forced rhubarb and delicately pickled rhubarb. Pretty as a picture, and carefully thought out, the puffed rice introduced texture and complemented the soft mackerel.
 
Most innovative was the introduction of a cabbage course, served with a powerful umami rich XO sauce, served with a glass of fermented cabbage juice to drink between mouthfuls. Whilst challenging I found it surprisingly refreshing. It turned out to be the favourite course of the evening for the lady at the next table.   
 
Whilst the main course was a rich, melt in the mouth ox cheek ragu lasagne, it was quickly blown away by the amusing icy Mojito bombs with popping candy. These were guzzled and slurped with us greedy folk begging for more and were delighted when more were produced.
​
This was clever, unpretentious and engaging food that left the guests smiling and curious for the next course. Our only disappointment? The two empty seats somebody somewhere was missing a treat!
 
​

Feta PDO mmmm 
 
It isn’t every day that 80kilos of authentic Feta PDO cheese lands on your doorstep along with a request from the Greek Ministry asking if you would like to do a cookery demo with it. Such is the unusual world of Room Forty. Our motto should be ‘expect the unexpected’, it seems that every day offers a fresh madcap challenge. And every day we like to think that we rise to the occasion.
The brief that we were given was to promote real Feta PDO. There is a world of difference between authentic Feta cheese which had the Protected Designated Origin (PDO) status and the ‘Greek style salad cheese’ that lurks in the supermarket fridges. Feta PDO is beautiful natural cheese. It is of course dearer but worth the cost not just because the sheep and goats that provide the milk lead natural lives, and there are no nasties or antibiotics given, but the flavour is beautifully balanced and the cheese has a natural crumbly texture.

We were asked to run two sessions for professional chefs, to be filmed and live streamed over to Greece. Fortunately, we have a great relationship with our local College, Warrington & Vale Royal. Their lead tutor who runs the catering school, Chef Scott Surtees is an inspiration. The school is run as a proper restaurant, Buckleys, without doubt Warrington’s best fine dining restaurant (and if you haven’t been go – it is no wonder that it has held an AA Rosette for two years).

Scott taught the students to make delicately spiced feta and beef and feta and pine nut samosas, and then it was our turn to demonstrate a green olive tapenade and feta wrapped loaf. All with Feta PDO of course.

It is the first time that we had worked with and taught the students at the college. Being honest, we were a little nervous as they are seriously talented young people. Apart from their skills what came across was their enthusiasm for food, cooking, baking and to eagerness learn evidenced by the fact that they had come in specially to do this in their Easter break.

We had a great day, though we were left with a lot of beautiful fresh cheese, probably 70 kilos which can’t be frozen.

Check out the story in Warrington Guardian. If you run a community group, or meals service for communities you can apply to get a 4 kilo tin of genuine Feta PDO for free. Once tasted, you’ll never buy the inferior imitations again.
​

Perfect for guests who may call unexpectedly, you can whip these Room Forty Greek Biscuits up in just a few minutes with things you already have in the store cupboard.

 Also, a great one to make with children as it’s a bit of fun rolling the dough into shapes.

You can also flavour them differently - see my tips.  Let me know if you make them! 

Ingredients 

225g butter
125g caster sugar
1 medium egg
275g plain flour
1tsp vanilla extract, or more traditionally ½ tsp vanilla and 1/2tsp almond extract (not flavouring)
1 egg – to eggwash
 
TIP - You could mix the flavours up, maybe add chocolate chips with orange zest – get creative!  
 
Method
Turn your oven on to 200 c. That’s a hot oven – they only take 10 minutes to bake.  
Line a baking sheet with baking paper, or grease a baking tin
 
1.       Combine the soft butter, sugar and egg and mix together well
2.       Add the vanilla /almond extract – or other flavours!
3.       Add the flour and bring it all together by hand
4.       Take a teaspoon of the mixture and roll it between your hands into a sausage – making s shapes or twist it to make curls
 
TIP – I find it helps to have a little flour on my hands to do this, so it doesn’t stick too much. You could also put your mix in the fridge for 40 mins to firm up a little before this stage.
 
5.       Place your shapes with gaps of about 2cm between them as they will spread a little
6.       Put them in the fridge for around half an hour, get the kettle on/clean up!
7.       Give them a coat of eggwash
8.       Bake for 10 minutes
9.       Dust with icing sugar and serve